Reflections (by Kim Campbell)

“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

It seems so unreal – that we were in Kenya and now that we are back. What a small world this really is! Our time in Kenya went by very quickly. There is drastic difference between Nairobi, Gatab, and Eastman – WOW!

Thank you to Pastor Wambua and his team of nationals that assisted us. Thank you to Principal Moses and his staff at the Youth Center. Thank you to Daryl and Luke for the preparation and leadership in organizing this trip. Thank you to all the team members and their help. We had a great team. Everyone worked well together. Everyone did well at exercising their flexibility. :o) Asante asana ya’ll!

It is hard to put into words the things we saw and the smells we smelled. Words cannot accurately describe these. Pictures can help, but still do not totally do it either. I did not hear people complain about the things they lacked or their circumstances.

The children were precious. At the youth center, where we did VBS, they were excited to have us there. As we would drive up, we could hear the children cheer. Each day as we would leave, questions came about if we would be back the next day and the day after that.

I will miss the sing-song phrase of the children as we drove up the dusty, rocky roads to the church or to the school yelling out “How are you?” and waving as we went by each day.

At the crusade location, our vans would be swarmed by the children as we drove in. Some of us had “Crusade buddies”. These children would find us each night and hold our hands or hang with us. My Crusade buddy would nudge my hand for the motion of what we were supposed to be doing to the lively worship song. :o) She was precious. Just after dark, she would wave goodbye and disappear (walk home). It was not uncommon for several children to be “sharing” our fingers as they held our hands.

The orphanage we visited is primarily for HIV babies. They have additional houses for school-age children as well. The babies are treated by doctors and given very good care. We saw some pictures on a bulletin board of when babies first arrived and how much growth and improvement occurred in 2 to 4 weeks of them being in the house. Each child has a volunteer that comes daily to help care for him/her. This volunteer gets the child dressed and feeds them. They play and spend time together. What a program!

Daily life is not simple. The many conveniences we take for granted are not necessarily available there. Like Mr. Zack mentioned, I am thankful for showers … maybe more thankful that others got showers finally. HAHA

The youth center was without electricity while we were there. Yet, they function as if this is normal. In Gatab, electricity is not a given, unless a generator is running. We learned that water is not a given.

Public school class sizes are about 100 students per class with one teacher; this is throughout the country. At the youth center, the class size average was 30. For VBS most of our classes were combined, making classes 60 students or so. (Yes, the 3 and 4 year old class was combined some – 60 together!)

Nairobi is city. It is has cars, public transportation, grocery stores, restaurants, and somewhat modern conveniences. There is still access to certain necessities. Gatab, on the other hand, is a village. It has donkeys and carts. People walk from place to place. Gardens and livestock replace the grocery stores and restaurants. Missionaries must plan ahead for the time they will be in Gatab and shop for weeks/months in advance while they are in Nairobi for basic grocery items that they would like (toilet paper, ice cream, ham, etc.) For transportation, missionaries have 4-wheelers or personal vehicles. There is a missionary plane that will fly from the village to Nairobi from time to time.

In Nairobi, there is poverty. We knew that we would be working near the city dump in Korogocho because this was where the Youth Center was. I did not realize that the youth center and the dump share a fence. The odor of the dump was a major concern of mine before leaving on the trip. We worked at the youth center for three days, while there was an odor, it was not so overwhelming. This was a God-thing. Several of us were sick and I’m not sure we could have stomached an overwhelming odor. The food was also a concern of mine. I knew we would be serving lunch to the students and eating lunch at the school, but I was not sure what this would be. It was fine. It was rice, potatoes, cabbage, and a stew-type dish. Throughout the week, I also was able to try lamb, ostrich, and crocodile. Not exactly something I would order on a regular basis, but I tried it!

The people in Gatab are from the Samburu tribe. They are a migrating people. The people live in minyatas. The walls of the home are made of cow manure and mud packed together. Sticks are placed on the outside of the hut. David (6 years old) told me not to stand too close to the walls and sniff because they do not smell too good. Haha The roof is a sticks and cardboard pieces patched together. They use old motor oil, if they can find it, to seal the roof to help it from leaking and help resist from termites. When they migrate, they taken the items from the inside the home, but leave the home and rebuild.

