The Vitz Strikes Again

      Have you ever found yourself praying or maybe just hoping for epic things to happen as you embark on your backpacking excursion across Europe, that all too long car ride, or a weekend camping trip? I'll be honest, I use to wish for such things but having lived in Nairobi for over 6 months...there is no need to pray and/or wish for such things. They just happen.
 
     What I'm about to tell you really does feel like a bad joke, in many ways. Nonetheless, we had a great time even if it didn't go quite according to "the plan."

     Jonathan and I haven't had the opportunity to get outside of Nairobi as much as we'd like since moving here in early February 2012. So, we regularly have conversations with friends scheming some epic adventurous weekends and it just so happened that it actually worked! No more were we just going to drive out to a national park simply to hike but this time it was going to be a hiking/camping weekend. Our plan: drive to Mount Longonot at 6am Saturday to meet up with a group training for Kilimanjaro, hike, drive to Hell's Gate National Park where we'd spend the night and explore/hike til mid-Sunday. Kelsi, Matt (interns at IJM), Jonathan and myself were psyched as we (I mean, me) had prepared delicious food and had borrowed enough of our friends' equipment to be legit as we camped in Kenya. Suffice it to say, we were finally getting our "outdoor-sy" fix since moving to Africa.

     None of us has realized that the Olympics opening ceremony was commencing at 11pm on Friday night. So, what did we as responsible adults do? We stayed up til 1am with a group of friends (we throw parties for everything) and then snagged 2hrs of sleep before we needed to get up and pack "the vitz" (think of a wind up toy car..that's what we drive). Let's just say that despite the awesomeness of the Olympics, morning came all too early for us. Somehow I managed to grab a shower before running out the door to pick up Matt and Kelsi. We were running a little behind schedule but overall it was a smooth process of stuffing everything in the car including ourselves. We had been driving for about half an hour when I began telling Kelsi how great the car has been running the last month, "yeah, we actually haven't had to fix anything this month...it should be good!" Just about that time Jonathan began to slow down as a semi stalled out, as we were slowing down, though, the vitz began to shake--"um, I don't think we're going anywhere." The vitz did a little wiggle and then stopped (I won't explain what was said by those of us in the car at this point in time). So, picture this: it's dark outside, we're on the side of a high way with all of our stuff, and Jonathan and Matt get out to "figure it out." Ridiculous. After some praying and beating the car, it started working and we set off again. By 645-7am we were approaching the Great Rift Valley overlook and as we were "woooing and ahhhing" the vitz did another little dance and then pooped out. Thankfully, we had pulled off due to some small bladders that were present in the car. In true Kenyan fashion, we had a few Kenyan men approach us, "what is wrong? your car no work?" Yup. Solution: phone a friend who happens to be a mechanic and have him come jiggle some wires and diagnose it as a "computer problem." After about 40mins of this crazy making, we were off again praying the Vitz would make it to Longonot, which was only about 35ishmins away...."Jesus.....I just want to climb a mountain..."
We made it and before the car could get funky on us we all bailed, paid our park fee's, and began running up the mountain to connect with our group (they were about an hour ahead of us in the hike). The hike was amazing, weather was great, and we finished 8miles of climbing in 5hrs (1.5hrs faster than our previous time) (oh, and it took us 30mins to catch the group...boom). By the time we finished, we looked like a group of grandma's and grandpa's as our legs were burning and we needed sugar (I'm convinced if I did that hike a few times a week I'd have a tooshie of steel)! After some delectable PB&J and coke, we piled into the car, said a quick prayer and were off to Hell's Gate for more adventures. We were about 200ish meters outside of the front gate on a dirt road when the Vitz did its signature dance move and completely died. I mean, there was no resurrecting that baby. I won't bore you with the details but here's the highlights of what occurred via visual aid...

 

While we waited for the mechanic to show up, we decided to add to our ridiculousness and cook some coffee on the side of the road. new experiences abound....

Our mechanic showed up! He diagnosed the problem as being a faulty fuel pump. Solution? Siphon gas out of it via HIS MOUTH. See that cup the Marshall is holding? That's the gas that was in our mechanic's mouth....SICK

In some ways, I wish the story ended after all of this crazy making but no....it gets better. Fast forward to when we were all bundled up in our 4 person tent (thanks Karis and Steve!), had been sleeping for about 3hrs when it began to pour (we went to bed at 830pm out of boredom and exhaustion). At this point, I had woken up with crazy pain in my back from the day's adventures compounded with the freakishly hard African soil. As I laid there, listening to the rain and praying that I wouldn't have to tell stories of the time our tent got flooded I heard something. Heavy breathing. Lots.of.breathing. Listen, it wasn't coming from Matt who was, indeed, snoring but I heard something breathing outside my tent (my head was in front of the tent door). It was inches away from my head when I heard something else breathing on the other side of Jonathan. My thought pattern: "I have a flashlight, some shoes, and wicked skills. I can take this....!!!!." (you really think I can re-tell verbatim what was going through my brain at 1130 at night? Seriously...) In all honestly, though, I began to sweat, heart was pounding, and I think I may have tinkled on myself a little. So, what did I do? "Jonathan, Jonathan...." "Oh, hey, baby." "Stop it, there's something outside. I can hear it..." He tried convincing me it was Matt's snoring and just about that time he stopped talking...I looked over to my right and I saw a big shadow of something move. "JONATHAN" "I know, i see it!" (this was all in whispers, of course). At this point Kelsi had woken up and then subsequently woke Matt up to "do something!" Matt peered out through the peep hole and a bunch of water came crashing down and Matt practically jumped out of his sleeping bag because he scared himself. Hilarious. Jonathan put on his shoes and ran outside in his underwear determined to "do something." Matt had scared whatever it was all away and we eventually got back to sleep. It was determined the next morning, via poop turds, that it was gazelle's and large antelope that were munching on our patch of grass. I don't care what it was. In my mind, there were huge zebra's who were mocking us. Either way, we live to tell the tale.

     Our tow guy eventually picked us up and hauled us and The Vitz back to Nairobi. We finished the weekend off with good friends, the Olympics, and delicious Ethiopian food. After everything ended and we smelt like something fierce, we walked into our apartment ready for a hot shower. Instead, we walked into an apartment that had no electricity and was one of 3 units that didn't have it while everyone else in the complex did. "What are you trying to teach us, God?" I heard Jonathan say. I don't know what was going on with the celestial orbit that weekend but we did get a hot shower in a unit that was being renovated. We did get to hike and we did get to camp. Just not in the way that any of us had hoped.

We're already scheming our next weekend away but this time...the Vitz is staying home.



Until the next adventure,
--the crazy white kenyan's

What Living in Kenya Today Looks Like

This last month I (Jonathan) have struggled a lot with "Living in Fear." The reason that I am telling you all of this is because I am tired of hearing how missionaries will admit that they will never share with supporters what they are struggling with. Africa has this picture in the missionary community that is supposed to be where the harvest is plentiful and yes its tiring work, but there is so much fulfillment and work being done that it's this rosy picture of a missionaries changing the continent and anything that talks of personal struggles and challenges needs to be put aside because we are doing "God's Work." I hope and pray that O and I never get to a place where the things that we are facing and dealing with are put into closets and kept from friends. But this is a personal blog that I hope somehow connects you to the things that I am struggling with as a result of living in Kenya and I hope it helps you to know where I am at, what I am facing, and how you can pray for me and this country.

