Mama Jude

On Thursday we spent most of our day at Sister Freda’s Medical Center.  I know I’ve already mentioned her work in Kitale, but I can’t tell you how much I love helping at her facilities.  That day we were in the hospital ward visiting with patients.  After being debriefed about the current status of each patient, the doctor took us around to meet all of them.  We finished our tour in Judith’s room where we laid our hands on her, praying for her and all the patients in the hospital.  At that point, Judith was lying in bed barely able to move. 

Later on, I found myself back at Judith’s room talking with her.  Her heart was so beautiful.  In just 30 minutes with her, I could sense the godly wisdom and passion that filled her spirit.  This woman who was barely able to lift her head that morning had more fire for Christ at this point than most people have in their entire lifetime.  I decided I needed to find Jade and Michelle so that they could hear some of what Judith had to say.  We spent another hour or so with Judith, mainly listening to her and soaking in all the wisdom she had to offer. 

Before leaving, Judith asked if we could spend more time together in the future.  I eagerly agreed and we exchanged phone numbers.  It was at this point that Judith told me that most people call her Mama Jude.  Mama Jude? I couldn’t believe it!  Some of you out there know of Mama June.  Mama June is an elderly lady that, throughout my time in college, I have grown very close with.  My weekly visits to a nursing home in Waco with my sorority morphed into a relationship outside of the sorority’s required service hours.  Over the years, Mama June has shared a great deal of wisdom and joy with me and with many others.  What a joyful moment it was to realize that here in Kitale, God was putting another godly woman in my life—only this time her name is Mama Jude.  Now that’s what I call a God-wink! 

the stars at night are big and bright...

Being a native Texan, this song has played an ample role in my life.  It doesn't matter that I've lived most of my life in the Dallas area where stars aren't actually that bright, I've been taught to believe that nothing can outshine the starry sky in Texas.  I'm here to tell you that this is not true! The stars in Africa are muchhh bigger and brighter!  A few nights ago, we were in the midst of making dinner when the electricity went out.  Blackouts are a familiar occurrence here, and surprisingly I never view them as an inconvenience, but more as a fact of life and often times an enjoyable fact of life.  After eating dinner by candlelight, flashlight and headlamp, Michelle and I set out to wash the dishes in the dark.  Standing at the sink, I glanced out the window to see the most amazing night sky.  With every light in and around the city out, the stars were magnificently bright.  I wandered outside and was taken aback by the absolute beauty of the star-filled sky.  Stars have always been a love of mine, and their splendor fascinates me.  Since I was little, I've imagined that stars are the result of millions of tiny holes punched in a large black cloth spread across a vast sky and the light that springs forth from these holes is God's glory seeping from the heavens into my world.  Meaning the beauty I see in the stars is a glimpse, a mere blink, of God's alluring splendor.  The day that I stand in the presence of my God, will be the day that even the beauty of the starriest night will not compare.  But until then, I'll continue to look to the stars and be reminded of His glory.  For the stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Kenya!  

Beautiful Smiles

Over and over again God shows me his beauty.  Everyday I see kids, helpless kids, barely getting by.  Some have a mother or a father absently 'parenting' them, some have a grandmother or perhaps an aunt helping take care of their minimum needs, and some have nobody.  But their smile, oh their smiles.  There's such a precious look of joy that fills their faces, even despite their hardships, that is so contagious.  I can't explain it, but it's beautiful.  Now don't get me wrong, these children are not continually smiling.  In fact, at first it's hard work to break their seriousness.  These kids are used to playing tough.  It's part of the survival skills they've learned living on the streets and in the slums.  It really is a survival of the fittest in their world.  But once you've broken through that protective layer you get to experience a truly beautiful thing.  A heart longing to be loved, a child wanting to be held, a soul yearning to be protected.  A little being excited to embrace all that you will give.  This precious smile, that's what captures my heart.  It's almost as if God is smiling at me from a spot deep inside that child's soul.  I love it!


