Kenya

First off let me start off by saying that African church beats out American church every stinkin' time. (Those of you who've been to Zambia can attest to this truth. The rest of you will simply have to trust me!) Yesterday Alicia and I went with Murray and Diana to their church, AIC Ngong. (Africa Inland Church - Ngong.) AIM started AIC over 100 years ago. AIC Ngong is one of nearly 5000 churches AIM has helped establish across Kenya, boasting over 1,000,000 members and 2,000,000 affiliates.

The pastor shared the following story in his sermon:

"I have heard that America has designed a machine...a machine that can catch thieves. They decided to test it out by taking it to various countries. America tested it out and in 20 minutes caught 30 thieves. Then they sent the machine to the U.K. to see how it would work there. In 20 minutes it caught 300 thieves. In Spain, 25 thieves after 20 minutes. The machine made its way to Africa. In Ghana it caught 600 thieves in 10 minutes. Then the machine came to Kenya. In the first 5 minutes...the machine was stolen."

Everybody laughed...it's a funny story! But it is a sad illustration of the culture here in Africa, specifically Kenya. Kenya boasts that 80% of its population calls themselves "Christians." But Kenya also continues to have one of the top 10 highest corruption rates in the world. How does that compute? if 80% of the population are self-proclaimed "Christians," shouldn't some of the Christian morals and values filter their way into the government and way of life here?

One would think that. There is a church on almost every corner here in Nairobi. A private Christian university down the street from where we're staying. The Lord has definitely blessed this country...there is a lot more money here than I expected. Like a LOT. In Zambia "downtown" was three buildings that had more than 5 floors. We spent 2 hours walking around downtown Nairobi today and didn't even see half of it. I see BMWs and Audis pretty regularly driving down the streets. There are lots of wazungu here - it's not abnormal to see white people here like it was in Zambia. I went to a 4 story mall on Friday. FOUR STORIES. With escalators and elevators. The crazy part? It's not even the nicest mall in Nairobi.

Yet even with all of this, I am reminded at every corner that I am in a "developing" country. Cell phones here require a pin number to be entered in when they are turned on - it helps prevent thieves from using them if they are stolen. Nearly all parking lots are gated and have guards on duty - you take a ticket when you enter the parking lot, and you must show the guard the ticket when you leave. (It's supposed to help prevent you car from being stolen beccause the thief wouldn't have the ticket when they tried to exit the parking lot.)

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There is a saying here in Africa that the Sub-Saharan church is "a mile wide, and an inch deep." The Gospel is so prevalent here - millions in Kenya have come to believe in Jesus. But after that, what? There has not been much done to invest in these millions of lives. We are learning that the grandparent's generation here has a deep knowledge of their faith in Christ, but the younger generations do not. It's becoming more shallow as the generations come. Even more so are the dozens of tribes in Kenya (there are 42 total) that have yet to be reached for Christ. The "majority" have heard and know, but what about the rest? There have been missionaries in Korr for over 25 years. They've only just finished translating 80% of the New Testament into Rendille. The Rendille tribe is still one of the most unreached in the world - and we've been sharing and showing Christ to them for 25 years! There are dozens of other tribes in Kenya alone who have no access to the Bible in their own language.

When God first started calling us to Kenya I was doubtful because of these statistics. 'Why would God call us to go where somebody has already done all of the work?' I thought. Now I see.

There still is much work to be done.

Asante sana

"Asante sana"...means "thank you very much." Thanks for all of your prayers and words of encouragement. They mean so much and are such a vital part of our time here :)

The past few days have been a whirlwind of emotions: eye-opening, encouraging, heartbreaking, fulfilling. It is difficult to put into words how I feel right now. I know without a doubt that I belong here - that God has called me here with a purpose and a promise - but, I don't "belong" here. The Kenyan culture is so different from our brash American one, and I am learning that it will require many adjustments on my part for me to fit in so as not to hinder our ministry here. During our first orientation time Murray (the short-term coordinator for the East Regional office here in Nairobi...aka the guy who's in charge of our assignments in Kenya) and his wife Diana warned us that our actions really do speak larger than words here. The last thing we want as missionaries is to be lumped into the "tourist" crowd - loud, brash, and immodest "wazungus" (white people).

