"We are singing in the house of the Lord"

Departure Day

2008-12-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

Lynn and my last day was Sunday. We got out to the farm in time for church but found the children to be quieter than normal and some very standoffish. Little Sarah had come over and wrapped herself in my arms while I was talking with teacher Saul. She was not saying much, but just there holding my finger and getting as close as possible. All I heard her ask a few times was when Rhonda would be back and how many months would it take. Saul began explaining that the hardest day at Challenge is when all the visitors leave. Many kids find a place on the grass all to themselves and cry, others lash out in anger at someone else. He was explaining that many fights break out in the first day or two after the visitors have left because they do not know what to do with their feelings. I was really shocked by this news. I looked down at Sarah and realized what was happening. Many of the kids will just lie in the dorm bed and not come out to see us go. I believe they are trying to separate themselves. During Saul and my conversation, the bell for lunch rang but Sarah would not leave. Saul went on to say that many kids loose the appetite to eat. Here I am getting caught up in my thoughts of going home for Christmas and spending time with loved ones while these kids are literally dreading the departure date. That put such a heavy weight on my heart. I had to choke back tears several times that day and told the kids that I would be back as soon as I had the money to return. How could I not? Much of my heart remains in Kitale with these kids.

Relaxing weekend days

2008-12-07T14:05:00.000-08:00

I was playing a great game of Chicken Foot (played with dominos) with the kids and had one of my ‘stop and realize I’m in Africa’ moments. Most of the time I forget that I am so far away in a poverty stricken area where the kids I’m playing with actually grew up suffering on the street. Here I was carried away in the moment of teaching them how to play dominos, which they’d never seen before, and loving every moment. The kids were making me laugh so hard.

About this time, a student rang the bell for dinner. This was the last full day with the kids before my departure home. As all the kids ran to get ready for dinner, I stuck my head in through the dinning hall window and took in the scene. You see, I am so happy when I’m at the farm and playing with the kids and I see that they are happy playing with us visitors. My view is clouded and carried away in these perfect moments but then as I watch them sit down to eat their Ugali (maize/corn) and sukuma wiki (collards) at their assigned tables, my view begins to get clearer and I see their everyday life. I get the chance to come to Africa and have fun but when I and other visitors have left, they remain. It saddens my heart when I think of all I did at their age; sleepovers, movies, mall shopping, ice skating, etc, and here they are fighting as a group of kids to grow up and succeed in school so that they can find a job. There is no, “I’m going to the movies with a friend and be back before dinner.” What these kids live for is the teams that come over and the letters from pen pals. I would say that most months out of the year, there is someone visiting but it is ever-changing and unsure at times. I know that the kids at Challenge Farm are loved by so many people and compared to other children in the world, they have been given a great opportunity at the farm but it doesn’t stop me from realizing just how good a life I’ve had and how I desperately wish I could give to them what was given to me.

Tea Party - AKA - Prince and Princess Day

2008-11-30T21:34:00.000-08:00

I’ve spoken much about the tea party we had last year for the girls when they dressed up in prom attire. This year some very generous stores in America donated many suits and tuxes for the boys of Challenge Farm. On Friday, November 28th, we had our first ever Prince and Princess Day. Last year the girls nicknamed the day Princess Day because they felt like a princess all dressed up, so we ran with the new title. I have to stop and find my breath as it gets swept away often here in Africa and this day was yet another breathtaking day.

On the morning of the 28th, I was helping the girls dress in their dorm. In days before, we visitors had organized the boys’ clothes in a large room of the office building and had directed the staff that would be helping them. I was preoccupied getting the girls ready and the dining hall set for juice and cookies when the boys came out of the main office building. Watching from across the compound through the dining window, I began to see the boys filing out of the building and just had to stop and stare. Even from that far away, I could tell by the way they were walking that they too were on top of the world feeling very special and handsome. The attire was anything from coattails, bowties, vests, jackets, ties, pinstriped pants, tuxedo white or black pants, beanie hats, camouflaged hats, and sunglasses.

I choked back tears, wishing Mama Cheri could have been with us for this moment. I know our Heavenly Father was smiling down upon his children this day. Whether they are in street clothes resembling rags or in the finest suits, I believe God sees His children in their very best so it was as though, on this day, I was seeing what He sees each day. I say this often, but I am truly blessed to be a part of the lives of these unbelievably special kids. At a moment like this, I don’t know what I’ve done to be given this chance to stand with them and share this day.

The boys lined up after group photos and began escorting the girls into the dining hall. As they are not used to seeing each other in these clothes, we had to battle the ever so cute girls running away from the boys at first. Since we have twice as many boys as we do girls, there was one boy on each side of the girl as they got their picture taken and walked in to be seated. Tea and cookies were followed with dancing. The whole experience was unforgettable for everyone. I am sharing a few of the many great pictures. Since I’ve posted many of the girls before, I chose to post more of the boys this time. I hope you enjoy the pictures and get a tiny glimpse into the 1st Annual Prince and Princess Day.

Ultimate shopping - day two

2008-11-27T20:48:00.000-08:00

Since yesterday took a bit longer than we expected, the plans were changed and, I thought, improved. We arrived at Challenge about 8:30 am to get an early start. This being Thanksgiving, we planned to finish earlier and come home for some relaxing cooking time in the afternoon. We dropped off the first group and took care of some shopping we needed to do.

The teachers were assigned to five kids each since these are the newest and youngest kids. Would you believe that they were the most well behaved out of the whole Challenge Farm? They were so mature. Many of the street kids tried to poke fun at them or get their attention. Each one handled it a little differently but they were all kind in dealing with the situation. On many occasions, one of Challenge kids would be seen giving away some of the food they’d bought with their Christmas money. Now that was a touching moment for me. One child in particular was all ready in the van to head back and stuck his arm out the window with a whole muffin and handed it to a little boy. This was a WHOLE muffin. Our kids don’t get bread often as any bread product is quite expensive. This was a sacrifice and yet the child didn’t hesitate giving it away. Now I’ve gotten carried away and left out a big part of the day.

Two and a half hours passed and we drivers were ready to take group one back and get group two. The kids were all in the meeting place and we were close to loading up the vehicles when Lynn leaned over to ask me, “What are those people doing by the van?” I didn’t see them at first since it was parked across the street but something caught my eye down by the tire. I had not seen this before but had heard stories. I immediately dashed across the street to find three parking attendants locking the van tire! Without thinking, I begin barking at them for what they were doing. They tried to tell me we were parked illegally. Well, yes, we had parked the van temporarily in front of a gas station entrance but, to our defense, the gas station was closed and the entrance was blocked with tires and rope so that no one could enter. This was part of my major argument with the attendants. No there is more to the story, but it gets a bit embarrassing that I was not able to control my frustration better than I did so I will conclude the story and leave out the part where my patience was not in tact. The parking attendants wanted 500 shillings to take the lock off, but one of our staff that was present knew a lady who worked in the office. She made us pay only 200 shillings. Neither amount was a lot in dollars, but I was speaking on principle here; 500 shillings is about $6.50. ☺ The whole fiasco took about 40 minutes so we were running a bit past schedule again.

I had sent Lynn back to get part of group two since I did not know when the van would be released. When I arrived back to the Farm, she had all 18 of the remaining boys crammed into the trooper (7 passenger vehicle). They were happy to see us coming. We evened out the boys and began our last shopping trek to town. This time, after we dropped off the group, we went to a nearby coffee house for a scrumptious lunch energizer. This was some much needed down time. The pickup time for the last group was 3 o’clock, well past the time we’d spent yesterday. How does this happen?

By 4:30 we were back at the Farm with all the kids but not without a near wreck in town, another car losing his brake and ending up in the trooper grill, a drunk man running into the front of the van, and almost thinking we had lost one child back to the street. What a Thanksgiving day to remember.

We Americans were able to make it home by 5:00 and begin our relaxing cooking evening we’d been looking forward to. Dinner was served by 6:45 and included homemade southern dressing with chicken, sweet corn, a sweet potato marshmallow dish, and pumpkin pie - all in an African day's work.

The Ultimate Shopping Experience

2008-11-26T09:53:00.000-08:00

I firmly believe that no one has experienced ‘shop until you drop’ unless they've piled 100 kids in two vehicles over two days and given them the equivalent of about $15 for their Christmas money. This last Wednesday and Thursday, I was one of the two privileged drivers to take part in this activity at Challenge Farm. Almost half of these kids have not ever been given money to go shopping and about 40 of them have not been back in to Kitale town since they left the streets back in February. It was quite different than I had envisioned and of course took about 4 hours longer than I’d planned….welcome back to Kenya! For some reason I can’t get it through my head that time really does not matter here.

The first group was all girls. We crammed 12 into the 7 passenger SUV I was driving and 17 plus a few staff into Lynn’s 9 passenger van. Off we went to town. My girls were singing every song they knew and when they ran out of Christian and Swahili songs, they busted right on in to happy birthday Rhonda. My birthday isn’t until March, but they sure had fun celebrating it right now through song. The drop off of the kids went well, and then Lynn and I headed back to the Farm to pick up the next group which was to be the remaining 6 girls plus all class eight boys and secondary boys. We chose to take them next because they were so responsible. All the while we were slightly dreading the next day when we were to take the ‘new kids’ as we still call them even though they’ve been with us since February 08.

Now understand we had no clue as to how long the kids would shop. They were buying in the town market, which is rather large and full of anything and everything. We did, however, think that the 5 staff members we dropped off with the kids would be able to round them up when time came to leave. This, along with the Kenyan time, was quite misjudged by Lynn and myself. I believe we sat with the cars parked in a very busy spot on the street for an hour at the least while kids kept walking around and staff looking as though they had no clue what to do to get the students back in the car. Remember now, we are dealing with the supposed responsible group.

After lots of chaos and confusion on where the purchased bags of ‘stuff’ were, we took off back to school with the first group. Whewww, at least we had half of the kids back. All we needed now was one last trip to town to pick up the remaining group. Luckily it had begun to sprinkle so the boys where ready to jump in the car and go. I had previously threatened them that if they were not ready to leave when we returned, they would be paying their own way home on a matatu.

The day was a success and a shopping experience to go down in the books. We got all 55 students back home with purchases. Now we just needed to rest up for day two.

Back in Kitale

2008-11-21T18:46:00.000-08:00

I have just gone through two 8-9 hour flights, a night's stay in Nairobi, a bit of souvenir shopping, and an hour and a half puddle jumper flight to Kitale but I've made it back. I love Kitale very much, but I surely do wish it were a lot closer to home.

All the flights were very smooth, and I got as much rest as anticipated. Upon arrival to Kitale I was able to look out the window and see the top of Challenge Farm. I've flown into Kitale several times, but this was the first time I spotted the orphanage. My excitement really began to build as realization set in that I am back. I have been gone about 3 months, the longest I've been away from the kids since I met them October 1, 2007.

When we landed, I saw a glimpse of purple uniforms. I thought to myself, "Challenge Farm has purple uniforms." I looked out the window again and there was my friend Whitney with a camera in her hands. She had brought about 15 students and two staff down to greet me at the airstrip. My excitement quadrupled. I couldn’t wait to see the kids. As I walked down the steps, I was greated with many smiling faces. Immediately tears filled my eyes as pure joy had overtaken me. All the kids had handshakes and great big hugs to pass out to Lynn and me. (Lynn is a friend I connected with in Amsterdam; she lives in Alabama. This is her first time back since she came last October with the Alabama team I talked so much about on my first blogs.)

After greeting a few of the kids and taking in the situation, I looked past the two homemade signs and saw Sammy. Many of you know his story but do not know that with our new sponsorship program starting, I chose to sponsor him. We made eye contact and I enthusiastically waved him over. He had the biggest smile that I'd ever seen on him. I gave him a HUGE hug and told him how great it was to see him. I had received word a couple months ago that he was very unhappy and wanted to run away, so I'm very thankful he's doing well. It’s good to be back!

Tea Party - Princesse Day-

2008-09-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

About one year ago a team from Alabama came to help with Royal Family Kids Camp at Challenge Farm. R.F.K.C. is a special camp designed for kids who have been abused, neglected, orphaned, etc. In preparation for the camp, the team collected many formal dresses that women or girls were no longer using. Their idea was to host a special tea party during the camp week where the girls would choose a dress to wear, apply make up, and have chai (tea with milk) together. Men who came on the team escorted the girls to the tea party. Not one of those girls will ever forget that day. I've posted a few pictures for you to see how beautiful the girls looked.

