Exams...

Since the 8th grade was taking their exams this past week (Mon-Thurs), the rest of the school had a school break to eliminate distractions. I tried to work out ministry days (to go visit other ministries in the area) for those days off, but those fell through. I ended up working in the SIM office Mon-Thurs. That was really nice as they have been really busy. Hopefully it will slow down a bit after this coming Friday.
Some of my friends/housemates came to my school last week to visit. Here are some of their pictures! Here are my students working diligently!! HAHAH
We started exams for the rest of the school as well. Those will continue through this week. I can't believe how quickly this term has gone! I will be home in 5 short weeks. WOW!

Fun with hair

Here is how my hair looked for 3 1/2 weeks....it only took 3 hours and 45 minutes to braid , or plait.This is the process of taking out the extensions. I even got a toothpick out for the really small braids:This is what happens when you play with electrical outlets:
This is when I finished pulling out my extension....more than 4 hours:Now....wait for a few more weeks and start the process all over again. :D

Fall ...in a new fashion

I'm experiencing a new kind of fall this year. I do miss the reds and oranges of the trees at home, but this is what I'm getting this year. Nice change for one year :D
HAPPY FALL, EVERYONE!!

Life...

Wow, time is flying by so quickly! I don't know how the month of October is already gone. I thought I should probably update quickly! I only have 6 more weeks here in Kenya, then I'll get to update you all in person! Yay!

School is going well. We have this week off for the standard 8 students to take their huge exams. This is the deciding factor for possibly moving on to High School. They are taking exams Monday through Thursday. The rest of the school has those days off from school so that the 8th graders will not be distracted. During this time, I will be working at the SIM office and also taking some ministry days to visit other ministries. I'll let you know when those plans are solidified. We will start the exams for the rest of the school on Friday, and that will continue through next week.
The end of the school term is November 26th.

Other than that, I'm keeping busy with 5 roommates...4 from Germany, and 1 from India. What an experience to have so many cultures around all the time! I love the people here, and I will really miss them when I leave! I"m super excited to see my friends and family again, especially around the holidays!

THanks for your prayers, and I'll try to update again shortly!

Pictures of God's Creation!! :D

This is the beginning of our trip to Mt. Longenot, an extinct volcano... we're waiting for the matatu to fill up. A matatu is a 15 passenger over-crowded van for public transport.
We made it to the "top" of the volcano. It only took 1 hour and 15 minutes...but wait, we then started hiking around the top!
Beautiful views!
There were lots of places with loose gravel. THis was one such place. I had slipped into this position....HAHAH...
The peak on the left was the tallest...Yikes!






We made it to the top of the highest peak...only to realize that it was only 1/4 of the way around. It was starting to look as if rain was coming, so we didn't stay here too long!

We finally made it around the whole thing...it only took us 3 1/2 hours. Now, we get to get back down the rest of the way, and find our way home! We woke up the next morning really sore, but feeling like we accomplished something!

Random News...

Just a little piece of information that really excites me....our oven was fixed today (after not working for almost a week)!! YAY! HAHAH, I'm easily excited, so I just had to share...thanks for listening! :D :D

OTher things that have happened since my last post:
The new teacher that I have been teaching with has been really great. I've enjoyed working with her, and we get along very well! Thanks for your prayers through the transition.
Hopefully starting in a week or two, I may begin working at the SIM office in addition to teaching in the school. It will be nice to spend more time with the people there. I have only been to the office a few times since I'm always at school, and some of the people working there always ask me why I never go to see them! :D

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks...This one is the view of Kibera from New Adventure school...This is a picture of the ladies that work in the "kitchen" at school. I sit with them when I have breaks...and they take really good care of me!! :D The lady on the left is Josephine, and the one on the right is Veronica.
This is one of my students. His name is Melzedeck. (It's not correctly spelled, but at least you know how to pronounce it :D )....He has informed me that he is going to come back with me to the States. He'll travel in my bags!! :D I couldn't resist his dimply smile :DHere are two VERY random pictures. The one is what the children eat at the school every day. IT is called guitheri, which is a mixture of maize and beans. It has grown on me, and I eat it several times a week. A lot of kids go buy an avocado and put it in the guitheri. Surprisingly, it tastes really good! The other picture is the cho (i.e. the latrene or toilet) at school. Thought you would enjoy it :D HAHAHAH...
More pictures of beautiful scenery to be continued on the next post.... :D

Flexibility

Flexibility is the name of the game. This morning, I walked into the school and found out that the teacher I HAD been teaching with decided to take a government job. A new teacher was being showed the school, and I would be teaching with her today. WOW! I will miss my old teacher, but will hopefully get to know the new one well.

