Starting another school year :)

Every time I have walked into my classroom this week I have gotten this giddy feeling. It is a feeling of knowing I am suppose to be here, a feeling that someone is praying for me to enjoy the start of my school year. It is an excitement of know that those who walked with me last year as I stepped out to walk "missionally" in faith to commit the year to the Lord will get to walk with me again this year. (kind of like a friend that you haven't seen in a while, and I think that is why I am most excited about the year.)

Thanks for all who have supported me to get to this place.

So here go for this school year...

The first word that came to mind on August 21 was light, so I copied verses about light and this is the one that stood out. "Arise, and shine for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will rise over you, and His glory will be seen on you. Isaiah 60:1-2

This is the verse that was printed on our t-shirts the second year I went to Kenya, as I prayed this scripture I know that God will be the Light in our classroom.

The second word that came to mind was purpose. I know He has a purpose for why I am here, and the verse I read was Ephesians 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to walk in them. "

Please pray: that I will be the light that shines Christ glory. I pray that I will be the light/ smile the students need to see as they walk into the room each morning.

That I will be brave enough to allow Christ to fill me with HIS truth daily and then be couragous enough to walk in the purpose He has for me.

The babies are at Haven!!!

Tracy: One of the baby caretaker's daughter, she is 16 months old.

Jeremiah: 6 months old.

Elizabeth: 2 1/2years old

Julia: 9 months old

AND THE NEWEST...
Kate: 3 months old

For more on each baby, check out Trena's blog:

http://thelordprovides.blogspot.com

The power to "move mountains": A glimpse into what God is really doing with us

Many mornings I woke up in Trena's room (because there was no way I was sleeping in the "spider room" alone) staring at the intricate wooden ceiling with the feeling that I was being prayed for by someone. Often I would just lay there a while, pretending to sleep, listening to Trena click out her messages/ to do list for the day on her phone, and wonder WHO it was that was praying for me... there was never a specific event, or action that I felt was going to happen, but just knew that someone was taking time out of their day half way around the world to lift me up before the Lord. I guess I QUESTIONED how I knew, or why on specific days I would wake up feeling prayed for, or feeling loved by God as opposed to other days. In those few moments each time it happened, I felt that peace and power, and I remember letting it soak in thinking "well it's just because I have asked people to go with me in prayer through this journey, I guess a few are praying."

Fast Forward to...

Sunday, August 9

My first Sunday back to Sunday school class and a few people mention how when I was Kenya, they had my name at their table to pray for, so they had prayed for me.

Monday, August 10

At a farewell party for a friend, someone who is in SS class (who I haven't had a chance YET to get to know well) says the same thing about getting my name in class and praying for me.

AT THIS POINT I AM BEGINNING TO BE BLOWN AWAY BY GOD. (because I am also beginning to remember all the people who emailed in response to my requests, and knew they had been praying)

The rest of that week as I saw co-workers for the first time at school, they were asking about the trip and excitedly shared how they had followed through the process on my blog. Another wow! moment.

Friday, August 21

Meet the teacher day at school ( I had been in a "battle" all week with myself about wanting to be in Kenya to hold the babies, but having a peace of knowing God has me here to do His work)

Throughout the afternoon of greeting my new students for this year and hugging old ones from last year, in walks the confirmation to my many mornings of waking up and staring at the ceiling. One of the girls from last year handed me three yellow cards wrapped in a white note, she said she had submitted my name throughout the summer to her church prayer room and they had prayed for my trip to Africa. She explained how sorry she was that she didn't know my address there, but had kept them to give to me and wanted me to know I had been prayed for.

A sudden peace and connection for why I am here, back in the classroom, connecting with the kids occurred.

For me, she was a beginning glimpse into something so much greater when we ask others to walk along side of us in prayer through our journey of life. I continue to see how God desires for us to be apart of HIS story, and the joy we get when we have other share in the process. I echo the phrase I learned as I was leaving for Kenya, Do we believe what we say we believe about Him? Are you willing to walk with Him and give others the joy of walking with you? I now believe that if we are willing to ASK others to walk with us, we become bold in Christ. I also believe that it does NOT have a be a grand adventure, like Africa to have friends and family rally around you in prayer. Take a simple step, ASK God where He has you if you can serve Him, JOIN Him in His work, FIND those around you who will pray for you, GO...

Finally a complete "story" of my summer in 30 minutes or less

Now to Him who is able to do immeasureably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all genereations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Where He leads I will go

The bitter sweetness of returning before the babies would come, but knowledge of knowing God has called me to teach another year, keeps me excited to see where He will lead. Checking my email the week after my return found me in two God confirmed places that I was home and where He wanted me.



Opportunity #1:

Handing out school supplies to the children at Los Arcos apartments.

