yesterday I visited and orphanage

New life homes

it currently has just over 50 children from newborn to age 3

 

some babies they find in dumpsters

some are dropped at the door

most dying and on their last breath

and the staff at new life brings the kids back to health, nourishes them and gives them medical attention

 

when they are healthy they join the rest of the children in the house and await adoption

 

the home is gorgeous

I was expecting something like the place in annie....

boy was I wrong

this place looked like a hotel... clean, smelled good, lots of toys and full of smiling happy youngsters

we got there around feeding time

so I fed 3 babies under the age of 1

many... I love babies

i love when they are 2 and 3 as well but babies are cool

 

Things are great... we had this fun mini amazing race this morning and now we are about to leave the internet cafe

so....

I must go

but everything is well!

thanks for the prayers

15 things that I have learned about my new home that I did not know before:

 

1. The 5 second rule does not apply to food dropped on the floor. Anything dropped will never be eaten…period.

 

2. The showerhead is only for show. Very rarely does water come out of it so our showers are actually appropriately named bucket baths.

 

3. Having electricity and running water is a privilege not a right.

 

4. The mouse in the kitchen lives under the stove and likes salt and vinegar chips.

 

5. Laundry actually can be done by hand.

 

6. Washing dishes in a bucket is gross and always will be.

 

7. Brushing your teeth with water from a water bottle is more difficult than it sounds. Habits are hard to break and I’ve caught myself inches away from rinsing my toothbrush with dangerous tap water.

 

8. It is hard to jump a river of waste in a skirt.

 

9. Seven girls go through a lot of toilet paper!

 

10. Cockroaches only come out at night and they don’t like it when you turn the lights on.

 

11. Coke is way better from a glass bottle.

 

12. You can spray raid at the ants on the counter while you are cooking breakfast and not die. (we are still testing this one out!)

 

13. While driving in Nairobi you can pretty much make up your own rules… including speed limits and driving on sidewalks.

 

14. Monkeys ARE very smart and will strategically surround you when you have food that they want.

 

15. Plugging an American clock into an African socket will cause the clock to burn and emit smoke.

 

I don’t consider these trials…really…

But I have to be honest and say that I’ve been having a tough couple of days.

 

I can’t pretend everything is cool when it’s not and furthermore I hope that you appreciate me giving you full updates and not just journaling the amazing things that are happening: though there are many amazing things happening.

 

I’m still sick.

This is day 14. I’m beginning to think this is more than a cold and I’ve exhausted my over the counter drug options… nothing is working.

I also have not slept more than 3 hours per night since arriving in Kibera. This is partly due to jetlag but mostly due to being unable to stop coughing.

And, as most people know… no sleep = low immunity.

 

I’m so tired and beginning to feel detached from the team. This is probably my own fault… I don’t feel like interacting much these days. I just really wish that I had someone here who has known me for longer than 3 weeks.

I miss you all back home. I really do.

 

All crappiness aside…

Kibera is incredible. A local pastor, Timothy, gave us a tour and this week we all went to his church. I have not yet taken pictures… I would feel awkward walking through with a camera at this time. I think I’ll wait till they know us a little better, or at least know we are sticking around.

 

There are three things that are most noticeable when walking through Kibera.

 

1 – The open sewage and garbage… Everywhere. The smell is horrendous in certain areas. Dogs and ducks eat from the piles of trash. There is this kind of waste river that weaves through the slum… it’s almost milky in appearance, I saw a small child walking barefoot through it yesterday.

 

2 – The children…They are amazing. Many of the smaller children don’t speak English but when they see white people coming they shout out the only phrase they know. “HOW ARE YOU? FINE” it’s funny to be followed by 20-30 little “how are you’s”. And all of them want to touch your hand. They are beautiful... snotty noses and all.

 

3 – The joy… as dirty and hopeless as this place may seem to an outsider; there’s more to Kibera than what you can see through a lens. There is hope in these young faces through the trials and losses they experience on a daily basis. There is potential not yet discovered and love not yet used.

 

Pretty much makes my “I’m sick and tired” rant sound kind of petty.