Today we had the opportunity to take Sister Freda's "kids" to play in the pool at the Kitale Club. These 7 children are orphans that Sister Freda is raising.  I could spend hours trying to describe the gentle beauty of Sister Freda's heart.  She's Kitale's Mother Teresa, and her heart is so in tune with loving Jesus and loving others.  Her life work has been to help and to heal people in the name of Christ.  She has a hospital faithfully dedicated to caring for the poor, a school that educates needy children, and a college of nursing working to raise up a generation of healers.  To spend the day with her children was as much a blessing to me as it was to them.  I've never seen kids so excited to play in a pool.  Perhaps I've just never considered how uncommon it is for children in Kenya to see a body of water, a crystal clear body of water, so big.  Their joy was uncontainable, which made for a very fun day at the pool! I look forward to spending another Saturday morning with this special group of children!

Photo update

Little ones at Shimo School

Leila, Cody, Jade, Michelle, Juliette and I

View of the Great Rift Valley from the airplane

The portion of the compound that's outside our backdoor 

My first African sunset :)

Precious Emanuel (he was found in abandoned in the bushes 3 years ago)

Playing soccer with the Mercy children

Adorable kids at Sister Freda's school

Recap: the last few days!

Unfortunately, my daily blogging attempts have been halted by internet issues here in Kitale.  We found out it wasn't working simply because we hadn't paid the bill — oops! I am so thankful to have access to wireless internet at my house here—I mean seriously, I am in the Rift Valley of Kenya and therefore surely shouldn’t have access to such things! I spent years about Baylor learning about global economies and I think I’m finally grasping the idea that I actually do live in a global world. 

I’ll do my best to do a brief summary of what’s been happening around here.

Sunday: The morning started with a birthday celebration for Jay equipped with streamers, apples with peanut butter dip, music and dancing! 

Sunday can best be described by the word “church”. This week we visited Faith Community Church, which is about a 20 minute walk from our house.  We left around 10 a.m. and returned home at 4 p.m.  I thoroughly enjoyed my first Kenyan church experience, and yes it was as lengthy as I had expected! The message was focused on giving.  While this typically entails a discussion of church finances, this pastor took a more unique approach on the subject as he talked about our God being a giving God.  If it weren’t for our giving God, who loved me so much that he gave his son for my sins, I would have nothing to give.  I am so blessed to be giving my time, talents and treasures here in Kitale.  I’m praying that I will mirror God’s giving spirit and in doing so will grow more in love with him each day.  I don’t want anyone to think that this love I am offering is love out of my own heart— I want them to know, without a doubt, that this is God’s abundant love overflowing.  Besides, the only way to truly love others is by loving God first and foremost. 

Sunday night the girls prepared a spaghetti dinner for Jay’s birthday and so far we have had two failed attempts at making edible/tasty spaghetti sauce with local ingredients.  The best part of the meal (in mine and Jade's opinion at least!) was the “birthday cake” Jade and I spent nearly an hour making.  The cake options at Ketcheas, the grocery store in town, were frightening (we’re talking circular cakes sitting up on their side) so we decided to make a pyramid of cookies using peanut butter and jelly as glue.  It truly was a masterpiece!

Jay's birthday celebration!

MONDAY: Happy Valentine's Day! I just love holidays and what holiday could I love more than the one that celebrates love?? I so enjoyed spending this Valentine’s Day in Kenya! The girls spent the day at Oasis.  I can’t express house precious these children are—in their tattered clothing—as they joyfully play, learn and interact.  I taught the 1^st graders—talk about challenging! I have an even greater respect for teachers now (yes this means you too Ashley and Alyson!) It must be hard to contain and entertain 1^st graders in America, but I think it's even harder to contain and entertain 1^st graders when you can’t speak their language, there are no classroom materials (other than one small table, a tiny, worn out chalk board and half a piece of chalk), and you have 40 kids who can’t sit still. The staff and volunteers that work at Oasis are a tremendous blessing to these kids, but unfortunately since Oasis is a drop-in center that provides free schooling for street kids, the teachers are typically volunteers and therefore don’t always come. Some days the kids will sit in their classrooms for the entire scheduled class time with no teacher.  Considering their backgrounds, it's incredible that these children even have this desire to learn.  I'm fairly certain that if they didn't have Oasis to encourage a fruitful life that the would be out on the streets sniffing glue and doing whatever they pleased.  These kids have close to nothing, no meals or school supplies, other than what Oasis can provide.  It’s sad, really sad, but I know it would be much more disheartening if these kids didn’t even have Oasis.  They would never receive any type of schooling nor would they have a safe and positive environment for them to mature in.  God is providing for his children through Oasis and I am simply blessed to be a part of his work here. 

