First Day of Junior High

I. Love. Teaching. Junior High.... so much.

This was it. The first day of my official teaching career, the first day to teach junior high, the first day to teach in Africa, and it was incredible. Praise God, for He has blessed me with such amazing students that I am ridiculously impressed with and amused by, and I am so thankful for the way He's prepared my heart to love them already.

5 a.m.: Woke up out of excitement, so I decided to get up and get ready, get my stuff together, jump around with excitement, and squeal just a little bit.
6:45 a.m.: Off to finish making copies and put any finishing touches on my classroom, and stand in there counting down the seconds before my students come...
7:45-8:30: First period - 20 7th graders who cracked me up. It was a bit overwhelming - they have SO much energy, but I loved it, and it was fantastic to put the first faces to my names...
8:30-10:30: Break! Planning periods, Chai time. Came back and tried to release some of my excited energy...
10:35-11:20: Fourth period - 23 8th graders. I was absolutely SHOCKED at the difference between the 7th and 8th graders. These kids blew me away at how prepared and calm and ready they were.
11:25-12:10: I would normally have 7th grade Study Hall during this time, but it was cancelled today, so I went to lunch early and ate on Cassie's porch in the beautiful weather...
1:30-2:15: Sixth period - 23 more 8th graders. A couple kids in this class blew me away with how much they knew - I'm going to have to study extra hard to be able to teach them! Also, they spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out how old I am...
2:20-2:35: Chapel
2:40-3:25: Seventh Period - 19 more 7th graders, probably the funnest class of the day. We talked a lot about me eating bugs...
3:25-3:55: Eighth period, which is really just used for discipline/make-up work, so we didn't have it today...

I absolutely love my schedule. I have nice breaks in between to gather my thoughts and prepare for the next classes. And my students are amazing, have I mentioned that? It's going to be really hard to go back to elementary kids. But I am confident that God placed me in elementary education for a reason, so I'll have peace that this is where I should be for now, and He'll bring whatever is good in the future :)

Asante sana - thank you very much - for all of your prayers. I cannot express how much peace I felt today - not once was I nervous or anxious, just extremely excited! I am so blessed to be supported by so many people and by our God and to feel His perfect peace.

And so the adventures of Miss Scott's Junior High Classes begins... :)

The Day Before...

School starts tomorrow.

School starts tomorrow.

I teach my first class as an official teacher tomorrow, and it's in Africa. How sweet is that? :)

The students started arriving Thursday and kept on coming through the weekend. It's strange walking around campus and seeing students everywhere - it's sort of like camp or something. So I had been seeing a few here and a few there, but this morning as I sat in church with the entire campus, I was absolutely in awe. I'm not sure of the official number of students, but I can guarantee that there were more nationalities in that room than in any other room I've ever been in. It was beautiful to see kids from all over the world and hear the different accents and watch their different habits, but it was even more amazing watching them mix and mingle and interact with people completely outside of their home cultures as if there were no difference at all. As I watched them, I thought about their different lives, all they've seen and experienced, and what sort of emotions must be going on in that room all at once. The new students' parents came Thursday and Friday for orientation, and then had to leave their children. Some because their fields of ministry are too dangerous, some because they wouldn't receive a good enough education, and some because they needed students their own age to be around. Whatever the reason, each is undoubtedly a huge sacrifice and something that breaks my heart to think about. Finally seeing these students and putting faces to our numbers really put into perspective how huge RVA's ministry is! The way that the staff here completely embraces the students and puts ALL of their time, energy, and strength into loving and serving the students' and their families is absolutely incredible to watch and be a part of! Watching the staff needs be filled by unexpected people and places, and seeing things just line up (when it seems as if there were no possibly way it could) is such a confirmation that God's Hand is on this school and this ministry, and again, I am so blessed to be a part of it and watch His faithfulness flow out!

