Kenya: Day 2!

I wrote this on our second day and never got to post it, haha. Here goes!

Jambo! 

It's the end of day 2 and I'm already in love! It's their winter here, so it's been in the 60s-70s the whole time. We live with 7ish other Kenyan interns, and they are hilarious. It's the first time that I've been in a culture-clash situation where both sides actually understand and appreciate each other's senses of humor and it's not just small talk. I room with Alyssa and our adorable chef, Helen! She asked if Dolly Parton was alive today. She's the best. I can't really giggle about that though considering I've already asked "So like when is yalls Christmas here?" They were like uh.. December 25th? 

The girls are incredible! We were insta friends from the first day that we all were here! They love Jesus so well, and one of my favorite things about the program in general is that we all look really different in how we follow Him!

On Sunday we went to a church that was for American missionaries serving in Kenya! It was so powerful! The presence was thick. These people are laying their lives down 24/7 and it sorta seemed like this was their hour to be refreshed and relax with the Lord and other people that can relate well. It was so cool to be worshipping with so many people that were giving all they had in the presence of God! 

We were supposed to do outreach at the University of Nairobi today but apparently the students were doing finals. I'm really really looking forward to getting to the outreach! I just wanna share with people! These people are God's children and my heart is burning for more of them to walk in that identity! Heyoooo let's go let's go

We've learned so much already. The people here carry so much wisdom! We have lessons or "sessions" every morning where we all sit in our compound and just get into the word together and talk about what it means until we don't have anything left. Or at least that's what we've done so far. It's super challenging. The Kenyans eat the whole Bible for breakfast and just throw it up on us. (gross? sorry.) 

Keep praying! There are so many unreached people groups here. 

I love all of you! Thank you to everyone for your prayers and encouraging messages!! 

Kwa jeri! (Goodbye!) 

these words of mine

Hey hi hello! My name is Mary Beth and I live in Waco.

I've been going back and forth about starting a blog for a long time. I feel like people usually blog with purpose. My friends that blog typically post their increddd (new fave abrevv) spiritual revelations, their awesome photography, Bingley, etc.  Don't get me wrong, I totally have spiritual revelations and Charles is super gifted. I just never really felt drawn to blogging. I'd rather read other people's and I didn't really feel like I personally had a reason.

But. Welcome to my reason.

I'm officially going to Nairobi and (I think) Nakuru in Kenya for all of June 2012! I'll be working for/with an organization called African Christian Outreach. The Executive Director, Tom Stickney, was my youth pastor at my home church until he felt a call on his life to move to Kenya and continue what his dad started! I can't do ACO justice by trying to explain it. Please check out the website. I made the mistake/good choice of just doing so and now I'm too excited to sleep just yet. I cannot wait. The staff are laying their lives down for other Kenyan college students to know Jesus and I'm so incredibly excited to learn from them. Tom Stickney is a fisher of men and an unconventional, incredible leader. The best part is I don't even know the half of what God's doing/will do there. This is just what I know from years past and looking at the website. Cue hand gesture where I palm my face and squeal.

God is MOVING in my life! I fall massively drastically short of the glory of God. I NEED more and more of Jesus. Also, I'm not always able to write super eloquently, but I mean.. Moses had a speech impediment. It's a club I'll gladly join.

In short, I'm going back to Kenya. With Alyssa Shoemaker. And we're SO EXCITED. Jesus is too. This blog will be kinda my journey of where I've been, where I am, and then where I'll be. This is a passage that I felt like the Lord put on my heart for this trip, a passage that I will probs get even more excited about and talk about in more depth later.

"And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.* And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time."
1 Kings 8:59-61

Today you could help by praying for:
the other interns
hungry hearts and open minds for the Holy Spirit to encounter
fundraising 

*"there is no other" = "wala hakuna mwingine" in Swahili. Hence the blog title.