Kenya 2011 Picture Montage

All...

Here's a picture montage (on vimeo) created by Molly Buckley, who was a part of the Kenya 2011 team.

God's peace,

Dave

http://vimeo.com/31356923

The Final Two Days In Kenya

Day 7 and 8: 

On behalf of the team I would like to first say thank you to all of those who have supported us and prayed for us throughout this journey. The trip and the progress that was made would not have been possible had it not been for you. The following is going to be a synopses of the events that took place the final two days in Kenya. My main goal is to share the emotional struggles, questions, and delight that were expressed by team members during those days.

Following our last emotional debrief on Wednesday night the team went to bed feeling a sense of community with each other. Thursday morning we began with our normal breakfast and devotion then it was time to say goodbye to the Panorama Hotel. Today was a day to reflect on the experience we had had in the village and also a day to prepare to re-acclimate ourselves to society. Prior to checking into our new hotel we went for a boat ride and walk through a park. We used this time to appreciate Gods beauty in the world and also to reflect on our experiences. When our walk was complete we got back on the bus and headed to our new hotel. Upon arrival we dropped off our baggage then returned to the bus for a safari. This again was the perfect opportunity for us to be together if one of us needed support without doing an activity that required an extensive amount of talking. When the safari ended it was time to head back to the hotel, eat dinner, debrief, and then it was time for bed.

The next morning the team was given on additional hour to journal and prepare ourselves for reentry into our daily routines. On the way back to Nairobi we stopped at a few places to pick up souvenirs, ate lunch on the bus, stopped in Nairobi for dinner, then off to the airport. The Goodbye to Muchai (our 410 Bridge leader) was just as hard as saying goodbye to the village. He has been a great support and I know that many team members already look forward to seeing him again next year.

Throughout our own personal dilemmas and struggles dealing with the Kenyan's poverty and general unawareness of worldly matters we all had the same realization in the end. We realized that we all need God, no matter what our culture or circumstance. We are all lost without God. Todays message in church really brought this into perspective for me. The people of Kiria Kenya are able to rejoice and be happy because they allow themselves the time to be quite, still, and alone which equals being close to God. I know that many team members struggled with the fact that the people of Kira Kenya were so happy and yet are lacking in many ways. I for one was surprised at how content the people in the village were. When looking closely you can tell that they are not lacking in the most important way; they know God and they allow their soul time to grow. Do they still need material possessions, such s bibles and books, to assist in this process? Yes, and that is where we come in as their partners. We are partnering with then in order to build on what is already in place.

One tough question that we ran across in one of our debrief is, “Do the people of Kiria struggle socially in the community.” Without fulling understanding the language it is hard for any of us to completely understand the social dynamic of the adults. However, I can not imagine a society where there was not a difference in opinion at some point. I think the people of Kiria have been trained at an early age to be quiet about what you don't like because there is nothing anyone can do about it. Now, that is just my opinion based on my experiences. The leaders in the village and 410 Bridge staff are working on ways to get the women to be more outspoken which will be a positive transformation overall.

I think the thing that we all found the most surprising, cherished the most, and will miss the most is the openness of the community. They welcomed us with open arms and taught us about community when we were there to help them. Appreciate and awareness of the people in our lives and the God who made us all is my take-away from this mission. I hope to continue to do missional work and to share these messages with others. Thank you again for all of your support and prayers.

Listen to: “Open Arms”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIgX_6Fi2AQ&feature=related

God Bless,

Amy Lineberry, on behalf of Team Kenya 2011 

“KREESE—toe—fahr and the LYE—own”

This is THE definitive recording of Christopher’s lion story.  It was recorded by Diana Tursi on Tuesday, August 2, 2011, at the Kiria Primary School in Kiria, Kenya.

Enjoy…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjp3pf_t-Ro

Kenya 2011 Trip Response—Thursday Night Debrief, August 4, 2011, Lake Nakuru, Kenya

Greetings 2011 Kenya Team…

I miss all of you soooo much!!  It was so great to see at least some of you this morning!!

