just followin' orders... matt 28:19

journey home..

2012-01-21T20:13:00.001-08:00

1-18
Today started out very relaxed... we didn't have to leave till 10 :) then we went to a giraffe petting zoo. When we got there they were all out of food so they let us go in the park for free, but they said don't be disappointed if they don't come over because they know there is no food. It was pretty cool to see the giraffes, one came over and got really close. We climbed up to stand on a platform to be eye to eye with them, they are massive animals. Allie found a little bit of food on the ground, and got to feed one out of her hand and so did a couple others. Very cool to see it walk right up to us. Since there wasn't any food and they wouldn't stick around long we quickly took off for an elephant park where we got to see 6 baby elephants playing with a ball in the mud. They are very playful animals, and somewhat onery. They were so funny and blew some mud out into the crowd, some of our people got free souvenirs :) we only got to see the end so we weren't there that long. After that we went to a Mediterranean restaurant for lunch in downtown nairobi... after lunch we went to do a little bit of last minute shopping, one of the places went went was a souvenir hot spot where the vendors are very aggressive, their prices are high and they will do anything to try and get you into their shop. They wanted to trade for everything we had...this one guy wanted my sunglasses so bad but wouldn't give me a good deal so we moved on, it got very intense in there, but the challenge to barter was really fun. We left there and headed to the airport... the traffic was unbelievable, we wouldn't move for 20 minutes then traffic would go about 100 feet and stop again. We finally made it to the airport, unloaded and when bro chuck and sis terry made it(due to some car problems) we said our goodbyes which were very rushed. I think that is exactly how they wanted it in order to save the tears. We got checked in and all ready to board the plane, we hadn't eaten in a while and I took one of my malaria pills, big mistake, once we got to the gate there was no way to get out. As we were boarding I knew it was not going to be good. My stomach started to hurt like I was getting sick, I was sweating so much... looked like I just played a whole basketball game. After taking some anti-nausea meds my stomach finally settled down. And we took off on our first 8 hour flight to Amsterdam. Me, allie, bro Russell, and bro Gary were sitting next to each other on the second to last row and they all fell asleep. We made it to Amsterdam and we were pretty hungry. Me, allie, kristan, and lindsey headed out to find something to eat and the golden arches were calling our name. It was about 6 something in the morning and we all chowed down on some mickeyD's :) then after looking around in the airport it was time for our second 8 hour flight to Minneapolis. We made it, it was -3 degrees when we arrived... then we had to go through customs and recheck our bags. All our bags made it and we went and got ready for our next flight to san fran. All checked in and ready to go we found out the flight was not full so we had some extra room to spread out a little. We made it into san fran at about 5pm and were so happy that all our luggage made it. We had our final group prayer :( said our goodbyes and headed out. We were so tired and dirty... we were looking forward to food and a nice hot shower. We finally made it to our house around 11ish. What a couple of days... so worth it to experience God in the way we did. All I can say is we serve an amazing God... a couple more blogs to come :) night all!!
c&a

tuesday... The end is so close :(

2012-01-20T10:06:00.001-08:00

1-17
Today we got up really early to try to get the gaming reserve early enough to see the lions. We had to drive 2.5-3 hours to get there. Right before we were going into the park this cute little monkey was hanging around the group... he was very friendly but right when we were loading up to head into the park that little monkey stole a package of beef jerkey from my bag. It ran away and looked back with a look that said ha ha ha. In the park we saw a lot of monkeys, zebra, gazelle, and water buffalo. My favorite had to be the few rhinos and giraffes that we saw. Allie loved seeing the baby wharthogs. We were a little disappointed that we didn't get to see any lions or cheetahs. We got to pop the top on our safari vans so we could stand up and see the park but still be shaded, it was awesome! We wished we could of saw more animals but it was still a once in a lifetime experience. We left the park and headed to have lunch at none other than a gas station... it was really good fried chicken and fries :) we were all able to go check into the hotel where we would be staying our last night in Kenya :( it was a great hotel and very nice, then we all cleaned up a bit and headed to have dinner at a Brazilian steak house. This restaurant was so cool, bro chuck & sis terry wanted us to have this place before we left and it was so good. They have a salad bar which we were actually able to eat at because they clean their veggies good enough so we won't get sick... it felt good to have a salad! Then they have these little cards on the table... one side green for GO and one side red for STOP they bring all the meat out on skewers and if your card is turned green then they bring it to you... they had chicken, shrimp, ribs, steak, alligator, and more! It was a very neat experience! Once we all finished up we headed back to the hotel to have our final group meeting/devo time! We were sitting at an outdoor meeting area upstairs and we had started our meeting when all the sudden we heard "BANG!! BANG!!" within seconds most of us hit the ground... bro Russell and Allie were the first 2 down :) we were all... well most of us were kind of scared after that. We never really found out what it was, maybe some fruit falling off the tree onto the tin roof or someone threw rocks on the tin roof either way it was scary. We spent two weeks traveling from tribe to tribe where most people hadn't seen a group of white people like us and they were so nice and welcoming and we thought oh great... we spend one last night in Nairobi and we are going to die!! Anyway we are all fine and dandy! We had a great last meeting and we are dreading leaving tomorrow, it is so bittersweet. We have LOVED our time here with the people and the missionaries... we are all planning our return trip! We all can't wait to come back, especially mamma terry. Jambo!
c&a