So yesterday, O and I got an email from the U.S. Embassy that was a travel advisory warning for Kenya. If you haven't seen on the news lately, Kenya is at war with Somolia and we have been under attack since late last year. If you were to get this email this is what it would have said,

"In the past year, there have been at least 17 attacks involving grenades or explosive devices in Kenya.  At least 48 people died in these attacks, and around 200 people were injured.  There were no U.S. citizens among the casualties... The most recent attack involved two simultaneous assaults on churches in Garissa on July 1, 2012.  In this attack, 17 people were killed and about 50 people were injured."

That is the reality of where we are living. The country is at war and based on the last attack on the church and what we are hearing from friends in that area, the local church is being persecuted. Garissa is a Muslim community where the Christians are walking around with a number over their head and the terrorists can claim that these are attacks, but they are specifically targeting the church and Christians in that area.

These are definitely not fun facts to share with you, but it is the truth. So far we have not been near any of the attacks and our friends haven't been hurt, but it's a scary place to live right now. In some ways it doesn't feel real because wars never happened in the U.S. when I was growing up. Yes, we had the 9/11 attacks, but never have I encountered a time when almost every other week or once a month there was another bombing, a shooting up the road, or having to deal with the images of seeing a motorcyclist run over by a bus. Yes all of those have happened this month.

So knowing that Kenya is on high alert and there is always potential for the unknown to happen in regards to terrorists, there is also the issue of walking among the poor. This has definitely been a challenging time in life where I see the statistic every day of people living on less than a dollar a day and I am viewed as a "Bill Gates" who will give everyone who asks for money a handout that will change their lives. This is the way that we are seen, and to be honest, it sucks. There is no distinction between the tourist "whites"and the local "whites." We are all seen and viewed the same.

So why do I not walk around with a huge boost of confidence and think I can take on the world if I'm seen in this way? It's because I'm afraid of how desperate the next person is. This question of "how desperate is this person?" has become a constant nagging question that I am dealing with and I ask myself are these concerns even legitimate?

The other day I was walking to meet a friend at our local coffee shop and on my way there I walked past a maasaii warrior who stared me down for a good 50 meters and I can honestly tell you that it was one of the scariest moments that I have experienced since being here. Nothing happened, but it honestly felt like he was a "Dementor" from Harry Potter sucking every ounce of happiness out of me. These moments and the like are ones that missionaries think that supporters don't need to know about or even want to know, but they affect our work and lives and we shouldn't feel that we have to hide them from you. Yes, the truth is that missionaries have God on their side, but at the same time, there is that element of us not being in control of small situations such as walking down the road from our house and being mugged, being at the wrong place at the wrong time and feeling an explosion, or having friends witness a shooting. There is a lack of trust in God, at least in me, that I am being protected from these things happening.

Please do not read this as a message that O and I want out and are ready to throw in the flag and come home, but merely that we / I desperately need your prayers. Both mine and O's work have both come to a point where we are frustrated and its hard to keep going, but we know that we have been called to Kenya for a reason and we are going to remain faithful in knowing that He has a plan for all of this. This is a small / HUGE place that I have come to that I need His Word, His protection, His will to show me more that its not about me, that its about Him and His plan.

I want to close with a Psalm because when I read it yesterday, I realized that this is where I am at (the depths), what I am struggling with (waiting on the Lord), and what I have to look forward to (He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities).

Psalm 130
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy. If you O Lord should mark iniquities, O Lord who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits and in his word I hope: my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Love you guys,
J

HEY!

Hey!!

If you're not following us on facebook or twitter then it probably feels like we've dropped off the face of the earth. In some respects, we have, but we're still here and enjoying Nairobi life! Speaking of that, I—Olivia--wanted to share with y'all a bit about what my job(s) and such look like. It is extremely different than what I was expecting when we first arrived in February but the Lord has been so SO faithful in providing for me, specifically. Hopefully this short clip will give you a better sense of what I'm doing and how to better pray for me. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4ie1r2tVZI&feature=relmfu

We're really going to work on blogging more and keeping in touch as we have so many crazy things that have happened over the last 5 months! Often, it is very overwhelming and I don't know how to quite articulate what I'm seeing and feeling thus my absence on the blog. However, I'm finding myself much more settled here and able to articulate things a bit better for those of y'all back home so we'll see how it goes. 

Until next time, enjoy the video and please don't hesitate to ask any questions! I'm a counselor so I like to talk...a lot :)

Thankful for y'all!

South Africa

As some of you know, last week and a little bit of this week I was in Johannesburg for a AIS Africa conference. It was the first time that I was given the opportunity to travel for AIS, my first time to SA, as well as the first significant period of time that I was away from Olivia. In the days leading up to leaving, I made sure that all of mine and Olivia's friends knew that I would be gone and that they would regularly check up on her. That took a lot of stress off my shoulders as I was being given a ton of information every day for six days straight as well as knowing that she could get in touch with me if anything happened. Thankfully, she had no problems with the car, nor getting around town. 

Just thought I would give that little bit of information before I shared my experience over the week. 

To be completely honest, I was not prepared nor ready for the things that I was about to learn in SA. Apart from the Hope Academy Training, which I'll get to in a sec, there was a leadership training that was taught by a pastor from the UK. He took us through a study of mentorship using the example of Paul to Timothy. Through this training I learned something about myself that completely caught me off guard. It was a hard lesson to learn because it was one that I had set out from the very beginning of my internship never to struggle with. The root of my sin that was being laid out before me was that I believed that I was culturally superior.

When I was preparing to come to Kenya in the fall/winter of 2010 I vowed that I would never look down on any individual and never think that I was superior to them. Well, here it was blowing up in my face. During the conference I found myself looking down on a lot of the African staff and not being able to show them any grace. What lead me to this was the fact that I could love, care, and work well with my Kenyan counterpart, Nicholas Macharia, but it was only because we had built a relationship on my grounds. You see, earlier this year, Nicholas shared his family story with, which is something that can and only should be shared with family. Close friends usually aren't even given this kind of information because in Africa information is valuable. 

So here I was, for one year being able to extend love and grace to Nicholas, building a relationship with him, then he being vulnerable with me about his life and then me expecting every African to follow suit otherwise I had trouble trusting them as well listening to them. As I started seeing this perception being played out in my mind and being placed on my friends, I realized how disgusting and just how despicable it was for me to look down on these people. There were a lot more examples of how I looked down on them, but the core of it all came down to my cultural superiority and imposing everyone who wanted me to be on their team to share their stories, give details of their life, otherwise, I wasn't going to give them any of me.

I was very grateful for Garreth to help walk me through this process of being able to see my sin and how I wasn't extending grace to others, but it was a hard week. I continually struggled with my thought process and had to constantly fight back thoughts to boost myself above another. Needless to say I was very humbled through it all.

