Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! I am so sorry I have not been able to update my blog in some time. We have been so busy and did not get Internet for 4 days. We only have a 3 days left here. We are sad it has gone so fast but we have learned so much and can’t wait to share it with you.
On Thursday of last week, we went out to nine poles. I gave them the school supplies I brought. They were very grateful and could not believe all the books. They said they have a limited number of books and the children have read them all so they are very excited to have more books. The leaders of the village then spoke to Dr. Long (the head of the bible department at LCU) about the school and the orphan program. We then left around lunchtime to head back to town. Our van got a flat tire. The two spares were both flat also. So we had to wait until a guy came out with a new tire. After an hour of waiting, the man came out with a new tire but it was the wrong size. So he took the flat tire and went to go patch it up. We waited another two hours in the bush for him to come back. We came back and the tire fit! We made it out of the bush and on the highway and the tire went flat again! The guy had another van and we all piled in that one and made it home. It was an adventure. On Thursday, Chad helped with the medical camps. He unloaded supplies and organized it.
On Friday, we all went up to the hospital and helped unload the last of the supplies and organize it. Chad then got to help with the screenings. He saw many hernias, growths, and other things that would be a little gross to write about. He was so excited and loved it all! They saw 120 people on Friday.
For the weekend we went to ruins and then to the hotel that Ernest Hemingway would stay and write his books. It was interesting and wonderful to see more of Africa. On the way there we saw a baboon walking along the road! It was so funny. On Sunday we went to church with Margaret. Since we were visitors, Chad and Landon had to preach on the spot. They did not know before we went. They did great! Sunday was also our 1-year anniversary. So that evening, Jim, the Shumans, and the Longs gave us a gift certificate to a nice restaurant. The restaurant even made us a cake and sang to us. It was awesome! I will never forget our first anniversary.
On Monday a team of around 30 people arrived from Lubbock. We then went to the hospital to sort the medicine with the people from Lubbock. It took all day. That night we find out that Chad and I would get to go to Gala Ranch for the medical camp. It is 2 hours from Malindi and is where the game park is.
So on Tuesday we got up at 6 a.m. to leave for the ranch. It was mostly bumpy dirt roads. The place we stayed was nice tents that had bathrooms attached to them. We only had electricity for 2 hours in the evening. No Internet! We had to drive an hour in the back of a truck each morning to get to the place were the clinic was. Jerma, the main boss of the town, hosted us for meals. We had goat stew and rice every meal expect breakfast .We had this for 4 days straight. Let’s just say we are tired of goat. The reason we had goat every meal was because to the people that is an honor to eat goat. So they were honoring us! We worked from Tuesday to Friday at the medical camp. We saw over 400 people! It was amazing! The people were so appreciated of us! On Thursday evening, to show their appreciation for us they gave us a tribal dance. It was so interesting to watch them.
We made a huge impact in Gala. People came from all around just to see the doctor. We saw everything from lion bites to ear infections. It was a wonderful time full of hard work. Everyone that came left with vitamins and medicine. We arrived back to Malindi Friday evening.
We now only have 3 more days before we start flying home. On Monday and Tuesday Chad will scrub in on some surgeries. On Wednesday we will pack up and leave that afternoon. This will be my last blog entry.
This trip has been a HUGE blessing in Chad’s and I life. We have grown so much and have discovered more about who God is and what He desires of our lives. We have met many amazing people and helped many. I am so thankful to you who have prayed and supported us. I want you to know that God has worked here and will continue to work here! We are sad to be leaving but pray that someday we will get to come back long term. We want to be missionaries and feel that is what God is calling us to be! Please keep our future in your prayers. We thank you again for your help! We love you and we pray that God blesses you again and again! We hope to see you soon face to face!
To God’s amazing glory!
Chad and Whitney
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
News
Good Afternoon Everybody!
I hope everyone is doing well and are having a blessed week.
We have had a wonderful week. On Saturday we went to the snake farm. We learned which snakes are poisonous and which snakes are not. We also saw alligators and turtles. One turtle was 110 years old. Amazing!
On Sunday we went to a different church that was out in the bush. The church building was made of mud. There were probably thirty members. The women sat on one side and the men on the other. Chad and Landon did a small sermon. Chad did most of his in Swahili. He did a wonderful job and everyone was impressed. For the Lord’s Supper, we go up one by one starting with the eldest person. After services, the church wanted to fix us lunch. They cooked us rice and coconut chicken. It was very good and so nice. By the time we left, we had been there 4 hours. Lunch takes a long time to prepare. We were so blessed by their hospitality. They are SO welcoming! And to cook for us when they are living in poverty. We definitely felt the unity of Christ among them.
