Wow! What a couple of weeks this has been! The first 516Missions Team has come and gone. We prayed hard, worked hard, played hard, and rested hard. I'll try to recap all that has happened so that you can see how God worked this week.
We drove down to Mombasa on Friday morning to get the group from the airport. It's always so much fun to watch everyone walk out of the door after getting safely through customs.
Most of the team had been here before, so it was more of a reunion than a shocking "I'm in Africa!" moment, but there were a couple of new faces who soaked in the newness of this culture. There were a total of 10 people who came on the trip. The group was so diverse! It made for an incredible group to work with. We stopped at a pizza joint for a late lunch before beginning our 2 hour trek home....well what we THOUGHT was going to be two hours. About 30 minutes outside of Mombasa, our bus overheated and we had to sit on the side of the road for a while before we could continue on. We finally got back to Malindi and had a quick snack of samosas and chips before a devotional time and bed.
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| Swahili class with Gertrude! |
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| The group brought a new sign for the church |
On Saturday morning, we woke up (and did Insanity of course) and then had Swahili class. In the middle of Swahili class, the interns went up to the church for choir practice so that we could sing on Sunday. After Swahili class and lunch, we all went up to the church here in Malindi. We split up into small groups and passed out 1200 invitations to church. With the invitations we also passed out the Gospel of John and Romans in Swahili. I was in a group with Karl and Ricklynn and we had so much fun talking with people around town. There were two visitors at church on Sunday who came because of the invitations we all passed out!
On Sunday morning we went to church in Malindi. I taught the children's Sunday School, Brittany and Julie taught the youth/young adults Sunday School, and Clayton preached in the morning service. Julie led the choir again with a little bit of Oh Happy Day! We had a lot of fun singing with them. Church in Malindi is always an awesome experience and I'm learning to pick out words in Swahili so I know what is going on some of the time! :)
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| Clayton preaching at church |
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| Julie and Brittany teaching Sunday School |
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| Teaching Sunday School with Kenya translating |
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| Julie did a great job leading the choir |
After church and lunch, we got all of our stuff ready for the basketball camps and loaded up the trailer (that the interns fixed up the week before). We almost thought for a minute that Julie and I had wired the trailer lights incorrectly. Turns out, we did everything right! woohoo! Girl power! Clayton, Ben, and James worked on the rest of the wiring for the Land Rover and got all of the lights to work (eventually). The team sorted bracelets, packed sleeping bags, assembled basketball goals, and loaded all of our waters and food. We celebrated with a game of pool volleyball before dinner, devotion, and bed.
Monday was our fun day to play. Usually on this day, we go on a safari. Since most of the team had been to Kenya before, we decided to change it up a bit and go snorkeling! Sounds fun, right? I'll let the series of pictures speak for themselves:
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| What a beautiful day for a swim...rainy and windy |
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| The weather was not cooperating... |
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| Everyone was FREEZING! |
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| Swimming in the Indian Ocean! |
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We saw a lot of cool fish
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| We even saw a huge starfish right before the rain and waves sent us back to the boat |
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| We got off the boat to hang out on the beach during lunch |
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| Our boat was floating when we stopped for lunch...but that changed |
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| Where we stopped for lunch...Devil's Rock....apparently it was cursed. |
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| Huddling under the rock trying to get warm! |
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| Samuel caught a sand crab. |
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| The guides cooked seafood for lunch, so we all got back on the boat to eat. |
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| Eating lunch on the boat....worrying about the tide |
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| We're not too optimistic about the tide |
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| We played with starfish as we were waiting to see if the tide would come back in. |
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| The boat was NOT floating when we left, but the SUN was finally out! |
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| We had to walk from the water to the road to meet our bus to get home.... |
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| So excited to have a BIBLE! |
After finally getting to the house, we had a delicious dinner, a little devotion time, and bed as early as possible to get ready to leave the house at 5 AM the next morning for the village. In a very quiet 2-hour bus ride, we made it to Singwaya Primary School. They had a little grassy area at the back of their school that had been set aside for us to camp. We set up our tents and designated it the 516 Village for the week. We began our basketball camp with the preschool class. Most of these kiddos only know their tribal language, Giriama, so communication was quite difficult. Within the first 5 minutes I had one run all the way across the field screaming and crying because I tried to move her into the line. We all got through it and by the end of the rotations, the kids were having fun. We had pojo for lunch (it's so good) and then went back out for round two with some of the older kids. The best part of the whole camp is when we ask the students if any of them have a Bible at home. None of them raise their hands. Then we tell them we will be giving them one at the end of the camp and they begin to clap. You know that you're changing eternity by standing there handing them the Holy Word of God in their own language. Simply amazing.