So that was just the leadership training. The Hope Academy Training was fantastic! I cannot wait to get to work on the checklists, studies, and start developing the way forward as to how Hope Academy will develop in Kenya. Nicholas is still in South Africa and once he gets back, he and I will have to present to the head pastor of the church that AIS is partnered with as well as to the AIS-Kenya Board. It's a lot of work and there's not a lot of time that Nicholas and I have to prepare for these pivotal meetings, but it's an exciting time to be in. 

Please keep me in your prayers as I continue to struggle with these things that I have shared as well as the wisdom and guidance to lead this office. Thanks you guys for your support. It really means a lot.

Cheers.

Karibu Kenya (Welcome to Kenya)

Well the jet lag is over, the nerves of walking out of the apartment will in some ways never leave, and Olivia and I are proud owners of a flat and a car. Yes, in many ways Olivia and I have never left our honeymoon, which I hear is the duration of your first year of marriage, but really. We had a pretty sweet gig and we still do in many respects. I mean how many couples, have the opportunity to live abroad, pursue your passion right out of college, and do it together. We are pretty blessed and continually feeling His presence on our lives.

So... Time for some stories. Well if you haven't heard, the trip over here was pretty crazy. Our first complication came in Newark and it was due to the bathroom in First Class not working properly. From that point on every airport had a delay with a different way of communicating. The US was quick to try to explain why we weren't being let on the plane and in their attempt, said a "mechanical malfunction" as opposed to a "convenience issue." And the two bring completely different responses. From yelling at the attendants, to people demanding their money back, it was crazy. There were about 8 of us who were going to miss our connecting flight and 5 of them were Kenyans, and it was funny to see their responses. They honestly had no idea how to respond or what to do, so they mimicked everyone else, which didn't help the situation at all. After that Zurich never gave us any points of communication as to why our flight was delayed and even when they were ready to board no one said anything. People just cued and got in line. Istanbul was a little different in that the people at the gate refused to give any reason as to why we were late or where the plane was.

On that last flight that was totally unexpected, I found myself in prayer, praying that Olivia's bags would make it and if anyone's were to be left behind that it would be mine. Well what do you know. Olivia's were left in Zurich and it wasn't until three days later that she was able to stop wearing my clothes. I got pretty rugged because my toiletry bag was in her bag, so after 2 full days of traveling and then three days of waiting for our bags, I looked like a cave man while Olivia remained as stunning as ever.

The only other adventure that's worth noting here is our first bribe. So yesterday was our first full day of driving our fun, little, purple, Toyota Vitz and what do you know, I got pulled over. I was pulling out of one of the larger Westernized malls and foolishly decided to pull a U-turn in the middle of a two lane highway. I had been gaining a ton of confidence since the last time that I was here, which I was extremely thankful for because I no longer sweat with uneasiness of what could happen when I leave my apartment or dwell on all the scenarios that could possibly go wrong. So I guess I needed this to bring me back to earth and humble me a bit, but as I do this I see out of the corner of my eye a policeman just watching me. In Kenya, the Police are not in cars to chase after you, rather they are standing on the side of the road with their AK 47's and wave you down. We will not repeat what I said as I'm pulling over, but the man begins by asking me if I knew why he pulled me over and I said yes, and so he then goes through the spiel that I have offended Kenya and that I will go to jail and wait for my court case. This is Saturday mind you so he goes on to explain that Olivia will not be able to get me out until Monday and that I will pay a Bail of 10,000 Kenyan Shillings which is around $121.95. He then goes on to explain that all of this depends of course on me. AKA "how much are you willing to give me?" I've encountered a few of these situations before and know roughly how much a bribe like this should be, so I try to get out with only giving him 400 Shillings, about $4.87 and he merely laughs at me and asks of 2,000 Shillings, $24.39. Regretfully I pull out the cash and are allowed to carry on, and all I can think is, TIA, This Is Africa.

Olivia is currently attempting to make our first chicken dinner, which she feels is way out of her comfort zone, but you should smell how good it smells in here. She is an amazing woman and I am so blessed to have her by my side, even when I do stupid and crazy things. Enjoy your Sabbath and until next time, "Live Like it Counts!" - Lifekraze.com

I'M MARRIED!

What a ride! Words cannot even begin to describe how just blown away I am right now at the fact of 1. Olivia and I actually made it! WHAT! 2. I can breathe a little bit now that the wedding is over and then 3. It was awesome! If you weren't able to make it to Dallas for the big day, which I totally understand, the only words or description that I can share with you about the wedding is that it was the most spirit filled, worshipful, party experience I have ever had!

The morning of the wedding, I had my grooms men, men in my family, and men from Olivia's family pray for me and that was such a humbling and glorious thing to do/be a part of. Lots of tears were shed, heartfelt prayers were being said every minute, and it was such a connecting moment for everyone involved. So cool. The wedding was a very similar experience as it connected all 330 people who were present to not only me and Olivia but also to their Maker. Lots of people have come back to us saying that it was the best wedding they had ever been too. When Olivia and I were on our honeymoon together, we just kept looking back and saying that that day couldn't have been any more perfect. Yes there were flaws and things happened, but everything about it had someone else's hand writing on our story and it was just a huge blessing to us.

After the wedding we did go on a SICK honeymoon to Cancun, Mexixo at the El Cid Resort and it was so spectacular. From the views, to the white sand, the 5 star meals, if you haven't seen pictures yet go to my albums on facebook and check them out.

Olivia and I are currently living in Highland Village, Texas in her parents home. We have a room upstairs which is like our own compound area of the house and it's really sweet. We will be here hopefully until the first week of February. Olivia has been diligently writing thank you notes, talking with AIS to see how much more support she needs, and we are halfway there! She still needs about 29 more supporters to either give a one time gift of $220 or a monthly donation of $20 for eleven months. We are praying that the Lord will provide those people in the next three weeks so we can get on the ground as soon as possible, but like we found out in our relationship, it's about His timing and not our own. We would greatly covet you're prayers in that area and if you know of any potential sponsors who you think we should connect with we would greatly appreciate it.

Well that's all I have for now. Today is Olivia's birthday so the parents and I are taking her out for dinner and dessert. Hopefully in the next few days, she will write her first post and share more stories from the wedding and how she's doing. We love you guys and are so thankful for your blessing and prayers as we begin this crazy adventure together.

2 New Firsts

Before I share with you my latest adventures, I would like to say that en light of the last few weeks events here in Nairobi, there might have been a few worried or aghast responses from some of you as to how I am reacting and handling certain situations. I want you all to know that I am being very careful and taking as many precautions that I can, but 90% of these stories happen without my having any control of the events and often times then not, the stories/experiences end with a story and laughter one, because this is not the US, and two, because this is not how I normally would have reacted but because I'm here, all I can do is enjoy the ride.

Please know that I do have some very important connections here so that if anything does happen, I have an Ace up my sleeve. And the people in the office and my friends here are all helping look out for me and help me be aware of what is happening on the ground.

Ok so now, story time. Two Saturday's ago I found out that one of my friends who graduated with my aunt from Messiah College, was in town. She ended up calling me and asking me if I was running in the Nairobi Marathon the following week. I hadn't really given it any thought since I hadn't started getting back into the routine of running long distances, but I figured that it was a chance of a lifetime. So I got up and ran a 10k the next morning just to see if I could handle the distance. I finished in a pretty good time and thought what the heck. So I trained for one week and ran the 10k in Nairobi's Standard Charter Marathon this past Sunday. It was unlike any competition I had ever been a part of.

