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Posted in Admissions Department by Robby Smith on 1/19/2012
Hey everyone!
We're here in Kijabe, Kenya. Everything is going great. We will be headed to a village to visit the Massai tribe tomorrow and will be there until February 3. We will not have internet there but be looking for great blogs on the 3rd! Please be praying for our team as we evangelize to the Massai.
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Posted in Team Update by Passport Update on 1/18/2012
Hello family & supporters!
Team Kenya has safely arrived in country. We cannot wait to hear about all that God is going to do in and through your loved ones. Please keep them in your prayers as they share the love of Jesus with this amazing country.
Blessings,
The Passport Team
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Posted in Training Camp by Grayson Hary on 1/17/2012
I am sitting at the airport in Atlanta, waiting to fly out for my new home for four months, Kijabe, Kenya.
A sense of apprehension is setting over me, not quite enough to affect me, but, a degree of it nonetheless.
The Lord did tremendously powerful things the last few days at training camp. People were encouraged, renewed, comforted, and, constantly reminded of how much they are loved, how much they are meant to be here, to be used by God during the coming months. Truth was spoken, again and again, over the trip participants, myself included. Experiences that were both startling and reveling, that lifted many of us up to a place we had never been, leaving us with a peace that the Lord will be with us during our time in our respective destinations.
I was thrust out of my comfort zone, and must say that it was not entirely too uncomfortable, in fact, it was an extremely welcome and a late in coming experience. With so many new people around me, so many seemingly awesome and terrific and exciting and joyful people around me, I would be crazy to not extend a hand to them and attempt to forge excellent and exciting new friendships with them, no matter how short lived they may be, seeing as many of us would part ways in the coming days.
It was worth the effort. It was worth the trust I placed in the Lord to both quell my fears about new people and how I would be perceived and treated by others.
So far, I have to say that choosing to become a member of this trip to Kenya on the Passport has been nothing short of being one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I eagerly look forward to seeing the powerful ways God will work through this team during our time in Kenya!
Now a photo of our team on the tram at the airport!
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Posted in Training Camp by Elizabeth Riggle on 1/16/2012
AHH i am being stretched like a gumby doll..God's been pulling me out of my comfort zone more than i would have ever imagined and were not even in Africa yet! He has made me so close to Him, making me know who i am in Him! My prayer life has never been this strong. i camp to camp expecting to stand there singing worship songs instead i find myself in the presence of Him....MAN AND WERE NOT EVEN IN AFRICA YET!!
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Posted in General Posts by Krystin Clark on 1/16/2012
So, training camp is almost over! Tonight is the last night of training camp and we leave bright and early tomorrow morning. As much as I'm not excited about the almost 30 hours of travel to get to Kenya, I'm equally as excited to see Kenya!
When we first arrived at training camp, I was a little agitated to be here, honestly. It was all a bit anticlimactic to me. I got all excited and pumped up to go on this great adventure and left my family... only to go to Georgia for a few days. I was like, seriously?... because I signed up for Kenya, not Georgia. But much to my surprise, God has shown up in this camp in the middle of no where to rock my world before I even stepped onto Kenyan soil. He has challenged me, stretched me, molded me, healed me, and poured His love over me. If all of this has happened while I'm still in America... bring on Kenya!
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Posted in Admissions Department by Nick Wing-Holt on 1/16/2012
In preparation for my journey, God has really disciplined me on how to stay in His word. Throughout the week, I've been extremely swayed by a lot of things that are not truth: fear, insecurity, doctrine, etc. I was forced to realize that in world where a bunch of things are out of whack, His holy nature is the only thing that prevails and stands strong, true, and good.
That's all I can write cause I ran out of time.
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Posted in Training Camp by Holly Knowles on 1/16/2012
This weekend has been exhausting, exhilirating, exciting, and insanely fun. Training camp has been a roller coaster of emotions for myself and my teammates. I have made 14 beautiful friends who I cannot wait to spend the next four months with, and I have witnessed God's presence multiple times. We have been doing everything, from running around downtown Atlanta on a Friday night to role-playing a tribe encounter. We have heard many testimonies from previous participants, and we have been educated on our destination's culture and traditions.
