Safe in DC

Hi! We have made it the majority of the way home. After a two hour flight to Ethiopia, a 17.5 hr flight to DC, bathroom baths, and some Starbucks...we are brand new people.

Sad to leave Kenya behind....but happy to be safe and in the US.

Blessings...

Update From Kenya

Everything is going great! The team is doing such a great job with the kids and the local 252 Team. The 252 Team is a group of young Kenyan volunteers that work with the kids. God is doing great things in the village of Ngaamba. Team spirit is very high and we can't wait to see the kids again tomorrow. Hope all is well state side. God Bless!

Wamuseo (hello)

Wamuseo!!!
...from Ngaamba, Kenya!

We made it safe and sound on Friday, but have been unable to get internet until tonight.

Things are going really well and surprisingly very smoothly!

Today was the first day of our kid's camp and it was incredible. The kids seem to be having a wonderful time.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

Image hearing 100 children shouting that in English...while in Ngaamba, Kenya.

It is a sweet, sweet thing.

Our God is so big and present in Ngaamba!

We are so excited to see what He has in store for the next few days!

Thank you so much for your continued prayers! They have been evident in this trip!

Asante Sana (Thank you!)

Team has landed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!

After a very long flight, we've landed safely in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!!! A few of us caught some Zzzz's while others found it difficult to sleep, due to excitement and the 7 hour time difference. The day has just began here, it is 8 AM, as we say sweet dreams to all of our American peeps!!!

Here's a video of the team!

http://m.youtube.com/index?client=mv-google&desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US&rdm=4nja5938b#/watch?v=f9h0NTO3e8M

Landed safely in DC!!!

We have arrived safely in Washington DC!! We are waiting in line for our boarding passes and are ecstatic about our upcoming 13 hour flight!!! Oh yeah, Kenya, here we come!

Weather Report

Hey everyone...I was just checking the weather...looks like we might have a good bit of rain

Bring your poncho!!! ;)

1 More Day!! Some Encouragement for our Trip!

I wanted to share some words from Joshua 1. After the death of Moses, the Lord was preparing Joshua to take his people into the promised land. The words of encouragement that God spoke to him are some of my favorite scripture in the Bible.

7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I am so excited and blessed to share this opportunity with you guys and I look forward to all that God wants to do through us and in us over the next 10 days!

Here for You

Words can't even express how excited I am to be leaving for Kenya in less than two days! As I have been preparing my heart for whatever God has in store for our team, the song below keeps going through my heart. It perfectly expresses my prayer for our team, our mission, and the precious people that we will minister to in Kenya. God, we are here for you.

Let our praise be Your welcome

Let our songs be a sign

We are here for You, we are here for You

Let your breath come from heaven

Fill our hearts with Your life

We are here for You, we are here for You

To You our hearts are open

Nothing here is hidden

You are our one desire

You alone are holy

Only You are worthy

God, let Your fire fall down

Let our shout be Your anthem

Your renown fill the skies

We are here for You, we are here for You

Let Your Word move in power

Let what's dead come to life

We are here for You, we are here for You

...We welcome You with praise

We welcome You with praise

Almighty God of love

Be welcomed in this place

Let every heart adore

Let every soul awake

Almighty God of love

Be welcomed in this place

Be welcomed in Your house, Lord

This little light of mine...

As kids we sang the song "This Little Light of Mine."

"This little light of mine...I'm gonna let it shine...

Won't let Satan (blow) it out...I'm gonna let it shine..."

 As adults we have found new ways to declare the same message. 

Today as I was driving home from work I heard the song "Mighty to Save" on the radio. 

The first three lines screamed for my attention like the three year old child I had just left.

"Everyone needs compassion,

Love that's never failing;

Let mercy fall on me."

Everyone. Not some. Not people who go to jail. Not people who lie. Not people who live on streets. Not rich people. Not people in Atlanta. Not people in Australia. Not you. Not me....everyone. 

Love that never fails. Not love that works out sometimes. Love when you play your cards right. Love when you do the right thing. Love when you earn it. Love always.

Let mercy fall...like rain on me. Have you ever felt grace or mercy like rain? Grace and mercy so all consuming you can feel it as it soaks your hair, seeps through your jeans and t-shirt, clings to your skin, and just doesn't stop? 

So I continued listening...

Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.
So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

Shine your light and let the whole world see,We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

As I have tried to prepare for what lies ahead in the next two weeks, I find myself feeling completely inadequate. Isn't there someone else better equipped for this mission? Someone more experience? Someone more knowledgeable? Someone more spiritual? Someone more outgoing? Someone more adventurous? Some better? ...Someone...?

But God has whispered...in the still moments..."No Emily. You are the one I want. You have been purposefully chosen to serve my people. Do not worry. Do not be afraid. I have prepared this mission. I am preparing this mission. The people you will meet. The people you will serve. The people you will love. It is all for a very important purpose. My purpose."

So...I have prayed..."take me as You find me, just as I am...little Emily...with all my fears and failures. Help me to pour out my life the way you want me to. Pour into the open hearts of those you have asked me to...and then fill my life again. I give my life to follow everything I believe in. Now I surrender. I surrender yesterday. Today. And tomorrow. And the next day. I surrender."

So we shine.

As kids we said, "this little light of mine...I'm gonna let it shine..."

...but now as we head towards Kenya...I pray we will shout "Shine your light and let the whole world see, because we are not just going on a mission trip. We aren't just traveling to Kenya to do a kids camp. 

We are singing for the glory of the risen King

...Jesus.

Love you guys...I know God has big plans for this trip. I can't wait to experience our lights shining to the world big, bright, bold, and beautiful!!!

Fast Approaching

You know I always joke that if I only lived life like I was about to go out of town, I would get so much more accomplished. It is true. However, It is hard to not become so focused on what needs to be accomplished before I leave and not lose sight of why it is I am going. I think that sometimes God wants us to take a step back and try to look at life from a "birds eye" view so that we can really see what it is going on and try to understand what his purpose is for us. So often we are so focused on what we are doing in our own little world that we can't see what he is really wanting us to do.

It is amazing how God can take 15 complete strangers and mesh them into a tight fitting group with so many talents and abilities. I am truly blessed for all that he has done up to this point and we haven't even left yet!

I am so excited to meet each and every person that God puts across our path in Kenya. I know that his spirit will surround us and guide us in his path. His protection shall be upon us and his will shall be done.

Beautiful Things

Wanted to share this amazing song that has been playing on repeat from my iPod these days...

I truly believe God is about to reveal to us (in a grand way) His amazing grace and power to transform anything or anyone into a BEAUTIFUL creation...

Hoping. Waiting. Loving this time. With expectation...

Beautiful Things...

ps: I love this team! :)

A nudge from the Lord

I can't believe this trip is 2 days away, a trip that has been a lifetime in the making. . .

A year and a half ago at the beginning of 2010, I felt a nudge from the Lord that I should go and serve him in another part of the world . . . life intervened and I was busy at with a job that I didn't belong at, in a relationship that pulled me away from my heavenly ties, in a place where I didn't feel at home.

Fast forward to a year later at 4:30 AM I was on my way to the airport, to hop on a plane and head to Vail, CO for NYE, to bring in the 2011 year. As I jumped into the cab, still half asleep, something inside of me said, "Talk to the driver, you have a 20 minute drive ahead, and you may as well entertain yourself with some conversation." As I carried on a conversation with my cab driver, I discovered he was from Kenya. He had grown up in a hut in Africa, and while swimming in the summer, had to worry about crocodiles, and while sleeping at night, had to sleep with one eye open, hoping there was enough life stock in the village, so the Lions wouldn't come into the huts. He had left such an impression on me that when I met up with the others on my trip, I told them about my conversation with the cab driver. Something inside of me said "This means something, Kelly. What are you going to do about it?"

A couple of weeks went by and I was listening to the Sunday sermon at Buckhead Church, when Andy reminded us that the GlobalX deadlines were quickly approaching and applications had to be in by the end of January. Once again, a voice "You need to go and serve and spread my light in another part of the world." Finally, I realized this isn't just any old voice in my head, this is something the Lord is asking me to do. I went on the website and scrolled the page to see if there happened to be a trip to Kenya, and about halfway down, low and behold, there was a trip.

And now here I am 2 days away from leaving. . . I have moments where I think I am totally out of my mind, for going so far away, and moments where I am so excited about what God will use me and my team for in Ngaamba. Through all of this, I can feel the confidence the Lord has placed within me to complete this trip and to spend 9 days of doing nothing but listening to him, without the distractions of the modern world, with a team of some of the most amazing Christians I've ever met. I feel so blessed that God is sending me on this mission, and can't wait to see what it will do for the children of Ngaamba, and for my relationship with Christ and the Lord as I continue to let God take over my life.

