Nick Rimato- "olive gardens biggest fan"
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Meet the team
Final reflections
We needed one final blog post about our trip, so I asked each person to give me one word to describe their experience this week. I thought this list was a good summary of our individual experiences.
Roman- breathtaking
Baylee- indescribable
Nick G- joyful
Laura- eye opening
Kristin- touched
Conner- awesome
Ben- hakunamazing
Chris- refreshing
Nick R- amazing
Kathryn- good
Beth- amazing
Carlette- insightful
Beth U- thankful
Caitlin- grateful
Mary-intimate
Sara- Lovely
Joanie- engaging
Al- supercalafragilistic
We are now making the long journey back home. Back to reality. Back to our families. Back to our schedules and routines. Back to the demands of everyday life. So now what? What's our next step? How will our lives look differently because of our experience in Kenya? You'll have to live closely alongside us to know. :)
I hope that you will get to experience God on a trip like this someday, but most of all I hope you live expecting God to move in your life everyday.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Last Day in the Community
Jambo! (Hello)
This is Crisboh. I praise God for the wonderful week that I have had with Brazos Pointe Team. I have seen God's love through them. People giving their lives to Christ. Team sharing their testimonies to the community. Praying for their needs. I thank God for seeing the unity of the church. May God bless Brazos Pointe Church!
Asante Sana
(Thank you very much)
410 Trip Leader
After a long day of being sick in the village all day God showed me that beauty can be had in the hardest situations. While sitting on the bus for the better part of the afternoon my sponsored child found me on the bus and sat next to me telling me how sorry he was that I felt bad, so he just sat there and kept me company. And we talked and had a great time. It sounds incredibly difficult to believe and even hard to admit, but as painful as it was I was soo blessed to have been sick today, God used that to teach me a lesson that otherwise I wouldn't have learned on my own.
-Ben
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Amazing Day! Lots of stories!!!
This is Baylee! This week so far has been unexplainable. These people are the most precious people I think God could ever place in our lives. My life is changing and God is the reason why. And I'm so excited to see what tomorrow has! See ya lata alligator!
hey, it's Laura! Kenya is absolutely incredible. I want to stay here forever. the kids are perfect little angels and I'm going to take all of them home. today is the first day we haven't gotten stuck. whoop whoop! tomorrow is our last day in the village and I'm going to cry the whole time. I've cried everyday I've been here. #emotionalgirlprobs. but this has been the best week of my life. I absolutely love it here.
It's Joanie...
"Trust and obey, trust and obey. For there's no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey."
I remember standing in the pew at church as a little girl and not really understanding what that song meant. But as I've grown I've come to better know what that song means. Trusting is a hard thing for me. Mostly because I'm a Type A, controlling, OCD neat freak who likes things her way thank you very much! But that's not what God calls us to do. He tells us to trust Him because his plan is better than ours and we will be blessed by obedience to Him. Africa has been on my heart for awhile and when I felt the call to come to Kenya this year I knew it would take a lot of trusting and obeying. First I had to trust I would even get here, I wasn't sure how I would pay for it. But God showed up in a big way and it all seemed to work out perfectly. Then, I had to continue to trust and obey when people were skeptical of me coming. My poor parents were terrified of me coming, fearing the worst. There were many times that I wanted to give in and just not come so they would be happy. But I knew that I couldn't do that, I would always regret it and that God had a purpose for me coming and would be my protector. And if you know me at all, you know I'm an indoor girl. I like my manicures and air conditioning, cable TV and my curling iron. I'm a girly girl through and through, not the type you would think to be trekking through the mud and dust of Kenya. More than once friends told me they were worried about me. Ummm yeah, I'm a little worried about me too. But I'm happy to report that I'm not doing that bad! Granted on the trip I've been dubbed the "survivor" because mostly I'm scrambling through and finding that a pretty smile and a hair flip doesn't really get you very far here like it does back home. I've been scratched, fallen in the mud and climbed into the mud huts just like everyone else. Maybe not with as much grit, but I do it. And while doing all the walking and falling and climbing, God has been continueing to teach me this important lesson: that when you trust and obey Him, He will bless you beyond your wildest dreams. So here I am in Kenya, still rocking my cute outfits and glitter Toms. I even found a way for my curling iron to work! See? Blessed by obedience once again. :-)
Hi this is Beth H. I have tried to blog 2 other times this week and it has been lost. Third times the charm, right?
