The South African Journey Begins

So begins the full day's journey to South Africa. Our Florida compatriots joined us at the gate just before we boarded the plane. It's pretty excitig that this is a joint effort of two conferences. Love the connection! I begin this venture much like i approach much of life: open and expectant to meet God in ways I can't even begin to imagine. This trip is right up my alley. It's about experiencing, learning, and dreaming of ways to forge lasting relationships and ministry partnerships with our brothers and sisters in South Africa. It's about dreaming of the possibilities, the what could be's. So we're going to be meeting with pastors, bishops, and ministry leaders. We're going to meet people who were contemporaries of Nelson Mandela, people who worked with the ANC duriing the apartied struggle, victims of the AIDS pandemic, churches offering radical hospitality to refugees. Nothing envigorates and energizes me more than experiencing faith lived out in another culture. It simply reminds just how big and beautiful our God is and how much we all can learn from each other. So anyway, when everyone at home wakes up on Tuesday morning we will have visited the farm in which Mandela and other ANC leaders were arrested for the famous Rivonia Triall and hopefully finally resting from the long journey. So here's to hoping for a less-than-full flight from JFK to Johannesburg so resting on the 15-hour flight won't be completely uncomfortable. Look forward to sharing more while we're there!

Being a Part of God's Work

The past couple days have been a whirlwind. We had a minor medical emergency with Andy. After some worry, a trip to the medical clinic, lab work, and a quick trip to the hosptial, we found out it wasn't malaria or a bacteria or parasite. He suffered from some bad heat exhaustion and was extremely dehydrated. But as the day went on he got better and a was a new man this morning, which was much to my relief as I was one worried and anxious fiance yesterday. So I spent the day with him running around Meru trying to get him some care. While we were doing that, the team was at another health clinic. Hannah had a great day there! She was able to give the gift of sight to 22 people with glasses donated by her work place. She said the responses people gave when they were given a pair of glasses that improved their vision was heart-warming and touching. Overall, the helped over 200 people in the clinic that day and ran out of some of the more common medicenes.

Today was great! We split up in 4 groups, each group with a clergy person, and we went to worship with congregations in the area. Myself, Andy, Ann, and June went back to St. Mary, where we had been working earlier in the week. When we drove back onto to compound of the church and school, it almost felt like a homecoming, though it had only been a few days when we were last there. The sight of familiar faces was warming and the sounds of joyous singing from the children came through the church doors before we even walked in. Worship lasted 2 hours, but it didn't feel that long. There was so much going on- so much song and dance and testimony. It was fun! They even do this cool thing with tithe and offering. During that time, people bring forth a portion of their harvest or something else they want to give to the church, and then they auction off the items right there, the money going to the church. It was odd at first, but it was done in the spirit of great generostiy and joy in being able to give back to the church and ultimately to God. The gentleman who was translating for me bought some maze (corn) and gave it to me :) The sermon didn't come until the end and that was fun. The woman who translated for me did a wonderful job, for not having a chance to glance at my sermon beforehand to get an idea of what I was preaching about. I think she preached her own little sermon on the side, because there were a couple times that I would say a very short phrase and she would then continue on for several seconds :) Seriously though, the vocabulary for their mother-tongue is not very large so I'm sure she was just having to use more words to help the people understand. I think they got the message though. I even got a few "Amen"'s! That was fun! After the sermon was sang a familiar hymn, Blessed Assurance, thought not in english. Then the service was over. I was humbled by their graciousness and kind words after the service. As the crowd thinned we gathered in a room with the other worship leaders and enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by the church ladies. Then we got to go back up to the school and see all the work they had done the last part of the week, after we left- and they did A LOT! They finished a lot of the work we had started. It was good to see how much progress had been made. We then said goodbye to our new friends and came back to Thiiri Center to relax the rest of the day. Lewis and Dottie had a great day being back at the church they served while they were here. Mike recieved hight remarks from the sermon he preached, and Wayne and Wilson got to enjoy being spoiled by the congregation they worshiped with. We got to watch some native singing and dance back that the center which was fun. This evening we enjoyed a great meal with some of the friends we made throughout the week and then had a time of closing with Issac and a few other people who were very instrumental in making this such a blessed week. Tomorrow we leave Meru and travel to Samburu to see more of the country and enjoy some of the wildlife of Kenya. I think we're all looking forward to it, but are very much going to miss the people here. I think most of us in the group hope that this will not be our last trip to Kenya. We hope to return to continue to take part in the work God is doing here through these beautiful people. What a blessing it has been! Our eyes and our hearts have been opened tremendously. God is here and moving. I believe the future of Kenya to be great! Tomorrow we enjoy a different kind of fun :) I may not blog again for a while so if you're reading this to keep up with loved ones- I'll say what my mom always says: Consider no news to be good news :) See you all in a week!
Be blessed my friends,
Katie