Tonight Steve took us all out to dinner.  Steve is wonderful.  His heart for Kitale and for people in general is amazing.  Everything he does involves ministering to absolutely everyone he encounters. I have been so blessed to enter into a wonderful community, or better yet a family, here in Kitale. Juliette, Hannah, Emanuel, Leila, Jade, Cody, Jay and Michelle are beautiful individuals.  They have welcomed me with open arms and I can’t believe I met all of them less than a week ago. 

My Kitale Family + Frank (a fellow Texan who has now returned to the lone star state)

TUESDAY: This morning we visited Oasis then went to Shimo high school for a board meeting.  Of course the meeting was set to begin at 9:30, but in Africa time that ended up meaning 11:30.  We played with some of the younger children and saw the water well Saddleback installed.  Before Saddleback got involved with this school, there were 100 students for each teacher and children had to walk miles to fetch water from a dirty river.  It's hard for me to even imagine life without indoor plumbing and access to fresh water, but this is a harsh reality for people all around the world. Now with the water well on the school's land they are able to access clean, healthy water.  It's amazing the difference this can make in the lives of an entire community!  Next time someone presents you with an opportunity to help in this manner, please consider taking them up on this offer.  You could change lives more than you could ever imagine. 

The water well at Shimo Primary School

Today we worked on mapping out our weekly schedules.  Have I mentioned that Cody, Jay, Michelle and Jade are here through Saddleback to serve in many different places and capacities within the community that need assistance?  While I came to Kitale thinking that I would be serving just with Oasis of Hope, I have been able to jump on board with their program plan.  I’m really excited about this because it enables me to help all around the city meeting needs where they exist.  Each day we will be serving at different places—there are so many amazing opportunities to spread God’s love!

Wednesday: We spent the morning at Oasis, and this time Michelle and I taught in the 3^rd grade classroom.  These kids are much further along in their English, which makes teaching them a bit easier.   Michelle is very gifted when it comes to teaching and it’s so cute to see her in her element!

Steve debriefed with us at lunch before heading out on his trip back to the US. I am so grateful that he's allowed me to jump right in.  He is so loved by many here in Kitale and being here under his wing is such an advantage and blessing.  

This afternoon Jade, Michelle, Leila and I visited the women’s prison where we will be doing a Bible study every other week.  I am so amazed by the joy that these women, despite being in prison, exuberate.  When we arrived they were singing, dancing and clapping.   I am looking forward to journeying with these women over the next few months.  With Leila as our translator Jade shared her testimony, Michelle talked about her favorite verse and I told a little bit about who God has been in my life.  Pastor Jane told us that these women were surprised to learn that as Americans our lives are not perfect, we do experience hurt and we’ve all fallen short of perfection.  It’s amazing that despite our differences, we are actually the same—we are all humans, imperfect humans, that need God’s love.  We learned that for many of these women, we are the first visitors they have ever had.  I will enjoy becoming a regular part of their lives.  As we get to know these women and love on them, I pray that they come to fully understand the grace of Jesus Christ and are forever transformed by his love.  

Good morning from Kitale

It's a beautiful Saturday morning in Kitale.  70 degrees and sunny to be exact.  We said farewell to the high school team this morning at 6:30 then helped start the house cleaning process and the girls moved into what will be our room for the months to come.  Unfortunately Jade and I attempted to make instant coffee with coffee grounds that one of the high school team members left for us.  Coffee here (and in many other places outside of the States) is typically instant coffee and simply requires boiling water and Nescafe.  Today we learned that this method does NOT work with actual coffee grounds! Luckily we found a coffee pot in the house and managed to boil tap water to use in it. This time the french vanilla coffee turned out delicious! Mine was especially delicious because I unintentionally sent a sugar chunk the size of a golf ball hurling into my cup--YUMMM!


While the boys are off at the men's prison (no females allowed at this facility), the girls are enjoying a sabbath.  Jade and Michelle have been going non stop since they arrived in January and I am thankful to have a day to slow down and get adjusted.  I've caught up on some journaling and much needed Jesus time.  I just can't believe I'm in Africa!  Seriously, you can ask the others how many times I've said that to them and myself.


I thought I'd share a verse I enjoyed meditating on today-- Lamentations 3: 21-25

21 But this I call to mind,

   and therefore I have hope:
²² The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
   his mercies never come to an end;
²³ they are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ "The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
   "therefore I will hope in him."
²⁵ The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
   to the one who seeks him.


