Less of Me, More of Him.

 Hey everyone! Sorry the blog posts are few and far between, but Internet can be a little tricky, and when we get it, it doesn’t always work.This week is the beginning of week Four and it honestly feels like we just got here yesterday. I am really enjoying my time here, although it has been challenging and I have struggled as my heart is breaking for some of the things we have witnessed so far.

I really love my team; we are a team of 9 with our mentor, Mark.  We have Jacob, Justin, Corey, Travis, Rebecca, Rachel, Lauren, Virginia and myself. My favorite part of the week is teaching my Pre-Unit class with Teacher Hope. I really love spending time with these kids, and have developed relationships with them. It is so encouraging when I see them and they come up to me, reciting the verse we’ve been going over the past few weeks, they say it like this: Luke chapter 1 verse 37, it says,” For nothing is impossible with God.” At first, because of my nasally accent, they were saying: For nothing is possible for God—glad we got that fixed! A lot of the teachers and kids have been making fun of me for my accent, which is so ironic to me and really funny. Every time we enter the slum we are greeted with “How are you?” in their cute Kenyan accents by all of the kids. Also, if not we will here Mzungu, Mzungu, How are you? Which is foreigner in Swahili. I am surprised at how I naturally respond to this name now.

Last Saturday, we did a VBS with the kids in Kibera. It was our first VBS and we did the Noah’s Ark story and made little boats to go with it. I worked with the younger babies, 2 and under all day. They couldn’t understand much of what I was saying, but they were hungry for attention, and it was fun to spend some time with them. After that, we went to the girl’s home. I love spending time at Shunam. I have become really close with some of the girls there and I think that is one of my favorite parts of an internship versus a short-term team, building relationships.

So of course, those of you that know me, I would make an idiot of myself most anywhere I go, and that only is heightened by the cultural differences. Here, they say “piga ma coffee” for the Swahili version of clap your hands. Well, the first Sunday I got here, I thought they were saying that we were about to have coffee. So I was wondering where the coffee was, so now it’s a big joke between all of us.

The food here is really good, and I have enjoyed a lot of it. My favorite meal is Chapatti, which is almost like a tortilla. I had the privilege of learning to make it last week, although mine was nowhere near the shape of a circle—I’m hoping my skills will improve before I leave. One meal that I was not too fond of was omena—small fish, whole. Not my favorite meal, although I did give it a fair shot. I hear they are a great source of protein, which they better be after the taste. Most Kenyan’s, from the one’s I’ve talked to, are not really big fans of the whole tiny fish, which was encouraging to hear. They eat a lot of tea here, mostly Chai, so we take a lot of breaks during the day to have tea. I really enjoy this aspect of their culture, taking time to build relationships. I have really loved the coffee, it is delicious and I will be bringing some back. And the Kit-Kat’s here are delicious, not sure why but they are, and I have probably gone on overload with the amount I’ve been eating since I’ve gotten here.

Some Swahili I’ve learned:

Asante- Thank You

Karibu- Welcome

Pole- Sorry

Sawa Sawa- Okay

Pikipiki- Motorcycle

Embe- Mango

Ngombe- Cow (try and pronounce that, impossible)

Sasa (what’s up), then you say Poa

Also, they drive on the left side of the road here, which is something I expected. But the other day, when getting out of the van, I looked left instead of right, and didn’t see a car coming. And apparently, pedestrians do not have the right of way here, so I didn’t look and walked out only to be terrified by the sound of someone honking their horn. Maybe one more step and I would have been mauled by a jeep in Kenya, not exactly ideal. Thankfully, I only screamed and was not hit by the car, but it was incredibly close. I mean I’m ready for heaven, but not quite yet.

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to go to the Kenyan market, where the Kenyan’s go to get their groceries. Each of us were given 3 items to get. You have to bargain for what you want and Caroline and Purity both helped us to bargain and find out reasonable prices. It was so fun, and such an experience. I just wish I hadn’t stuck out so much as a Mzungu (foreigner in Swahili). I hope we can get to go back again. Pastor Imbumi said that it was us getting out of our comfort zone, which was so true.

