Kenya: Chapter 5 'New Life'

I have loved writing every chapter, but I am SO excited for this one. This chapter is focused on the New Scent Centre. Ms. Flora created the New Scent Centre a few years ago and currently takes care of 42 girls who have been rescued off the streets (verbal, physical, or mental abuse and human trafficking). I first met Flora in 2017 when she came and spoke at my church. Her faithfulness and passionate heart has inspired me everyday since. The TNU/SNU team as well as some students from ANU got to go visit her and her beautiful children on May 25-26. We played lots of games, made chapati, celebrated Flora’s birthday on Saturday, and had church with them on Sunday. Meeting the girls, seeing the different stages of healing, getting to hear some of their stories, singing songs of redemption, and fellowshipping with them brought joy to my heart and tears to my eyes. However, the most impactful moments for me while we were there were small glimpses of God’s faithfulness through creation. They are currently in the process of building a new (much bigger and better) home. A small group of us went to go see it on Saturday afternoon. As we got off the bus, I was instantly overwhelmed as I finally saw the place I had heard about for 2 years. If you have ever seen the movie, ‘The Shack’ - the area looks a lot like the garden in the movie. Beautiful flowers and trees surrounded us. They have started growing crops on the property, have solar panels, and access to water. They are currently working on electrical wiring as they finish the 3 story building. Passing the ripe avocados and walking through the new kitchen, bathrooms, stairwells, dining space, and bedrooms… it was incredibly emotional for me. Flora told us that on each corner of the house and in the center there is a Bible planted in the ground beneath the foundation because Christ is their cornerstone. We got to meet Peter who is the architect and supervisor that works with his team for FREE. She told us stories of prayer and faithfulness where God fully provided exactly what they needed at the right time - including the land and the money to pay for it. When we reached the third floor we stopped and Flora was telling us that they only needed $50,000 US dollars to finish with their current plans for the building. Compared to the vast sum of money God has already blessed them with, that is a small and easy task. I asked her if we could stop and pray that God would provide it. We all held hands and Rob started to pray. I felt a huge gust of wind blow through the open windows and I told God that I knew his presence was flowing in and through that place and asked that he would allow his presence and blessings to rain down. 30 seconds later … I kid you not … a gentle rain started to fall for about 5-10 minutes. Rain is not common in that area. As we left, we spotted a bold and vibrant rainbow cast over a field nearby. I know that God is in that place. He has already touched the hearts of those who will provide that money. His blessings will continue to rain down on Flora, her team, and the team that is diligently working to finish construction. His arms of love are wrapped around each girl that will enter those doors. I know he will continue to guide and protect them. The rainbow represents his promise and his faithfulness and I KNOW he will continue to provide.

That night we were with the girls finishing up the chapati when my friend from Trevecca, Kendall, came and told me I had to come look at the stars. Coming into this trip, I thought I might be able to cross something off of my bucket list: ‘see a night sky full of stars’. You know those pictures where they are so bright and plentiful you can barely see the darkness? The sky didn’t look like that (I still need to go out West to witness that kind of beauty), but the view did not disappoint. I walked outside with Kendall and Kori and just looked at the sky for 15-20 minutes. We were in a small town where there were fewer lights so more stars were visible - it was definitely the most I had ever seen.  A few of the girls came up to me and asked me if something was wrong - they were amazed that I had never seen that many stars or a shooting star before. Tears rolled down my face as lines from the song “So Will I” flooded into my mind. They asked if we ever wished on shooting stars and if we thought Jesus heard our wishes and prayers - their wishes always involved happiness and being able to come to America. Needless to say, that night is one that Kori, Kendall, and I will not soon forget.

There is new life at the New Scent Centre. I see hope springing up in the crops surrounding their new building. Joy is present, even in the healing process. Faith is abundant in their attitudes toward the future. Love will drive them to change the community and world around them. All of these moments and images will be in my heart and mind forever with the concrete knowledge that our faithful God is there: in the foundation, the wind, the gentle rain, the rainbow, the stars, and the hearts that are on fire for him.