At the beginning of this weekend, I really had no expectations because I had no idea what to expect. I know that I still have a ways to go, but I am insanely excited about the people that I am going to meet and learn from in Kenya. I can't really write much more because someone else needs this laptop, BUT I cannot wait to update once I get there and get settled.
God bless :)
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Posted in Admissions Department by Neal Montgomery on 12/14/2011
Hello all,
My name is Neal Montgomery, I was one of the two leaders on this past semesters trip to Kenya. I would like to upload a photo, but I can't find the cord since I am still living out of my backpack for a little longer. I hope you are all doing well and are enjoying getting to find out how your loved ones have changed through the course of these three months.
It has been an amazing season for me, I loved getting to know everyone on the team. It may take some time to see all the changes that have happened but here are a few things that have been encouraging to me. I have seen my team walk into their identities in Christ, and begin to find their self worth in God rather than in anything the world has to offer. I have seen them start to chase after what they are passionate about, not just what makes sense. I understand that may be hard for some of you as parents to understand, I know it has been for my parents sometimes, but God does not give us passions and then ask us to go into careers where we can't use those. The world needs more people who have come alive, so allow my team as they come to seek out what makes them come alive. I have seen girls become women and a man start to learn how to love and be loved. There are so many amazing changes, all thriteen of us have come back different and I am so excited about the paths that the Lord is calling us to.
So God bless you all, merry Christmas and thank you for always being supportive and caring about how the team was doing on the field.
If you are interested in knowing more about myself even now that the trip is over you can visit my blog, I update it semi-regularly. And if you want to support me as I lead another trip in the summer that would be amazing, it's under the 'Support' tab
http://nealmontgomery.wordpress.com/
Bye
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Posted in Reflections by Emily Gaudian on 12/12/2011
I have loved to sing for as long as I can remember. My family and I gather around the old mahogony piano at my grandma's house each year to sing carols together. With my grandpa's bass voice anchoring the family, the rest of us join in with altos, sopranos, and tenors. My siblings and I belt out bluegrass songs while doing the dishes at home. My mother, sister, and I sing in three part harmony with my dad and brothers on the guitar. I have always loved music; the way that intertwined voices create beautiful, moving melodies. When I gave my life to the Lord, I began to love worship. I loved using my voice to sing praises to my creator, but I always seemed to hold back a part of myself in worship, but I didn't know what it was.
The other day, my iPod was on shuffel and a Copeland song came on with the lyrics, "Sing, not because you love to song, but because you love to sing". Those lyrics made me think about my mindset in worship. Sometimes, I found myself singing the song simply because I loved the song; I loved the notes layered on top of eachother, making beautiful, lyrical lines of music; sometimes I forgot that I was singing because I loved to sing for Jesus.
Being in Africa and witnessing the people worship has given me a fresh perspective and God has used that to change my heart for worship. The Masaai in Tangitatu and the Pokot worshipped with complete abandonment and sang with such passion. The people worshipped late into the night, singing songs with the same exact beat and the same melody, often for 4 hours at a time-but they never lost their enthusiasm, their joy, their reverance for the Lord! In Karati with the Kikuyu tribe, I saw old women who could barely stand on their achy joints sing with their hands raised high to the heavens-; and even though they were out of tune, it was a beautiful, pleasing song to the Lord. In Pokot, I saw people dancing and praising with such joy, even though their only intrument was and old tambourine. In Kijabe, I saw people who were 3 years old to 97, all with the same joy and passion and loveas they sang out at the top of their lungs.
I have realized more and more how pridefull I had been in worship. I had based worship on the feeling that I had, on how much I loved singing each song. But, the Lord has been teaching me and showing me how to come back to the heart of worship--to remember why I am singing--not because I love the song, but because I love to sing praises to my savior. For the Lord is so worthy, so deserving, of our praise.
"Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless your name as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands"-Psalm 63:3-4
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Posted in Reflections by Allegra Forwith on 12/9/2011
-Breanne Coe
Orphans... Precious little children of God who think that they are unloved. Kids who think that the two most important people in their lives just left them and that they have nothing... My heart beats for those babies, to love them, and to promise them that they have the best DAD in the whole wide world who wants to love them and take care of them forever! God is calling me to big places, to places where babies are waiting to be loved, and to be known.
-Allegra Forwith
My passion is mission work, bringing light to the nations. I come alive in the face of adventure, going out into the bush, bringing the gospel to those still living in darkness. I loved living with the tribes, visiting unreached people with the gospel and claiming hearts for Christ. There's nothing quite like being the first person to tell someone about Jesus or being surrounded by the sounds of worship in a different language and culture. Nothing like entering a place darkened by sin and leaving with the darkness vanquished. There are still so many people unreached by the gospel, people who are precious in God's eyes and mine. I am owned by Christ, so I owe it to Christ to reach His people. My heart beats for bringing light to the nations, and God has made this my life-long mission!
-Ashlee Paul
Photography is a huge part of who I am, and I love being able to capture those hidden moments. Whether its through the beauty of an African child, or the smiles that paint team Kenya's faces as we discover the inner humor from one another, being able to capture those special moments is something I will strive to be apart of for the rest of my life.
-Paulina Reimer
Mennonite..... that is my background and my culture. I know God is calling me to minister to them.
-Emily Chambers
Among the many things I have learned on this trip, I have realized that you need to have a passion in life. It's not enough to settle for what makes other people happy, if it's not what you love. It's really important to do what the Lord calls you to do, and ultimately it will make you happier. So whatever your heart beats for, do it! Be passionate about life, and in life!
NIKKI HIERS
--- 1 Thessalonians 2:8. Paul talks about care and love for others. He places the emphasis on it being more and better than you have for yourself. The gospel and the life of a disciple is for others. God is captivated by his people; why shouldn't his servants be the same.
-Dorothy Keiper
Teeth. Weird? Yeah... it relates a lot to what God has revealed to me about my future. I was originally planning on going to school in January for Hospitality and Tourism Management. But over the course of the trip God has altered that for me. One of the first things I noticed while living through the tribes was their lack of oral and personal hygiene. I so badly just wanted to give them a bar of soap, toothbrush and toothpaste! While in Kijabe I saw the Dental Clinic and it finally clicked... there are so many mission opportunities with dentistry! My dream is to come back to Africa and work as a dentist and have a mobile clinic... traveling to tribes to do dental work and hygiene courses for free for the people. Regardless of what I want or dream for my future, I know God's plans are better and I cannot wait!
-Emily Gaudian
The Lord has given me a special love and passion for those who have no voice-those who have speech and language difficulties (whom I will work with as a future Speech Language Therapist), but also those whose voices are not heard. My heart aches for abused women living in fear of speaking out, children who are alone, vulnerable, and helpless, unable to speak out their fears, and for those with special needs who can't communicate what they need. The Lord has been speaking to me about being an advocate for those who are living in bondage and whose voices are not heard. My heard beats for being able to enable those people to find their identity in the Lord and to find their voice where they can freely speak out about the love and truth that they have found in Him!
-Taylore Lantz
God has broken my heart for the hurting and broken. He has placed a desire in my heart to want to tell people that there is hope and healing in the Father's hands. Here in Kenya, I have had so many great opportunities to bring this to the people that I have met. Whether it is loving on the kids at the IDP camp or just talking to the patients in the hospital and bringing them comfort and hope with a warm smile!
-Kirsten Vlasic
The Lord has really instilled in me a desire to help the helpless, especially on this trip. He has given me and abundance of love that I've been able to pour out on others and blessed me with a new passion for the sick and hurting. I have discovered a new direction for my life... to bring hope to the helpless and pour out the love of Christ onto everyone I meet.
-Kristin Ivaldi
My heart beats for our generation. I believe that there is something different about the time that we live in and the impact that we have on the people around us. We have something to offer: something of value and worth; something that has been hidden or lost for far too long. I have a passion for calling our generation into greatness, into the glory that God has created us to live in. Our generation has so much to offer, and I love speaking that life and purpose into the people around me :) <3
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