HeartsAFire's Xanga

Made it!

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 01:30:51 GMT

I';m back on US soil...tired and a little sad, but I'm well.

Today's the day...

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 05:05:31 GMT

Hi friends, so sad, today's the day. It's already time for me to go back to the States. I will definitely miss everyone here. I do feel it wont be the last time though, praise God. I am excited to see where the Lord will do next in this community. I had a blessed time yesterday with some old friends and Pastor Tobias and his family.

Thank you for your prayers; I received my passport! I will fly out of Kisumu today at 7pm and meet the rest of the team in Nairobi to fly out together. Please continue praying for our safe travel and no sickness :)

See you on the other side of the world soon. I will arrive in the States on Thurs afternoon. I am looking forward to my time in Chicago until Monday. May God bless you with His undying love and grace...

Around the bend...

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 06:45:40 GMT

Hi guys! Pray you are all well (and probably sleeping nicely right now). I cant believe it's already almost over. The team left this morning early for the safari and here I am now. I do miss them, but I am excited about spending some time with some of my favorite community members' homes to chat and catch up. I would greatly appreciate your prayers because the team accidently left with my passport. I need it for my Weds 7pm flight, so I am praying that the drivers are able to bring it to me beforehand. The roads are rough, but God is able! It's out of my hands, so I will trust Him.

I've really enjoyed getting to know everyone on this team. I was tremendously blessed by each and everyone of them and being able to serve alongside them. So many different gifts, personalities, talents, skills...,all seeking to glorify God. I wont forget them. We had a few that are sick, so please pray for them. I feel pretty good, really tired and a little grumbly stomach, but really this has been the first day out of the whole time I've been here, praise God.

We went to a women's prison on Saturday. I am so happy we got to go. It hasnt worked out in the past few years. The women were precious. They were singing praise and worship songs as we entered. How beautiful. We all shared our testimonies about what God has done in our life. It was truly my favorite time on the whole trip. Even though many in there had served or would be serving long sentences, many had such a joy from the Lord. I pray we were able to encourage them as they did to us. I really just love being around women and telling them that God is the only one who can make them whole and give them the love they long for. God receives all of the glory for doing that in my own life.

Hope to write you one more time in Kenya before I leave. Thank you for your emails and prayers. They have definitely been sustaining. May God bless you richly with His peace and grace!

Time is flying by

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 07:08:58 GMT

Hi to everyone on the other side of the world! Pray you are all well. Time is flying by, which is so ironic to me because I rarely see a clock these days :) We are all doing well, learning so much about God, those around us and our own lives. The Lord has been so faithful to tenderly be by our sides with His grace when our hearts are breaking and our eyes are red. We have visited some local hospitals in which we saw some broken and hurting men, women and children. You know, even though it's tough to see, I felt the Lord's peace when I was there. We were able to pray and talk with them. I fanned a man who had such a high fever it was burning my hand. This may sound wierd, but I loved it. I did love it. I loved being by the side of someone who maybe the second before we came in was crying out to God to show up. I love going out to buy a plastic plate for someone who missed getting food because he didnt have one. I love praying with my team over a man who was shaking so violently that he threw himself off the bed and seeing the Lord show up and calm his seizure during our prayer. Even so the greatest part that I love is that I have witnessed God being glorified. It isnt about me at all. It isnt about what I do or say. I was just seeking to be obedient to God's leading. What would really happen in our lives if we sought to follow Him when ever and where ever no matter what? ...even if it doesnt make sense, even if no one is healed, even if we are in pain... Every question we ever have comes back to one question, one question alone...Do we trust the Creator of the Universe,...the great I AM,...our God and Savior? Ask Him to show you the areas in your life where you dont trust Him and "let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23).

We made it!!

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 15:09:15 GMT

Jambo sana (big hello!) to everyone. Pray you are all well. Well, we made it, even after leaving on Weds afternoon and arriving on Friday morning in Kenya. We really saw how the Lord provided for us with the flights. We made all of our connections, no lost luggage, and I was able to get on the early flight to Kisumu with the team. Wahoo! We have hit the ground running too. I am really enjoying being with the team. It is really a great group of people with all different gifts but huge hearts for God and for bringing Christ .

It's wild. Even the first day, I've felt like I've returned to my second home. Since the decision to come was so fast, most of the church members and people I worked with on the project last year didnt know I was coming. It was so fun to surprise them!! I got some great hugs. Of course, the kids were coming in droves to hold hands, laugh and play. What a blessing.

We dedicated the well today on the church property. I was able to pray for it. It was beautiful to see how the Lord is providing for this community. Even so, this water leave you thirsty the next day, but God gives us everlasting water freely and graciously.

Continue to pray for us. We are all leading seminars tomorrow on a variety of topics to train some of the church leaders from around the city. We are also holding vacation bible school for the kiddos, too fun.

Well, friends, I am off to get some sleep. May your dreams be filled with the assurance that God is working in your life and in our world.

Kenya or bust (again!)

Tue, 29 May 2007 14:49:17 GMT

I can't believe it....I'm going back. Back to the place where it has come true that "Once you come to Kenya and get the mud between your toes, you can never get it out!" (Thank you, Pastor Tobias!). This has all been a whirlwind especially since the decision to pursue joining the Dallas team again occurred last Saturday (bless my parents' hearts), but I tell you, the peace of God is amazing. It really does pass all understanding. I feel it; I know it. Everything just started lining up...the plane ticket, the support, the days free, the cheap suitcases at the thrift store...wow.

