We left Ongata Rongai for the weekend to venture on a Safari. The moment we landed, there were multiple Safari jeeps surrounding the plane. A tall guy with a nice smile named Dennis kindly greeted us and drove us to the hotel. Our hotel is in the heart of Masai Mara, surrounded by wildlife. When we saw our room, which…
Stigmas are everywhere. In Africa, many people who are HIV positive are in denial until they almost lose their lives; even on the brink of death, those who live in denial finally come to terms with being HIV positive. Why? Stigmas. According to Wikipedia (I know, I know) social stigmas are: The disapproval or discrimination against a person based on perceivable…
Today was similar to yesterday: Devotional first and then John went to the clinic and I was off to the schools with the little ones. The clinics are doing so well in a number of capacities. The schools are, too. The common good of the people is sought after, and the culture has transformed many people who are sick and…
The morning before heading to our predestined sites, we went to devotional. This is a time to get our minds and hearts right, to talk with local Kenyans, and to pray to God. We worship together, which is so powerful, and a wonderful way to start the day before meeting with vulnerable families. Afterwards, John went to the clinic…
Kibera is known as the biggest slum in Nairobi. It holds over 5 million people, most of which have small businesses in town and then return to their homes in the evening. These homes consist of iron sheets that are usually separated by a sheet or a divider. As we walked around with a team of people from Beacon of…
Students sat in pairs. The 8th grade class responded with every prompt the teacher gave. While the teacher taught about metrics and conversion, students willingly participated and listened. One student raised his hand and offered an alternative way to complete metric conversions. He wrote his example on the board, explaining his reasoning. He quickly went through a part of the…
Our stop in Ethiopia was much needed, as we were free to roam around and use our legs again. With four hours until our next flight to Nairobi, we did just that. Ethiopia’s airport is a basically a large rectangle. We walked around at least 4 times until we decided to have lunch…or was it dinner? Either way, we went…
We are in the airport awaiting the long flight (14 hours) to Ethiopia. As we embark further from Wisconsin and closer to the equator, we are so thrilled to be on this journey! This journey is way bigger than I have anticipated. Everyone involved in meeting and helping us plan this trip has been a gift. Believe me, neither John…
Agendas. Everyone has one. Questioning my motives opens up the space for me to say, “Here are my plans, Lord. Now You do what You want with them.” When I bring my motives to God, then He keeps me on a straight path. The busy months before John and I were engaged, we decided to participate in marriage counseling. The…
In April of 2011, I became a believer in Jesus and took responsibility for my bad behaviors against myself, others, and God. Yet, a lot of negative emotions like jealousy, envy, and hatred, crept up, and were projected onto close friends and family during conversations, dates, Packer games, and family functions. Like the roots of a sturdy oak, I was…