Ministry in Gatab varies greatly. Jon does a lot of physical labor and hires the nationals to help in the building projects. Jon teaches at the church and is help administrate at the Haven Home (Boarding Home). Becky cares for things at home and ministers to the ladies and children in the community as well. Jon and Becky have five children. The children participate in ministry as they can and as their skills lend. The children seem to enjoy some of the physical projects. While I was there, the girls helped tear down a building. Kayla and David dug a hole in the garden. Hannah and Amilia, the summer missionary, were painting several things that needed to be painted. Ellie and Amilia assisted Becky with the tutoring program at Haven Home in the afternoons. Since daily tasks around the house are time consuming, the children help with these chores. The girls are learning to cook from scratch (out of necessity). Life is not easy in Gatab. Everything is time consuming.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to have gotten to go on this trip. I do not want to forget the things I saw – the joy in the faces of the children when they received their box of crayons. The sounds of the children saying “How are you” as we drove up the road. I am thankful for the peopla that we met. For the missionaries that continue to work in Nairobi and Gatab. For The Christian leaders that are continuing the follow-up from the crusades and the evangelism day.

God is good! All the time. All the time. God is good!

Reflections (by Ken Mobley)

It’s hard to put down in words in a short blog what such a tremendous trip has meant to my life. Although a short time in my lifetime, the lessons learned and blessings received will last always.

During a brief moment before leaving the van at the crusade one afternoon, I looked over at another team member and remarked “how will we ever describe this to everyone back home?”

The gathering of hundreds of people in what we would call deplorable conditions. Muddy or dusty ground with a landfill just behind the stage…and yet, here they were…all waiting to begin to worship God. The music would start and the crowd would begin to sing and dance to the Lord. A cloud of dust around us did not slow anything down. The singing and dancing was intense and glorifying and only stopped when it was time for the word of God to be preached. Each and every night, God showed up in all his glory. This is just one instance of God’s presence on our trip.

Laughing, smiling, and dancing children…singing to our Lord Jesus, bringing blessings to us as we listened and watched. They didn’t know what they didn’t have, all they knew was a song in their heart and smile on their face. …another blessing we received.

It seemed at every turn we were the people receiving blessings, although we were on the mission trip. I wonder now just what mission we were on, one to help Kenyans, or one to find ourselves. I kept finding myself thanking God for all the people I met, tasks laid before me, new friends who were working by my side, and Christ for making this all possible. Even as I write these reflections, I have to stop and give thanks for the memories that will last a lifetime.

It was hard to leave the mission area not knowing the fate of all the children we came in contact with. Our faith is tested by leaving it up to our Lord. We can only pray now that they are okay.

It seemed fitting to end the week on safari. The wide open rift valley was a site to see after the tight fitting streets of Lucky Summer. What a mighty God we serve who can show his creation in such vast and different ways.

Thanks to all my fellow missioners for their prayers and work. It was great getting to know all of you guys better. It’s awesome to have such dedicated Christian friends as you. God bless all of you.

Reflections (by Diedra Barton)

It is hard to find the right words to describe my mission trip experience. I know each trip is different in its own way and every person walks away with different feelings and emotions. For me, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to be a small part of God’s plan. I was completely amazed and overwhelmed by the power and presence of God while in Africa.
“How Great Is Our God”??

--He gave us safe travels to and from Africa. This included flying with connections and layovers and driving on some rough roads. I never felt scared or in any harm while in Kenya.

--Although the devil tried to slow us down in the beginning with sickness, God healed and got us back on our feet ready to do whatever needed to be done.

--He forever changed the lives of 16 people during our street evangelism. I actually got to witness 3 ladies pray to receive salvation.

--He blessed each member of the team with fellowship and new friendships were formed among ourselves and with the Kenyan people.

--His presence was known at the crusades nightly. God’s Word was proclaimed and each night many came forward to confess their sin and accept Jesus as their Savior.

--We witnessed God’s creations during the safari -- from all the animals to the sunrise and sunset. It is one thing to know about and see pictures of the lions, cheetahs, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, impalas, gazelles, etc. It is another to actually be among the wildebeests while they are migrating and witness the mother cheetah on a hunt to feed her offspring. Most of the animals were content and very photogenic since they did not feel they were in danger from us.

I will never forget the children: how they greeted you by waving and shouting “How are you?” If they were in a group, it sounded as if they said it in unison. The moment the van stopped, the children were at the door ready to shake your hand before you even stepped off. They all seemed to want to just hold your hand or touch you. A smile or an encouraging word would just light up their faces. They were so precious and loving and completely unrestrained in their feelings toward you. They would fall over one another trying to shake your hand or touch you. One of the things the children at the school recited in the morning was “God is good all the time. So far so good.” They were well-mannered in saying thank you and they even curtsied. I was able to help serve the children lunch during VBS. We were told that sometimes this might be the only meal they receive during the day and the children were fed more when there were visitors. Their lunch bowl included ugali similar to thick grits, potatoes, meat (only one piece), cabbage and broth. It was rationed out by age and size. After all were served, seconds were offered until there was none left and not all got seconds.