I’m so thankful for my time here, and so encouraged by what the Lord is doing. He is showing me my sin, and how black my heart is, and at the same time showering me with his grace and mercy. It has been a really great summer so far, and I’m sad it’s half way gone. I think they’re going to have to carry me out kicking and screaming by the time it’s over. God has really confirmed His call on my life for missions or full time ministry, and I can’t wait until I can be on the mission field full time. I could definitely see myself living and doing ministry similar to what we have been doing this summer.

So thank you for reading this, if you got through all of it. I’ll try and make them shorter but I wanted to catch everyone up. Thank you for your prayers, and please keep praying. Here are some things you can be praying for:

-Team unity

-That I would have a spirit of dependence on the Lord, and that I would go to Him for my joy and my strength.

-That I would take on the nature of a servant, and want to serve others before myself.

-That God would draw me closer to Himself, even in the hard times.

-Health of our team, that we wouldn’t get sick.

“Sow for yourselves righteousness,

reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the Lord,

until he comes and showers righteousness on you.”

Hosea 10:12

“Surely God is my salvation,

I will trust and not be afraid.

The Lord, The Lord, is my strength and my song;

He has become my salvation.”

Isaiah 12:2

“He must become greater; I must become less.”

John 3:30

Thanks for reading!

Bwana Asafiwe!

Hey Everyone!

So sorry I haven’t been able to update as regularly as I wanted/planned to. Getting Internet is a little bit of an ordeal with uploading and trying to have time to do everything.

Well first of all, thank you for the prayers. I am so encouraged by having a team of prayer warriors at home, and believe me we need it! God has richly blessed us with such a wonderful team, which is amazing considering the work we will be involved in.

To give you an update on the boy from my last post,  the he has been put under the custody of the church and is staying with the Makukus. Praise God! (Bwana Asafiwe). God is so good and is teaching me his plan is perfect, not only in this situation but in many others.

I really enjoy Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when we get to spend time in Kibera. I am responsible for helping to teach a pre-unit class. (Pre-k). I love it. I have really enjoyed being able to build relationships with the children and adults here. I feel so blessed.

So how can you be praying?

-Team unity

-That I would have a spirit of dependance on the Lord, that I would go to Him for my joy and my strength.

-That I would take on the nature of a servant, and want to serve others before myself.

-That God would draw me closer to Himself, even in the hard times.

Thank you for reading and thank you for your prayers! I’ll try and update my blog on Friday when I have my day off. 

In your relationships with one another, 

have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

 ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, 

   did not consider equality with God 

something to be used to his own advantage; 

⁷ rather, he made himself nothing 

   by taking the very nature of a servant, 

   being made in human likeness. 

⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, 

   he humbled himself 

   by becoming obedient to death— 

      even death on a cross!

Philippians 2:5-8

Hello from Kenya!

Hello from Kenya!

Our Kenyan Home!  

A week ago today, we were boarding the plane. Wow, I can’t believe it! It’s been an amazing week, but there have been so many “firsts” it’s hard to process it all. We arrived in Kenya on Friday night around 8 pm and got to the land. It’s a gorgeous place, and we have been so blessed to have two nationals to stay with us and help us cook and get used to the Kenyan life. This post is sort of long, but it will be going through my regular schedule every week, as well as ways you can be praying!

On Saturday, we went to the girls home, Shunam (from the story of the Shunammitte in 2 Kings 4), and met all of the girls and were able to spend time with them and get to know them more. It was so sweet! We will be spending every Saturday there with them, getting to know them and praying with them for the service on Sunday.

Sunday, we went into Kibera, the slum, for church. I had forgotten so much about it. It takes about 20 min to get into Kibera. Once we got there, I was able to attend the Sunday School class for the younger kids. It was so sweet to see so much hope and joy, in what could seem, to the world, a lot of destruction and desolation. After that we were able to attend the church service, and head back to the land around 3.