If you would like to donate financially to the mission of New Scent (there will always be a need for your contributions as they look to establish a medical clinic, school, and church so that they can pour back into their community), you can visit http://newscentcentreintl.org

Flora, Peter, and Trevecca's sponsors Janice & JP.

 The rainbow we spotted as we left.

The view from a bedroom of the grounds and crops.

The new building.

Making chapati.

Kenya: Chapter 4 'Hard Working People'

This chapter is going to be long because Kenya is full of hard working people. As you read today, you get the privilege of meeting Melvin, Jane, Simon, Evans, Daniel, and Grace.

I got to meet Melvin the day we went to ANU town campus. We had gone for chapel where the group sang ‘Come Thou Fount’ and JP (trip sponsor and TNU director of compliance) and I shared our testimonies. After chapel had ended, Melvin was going to give us a tour of the Communications department. Town campus occupies 3 floors of an office building. Melvin gave us the tour of the recording studio, the class rooms, and a radio station that is currently ready to go, but inactive (please pray that the government will give them a permit to operate). He also told us of his plans for the fall. In August he is traveling to South Sudan to teach students there how to use a radio station that was just donated to them. People had raised the money and provided the equipment, but had not trained them. I invited Melvin to eat lunch with us. The tour and lunch turned out to be the only time we got to see Melvin, but he is passionately pursuing God and is about to use the gifts that God has given him to make a little corner of the world a better place. Melvin, if you ever find yourself reading this please know that your drive and excitement to go teach students in South Sudan inspired me. May we as young college students strive to use our gifts to better the world around us as generously as you are.

We got to see Jane almost every night. She helps Rob and Cindy (the missionaries who hosted us) take care of their house and Cindy’s father. Jane is kind and blessed us in so many ways - even her smiles brought my heart incredible joy. On Sunday May 19, a group of us traveled to her church - Ongata Rongai. You will hear more about that experience in a later blog post, but Jane  was our defender on May 19. We were riding back to campus in tuk tuk’s (picture at the bottom) and she made sure that each of us got in a good tuk tuk with a reliable driver. Anytime I went over to Rob and Cindy’s house during the day, Jane was always hard at work. She always had time to stop and talk though. Jane thank you for your sweet spirit. I know that God will bless you and your family greatly for your hard work and compassionate heart.

Simon is the ANU version of my dad. When we needed more toilet paper, he was on it. Shower stopped working? Call Simon. When ALL of the water was cut off (toilets, sinks, showers) in our flat the next day? Simon’s got it under control. During Holiness Week, I had chosen to go to early morning prayer from 7-8 each day but on Wednesday Janice and Jacinda decided to go to a 15 minute devotional time held by the maintenance team daily. While they were there, Simon asked if someone from the team could be the speaker the next day and Janice signed me up immediately. Thursday morning I found myself talking about the importance of our work. Using the story of the woman anointing Jesus with oil before his death, I talked about how God can take our work and our lives and (when totally surrendered to him) can turn it into so much more. After the devotional time was over, Simon came up to me and told me about his daughter. Her birthday is coming up and instead of asking for presents and keeping them for herself, she’s going to donate all of the gifts she receives to her church that is currently trying to pay off/buy the building they’re holding church in. Simon’s smile was one of my favorites to see. The conversations we had as well as the ones he had with members of our team were deep, meaningful, and inspirational. His outlook on life, his attitude towards his work, his heart for missions and ministry - it blew me away. And Simon’s heart isn’t going to stop with him; he’s passing it on to each of his children. Thank you Simon - for the tea, your encouragement, and for inspiring all of us as you glorify God in all that you say and do.