I was completely overwhelmed the first night of the crusade in Lucky Summer. You witnessed the terrible conditions and poverty that the people lived in and the hard lives that they lived day to day; but it all seemed to fade as worship began with singing and dancing and praising God. The joy of worshipping with them was contagious.

I am so thankful that God called me to join in with 17 other brothers and sisters to minister to the people of Kenya. I knew going into it that I would be blessed but I had no idea just how much. I now have a great love for the Kenyan people and I desire and pray blessings and prosperity for all of them. Even though we went to serve and minister to Kenya, I feel that we were served and ministered to as well. The Kenyan people were so welcoming and loving. We did not lack for anything but maybe sleep.

Thanks to all: It was great to partner with Pastor Wambua and the members of Baptist Chapel and with Principal Moses and the Kariobangi Baptist Youth Center. Thank you for your servant attitudes. Thanks to everyone that supported us and lifted us up in prayer during our entire journey. Many thanks to each team member for love, compassion, unity and friendship.

I believe our prayer from Psalm 67:1-3 was answered -- God was gracious to us and blessed us tremendously and His face did shine upon us during our trip. To God be the Glory!!!

Reflections (by Becky Hall)

Where do I even begin? If you had asked me 2 years ago whether I would ever go on a trip like this, I would have laughed at you. This was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Our plans are rarely what God has in store for our lives, and He showed me just how much bigger His plans for me were than I was even comfortable with. On the plane ride to New York, I was given the chance to share my testimony and the gospel message with a guy from Atlanta. What a way to start the trip! Those random opportunities were sprinkled throughout the entire trip, we just had to be alert to how God was working around us.

There are so many memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life, so it’s hard to condense it all into a brief blog entry. It still amazes me that we all made it safely, with every single bag of luggage and supplies, without any major problems. I remember stepping out of the Kenya airport and feeling like we had entered another world. The climate was different, the roads, the smells, the sounds, everything was different. I also remember being overwhelmed sitting outside at Brakenhurst thinking, “How did I end up here? How could I ever deserve this blessing and responsibility?” God’s glory was absolutely everywhere on the side of that mountain.

When we went to the youth center, I was once again overwhelmed at the conditions that most of the people lived in. It broke my heart, but my pity soon turned to love. The faces of those children and those beautiful people are forever burned into my memory. Seeing how happy, joyful, and thankful the kids and the people in the community were for the simplest things made me realize not only how selfish and spoiled I was, but how spoiled we are as Americans. It was an incredibly humbling experience, as if God kicked my feet out from under me and brought my face to the ground. I cried myself to sleep a couple of nights thinking about the faces that I had grown to love. Every person that we came in contact with changed my life in some way. I miss them so much.

As if God had not shown His glory enough through the people of Kenya, He blew my mind again when we went on our safari. I honestly did not know how much more my heart could swell as it absorbed all that was being shown to us over the course of 12 days. Even the sun looks different in Africa. As I watched the sunset and then rise again over the Serengeti, I wanted to shout praises to an Almighty God. How is it that creation cries out with all the strength that it has to our creator, but we run from Him? How are we so blind? Why did it take me 20 years to see what is so clearly displayed all around us? His majesty and glory fills the heavens. He placed the sun and the stars so perfectly, raised the mountains, expanded the oceans, and then made it all visible to us so that we might have a miniscule glimpse of His awesome power and glory.

I thank God for allowing me to be a part of this group. It’s incredible to me that you can put 18 completely different personalities together in a situation such as this and not have any major conflicts or disagreements. Thank you to every team member, we shared a lot together, and I was blessed to be able to grow with you and get to know each of you better. Thank you to every Kenyan that reached out to us. We went to Africa hoping to bless you and to show you the love of Christ, and we ended up being the ones receiving the ultimate blessing from it all. Thank you to our family here in America, the ones that encouraged us, prayed for us, followed our progress, supported us financially, and loved us. Every prayer that went up, every encouraging word, every hug that we received when we got off the bus Monday night at 11pm, you will never understand what that meant to each of us. Most of all, thank you to my Lord and my God. Without you, none of this would have happened. God has opened my eyes to see the world completely differently. Words are not enough to express the impact that this experience has left on my life.