I am very overwhelmed by the love that I feel from the children at the schools we visit. The joy that I see on their faces is enough to make your heart melt.
The afternoon was a wonderful experience. We went to a home and had chai. The amazing part is how honored the family was to have us as their guest and to be able to learn how she makes tea over a small fire in her mud house. We were able to pray with the family. Her request was to pray for everything.
I can not believe that we only have one more day at the schools. I am sure tomorrow will be an emotional day.
This is Kathryn. This morning my group sang songs and taught numbers and letters to the Kenyan kids. When one of the girls was having trouble with her alphabet another girl took my copy and helped her. It was so refreshing considering the kids usually fight each other over us. Then in the afternoon we went to Agnes's house and she made us some wonderful chai ( tea). No one is ready for our last day with the kids tomorrow.
Hi! It's Mary. It's been incredible watching our team work together this week. I have loved watching them through the lens of my camera and putting together their blogposts. Our evening share times have been very special. The relationship that BPF has built with this community has made a huge impact in the lives of our friends here in Kenya. Visiting Africa has been a dream of mine for a long time. I will never forget this trip. Sitting in a mud hut on a wooden bed and being served tea was overwhelming. How is it that I have been chosen to live in America and so comfortably? My heart is so full! ❤
Jambo!
It is such a blessing to be back in Kenya. It was really special to spend time with a little girl, Mercy, that I met last year. Last year she introduced me to her mother and had me take pictures. She made me promise to send them to her. On this trip I was able to fulfill my promise. Her face was filled with so much joy and happiness as she looked at the pictures of her with her mom, us together, and a picture of my family. She held onto those pictures as if it was her greatest possession.
Sunday my group and I walked 2km (1.3 miles) to church (one way). Reflecting on the journey it's hard to imagine that the people living in this community walk so far for water, school, and church. Sometimes even barefoot. I am honored to be apart of their lives.
Bwana asufewa! (God is Good)
-Beth Ullrich
Hi! It's Caitlin,
This Is my first Mission trip/visiting Kenya and its been amazing! I've made a few very special friends at the Mbogoini primary school. My favorite part of this experience is having the kids run up to me and hug me! can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Monday, July 15, 2013
Officially Day 3
We had several technical difficulties yesterday with blogging. 😔
Today was a great day! We began with a group devotional led by Ben. After that we made the journey out to the new primary school called Mbogoini. We got stuck again, it's something we have come to expect. :-) We worked in four groups today.
One group took over the classes and taught kids their letters and numbers. The crayons were a big hit as always. We have three teachers on this trip which has been a blessing to the school. The local teachers that are paid by the government have been on strike for nearly a month. This makes it hard on the remaining teachers that are still working.
Another group helped prepare lunch for the kids. Our abilities to keep the fire going were sub par at best. One team member said it was because we were too "city." :-)
A third group helped to build a restroom which consisted of stacking large bricks and mixing concrete. The fourth group helped paint the inside of two brand new class rooms that another group helped to build. It was a pretty busy morning!
In the afternoon we went to the primary school in Endana to help with the rejoice project. The rejoice project is a program by the 410 Bridge that teaches one biblical concept once a week for a month. This month's lesson is about honor. Our group taught Bible study, led in a craft and some games. When this was finished we spent some time playing so the kids. Soccer is really hard for this out of shape youth pastor! :-) to say it was a great day would be an understatement.
Our group is doing really well. We've had a few scrapes and scratches and some sickness but overall we are well. Our group times in the mornings and evening have been special. I'm really looking forward to seeing how God continues to work.
Tomorrow we will repeat what we did this morning and after lunch we will divide into groups to make home visits. We will spend an afternoon with a local family learning about what life is like here while trying to encourage them in their faith and pray for them. Pray for us to have both strength and wisdom as we venture into another day.
God Bless,
Chris Watson
Hi! its Kristin. It has been a busy day! This morning we started our time at Mbogoini Primary School. Our team split into four groups. One group worked with the children, one group worked in the kitchen, one group worked on building the "toilet" and one painted the classrooms. I had the privilege of working in the kitchen with a precious Kenyan lady named Virginia. When I say kitchen, I'm talking about a little 9' X 7' building with wired areas on two sides for ventilation and a door, with a little spot for a fire & a place to set a large pot over the fire. Every day the school children are fed a lunch of maize (corn) and beans. That seems to be the only "cafeteria food" in the schools in this area and is often the only meal the children will have that day.