Firstly, they closed down all the major roads in Nairobi, which in itself is a huge accomplishment because those roads literally see probably around one million cars a day. Ridiculous. Then 15,000 people registered to compete in the event along with another 5,000 who didn't register but ended up competing. As Toni and I were hanging around the starting line, we noticed that there were little five and six year old kids standing with their mom or dad with a number for the half marathon or 10k. Maybe this is just me, but when you sign up to compete in a race, you're expecting that you're going to finish. You've probably done some training, maybe not, but your confident that you can do it. Well after the start of the race, I saw that was not the case for probably 80 to 90% of the people in this race. I shared this thought with my Kenyan friends and they told me that it was a charity event and not so much as a race.

So as I'm running, within the first 100 yards people start to walk, crack jokes, and then the general public comes out of nowhere and adds another 5,000 people or so to congest the road. I am in no way saying that this race was a disaster and that I hated this experience, but it was so interesting to see those who just came out to enjoy the closed streets of Nairobi, have fun with the family, and then see those who were so competitive and were cheating by going underneath the banners and cut the race short for themselves. I will say that it was fun to enjoy those roads being so open and having the opportunity to run on them because they usually cause me so much headaches, like last weeks 5 hour jam.

My second first was the day after the race, my friend was driving me home and as we're coming out of a major round about, a city bus refuses to let us overtake him and in slow motion I see this bus completely shatter our side mirror. Nothing really happened to the bus other than a foot long scratch, but that bus had definitely seen better days. I ended up getting a traffic officer to help us, but she refused to see our side of the story and give the bus driver the ok and telling us that it was our fault. I got her to admit that the bus hit us, which I thought was all you needed to prove, but she then said that because we didn't maintain our lane that we were at fault. HUH?! Anyways, we got our Kenyan mom on the phone and as soon as she talked to the police lady she completely changed her attitude towards us. She told us to go on and that everything would be taken care of.

Well... we started to leave, but then she hollered at me to come talk with the bus driver because he had gained the confidence that he could get us to bribe him because she had said that it was our fault. After a long debate of how it was scratch and not a dent and his passengers literally about to beat him up because it was obvious that he was trying to play us, they left and we were able to carry on with a side mirror hanging in a plastic bag on the side of the car.

Every day it's hard not to see how God has his hands on me and is protecting me from harm, from the daily corruption that happens, and giving me grace and providing for my every need. Tomorrow I will be participating in my second wedding and first Kenyan wedding. It should be another adventure and I will definitely let you know how it goes. Until then... Stay classy and may He provide your daily bread.

Definitely the Craziest Day Yet

Well yesterday was a day that I will personally remember. It all started off well as I was able to call my good friend Aaron Skrivan and hear all the good things that are happening in his life and then from there, things got a little bit crazy.

So as I'm on my way to work I got off at my normal stage and walked to my second stage on the trip. As I was walking up I saw my good friend OJ and we caught up for a minute and then, this small that truck that was driving on the wrong side of the road turns into our little stage and everyone just starts running! Guys jump out from the back of the truck and start grabbing people and shoving them into the truck. I should clarify that these were government officials and not some Al Shabaab or anyone else to be worried about. We all knew who they were. But as all this craziness was going on, OJ and I were just standing there next to the truck and I look over at him and ask, "What should we do?" and he says, "Just wait, they can't do anything." Then all of a sudden, this guy grabs OJ and I and starts telling me that I'm just like the rest of them and that I'm no different. So he's telling me this repeatedly and OJ is yelling at him to tell us what we've done. They end up getting us into the truck, how, I don't know because OJ ended up sitting on top of three people and I ended up sitting on him. Once we finally got settled the guy next to me told me that we were going to City Hall, which  is basically the county jail where I would have to pay a nice fine, I was like this is great. Then the head officer came and said "Mzungu, come here, and where's your brother." I told him that I was sitting on him and he told us to get out and that that wasn't a stage and that we should go.

I was definitely blessed to have OJ with me, but as I shared the stories with others, they told me that OJ was blessed to have me there otherwise he would have gone to jail. Well after that, life was normal as I went to work, trained with Petra, and came home on the bus. Later in the night, Kinyash and I were talking and as we were talking I saw this huge wave of water coming from the bottom of our front door. We live on the third floor, so having our flat flooded was something that I never expected to happen. I honestly thought it was a joke or something, but then I went outside and there was Lake Victoria outside our door with rivers branching off into our flat and our neighbours. I don't know why, but Kinyash and I found this so funny and just laughed, pretty hard apparently because our neighbor who wasn't having any flooding came over and joined us in our laughter. I'm sure we were annoying our other neighbor who was having flooding because we were just playing in the water and laughing at what was happening.

I was able to get a hold of the land lord who sent her guys to come unblock all the drains that were stopped up and help us remove the water that had come in the house. So it was a fun day/night for sure. Thankful that I had OJ as well as Kinyash with me to help me in these situations. So ya, that was my day. Hope you enjoyed the stories and could laugh along with me. Until the next adventure comes around.  

FIFA and Friends

Well last week was another memorable week as Masha and I traveled to Mathare, MYSA Youth Academy for a coaching and administrator workshop. I had the privilege of being chosen to take part in FIFA's CSR East Africa initiative in their Street Football World Network, sponsored by Adidas, in their Strategic Planning workshop. I took Strategic Management at Covenant, so during that week I found myself being thankful for my education, because rather than getting stuck in the business jargon and the concepts I was able to absorb all the stories and experiences that my colleagues had to offer. The course had members from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, and all over Kenya. The biggest thing that I will take away from the workshop is just how big of a platform Football has in the world to promote things such as peace, non-violence, HIV awareness and how that little ball speaks every language. Definitely blessed to be apart of it.

I was also able to meet up with some friends from my home church in West Virginia as they passed through Nairobi on their way to Southern Sudan. It was really encouraging to see them and just talk to familiar faces again. My aunt's good friend and one of the members of my Kenyan family, Toni Kuguru is also in town. We haven't connected yet, but we're planning to catch up at Habesha and also run the Nairobi Marathon 10K next week together.

I have also taken over the U7 Kicker team, which I can honestly say that this is the hardest coaching job I have ever taken on. It's definitely a challenge, but definitely worth all the headaches, sore throats from screaming, and just wondering what the heck are they doing?

Definitely a good week. Only have 4 weeks left. Got to make the most of them.

My First Traditional Kenyan Funeral

As most of you know, last Tuesday, one of our players at Petra Boys Academy (our senior team) past away quite unexpectedly as he incurred a brain aneurysm. Gimo or Gaga as he was known in the community, just turned twenty-four this month and was the first born in his family. Yesterday I had the privilege to attend his funeral ceremony and in trying to sum up what happened there are three phrases that come to mind: 1. "Aslan is on the move," 2. I'm still in Kenya, and 3. I don't know that one is supposed to have fun at a funeral but I definitely had a blast!