Monday’s we will be spending time on the land doing construction for the new location of the girl’s shelter. The boys have been doing the construction and the girls are helping in the garden and cleaning around the land. I think Monday’s are going to be a great way to start our week, and spend time getting to know the construction workers as well as the other Kenyan nationals from the church and the area.

            Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s we will be spending time in Kibera. When we went this past Tuesday, 6 of us were assigned classrooms to teach at the school in Kibera and the rest of us are going to help with the support group for HIV positive adults on Tuesdays and Bible Study’s by Martha (Mama Elmer) on Wednesdays. I was assigned pre-unit with Teacher Hope, which is similar to pre-k. It was encouraging to see the kids warming up to me and getting to know me. We sang songs and I was able to teach them days of the week and different things like that. It was such a sweet time, I loved it! I think this will be one of my favorite parts of the week.

            On Thursday we will be going to Mothega, a sister church of the church in Kibera, where we were able to help with the school there. It is another slum, much nicer than Kibera, but still struck with poverty. We were able to assist in the classrooms as well as playing with the kids. I really enjoyed getting to know the different kids, as well as seeing them play with us. Many of the girls loved our hair, so they would play with it and comb it.

            Fridays, we will have the day off, so we will be able to get Internet access most of the time, as well as talking to our families. I’m thankful for the day off, because we will desperately need it towards the end of the summer, and even now.

I have really enjoyed my time here and am so blessed to be here. God is working in my heart in so many ways, and it’s only week one. So how can you be praying? Well first and for most, pray that God would radically change us, and that it will be for His glory, not for ours. My prayer has been that it would be less of me—my expectations, wants, needs—and more of Him. That His glory would shine through everything we do.

Yesterday, (Thursday) on the way home from Muthega, Pastor Imbumi said that we needed to stop on the way home to pick up one of the boys from the Slum of Kibera. This boy is 8 years old, and has walked all the way from Kibera to try to come to our property to stay with us, because his step mom is abusive and he wanted to leave. He traveled close to 15-20 miles to find us, got lost, and the police picked him up on the way. When we got to the police station to pick him up, they wouldn’t let Pastor take him, because he was not his family. The boy came outside to say hi to us, and was clinging on to Pastor Imbumi’s leg, crying because he didn’t want to stay. Pastor prayed for him, and he had to go back inside. It was heartbreaking. In that moment, I longed for heaven. God is breaking my heart for what breaks His. Please pray for this boy, that there will be redemption through this. I have to trust that this is God’s perfect plan, and that he chose this for this young boy. And this is only one of many cases here.

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 

There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, 

for the old order of these things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

Please be praying for us, for flexibility, for strength, and for us to draw our hope from Christ. Without Him, these situations seem hopeless. Christ is working here. I am learning so much about God’s work in Kenya, and I can’t wait to tell you more! Thanks for reading, and thank you for your prayers!

“Answer me, O Lord, answer me, 

so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God,

 and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

1 Kings 18:37

Kenya dig it?

Team Kenya at the airport! 

It's time for Africa! I can't believe it's already here. We're about to board the plane. GOD IS SO GOOD!


God blessed us with an amazing week of pre-field training. We had plenty of talks about conflict, what to expect on the field, and a great talk about Humility, which I so desperately needed. We were able to meet interns that will be going all over the world, and it was wonderful to feel connected and apart of all of the different ministries. God was so good to bring us all together, and I love my team! We have had a lot of fun, and I can't wait to be on the field with everyone. 


Please be praying for our safety as we travel, flexibility on the field, for us to really love each other more than we love ourselves, and for God to really work in and through us this summer. Pray that conflict won't arise and if/when it does, we would handle it in a Godly manner. Thank you so much for all of your prayers!