Reflections (by Pam Smith)

To think God called me to go on a mission trip to Africia is still so hard to believe. I feel so inadequate to do such a work for my Lord and Savior, but he called and I answered yes Lord I will go and what an amazing experience. To know that people still live in the simplist way and are ok with it..... Americans sure could use a little simplicity these days. The people of Kenya live each day not knowing what it holds but not really dwelling on it either. I went thinking we were taking something to them but found out they gave something more to me.

The Sunday we went to Baptist Chapel for services there was no doubt that they came to worship. They were seeking the Holy Spirit and it was evident in everything from the singing, to the preaching, and the kid who recited the books of the Bible along with Scripture. They worshipped so freely. I don't ever want to forget that worship service but I want to remember it every Sunday so that I will seek the Holy Spirit and worship without any reserve just as they worshipped. The children where so eager to come up to us and shake our hands and give a big beautiful smile. It seemed they only wanted to know you saw them. I will never think of "How are you" the same way again. The kids would run beside the van screaming "how are you" and we enjoyed waving at them as they ran beside the vans laughing and smiling. The children just wanted to be loved and it was very easy to love them. It was an awesome feeling seeing the moving of the Holy Spirit at the Crusades. I will not forget the feeling I had seeing an elderly lady walk down and except Christ as her Savior the second night of the Crusade or the young lady who prayed the sinners prayer while holding her 3 week old baby when we visited her during the street ministry. It was a great reminder of what a Big God we serve. The safari only finalized that truth. Looking out over the Serengity for miles and miles and seeing the beauty God created and the animals roaming free in their natural habitat. It was breath taking. It just shows that we are all a part of God's wonderful plan.

As I close on my final reflections I just want to say Thank You to Daryl for the great job he did in planning and keeping us on track and to Kim for an amazing job she did getting VBS together. How she packed those duffles and knew exactly what she packed where I will never know, but you did a great job. Thanks to everyone on our team. It was great sharing this experience with you and I will cherish the friendship I found in each one of you. God Bless You.

Reflections (by Lori Denton)

Well it feels good to be home again back with my husband and kids. However, my heart doesn't feel the same. I am so blessed to experience Africa and its people. I know that God made the way for me to go. He met my needs again and again. There were so many who were led to give. I never dreamed God would work the way he did. It felt good to be with people you had never met but made you feel so loved. The kids were so grateful and caring. They knew no prejudice. It seemed to be just the way God would want it to be. Each child just wanted a hug or a touch. They just wanted to love on you. The crusades were awesome. We got to experience a worship that is a little different from our own. These people danced and sang before the Lord ( I was always reminded of David and how he danced before the Lord). It was inspiring to see people with so little worshipping. We often think that our church needs this or we have to have that, but the fact is things don't bring us closer to God. We actually need very little to worship, just a right heart. It was awesome. to see so many come to Christ at the crusades, and during the evangelism visits. God was hard at work again. The people during the evangelism visits were so kind and open to hearing God's word. It seemed as though they Thirsted for it. I had really expected the worst with the orphanage, but was delighted to see that the children had a nice place with lots of volunteers. It was still sad to imagine all those kids without a family, but the Lord was meeting their needs. He is also supplying volunteers to love on them daily. We serve a great God. The safari was wonderful. It was a reminder of God's awesome creation. Someone made the comment about how no one was sick on the safari. They said they guessed satan didn't care if we did that or not. I guess they are right. A safari doesn't have eternal value. He worked us over during the days of our service. I even faced many struggles before the trip even started, but God stayed close by my side. He put me exactly where I needed to be. I met and made wonderful friends in Africa. I feel blessed that God let me be a part of his plan. I pray that you will continue to pray that the Lord will bless these people and prosper them. I pray that more will come to Christ and God will get all the glory. Thank you all for your prayers and support. I love you all. Thank you to Pastor Wambua and all the people who took care of us and let us be a part of their lives. Hope to see you again soon.
Love, Lori

Reflections (by Zack Mercer)

I am truly grateful to God for calling me to go to Africa. What a privilege it is to tell others of what Christ has done in my life and how, they too, can be set free of their sin and have a personal relationship with the one true God of all people. I thank God for the people that God placed in my path that I was able to share with and the one that came to know Jesus as his personal savior. I pray that God will keep him and help him grow in his faith.

The people, places, moments, and revelations I want to remember from this trip are many and I will try to list a few here:

- The smiles and bright eyes of little children as they sought your attention. They wanted to touch and hold hands and seemed so joyful in a place that, for me, seemed to hold no joy, only despair.