The events happened chronologically but before I go into detail, I have to start from the beginning. We were supposed to arrive at the funeral home at 8:00am, but let's get one thing straight, this is Kenya or TIA. That means in reality that people were still arriving after 9am. Once we were satisfied with the people around, they brought out the casket and allowed us to see Gimo one last time. After that we loaded up into 4 buses and one matatu. I was one of the lucky and not so lucky ones to be in the church bus. Unlucky in the fact that our bus driver went missing for an hour and a half! Seriously, he just upped and decided that he wasn't going to drive us. So once we figured that out and got the church to send another driver who had to get a taxi and then come through the traffic jams, we were finally off an hour and a half behind the leaders. I was lucky in the fact that my bus wasn't one of the ones that ended up having the youth boys smoking pot. One of the girls from ICC ended up having to leave that bus because it was so strong, even the driver thought there was a fire in his car.

Once we got to our destination, the first thing that took place was a photo shoot of all the families, organizations, and football teams that Gimo was a part of and were represented that day. After that there were representatives who spoke about Gimo including one of our coaches, Nicholas Masharia. Here's when I get to point number 1. After the representatives spoke, the pastor gave a speech and during this speech 14 youths came to accept Christ as their Savior! It was awesome to see how something that seemed so life taking to many ended up becoming life giving for 14 individuals. During their prayer I was just reminded that even though it's hard to sometimes see God or know why He does the things that He does, He is still at work and knows whats best.

Ok Number 2. So after the alter call and speeches, Petra Boys was then asked to carry the casket from the ceremony to the burial. It was only about 100 meters distance, but the trail wasn't well marked and it was in the middle of a tea field. So as I'm helping to carry the casket and keep my footing, I feel these little fingers going down into my pockets. Thankfully they didn't have enough time to grab anything and I was able to smack their hands away, but I was reminded yet again of my skin color. I was the only mazungu (whiter person) in attendance and I had never felt like I was being so judged in all my entire life. It was similar to the time that I went to Highland Park's mall and saw people judging me for wearing soccer shirts and a white t-shirt, but this was on a much larger scale. Like the dad rarely took his eyes off me and any time I looked away, there was another male staring at me. I'm so thankful that I had Kenyan friends who were there with me, sat with me, could translate a little bit for me what was happening, but I felt honored to be at this ceremony.

After we put the casket on top of the grave, the tradition is that everyone plays a role in the actual burial process. So we were letting the casket down when after 6 inches, realized that the grave wasn't long enough. So we pulled the casket back out and two guys jumped into the 7 foot grave and started frantically digging to make it fit. Once that was done then we let the casket down and the parents threw the first soil ontop and then the rest of the crowd followed until it was finished.

Then the family gave us dinner, which by this time it was 5pm and we were supposed to have left by 230pm. We were served huge servings of rice, githeri, and tea. I knew that I needed to be careful because when there's a big function like this, food usually doesn't get prepared like it should, so I took the risk and had my dinner. It was quite good, but I woke up the next morning with my stomach doing flips.

Number 3. So on the way to the ceremony, not too many people talked. There was a time for about twenty minutes when they broke into Swahili worship, and that truly was one of the greatest experiences I've had here as we were driving through the country side. It definitely made the three hour trek much easier. But back to on the way home, I began talking with this guy named Masaba, who I continually called Mufasa. We were talking and then Gaga urged me to sing Masaba  a swahili song. The next thing I know Masaba got the whole bus to be quite and listen to the mazungu sing. I completely butchered the song, but I will never forget how that whole bus erupted with laughter once I started singing. It was awesome. Once they were able to control themselves, they then taught me the song and then the whole bus sang it by my lead. From that point on, everyone was either singing, telling me jokes, dancing, or laughing. It felt like I was coming home from summer camp and was singing all the new fun songs that I had learned. The other thing that I will never forget is how much they laughed when I was dancing in the middle of the aisle when we hit this hug bump and I hit my head on the top of the bus and almost face planted on the floor. Oh and I can't forget also when the bus pulled on the side of the road and all these ladies jumped off and next thing I know, there's 8 little humps just sitting outside in the field doing there business. So funny.

So hows that for a Kenyan Adventure. My first real traditional funeral ceremony and it is one that I won't easily forget. Well I hope you enjoyed my stories and experiences. I hope you have a great night and I'll be sure to let you know when my next adventure is. Cheers.

Jimmy and Facing My "Whiteness"

Well this week has been a huge week for AIS-Kenya and myself as we have dealt with  a huge loss to the Petra Boys senior team. Jimmy who was one of the founding members of Petra Boys back in 2002 when suffered from a brain aneurysm earlier this week. Jimmy definitely lead a life that glorified the Lord, and was a huge example to the younger Petra Boys who have come through the team.

With Jimmy's death, I have continually been reminded of my skin and the expectations that come with it. For instance, Jimmy was a good friend to me and yet because of my skin color, it wouldn't be good for me to go visit the family or even participate in  local football match to raise funds for his funeral. The expectations would be to great on me just because of my "whiteness." I've come to grip with me being a minority as well as one that is expected to help out financially in every situation, but it's been hard to not act and just listen to the advice of my friends and co-workers who insist on me not meeting the family or anything until its all said and done at the funeral.

Being in this situation of being a minority is definitely something I will never forget because it has forced me to see things in  completely different light than what I would have received if I had stayed in the states. I am now more aware of my surroundings, like the neighborhood, people sitting next to me on the public transportation, how close the person is walking next to me, asking myself "why is this person talking to me and what do they want?" Honestly, it can be overwhelming at times, but it makes me think of all the minorities in the states in how they felt / feel now. It's such an interesting perspective to always be aware of your skin color and what it has the potential to provoke, but it's also a valuable lesson in learning how being white in the states is something that doesn't carry any of the weight or lessons as being African American, Latino, Mexican, etc.

I'm sure coming back to the states will be something like a shock when I'm no longer a minority when seeing two white people in one day is an achievement and something that all my kenyan friends conclude automatically that they are my cousins.

Please keep praying for me as I continue to deal with this reality because it implies a lot, especially being in a country that has a "take" mentality. So whether I'm walking through a crowd or dealing with my house help, because of my whiteness it's assumed that I have money and will help any and everyone, that I'm great target for pick pocketers, and that the corrupt public transportation system (matatus) can take advantage of me. I hate it, but that's what it is. I only pray that through this, I come out with a better understanding of people of different races, can adapt easily to what people deal with, and think very carefully before I talk.

A Day Nairobi Will Not Forget

Well yesterday I went for a nice little run that consisted of paying bills, getting some veggies and fruits from the market, and then getting some groceries along the way. When I got home, my roommate was glued to the TV as scenes from a pipeline explosion that had happened that morning down the road from where we work were being shown. The feeling that I began to feel were similar to that of what I felt when I was in the 8th grade when I saw the scenes from 9-11. My stomach and heart ached for those who were being rushed to the hospital with their flesh literally peeling off their faces. It was heart-aching to see the pain and loss that this community was feeling. And the thing about all of this is that it could have been avoided, and yet at the same time, it was destined to happen.

