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Posted in General Posts by Sandy Stearns on 9/2/2010
Hello! If you do not already know, my name is Gregg Stearns. I am the one on the right in the picture above. My sister Deanna would be the one on the left.
God is beautiful. I am extremely excited about our trip to Kenya. It is so insane that we leave in 5 days. I am so excited to meet my team and all the beautiful people in Kenya. I pray that God will use us to love, help, and change His Kingdom. I trust Him will all my heart that He will give us the strength and courage to overcome our boundaries. If we let Him, He will stretch us and use us. It's hard to explain how excited I am. I'm just going to say I am 'beyond excited.'
A little about myself. I have grown up in a Christian home. I am 18 years old. I am the youngest of six kids. I can be a bit shy until I get to know you. I love art(drawing and painting), and anything where I get to make something. I love Jesus, optimism, helping people, making others feel like they're not alone, and definitely %100 missions. I love the outdoors too! Did I say how much I love God and His magnificence?
A little about my FamJam(family). My Dad is a pastor of a Baptist church. He's a 'rock star' and I love him. My Mother is wonderful. I'm so glad that she never gave up on me when I constantly never wanted to wake up again. I love my parents. I am so blessed that God gave them to me. They are truly fantastic!
I have four sisters and one brother. Oldest to youngest there is Chrissy, Jessica, Kara, Jeff, Deanna(Dee), and then me. I look up to my brother and sisters a lot. I love them and wish I got to spend more time with them. It was pretty insane growing up in a house with six of us running around. Now that we are all on our own, I miss it everyday. God has blessed me with an amazing family.
Oh, and to all my friends and family all over Canada and some parts of the U.S.A. . I love you with all my heart. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers! I will definitely be praying for you!
Another thing to add to this already super long blurb. Any one of us can be used by God. God is using my team and me to go to Kenya and spread His love. God can use you wherever because His love needs to be spread all over! It's up to you to decide if you want to give your life and heart to Him and let Him use you. Isaiah 6:8! I love God and I love you.
See you in five days team Kenya! I can't wait!
Psalms 51:15 & Joshua 1:9
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Posted in Admissions Department by Colleen Belbey on 8/31/2010
Greetings from New England!! My name is Colleen Belbey and I'm an 18 year old student from Warwick, Rhode Island.
I am currently working as a Nurses' Assistant on a Med/Surge/Telly (medical, surgical, telemetry) unit at RI Hospital. I also work part time at a nursing home and as a nanny for a special needs child. My patients/residents are my joy, my inspiration and my cross. I'm continuely mystifed by their strength and sincerely love them all...even the ones that can get grumpy ;)
Apart from having the BEST jobs ever, I also have two wonderful parents, four awesome siblings and a dog.
My dad works as a biological technician at a pharmaceutical company and my mom is a teacher at an international girl's boarding school.
My sister, Meghan, is a Captain in the United States Army and is serving her second tour of duty in Baghdad. She is in charge of a Combat Surgical Hospital outside the Green Zone. Meg is the most dedicated woman in the world! Her example is the main reason I decided to go into nursing. I'm honored to call her my sister.
Tim, my eldest brother, is the assistant to the CEO of BMW. Tim, if you are reading this, get your little sis a car :)
Next, is Dan (aged 20). He is a International Business major at the European University in Rome, Italy and Pat, 16, is a junior in high school.
Lastly, there is Pele. She is the best dog a girl could ask for! She's small (a mix between a weiner dog and a beagle) but she's fiercely loyal. I'm tempted to stuff her in my suitcase and take her to Kenya. However, the thought that there are probably hungry lions somewhere in the general area deters me.
Anyway, I think I've talked enough!! :) I have a tendency to ramble, I know.
Before I go, I do want to say how wicked excited I am to be a part of this incredible experience and to meet all of you in Atlanta! This is truly a dream come true. The fidelity of God is AWE-INSPIRING. It boggles the mind...
Only 9 more days! Aaahhh!!!!
See you soon! God Bless!
-Colleen
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Posted in Admissions Department by Brittany Askew on 8/24/2010
 My sister Laura-Leanne (left) and me (right). We're not twins. I promise. :)
Teammates, Sponsors, Family Members, and Dearest Friends, My name is Brittany Askew. (Pronounced "ask-you" or "uh-skew" or however you choose to say it. I, personally, go with the first. But you can call me whatever you want.) I'm 20 years old and have grown up my entire life in beautiful Destin, FL. I've been so blessed to be able to live and grow up in a town where many people spend their life savings vacationing. If we're going to be honest from the get go, I guess it's fair to say that I know my eyes are about to be opened wide once we leave the comfort zone of the states that the majority of us call "home". I've been sheltered alot of my life, growing up in a Christian home, however, my story is one that would not typically be indicative of that. I've seen heartache that some people couldn't even begin to fathom. (However, I know we'll have more time to save that beautiful story for later :) ) I've never been outside of the continental US. So I'm so very excited to spend my first overseas experience with all of my teammates, some of which I've had the opportunity to already get to know thanks to the glorious invention of Facebook. I am counting down the days until I can finally hug you guys!!