The boys, however, did not participate in this activity, but we found out that they really wanted to. So, this year, Ashley, the camp trained RFKC leader, has been given a huge donation of tuxes and suits for the gentleman to wear. All that we need are a few more dresses since we have brought in more girls off the street. If you have a used bridesmaid dress, no matter what year you wore it, or your daughter has a used batmitzvah, flower girl, or junior bridesmaid dress, you would be willing to donate, please email me - rhonda.pickett@gmail.com

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I will be flying back to Kenya November 16th. All I will be taking are items for the kids at Challenge Farm. I would appreciate your help in making these kids feel special!

Home again

2008-09-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do not receive my snail mail updates, I am back home in Dallas. I can't say I'm gone for good since I hope to be traveling back to Kitale at least once a year. I'll be looking for a full-time job in Dallas soon, but now I'm doing whatever temporary jobs I can find because I'll be returning to Kenya November 15th for 3 weeks.

I've been home for about 2 and 1/2 weeks and it surely feels different - from concerns of wondering if I am driving on the correct side of the road to missing my precious 102 Kenya kids. Oh and the humid 90+ degree weather is a major adjustment compared to Kitale's perfect 70 degree day.

I am doing what I can from home to assist Cheri, the founder of Challenge Farm. She is trying to begin a child sponsorship progam. Since the addition of 60 new kids, the farm is in a great need of money. I will post the sponsorship program details on my blog as soon as I know more. The kids are all very excited about possibly having a sponsor soon who will correspond with them. You can find more information
soon on the Challenge Farm website. www.challenge_kenya.com

Baptism

2008-07-24T01:08:00.000-07:00

Happy tears flooded quickly to my eyes as Paul, the first of twenty, went into the river water that was to symbolize the washing away of his old life and the rebirth of his new life with Christ. We had brought around 40 kids down to a nearby river for the baptism last Thursday, July 24th. The twenty that were to be baptized and the twenty that were their witnesses were all so excited. Just leaving the farm grounds for a field trip is exciting enough, but to be able to take part in the baptism of half of our new kids takes the cake!

I had no idea the emotion that would flood over me while watching these kids being baptized. It all happened so quickly but I relished every moment while etching the memories in my brain. Having known them while filthy, hungry, and begging on the streets to now being washed clean of their former life and beginning their journey with Christ is one of the biggest blessings in my life. God has a plan for each one of these kids and I hope I’ll be able to watch it all unfold.

After the children were baptized, their witness was awaiting them on shore with dry clothes. When all twenty had been baptized, we circled up as a group and sang songs. Just before we began loading up the vehicles to return to school, the witnesses each prayed over their new brother/sister in Christ.

I wish I had enough space to put each picture from the day on the blog, but, due to space and time, I’ve chosen just a few.

Mandazi for sale!

2008-07-18T04:29:00.000-07:00

Mendazi’s for Sale

When Cheri arrived, she was happy to find that Maximilla had returned but quickly saw that she’d fallen right back into her same pattern of not doing much through the day, not even taking care of her son Richard. Cheri decided to set her up with a little business. She bought her a little jiko oven, pan, and ingredients to make mendazi. Mendazi’s are the African version of our donut without the glaze and circle shape. Now, each morning, Maximilla makes fresh hot mendazi and sells them to the staff for 5 shillings a piece. It has become a hit! The staff loves having the treat readily available and Maximilla stays busy. She has even begun to look happy. Just last week, I heard her whistling up the stairs of our main building while on one of her rounds to deliver the delectable treat to staff anxiously awaiting her arrival. I, of course, always want to help support her business which sadly does not help my figure, but hey, it’s all for a good cause, right? ☺

The Women of Kipsongo Slum

2008-07-18T04:27:00.000-07:00

Challenge Farm has a program with the women living in the Kitale slum. The women that choose to participate make beaded necklaces, bracelets, and rings, then sell them to Challenege Farm and we send the goods home with visitors to sell in America. The money goes to help them buy food and take care of their children.

I was given the chance to visit these women in the slum when Cheri arrived. It is not advisable for people to go into the slum without someone that they are very familiar with. This is one reason that I have waited.

It’s difficult to give a description of our walk because it causes me to place myself back in the slum with all the smells, the animals alive and dead, the houses made of trash, and the poor kids that clung to us in groups of 10 each. So I will skip the details and move on to the women with whom we work.

These women are all ages and mostly from the Turkana Tribe. They love to sing and dance, so when Cheri shows up they light up like a Christmas tree and begin the dancing and singing. They usually like to take us on a tour through the slum before meeting in a room for a Bible study. There are many women who can’t move far from their home due to physical hindrances. Cheri visits them and prays over them for healing.

During my first visit to the slum we sang and danced with the women then prayed over each one individually. As I was hovering over these women praying to God for healing and restoration to their bodies, I felt the Holy Spirit come over me. Tears immediately began flowing down my cheeks. I was overwhelmed with compassion for these ladies. If I can ever figure out how to upload videos to my blog, you will be able to watch them dancing.

Even though it’s difficult to see the living conditions of these women, I really enjoy visiting with them!

Nelson

2008-07-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I ran into my all time favorite kid
from the streets. Many of you might remember a blog I
wrote about him back in December because I was wishing
that he’d be able to live at Challenge Farm. He was
taken by a different Children’s organization one week
before Challenge Farm took in the new kids. I was so
sad to hear the news but happy to know that he was off
the streets. I only just found out a week ago where
he lives and then he showed up at church.

Church had just ended and I felt a tap on my shoulder.
When I turned around, there was my adorable Nelson
just smiling away at me. I shot up out of my seat, ran
around the isle, and covered him in a huge bear hug.
He has grown so much! I spent the next 15 minutes
talking with him through the very large smile that I
couldn’t get off my face. I told him over and over
that I was so happy to see him.
It really is amazing to see just how much a nourished
child can grow in such a short period of time when
eating properly. He is in school and learning
English, which I could tell immediately. Oh,
how great it was to see this boy’s face. I only wish
I had a before and after picture to share with all of
you.

The Half that felt like a Whole

2008-07-03T20:58:00.001-07:00

Whitney and I left for our ½ marathon trip last Wednesday, June 25th. We flew out of Kitale at 2:15 and landed in Nairobi at 3:00. Our team had arranged to meet for dinner that night at Java House, which is comparable to Chilies Restaurant at home. Whit and I were the first to arrive, so we ordered one of their famous chocolate milk shakes and sucked them down before anyone else arrived. Four of the members from Italy didn’t end up coming so it was just 6 of us.

We had been told of a great place to stay and get a good meal located 20 miles from the Lewa game park where we were to run Saturday morning. Since the drive up to the park was to take around 4 hours, we decided to go a day early so our bodies wouldn’t be too worn out before the race. On the road trip, our minivan we’d rented with driver had one big blowout. I’ve never been in a car when the tire blew; it was quite the scare. It sounded like we hit something and then skidded for a length of time that made me very uncomfortable. God was with us in a huge way because we stopped 20 feet short of a very large bridge. The driver handled everything perfectly and within 10 minutes he borrowed a jack from a passing matatu, changed the tire, and was back on the drive headed to our destination. We arrived safely in Timau, home of Kentrout, which is a trout farm, around 7:00 Thursday evening. This place was incredible. The grounds were perfectly groomed and it was located in the backyard of Mt. Kenya. The weather was quite a bit colder than Kitale, but each lodge had a fireplace roaring upon our arrival. You can't begin to imagine how excited we were about this place. Anytime we are traveling in Africa, we try not to get our hopes up about our lodging. This place, however, was the best that I’ve found since living here. The meal that night was fresh trout literally caught just as we put in our order and, might I add, the best and freshest fish I’ve ever tasted. The trip was off to a great start.

The next morning we met for breakfast around 9 and left the lovely guesthouse around noon to head to the game park once again wondering what our living quarters would be like at the next stop. Just after entering the park, we began to see many giraffes as though they’d come to greet us. When we found the registration tent and signed in, we were given t-shirts (Kenyan style), meal passes, a brochure of the events, and windup Safaricom flashlights. The flashlight was a particularly good bonus since none of us thought to bring one. Our tents were much better than imagined. Two people shared a tent that was very spacious. The meals left much to the imagination; for the first time in my life I felt like I was staying on some sort of Army base.

Saturday morning came quickly but not quickly enough. We suffered through the coldest night yet with wind whipping through the tent. I was freezing cold wondering just how much more I could curl into a ball to keep warm. It never occurred to me that I would have needed to pack a warm sweat suit to sleep in. What was worse was the thought that I now had to take off my pjs and put on shorts and a t-shirt for the run. I thought I would die of hypothermia before the race ever began. When I stepped out of the tent, everyone was running up and down trying to get warm. Many skinny yet muscular Kenyans looked well prepared while all the white people looked at each other in bewilderment as to why they had paid money to be at this race. At 6:30 we all walked the 15 minutes to the start line. Before the race began, a helicopter and two small planes scanned the grounds trying to scare away the large and potentially dangerous animals from the race course. Everything was exciting! At promptly 7:15, the race began. The first 3 miles were packed as the road was very narrow and 900 people were all crammed together. On the up side, it really made the time fly as we tried to bypass all the walkers and slower runners. Yes, there were people we could outrun, but no, they weren’t Kenyan. Just after the third mile mark, we began a steep decent. At one point I saw a large herd of elephants grazing in the grass. There was one guard standing by the course to protect us. That was only one of about 5 guards I saw protecting us the whole race, not including the people at the water stands. Even though we didn’t see any other animals, it was still a bit unnerving not to have more protection.

We were still descending at mile 5. Now we were getting worried because we knew just how far we had gone down and we were told the race is one of the top 10 most difficult marathons in the world, so it only made sense that the worst was yet to come. The climb began and our smiles and excitement quickly turned to frowns and exhaustion. The hills didn’t stop. Just when we’d think we’d see the end of one climb it would miraculously keep going. I began to get horrible cramps with each breath, but Whitney was a champ. She had more energy than I’d seen during our training. She kept me going and gave me lots of inspiring words. Another great inspiration was an older woman who kept a very steady pace the entire time. We kept seeing her over and over, and then when we were really tuckered out, she took a big lead on us. At mile 9 the hills stopped and we began another steep descent. The scenery was gorgeous at this point, the best in the race. I might have been swayed by the happy sight of a descending course as well. Now that the worst was behind us, we only had one thing to accomplish besides finishing and that was to catch up to the woman with the teal colored shirt (otherwise known as the woman twice our age). We couldn’t let her beat us. About a mile out we began our sprints, yes, that is right - sprints. We would sprint 30 seconds and walk 30 seconds in hopes to catch up to her. Oh, I almost forgot. At about mile 10 we started hearing cheering. The Kenyan in first place running the full marathon charged past us with speed unlike I’ve ever seen in my life. We just cheered him right on, knowing full well that we’d never be even close to running like that.

The race seemed to never end as the finish line was well hidden and markers kept counting down in kilometers of which I am not familiar so I never could tell how close I was to finishing. Sadly, I couldn't even tell if I had finished before the infamous woman in teal but I did have a picture of her.

After crossing the finish line, getting my medal, gift bag, and stretching out my muscles, I saw the teal woman in the distance. I left everyone I was standing with to go meet her, thank her, and congratulate her on a job well done. I was just certain that this had to have been just one of the many ½ marathons she’d run but instead found out it was her first. Wow! I only hope that someday I’ll have grandkids to run in a half marathon with me.

we finished the race and I am happy that I decided to do it, but I agree that it is a very, very tough run. What an unforgettable experience though!

African Child Day

2008-07-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

June 16th was the holiday known as African Child Day. The day began with all the children from the area Orphanages gathering in town to listen to the District Children’s Officer briefly speak about the day. Then everyone began to march in a parade through town and out to the Kitale Stadium about one and a half miles away. Each Orphanage performed with skits, songs, and dances. They made posters speaking out about abuse, neglect, right to education and many other topics. One of the most impacting moments was seeing many of the older kids still living on the street chatting with our new kids we took off the street in February. As we marched through town the street kids joined in the walk carrying the glue bottles with them. One of the boys is a brother to Peter, whom I’ve worked with a lot since I’ve been here. All the kids had a great time watching each home perform. After the skits, the older boys of the Orphanages played a game of football (soccer to Americans) against the men staff. The day ended with some awards past out to each
Orphanage.

This is Peter and his brother I spoke of in the blog. I met his brother on the street back in January when I was looking for Sammy.

The three boys closest to the picture are from Challenge Farm. The all came from the streets at one time and struggled with a glue addiction. The boy off in the distance is still living on the street; he has glue up to his nose. This picture is so powerful to me because allows me to see right into these three boys' past.