For those of you who haven't read the news, the Mukuru slum is located on top of a gas pipeline, with the company's site right next store. There have been reports and pleas from reporters and journalists the last year urging the people in this slum to live elsewhere, but they have refused to move and say they won't unless the government pays for them to move. The thing is this is their livelihood. Their church, school for their children, their friends, all live there, so why would they move, even if there is a threat to their livelihood under their homes. It has been said that there have been several leaks in the pipeline this last year, but none of them ended like this. The explosion is believed to have started by the news of the pipeline's leak and people rushing from far distances in their vehicles to fill jugs and canteens with the gas to sell, however, the explosion was believed to have started it by a cigarette butt.

As of late, I have been having talks with some friends about the mentality of the people who live in the slum and it really is unbelievable. These are the people that you read about in the BBC reports that talk about people living on less than a dollar a day. And let me tell you, that dollar that they have to work for is earned or "hustled" in any and every way possible, even at the risk of their lives. In this particular circumstance, the gas pipeline sprung a leak. I have not heard how the leak came about, but the reality is that people in the slums have their ways that they are able to gain access to the line with a certain pump and sell what they call "paraffin" (kerosene). My house help actually asked for money two weeks ago to buy the pump and start selling it.

Besides the reality that this is a very dangerous business, it is also stealing. But the slum mentality sees it simply as a "means to an end" and a way to make that buck or for them, provide their family or themselves. Yes, this could have been prevented but the government has yet to solve this problem. The only thing I keep hearing from their leaders are: "this was a tragic accident" and "Kenya has so many problems." I only hope and pray that we don't have to wait for another disaster like this to happen before change comes about..

I know that God is in this place and that He is here with us, but we need change and it needs to happen... sooner rather than later. So let's get to work.

A dedication, squash, a new apartment, and pick pocketers

Well the last two weeks have been an adventure for me as I have experienced several new things and had an amazing privilege of being part of my Kenyan family's baby dedication. This last month Mr. Kuguru's son and wife came to town to adopt a little one year old boy. They have a daughter of their own, but wanted to add another addition to the family. They found Petros at an orphanage in Nairobi, and if they hadn't of picked him up, God only knows what could have happened to him. At these places, these kids barely get enough nutrients and care that they need in order to develop and be healthy. One of the kids who was also at the orphanage died the day after Kenny and his wife picked him up. Unfortunately, Petros' is still not theirs yet as they have to go through a very long and in depth process with the courts so he can legally be theirs.

Kenny's dad is a Bishop in Kenya and last week they had a dedication for Petros at their church. It was my first true Kenyan church service, not to mention the first time that I had to stand in front of a congregation. Thankfully I wasn't asked to say anything, but the traditional Kikuyu baby dedication is that it takes two weeks. The first week the family stands before the church and explains their reason for dedicating their son. Then the second week, the family has representatives who speak on behalf of the parents, pray for Petros, and then officially dedicate him. I was given the privilege to stand up front with the Kuguru family as well as Petros' godparents and their family. I was so blessed to be apart of this family's ceremony and be given the title Uncle Jonathan.

Like I said before, this was my first Kenyan traditional church service. Meaning it was very hot, most of the worship songs were in Swahili, the service was over 3 hours long, the sermon was in English but they had a Swahili translator, and it really had the feel that this was a family reunion. Everyone knows everyone and they all love each other and care for one another, which was amazing to be included in.

In effort to start being active again throughout the week, I have tried to find new hobbies, besides running, because here in Nairobi that requires getting up before 6 so you don't pass out from all the exhaust from the traffic. So last week, Kenny and Mr. Kuguru gave me a shot at their sport, Squash. For those of you who might not know what Squash it is, it's just like racquetball,  but with a smaller ball that has no bounce and a smaller court. It is a very intense sport that requires technique and precision. Mr. Kuguru got me a trainer for the week and this guy made me work, let me tell you. I definitely enjoyed the sport and wouldn't mind picking it up, but the costs of becoming a member at gyms and clubs is outrageous here. So unless I get invited by Mr. K, then I'm still in search of something that can help my LGN come January. Investing in a mountain bike is an option but I haven't saved enough yet to get something that will be able to handle the terrain and roads.

Also, this is the last month that I will be staying in Kirichwa Apartments. In effort to get ready for Olivia living over here I needed to get a much nicer flat for us to live in and make her feel comfortable. We had a pretty good budget, and for the location that we needed (somewhere in the middle of jobs), it being in a safe community, as well as having a home feeling to it, we found an excellent place right up the road! I will be moving there at the end of this month and will be having to balance moving my bosses furniture and belongings to another location, work, and all those other factors of life. I am very excited about bringing Olivia "Home" to this place and cannot wait to haver her here with me.

So, on the day that I paid the deposit on the flat I must have been jinxed because I had not one but two guys try to pick pocket me. It had been a while since the last attempt, but thankfully I have had good friends who have helped me know their tricks, where I need to put my valuables, and what I need to watch out for. Since I've been here, I've learned to size people up and be on my guard. The first guy played his role well because I did not see it coming. I was sitting in the middle of a three seater on a bus and this guy was sitting on the end with his partner next to the window. The guy next to the window wanted to get out and the the guy on the end wouldn't step into the aisle to let him pass. So we had to finagle around to let him pass and while we were doing so, the guy on the end put his folder over my bag and unzipped the top of it. I immediately felt it and yanked it out of his grasp. He then jumped off the bus, with nothing to show for their effort. But for me, I averted their attempt only to have a huge drunk guy replace them and squish me into the window.

Naturally, I was annoyed the rest of the day, but I just had this feeling that there was more to come. Well it happened a second time. This time I was trying to get on a bus with about thirty other people who were all trying to squeeze into a small door. I had two big bags that I put infront of me so no one could have access to, but in doing that, my hands weren't in my pockets, where they should be, and a guy who was pretending to get on the bus had his hand down in my pocket and was trying to pull out my iphone. Thankfully Olivia gave me this case that makes it ridiculously hard to pull it out of my pocket so I felt this hand trying to get it out and did one of those Karate chops and caught the guy off guard and knocked his hand out of my pocket. It was then my turn to get on the bus and the lady behind me was all frantic telling me that she saw the guy and that I needed to check my pockets. I told her that he didn't get anything but was thankful for her concern.

The next day when I went into the office and told all my co-workers the stories, they all told me how I should have yelled "thief" which would have then led to the guy being beat up or punched the guy. I have pondered this question a lot as to how would I react to a situation like what I experienced, because to Kenyans its simple, you try to steal myself then you're going to pay. Which something that for me personally, I do not want to do. I've decided that violence is not the answer because when it is, here in Kenya there are basically two outcomes. First, if I yelled thief at the second guy, then the situation becomes mob justice which either kills the guy or more people are pick pocketed because his comrades would then get the guys who would be beating him up. Secondly, if I punched the first guy or chased after him, I then either become a victim for striking out against a Kenyan and will be judged very harshly, or if I chase the guy, he will more than likely lead me to a place where his friends are waiting for me to beat me up and take the rest of my belongings. So either way it's a lose lose. But I would rather lose and be phoneless, or couple shillings less than try to catch the guy and put myself in another bad situation.