monday

2012-01-20T10:04:00.001-08:00

1-16
Today was our day off, and after the past couple weeks we were all so exhausted. We slept in a little and then me, cole, kristin, lindsey, and momma terry loaded up in a tiny taxi to head to the other house... on the way over our tiny taxi ran out of gas. I have never ran out of gas, it was so weird we were all laughing and saying that we thought it would be so much more dramatic than it was. So we were stranded and we made a short video that I'll probably post to facebook. We were afraid that our driver called somebody and said, "I've got 4 Americans stranded in my back seat..." we all had flash backs to the movie Taken. We were just preparing for the worst situation, cause we were all fine and made it to the house safe and sound. We had some yummy breakfast that Russell Lyster made for us then headed out on the town for some shopping and site seeing. We shopped and shopped and this was Russell Bailey's first time shopping, and he had everyone that was with us walking through town were on a mission to get his wife the best gift ever, I'm not giving any hints though! We finally got done after walking all over eldoret and got some samosas which is a fried meat pie... soooo good! Then we headed back to the house to shower and clean up and get ready for our banquet that we were having at the restaurant mama mias. The restaurant was very nice, the banquet room was in a big barn type room and we had some great food then bro chuck & sis terry presented each one of us with a special gift... the guys each got a shirt and the girls got leso's which is kind of like a sarong. We were so thankful for these gifts, we will all cherish them for a long time! Bro chuck & sis terry were so appreciative for us to come but I think we received the bigger blessing, they are awesome missionaries doing a great work in Kenya. They have taught us do much and we just hope we encouraged them in some way. We will miss them so much and we just keep saying... until next year!
c&a

sunday... our last worship service here

2012-01-16T12:37:00.000-08:00

1-15
Today we got up really early, had some breakfast... chipati (a thick tortilla), we packed up the vans and went to have church services out at the pokot tribe with the cheposobei church. We pulled in and there was already a group of people waiting in the tent, singing! We started services shortly after we arrived and bro Russell taught Sunday school. He did a great job and the people were really excited and attentive to everything he said. Then we sang and it was so amazing, they have 1 drum and all the people clap and sing at the top of their lungs... truly a beautiful sound to hear. Bro Brian then brought the sermon on what sustains our life... water... living water that we can only receive through Christ. The people just soaked it all in, they rely on God so much more than we do... they don't have a well or a school there but still know that God is going to take care if them. We ended services and had brought some goodies for the kids and the mommas. We gave all the kids a toy and a sweetie and all the mommas a mango, bar of soap, and a wash rag... they were all so grateful and excited. The church at cheposobei had a small ceremony for us to show their appreciation for us to come all the way to share Jesus with them. They presented bro Gary with a handmade water bottle and a tribal necklace for his wife. Then they presented the girls with 3 gords that they made into ornaments and to the group they wanted to give a goat, but didn't think that would travel well... then they wanted to give us chickens but didn't think they would fit in the vans, so they gave us a ton of eggs. If you could of seen the area we were at, there were no chickens running around so for these people to give up such precious life sustaining items to us is very humbling, they were so extremely thankful. After we finished up saying our goodbyes we loaded up and headed all the way back to eldoret, we were all so tired from the weekend and the long trip that we had an early night, we ordered some pizza, had devo/testimony time then we all headed to bed. We have had some really good alone time with sister mamma terry, we are going to miss her so much. Tomorrow will be a slower day for last minute souvenir shopping, packing, and our banquet dinner. Please pray for our team as we start to prepare for our journey home. We are going to miss the people here so much and it will be very hard to leave... we have met some of the most amazing, God loving people here and they have encouraged us beyond description. Thanks for all who have read, hope to post again soon! Jambo!
c&a