"Let me find thy light in my darkness,

thy life in my death,

thy joy in my sorrow,

thy grace in my sin,

thy riches in my poverty,

thy glory in my valley." 

-The Valley of Vision

"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, 

in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. 

For when I am weak, then I am strong." 

2 Corinthians 12:10

Pre-field training!


Please put your email in the box on the top right hand corner if you would like to get an email with my new posts! Thanks for reading! 

Hello Goodbye

Who knew goodbye could be so hard. Words can really not express how much I have been blessed by my job at East Lanier. I'm going through the last's right now... I have had my last youth group, my last staff meeting, my last bible study in Isaiah, my last community group, my last day at work, my last East Lanier event and the list goes on and on. It's only the beginning and I'm starting to become incredibly sad.

The youth threw me a going away party, how sweet! 

I have been blessed beyond belief with the opportunity of serving at East Lanier Community Church. God has richly blessed me through the lives of this Body of Christ. I have learned so much, and will continue to learn from them. The women of East Lanier have been so wonderful to me. They have been true examples of Christ,  and I cannot express how thankful I am. They have been role models and modeled to me how to live a christian life with their husbands and children. They have invested their lives in me, encouraged me, prayed with me and for me, and words cannot express how thankful I am. This is what the body of Christ is all about, and someday I hope to be an example to others as they have been to me.

One of the girls in my community group wrote this for me. 

As I've been processing my "lasts" I have been reflecting on the many life lessons I've been learning these past two years. God has clearly shown me my desire to be a part of ministry full time, and the desires he's given me to hopefully go into full time ministry after college. I am sad that this phase in my life is over, but incredibly thankful to have been given the opportunity. It's been amazing to see how God has changed my heart and has grown my relationship in Him. I have learned so much by serving in the youth group, and have been blessed to be a part of it. East Lanier was not only my employment, but has become my family. Each of the families has impacted my life and invested in me in ways I never would have imagined.

While i'm sad this phase is over and sad to say goodbye, I am incredibly thankful for how richly God has blessed me to be able to go to Kenya this summer and serve in Kibera. Hello Africa! God's love truly is extravagant, and I'm feeling it! How blessed I am to be a child of the living God! I can't believe it's only a week until I leave. Please be praying for me as I get ready to pack and leave the friends and family I love and get out of my comfort zone. The amazing thing is that I won't be going alone, but I have a community of believers behind me supporting me and praying for me and the other interns!  I can't wait to see what God is going to do in my life, and how He is going to use me and the other interns to further His kingdom this summer.

As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.

Isaiah 66:13

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. 

Matthew 28:20

Please put your email in the box on the top right if you would like to receive an email notification of a new post while I am away. Thanks for reading! 

Beyond Anything I Could Ever Hope or Imagine.

Well it has definitely been some time since I've posted last! God has taught me so much through these past weeks, and he is revealing Himself to me more than ever before. 

 To give you an update, the appeal committee at Covenant met again, after I posted last time, and re-appealed my appeal and offered me the money I needed. As i'm typing this, I think I am still in shock. God provided for me to go to Covenant this Fall, and I am so excited! It has been so encouraging to see the body of Christ come up around me, support me, and pray for me during this time. God has just shown me to place my trust in Him, and to follow Him wherever He leads me.

As far as my support goes for Kenya, after receiving many donations, and still more to come in, it looks like I am fully supported. PRAISE GOD!! I feel so loved. God has shown me His love in incredible ways this past few months. 

I am in awe. I am so undeserving, and yet as I look back God has always provided, beyond anything I could ever hope or imagine! His ways are far better than mine. I never would have imagined that I would be working at East Lanier, and yet here I am. I have been so blessed by this church family, and this opportunity to be here these past two years. God has taught me so much. I never would have imagined that four years later, I would be able to return to Kenya for a summer internship, and yet here I am. And I never would have imagined going to Covenant this fall, and yet God has provided. He has strengthened my Faith through this process, and taught me to depend on Him. Only God could have done this. My cup is overflowing. 