So that's my two week short story. Hope you guys were able to laugh and enjoy some of my adventures. I am so thankful that I am here and have this opportunity to work with the players and organization over here. Yes, when I come home, I will probably experience a lot of culture shock, but I wouldn't trade any of what I'm learning and experiencing.

Mr. and Mrs. Future Jonathan Pelts are heading to Nairobi in January 2012!

HERE WE GO!
It is official! Olivia has been accepted into Africa In-land Mission's counselling internship at Tumiani in Nairobi, as well as into Ambassadors in Sport's team! We cannot believe how God has just had his hand in all of this as we have had to go through a HUGE process of Olivia having to get approved through AIM (even though they don't allow new married couples to go onto the mission field until after a year of marriage), as well as getting approved by AIS (which has they same policy), and her school approving the internship in order for her to get credit for it.

After starting the process in July, getting engaged in August, and the Lord really working in these organizations, we are all clear to start fundraising and preparing to head to Nairobi together in late January! Right now the plan is for me to come home two days before Thanksgiving and move back and forth between Bluefield, Denver, and Dallas to be with Olivia as we make final preparations for the wedding and moving, and spending time with both families.

You can ask any counsellor what are two of the biggest stressors in an individuals life and they will say moving and marriage and we're doing both! HA HA! We both know that what we are about to embark on is not a walk in the park, but an amazing opportunity, first to grow in our marriage and second to pursue our passions together. When Olivia and I first got together one of our greatest concerns was how would we be able to pursue our passions together, and little did we know what the Lord had in store for us.

We are excited as well as nervous about what the future holds for us, which is why we cannot do any of this on our own. Besides trying to build our financial support team, we are also in need to build our prayer team. We could not do any of these things without continued prayers from our families and brothers and sisters in Christ. Of course we do need to raise additional support to provide for both of us while we are on the ground, and if you would like to support us on either a one time gift or monthly donation we would greatly appreciate it, but if there is no prayer, no work can be done. Thank you all so much for fighting for me these last few months as I have been over here alone, but now I ask that you fight for Olivia and I as we begin this journey TOGETHER! Thanks so much for your love and encouragement.

In Christ,
Jonathan and Olivia

Thanks Wheaton for the Sweet Memories

Well it is hard to believe that one month has flown by since I last saw Olivia and on top of that, the Wheaton team has come and gone. After months of preparation and getting everything lined up, the team came, they saw, and I would definitely agree that they did more than any of us had ever imagined. They hosted 3 football clinics, played four friendlies with KPL teams, a village team, and a drug rehab program, put up a fence around one of our new churches that we're building, and walked through the slums. But on top of all that they did, they left their name all over ICC and AIS. From their financial donations that will help us provide either a greenhouse or catering business so we can give the Petra Boys a job, to their countless donations of boots, jerseys, clothes, and shoes. The community of Nairobi has either experienced something so rare and so Christ-like by this team, or hopefully they will feel that presence by the Petra Boys, Kickers Clinics, and the staff here who was impacted by them.

I do have to add that one of my favorite memories since being here was when the team traveled to Shuka to play a village team and not only was it fun to play again, but to see an entire village come out and support their boys was a special gift. They lined the entire field and went nuts when their team would either miss an opportunity or give the ball away. We ended up winning 3-1, and even though it's not really cool to see an opponent score, it was really a special moment to see the whole community celebrate and going completely nuts. I will never forget seeing guys with pineapples run onto the field trying to sell them after the goal, or people hugging and starting to chant in their native tongue.

Thank you Wheaton for coming here and doing a fantastic job. Your attitudes were amazing, you came in prepared to be flexible, and ready to serve wherever you were called to serve. God did some pretty amazing things here and the cool thing is that their not going to stop there. He will continue to be faithful with the donations you left, the people you impacted, and I am so blessed to be one of the guys who can write to you and let you know what's happening on the ground. Stay strong my brothers and know that you have a fan in Nairobi who will be cheering you on, that is after you play Covenant. Cheers boys.

A LOT HAS HAPPENED. SHEESH!

Where to begin? Well to start out with, I AM ENGAGED! Yes, you read that correctly. I am getting married. Crazy I know, but I know that I made the second best decision of my life when I got down on one knee and asked Olivia to marry me.

So... the story. Well last weekend, Olivia and I went with a friend to Sweetwater Safari Reserve. It is located at the base of Mount Kenya and the only word to really describe our experience was unbelievable. After taking a few wrong turns and accidentally running into a herd of elephants, no lie, we made it to our 5 star resort, where we were greeted with zebras, giraffes, and hundreds of other animals. I will never forget getting out of the car at the resort and looking out over the property right next to our room and seeing a bull elephant in the middle of a clearing with zebras all around him. The scene was just surreal. After checking in we went on a game drive where we saw water buffalo, chimps, rhinos, hippos, and more animals that I don't know how to spell.

After the game drive we decided to go for a walk around the resort. As we were walking we came across another clearing that had over a hundred zebras, ostriches, antelope, water bucks, and the sun was setting over Mount Kenya. It was seriously like walking into a scene from the National Geographic special on Africa. I had originally planned to propose at night, but the scene was so picturesque that I couldn't pass it up. I was able to tell my friend what was about to happen and managed to give Olivia the greatest surprise ever.

I don't really remember what all I said other than that I want to do life with her and I want her to have my babies. Since it was a spur of the moment  decision, I was so nervous that one, I couldn't take off her promise ring that I had given her last year, and two I literally had to take a minute to compose myself when I got on one knee. The funny thing is that in the midst of our hearts racing and the monumental decision that was happening, I never asked her to be my wife. As soon as I pulled out the ring she just started saying yes yes and that was that. I did ask her after we embraced and I realized that I never actually asked the question and thankfully she still said yes.

Our friend Jennie was able to capture the moment from us, which you can see the pictures and the video on our facebook. After that, we were able to see more animals and enjoy some of the best food in Africa, oh and yes we saw three lions the next day!

Apart from the safari and the proposal, Olivia and I have been enjoying so many memories and times together. As we were preparing to see each other, we both thought that there would be a day or two of awkwardness because we hadn't seen each other in over 6 months, but none of that happened. It was like we picked up right where we left off, but the relationship was much deeper than before.

Olivia has been very busy these last two weeks as she has had two job interviews, been offered a job, networking within Nairobi, going through pre-marital counseling, registering online for wedding gifts, planning the wedding ceremony, and organizing how November and December will work out with me coming home, wedding preparations, and where we will spend Thanksgiving and Christmas. It has been hectic and at times overwhelming, but I wouldn't trade this for anything. Somehow we will get all the money to buy the plane tickets we need so this can work out, but every day is just another step of faith knowing that it is His plan and not mine.

Well I think that I will stop here before I fall over in my seat from my lower back ache. Thank you all so much for your prayers and if you are in the Dallas area January 6th then you should really consider stopping by Park Cities Presbyterian Church around 7pm, because its going to be a party! Until next time, cheers.

OLIVIA IS HERE

Yes, for all of you who are out there and following my blog, Olivia is finally here! She got in at about 9:45pm Thursday night and since then we have be thoroughly enjoying doing life together. It was 192 days since I last saw her, and as soon as she got here, the feeling has been that things are back to normal. They are not normal in the sense that I have a week off from work and get to do things that I normally wouldn't have been able to do otherwise, but normal in the fact that she is here and gets hang out with me. LOVE IT!