So tomorrow I will face junior highers - an age that once (not too long ago, actually) terrified me, but with strength and assurance because God has made it more than obvious that He has brought me here for a reason, and I am completely confident that He will equip me to do His good work. So please pray for RVA tomorrow as we start a new year, and help us to keep our eyes focused on the God that we serve and the reasons we are here.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." -Eph. 3:20-21

What's Cookin...

I've never been much of a cook. Coming to RVA was a bit of a shock in that just about everyone here cooks most everything from scratch. During my first week here, different families hosted me for dinner every night, and I was more than amazed at their home concoctions: homemade salad dressing, cheese, sour cream, soups - everything. In making my own meals, I was content in just eating cereal 3 times a day, but Jen and Cassie have come to the rescue. Instead of cooking for one, we usually cook for 3 now, and have made some of the most delicious meals I've ever had (whether because of taste or pride, either way..). And thanks to the fact that veggies here are dirt cheap (today I bought 3 green peppers, 4 potatoes, a big bag of green beans, a pineapple, 3 onions, an orange, and 4 tomatoes for less than $4), it is well worth the effort. So, because we are so proud of our cooking adventures, I have chosen to share with you. This is mostly for Daddy though, since he always teases me for never cooking. Daddy, it's a good thing you sent me to Africa so I could learn to cook! :)

First, we have homemade tortilla chips. Cut the tortilla, sprinkle limejuice (freshly squeezed) and salt, pop in the toaster oven, and voila!





Next, the breakfast that began it all: egg omelets, potatoes, toast and jam. Not pictured: a MOUND of guac... it was pretty incredible...



My personal favorite, bagel bites! I was talking to my old roommate one night and she was having Bagel Bites and I was craving them, so I decided to be resourceful and make my own! This was my first cooking experience by myself, and it was fantastic! I had no idea how to use my can opener to open the tomato paste, so I ended up stabbing it and tomato paste squirted ALL OVER me and the walls and the fridge.. I sat in the middle of my kitchen laughing for a good two minutes. I loved it :) To make: English muffins, top with tomato paste, spinach, green peppers, onions, pop into the toaster oven, and mmmm....



And finally, the pride of our lives, our cinnamon rolls. Cass, Jen and I made these for another girl's birthday, and they were easily the most cinnamon rolls I've ever eaten. Again, whether because of taste or pride.... So we documented the entire process... enjoy!


















Ah yes, and our beautiful banana oat pancakes!!


So I never thought I'd say this, but yay for cooking :)

Little Lambs of God

Jen, Cassie, Bernice (Jen's worker) and I piled into a tiny little 5-seater car with 3 Kenyans already in there - the driver included. The insides were falling apart - the door was bare, the inside roof was covered with some sort of tape because the cloth was gone, and we're assured that they would've tried to squeeze another body in there if necessary. This is the taxi service here.

So with Jen on my lap and all of us holding our breath praying we'd make it uphill, we climbed the hill (all the while I'm thinking of Thomas the Engine - "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!") to Little Lambs, one of Kijabe's daycares for AIDS orphans now living with their grandparents or "aunties," barely scraping to get by.



From the moment we walked in the gate, we were greeted by the most endearing children I've ever met. Each one wanted to shake our hands, and asked our names. All three of us had at least one kid clinging to each hand as they showed us around the compound and walked us to their classroom. We entered the classroom, which immediately went into a frenzy. I looked around. There were some shapes printed out and taped to the wall, a poster from an American Sunday School class with their picture, a chalkboard (which fell during prayer) with some algebra on it, and little else on the walls. The teacher insisted that we "pray, then play" and dismissed class for time with the visitors and lunch. We walked around a little more - they introduced us to their two cows, Maggie and Cassie (yes, we named it today after our wonderful Cassie), taught us some simple phrases in Kukuyu (their local language), and then took us to lunch. We ate lunch with them - a huge bowl of cabbage and ungali , which we ate with our hands :) It's the Kenyan way, and they offered us spoons, but what the heck, we're in Africa :)

After the food, the kids washed dishes and we played some games. I learned a new favorite, something about an imaginary ball...