Anyway, when we got there, Virginia already had the maize, beans & water boiling. Our job was to keep the fire stoked so the pot would continue to boil. And today is when I learned how very inexperienced I am & how dumb I am when it comes to fires. Virginia laughed at us (Carlette, Baylee, and me) many times but very patiently taught us how it was done. The food cooked for a couple of hours after we got there, and then it was time to serve the kids lunch. Each child has their own bowl that they are responsible for bringing to the kitchen & then cleaning it out afterward. All three of us took turns pouring just one coffee cup full of maize and beans in each child's bowl. It just amazes me to think that's probably all they will eat in a day. It was a fun experience, but the thing I loved the most was getting to know my new friend, Virginia. Relationships are really a big part of our trips here, and I am grateful to have another friend I can look forward to seeing on my next trip.
Today we had our first day on construction and we also got to participate in The Rejoice Project. Construction project has been awesome so far. Roman was a beast mason and totally got the hang of laying the bricks and packing the mortar. He did great. I got the greatest comment ever, I was told by a Kenya women that I was a hard worker!! As we worked alongside our Kenyan brothers we got to talk with them about if and where they went to church and really find out more about their families. It was great getting to know them and we are certainly looking forward to working with them again tomorrow. The Rejoice Project was also an amazing experience, getting to hang out with three groups of kids and talk about the importance of "honor" and the picture of honor that Christ showed to his disciples by washing their feet. It was cool to see how that related to them and how they would show honor to friends and family. My team for Rejoice was awesome, props to Roman, Laura, Caitlin, and Connor they were a great team. We got stuck three times today in the bus one time took about 30 minutes to get unstuck but with the help of some passerby Kenyan friends we were able to push it out. Throughout this trip God has provided in so many ways, getting stuck yesterday and today we were late getting to the community but both days the time difference didn't seem to bother us, both days we seemed to have more than adequate time in the community(though we still didn't want to leave). We are looking forward to going back tomorrow, and really don't want to leave in 4 days :-(
Ben
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Day 3-Church & Youth Seminar
So...today has been great. We started the morning with an adventure to just get to the village. The bus got stuck in the mud several times, the guys worked hard to push it out of the mud so we could get to church. The team split up into a few groups to go to different churches. The church my group went to was located in a barn like building, with dirt floors and wooden benches. Due to being stuck we were all late to church, however they waited for us I get there to start the service. We were so honored that they waited for us, but what really struck me is that they were honored to wait for us, to welcome us and worship the same God together. The worship and service was in Swahili, with a translator for the pastor. Not being able to understand the words to the songs made it hard to sing along bit that really didn't matter at all it was nice to not know the words and to just be able to worship and enjoy our Kenyan brothers and sisters. During the service they asked for one of us to share with the church. I shared my story with the church and our group. This was out of my comfort zone, as I generally prefer to share in a small group of folks or one on one. I was so nervous. I didn't know what I was going to share or if it would get lost in translation, but God wasn't worried at all. He showed up as he promise us he will do and guided my words. After the service I was approached by ALL of the women, they were encouraged by my story, seeing that "it isn't just me" they saw similarities in my story with their lives. It is so humbling to know that is women face many of the same trials even being oceans away, different cultures, socioeconomic groups, and speak different languages. Even more than that, is the fact that we all love and serve the same God and he has no boundaries.
Carlette
Hey, it's Al. Today was an awesome day! We split up into groups and took off to visit some of the remote churches and worship with the Kenyan people (after getting the bus unstuck)! They treated us as honored guests. Although we weren't able to understand everything that was being said, the intent was the same - to praise God. Joanie got up and preached to the group and I was able to lead us in prayer. It was very cool when it sets in that you are in the middle of Africa, attending church that is being led in a different language.
Afterwards we went to another church, that was actually a combination of youth from probably 4 or 5 different churches. Chris did a great job preaching the message. Afterwards we broke into small groups where Conner and I got to share with some teen-aged boys.
