Training camp wasn't about comfy chairs, good food, nice sleeping quaters or cleanliness. It was about training to be physically, emotionally and spiritually ready for these next four months in Kenya. I have learned so much about who God is and what an amazing plan he has for my team and I.  One of the most memorable times of training was the first day we got to camp. After arriving and dropping off our bags at the cabin we were told to grab three items that we wanted for the rest of the night. Three items seemed like a lot, until I had to chose between my tent, sleeping pad,...

"Therefore is anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come."      This probably sums up my entire trip. At the beginning I had a heart with bandaids on it and now there is a healing heart with only a few scars, but the heart is beating like a whole new organ.      I have seen people go from doing drugs, to throwing themo n the ground and accepting Christ. My eyes have seen hope in the eyes of the hopeless on the streets, healing in the sick, thankfulness in those who have...

Fear as held me back from so many things in my life. It has kept me back from trying out for sports, branching out, almost kept me at home from this trip,realtionships I've had with people,and mostly in my relationship with the Lord.I came on this trip knowing that i was in need of a change in my life. My relationship with the Lord was summed up by me going to Him only when it was convient for me. I was spiritually dead.  I still remember the first couple days and the how the Lord shattered this idea of how i thought my relationship with Him should be like. For most of my life,I...

For as long as I can remember, I have loved to travel. Visiting family in the summer time, going away to Young Life camp and spending weeks on Summer Staff have always been the highlights of my life. Though in the past couple years, I felt an itch for more than a few days away. And not just to a state with luxurious beaches, but to Africa. This itch started with my nursing career so I could help people all over the world. Medicine is universal, the human body fascinates me, everyone gets sick and I love to serve – it all added up perfectly. So I chose my nursing program and got...

I know, cheesy title, I apologize. This past week we spent most of our time in Kitale at a place called the Challenge Farm. This place takes in street kids and gives them a home. They make them quit sniffing glue cold turkey and constantly gives them candy and other things to eat to keep their minds off the glue. It takes about two months for the new children to get used to the schedule they have a ready to start going to school. They have a K-8 school on the grounds, and the highschoolers either walk to school each day or go to boarding school. It was such a blessing to our team to be able...

Tomorrow is our last day of ministry in Busia. I still haven't fully come to grips with that fact. These past 2 months in Busia have gone by faster than any 2 months of my life. Granted, I still have 2 weeks left in Kenya, but they  won't be spent in the place that has been my home for this past summer. God has definitely chosen the last few weeks in Kenya to break my heart the most.This past Saturday was our last day doing street kids ministry here in Busia. Every Saturday since we've been here we play soccer with them and make them lunch at the church. I remember...