Update 1 & 2

I thought I would post the emails that I am sending out to family and supporters while we are in Kenya. Hope you enjoy keeping up with us!

UPDATE 1:

Hi there. My name is Amber, and I am going to be the communicator for our Kenya 2011 team. I look forward to sharing with you what is going on with us while we are away. We do not know the frequency of our internet access while we are overseas, but I will send out updates as often as I can!

I did want to share with everyone our final itinerary so that, if you like, you can pray specifically for us each day:

Thursday, 6/9: We depart from ATL at 7:45 a.m. We will be in flight all day, night, and half-day on Friday.

Friday, 6/10: We should arrive in Nairobi mid-afternoon. We will be visiting theHavilla Orphanage. 

Saturday, 6/11: Our team will be serving in Kibera Slum. We will be doing a painting project with around 80 children at the WEEP Centre. (This link will take you to a slideshow. It is well worth your time, I promise.) We will also be spending relational time with the WEEP women.

Sunday, 6/12: We will depart for Ngaamba. We will be visiting two churches, and we will have a welcome lunch with the leaders of the village. Afterwards, those of us with sponsor children will meet with our sponsored child. This should be a very special, and very emotional, time for all of us involved. Following these visits, our team will walk through the community to view the worksite and prepare supplies.

Monday, 6/13: We will start on the Gabion construction project; we will spend the entire day working.

Tuesday, 6/14: We will continue working on the Gabion project for the entire day.

Wednesday, 6/15: We will wrap up our project work before noon. Afterwards, our team will facilitate activities for K-5 year old students in Ngaamba. We will be making crosses and doing face painting for the children. Should be fun! This will be our first evening to camp within the community.

Thursday, 6/16: Team members will be paired up, and we will do "A Day in the Life" with people in the village. We will assist with daily activities and chores. In the evening we will host a campsite prayer meeting for Ngaamba. We will again camp within the community.

Friday, 6/17: We will break down camp and depart for Nairobi. We will be showering in day rooms - much needed, and much appreciated by everyone who will be on our flights coming home!

Saturday, 6/18: We are scheduled to arrive back to ATL at 2:02 p.m.

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As you think of us while we are away, we would all greatly appreciate your prayers. Specific prayer requests are for safety, health, team unity, flexibility among team members, and for comfort and safety for those we have left at home. 

We can not thank you enough for your support. We trust that God has His hands on each of us and on our paths ahead. 

Until the next update (hopefully!), God bless!

Amber

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UPDATE 2

Hello from Kenya!

We arrived safely to Nairobi this afternoon around 1 p.m. Our flights were a bit long, but we were all thankful to make it here safely and stretch our legs!

Once we arrived in Nairobi, we went straight to the Havilla Orphanage. What a treat that was! We were able to take a tour of their new complex, and we are just amazed at how God has blessed Joseph and his wife to run the orphanage. They have become a fully self-sustaining house; they have cows for milk, goats for meat, chickens for eggs, and a lovely garden for vegetables. They have also been able to successfully create a method to use bio-fuel. They are using "cow poop" (as Joseph calls the manure) as a source of fuel in their kitchen. And, you'll be very surprised to know that it doesn't stink! They now have a reliable way to heat their water to make it safe to drink, and they are able to consistently and thoroughly cook their food. Such a blessing to the orphanage.

Before we left, the children put on a wonderful concert for us. They sang and dance for us. A few team members even got involved and had a wonderful time. This was definitely a very special way to begin our trip in Kenya. The people here are so uninhibited in their worship, and the first thing that the children will say when they tell you about themselves is, "I love God." They fully delight in their relationship with God, and it is humbling to all of us. Here the children are surrounded by poverty and harsh living conditions, yet they put God first and thank Him for everything that they do have. What a great perspective to start our journey!

Tomorrow we serve in Kibera with children and WEEP women. We are looking forward to bonding with the children with crafts and spending time serving the women, working along side of them doing whatever needs to be done.

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. We feel it! 

Until the next update,

Amber

"We may not be able to give much, but we can always give the joy that springs from a heart that is in love with God." ~Mother Theresa