- The acceptance and sense of brotherhood with the people of Kenya that is often missing among people in the U.S.A. I never felt any danger or animosity from the people there, although I know we where “protected” by our van drivers and the brothers and sisters from the Baptist Chapel.

- The desperate need for clean, safe drinking water. The need for employment.

- The love, the care, and the clean environment given to the little children at the orphanage.

- That Proverbs 25:24 “It is better to live on the roof than share the house with a nagging wife” was certainly not talking about the roof we had to paint!

- Never order a dish in a restaurant if the waiter cannot identify the animal in the dish and will only say, “something like a rabbit.”

- The total aerobic exercise that was included with every praise session. What a happy and total expression of joy in worshipping the Lord.

- The joy of a hot shower, the warmth of a fire in the bedroom on the Fourth of July.

- The rugged beauty of the vast Maasi Mara region and the wonder of all that God has created and declared good. The life and death balance of nature as God has created it and from which so many humans have disassociated themselves.

- That Satan only attacks when you are going about doing the will of our Heavenly Father.

- How blessed and thankful I am for a godly wife of 36 years and how beautiful she is to me, especially when she is telling others about Jesus.

Reflections (by Marilynn Sanders)

Bwana asifiwe (Praise the Lord). Not only was the 2009 Kenya mission trip life-changing for many of the people we witnessed to but it has also changed my life. I personally saw God’s hand in everyone we met, in everything we did, and in everything we saw. Worshipping with the loving and spirit-filled congregation at Baptist Chapel was inspiring. These people love God, are sincere in their worship, and reach out to others. They truly ‘walk the talk’ and aren’t merely going through the motions. During the Crusades I looked into the eyes and beautiful faces of so many people, especially children, all living in extreme poverty. Surprisingly, I saw joy and hopefulness in most but there were some with very sad and empty faces. For the first time in my life I wanted to reach out and give them the reassurance of God’s love and protection. Visiting the Christian orphanage and holding the beautiful children that had been abandoned and rescued was another demonstration of God’s love and protection, yet I couldn’t help but wonder about the many left uncared for and unattended, and I continue to pray for them. The beautiful sunsets, sunrises, and magnificent animals that we saw during our safari rides were additional testimonies of God’s wonderful and glorious creations. Whether it be the poor people living in the slums, the precious orphans, the vast savannah lands, or the majestic animals, how can we not believe in a Creator? Traveling and worshipping with my Christian brothers and sisters was a tremendous inspiration for me. They don’t know how much they influenced my spiritual life during these past few days. I learned so much from each of them and I am so grateful. During this trip God revealed to me that I haven’t been totally honest with myself. I don’t always ‘walk the talk’, my priorities are sorely misaligned, and my spiritual life is very weak. I have made a decision to rededicate my life to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

Reflections (by Bonnie Waldrep)

Words can not say how wonderful and blessed I feel to have been part of such a great ministry. The love that was felt from the members of Baptist chapel, to the youth center from the teachers, to the children loving on me daily and holding my hand. The people of Kenya that we witnessed to were warm and welcoming us into their home and wanting to serve us tea or hot chocolate. I have not ever felt so welcomed and at home. Gods love seem to surround us where ever we went. I can not praise God enough for the blessing we have received while we were there. I just want to thank every one for making us feel at home and for helping us to feel part of the team. Thank all of you for your prayers and God guidance while we were preparing to go and while we were there. I feel the mission was a great success with many being saved, Thank you Jesus!

I continue to asked for prayers for the people of Kenya and for the children at the youth center,Baptist chapel and help with funds to feed the children there. I pray that God will continue to guide and we will see him and feel his presence daily knowing that we are in his will. Thanks so much to everyone! Love to all, Bonnie Waldrep

Reflections of Mission Trip to Kenya (by Debbie Mercer)

I rejoice that I was able to see God’s Hand in all the happenings of the trip. God is strong and mighty to save. His Hand is not short or unable to perform great works!

I was uncertain about stepping outside of my comfort zone. I had many try to discourage me from going. Yet I knew deep down in my heart, God was calling me to go. This took faith and throughout the entire trip, with each step, faith increased.

These are some of the things I will especially remember and treasure:

- Tears pouring from my eyes as I witnessed many people stepping forward for salvation on the first night of the crusade

- My first glimpse of a small boy with no shoes walking around in the muddy, trashy mire

- The friendliness and acceptance of the Kenyan people. I especially bonded with the first grade teacher during the VBS classes.