Staying here at Mayfield has been so surreal. For those of you who've never heard of it, Mayfield Guest House is a sort of sanctuary for AIM missionaries and other missionaries here in Nairobi. Missionaries come and stay here on their way into their assignment, on breaks, or as they are leaving. It's a hotel of sorts run by Kenyans who love the Lord and desire to "serve those who serve." Meals are served family-style here and the food is quite delicious. There are people from everywhere heading everywhere - I've met missionaries from South Africa, England, Holland, Canada, America heading to Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, the Comoro Islands, unnamed North African countries (they won't even tell us), South Africa...the list goes on. Most of the people here are career missionaries. I'm still getting used to the idea that for them staying here is totally normal - whether it's so they can drop their kids off at RVA (the MK school about an hour north of Nairobi) or they're stopping through on the way home (home being in Africa somewhere) from a conference in another African country. Conversations about their assignments are so interesting to listen to - people here live lives that are so out of the ordinary in Western eyes. This isn't temporary like it is for Alicia and me. This is normal for them. This is SO not normal for Alicia and me...at least not yet.

Speaking of meals, yesterday we walked into lunch late and had to sit at a table by ourselves. The array of food on the table quite confused me: rice, some sort of beef soup, what looked like really large tortilla chips, and a tray full of tomatoes, red onions, dried bananas, several other kinds of fruits, honey, and nuts. NO idea what to do with it or how to eat it. I asked one of the guys serving us the food to explain to me how we were supposed to eat the food. "You put it on your plate and you eat it!" was his reply.

Duh, Jamie.

Alicia and I just stared at each other. What to dried bananas and beef soup have in common? Everything, apparently. Some other people arrived late and sat down at our table and began to put everything I just listed in one big pile on their plates. Beef stew and mango with your rice? How about some honey too?

One last thing for now - most Kenyans I talk to have never heard of Korr. They're from Kenya...and they've never heard of Korr. We've been told that about "2,000 people get their water in Korr." Still unsure exactly what that means...guess we'll find out soon enough. We depart next Friday, September 4th from Nairobi for Korr.

Leavin' on a jet plane...

Wednesday

8:00 AM. Wake up in Pearl River, NY. Our last day in the U.S. It is surreal to think about...it is a day full of "lasts." Last time I'd have a Diet Dr. Pepper for a long time. Last time I'd use an American toilet. (Trust me, there IS a difference.) Last time I'd be able to brush my teeth in the sink without worrying about the quality of water. We had several hours in the morning blocked off for prayer time, but the four of us spent most of it running around from office to office trying to get everything done last minute. Will my ATM card work? Can I have more information about my health insurance plan? Questions, questions, questions...

11:30 AM. All of the short-termers at training week come together and pray. It was good - there was a peace in the room that transcended above all else. We were leaving today for Africa. That statement still had no meaning to me simply because it didn't seem real.

1:30 PM. Leave for the airport. As we are unloading all of our suitcases from the van we find 4 luggage carts...one for each of us. The first time of many that day it was evident the Lord was ahead of us preparing a path to Africa. Luggage carts cost $5 each and we found the exact number we needed waiting for us right outside our parked van. At the ticket counter a kind British Airways employee named Patricia discovers we are all missionaries and bumps us up to business class as a special treat.

7:30 PM. Our plane takes off an hour late because our pilot assures us that he could make the seven hour flight in "five hours fifty minutes." (He does.) Plenty of tearful phone calls are made before they asked us to turn our phones off. Alicia, Danielle, Julie, and I are all tucked in our row in business class...except Julie and I don't have working televisions. The flight attendant's response? "Well, I could move you two ladies up to First Class if you'd like..." Heck. Yes. First Class is where the seats recline 180 degrees. Julie and I manage to get over 2 hours' solid rest before landing in London.

Thursday

7:00 AM. We land in London and it's morning. Our bodies tell us it's most definitely not. Exhausted, we sit around in Terminal 5 taking turns watching the luggage and going to the bathroom to wash our faces and brush our teeth. Last time to make use of a speedy internet connection.

8:30 AM. Alicia and I say our goodbyes to Danielle and Julie (they fly together to Uganda later that evening) and head to our gate. We grab sandwiches and drinks at a Boots in the airport - and quickly realize that British food has no flavor whatsoever. So much for a tasty "last meal..."