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| Passing and Defense station |
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| Our Passing Station |
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| Giving out Bibles and high fives! |
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| Julie learning how to make coconut beans |
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| Passing out Bibles |
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| Shooting drills |
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| Best Group EVER! |
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| The mamas trying to teach me how to carry water |
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| The shooting drills station |
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| The Bible story station |
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| My friend Hezikiah! |
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| best drill partners ever! |
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| The song and snack station |
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| Clearing the basketball court |
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| The finished court |
We did another 2 rounds of basketball camp on Wednesday. My station was passing drills with Ben (Little Ben because we had 2 Bens on the trip). One of the pastors from one of the churches here on the coast, Juma, helped us translate. We had so much fun at our station! Ben, Juma, and I taught them everything we knew about passing a basketball....if you know me, you know how LITTLE that is....but we had a ton of fun doing it! We also cleared out the land where the basketball court was. Everyone pitched in at lunch and after the camps for a couple of days and we got it almost to just a dirt court. Before we began clearing it, the entire court was full of "miba" (stickers). It was not conducive to playing basketball barefoot. Since most of the students don't wear shoes, we needed to make sure it was a playable area.
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| 516 Village |
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| The rigged up shower house |
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| My legs were so dirty, we played tic tac toe by wiping it off |
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| Devotional time each night around the camp "fire" |
At the end of each day, we were all pretty gross. Some people chose to wash off with a basin shower (a bowl of water) but most people just showered using baby wipes. A couple of nights, people washed each other's hair. All in all, we were pretty gross. Each night, we met around the lanterns and had a little bit of worship time and devotional. The mamas that were cooking for us and some of the other church members joined us each night. The kids from the school would bring out their desks so that we wouldn't have to sit on the ground. It was super sweet.
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| The church members sang for us Thursday night during devotional time. |
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| "red beans and rice!" or coconut beans and rice |
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| Sweet Kelsie getting us some dinner |
Every day in the village we had Kenyan food. It was either beans and rice, beans and ugali, pojo and chapatis, pojo and ugali, or mahamri, but on Thursday and Friday, we had goat. Now, having goat in the village means you go out and buy a goat, then you come back and slaughter it, and then cook it and eat it. You don't just cook the muscle. You cook EVERYTHING. So jokingly, Brother James said that Kelsie (the youngest one on the trip) was going to have to slaughter the goat. Unjokingly, she totally did. She put her Kenyan woman pants on and did her thing. So, for dinner Thursday night we had pilau with goat meat. Then for lunch on Friday, we had matumbo. Matumbo is all of the innards boiled and served in a broth. Yeah....we had a small dose of culture that day.
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| Now what part is this? |
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| Friday morning, Ben got to share his testimony with the whole school |
After lunch on Friday, we all went over to the basketball courts and played short games with the students. There were both guys' and girls' games for each grade 3-8. The students did really well! Everyone had a ton of fun! Well, one of our team members, Aly, got banged up pretty badly, but had fun none the less.
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| Presenting the school with the basketball equipment |
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| Hundreds of people came out to the cinema |
Friday night we showed the Jesus Film in the tribal language of Giriama. Satan tried to deter us. It rained a couple of times, the projector went out, the battery ran out, the sound system cut out a few times, but no matter how much Satan tried to prevent it, the Father spoke through that film and at least 34 people were saved! Praise God! The church there at Singwaya got 34 new people to disciple! There's no telling how many more of the (at LEAST) 500 people who were there actually got saved as well. It was incredible! As soon as the pastor asked if there was anyone who wanted to give their life to Christ, there was a rush of people! There were people praying everywhere! It also got a little crazy with the kids that were running around as well, but all in all, it was an incredible evening!
