Day 7--Wednesday
Sorry, folks!  We are actually home now, so I must catch you all up on the happenings of the past few days.

Wednesday was bittersweet as we started out the day with the knowledge that it would be our last day in the village.  But......this was meant to be the GREATEST of days.  Each of us were forging lifetime relationships with the people of Kiria.  Of course, this is a simple thing to do when you are spending time with such loving people.  We did start out with some bad news.  You just never know what you might face in this area.  Overnight, there was a break in at the school.  Apparently the robbers did not find what they were looking for but they beat the night watchman badly and left him for dead.  Muchai, our trip leader, thought that perhaps the robbers were looking for the chain link fencing that was being used to set up a parameter around the school property.  They did not find the chain link but took some of the children's school books as a measure of defiance.  The night watchman was taken to the hospital.  He is is going to recover but it will be some time.  This did put a damper on the enthusiasm for the morning.  But our team is so wonderful, we were all determined to have this be a fabulous day to spite the news.

Upon arriving at the primary school, we split up into two teams.

Some working on the manual labor of the fencing and others spending time with the nursery school.  We brought projects, crayons, coloring sheets, and all sorts of items to help with time with the children.  It is amazing to watch these 5 year olds color one sheet.  They are so meticulous at coloring in each area.  Some of these kids are quite artistic, quite talented, so intense!  More than anything else, I was impressed with how well behaved the children are, to be so young.  Whenever the teacher would speak, the children would respond respectfully.  It is truly a joy to watch the interaction and know that these kids really want to be in school.  These kids really appreciate what school can do for them.  Their teacher is a young woman who really enjoys the children.  It is evident that she is right where she wants to be.

After time with the little ones in the classroom, we went out to the field to spend time with ALL the kids.  The soccer balls, bubbles, jump ropes, etc all came out.  A fun time was to be had by all.  You should have seen the tug of war games.  It was amazing.  And.... a 50 cent bottle of bubbles provides hours of fun for these kids even up to the teenagers.  Speaking of teenagers, we split up and took some time with the teenagers.  Our male team members went with the boys and our female team members went with the girls.  In this type of culture, things about growing up are not discussed so we wanted to allow time with this age group for questions or discussions, if they felt free to share.  The girls are very reserved but our team was able to spend time with them and encourage them to stay in school, work hard, and love God.  They even shared some memorized scriptures with us.  The boys had a wonderful time.  After their discussion, Dave shared a little martial arts with them but had to teach them about not hitting/kicking for fun.  It was hilarious to see Dave with the boys. They were doing an exercise where Dave had them repeat "I will not hit, I will not kick",  Then, pandemonium broke out as all the boys started play hitting and kicking each other.  You had to be there.

We took a short lunch break prior to spending time with the adults.  The men played checkers and the women came one by one to have their nails polished by our team members.  This was soooooooo much fun.
These women really enjoyed spending a little time just being women, feeling pretty and pampered.  It is amazing how much personality comes out when women just get together to be girls.  Some of these women are quite spunky and fun.....playful!  Man oh man do these people love to have their picture taken.  Wish you could just hear their accents saying 'take one pikcha, please'.  I have no clue as to who had more fun, the women of Kiria or us.

As the afternoon went on, we realized it was time to wind down.  The leadership counsel wanted to have an assembly in the school courtyard to say farewell.  All the children and adults gathered around for the assembly.  Patrick, our driver, had allowed us to have a full day (our only full day) in the village.  He was determined, no matter what the weather, for us to be able to stay.  Patrick was wonderful in getting where we needed to go safely all week but he wasn't about to let the weather keep us from having a full last day.
During the assembly, we were able to show our appreciation of the hospitality of this village in word but some of us were very emotional.  It is difficult to leave a people that have welcomed you with open arms and open hearts.  But, we were all happy.  Just happy to be blessed to have this time.  Happy to develop these relationships.  Happy to learn of another culture that is so blessed and so close to God.  To have so little, but so much.  The lessons learned are impossible to describe.  I will forever be grateful to God for this experience.  My prayer is to be able to someday return to my new friends in Kiria.

We returned to Lake Naivasha for our last night there with only minor difficulty due to the roads.  PATRICK IS THE MAN!!!  Debrief included a talk by David from Brightpoint for Children an organization where you can sponsor a child in Kiria.  Look it up! https://www.brightpointforchildren.org/index.php  This is a fabulous way to help the children of Kiria from a distance.

