I can hardly believe that we have been in Africa for exactly a week. The moments and days seem to be passing slow, but as I look back, I can't help but wonder where all of our time has gone. With each passing day, we get more and more excited to call this place home for the next ten months. The land is beautiful, the people we have met are beautiful, and we have begun to see our Savior in an even more beautiful way.
We departed from the States last Sunday afternoon after an extremely bittersweet goodbye with our friends and family (minus my parents, who are serving with us for the first ten days). After 24 hours of traveling, we finally arrived in Nairobi late Monday night! There was no better feeling than when Pam (Bay Leaf's travel agent and our Kenyan momma) greeted us at the airport with a warm "Welcome Home."
We woke up early the next morning and made the 2 hour drive to Machakos, which is where Emily and I are living through the first part of October. The students at I Can Fly had their first day of school on Tuesday and we are working with the September Mission Team from Bay Leaf until Thursday, so we won't start at the school until Friday. Last week, we taught at a conference at a church in Machakos Town and absolutely fell in love with the people there. We spent most of our mornings with the youth group and our afternoons with the children. We met many of the pastors from the local area, and they each welcomed us into their churches and into their lives. The more time we spent teaching and playing with the children, the more we were reminded of why God called us to Kenya. Our hearts are so content when we see the church family shouting for joy at what the Spirit is doing inside of them and when we see the children's eyes open wide with excitement as they hear the many stories of the Bible.
We woke up early the next morning and made the 2 hour drive to Machakos, which is where Emily and I are living through the first part of October. The students at I Can Fly had their first day of school on Tuesday and we are working with the September Mission Team from Bay Leaf until Thursday, so we won't start at the school until Friday. Last week, we taught at a conference at a church in Machakos Town and absolutely fell in love with the people there. We spent most of our mornings with the youth group and our afternoons with the children. We met many of the pastors from the local area, and they each welcomed us into their churches and into their lives. The more time we spent teaching and playing with the children, the more we were reminded of why God called us to Kenya. Our hearts are so content when we see the church family shouting for joy at what the Spirit is doing inside of them and when we see the children's eyes open wide with excitement as they hear the many stories of the Bible.
After the closing ceremony of the conference last Thursday, we made our way to Amboseli for a wonderful weekend safari trip! It was the perfect break in between church conferences, and we had such a relaxing time with our team members. We even got to participate in some Maasai dancing- I wish you all could have seen it. :)
After a wonderful and peaceful two days at Mt. Kilimanjaro, we made the four hour trip back to Machakos to worship with the local people in their churches on Sunday morning. Our team split up and went to preach and fellowship in five different churches in the Machakos area. However, Emily and I went with Pastor Marty and Will down to Maasailand to attend a special ordination service. We were exhausted by the end of the day (5 hour church service, no big deal), but our hearts were so full after watching five men who love the Lord dedicate their lives to His service as pastors and leaders. God is working big time in Kenya, y'all.
Today we travelled to a different area of Machakos county called Matuu, where we'll be leading our second conference with the Bay Leaf team. It just started this afternoon, but we have already seen the Lord speak to the Kenyans and to us. We are so excited to stay in Matuu for a couple days and to have a front row seat in watching the Holy Spirit work.
Today we travelled to a different area of Machakos county called Matuu, where we'll be leading our second conference with the Bay Leaf team. It just started this afternoon, but we have already seen the Lord speak to the Kenyans and to us. We are so excited to stay in Matuu for a couple days and to have a front row seat in watching the Holy Spirit work.
We miss our family and friends back in Raleigh everyday. FaceTime will never be quite enough. America (and American food) holds a very special place in our hearts. We miss our own beds and our own showers. But despite everything we miss, we are more than content here. Kenya is the place that God has so obviously called us to and we wouldn't want to have spent the past week or the next ten months in any other country. We love this place, and ultimately, we love the way the Lord is working in this place.
So for that reason, Pam's "Welcome Home" was extremely fitting.
So for that reason, Pam's "Welcome Home" was extremely fitting.