I don't think I stopped smiling the whole time. The kids were absolutely hilarious while playing the games - I could hardly breathe from laughing so hard. We danced, sang, ran around... typical, cliche things, but they were full of this pure joy that was so... real. It was indescribable.

We went inside (it had been drizzling on us and growing colder and colder and colder...) and I taught them a Camp Hope song, then we prayed, took a couple group pictures, and headed out to the sounds of them singing the most wonderful song I've ever heard, which actually included the phrase "hakuna matata!" Thank you, Disney, for telling me what that means! :)




It was beautiful. I've dreamed of this - of playing with little African kids - for years now, and it was absolutely more beautiful than I could've ever imagined. Their clothing was torn and ripped and hardly keeping them warm from the biting cold that we couldn't shake off, but their hearts were full of a joy and a love that was so pure that I wouldn't be able to explain it if I didn't know our God and how knowing Him makes that joy and love possible.




Please pray for the Little Lambs. Mostly that they continue to know Jesus and His love and provision and joy...

PICTURES!

So I know I update this a little too much, but I'm trying to get as much up before the students arrive THURSDAY (eek!) and I'm off playing all of the time. (Playing, teaching, same thing, right?)

And since my lovely neighbor Jen taught me to compress pictures, I thought that tonight would be a lovely night to upload them. So here we go...

First, we've got the RVA sign (obviously), my beautiful little house, a loquat from the loquat tree right outside, a little monkey who likes to eat my loquats, and a view of the AIM hospital in Kijabe...













And here are a few pictures of the dukas in Kijabe, and me and Cassie in front of the "Supa Duka!"












And lastly, my first meal at Mama Chiku's - including my first soda in 8 years - and Cassie, Jen and I with some insanely amazing treats I found in Nairobi... mmm...





NOTE: The pictures and captions don't quite line up, but... that's okay :)

Theo, our Love

So a few weeks ago, I got an email from a lady here asking me if I'd like to take a cat. The cat lived here previously, and is quite attached to the single's compound (a group of 3 duplexes with young single ladies in them, myself included), so they were hoping I'd just take it to avoid any changes or complications. Well, seeing as I have never liked a cat, and have adopted my Daddy's motto of what cats are good for (shark bait), I kindly turned down the offer.

I met Theo the cat the first day I was here. Jen, my neighbor, informed Cassie and I that the cat never goes away, is constantly around begging for food and meowing into all hours of the night, and was simply not her favorite. So none of us really liked Theo. Well, except Cassie, who decided that it would be her birthday present. But she quickly changed her mind.

Well Theo never leaves. He follows me around quite a bit. Yesterday as I was moving clothes from inside my shed to hang them on the lines in the middle of the compound, Theo stayed right by my leg, even though I went back and forth about 5 times. He's become more like a dog to us because of his loyalty and new habit of curling up beside us. Also, he hasn't been being fed for a couple of weeks now because no one's taking the responsibility. I gave him some coffee-flavored yogurt and a couple of slices of potatoes, but that's all the food he's had to our knowledge.

Needless to say, sweet Theo has grown on Jen, Cassie and I. So we've decided to split responsibility for feeding him, though no one is officially claiming him as "ours," and he's not allowed in any houses.

So welcome to our life, sweet Theo. You're the only cat in the world right now that I wouldn't throw to sharks, so don't mess it up. :)

Because He Lives

Church in Kijabe:
We woke up this morning to fight the cold wind (in August, in AFRICA!) as we walked down to the African Inland Church, one of the local churches here in Kijabe that RVA attends once a month. After our chilling 5 minute walk, we walked into the door of a good-sized church and found a little wooden pew to sit on. There are two services - an English and a Swahili. Since we were at the English one, probably 2/3 of the attendants were RVA staff and children. After introductions and singing "Happy Birthday" to two of the local Kenyan children, we sang some songs in English and some in Swahili. It was beautiful. The sermon followed, a teaching on "Slaying the Giant of Fear." During the sermon, the Sunday School children were right outside a nearby door and were singing. It was honestly one of the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard, and I wanted nothing more than to just go sit in the midst of them and watch God's Joy in beautiful action.