 

My goal for the next couple of weeks, apart from shedding this illness, is to become part of Kibera as much as I can. This is home now… we are the only white people living in the slum, with much surprise to most locals who don’t believe it till they see our house. I’m also going to do my best to learn the language so that I can actually talk to the “how are you’s.”

 

It’s hard to keep track of the days here.

I will not be able to get internet access often so I will be writing updates from home and putting them up at once.

This might be confusing for when things are happening but regardless you will know what’s going on.

 

Thanks to everyone for their encouraging emails

I’m sorry I have not been able to respond to all of them

But I assure you…they are read.

Hope everyone is well.

Well guess what...

we made it!

 

after a very long journey and the only quality sleep being had in the Heathrow airport....

we arrived in Nairobi.

all baggage arrived as well which is amazing...

especially since the baggage allowance in london is a major pain in the behind

we ended up taping various pieces of luggage together and counting them as one

it's was kind of funny... and it was all in tact when it arrived

 

After a short drive into Kibera we found our rooms and crashed for 4 hours!!

 

it's incredible... there's really no way to describe how such poverty is beautiful

I guess it's the thought that people who live with so little...do it so well

 

it is amazing.. as you drive through the streets it's people everywhere

little shops with clothing, food, charcoal...

 

we haven't had much time to explore yet but we came to get some money exchanged and use the internet

here's something really really cool

having my own laptop thanks to my rocking friend! ;)

the wireless connection here is free!

how cool is that!?

 

anyways..

I took some photos of my new house

I am rooming with Elisabeth on my team.. we both like things pretty orderly so I think this is going to be great!

 

the photos are of...

1-our security guard Ben and his little friend Besh

2-our common room

3-my room.. im on the bottom bunk

4-toilet (obviously)

5-shower (obviously)

6-sink (obviously

7-outside of my house... kitchen is the left window

 

the guys house is just outside our security wall so they are unprotected..

just kidding.. our guard watches out for them too

its really a great house

and we have a lady who will cook us dinner 5 nights a week

 

did I mention I love it?

cause I do

We are finally finished!

 

today is our last day in Georgia and you can feel the excitement radiating from our team.

we are so ready to go... but more ready to arrive.

 

Kenya leaves a day before everyone else so we can't help but rub it in :P

 

we leave at 2 this afternoon.. after we learn some more drimes

drimes are drama/mimes

picture me waving my arms around to music and you've got a good idea of a drime

although if you are actually picturing that.. you are probably laughing

cause I'm not very dramatic...nor am I a dancer

 

drimes are a great ministry though

we have heard stories about people... drug dealers.. rapists.. alcoholics and others

being moved to tears by the message of the gospel through drimes

this will be an amazing ministry in Kibera especially

messages through dramatization are recieved well there and can be used as street ministry.

I'm an alcoholic and an abused wife in my drime....

 

so 2 oclock

it's nearly 9:30 now

so the countdown begins

 

training camp has been a.... (insert descriptive word here)

 

actually.. it's served us well.. especially with team building

but we are happy to go

 

please pray for our travels.. smooth transit and safe flights

we will be in Kibera tomorrow

it kind of just hit me

 

we will be in Kibera tomorrow

incredible!

how much has the training camp honeymoon worn off?

lets just say I'm divorcing it!

 

actually today is fine.. but here is my last couple of days

 

monday was our spiritual retreat day 9 am to 11 pm

having just gotten over (and by just gotten over I mean still coughing my face off) a rediculous chest cold...

I climbed this mountain to lay a rock at the top of the hill

 

I'll explain...

our spiritual retreat was at this conservation area

a whole day dedicated to listening to what God wants to fix in us and do for us

only God has fixed me so I just sat in his presence

we walked for hours along this lake and up some paths and through a forest

and the last leg of the walk was up a mountain..

it took me roughly 20 minutes to climb

and 10 to get back down cause most of the getting down part was just falling

 

after that we had some dinner.. roasting frozen hotdogs over a fire

mmm cold hotdogs....