At home, I love going to the beach, spending tons of time with my family, and loving on my puppy, Presley the weinerdog. You'll get sick of me talking about Presley, (commonly called "Weenie") by the end of our three months together, I'm sure. But Presley has been a HUGE part of my life over the past year and a half. I love him. He's the man of my dreams. ha.
On to the other important members of my family: My mom, Lynette- my best friend on the planet. She's my mom, but is often mistaken for my sister, which often makes ME extremely uncomfortable. lol. I guess I'm in line for good aging genes though, so I won't complain. My dad, Vance- I don't know what else to say about him other than that I was his first born and there's a connection that we have that is unlike any other relationship in my life. I'm totally a daddy's girl. My sister, Laura-Leanne- the loud 16-year-old, more obnoxious version of me that I couldn't live without. We speak to each other in various accents (called our "boo boo" voices) that are not normal. I'm sure you'll hear it once or twice. It's embarrassing.
Other than that, I'm pretty much your average Florida girl. I'm obsessed with school and learning, almost at an unnatural level. I live and breathe Florida Football. GO GATORS!! I have a heart for impoverished nations just like Kenya, that make me so grateful for where I live. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to reach out to this nation particularly. More specifically I can't wait to fall in love with their people, form lifelong relationships with them, and one day raise a multicultural family. AKA....I wanna adopt some African babies!! ♥ I couldn't be doing any of this without the love, support and financial contributions of the faithful followers of Jesus Christ that I call my friends and family. Let the adventures begin!!! Brittany A.
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Posted in Admissions Department by Sarah Firman on 8/19/2010
Hey everyone :)
Like everyone has been saying.. I am SOO excited for this trip! It's coming up so quick I can't believe it. The picture is of me and my friend Hannah. I'm the blonde one on the right. (I'm holding a rope at the rock wall I worked at if anyone was wondering).
Well let's see, I'm from a small town in Washington state. To answer a very common question.. yes I have been to Forks and no I have never seen a vampire or wear wolf. Sorry for anyone who had their hopes up. :)
I am 19 years old and just finished up my first year at CWU. This summer I volunteered at a Young Life camp and worked on the Rock Wall and Zip Line. Young Life is a huge part of my life. I have been very involved with it for quite a few years and as for missions, Young Life has been my mission for the past three years. I am a Wyld Life leader which is Young Life for middle schoolers and I absolutely love it. If any of you don't know what Young Life is, don't worry, I'll talk about it more than enough once we meet.
I have always wanted to go to Africa, and in the past year I really felt God calling me to take some time to do mission work. God worked out His plan and I am leaving for Kenya in 20 days! Crazy. I cannot explain how excited I am.
I'm a small town girl who loves to do anything. I love playing basically any sport and never get tired of listening to some good music. I have an older brother who is awesome and two great parents. I love doing things outdoors but I don't mind a great conversation over a nice cup of coffee at the local coffee shop :) I cannot wait to see what God has in store for this trip and the rest of my life.
I am so excited to meet all of you! Ya'll are in my prayers and I am so excited for September 8th! Much love :)
Sarah
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Posted in General Posts by Anna Luzader on 8/19/2010
 This is me and my sister, Bethany. I'm on the left!
Hello Friends!
Wow. 20 days. That's all I can think about. I can't tell you how excited, nervous, anxious, and eager I am to meet all of my team and furthermore how honored I feel to be able to serve alongside of you. God has already been doing absolutely amazing things and I know that this is just the beginning. Really, wow is all I can say.