Day Six Reflections:
At debrief last night and devotion this morning, we circled around team members to pray for health.  We have a couple of colds and some stomach issues that we wanted to lay at the feet of Jesus.  Getting on the road this morning, everyone was filled with faith that this was going to be a great day.  Today was going to be unique and eye opening as we were going into the homes of some of the villagers and to spend time getting to know one another.  The language barrier alone was going to be a challenge but 410Bridge has worked with the leadership counsel to have someone go in with us to these homes to assist.

We got to the village with only minor travel difficulties due to lots of mud but once again, Patrick, proved to be "the man".  First thing, we split up to do some manual labor.  Some slung hoes, some a machete, some dug holes, and some, well, if you consider playing with pre-schoolers manual labor, I just might have to share my machete with you.  During this work our goal was to build relationships with the people we were working alongside.  This is a pretty easy task here as the people of Kiria are friendly and open.  They want to know everything about us so at times, we had to jump in with quesions for them.  They have questions for us about family, home life and work life.  We talked about family and work life and believe it or not the language difference didn't seem like such a large barrier.  While learning to sling a machete to manually clear a field, I learned that the Kenyan village people have many children for very practical reasons.  One of the reasons there are so many children in each family is to assist with the work.  Milking cows, working in the fields, caring for the younger children, grazing sheep, herding cows........In Kenya, girls are a hot commodity for more than just being girls.  You see, when a girl gets married, the young man must present the girl's family with a dowry.  This can be in the form of money, cows, sheep......This is a monetary commitment to the marriage.  Girls bring in a higher dowry depending on the number of 'desirable' qualities they possess, such as dimples which signify beauty, a gap in the front teeth which helps in blowing the kitchen fire to get it started better, and a larger body size which assists in child birth.

After the manual labor for the day, our team divided into the 3 groups again.  Off we went for home visits.  At each home visit, we took supplies to make chiapati (a type of bread much like flat bread that is rolled out and fried in a cast iron skillet over an open fire) and chia tea (made with mild and sugar).  Chiapati is actually a special treat for these families as most can not afford to purchase the flour to create the bread.  Chiapati is generally only served at family gatherings such as holidays.  Each team shared the warm, overwhelming welcome that was received.  The Kenyan people treat you as though you are a cherished relative from afar.  Therefore, we all felt at ease as we began to develop relationships to spit the language differences.  At the conclusion of our home visit, we walked back to the primary school compound enjoying the local scenery and clean mountain air.

We enjoyed playing the early afternoon away with the school children prior to having to leave due to rain once again moving into the area.  Life here is so simple.  A place where children are happy with a jump rope, an old bicycle tire rim and a stick to push it, a bottle of bubbles, or even just a song........these are the things that we should all be able to appreciate.  Everyone, adults and children alike, love to have their picture taken here.  Only the more affluent can afford a camera but they sure do know what one is for.  The children say "take me one picture???" and then they want to see that picture.  I wish I could relay just how precious each
and every small pleasure is here.  And, how simple that pleasure is.  Oh, to be more content and happy without all the daily stress and clutter that our society acquires through what we call "success".

Short version is that we all had a fabulous day.  Mission team and villagers alike.    It is sad to say that tomorrow will be our last day in the village with all the people we have grown to love in a very short period of time.

Day 5--Monday
NEW EXCITEMENT:  The teacher strike here is OVER!  Oh, I forgot to say anything about that. There has been a teacher strike here due to low pay and no government changes to help that.  But praise God, it has ended and all the children, I mean ALL of them, will be back on Tuesday.  We are so excited to see the ones who have been missing.

Today was a very exciting day with memories to die for.  We hope that everyone reading this will want to come after learning of all our fun.  The day started out with a Zebra sighting not far from our hotel. Patrick was accomodating enough to pull over so we could stop and take pictures.  There they were just grazing in a field, out in the open by the highway.  Well, one of our incrediblely comedic team members (John) decided to walk down to them, just as the Zebras decided to cross the street.  Our team member (John) took off running behind the Zebras.  It was such a sight.  You can only imagine by seeing.  Check out:  http://themollybuckley.com

So how do we top that for a day of fun?  Try fence building, gate building, play with the kids, lots of pictures, and lots of afternoon rain.  Our team has started developing deep relationships with the people of Kiria.  Adults and children alike.  Of course when you mix lots of rain with VERY bad MUD roads, hills to climp and descend, and curves to take, it can make for a very exciting time!  Before we had even gotten out of the village, we were stuck in the mud.  12 people on a 20 or so passenger bus in the middle of Kenya in the rain.  But we have the best driver in the world, Patrick, and he managed to get us out.  Off we went again.