A Season of Growth

2008-06-22T22:54:00.000-07:00

A few days ago everyone at the farm got out and planted trees. It was a quite an emotional moment for me because I was trying to imagine the day when all the trees had matured and where all the kids would be at that time. My emotions can get carried away while looking into the eyes of these precious children whom God has specifically chosen to be here at Challenge Farm. So here we were planting what will someday become quite a forest. After taking many pictures of the kids and their trees, one of the staff members asked if I’d planted my tree yet. I was surprised and excited that I got to plant a tree of my own. Better yet, it was an acacia tree, which is my favorite. The Acacia has about 42 varieties and I have no idea which one mine is, but I didn’t really care either. I was just happy to have one.

English Grammar practice

2008-06-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

One of the most creative teachers I’ve ever known is working here at Challenge Farm. He is just over 50. Teachers are required to retire at 50, so when the public school system let him go, Challenge Farm grabbed him up. He is now our head teacher even though he’s just been here since January. Teacher Joseph is one of two teachers at Challenge Farm who allows me to help with his classes. Others says they would like help (which is the Kenyan courtesy), when they really don't. Teacher Joseph gets very excited to try new methods, and he gets me excited as well. The pictures I’ve posted are from a game we played with Class Seven to practice grammar. It was great because I rarely see the teachers do many fun activities or even deviate from writing on the board and having the students copy. I think Class Seven, being outside and playing to practice grammar, made the other classes quite jealous.

our running path

2008-06-19T00:58:00.000-07:00

I wanted everyone to see the route Whitney and I run each Saturday for our training. It is beautiful. Last Saturday we decided to take a camera with us to see what it was like running and taking pictures at the same time. We want to be able to photograph every animal we see next Saturday!

The African running toward the camera had tried running with me for a while. They really get a kick out of watching us each Saturday.

This was the first Saturday I noticed a shop that has Texas as part of it's name. How crazy!

Scholar, Rick, and Maximilla

2008-06-07T04:29:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have consistently kept up with my blog you might remember my asking prayers for Maximilla who left the Farm back in December with her baby Rick. Last week I walked outside only to turn see her there holding her baby. I ran over to give them both a hug. She had come to the Farm because Rick is sick with Malaria. The staff has asked her to stay for a few days so that he can get better and be properly fed. Look at the photo of Rick at one year and two months old. He looks about the same size he was in December. She lives in the main slum here in Kitale and doesn't feed him properly but somehow manages to get some of the local booze for herself. Back in December, our director offered to take care of Rick at Challenge Farm since she didn't have the means but she refused. We are all worried for his life. Please pray for Maximilla and her baby. The other girl in the photo is Maximilla's sister Scholar who currently lives and schools with us. She is having a rough time seeing her nephew sick.

Topless and Fancy Free

2008-06-07T04:27:00.000-07:00

Each Saturday Whitney and I do our long runs in preparation for the 1/2 marathon.
Saturday was a running experience I will never forget. It was one
filled with so much laughter that we had to stop many times just to
regain composure.

It all began at Challenge Farm where we parked the car. We had
only been running for a few minutes when we encountered a topless
woman doing a tribal dance in the middle of the dirt road. The sun was right in our eyes so Whitney missed the obvious fact that the person dancing was a woman. As we passed her Whitney said, “I wonder what he is doing.” I remarked, "I believe you mean what is she doing?” At that moment we heard someone running behind us. Reluctantly we turned around and saw that the woman had decided to run with us. I thought she’d follow us to the main road and stop. There was this moment of silence in our conversation as Whitney and I tried to stifle what was about to become very loud laughter. Not everyday do we run with a topless woman.

We arrived at the end of the street and turned onto the main
paved road where she kept following us. She was running
effortlessly while talking in Kiswahili. It seemed like she
had found her long lost running buddies and just picked up right
where she left off. She scared us, though, as she was running right down the middle of the road whereas we were safely tucked away on the side. The matatus and cars had to dodge her as they drove up. Luckily we weren’t on the main road for long and turned down another dirt road.

Imagine two white women running down the streets on a Saturday morning and then add a crazy topless African woman and you might be able to picture the stares we were getting from people in cars, on bikes, and walking. I’m still impressed that we were able to trudge on, but then we were determined to get through our long run. Our ½ marathon depended on it.

It really wasn’t so bad running with her once we sll the chuckles out of our system and blocked our minds against her smell since wearing deoderant isn’t
something most Africans do. It did begin to become a problem when
her running went from running close by us to nearly running on top of
us. We began weaving from one side to the other to try and get some
distance but it wasn’t working. Whitney then told her in Kiswahili to stop running so close to us and she did. She stopped dead in her tracks after running
with us for 2 miles. Whitney and I ran on. Another 2 miles down the
road we encountered her again only this time she was walking and
holding a very dirty wet potato sack. She waited for a moment until we got closer and headed straight for Whitney, giving her a smack on the neck with the sack. I guess that solved the mystery of just what she thought when Whitney asked her to stop running. Whitney yelled out, “Mama, Mama!” which is how to refer to
a woman with respect. The woman just walked on her way not doing
anything else. For the next mile (this is now mile 5) we had to stop
over and over due to laughter.

It’s been one week since this story took place. We ran for 10 miles
this morning around the same area. Whitney was a little worried
about running into Topless Mama but we made it through without any
sighting of her. Next week is our last long run, which will be
12 miles, before the race on the 28th.

Mac advertising

2008-06-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

Kenyan's are some of the world's fastest runners...too bad I'm not Kenyan

2008-05-29T04:46:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I ran in my first ½ marathon with my friend Whitney. I never thought I would do such a thing. It was a blast, which was another shock to me. When Whitney got to Africa, one of her first suggestions was to run a ½ marathon while here. “Great idea! I thought.” We live at 6,200 ft so the altitude took a little getting used to and the streets aren’t the paved roads like you find in Dallas. In addition the rainy season adds to the interesting morning run as we dodge mud puddles in the already uneven dirt road.

It took us awhile to find out information on the ½ marathon that takes place here in Kenya and I really wasn’t sure it would pan out. When we got all the information it seemed even less likely that we’d be running since you have to form a team of no less than 5 people. Two months went by with little talk of the run. Then two weeks ago a few of us met in Nairobi and found out we have a team of 10! We paid our entrance and lodging fee, and were officially signed up the following day. How exciting, right? I was pretty pumped. Then last night as I was reading through part of my Kenya Lonely Planet I stumbled upon information about the race. I will directly quote from the book so you can get the full information like I did.

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy

“While the massive 263-sq-km Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, just south of Isiolo, could boast about their luxury lodges, stunning scenery, astounding wildlife activities and having often hosted Prince William, they’d rather talk about their community and conservation projects. Founded in 1995, LWC now spends an amazing 30% of its budget on healthcare and education for surrounding villages, 40% towards community projects, with the remainder funding conservation and security. To help raise awareness and fund they host one of the world’s most rewarding and exhausting marathons.

The conservancy effort has been astounding and 20% of the world’s Grevy’s zebras, 8% of Kenya’s black rhinos, a rare population of aquatic sitatunga antelopes and sizeable populations of white rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, lions and cheetahs now call this magical place home.”

Running for your life and then some

“It’s one thing to run a marathon to the encouraging screams of people, it’s entirely another to run it sharing the course with elephants, rhinos and the odd antelope! Established in 2000 to raise funds for wildlife conservation and community development, the Safaricom Marathon, run within the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in late June/early July, attracts world-record holders and is renowned worldwide as one of the planet’s toughest marathons. Thanks to experienced rangers, helicopters and spotter planes, your only worry should be the heat and the 1700m average elevation.

Will you be slowed by repeatedly gazing into the bewildered eyes of nearby giraffes or will your legs speed on at the thought of cheetahs and lions lurking in the grass? Why not try it and find out? Visit www.tusk.org for more details.”

I really encourage anyone interested in learning more about this race and seeing the incredible pictures to visit the website and clink on the link titled Safaricom Marathon. The race takes place June 28th. As of this week, Whitney and I have gone as far as 9 miles on our long runs once a week and are doing well. We have a tiny edge training at a slightly higher altitude than that where the race takes place; I’m hoping this edge will carry me through. Wish us luck.

Arms open wide

2008-05-26T05:01:00.001-07:00

I spent most of this morning stuck in the office trying to get through some blog writing and picture posting while it was a beautiful blue sky day. I decided I needed a cup of tea to warm me up. It gets cold in the office even though the sun is shining bright. In order get a cup of tea, I have to find the gate guard and ask him to turn on the generator that sends electricity to the building where my office is located. Then, when it’s turned on, I hustle to fill up my electric teapot, wait a few minutes while it boils then go find the gate guard again to tell him he can cut off the electricity. Now I pour my hot water and settle in for a nice cup of tea. Today, when I went to go find Chege, the guard, I instead found 6 young girls running up to me with arms open wide. This picture is so different from when I first came and they were very stand off. Now the loving hugs and fingers through my hair has become a daily occurance as well as the highlight of any day. The kids have really become so comfortable here. After all the hugs were passed out, they lingered around playing with my hair and singing. The girls began some English Christian praise songs so I was able to chime right in. Here we were swaying, arms linked over each others shoulders and singing loudly for absolutely no audience. I have no idea why these particular girls were out of class but neither did I care.
What a precious moment this was and a perfect way to kick off the week.

Delivering the brand new soccer cleats

2008-05-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

The joy of giving

2008-05-22T04:31:00.000-07:00

I wish all the Shelton students and teachers who contributed for Challenge Farm to buy new shoes could have been with me when I gave out the new shoes. I feel like they did all the work, and I got to have all the fun of giving.

The scene was a bit chaotic because the leather shoes were new and the kids aren’t used to putting on new shoes. Everyone reading this must remember going to the department store and smelling the new leather shoes and then trying their best to cram their foot in while the sales clerk inserted a nifty shoehorn to help things along. These kids didn’t understand that at first leather is stiff until it loosens up after being worn. So, if they couldn’t easily slide their foot into the shoe they automatically thought the shoe didn’t fit. This caused some minor confusion. Almost all the shoes have been passed out except for some exchanges we need to make in sizes. The new Pumas for the two soccer teams will be passed out at the end of this week. I was also able to buy new uniform socks to go with the shoes. I was really amazed that the kids were just as excited about the socks as they were the shoes. Some times life is all about the simple pleasures.

Shoe delivery

2008-05-20T23:47:00.000-07:00

Unloading all the boxes of shoes!

Everyone's school shoe looks the same

The staff were just as excited as the kids

Waiting with anticipation

Trying on

What I would have given to have a shoehorn

clean up

Purchase of shoes

2008-05-18T03:48:00.000-07:00

One major lesson that has taken me a while to learn in Africa is never believe I can get something done within what I consider a “normal” period of time.

Shopping in Nairobi for 89 pairs of shoes for all the Challenge Farm children began on Wednesday around 2:30 after a yummy lunch outside of town. I had requested our social worker to meet me to help out because I knew this wasn’t going to be easy but I thought I could get the job done in one day. I hopped on a bus heading to downtown Nairobi to meet Emma. An hour and 15 minutes later we met. It only took me 15 minutes to get there, so for an hour I was standing on a street corner being stared at by all the Africans getting off of work for the day. When Emma arrived, we got on another bus and headed to the store. I had no clue where we were going,but I soon figured out we were on the same road leading to the airport which is quite far away. The shops along the street in this area are primarily warehouses. We found the warehouse and began negotiating with the owner. After at least 30 minutes of waiting and discussing sizes, styles, and amounts, he informed me that the shoes wouldn't be ready for a week. A week! Oh and he explained that he needed 40% of the money up front in order to begin production. No problem there since the money had been wired from Dallas to my account that morning. The catch was he didn’t take credit cards or checks and was about to close for the day. I ran next door to a hotel to pull out money from an ATM, but the bank only allows a certain amount pulled out each day.

Nothing was settled so Emma and I got back on a bus headed to town right in the middle of rush hour traffic. Nairobi looks like rush hour all day long with parking lots as streets so the only difference is how fast the parking lots move. It can take 2 hours to move the distance that should take 10 minutes. We’d been on a bus headed to town about 15 minutes when the driver pulled over and everyone got out. We were way outside of town at this point. Apparently that bus didn’t go to town or didn’t want to today, so here I was walking down what would be equivillant to I635 in Dallas and I was moving faster than the cars. I was a novel sight for all those Africans in their cars who have certainly never seen a white person walking down Mombasa Rd. I was chuckling at this point, not frusterated at all. I was laughing to myself about what I set out to do for the day and what I had accomplished which was nothing, yet here I was outside of downtown Nairobi walking on the street during rush hour. What a different story this would have been had it taken place in the US. I would be sitting comfortably in my air conditioned car filled with shoes by this point and probably still sitting in rush hour traffic but it might move slightly faster.