10:30 AM. We take off from the exact same gate we landed at four hours earlier. Sleep on and off the entire flight. Sitting next to a guy named Dan who was from Chicago and headed to Kenya for a 12 day safari. We banter about immunizations...Dan couldn't get the yellow fever shot because of some medication he was taking. Instead, the doctor gave him a note. "What am I supposed to do with this?" he jokes with us. "I'm gonna hold it up to all the mosquitoes and say 'Look. I've got a note from my doctor here that says all you mosquitoes with yellow fever can't bite me. Malaria mosquitoes...go right ahead.'"

9:00 PM. Land at the Nairobi airport. It's dark out. Somewhere in route we gained two more hours. Our bodies are now thoroughly confused as to what time zone we are standing in. We exit the aircraft to find a surprisingly robust airport. (To everyone who's been to Zambia: this was no Lusaka airport. More on that later...) Everyone rushes to the Port Health desk where we turn in our swine flu surveys. "Check the 'yes' box if you've had a fever, sore throat, or cough in the past two weeks." Who's actually going to check yes?

9:30 PM. Luggage time. Luggage carts are free here. Miraculously all 6 of our overweight bags made it to Nairobi. Thank you, Jesus. The two of us along with several students from RVA (Rift Valley Academy - the school for missionary kids) are picked up by Samuel, a quiet man who works at Mayfield Guest House. NO idea how all of our luggage is going to fit in the van, but it does. (Probably because we tied about 16 suitcases to the top of the van with bungee cords.) We all climb into the van, exhausted. Samuel starts the engine. Celine Dion is playing on the radio...somehow, I feel this is fitting. The 20 minute drive to Mayfield brings back a flood of memories from Zambia. Kenya and Zambia have so many similarities, but are so very different...

10:00 PM. Arrive at Mayfield Guest House. Alicia and I show up to our room to find schedules lying on the bed. We'll be in Nairobi until next Friday? Completely unexpected, although I'm sure it's the first of many plans that will be altered or changed. Tiny room+2 girls+6 overweight suitcases=a lot of climbing and tripping. Two words: shower time.

1:00 AM. Still completely unsure what time our bodies think it is. We both fall into bed anyway. We're in Kenya. We're in Kenya. Those words still don't register with me...not tonight anyway. Tomorrow is another day, and maybe tomorrow I won't feel like I'm moving through water. Either way...

We're in Kenya.

The last one.

See this?

This is my last Diet Dr. Pepper for a long, long time. *Sniff sniff*

Today at 5:25 Houston time I'll be sitting on a plane taking off from Newark Airport. I get to London tomorrow morning 12:25 Houston time, and I leave for Nairobi four hours later.

As of 12:30 Thursday afternoon, I will be living in Kenya.

No idea on the length of time yet...we're still waiting on some information before that decision can be made. But no matter how long we are in Africa, God is still the same. He is faithful, never confusing, and loves us more than we can begin to comprehend. Only He knows how long we'll be there and what we'll be doing...isn't that all that really matters?

Prayer requests:

- Safe travel. Lots of planes, lots of opportunities for stuff to go wrong, and lots of time to lose luggage.

- That all of our luggage would make it to Nairobi safely and with nothing missing. British Airways is notorious for losing luggage, and African airports are notorious for taking whatever they want from suitcases.

- Quick adjustment to the time in Nairobi (Kenya is 8 hours ahead of Texas)

- For orientation in Nairobi to run smoothly, and for our transition to Korr to be smooth and safe as well.

Thank you for all of your prayers and encouraging notes, emails, and letters...they mean so much to me. I'm feeling your prayers in a very real way.

P.S. If you want to check out some neat blogs, check out Danielle's: http://www.daniellesafricandiscoveries.blogspot.com/

She's here at training with us and she'll be spending the next year teaching in Southern Sudan!

Or, if you want to read about where I'm going, check out Hillary's blog: http://hellohillary.blogspot.com/

Hillary has been in Korr for the last seven months and left just a few weeks ago. I've been reading (stalking) her blog all year...she has some truly wonderful things to say about what the Lord is doing in Korr.

Send me some love!

A lot of people have been asking if/how they can send me packages while I'm in Korr. The following is what I pulled off of AIM's website. Hope it helps :)

Here are some helpful hints concerning sending packages to our AIM missionaries on the field.