Praise the Lord for the hope we have in him and that when we seek him he is more than enough!

First visit to Oasis!

Today I had the opportunity to visit Oasis of Hope for the first time! Oasis is walking distance from our home so we headed over in the morning to spend the day there.  With the high school team in town we were able to accomplish painting the tin roof a beautiful blue color and adding ply wood to several (dilapidated) classroom walls.  Some played soccer and volleyball with the kids, while others of us bathed the street children.  These children rarely have the opportunity to be washed, making this both a humbling and honoring experience-- Humbled by the joy each child expressed simply because clean water was being poured out of a cup onto their dusty skin; Honored to be given the privilege of caring for these precious children.

The day ended with a (hilarious) game of volleyball, which was followed by dinner in the backyard.  Just another wonderful day in Africa :)

Day One.

If only I could justly explain how WONDERFUL my first 24 hours in Kenya have been. 

Here’s a summary of my experiences thus far:

·      Martin and James picked me up at the airport with a sign in hand reading “Jenny Butler” – I was very thankful at this point to know I would not be left to fend for myself in Nairobi!

·      At 11:00 pm, we arrived where I would be staying that night— After I checked in, James and Martin offered to take me somewhere to get some dinner

·      I went to my very first 24-hour Kenyan restaurant— Surprisingly, the menu offered everything I would normally eat in America: pizza, hamburgers, steaks and Mexican food (yes, MEXICAN food! Can you believe it?)

·      At about 1:30 am I was finally in bed and by 4 am I was wide awake again

·      When James picked me up at 8 am for my flight to Kitale we ran into Nairobi’s immense traffic— Definitely as bad as Houston traffic, but on less high-end roads, with more pedestrian traffic and I was riding in a safari jeep

·      My flight from Nairobi to Kitale was on a small propeller plane (Side note, I saw the Great Rift Valley from the plane—google this, it’s an amazing sight!!)

·      Peter picked me up from the airstrip and drove me to Steve’s compound

·      Juliet and Hannah (two girls from Rwanda who also live here) were at the compound to greet me, and shortly there after vans of high school students from Saddleback Church arrived back from a trip to Sister Freda’s (they’ve been a blast to spend time with!)

·      Went into town with the 4 other college students (Jade, Michelle, Cody and Jason) who will be living here for the next 7 months (so excited to share in this experience with them!)

·      We rode piki pikis (moto taxis) from town back to the compound

·      Visited the main women’s prison in Kitale where we sang, danced and mingled with the women (and their children—if a woman has a child that child can live in the prison with her until age 4 and at that point will be sent to an orphanage)
·      I walked down to Shimo, the slums of Kitale, with a few guys who going there to deliver shirts to a family— While they chatted inside the family's hut, I played with probably a dozen children (I so enjoyed this time and it made me look forward to the many opportunities I'll have in the days ahead to play with these precious children)

·      The Mercy children (a group of orphans rescued from life on the streets 5 years who now live in a group home and attend Purpose Driven Academy) came over for dinner and to spend the night (3 of the girls taught me some Kenyan dances from their P.E. class)

·      We had a ridiculously AMAZINGGG dance party that went on for hours and included a dance off between students from all the various schools—the best was watching the Mercy girls and boys dance!

·      Two of the Mercy girls told us their stories— So impacting to hear them talk about our loving God who brought them out of their horrendous circumstances

·      The night ended with praise songs sung by the Mercy children (I know God was joyful beyond all understanding because their praises made my heart smile)

I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect first day in Kitale.   I was already able to take part in things I never even knew existed.  I can’t wait to see all that this journey entails.  I can certainly tell it is going to be more incredible, life changing and fruitful than I ever dreamed! 

Airport time

I’m sure I look like a ridiculous traveler.  I’m wearing my cargo pants, zip-up jacket and tennis shoes. But the people in this airport all look, in my opinion, as ridiculous as I do.  From where I’m sitting, I see fanny packs, high wader pants, gnarly mustaches, strange hats, and even mullets (reminds me of Spain!).  Airports, especially international ones, really are the best place to people watch.  You can see so many kinds of people from all over the world.  So many cultures, mindsets, perspectives, traditions—I love it! 

Side note— Why is it that Denver International Airport has free wi-fi access, but neither Houston, Dallas nor London Heathrow offer this? Sad.  I’ve typed my posts in Word with plans to transfer them to my blog when I have internet access J

An adventure into the unknown!