Since I've been here in Kenya, two verses keep coming to mind. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
I have found it hard to delight in any hard thing that comes up. Having trouble with a certain student, having things change without notice....whatever it has been, I have felt my insecurities, my doubts. I have many weaknesses, but God's power is made perfect in those weaknesses. I know that I can't do these things without God's help. His power has gotten me through.
Thanks for praying!

Happy Sunday!

Good morning to you all....although you are all asleep :D. I'm getting ready to go to church, but thought I'd write a quick update.
We started the new term this past week. It has worked out that the teacher I have been teaching with has come back. She is waiting for news from the government to see if she has been hired for another school. I am so happy that she has come back. I was a little nervous at the idea that I may have had the whole class to myself. God knows what is best...and I'm not alone!

Next week marks my 1/2 mark. I will be renewing my visa next Monday. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone! I have two roommates from Germany that will be in my house until I leave. It has been so nice to have someone to talk to in the evenings and when we are not at school. They are such wonderful girls!

Well, I'm off to church now. Hope you slept well. I miss you all, and can't wait to see you or hear from you! Have a great day!

School break..

New adventure has a week off from school before the new term starts! During this week, I have been going to the SIM office and helping out where I can. I have been filing and organizing mostly, but I have also gotten to spend more time with the SIMers that work in the office. I don't get to see them since I am at school from 8:20-4 everyday (almost the whole time that the office is open). The new term starts up again next week. I do not know exactly what I will be teaching. The teacher that I have been helping in Grade 3 may not be coming back this term. If that is the case, I may be teaching all of Grade 3 except Kiswahili. I have been getting a lot of variety over this break. In addition to grade 3, I have been teaching Grade 6 and Grade 4 English. I have enjoyed the older class levels, so I hope that I will be able to stay with them over the next term.
This past weekend, I had another opportunity to go with Colin and Fey (SIMers) to a place called Kangunda. It was only a day even. We went to Kangunda for another church cell training experience. It was a little easier this time as their English was really good, and they did not need interpreters. I did not have my camera, so sorry that there are no pictures!

Here are some pics of my weekend! On Friday, I went with some friends to a place called Hell's Gate National Park. We hiked around and drove through the park all day. It was so much fun, and so beautiful! I also made some new friends!! :D I just thought this sign was funny!!I loved this view! We pretty much sat here for an hour just taking it in!
Here is a front view. We weren't REALLY on the edge of the world! I felt as if I should have had a bottle to throw off the face of the earth (The God's must be crazy).
We hiked around these rocks for a couple of hours. This was heading towards the place where Tomb Raider 2 was filmed....

Hello :D !!!

This week has been so full! We have celebrated two birthdays on the compound, and I've had 2 roommates from Germany this past week. They are going through orientation and heading out on Monday to Tumaini...the orphanage/school that I went to several weeks ago.
I will be alone again until I get one roommate on Friday. Three more girls will be coming on the Following Monday. I will not be used to a full house for sure! This will only last for a few more days until I will be left with 2 of the girls. They will be with me for the remainder of my time here.

We had VBS at the school this past week. That was a nice break from the normal. A group was at the school everyday from 10-2:30. THe day was full of games, Bible lessons, workshops, etc. I helped each day until Thursday, when VBS ended. Next week at the school is a normal school week until Thursday. Friday is declared a Kenyan holiday as parts of the new constitution will take affect.

I also made it to a game park last weekend. It was a really nice and relaxing trip to take. We stopped on the equator. I don't know if it was just me, but I think got hotter instantly :P I may have even gotten a little burn from the couple of minutes there!!! HAHAH.....

