Worst Missionary Ever

Like the title says, I think I have officially become the worst missionary ever. Just hear me out. Stereotypically speaking, I want you to come up with a list of descriptive words you would typically use to describe a missionary. What are some of the stories you hear about the world’s greatest missionaries? What are some of the things you hear when people say, “we are going on a mission trip?” I think the notion would be to say that a missionary is someone who brings a group of people or a person the gospel, while simultaneously doing some type of tangible work in their midst. On mission trips, you go to build homes, renovate something in the community, or lead a VBS. Often at some point, there is supposed to be a sharing of a message with the wisdom you have come to impart, and you are considered really “successful” if you can report back that your message led someone to Christ. Other marks of success are that you’ve left such an impact on the people that they named the house you built after you or maybe there is real physical evidence of how you eradicated the sin and evil in that place and left it full of Jesus. Though probably a bit exaggerated, these are often the pictures we get of what it means to be a missionary, and up against these images, I am a huge failure. I’ve been here about a month, and I have no conversion stories to tell and nothing tangible to put my name on. I can’t take a picture of something I’ve built or a well that I’ve dug, and I really can tell you that I have not done anything of significance; nothing I’ve done would make it in the record book that is for sure. In all actuality, I don’t do much except hang out with the people I work with, the guardians, and the children. More so than anything else, they have been the missionaries to me. BUT I REJOICE IN THIS REVELATION!!!
Though mission trips are good, and great things have happened through missionaries who have dared to obey God and live in the extraordinariness that He calls us ALL too ((the call is discipleship but that will be saved for a later date)), I cannot help but be taught and reminded that maybe these stereotypes of what a missionary is are a little misguided. It is not a matter of me bringing these people God, GOD IS ALREADY HERE!!! And it is definitely not a matter of me bringing anyone out of the pit, for only He can do that. But missionaries show up where God tells them to and are obedient to BE wherever He calls, regardless if it makes sense or not. God is, has been, and will continue to be working here in Kisumu, Kenya, and right now I get to be someone who shows up in that work. In terms of what “success” is in making a difference and turning things around, I am afraid I will always be a failure, but REJOICE with me for God is our redeemer, He is working through vessels and seeds I didn’t even and don’t even know exist, and when we continue in obedience, His plans will prevail. Here is a glorious thing for us to see:
I went back out into the field this afternoon with Robert on the motorbike. We went to visit Beatrice at school. It was getting close to 5pm when we got there, and she was able to visit with us. When Beatrice’s parents died, her and her two brothers went to live with their grandmother. But the grandmother is a very bitter woman after all she’s been through. The hardship of life and losing almost all of her children has really taken its toll. Additionally, so many times people have come promising to help, but they never follow through; she had lost hope. So Beatrice and her brothers went to live on the streets because it was better than living with their grandmother. They soon found themselves going to Agape Children’s home, which is a local ministry for street kids, run by Diane and Steve Warn. They took to Beatrice and recommended her to LCW. LCW immediately started investigating the situation. Beatrice was accepted into the program and reunited with her grandmother as her guardian. Her grandmother kept trying to chase LCW away, but LCW was persistent. They still have been unable to talk with the grandmother to get a full family history (and the grandmother is still very hard to work with), but they are making small strides.
For example, today after we visited with Beatrice at school, we decided we would try to go see the grandmother at home. Robert was a little apprehensive because he did not want us to be chased away while I was with him. But he really wanted to talk with her about sending someone to fellowship on Saturday, so we went. And Robert could not believe it!!! She greeted us with a smile on her face and allowed us to come in to sit for a while. She laughed with us, and she is even sending someone to fellowship. She allowed us to take some pictures and was really just overjoyed. It was a completely different person! Robert was so excited, and I was too.
Beatrice is in class 8, getting ready to take examinations. She has been doing extremely well in school, and she is the success and the hope. God is at work, and He is AMAZING!!!
So here I am, the worst missionary ever, but praise God that He is bigger!!! Please pray that I show up where God is calling, and I have courage enough to obey. Pray that I become vulnerable with the people I’m around and that all barriers, stereotypes and obstacles on every side will be broken. Peace!

Be in Prayer...