On Monday we visited two different ministries. The first was an African, Mike, who started an orphanage program. Children are considered orphans if the father dies (because the father has the power in the family) or if both parents die. It is tradition for the other family members to take care of the orphan children but many times the extended family does not have enough resources to take of the orphans. Mike, working with Christian Relief Fund, has given the extended family the resources so that the orphans may stay in their village. This is a wonderful thing. The children will get to grow up with their actual extended family, grow up in their culture, with their tribal language, and live in the same house they have always lived in. Many of these things are lost when orphans are taken away and put in an orphanage. Mike makes sure all the orphans attend church and go to school. Mike started this himself with the help of others including Jim Beck. He has made such a big difference in these orphans’ lives. The orphans are now educated, living in good conditions, and are getting medical care. We also visited with Anderson, another African, who has started self-help groups. The groups form their own bank and then use the money to take out loans and start their own businesses. It is very detailed and would be hard to explain in writing. Anderson also started the work himself. Both Mike and Anderson gave us advice. They told us: Don’t go into a village with a plan on how to help the people. Instead, go into the village and ask the people what they really need help with.
It was great advice. Sometimes we think we know the best way to improve something, even though we don’t live in that place, but we can be wrong. It is better to ask the people who actually live there and work with them on what they really need than to assume you know.
On Tuesday, Courtney and I went with Margaret. Our goal was to encourage singe mothers to go to the medical camp. We first went to a woman’s home that had a growth on her arm. The growth hung from her arm and was about a foot long. We prayed with her and encouraged her to go the medical camp to get the growth removed. She is very scared to go. Most of these women have lived out in the bush their whole lives and are scared of medicine because they have no experience with it. The next woman we went to was blind and has a skin problem on her face. This woman had been raped 3 times and had conceived children from each rape. So all 3 of her children were from rape. We again prayed and encouraged her to get help with her skin condition. Margaret explained that this woman is still strong. She sells firewood to make a living and encourages people herself. The whole situation was very moving. It broke my heart to see her situation and how she was abused but it was amazing to see her faith in God and the trust she has in Him to keep living. It put me in my place. My problems did not seem so big any more. I will never forget her. We then drove an hour out in the bush to see a woman who has a 3-year-old daughter that has her reproductive organs outside her body. We prayed with her and she said she would come and take her daughter to the camp. All these women just needed some love to make them change their mind about going to the camp. It made the woman feel very important that we drove an hour to pray with her. I saw the power of God’s love. I want to challenge you to go out of your way to show love to someone because the rewards are worth it. It was an amazing day! The boys helped get the medical camp ready by setting up tables and chairs.
Today, Wednesday, we are getting ready for the medical camp. Some of the doctors have arrived and the shipment of medical supplies came in. So all today we unloaded boxes of medical supplies and sorted them into the different sites they will go. There are going to be 3 different medical sites. We are all getting very excited for the camp! Please pray for the medical camps.
Life in Africa…
1. Be careful when spraying bug spray on a tile floor. I have come very close to falling several times!
2. We have no T.V. and Internet is limited. So in the evenings we just sit and talk or play card games. It gets dark here around 6:30 p.m. and everything starts shutting down. It has been very enjoyable to be away from technology. Everyone should try a night of no technology and just sit around and talk!
3. Chad learned he is a bad judge at distance. He decided to walk to town with a friend because he thought it was close and pick up some groceries! They arrived home 3 hours later! (Town is only 10 minutes away when driving!) Let’s just say lesson learned!
4. It takes 4 plumbers to fix a toilet. Jim’s toilet over flowed. It took 4 different plumbers and all day for the African’s to fix it. Jim said he could of fixed it himself in an hour if he had tools ☺
5. Chad and I ate at an African cafe for lunch for 240 shillings in other words $3 dollars.
We are learning so much! So many people we have met have blessed us and shown us more about who God is! It has been wonderful! We love you all! Please pray for our health, especially as we are about to start the medical camps. Please pray for our future. Please pray that God’s light is shown through us.
Many Blessings to You All,
Chad and Whitney
I hope everyone is doing well and are having a blessed week.
We have had a wonderful week. On Saturday we went to the snake farm. We learned which snakes are poisonous and which snakes are not. We also saw alligators and turtles. One turtle was 110 years old. Amazing!
On Sunday we went to a different church that was out in the bush. The church building was made of mud. There were probably thirty members. The women sat on one side and the men on the other. Chad and Landon did a small sermon. Chad did most of his in Swahili. He did a wonderful job and everyone was impressed. For the Lord’s Supper, we go up one by one starting with the eldest person. After services, the church wanted to fix us lunch. They cooked us rice and coconut chicken. It was very good and so nice. By the time we left, we had been there 4 hours. Lunch takes a long time to prepare. We were so blessed by their hospitality. They are SO welcoming! And to cook for us when they are living in poverty. We definitely felt the unity of Christ among them.
On Monday we visited two different ministries. The first was an African, Mike, who started an orphanage program. Children are considered orphans if the father dies (because the father has the power in the family) or if both parents die. It is tradition for the other family members to take care of the orphan children but many times the extended family does not have enough resources to take of the orphans. Mike, working with Christian Relief Fund, has given the extended family the resources so that the orphans may stay in their village. This is a wonderful thing. The children will get to grow up with their actual extended family, grow up in their culture, with their tribal language, and live in the same house they have always lived in. Many of these things are lost when orphans are taken away and put in an orphanage. Mike makes sure all the orphans attend church and go to school. Mike started this himself with the help of others including Jim Beck. He has made such a big difference in these orphans’ lives. The orphans are now educated, living in good conditions, and are getting medical care. We also visited with Anderson, another African, who has started self-help groups. The groups form their own bank and then use the money to take out loans and start their own businesses. It is very detailed and would be hard to explain in writing. Anderson also started the work himself. Both Mike and Anderson gave us advice. They told us: Don’t go into a village with a plan on how to help the people. Instead, go into the village and ask the people what they really need help with.
