Ken'Ya Carry the Jug

We had a blast on Saturday with everyone who came out to Ken'Ya Carry the Jug! It was fun meeting everyone and sharing about what God is doing in Kenya, our journey, and how they can be apart of it.  We were blessed by so many family and friends who helped put this event together. It really felt like the Family of God working together to help build for the Kingdom.  Jesus was there and it was awesome!

We had a fun water walk where people got to carry a jug {or two} and walk along a trail for about a mile.  Along the path were signs that explained more about the water crisis in Kenya.  Many said after the walk that they enjoyed the experience of putting themselves in someone else's shoes for the day and learning what it would be like to walk miles each day and carry gallons of water.  Our friend Dave also played his drum during the walk to help pump everyone up.  It was a lot of fun!

THANK YOU to everyone who helped put this event together and THANK YOU to everyone who came!!

"But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.  The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

Please enjoy some fun pics from the day!

//Excitement//

As it gets closer to us leaving {3 more months!!} we cannot help but be excited! God has been amazing through this whole process and we are pumped to move to Kenya!

A few things that I (Kenzi) am just over the moon excited about are::

I am excited for the day we will FINALLY be able to have our own home.  We have been living with my parents the past year and they have been troopers! It isn't always easy having a one year old run around the house, climb on things, open every cabinet in the kitchen and pull everything out.  My parents have been a HUGE blessing to us and I know Emma has loved spending time with them.  We cannot thank them enough for letting us crash with them during this transition time, but I am sure they are ready {just as we are} to have their own space.  I am looking forward to the day I can unpack all of my boxes, including the ones that have stayed packed this past year, and have a place for all of our belongings {the few we have left}. We are planning to have a two bedroom apartment in Kenya which means Emma will get her own room and will not be sleeping in our room anymore.  It will be bitter sweet but I have never gotten to decorate a room for her and my heart skips a beat at the thought of finally getting to put her little room together :)

I am also excited to dive into the Kenyan culture.  For some reason I cannot wait to go buy groceries at a local market.  It sounds so fun to me! I will get to practice the little bit of Swahili I have been learning and fingers crossed I say everything correctly.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am terrified to speak Swahili because I currently know nothing, but you have to start somewhere right?!  I am also pumped to meet all the kids at the Home of the Good Shepherd, meet the staff with GGFAN, and start building relationships with our neighbors, GGFAN, and the tribes we will get to work with. My heart gets all giddy thinking of Emma playing with all the little kids and building relationships of her own.

I feel like I have been learning a ton of information and just can't wait to put it all into practice.  Our brains have been stuffed with so much great information lately and I feel like the only way I can process it is to do it.  Its like you have all the ingredients you believe you need to make a delicious cake but you have to wait for the One in charge to give you the green light to start baking.  If that made any sense at all :)

Lastly, I am excited to see what we will learn from the locals and from Jesus. I feel like my faith and relationship with Jesus has grown so much since this process started and I know it will grow even more in different ways when we get there. Jesus is just awesome!

Now, of course there are some things that are unknowns and naturally come with some concern, but tonight I am focusing on all things exciting.

Jesus, exciting thoughts, and some lavender oil will aid for a great night sleep!

Storying

Storying. 

 It kept popping up to my attention the past several months. In our Perspectives course, through friends, and at our training in India. Now, when things repeat themselves, it is generally a good idea to pay attention.  So, I decided I would trust the Lord and learn more about it.  

Storying is way for people to experience the Gospel.  It is done through memorizing passages of scripture (stories), sharing the stories with a group (big or small), and letting the Holy Spirit lead the questions and conversation.  All the story teller does is tell the story, ask questions, and help create a time for people to listen to God.  There is no teaching involved just simply asking people to step into the story and see what they think.  It is totally led by the Holy Spirit.  Listening is something else the story teller does. Hearing how people respond gives the story teller a glimpse at their worldview and lets them know how they can pray for that person. It's beautiful. 

I have decided {since the Lord kept bringing it up} to learn the art of Storying and hopefully be able to put it into practice while we are in Kenya.  

The thing about stories is that they go with people.  Everyone remembers stories. It even provides an opportunity for those who cannot read or write to experience God's Word and be able to share it with their family and friends. My thought is if I can share these stories with the children we will be working with, these stories might go with them for the rest of their lives.  Who knows, it may even have a small impact on their families many generations from now.  

We never know what seed we might be able to plant and how the Lord may choose to grow it.  All we can do is simply trust the Lord and follow where He leads us.  

Kenzi