mother, mother ocean, i have heard you call

i finally made it to the beach! yea!!! what a blessing it was!

this is me being way cool. i'm such a rock star. glad my white legs are cut out of the pic. thanks linds! ;)

a friend of ours has some friends offer their house to him for a week and he invited us along. so we packed up our things in the blue van and drove down on thursday morning and came back last night. it was just what i needed.

about three hours into the trip on thursday morning while going over a speed bump the van just stopped working. some of the guys (and kim) looked and poked at the engine for a while but to no avail. we had "randomly" invited another friend of ours to come along with us. he just happened to know a pastor in the area and gave him a call. the pastor came with a mechanic and temporarily fixed the problem so we could drive to the next town and get it properly fixed by another mechanic. so after three hours, a cup of chai, some chapati, and a quick tour of a school, we were back on the road! anyone who's ever broken down in kenya knows this is a miracle! to know someone in the middle of nowhere on the highway and to find a legitimate mechanic and get your car really fixed is amazing. not only was our friend good company, but was divinely appointed to join us! :) thanks paul!

and then we did nothing at the beach. that's right. nothing. ok, well, i threw the frisbee a little and walked a good bit. and bought a khanga. oh, and ate brownies. but other than that, nothing. i also finished don miller's newest book (a must read) and listened to a lot of jack johnson. and had some good conversation. it was such a nice break. i did a lot of praying and reflecting. there's nothing like sitting alone on the beach with Jesus. i'm in love.

this is the banda in front of our house overlooking the beach. we hung up our hammocks so we could think and read rain or shine

it was lindsay's birthday on saturday so we walked down the beach and sat at a bar overlooking the beach. here are my mom's words about these kinds of pictures, "that boy clayton would be so cute if he wouldn't always stick his tongue out!"

on the way home i called to check in with the leaders of middle school youth group. we canceled youth group for high school this sunday, but the leaders for middle school are stellar and completely capable of pulling it off without me. i'm looking forward to meeting with them this week to discuss in further details. they finished up a 5 week series on spiritual disciplines and played uno baseball. i left the whiffle ball equipment for them in our garage, but they couldn't find the plastic bats or balls. so they improvised with a HOCKEY STICK. and a kid got hit in the face! they say he's alright. i'm calling his mom this week. i really missed seeing all the kids this weekend. i'm looking forward to being back in action next weekend. there's a football, basketball, and tennis tournament at RVA and it's halloween. lots of young friends around!

although there was water in the ocean and there is more water in our house these days there are part of the country still suffering from drought. please continue to pray for rain.

and please pray for these teenagers. there are so many hurting and struggling. pray that i will have the words to say and they will hear Jesus speaking to their hearts.

and i have cheer practice twice this week with some sweet high school girls.

thanks again for reading and praying!

Diwali

hopefully i'll have pictures soon of this past weekend.

it. was. awesome.

it's diwali!

it's the hindu festival of lights and includes cleaning your house and eating sweets, oh, and fire works. loads of them. everywhere. coming and going from all directions. we can hear them from our house and it makes the dogs hide under tables and chairs. on friday night we (members of my house minus clay) ate indian food with friends at a delicious restaraunt/convenient store/parking lot. it's actually called "occidental plaza." you can get great food in the parking lot (which is now covered with a canvas) and it's the only place i know if in nairobi where dipping tobacco can also be purchased. don't worry, i only go there for the food. and don't ask about why i know about the skoal. so we had dinner, remembering to order the "mild" version of everything because it's the spiciest around, and drove around like crazy white people looking for an indian party. we could hear fireworks, but never found the source.

BUT, on saturday night we found the party. we went to one place a friend suggested but the party there was dead so, again, we drove around our part of town following the sights and sounds of explosions. then we found it. there were a few tents set up on a soccer field and only two or three of them were selling food. oh, but the food was good. the other tents were like box seats at a sporting event; private parties for viewing the festivities. but it wasn't a sporting event. well, sort of. there were people of all ages standing around the field launching fireworks in all directions. 7 year olds (or younger) could be seen running quickly away from something they'd just lit and thrown into the air. my favorite sight was a middle aged man holding 4, read it again FOUR, roman candles in one hand with his face turned away from the direction he was pointing them. occasionally one of those huge fireworks (you know, like 4th of July down at the levee) would explode on the ground and people would jump out of the line of fire and we would all duck and cover. us whiteys seemed to be the only ones nervous from all of the loud sounds and shooting blazes. i felt like a 10 year old turning in circles and screaming, "wow! this is awesome!" over and over after i'd eating pizza, samosas, and spring rolls. then we went to DP for more indian food and ice cream. Happy Diwali!