Medical Clinic

Today was an....eye-opening day. Many of us were reminded just how spoiled we are with our health care. We have it and we still complain about it, while people here are suffering from diseases that are preventable, but they don't have the resources, and in the case of today, sometimes the medications to treat it. We saw 525 patients. The work was not as hard, as most of us spent the day inside packaging pills for the pharmacists or working traffic control. Had we not been there today, the people would not have been seen by doctors and recieved their medications. There were many people left untreated because we ran out of medication. So today I think we're thankful for a lot of things, one of which being our health care, as messed up as it may seem. At least we have something. Tomorrow we're doing another health clinic in a different location. Tonight after our devotions we got to hear from one of the scholarship-sponsored students at KeMU  who was one of the lost boys of the Sudan. He's about to graduate and plans to go back to the Sudan to evangelize to the people and share the love of Christ with other orphans. He's an incredible human being and we were touched by his story and his passion for life and God. Everyone continues to do well. This is a great team and I'm really enjoying the converstaion had with people and the relationships being built. I know this is short, but I think I'm going to wrap it up and try to get to bed early tonight. Hope you all are well!
Be blessed,
Katie

A Church Committed to Community

It feels later than it is so I'm going to have to keep my comments brief tonight. It was a good day. We did a lot of traveling to see three different schools. We saw a lot of need, and the need seemed the become greater as the day went on. But we also saw a lot of hope in the realization of big dreams. Kenyans know how to dream big and move forward in any way they can to make the dream a reality. The thing I have been impressed by is that everything we have seen- every school, orphanage, every clinic we have visited has been sponsored by the Methodist Church. And every school is connected to a local church. The church is meeting the needs of the poor directly. They are there in the middle of it all. It's hard to not compare it to home because the culture and circumstances are so drastically different, but the churches here have got a lot of things right. The last school we visited was St. Matthews and is the school this team has worked on for years. This was my first time there, but I got to hear about what the school looked like a few years ago and even a year ago and to see what it looks like now....they still have so many needs, but they are much better off now than they were before this team started coming. So in honor of all the hard work and dedication he and Anna have shown this school, Wayne got to plant a tree there on the site. It was a very speical moment. The teachers of the schools are dedicated to educating these children in such a way that they flourish. At each school Isaac encouraged the children that their future is not determined by where they start, but where they are headed. These schools are committed to bringing up children of faith in Christ in hopes that's these children will rise above their life circumstances and be all that God has created them to be. What a message all our children need to hear!!
Another site we visited today was the synod (district) office. There we heard about the program the church has to help educate children and families about AIDS and help care for children with AIDS. Again, another program directly effecting people in great need in the community.
Our day ended with the celebration of a birthday. Today is Lewis's 76 birthday and we celebrated wtih music (and some dance in good Kenyan fashion), cake and ice cream, a poem, and speech. It was a wonderful celebration! Tomorrow we are going to be working at a medical clinic. Last year I think they saw 700 patients in a day so I'm sure it's going to be a busy day for us all. Thank you for following.
Be blessed,
Katie