A few years back, a friend told me about the African Children's Choir, a choir composed of children from some of Africa's neediest nations who are trained and given the opportunity to tour for a couple of years, and then are given the means for an education in hopes that they will become productive citizens who seek to better their communities. It's a great program, check it out. Anyways, after purchasing the CD, I was in awe of the faith that it takes for these children to sing praises to God in the midst of the poverty and violence and everything else they've seen. During my senior year at Texas A&M, the ACC came to visit, and I was blessed to be able to go. I don't know that I've ever been so captivated as my heart absolutely exploded from excitement at being so close to children that I had indirectly prayed for for years. One of the songs they sang was "Because He Lives." If you haven't heard it, go look up the lyrics, and as you read them, think about what those children have gone through, and I pray you'll see the incredible beauty in the words they're singing.

The last song we sang in church was "Because He Lives." I couldn't believe it. There I was, standing in the middle of a dream. I was in Africa, surrounded by a faithful congregation who was genuinely seeking after and worshiping the Lord, and I was singing a song that, no matter what we're feeling, holds true. We CAN face tomorrow, because we know that our Hope is not in situations surrounding us, but in our High God who is Mighty and Beautiful and Worthy of Praise! How comforting it is to have a faith in a God who is bigger than all of the evil, even on this dark continent, and to be surrounded by others who remind us of where we place our Hope. Praise the Lord, because He lives!

Unakwenda wapi?

So in case you haven't noticed by the title, I'm trying to use any swahili I know as much as possible. Living here on RVA's campus, it's not spoken much, but it's quite useful for communicating with the locals. Anyways, "unakwendi wapi" means "Where are you going?" So we're going to pretend that you asked me this question... except you really meant "Where did you go..." which I don't know how to say... hm...

Today me, Cassie, and our hostesses went into Nairobi to stock up for the next month, or however long it will be before we make the adventurous/crazy trip back in. The drive began with potholes that babies could fit in - some bigger, actually - and winding our way down the hill that the "School in the Clouds" sits on. After passing through two smaller towns filled with little wooden shacks, a couple orphanages, and some questionable "hotels" about the size of my bathroom, we make our way to the main highway. This "highway" is usually 2-3, sometimes 4 lanes with faint lane-lines every once in a while, with dirt paths on the sides for donkey carts and goat grazing, and a divider only when you get a couple miles outside of Nairobi. Oh, and it's filled with crazy drivers, so be sure to drive defensively!

And then, welcome to Nairobi! It was so strange to see such an obvious clash of Western and African culture. One moment we were driving past the markets - little wooden booths set up one after another for a couple blocks, filled with anything and everything that you might want to buy - dishes, scarves, blankets, shoes, food, necklaces, etc.; and one moment, you're shopping in a mall that looks as nice as the Galleria! Nairobi's sort of a big mixing bowl of Kenya - there are people from all sorts of nationalities mixed together, so it's fascinating watching the different people everywhere - the colors, clothing, and behaviors were absolutely fascinating!

After the mall we headed to lunch, but first we had to pass "Doggy and Bunny and Kitty Road," as Cassie calls it. The traffic on this road backs up quite a bit, and moves pretty slowly, so salespeople have learned to sell their goods right there in the middle of the street. It starts with pets - Kenyans holding bunnies and puppies up to your car window, and you can't look and make that "oh how cute!" face or they'll run along side of the car and try their hardest to sell it to you. After the pets comes the artwork, skirts, sculptures - pretty much anything else they would want to sell. And all the time, just keep your eyes forward, and learn the word "hapana," or "no." :)

Lunch, veggies, matches, then back up the treacherous roads through the wind and the fog, into what truly is the "School in the Clouds" tonight.