The apartments are located in southwest Houston and are home to Bhutanese refugees. This summer while I was away, the Sunday School class I attend in Houston participated in a ministry called the Houston Project and this was the apartment complex where they helped. SO... the email I received was asking for volunteers to hand out school supplies to the children in the apartment complex. Perfect connection, planned by God, for the children I so badly missed in Kenya at kid's club every Sunday. We were able to go into homes, talk with the families, and pass along a small gift. My favorite home was where the parents were gone, but the kids came in from outside to greet and accept our gift. Only in cultures other than America does that happen, and it made me see I can have that experience right here in Houston.

Opportunity #2 Collecting for the Bicycle World and Fitness "Diaper Drive"

The second I was so excited about and had me thinking, I know God has brought me home to show me His work here in Houston, was the diaper drive. I thought, "What better project to help be apart of than collecting things for babies who I had spent all summer preparing for in Kenya." I emailed back to see how I could help and found out that all I needed to do was show up at the bike store and sort through the things donated.

I was beginning to see the connection of what I had been doing all summer unfold before my eye, right here in Houston! The scary thing was I could have missed it! I could have been sitting at home mopey about how I wished I were in Africa holding babies, but instead I was looking for where God was and asking Him to give me the desire to be apart of it.

Distracted by many things in the last few days I am sure I have missed so many opportunities to see God at work and missed even more because I haven't asked for my heart to be drawn close to the things He wants me to be apart of, but it leaves me one final thought that will hopefully draw us all back every time...do I believe the song when I sing, "wherever He leads I'll go"?

Reentering the world as I knew it

Slowly slipping back into culture, or "reentering" the world as I knew it has been difficult. I look around at the things I knew and can't understand why they don't seem to matter to me any more. I feel changed and different, although my quick "fleshly/worldly" reaction to things don't always show it. :(



While laying on the swing outside and then later vacuuming the dust off my couch, I realized what the difference was...



In the seven weeks I had been gone, I had seen God in a bigger way than I had before. I had seen the way He provided as I stepped off the plane with 8 bags and only two hands to carry, I had seen the way He changed the hearts of government officials to give us a call, I had seen His love for me in ways that came in simple gifts like famous runners and I had seen the peace He could provide in a situation that didn't seem like it should have peace.



I had also come face to face with the basic need for survival through, food, clean water, and shelter. The biggest change, I was reminded that even with the basic of things, we are still left with the simple fact that at the end of our life we will still be held accountable for our eternity.

The Bible says we can know for certain where we will go after we die, eternal separation from God (hell) or eternally with God (heaven). I have seen that it is impossible for us to hold to the fact that because we are a good person and did good things, God will let us into heaven. We can only rely on Jesus' sacrifice and willingness to die in our place to pay the punishment for our daily sinning. So this change I feel has a lot to do with culture, but more about what God is showing me in life, or how I will explain to others their opportunities for eternity. What a gift I have discovered and in the past have been too selfish to share.

Welcome Home

The familiar turn of the key in the lock and creaking up the stairs meant my mom was coming to find me, a sound I had not heard in 7 weeks. "She may not be a Kenyan baby, but I have a baby for you to hold," she said as she came around the corner. With a smile on her face Aubrey, the little girl my mom watches one day a week, let me take her in my arms and give kisses all over her face as she squealed with joy. It was fun to hold a baby and a great reminder that I am on this side of the world because God has called me here for this time.

Culture shock is something I always deal with on this side of the trip, returning to the States. Many people say be ready to see things you have never seen before when going to another country, it will put you in culture shock, but the opposite is always true for me. Returning to a place that you don't have to worry if the power is going to go out in the morning before you take a hot shower, or knowing that whatever food item you are thinking of at the moment will more than likely be in the pantry, (such as having a box of Bisquick pancakes, boy are they yummy). These are the things that don't seem like they should be real when only 24 hours before I was sitting with friends who each have their own story about why the job they have will not only buy them food, but help support their family as well.

Staring through the blinds, I see houses nicely lined down the street adorned with green grass in the front yard, and am again confronted with the fact that I am in a different place. I am reminded that to spend 7 weeks of your life in a different country you can't help but be changed. So although I have felt the change happening over the last several weeks, I have been unable to pinpoint what is different with my life. A slow processing of what I have seen and how I have been tested will eventually cause me to see with new eyes the life I reenter. Where and how will I put into practice the things I have learned?

As the cop cars sat in our cul-de-sac yesterday, it seemed only natural to question why they were there, however this new person I have become also saw the need to greet them and have a 20 minute long converstation. The part of the Kenyan culture I was at first so annoyed with, I was now surprised to find myself in America living out a skill I had come to value. A small example in the large scheme of things, but exciting to see how when we are listen, God can grow us in small ways and call us to follow in our everyday life.

A little fun the last few days in Kenya

Meet Esther. She is the 3 year old daughter of the neighbor where Trena lives. Since I wanted to visit one of the local schools to hand out gifts, the neighbor suggested her class, which has 30 students between the baby and nursery class.






The kids loved having visitors and sang songs to welcome us, what fun to bring them a gift at the end of the school term.


During a short lesson, I was able to use the beads made by the girl scouts from Houston to teach the kids to count to ten.