A few days ago the Lord reminded me of the importance of trust.  Our team spent the day in Kisumu, observing hippos from a boat in Lake Victoria and shopping around the Maasa market. Also, while in Kisumu, I got to take my first real shower and sit on a real toilet in a month. It was a lovely day, although the trip back wasn’t quite as comfortable.  Honestly, it was the most unsafe I have felt over this entire experience. We ended up leaving later than expected from Kisumu. Mwangi, our matatu driver, came to Kisumu from Busia to bring us back “home.” The team...

    "Come to the waters You who thirst and you'll thirst no more Come to the Father You who work and you'll work no more"     "Love is here Love is now Love is pouring from His hands, from His brow Love is near it satisfies Streams of mercy flowing from His side 'Cause Love is here"       "Come to the treasure You who search and you'll search no more Come to the lover You who want and you'll want no more, no"     "And all you who labor in vain And to the broken and shamed, yeah" ...

    "Come to the waters You who thirst and you'll thirst no more Come to the Father You who work and you'll work no more"     "Love is here Love is now Love is pouring from His hands, from His brow Love is near it satisfies Streams of mercy flowing from His side 'Cause Love is here"     (This is Rosaline and Jen, Jen always runs away from me and Rosaline is one of the smartest kids in her class) "Come to the treasure You who search and you'll search no more Come to the lover You who want and you'll want no more,...

If I had to choose one word that describes this trip for me I would choose JOY. I have always been a pretty happy girl, but here I have experience JOY in abundance! While in Kenya, I have learned the powerful difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is a good feeling… And it is simply a temporary emotion, while joy is a good place in your heart that never fades. I have also learned that joy can only be found one way: through the Lord. Until now I thought that I was experiencing joy through circumstances and relationships, which I have realized is actually temporary...

This has been the trip of a lifetime, but I have also experienced growing pains. I came on this trip to grow in my relationship with Christ, which has happened more than I can even explain.  But also in the process, I’ve seen so much worldliness. I have seen poverty, illness, death, homelessness, drug use, injustice, and true suffering firsthand.  Back home I was the girl who always cared too much for others, the one with the tender heart.  God must have a great sense of humor for sending my tender heart to a third world country in order to experience this kind of pain...

Busia, Kenya has officially been my “home away from home” for 3 weeks now.  My team and I are finally getting into the swing of things and becoming well-adjusted to the culture shock that initially caught us off guard.  We’ve settled into a rhythm of activities and relationships that gives us confidence in the ministry we’re doing.  Even though that may sound corn-y, I can ensure you that my experiences in Busia are truly a-maize-ing (see picture below). But it’s more than that, too.  I love it here.  From the...