Saturday :)

2012-01-15T06:59:00.001-08:00

1-14-12
The group was slower getting up this morning because we all had to wake up a lot earlier and the drive yesterday wore us out. The pastor and his wife made us chai and white bread for breakfast. Then we packed up and we drove an hour down into the rift valley where we met members of the pokot tribe. The view going down into the valley was amazing, Bruce Solomon you would have loved taking pictures of it. It is quite a bit warmer down here than we have been used to. We held a vbs for about 125 kids under a tent, that they use for their church.... they don't have a building yet. The kids took a little bit longer to warm up to us since they have not seen this many wazungus(white people) before. Which brings our grand total to about 1000 kids that heard the gospel and received a salvation bracelet. The men had another very successful day evangelizing, another 24 received Christ as their saviour, which brings the total for the mission endeavour to over 50 professions of faith, buenasifewe!! A quick story... bro Russell was witnessing to a group of ladies down in a dry riverbed and a goat herder was passing by, he stopped and got reallllly super close to bro Russell's face and waited... I was told he didn't have a pleasant look on his face either, when bro Russell finished he said... Ok my turn!! Bro Russell shared the gospel with him and he accepted Christ and wanted to get baptized, he couldn't go right then because he had his goats but he quickly found someone to watch them and followed us the rest of the day. Bro Russell thoroughly enjoyed this moment, not too often does this happen and it was his little moment to enjoy and thank God for. He was so excited and every single person they shared the gospel with accepted Christ, these people are so hungry to hear about God, it is so amazing! The land here is very untouched and they want to know about God and all about the bible. For lunch we had... wait for it... roasted goat, and it really wasn't bad. We had goat stew and roasted goat along with rice and beans and ugalie. Our whole group was stuffed into this 12-15` diameter mud hut that looked so cool and wasn't really that hot once we got into it. The people serve us before they eat and they get whatever is left over, they are so sweet and nice! When we came out of the hut a bunch of one humped camels were in a nearby "yard" so we all walked over to see them... we got some good pictures! Then we loaded up and headed out... the long bumpy ride back to the bible institute. We were all so dirty and ready to shower so it was luke warm bucket showers and we all felt better! We had devo time, testimonies, and reflection. We had rice, beans, and chicken for dinner and then it was lights out... we are all pooped from today, being so hot and busy it wore on us... but it was all so worth it. We had a good time having all the girls stay together, we love our momma Terry, we have really enjoyed her and all our conversations, we are going to muss her so much. We are taking so much away from this trip, we are so blessed to be here. God reveals Himself in a new way everyday.
c&a

friday...

2012-01-15T06:58:00.000-08:00

1-13
By cole
Today we got to sleep in a little bit and rest, in order to prepare for the journey ahead. We are making the journey to the Baptist Bible Theological Institute in Makutano West Pokot, where we are going to stay for 2 nights. On Saturday we will have our 4th vbs in pokot, which is still an hour or so from where we are staying, and some of the men are going evangelizing in the villages surrounding the Pokot tribe. When we got to the Institute we pretty much hung out and played with the children that live here. We taught them some songs and played some games with them. The pastor and his wife live there and she cooked dinner for us, chicken, rice, and cabbage. It was hot when we got there but it got really cold when the sun went down... this was the first sunset we saw, because normally we would have to be home by dark and you can't see anything from the houses, it was really pretty. We slept in the dorms, boys in one room and girls in the other. The girls slept in mosquito nets, but the guys didn't have any. The girls had some fun with the mosquito nets... allie, kristan, and lindsey pushed the bunk beds together and slept all 3 on the two top beds, I'm sure that was interesting! This place is way more rustic than anywhere we have stayed yet, but the institute was so generous to house us. The people here are so welcoming too, they make us feel so comfortable... I won't lie when the girls saw the mosquito nets they kind of freaked out, but we all slept and we all made it :) tonight is the first night that we actually got cold while sleeping, and of course I didn't put my jacket or sweatshirt in the bag with me. So I had a hard time sleeping in the room with all of the men, because it was cold, the beds weren't that great, and there was some snoring... but we survived! We had a couple of the other pastors with us and during devotional/testimonial time they wanted to share some information with us. Pastor peter told us that he had received several phone calls from the parents of the kids that came to vbs. They thanked him over and over because the kids went home and told their parents everything they learned and the parents were overjoyed! Praise the Lord!! Pastor shadrach announced that they had 3 new visitors due to the events we hosted at their church... all in all we feel so blessed to be a part of sharing Gods word. We are looking forward to tomorrow and meeting the people of the pokot tribe, we know God is already working! Jambo!
c&a

and thursday...

