Almost Safari Time!

Hey guys!

So, today is our last day in Nairobi. I've not been this sad in a very long time. It was so hard to say goodbye to everyone today. I love them so much.

We leave in the morning to go to Maasai Mara for our SAFARI! Despite how much it sucked to say bye to everyone today, I am very excited about the Safari. I've heard it is completely unbelievable. It should be awesome. :)

Anyways, today we spent at The Youth Center. It was full of the most amazing children ever! There were about 200 of them total and each one was equally darling. We ran a vacation Bible school for them. They loved it! They completely soaked up every second of it. The entire Bible school went well!

The Youth Center is located literally 20 feet from the largest dump in Kenya. It was so sad. No words could ever describe how sad it was. There were so many people going
through the trash and cleaning their clothes in the river that runs through it. I wish that everyone could see that school and where it is located. To say that today was life changing and eye opening would be an understatement. My heart aches for those children.

I have to go pack and go to bed now. I'm not sure if I will be able to write the rest of the trip or not.. If not I will be back in the states at 9:00 PM on Saturday (if all goes as planned!).


I love you all!

Please continue to pray!


-Marissa

Mom: Just a few things.. Please, PLEASE, PLEASE bring me Chic-fil-a to the airport. My stomach needs American food and I can't imagine anything better than a number 1 combo from Chic-fil-a! Also, I have my adapter to plug into the TV with me-- so, I'm not sure how early you have to leave Nana's on Sunday, but if you wanted I can show all my pictures on the TV to who ever wants to come to Nana's. I want to call you tonight but I'm not sure how many minutes I have... If not I will call you from London on Saturday morning. I love you!

Another beautiful Sunday in Kenya!

Hey there!

Today was a very great day. We went to church from 9:30-2:30… Yes, we were literally in church from 9:30 AM until 2:30 PM. It was great, though. The church services over here are so different than in America. These people know how to praise Jesus! I wish there was a way to describe how powerful each service I’ve been to has been. There is not a moment that I don’t feel completely surrounded by the Holy Spirit during the services. I wish everyone had the opportunity to experience a real Kenyan church service at least once!

After lunch we went to Euticaul’s house for lunch. His wife made us the best meal EVER! We had a blast! I love him and his family. They are so amazing. They make me laugh so hard!

Tomorrow we are doing VBS at the Youth Center. It should be spectacular! I can’t wait. I am in charge of making sure they know Jesus… No pressure or anything, right? I’m glad that my team trusts me with that! :-\

Anyways, please keep praying for us. We fly out to the Masai Mara on Tuesday morning on the world’s smallest plane EVER, so, pray we don’t like die. I hear you can see the herds of animals running along the plains from the air! That will be flipping awesome!

Now it is time for the quote of the day:

“Okay guys… I told the Catholics that we will be challenging them in a jump rope competition today at 5:00!” – Kathy

Love you all! HAPPY FATHERS DAY, DAD!!!!!


-Marissa


Matt Skinner: You are supposed to live in Kenya. Here are the numerous reasons why:
1. THEY MAKE DETERGENT JUST FOR SOCCER PLAYERS!!! It is in the shape of a soccer ball. It’s made to get grass stains and body odor smells out of soccer clothes. I was going to buy you some, but it definitely weighed too much to fit in luggage. It made me laugh pretty hard when I saw it, though.
2. Everyone plays soccer. They make their own balls and play their little hearts out. It’s awesome.
3. The whiter you are the more famous you are. They never EVER see white people here, so, they think that white people are like super heroes!
4. I’ve heard the Beatles in a million different stores I’ve walked into. They have a true appreciation for them. :
So.. With all that said—you are DEFINITELY meant to be here!! : )

Jennifer: I didn’t forget about you. I love you girl. I can’t wait to tell you all my stories and show you all my pictures!

Laura: I miss you loads. I love you very much and can’t wait to see youuuuuuuuuuu on Saturday!

Still in love with this place..

Hello all!

Today has been a beautifully fabulous day! We did not have to wake up until the wonderful hour of 8:00 AM. That is definitely the latest we’ve been able to sleep thus far. It was a wonderful way to start the day.

We first went and met with Duncan at his house. He is probably one of the coolest guys I have ever met. He started the organization Care for Aids. His organization runs many different orphanages and other programs in Nairobi and the surrounding areas. After speaking and visiting with him for a bit we went to the children’s orphanage. We didn’t get to spend that much time there, but the time we did spend was great. The kids were absolutely darling.

After the first orphanage we went and met the six boys that Duncan has adopted. They were precious and very funny. We sang, danced and just ate up every second of them. After spending a bit of time with them we headed back to Duncan’s house for lunch. We ate a very delicious meal and fellowshipped with all the people who work for them. They were all great men and women of God and it was wonderful to be able to spend time with them.