God is SO big. It's so awesome to watch our team serve each other and our brothers and sisters here in Kenya. Keep praying friends! ❤
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Day 1-Open Ceremonies & Home Visits
Hey this is Baylee! Today has opened my eyes to so many new things. God has shown me that I need to appreciate the things and people I have in my life. The kids today were Angels sit down from heaven to give joy to everyone on this trip. I can't wait to see what God has in store for the rest of the week! Bye for now !(:
This is sara and Im happy to say I had the best 24th birthday anyone could ask for. I ate lunch in a field where I could watch zebras, danced with Maasai teenagers (one gave me a necklace), and was dragged around by a little girl named Supa who called me mizungu (white woman) all day. Now I'm enjoying tea with Kristin and Mary and watching the rain. God has really blessed me far more than I deserve.
Hi this is nick, today was amazing we got to go on home visits! This was awesome it was great to hear the people's testimony! I also got to share my testimony which was really cool for me.I definitely think that this was a next step for me it was a big step out of my comfort zone!! I can't wait to see what God has in store for the next few days!
Hey guys it's Roman, today was an awesome new experience!! God really shines his light through the kids of Africa. Even though they have so little, they love God so much! The home visits today were full of joy and love! P.S the food is horrible!!
I love hearing the stories and thoughts from the others on our team. I've been on several mission trips before, but each one is so different. Today has been a reminder to be content. Be content walking with kids. Be thankful for the little things like...a mattress, smooth roads, a variety of foods available at any minute, more than one outfit, but really does this stuff even matter? It's peaceful here. Quiet. Less noise. Very little pulling for your attention.
I'm ending with this...
I love how Jack (our leader) prays..."In Jesus name we pray and trust"
We are continuing to trust in Jesus to watch over, protect, and guide us each day! -MM
Friday, July 12, 2013
We made it!!!
Super long day or days of traveling. I'm not really sure what day it is or what time it is, but we made it to our hotel. (AND with all of our luggage I might add) It's nicer than what I expected. It's dark, so I can not really post any pics. :( The patio is nice and we can sit outside and use wi-fi. Yay! After sitting and eating and sitting and eating and riding and eating -we still made it in time for dinner and strawberry ice cream. All the staff at our hotel is super friendly and very helpful.
Jack-our new BFF-works for 410 and has traveled with us from the airport today. He is making sure that we all learn Swahili along the way.
Tomorrow we will head out to our community to meet new friends for some of us and old friends for others of us on the team. I'm a newbie, but Jack said he remembered me from last year.
Well, Lala Salama
Good night!
~mm
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Off to Kenya
The trip is going well so far. Everyone is seated on the plane and pumped about the USB ports in the seats. :-) pray for a safe flight and yummy in flight meals! :-) the following quote pretty much sums up the mood of the group. "Just got on the plane excited and ready to get there probably sleep maybe but excited to be going" - Nick R.
Good Morning☀
We made it to the airport this morning by 7. Checked in. Got through security. I would say the average amount of sleep last night would be about 3-4 hours. However, there is a "chainsaw master" among us....I'm not going to mention any names (Al), but apparently Conner slept about 30 minutes. :)
I read this today...Now to him who is able to do immeasurably 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 generations…Ephesians 3:20
Thank you God for this incredible opportunity. We are excited to see you at work this week and be part of what you are doing in Kenya!
PS- there is another 410 Bridge mission team with us from NC on our flight.
PSS- I will not be the only one updating the blog, so you won't get tired of hearing from me (Mary Mitterling)
We will update the blog as soon as we have access...it will probably be late Friday night.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Kenya Here We Come
We made it to the airport. :) We've all had dinner and loaded up on Starbucks for the flight. Our flight has been slightly delayed, but I mean....it's a mission trip. Things just don't go as planned. We are practicing our flexibility early. Here's a look at the week ahead...
Arrive in Kenya on Friday and travel about 6 hours to our hotel.
Saturday- we will be given a Welcome Ceremony. (I've heard includes a lot of dancing)
Sunday- church/prep for the week
Monday-Wed- working in the schools, building a bathroom, and prepping lunches
Thursday- traveling to Sweetwater Tented Camp
Friday- start traveling back to Texas
...more to come. We are lining up to board the plane. YAY!
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