Let's do this. . . .

As it nears closer to our departure, I find myself in a frantic state trying to organize myself and sort out my responsibilities at work. I feel so overwhelmed, I have a list of people that I need to return calls to and a huge to do list staring at me from my kitchen counter. Although God has been very clear to me that this is His will for me through providing the financial support and encouragement over the past few months, I feel somewhat lost. I feel discouraged and wonder if ten days will make a difference, I wonder why I am so blessed and others are not. I realize God has a purpose and a plan for each of us, but I still feel undeserving of my fortunate circumstances. God has blessed me far beyond than I ever imagined and he has brought extraordinary people into my life to encourage my Christian walk. I want him to use me as He sees fit, not as I see fit.

This being my first mission trip, I was caught off guard by the spiritual warfare I’ve been experiencing over the past month and I’ve been allowing it to distract me and not be able to fully embrace God’s grace and love for us. Yesterday, one of our trip leaders said that spiritual warfare is strongest when we are doing what God wants us to do – which I find to be such an encouraging statement. I ask that as you are reading this blog, you take a few minutes to pray for our team, pray for God’s protection for us and for all of the distractions and emotional battles to fall away. Pray that we surrender to God and that we are consumed by Him and nothing else.

I have been so excited about this trip and opportunity, but I also know we will be back on the plane to the States before we know it – and I want for each of us on my team to fully experience God’s will for us and for Him to use each of to His purpose. I believe God has a greater purpose than for us than just going to Kenya, I believe he wants to change each of our lives.

In that day you will say:
“Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
Isaiah 12:4-6

A prayer for courage.

This time next week I will hopefully have been asleep for quite a few hours at this point in the night. Because next Thursday morning I have an international flight to catch at 7:15am. To D.C. To Ethiopia. To Nairobi, Kenya.

As the time to leave for Kenya gets closer and closer and the lose ends begin to tie into pretty bows, I find myself hesitant. Pausing for a minute to catch my breath. God, is this what I am expecting it to be?

No.

I have moments of pure excitement. Moments of pure joy and giddiness. 

Other times I have moments of crippling fear. Moments of doubt.

I am not too proud to say that I have lived a comfortable life in my little bubble. I don't feel as if I have been sheltered from the realities of this (harsh) world, but at the same time...that is exactly what has happened. God, what if I can't take it?

You can. I can.

I will admit that I have been so focused on the price tag in front of me that I have forgotten the purpose of our trip. I have wanted so badly to do the one thing that I feel is in my power that I have completely missed the point. The purpose. The goal. The reality of what He can do.

He who is all. He who is above all. He who is before all. And after all. He who raises up mountains. He who fills oceans. 

He is the purpose of this trip.

His love is the fuel for our mission. The foundation for what we have to give; individually and as a team.

He made it possible. He makes it possible everyday.

In this coming week, I pray that I not lose sight again of what the purpose of this trip is. Or even the purpose of what daily living is.

Jesus. To love. To shine. To submit. To be emptied. To be filled. To give. To love. 

[Open our hearts, God. Open our eyes. Help us to see the world as you do. Prepare the way.]

Final Prep!

Today is Tuesday and we leave bright and early next Thursday morning. From Atl to DC to Addis Ababa to Nairobi to Ngaamba!! Crazy how vast our world seems in that context and how vast God's Kingdom must be in comparison to our tiny world. I just know it is going to be a life changing experience as our team learns so much from quality time spent with the kids in Ngaamba and of course, quality time spent with our wonderful, loving God. We appreciate everyone's prayers as we get close to our departure date and look forward to sharing our stories of God's love and grace along the way!

Mungubariki (God Bless),

Neal

We Leave Next Week....

To tell you that I am excited for our trip is an understatement. Our trip to Kenya is all I think about these days! I am really looking forward to seeing what God has in store for our group. To be able to serve these children in Kenya will be a life changing experience for me. I cannot imagine the impact these young lives will have on me and my outlook on life and how I see and love God. I know with all my heart that God put this group together for a reason. He single handedly picked each one of us and placed us together to experience this journey. A journey across the world but also a journey with Him and each other. Selfishly, I am so looking forward to this trip because I am craving a closeness with Him. In my every day life, I often feel so distant from Him and I long for moments of complete silenece where all I can hear is His voice. 10 more days to go and counting....

Love to all,

Caroline