Provided below (and as I promised) is the responsive road map (plus a little extra) that I suggested at the debrief last Thursday night.  Please know that I love all of you deeply, that I treasure each of you greatly, and that I look forward to where God leads us as a community.

Your friend and brother,

Dave ("Wahinya"), Team Father

Team Kenya 2011

THE MAP

Part A:  Scriptures

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

1 Corinthians 10:31

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Part B:  A Few Ground Rules Suggestions

While strict obedience to what I provide below is not neccessary (or, even, recommend), I do recommend that you consider the following suggestions as you think of, feel, and pray through the many things that have arrisen within you as a result of the 2011 trip to Kenya:

• Take all of these things slowly; please give yourself some time over the next few minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and, it is my hope, years to work through these things.
• Please know that God is a Perfect Gentleman and that He is not at all interested in destroying who you are as a person.  In fact, He is so interested in you as you are right now in this moment that, even though He does wish to bring about change in your life, He will do so in what I like to call an aggressively unaggressive manner.  Through the mighty working of His Spirit in you, He will mold you into the person He intends for you to be without destroying who you are or overriding your will in any manner.  The ability that He alone has to do these things is truly extraordinary.  With all of this in mind, I urge you to adopt a posture of surrenderedness, and I urge you also to pursue Him with all that’s within you...just as He passionately pursues you.
• Don’t make any significant life-changes for at least 30 days, okay?  Again, please just give yourself some time with all of this.  Relax, okay?  Since God is not in a hurry, it's probably not necessary for you to be in a hurry either.  :o)

 Part C:  A Suggested Road Map for Responding to the Kenya 2011 Trip

Step One:  “Telling Your Story”

To aid you in answering the question, “How was your trip?,” I suggest writing out a one-sentence answer, a two- to three-sentence answer, a two-paragraph answer, and a two-page answer.  By having these answers, you will, I have discovered, be able to effectively move from one answer to a more detailed answer depending on the interest of the person asking you the above question.  By having such answers already written out, it will, I believe, help you to be sensitive to and to accommodate (within your own heart and mind) the varied degrees of interest/disinterest in those around you.  And, through preparing such things in advance, it may also help you to adopt a posture of forgiving in advance those who will hurt you even before they do so.  I write all of this because I can guarantee that most of you will experience at least some emotional pain from those who reject you in some way over the next week or two.  Jesus once said, “if the world hated me, it will hate you as well.”  He also urged His followers to rejoice in persecutions (see Matthew 5:11-12).  So….with all of this in mind, tell your story with great joy, and allow God to pour His love through you to everyone you encounter in the coming days...irrespective of their response.

Step Two:  “Recalibrating Part 1:  Stream of Consciousness Exercise”

Allow yourself over the next few days to begin to write out all things on your mind and in your heart concerning changes you’d like to make in your life in response to the trip.  As a model, I have included the list I generated immediately following my most recent trip to Haiti (see Part E).  The purpose of the stream of consciousness posture is to allow everything to come out unfiltered and unedited.

After you’ve allowed yourself to sit with things for a few days, narrow your list to no more than ten desired changes/recalibrations.  The list should include at least one or two items that deal with your desire to become more connected with your community of faith.  The list should include also one or two items that deal with your desire to become more missional in your life.

In a couple of weeks, narrow your list to no more than five recalibrations and then rank them in their order of importance.

Step Three:  “Seeking the Fruit of the Spirit”

Complete a word study on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12).  Completing a comprehensive study of the ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) is recommended as well.

Step Four:  “Reacquainting Yourself with Yourself”

Ask yourself (and answer) the following questions:

1. What were your dreams as a child?
2. Who were your heroes as a child?
3. What are your dreams now?
4. Who are your heroes now?

Take a spiritual gift inventory.  I think that newhope church still offers one on the newhope website.  There are, though, several offered on-line that I think will be very beneficial to you.  One such inventory can be found at http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/.

Step Five:  “Recalibrating Part 2”

Ask yourself (and answer) the following questions:

1. Where are you now?
2. Where do you want to be a month from now?  And what will you do to migrate toward that place?
3. Where do you want to be in three months?  And what will you do to migrate toward that place?
4. Where do you want to be in twelve months?  And what will you do to migrate toward that place?