Please be praying for the people and presence of Life for Children Ministry ((LCW…the “w” stands for “Welfare” which sometimes substitutes the word “Ministry;” it threw me off at first too)). But this past week has been a little rough on the home front. Here is what’s been going on:
First, the missionary, Julie, who is stationed at Homa Bay, heading the branch LCW has in the rural areas, was basically stolen from by the guy who is in charge of her internet access. She has been giving him checks which he is then supposed to take to the internet provider, but unfortunately, he seems to have found a better use for the money, and her bills have therefore, gone unpaid. So she was sorting that out with the authorities this past week, and during her stay her vehicle broke down and needed repairs. She ended up staying here in town for about a week because of it, and additionally, she now has a fractured ankle because she mis-stepped and took a tumble over the weekend. Well, her vehicle messing up sent off a chain reaction because now the motorbike isn’t starting, and the other vehicle we take to the field, the truck, broke down. Needless to say, we have been without vehicles and therefore are unable to go into the field. This is bad news on a lot of different levels.
And if that isn’t enough, Peter is coming down with a sore throat, Mary is so sick with a cold she has had to stay home, Prisca has been sick for two weeks and is going for a typhoid test tomorrow, and Caro ((a new volunteer who is a local Kenyan just finishing college)) found out today that her college has been shut down, making her certificate, research, and degree void of any value ((basically they told her today she has to go back and do everything again- classes, examinations, school fees, EVERYTHING!!!)) Robert is trying to finish additional schooling as well, and his load has gotten really heavy, with examinations coming up and it being time for him to start paying off one of his loans. Basically, I am currently the only fully functioning member in the office, and I am pretty much useless!!! We need some prayers, and we need them badly. Please pray and petition for us; “be anxious about nothing, but instead in everything through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to the Lord.”
Thank you Lord that what you have in mind is going to be better than anything we could want or ask for, and please Lord BE EVER PRESENT within our midst.
We need you to petition for us!!! Peace!

"Week-in-Review"

You might be thinking this is going to be my week in review, and you are probably thinking, “Wait she already told us this?” but don’t worry, I am not going to torture you by going through my week again. Instead “week-in-review” is a saying and phrase we practice here at the church (FBC). It is pretty much what it sounds like. Someone facilitates asking the congregation what has happened this week- anything from the Kenyan Rugby team going to the semi-finals to the people still dying of starvation because of the maize scandals. The challenge is for us as a church to be aware and watching what is going on in our community, our city, and our country, noticing where God is at work. It is also a challenge for us to remember to be praying. As the man leading this week, named Steve, said, “how can we be praying for our country, if we don’t even know what’s going on?” Plus Steve pushes us farther in saying, it’s not just a matter of watching the news; maybe we are not seeing God working in a particular area because we are not praying for it. I thought this an extraordinary idea; how often do I watch the news or hear about something difficult or broken and my response is sorrow rather than prayer. My sorrow is genuine, but “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” Prayer is what is really needed.

Speaking of prayer, on Wednesday nights, a few from the church gather for intercessory prayer. I have now gotten to go twice, and I love it!!! It follows along the same pattern of what you would imagine a prayer gathering to be. In terms of prayers and praises, we share concerns and the thanksgivings, normally divided into three areas, the church (as a whole), the country (and other nations), and individuals. Someone starts us singing a simple song, and we just kind of flow from there. We might sing a couple songs, or we might sing one. Then someone opens it up, and we all start praying aloud with no one really listening to what the other is saying. It sounds like what I would imagine Pentecost to have sounded like when the Holy Spirit came. Sometimes people are even singing all different kinds of songs as their prayers; none of them “go” together, but some how they fit. At the end, someone closes with a prayer, and we again sing, mostly a song of thanksgiving or God’s provision. I have experienced prayer like this in a couple other contexts, so I know it is no new concept or idea, but there is something genuine and desperate in this time. For them, prayer is the only means in which something is going to happen; it is the only hope they have for suffering to cease and peace to prevail. And when you come to the feet of Jesus in that posture, things are different.

This past week, we actually have started this thing called chain-clock prayer. There were eight of us in the room, and we were each assigned a day with a specific thing to pray for. Here is what we have:
Monday- Raila ((Peter)) and his wife Margaret; praying for families
Tuesday- Cynthia praying for FBC…vision, discernment, place of worship, and all else to do with the church
Wednesday- Tony; praying for the country: corruption in gov’t, new policies, tragedies, etc.
Thursday- Justus; praying for the street children: their position and their heart and will for hope and change
Friday- Me: praying for the youth and children in the church ((funny, I didn’t even ask for this one; they just gave it to me))
Saturday- Mary: praying for the worship and presence of God within our midst on Sunday mornings, and for Tony and Justus with finding jobs and being provided for
Sunday- Dennis “Pastor” praying for the sick and hospitalized

We were commissioned for these days for these specific things to stand in the gap. Please join us in these prayers.