1.) We have a system for sending packages through Pearl River to our mission family on the field. We do most of this by way of air freight. You can send a package to Pearl River, and we will forward it on by this method. Please address the package this way: Name of Missionary, Africa Inland Mission, 135 West Crooked Hill Rd., Pearl River, New York, 10965. Send the package to us by way of United Parcel Service (UPS) or through the regular post (USPS).

2.) We work on a first-in, first-out basis, with priority being given to ministry related items. Please be patient - we handle the things that arrive here as quickly as we can, but depending on how much comes in here, we can have a considerable back-log of things at certain times. However, it is still usually faster sending packages this way rather than through the post.

3.) When you send a package through Pearl River, the missionary receiving it will have to pay shipping charges on it if you don't cover it for them. In the case of sending things that the missionary requested, this if fine. However, if you are sending gifts, please send money to cover the shipping costs involved. The way to do this is to send a check made payable to Africa Inland Mission, under separate cover, to the attention of the shipping department. Please do not attach your check to the package. You can estimate that the missionary may have to pay about $7.00 per pound for air freight they receive. (This is an estimate as the charges are broken down in Africa). We deposit the check into the missionary's transmission account, which is their personal checking account. No allocations are taken from the money for home administration, and you will not receive a tax deductible receipt. It is not treated as a donation, but as a payment. This payment only gets the package to Nairobi - there could be additional charges to send it on to the actual station it is going to.

4.) Please bear in mind that we are serving about 800-900 missionaries this way. If you are sending packages, we cannot tell you how long it will take for them to be sent, or to arrive. If you are sending Christmas gifts, we cannot guarantee that they will reach their destination by Christmas. It is best to have them here in Pearl River by the end of September if you want them to have a good chance of getting there in time for Christmas. It is best to keep gifts small. We would also encourage you to please NOT wrap the individual gifts that you send in a package. We have to open each one here in order to create packing lists for each shipment. They may also be torn open to be searched through when going through Customs in Africa. If you want to send gift paper, a good tip is to buy those wrapped, flat sheets of paper, which can be easily packed along with the unwrapped gifts inside your package.

5.) If you have any questions we can be reached at 845-735-4014. Ask for Keith Barber or Sarah Carter and we will be happy to answer any questions you might think of.

Faithfulness is His very character.

O LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done marvelous things,
things planned long ago.
[Isaiah 25:1]

What an interesting 24 hours.

As I was sitting with Stephanie and my mom last night and working on addressing prayer cards/writing thank you notes/making lists of things to do/buy/order (I'm not busy...noooo), I pulled up the budget AIM sent me for my expenses while in Africa. It began to occur to me as I looked at it that something was very wrong...numbers weren't adding up properly. The spreadsheet said we needed $11,482 to cover all of our expenses - but adding up all of the subtotals for each category was giving me a much, much different number.

Like $5,500 different.

Turns out the spreadsheet is wrong. Turns out that to go serve for a year Alicia and I each need roughly $16,900 instead of the original $11,400. Turns out we only have money to go for 7 months instead of 12 - two terms of school instead of three.

[This is about the point when I wanted to throw up.]

Questions, questions, questions: How does a mistake like that happen? The spreadsheet's formula was correct in adding up the proper amounts, but the sum wasn't right. How the heck are we going to raise $5,500 in ELEVEN DAYS? Should we even try to raise the money, or is that interfering with His will for us? Is not raising the money being disobedient to His call to go? What does this all even mean?

It is comforting to know that despite these questions and the decisions that are facing us now that our God NEVER changes. He is steadfast, strong, never changing. He is mighty, and faithfulness is His very character. His plans certainly aren't our plans - and He's had this moment planned since the beginning of time. He knew this would happen.

Would you join us in praying for God's will to be done? The last thing I want is to let my emotions and feelings determine this decision. Whatever length of time the Lord has us serving Him in Kenya is about glorifying Him and not what's comfortable for me. It's not about me at all...it's all about Him. Pray that my selfishness would not influence or taint this decision in the slightest. Pray for the people in Korr that we'll be meeting, working with, teaching. Pray for the missionaries we'll be living with while we're there - Nick and Lynne. Pray for His name to be known!

I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
and let your glory be over all the earth.

[Psalm 108:3-5]