After walking on the road for a while, another bus pulled up and had some space so we hopped on and begin that slow crawl into town. I didn’t keep track of time this go-around and my patience was slowly dwindling so I got out and looked for a cab to take me home.

The next day (Thursday) I set out in search of soccer cleats and to get the rest of the cash for the down-payment to begin the making of 89 pairs of school shoes. I had no idea how many cleats I was going to be able to afford because I had not priced them yet. I went to a major sports store in downtown Nairobi to which I was given the name of an employee who could help me with a discount. Within a matter of an hour and a half I had picked out cleats, found out that I could get the schools' shoes from this company, picked out the school shoes, got a discount on the total of 130 shoes I was buying, paid in full, and gave an address for them to be shipped. Amazing! Truly amazing! I was able to buy all 89 pairs of school shoes and have enough money left over to buy the entire boys' and girls' soccer teams brand new Puma cleats. I will be able to buy some shin guards with the remaining money. What a blessing for these kids, some of whom have never had a new pair of shoes.

Friday I took a bus back to Kitale which takes about 8 hours and is bumpier than the Six Flags' roller coaster The Texas Giant. It is one exhausting trip. The shoes arrived at Challenge Farm Saturday evening and I will pass them out on Monday morning.

A very special thanks goes to The Dallas Shelton Upper Elementary and Middle School which raised this money. Thank you so much! I will post pictures as soon as I’ve passed out the shoes.

The Trauma of Shots

2008-05-11T00:45:00.000-07:00

Challenge Farm had a doctor come in to take blood from the new kids. I had no idea this was happening until the kids began to scream, wiggling and pleading for it to stop. My darling Sarah was one of the first to go and it took three people to get the job completed. After I was sure the coast was clear, I came out of my office and rescued her as she was still crying over the trauma. She is always asking for her picture taken so I thought maybe I could cheer her up with some snap shots. It took a few before the tears quit flowing, but in the end, the camera came through and we had big smiles.

A Tug at my Heart

2008-05-05T23:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, Alice came up to my office. She is the girl hugging me in the picture on my blog. She poked around looking for candy or sweets. I was working on getting the new kids' pictures ready for display on our poster. Once in a while she pops by for a break to color or visit. Today, the first thing out of her mouth was, "I'm not happy. I wish God would take me up to Heaven now."

I did a double take while processing what I thought I heard her say and then asked what she said just to make sure. When I was right, I asked her to sit down and talk to me, but I was still not taking it as seriously as I should. I continued to work on my project. I looked up again to see if she was going to tell me what was on her mind and there were two streams of tears flowing gently down her cheeks. I put down my work and asked her to explain what was wrong. After a lot of crying and heavy breathing, I began to understand that her sadness was coming from the fact that her father does not come to see her. She has not seen him since she was very young and I am not sure where he lives. I do not believe her mother is still alive.

I tried to imagine just how hard each day might be for these kids at Challenge Farm, but there is no way I can. To think about not having parents who love me or not having them at all plus dealing with the abuse and life she has seen on the street goes far beyond my imagination. I can understand why she was having a melt down because if it were me, I would be having a melt down daily. Alice is usually very happy and playful. She is also a bright student. I did my best to comfort her. I told her that all the team members who have visited Challenge Farm, Mama Cheri, the staff, and even people who read my blog love and pray for her. Her response was, " I do not believe you." I am not a therapist by any means so I was at a loss of what to do. I told her again about all the people who love and care for her, realizing that this does not come close to filling the gap of one or more family members but this was all I knew to do. Most of all I told her that she is God's child and that He will always be there for her.

She began to settle down a bit. I gave her a yummy piece of fruit gum I'd brought back from the States and she broke into a small smile. I placed some brand new markers and coloring book on the table inviting her to stay in my office a little longer before going back to class. She colored for about 30 minutes and seemed happy. When she was ready to leave, she came over and gave me a big hug and told me that she loves me. Moments like this make living in a third world country very rewarding.

My third new home and news about my return

2008-05-04T01:35:00.000-07:00

I returned to Kenya Wednesday, April 30th. The day of my arrival was filled with yet another move to what will hopefully be my last. Somehow, with each move, I’ve downsized in space but increased in belongings. I am forced to get creative with where everything is stored and thus it took me two days to arrange my room.

One side of my room

The other side

Outside my room - mine is the far left door and Whitney's is to my right

Our sink, toilet, and shower are outside

This is the main house called Karibuni Lodge - our rooms are directly behind this house

The outdoor patio which is very relaxing

The beautiful front yard

The yard is so large I had to take two pictures

Some of the young kids herding animals come into our yard to graze. It
helps us with mowing.

My first day back to Challenge Farm was Friday, the last day of their school holiday so the kids were hanging out, helping in the shamba, digging holes for new trees, and catching up with me. When Whitney and I drove up, I was surprised to see how excited the kids were to see me. I was gone for 5 weeks, but it never ceases to amaze me when I see their excitement. It was harder to leave home this time, but it is all worth it when I see these kids. I was caught up thinking about how much I will miss seeing everyone near and dear to me in Dallas for a mere 7 months while many of these kids don’t even have one family member to ever see. My heart brakes when I try to imagine just how that would feel.

I was able to return with some great gifts and news for the kids. First, with the help of the Dallas Shelton School’s upper elementary and middle school, I could tell the kids that in one week they will be getting a brand new pair of leather shoes. With the money left over, we will buy as many pairs of cleats as we can for the boys' and girls' soccer teams. Secondly, I brought them new official soccer balls and other sports equipment. The children do not know about anything else I brought back but will soon find out as I plan to begin some art classes with the many materials that were given to me. Thanks to the many people that helped me put great big smiles on the faces of these precious children.

I’m excited to be back with my kids. In 5 weeks many of them had grown inches taller and the new kids are making grand improvements. I didn’t realize what a difference 5 weeks can make.

My friend Whitney (also from Dallas) arrived here in early March. It is such a blessing to have another American working with me at Challenge Farm.

Here we are cleansing our faces. Don't we look cute?

Holiday at home

2008-05-03T01:25:00.000-07:00

I do love the British term for vacation even though it does make Americans confused about just what holiday I’m speaking. My “holiday” home was filled with lots of relaxation, catch up time with loved ones, my 30th birthday, three speaking engagements, four trips – which included a reunion with my cat, one wedding, one birth, and too much eating. All in all, it was pure enjoyment!

My cat Dublin

The family Easter Sunday

Some kids that helped to raise money for shoes

John and I in New Hampshire

In a London cab with Kristen

Visiting at Starbucks with Amanda and kate who used to live in Kitale

Sunday is Washing Day

2008-03-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

I attended church at Challenge Farm this past Sunday since I leave Kitale for the states on Monday. The service was alive and active with these new kids leading the worship songs. My smile was reaching from ear to ear watching them perform. That is what this group loves to do is perform. Each one is so expressive. I enjoy listening and watching them tell a story even though I don’t understand what they are saying. The rest of the staff and children at Challenge are just as thrilled about this new group as I am.

After our service every one began their washing clothes procedure. Many of the kids, staff and random people throughout town have been after me to wash my car. It has been a red dirt dusty mess for, well…. as long as I can recall. The dirt roads here create a nice think film coating the entire inside of the car, which didn’t really bother me at all but seemed to bother everyone else. So, I allowed the kids to wash it today, inside and out. That is the least I could do to somewhat welcome Whitney who will be arriving Kitale Wednesday. The kids did a splendid job washing every bit and even taking the floor mats out for a good scrub down. What a service? Why had I not done this every week? The kids really had a ball.

The time came to part ways for the next five weeks and it was a lot more difficult this time than it was last. I believe this is because I know I’ll be gone much longer than my previous trip. It could also be because I’ve grown closer to the kids so not seeing them for 5 weeks will be a much bigger deal. I’m worried the new little one, Sarah, won’t remember me. I have only been in her life for one week so after I’ve been gone for 3 she might just forget all about me. She did throw a pretty medium sized temper tantrum as I left which was touching to say the least. I do have that going for me. Lastly, I’m worried about returning to find that some of the new kids have run back to the street. I’ve been told that they usually average staying at a new location for one month before missing their freedom and glue. So please, along with me, keep each one of these 37 new street kids in your prayers. The enemy is wanting to remind them of how great their life was on the street so lets counter act those thoughts by prayers for God to reveal the great plan he has for their life.

Center of attention

2008-03-06T06:25:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I went to watch five of the Challenge Farm boys play in a soccer match. They were picked as best players to participate in a best-of-game similar to our All Stars at home. I brought my friend Meredith with me.(I am currently living in her house.) As we pulled up to the primary school where the games were being held, I couldn’t believe the turn out - about 2 thousand Kenyans. I know soccer is a big sport, but I was still surprised to see this many people.

Even though a fast paced game was in full motion, people began turning slowly and staring at us as we approached. Within minutes, we had close to one thousand eyes on us. The feeling was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I didn’t know if I should freeze or do a dance. The look on their faces made me feel as though I resembled an alien or maybe wasn't wearing any clothes. We continued walking up and people just parted like the Red Sea. Kenyans began ushering us over to some benches at the front of the playing field. All the seats were previously taken, but many got up to offer their seats. We did our best to refuse the service, but they would have it no other way. I thought that after we sat down, the crowd would return to focusing on the game. After all, we are not the only whites in the area. I was wrong. I quickly felt like I was playing in the game as all the kids around us began watching us instead of the players.

When half time came, we felt as if we were the show! The kids to the left and right slowly started to move around so they could get a better look. Within five minutes, Meredith and I were completely encircled by kids and the staring began again. No one was saying anything. The only sound was us giggling at how funny we felt. The kids continued to take a gander at us for about 10 min. Another Kenyan woman began running after them with a stick threatening to cane them if they didn't stop gawking. Soccer began again and we were back to picture taking and cheering. The greatest moment of the game came when one of our players tried to kick the ball into the goal and just missed. As he kicked the ball, his shoe flew through the air and the goalie ended up catching the shoe instead of the ball. The whole crowd began to laugh. (Hardly anyone's shoe fits, if he is wearing any at all.) It was a great moment in high school African soccer, which they do call football, but I didn't want to confuse my readers.

Field trip to Burunda

2008-03-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, our school traveled a few miles away to another children's home in Burunda to play soccer. When we arrived, one of our new girls, Lillian, found her little sister, whom she has not seen for some time. Lillian became extremely upset as her sister was very dirty. She bathed her then clothed her with clean clothes, giving her the jacket off her back and the only flip-flops to her name. Lillian continued to cry for the next hour. She seemed so overwhelmed to have found her sister. The two girls became inseparable. I watched them the entire time, smiling at how adorable they are, but my heart was breaking as I realized that they probably have no other family.

When time to leave, I asked a Challenge Farm co-worker what would happen to the sisters. I knew that nothing could prevent Lillian from leaving her little sister. The determined look in her eyes indicated that she would give up being at Challenge Farm in order to stay with her sister. Tears began to well up in my eyes as the Kenyan workers tried their best to split up the girls. The girls swatted off their hands as though they were the peskiest of flies. I quickly knelt down and put my arms around the both of them. I was not about to leave without bringing these girls with me. I became just as determined as they were, swatting off the Kenyan men, exclaiming that they were not being sensitive to these sisters. I was furious and probably being a little dramatic. My co-worker quickly called our director to get permission to bring Lillian’s sister back with us. He got off the phone and gave the nod. Yes! Everyone’s mood changed and we headed back to our home with one more member to the family.

The last picture is of Lillian and her sister.

One week later

2008-02-26T02:01:00.000-08:00

We’ve made it one full week and all 33 new kids are still here! A bit of fighting amongst the new kids has started but nothing unforeseen by the staff. Today we began taking the kids to a classroom and teaching them letters. I have never taught a grade young enough to get the opportunity to teach letters and handwriting. It has been an enjoyable change. The quietness in the classroom amazed me. I took these pictures as proof. They looked like angels!

In their free time, they really love to play cards. I can’t quite pick up the game they play but I enjoy watching them. I can tell that this is what they did most of the day when they weren’t begging for food on the street. It brings me such happiness to be teaching these kids I used to walk with on the street as they begged me for money or food. God is really blessing me with the opportunity to see them change here at Challenge Farm.

Day two of new kids

2008-02-20T02:37:00.000-08:00

The night went well and they seem somewhat settled. The assistant director bought sugar cane for each new child. Apparently it helps replace some of the glue cravings they may be having.