It was great advice. Sometimes we think we know the best way to improve something, even though we don’t live in that place, but we can be wrong. It is better to ask the people who actually live there and work with them on what they really need than to assume you know.
On Tuesday, Courtney and I went with Margaret. Our goal was to encourage singe mothers to go to the medical camp. We first went to a woman’s home that had a growth on her arm. The growth hung from her arm and was about a foot long. We prayed with her and encouraged her to go the medical camp to get the growth removed. She is very scared to go. Most of these women have lived out in the bush their whole lives and are scared of medicine because they have no experience with it. The next woman we went to was blind and has a skin problem on her face. This woman had been raped 3 times and had conceived children from each rape. So all 3 of her children were from rape. We again prayed and encouraged her to get help with her skin condition. Margaret explained that this woman is still strong. She sells firewood to make a living and encourages people herself. The whole situation was very moving. It broke my heart to see her situation and how she was abused but it was amazing to see her faith in God and the trust she has in Him to keep living. It put me in my place. My problems did not seem so big any more. I will never forget her. We then drove an hour out in the bush to see a woman who has a 3-year-old daughter that has her reproductive organs outside her body. We prayed with her and she said she would come and take her daughter to the camp. All these women just needed some love to make them change their mind about going to the camp. It made the woman feel very important that we drove an hour to pray with her. I saw the power of God’s love. I want to challenge you to go out of your way to show love to someone because the rewards are worth it. It was an amazing day! The boys helped get the medical camp ready by setting up tables and chairs.
Today, Wednesday, we are getting ready for the medical camp. Some of the doctors have arrived and the shipment of medical supplies came in. So all today we unloaded boxes of medical supplies and sorted them into the different sites they will go. There are going to be 3 different medical sites. We are all getting very excited for the camp! Please pray for the medical camps.
Life in Africa…
1. Be careful when spraying bug spray on a tile floor. I have come very close to falling several times!
2. We have no T.V. and Internet is limited. So in the evenings we just sit and talk or play card games. It gets dark here around 6:30 p.m. and everything starts shutting down. It has been very enjoyable to be away from technology. Everyone should try a night of no technology and just sit around and talk!
3. Chad learned he is a bad judge at distance. He decided to walk to town with a friend because he thought it was close and pick up some groceries! They arrived home 3 hours later! (Town is only 10 minutes away when driving!) Let’s just say lesson learned!
4. It takes 4 plumbers to fix a toilet. Jim’s toilet over flowed. It took 4 different plumbers and all day for the African’s to fix it. Jim said he could of fixed it himself in an hour if he had tools ☺
5. Chad and I ate at an African cafe for lunch for 240 shillings in other words $3 dollars.
We are learning so much! So many people we have met have blessed us and shown us more about who God is! It has been wonderful! We love you all! Please pray for our health, especially as we are about to start the medical camps. Please pray for our future. Please pray that God’s light is shown through us.
Many Blessings to You All,
Chad and Whitney
Friday, May 27, 2011
School
Mumbo!
Harbi zenu?
We are great! We have finished up our first official week here!
Thursday and Friday we went to Uzuma School. They have ages 3 through 5. The school is through the Uzuma Church of Christ- which we attended on Sunday. I cannot believe this school. The teacher I helped with had ages 3 through 5- a total of 40 students to herself. There were no desk in the small room. There were not even enough pencils for each student to have one of their own. The teacher has to had write ALL worksheets for the students. That is math, language, and art that she hand writes herself! She says it takes a long time and her hand hurts but she has to do it for the students. She uses a stick off a tree as her pointer. The students know many songs and even. ones we know like Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. We taught them a song about the months of the year and the song "If you are happy and you know it." We also showed the teacher how to use flash cards that we brought. She didn't know how to use them. She was so grateful for all the supplies we brought. She couldn't believe all the books, pencils, and paper. She really liked the book that has the different farm animals and you can touch what a lamb feels like or a chick. Thank you all who donated supplies- it was very much needed and was appreciated very much! We helped her write her lessons for next week. We wrote all the math up till Thursday for her. It made me appreciative of the technology in the States. I will no longer complain about making copies of worksheets! She was a great teacher because she has so little to work with but still teaches the students. The school hours are from 8 to 3 p.m. They have a morning break for porridge and then lunch.
Language learning is going good. We have found people to practice with. Chad and Landon are working on a very short sermon to give on Sunday at church. Both are nervous- please pray for them to do well. Chad has started talking in Swahili where ever we go! I can greet people and ask how they are!
We have medicine for our tummy aches now and they are doing better. Thank you for the prayers.
Next week we are going to help more with getting the surgical camps ready. I am going back to the school I went to on Monday. While I am there, the boys will be helping build a bathroom for the surgical camp. I will also be going back out with Margarent to visit more single mothers and to check on the old man.
Please pray for our health. Pray that we show God's love to all we meet. Please pray that we learn from everything we do. Please pray that God shows us wants He wants us to do in the future.
