17 Kilometers...6 hours...1 volcano

Ok, I know some of you have been waiting for this post for a week, so I am finally posting it. Last week I volunteered to climb to the rim of a dormant volcano and then walk around the rim all the way to the summit of 2800 meters (1.7 miles) above sea level. I may have been slightly insane to have thought this was a good idea. The thing was that although everyone else who had done it said they were in so much pain the next day and that it was so hard, they all said it was worth it to see what the Great Rift Valley looked like from the summit. So I decided to give it a go (especially since it only cost about $7). So I, along with about 11 other people, boarded a bus at 7:30 in the morning and drove out into the Great Rift Valley to Mt. Longonot. I decided early on that I was going to take my time and not try to keep up with everyone else (even though it is slightly terrifying to be alone since the Rift Valley is home to water buffalo, giraffe, lions, and leopards among other things!). Another staff member from the school, Lori, was kind enough to stick with me throughout the journey. She had already climbed this mountain a few weeks ago because she is preparing to hike Mt. Kenya in just a few days. This was her training. As soon as we started walking I knew that this was going to be one of the most physically challenging hikes of my life because not only was I going to have to climb to an altitude that makes you feel like you are breathing through a straw, but it was also extremely hot (since it is summer here in Kenya). To top it off, imagine that you have to climb in those conditions up a mountain made of sand. See, volcanic rock is a very soft rock that tends to crumble beneath you. After many years of people hiking this same path up to the top, the ground has become what almost looks like sand. If you step up a foot, you slide back 6 inches. You feel like you aren't getting anywhere. We would climb about 20 feet and then need to rest because our muscles were sore and our lungs were burning. It was going to be a very long day! After hiking for over an hour (that felt like 5), Lori and I finally made it to the rim! It was gorgeous up there to be able to look out over the valley. There is this tiny little hut when you reach the top that is a great place to sit and eat. It is also a great motivational tool as you can see it while you are hiking and it helps you to know how much further you have to go. Lori and I took some pictures and then had a seat in this little hut to eat our lunches. Just as we get settled, the Athletic Director from our school, Drew, comes sprinting passed us. Now, I don't know about you, but when I have just barely made it to the top of a volcano, you think that some who can sprint it must be insane! He sits down and says he made it around the rim in just over an hour. This guy is a marathon runner, so we knew that comparing ourselves to him would be pointless. We just decided to finish our lunches and then take our time to walk around the rim. As we walked, Lori and I talked about what it might look like if this place was in the US. First, it would have guard rails so you don't fall over the edge. Second, they probably would have turned it into a tourist attraction in which you could take a gandala to the top where there would be a restaurant with super expensive food. Lucky for us, Kenya has left this place as natural as possible. It took us over an hour to make it half way if that gives you any indication of how much better in shape Drew was than we were. But again, I reminded myself that i didn't need to be the first person done, or even the eighth person done. I just wanted to finish it for myself to prove I could. By the time we made it to the summit (the half way point) I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish. It was beautiful up there, but looking at how far I still had to go and then knowing that I had to climb back down the mountain, well let's just say I was doing a lot of praying (I may have also sang Miley Cyrus's song "The Climb" in my head to keep me moving...don't judge). I thought to myself, well at least it is all down hill from here, so it must be easier than climbing up. Boy was I wrong. I was reminded of an excursion that I took while in Australia. We had gone to some giant sand dunes and took these pieces of polished wood and went sand sledding. It sounds fun, but it is slightly terrifying. Hiking down from the summit of this mountain was very similar to that. Imagine skiing on sand with just your sneakers on. I slipped and slid almost the whole way down that first hill. At one point it was so bad that I had to sit and slide down for fear of falling over the edge and into the crater. When I was about 3/4 of the way around the rim, Lori decided to just keep hiking and not take breaks. I decided to hang back and just take my time. Just as I saw Lori, from afar, about to reach the hut and head down the mountain, some giant storm clouds started to form overhead. I thought that if I didn't pick up the pace I was about to be soaked with some freezing cold rain. Rain in Kenya is very cold because of the high altitude. The drops are also very big most of the time and can be painful if it is raining hard. Miraculously the rain held off for the rest of my hike. By the time I finally reached the hut I didn't think I was going to be able to make it down the mountain. Many of you know that I have some issues with my knees. I was wearing my knee brace, but it didn't seem to help much. I thought for sure my knees were going to give out and I wouldn't be able to hike down the rest of the way. My feet and toes also began to hurt from sliding down the mountain so many times. Your feet slide to the front of your shoes no matter how tightly they are tied because it is so steep. About half way down the mountain I caught up with another member from our group. She was also in pain and was just very tired and hungry. We stuck together until we made it back to the bus. Even with stretching, I was sore for a few days. My knees have yet to go a day without some sort of pain in them, but they are getting better slowly. I may be crazy, but in a few minutes I am actually going to go jog/walk 3 miles (Paul, they didn't give me my number to pin to my shirt yet, but I am working on it!). This is my life in Kenya :)