2012-01-13T00:27:00.000-08:00

1-12-12
On thursday we headed out to the village at ndivisi to do our third vbs and for the men to finish up their men's conference. We had between 100-150 kids at the vbs and it went so good... The kids are so respectful and polite, the children at ndivisi kurtsi, if that's the way you spell it, when they shake your hand for the first time... So cute!! It was a little over a 2 hour drive to get there and we started out like all the other villages we have been to with chai, mondazi, and this time we had little tiny bananas. They were so sweet and good :) after chai time we all gathered in the church and introduced ourselves. There were men from all different churches, they traveled a distance to come and it is expensive and hard for them to do that, they definitely wanted to be there. The men started the conference and we headed outside to start the vbs, we sang songs, then split into to groups. One group did the salvation bracelets and the other group did games... we taught them john 3:16 and gave them sweeties. At the end we gave each kid a toy and they cherish the toys because they don't get anything like that unless white people come to the village... their families just can't afford it. We played ball with the kids and blew bubbles for them to chase... they have never seen bubbles before so they are so funny to watch. Then we had lunch which was chicken, ugalie, and cabbage... This is the same meal we have had in every single village... we complain in America if we have to have left overs for 2 days in a row... they eat the same thing all the time. We had some fellowship with other mamas while eating and then took lots of pictures as a group. The men's conference went really well, all the men that came were so blessed and excited to be there... they loved bro Russell and bro Brian. We then loaded up in the cars and headed back for eldoret... on the way back we saw some bad accidents involving diesel trucks. We brought Kennedy back with us, he lives in eldoret, and he had some hilarious questions about life in America and how marriage works and dating... He knows really good English and asks a lot of questions... we love him, he's a very funny guy. We made it back and had a roommate change... Cole, Gary, and I moved to the missionaries house and bro Russell and Kevin moved back to the other house. Everyone wants to spend a little time with the missionaries while here and they are so sweet... a true blessing to be around. Sis terry made fried fish, French fries, asparagus, and beans for dinner... and then cut up a fresh pineapple, it was really good! The group is having an amazing time here, we love the people and the kids, they are so welcoming, and want to know more and more about God. Tomorrow we leave to go to see the pokut tribe. It is a long drive and we are spending 2 nights at the seminary near the village. We have been warned that the people we will see the next few days are nothing like the people we have already met. The people in pokut are more "traditional" africans, they don't have as much of the western influence. We are excited but nervous too... it will be good for us to see what life is like for them, and share Jesus. We also heard that most of these people have never seen a group of white people ever, so that will be interesting to see how they react to us. Please pray for God's will to be accomplished in all we do for the remainder of this trip. Love to all!! Jambo!
c&a

Wednesday

2012-01-12T22:24:00.000-08:00

1-11
Today the group had to wake up early and drive for 2 hours to the nammurabi church where bro Brian and bro Russell taught inside the church at the men's seminar. The rest of our group did a vbs outside for 100-150 kids that were present. We started off and sang some songs, we taught them some of ours and then they taught us some of theirs. In the villages they have to make up their own songs because they have never been in contact with other churches to know any songs, and their songs sound so good... straight from the heart. Half of the group went and played games while the other half made the salvation bracelets, and then the groups switched. We all came back together as one big group and sang another song and fed the kids some biscuits. We ended the day by giving them some of the toys that we brought with us, they loved all of them. They fed us lunch at the Church which was chicken, ugalie, cabbage, and this time rice. Yummm! Our team was asked to go to pastor Daniel`s house and then walk a bit further to go to his son's house which is pastor Peter. They wanted us to come into their houses to pray and fellowship for a little bit. They just keep telling us how excited they are for us to be here and that we are an answer to prayer for them, its an overwhelming feeling. We had a great time but couldn't stay too long because we shouldn't be out after dark here. So then came the 2 hour drive home, we got pulled over by the police again and this time they opened the door to check if we were wearing our seatbelts, Kevin almost didn't make it. When we got back to the house we met 2 new additions to the team, Russell and Chance Lynster. They just got here today and will be with us until the end of the trip. Tomorrow is more men's seminars and another vbs at the ndivisi church, then on Friday we pack up and head to pokut where we will spend a couple days at the seminary and with the tribe there, the pokut tribe lives in Uganda so we will be in a different country in Africa for a couple days. Hopefully we will get to go to bro chucks tomorrow to post the last few days because once we head out to Uganda we won't have any WiFi at all. Thanks for your prayers, our team appreciates them... love to all! Jambo!
c&a