On our way home, we stopped at a place where they make cheese, and ate at a fish place. They raise their own fish. It was soo beautiful! The dining area was up in the trees, almost like a treehouse. :D Here is a picture of the appetizer :P ***I DID NOT skin or de-bone it. I did try it, however....very interesting indeed :P

Kinangop

I have just had a very busy 2 weeks. We have officially finished school for one week. On Thursday and Friday, a couple Americans working with AWANA international were at the school. They had been to the school last year, and were getting updates. They had several grades recite a passage from Psalms, and had several individuals reciting verses recorded for promotional videos they will be producing.Now that I have a week off from school, I will be doing some little things around Nairobi. I will be going to a child care/orphanage called New Life to spend time with the children. I would also like to go to the SIM office and help out where I can.

Last weekend, I went to Kinangop with an SIM couple- Colin and Fey. On the way there, we stopped at Tumaini, a school where we have other SIMers. This little girl, Hope, was found on the side of the road just 3 days before we saw her.She couldn't even cry when she was found. Hope is staying at, and being cared for, at Tumaini until the government can decide what they want to do with her. **I really wanted to take her home with me!!**Colin and Fey are short-term SIMers who teach churches about cell groups. For a couple of hours, Colin and Fey taught about the cell groups...what they are, how to lead a cell group.....Then, we broke into groups. I co-lead a group with Fey. It was such a great experience. We traveled up country and stayed in a Kenyan home. The area was absolutely beautiful and the people were so great. We stayed with a couple named David and Phylis. On the trip to their home, Phylis and her son, Blessing, rode with us. I said "Wow" to something as we passed. From that point on, Blessing called me "Wow." :D :D

Up Country Travel

Today was the last day of exams for the term. There will be another week of school before break starts. I'm not exactly sure what the next couple of weeks will bring, but I'll let you know when I do!!

Tomorrow morning, I am heading for Kinangop, Kenya. I'm going with a couple from the SIM compound. They travel to different churches and train individuals to work with cell groups. This will be leading a Bible study and guiding discussions. This training will help the individuals lead cell groups in their own churches. I may be leading a group on Saturday. This could be interesting as it would be through a translator.
We'll be staying at the pastor's house in Kinangop and going to church before heading back to Nairobi. I'll be taking pictures, so I'll update you when I return!

New sport....

On Thursday afternoon, I was heading home from school when I found out that some of the older girls from school were participating in a volleyball tournament on Friday afternoon (the following day). I was surprised to find that they had never played volleyball before, and yet they were playing other schools the next day. The coaches found out that I had played volleyball before, so they asked if I had tips for them. WOW!!! What an experience. We went to the only court in Kibera, and taught them the basics. THey did not have a net, so they used what they had....sweaters and sweatshirts. They had to learn how to bump and serve....everything in one day.
They did not win on Friday (but they were close on one game). They played again on Saturday, and I have yet to find out how that went.

hhhmmm.....

Guess what....I have actually caught a cold in Kenya!! It has been a little chilly here since I've come, but today is actually sunny and warm! I did not even have to wear a jacket! I'm SUPER excited!!!

My school, New Adventure, is divided into 3 terms. They have classes for 3 months and have a month of "break." Really, this month of break involves 1 week of break and then 1/2 days of class for the rest of break. During each term, they are in school Monday-Friday (8:20-4) and have a 1/2 day of classes on Saturdays. They really do not get any breaks!
Right now, we are preparing for exams which will be the 21st-23rd of July. Hopefully the kids will remember everything that they have learned so far. Each exam is cumulative over what they have learned over the whole year. SO different! It feels odd being in school in July....at least I'm not the student any more!!!

Hope all is going well for you!

My kids...

Another week has flown by. I have taught a few classes throughout the week including Math, English, and CRE (Christian Religious Education). THese classes are not difficult to teach considering it is the 3rd grade. However, sometimes it is a little hard to communicate the point of the lesson in English. At the end of each lesson, the children are given classwork to do. That helps me to see if they understood. If they are having problems, they can be helped in Kiswahili by the teacher. That has been helpful. I'm really thankful for how it has gone so far. I am really exhausted by the end of the week, but I have 2 days a week off, so I can catch up on my sleep!

When I get home, I'm pretty tired as well. I have enjoyed going out into the compound and watching the kids play or playing with them. I enjoy having people of all ages here! In my spare time, I have baked here ...I have Christy's reputation to live up to :D HAHA! I love baking though!! Here is a picture...just for mom! It's a mango pie, and we cinnamon crips with the extra crust dough.
If you want to come for tea, and cookies some time, let me know....or just drop by! I'd love to have you :P

Happy 4th!