Step Six:  “Beginning with the End in Mind”

Ask yourself (and answer) the following questions:

1. Where do you want to be in five years?
2. How do you want to feel in five years?

Allow the revisioning of this part to draw you like a huge magnet toward the fulfillment of what you are envisioning.

Part D:  A Few Things I'd Like to Learn from the Samurai

Provided below is something I wrote a few months ago…

A Few Things I’d Like to Learn from the Samurai

For most of my life, I’ve been fascinated by the warrior classes—especially, the ancient Samurai of feudal Japan.  To say they were a paradoxical people is an understatement.

The Samurai trained in the arts of life and death:  they studied and practiced haiku and swordsmanship…the tea ceremony and field applications of archery...gardening and submission grappling.  They prepared for the future, but didn't wait for it to happen; they lived in and for the moment as though tomorrow didn't exist—because, to them, it didn't.  They had children, and yet raised them to live as though Mom and Dad might not be around an hour hence.

Theirs was a way of life so utterly simple, and yet incomprehensibly complex.  They cultivated an unnatural naturalness and a natural unnaturalness in nearly every aspect of life, and they lived by an ancient, internal code that simply reminded them to be present and devoted completely to their current experience...for there really is nothing else. 

I recall a story I heard once about a martial arts instructor, who posed the following question to his adult students:  “If you discovered that you had only twenty-four hours left to live, what would you do with the time you had left?”  The answers he received were varied, as one might expect.  Some spoke of how they would spend their time with their families; others of how they would visit places they’d always wanted to see but never did; and still others of how they would devote themselves to some form of service to humanity.

After listening intently for a few minutes, the teacher beckoned his students to stillness and then spoke of his disappointment with the answers they’d all given.  “No one answered with what I would consider the best answer possible," he began.  "And that's this:  I wouldn't live any differently than the way I'm living right now, right here.”

Profound, and, most definitely, something to consider, would you not agree?

In the United States alone, more than two million people died last year—many from things unexpected.  Just like some of us will, too, someday.  Perhaps, even, today.

I’d like to ask you the very same question the instructor I mentioned above asked his students so very long ago...

If you had only twenty-four hours left to live, and knew it, how differently would you live that last day than the way you'd lived, say, the previous 365 days?

Take a few minutes, and really give it some thought.  Perhaps, even, write your answers down or, even better, go and live them out—and do it today...right now.  And then do it tomorrow...and the day after that...and the day after that, should you, Lord-willing, be blessed with such a precious gift.

Part E:  My Most Recent Stream of Consciousness Big List (Prepared in April 2011 During My Initial Responses to the Haiti 2011 Trip)

