Alice Swarbrick taught us how to make these crosses by folding paper and tearing it.  The church and the children LOVED it!  They are so eager to learn about crafts and object lessons that bring the message of Christ home.  

Reverse Culture Shock

Reverse culture shock is really interesting.  My apartment looked so bright in color, which it is, but it really stood out in my eyes.  The Kenyan people we stayed with or visited have very nice homes, but there are not many bright colors or things on the wall.  Target seemed so quiet and a bit boring.  The abundance of stop lights and organized traffic were comforting and noticeable.   The amount of comfort items we have here stand out boldly to me.  We have all three made decisions to make some personal sacrifices so we can help with more things financially.  That means that the many catalogs that were waiting for me go into the bin and I walked past a lot of things during my maiden voyage at Target.  

Along with reverse culture shock is horrible jet lag.  I hate jet lag.  I don't hate it enough to say I won't go through it again, but I hate it.  I am typing this at 4:45 am, and I have been up for almost an hour.  I can barely keep my eyes open at 6 or 7 pm.  It is just a matter of time.  

Many of you are reading Dangerous Surrender.  I am praying for you as you read, because when you decide to be gloriously disturbed I will hook you up and maybe this time next year you can be experiencing your own jet lag and reverse culture shock.  

Thanks for reading!  Elise

I did not like sleeping with the net, and as a result I have some bites on my body.  I am not concerned about them since I am on Malaria meds, but I hope I don't regret that decision.  The bed was uncomfortable and it was hot, so I could not add one more thing to the bad equation.  It occurs to me that I am not painting a good picture of our trip in some of these comments.  We all three loved every moment and were very willing to put up with the little hardships.....you would be too given the chance.  

Our trip home took 24 hours.  We had a long layover in Amsterdam.  We were able to take showers, which helped.  I am so happy to be in my own bed, but all of the heat, and dust and bucket baths were totally worth it.  It is time to shift to the exciting things that God is doing here like Sports Camp!  I know that Kenya will continue to be a part of what we are doing, and that is great.  We will continue to post pictures, thoughts and videos.  However, we are glad to be back serving with each of you.  Thanks for your prayers! 

Our friends treated us to a trip to the game park.  You have to stay in your vehicle at all times because the grass is high and lions could be anywhere.  We were invited to get out to see hippos in their natural environment, but only because this ranger was armed with a rifle.  He enjoyed showing us his monkey friends.  

  Carolyn did not enjoy the slimy tongue of the giraffe! 

This is the traditional dress of  a Massai warrior.  He is holding a wisdom stick that is given to the wise chief of the tribe.  We brought one back for our wise chief, David.  It was hard getting it out of the country because they considered it a weapon in my suitcase.  It made it hear safely and our chief has it! 

Isn't this the truth.  This is a new playground at Nairobi Gospel Center and our trip was all about kids and their leaders.  

Shopping in Nairobi is fun and challenging.  Men meet you at your car and start trying to sell you things from the get go.  There is a lot of pressure to buy.  We always have a guide with us that help us negotiate the system.  The crafts are amazing.  These people work so hard! 

We loved Kenya, but we will not miss the bucket bath!

looking at these videos, it still doesn't tell the story, but it helps a bit.  

This is what our drive into the slums looked like.   It was very disturbing.  Please pray for Nairobi Gospel as they attempt to serve in this area.  

This is our last contact from Kenya. We had an amazing experience on Saturday and we will ask you to pray about this after I share with you.

We went with the pastor and some others from church to the slums.....I had asked to see a children's home. I had been to an orphanage in Jamaica and thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong. The orphanage in Jamaica was a palace compared to what we saw Saturday. If you saw Slum Dog Millionaire you MIGHT be able to picture what we saw. Raw sewage and house made from scraps. I was SURE that the orphanage would be better. WRONG AGAIN.

In a building that we would not let our homeless guests sleep in, we found 70 orphans, street children. We would not let our children even step in a building like that. I though parts would tumble down around us. The building should have housed 20 and it had 70. That is very common. There was no plumbing so the people use bags and then throw them. That could explain the smell and the flies. The children are not allowed to go outside to play because they would be in danger, so they play in a TINY courtyard.

