On Adventure

Here we are again about two months after my last post. Gosh. Sorry, friends.

Here's what's been going on.

We finished up Bible Quizzing season! The Giant Slayers unfortunately didn't make it to the final tournament but we put up a good fight, plus most of my kids received a medal for memorizing anywhere from 30-60 verses from 1 Samuel. Despite taking up the majority of my Sunday's from January through March, it was such a wonderful time to get to invest in some of the children in and around Tenwek.

All the missionaries from both World Gospel Mission and Samaritan's Purse traveled to the coast to enjoy a time of retreat, rest and relaxation for a week. We stayed at a lovely hotel right on the beach and were able to enjoy a little fun in the sun. The young adults were asked to help with child care, so me and another college student were put in charge of the 6th-8th graders. We had a great time laughing together and talking about the One True God - at least the first day. On day two I woke up in terrible pain in my abdomen and ventured down to breakfast where I knew all of the missionary DOCTORS would be so I could get a consult and potentially some pain medication to get it under control. After not so much debate, the docs and myself concluded that it was indeed another kidney stone.

I was basically put on house arrest and praise the Lord there was a pharmacy across the road from the hotel that we were able to find a few liters of fluid to get in me. Only in Kenya, and only with my Kenyan family, would I get sick at the beach, be posted up in my room, have an IV line put in that's attached to a hanger. Man, it's always an adventure.

But I have to say, the love and support that I got from so many during those few days that I was out of commission truly showed me the body of Christ. Some prayed, some spent the days and nights with me to make sure I was okay, and others just laughed with me (and maybe at me) because nothing heals the spirit quiet like a good laugh.

A few of the short term visitors wanted to take a weekend trip to Hell's Gate. Granted, I had already been (check out my Facebook for pictures), but this was a great group of people that I couldn't miss out traveling with. Hell's Gate National Park has beautiful landscape, incredible biking paths, and animals that roam free. At one point there was a giraffe snacking on an acacia tree about fifty feet away from the path. It was a blast.

Today, one of my good friend's sister got married! The whole community was invited to this wedding - there were probably 500 people in attendance - and despite being very different from an American wedding, it was definitely a day of communal celebration. From dancing down the isle, to enjoying a Kenyan feast at the reception, it's going in the books as one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Congratulations to Anna and Erick, may the Lord bless you! 

Last but certainly not least, it's official, my parents and sister are coming to visit!! People, this is big news. It's less than a month until they arrive and I cannot express my gratefulness for all of you who have prayed for me during this year because now, the family is coming to see all the shenanigans that I've gotten myself into.

I only have about two months left of my service here at Tenwek. It doesn't seem real that it's been a year since I first made the decision to come. I've learned and grown
so much in the last nine months and I know the Lord has so much more for me to experience.

Please partner with me to pray for..
- The next Friends of Tenwek intern. We're still looking for someone to replace me come June so please pray that the Lord would lead a bright and excited young person to apply for next year. If you know anyone who might be interested, please pass my information along and I'd be more than happy to connect with them.
- The CMDA conference in Greece. Tenwek cleared out this weekend as most of the missionary docs traveled to Greece to attend the Christian Medical and Dental Association conference in order to keep up on their continuing medical education (CME) courses. In addition, please pray for the visiting staff doctors that are here covering for the long termers. Tenwek is a busy place and right now we're relying on a lot of outside help - praise the Lord they're here and willing to do so.
- The Mercy Fund. In my last post I talked about visiting an orphanage to get information for a project I've been working on called the Mercy Fund. In it's finality, it will function as a medical insurance fund for the five surrounding orphanages. There have been speed bumps along the way, but please pray with me that this fund will be up and running by my departure in hopes that it will provide support both financially and spiritually for the children in these homes.

Also, everyone knows I'm bad at updating my blog so if you want more consistent updates about my work please check out the Friends of Tenwek Facebook page!

|| To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement. - Augustine of Hippo ||