Greetings from KENYA!

Hello everyone! It is with great excitement that I write my blog to you from Kenya. I won't be able to update daily, but will do my best. Let me tell you first and foremost, Christ is alive and well in Kenya! The people here are so joyful and have great faith, it truly puts American's to shame. I am so happy that I came and I pray that I will NEVER be the same. NEVER!!!

I have adopted Kenya as my second home. The people here have honestly adopeted me as their own and treat me like royalty. I have to tell our hosts not to carry my bags or serve me because they are constantly trying to do things for me. The women who serve us and keep our home nice even iron our clothes. It breaks my heart to see how hard they work and how tired they are by the end of the day. Last night one of the servants fell face first on the couch and fell asleep instantly. She is an amazing and beautiful girl, who deserves so much more than she has.

Each morning we are awakened by a rooster who just won't stop crowing! Infact, as I speak that rooster JUST came into the house and started crowing. Too funny!!!!

In Kenya, we are learning so much about culture. Here once a man is married he does not have to tell his wife that he loves her! We are pulling out the bible to show them how important it is for a husband to love his wife as Christ loves the church. We also found out that if you are not a pastor you can have up to 10 wives!!! We are just dumbfounded. But we are all laughing our bumpers off having this funny discussion about the differences between americans and Kenyans.

It has not all been roses, but I will write about that later. But we are all back on track and doing great.

My health has been wonderful!!! I did have a horrible migraine for 15 hours that stopped me from attending the first day of our crusade. I have not had that bad of a migraine for a very long time. I slept the whole time and cried in my sleep, but the people of the church prayed for me and I was healed and attended the revival that night. I have been healthy since. No tummy problems- Praise the Lord! A pastor from Kenya who has the gift of healing prayed over me today and it was amazing. So wonderful!

I miss my family so much, but I love it here so much too. I will be so sad to leave this wonderful, god filled country. When I wave, the entire community waves back. The children run to me just to be touched and smiled at. Thank you Jesus for this amazing adventure and this opportunity to grow. I can't wait to share everything with you and to show you all the pictures. I am truly a changed person, but it is different than I expected. I am not so much sad or have pity on the people I am with, but rather see a partnership of friendship, resources, and love as the best way to help. They do not want our pity!! THey are so resourceful, smart, and amazing. I am so grateful that I got to come here to see first hand what they need and how I can help.

Miss you all. Going back to our lively discussion on marriage, sex, and saying I love you!!! I can't believe that we are having this conversation with these pastors! It is so awesome.

Love, Jenn

Great Expectations

It feels like the night before Christmas, and I am a little girl who just can't sleep. What will tomorrow and the next 14 days bring? I am not naive enough to think that this will be all roses and daisies, but I have faith enough to know that no matter what God is with us and we are taken care of. I am filled with excitement, hope, and great expectations. I am in my bliss! I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be, and I am grateful.

So with great care, I packed my suitcase filled with personal art supplies and clothing to wear there and share with my new friends in Kenya. I packed two rolls of toilet paper for comfort, and a bunch of undies because I am shy about the housekeepers having to wash mine. Oh, the things that I think about!

I realized this week that it will be two weeks before I drive a car or watch a tv again. Two weeks before I kiss my sweet girls and smell their hair or do my "pug and a mug" morning coffee with my dogs. Two weeks before I take a hot shower again. Two weeks before I sleep in the comfort of a real bed. Things I take for granted, and will miss so very much.

But what a blessing to serve and love and to be served and be loved on. I strangely feel like I am going "home" to Kenya. It is no longer a foreign place to me, I feel like I am reuniting with family and friends. I don't know what the next two weeks will bring. So much is changing each day, but I do know that no matter what I am blessed to be a part of this amazing adventure in God's story book of life.