Life in Africa...
1. Bats fly over our apartment every evening. There is also a water bottle bird near our apartment. It sounds like water dripping out of a bottle when it sings.
2. My glasses have fogged up when leaving an air conditioned room and stepping outside.
3. People here do not like cold drinks. They are use to their drinks warm. Milk is in a box here and not put in the frig. Fruit goes bad very quickly here because it is organic.
4. At restraunts your ticket is very different. Drinks are put on a separate tab than your meal. So you have to add up the total cost of everything.
5. Many men wear a wrap (like a skirt) as bottoms instead of pants.
6. Electricity comes has started coming in and out. It was turned off all yesterday but came back on if the evening.
We love you all! We have enjoyed working with wonderful people who have taught us so many things. We are taking lots of pictures and can't wait to show you!
Blessings,
Chad and Whitney
Harbi zenu?
We are great! We have finished up our first official week here!
Thursday and Friday we went to Uzuma School. They have ages 3 through 5. The school is through the Uzuma Church of Christ- which we attended on Sunday. I cannot believe this school. The teacher I helped with had ages 3 through 5- a total of 40 students to herself. There were no desk in the small room. There were not even enough pencils for each student to have one of their own. The teacher has to had write ALL worksheets for the students. That is math, language, and art that she hand writes herself! She says it takes a long time and her hand hurts but she has to do it for the students. She uses a stick off a tree as her pointer. The students know many songs and even. ones we know like Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. We taught them a song about the months of the year and the song "If you are happy and you know it." We also showed the teacher how to use flash cards that we brought. She didn't know how to use them. She was so grateful for all the supplies we brought. She couldn't believe all the books, pencils, and paper. She really liked the book that has the different farm animals and you can touch what a lamb feels like or a chick. Thank you all who donated supplies- it was very much needed and was appreciated very much! We helped her write her lessons for next week. We wrote all the math up till Thursday for her. It made me appreciative of the technology in the States. I will no longer complain about making copies of worksheets! She was a great teacher because she has so little to work with but still teaches the students. The school hours are from 8 to 3 p.m. They have a morning break for porridge and then lunch.
Language learning is going good. We have found people to practice with. Chad and Landon are working on a very short sermon to give on Sunday at church. Both are nervous- please pray for them to do well. Chad has started talking in Swahili where ever we go! I can greet people and ask how they are!
We have medicine for our tummy aches now and they are doing better. Thank you for the prayers.
Next week we are going to help more with getting the surgical camps ready. I am going back to the school I went to on Monday. While I am there, the boys will be helping build a bathroom for the surgical camp. I will also be going back out with Margarent to visit more single mothers and to check on the old man.
Please pray for our health. Pray that we show God's love to all we meet. Please pray that we learn from everything we do. Please pray that God shows us wants He wants us to do in the future.
Life in Africa...
1. Bats fly over our apartment every evening. There is also a water bottle bird near our apartment. It sounds like water dripping out of a bottle when it sings.
2. My glasses have fogged up when leaving an air conditioned room and stepping outside.
3. People here do not like cold drinks. They are use to their drinks warm. Milk is in a box here and not put in the frig. Fruit goes bad very quickly here because it is organic.
4. At restraunts your ticket is very different. Drinks are put on a separate tab than your meal. So you have to add up the total cost of everything.
5. Many men wear a wrap (like a skirt) as bottoms instead of pants.
6. Electricity comes has started coming in and out. It was turned off all yesterday but came back on if the evening.
We love you all! We have enjoyed working with wonderful people who have taught us so many things. We are taking lots of pictures and can't wait to show you!
Blessings,
Chad and Whitney
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Work has begun!
Hi everyone!
I hope everyone is doing well in the States as the school year wraps up and summer begins. We are doing great here in Malindi!
On Monday we visited several sites where the medical camp is going to be. We checked out the set up and what facilities we would be working with.
We also visited one of the schools I would be working with. The village recognized the need and built this school themselves. It is a mission school and their goal is to give a quality education to their children. The children are all taught in English. The school feeds the students lunch. For the majority of students, this is their only meal they get because of their poverty. Many are orphans as well. The school is made up of mud huts and concrete buildings. The school is trying their best and doing a wonderful job. The teachers have so little material to work with. For a while only the teachers had a textbook and none of the students. The teachers use cardboard to make flash cards. The school hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. It has a nursery school up to 8th grade. There are around 200 students. The school provides training in different occupations so when the students leave they will have a trade they can use. This will help them be more productive adults. I feel this would be a wonderful ministry to support and help. The school has trouble finding enough money to help buy all the food for lunch. E-mail me if you would like to donate. I am going next week to help out and give my supplies I brought. It will be a small donation to what they really need.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Courtney and I went with Margerent to visit single mothers. Margaerent works for Caris Foundation. She is a 60 year old woman who loves working with people and sharing with them the joy of Christ. She is amazing and inspiring. We visited an elderly man who had lost his 9 bedroom home and now lives in a mud hut. He was very depressed. We tried to encourage him and we prayed with him! I had never been in a mud hut. It was very humbling. We have so much in America- if fact too much. Here was a man who lost everything and is now living in a mud hut with nothing. I feel the need to give more to the people on this side of the world. It was amazing that this man could still smile. I know many people who have more material things than this old man but cannot smile. This man could smile because he has the Lord! I want to challenge and encourage you to give more both physical and spiritual! You might think you have nothing to give but you do! You have more than you know. So thank God for how blessed you are and pray that He may bless the old man.