The adults do their best to serve them. A building with no ventilation and dirt floors is better than a child being at risk is the theory. Some of the children have HIV, some do not, but they are not sure who does and who does not. It was AWFUL. Our dear Pastor Charles even shed a tear. He had not been in there before.

Our driver is the pastor's wife. She looked at me and said, our ladies group has talked for years about helping orphans, and now I know we have to. I asked her how she would do that.. She then explained to me that she and some ladies took one year and saved enough money to buy a piece of land. They have been waiting for help to build something on it. I asked if we could see it. She called the other women and we went to the land. Three white women and 5 African women stood ontop of a hill, the wind blowing our hair as we cried out to God together for this land to be used to get children out of such dark places. It was a powerful moment for everyone involved.

We are tired and dirty and I have mesquito bites.......hope the medicine works! We have had a wonderful time and we can't wait to share our stories and see how we might me dangerously surrenderred to what is needed here.

Blessings to each of you. The Kenya Team

The Class Has Graduated

We are sitting on the pastor's porch outside of his office talking about how well the conference has gone. The evaluations from the students have been. They want us to stay here with them.

We are going out to eat with several members of the church this evening. Tomorrow morning, we will go to two orphanages. Sunday morning we will be visiting two churches.

Our time here has gone by quickly. Please continue to keep us in prayer for our safety and health while we remain here and as we travel home.

Thank you for your loving support as we have ministered here.

In Christ,Regina

Friday

We have finished our conference. Our students were so thankful and our evaluations all stated that they would like more. We take our resources for granted. These peopel were so excited about ideas using balloons and paperplates. Our students are such hard workers. They did have a hard time grasping some of the concepts we taught them, but we have set up a way for them to get some extra help once we leave.

We are going to two children's homes tomorrow and we are going to have dinner with a man that is setting up a ministry in the slum area. He really wants to start an orphanage. His name is Roger and he loves serving the least of these.

John Minor was back at the church today. These people have so much faith and strength in their faith. He is sad about the loss of his child, but he is also at peace because he trusts that the Lord will see him through this.

We are going to the Carnivore tonight. This is a restaurant that serves all types of meat, including camel. Carolyn has promised to taste it.

All three of us have thoughts and emotions swirling through our hearts and heads. They are serious and funny and ambitious. We look forward to sharing them with you when we get home.

Mungu Akubariki (God's Blessing)

Thursday from Elise

I have always been someone who believed that you could be a World Christian by praying through news stories. That has become very real to me as I sit in a dangerous part of Nairobi. Our friends and family at home are hearing about the pirates on the coast of Kenya. Our friends here are talking about how the activity on the coast has a direct effect on the influence of Christ in this nation. There is fear, there is a strong Muslim influence, made stronger each day, there is corruption. We are certainly not in danger as long as we stay with a national. However, we have been told that in traffic to keep our arms in the car and our bags under our feet. On Tuesday night we were with the Compassion Staff and our driver told us to lock our doors because he was one man with so many women and he did not have a machete. As you hear about violence and danger in the world please think about your brothers and sisters in Christ that are trying to bring peace and trying to make a difference.

On a lighter note......being a good team leader I brought several packages of paper toilet seat covers for Regina and Carolyn. The problem is there are no toilet seat covers in the public restrooms. Hakuna Matata!

There is no concept of low carb eating here, and bread is not bread unless it is fried but there are not as many weight issues. Hmmmm.

Thursday from Regina

Carolyn and Elise have just gone back to class after the class' morning tea time and I have stayed behind to write a short note to all of you.

I am actually quite happy to be abe to stay on the church grounds today, but I am pleased to say that Pastor Charles and I worked our way through the Kenyan banking system yesterday. I cannot possibly convey in an e-mail the process thast we had to go through to get the money that we needed off of my debit card in order to pay our bills here. However, the end result was very positive in that I will be able to do business in Kenyan banks for the next five years. Imagine that. The Pastor also discovered a much better way to do business for a medical team that will be coming in here. The Lord guided us through.