So I think everyone was in agreement tonight that today was the best day so far. It was our last day at St. Mary's School. It seemed cooler this morning which made working a bit easier. We continued our rock collection which was a lot of fun. The pile was much larger from when we started yesterday. The hillside in which we were digging looks much different now and fewer rocks by far :) I think we all underestimated the power of the sun's rays being on the equator as most of us got burnt. After lunch we were in for a special treat. The children of the school gathered in the church and we followed along. While there, we heard from the director of the school and the synod bishop about the ways God has blessed them and the plans they have for the future. Then the children came forward and sang some songs for us. SOOO precious! I think we were all moved by their presentation. Then we were able to present to the school all the things we had collected from home (and some things we bought yesterday at the Kenyan version of wal-mart). The children each came forward to get a tube a toothpaste and a toothbrush, followed by the parents who received cross necklaces and/or scarves. Then the coolest part happened- all the parents of the children that were present danced forward singing a song of thanks to us and the whole church (americans included) danced together. It was quite a moving to scene to witness how they expressed their gratitude. Tonight's discussion after devotions was around our (Americans) lack of joy we often display and how afraid we are to express gratitude and joy in such a way. We may have our owns ways of doing it, but dancing is so much more fun :)
After the service we did another hour of work and then back to Thirrii Center. After we all got cleaned up, we headed to an orphanage run by the Methodist Church here. The children there either came from the streets or were orphaned because their parents died from AIDS. It was a beautiful facility and we got to meet some of the older children that are there and hear some songs from them.

For me, personally, my favorite parts of the day were conversations I had with Dottie about how her and Lewis got started in their ministry here; conversations with the bishop, and then the quiet time I had picking up/digging up rocks by myself. There's something very peaceful about sitting on a hillside collecting rocks; and something very gratifying in digging up a big rock after half an hour of digging it out by hand :) I had the opportunity, tonight, to ask the bishop about evangelism and how they practice it. I only heard part of his answer, as he got called away, but look forward to hearing the rest tomorrow. I've got a list of other questions I want to ask him as I'm just interested in how Christianity is practiced here. I've been very impressed with the Methodist Church's presence in the community and how many programs they have for raising children in the faith for they are the future...hmm, I remember seeing a lot of ministry to children in Europe as well.....I've only seen bits and pieces of how faith is practiced here, but what I've seen thus far is a lot of joy and pride in being a Christian and follower of Christ. The group has talked a lot about the lack of "stuff" they have and how that ties in with how much joy they have. This is a lesson I always seem to glean when I travel and just pray God shows me what to do with it.

Oh! I forgot something! Isaac, the gentleman from the synod office who has been our guide, said something today that was very hopeful. He taught us an Kenyan ideal. He said that things that have legs you can push along, like sheep, goats, cows, etc. These things you can give a push and they can move forward on their own. You can't do this with things like rocks (which was funny since we have been dealing with rocks the past two days). And that is a metaphor for the people of Kenya. They don't need hand-outs. They are not weak or lazy or helpless. They just need a push, a start-up, a vision, an idea, a hope. They then have the faith and spirit to carry it and make it happen- like the guest house for the synod and the school building. The bishop presented the vision, the challenge, and they have done what was needed to move forward. They are a highly devoted people and that's so encouraging to me. They don't want our hand-outs. They want our partnership, our love, and for us to work alongside them. So much good can happen that way!

So it has been a very blessed day. Tomorrow we travel a lot to see some more of the schools being support by the Methodist Church. The weather has been great! Cool in the mornings and at night and warm in the afternoons, but not unbearably hot. Fun fact: did you know that Kenya is full of volcanoes?! Most of the rocks we have picked up the past couple days are volcanic rocks and all over the countryside are little cone-shaped hills all over caused by volcanoes. In fact, Mt. Kenya was a volcano at one point. Anyway, the food has been fantastic! I think most have lost hope of losing weight on this trip :) Anyway, just some random thoughts for you. I think I've written enough for one day. Be blessed!

God's peace,
Katie

About a tree...

Let me start with the end of our day...after our work at the school (more about that later) we went to the site where the synod (district) is building a facility. As we gathered to take our tour, we were told that we were going to tour the construction site and the current building and THEN (this is the crazy part) Isaac (the gentleman leading us the next couple days) wanted Andy and I to plant a tree on the grounds in honor of the life are going to be starting together!! So after the tour Andy and I got together around the hole where our tree was to go and planted it. I think I'm still overwhelmed/shocked by it all. It's pretty amazing to know that that tree (a native tree of which I will have to get back to you on the name. I left my notebook in the room) will be there for an unknowable amount of time in our honor, living, growing. The Kenyans truly love to celebrate, even for a nothing-special young couple like ourselves!! I'm extremely humbled by the honor and still haven't processed it all. I guess this means Andy and I will just have to come back :) Which suits me fine because I'm really loving the experience of all this. Wayne was asked to plant a tree as well in honor of all the work he has done in Kenya over the years and his dedication and support to Kenya Methodist University. So it was a pretty special afternoon!