Tuesday :)

2012-01-12T22:20:00.001-08:00

1-10
by cole
The original plans for today fell through (such is the life of a missionary) the men were supposed to do street evangelism and go into the police station for bible study, but many of the officers have gone back to their villages for holiday break. So in the morning we hung out and rested a little bit. Then then men went out and did some street evangelism at a park in the city, handing out tracts and sharing Christ. There was a preacher out there preaching and proclaiming to be a prophet which was very interesting. We had over 8 that professed to be saved. Bwenasafewe!! I found this to be very difficult for me because the people here talk very low and they don't show very many facial expressions. So it is extra hard for me with my hearing loss.... But it was still very cool to be apart of leading people to Christ. Meanwhile the ladies got another day of rest, Kristin gave some of the ladies manicures & pedicures. Sis terry is absolutely excited to have the ladies here because she never gets lady visitors, so today was a time for the ladies to be together. Some of us walked back to those little hole in the wall stores to get some more stuff, and walking through the city is so interesting, they have shoe shiners/repair on the sides of the roads, people selling everything from food to dust pans, and people seriously everywhere. The diesel fumes are really bad here. People walk EVERYWHERE here, and there are many taxis, motorcycles, and bicycles that transport people, we saw 4 people on a motorcycle yesterday along with some luggage, the laws here are so different. In talking to the missionaries we learned that you pretty much get thrown in jail for any type of law breaking offense you do, the crime is a lot less here because the punishment is so severe. Maybe the USA could learn something from that. Just sayin. Everyone met up for dinner at the fernandez's favorite Chinese place. Then at our house we went through all of the toys and goodies that we collected for the kids. We had a little fun playing with them while getting them ready to go for the vbs tomorrow. The majority of the group went to bed early as being in the city is a lot more exhausting than being in the villages and the next few days are going to be run and gun getting to the men's seminars and vbs`s. Our house had some water problems again and there was no pressure so some had to take bucket bath/showers, we still came out feeling better than when we went in so it works. Today was a great day sharing the gospel and getting to see life in eldoret. The next few days will be hectic and we will be getting ready to go to the bible institute in pokut where we will stay 2 nights, that in itself will be eye opening because we have heard the people are different, its a lot hotter, and a much more rustic setting. Keep us in your prayers, will post when we can!
c&a

monday

2012-01-12T22:19:00.001-08:00

1-9-12
Monday is our day of rest and exploring. We all got to sleep in and hang around the house a bit, then we headed out to walk the streets of eldoret. It was so packed and busy, but it was so cool to see. We walked by a couple butcheries that just have the meat hanging in the window and I'm pretty sure the rooms were not refrigerated. Today we walked a lot and most of us got a little sunburnt. We were able to really see the difference between city life and village life. The people in the village are so humble and willing to serve, they give you th best they have and the people in the city are more like Americans in the since that they are busy about their business trying to make their money. We really had to be careful and watch for the professional pickpockets that are all over downtown, there are so many people you have to be aware when people "bump" into you too. We were able to walk around and explore because bro chuck and sis terry had some errands they had to run, and things they needed to do and hadn't been able to since we have been here. After they were sort of finished doing their errands sis terry took us to some really small little stores where she said we could do some souvinier shopping. There were 4 hole in the wall stores right next to each other that we all got some stuff at, and the thing you should always do here is haggle, but you feel bad because the prices are so cheap. When you break it down from shillings to American money it is so cheap you really feel bad haggling over 50 cents. But nevertheless sis terry got us some great deals. We ended the night by going to bro chucks house for dinner. Sis terry made steak, asparagus, and baked potatoes, and is a great cook. We then had devotional and testimony time and reflected on the day. It was a good day to relax and see the heart of the city, it makes you so thankful for what we have. Jambo!
c&a