1. When taking a shower, turn off the hot water while lathering up your body or washing your hair.
2. Go out of your way to be the first to greet another—be it a friend or a total stranger.  Be the first to smile and say "hello."
3. Greet people properly.  Smile, look them in the eye, and speak clearly and genuinely.
4. Spend some time every day working on your business contacts—Ummm...not your website, Dave; your contacts.  :o)
5. Redo your budget during the first part of May, put together a revised financial plan, and then live by it.
6. Step up your purchasing from Goodwill of the things you need, and donate back at least as much as you buy.
7. Pursue up-to-date news about Haiti and Kenya.  KNOW what’s going on in both of those countries.
8. Open yourself up to those around you—almost to a point that’s pretty much unheard of in our culture.  But do so in a manner that's sensitive to others.  Be open, but in a kindly manner.
9. Speak the truth (or what you know or believe to be the truth) in kindness with everyone (even yourself), all the time, in every situation, and without hesitation.
10. Reinvigorate your inventiveness.  (It’s been a while, Dave.  It’s time to create stuff again, dude.)
11. Develop an exercise routine that can be practiced effectively overseas.
12. Devote considerable time to the personal (meaning, in-person) cultivation of missional partnerships.
13. Write with all your heart and mind, and let what’s inside you come out.  Share who you are with as many people as possible.
14. Complete your tax returns on-time, Dave.  THEY OWE you money.  What are you waiting for?  Go get it, dude.
15. Be faithful in your Sunday morning and Monday night Missional Houses of Prayer.
16. Pay all your bills on-time.
17. Ask for prayer.  Plead with those you know to pray for you.
18. Tell those you love how much you love them and what they’ve meant to you in your life.
19. Be super-expressively grateful.
20. Cease all complaints, all blame, all criticism, all gossip.  All of it, Dave.
21. Confront misbehavior lovingly, but firmly—in yourself and in others.
22. Reduce your wine consumption.  I know you love it, Dave, but it can easily begin to hate you.  Enjoy it in moderation.  Remember this:  A second glass never tastes as good as the first.
23. Fast, on occasion, the watching of movies by yourself.  Do so for a day, a week, or, even, a month at a time.
24. Build deep and abiding friendships with your work colleagues.
25. Create missional culture by living it and inviting those you love to practice such things with you.
26. Pursue Acts 2 community living within the newhope community.
27. Pray for people on the spot.
28. Go to bed earlier.
29. Get up earlier.
30. Keep your kitchen sink clean and your dishwasher empty.
31. Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes.
32. Forgive quicker.  Decide beforehand that everyone around you is automatically forgiven—long before they irritate or hurt you.
33. Stop thinking about what you’re going to say while someone else is talking.  Take the time to really listen and absorb what another is saying to you.  Then, after that person feels that he or she has been heard, think about what you might like to say.
34. Let go of your attachment to specific outcomes in your life.  Do you really HAVE to have x y z to be happy?  Ummm...the correct answer would be NO, Dave.
35. Submit—completely—to those in authority over you.  Submit also—and do so completely—to your brothers and sisters around you.
36. Stop caring so much about what others think of you.
37. Take the time to really prepare at least one meal a day, and then give yourself permission to actually taste it, okay?  Dine, Dave, dine…and have fun eating, because having fun is at least half the point!  These are all novel concepts, I know!
38. Dine on your conversations with others, too.  Sip—don’t gulp-their soul’s wine.  It will change your life, dude.  And theirs, too!
39. Take care of your paper work.
40. Always respond to others with an almost overwhelming kindness, respect, dignity, and compassion.
41. Smile before you answer the phone or before someone even says “hello” to you.
42. Go out of your way to acknowledge the person waiting on you in a restaurant or in the check-out line at the grocery store.  Learn—and remember—his or her name.
43. When someone comes in to your office, stop what you’re doing—immediately (unless you’re on the phone)—and give that person your full time and attention.
44. Live in the moment, Dave.  Yesterday no longer is, and tomorrow doesn't exist.  All you have is right now.
45. Invite God to be an integral part of every though, feeling, word, and action.
46. Be happy...all the time...even when you’re feeling sad or broken.
47. Enjoy your friends.
48. Be prompt in returning phone calls.
49. Engage in language training (especially Haitian Creole and Kiswahili) weekly. 

Part F:  Some Final Thoughts

The purpose of the above exercise conglomerate is to provide you with a road map for responding to the Kenya trip in a way that is generative, life-affirming, and life-giving.  I believe with all my heart that if you really do work at it…prayerfully…you and the kingdom of God will benefit greatly.  I speak of this from my own personal experience.

Part G:  One Last Thing

As I wrote above, aside from making a decision to pursue Jesus with all your heart, don’t make any significant life-changes for at least 30 days (specifically, before September 6, 2011).  But…if there are significant life-changes that you think you’d like to make, add them to your list of recalibrations, and let them marinate with all the others.  :o)

Peace out, y’all, and have fun with all of this (for having fun is, I believe, half the point!).

Also...please, please, please let me know if I can be of any help or service to any of you in any of the above (or anything else, for that mater).  Again, I love you all so much that it hurts inside.

CU,

Daver

Kenya Update

Hello everyone i just wanted to let you all know that the team is doing great! We are eating breakfast now and will be getting on the plain to return home tonight. If you would like our flight information it has been posted in a previous entry. I will be doing a summary of our last two days in Kenya when we return. Thank you again for your support and prayers!