Evans and Daniel are some pretty special men. They both work for the school’s maintenance team as well. We met Evans the first day we were there. The group from SNU hadn’t arrived yet and it was just the Trevecca students. Our first dinner was going to be off campus and we were supposed to leave at 4. Kenyan time runs a little differently than American time and it got pushed back to 5. Janice and I had sat down on the steps right outside the maintenance offices and Evans noticed us and invited us inside to sit in more comfortable chairs. A group of us came inside to find chairs and hymnals. Evans (as well as a lot of the maintenance team) loved singing hymns. The hymn books had been brought by a work and witness team decades earlier but Evans told us that they used the books every morning to sing songs during their devotional time (this was where we were first invited to join them in the mornings). For the next hour, Evans would tell us a favorite hymn of his and the group would sing the song while he recorded us. Trust me, we weren’t that great but it brought a smile to Evan’s face and some joy into our jet lagged hearts. The next time I got to talk with Evans, he was with Daniel eating in the cafeteria. That morning I had spoken in Bible study and when they saw me sit down alone, they invited me to join them. Grace (who I will introduce you to in a minute) popped in occasionally when she wasn’t working to join in on our conversation. Eating lunch with Evans and Daniel that day turned out to be one of my top 5 favorite meals/conversations of the trip. They told me about their lives and how they got jobs at ANU. Daniel has worked there since 1986 - a work and witness team taught him how to be a plumber and he’s stayed with the school ever since. Evans started working more recently, but loves it there. I asked Daniel, Evans, and Grace what motivated them… what kept pushing them to work even when they didn’t feel like it or life was hard. All of them answered the same thing: you had to work to have a salary to provide for your family. Their families, strength from God, and the great community at ANU keeps them coming back and faithfully working everyday. Grace is still single but I got to meet her brother, Daniel told me about his 9 kids, and Evans just sent me a picture of his son yesterday afternoon. Thank you for lunch, for letting me see into your world and your work, for showing me your infectious passion for life and the ways in which you glorify God.

Last but certainly not least - Grace. One morning at breakfast I introduced Grace to some of our team that hadn’t met her yet. I said “this is Grace and she is one of the most generous, beautiful, and selfless people on this earth” and then I felt myself starting to tear up so I stopped. Janice, Jacinda, and I met Grace on one of the first days of our trip. Grace works in the cafeteria, she has a beautiful smile, and she gives THE BEST hugs. Often she would see I was in a long line for food, pull me aside, ask me what I wanted, and serve me quickly. When Edwin, Jacinda, and Kelvin dared me to eat a habanero pepper and my mouth caught on fire, she knew just the thing to help me out. Every morning for breakfast I would get Kenyan tea and a mandazi with sugar on top (tastes just like a donut - 10/10 would recommend). She would make fun of my American taste buds, but she would also pick out the biggest mandazi to put on my plate. Grace is there all day cleaning the cafeteria and serving the students. She seems soft spoken, but her heart loves bigger than most. Grace, I have thought about you every day (oof I’m crying again). I miss your hugs and even though I brought home Kenyan tea bags, it’s nothing compared to the tea you made me. I didn’t think such a deep bond could be formed in a 15 day time period, but a piece of my heart is undoubtedly still with you: my sister in Kenya. We are separated by distance, but ALWAYS together in spirit and in heart.

For your hard work and willing spirit, even when you don’t have the most glamorous job… asante sana rafikis.

Tuk Tuk

Kelvin & Grace

Kenya: Chapter 3 'The Day that Changed my Life'

I got to preach 5 times while I was in Kenya. I shared my testimony in chapel both at the town campus and the main campus of ANU, I did a Bible study one morning for the ANU maintenance team, I preached at Christian Union one night, and Flora asked me to bring the morning sermon while we were at the New Scent Center (which you will hear more about later). While each of these preaching experiences brought me joy, Jesus chose to rock my world in an unexpected way… through a ministry that terrifies me: worship ministries. I first felt a calling toward a life of ministry when I was 8 years old (affirmed at age 12). I feel called into almost every area: children, youth, senior pastor, homeless ministry, human trafficking, creation care, college ministries, the elderly and disabled … but the one area I have ALWAYS known to avoid is worship ministries. Don’t get me wrong - the worship set of a service is almost always my favorite part, but my talents and passions do not lie there. So as we sat with Pastor Shaun at ANU delegating tasks for Holiness Week, I found myself ready to pray, lead a Bible study, and preach (at the time I had only signed up to pray though). At the end of our meeting, he asked if anyone wanted to help lead worship. Kendall was the only one who raised her hand and it was clear that he was waiting for someone else so I said I could do it. Let me be very clear that I was enjoying singing songs in Swahili IN THE AUDIENCE and in no way thought I would actually be asked to lead worship - but God had different plans.