I’ve always really liked new experiences.  For those of you who know me well, you know that I am rarely systematic about anything I do.  I don’t have a shower routine that I adhere to, I’m not convinced I should have to sleep on the same side of the bed every night and I’ve never cared which direction the toilet paper falls.  Call me crazy, but none of this really matters to me.  I just live—and whatever manner or order my daily activities occur in doesn’t seem to affect me.  I say this to give you a sense of the mindset I’m taking with me as I head to Kenya.  So here I go.  I’m embarking on a journey that I know little about and where things are bound to be unsystematic. Is it weird that I’m excited about this?

Here’s what I do know:

·      I want to help people and tell them about Jesus

·      I have never been to Africa

·      Oasis of Hope works with children and I love working with children

·      I have a ticket to Zambia at the beginning of May, Damascus in mid-June and the United States June 30^th

Here’s what I think I know:

·      A man named Stonic will be picking me up in Nairobi, driving me to where I will spend the night and taking me to the airport the next day to catch my flight to Kitale

·      Peter will be picking me up form the Kitale airstrip

·      I will be living at Steve’s compound

*I have Sam Glass to thank for helping me with all these knowns!

Here’s what I don’t know:

·      What God will do during this time

·      Who my community will be

·      What I will be doing to help out

·      How I will manage to cook (with Kenyan food supplies) for myself

·      What my daily life will entail

This, on the other hand, I am certain of— God has shown me that this journey to Kitale is his desire for how I am to serve him next, and I am SOOO excited to take this journey with him! 

I'm ready for a lot of unknowns so let the adventure in Kitale begin!

God the problem solver

Yesterday as I was packing, planning and organizing for my trip, I started thinking about a friend of mine, Katy, who I knew had been living in Africa for the past 6 months.  Katy was my co-counselor at Frontier Camp several years back and still to this day I associate her with airhead extremes, Carla Jo cabin (and our campers who are know old enough to WORK at camp), and many fond (and ridiculous) camp memories.  I had last heard from Katy in a newsletter she had written in December.  To be honest, I couldn’t remember exactly where she and her husband Kahler were living.  Wanting to investigate her experience in Africa a little further, I found myself looking at her Facebook page and then at her blog.  I read through her blog entries to learn more about how she had adjusted to life in Africa.  Pretty soon I had spent nearly an hour reading her stories and it was time to head out for a final Target run and my official last supper in the States—of course I chose to indulge in Chick-fil-a, making sure to get a cup of sweet tea and lemonade! By this point in time, my suitcase was nearly full to the brim, but I knew I couldn’t force it shut until I had finished getting the things on my list.  Bless my mom’s heart.  She had already spent hours upon hours helping me prepare for Kenya and I was bringing her on one last endeavor to find the last few things I needed.  When we got back home, I noticed that Katy had posted a new photo album and I immediately began to look through it.  I hadn’t told Katy I would be living in Kitale for the next four and a half months, so I decided I probably should invite her to visit!  I know she dreamed of living in Africa, and if I remember correctly it was even on her bucket list—guess you can mark that one off, Katy! At this point in time, I had no idea that when I arrived at the airport the following day I would be faced with a rather LARGE problem. 

(… the next day …)

The woman at the check-in counter was adamant that I would not be allowed to travel to Kenya.  Without a visa that preapproved my four month stay I was only allowed to remain in the country for 90 days and my ticket out of Kenya wasn’t until mid June—a good 40 days after my visa would expire.  I had talked with people about this in advance and they had assured me that once in Kenya I would simply renew my visa after I had reached the 90-day mark.  This didn’t seem to matter to her, which is fine because she was only doing her job.  After several phone calls, she was sure I would not be allowed into Kenya without a ticket out of the country sometime towards the end of my 90 days.   For this reason, I would not be allowed to board my flight to London.  The only solution was to purchase a ticket out of Kenya around the time my visa would expire and obtain a new visa once I returned.  Now the question was, “where in the world (literally) was I going to go???”  All the way back to London? That doesn’t sound too appealing, especially since a one-way ticket was going to cost $1500.  I’m not sure who brought it up, but suddenly going to see Katy in Zambia was being considered as an option and a rather good option at that!  (On the way to the airport, I had mentioned to my parents that Katy was currently living Zambia and that I wanted her to come to Kitale.) Before I could even finish a Facebook message to Katy, a roundtrip ticket to Lusaka, Zambia for the first week of May had been purchased for me!  Praise the Lord that Katy quickly returned my message to tell me that she would be thrilled to have me come visit! God knew I was going to have a seriously problem this morning and he certainly took matters into his own hands. He really is such a better planner than I ever will be.   (Someone please help me remind myself of this anytime I start tryin to make a plan for my life!) I mean seriously—compelling me to spend some of my last minutes in America stalking my friend in Africa—that’s only something he can come up with.  I even knew what town in Zambia I needed to fly to thanks to Facebook’s current city feature.  God even works through Facebook.  Amazing!