Prayer Requests:
- For my friend Tina. She is going to South Africa in a few weeks to do an internship there. Pray for financial help for her and for an easy transition to life in SA.
- For my friends who are doing missions in China, Mexico, and many other places around the world.
- For the people of Connecticut. My prayers are with the families who lost children in the shootings yesterday.
- For finances to be able to bring a student from our school who is an orphan to the US this summer. (Contact me if you would like to donate toward this trip my roommate and I are gifting her with.)
- For safe travels for my parents as they come to visit me for Christmas and for my brother to survive 18 days on his own :)

Verse of Encouragement:

“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of this father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:30-33

It's beginning to look a lot like.....summer?

There has only ever been one other time in my life that I was in a tropical climate during the holidays. We went to Mexico for a family vacation and I decided I never wanted to be away from the cold weather during this time of year again. Being in Kenya this Christmastime has not changed my mind. I know so many people in the US are thinking, "Are you crazy?! 85 degrees and sunny with very little humidity and you aren't happy?" Yes, the weather is beautiful here, but it is really hard to get in the Christmas spirit when it isn't cold. Having grown up in a place where I have actually woken up to a snowy Christmas morning, makes it very difficult to believe it is really December here in Kenya. Last week Lancaster got it's first snow and I made my mom carry the computer outside during our Skype session so that I could see it. Anyone who really knows me will know how much I love snow! I also got a video of the snow from Ginny Bailey and I have it saved on my computer so I can watch it whenever I want. Even with these things though, I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that Christmas is in just a few weeks. Some of the businesses have put up Christmas lights and there are even fake trees for sale in Nakumatt. There is Christmas music playing everywhere and we attended a Christmas craft fair this weekend to buy gifts like ornaments and nativity scenes. But it still doesn't feel like the holiday season is here. I told my roommate, Jenn, yesterday that sometimes, if I can't see through any windows, I imagine that it might be snowing. The burst of hot air through the doorway quickly takes that image away. My parents are coming to visit in 3 weeks and I am happy that I will at least get to spend the holiday with some of my family members.We will be going on a lot of day trips while they are here and will also be going for a 3 day safari. This will be my first safari as well, so I think it will be a good time.