Some time later, we pulled over for a 'squatty potty' break.  We noticed that we had a tire going flat.  Patrick said let us continue.  It is not that far.  It wasn't long before we realized that we would have to stop and change the tire on the road.  That was an adventure but with a little bit of entertainment from one of the nearby village gentlemen named
'Krees-to-far'.  He gave us the 'Lye-own' story.  See this amazing video on youtube, just search Christopher and the Lion Story.

Of course, there were many other things that have occurred along the way but you must come to be privey to those.  We returned to Lake Naivasha, our home away from home to an evening of fellowship and letting our feelings flow.

I want to close with just a few words about this mission.  I personally came on this trip with only one expectation.  That is to share the love of God.  However, I am receiving  more love than I could ever give.  The people of this country are so giving of themselves. The sense of family and community oneness can only be explained by the scripture Mark 12:30-31.  Abbreviated version:  love God and love your neighbor as yourself.  The people of Kenya......
what love they so freely give.

God is sooooo good!  All the time!

Another Blog to follow.

Check out Molly's blog for more on this trip and for pictures:  http://www.themollybuckley.comhttp://www.themollybuckley.com

Sunday:
Worship day.  Devotion and prayer got our day off to a fabulous start.  It was beautiful and we were really excited.  So we loaded the bus and headed out.  BUT, did not get far.  We were stopped at a police checkpoint before even getting out of town.  The police here are very corrupt (most of the government is).  It was a female officer and long story short, she commandered our vehicle for bad tires.  The officer took is to the police station by boarding the van and directing us.  This , of course, was after wanting a 3000 shilling fine on the spot or a 1000 shilling bribe to let us go.  Kudos to David Muchai and Patrick for saying no and standing their ground.  While at the police station, in typical New Hope fashion, we went ahead and started church.  We had praise and worship, scripture, and prayer rigt there in the back police yard.  There were quite a few onlookers, let me tell you.  Long story shortened, David refused to pay the fine because there was nothing wrong with the tires.  We were detained for some time as the attempted to 'make us' do what they wanted.  But soon, we were back on out way.  A little late to church but they saved plenty for us.

Our team of 10 was divided into 3 groups to attend 3 different churches.  We were prepared for anything as we had been told that it was custom for the guests to do something....sing, speak, read scripture.  New Hope can be happy that we all represented well.  All of the above were done.  Everyone had a fabulous time.  The worship was beautiful and pure.  Can I tell you, this was New Hope Kenya from beginning to end.  The welcome, the music and dancing, and the word.  I can't wait to come back.

Let's back up just a little.  We were asked just before leaving the US if we were willing to make a little change to our plans for Sunday.  The village wanted to have an afternoon crusade, where all the churches would meet at a central location and have 'church' again, together.  There were music and drums and preaching.  Even our illustrious Dave Brown gave a rock solid message.  The children all latched on to us and worshipped right alongside.  There is nothing like the hunger of these children for our company and our relationships.

Once again, we had to cut out and run for the lower elevation as the rain moved in quickly.  We had already gotten tons of rain during the regular worship time and the roa9ds were only going to get much worse.  I cannot relay to anyone how the roads are here.  You just have to come and experience the roller coaster of Kenya for yourself.  Off to rest and refresh we went.  Back down the mountain.

Dinner and debrief, then bed.  Exhausted again but very full of emotions and spiritual wakefulness.

So, here we are again and we really need to get caught up.  To finish day 3--Saturday. We  made it back to Niavasha and our hotel after a very bumpy ride and a little rain.  It had done way more than rain a little along the way.  Can I tell you?  We have a very good driver.  He was able to manuever in ways I never dreamed of.  Somewhere along the way, we were ablegot our precious memory of the day.  These little kids were running down this fairly steep hill shouting and waving wildly.  These kids couldn't have been more than 3-5 years old.  The smallest one tripped or slipped or fell somehow face first, skirt flipping up, bare behind shinning.  But still managed to give us the biggest grin you have ever seen.  I just know that she went flying back up that hill screaming, I saw thw Muzungu!  What a cherished memory that will be for all of us.  Just too bad that we didn't get it on video for youtube.  After a great dinner and intimate debrief, we all went to bed VERY exhausted.