Following lunch we headed to the second orphanage of the day. This particular orphanage was the older orphanage for the older children (ages ranging from 4-15). I ended up spending the majority of the time there sitting on the grass while three girls braided my hair as we sang a million different hymns and praise songs. No words can describe how powerful those few hours were. I couldn’t tell you why it was so powerful but something about those three girls singing praise songs with their adorable voices was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. I loved it so much.

We then headed back to Brackenhurst after the orphanage. It’s been a very, very great day. I love it here so much. I wish that I could put into words how wonderful this country is. I don’t think I will be able to come home.., I can’t even begin to picture myself getting back on that plane to go home. So, just a warning—you guys may never see me again unless you guys kuja happa (Swahili for come over) over here to Kenya! : - )

Quote of the day:

“Are those muscles from lifting orphans in Africa? I think not! I think those muscles are from lifting dumbbells!” -Brittany’s new way to compare guys in America to the hot missionaries we’ve met in Africa

Love you guys very much!

-Marissa

I'm pretty sure I was born in the wrong country.. I'm definitely meant to be Kenyan..

Hello World!

Kenya is still the greatest country in the world and everyone is still doing well!

Last night was without a doubt the best night sleep Brittany and I have had thus far (not sure about all the other cabins). We woke up pretty early and went to finish painting Pastor Ben’s Church in downtown Nairobi. We painted from about 9:00-1:00. I ended up getting a pretty intense headache after about two hours, though. It wasn’t fun at all. After laying down in the bus, taking some pain medicine and getting prayed for it passed within a few hours.. Thank goodness!

After painting we went to the market. It was QUITE the experience. We bartered our little hearts out. Who knew I would be so good at bartering? It is my hidden talent! I got some serious deals. I can’t wait to show you all what I got. We ate lunch there (we got to eat PIZZA—it was everything that is glorious) and just shopped.

After painting, shopping and endless hours of crazy traffic we finally got back to Brackenhurst. We enjoyed about two hours of free time after arriving back here. It was so nice to just have a little time to relax. We have all been feeling the effects of working so hard these past two days. I know that none of us took the down time we had this afternoon for granted. It was great.

After our down time and dinner we had a group meeting. We all gathered to just kind of share stories and talk. It was very refreshing. This is the best team I’ve ever worked with. God could not have chosen a better group of people. I’m so proud of all of us. I never thought I could love a group of people so much after only knowing them for 8 days (except for Amanda and Brittany, of course, I’ve known them much longer). They’re all so great and never cease to amaze me.

Please continue to pray for us. Tomorrow we will be spending the day at the aids orphanage. I know tomorrow will be full of various struggles and we could really use your prayers. Also, please pray for Dr. Hawkins. He’s had a migraine since yesterday morning and hasn’t been able to leave the bedroom.

I will leave you all with my favorite quote from today…

“Well, my Nanny always told me ‘The more you cry the less you pee!’” –Amanda


I love you all!

-Marissa

Mrs. Sandra: Brittany is doing great still! She is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever met and hasn’t stopped smiling since we took off. You’ve got one incredible daughter!

Mom and Dad: I might be bringing a child home… So, just a warning. Also, I have a feeling I might be in love—but he is a missionary, so, we are meant to be. Oh and he doesn’t have aids—that is always a plus! Just kidding.. About the love part anyhow.. The child part—totally happening. Also, tell Will I got him the coolest, most rad present EVER at the market today.. I’m more excited about his than the stuff I bought for myself!!!

BRACKEN-FLIPPING-HURST

HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I am online for more than just second! We are now back in Nairobi. We arrived at about 10:30 this morning. We've been in Kumowongo for the past few days. While there we managed to put a roof on the Real Life Church (what is now the only Christian church in the village), "tap the floor" (we had to LITERALLY pound the dirt into the ground to create a smooth surface for the cement once they lay it), held a worship service and helped lead THIRTY people to JESUS!!!!! It was AMAZING!!!

While working on the church we attracted a BUNCH of people from all over the town. The children of the community were just dying to see us, speak to us, play with us and touch us. It was hilarious. I really think that they thought we were aliens at first. One of the translators told me that the really young children have probably never seen white people before and everyone only does once every few years. We came into contact with hundreds of children of every age. They were, without a doubt, the sweetest kids I've ever met. One child in particular really touched my heart. The first morning I was there I met this little girl named Deborah (pronounced day-bor-a). She was absolutely darling. She was probably about 3 years old but she couldn't talk well so I'm not sure. It took her a while to warm up to me but within an hour or two she was hugging all over me. After about an hour of laying all over me she started mumbling this word. Obviously, I do not speak the language and thus had no clue what she was saying. I called my AMAZING translator over and asked him what she was saying. He looked at me and said "I do not think that you want to know." It turns out that she was calling me mom. I don't think that I have ever been so broken hearted and so sad in my life. Leaving her yesterday was without a doubt the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I am not sure where she lives or whom she lives with but it is safe to assume it isn't exactly the best conditions.