Hello all! Happy 4th of July! It doesn't feel like the 4th around here. It does not feel summery as it is winter here (It's pretty chilly here), and there is no celebration of America's Independence! Yes, I have been hearing cheering, horns, and yelling over the past few weeks, but that has been for the world cup. I have never been so "involved" in sports as I have been this week... we are so sad that Ghana lost yesterday. It was a tragic loss....

This past week has been exciting and very tiring as well. I have been observing in the classrooms of New Adventure school. I have a 30 minute walk with an escort to and from the school every day. The children are in school from 8:20-4 every day. I started out the week with the intentions of just observing all week. There was a little mix-up as one head man thought I was observing all week, and the head teacher thought I should pick a class. Things worked out all right, and I was not too stressed. I ended up choosing the 3rd grade, and the teacher I will be working with for right now is very helpful and kind. I have learned a lot from her.
She asked if I would want to teach the Bible lesson on Friday. I thought that would be a nice way to ease into teaching, so I said yes. On Friday morning, she was called out to go to a meeting form 9:30-2pm. I was nervous as she asked if I would mind teaching while she was gone....!!!! It ended well as she came back around 11. The meeting had been postponed since there weren't many people in attendance. YAY! God worked that out nicely. I may end up teaching more grades, but for now, I am with the 3rd grade.

Housing on the compound is great. THere are other missionary families and a couple single people around my age on the compound. Right now, I have a whole house to myself. I had 3 other roommates for almost a week, and they have finished their ministries and gone home. It is a little lonely in this big house by myself, but the people on the compound have been so kind. I have had meals with them and had game nights. I am blessed to be surrounded by such great people! I will be getting 2 more housemates around the 29th of August. I can't wait!

Sorry this is so long, I will try to keep my notes shorter. I just want to show you a few pictures of what I did this weekend. I went to an elephant orphanage and giraffe center....so here they are :D Thanks for praying for me! I appreciate it so much!!









THese elephants have been orphaned because of poachers. Every night, someone sleeps in the stall with the elephants. They raise them and release them in the wild. The elephant's human contact is limited so they don't become dependent on them.



Yes, I am kissing a giraffe. HAHA. It's not as gross as one would expect. I only put the food between my lips. Other people put it on their tongues for the giraffe. If it's between the lips, it's not too bad :D You should try it sometime!!

I'm back!

Sorry for the delay in updates. My travel went very smoothly. I found my way around each airport, and there were no delays! I sat by myself for the first flight, sat by a girl from Sri Lanka on the second, a US government worker on the 3rd, a German Theology professor on the 4th, and a French couple that live in Nairobi on the final leg of the trip. I had some great conversations, and some legs went so quickly! I got through customs with no hassles, and got a 10-hour night of sleep that night! The picture above is a view of the compound from my bedroom window :D

My week has been fairly busy. I went to the office for 3 days of orientation. I met with different people from all of the ministries and they told me more about what they do. I have met so many people, it's hard to keep them all straight sometimes. Many of them knew Christy when she was here a few years ago. Many of them say I look like her, and I am even called Christy at times :D
I have eaten dinner and spent an evening with most of the families on compound. They are all great!
When I got here on Monday night, the electricity had gone out. What a great 1st experience!!! At that time, I had 3 housemates. One girl left on Thursday. The second left on Saturday morning, and the 3rd will leave me on Tuesday! I will live by myself until August-when 2 German girls are supposed to come.

I visited Kibera *the slums I will be teaching in* on Friday. I will be observing the classes all of next week. I will be able to tell them which classes that I am most comfortable with, and get the curriculum to look over. Right now, it looks like I may be teaching Math and English.
Please pray that I will learn quickly, and have a good memory! I will try to learn all of their names as quickly as I can. I tend to learn names quicker if I learn a few at a time.

Orientation

Hey all...these last few days have been really busy! On Wednesday, I flew from Wichita to Houston, then on to North Carolina. All were uneventful trips, which was great! I had my first session on Wed night and was able to stay awake until 9:45 Eastern time. WOW...that's the earliest bed time that I can remember!