Please pray for me when I come to mind and for my amazing group of fellow Christians who are on this journey. I have included the poster that the church printed for the conference that we are speaking at. This is so amazing!
Love, Jenn

Determination to press on

My last week has been filled with ups and downs. We were able to ship the art supplies along with essential oils last monday through Fed Ex, which felt like a huge relief. Just knowing that the supplies would be on their way and that I would open that box once I arrive in Mumias felt like a step toward the reality of this project coming to life! Then, today we get the news. The package made it safely, and customs has it. They are charging us for an additional $200 shipping and for a portion of the value. Unfortunately, our package was quite expensive due to $500 in art supplies and a wonderful huge donation of essential oil kits...so this portion of the value is sizeable. We would have to come up with about $1000 to retrieve our package.

So, today as I received the news, sadness overwhelmed me for a moment. I nearly cried, but instead got angry. I felt like I was going to fail the people of Mumias, by coming without the Art for Africa supplies. Then I remembered the story of the loaves and fishes and how God multiplied the supplies to feed all of those people. If God can do that, surely he can multiply the supplies I am able to bring with in my suitcase to meet the needs of the start up of the project!

What I end up doing in Kenya may be very different from what I imagined. I can accept that. God's plan is bigger and better than my plan. I am so grateful that I am not alone and that He is the author of Art for Africa, not me.

So, I go on with even more determination to make this project a success. I refuse to be discouraged. I refuse to let anything get in the way of Art for Africa. Kenya, here we come!

Jenn

Mixed Emotions

I did not expect this. I am just 12 days away from my departure and I am struggling with my emotions. I expected to be excited and on cloud nine. I am not. Sure I feel excited about starting this adventure and meeting the wonderful people of Kenya. I also feel somewhat excited about the flight itself. But something else has crept in, and I need to allow myself to feel all the emotion, no matter how uncomfortable I am with them.

Let me try to explain. I feel like I am on the edge of a giant cliff and I am about to jump off to see if I can fly. I know I can fly in my heart, but that slight bit of self doubt is nagging at me as I peer over the edge of the cliff and see the rocks below. What if I fall? What if I don't make it? What if I start off well, then suddenly plummet? This is how I feel about this amazing adventure I am about to step into. It is truly a step of faith, and I am trusting that God has our backs and will see us through. It doesn't mean that this is an easy step, but I know I am not going alone.

My fears will not overcome me (I am trying to hold tight to God's promises and word). I refuse to have a spirit of fear, and yet I have moments where I am a little afraid. What am I afraid of? Terrorism. Being killed. Not returning home. I know that my life in in the hands of our Lord. I am holding onto HIM with all my strength, praying that He will see this through and return me to the States safely where I can continue His work.

The other thing I have been dealing with is the feeling that this is in essence the last week of my naive and innocent view of this world. After I see and experience Africa I will never be the same. I will no longer be able to walk in this world caring only about my family and those around me. I will no longer be able to be concerned only with the welfare of my children. I will no longer be able to buy frivelous luxuries (like Starbucks or a $50 pair of jeans) without seeing the people and children I met in Africa who can benefit so greatly if I just sacrifice those luxuries for their sake. Buying new furniture or pretty decorations for my home will not feel good. I expect that it may even feel wasteful and selfish. I don't know how ready I am for these feelings. I am afraid that I will begin to feel a little anger toward America and our ways of living for ourselves while others die of starvation. I already see this in me...when I feel sickened by money going into programs to battle childhood obesity in the US, while our children in Africa don't even have the food to eat to keep meat on their bones. Why is there so much in this world, yet it is so unevenly distributed? I am wrestling with these emotions, all while trying to just enjoy my last week and a half of just being who I am today. Naive. Innocent. I have not seen, yet those things that will change me forever. I feel like I need to just breathe and be.

So if you ask me if I am excited, and I hesitate, please understand that this is uncharted water for me. I am learning and growing, and it is wonderful and amazing and painful all at the same time. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve God and to hopefully make a difference in our world. Thank you for being a part of it.