I think it is imperative for me to make a last remark about the monkeys I saw today. I saw 2 - one in the morning, and one in the evening. Both were in my loquat tree (who can blame them?) and both heard squeals of delight coming from some crazy girl who's been a little obsessed with monkeys for about 8 years now. I'm sure they're chatting (or blogging?) about it tonight as well. What a funny world... :)

Karibu!

"Karibu" basically means "Welcome." Today was our introduction to Kijabe/Kenyan/African culture as we had Q&A time with some of the Kenyans who work at RVA and then toured the community, so I felt like it was our official welcoming :)

Q&A time was fantastic. We talked a lot about the differences between the West (mostly American culture) and Africa, and I must say, I'm favoring Africa in many ways. The way they find it more acceptable to just drop by than to try to "schedule" people into their day (which is understandable considering how fast-paced America is, but still...); the way they will talk to everyone they're standing by as opposed to purposely avoiding eye contact with a stranger until you're leaving, thus making an introduction as brief as possible; the way they think more as a community, so sharing their possessions which God has graciously blessed them with is no big deal. Don't get me wrong, I do love America, but I feel like we could learn a lot from this culture, if not just find a beautiful balance of taking time to love others more than our work and money. Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of corruption here, but there is in America as well. It's strange trying to see both cultures in an "ungeneralized" way - not seeing either as perfect or as completely corrupt, but just seeking to find the best way to live in both cultures in a way which glorifies our God.

After Q&A time and, of course, the chai break... Well, first, I feel like this "chai break" thing deserves it's own little tangent because, well, that's what it does - it interrupts. Pretty much no matter what is going on in a day, Kenyans will stop everything they're doing for a chai break. This happens twice a day - in the morning and in the afternoon time. My neighbor was in the Nairobi hospital last week waiting in the urgent care, when all of the sudden the staff left. Why would an entire hospital staff leave? For chai, of course. During our school days, we have a scheduled chai break for students and staff, praise the Lord! For us, it will be a time of chai, prayer, and rest, and I will be working hard to institute this in the U.S. when I get back, I'm sure!

Anyways, chai break, official campus tour, and then down to the dukas we went. I met the vegetable ladies - sweet sweet Kenyans with the most beautiful veggies (and fruits, but everyone refers to everything as veggies) I've ever seen! They also sell other gift/decorative type items, so I bought myself an apron which is BEAUTIFUL since this is the week that I'm learning to cook.. I'm convinced! So then we ate at Mama Chiku's, the local little... I don't want to say restaurant because that makes it sound bigger than it is, but... restaurant? I had my first Kenyan meal, and it was absolutely delicious! There was rice, goat stew, sukuma wiki (spinachy stuff), chapatti (tortilla-looking thing), samosas, cabbage, and peas & carrots. AND, my first coke in 8 years!! Surprisingly enough, the coke was my least favorite part of the meal. The carbonation's a bit ridiculous. And they had this other stuff that looked like grits, but isn't, and I ate it, which surprised me because I haven't ever eaten grits, I don't think.

We finished touring Kijabe, I stopped and talked to a few little kids but didn't know enough Swahili to keep a conversation going, told myself that I WILL learn basic phrases so I can play with them more, ate my first African bug (which looked WAY cool, by the way - such a good choice!), and then came back home. I'd leave it there, but I must brag about the fact that I hung my own curtains today. Now, this might not sound very impressive, but it was. I tried to hang some a couple days ago, but couldn't figure out the hook system they use, so I ended up using clothes pins. Well after about 20 minutes of climbing up and down onto my kitchen counter, bruising up my knees, making ridiculous frustrated looks, dropping things into the sink, and all the time being watched and giggled at by my yard guy, they were up, and my kitchen looked better than ever!

Off to bed to the sound of thunder rolling around the hills and mountains around me... Praise our Mighty, Awesome Creator!

Joy Unspeakable!