- I loved participating in the praise and worship with the Kenyans at their church and during the crusade. They worship wholeheartedly and show great joy. It struck me how they could be so joyous while the surroundings were nauseating. What a great reminder of how God rescues us from the filth of our sins and cleanses us. Why not worship with great joy?

- As we participated in street evangelism, the divine appointments that only God could have orchestrated. On two different occasions, as we were witnessing to someone who was already a Christian, another person came over who was not. This resulted in one of them accepting Christ and the other one considering it yet unwilling to make a decision at that moment.

- The many children who seem to take care of themselves. Responsibility is thrust upon them at an early age. The poverty is overwhelming and assaults all of your senses at one time. One child held tightly to my hand and I could hear her saying the sinner’s prayer on the last night of the crusade. How this touched my heart and how I pray for this unknown child!

- The harmony of our team as we prayed, worked, and lived together. How awesome it is to see Christian brothers and sisters care for each other. The work went on even when sickness threatened to slow us down. I also know that Daryl has the potential to be a great evangelist one day!!!

- This has changed my life, making me so much more appreciative of living in the USA, having a loving family, and the basic necessities of life. I am very rich and realize that God has blessed me for a reason. It is all His and giving should be top priority.

- The encouragement and prayers from home were felt and appreciated so much. God answered prayers in a mighty way!! And how he delighted us with His beautiful creation as we experienced the safari at Massai Mara.

All Christ asks of us is to abide in Him. “And greater works than these shall ye do; because I go to the Father.” We have a wonderful future. We have a future of unlimited power to bless others. Just be channels. Be used. God’s power in believing man will accomplish much! Yes, to God be all the glory!

Kim in Gatab (Update 3 & 4)

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

We attended morning devotions. Then it was a school day. Jon and the older girls then did some manual labor. Jon and some of the men are working on rebuilding a girls' dorm building for Haven Home. So, the girls were busy painting around the house workshop and then helped tear down another building and helped with some other manual labor. Life in Gatab is not for the weak.

Life is not simple. Meals are made from scratch. The garden has been invaded by a baboon. So Kayla (8) and David (6) were digging a hole in the event that the baboon was caught. Because of the drought, the baboons are eating up the garden produce. (The donkeys are too coming into people's "yards". There is a donkey jail for donkeys that are not kept up with by their owners. - Seriously!)

Becky and I attended the weekly Women's Ministry Meeting. The ladies meet for Bible study and fellowship.

The missionaries also meet weekly for prayer meeting and fellowship. I think we startled them when they walked in on us playing a game of Babble. The missionaries are using a DVD study by Focus on the Family called "The Truth Project." The children sit in on the lecture DVD and prayer time as well. Last night we were joined by another American family, a German missionary and her houseguest.

Thusday, July 16, 2009

We attended morning devotions. They have been going through Romans 2 all week, taking a few verses each day. The children did school again. Because of days when they have to go into Nairobi and other days when they need to take breaks, they have chosen to basically school all year round. This allows them to have a more relaxed schedule that works for them.

The girls continued to paint. They are looking a little blue - like Smurfettes!!

After lunch we were invited to visit in traditional home, called a minyata (sp?). Ruth and her family invited us to see her home. The people traditional migrate as their animals need more food. Some will stay because there is more of a community here. But we will see, now that there is talk that there is very little grass left in there area.

The minyata is made of cow "poop" and mud packed together. The roof is sticks and thatched together. They take old motor oil and brush it on the roof inside to prevent termites. They also use pieces of carboard that are available. There are bamboo piece used inside as poles. There was a kitchen area and bedroom areas.

We also had tutoring today. We had about 19 kids in class.

I will fly out with Jon Woodworth (my cousin), two others, and the pilot bright and early in the morning. We will do some errands in Nairobi and then Jon will drop me off at the airport. I will be headed to the states tomorrow night.

Please continue to pray for rain.

Kim in Gatab (Update 2)

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

We ended last night with family devotions in Romans 10 where we discussed that fact that salvation was a gift of God - not by works. The whole family was there - even Luke, who is 2.

Kayla lost a tooth, but we found out that the tooth fairy forgot to visit. OOPS - the tooth fairy was extremely tired and ... forgot. :o)

We woke up this morning and attended community devotions at the church at 7:25 am. Mostly the students from Haven Home attend and a few of the community people. The devotions are in Swahili and translated in Samburu - the tribal language. Jon Woodworth leads the devotions. The church services each week are done the same way.