Thanksgiving was a few days ago and although I had been sick for the 6 days leading up to Thanksgiving day, I decided to still go on a trip I had planned to Diani, a beach on the coast of Kenya. I was still a little worn out when I got there, but after a few days in the sun (with a LOT of sunscreen) and some ocean waves, I was feeling much better. I mostly spent the 4 day vacation by the pool/ocean relaxing and swimming. I did however get to go on an amazing glass bottom boat and snorkeling tour. I have had the opportunity to snorkel in some amazing places around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef, but this was by far the coolest snorkeling I have done. The guides brought some sea-creatures onto the boat for us to hold. There was a red star fish, something called a pillow star fish, some sea spiders, and two different kinds of sea urchins. The sea spider was the most interesting one to me because it looked like a star fish with spikes that crawled like an octopus. It was really cool. When we got in the water to snorkel, we also saw a sea snake, a lion fish, some clown fish, and a few eels. I even got to hold and feed the eel. It was seriously one of the coolest things I have ever done! Afterward, we went to a sand bar in the middle of the ocean and played around and took some pictures. What I have failed to mention is that although this was the coolest trip ever, we may or may not have felt like we were being captured by pirates. When the van picked us up in the morning, the guy told us to leave our keys at the front desk. We politely declined and said we would keep them. He then told us that the place we were going was not the usual place that they take people to, and if they asked, we were with another hotel. When we arrived, the gate guard asked only one question; "The yellow boat?" We then proceeded to walk through an abandoned resort out to the ocean where 4 glass bottom boats waited. Obviously it all ended ok, but we were a little skeptical for a while. One of the members of our group had even come up with couple different plans in his head of how to kill our tour guide if needed. After we returned to the resort, I decided to go wind surfing with 3 other teachers in the Indian Ocean. The same tour guide that took us snorkeling was the instructor, so I had a little more trust for him now that I knew he wouldn't kidnap us. Wind surfing is by far one of the most mentally and physically challenging sports I have ever tried. Not only do you have to balance on the board, but you also need to shuffle in a circle around the sail, have enough energy and strength to hold the sail, be able to turn the sail in the correct direction so that the wind catches it, and learn how to steer. The added challenge for us was not to fall into the water where the hundreds of poisonous sea urchins were sitting on the coral. It took about an hour, but I finally figured out the basics and was even able to sail back to the resort on my own. It was definitely worth the experience! At the end of the trip I really didn't want to return to Nairobi, and neither did my friend Danielle. So we decided to scope out some resorts that were for sale in the area. We decided on a  place that would be big enough to hold the restaurant that we plan to open some day and it even had a swimming pool with a life size cement elephant! The cost was only 12 million US dollars, so if any of you want to contribute, we will surely allow you to come visit for a few nights for free :)
We returned on Sunday from the beach, and on Monday returned to school. It was quite the week! We had the middle and high school Christmas concert on Wednesday night and I played 3 songs on drum kit. Then on Thursday we found out that the matatus (like taxi vans that are part of mass transit and used by most Kenyans to get to work) were on strike and rioting because they don't like the new traffic laws that came out last week. They are not happy about the licensing process or the severity of the fines/jail time for traffic violations. This was a major problem for our school because many of our Kenyan staff members get to school through this form of transportation. At the end of the day we were even told that we might not have school on Friday because of these riots. We were still able to open on Friday, and everyone made it to school and back safely. On Thursday we also had slight scare when the schools director came on the intercom and gave the signal for a lock down. This is always scary in Kenya because of the violence that does occur here. After about a minute the power went out for a few seconds and then it came back on. Finally, after about 4 minutes the director came back on and thanked us for our quick response and said that the lock down occurred because a 4-5 foot tall baboon had wandered onto campus and had become agitated when he got shocked during his attempt to climb the electric fence to escape. We had to turn the power out to allow him to get over the wall. Needless to say, we were happy that was the only reason for the lock down.
There are only two more weeks of school left before Christmas break, so my students and I are planning some fun activities. We will be having a Mexican Fiesta this week with the ESL class next door, and the following week we will be baking a ton of Christmas cookies!  I look forward to seeing where the next semester will take my class.
Thank you all for your love and support. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Prayer Requests:
- I have a returning student starting in January. Please be praying for his transition into my classroom (especially since he will be the only boy!)
- For more students at our school. Our enrollment is down this year.
- For health among our staff and students.
- for safe travels for my parents over the holidays when they come to visit me.

Verse of Encouragement:
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort." 2 Corinthians 1:3

Spirit Week

Another two weeks have passed in the blink of an eye. First quarter is over and parent-teacher conferences are this week. Even though things have been very busy around here and sometimes a little stressful, we have been having some fun too! Last week was spirit week at school. We had a blast, but I sure am glad it is only once a year! I don't think I could dress up every day and still be able to get other work done. Each day of the week had a different theme, and it was really funny to see how people dressed up! Monday was senior citizen day. This was probably my favorite day of the week because the kids looked so adorable! Even the pre-schoolers dressed up like senior citizens. Tuesday was book day. We could dress like our favorite book character, author, or even the book itself. I was dressed as the scare crow from the Wizard of Oz and a bunch of other teachers played the other characters. One of my favorite costumes was our Art teacher's. She dressed like a character from the comic book series made by Roy Lichtenstein. She had red dots all over her face and the kids had no idea who she was! Wednesday was fairy tale day. I dressed as the big bad wolf and my students dressed as the three little pigs. The costumes were all very cute that day as well. Thursday was our last day of the week because we had Friday off of school. Thursday was country day at school and each classroom picked a different country to study about and dress like. Our class did Australia. I dressed in an Australian rugby jersey (sorry Bryce Taylor), and surfer shorts. We made Aboriginal drawings and turned them into didgeridoos. We also tried Vegemite, which my students were not fans of, and watched Finding Nemo since it takes place in Australia. Our door was decorated with paper boomerangs with our names on them, and we practiced saying "g'day mate!"  My favorite part of the day was when I remembered that platypuses were native to Australia and we looked up pictures of 'Perry the Platypus' from 'Phineas and Ferb.' Those who know me well know that 'Phineas and Ferb' is one of my favorite kids shows! Overall it was a fun day.
Since we had off school on Friday, we decided to have a 'Harry Potter' movie marathon. We got through the first five movies and just had a blast hanging out (and eating :) ). Saturday I went to Rift Valley Academy with the tennis team to compete, and then got sushi for dinner with one of the other tennis coaches. Sunday was church and then I mostly just did work for the rest of the day. I also decided on Sunday to start a Facebook and Pinterest fast because I have been spending way too much time on those sites. I wont be on for at least a week. Luckily that gave me enough time to write this blog post :)
One of my prayer requests for this blog will be to pray about upcoming decisions. I need to decide by December 1st if I will be renewing my contract here in Kenya. I have an idea about what I am going to do, but please still be praying for wisdom and guidance. Thank you to those who have been giving me Godly advice and been praying for me already. I love you all!