God Bless,
Amy Lineberry, on behalf of Team Kenya 2011

Kenya Day Six

Day Six:

Emotions are running high tonight following the debrief discussing our time in the village of Kiria. Today was our last day in the village and each team member now has to determine what this experience means to them and how they are going to use the experience to guide them in their everyday lives. We came to build relationships with the people of Kiria but an additional plus to this mission is that we can now use our experience and knowledge to hopefully serve other individuals as well. 

In the village today we went about our normal routine in the morning, helped with the construction of the primary school and worked with the students. In the afternoon we had a nail painting party with the women of the village in order to pamper them..... They definitely deserve it. Once the nails were done we briefly spoke to a Bright Point representative. This is an organization that works with 410 Bridge in order to provide a sponsor to the students in the primary school.  I highly recommend this program! Then, it was time for the closing ceremony. This was an emotional time for all of the team members and for some of the community leaders. What we were feeling was different for each person and some  of us are still processing how we feel about all that we have experienced. I know that I can speak for the team when I say that the days we spent in Kiria Kenya will never be forgotten. 

The people of Kiria have accepted us and have allowed us to be apart of their community. They have said it many times but it was repeated again today in the closing ceremony that we are always welcome. I appreciate the support that Newhope has given this community and I appreciate the community of Kiria for allowing us to learn about their culture and to share some or ours. 

On the bus ride back to the hotel I ran across the song , “Funny The Way It Is,” on my Ipod . There is a line in the song that says, “Funny the way it is, one kid walks 10 miles to school while the other is dropping out.”  This song really spoke to me because it challenges me to take what I have learned in this community, which is appreciation, and find a way to teach students in the western culture what it really means to appreciate something. 

This is just one example of the many positive realizations that have been produced by the trip so far. We all look forward to spending the next couple of days together continuing to build relationships and focusing on our purpose. Thank you all for you prayers and support throughout this journey. 

Listen to: Funny The Way It Is 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAbMnMWHTvY 

God Bless,

Amy Lineberry, On behalf of Team Kenya 2011

Kenya Day Five

Day Five:

I keep telling myself, “Take it in, take it in.” I feel I need to take in as much of this experience as possible in order to do justice to my purpose of being here. As was stated in this mornings devotion, this experience is not just about building relationships with the people of Kiria Kenya but also about loving one another in general. 

Today we visited and worked in the village (we helped build the floor and held an information session with the older students). The towns on the way to Kiria would, from an outsiders perspective, look like something from a movie representing the ends of the earth.  But, when you speak to the people in the towns there is love and community more evident than I have ever seen. The Kenyas may been lacking education, resource, technology, and medical care but they are not lacking in the area of love and community. Our team leader, Dave, put it well when he said, “Our joy is found in relationships and community.” Through this mission not only the team is inspired to live out this thought process but we are also called to teach others to love one another. How might we do this? We befriend our neighbor, we do unto others as we would have them do unto us, we love one another, and we give grace when needed. 

Today in my personal journal I wrote, “Today I had the most fun that I have ever had in my life.” The reason I wrote this is because a simple thing such as learning a new song and dance with the students of the primary school was truly the only thing in the world that I wanted to be doing. I know that many other team members felt the same way during their work and activities. 

These moments are so touching because the people of Kiria are conscious of the moments we spend together that makes the moments priceless. They value the time tht we spend with them. NewHope continues to support this loving community and priceless moments. Due to the financial and relational support brought to this community through NewHope their is a working water system at the school. The water is used for drinking, washing, and today we used it to help with the construction of the school. Thank God for these blessings and the people that are in our lives. Remember to cherish the small moments. 

Tomorrow is our last day in the village so please keep us in your prayers. Saying goodbye to our Kiria friends is going to require strength and faith in God’s purpose for us all. 