 

im not really that pessamistic i just thought it was all funny

the day was great.. it really was

 

 

it poured!

and i mean poured people

the kind of rain that drenches you in 2 minutes

and we had to walk.. 10 minutes back to the bus

the bus with the open windows and wet seats

to drive and hour back to camp soaked and smelling foul

 

and then the fun part came

as I step off the bus I hear

 

 

I'm like... ok.. my only towel is lying in a disgusting puddle i can deal with that

but what exactly does "the kenya tent caved in mean?"

 

well folks it means that our tent was SOAKED

im talking sleeping bags dripping.. matress pads sopping and pillows destroyed

my bed was rolled up and so my blanket and pillow was dry

but that's all I had

 

the staff arranged for us to sleep in the office so we were dry that night

but we were pretty mad about our wet, moldy, mosquito breeding sleeping quarters

 

it dried a little the following day and a lot of the girls went to stay in hotels with their families who came down for our goodbye service

but last night... not having a dry spot to sleep in my tent.. i joined another girl in her tent sleeping on top of a wet sleeping bag

with only my blanket that doesnt cover my head and feet at the same time and my pillow

the coldest night since we have been here...

i was freezing ppl

 

sounds fun right?

and this is why I will never go camping again!

I'm getting sick

it's that fantastic?

 

week 2.. man it seems like we have been here for WAY longer than 8 days

during the last two days there have been some dramatic changes to my team

 

first.. last night we had a worship service that ended up affecting group dynamics in an amazing way

all the girls were asked to stand in the middle while the guys stood on the outside surrounding us

prayers were lifted up for us for protection and for honour and for forgiveness

the men prayed purity and pledged to be brothers to us

and then the girls were asked to turn around and do the same

 

the guys then wanted to form a gauntlet of prayer for us girls and we walked through them while they prayed ofr us one by one

the mood and relationships in this camp have changed dramatically

its amazing really

the three guys on my team are truly men of God

 

I had to admit to them that I underestimated their maturity right from day one

simply because I've not had much mature interaction with guys my own age

but they quickly proved me wrong

 

tyler, brian and brandon are kind, honest, funny, clean-minded guys

they are so valueable to our team

they look after us, promise to stick up for us and encourage us every chance they get

 

I'm very thankful to have them on my team

 

as for the girls

also awesome individuals

I'll have to get to them later

 

one of our girls got some shocking news today

Kelli has been moved from our team

and instead of coming with us to Kenya for 9 months

she will be joining a team going to india for 3 months

and then she will go back to india for another 3 months after christmas

she is upset but knows this is where God wants her to go

the team wont be the same but we know God will use her to do awesome things in India

 

so those are the 2 changes

I will introduce you to my team at a later date when I have photos and junk

;P

I'm off to spend time with my team

I cannot even tell you how incredible this past week has been for me

 

it's been really hard too... really hard!

from refugee camp to realizing a big fear in front of my group to dealing with a mock ministry situation with drug addicts, abusive husbands, cutters, prostitutes and alcoholics

all things I will probably run into in Nairobi

 

 

so it's been really hard emotionally

but I delight in my trials because they make me stronger.

 

I say that with confidence that with God's help I am unshakeable

We have learned a lot about our authority

authority over people's harmful words

authority over our own hindering thoughts

and authority over anything the devil throws in our path to trip us

I am excersizing my authority and in the past week I have put aside the lies

 

the lies that we believe are offensive to God

the lies I believed are lies that many believe about themselves

that I can't trust anyone...

that no one really loves me...

that I'm not good enough or worthy

 

I know these are lies that I have let attack me personally

but most of all kept me from allowing God to love me

 

bottom line is that God is trustworthy, He loves me and He calls me by name because I am good enough

I am rejoicing in this new light

it's a freedom I've never felt before

 

the emphasis in this training camp is not to build up these bible thumping, song singing, beleive or you perish missionaries

it's to promote inner healing and newness in Christ

to become close with God and let His light shine through us

We are going out into the world to be Jesus to people... to love the unloved

we don't all need to be the wisest or faith healers or memorize the new testament

God will work through us as we are if we let Him come in

He is a big God.. a huge God

a God that our imperfections cannot hinder

we are perfect in His eyes

blameless... holy

I still can't get over the fact that we are all offered this power without cost

 

I said words fail and though I've typed like a monster

I can't describe the state of my heart

it's a healing wound

it's not all fixed yet.. It's a process

but it's healing in the palm of Jesus' hand

 

please remember me in your prayers

I pray for home often, friends, family

if there's anything I can pray for specifically.. please email me and let me know

God has so much to offer us and he WANTS to give it to us

let's start recieving...

let's just say my first day of training was...intense!