yesterday was my normal busy Sunday. i was supposed to have lunch with a student but it didn't work out. i'm really looking forward to spending time with her. pray it happens soon.

it's raining so much now which is great but means making a "rain plan" and a "no rain plan" for middle school youth group. and yesterday we ended up inside while it cleared up and becamse sunny outside. we did have to clean our muddy feet though. mud is everywhere. don't even get me started on muddy dogs who have amazingly learned to jump over the even-higher-than-the-other-one gate when i arrive home from a long day.

i gave the message this week at high school youth group and felt like it didn't make any sense. i was pretty excited about it, but sometimes my words get all mixed up and when i say things aloud they don't make as much sense as they do in my head. by the end of it my face was burning and it felt like my toungue was swollen. that feels great when there are like 30 teenagers staring at you. but some encouragement was exchanged with a few students that i've really been thinking about and praying for. i was obedient and God is faithful; that's success.

we had dinner at the Conway's which is always wonderful. Eric watched my face and laughed at me when Holly announced we were having chilli dogs. it's such a BLESSING to be welcomed into a warm and loving home and feel like a family member. being taken care of for one evening by a mom and a dad (even if they're not your own) is so good for my soul. it's nice to borrow a family every once in a while. thanks Conway's.

this weekend i finally get to go to the BEACH. hopefully. that's the plan anyway. thank you to our good friend Shawn who has a sweet low-cost place (i mean, free) and invited us along. so we're leaving on Thursday morning and returning Sunday. i'll miss all the kids at youth group on Sunday, but i'm excited about this much needed rest.

the minshew's returned last night! i'm so excited to have them back. i missed them a lot. and their sweet baby, Graham. he's grown so much over the past few months.

hopefully soon i'll have pics of diwali and the beach!

love to you!!!

lately LOVING

It’s raining! And this time the guard on my compound says it will “set in” tonight. woo hoo!!!Here are some things I’m loving lately:

-my NEW HAIR! Some lovely ladies on a short-term mission team gave some of us haircuts and gave me some sweet highlights. They are some lovely ladies who were training some hairdressers in the slums in Nairobi. Most of them were from the South so it was great to sit in the kitchen with them and listen to their stories with those beautiful southern accents. Cindy did my hair and she did an AMAZING job. And what a blessing it was. I would never be able to afford something like this and now I feel like a rock star!

-HUGE Spiderman backpacks on the backs on tiny first graders. I wish I had a picture of this. I was a sub last week for a friend of mine at Rosslyn. She’s a fifth grade teacher and I got to spend time with her sweet class all day on Thursday. The kids at Rosslyn are so beautiful and I love being reminded of it. I was also reminded of how much I love these kids while I facilitated the high school retreat this past weekend. One of the teachers asked BlueSky to help out with activities. It turned out that Lindsay and I were the only ones available to help. It was perfect! I had worried so much about the program, but it turned out beautifully. I was also able to talk with some kids that have really been on my heart; to me, a success.

-Jacaranda season in Nairobi! I love these beautiful trees. Every time I see one I’m reminded of where I am and what I’m doing. There is a big beautiful Jacaranda tree near one of the schools where some of our camp kids go. When I lived and worked here before I prayed and prayed and tried to get involved in this school. I would go to games and after school activities and drive past that tree on my way home. I remember feeling relief every time I left this school last time and smiling and appreciating my life every time I saw that awesome tree. It reminds me that I’m supposed to be here.

love you! thanks for reading!!!! come to kenya and enjoy my new hair, sweet kids, and beautiful trees!!!

rain, mercy, and a God who sees

my homesickness has been waning. even though mountain day was this past weekend, the coosa valley fair starts this week, and i spent 5+ hours in traffic court on friday. thanks for praying for me. i surely need it.

it rained on saturday!!! that's right, RAIN. we, too, were wondering what the noise outside was and why there was wet stuff falling from the sky. we had a youth group party on saturday night and right before it began it started raining. it was raining water and kids at our house because, i lost count, but we easily had 40 people over!

before the party i also had the opportunity to go for a swim, lay in the sun, and take a shower. these things are all real treats for me. AND i got to hang out with some friends.

sunday, church was so sweet and we started our new children's curriculum. the teachers loved the it and i think the kids do too. please pray for a family at our church as on saturday after noon the father died suddenly of a heart attack leaving two very young children and his wife. this was shocking and will be very difficult for this family and our church family, but it is always sweet to see the Body surrounding its members and meeting each other's needs. she will have to move back to the States with her two children and organize a funeral for her husband. please keep them in your prayers.