The Lord never never ceases to amaze me. To be really transparent, I had been struggling to spend quality time with Him over the past weeks (let me be real, I think it was about 3 weeks). Some said that makes sense...it was your graduation, you had a full house, you were busy with so many things...yes, those things were true, but that doesnt mean we should set God on the little shelf and then go rush off to do our business by ourselves. I could feel the distance between us and the Holy Spirit was calling my heart back. I kept moving and moving and ignoring and ignoring. Do you know this Saturday was the first time in a while where I sat in silence, prayed and read the Word? And that was the day the trip back to Kenya opened up. He is SO merciful and gracious. He always surpasses all of my own (pea-brained) ideas and dreams. He gets ALL of the glory.

So friends, I will be gone from May 30th to June 13th in Kisumu, Kenya. I cant wait to see everyone and hold those children's hands! I will also have the opportunity to spend a couple days in Chicago to meet the mission agency I am planning on going with in the near future and to see an old college friend. Please keep praying over my job situation when I return. I have a few leads, but nothing is final right now. I covet your prayers and support! Here's to another journey...to more heartsafire...

Back in TX!

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 00:13:28 GMT

Hello!! I made it back home in TX at midnight last night. The flights went well and my luggage made it all in one piece too. It was great to set foot on US soil and see my parents. I'm tired, but praise God, I feel good. Thanks so much for your support and prayers. I cant wait to see yall face-to-face and share this experience with you. More later. In His grace!

on the way home...

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 15:42:53 GMT

Hi everyone! i cant believe I havent written on this site since Weds! BOY, the time has flown by. I have been SUPER busy doing my last visits, distributing my reports, seeing some projects, wow! It has been amazing, and i know for certain that I will be sleeping on the plane ride home from naturally being so tired from everything. Everyone has been so gracious to me. I was able to say some last words of encouragement in church. The church is praying for you too, and they appreciate your prayers. I took Pastor and his family out to eat last night. We had a good time (and even got out the markers and papers to color while we were waiting, haha). I had lunch today with one of my friends and his family at their home who is a baby-taxi driver in town that is really sweet. It was a joy to be in their home. Yesterday, I was able to visit a project in a nearby village by two US missionaries. They have an orphanage program in 16 parishes with over 300 orphans in each. Do the math. It was amazing though. They kids were so well-behaved and we had a fun time playing hopscotch and soccer. I was able to hang out with some Emory friends this week and it was a nice time. We ate at a restaurant that overlooks Lake Victoria. We also had our last small-group meeting to discuss the photos that they took. Some of them were fabulous! It was such a great experience I believe. Now, they are working on their narratives to accompany the pictures, so I can put it in a book to leave here for them to use for their community and to get support for work they want to do. Overall, I am really pleased with how things turned out and am excited to see where things will go. It's hard to say goodbye to everyone and my life here. I know it will take some adjustment when I get back, so bear with me. I cant wait to tell you about life here in Kenya. We have a lot to learn from them and much to pray for the wellbeing of their country. Well, my plane leaves Kisumu tomorrow night at 7pm (Mon) and I arrive in Houston at 8:25pm (Tues). It's a lot of traveling, but I cant wait to see yall! God bless you richly with His presence.

Had a moment....

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 14:49:56 GMT

Things are going really well, really busy, but well! i almost cried while i was talking with one fo the community-health workers/trained birth attendants when she was telling me about her life, her faith and health service to the community and her family members. i had a moment that, man, this is what i want to do with my life. i want to be as passionate as she is. i was one of my favorite moments during my time here.

i met the mayor of Kisumu yesterday! it took a lot of tries to get in to her office, but i was able to meet her because I wanted to start connecting the government with their responsibilities to serve all of the town, including our slum estate. She is really nice. of course, she is still a politician, but i believe she does care . she even gave me my luo (kenyan tribe in this area) name... So now I am Lauren Achieng. Achieng means "born during the day." :)

i really have been praying that the Lord will help keep my heart here in these last few days b/c I know He has called me here for this time. I was in the "go home" mode the last few days, but today, was a day that I felt the other way around, that i was sad and felt my time was short. i see why Allison loves this place. it's been such an amazing learning experience. i am blown away that God would allow me to join the work He is doing here. it was more than i could ever imagined.

All in a hard day's work....

Sat, 15 Jul 2006 15:18:10 GMT

Hi friends on the other side of the world! I pray you are well and not becoming too toasty in the summer heat. Today, I had the great priviledge to join the young adults to do a community clean-up. I donned the mask and gloves and got out on the street with them sweeping and picking up trash. In Obunga, there is no trash pick up and no place to put it because there isn't a lot of extra space, so many people just throw things down all over the place or burn it in small piles. To me, you can always mark when you are finally accepted overseas is when they allow you to help them do work! It was hot and dusty, but I really enjoyed being with guys and girls my age and seeing them want to help bring change in their community. It has to start there within the youth.

Afterwards, I had another small group meeting with my research participants and it was great! These are the individuals who said they wanted to take an active role in helping the health of the community. They really have great ideas for solutions, I tell you. Better than anything I could have ever come up! We have started a project called PhotoVoice, where they take pictures of the health concerns they have identified. It is a creative way to empower them to be able to take the pictures along with their thoughts and ideas to present them as research they have done. They were really excited! I am excited to see how the pictures will turn out too.

This week has been a whirlwind of visiting different NGOs and community meetings. I was able to sit in a neighborhood association meeting that was 4 hours long! It was great though because everyone really is able to voice their opinions and it is led by community members alone. It just confirms again that us outsiders shouldn't be making the decisions; we need to just be guides and facilitators of the process! I am learning so much.

I am glad tomorrow is church! It will be a refreshment for me. I am approaching the one-week mark. Pretty wild. I am ready though. When I was in BD, the 2 month mark was tough. The adrenaline has definitely worn off. Thank you for your emails and prayers! God is strengthening me each day.