We also visited a single mother with 7 children. Margerent gave her a spiritual assessment test. She does this to get background information and to see where help is needed. What an experience to be in the African bush experiencing their daily life with them. I saw a woman making corn flour. It was very hard work. I can not even wrap my mind around how different my life is from an African. Margerent goes and encourages these women in the rain, traveling hours just to see one single mother who lives far out! Margerent was a wonderful person to see working and I hope I can be like her. She taught me more about Jesus' love for all people. We also started language learning Wednesday morning. Chad is awesome at learning language is already way ahead. It takes me much longer but we are learning! The people love it when you practice with them.
We plan to go to another small school Thursday and Friday.
We have loved being here. It has made us think more about our life styles and what it means to act like Jesus. It has tested our faith and I know we are growing as Christians. I feel we are making differences in the lives of children we come in contact with, the single mothers and the old man we prayed with. I am excited to see God use us more and more. I pray we are VERY tired by the time it is ready to come home!
Please pray for our health- we have started to get tummy aches because of the different food. Pray that God uses us and gives us many opportunities to share His love, power, and hope. Pray that God gives the right words to say to people! And just pray that God is with us always!
I decided to do a Life in Africa section as we learn more about the culture, so here is another:
1. Always take off your shoes when entering a house. It is so you don't track in dirt.
2. It is common to burp after a meal. It is sign that you are full. (We haven't done this yet)
3. There is no ice for drinks.
4. African time is completely different from American time. In America, if you say you are going to be somewhere at 9 a.m. you are there and if it is after 9 a.m. you are late. In Africa, you can say you will be there at 9 a.m. and not show up for another hour. That is normal. It is a much slower pace of life as well.
5. When it rains, we have learned you do not drive on dirt roads unless you have 4 wheel drive. The boys had an experience with rain and dirt roads. Lets just say we were all glad they made it back safely!
6. We have learned toilets are a luxury. Most "toilets" here are what we call: squaty potties. No toilet...just a dirt hole. :) Welcome to Africa!
Chad spotted the first snake. It was on our roof- but harmless. We are still watching out for the bad ones.
We love you all!
Blessings,
Chad and Whitney
I hope everyone is doing well in the States as the school year wraps up and summer begins. We are doing great here in Malindi!
On Monday we visited several sites where the medical camp is going to be. We checked out the set up and what facilities we would be working with.
We also visited one of the schools I would be working with. The village recognized the need and built this school themselves. It is a mission school and their goal is to give a quality education to their children. The children are all taught in English. The school feeds the students lunch. For the majority of students, this is their only meal they get because of their poverty. Many are orphans as well. The school is made up of mud huts and concrete buildings. The school is trying their best and doing a wonderful job. The teachers have so little material to work with. For a while only the teachers had a textbook and none of the students. The teachers use cardboard to make flash cards. The school hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. It has a nursery school up to 8th grade. There are around 200 students. The school provides training in different occupations so when the students leave they will have a trade they can use. This will help them be more productive adults. I feel this would be a wonderful ministry to support and help. The school has trouble finding enough money to help buy all the food for lunch. E-mail me if you would like to donate. I am going next week to help out and give my supplies I brought. It will be a small donation to what they really need.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Courtney and I went with Margerent to visit single mothers. Margaerent works for Caris Foundation. She is a 60 year old woman who loves working with people and sharing with them the joy of Christ. She is amazing and inspiring. We visited an elderly man who had lost his 9 bedroom home and now lives in a mud hut. He was very depressed. We tried to encourage him and we prayed with him! I had never been in a mud hut. It was very humbling. We have so much in America- if fact too much. Here was a man who lost everything and is now living in a mud hut with nothing. I feel the need to give more to the people on this side of the world. It was amazing that this man could still smile. I know many people who have more material things than this old man but cannot smile. This man could smile because he has the Lord! I want to challenge and encourage you to give more both physical and spiritual! You might think you have nothing to give but you do! You have more than you know. So thank God for how blessed you are and pray that He may bless the old man.
We also visited a single mother with 7 children. Margerent gave her a spiritual assessment test. She does this to get background information and to see where help is needed. What an experience to be in the African bush experiencing their daily life with them. I saw a woman making corn flour. It was very hard work. I can not even wrap my mind around how different my life is from an African. Margerent goes and encourages these women in the rain, traveling hours just to see one single mother who lives far out! Margerent was a wonderful person to see working and I hope I can be like her. She taught me more about Jesus' love for all people. We also started language learning Wednesday morning. Chad is awesome at learning language is already way ahead. It takes me much longer but we are learning! The people love it when you practice with them.
We plan to go to another small school Thursday and Friday.
We have loved being here. It has made us think more about our life styles and what it means to act like Jesus. It has tested our faith and I know we are growing as Christians. I feel we are making differences in the lives of children we come in contact with, the single mothers and the old man we prayed with. I am excited to see God use us more and more. I pray we are VERY tired by the time it is ready to come home!