Good morning, dear friends! It is currently 7:57 a.m. (4:00 p.m. when I finished this) and ridiculously chilly out, but the birds are singing, the sun is shining, and I'm in Africa, so bring on the cold if that's what it takes! Our houses don't have heaters, just fireplaces, and since I don't have firewood yet, I've been "roughing it" according to RVA standards. Last night I added my sleeping bag to my bed, so I finally slept through the night without waking up from being cold, praise the Lord!

Yesterday was fantastic! We had new teacher orientation from 8:30-3, which we'll have today and tomorrow as well. However, it was hardly that long since we had a break for chai and mandazis (chai = a really sweet, milky sort of tea that is DELICIOUS; mandazis = an African pastry - they call it African donuts, but they don't have sugar or anything, so it's closer to a powdered sugarless funnel cake in the shape of a scone),a break for birthday cake for two of the new staffers, and an extra long lunch break, in which me and 4 other girls about my age had a little picnic in my side yard in the sunshine - it was beautiful! So overall, the meetings themselves weren't too long, and what we were discussing was so good and encouraging that it didn't make me go crazy or anything, despite the fact that I didn't have a Battalion crossword to work on.

Afterward came probably the most exciting part of the trip so far - a walk into town to the dukas, or shops. The walk takes about 10 minutes, and we pass by the Kijabe and AIM Hospitals and many Kenyans just roaming about the streets. I wanted to just stop and talk, or at least exchange a little longer greetings, but we were in a bit of a time crunch and couldn't take as much time as I had hoped. The dukas are very small - about the size of my little bedroom here (maybe smaller?) made of wood or aluminum, painted with bright colors which are now cracking and peeling. The "Super Duka," as it is often called, is like a very very small convenience store - it stocks some veggies, toiletries, textiles, cards, and gift type items, so it will come in handy when we can't get into Nairobi. There's a little boutique next door with African clothes, jewelry, decorations, figurines, etc. We got a little gift for Cassie (my neighbor, the birthday girl) and then headed back home.

After a bit of lesson planning, cleaning, chatting, etc., we had dinner with the superintendent and his wife and then headed back to Jen's (my other neighbor)house for a little birthday gathering for Cassie. There were just four of us "singles" there, but it was so nice, and Jen made chocolate chip cookies, which is a major rarity, so that was fantastic. We played Speed Scrabble - it reminded me of freshman year comlob days!

Well it's halfway through the day so far, and I've already thought of a million other things to write, so I'll probably be blogging again within the next 24 hours. Don't worry, this isn't supposed to last the entire year. Apparently when the students start showing up internet is practically unusable since we have such small bandwidth. However, from what I've heard, I have about the fastest connection of anyone we know. People are absolutely shocked to hear how fast things are running on my computer, so praise God that He's blessed me with that! How fun :)

Settling In

Today seemed like it was at least 92 hours long. I woke up this morning at about 6:30 to the sound of all sorts of different birds outside my window. Apparently this area of Kenya is one of the bird-watching capitals of the world, so it's sort of exciting to see all of the different birds, even though I have no idea what they are or what they're about.

I met up with my hostess and we went to a garage sale where I found a bathroom rug and a curtain for the bathroom window (I had just realized I didn't have one up.. oops!) and a little crock pot for about $2 each... a total steal! I came home, finished unpacking, cleaning, and organizing, took a little stock of what I had so far, had a mango from Heaven for lunch, and then headed up to another garage sale! I found two couch pillows, a couple African paintings, 3 candles, a wastebasket, and a couple of misc. baskets for a total of a little less than $5.

Sometime after that, I met with the junior high/high school principal and found out I'll be teaching 7th and 8th grade World Geography - whoop! I'm pretty sure I blogged about my little girl at the daycare that taught me all about the countries of the world, and I've been addicted to trying to name all of the countries on sporcle.com, so I feel like these have prepared me at least a little bit! hah... Unfortunately, the social studies department is practically empty - no dept. head, hardly enough teachers to fill the positions (I think they're still trying to find some - interested??), and most of the materials are missing at the moment, so I'll have a fun time ahead trying to get lesson plans organized and figure out what needs to be done! Fortunately, I have the time, and God has given me - you guessed it - such peace that I'm not phased in the least and looking forward to the challenge!