My name is Anna Luzader (its like saying "ladder" Snoop style. luhzz-ADD-er) I just turned 20 and was born and raised in the beautiful town of Cleveland, TN. I have always felt called into missions and specifically, called to Africa. I was that weird kid who watched documentaries on African tribes instead of CatDog or Even Stevens. That's right, no shame. However, I never thought it was a practical dream. But, God is not a practical God. Over the past two or three years my life has been completely flipped upside down as I have learned what it means to be entirely surrendered to this call. I recently got back from a trip to Ethiopia in June and it just confirmed that yes, this is what God has for me to do. His faithfulness has left me awestruck and His provision is great and now, I'm leaving in 20 DAYS for Kenya. Incredible :)
Just some little fun facts about me... I love the outdoors. Fishing, hiking, backpacking, rafting, I just love it all! I play guitar, bass, piano, and sing. Pretty much, music is my life. My favorite color is yellow (shout out to Hannah). I have an older sister who's married, and a younger brother. Nothing beats fall. I'm a big prankster so here's your warning. And yes, I'm from Tennessee but I wear shoes, have a full set of teeth, and know my ABC's. Again, I am so looking forward to beginning this journey! Thank you SO much to all of you who have helped make this possible. I am so grateful for your donations, t-shirt orders, uplifting conversations, and prayers. You all are absolutely incredible and I would not be able to pursue this opportunity without you. And just a little reminder if you haven't caught it yet... 20 days! All I can say is bring it on.
-Anna
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Posted in Admissions Department by Lizzie Burks on 8/17/2010
 Well hello there. I'm Lizzie!
First of all, I can't wait to meet the rest of you guys. I have been praying for each one of you like crazy, and I know that God is going to do some amazing things through each and every one of us. I am so excited to finally all be together!!!!! (one exclamation mark just wouldn't do it)
Oh, and did I mention, we are leaving in 20 days!!!! I'm sure you already know that but.... 20 days, I can't even begin to describe the journey I've gone on getting ready for this trip, but I'm sure you will find out more about that at training camp.
Here is a little about me.
I'm from Springfield, Virginia but moved to England for a year and a half and now down here to Cumming, Georgia where I have been since June 2007.
I love it! I'm 18 years old and just graduated from high school. I was homeschooled the last two years of high school and loved it.
I worked as the intern at my home church May 2008-May 2010 and now I am a nanny for two boys.
When I was 13 I had the honor of going on my first missions trip to El Salvador and it was on June 16, 2006 that I received my calling of becoming a missionary. I still don't know where I am called too, but I know that I will find out in time. Since my first missions trip I've been to El Salvador twice and Jamaica 4 times. I love it. Missions is my heart and I will do anything to make sure that I show the same love that God shows me, to other people.
I hope that gives you a little insight to who I am.
See you soon!
Lizzie
P.S. feel free to look me up on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/lizzieburks
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Posted in Admissions Department by Admissions Department on 8/17/2010
Hello Kenya!
Welcome to your trip blog!
This is a
multi-user blog so your whole team will write on this one blog. Then all
of your families and supporters can subscribe by clicking the link on
the left and when you post updates, they will be notified by email.
Before
your trip starts I would love it if you would tell the world a little
about yourself. I know some of you have started this on your team blog,
but lets do it again so everyone's family and supporters can get to know
you as well!
Happy blogging!
Katie
Real Life Admissions Dept.
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Posted in Kenya 2010 by Jake Smith on 7/29/2010
Well, it's the last blog for me. Enjoyin debrief and tryin to remember everything God has taught me on the trip. I could stay here for another two months, but I'm ready for home. I can't wait to see everyone when I get to the airport! Especially my Aub. :D
I'm really proud of our team. We led alot of souls to faith in Christ and we sowed countless seeds around Nairobi, Kiserian, Isinya, Mathari, and many other places..;. and I'm sure I spelled most of these cities the wrong way. Our group has done alot of good things these past two months by God's grace. I'm so thankful I got to know the people in our team, as well as all the Kenyans we worked with. God is so so good. I hope God keeps the tractors runnin as these spiritual farmers come to sow more seeds in America.
Grace and Peace,
Jake Smith
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Posted in Kenya 2010 by Julie Rund on 7/24/2010
once again, not much time to blog, but i just wanted to say that this will probably be my last blog. we did some shopping in open markets this past week and it was one of the most stressful things i've done. there are no set prices, you just bargain for whatever you want, with no idea how much things should cost and with a different currency. it was interesting. please don't be upset if i don't get you anything. i just couldn't handle it anymore. haha! we are running the services at ICC tomorrow morning and next week is debrief. we are going to another hostel that has hot showers! i'm so excited to be going home! less than a week and i'll be in america again! i love you and miss you all!
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Posted in Kenya 2010 by Courtney Cochran on 7/24/2010
Top things I have learned on this trip:
-To not take anything for granted
-To cherish each relationship
-To always learn something new
-To surrender all that I am/have
-To not rely on human flesh
-Be thankful for all opportunities
-Thankful for free will
-Challenge myself and others
Am thankful for...
-Non corrupt government (sort of ha)
-Flushing toilets
-Hot showers
-Diversity
-Relationships
-NOT Africa time ha
-God's strength
-Education
-Safety
-Clean water
-Driving on safe roads
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