Sooo, after hitting three speed bumps at a high speed and hearing "sorry, sorry" (don't forget to roll the R), AND after driving into a hole large enough for the entire left side of the vehicle to disappear (and again hear "sorry, sorry" - roll the R again)....I decided to ask our dear friend, brother and driver, Francis, a question.
After a year and a half of prayer, meetings, prayer meetings, paperwork, many office visits, standing in lines, patience, PRAYER, blood, sweat, tears and MORE PRAYERS....our Kenya Work Visas have been finalized. Thank you Lord! Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement. ...to God be the glory!
These youth, from The Park Church, are headed to Kamp Kenya! They departed Charlotte, North Carolina this morning and are headed our way. We were able to speak to them, by telephone, after they arrived in New Jersey. Praise God for safe travel. Please continue to pray for safe travel and arrival to Kenya.
We look forward to seeing and experiencing how God will use each one of them, along with their Chaperones, Rev. Jacotron Potts and Mrs. Juanita Lewis. Our Interns and many others in Kenya anxiously await their arrival.
This last week has been a world wind, in a good way!
The Lord blessed our Interns with safe travel and arrival to Kenya. And we are grateful! On behalf of Omega, Onnica, Nakisha and the two of us (Rev. Sonia and Rev. Sonji) thank you for your prayers!
Karibu Kenya!
Onnica and Nakisha arrived on Fri., June 14th from the US. At the point of this photo it had not yet set in that they were actually in Kenya. We all were still processing the reality of the dream and vision God planted several years ago.
Interns and Texas Mission Team members.
Sunday we attended services at Ridgeways Baptist Church, where Pastor Elijah is the Senior Pastor. We worshiped at Youth Church and Onnica and Nakisha shared their testimonies, along with these beautiful ladies, from Texas, USA. As a matter of fact, they traveled with Miss Black USA 2010-2011. It was a pleasure and an honor to be in the same service; to encourage and support one another, while doing the same for the youth at Ridgeways.
Karibu Kenya!
Omega arrived on Sun., June 16th, from China. She arrived early in the afternoon and still had energy to spare. Karibu Kenya, Omega!
First day of Swahili classes.
Last week the Interns began Swahili lessons at The Language Center, in Nairobi. The school is approximately a two-mile walk from our home. They will attend classes three days a week. They LOVE their Mwalimu (teacher) Linah. And if you could sit in just one of her classes you would fully understand. She's an absolute delight and makes learning fun. Can you tell we she was our teacher also? Hahaha...
All smiles from Titiyo.
The ladies traveled with us to Nyahururu, which is about three hours outside of Nairobi.We visited our little boy Titiyo, at P.A.C.E. Academy. You might remember Titiyo from one of our communities in Isiolo. Missionary Janice and Dr. Dorris introduced us to P.A.C.E. and we are glad about it. Thank you! Because of "one" sponsor in the US Titiyo is now receiving a quality education. Praise God! We ask that you pray for Titiyo because he is having some difficulty in school. This is mainly due to the fact that he began school so late so he's a little behind. BUT God! We are grateful for the wonderful staff at the school, especially his teacher, who goes above and beyond the call of duty to provide tutoring, outside of the normal school hours. It is our prayer that God will bless his Mwalimu, and restore all that she has given as a sacrifice to ensure Titiyo's success in school.
Pastor Mugu led us on a tour of the academy. But, in these photos you see Titiyo proudly giving us a tour of his classroom. He's also sharing his Exercise Books and classwork. We are not sure who was more proud, Titiyo or us. What a major testimony to the faithfulness of God!
Pastor Mugu and Titiyo.
An added bonus to our time in Nyahururu was the time spent with Dr. Dorris and her two Interns, Ebony and Alyse. Special thanks to Dr. Dorris for welcoming us into her home for a meal. We all had a great time sharing stories, eating and just plain old fellowship. We look forward to seeing these wonderful women of God before they leave Kenya. Group photo!
Our visit with Dr. Dorris and her Interns from the US.
This short clip gives you an idea of how rough the roads were as we traveled to and from Nyahururu. Believe it or not....there was actually pavement on the road. Ken-Ya Believe It!
Last week the Interns visited Marurui Primary School in Marurui Slums, to meet the director, the teachers and students, whom they will be working with for the summer (in the US) and the winter (in Kenya). Yep! It's winter here. Pretty chilly at night. Omega, Onnica and Nakisha are excited about their assignments. The areas of focus are Christian Religious Education (I.e. Bible Study, English and Mathematics). We serve an amazing God! The school has given the Interns the freedom to serve "outside the box" as God leads, to ensure that they, the students and staff get the most of our the experience. Amen!
Students at Marurui Primary School.
Last Saturday, we hosted a Welcome Sleepover for Interns. Eleven ladies from our "Reformed" Bad Girls Bible Study attended. The afternoon was full of fun, food, fellowship and LOTS of laughter! Many of the ladies were up until weeeeeee hours of the morning while others turned in early. The evening ended in true Kenyan style.....we went to bed with no power and awakened to no power. It comes with the territory! However, everyone was dressed, fed and ready for church, ON TIME. Only God!
Ken-Ya Believe It! The time has arrived for us to host three Interns in Kenya this summer....and we are sooooo excited about their arrival. Two of the Interns will arrive on Friday, June 14th and the other on Sunday, June 16th. Yep! ...this coming weekend. (www.kenyabelieveit.org)
MEET OUR INTERNS.....
Nakisha DeShields, Charlotte, NC. Nakisha has served on three previous Kenya Mission Teams. Her love and passion for Christ shines through in everything she does. However, youth hold a special place in her heart. Below, Nakisha gently washes the head of an infant, as she prepares to see the medical doctor. This photo was taken during the medical camp in the Loruko Village, Isiolo, Kenya.
Onnica Gildersleeve, Charlotte, NC. Onnica has served, previously, on one Kenya Mission Team. She too has a passion and heart for Christ that is exemplified in the way she ministers to young people. Below, Onnica is loving on an infant at ABC (The Abandoned Baby Center) at Feed The Children in Nairobi, Kenya. (onnicaonamission.blogspot.com)
Omega Tennant, Nashville, TN. Omega is an Anthropology Major at Vanderbilt University. Her love for Christ is demonstrated by a genuine heart to love God's people. She has served as a Cross - Cultural Worker in several countries. She will join us in Kenya after having served eighteen weeks in China. We met Omega during The Mission Society's (our mission agency) training in Huancayo, Peru. This photo was taken as we visited some of the ancient ruins in Peru.
These three beautiful young women will serve alongside us with several ministry partners; including local churches, youth ministries, church planting ministries, orphanages and more, in Nairobi and Isiolo. Ministry opportunities will include teaching, leading Bible Studies, assisting youth pastors, sport and film evangelism for children and young adults. They will also facilitate Kamp Kenya. Kamp Kenya is an international mission opportunity for youth, from the United States, between the ages of 13 and 18. Eight youth and two chaperones from our sending church, The Park Church, under the leadership of Bishop Claude R. Alexander, Jr., Charlotte, NC, will join us in Kenya for two weeks. Nakisha and Onnica are both active members of The Park Church.
Nakisha, Onnica and Omega attended Exploring Mission Training, at The Mission Society, Norcross, GA. The training is "an introduction to discipleship and cross-cultural ministry". It is under the leadership of Darrell Whiteman, whom we affectionately call "Uncle Darrell".
Please join us in welcoming Nakisha, Onnica and Omega to Kenya!
Stay tuned for updates on these wonderful women of God! God seeks to use them, individually and collectively, in unique and powerful ways in Kenya, this summer.
GRATEFUL! We are grateful to God for safe travel and arrival in Kenya!
THANK YOU! Thank you for your prayers and support as we traveled. Thanks to each individual who called, emailed, face booked, texted or sent hilarious messages by others. We appreciate your prayers and concerns! Special thanks to everyone who assisted with preparation, including supplies, packing, organizing and transportation. A very special thank you to all who met us at the airport, whether it was to assist with luggage; or to provide hugs, kisses, laughter and photography, etc. We sincerely love and appreciate each one of you for making our transition smoother. On behalf of our parents and families - THANK YOU!!!!!!!
THE JOURNEY! We arrived at Charlotte - Douglas International Airport at 12pm. Items in the luggage was rearranged and checked - in in 45 minutes! No lines on Memorial Weekend? Wow! We appreciated the help and commentary coming from our "friends" during that process. Ha....... LOL! We prayed as a group; gave and received hugs and kisses, and a portion of the group left the airport. We sat down to chat a few minutes with a couple of friends when several more came in and joined the fellowship. Thank you! We laughed a lot, shared mission stories, took a few photos and headed to the gate. Our flight left Charlotte at 3:10pm, headed for our Newark, New Jersey connection.
We arrived in Newark with only 15 minutes until boarding of our next flight, headed to Zurich, Switzerland. We were out of breath but able to smile for this VERY close photo, once we were seated on the aircraft.
Whew! When we sent a text asking others to pray that we would not miss our connection, the response was "run"! ....too funny but that's EXACTLY what we did.
Here are a few photos Zurich and the Swiss Alps. Absolutely breathtaking! How great, how great is OUR God!
From Zurich, we took a flight into Nairobi. Since 2004, we have always arrived in Nairobi at night so we were very excited to arrive in daylight. It was like arriving in Kenya for the first time.
Here are a few photos of our arrival.
Who do you see in this photo?
Again, we sincerely thank you for your contributions to our smooth transition back to Kenya.
Here are our most pressing prayer requests:
That we are able to adjust to the time change quickly.
That all plans and preparation are in order, according to God's standards and expectations, as we receive our first team of 2013 on Wed., May 29th. Pray for safe travel and arrival from Florida. Pray for their physical, spiritual and emotional well-being during travel and for their time in Kenya.
That all plans and preparation are in order, according to God's standards and expectations, to receive our Interns in June. Please pray for the final stages of their People Raising. Pray for safe travel and arrival, as two Interns hail from the US; and the other from China. Pray also for their physical, spiritual and emotional well-being during travel and for their time in Kenya.
Pray for the youth and chaperones who are planning to participate in Kamp Kenya. Pray for fruitful and effective training; supernatural favor in People Raising; a speedy Visa process/return of passport and bonding among the team.
Thank you again for your ongoing prayers and support. May God richly bless you for your service in His Kingdom!
We praise and thank God for ALL of our donors! We praise God and thank you for your ongoing prayer support and words of encouragement! The Lord has done great things for us whereof we are glad.
God is faithful and we are trusting Him for EVERY provision to do His work!
We still need your prayers! We still need financial support! AND we need an all - terrain vehicle!
We are in need of a CAR so we can GO.....and serve the people of Isiolo, in "the bush". We need 14 donors to give $1,000 each to meet our goal. Our budgeted amount is $20,000 minus the $6,000 in current donations, leaving a balance of $14,000.
We depart from the US bound for Kenya on Thurs., May 23rd and we need $14,000 in order to purchase our vehicle. It is our prayer to raise this amount no later than Mon., May 20th. We need YOUR help to make it happen. Please DONATE TODAY! All donations are tax - deductible. Details are below.
Click on the photo above and DONATEONLINE NOW.
Mail Tax - Deductible Donations to: The Mission Society Attn: Crawley/Pass - VEHICLE 6234 Crooked Creek Road Norcross, GA 30092 *On the memo line please write: Crawley/Pass Vehicle.
Below are several photos of "some" of the terrain in Isiolo.
Email us at kenyabelieveit2011@gmail.com with questions.