After devotions, the students went to school and Jon and Becky worked briefly with the ladies on a memory verse. Then Jon went and did a few things at Haven Home while we went home for breakfast.

Then the fun began. We loaded up on four-wheelers and headed up the mountain. Eleven people on four four-wheelers and four in a jeep went on the adventure. The trip up took us a little over an hour to get up to the top. Today was Ellie's (13) first time to drive up the mountain on the four-wheeler. She did a great job!!! WHAT A VIEW!!! The road was bumpy, but nothing compared to the "African massage" we received over the weekend. :o) We checked on the spring which is the source of the water supply for Gatab and had roasted marshmallows and chai tea for lunch. (I know real healthy, right?!). We headed back down in time for a late, late lunch and in time for tutoring at Haven Home.

We took some family time and went for some exercise and play time at the air strip. We will end the day with a light dinner and family devotion time before an early bedtime. (Well, the goal is to be in bed early.) We'll see.

Tomorrow promises to be another busy day.

Please pray for rain for Gatab and the surrounding areas. Things are drying up from the lack of rain. Please pray for the tutoring sessions - the class size has grown. Please pray for the fun day on Saturday at the Haven Home. They planning is in progress now for the games and other activities of the day.

Please pray for rain (they said to write that again!). :o)

Kim in Gatab (Update 1)

Monday, July 13, 2009

Last night, the team and I separated. The team went to the airport to head back to the states. James, one of our three drivers for the week, took me to the Mayfield Guest House. This guest house is run by the AIM Mission. It was very nice. I spent the night here and then this morning was taken to Wilson airport to catch the AIM airplane to Gatab.

That was an experience. As I walked in, I thought that the man at the desk was teasing me in fun, but he was not. He told me that I had to wait outside - out front - until my "meet time". That was a 45 minute wait. It was not bad. I waited, but still no one came for me. So, I checked. A few minutes later, I was found. :o)

The plane arrived. It was a small, 6 passenger plane. Three other passengers, the pilot, his 7 year old daughter and I were on the plane. Our first stop was Korr. This was a place in the desert. There was a herd of camel near the airstrip. I do not have pictures from this area. The people have issues with pictures. They feel that the pictures take something from them. Apparently the camels have issues with pictures too - we were told. ??? We dropped off the three other passengers and continued on to Gatab. We landed at the Luai airstrip. This airstrip is at lower down the mountain than the Gatab strip. There were some issues with the Gatab strip, so we landed at the other.

The whole Woodworth family and their houseguest, Amelia, were there to greet me. It was great to see them. We headed up the mountain road to Gatab. It was about a 20 - 30 minute ride - another African massage - not as bad as the road to Maasai. The kids and I sat in the back of the truck. David told me all about the babboons. And we saw some as we traveled back.

Later in the afternoon we went to do some tutoring at the Haven House. The Haven House is a girls and boys home, like a boarding school for the surrounding villages where the students would have to walk a long distance to get to school. We will tutor again at the Haven House again tomorrow.

Things are so different here. For example .... Ellie had the chore of making dog food this afternoon. This required Ellie to go get fire wood, start the fire in between rocks, boil water, add some powdered dog food to the boiling water and cook it.

Well, we are about to walk around the Station (the mission's property). More later ... provided the internet conection will work. Maybe pitctures, if it will allow.

We're home! (by Daryl Summey)

Our team arrived home safely at 11 PM on Monday night to find an enthusiastic group of family & friends waiting for us in the parking lot. They were a sight for sore eyes. In many cases, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder and this was definitely one of those times!

I want to take a moment and thank some important people:

1) Thanks to all of our 18 team members. Thank you for having a heart for the Gospel and missions. Thank you for offering so much time, money, prayer, and so much of your self to be a part of this trip. Thank you for all of your hard work and preparation. Thank you for displaying servant hearts, humble spirits, and Christ-like attitudes while we were away. Thank you for your friendship & partnership. I love you guys.

2) Thank you to Pastor Wambua, Pastor Boscoe, Pastor Peter, Principal Moses, and all of the other Kenyan nationals who put up with us, a crazy group of Americans (and one South African), and made ministering there such a joy. You welcomed us, served us, befriended us, worked with us, and ministered to us in so many ways. We were blown away by your hospitality and kindness. We are so thankful for the new friendships that we formed while in Kenya. Know that we will continue to pray for you and your ministries and that we'll anxiously await a time when we will be reunited with you, whether in this life or in Glory! Asante sawa!!!

