Kenya: One week in!

Jambo!

We're officially one week in and things are really moving!

We're still meeting for sessions at 7am each morning! We go over some stuff from our intern packet, and then comes the interesting part. Kenyans learn well from stories, so we've been learning how to tell Bible stories in a way that is easy to understand. We have to use specific wording because there are so many unreached people groups in Kenya, and as some are beginning to be reached, they are using certain lingo, so we are learning how to tell the stories in ways that will translate to all of Kenya. It's really interesting, and pretty hard considering I don't remember anything that isn't right in front of me, hah. Then we go over part of Romans with Tom.

My times with Jesus in the morning have been incredible! I've felt such a peace. Looking up from my Bible to the Kenyan sunrise is unreal. Jesus is so in all the details!

My prayers from Day 2 got answered! We did our first outreach today! We took a smaller bus (matatu) to Kenyatta University. It's a BEAUTIFUL campus. And super big. My group split up and I ended up alone, which was actually really good. I went into one cafe to buy a soda, and heard one of the sweet worker girls say she was stressed. I went over and started talking to her, and she said "hold on," and turned to another customer. I thought she wanted me to wait for her so I just stood there, but then she motioned for me to leave. I thought I was getting her in trouble so I left and just kinda stood outside and prayed about what to do next. Next thing I see, she is crawling under the counter to leave work and come outside to talk with me more! I died. Turns out, her mom was admitted to the hospital this morning, and they don't know if she'll make it through the night. She said meeting me that day was a miracle from God! I got to pray with her for her mom, and talked about her relationship with Jesus! She was such a sweetheart. We exchanged email addresses so hopefully I'll hear about her and her mom soon! Everyone else had some great things happen at the outreach also! God is moving here! We are on fire.

The buses in Kenya are party buses that each have a theme. We took the hip hop bus (yes.) and danced the whole way home with the other Kenyans on the bus.

I'll get some pictures of our compound and different things on here soon.

Anyways. Cannot thank yall enough for the prayers and encouragement! Love all of you dearly. (:

Kwa jeri!

t-minus 46 days

I've felt a call on my life to go to Africa since before I really understood what having a call on your life meant. I remember hearing about missions trips and just feeling my heart burn. It was always quickly crushed by a deep frustration, because I didn't think I'd ever be able to go on a mission trip. I thought mission trips were for "missionaries." I had no idea that God calls us to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19) 

I had no idea that we are called to be missionaries the day we say yes to Jesus! Praise God that Jesus told me who I was later on down the road and gave me a mission that extended to far beyond what I ever thought I was "allowed" to do! I feel called to show children the love of God and if that means going to the ends of the earth, then I'm doin it! (My parents would want me to add that if that means staying in America, then I will do that too! Haha.)

I remember my junior year of high school, I was at a girls group one night and the leader barely mentioned that she might organize a trip to Africa later that year. I'm so embarrassing, I tried to talk to her about it afterwards and then quickly realized how much more it meant to me than I thought, and couldn't even really talk to her about it because I just started crying. Everything within me groaned to go. I didn't have any organizations in mind, any cause, any anything. I just knew I was supposed to be there and was so frustrated that it seemed so distant and difficult to attain. 

But. Jesus knows the desires of our hearts. A year later, Tom announced that he was going back to Kenya to stay, and he would take some of the upperclassmen with him for a mission trip. Honestly, I did not really honor my parents at this point. I acted like I was pretty entitled to go, and fought any opposition for me going. I have since repented and we've talked about it, and they're incredible. Anyways. 19 seniors and juniors played packing tetris and got everything we'd need for 2.5 weeks into one suitcase (each. hah.) and left on the biggest plane I'd ever seen. It's hilarious that I thought I had a clue what the trip would be like. Jesus blows expectations out of the water every time.

 This might be one of my favorite pictures in the world. Lord, let it be one day! 

They loooveee the crazy faces. 

 Pardon me while I get attacked by a sheep. (far right)

 The view out of one of the windows of the classroom we taught in. 

 These girls are incredible.

Pray for: 

Tom and his family

ACO staff

everyone's travel plans

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.