This time on Wednesdays has quickly become one of the highlights of my week. Although, that is probably a void point because most everything is my favorite. There isn’t much I don’t love; actually I can’t think of anything. Some things are more difficult to do, or they may be hard to process and definitely a bit overwhelming but I still love it. And maybe that is a testament to real love anyways. Loving despite it being hard, difficult and challenging; loving even when things are not peachy or going well. God is good in all, through all, and amidst all, and He works for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to his purpose. Where God is good, how can I not love it?!?!

Thank you all who have shared your insight and wisdom, please continue to do so. And continue to be in prayer. Praising him for being with my mom in surgery, for the work He has done in some of the guardians here, and for the noise he is raising in the government. And be petitioning for Kenya ((please stand in the gap for this country))- the distribution of maize for the hungry, the orphans left on the streets, and the significant impact even the smallest seed of hope can bring. I challenge you also to look at your “week-in-review” wherever you are, and instead of just thinking about the sorrow, the misfortune, and the suffering, let’s be in prayer about them. Praise God…Amen! Praise God again…AMEN!!!

A Story to be heard

Well, this post is going to be a long one, but I have some people I want you to meet. I met a family while I was in the field on Wednesday, and they have a life that needs to be heard.
Meet Sharon Awino. She is eleven years old, born on July 20, 1997. She is in class 5, and her guardian is her maternal grandmother Fransisca Awino. Sharon is a full orphan sponsored by Life for Children ((LCW)). She is the only surviving child of her mother Juliet Achieng Akuro, who had Sharon out of wedlock. The father is unknown and no where to be found. Before LCW, Sharon could not be provided for adequately, and since she has come into the program, things have improved. But there are still struggles to be faced daily. However for now, Sharon is in school, doing well, has a place to sleep, something to eat, and is working towards a better future. She lives with Fransisca, her guardian, in the Nyalenda slums, where they rent a one room house made of a mud-like substance and a tin roof.
While we were in the field for a visit, we were invited into Fransisca’s home, and she told me her story. As we entered the house, it was a bit dark because there is no electricity, just the sunlight from the small window and the open doorway. There is a sheet hanging in the middle of the room, separating the beds and other living things from the sitting area or living room. Every morning and evening they must rearrange this living space to have enough room to sleep. It is probably comparable to the size of a master bedroom in an average US house )) Fransisca keeps the house in nice order, but with five people living there, it is a very small place. Neighboring the house are other houses like Fransisca’s home. As mentioned before, the area is one of the town slums, so the houses are practically one on top of the other. There is no place to dispose of trash, ao garbage piles and dumps form sporadically around the neighborhood. Additionally, there is no running water, but Fransisca showed us their water supply. It apparently is a constant source, but it is no bigger than a creek with a little pool gathered at the end. Garbage has also found its way here, and the water is a murky color. As we where by this stream, a few children had brought buckets to bring water back to their homes. This spot is very important to the estate.
But back to the story. Fransisca’s husband died 18 years ago. She has 12 children- 11 girls and 1 boy. Seven of her children are now dead, one of which was her only son. At first when her husband died she was remarried to a brother of the husband ((this is African tradition)). She stayed in that rural village for 5 years. I’m not sure if her second husband died or not, but eventually she found herself unwelcomed in that village, so she moved into the city of Kisumu. She had no where else to go because she was not welcomed in her home village because she had been married off, and she was no longer welcomed in her husband’s village because her son had died ((she had no other male to carry on the family)). When she first arrived in the city, she lived with her aunt. Eventually though, they fell under bad terms, and she needed to find a place of her own. By now she has been finding work in hotels/restaurants, washing clothes, selling water, and other menial jobs. Nothing steady but she worked/works hard and has been able to rent the place where she now lives. Ideally, one day she will be able to save enough money to buy a place with a little bit of land, but that is only a hope for a very distant future ((realistically probably will never be realized)). As we were talking, a little grandchild she has also adopted came home from school for lunch. The child is not sponsored by LCW, but Fransisca has taken him in. A few minutes later, her youngest daughter came for lunch as well. Her name is Judith Atieno, and she is 13 years old. I believe they have recently discovered she is pregnant ((another story all together; most likely taken advantage of trying to get food)), which will add another set of challenges in the near future. For lunch they were having bread, and both children seemed in very good spirits, while they ate, smiled, and talked.
After Fransisca shared her story, she and Robert started talking more about the challenges Kenya faces, the perpetuating cycles, the possible solutions, and the hope that is here. Robert told me how the poverty, the spread of HIV/AIDS, the widespread diseases, and the other hardships are due in part to the deep rooted African traditions. HIV/AIDS is spreading so quickly because a husband can and does take so many wives. When one wife has it or contracts it, she infects her husband, who in turn infects his other wives. Also, with the practice of a brother or close relative of a dead husband taking on the widowed wife, the same thing happens. Either the widow has AIDS and passes it along to the replacement husband or gives it to his other wives or vice versa. Either way eventually, they all start dying, leaving the children behind as orphans, to grow up in the same cycles. Especially the girls, it is a high probability because they are often taken advantage of at a small price so they can get food, thus eventually contracted AIDS/HIV. Also it is very common that they would be taken as a younger wife and end up with AIDS anyways. Furthermore, the tradition of taking many wives contributes highly to poverty because the more wives you take, the more children you have. And the men have these children without the means to be able to care for them. Starvation and hunger rise, while availability to education decreases. Then more children find themselves on the street; cycles, cycles, cycles.
So where is the hope? What can be done? There are two strategies LCW works with- intervention and prevention. The tangible things LCW has done for Sharon and her guardian- helping to provide food, uniforms, books, and paying school fees- is the intervention aspect of LCW. Assessing the need, and helping one orphan at a time. The prevention comes, Robert explains, is etching away at those long standing traditions with the message of the gospel. LCW tries to be an instrument in which the news of the kingdom of God is spread, where Christ is found as Lord and Savior, and people witness just that. Salvation from the cycles, from the suffering, and the traditions that keep them trapped. Robert says he wants to lead people to the feet of Jesus, where love, hope, and discipline, demolish the barriers and obstacles out of existence. Christ as Savior redeems you from the sin that so easily entangles, and he brings you out of the pit, whether you find yourself in that pit on your own doing or on the doing of some one else. The message of the gospel does something to you. It saves your entire being and puts you in an encounter with God, which then begins to refine, rejuvenate, renew and transform. To the outsider, this may seem a silly strategy and a cheap face to something so big. But we know that God is big enough.
Well, when the conversation was over, Fransisca bid us farewell, still with so much joy in her speech and disposition. I got to take a couple of pictures, and I hope to get to talk with her again soon.
Now you’ve gotten a little glimpse. Please pray. Peace.