At the end of the day we had four more girls show up from a rescue center down the road. They all seem very happy to be here.

I observed that many of our young kids who haven’t been here long give the new kids quite a hard time, picking on them or poking them with sticks. Don’t they remember how it was when they first came? I know I will need an extra dose of patience and understanding during this time. Please keep these kids in your prayers that they would settle in to the new environment and rules.

New Kids!

2008-02-19T02:27:00.000-08:00

8:30 – I arrived to find 18 street boys lined up outside Challenge Farm gates. Last week our social workers went to the street and told the kids that if they wanted to come to school, they could show up on Tuesday. To get here they would have to walk over 6 miles or beg for money to ride public transportation. This would show the kids who really wanted to commit.

10:00 – Now we have about 28 boys outside the gates. The cut off age is 13 so any boys over 13 will not be taken. We are hoping to take 10 new girls but none have showed up.

10:30 – We brought all the kids in to sit down in chairs. Each child was invited to a desk where he gave his name to the social worker. A teacher then checked everyone for glue, finding only one bottle. Two of our kitchen staff passed out cups of chai tea. Before they were allowed to go play, they were asked to turn in any money they had. Kids are not allowed money because that would enable them to buy glue.

11:00 Samuel, who is 16 years old, has come over from Eldoret where he’s been attending school for three years. Run by a German volunteer, it was burned during the December election crises. Samuel came back to Kitale because his father lives here in the slum; Samuel goes to the streets during the day to beg for food. He was about to enter class 7 at the start of this school year and he seems brighter than some of our class 7 students. I’ve just spent 30 minutes talking to him and he understood me really well.

Nelson: If you read my 3 month update letter about Nelson, he did not arrive with these kids today. I have been told that another childrens’ home in the area took him off the street one week ago. I am happy that he is off the street and attending school, but I’m also sad that he won’t be joining us at Challenge Farm.

12:00 – After playing in the field, the kids were given some soap and opportunity to take a shower.

12:40 – All the new kids ate lunch and played afterward.

Final estimated total of kids who showed up wanting a place to stay came
close to 70. We took 24 boys and 1 girl.

Can you guess which one is Sammy?

2008-02-18T21:00:00.001-08:00

Sammy is the boy to the right wearing the navy sweater.

Mt. Mtelo

2008-02-18T20:46:00.001-08:00

This is no famous mountain to most but it is the Holy Mountain to the Pokot tribe in Kenya. Over the weekend I went with two Germans on a small trip to camp and climb this mountain. I had been wanting to climb a mountain for my birthday, so I was delighted to be invited. The mountain is 10,910 feet high and I climbed about the last 5,000 feet to the top. The experience was perfect as the hike had ever changing scenery. Our guide, Hilary, alerted us to the next part of the climb with some sort of title. One of my favorite parts was the bamboo forest. It was like a scene from Robin Hood or some magical movie. There was another part of the journey where I could have sworn I was transported to West Texas where weeds and wildflowers as tall as we are blocked our path constantly and caused us to return with some scrapes on our arms. The climb up took 5 hours and 45 minutes with occasional stops; the journey down took five hours. Once arriving at the top, we were surprised to find at least 30 Kenyans and one woman from North Carolina. They were on a Lent Pilgrimage. At the campsite, we each had our own mud bonda. It consisted of two beds, two side tables, and a lantern. The shower and African style toilet was a short distance away. The shower had only sides and no ceiling, which made for a beautiful view of the stars as I showered at night.

Need for sports equipment and art supplies

2008-02-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

I have discovered that the art supplies and sports equipment available in stores here pale in comparison to our USA products. Anyone who can donate new or old supplies would be greatly appreciated. I am traveling home at the end of March with two empty bags looking for goodies to bring back to the farm at the end of April. Even if you only have used soccer balls or watercolors that you don’t use, I assure you they are much better than what can be found here. The stores only carry plastic soccer balls; therefore the kids actually go through one in a day.

New Attraction

2008-02-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

I have been working off and on over the last few months making a poster to hang in the main room. It has a picture of each student attending the Light and Power school. Purple is a school color that we’ve implemented as it symbolizes royalty. So I requested that my mother bring me some purple border to help enhance the poster. I finally bought some plastic last week so that I could cover and hang the final product. After hanging the poster, I sat back and observed for a little while. The kids who were coming upstairs stopped and had a ball just looking at their picture and their peers' pictures. It didn’t take long before the word was out that the pictures were hung so more and more kids come up to see the new attraction. It was the highlight of my week seeing their happy faces and hearing their giggling voices as they stood as long as they could in front of the pictures.

Sammy and an exciting upcoming event

2008-02-10T23:39:00.000-08:00

I wish this boy could know and understand just how many people are praying for him. You have all been so encouraging to me with emails and blog comments of how much you are thinking and praying for Sammy. He is doing well but remains to be a tough 16-year-old boy. The week following his return was difficult because he was battling the difficult task of coming down off glue addiction. I found out that he had run away the day after Christmas and then did not return until Saturday, January 26th making that one month he was on the street and sniffing glue. As I have mentioned before, the glue the kids sniff is very potent and addictive. Please continue to pray that God will reveal to him just how special he is.

Within the next two weeks, the Light and Power School will be inviting 30 new boys off the street to live at Challenge Farm. I briefly spoke about this in my three-month update as an upcoming prayer request. The time is here and we will be in much need of prayer. I have been told that this is a crazy transition. For the first month, the boys will be adjusting to their new surroundings and working through possible drug withdrawals. They will not be attending school during this time.

a few pictures from my safari

2008-02-02T23:29:00.000-08:00

Volleyball

2008-01-31T07:19:00.000-08:00

With the beginning of this new school year the Light and Power Center (our school at Challenge Farm) will begin competing in games against other public and private schools. The catch is that we don’t exactly know when the games will begin therefore we have no idea how much time we have to practice before our first game. I’ve been put in charge of volleyball. This will be a challenge since I must have a Kenyan helping me in order to have an interpreter and sometimes there is a conflict. The kids are used to playing volleyball freely using whatever method they can think of to get the ball over the net. Today we worked on learning how to rotate. There will be a boys' and a girls' team so I get to teach two groups of middle school students how to play volleyball. Prayers over this area would be greatly appreciated. This will be a lot of work!

Daily Kenya updates

2008-01-31T01:04:00.000-08:00

For daily trustworthy news on the happenings in Kenya, please visit Daniel's blog.
dlipparelli.blogspot.com

I also have a link to his blog site on the right of my blog entries under Other Great Blog Sites

Farm life update

2008-01-31T01:03:00.000-08:00

If you’ve read my previous blogs, you will already know that I’m completely fascinated by the farm life here. Today I was walking to the kitchen to cut up some pineapple when I saw a small pink animal dash off in the distance of the shamba. I immediately knew that we must have piglets and no one told me! Excitedly, I hurried down to see the filthy yet cute animals. There are a total of nine one-month-old piglets running in the shamba pin. I’ve never been around piglets before that I can recall. They really are fun to watch and cute as can be. I’m excited to watch these little guys grow up. I’m not too fascinated in the full grown pigs as they are just big and fat but I’ll enjoy watching these little ones run around for a few months.

Later in the afternoon during lunch break I was relaxing in the grass when one of our 3 month old calves walked up. He was very interested in me as I lay in the grass in a green shirt. I kept wondering if he thought I was grass and wanted a nibble. I had kicked of my flip-flops to become more relaxed and the calf came right up and started licking the bottom of my foot. Oh how it tickled but it was so sweet that I let him continue.

I left around 5 o’clock to head home. I had driven the car to work because I was transporting a couple of large things from my last home back up to my office. It’s always nice to drive home because I get there so much quicker than my usual routine. On this particular day, I didn’t manage to get home as quick as I should have. I don’t drive the car much so the gas light usually stays on because I never fill up too much at a time due to cost. I guess I didn’t judge correctly on how far I could go today because I ran out of gas on the way home. The most unfortunate part was that my phone was completely dead to where I could not even turn it on to find anyone's phone number. So, when I waved down a Kenyan on a bike, I couldn’t even use his phone to call because I didn’t know anyone’s number. The gentlemen that stopped were very helpful. One took my gas can and left by matatu to go get some gas while the other one stayed with his friend’s bike and me. Everyone that passed us stared a while wondering what we were doing chatting on the side of the road. Within 15 minutes the guy was back with my petrol. Luckily, I had one empty water bottle in my car and we used my trusty Swiss Army card that included a knife to cut off the bottom and use it as a funnel. I was on my way after a 40 minute delay. Whew!

To live the life of a gypsy or nomad

2008-01-29T21:59:00.000-08:00

I’m referring to myself now as a gypsy or nomad. Last Sunday I moved for the second time in the four months I’ve been here. At the end of March I will be moving yet again so I’m not getting too settled into my current residence.

All the moves are within the same neighborhood, which is all walking distance but then I guess everything is walking distance here in Kitale. The house I’ve moved into is the one I’ve posted pictures of before when celebrating the recent big holiday occasions. It’s different living with other people in the house but so much more fun than living alone. It’s like being in a co-op in college. We have a daily schedule for cooking and washing dishes so I’m having normal meals for dinner instead of brainstorming last minute for something to eat. We play games often and follow rules like no guys in the girl’s part of the house and vice versa. All food in the refrigerator is free game unless you put a name on it. It’s really nice to call this my temporary home for now. Even though I’ve just been there two days, it has been fun to have a change in my daily schedule. Having people at home when I arrive after a long day has been the best part.

My Dallas friend Whitney Dickens arrives at the end of February and she’s agreed to sharing a room with me while we stay at this house. That is going to take me back to the good ‘ol camp days when we used to laugh ourselves silly at night. I do hope I’ll catch up on extra rest before her arrival.

An Emotional Saturday

2008-01-27T22:53:00.000-08:00

A week before my return to Kitale I was told about a boy named Sammy who had run away from Challenge Farm on December 28th. The news was sad as I’ve become fond of this particular child. I’m not sure how to get used to children running away so often, but I’ll do the best I can to understand that the reason usually stems from the difficult life they have had so far.

I arrived Kitale on Wednesday, January 23, and rested at home a few days to recover from jet lag. Friday, January 26, was my first time back into Kitale Town. A friend had picked me up in her car to grocery shop and to make a quick stop at the Internet café. We had finished errands and were walking back to her car when I heard my name called. As I turned, I saw Sammy smiling up at me. My heart began racing; I couldn’t believe my eyes. I said many things to him, but I don’t recall what it was and I’m not sure what he understood. My adrenaline was rushing so fast. I wanted to take him back with me, but I was not in my car so I told him I would come back to pick him up. An hour later I went to find him but he was not around. After talking with some co-workers at the Farm we decided to look for Sammy again Saturday morning.

Around 8:30 Saturday morning I arrived in town with Mike, who takes care of the boys' dorm at night. We parked where I had seen Sammy the previous day and started walking through the streets. The boys had told Mike where we might find Sammy as they all hang out in the same area. I had never been behind the buildings in town. The scene was much more difficult to grasp than I had dreamed. One street boy came up to us asking what we were doing. His glue bottle was all but permanently attached under his nose. We asked if he knew Sammy and if so where we might find him. This boy was so high on glue that he hardly knew his right hand from his left, but he led us to where many kids hang out.

After walking through trash and stepping over streams of liquid smelling like beer, we turned a corner into an open courtyard where we saw many street kids just walking around with their glue. I even saw a toddler with them. She was maybe two. About five boys stood around us conversing with Mike; each one had glue. I had only been standing there for 10 minutes before I was completely light headed, dizzy, and felt a headache coming on and I was at least 5 feet away from any of them. I could only imagine what that two-year-old toddler must be inhailing. My eyes began to well with tears at the scene. I couldn’t get a handle on the situation and for that moment, I had forgotten about Sammy and was transfixed on the courtyard. What were these kids’ stories? How did they get to this point? Did they have any family who cared for them or who had loved them at any point in their lives? A friend had told me before I moved to Africa that I would want to rescue all the children I met but that there was no way I could reach them all. On this day, I did want to rescue all these kids and show them that God has a plan for each one of their lives.