In other news, I was helping my hostess set up her classroom today and we found bird poop on one of her almost-finished bulletin boards. And then we heard noises at the door and figured it was just the wind (because that's what it always is), but when I checked, there was a huge lizard just staring me in the face, and started running right towards me. And apparently there are some mongooses (mongeese?) that are raiding the trashcans, and a certain monkey has been hanging around my roof, though I haven't seen him yet. Welcome to Africa.

"Ifama"

I’ve tried putting into words how peaceful and assured I feel at the moment, but I haven’t figured out quite how to do that yet. Every detail of this trip so far has been absolutely perfect, and it’s absolutely spectacular watching as God fits little things together and shows me how He’s been preparing me for this in so many ways. So if you’re up to reading, here’s how it’s gone so far…

The flights were perfect! On the way to London from Houston, I sat next to a couple who was… highly entertaining… and lively as could be, which was perfect since I was ridiculously hyper. For some reason, our tvs didn’t work, and then the lady next to me spilled wine all in my lap and all over my seat, so the hilarious male steward moved us to first class for free! I watched bits and pieces of movies, read a couple pages here and there, but mostly just tried to sit still from excitement. After a little over nine hours, we arrived in London to face the most miserable security check I’ve ever had, but to get through without problems and then meet up with the rest of the team. The layover gave me just enough time to brush my teeth, wash my face, grab a bite to eat, and chat a bit before boarding. The second flight from London to Nairobi was much... squishier, as the seats were all smaller in general, and I had people next to me and, oh yeah, I wasn't in first class. But it was wonderful - there's another girl about 26 who was in front of us who's here at RVA, and there was a couple behind us with two kids - 4 and 6 - who are also here at RVA. Small world! I saw my first African sunset from the clouds - it was breathtaking - and I saw the Sahara Desert down below as we flew over. Words cannot describe the excitement and joy that I felt, and I was so excited when Annie, the girl in front of me, started randomly giggling over. I decided then that I really really liked her.

We got into the airport around 9:15 p.m. Nairobi time - a little behind schedule - and didn't leave until about 11:30. One of the girls couldn't find her bag, so we searched the airport high and low before going to the baggage counter to track the luggage and see if it arrived. It hadn't - it never left Maryland, so once we figured that out, it was a breeze. Customs was basically nonexistent - we merely walked through a little aisle, they scanned our luggage tags, and that was it. Wow! Two AIM vans met us there and took us to the guesthouse in Nairobi. The drive was crazy – there are basically no rules on the road. It’s funny, because in the States I get ridiculously nervous when riding with bad drivers, but here I didn’t flinch or think twice about it. Whether I was too distracted by my first sights of Africa, or whether I just figured they knew what they were doing even if I would’ve been lost, I was in complete peace. Again.

We stayed the first night in Nairobi at AIM’s guesthouse, which was beautiful. We slept with mosquito nets, which made me feel so adventurous! Anyways, we had breakfast and then headed off to grocery shop. I bought some fruits and veggies and very basics for my house since I didn't know what was already here. Some of the fruits and vegetables here are incredible looking! There’s a spikey cucumber-looking thing that I’m dying to try. In the market, the first song I heard was Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours,” which was the last song I heard in America and hummed all the way to Africa, so I found that amusing. They followed Jason up with some good ole’ country music, so it made me wonder if I was really back in Texas in the middle of a bad prank.

After shopping we were off to Kijabe. I didn't time the drive, but they said it's usually about 1-1.25 hours. It was incredible. We drove by some slums, by big houses, by donekys and sheep in the ditches, donkey-drawn carts, kids playing EVERYWHERE, schools, everything. We got up to 9,000 ft. at one point and looked out over the Great Rift Valley - it was unreal! Once we got up higher, there was a lot of little farmland communities, so they were growing corn and it reminded me a lot of Wisconsin (but the cornfields aren't nearly as big or pretty).