Let me regress a bit to say a little more about the building we were visiting. The synod bishop has had the vision for this building and is finally seeing a lot of progress on it. The vision is for a guest house to be used for guests and groups that come to the area as a source of income for the synod to support their evangelism effort.It has been great seeing some of the good things that have been happening has a result of people's giving in the U.S. and the ways the Kenyans are able to use what little resources they have. It's very hopeful.

Today we drove to a school, St. Mary's, to work on a new building they are getting ready to build. The work was hard and we were tired and dirty by the end of the day but I think everyone had a great time. Many of us were picking up rocks and placing them in a giant pile to be used later in the foundation. Some dug the trenches (I did this for about 15 minutes and that was about all I could handle. I'm a total wimp compared to the Kenyans who do that work all day everyday). While others made bricks and put plaster on the inside of one of the buildings. Everyone worked super hard and I think we were all ready for a shower at the end of the day, but also ready for another day of work tomorrow.

Before we began the work, though, we went to all the classrooms and met the children of the school. The first class we went into were pre-school age. I guess they haven't had many white people because I knelt down to say hi to one of the kids and I made her cry. I felt terrible! BUT, about an hour later I was on the playground with 30 kids attached to me, jumping up and down, running, around, and playing on the merry-go-round. At one point, Sharon and I decided we need to get back to work, but we weren't sure how to leave the playground with, now 45-50, children attached to us. So we just walked out and brought the whole playground with us!! It was so fun and they are soooo adorable! I  can't wait to go out there again tomorrow and take them the soccer balls I bought today! As I experienced in Scandinavia, what makes children laugh in America, makes children laugh in any other part of the world. If I have felt inadequate (and I have and do) to make any sort of difference, making those children laugh and smile today was all the affirmation I needed. The need is overwhelming and it doesn't matter how many times I have seen villages and school like the place we visited today- I'm still overwhelmed by it all. The need is so  great. Which is why I'm all the more grateful to see all the great things that have happened and can happen. Later in the week we will go visit a school the group had been working on for years to get finished.

Everyone on the team is doing well. This really is a great team. Everyone knows how to laugh and go with the flow, which is crucial for experiences like these. Thank you all for following and for your prayers. I ask that you pray we all remain open to God's stirring in our hearts and in the work we are doing. 

God's peace,
Katie

P.S. I still can't believe there's a tree in Kenya planted in mine and Andy's honor!! Wow....

KeMU

We finished up earlier today so I'm writing this before dinner. It's been a good day. We spent the day at Kenya Methodist University (KeMU). It's a beautiful campus with panoramic views of the hills and Mt. Kenya from the campus buildings. We heard about the growth of this Christian university and their commitment to nurturing spiritually-grounded students with hopes that they will go out and transform their country in their various fields. We heard the powerful testimonies of some of the students- one being from Somalia with hopes of going back after he graduates to spread the Gospel. The best part of the day was talking with our guide for the day about Kenyan culture, the wildlife, and what life was like during and after the country gained their independence. I learned more about the violence that is taking place in the northern part of the country and what's behind it all. Kenya is a fast-developing country and with the type of students places like Kenya Methodist are producing, I believe there are good things to continue to come for Kenya. We also visited the farm the campus runs which was very exciting.Andy took my picture hugging a coffee plant :) We also got to see process of producing the coffee beans before they are roasted! So exciting for this coffee-lover :) The hope for the university is to be able to grow all of their own produce, instead of having to buy it all. OOH! This was exciting: the deputy vice-chancellor was showing us around and I made the comment that I wanted to not just run in Kenya, but run with some Kenyans. A little later we saw some students running around the track and he called them over and let us talk to them and let me get my picture taken with them. Had I been wearing running shoes and not chacos, I would have run with them. I'm still holding out for accomplishing that goal before we leave :) Tomorrow, we head out to the country to work on a school. I've enjoyed learning some about Kenya and witnessing the things God is doing through the support of the UMC in the US, the WNCC in particular, and their culture, but I'm ready to work. Tomorrow that begins. For now, I go for run. Blessings to you all.

God's peace,
Katie