sunday afternoon both middle and high school youth groups went very well. one of our high school leaders, is speaking at middle school youth group for a total of 5 weeks. we're in week two. she's doing such a fantastic job. it's beautiful to see these young leaders developing their gifts. and i wish i could record my 6th grade small group of girls. the things we talk through are so sweet! they are precious. we talk about spaghetti strap tank tops, boys, mean girls, God's love, and the Bible. i love girls.

here are some boys at youth group:

at high school youth group i talked about The Good Father. and how Jesus has not promised us all we ask for, but he has promised us mercy and grace in our time of need. there are a couple of students that i can't get off my mind and i really feel like God gave me that message for them. i was so nervous (i always am; i don't want to confuse anyone with my mixed up words), but the Holy Spirit delivered the message through me and TO me. indescribable.

i was reminded that Jesus has experienced all the emotions, fears, temptations, and struggles that we have. sometimes we feel so alone in the things we go through, but He knows and He sees us, and gives us mercy and grace.

we've had water steadily coming to our house all day today! it's a miracle. just to be sure i could completely wash my hair, though, i washed it outside in the spigot in front of our house. that is, after i washed the dog. he needed it more than me. i'm really glad no one drove by while i was bathing in the driveway. please continue to pray for rain.

love you all!

here are some pictures of things i've written about already, but now have pictures to go along! enjoy!!!

middle school youth group:

this is cow appreciation day. it was during the summer at camp. it was one of those days when everyone was out of the office except me, brittany, and brittany's camera. i was missing america and chick fil al this day.

this is the chair the ladies in western gave me. on the way to the bus station in uganda they had to tie it to the back of the matatu.

lament

ok, ok. this is a lot of complaining, i know. i want you to know that right now i'm sitting at java house with lindsay drinking coffee and just finished a delicious spanish omelette. i have absolutely nothing to complain about. later today i will go to a soccer tournament and hang out with some kids. then i will relax in my comfy house with friends and go to a sweet worship service with my loving community in the morning. no complaints. life is good. anyone who has been to or lived in kenya will find my experience yesterday very typical. and i want to share it with you.

so, yesterday:

the difficulty of living in africa comes in waves. today was one of those days.

i took a cold shower out of a jeri can this morning. this means that i dragged a big bottle of cold water from downstairs and lifted it above my head in the shower and poured it over me. i haven't had a real shower since monday when i paid 500 shillings to go to the country club. i haven't showered in my own bathroom since may. i do, however, drink more than 2 litres of clean water every day. and i can flush my toilet at least once a day. so no complaints about water since we have neighbors in kenya who have to walk miles for any kind of water and it mostly isn't ever clean.

i got a package from my mom!!! this was awesome. picking up the package at the post office wasn't awesome, however. i thought it was going to be at village market so i worked on children's ministry curriculum stuff all morning and put the post office off until the afternoon. i shouldn't have done that because everyone knows that friday afternoons at village are a nightmare in and of itself, not to mention going to the post office. they always require i.d. to pick up packages and you never know which i.d. you'll have to present. sometimes your driver's license will do other times you need a passport. just to be safe i brought 4 different picture i.d.'s. the lady behind the counter laughed at me. then she said i needed to go to city centre and pick up my package. i almost burst into tears right there. she felt sorry for me. so i got back into the defender (the beast) and drove downtown.

ONE HOUR later i text kim to ask about where in the world to park at the downtown post office. after 20 min of driving slowly on the four lane road i parked on the street. after getting hassled by the "security" on the street and refusing his "services" i walked two blocks, up the stairs and across the road. i then waited in line at the counter where i was told to go to the second floor to collect my parcel. i waited in the queue for the lift (in the line for the elevator) because that's what the sign by the lift told me to do. when the elevator door opened before all of its riders could exit three people pushed past me and onto the elevator. i rushed in before the door closed. i started to get out on what i thought was the 2nd floor but was pulled back by a woman who explained that is the 2M floor and i need to wait for the 2 floor. who knew there were two second floors?! so i got out on the 2nd floor and went to the counter. i waited for the guy to go in the back and get my package. this was, of course, after he looked at my package slip, said my name aloud a few times, asked where i'm from, and smiled at me for extended periods of time all throughout. he gave me my parcel and sent me to another lady behind the same counter. this lady gave me a really large knife and instructed me to open my package while she watched. after asking me about everything and what kind of sweets i had she wrote some notes on my package slip and sent me out in the hall to room 113, keeping my package with her! i went in room 113 and after the same "where are you from," "how long you been here?" and saying my name aloud several times the fellow behind the desk wrote something on my paper and sent me to another desk in the same room i was before! i talk to a lady behind some bars who looked at my paper, laughed at me, and told me i have to go outside, across the highway, and down two blocks to the bank to pay duty on the contents of my package. i asked for clarification because i couldn't believe what i was hearing. so i went. drenched in sweat. i passed the defender parked in the street on my way to the bank and the sketchy character who wanted to protect my car for a small fee was lazily leaning against my car. i didn't let him see me looking. i didn't want any more attention. i probably heard the word "mzungu" 5 times in my short walk to the bank. i had to fill out three forms and pay $10 at the bank. i got back to the post office where i had to go back into room 113 and get my paper stamped. then i spoke again to the lady behind the bars who commented that i looked tired. almost 3 hours had passed since i left my house to pick up the package. i told her that. she laughed.