And I shall be called Atis!!!

My new name is Atis. Like us when someone is born, they are given a first name of any choosing and then the last name of the family. The middle name traditionally is named after the time of day or season in which you were born. Some options might be Atieno, Achieng, Akoura, Ochiambo, and others. The names are used both for male and female, except if you are a boy then it starts with an “O” and a girl starts with an “A.” So I am really Atieno, but if I were a boy then I would be Otieno. SO you are probably wondering where Atis comes from then. Well, Atis is the nickname for Atieno, and only when you are close friends or well liked do they start calling one by that name. It is very exciting to have received this name (the “i” is pronounced like “ee” as in “see”), and so now in the office I am primarily called Atis.
In other news, this week has been officially and governmentally declared a week of mourning. Two horrible incidents have occurred where lots of lives were lost. The first happened in the middle of last week, where a supermarket caught fire in Nairobi. Since emergency exit strategies and architectural safety design are not high on the priority list, people were stuck inside. Over 50 people are still considered missing, and many more injured and there have been lots of confirmed deaths. Then on Saturday night in another part of Kenya an oil tanker truck ran off the road and flipped over on its side. People ran up trying to get the gas out of it, and as they gathered, the tank exploded leaving 115 people dead and many many more hospitalized. We watch the news a lot, and while I was watching with Ann, she told me this, “See how Kenyans die around here like flies.” As if the struggles with AIDS, malaria, starvation, government corruption, poverty, and all else are not enough, these freak accidents keep happening that probably really shouldd be able to be prevented. It makes me keep asking two things: why does this keep happening? And what can I do to make change?
Before I left some people said, “Well, if nothing else your trip will really teach you to appreciate what you have.” But I must say it hasn’t taught me to appreciate more than it has made me embarrassed. How can I live with so much, when there are people around the world living with so little? How can I live in luxury when my brothers and sisters are dying of starvation? How can I complain about not having clothes that fit (when my closet and dresser are full), when some have nothing to wear (yes, I’ve seen people with no clothes)? How can I have one room, plus some space, full of junk/materials/possessions while the only thing my brother or sister has is the shirt on someone else’s back? Yes, I am thankful for what I have and what has been given unto me. I have been blessed. But am I to be more blessed than any of my brothers or sisters? And maybe I am more blessed but I have been selfish with my blessings and thus stolen the blessings from someone else. In the midst of the suffering, my lifestyle, as I think I’ve always known and feared, is embarrassing, and I keep asking, what do I do?
Lots of questions keep coming. Lots and lots of questions and hardly any answers yet:
Things are culturally different, but does that mean suffering must prevail?
What is poverty? Is there a universal? Maybe what I see as poverty is materialistic of me to think that way? And yet some things just are not right.
What do we do for change? What is our role?
Where does wealth come in? In the word, it says there will always be the poor among us, and there are obviously examples of people holding feasts and banquets ((things which cost money)). But how does it all fit together?
Is it wrong or sinful to live with so much?
How do we live and/or minister with the poor, the outcast, and downtrodden without first becoming poor, outcasted, and downtrodden? And then once we do, how then are we supposed to work within that infrastructure to change it for good without being stuck in the cycle in which we find ourselves?
If we are all the kingdom of God, how do some of us cry out and suffer and the rest of us do nothing about it? Are we supposed to be doing something?
I always tend to find myself with more questions than answers, so please any insight please share.
Please continue to pray; giving thanks to our God who is bigger than anything we can question, ask, or understand. Please continue to plea; petition for the people of Kenya, for the suffering, for the lose of life, and for the hardship. Pray for Life for Children Ministry and the presence it is here in Kisumu. And please continue to pray for me- my quick learning, my role here and now, and for my mom having surgery next week. Pray that I be like it says Abraham was in Romans 4:20, “ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.” Until next time…peace!