sunday

2012-01-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

1-8-12
Today was our first church service. Our team got split up into 2 groups because we had 2 churches to go to, nammurambi and ndivisi. Bro Russell taught, preached, and baptized at nammurambi and bro Brian was at ndivisi. Side note real quick... I'm asking that everyone that reads this blog pray for Kristin Zgraggen she hasn't felt that great since she's been here, so just pray that she will feel better so she can enjoy everything! :) thanks! Back to church services... since we hadn't been to these churches yet we didn't know what to expect, I was at nammarambi and some of the women there had come to our women's conference and were very excited to see us again. The services here are so different, we started off with singing then chai and butter sandwiches... and they were pretty good! Then sister momma Rosie had me and Lindsey come sit by her which was nice, but some of these people reek so bad and they love to practically sit on top of you. Lindsey had it the worst. But anyway the service began with the children marching in singing a welcome song, they also recited some scripture it was so cute, some did it in English and some in Swahili. Bro Russell brought the Sunday school lesson on faith and he had to get used to having an interpreter, he gets too excited and talks too fast and the interpreter, john had to keep asking him what?? John, the interpreter was really good and whenever bro Russell made hand hand motions, which he did a lot... we think he thought that it helped them understand better... John would always repeat the hand motions. One thing bro Russell still hasn't mastered is pointing... here in Kenya you can not point with one finger, that is so insulting, you have to use your whole hand. He kept pointing out into the congregation and wondering why they weren't saying amen, it was kind of funny... john was funny because one time bro Russell asked who all helped build the church building and he forgot to interpret it and just raised his hand, we had some funny moments with our interpreters. Then bro Russell brought the message on love on how other people know us by our love for eachother. Then we went to do the baptisms it was like a mile and a half away to the river, we took our van and brought the pastor and his wife from the church. The rest of the church walked/ran while playing the drum and singing the whole way, it was so cool to see and hear. Between bro Russell and bro Daniel they baptized 17 people. Bro Daniel was hilarious he was so rough, he didn't even give them any time once they got out there... He would grab their face slam them down then pull them back up by their head, and the people hated having the water on their face, they would wipe and wipe their face so hard. Also there were cows in the water right next to where we were baptizing, it was so weird. Lindsey and I almost got stampeeded by the cows. After we were done and bro Russell changed his clothes, in the bush, we headed back to the church for lunch. They served beef with cabbage and ugalie, we have to bring our own water and soda because the water there would make us really sick. The church then had bro Russell pray over the children and give a short word of encouragement. We thought we were getting ready to leave when a girl came up to us and said that herself and others were going to be in school when we come Wednesday for vbs and wanted us to give them some words of encouragement. Lindsey and I went outside with her to talk, but we didn't know that she had 50 kids sitting outside waiting for us. We did a mini vbs for them and taught them I'm in the Lord's army & father Abraham, they thought the songs were hilarious but wanted to do them over and over again. We explained the salvation bracelets to them and they loved that. They were so thankful for us to come out and give them a mini vbs, they did a clap for us and had some people say thank you to our group. We then left and headed back and on our way back we got pulled over by the police, they checked some stickers on the car and checked if we had our seat belts on because if you don't you can be jailed for up to 7 years... Yikes!! You should of seen us, we were all buckling up when we saw the policeman, it was like click click click :) we made it back and Teri cooked us turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, asparagus, and bread. It was delicious then we had devotional and testimony time... we love the way they sing here, it is so awesome, they sing loud and they make random sounds, like ai ai ai, if that makes sense... it it is so amazing to listen to them sing. It was a great day today... more later
c&a