One of the older boys walked with Mike and me to some other locations where we might find Sammy. He was nowhere to be found, but we decided to stay on the street awhile just in case. Around 10:00 Sammy came walking up with some street boys who had found him. Mike began to quietly talk to him, but a group of 20 kids were surrounding them making the situation extremely distracting! I stood back not knowing what was being said in Kiswahili but prayed fervently over Sammy from a distance while being tugged at for money by the little street kids. My focus was on these two right in front of me. Sammy was not wanting to return to school. He said he wants to work for his uncle and become a mechanic. He does enjoy fixing broken things around the Farm. He played a large role in repairing the well which I blogged about before I left for Dallas. Many young kids cannot understand why they have to go to school. What they are learning does not seem to have anything to do with their future. These were some of the same complaints I heard at Shelton. Other elementary and middle school teachers reports the same attitude.

In order to talk seriously with Sammy we had to get away from the crowd. The three of us went to a restaurant and had tea. Mike began explaining what good comes from school and that God has a specific plan just for him. Sammy didn’t want to budge, but I could tell that he was happy to be there with us. I got him to smile at me the few times he lifted his head and made eye contact. I also expressed how much I wanted him back at the Farm and that each day would not be complete without him. Realizing that I had tears in my eyes, I stopped talking and let Mike take over. I see now that I get a little too emotional in these situations and should probably step back and watch from afar. After an hour he agreed to come back with us. I pulled the car around to a different spot to pick him and Mike up so that Sammy would not be bombarded by the other boys. Mike had him dispose of any glue before getting into the car to return to Challenge Farm.

God was with us today and I thank Him for bringing Sammy back to the farm. Please pray for Sammy over this next week as he goes through withdrawal from glue and readjusts to the rules and routine at Challenge Farm.

a quick word

2008-01-26T22:59:00.000-08:00

I do apologize for not having posted but one entry over the last month. I am now posting my entries for Christmas Eve and day as well as some others I have written upon my return to Kitale. I will do much better at keeping you all updated now that I have an Internet connection at home! I hope you are all having a great start to 2008.

2008-01-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not having posted any information recently. I have been home in the States but very caught up in what has been happening in Kenya. On December 20th I made a last minute decision to fly home for a brief visit and flew out of Nairobi on the 27th just barely missing the repercussions of the election. Now I'm trying to decide when to return. The country seems to be calming down, but I get conflicting reports from different sources. Of course no one knows what might happen next.

Most of the Challenge Farm kids are back from holiday break; everyone there is fine as the Farm had stocked up on food and other supplies. However, Grace, the Kenyan director, has not yet returned from holiday. She is of the Kikuyu tribe which is in some danger as it is the same as that of the re-elected president. Please pray that she can soon safely travel back to Challenge Farm as it relies heavily on her guidance. Also pray that the political crisis in Kenya will be resolved so that the country can return to normalcy.

My Christmas Eve and Day in Africa

2007-12-30T22:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve

I spent most of Christmas Eve with Challenge Farm staff and kids. About half of the kids went home to visit family. The other half stayed at the farm because they either do not have any family in the area or it is not in their best interest to let them visit home on overnight visits. Since this is a very hard time for half of the kids, Challenge Farm tries to take them on outings. On Christmas Eve we went to the Kitale Nature Conservancy. I had never been to this place. It is a farm that takes care of animals that were born with defects. During the walking tour I saw a goat with five legs, a cat with three eyes, many animals missing or having more than regular number of organs, one cow with two stomachs, and quite a few animals with three legs. The visit was very interesting and the kids had a great time. The farm has only been open one year, but I was happy to find that my little town of Kitale was doing such a great thing for these animals. Around 8 o’clock I went over to some friends' house where we stayed up till midnight playing 10 rounds of Uno.

Christmas Day

This same group of about 14 short term Anglo missionaries met around 10:00 Christmas morning. There were four cooks who had slaved in the kitchen and produced a spectacular and unusual combination of breakfast foods: scrambled eggs, bacon, German pancakes with Maple syrup, mocha cappuccinos, and crepes with powdered sugar, chocolate sauce, cinnamon, and ice cream. I can honestly say that I have never had ice cream for breakfast, but it surely was good! Afterwards, we opened the gifts we had received from home and then most everyone played the white elephant exchange game. This is always enjoyable as it brings so many laughs. You can imagine just how funny it can be when everyone’s gift came from the market in this small African town.

Most everyone went their separate ways during the afternoon, visiting orphanages of Kenya friends. We reconvened that evening for another excellent meal. All in all, it was quite different from my Christmas in Dallas, but it was a very great Christmas in Africa.

Christmas Wishes!

2007-12-22T22:29:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from a safari holiday in Tanzania, which I will blog about later but I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas before I missed the 25th. While on safari I was in search of some Christmas spirit. Here are a couple evidences that Christmas is celebrated in Tanzania.

For those fellow Grey’s Anatomy fans

2007-12-02T23:06:00.000-08:00

I decided three weeks ago to go ahead and buy a season pass to itunes for season 4 of Grey’s Anatomy. I began downloading the first episode with such excitement. It took three hours, but I was ready to go home and watch and knew that it was well worth the wait. Turns out, I had only downloaded the new music video by Matt Kearney to kick off the season. You could imagine the disappointment I was feeling. The next time I went to the Internet café, I began downloading the real first episode. It took me somewhere close to 20 hours to download ONE episode! So, every time I went to the café, I would first open itunes, wait to see that the downloading began, then I would start to email. Just one hour before my departure to Nairobi, the downloading finished.

I was ready for the holiday and couldn’t think of a better way to begin. I rushed home, copied it to my ipod, and waited for the hour drive to the airport to watch it. Kitale is about one hour from Eldorat International airport. After getting into a seven passenger matatu sort of van, I began sinking into my seat and the Grey’s Anatomy world. Not much swayed my attention from the show. Only once did I pause because I could have sworn I was smelling BBQ, so I had to glance out the window; there was no Sonny Bryans or Stubs anywhere to be seen. The credits began to role and I stared out my window to soak up my new surroundings. I smiled at how great technology is that it enables me to watch a new season of my favorite show while in the middle of East Africa.

God is watching over us

2007-12-02T23:03:00.000-08:00

About one and a half weeks ago the Challenge Farm water system broke. I would enjoy giving specifics, but I still do not understand it myself. I did not realize for three days that the water system was down and that this was a very big problem. I have since recognized a major cultural difference between Americans and Africans; we Americans show emotion quite openly through facial expressions and body language if not having already spoken in words. Africans, on the other hand, always seem to be "fine." I have yet to see anyone of my co-workers have a bad day. So in the middle of the water crisis, I never noticed that there was anything to worry about. I knew that I couldn’t get water from a few sinks, but I just figured they were fixing some things. It never dawned on me that we had a limited supply of water because no one spoke of it and everyone was walking around as though life was normal. It came as quite a shock at staff meeting when the director spoke up and said something close to “concerning the water issue, I would take any suggestions as to what we could do to get water. We are running out and this is a major issue.” Keep in mind this was all spoken in a calm voice, but I knew at that moment that this was a large issue since it was being brought up at staff meeting.

I went home that evening wondering if there was any way I could help. I figured it was worth a try telling my handy mzungu neighbor Allen to see if he had any suggestions. He gladly came out the following three days and worked with our head maintenance man. The main problem is quite a major issue and costly, so they were conjuring up an alternate solution to get immediate water since it could take a while for the other. I went out on Saturday to hang out and relax plus Allen sent me with a few more items that might help the temporary solution. An hour after I had arrived, one of my happiest moments took place. I was standing around the old well with three other adults and five kids. I had been watching them for a while hoping to see some good action. Phillip, the maintenance head, flipped a switch for a pump to begin and we all stared at the water. It was actually draining! He did a quick dance while praising the Lord and then began lowering this pump into the well. He flipped the switch again and the water began pumping from the well! He did another dance and we began pumping water into buckets. I have not seen something so exciting in quite some time. I was smiling from ear to ear while thinking of how great God is for watching over his children. I’m so happy I went out to Challenge Farm on Saturday.

Thanksgiving – African style

2007-11-27T06:15:00.000-08:00

My day began differently this morning; I decided to run before school. I used to run at home, and I’ve really missed this exercise since being here. At 5:00, Allen, who lives in the main house, knocked on my window. We walked first until I built up to jogging. At 5:00 it is still pitch black so there is no way to see for the next 40 minutes or so. I felt so refreshed afterward and ready for the Thanksgiving Day.

I left school at noon to help cook. I didn’t realize that this day was the beginning of a busy season for riding matatus. I had waited for 45 before a Kenyan friend told me it could be one and a half hours before a seat would be available on a bus. I decided to call a cab. After finally arriving home, I found out that Todd had secured a generator because electricity was out all over town and would likely not be back on until 5:00. I couldn’t believe this was happening on our holiday! The two of us drove with the generator to the house where a group of 14 would be celebrating. After greeting everyone with an enthusiastic "Happy Thanksgiving, Amanda, Kate, and I discussed what needed to be baked in the oven. It tuned out that Todd’s generator was broken. We decided we would begin cooking at 5:00 when the electricity came on but nothing ever happens when it’s supposed to in Africa. For all we knew, the electricity might not come on until 8:00 that night.

I had ordered three pumpkin pies from a wonderful baker down the street. I texted her on my phone to see if she had been able to make the pies. With great excitement she wrote back to tell me they were ready because she has a gas stove. Now we had an option. So we three girls finished making lunch and walked down the hill to get the pies and ask if we could use her stove. Ebraham, the husband and chef, told us it would be fine if we used their stove so we headed back up the hill to assemble the dishes and bring them down. During our walk back, Amanda received a phone call saying the elecricity was back on. We couldn’t believe it. Like I already said, nothing ever happens early in Africa. So, we were able to use both our stove and our friends' which allowed us to serve dinner by 6:30 right on time.

Our meal consisted of variations of most traditional dishes that Americans eat for Thanksgiving except for turkey, very expensive, so we had steaks instead. Our side dishes were mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, baked macaroni and cheese, northern style stuffing, pumpkin pie, and chocolate cake. Everything was delicious and we managed to stuff ourselves just fine. Once the meal was over, ten of us changed into dark or black clothes and headed out to the back yard for what turned out to be three hours of capture the flag. The day was a complete success. I am very blessed to have other Americas with whom I can celebrate holidays.

Closing of school

2007-11-23T23:14:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 23rd, was the official close of school. The students spent time cleaning up in the morning and at 10:00 parents and family members began to arrive. At 11:00, everyone convened for a chapel service and school awards. I couldn’t fight back the tears as I saw many students very dressed up for the occasion. They were wearing clothing that I’d never seen before. Many girls had done their hair differently and they all looked so pretty. We have 60 kids that attend school and about 20 visitors were able to come and support their children. Seeing the looks on some of the kids’ faces was enough to make my week. They have looked forward to this day for a while. How special it was finally to meet some of the parents.

Maximilla update (one week ago)

Maximilla returned with her father a few days ago. She had come up with some reason that she did not come back right away. Without divulging her business, I will just tell you that she will not be living at Challenge Farm at this time. The staff here will be monitoring baby Rick on a regular basis at Maximilla's home to make sure the baby is getting the nourishment he needs. They will not allow that child to suffer because of the choices she has made.

Trying to stay warm

2007-11-13T00:24:00.000-08:00

The past two days have been very cold here. My nose and toes never get the chance to warm up and I haven’t yet taken off my coat. Today I decided that I had to do something about this situation. The kitchen is the only logical place for warming up so I usually go and stand next to the very large jiko. Today I wanted to help out and get involved. The cooks all laughed but gave me a choice of two knives I could use. I took the one that was not as sharp. I sat cutting sekuma wiki for 45 minutes. Not only did I finally warm up, but my back, hands, and arms became very tired. I don’t know how these women do what they do for feeding 60 children 3 times a day. Sekuma wiki is a green leafy vegetable that is eaten every day around Kenya. Before it is cooked, it is tough like collard greens. I really enjoy it!

I returned to my office since I had warmed up only to immediately freeze again. I’ve been told many times that we are going into the summer months, but I haven’t seen any evidence.

David and Maxamilla

2007-11-12T00:20:00.000-08:00

I want to fill you in on the happenings at Challenge Farm. All the kids that live here have previously lived on the street; therefore they have many battles with detachment disorder. Even though life on the street was not good, they fear their current good life will be taken from them, so they go ahead and leave before it can be taken from them. It’s hard for me to understand why anyone would want to leave Challenge Farm, but I’ve seen it happen four times since I’ve arrived. I want to informed you about the kids who have left so that you can pray for them.

David, who has been gone for 3 months, has just returned. Hallelujah! While Cheri was here, I heard her praying often for his return. I could not believe my eyes this morning as everyone gathered around for the parade (announcements). I was able to introduce myself afterward and tell him that many people had been praying for him. I want to be able to do that for each child who returns home.