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| The church plot before |
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| The guys started the clearing to scare all of the secret critters |
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| The church plot after |
On Saturday morning, the group loaded up and headed out to the plot that the church had recently purchased. We helped them clear the land so they can build a building. Right now, they are still meeting there at the school, but soon a church building will be up where they can worship! It was amazing to see the visitors (the 516Missions team) and the church members working side by side. It's in those moments that you forget about all of the crazy things in the world and realize that God's love is way more important than anything else. Having a personal relationship with Christ determines your eternity. ETERNITY! This life is only a blip! Get your perspective right, or you may miss the whole point! Some people choose to ignore thinking about eternity because they feel like no one has the right answer. The truth is, Christ is the answer and always will be. Trust that. Trust Him. Believe. Standing in the circle with everyone erased cultural lines and brought us all under one Kingdom of God. It was beautiful.
We drove back to Malindi and SHOWERED! This was after we realized that the puppies had gotten in our house and used the bathroom in several different places (and chewed up a few things). Kenya made us breakfast for dinner. It was amazing. I realized that I had a fever, so after devotional, I went straight to bed. Everyone else stayed up and watched a movie. I thought getting a good night's sleep would get rid of the fever, but when I woke up Sunday morning, I still felt bad, so I opted out of Insanity. We went out to Mangangani for church services. It's always a pleasure to get to worship with the church in Mangangani, but I'm about to shed some light about working on a foreign mission field for you.
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| Ben preaching at Mangangani |
See, we're all human, and we all need a little help from Jesus some days. Sunday was one of those days for me. I love working in Kenya and I love worshipping out in the village, but in every missionary's life, there are days that you wish you were back in your home culture. It wasn't just one thing in particular that gave me this thought, but it was the culmination of things. Keep in mind, I'm not telling you all of these things to complain, but only to be transparent and remind you to pray for missionaries around the world who go through things like this all the time. I was still running a fever and I felt awful. When I got dressed, my shirt AND my tank top BOTH had dirt stains on them. When we got to church, it was raining, so we had to walk from the road to the church in the rain. I sat on a wooden bench about 3 inches wide for the entirety of services. Kids kept sitting in my lap and holding my hands. I couldn't use my Bible during church because the kid sitting in my lap kept wanting to pull it out of my hands. The kids all around me kept talking during services. I know limited Swahili, so communication is always challenging. There was dirt in my purse. A kid kicked dirt in my shoes. I was sweating from head to toe. A baby cried when I talked to him. Little boys kept rubbing their hands in the dirt and then running to me and touching my shirt. Then several of the kids kept calling out my name because they remembered me from last year. Not just once, but about a million times. The ladies made us food, and I did not feel like eating, so I felt bad for not eating an entire bowl of food. Now, none of these things are bad things. Most days I would enjoy everything that happened that day! It is in these moments of weakness that I remember where my strength comes from. It comes from the Lord. If we had to depend on our own strength to get through the day, I would have ended up on a plane that afternoon. I would have been in my home church in a soft chair where I could discipline the children, read my own Bible in my own language in the air conditioning, but that is not what God has called me to do. Fortunately, the Father is my sustainer. He got me through the day and by the end of the day my fever was down to almost normal. The services were great. The choir did an amazing job. Logan did a wonderful job teaching Sunday School and Ben (Big Ben) did a great job preaching. I truly am thankful for the time spent at Mangangani, even if culture shock got the best of me.
After church, we came back to the house. I'm not sure what happened because I fell asleep in the living room for a few hours. I think everyone else went to the beach. After devotional that night, we went around the circle and shared our "good, bad, and ugly." At the end of each trip, we have a time of sharing. It's always hilarious and sometimes a little emotional when we reflect on everything that happened on the trip.
On Monday morning we woke up and after a breakfast devotional, we went souvenir shopping. After a quick trip to town, we loaded up the bus and headed toward Mombasa. Traffic was pretty bad, so we got to the airport around 4:15...and their plane was supposed to leave at 5:15. There was one point where the ticket counter told them they couldn't get on the plane because they were supposed to arrive at the airport so many hours before take off. Thankfully, everything worked out and the team got off safely. They left behind two of their members. Kara and Clayton both stayed behind and will be returning with us at the end of the summer.