Prayer Requests:
- Parent-Teacher conferences this week to go smoothly
- For God's will to be revealed to me about the decision I have to make
- For the staff and students at our school to be healed of their ailments! We have some nasty coughs and colds going around. And for protection for those of us who aren't sick now.
- For my friends who are doing missions all around the world right now (including those in the US!)

Verse of Encouragement:
1 Peter 3:8-12 "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
"Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
They must turn from evil and do good
they must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.""
   

Just another Kenyan moment to laugh at :)

I'm doing better! I think it has only been a week since my last blog...or something like that. I really am trying to blog more often, just please be patient with me as I attempt to juggle 50 things at once!
I thought I would do a post about our weekend staff retreat and then tell you a funny story about mixing languages.
Last week we had a half day of school on Thursday and a full day off on Friday. We have a staff retreat every year in the first few months of school, and this weekend happened to be when it was scheduled. We had the opportunity to go to a beautiful retreat center about an hour outside of Nairobi called Brackenhurst. This retreat center is geared toward missionaries and is amazing! The property is comprised of hundreds of different types of plants that attract different types of birds. There are beautiful brightly colored flowers, and everything is just so green! The retreat center is set right in the heart of Kenyan tea country. Kenya is the largest exporter of tea in the world, and this area is where a lot of it comes from. There are rolling hills of bright green tea plants as far as you can see. While at the retreat center we got to go on an excursion to see the tea farms and learn a little bit about their history. We visited with an older English woman who has a beautiful property and house right in the middle of her tea farm that was started by her grandfather in the early 1900's. She told us all about the growing of tea and how you have to pick it a certain way, and then explained the entire process of how you go from the tea leaf to the tea bags you buy in the store. It was so fascinating. I seriously could have listened to her for hours! I think the most fascinating thing I learned is that all tea comes from the same plant. Black tea is made by chopping up the leaves and stem and then heating it to a high temperature. Green tea is just dried the way it is and is not chopped up. White tea comes from only the bud of a new leaf that is forming on the plant. It was all just so interesting. She also prepared a wonderful lunch for us and even had homemade ice cream for dessert made with cream from her cows. A man who works for her gave us a tour of the land and took us into the forested area that used to be what the land looked like before tea was brought there. After the tea farm visit we just mostly relaxed and ate delicious American style food at the Brackenhurst cafe. I decided to try their version of the "Philly Cheesesteak." It was of course nothing like the cheesesteaks in Philly, but it wasn't terrible. I also got to skype with my cousin Emily while I was there and that made my week. I haven't gotten to talk to her for quite a long time since neither of us live in Lancaster anymore. Overall it was a super relaxing weekend and I will be going back the first chance I get!
Ok, on to the funny story. So in Kenya we use British English which can sometimes trip us up. For example, the trunk of the car is called the boot, french fries are called chips, chips are called crisps, and napkins are called serviettes. Now, the one that trips us up the most is that pants are called trousers, and underwear are called pants. This makes for some very awkward situations if you use the wrong term...of course I did this the other day. You would think that after living here for a year I would remember, but somehow I forgot. I was rushed yesterday as I was getting ready for school, and I had to write our house-help a note to do laundry for me (yes we have someone do laundry for us, but it is not because we are lazy. we are giving them a job and helping to improve the economy.). I wrote on the note, "Please do the laundry in the basket next to the washer. Line dry towels, shirts, and pants. Put other clothes in dryer." When I got home from school I went to see if there were clothes in the dryer because sometimes our house help doesn't fold and put stuff away if she doesn't have time. To my surprise, my khakis were in the dryer. My first thought was "Why did she dry my pants in the dryer?!" It was only at that moment did I realize what I had done. I pretty much burst out laughing in the laundry room and then went to search for my "pants" which had been line dried. It was quite a cultural experience, but it made me laugh. Hopefully, if you ever go to a former British colony, you will remember this story and save yourself the embarrassment :)
 One more funny story before I finish up. I have three students and they are all so awesome and soooo funny. My coworkers are always talking about what these three girls say. They get sarcasm so well and use it even better. Yesterday, one of my students was so tired she couldn't keep her eyes open. I decided to take all three girls outside to run a few laps on the basketball court so that they could wake up. This student was angry that I made her stay awake, so she just walked in circles and glared at me :) After returning to the classroom and doing some work, that same student started to fall asleep again. My teacher's aid asked her if she needed more exercise. She said "I don't need exercise, I already ran!". I replied with "You didn't run, you walked!" to which she responded "It's called slow motion baby!" I pretty much just laughed for 5 minutes. I am so grateful for students who make me laugh!