3) Thank you to our families, friends, and church families. Thank you for supporting the trip financially. May the Lord bless you for your investments in The Kingdom. Thank you for supporting us with your prayers. We know that God heard them and answered them in powerful ways. Thank you for your encouragement. The kind words, notes, blog comments, e-mails, etc. stimulated, sustained, and strengthened us both before and during the trip. You were a crucial part of our team and you have our deepest gratitude.

4) Most importantly, thank You, Father God. All of this was made possible by You. Thank You for redeeming us through Christ Jesus our Lord. Thank You for calling us to know You and serve Your purposes every day. Thank You for counting us worthy of ministering through this mission trip. Thank You for equipping us with Your indwelling Holy Spirit and with the truth of Your word. Thank you for protecting us, providing for us, and being present with us every step of the way. Any and all success that this trip had was because of You and for Your glory. May "Your way may be known on the earth and Your salvation be known among all nations" and may You be forever praised!

The trip is over, but don't stop checking our blog. Why?

1) Your prayers are still needed! Kim Campbell, one of our team members remains in Kenya, on mission this week as well. She has gone to he village of Gatab, in northern Kenya, to stay with her missionary cousins, Jon & Becky Wordworth, and their family. The blog will share prayer requests & updates from Kim as she e-mails them in. Her first update will be posted momentarily.

2) We have asked each of our team members to share reflections from the trip. As they come in (hopefully quickly), we will update the blog. These reflections will give testimony to what we saw God do and what He did in our lives, while we were in Kenya. It should make for encouraging reading.

Day 10 (by Daryl Summey & Luke Carter)

Sunday morning began with an early morning game drive at 6:30 AM. We set out from Fig Tree Tented Camp as the sun rose over the Serengeti and hot-air balloons lifted off for an over-head view. Mix in the amazing wildlife of Masai Mara and you've got an unbeatable sight. We started out seeing the ever-present zebras, gazelles, and giraffes, but it wasn't long before we saw something even more exciting. Luke spotted a cheetah crouching in the tall grass atop a hill. As our matatu drew close, to about 10 feet away, we discovered that it wasn't just one cheetah, but four... a mother and her three adolescent offspring. Then, we witnessed a rare sight as the mother darted off (the statements about cheetahs being fast are no exaggeration!) with her eyes fixed on a young impala. As quick as a flash, the chase was over, the 3 younger cheetahs joined the mother, and breakfast was served. About 30 minutes after the cheetah show, we spotted a golden jackal (looks like a fox) and watched in amazement as he chased down his breakfast as well; a young Thompson gazelle.

Another highlight of the morning drive was sighting the king of African wildlife, the lion. That was something we were all hoping for, and we not only got to see one, we were able to see two female lions and sit in our vehicles just 20 feet away. It was truly an impressive sight. Among numerous other things, the rest of the drive included seeing a very large hyena up close (we couldn't hear him laughing, though... not even at Michael!) and seeing 3 large herds of animals: 16 elephants (or more), 14 giraffes (or more), and hundreds of water buffalo. While our hearts were set on seeing the black rhino, the only one of the "Big Five" that we hadn't encountered yet, that didn't work out for us. We'll just have to wait to see it next time.

The rest of the day included two more flat tires (that's four for the weekend, all on the same van!), our body-jarring drive back to Nairobi, a quick change and loading at the Karina Guest House, and our drive to the airport for tonight's departing flight. While waiting to go through security at the airport, Kim abandoned us on her way to Gatab to stay with her cousins and Pastor Wambua, our dear friend, said his final goodbyes. It's hard to believe that we've only been in Kenya for 9 days. The experiences that we've had, the friends that we've made, the lessons that we've learned, the sights that we have seen, have all been huge blessings from God. We stand amazed that God counted us worthy of participating, in a small way, in what He is doing in this part of the world. Praise the Lord for His grace! HALLELUJAH!

An old song (that some people have been singing this week) refers to Africa when it says, "It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you. That's more than a hundred men or more could ever do." That is very true. Africa has been a blessing. We have fallen in love with the place and more importantly, the people. And for some of us, a hundred men would have a hard time dragging us out of here. However, when it's spouses, children, friends, and other loved ones that's drawing you, the pull towards home is overwhelming. As sad as we are to leave this great place tonight, we're many times more excited to return back to Dodge County where we belong. Pray for us as we travel to London, have a 6 hour lay-over, and then make our way to Atlanta and eventually, back to the D.C. Lord willing, our excited faces will see some of yours at around 10 PM on Monday night. Thanks!!!