Please pray for our health- we have started to get tummy aches because of the different food. Pray that God uses us and gives us many opportunities to share His love, power, and hope. Pray that God gives the right words to say to people! And just pray that God is with us always!
I decided to do a Life in Africa section as we learn more about the culture, so here is another:
1. Always take off your shoes when entering a house. It is so you don't track in dirt.
2. It is common to burp after a meal. It is sign that you are full. (We haven't done this yet)
3. There is no ice for drinks.
4. African time is completely different from American time. In America, if you say you are going to be somewhere at 9 a.m. you are there and if it is after 9 a.m. you are late. In Africa, you can say you will be there at 9 a.m. and not show up for another hour. That is normal. It is a much slower pace of life as well.
5. When it rains, we have learned you do not drive on dirt roads unless you have 4 wheel drive. The boys had an experience with rain and dirt roads. Lets just say we were all glad they made it back safely!
6. We have learned toilets are a luxury. Most "toilets" here are what we call: squaty potties. No toilet...just a dirt hole. :) Welcome to Africa!
Chad spotted the first snake. It was on our roof- but harmless. We are still watching out for the bad ones.
We love you all!
Blessings,
Chad and Whitney
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Life in Africa
Living here you experience some different things so I thought I would share.
1. Don't wear nail polish because it melts off. :) Now that is pretty hot weather!
2. Always iron your clothes. If you do not you could get mango worms in your clothes. Mango worms eat your clothes and they get on your clothes when you are hanging your clothes to dry after washing. And I mean iron EVERYTHING...even undergarments. :)
3. Only eat with your right hand because your left hand is thought to be used while you go to the bathroom.
4. When you are saying hello AND goodbye you need to shake hands with everyone.
5. You drive on the left hand side of the road here. (Kenya was colonized by the British.) There are no stop lights instead they are round abouts. It is a circle you drive around with different roads branching out from the circle.
6. There are no free refills for drinks. You get 1 glass of whatever you ordered and thats all.
7. There are many muslims here, especially conservative muslims. (These are the muslims that are covered completely with only their eyes showing.)
8. Whitney is not a common name and is very hard to pronounce where as Chad is common because of the African country Chad.
9. Ugali (made from corn or yam flour) is the staple food here. A huge bowl is set in the middle of the table. Everyone eats out of the bowl, using your right hand, and dips the ugali in some type of sauce. This was the lunch we were served after church.
10. There are geckos everywhere, crawling on the walls in the house. Also lizards are everywhere. As you walk they run everywhere.
11. It will rain for 5 to 10 minutes in bright sunshine and then stop. It does this off and on throughout the day.
12. We sleep under a mesquite net every night because the mesquite that bites carrying malaria only bites during dawn and dusk.
13. We are 8 hours ahead of the States so as you are ending your day we are beginning ours.
Those are just some things about life in Africa.
We went to the market on Friday. The market consists of tiny wood stands that are connected, covered with tarps. The paths are tiny from booth to booth. Each booth is selling different things: mangos, bananas, pineapple, baskets, ect. You go up to the stand pick out whatever organic fruit you want and then proceed to bargain for the price. Since we are white they usual double the price so you know whatever price they give you cut in half and that should be correct. We bought mangos for 5 cents a piece! Great deal I would say! The market is muddy and has trash on the floor but is still a fun place to meet people and practice language!
We went to Uzama Church on Sunday. They were so welcoming! They even prepared lunch for us after church. Their singing was beautiful. They made sure to translate everything in English for us so we could understand! Instead of grape juice for communion they had orange Fanta. Have to use what you have and what you can get, right? Many people greeted us and were very excited to have us working in their school. The church has a school, sewing school, library, and computer lessons. It was very impressive but still lacking. For example, the school was on cement floor in a room 12 by 12 feet with no desk, no books, paper, or any supplies. I cant wait to give all the supplies to them and help them!
We love you all! We are doing well and enjoying Kenya!
Keep us in your prayers. We think of you often. We are thankful to be here.
Blessings,
Chad and Whitney
1. Don't wear nail polish because it melts off. :) Now that is pretty hot weather!
2. Always iron your clothes. If you do not you could get mango worms in your clothes. Mango worms eat your clothes and they get on your clothes when you are hanging your clothes to dry after washing. And I mean iron EVERYTHING...even undergarments. :)
3. Only eat with your right hand because your left hand is thought to be used while you go to the bathroom.
4. When you are saying hello AND goodbye you need to shake hands with everyone.
5. You drive on the left hand side of the road here. (Kenya was colonized by the British.) There are no stop lights instead they are round abouts. It is a circle you drive around with different roads branching out from the circle.
6. There are no free refills for drinks. You get 1 glass of whatever you ordered and thats all.
7. There are many muslims here, especially conservative muslims. (These are the muslims that are covered completely with only their eyes showing.)
8. Whitney is not a common name and is very hard to pronounce where as Chad is common because of the African country Chad.
9. Ugali (made from corn or yam flour) is the staple food here. A huge bowl is set in the middle of the table. Everyone eats out of the bowl, using your right hand, and dips the ugali in some type of sauce. This was the lunch we were served after church.