Day Four to come...

Day 3 Reload. Guess I had better explain that because it is actually day 4 now--Sunday.  Some things just have to happen when they happen in life and thus, posting is a little delayed.

The day began with the drive from Niarobi to Kiria.  A mostly uneventful drive.  Everyone was so excited to just be getting on the way to the village itself.  Niarobi is a quite large city and it took us some time to get out into the country.  But once we did the fun really began.  The land here is fresh and very beautiful and the sky was crystal clear.  However,  David Muchai, our trip leader with 410Bridge, told us that is had been raining in Kiria.  This could present a problem as the roads are dirt and not good dirt , at that.   We do have a wonderful, experienced driver named Patrick.  He managed  to navigate the roads just fine. All along the roads,  we encountered villages with many , many children who ran out waving and shouting Mazungu! Mazungu! (means:  white person)  Boy, did we feel like celebrities!

The  team members who have been before were very excited as they had experienced this before.  The overwhelming  feeling of welcome can only be understood by experiencing it.  It was so special to see the pure joy on the faces of all the people. So powerful for us on the trip that we just about had to grab the feet of one of the new team members to keep her in the bus and not all the way out the window (no names mentioned, Tari!).

We arrived at the primary school shortly before noon after having been escorted the last distance by excited school children, all in their green school uniforms.  Found out in that last few moments that our excitement was nothing  compared to the excitement of both the children and adults that were waiting  there.  Kiria is a tight knit village that is spread out over some miles but word goes around when the Muzungus are coming. Before wee could even get off the bus, we were literally surrounded by children, parents, and the village leadership counsel.  Every child there just wanted to touch your hand, hold your hand, and just be with you.  It was emotionally overwhelming!   The leadership counsel made presentations and introductions, along with songs and dances from the children.  All I can say is WOW!  Such a warm welcome.

After the festivities were over, we spent some time meeting and loving on all the people.
The kids LOVE to hold your hand and get their picture taken.  Then, they want to see themselves in the picture!  It is a custom in Kenya to welcome visitors by presenting a gift.  If you could only imagine how poor  these folks are, they often don't have any idea  where  their next meal is coming from.   We were presented with bottled soft drinks and loaves of store bought bread.  We fellowshipped together and ate.   What a wonderful time to be had by all!  All of a sudden, Patrick, our  driver,  came and  told  us that we  had to leave and it was getting ready to rain.  Yes, we were in for a rough road.  Literally!

More to come......

WE ARE HERE!  All safe and sound with all of our bags!  Customs was a breeze (which more often is a nightmare!  Gonna make this short for now.  Everyone is pretty tired and just needing to wind down.

Some thoughts on our travels:
At some point over the Atlantic ocean between New York and Paris, everyone was in their own little worlds enjoying quiet time (trying to sleep), in my own little world I was spending some much needed time with God.  One point came out while reading "Be a Circle Maker"....  a life changing truth to ponder......GOD IS FOR YOU!   Yes, you!  If you ever even had a fleeting thought about going on a mission trip, we are all here to tell you this is possible.  Anything is possible with God.  Simply seek the desires he has for you and it  will be so.  Personally, this whole process has been life changing and we haven't even gotten to the village yet.

Kenya 2012 Team Pre-departure thoughts:
Last minute final touches, nervous anticipation, prayers for safety, a quiet peace......
                         ........these are all things that I believe each of the 10 of us are feeling and more.
God's mighty hand as brought each of us on different personal journeys to get to the same place
tonight.  Our bags are packed and our hearts are full as we dream of what is to come in the next
several days.  As a team our number one desire is to shine the light of Jesus with every step we take and every word that comes out of our mouths.  Please continue to pray with us.

To all our family and friends, BEWARE!  When we return, we will be changed people!  Praise God, that we will be changed people.

So here is the itinerary, in case you want to know the plan.  As with everything in life, plans are subject to change.  So we will just leave it up to God.  Love you all.  More to come.