So, onto happier news. WE ARE IN BRACKENHURST!!!!! It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and GREAT! The place we've been staying since we've been here hasn't exactly been the best. I'm just a little tired of goat at every meal, not being able to flush the toilet and either barely having water or not having it at all. I think Amanda did a wonderful job of describing the water pressure when she said "What is this!? My pee has more water pressure than this!" Brackenhurst, however, is glorious. We had BAKED CHICKEN, SALAD, ROLLS, GREEN BEANS AND RICE for dinner!!! The shower is equally amazing as is the toilet!

Tomorrow we will finish painting Pastor Ben's church (we started this afternoon once we arrive in Nairobi) and then head to the market for a few hours. I am very very very excited about the upcoming days! Please continue to pray for us!!

I will leave you with a few quotes you'll only hear in Africa...

"I have a malaria pill stuck in my throat" - Amanda

"Brittany.. Wake up and see if that is an elephant out side of our window" -Me

"MARISSA! Watch out for that cactus! You almost ran straight into it!" -Brittany

"There is nothing better than putting on fresh dirty clothes." -Amanda

There are a million more.. Those are just a few for today. I will post another blog tomorrow!

Go read our other blog too! It is www.teamafrica09.blogspot.com !


LOVE YOU ALL!

-Marissa


Chrissy: Don't you worry-- I haven't forgotten about your earrings. I'm getting them tomorrow. I wish you were here. Everything we do and see makes me think of ya! So, do you think I could do it next summer.. Like for the whole summer? Just a thought. I'm in love with this country. I've never been this happy in my life. Oh, funny you said that about the song-- we were just singing that in the bus yesterday!! I can't WAIT to see you and talk to you.

Mom and Dad: I hope you guys are having fun in NYC! I miss you loads. It was great to hear your voice last night, Mom. I love you guys and can't wait to show you all our pictures and tell you all our stories. :o)

I'm in Kenya!

Hey guys!

So sorry it has taken me so long to write. We've not had internet access until tonight. We're here, though!! We're safe and everything is going very well! We're having the time of our lives! I love it here and have never been this happy in my life! :)

I wish I could write more but it is really late here and others are waiting to use the computer. I will try to write tomorrow. I know we'll have more access on Thursday, so, if not tomorrow then Thursday!!

Love you guys very much!!

-Marissa

P.S. Sorry mom and dad for not calling.. The phone card isn't working.. At all!! I've been trying, but no luck at all. I don't know what is wrong with it. We're fine though. Don't worry. I love you guys.

P.P.S. Mrs. Sandra-- Brittany is doing great! She's having a blast and completely safe. :-)

So, this weekend I went to Greenwood for our last meeting before we leave for Kenya! It was such a great, great weekend. We spent last night packing things and just hanging out. It was so great to see Brittany, Amanda, Chrissy, Steven and Dr. & Mrs. Hawkins. We had a blast and it was really good to catch up with them. I'm so blessed to have such extraordinary friends.

Today we got commissioned during each of the three services. It was very, very powerful. I really felt everyone's prayers surrounding us as we were standing up there. I think that is my favorite feeling in the world.. The actual feeling of prayer. It's amazing.

After Church we had our meeting and spent a couple of hours together before leaving. The meeting went well and we all left overly excited! 11 days.. 11 days until we're in KENYA!!!!!!!! YAY!

I want to ask that you all will begin praying for our team and those that we will meet. Please pray that God will begin preparing our hearts and minds for all He is going to do. I appreciate it more than words could ever describe.


I'll leave with just a few of my favorite quotes about missions.. :)

"A tiny group of believers who have the gospel keep mumbling it over and over to themselves. Meanwhile, millions who have never heard it once fall into the flames of eternal hell without ever hearing the salvation story."
- K.P. Yohannan


"Today five out of six non-Christians in our world have no hope unless missionaries come to them and plant the church among them."
- David Bryant


"Lost people matter to God, and so they must matter to us." -- Keith Wright


"This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth!" -- Keith Green


“The light that shines farthest shines brightest at home." -- C.T. Studd


“God had only one Son and he made that Son a missionary.” -- David Livingston