the lady behind the bars stamped my papers too and sent me back to the counter across the room. that lady charged me another 70 shillings ($1), but didn't have change so i really payed more like $1.30. she took her time writing my receipt. i took that receipt to the original guy who went back again to the same room and got my package again. he said, "ok, fine." and i walked away.

as i sat in traffic on the highway on the way home i read the letters my mom had written. i cried. she sent me a picture of herself. i cried a little in the post office too when i saw her handwriting on the envelope. and i felt heartbroken for a second when they took my package away from me after watching me open it. the collection of that package was an emotional experience for me.

here i'm reading the card and then excited about the hair dye that mom sent:

i've been a little homesick lately. don't get me wrong, I LOVE LIVING IN KENYA. and this is exactly where i'm supposed to be. it's just a little sharp pain sometimes because just as much as i love being here and love following my Jesus, i love my family too and a little bit of me (ok a big bit of me) wants to be near them. i miss fall. i would love to go to the fair with my sister. i'd love to go to the mountains with my friends.

sometimes i feel like it's easy to live here. people say they're so proud of me and they admire me and that i'm brave, but i don't see what they see. this is fun. i love the kids here. i love kenya. i love my team, my house, driving our cars. i love camp. but there are times when i vividly remember the sacrifice of being away from family, friends, comfort, and familiarity. being away from things that "make sense."

BUT, in this memory and little taste of suffering, i praise God. he is constantly and consistently providing for me. i have a great church, a sweet small group, an amazing ministry, food to eat, a bed to sleep in, and right now i'm sitting at westgate (a mall my sister haley compared to perimeter in atlanta) drinking yummy coffee and using high speed internet.

and last night when i got home i made myself sick off of candy corn (from the package) and watched grey's anatomy that i downloaded with that high speed internet. and living here was a little easier again.

reaching the most receptive hearts using the most effective means

i was a camper last week. it was hard. i learned a lot about myself.

i'm "that" camper. you know, the one who asks a million questions about what i should wear and what to expect. it drove me completely crazy that i never got a schedule and i had to ask my counselor, that's right, i had a counselor, what was coming up next. j-mo, if you're reading this, i will never pick on you again. ok, i probably will, but i understand a little more now. also, i get pretty mad when other people break the rules. i'm also that camper. all of my friends probably already knew this about me. it's not the rules that i love so much, it's just that if i'm following them everyone else must follow too. i could probably talk more about this...

so anyway, i went to what i thought was a conference about Christian camping in Africa, but it was actually CAMP for grownups. i complained and laughed, but it was really good. i learned a lot about myself and got psyched for camp in Kenya. i was a participant (the only mzungu btw) in heaps of team-building activities. i was in a cabin with some beautiful African women (three from Kenya and one from Ethiopia). and i made some good contacts. there are so many people in Kenya doing camp! AND none of us are doing the same thing! there were some guys there from Christian camping international who talked with us about camp's all around the world. it was so encouraging to hear about other people who's lives are sold out to Jesus and dedicated to camp. i love it.

one of the cci guys talked about how camp is using the most effective means to reach the most receptive hearts. we've all heard the stats about how less likely you are to become a believer after your teen years and anyone who's ever been to camp knows how unique that camp community is and what a special place it is. i'm already getting excited about next summer!

Sock War session 5 this is what i mean by "special":

at the end of "camp" last week we took the youth group camping at the Tana river. it was a really chill weekend, but so much fun with those guys. please pray that more kids will come to the youth group and that we will make the most of our time with them on Sundays and other youth group events.

our camping trip:

it feels like i am just now getting started with "normal" nairobi life here. Haley visited for a few weeks, then i went away for a week to take a wilderness first aid course, then i had the camp conference, and this is the first week i've actually been able to go to the office and put some things in order. i guess you could call it order. i bought a file cabinet, a notebook, and some folders and started to get camp bluesky organized. we'll see how that goes.

here's the famous yellow folder exploding onto the floor: