Mambo! Habari yako?

The journey has begun! We finished up training camp, had the longest travel day, rode in the tiniest cars, and now we've been in Kenya for exactly one week. Let's just say I love it, yet it has come with some challenges!

At training camp, I met our squad of 30 and quickly bonded. It doesn't feel like we just met, but like we have known each other for a long time. It took me back to summer camp when I was younger—so free to worship, and we danced like our feet wouldn't be sore the next day. We were poured into by leaders, guest speakers, and people who have done the race before. On one of the days, they set up a scenario of a market, and having experienced the markets here, they really did set us up well. Yesterday, I stepped out of the car at the market and instantly was offered drugs. I said yes please, obviously.

Something that is stretching me is our housing situation. It is so far from comfort, but I am so thankful for the opportunity and for all that I have at home in the States. We do not have electricity or running water, and our bathroom and shower are in a bathhouse outside. Our toilet is a hole in the ground, and it is smaller than putting my two feet together. In conclusion, going to the bathroom has a learning curve.

We are called "Wazungu(s)," and we are either stared at or warmly welcomed. On my wazungu team, we have Paul, Ben, Colby, Desiree, Ellia, and myself. There aren't a lot of wazungus who come to this area. My favorite is when the kids see us and run to come say hi or shyly wave. The hardest part of being a white woman is that a lot of the men are very upfront about wanting to marry us and taking us with them. I've just been telling them that I'm married to one of the boys on my squad so they will leave us alone. The boys have been really good about making sure we feel safe.

All of us have a different role. We have our team lead, someone of logistics, worship, and I'm... drum roll, please... the treasurer. This was the last job I wanted because I am so afraid of messing it up, and it's a huge responsibility. When we were in Nairobi, we went to the mall and visited every single ATM on each floor to pull out money. One US dollar is worth 129 shillings. It looks like I am rolling in money, which also makes it hard to track. Anyways, I haven't messed it up yet, but I have felt so jumbled.

We have five days of ministry with a Sabbath day and an adventure day. On Sunday, we spent about five hours at our host's church. His name is Pastor Benson. He's given us a lot of responsibility, but also a lot of freedom. Ben, one of the guys on my team, was asked to preach. We, sooo last minute, were asked to perform a song, and it was not good, but that wasn't the point. After, the youth had a small lesson, and I was there visiting, but then I was asked to speak. I talked about identity and how our true identity is found in Jesus and not in what you do, what you like, or what challenges you face. We learned how to dance with the teens and played with the younger kids. The girls played with my hair and pulled out so much! They were being so rough with it—my poor baby hairs. They told me my hair feels like their wigs. Compliment?

I LOVE meeting all the women and kids. We went to a community event where they were mourning the loss of a member. We were told to sit right when we got there, but I chose to go say hi and shake hands with all of the women. There is a language barrier with most, but I want them to know that they are seen and honored. There's a lady named Pauline, and she feels like my Kenyan aunt. She is such a bright light and has been so fun to talk to, and she's so helpful. It's a little funny, but she even cooled off my tea when it was too hot. By the way, the tea here is so good! We have it every morning and then a different kind at night.

My favorite ministry opportunity was going door to door. The other day, we got lost walking to one of the houses where we were specifically asked to visit a sick woman who was bedridden. We didn't actually get lost lost, but we made a couple of wrong turns. She lived in the middle of the bush, so it was cool hiking and seeing outside the village. Once we made it, we were greeted by some of the local women and talked to Rebeka, the sick woman. We heard her story, worshipped with her, and prayed healing and comfort over her.

Later on, we met a man who has two wives and used to be a witch doctor. He completely changed his life when he met Jesus, and it's honestly crazy how God has used him. We met two guys around our age who walked away from God, and I got to read the parable of the prodigal son to them. We prayed over them, and one chose to come join us while we were walking and visiting other people in the village.

We are at a coffee shop right now so we can use the Wi-Fi and rest. It's a little taste of home. This is the first time I've been able to use my laptop, hence the absence of my blog! I am so thankful, and it's been a sweet time. I'm still navigating a lot of things, but God is good and I see Him working.

Love you guys! Peace out!