There are 9 of us going through orientation. I am the only one going to Kenya, but I have enjoyed getting to know the others as well. Three of the others are going to be teaching in Bolivia, so we have that teaching link. One girl, my roommate, is from Topeka, KS and went to K-State. We had found a friend in common within 5 minutes of meeting each other! Thurs. consisted of morning chapel with the SIM staff, 2 prayer sessions (their prayer day) and 4 sessions throughout the day. WE ate lunch with missionaries who had served in the countries. THe couple that I ate with were in Kenya while Christy was there. We had a great chat, and I learned quite a lot from them.
Tomorrow is the last day of orientation, but it will be a full day as well.
I promise to write more and add some interesting pictures when I am able....I can't wait! I will be leaving NC on Sunday. I am heading through O'Hare in Chicago, through London, and will be in Kenya on Monday. Please pray for safety as I travel. I have never been to O'Hare, especially not by myself. Dad printed off a map of the terminals, so hopefully it won't be too bad. :D

I'm leaving...on a jetplane....

....don't know when I'll be back again. Ok, so maybe I do know when I'll be back.
I have an itinerary for Kenya! YAY! I will be in North Carolina for orientation June 16th-18th and will leave from NC for Kenya on the 20th!

Since I am leaving mid-June, I will be able to bring the documents for my work visa with me and start it there. If it's needed, I can extend my tourist visa to cover for my work permit. God has worked out all of the details... :D Thanks for your prayers!

So, one more week in Kansas.....CAN'T WAIT!!

Update on Kenya

Tomorrow is June 1st, and I thought I would be leaving! Plans have changed slightly, but with no plans set in concrete.
I have not received an update on my support levels, but I think that I should have full support soon if not already.
On Friday, I got an email from SIM saying that in addition to my tourist visa, I will need to get a work permit. I have a lot of information to get together for that. I would appreciate prayer that this will go quickly and smoothly.
I will let you know when I hear any more details!!

Nairobi, Kenya

Hello all,
I wanted to give you an update on my life...short and sweet, I hope :D
I graduated from KSU on May 15. I was super excited to graduate, but sad to see everything that I have known for the last 4 years leave. I haven't seen my K-State friends in almost a week, but it has been nice to relax and get things ready for my next adventure....

Now that I am done at KSU, I am looking forward to spending 6 months in Nairobi, Kenya. I am going to be teaching grades 4-7 in an informal day school in Kibera slums. Kibera Slums is about the size of New York's Central Park (1.5 square mi.) with over one million people packed into it. I will be going with the missions organization SIM, which stands for Serving in Mission.
As I am preparing to leave, there is much to do! The original leave date was June 1st, but I have not received all of my financial support yet. I need to raise approximately $7,883.00. Currently, I have raised about $6,334. These funds cover everything from transportation and daily living expenses to medical insurance.
Prayer is also much appreciated. I will be writing on the blog throughout my trip to keep you updated.

Graduation!!

I can't believe I'm graduating in 9 days!! Taking only 13 hours this semester has been great. I feel like I've coasted through it without much stress. This week has been my busiest. I had two late nights, and I'm still trying to catch up on my sleep! **Walmart at 2 a.m. is a great experience. In and out without a hassle!**
I turned in my portfolio, took an online test, and now i have an essay test and one in-class test left. SO EXCITED!
There was a grad bash at the KSU alumni center today. They had lots of freebies **love love love freebies ;) ) and prizes to win. Too bad I'm not lucky enough to win anything!! HAHAH. Someday....

Spring Break...

For a spring break trip, I went to Mt. Zion, Illinois to visit my friend Kendra and her husband Daniel. I went up Friday night and stayed until Wednesday.
This was taken on my trip up to Illinois. It rained on and off on my trip up there. I thought this scene was beautiful while I was driving. Pictures don't quite give you the same affect, but take my word for it. It was really dark in the background and really bright above me and the trees. That was right before it got pitch black :D.


Kendra and I decided to bake up a storm one night. It was really fun. I told her I felt like we were playing house ! IT's so fun to go visit and stay with her. We've known each other since the 3rd grade. We've attempted many things in the past...rag curls, or baking, etc....Now we're doing everything in her house :D

We spent a day in Springfield. We went through the Lincoln museum, Lincoln's house, and made a pit stop in Cold stone before heading home.

The next day....we went to Arthur, an Amish town...






This is right outside of a schoolhouse. We went to a bulk store which I have dubbed the "Baker's Mecca." So much fun! Kendra and I walked downtown and went to several fun antique stores. We drove around the countryside and looked at farms. THen we ate at an Amish restaurant. The food was wonderful...