God Bless, 

Amy Lineberry, on behalf of Team Kenya 2011   

Kenya Day Four

Day 4:

Today I felt more apart of the community than ever. The day began with our normal breakfast at 7:30 and devotion at 8:00. The devotion topic was, imitate Jesus by doing good things. The team was eager to get to work in the village so we then headed to Kiria at 8:30. 

Once arriving you could feel the excitement in the air. The community had gathered together in order to work alongside us. Our goal today as a team is to build relationships with the people of Kiria as we work on a new floor in the primary school. Building relationships is not a difficult task in this community. Each day I am surprised at how open and excited they are just to have us be apart of their lives. The logistics of building the new floor was not like anything you have seen in the US. Imagine toting dirt with an old potato sack, then dancing on the broken dirt floor in order to level it. It was the most fun I have had “working” in my life. 

The major difference that I noticed was that the work did not seem like work at all. The Kenyans and our team were both enjoying the time we were spending together. There were goals to accomplish but with no deadline stressing anyone out. We were working side by side to create a better environment for the students to learn in and also to build our personal relationships.....Both goals were achieved today. Tomorrow we will continue working on the school and wcontinue to build our relationship with the community. 

After we took a break for lunch we broke up into 4 small groups to conduct home visits. Each team brought ingredients with them to the homes in order to make flat bread (also known in Kenya as, chapatti). The home visit was truly a universal moment. There is nothing better than bonding over food.   

Each team member is getting the chance to experience the Kenya’s culture and share ours with them. A part of sharing our with them is showing them who we are through our actions. At church yesterday the preacher said, “American are people who love people.” This is why I choose the quote below; we are getting a chance to let our light shine.  

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

-Matthew 5:16

God Bless, 

Amy Lineberry, on behalf of Team Kenya 2011

Team Prayer request

*Please continue to keep not only our spiritual development in your prayers but also our health.

*One of the team members, Molly, had a slight eye injury today. Nothing that the nurses on the team couldn’t take care of but I’m sure extra support would be appreciated.

*We have also had a few team members not feeling 100%  please also keep them in your prayers. 

*Please pray for the team members to have a restful sleep in order for us to be prepared for what God has in store for us the following day.

*Transitioning back into the US culture will be difficult for the team after the breakthrough and life changing realities that have been brought to light. Please keep the entire team in your prayer in order for us to have smooth transition back home. 

Kenya Day Three

Day 3: 

Our day began with breakfast and a morning devotion. The devotion was on taking the narrow path instead of the wide one because in the long run the path that is the least appealing is typically the most rewarding. The same can be said about coming to Kenya in order to build relationships. The planning, traveling, leaving behind family and friends might seem overwhelming but in the long run the rewards have already made themselves evident. In the to few days that we have spent in the village we have created relationships and memories that will change both the Kenya’s and our lives. 

After breakfast and devotion, around 8:45, we headed to Kiria. It is Sunday so just like in the US the people of the community attend church. We broke up into 5 teams and attended 5 different churches. Each of our experiences were a little different but the overall consensus is that everyone admires how they worship so freely. The are not restricted by fears of judgement; they dance, sing, and are genuinely happy to praise. During the service that I attended the message was talking about humbling yourself. At one point the preacher said, “Humble yourself and you will feel the hand of God.” This ties into Frans message yesterday, that we need to take the time to appreciate life.

After our church services we were treated to local tea and a small meal. This was the communities way of welcoming us and also a way for us to get to know one another in a more intimate setting. We then took a break for lunch, as a team, on the side of a beautiful mountain. David Muchai (our 410 bridge coordinator) updated us on some local traditions. Once lunch was over it was game time! I have to say that the community games has been one of my favorite parts of the trip so far.

Playing games with the community allowed everyone to be more open. If there is a language barrier it doesn't really matter when you’re playing soccer or volleyball. Not to mention the face-painting that the students and team members had  blast doing. 

Overall, today was a perfect day. We were surrounded by gorgeous scenery, beautiful weather, we had church with friends, and played games with new ones. We were humbled today as individuals and as a team. We are all looking forward to what God has in store for us. 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.”

- 1 Peter 5:6

God Bless, 

Amy Lineberry, on behalf of Team Kenya 2011