Maximillia is 16 years old and has a nine month old baby boy named Rick. I have a few pictures of Rick posted on my blog. Maximillia was told to take an important paper back to her father’s house on Friday afternoon and return that night, but it is Monday morning and she has not yet returned. Everyone here has feared that she would leave because here she has to take full responsibility for her child. Once before when she ran away is when she became pregnant. Please pray that both she and the baby will return safely and soon.

It blows my mind when I think of all these kids have been through at such a young age. There are many adults who haven’t come close to experiencing what these kids have dealt with most of their young lives.

Little Tizan's birthday party

2007-11-12T00:15:00.000-08:00

Last night I was invited to Rachael’s home to celebrate her daughter’s birthday. Rachael is my Kiswahili Tutor I was a bit nervous being out late by myself, but I arrived safely. It was such a treat being a part of Tisa’s birthday. I was told later that she was just as excited as I was about my being there. Earlier at school that day she bragged to her teacher that her mom had invited a white person to her party.

The cake was brought before dinner, which is part of the tradition. We sang happy birthday and everyone had a taste. The four year old was actually allowed to cut the cake! After everyone ate some cake, dinner was served. We ate yummy beef stew over rice and chipati on the side. I have posted a picture of the chipati as it is my new favorite food to eat here. It is very unhealthy but just too good to pass up. After dinner the adults chatted and watched T.V. I found out that they watch some of the same shows we do in the States. Some of their favorite shows are Desparate Housewives, 24, and Scrubs. Rachel’s husband asked if 24 depicted what life is like in the States. After I finished laughing, I noted that some people in the US wished life were as cool as it is depicted on 24.

Shoes….shoes…and more shoes!

2007-11-10T20:36:00.000-08:00

The kids at Challenge Farm are in much need of new shoes! I took this picture of a pile that was sitting right outside the girl’s dorm. Many of the kids go barefoot all day long. They look cute in their uniforms but it is not expensive to make the clothes and we have women who sew them right here on the farm. The shoes are what is expensive. All students are supposed to have a pair of black leather shoes for school, but the cost of one pair is equivalent to $25.

The other pictures are of our boys’ soccer (football to them) team. The team competes every 3 months when everyone is out of school. Many of these kids do not have shoes; none of the shoes have cleats. The day I took these pictures, they got very excited at the possibilty of getting cleats. That thought made their week.

It would be wonderful to show them just how God provides. If anyone would like to give money for leather shoes or for cleats for the team or maybe host a fundraiser, please let me know. I assure you that you would really make some kids very happy.

End of school and matatu rides

2007-11-10T00:45:00.000-08:00

We are one week away from ending the school year. In the States, when we are one month before closing school for the year, you would think the world is coming to an end. Here, you cannot even tell a difference. The kids go about their business preparing for exams and playing during breaks. I sit outside watching the kids during their recess time while trying to cover my skin as it burns so quickly here. I have yet to even see an argument on the soccer field. I know they do have arguments, but I have not witnessed one yet.

Yesterday I was riding on a matatu (bus) at 1:30 in the afternoon. This part of Kenya is very cool in the morning, but as summer approaches,it is becoming very hot in the afternoon. As I boarded, I was told to go to the back of the matatu - the worst place to sit because I feel very hemned in since I can see every person in front of me. The bus is only supposed to seat 14 people as clearly stated on the side of each matatu, but rules are rarely followed. The driver continued to stuff people in till there were 20 of us. Now I know this is normal but what always makes me wonder is why the passengers refuse to keep the windows open. Here we are stuffed like sardines into a closed vehicle at the hottest part of the day and just when we begin to pick up speed, they shut the windows. Everyone must be as hot as I am! I pondered this question during my entire ride. Later I found out that Africans don’t like wind. I don’t like wind either, but in that situation I’m for any gust coming my way. Each ride is an adventure for one reason or another.

My new home for a few months

2007-11-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

Prayer requests

2007-11-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

I am working with a student named Linford. He is a delightful young boy who contracted cerebral malaria at a very young age. I have been told that the medication he was taking is what caused problems with his speech and learning. I don’t have the experience working with a student like this. At times I think of Anne Sullivan and what she felt like with Helen Keller. I know the situation is far from hers, but I imagine Anne knew just as little about working with Helen as I do with Linford. I ask for prayers that God show me just how to work with Linford. I already know he is a talented child that just needs unlocking.

I am slowly working my way into the school system, the new culture, and completely different environment, but sometimes days are a bit rough. I have made many new friends, but they just aren’t home. During this big holiday season, I ask for prayers over my loneliness.

I am working with a total of 13 kids right now. They only have two more weeks of school before their final exams for the school year. I just ask prayer over each one as they continue working hard through these next weeks.

Thanks Alabama

2007-10-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all the quick and long email messages I've been receiving from the team. They make me smile and laugh. Yall are wonderful!

No school - harvest day

2007-10-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

On this Wednesday there was no school. All the kids were helping to harvest the maze. I arrived late because of my Kiswahili lesson. As soon as I was able, I jumped right in on the action. Anytime there is something happening that I have not yet tried, I get excited about the new experience. I never would have imagined that harvesting could be fun.

Trip to Runno

2007-10-27T06:17:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Paul took six Americas including myself to North Pokot. This area is where he has many building projects finished, some in progress, and some on paper. Samuel, a Kenyan who runs a school Paul built in Runno, invited us to the village where he grew up. It seemed as though we drove forever to get to the village. The area was right by the mountains and covered with Acacia trees. The land was beautiful. It was my first time to see what life is like in the bush. The school that is held for village children takes place right under the largest tree in the village (take note as you look at the pictures). The children performed two songs they had prepared and then the elders stepped up to do their performance. You will see that they had all dressed in matching outfits for the presentation.

After two song and dance routines, they grabbed up all of us muzugus to join in the fun. The constant jumping exhausted me quickly, but they didn’t allow us to stop. Paul commented that they could jump all day long if needed. Luckily we did not have all day. Everyone was very kind and generous. They passed out the most delicious mangos I’ve ever eaten. To close our time together, many villagers gave their own trinkets as gifts. I received a gourd, bracelet, and necklace. It was very touching that they were willing to share their own possessions. I will cherish each item that I received as well as the memories of this extraordinary African experience.

Farm Life

2007-10-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

I’ve grown up in Dallas from the day I was born so farm life has always been very foreign to me. I find it so fun to be sitting in a classroom and look out the window at the cows grazing 10 feet away.

At 9:30 every day the students and staff have a Chi break. Chi is tea made with lots of milk and sugar. The milk is straight from our cows! This just amazes me.

During a break on Wednesday, I asked Sammy, who tends the farm, if I could have a pumpkin. I really want to make some pumpkin bread this weekend. He told me that he would have to grab it later. After 40 minutes, the littlest student, Selina, came walking to my office carrying a long green fruit. She barely speaks English but she could understand pumpkin and apparently that was what she brought me. It looks nothing like ours in the States, but I’m going to try to make the bread anyway.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

2007-10-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

I began my trek to work this morning at 7:20. I was not sure how long it would take me so I began my stopwatch when I walked out the door. Halfway down the driveway I realized I didn’t have the keys to the office. Once arriving at one matatu spot, I was recognized by Charles. He works at the corner selling cookies and other things. (Once he tired to get Ashley to buy him cookies. These were the same cookies he was selling.) When the bus comes to this spot it stops and waits for a little bit. During the waiting time another gentleman came up to the van and expressed to me in front of the other passengers that he wanted to marry an American and could he have my phone number. Flattering as it was, I did not give out my number. The only problem I have with riding the bus is that I don’t know the signal to tell them of my stop. The other is that I never recognize where my stop is located. Luckily a man got off at my stop and I quickly jumped off. Everyone was looking at me with a strange stare. I had a 10 minute walk to school which had me arriving at 8:10. So I found out that the entire journey takes me 50 minutes. The school day went really well. I sat in on some more classes and memorized even more names. When I left this afternoon I got about 10 minutes down the street and realized that this time I had left the keys to my house in the office. During my second attempt at leaving school, I encountered many little school children leaving an elementary school down the road. They came to Challenge Farm one day when the team was here with medical care and we’d give them Tootsie pops. When the kids saw me, they came running to shake my hand. Precious!

Off to work

2007-10-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

Today is my first official work day at Challenge Farm. This means that I have been sitting in on classes and taking notes about the kids. I drove today because I had a lot to bring to the farm, but my current plan is to walk to the main street and then ride a matatu (mini bus). Driving here is very expensive and a little dangerous at times.

One of the highlights of sitting in on classes was watching them find their writing utensils. One boy had hid his on the wood scaffolding above the room. He stood on the table to reach up and grab his pencil. I was trying my hardest not to chuckle at his great hiding place. So far, one could say that the classroom setting is quite different than in the States. Students were lying on the tables, dancing and singing at any given time during class.

I have made and brought my lunch today, which consists of zucchini, some unusual tomatoes, and some fresh mozzarella mixed with olive oil, pepper, and salt. This was quite tasty with the exception of the tart tomatoes. I didn’t know how to tell if they were ripe.

Saying Bye to the last group for a while

2007-10-23T00:53:00.000-07:00

I rode with Paul to Eldorat airport to drop off Ashley, Cheri, and Ian. It was very sad to see them all leave. I knew the moment would arrive when I would say in astonishment, “I live in Africa!”

I had to move from the Brittany House after arriving back home, which added to the sadness. After unpacking most of my belongings at my new home, I sat down on my bed and didn’t know what to do. I quickly became stir crazy and had to leave. I drove to town to check my internet and do some small grocery shopping. Not too much later I received an invite for dinner and I quickly jumped at the opportunity. Much to my surprise and happiness, the dinner that some friends (they are also from Texas) had prepared was soft tacos! I could not begin to express the joy I was feeling. It’s the little things that can really turn a day around. I ended up having a wonderful night and was even excited to come back to my new home. I enjoy seeing how God works in times when I’m down. I can almost feel him pick me back up to my feet and set me to running.

Rondo

2007-10-20T00:49:00.000-07:00

Paul wanted to take Ashley and Mr. Sing to his favorite place in Kenya. Even though we've just met, he invited me to come along. I was very happy to take advantage of this opportunity. We left early in the morning and drove an hour and a half to Kakamega Rain Forest. We had tea then went for a nice walk through the forest. At 1:00, we sat down for a nice lunch together then spent the rest of the afternoon reading or napping. It was quite nice to have the rest because that night Ashley and I stayed at the Challenge Farm dorm with the girls. We did NOT get much sleep but it was an experience.

The day of the picnic

2007-10-17T01:02:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Ashley and I began the day with a morning walk. We passed people walking to church in addition to cows, goats, and lambs. At times during the day I forget that I am in Africa, but when I encounter 30 animals in my path, I quickly remember and chuckle to myself. Later in the afternoon, Paul (who runs the Brittany guest house where I’m staying) took Ashley, Karen and Opp (founders of Seeds Ministry) and me on a picnic about 40 minutes from Kitale. None of us had any idea it was going to be such a magnificent spot. The pictures don’t begin to do it justice. We carried with us camping chairs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and other snacks. Luckily, I packed my jacket because it turned out to be quite cold. We laughed about how people in the States imagine Africa to be hot. In this part of Africa anyway, we can't ever seem to get warm. We were about 8,000ft up so the wind was a big factor that day. This country is far more beautiful than I ever imagined!

PB&J at the best picnic spot ever!

2007-10-17T00:50:00.000-07:00

I have also included two pictures of the how we are protected at night while sleeping at Brittany House.

a glance at the Alabama team hard at work

2007-10-17T00:39:00.000-07:00

To Smile or not to Smile

2007-10-16T01:00:00.000-07:00

Kitale is such a quaint town. The streets are filled with people walking, riding, biking, and selling everything and anything you can imagine. The Kenyans tend to stare at all mazungus. I feel like I must have something on my face or some part of my clothing inside out because they rarely take their eyes off me, but when I flash a smile, they light up. Their smiles are so big that it makes mine pale in comparison. Making everyone on the street smile has become a kind of game for us mazungus.

Some more pictures around the farm

2007-10-16T00:32:00.000-07:00

A tribute to Alabama

2007-10-13T03:06:00.000-07:00

This last week has been very busy. On Saturday 19 people from Alabama arrived to work at Challenge Farm. There were four groups within the team: medical, VBS camp, marriage, and building. So much happened that I wish I could have blogged about each day, but time and internet speed does not allow. God moved in tremendous ways throughout the week; it was awsome to see the changes in team members as well as in the staff and children at Challenge Farm. I worked with the VBS team; our days usually went from 9:30 to about 4:00. We began with singing and dancing then flowed right into a Bible story. Afterwards we played a game outside. After lunch at 12:40, we reconvenved around 2:00 for crafts and more games. The kids were truly amazing during every part.