Prayer Requests:
- Please be praying for me for some decision making that I will need to be making soon (I will e-mail some of you specifics about this).
- Please pray for better financial situations this month. Last month I had to get our dog spayed and it took a quarter of my paycheck...this month should be better.
-Please be praying for my friends who are serving in missions all around the world (Germany, China, Mexico, different parts of the US, and others). Pray for transitions for them and their kids if they have them. Also pray for good friendships and relationships to be built in their host country. I know from experience that relationships can make or break a missionary.
- For Kenya- we have had a lot of grenade attacks in different parts of Kenya recently. Pray for peace.

Verse of Encouragement:
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9

The beginning of year two!

Ok, I know I haven’t posted for almost two months. My goal was to continue trying to post every two weeks like I did the second half of the year last year, but it just didn’t happen. Things have been busier this year than they were last year and when I do have “free time,” I am usually just too exhausted to do anything! Another week is almost over (we have a day and a half off this week!) and I can’t figure out where the time went. I still have to finish my lesson plans for next week, but I figured I could take a few minutes to update you all on my life.

                The school year is starting off well. I am teaching Life Skills Special Education. I absolutely love working with my three girls. I think my favorite part of working with children with special needs is the excitement in a new goal being met. It’s almost like you can see the light bulb go off in their heads. You can work on something for days and finally it will just click and you can see the student’s excitement when they know they finally get it. My class is designed to help students learn independent living skills in conjunction with their school work. We have been doing a cooking and sewing program while also learning math, reading, writing, science, and social studies. We practice things like how to purchase things at the grocery store when we are making a meal. We also sell sodas during some lunches each week to raise money for the 8^th grade trip. This also helps us to practice making change and using money. I have been so busy because this job also requires a lot of individualized attention for each student. There really are no breaks throughout the day except for 20 minutes at lunch recess. To keep the girls updated with technology, they each have a blog where they post about a topic that I give them. This gives them the opportunity to express themselves and also learn more about social networking which keeps them up to date with what their peers are doing to help them better relate to other kids their age. Overall, I enjoy working in this classroom and can’t wait to see how much more these kids grow throughout the school year!

                As far as outside-of-school activities go, my life is pretty busy as well. I am taking Swahili classes every Monday after school. Tuesday and Thursday a group of teachers get together to do worship and practice for staff devotions on Fridays. On Saturday afternoons I practice with my church’s worship team for Sunday morning services. I play drums for both worship teams. It is giving me the opportunity to practice and improve on what I have already learned. It also helps to relieve some of the stress from the week. I mean, I get to hit things and worship God at the same time; you can’t really get a better stress reliever than that!  I am coaching tennis again this year and practices are 4 days a week. The students have been practicing so hard and have improved so much over the last year. Finally, on Wednesday afternoons, my roommate Kristin and I are tutoring some students at our school who come from an orphanage. We are helping them to improve their grades by catching them up on things they have missed, or helping them understand things that are confusing to them in class. They are really sweet kids and we love having them around!

                Last week I decided to take two days off school and go visit Dorothy Dulo in her village in Alendu, Kenya. Dorothy and her husband Roger are missionaries from Worship Center who run an organization and ministry called Rafiki Africa Foundation (http://www.rafikiafrica.org/). Through this organization they minister to the people from Dorothy’s village in the western part of Kenya. They have a Christian school that ministers mostly to an orphaned population. Almost all of the students at their school are sponsored to be there by supporters from around the world. They also have a women’s program that focuses on improving the sustainability of a community by training the women in things like tailoring, business management, farming, and other job skills. It also provides a place for the women to share and find healing through Christ. When I went last week I had the opportunity to work with the women and girls. I sat in on a women’s meeting where they discussed the rights of women in Kenya. They talked about their rights to shelter, food, having an opinion, and to being loved. These women are so strong! I also had the opportunity to talk to a group of girls from the school, Lighthouse Academy. I decided to talk to them about being a light in their homes, community, and school since that is our theme at our school this year as well. The girls asked a lot of good questions about the bible that kept me on my toes! Finally, we were able to do a small health clinic for the women. My pharmacy skills came in handy when I got put in charge of dispensing medication. We got to serve about 40 women by providing much needed medication for many ailments. One of the members of the group that was in the village with me was Lisa Landis from WJTL, a Christian radio station in Lancaster. She was there to help promote Rafiki Africa. She did a lot of voice recordings of all different things that happened on the trip. Dannette was another woman from my church in Lancaster that came on the trip. She was there to help teach the women some tailoring skills to be able to sew the student uniforms. It was so nice to have some familiar faces around! Finally, there was a couple from another organization, Decent Life Volunteers (http://decentlife.org/), who were also on the team. They were awesome to meet and hang out with as well! They have hearts for people all around the world! One thing that I haven’t mentioned yet was the craziness that surrounded this trip. As relaxing as it is to be in the village, there were some crazy moments as well. On night one we had a bat in the house that was dive-bombing our heads. We called a Masai guard to take it out. On night two we had a baby black mamba in the house. We called 3 people to take it out. One night three we had a mouse in the house…we just let him stay. On day three we had a car accident in Kisumu, and on day four, my last day, we had a flat tire. It was quite the eventful trip as you can see. Even amongst all the craziness, I would go back in a heartbeat! It was a good reminder as to why I came back to Kenya in the first place.

                Ok, I think I have typed enough for today. I want to thank you all for your mercy and grace as I try to get back into the swing of things!

Prayer Requests:
- For the women and children at Rafiki Africa to find sponsors. They are in need of a lot, so if you think you can set aside a few dollars a month to help them out, please visit their website (http://www.rafikiafrica.org/)
- For myself and my students at school. Just be in prayer for the school year.
- For me to find ways to readjust better to the culture. This year has been harder than last year to be away from home.

Verse of Encouragment:
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.”

SHINE

     On Tuesday night I returned to Kenya from the US. As much as I am missing my family and friends in America, it definitely feels good to be back. I really missed some things around here, like my church family. I was greeted with a lot of hugs and "Karibu tena Kenya" (Welcome again to Kenya) this morning at church. This was followed by "Are you going to play the drums now?" They just can't wait to get me playing for worship, regardless of the fact that I have told them I have never played this kind of music before on kit. Prayers would be appreciated!
     On Thursday I was able to go into my classroom for a few hours to try to get some work done. There is a lot to do in that room! They painted this summer, so the furniture is all over the place. I am looking forward to getting it set up and ready for my students. Speaking of students, last time I posted, I had mentioned that I would be teaching life skills special education. Because of a lot of different reasons, my class size has reduced itself to 2 students! I will have two girls, one in elementary, and one in middle school. I was sad to see the other students go, but I am looking forward to hearing what God has in store for them and their families. I am also looking forward to giving the two students in my class more individualized instruction. How often does a teach get this type of an opportunity?! I feel very blessed. We have also added a great group of new teachers this year! I have not gotten to know all of them very well yet, but they are all very excited to minister to our kids. I can't wait to see how much our kids grow this year.

     Something else I am very thankful for this year is that I can get the Living Room (the young adults group from my church in the states) messages on iTunes! I am so thankful to be able to listen to the messages that I am missing while I am gone. In fact, I am listening to one right now. :) This summer really helped me to realize how much I had been drained over the last year. It was great to be filled up again this summer and to be encouraged by so many people from Living Room. I was especially thankful for the group of people that prayed for me the night before I left. It really helped me to feel so much better about leaving and I seriously can't thank you enough! You are an amazing group of people that are not only ready to change the people in your place of work, but ready to change your communities, Lancaster, and the rest of the world. I am praying for all of you who are leaving for Mexico tomorrow and can't wait to hear your testimonies! God is going to do amazing things!