 

a real camping experience... except for our first day......

 

6:30am

raided

awaked by horns and yelling

"YOU HAVE 45 SECONDS TO GET ON THE BUS OR YOU WILL BE SHOT"

 

7:00am

still on the bus (in my pajamas).. all our heads down, eyes closed

 

7:30am

lined up and interrogated (we had been given families the night before, I had a husband, 3 kids (other FYM) and a baby (doll)

my family was placed in a separate line because we are christians

 

8:00am

forced to walk through the forest to our final destination

my family not given any money, food or a tarp for shelter because we are christians

 

8:30am

everyone had arrived to this marked off area

we were told that we were now in a refugee camp safe from the raiders in our home country

 

10:00am

food and washroom stations opened

washroom station is the forest floor behind a tarp

no money for food, water, toiletpaper or a bottle for the baby

 

12:00pm

was given a tarp by a nice family with two

set up camp in the safe zone and recieved our lunch (one cup of water for 5 of us and a piece of bread each)

it's hot and we are sweaty

 

1:30pm

red cross parenting seminar..

without food for the baby, breastfeeding can transmit HIV

our baby is now infected

 

3:00pm

still really hot.. nothing to do but sit around..

some people tried making fires, others played baseball with a branch and a crushed can

stations opened again

found someone to buy us a bottle for our baby

 

3:30pm

someone got a fire going....smuggled in a lighter

 

4:00pm

starts to rain

all of us try to stay under the one sheltered tarp tent

 

5:00pm

still raining.. our tarp and belongings are soaked and covered in mud

 

5:30pm

rain lets up and spits for about 30 more minutes

our camp is raided... the men have paintball guns and shoot some refugees

they kill a baby and take everything they can

 

6:00pm

dinner... a rice cake OR a spponfull of bland porridge (no plates or bowls provided)

 

8:00pm

still there.. still wet... very dirty and everyone is smelling pretty badly, not to mention hungry

given up hope of going back to camp that night

settled on the idea of sleeping on the wet ground under the stars

another baby is dead

 

9:00pm

fire is still going

we start a prayer service

not for us

but for people all over the world who are expreiencing life like this without the hope of going back home any time soon

it's really impactful... prayers are lifted, in turn our spirits are too

 

10:00pm

people had been singing worship songs for aout two hours

all 200 of us gathered around the fire

 

10:30

the guy in charge comes out and takes us on a prayer walk

in the dark through the fields and mud and hills

it's dark and we are very tired and hungry but no one made a sound

just prayers for the refugees

some of whom we may be ministering to in the near future

 

11:30pm

we arrive back at camp for one more piece of bread and cup of water

we have fasted

fasted for those who have no choice

fasted to get our hearts right with God

 

the mock refugee camp was a total violation of human rights

it was disgusting, filthy, frustrating but incredible

we grew as a team and as families

 

but the purpose of the camp was not to frustrate but to get us in the frame of mind

frame of heart

the purpose was to come to a point to ask God to make our hearts break for what His heart breaks for

break our hearts for his hurting people.

 

it did that... and more

ok...so I'm getting lucky with finding internet connections so far

I'm sitting in the AIM building waiting to be registered

been here for about 4 hours

it's kind of chaotic for the moment

but I've found a wireless connection so I thought I would run out and take some pictures and

show everyone what's going on...