This past weekend we had took some time to head west to visit the Entwistles and RVA. It really was relaxing spending time with that family. We played up down the river, chess, checkers, had some really amazing home made meals, walked around RVA, and met some really cool people. The Rift has definitely become my escape from Nairobi with its cool air, mountains, and the fact that you can see the stars at night. So good.

Well today we are going to hang out with Sonia Kuguru who is my Kenyan sister. We're going to take Livs to the most westernized part of Kenya, Westgate, to go shopping, see a movie, and then go to the Kuguru's where mom is making a traditional Kenyan feast. Which I am actually starving myself so I can eat all of this goat meat, mandazi, skuma, chipati, and anything else that will be on that table.

I will definitely keep you all posted on our latest movements and activities as Livs and I have a lot planned for the next 20 days that she is here. You can also watch Livs' facebook to see pictures from our adventures. Well, until next time, stay classy. Cheers.

The Lord Gives and He Takes Away

This week has been an up and down roller coaster for me. I have seen the Lord meet so many needs here in the greater area of Nairobi, as well as remain completely in control of things back home that haven't turned out as any of us would have liked them to. Let me start with my good friend's, the Nickell family.

Cole has been a very close friend to me since my senior year in high school. He actually played an integral role in me going to Covenant. Well this year his wife had a son who was born with several issues. I do not know the exact details, but from the beginning of her pregnancy the doctors had told them that this would be difficult. Well a little over a month ago, Cole Matthew Nickell Jr., was born and since birth never made it out of the hospital. Well yesterday, before I left the house I checked facebook and I saw that Matthew wasn't doing so well. I began to just start praying, but the feeling I had inside was something that I hadn't experienced in a very long time, and a feeling I hope I never have to have again. When I got home I got a text from Olivia telling me that Matthew had passed away. I know that he is in a much better place where he can breathe on his own, run around, and do all those things he should have been able to do on earth, but my heart just breaks for Cole, Julia, and the rest of the family. It is so hard being here at times when I just want to get on a plane to go see my brother and give him a huge hug and be there for him. I can't imagine the pain and loss that Cole is feeling and would just beg you to keep them in your prayers.

So a midst having that feeling of wanting to be to back home, I have also had the feeling and experienced God moving in me and directing me here in Kenya. This week we had two mission teams from the States come and work with our partner church, ICC. One team went around and did school visits presenting the Gospel, while the other group had a four day, free medical clinic for the local area. I worked primarily with the medical team by assisting them wherever they needed help.

The first day, we took several groups of four Americans into Mukuru slum and handed out fliers for the medical camp. The next day we did the same, but also threw in some evangelism. Between those two days, I spent a total of seven and a half hours walking around in that slum talking with people. I think those two days were preparing me for the third day, because everything that I had experienced, witnessing, meeting new faces, and actually trying to organize things came at me faster than I was ready for.

When I walked onto the campus there were at least one hundred and fifty people queuing (waiting in line) for the clinic. We had to drastically change our waiting room that had previously been a small tent into moving people where there was shade and some order. After that I was running errands here and there and then next thing I know, the pastors were calling me over and told me to go preach to the 60+ people in line. I had two minutes to prepare myself and it was literally by the hand of God that I was able to connect and speak to those people. And as I was speaking, I realized that I was no different from them. I needed healing just as much as they needed to be seen by the doctor and get medicine. I was right there with them. By the Lord's grace, 15 people came to know the Lord and by the end of the clinic 1,663 people received medical help and 297 were saved!

Like I said, it's been a roller coaster and something that words will never be able to describe. Feeling the excitement and pure joy for those receiving new life and then hearing about life being taken away, it's a lot to process. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. I will never forget those words and I pray that I will never forget my daily need for Jesus and spiritual healing.

Today = A Big Day

No, nothing big happened in my life today. Well Nairobi City Stars did win their third game of the season. But seriously, the big things happened to those who are close around me. My little brother just started his summer job at Ligonier Camp. Which I actually did when I was his age. Man, how that was such a life changing experience. And then, my best friend Chris Stern married Jordan Agate! Freakin' A! So crazy. I'm so happy that they are finally together. As I'm writing this, they should be getting their groove on at the reception.

So that's what has been happening around me. Everything here is still crazy and this week is going to be an even crazier week. We have not one, but two mission teams coming in from the states. They'll be interacting with the Petra Academy team and getting to see where a few of the players live.

And then this week, I'm starting to change focus. Lately I have been focusing on the U19 team and how I can measure their development, well know its time to focus on the younger kids and their needs. I think the starting point for them though is not the player, but the coaches. Empowering them so they can feel qualified and respected is something that I hope we can achieve by giving the coaching courses in the next month or two as well as giving them coaching uniforms so they can feel unified. It's small things, but honestly, the grassroots is where everything begins.

So I'm excited for what's ahead. Olivia comes in 19 days! Life is good.

Habari Jako!

I know that it has been a while since I last posted something about what I am experiencing here, but before I do that, I would like to thank those of you who have contacted me about supporting Emily and her schooling. So far we have raised enough money to get her through one term and half of another. If you are interested in sponsoring any other term or have a question, you can email me at jpelts@gmail.com.

Ok, now to the stories. Well a lot has happened over the last two/three weeks. The big event was my Kenyan sister's high school graduation from Rosslyn Academy. She has yet to decide where she is going to continue her education, either at Wake Forest or a school in Canada. Because her school is run just like an American school, they played the popular pomp and circumstance, had the valedictorian address, and Sonia was the class speaker, which she did an absolutely fantastic job. The celebration was spread across both sides of the family and even continued late into the night. After the ceremony, we went back to her family's house where we consumed the most amount of meat that I have had since being here, as well as share with Sonia advice and well wishes. I was in no way planning on having to make a speech, but at the very end Mr. Kuguru had me and one of Sonia's cousins speak on behalf of the youths.

The whole night was a blast as I was included in all the family discussions (even had my own interpreter) and just felt like I was part of the family. I think that I keep saying this, but I'll continue to say it that I am so thankful for the Kuguru family and their taking me under their wing.

Mr. and Mrs. Kuguru got back from the states two days before Sonia's graduation and while they were there my family and Olivia were able to send me some clothes as well as a new iPod and iPhone. I finally figured out how to jailbreak the iPhone last night and it is so nice to have.

The other crazy news is over the last two weeks, our organization AIS, has been swamped. We tried to sell the professional team because it was becoming a burden on our ministry and requiring too much of our resources. Quite frankly it was becoming what we call in a marketing with Dr. Quatro, a dog and it needed to be shot. Unfortunately, the legal documents have prevented us from selling and relinquishing all of our debts and actually getting some money out of the deal. Our national director is actually flying in tomorrow morning to help sort things out.

You can be praying that we are able to sort out this situation and that in the process we would continually strive to make decisions in the best interest of the ministry.

I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to write something, but now you've got an idea what all has been happening here. Oh and the countdown for when Olivia gets here is down to 29 days! Wow has time flown since I got here. Looking forward to sending you more stories and hope everyone is well. Baraka (blessings).