NEWHOPE SERVICE TEAM

THE 410 BRIDGE – KENYA SERVICE TRIP ITINERARY

TRIP ID:

2012K-09C

US LEADERS:

Dave Brown

KENYA TRIP LEADER:

David Muchai

KENYA DRIVER:

Patrick

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20

FLIGHT DETAILS:

DEPART: Raleigh, NC AA 4549

2:15pm

ARRIVE: New York, NY 4:00pm

DEPART: AA 44 5:29pm

*NOTE: teams should arrive at the

airport 3 hours before flight time

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 21

ARRIVE: Paris, FR 6:45am

DEPART: KQ 113 11:00am

ARRIVE: Nairobi KE 8:30pm

Hotel: Lenana

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 22

MORNING:

« Team breakfast / devotion

« Welcome / Introductions at Kiria

Primary school.

« Community tour

AFTERNOON:

« Lunch

« Home visits with prayers. Team

to divide into groups of 3 to visit 5

homes

EVENING:

« Panorama - team dinner/debrief

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 23

MORNING:

« Team breakfast / devotion

« Team to divide into groups of 3

for church – A.I.C., A.I.P.C.A.,

Solid Rock.

« Team to be prepared to give

testimony, share bible verses and

songs.

AFTERNOON:

« Lunch

« Community games at Kiria

Primary school. Team to provide

equipment & supplies for soccer,

volleyball, kickball, bubbles,

checkers, dart, cards etc.

EVENING:

« Panorama - team dinner / debrief

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 24

MORNING:

« Team breakfast / devotion

« GROUP 1: Fencing and planting

trees at school compound

« GROUP 2: Teach at the Nursery

school (34 kids age 6-7). Team to

provide paper, scissors, crayons

to cut out and color letters &

numbers. End with story time

and games.

AFTERNOON:

« Lunch

« Guidance & counseling – class 7

students (50 students, age 14).

Topics to include teenage

issues/challenges, importance of

education, etc. Divide the group

into boys and girls with

interpreters.

EVENING:

« Panorama - team dinner / debrief

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 25

MORNING:

« Team breakfast / devotion

« GROUP 1: Fencing and planting

trees at school compound

« GROUP 2: Teach at the Nursery

school (34 kids age 6-7). Team to

provide paper, scissors, crayons

to cut out and color letters &

numbers. End with story time

and games.

AFTERNOON:

« Lunch

« Home visits with household

chores. Team to divide into

groups of 3 each and will share

chai tea and make chapati.

EVENING:

« Panorama - team dinner / debrief

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26

MORNING:

« Team breakfast / devotion

« GROUP 1: Fencing and planting

trees at school compound

« GROUP 2: Teach at the Nursery

school (34 kids age 6-7). Team to

provide paper, scissors, crayons

to cut out and color letters &

numbers. End with story time

and games.

AFTERNOON:

« Lunch

« Landscaping around the school.

« Community Farewell with prayers

at Kiria Primary school.

EVENING:

« Panorama - team dinner / debrief

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27

MORNING:

« Team breakfast / devotion

« Boat tour on Lake Navasha - $15

per person paid by team.

« Depart for Safari

AFTERNOON:

« Lunch on the road

« Safari Drive

EVENING:

« Sarova Lion Hill / team dinner &

debrief

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 28

MORNING:

« Team breakfast / devotion

« Depart to Nairobi

AFTERNOON:

« Lunch

« Giraffe center / Kazuri beads

« Pizza Dinner

DEPART: Nairobi, KE KQ 102

11:45pm

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 29

ARRIVE: London UK 6:45am

DEPART: AA 173 11:00am

ARRIVE: Raleigh, NC 2:50pm

Hello Everyone!
New blogger on today.  My name is dusti and I am going to Kiria, Kenya with 9 other folks from the New Hope Nation.  We leave on Thursday. So, stay tuned until tomorrow.  I'll be posting our
itinerary.  Please keep all of us in your prayers for safety, health, and strong emotions to carry us through.  More soon.......

Team Kenya 2012 Travel Team and Their Prayer Requests

Hey, everyone...

Here's the team from newhope church (Durham, NC) that's heading to Kenya next week (September 20, 2012).  Please keep all of us in your prayers as we travel and as we spend time in-country with our Kenyan friends.  Also...please feel free to keep up with us as Dusti Sellers, Team Kenya 2012 Blogmaster, blogs about our tip on this blog site:  http://hmi-nc.blogspot.com.

We will be in Kenya from Thursday, September 20, 2012, thru Saturday, September 29, 2012.

God's peace to all of you!!

Dave
On Behalf of Team Kenya 2012


The Team and Their Prayer Requests...