Finding a routine...

Well, it has been a little over a week, and I’ve gotten into about as much of a routine as possible I think. Everything is very relaxed and much more slower paced; you have “plans” or at least you mention having a plan, but really they are just guidelines that you hope you get done at some point. However, my typical week looks something like this:
Monday: in the office. Here we do a little office work, but mainly, we sit and wait. Not too much goes on with these days but that might change in the future.
Tuesday and Wednesday- these are field days!!! On these days we go out into the field, meaning we go on visits to see the guardians and orphans into homes and schools. For the past two weeks though the teachers working in the public education system have been on strike. They are way underpaid and with not so good conditions, so they went on strike. But this means the children have not been able to go to school, which is a big set back because education is EVERYTHING here! We have been hoping and praying the gov’t would take this strike seriously soon and fortunately on Friday, they finally did something. So the teachers went back and school resumed!!! However for this week most of our visits were to the homes. While we are there, we work to build the relationship between the guardian and the child; we make sure the child is being properly cared for; and the child is mentored to help keep a healthy and positive perspective. Part of what these visits are intended for are to foster collaboration, relationships, ownership, and community among what is being done thru and with “Life for Children” program. I really do like field days, but I’m somewhat limited my participation with the guardians because I don’t speak their mother tongue of Luo. With the children it is a little easier because they know English a little more because they learn it in school ((actually pretty much everything is taught in English)), but still it is a slow process.
Thursday: these days are somewhat up in the air. This week we used them to write reports and make more visits. When you go to the homes or make any kind of visit, you take noted of what you observe. You write things like who you saw, how you were greeted, what you did, etc. Then later you compile everything into a report of what happened, and at the end of the month everything I think is put together to have a monthly journal for summarization, evaluation, and progress.
Fridays: are free days! Free in the sense that there is never really a plan, and you use it for catch up- more visits, exploring, evaluation, etc.
Saturday: Every other Saturday is mkutano, which is fellowship. It is a time where the guardians and children come and we all meet together outside of the office. It is fellowship in the truest sense of the word. We come together to pray, share stories of how God is working, sometimes people randomly start leading a song, and we just commune together. At the end, a gift is given for the families to take home. Most often it is a sack of maize, which is the primary source of food here. Maize is used to make ugali, and ugali is eaten with every meal. By the time it is ready for eating, it looks like smashed rice. It is often taken with some type of meat and then tomatoes or something. Like I said every meal, so needless to say it is pretty important. We still have some to give out, but recently, the farmers here have been hording it because the gov’t won’t but it at fair prices. Apparently, the gov’t has been importing maize from Sudan and buying higher prices than they would from the local farmers. So the farmers only thought it fair not to sell unless prices went up. Well, with that came a food shortage, and three people died as a result. Then finally, the food shortage was declared a national crisis, and the gov’t agreed to pay higher prices for the next two months. I don’t know what is going to happen after these two months but let’s pray for something good.
Sunday: Sundays are one of my favorites. Like in the states we go to church on Sundays. I am going to Robert and Peter’s church (which is fairly new and a small congregation) called Fellowship Bible Church ((FBC)). I love it! Worship is simple but extraordinary!!! There is so much life, authenticity, and FUN in it!!! I haven’t got to hear a sermon because I go help with the kids in Sunday school during this time, but it is way worth it. This is one of the times that I really just get to be with kids, and it is always rejuvenating!!! The thing about kids is they love you no matter what; if you can run around with them and laugh, they are your new best friend!!! After church, Sunday is filled with resting and relaxing with friends and neighbors. You go to someone’s house or they come to yours, and you all just share stories and time together.