10. There are geckos everywhere, crawling on the walls in the house. Also lizards are everywhere. As you walk they run everywhere.
11. It will rain for 5 to 10 minutes in bright sunshine and then stop. It does this off and on throughout the day.
12. We sleep under a mesquite net every night because the mesquite that bites carrying malaria only bites during dawn and dusk.
13. We are 8 hours ahead of the States so as you are ending your day we are beginning ours.
Those are just some things about life in Africa.
We went to the market on Friday. The market consists of tiny wood stands that are connected, covered with tarps. The paths are tiny from booth to booth. Each booth is selling different things: mangos, bananas, pineapple, baskets, ect. You go up to the stand pick out whatever organic fruit you want and then proceed to bargain for the price. Since we are white they usual double the price so you know whatever price they give you cut in half and that should be correct. We bought mangos for 5 cents a piece! Great deal I would say! The market is muddy and has trash on the floor but is still a fun place to meet people and practice language!
We went to Uzama Church on Sunday. They were so welcoming! They even prepared lunch for us after church. Their singing was beautiful. They made sure to translate everything in English for us so we could understand! Instead of grape juice for communion they had orange Fanta. Have to use what you have and what you can get, right? Many people greeted us and were very excited to have us working in their school. The church has a school, sewing school, library, and computer lessons. It was very impressive but still lacking. For example, the school was on cement floor in a room 12 by 12 feet with no desk, no books, paper, or any supplies. I cant wait to give all the supplies to them and help them!
We love you all! We are doing well and enjoying Kenya!
Keep us in your prayers. We think of you often. We are thankful to be here.
Blessings,
Chad and Whitney
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Malindi, Kenya
Good morning to all!
We have made it to our final destination- Malindi, Kenya. It is beautiful here! We are so close to the ocean that I am looking at it right now. Can I just say that God is so good! As we travel to the different parts of the world I am amazed at God's creation and how amazing it is!
The rest of the Tanzania went well. On Sunday we had a worship service with the missionary team in Mwanza. We then went to the beach and talked more in depth about mission strategies, the culture, and missionary life. It helped us to understand the life of the missionary, the challenges, and what to expect.
On Monday we went to Geita- a small town that is looking for more missionaries. We looked around the town and talked with the two missionary couples there. They are looking for more people to join their team. The town was beautiful and green. Please pray for God to guide our future and show us where He wants us.
We then flew back to Nairobi and spent the evening there. The next morning, Wednesday, we flew here to Malindi. Something very funny happened. We were in the plane and started to speed up very fast for take off. Then all of a sudden the plane slammed on their breaks and the plane skidded off the run way onto the dirt. The pilot came on and said, "Sorry about that! An animal ran onto the run way!" Then we took off! Only in Africa would an animal run onto the air strip! We made it without any further problems.
Now that we are here our plans include a language teacher which we will have 1 hour a day to help us learn Swahili! Then I will start going out to the schools, orphanages, and single mother's ministry through Caris Foundation. Chad will go look at hospitals and clinics.
Jim Beck, our mentor and professor at LCU, has been a huge blessing on this trip. He has helped us process situation and been a wonderful guide. We have devo and prayer every night. This also helps us keep focus of why we are here and making sure God is the central focus of our journey.
Random thoughts about our trip so far:
We are becoming very good at catching and killing mosquitoes.
Fanta, the drink, is extremely popular here, our favorite is Passion Fruit Fanta.
120 SPF sunscreen so far is working to protect Chad from the sun.
When we wake up we brush our teeth, spray ourselves with bug spray, and put on sunscreen before we do anything else.
The rate in Kenya is 80 shillings to 1 USA dollar. (I just ask Chad to convert!)
So far we have not seen a snake but are keeping our eyes open!
We love you all and are thinking of you!
Please keep praying for guidance and wisdom from God. Please pray that His spirit is shown through us to the people of Kenya. Pray that we may learn the language fast so that we may communicate with words. Please pray that we keep work together as a team and are constantly striving to become closer to understanding God and our place in His creation. Please pray for our safety and health.
Thank you for your support and love! We can feel the love of all of our family and friends even though we are across the world.
Blessings,
Chad and Whitney
We have made it to our final destination- Malindi, Kenya. It is beautiful here! We are so close to the ocean that I am looking at it right now. Can I just say that God is so good! As we travel to the different parts of the world I am amazed at God's creation and how amazing it is!
The rest of the Tanzania went well. On Sunday we had a worship service with the missionary team in Mwanza. We then went to the beach and talked more in depth about mission strategies, the culture, and missionary life. It helped us to understand the life of the missionary, the challenges, and what to expect.
On Monday we went to Geita- a small town that is looking for more missionaries. We looked around the town and talked with the two missionary couples there. They are looking for more people to join their team. The town was beautiful and green. Please pray for God to guide our future and show us where He wants us.
We then flew back to Nairobi and spent the evening there. The next morning, Wednesday, we flew here to Malindi. Something very funny happened. We were in the plane and started to speed up very fast for take off. Then all of a sudden the plane slammed on their breaks and the plane skidded off the run way onto the dirt. The pilot came on and said, "Sorry about that! An animal ran onto the run way!" Then we took off! Only in Africa would an animal run onto the air strip! We made it without any further problems.