After the team left we were going to try to catch a movie at the movie theater, but our plans changed as time got the best of us. We ended up eating at an Indian restaurant and going to get yogurt and coffee before making our way back to Malindi. Tuesday was our day of rest. Clayton, Kara, and Logan decided to go snorkeling while Brittany, Julie, and I sat around the house all day. Fun was had by all! The rest of the week will be filled with some things that need to get finished around the house. Clayton thinks he is going to get rid of the bats that live in the roof. I'll keep you posted. :)
Please pray for our team that will be coming on July 12. It's hard to think that in less than 4 weeks I will be back on a plane for the States when the second team goes back home. I miss my family, but there is a part of me that always wants to be here longer. There is so much we will be cramming into the next 4 weeks, so please pray for all of us that we don't lose sight on what our purpose is. Matthew 5:16.
I love you all! Thanks for the prayers and support! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!
In Christ,
Ashley
On Sunday morning we went to church in Malindi. I taught the children's Sunday School, Brittany and Julie taught the youth/young adults Sunday School, and Clayton preached in the morning service. Julie led the choir again with a little bit of Oh Happy Day! We had a lot of fun singing with them. Church in Malindi is always an awesome experience and I'm learning to pick out words in Swahili so I know what is going on some of the time! :)
After church and lunch, we got all of our stuff ready for the basketball camps and loaded up the trailer (that the interns fixed up the week before). We almost thought for a minute that Julie and I had wired the trailer lights incorrectly. Turns out, we did everything right! woohoo! Girl power! Clayton, Ben, and James worked on the rest of the wiring for the Land Rover and got all of the lights to work (eventually). The team sorted bracelets, packed sleeping bags, assembled basketball goals, and loaded all of our waters and food. We celebrated with a game of pool volleyball before dinner, devotion, and bed.
Every day in the village we had Kenyan food. It was either beans and rice, beans and ugali, pojo and chapatis, pojo and ugali, or mahamri, but on Thursday and Friday, we had goat. Now, having goat in the village means you go out and buy a goat, then you come back and slaughter it, and then cook it and eat it. You don't just cook the muscle. You cook EVERYTHING. So jokingly, Brother James said that Kelsie (the youngest one on the trip) was going to have to slaughter the goat. Unjokingly, she totally did. She put her Kenyan woman pants on and did her thing. So, for dinner Thursday night we had pilau with goat meat. Then for lunch on Friday, we had matumbo. Matumbo is all of the innards boiled and served in a broth. Yeah....we had a small dose of culture that day.
See, we're all human, and we all need a little help from Jesus some days. Sunday was one of those days for me. I love working in Kenya and I love worshipping out in the village, but in every missionary's life, there are days that you wish you were back in your home culture. It wasn't just one thing in particular that gave me this thought, but it was the culmination of things. Keep in mind, I'm not telling you all of these things to complain, but only to be transparent and remind you to pray for missionaries around the world who go through things like this all the time. I was still running a fever and I felt awful. When I got dressed, my shirt AND my tank top BOTH had dirt stains on them. When we got to church, it was raining, so we had to walk from the road to the church in the rain. I sat on a wooden bench about 3 inches wide for the entirety of services. Kids kept sitting in my lap and holding my hands. I couldn't use my Bible during church because the kid sitting in my lap kept wanting to pull it out of my hands. The kids all around me kept talking during services. I know limited Swahili, so communication is always challenging. There was dirt in my purse. A kid kicked dirt in my shoes. I was sweating from head to toe. A baby cried when I talked to him. Little boys kept rubbing their hands in the dirt and then running to me and touching my shirt. Then several of the kids kept calling out my name because they remembered me from last year. Not just once, but about a million times. The ladies made us food, and I did not feel like eating, so I felt bad for not eating an entire bowl of food. Now, none of these things are bad things. Most days I would enjoy everything that happened that day! It is in these moments of weakness that I remember where my strength comes from. It comes from the Lord. If we had to depend on our own strength to get through the day, I would have ended up on a plane that afternoon. I would have been in my home church in a soft chair where I could discipline the children, read my own Bible in my own language in the air conditioning, but that is not what God has called me to do. Fortunately, the Father is my sustainer. He got me through the day and by the end of the day my fever was down to almost normal. The services were great. The choir did an amazing job. Logan did a wonderful job teaching Sunday School and Ben (Big Ben) did a great job preaching. I truly am thankful for the time spent at Mangangani, even if culture shock got the best of me.