saturday

2012-01-09T07:12:00.001-08:00

1-7-12
From allie
Today we had our first vbs, we planned for 100-150. When we started we had almost 200 kids. By the end we had over 400 kids, it truly seemed like every time we took them outside they multiplied :) we were able to give each kid and most of the adults the beaded bracelets that tells the salvation message... it was so cool to hear them repeat what the beads stood for in swahili but at the end it was so sad because we passed out dollies and we didn't bring enough toys to pass out, but they love candy, they call them sweeties, so we passed out sweeties and our old water and coke bottles and they loved that. As we were leaving the kids and adults didn't want us to leave, pastor shadrach said we have been planning and praying for this for so long and it came and now its over, a very sad feeling for us and we were very sad to leave this village at mawe tatu. A funny thing happened at vbs, we wanted to teach them a verse and as a group we decided on john 3:16 and Cole didn't realize he was going to be the one to recite it... he was put on the spot and when you have an interpreter you only say like 3 words at a time well he said "For God so loved the world... that whosoever believeth in Him... Never skipping a beat but he totally forgot part of it and our whole group was cracking up... he fixed it so don't worry the children in Kenya know the right verse! That was just a reminder of the nervousness we feel when up in front of the people here. If you know Cole you know he's not a spur of the moment kind of guy but he did great. As a group we are making some great memories. We have so much to learn but as long as we put the Lord first he will take care of the rest. All of the men and whoever else wanted to had a chance to climb to the top of mawe tatu, the mountain in which the village was named after. I went with the guys and climbed, we were told that it was an easy climb and anyone could do it, let me tell you it was not that easy and at 10,000 feet climbing a steep mountain with tiny trails wasn't so easy for me... some of the guys just flew right up it but anyway it was fun and so gorgeous once we got to the top. Some kids at a nearby house started climbing with us and half of them had no shoes and were going way faster than me it was amazing. When we were done we headed back to the village to pick up the rest of the girls and say our goodbyes... that was so very hard. In 3 days we made some great friendships and got to know some really amazing people. We headed back home and we all got to take hot showers and headed over to bro chucks house for dinner, devotional and testimony time. Sis Teri is a great cook and made BBQ pork sandwiches, homemade coleslaw, fries and for dessert German chocolate cake... dad you would of loved it :) it was a great day, we are so tired and a little sunburnt looking forward to church services tomorrow in nammurabi, night!!
c&a

Friday...

2012-01-07T09:55:00.000-08:00

1-6-12
Today we started out by leaving early to get out to mawe tatu for a woman's conference that each of us ladies were teaching at and the men were going to do outreach at a somewhat near by village. We got the village after a bumpy ride, these roads are crazy! And the people were all waiting outside for us to arrive cause they were so exited for us to get there... They say you have come all the way from America we want to hear what you have to say... A very weird feeling. All of us girls were so nervous to speak but it was exciting at the same time. We all went inside the church and they had decorated it for us, they used their best stuff to make it look pretty for us. We prayed then and chai which is tea with sugar and milk and mondazie which is like a donut. Then the men left for their thing and the women started our conference... these women love to sing and so we all sang, or they sang we clapped, cause we didn't know what they were saying :) Kristin started us out with an awesome devo on Sarah... she did so good and you could totally tell it was from her heart. Then Jeseika gave hers on Martha and related it to her life of being a mother. I went next and did mine on the woman at the well, I wasn't able to get through it without crying, big surprise there, but felt like the women could understand the main point. Lindsey was fourth and did hers on Esther, her hero, and gave a great lesson on her and how we are just as normal as Esther and God can use all of us. Then Katlyn finished us off and gave hers on Mary the mother of Jesus, it was good and the ladies enjoyed all of us. At the end we introduced ourselves again and one lady asked us when are you coming back?? It was so sweet, they were all so thankful and happy for us to be here! One phrase I love that we learned is buenasafiwe which means praise the lord and they all say it all the time. We finished our conference and had lunch, chicken ugalie and cabbage. The men got back with great news 24 professions of faith throughout that village they went to. They had such an amazing time witnessing and talking to others about Jesus. We have a lot of white people with us and some of our people were the first white people to set foot in that village. They would just stare at us like so interested in why we looked so different. They love to touch our skin and our hair. We then made our way back to our house and our water is finally fixed so we could all shower now, it felt amazing... Then we had dinner at our house, they brought pizza! It was so different but still very good.
c&a