Tomorrow, the students will graduate. They want us to stay longer. On Saturday, we will be taking some gifts to oprhans and will be talking more with the founder of Wings of Mercy who has a vision about what needs to be done to empower the people in the slums. We are not in the slums, but you would be hard pressed if you saw the area we are in to say that we are not.We look forward to seeing all of you soon.

In His name,Regina

Videos from Kenya

Wednesday - posted by Elise

There are many pleasant things about Nairobi. I am sitting on the pastor's porch as I write this. It is shaded and surrounded by lovely trees. We have drinks brought to us while we are working. I think all pastors should have a porch off their office. \

I want you to imagine being able to hand deliver your Christmas Box from Samaritans Purse to a child. That is what my meeting with Diana, the child I sponsor, was like yesterday. Diana is from a village 4-5 hours from here, but she traveled 12 hours by bus to be here. She was dressed up in one of her few dresses. She lives in a rural village with no running water or electricity. This was her first trip to Nairobi. She had never seen a white person before. She had not seen a giraffe before, so we took her to the Giraffe Center. She was VERY quiet and shy. She had her Compassion worker with her, and we brought our hosts child with her, so she could feel more comfortable. She was very scared to hand feed the giraffes like the rest of us were doing, but she did throw food too them. I let her pick out a gift from the shop and have a soda, which she enjoyed, but still no smiles or laughs. She was excited but also scared. The only time I could get her to laugh was when I blew my straw paper at someone else. She handed me more paper. Our visit was several hours, so Carolyn and I were able to get a lot of information about what Compassion does. They have 6800 children that need sponsors in Kenya and 6500 are sponsored. 49 children need sponsors in Diana's village. I encourage you to think and pray about sponsoring a child from Diana's village. There are many orphans there, because her area has been hit hard by AIDS. It was a really good visit. We spent a long time talking to Diana's Compassion worker about her dream of an orphanage. She just needs someone to help her build it.

On a lighter note, I did kiss a giraffe and we do have video.

I have mastered the bucket bath. I passed on my new wisdom to Regina and Carolyn. There will not be any videos of bucket baths.

These people amaze us every day as they deal with their challenges with grace and faith. Our students are learning a lot and we are having a great time. Wish you were here!

Wednesday Morning in Nairobi - Posted by Regina

Our adventures with the Lord continue here in Kenya. We have so many stories to tell you and it is only Wednesday.In the conference we are finding that the students are hungry for more information than what we have been provided by KidzatHeart. Carolyn and Elise brought many materials with them and they are being heavily utilized. Just this morning I met the pastors of two churches from outside of the Nairobi Gospel Centre who have sent their Sunday School teachers here for training this week.

The little girl, Diana, whom Elise sponsors through Compassion International rode 12 hours in a bus to come to visit her here. While I was busy with other duties, Elise and Carolyn took her to the Giraffe Centre, where Elise kissed a giraffe. More to come when we get home on this story.

The conditions here are beyond my ability to describe them. This is something we will tell you more about too when we get home as we must borrow a computer here to write our messages to you. I have a list of things we will bring with us and do differently next time around to be better equipped to serve. Diana's village needs 49 more sponsors of children and here in Nairobi we have found the Wings of Mercy, founded by a church member here, who is trying to work in the slums to empower people using very few resources.

Truly we have found here perhaps the most gracious people God has put on the face of the earth.

In Christ,Regina

We continue to enjoy the wonderful hospitality of our hosts at the Nairobi Gospel Centre. Please pray first of all for the John Miner family. John is the Director of Administration here at the church. Their two-year old son died at the hospital in his mother's arms this morning.The conference is going very well.

Pray that we will be able to maintain contact with the people here to provide them with appropriate follow up to our ministry this week. Also keep Elise in prayer for the stamina that she needs. It's only due to the sleeping arrangements, but her back is bothering her. Carolyn and I continue to do well and we are eating very traditional African food.