     This brings me to the title of my post, SHINE. A few weeks ago, I bought a t-shirt to help support the Mexico missions team. The shirt says "Let it shine" and has a picture of a big sun with a city behind it. I really loved the shirt, and also loved supporting the group of people going to Mexico. Flash-forward to Thursday morning in Kenya. The director of our school got up and announced the theme for our school year, shine! I was so excited to see God lining up these things in my life. It brought together two of my worlds that sometimes feel so far apart. This year we will be focusing on letting God's light shine on our campus. I can't wait to see our campus lit up and on fire for God!

Prayer Requests:

- For myself, the other teachers in the school, and the students to have a great first week of school

- For the Mexico missions team from Living Room

- For God's light to be spread throughout Kenya

Verse Of Encouragement:

"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16

Winding Down

      I apologize again for the delay in posting. It has been a busy and challenging few weeks. Here is a quick update about what has been going on:
Spring Break~ During spring break, Kristin and I spent a large amount of time planning activities to do with some of the kids from the orphanage. We went bowling (which they had never heard of!), got ice cream, and spoiled them rotten with Easter gifts! We have decided to semi-adopt them. We can't legally adopt them because single females can't adopt boys, but we are doing what we can to give them the family experiences that they haven't had.
      The other part of my spring break was spent hanging out with the group from Turkey as well as our friend Tonya who was visiting from our school in Ghana. We went on safari with the group from turkey and saw three young lions (two female, one male). They were hunting, but we didn't get to see any kills. Later that same day we went to Crescent Island again to walk with the giraffes, wildebeest, and zebra. That will seriously never get old! It was a relaxing break and no one was ready to get back to work.

     Since spring break, it has been life as usual. Teaching has been challenging the last few weeks because the students are looking forward to break and the rains have finally come. This means that they are inside much more often than before. I feel like I am rushing to get through the last of the curriculum which I guess is typical for a first year teacher. It takes some time to figure it all out.
     Two weeks ago, Jenn and I went "up-country" to the town of Kericho for a Women's Conference with our church. It was great to get to know the women from our church a little better, but it was definitely an experience in Kenyan culture! Jenn and I happened to be the only two white people there. This brought about some entertaining moments! On the first day we had Ugali for dinner. Every person who walked passed us stopped to stare and see if we were actually going to eat this traditional Kenyan dish. Little did they know, our Kenyan diet in November prepared us well for this retreat :) There was also a photographer at the retreat to take pictures of the groups from different churches and whoever else wanted their photo taken. We had some women come up to us and ask if we would take a picture with them. We called it "photo opp with the wazungu." Finally, on our last day there, the leader of the conference was thanking all the people who had helped make the conference possible. At the end, she thanked "the girls from America." After three days with ice cold showers (there was only hot water at 4am...) and foam mattress beds, it felt nice to be home. It was a really good experience, however, especially to see more of the Kenyan culture.
     I finished up the after-school program last week. I had been coaching softball and t-ball for the last few weeks to the elementary school students. They did a fabulous job! I was so proud of them and can't wait to do it again next year (or maybe get a program started :) ). My roommate Lisa helped me out considerably with softball and I could not have done it without her!
     In the last week I have gotten to go to the movies twice. We saw Hunger Games and The Avengers (that's right, we got The Avengers before the US!). They were both excellent movies! What makes them even more excellent is that I paid less than $8 to see the movie and get popcorn and a drink! I also got my hair cut when we had off school yesterday for Kenya's Labor Day.
    The only other exciting thing that I can think of is when we got invaded by termites when rainy season started. We had hundreds of termites flying around our car-port area and about 30 came in the house. It was like playing baseball with a flyswatter! They have huge wings and tend to dive-bomb your head when you least expect it. If you missed the video, check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=364703176905238 .
     Thank you for your continued prayers. The year is winding down and with only 17 days of school left, I can't believe the time went so fast! I am looking forward to coming home for a few weeks this summer and getting to see my friends and family. If you want to meet up with me, shoot me an e-mail or facebook message!

Prayer Requests:
- finances
- for a good ending to the school year. Help us to finish well.
- for everyone preparing to travel back to the US for the summer or for good.

Verse Of Encouragement:
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." ~ Psalm 51:10