Dave Brown, Team Coach
Age 46

Prayer Requests...

• That I will have a blast with all my friends in Kenya and from newhope!!
• That God will bless our Kenyan brethren as they seek to follow Jesus and to create a sustainable community devoted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
• That God will prepare the heart of every travel team member to be an open conduit of God’s loving kindness to every other team member and to our Kenyan brethren.
• That God will erect a high hedge of protection around every team member.
• That God will bring our team together as a family.
• That I will live a surrendered life.
• That I will know the Mind and feel the Heart of Jesus.
• That I will humbly serve my team members.

Rosalyn Lloyd

Prayer Requests...

• That our newhope team will have a safe and enjoyable flight.
• That we will experience the joy of serving God.
• That our Kirian brothers and sisters will experience God in a Grand Way.
• That our friends and families will be well and that they will keep us in their daily prayers.

Dale Middleton

Prayer requests...

• That God will protect our mission team and bring everyone home safely.
• That God will watch over my family and home.
• That we will inspire the people of Africa to be closer to Jesus.
• That the people of Africa will inspire our mission team and bring us closer to Jesus.
• That God will soften the hearts of the people of the Middle East and those who provoke them.
• That my mother-in-law will feed my pup while I am away, and not be too upset if she eats her shoes.

Kathy Pittman

Prayer Requests...

• To see others through the eyes of Jesus and love them with His love.
• To develop deeper relationships with my Kenyan brothers and sisters, as well as my fellow team members.
• To be a blessing to others.
• To be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
• Protection from illness and injury (for me and my teammates).
• Strength and stamina.

Mary Lou Sanchez

Prayer Requests...

• That God will use me for His purpose on this trip and strip away any doubt I may have of my ability.
• That God will protect my son and teammates during our travels and this trip.
• For God to work on my son’s heart to see God and to want to follow in a path devoted to Jesus.
• For God to continue to open my eyes and heart towards a life of service.
• For my team members and I to grow and learn from each other and to remain a “family” team, during and after this trip.
• Please, please, please pray for me and my fear of bugs!!!! Father God please help me!! J

Dusti Sellers, Blogmaster
Age 51

Prayer Requests...

• Father, take what each of us has to share and multiply it to glorify your purposes.
• Prepare our hearts and the hearts of all we come in contact with, to encounter you in each and every moment.
• Open the eyes of each team member to see how truly blessed we are to be able to serve alongside our Kenyan brothers and sisters in Christ.
• Work within each of us so that your son is clearly seen in our actions, thoughts, and deeds.
• Open the hearts of those who don’t know you and use your servants to lay seed on that fertile soil, through relationships built.
• Father, protect each and every team member’s safety, health, and strength of heart for what you have in store.
• Help me oh God, to serve, to surrender, and to strive to be more Christ-like because of this experience.

John Stillman, Co-Trip Leader
Age 28 (turning 29 on the trip!)

Prayer Requests...

• That my wife and I will humbly serve our team members.
• That things would run smoothly at work in my absence.
• That our team won’t suffer any sickness or health related issues.
• That my wife and I can grow and learn things that we’ll be able to remember and use for the rest of our lives.
• That I would be able to focus on being present, rather than focusing on things going on back home.

Molly Stillman, Co-Trip Leader
Age 27

Prayer Requests...

• That my husband and I will humbly serve our team members.
• That I will be able to humbly serve the people of Kiria, Kenya.
• That when faced with challenges, I will be able to earnestly seek God’s guidance to make the right decision.
• That our team won’t suffer any sickness or health related issues.
• That my personal faith and walk with Christ will continue to be matured and strengthened through this mission trip.
• That my husband and I will be able to continue to grow our Christ-centered marriage through our experience.

Alberto Valentin
Age 13

Prayer Requests...

• That I will be successful on this trip and be a good helper for the team.
• For God to protect us, so we can be safe.
• To make friends when I’m in Kenya so I won’t be lonely.
• To not eat anything that will hurt my stomach.
• For me to remember to not use tap water when I brush my teeth!

Tari Wheeler

Prayer Requests...

• That our Kiria brothers and sisters will continue to seek Jesus.
• That our our Kiria brothers and sisters will spread the Good News to their community.
• That God will place a hedge of protection around the team members every moment of our journey.
• That Jesus will stretch me while growing His Kingdom as I live a life of service to others.