So that is my week so far. I know it got pretty long, I apologize for that, but maybe it can give a little inkling into life in Kisumu. There is always so much to say and most of the time not enough words to really capture it. But please keep praying!!! . Let’s give praise for God being a God of impeccable timing and providence!!! And then pray for the teachers returning from the strike, the farmers and the price of maize, the food shortage and people dying of starvation, and again for me becoming a quick learner. Until next time…peace!!!

The first 96!!!

I have now been in Kenya for 4 days, so I call this the first 96!!! I’m not going to lie, the trip over was a killer. Two days of traveling with time changes and spending an entire day in an airport full of people you don’t know, can’t communicate with, and are looking at you strangely isn’t exactly the most fun I could have. And I have to admit, mentally I thought like the Israelites. Back and forth between trusting in God’s providence and complaining that things weren’t going according to my plans. But then conviction set in and I realized what I was doing, and now I can see how the whole time God’s plans were so much better anyways. With that being said, I arrived in Nairobi.
I was meet by two guys named Billy and David. They took me around the city, and they were so welcoming. I had the opportunity to go in the slums, and I can’t tell you how revelational that was. I want you to imagine your house filled with what’s in your garbage can right now. Now divide your house into doll size areas, and times the amount of trash built up around it, and you can also add factors of running sewage, walls and rooftops made of mud or tin, and not even having the bare necessities. It is something I cannot get my head around, but this is what 70% of the population of Nairobi lives in. I am boggled by how we let ourselves get this greedy. It is just an unfathomable thing. But what I was also taken aback by was the life that was still happening in this place. People smiling, laughing, greeting me and one another with pleasure and respect. SO often we put a price one what a good life is; we put an expectation on what success should look like and what really living means. But I just have to say that the people I met there may be on unbelievable times, things we can’t even imagine, but they are still living. They are still alive, and I for one am changed by meeting them.
Well, after Nairobi I made it to Kisumu, and to keep with the theme, it has been AMAZING!!! I am staying with a woman named Ann, and she has two children- Chris and Catius. They have been so hospitable. They regard me as family and treat me as the most honored guest!!! I have also met the people I am working with- Peter, Robert, Presca and Mary. I have only known them for a short time, but already I love them so much! They truly are incredible people with an unquenchable passion. They embody love, hope and FUN in every single aspect of who they are and what they do. They have been so kind and graciously welcoming that even though I am an obvious outsider (a white American girl) I never notice I am different. It has been a true sense of radical hospitality. My prayer is that they feel the same about me. Even in my not know what’s going on, I hope my meager attempts of kindness and authenticity shine through. Things are well though. But of course I can always use prayer. Please pray I become a fast learner. I want to know what’s proper in this culture, and I want to be able to express my gratitude and love for all they have done for me. So prayers for that please! Prayers of thanksgiving for God’s overwhelming sense of providence and preparing a place for me here and getting me here safely. Prayers for God having a kingdom that is bigger and more glorious than anything we can imagine. And then prayers for me to learn fast. That I will have the ability to learn language quickly and take on this culture in a way that overflows with love and kindness. That I will and am returning the hospitality that they are showing me.
Well, internet is a little harder to come by, but I am working on it. However with that being said, I might not get to blog every week. SO please be patient, and I will keep you updated as often as possible. Thanks. I love you guys and miss you all!!