Rain is desparately needed. We see the cows of the Masai everywhere. They are looking for water. The Masai are allowed to bring their cows to Nairobi because of the draught.Later this afternoon we will see Elise's sponsored child from Compassionate International who has traveled from her viillage to Nairobi.Thank you for your prayers.In Christ,Regina

We are in our second day of teaching and we are having a great time. Traveling here was VERY exhausting but all of the pain and exhaustion went away as we met our students and we have seen their excitement. Children's ministry is such a new concept to these leaders, but they are eager and willing to learn. They are very smart, and very hard workers. Pastor Charles has such a vision for children's ministry. They are already outgrowing their children's building, but I hope to show them some ways to work around their large numbers. We all want to go home with nothing else left to offer or give.

As we have prayed about our upcoming Dangerous Surrender campaign, the team has been praying about Kenya as a place to serve. Regina made a contact with a man that needs help starting an orphanage. He is going to show us where his slum ministry is on Saturday. I am doing my best to prepare our team for what they are going to see. They have an idea, because in a non slum area the poverty is extreme and the conditions are alarming.
I am wondering if God is answering our prayer regarding our future ministry. I know He will, but I am not sure how. I will keep you posted.

We are going to teach for one more hour and then I am going to meet the child I sponsor through Compassion International. What a good day!

This is Regina writing on behalf of Elise, Carolyn, and myself. Our team arrived safely in Nairobi Friday night Nairobi time and we were greeted at the airport by Pastor Charles, his wife Nellie and several other churh members. You cannot imagine the magnitude of the hospitality that we are being shown here. We are staying with the Pastor's sister, an amazing woman of faith about whom we will have much to tell you.

We attended services at the church yesterday. The music was amazing. It was truly a praise service to our Lord.Elise and Carolyn are teaching as I write this. Please continue to pray for our safety and health and effectiveness. We may not have words to describe this experience when we get back. Please also pray for rain. This is thethird year of drought. In Kenya they grow all of their own food, so pray that Kenya may overcome famine. Also pray about the growing Muslim influence in this Christian nation.In Christian love,Regina

Easter Sunday

Jambo! We are safely in Nairobi and we are enjoying our time here. It was a LONG trip. It was hard to sleep on the plane and it was hard to sleep our first night here, but we are finally starting to feel rested. It is hot here, not Jamaica hot, but hotter than women who like air conditioning would like, especially for sleeping. We have a wonderful host, but she does not have hot water in her shower, so we are taking cold showers or bucket baths. I will not complain ever again about having just a shower in my apartment, though I will be willing to trade my kingdom for a bath when I get home.

Our biggest prayer need is for energy and for our health.

We are on the porch of the church waiting for the 21/2 hour service to be over. It was NOT 21/2 hours in children ministry, so we have been taken to the pastors porch, where we are waiting for tea.

We start teaching in the morning. Carolyn and Regina are a great asset to our Kidz@Heart ministry.

Blessings to you all. Love, the Kenya Team

We are down to two days before our trip.  We leave Thursday the 9th at 6:00.   I am trying not to worry about the fact that my suitcases are already 45 pounds and 49 pounds.  I actually hurt my back trying to weigh them, so Brian and Melissa are helping me with all of that now.  Miko tried to help too, and is now complaining her back hurts.  Kids ideas are caught and not taught!  

This picture is of Pastor Charles, our host pastor.  I am very excited about seeing him again.  He has such a big dream to see children's ministry grow and thrive in Kenya.  He  is very supportive of children's ministry which is unique in that country.   He was specific in asking that I come back to Kenya, when another team was offered to him.   I hope I don't let him down!  

Back to packing! 

We are leaving for Kenya in one week!  I love many things about my job.  The fact that I can take all of the things I have learned about being a children's pastor and pass it on to those who want and need some resources and encouragement is so exciting to me!  

I love the fact that I will get to watch Regina and Carolyn experience Kenya for the first time.  They will bring so much to our students and to this church.  

Some of you may not know that I sponsor a child, Diana through Compassion International.  When I signed up to do this,  I picked Kenya for the off chance that one day I might get to meet my child.  I am going to get to do this while we are there!  I have worked it out with the people at Compassion, and they are going to bring Diana to see us while we are there!  I am so excited. 

We are going to have so many opportunities to serve and encourage others!  Pray for us!