Now that we are here our plans include a language teacher which we will have 1 hour a day to help us learn Swahili! Then I will start going out to the schools, orphanages, and single mother's ministry through Caris Foundation. Chad will go look at hospitals and clinics.
Jim Beck, our mentor and professor at LCU, has been a huge blessing on this trip. He has helped us process situation and been a wonderful guide. We have devo and prayer every night. This also helps us keep focus of why we are here and making sure God is the central focus of our journey.
Random thoughts about our trip so far:
We are becoming very good at catching and killing mosquitoes.
Fanta, the drink, is extremely popular here, our favorite is Passion Fruit Fanta.
120 SPF sunscreen so far is working to protect Chad from the sun.
When we wake up we brush our teeth, spray ourselves with bug spray, and put on sunscreen before we do anything else.
The rate in Kenya is 80 shillings to 1 USA dollar. (I just ask Chad to convert!)
So far we have not seen a snake but are keeping our eyes open!
We love you all and are thinking of you!
Please keep praying for guidance and wisdom from God. Please pray that His spirit is shown through us to the people of Kenya. Pray that we may learn the language fast so that we may communicate with words. Please pray that we keep work together as a team and are constantly striving to become closer to understanding God and our place in His creation. Please pray for our safety and health.
Thank you for your support and love! We can feel the love of all of our family and friends even though we are across the world.
Blessings,
Chad and Whitney
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Tanzania
Hi All,
We are in Tanzania now. We came on Friday and are staying until Tuesday. Once we got here on Friday we met the team and ate Indian food for lunch. We travelled around the city for the afternoon. The missionary, Eric Guild, explained the city and the details of their everyday life. This was very beneficial for us to learn of some of the challenges and joys of missionary life. We also visited the international school where Eric's children go. In the evening the whole team came over and had a BBQ. It was wonderful to see the community and love of the team towards each other. They were one big family! Jet lag set in and by 6:30 we were ready for bed!
Saturday was a wonderful day! We went to Shinyanga, a town two hours from Mwanza where we are staying. We visit the international school in Shinyanga. It was amazing their facilities. They had wireless internet, a swimming pool, a computer lab, and onsite doctor. The president of Tanzania lets his son go there! The best part...they hire American teachers even though the system is British. They even provide housing. We then visited the town. It was a very small town that was not very modern. When we went to bathroom it was a hole in the ground. That was a new bathroom experience! The weather was very hot. As we drove by the market we saw the butcher. The meat was hanging out by the street. We were looking at Shinyanga to see if this could be a possible place for us to live in the future. There are no Church of Christ missionaries there and a few Catholic missionaries. We did not see any other white people in town. Please pray for God to give us wisdom about the future and our experience in Shinyanga. We are going to met as a team today to discuss what we saw and how we feel about the possibility of Shinyanga.
Today we are having worship with the team and then going to talk this afternoon more in depth. Tomorrow we are going to another town and visit with another team that is looking for more team mates. We are taking a boat across Lake Victoria to get there. We are excited for another opportunity for the future. Please pray for our safety and good insightful conversation.
The food is good but different. So far none of us have gotten sick which is a blessing. The family is so nice and welcoming! It was been such a blessing being here! We love you all!
Blessings to all,
Chad and Whitney
We are in Tanzania now. We came on Friday and are staying until Tuesday. Once we got here on Friday we met the team and ate Indian food for lunch. We travelled around the city for the afternoon. The missionary, Eric Guild, explained the city and the details of their everyday life. This was very beneficial for us to learn of some of the challenges and joys of missionary life. We also visited the international school where Eric's children go. In the evening the whole team came over and had a BBQ. It was wonderful to see the community and love of the team towards each other. They were one big family! Jet lag set in and by 6:30 we were ready for bed!
Saturday was a wonderful day! We went to Shinyanga, a town two hours from Mwanza where we are staying. We visit the international school in Shinyanga. It was amazing their facilities. They had wireless internet, a swimming pool, a computer lab, and onsite doctor. The president of Tanzania lets his son go there! The best part...they hire American teachers even though the system is British. They even provide housing. We then visited the town. It was a very small town that was not very modern. When we went to bathroom it was a hole in the ground. That was a new bathroom experience! The weather was very hot. As we drove by the market we saw the butcher. The meat was hanging out by the street. We were looking at Shinyanga to see if this could be a possible place for us to live in the future. There are no Church of Christ missionaries there and a few Catholic missionaries. We did not see any other white people in town. Please pray for God to give us wisdom about the future and our experience in Shinyanga. We are going to met as a team today to discuss what we saw and how we feel about the possibility of Shinyanga.
Today we are having worship with the team and then going to talk this afternoon more in depth. Tomorrow we are going to another town and visit with another team that is looking for more team mates. We are taking a boat across Lake Victoria to get there. We are excited for another opportunity for the future. Please pray for our safety and good insightful conversation.
The food is good but different. So far none of us have gotten sick which is a blessing. The family is so nice and welcoming! It was been such a blessing being here! We love you all!
Blessings to all,
Chad and Whitney
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