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, 

that we should be called children of God!"  

1 John 3:1

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

Psalm 23:5

 One more month.

Where You Lead Me, I Will Follow.

As long as my heart is beating...
Where You lead me I will follow
Where You lead me I give my life away
Where You lead me I will follow

Well this song has been on my mind a lot lately, and it couldn't be a more perfect time. After appealing the process to apply to Covenant for a bigger financial aid package, I received a response today. Basically, the amount they gave me was as generous as it gets, and i'm still left $4,000 short. I knew this amount when I applied for the appeal, and prayed that God would provide if this was His will. I know that if I really tried, maybe I could come up with the amount, involving more student loans and taking out finances I just don't have. But I serve a big God. and $4,000 is not too much for Him to provide if this was His plan for me.

So I'm left asking, now what? I'm taking a leap of Faith. I have no idea where the Lord will lead me for school after Gainesville, but wherever He leads me, I will follow. I've been studying Isaiah and this week this verse struck me: 

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

neither are your ways my ways, 

Declares the Lord.

As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways,

and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8-9

His ways are not my ways, and even though Covenant was "my way" it is not His. So wherever He leads me, I will follow. Thanks for taking part in my journey, I know this isn't about Kenya, but it's what God is teaching me right now. He doesn't promise us all the things we want, in my case Covenant, but He does promise us his presence. And I feel God's presence walking me through this, and that's enough for me. Thanks for reading! 

Lord, I'm Restless Until I Rest in You.

Hey Everyone!
Well, as usual, I have a lot to say! First, Lauren, Virginia and I had a yardsale this weekend for our Kenya trip and we raised $2,300! Praise God! After a long week of sorting, organizing, and getting the church ready for the yard sale, it was a huge success, and I am so thankful to everyone who donated, helped, and supported us last week!

Lately, I've been thinking about what it means to be completely dependent. A dictionary definition of dependance is: a person who relies on another person for support (especially financial support).


Ding, ding! That's exactly where God has me--completely dependent. It would be really easy for me if  the Lord would show me His plans for me next year and provide the funds for my upcoming trip, but that's not His plan. Sometimes I think that if only He would write it in the sky, or send me an e-mail I would be so much better off!  I'm willing to follow His plan, I just don't know what it is! But He wants me on my knees, completely dependent on him. Relying on Him for my every move, and knowing that He is the only one that can provide what I need. God has been teaching me what it means to rest in Him, and Him alone for my needs and wants, and it has been so good! It's indescribable the peace He has given me, but I'm loving it!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness by evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Phillipians 4:4-7

There's a song by Audrey Assad titled "Restless" and the chorus has been on my mind a lot lately:

And I'm Restless, I'm Restless

'Till I rest in you, 'til I rest in You

I'm Restless, I'm restless

'Till I rest in You, 'til I rest in you

Oh God, I wanna rest in You

How true! God, I am restless until I rest in You! 

Well lastly, I'm ready for Kenya! I am so excited. Official Countdown: 60 days, 7 hours, 15 min, and 15 seconds!! We have a complete team of 9 going: Lauren, Virginia, Rachel, Rebecca, Travis, Jacob, Corey, Justin, and Myself. I'm ready to go, and ready for God to use me in Kenya. I encourage you to pray for Imbumi and Martha, the ministry they are doing, and that we can be an encouragement to them. I found this video, and it should help and provide some more information on the ministry I will be serving this summer, and what they are all about. Please take the time and listen to what God is doing in Kibera!

I know it was a lot of rambling, but I encourage you to keep praying. Be praying for the support for the interns to come in, be praying for the ministry we will be serving in Kenya, and be praying for Martha and Imbumi.

Imbumi & Martha Makuku's Family

Thank you so much for reading! I've been overwhelmed with the amount of support and how others are participating in this trip. I am beyond blessed to be able to go, and simply can't wait!