2012-01-05T09:09:00.000-08:00

3-5
Today we went to Make Tatu for a meet and greet with the people that we are going to be working with for the next couple of days. This village is what I was expecting Africa to be like. I really like the way that the people work here in Kenya. The churches here team up to help each other when it comes to evangelism, building, and fellowship. There is power in numbers. As we were driving to mawe tatu if little kids saw you in the van they would yell out white people in Swahili and wave like crazy. They were so excited to see us and we met some really amazing people today, some really cute kids that love to have their picture taken! On our way driving a bee flew in the window and landed on me and stung me, it scared me and hurt a lot but I am ok, just happy that I'm not allergic. We had 2 meals while in the village the first was chai tea and donut like pastries and the second meal was chicken with green vegetables and ugali which is corn that is ground up, strained, then steamed... it downs't really have a flavor but it fills you up and kind of has the texture of a tamale masa. The people here love Jesus and they are so thankful we are here and they said they had been praying for people to come for a long time now! It is very cool to see so many people love the Lord as much as they do here. I almost feel that they are the ones that should be doing the mission trip to the US. As we were driving back the roads are so bad and bumpy it is like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. There are seriously people everywhere here they walk, bike, and ride motorcycles like crazy people. The lines that separate the lanes on the highway are just a suggestion here if you want to pass someone you just do it at any time and honking can mean so many different things like get out of my way or I'm coming to pass you or the bicycle needs to move... Its so weird to get used to. The group is staying at 2 different house one is the missionaries house and the other is a different missionaries house that is on furlough. We are having water problems at the other missionaries house, we don't have any!! It will run for about a shower and a half and today I got the half... I was soapy and the water stopped... so they boiled some water and I had to finish using buckets, it was ok at least I feel clean now... The dirt here just covers you and you don't even realize it. We only get WiFi at bro chucks house so we will just post when we can.... We are having so much fun but by the end of the day we are pooped!! We will post more later... Love you all!

getting their continued...

2012-01-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

3-4-12
We got in to Nairobi around 8 pm on the 3rd. After about 2 hours of getting our bags paying for visas and going through customs, we finally met our missionary Chuck Fernandez and his wife Terry ...... Then we loaded up 2 vans and a land cruiser and drove about 45 min through Nairobi to the heart lodge that we were staying at for the night. The first night in Nairobi wasn't what we expected. The lodge was a lot nicer, than what I was expecting, the rooms were very spacious and it had a nice shower, you just have to make sure you turn your hot water heater on 20 minutes before the shower. We aren't sure what happened but we both went to bed feeling a little sick, it was such a long day... 20 hours in a plane plus time added for layover. Allison only slept about 30 min at a time. Needless to say we woke up early and got our first shower in Africa. Once we were all packed again we started our journey to Eldoret. This is where the missionary Bro. Chuck Fernandez lives. One of the first rules that we were told is that plans are tentative, he said it would take 5 hours to get there. It took 8+ hours to get there, it was a long drive with only 2 stops. Just a reminder that when we get ready to leave it will take over 2 days to get home. Bro. Fernandez is excited that we are here as we are excited that the distance traveling is over.

c&a

getting there...

2012-01-02T22:08:00.000-08:00

Our Monday began at 2:30 am when we woke up to get ready. We went down to the Bart station the night before to get our tickets so we would have one less thing to do in the morning. We got to the Bart station a little early and it was a good thing because somehow all of our tickets had been demagnatized and we couldn't get through the gate and the lady had to hand write us a ticket to be able to get out on the other side. We boarded the Bart at 4:15 and headed for the san Francisco airport. We had an 8:15 flight to Minneapolis. Then a quick layover before an 8 hour flight to Amsterdam. This flight was a little bit harder but at least the movies are free. Allison was able to sleep for a good portion of the flight. I didn't sleep at all. We have about a 4 hour layover in Amsterdam and then onto the last leg (8 hour flight to Nairobi) where I am hoping to be able to sleep. Allison knew a few more of the group members than I did. But I am certain that in the next couple of weeks I will get to know the team. I am looking forward to meeting the people in Kenya. I am also excited to see God work, not only with the Kenyans but also how He is going to mold me. My goal is to do and become what the Lord wants.

that's all for now
c

6 days away!!

2011-12-27T23:11:00.000-08:00

We are officially 6 days away from the start of our amazing trip! leading up to this trip has been quite the adventure and we know God was just preparing us all along the way... we are so excited to have this opportunity to go to Kenya, we just want to say thank you to each and everyone of you reading this for your support, in any way you have chosen to give it! We couldn't do this without you! this blog will help you follow us as we are in Africa... email, Facebook, and our blog will be the only forms of communication so just keep checking back and we will try to update it as often as we can... with pictures too hopefully the internet connection will be good enough! as of now we are packing and getting ready... will try and snap a picture of our crazy mess as we try to figure out what to take :)

talk to you soon
c&a