 

no idea where i'm staying yet or how it's been organized but I can tell you what you are looking at

 

photo #:

1 kitchen 

2 dining tents

3 sleeping tents

4 showers and toilets

 

gotta run

 

my last night in atlanta

and last night with phone/internet access for a few weeks

 

tomorrow morning i am off to gainesville for two weeks

 

it's been a relaxing couple of days

Curtis, my... leader and his family came to pick me up at the airport around 11am (i think)

we dropped my stuff off at the salvation army training college here and then went out for some lunch

great people.. curtis and his wife

im looking forward to seeing what happens with them in this ministry

 

Curtis really has a heart for this Salvation Army/AIM partnership

and with good reason

we were talking about it today during an orientation meeting

and the entire project sounds so exciting I cant wait to get on the plane to Kenya

well...off the plane in Kenya

 

I've met another awesome guy involved in this partnership named Joe

if everyone else is as easy to get along with as these guys, training camp is going to be a breeze

it helps that we have a mutual friend

 

so nothing really to report

just some orientation.. chatting... hanging out...

 

I'm gonna go re-pack shortly

and tomorrow morning we hit the road

 

hope everyone is doing well

missing home a little...not home sick though

there's always that work-in time when you don't know anyone

I'm sure by next week I'll be a bit more socially grounded

 

peace

when you read this I will be in Atlanta.....

 

very tough day today

good-byes suck

follow that up with a complete re-packing of one of my bags

and the knowledge of it being over the allowed weight

meaning I'll have to fork out $25US in the morning

adds to a very frustrating emotional night

 

oh I forgot the guilt

of being in a bad mood when my mum was trying to say goodbye

and my sister going to sleep before I came up stairs

so my public "i'm sorry"

it was a rough day and I didn't mean to spend out last hours together yelling at a suitcase

lysh, you will do awesome in school

and mum don't miss us too much.. thank you for everything you've done in helping me prepare for this trip

 

still having a rough night

I need to get up in three and a half hours

and I'm a little worried about the baggage situation

it will be fine.. just not a fan of airports..

I'll be in training in Georgia

I'm in Kenya on the 22 and Will hopefully be settled and find an internet cafe shortly there after

then I hope to update you on all that went on

 

I'm off to bed now

and this time tomorrow I'll be sleeping in Atlanta

Lord willing

dun dun dun!!!!

 

I'll keep this short because well.. pictures are supposed to say a thousand words right?

 

on the dreaded day of the shark (a whole other story)

Dean and I were constructing a monstrous landmark on the beach

the inspiration? a mayan pyramid

the end result? I think the photo speaks for itself

 

and yes... we did build this. there is proof

but I'm hoping that you just believe in the talents of the dean-connie combination and don't need proof

 

it was very fun and I think we did a good job.. and without tools I may add

(not counting dean) OOOH BURN!!!

 

 

I've discovered the perfect packing method (after some research)

 

everyone will probably be like yeah... I already knew that

but don't even think about bursting my bubble cause this is brilliant stuff this is.

 

 

I have two large check in luggage bags, both very different

one is a large suitcase with wheels

the other a travellers backpack from mountain equip co-op ...

in my opinion the coolest piece of baggage ever

 

but both bags pack very differently

so I, in turn, packed them very differently

for the suitcase I used the "keep everything flat" theory

and for the backpack I rolled everything

 

the flat pack is laying your clothing across the top of the suitcase and layering one by one your pieces of clothing

all laying flat untill they are all in and you fold the access (sleeves, legs, hoods) over

this maximizes corner spces and without unneccessary folds leaves lots of room for other items

I also shoved as much as possible into shoes, water bottles and baggies to eliminate any unwanted air space.

 

the rolling is also very easy and effective with round bags

you lay a piece of clothing down flat..then another on top but slightly lower then another and another

till you are all out of clothes

then you start with the clothing on top and fold the sides in a bit

repeat till all are sleeves and legs are overlapping one another

then with the long line of clothing you start at one end and roll tightly

I usually then tie up the roll with a belt or something to keep it tight

 

both methods of packing are good for keeping wrinkles away as well

i dont think ill ever fold anything individually again

 

-------------------------------------

 

In case it wasn't obvious.. I'm all packed

 

both check bags, my carry on and my laptop bag are organized and ready to go.

actually both bags are like 49 pounds according to the scale I used so I hope it's accurate

cause I'm only allowed 50 pounds

 

so tomorrow is Sunday

my last day in Canada

and Monday morning I'll be in the sky

craziness!