I am blessed to see that the positive influence of the Alabama team is ongoing. At chapel yesterday, the whole message revolved around what was taught during the marriage seminar. Paul, the preacher that day, lit up with joy from all he had learned last week. Later that day at staff meeting many reiterated what a great gift the team had been to them and the children. I have never been part of a business staff meeting in the States. It was so much fun to see Challenge Farm in action. My favorite part was discussion of what to do with the 10 liter surplus of milk we have per week. You see, we just bought two more cows; therefore, we have more milk. The discussion lasted at least 15 minutes. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

Paul's Place

2007-10-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

Here are three pictures of where I am currently saying in Kitale. It starts from outside the gate and slowly up the drive getting closer to the house. Enjoy!

Praise and worship by lantern light

2007-10-06T00:47:00.000-07:00

Last night Ashley and I ventured down the street to a birthday party. A group of Muzungu's (white people) were gathing and cooking out goat. Yumm! We did not know a sole but figured we should go anyway. I will try and give you a mental picture of the best part of the evening. It was very dark outside and about 15 people gathered under a tiki hut lit by four lanterns. Two Americans and one German were playing guitars, one Kenyan was on the bongo, and another Kenyan was dancing and singing back up. The rest of us were just worshiping and singing along with what they were playing. What a perfect night here in Kitale. It was very nice to meet people around my age; two were even from my home city, Dallas. We found out that they lead a church on Sunday at 3:00 that reaches out to the youth of Kitale. We are very excited to attend this service Sunday.

Introduction to Challenge Farm

2007-10-04T23:48:00.000-07:00

My first introduction to Challenge Farm was at 5:00 the day I arrived in Kitale. It was already getting dark, but once we drove through the gate everyone came running. They were so excited to see us. Even though no one knows me, each staff member and some kids walked right up, introduced themselves, and welcomed me, some with huge smiles and even bear hugs. Grace, the Kenyan director, spoke a few words and then everyone sang a welcoming song. The whole experience brought tears to my eyes.

I have been to Challenge Farm each day. I'm trying to learn everyone's name, but it will take some time. My goal is to have most of the names memorized by the end of next week. I will be helping out with World Family Kids Camp, which kicks off on Monday. There is no better way to get to know a group of people than through camp.

Yesderday was a day to try new things. I got to ride a bota bota to town in the morning. A bota bota is a bike driven by a Kenyan with a seat on the back for a passenger. That was very fun and scary at the same time. The cyclist really cruises on the narrow road! I kept asking myself, as very large trucks passed, how I could protect my laptop if we crashed. Later that day Ashley(the director for World Family Kids Camp) and I took a matatu back to the guest house where we are staying. A matatu is a small bus about 1/3 the size of DART; it is fully packed, sometimes with people hanging out the door. In the evening I had the priviledge of driving a car;I have driven twice now - once to town this morning and around the neighborhood last night. It's quite different driving a standard on the opposite side of the road.

catching up

2007-10-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Africa on September 30th, stayed in Nairobi for two nights then drove to Kitale on October 2. Below I have posted a slide show. The picture of a few buildings was a guest house in Nairobi where I stayed. There are two pictures of how we packed the car for the seven hour journey to Kitale. In the car was Cheri, who started Challenge Farm, Ashley, who will be here for three weeks, our driver Frances and me. The rest of the pictures are views from the drive. The terrain changed a few times during the drive. At times it would be very rough and dusty, then it would change to being smooth and a little flat. My favorite part was when the air was clear and we were driving through hills. It looked very similar to Colorado. Everything was breathtaking and beautiful. I did get to see some zebra's and baboons a few times as they were just grazing on the side of the road.

Arrival to Kitale

2007-10-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

time in London

2007-10-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

I received my bags two days after I arrived in London. What a wonderful feeling to have all my belongings again. My time there was wonderful. As you can tell from the picture, they were beginning their fall. The parks were a beautiful and relaxing place to hang out.

out of the country

2007-09-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

I've made it through my first long day of flying and my bags made it through the first weigh in; one at 49.5 pounds and the second at 51 pounds. The attendant didn't hassle me at all about going over a tiny bit. I flew AA to Washington Dullus airport where I switched airlines to BA and flew to London. Everything almost went smoothly except neither of my perfectly packed bags have arrived yet. I will be in London for 3 more days so I'm hoping that will give the airline enough time to deliver the bags. Until then, I'm relaxing inside in borrowed sweatpants. Fall has actually begun in London, so it is quite nippy and I don't wish to go tromping around outside without being properly bundled.

Thanksgiving in September

2007-09-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

My parents asked what I would like to eat for my last family dinner. My only response was pumpkin chiffon pie. Quickly the suggestion to have Thanksgiving was offered and I jumped at the opportunity. For the last week we have been laughing as we anticipated the upcoming Thanksgiving feast. We planned it to take place right around the Cowboys' game so that it would feel just like that wonderful holiday in November. What an excellent send off!

The new date

2007-09-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

I will be departing for Africa on Tuesday, September 25 which means that I'm back to the "crunch time before I leave" mode. I've purchased almost everything needed and have it laid out neatly. The next step is to see what all fits in the bag according to FAA weight limits.

Many of you have asked if I'm going with the same organization and I am not. Therefore a new organization will be managing my donations while I'm gone. If you are interested in supporting me, please send donations to the following address:

WorldconneX
1409 South Lamar #906
Dallas, TX 75215

All checks should be made out to WorldconneX with Kenya Kids written on the memo line. This is the name of my organization through WorldconneX.

Some unscheduled changes

2007-08-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have been warned that with mission work, assignments can change radically. You have an idea about what you are going to do but overnight find yourself in a different situation. My blog reflects this sudden change in direction.

A week before my scheduled departure I learned I would not be leaving August 4. Due to some issues that have surfaced and need to be worked out at Harvesters, my church decided it would not be sending anyone at this time. After a few weeks of down time, relaxation, and reflection, I've come to realize this delay was a blessing in disguise. As disappointing as it is not to return to the kids I know at Harvesters, I'm confidant that God has a plan and I am faithfully following his direction. Romans 5:2-4 says, "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

With every door that closes another opens. Not long after I found that I was not going to Sudan, another opportunity presented itself. To the Southeast of Sudan is the bordering country Kenya. I have been offered a position there at a smaller orphanage in Kitale. Called Challenge Farm this orphanage works with street kids. In January '07 it opened a school for grades 1 - 7 and offers after-school activities such as soccer, guitar, and drama. I'm hoping to teach them the great sport of volleyball in addition to teaching English.

Thank you for encouraging me in my missionary endeavors and for helping me deal with this transition. If you have already sent money to Harvesters, that money will be rerouted to my church, IBC (Irving Bible Church, which will be managing it initially.
Any new support should be held until I post the mission agency that will be managing my funds while I'm in Kenya.

a delay that allows me some breathing room

2007-07-31T17:05:00.000-07:00

I was supposed to leave for Africa on Saturday, August 4th. This schedule only allowed me one week after summer school to shop, pack, organize, and say bye to friends and family. However, the departure date has been postponed - a true blessing as I now have time not only to shop, pack, and organize but I can relax and work on lessons for teaching ESL and read the last Harry Potter. This last month has been so wonderful. I have been able to see almost everyone near and dear to me, some of whom I haven't seen in a couple of years. My family, friends, and students have indiviually thrown me 4 different going away parties (one was a complete surprise), and Cliff Temple, the church where I grew up, had a commissioning service with a reception following. I could not have invisioned a more memorable time before leaving the country.

Packing

2007-07-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

How do I pack everything I need for teaching and living for one year in two 50 pound bags? I must keep in mind that there are no Walmarts, Targets, Tom Thumbs, or anything close to the sort anywhere near me. With these limitations, what would you take with you? We do have electricity most of the day but I have to use a converter.

I have been thinking so much about what to pack that I have had numerous dreams of packing. Just last week I dreamt that I had packed everything I needed and my bag was still light. After realizing I could pack more, I quickly placed the new Harry Potter book in my bag. I was thrilled to be able to take the very heavy 750 page book with me.

Medication is the biggest area I have to consider, even before clothes. I have to imagine what all I might get sick from in one year and take the medication needed. As for shopping, town has what would be equivilent to our Thrift Store and even sells some American clothes. While I was on my trip last year, I recognized a dress that the compound nurse was wearing. I used to own the exact dress from the Gap and bought it in 1997. She chuckled after I told her and said, "That's what happens with some of your clothes you give away. They end up in Africa." What a wild thought - our old clothes may travel to far, tucked away places in the world.

saying bye to Dublin

2007-06-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

Dublin is my gray Tabby. Friends may describe her as not being the most personable cat, but I love her and she returns this love. She's been a part of my life for almost seven years now and the longest Dublin has been without me was about a week and a half. For my birthday this year, my aunt gave me the greatest present of all. She volunteered to take Dublin for the two years that I will be in Africa. Up until that point, I did not have a clue where she would live.
Last week I flew my cat to New Hampshire where my aunt lives. I stayed for 6 days while trying to get her adjusted to the new home. She did all right while I was there but things have been difficult since my departure. My aunt informed me two days ago that Dublin usually sleeps on the only thing left in the house that has my scent. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about how much I will miss her during these next two years.

While staying in Jackson, NH, I visited the local grammar school and the Montessori school. I would like to say a special hello to the students I met from both schools. To the Jackson Grammar school, thank you for allowing me to attend your weekly school meeting. I was very impressed.

an eye opening experience

2007-04-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

I awoke at 9:30 to the sun sneaking through my blinds, causing my eyes to open slowly and adjust to my room and a new day. I am often thankful these days for all the blessings, gifts, and comforts that God has and continues to give me. Not that I haven't always been thankful, but I see days, activities, friends, and family with a new set of eyes. Knowing that my days in Dallas are numbered, counting down to the biggest move I will have made so far, I want to soak up every moment and capture each hour as though I could play it back like the T.V. show 24. This is of course without any violence. As in this morning, I was taking in every feeling of the comfort of my bed while looking beyond my bedroom into the space I currently have in my 900 sq. ft. apt. that I live in alone. I will be sharing, for the second time in my life, a generous 300 sq. ft. apartment - this time in Africa. The first time being in NYC where my roommate and I had a medium sized fridge, a small stove, sink, cabinets, a well running toilet, and a tub/shower. It is humorous to look back on the first time I saw what little I had in the way of an apt. Now to look at what my new home in Africa will be like, I know there will be days that I long for what I had in NYC. Just this living situation shows me what a humorous God we have. How He constructs our life experiences to prepare us for the future comforts me and helps me to walk in faith for He does have complete control. (In a few weeks I will post a picture of my room in Africa to have as a comparison to the above picture which is part of my apt. in Dallas.)

A Turning Point

2007-04-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

I’ve reached a pivotal point in my life, this one taking me where my dreams have been for six years. In 2001, while attending my brother’s wedding in India, I was offered a job at the Woodstock International School. Though excited about my first teaching offer, I declined, but I knew from that point that I wanted to be a missionary in a third world country. I wasn’t sure when the time would come, and I prayed I hadn’t missed my opportunity.

In June 2006 I participated in a mission trip to Yei, Sudan. How God led me to that trip instead of a return mission trip to Honduras is precious to my heart. Before I left for this short term trip, I had considered moving for a longer period but while there felt a lack of confidence in my teaching skills. I was not worried about the area, the living situation, or lack of American comforts. Instead I just felt a distance from God; the great desire I had had for moving there disappeared. Back home, friends asked the ever so burning question, “Are you moving to Sudan?” My answer varied from time to time. I was still missing that conviction I had had in India. My distance from God grew.

Around November 2006, four months after the Sudan trip, two friends and I began a Bible study by Priscilla Shirer, titled “He Speaks to Me.” Each of us was facing big decisions. This study brought me back little by little to those desires I had had prior to my Sudan trip. The excitement grew each day, but I wasn’t ready to mention it to anyone. I wanted to know for sure. That assurance came on Friday, January 7, when we were in the middle of our Bible study; it became very clear to me that I was to move to Sudan. The drive home was a blur as my thoughts settled on the Yei orphanage. I felt like Mexican jumping beans were bouncing through my body. Monday, I emailed Amy at Harvesters stateside, who promptly emailed Mama Lily and Dennis, head of the Yei orphanage. I could not have been more uplifted by their response. Within one hour, I received more positive emails from Harvester board members. Since then in many various ways God has encouraged me in my decision.