It's not about me...

On the way to the airport I notified my parents that I had finally started my blog.  I went on to tell them how nervous I was about sharing my thoughts with the rest of the world, but within seconds my mom stopped me and said, “Jenny, it’s not about you.  It’s about sharing Oasis of Hope.” She’s so right.  This whole blogging thing is about bringing to light God’s work.  It’s about opening the doors of Oasis of Hope to people all across the world.  It’s about telling others about my amazing God. Why do I let myself get wrapped up in the idea that any of this has to do with me.  It’s not about me.  It’s never been about me.  It’s about God. Thanks, mom, for reminding me that this little thing called life is all about Him because the purpose of my existence is to love my loving Savior.

I think it’s time I tell you a little bit about Oasis of Hope.  This center was started in 2004 by a woman who traveled to Kitale as part of a mission trip.  Kitale is known for its large population of street children who have no parents and are faced with the task of raising themselves.  Could you imagine being in charge keeping yourself alive, and possibly even your siblings, at such a young age?  I can’t.  Oasis of Hope seeks to help these children.  By offering feeding programs, educational courses, vocational training and group homes, this center aims to better these children’s lives in both a physical, intellectual and spiritual manner.  Through Oasis of Hope, street kids in Kitale can obtain a more promising future and more importantly learn about the hope that is found in Jesus Christ.  It is my prayer that each child that walks through the doors at Oasis of Hope will build a personal relationship with Jesus as they experience God’s abundant love.   Please partner with me in this prayer, for we know that every child matters and God longs for each one of them to know his eternal love. 

Now let me share with you a little bit how I got to where I am.  As you know, I spent the last 6 months in Denver working an internship with Operation Christmas Child.  In December, before my time with OCC came to a close, I talked with my parents about what was next for me.  I really felt a calling for me to go and serve somewhere.  I wasn't sure what exactly that meant nor what it would look like, but I knew that I was available and willing to go.  I told my dad that I felt led to look for opportunities to serve missionaries, especially in a third world country, who needed rejuvenation as they do God's work.  Before Christmas, my dad mentioned my thoughts to their missions pastor, Sam Glass, at church and he said that he would think about any opportunities there might be.  Long story short, when I returned to Houston for my LASIK eye surgery at the end of January, my family and I met with Sam and faster than I could think we found a perfect place for me to serve- Kitale, Kenya. Sam’s wife, Missy, has a brother Steve who works for Saddleback Church.  Steve has been doing work in Kitale for years and was very willing to have me come to Kitale to serve. I am so excited about this opportunity to work with Oasis of Hope and other organizations around Kitale for the next four months!  God has repeatedly opened doors that have made this situation possible and an obvious next step in how I am to serve Him.  I have never felt so called to just go and help wherever, whenever and in whatever capacity God wants me too-  I am so anxious to see what God has in store! I am also humbled that He is allowing me to bring the good news of His love to these precious children.  

Let the blogging begin!

I have never been a fan of writing for others.  Journaling is something I enjoy, but those pages are shared solely between me and God, and thankfully I can't hear Him laughing at me when I have (what probably I alone would consider profound) epiphanies and ridiculous questions.  Perhaps I feel this way simply because I find it hard to believe anyone wants to listen to me ramble on about the details of my life.  But times are changing.  Moving to Kenya for the next four months has proven an easy way to obtain followers, so my life as a blogger has officially commenced!  All of this to say, bare with me as I take my writing and daily activities into the public eye.  I do hope that this will give you a glimpse into my life in Kitale, Kenya.  I consider it such a privilege that I am able to serve the Lord in this capacity and am looking forward to sharing this journey with each of you.  Let the blogging begin!