Once in Kijabe, I got my house, met my hostess, had lunch with Cassie (one of the girls I met in NY) and a family that hosted us (they have 5 kids ages 5-11 who are absolute monkeys!) and had a small tour of the campus, which is huge! After unpacking for a bit, I met a couple other “singles,” as we’re referred to, toured some other homes, and was off to a delicious dinner with my hostess. I was also shown by one of the “monkeys” referred to above a certain fruit tree and had to try them. They’re the size of large grapes and have the texture of a peach, but taste a little tangy, and are my new favorite things. Apparently real monkeys come on campus all the time and eat these fruits. I may have to chase them away…

The weather’s beautiful. It’s actually a little chilly – probably in the 60s and 70s. It’s amazing the difference from Houston’s 103 two days ago.

I’m in Africa. Some things are much different than I imagined, but I am as joyful – or more – than I’ve always imagined I would be, and all the more thrilled that God is so prevalent in all of it.

The Night Before... Christmas?

Here it is! It's the night before, and I can not even begin to express the joy and comfort and peace the Lord has given me!

I've had a lot of my biggest goodbyes this week - mainly the dinner with my absolute, hands-down, very best friend, Sarah Elizabeth. I drove there expecting it to be one of the hardest moments that I'd encounter, but somehow I didn't shed a tear. The entire two hours we spent at the little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Hempstead was so joyful that there was no room for sadness. I was blown away at the realization of how much she has come to mean to me. And thought it'll be strange to not have her by my side for the first time in 3 years, God just gave me such comfort and assurance that - duh - this isn't the end, it's just a little distance. I'm so thankful that the relationships that mean so much to me will undoubtedly extend over whatever distance comes between us.

I think a large part of the strength that I've had these past few days has also been thanks to my parents. My parents are absolutely incredible, by the way. Watching as the Lord gives them such peace about this has been so wonderful and so encouraging to me. It is amazing what a difference it makes to have such complete support from them and have them backing me every step of the way, and I cannot even begin to thank them enough for the strength that I have because of them.

To everyone who has supported my family and I in this time, thank you. Thank you for your prayers, your words of encouragement and comfort, and your support. And may our God be praised - the Prince of Peace, the Great Comforter, the God who never changes, our Faithful Father, the Everlasting God. He is so good :)

So here I go. I'm packed, I'm ready, and I'm wide-awake. And praise God, it is well with my soul...

And the Countdown Continues...

9 days. Wow. Time has flown a little, dragged a little, but either way, it has passed, and Africa stands just over a week away. Incredible.

I spent the weekend with friends saying hellos and goodbyes and playing like crazy. I went to Lake Conroe and played around Saturday and the first part of Sunday. Rode jet skis for the first time, wakeboarded for the first time, and spent two days wondering how I could manage buying jet skis in Africa. I love them. The time there was so sweet - I was able to spend time with amazing friends who I haven't seen in a while and laughed harder than I had all summer. At one point, after Ryan threw me off the jet ski, I couldn't swim back because I couldn't stop laughing. It was the first little blissful moment I can remember in a long, long time.

Then, thanks to the fact that Friday was my last day of work, I was able to spend Sunday, Monday, and part of Tuesday in CS playing and laughing and acting colleg-y again. I didn't really sleep, but the lack of it was worth it.

Goodbyes were hard. It was difficult leaving the world that has grown so dear to me and so comfortable, but I am so blessed in that God has been so faithful in reminding me about what is ahead. One second I'm dreading everything I'm leaving, and the next second I can hardly contain my excitement in all that I'll see and be a part of and experience, and being able to witness firsthand the work that God is undoubtedly doing in that land. There are more goodbyes to come, and though they're going to be heartbreaking, it's only for a bit, and it's for the best reason I can think of.

So let the countdown continue, and let God's peace and joy increase in me all the more!