I was walking to Holiness week chapel on Wednesday May 22 and Farajah (wife to Pastor Shaun and in charge of worship ministries … also I am so sorry - I know I probably just spelled your name wrong) happened to walk past. I told her how powerful the worship set had been the previous day and she said “Shaun said you were going to come help us lead worship! Why haven’t you come by yet?” I agreed to come that day to practice for Thursday morning. At 4pm that day Kendall, Kori, and I found ourselves ready to sing. Practice itself was such a blessing - the last time I had been in a choral setting like that where everyone knew how to harmonize and do it well was when I was in show choir in high school. All of the songs we were singing the next day were in English and the harmony parts sounded beautiful. There had been 15 people there - the biggest number of students that had attended all week. As Kori and I left to go to the soccer pitch to play games that night, I told Kori that I wasn’t going to lead the next day. There were too many people, not enough mics, it was outside of my comfort zone, and I had already been blessed by the opportunity to sing in that setting - that was enough for me. Gracious sakes - it seemed like I had a million excuses to avoid THE moment that God was calling me into.

I showed up the next morning to chapel and I was SO certain that Farajah was going to let me off the hook that I hadn’t worn my “African Wear” which was the wardrobe theme of the day. As soon as I walked in the door, I ran into Linnah. Linnah is the first ANU student I got the privilege of meeting. She is beautiful, funny, a talented singer, and has a kind and gentle spirit that draws others to her. I asked her where Farajah was and explained that I was going to sit this one out. She immediately reassured me that the team wanted me up there with them, I had enough time to go change, and that I just HAD to sing that morning. Thank God for Linnah. Tally and I ran back to the flats, I changed clothes, and by the time I got back the team was on stage singing a few songs before chapel got started - but the songs were in Swahili. Kendall motioned for me to come on stage and I walked up and stood between Kori and Comfort. Comfort seems quiet, but she uses her voice loudly to praise the Lord. She lives up to her name (as you’ll soon find out) and she is as beautiful as she is compassionate. As I jumbled over the Swahili words, I kept telling Kori that I was terrified, it wasn’t my thing, and that I was just gonna go sit down - but Kori kept encouraging me to stay up there. Kori and I stood there 50% singing, 50% standing, 110% trying not to look foolish - but it was comforting because we did it together. As chapel started, all of the harmony parts came back into my brain. Even though I didn’t have a mic (thank the Lord honestly), I had a lot of fun and the Lord granted me peace as we led worship that morning.

When the worship set was over, I went and sat down with the team next to Linnah as we got ready to hear the message Pastor Shaun was brining that day - a message about death. Over the course of the week he had been speaking out of Genesis 1-3: creation, the fall, and redemption. Shaun said that there are three stages to death: the first stage where you are separated from the spirit (sin), the second stage where you are physically separated from the presence on God (being expelled from the garden of Eden), and the third stage which is the physical death that we know. When Jesus died on the cross, He resurrected us and gave us life through Him for those first two stages of death and that makes the third stage a lot less scary.

The sermon ended and the worship team gathered to pray together. The prayer team (which I had also been apart of that week) was gathering with some of the adult religion faculty at the altar and crying out to God. The spirit of the Lord was flooding into that place. I grabbed hands with Kori and with Bianca. Bianca is an amazing singer. She’s also beautiful, incredibly feisty, sassy in the best and funniest ways, and outgoing. When the prayer ended Bianca didn’t let go of my hand - she had started to cry. My heart broke for her and I started to cry too. Comfort came over and sat with Bianca and when she let go of my hand I sat down in a chair nearby where Linnah joined me. I took it all in - Bianca and Comfort together, the religious leaders of the campus crying out in prayer fervently to God, and all of a sudden it hit me - I wasn’t crying for Bianca or because I had empathy for those whose hearts were saddened in that room. I was crying because the message from Pastor Shaun had answered a prayer that I had been praying for 6 months. Back in December of 2018 God told me that it was time to transition into a new season of my life where I would have to practice patience and come to terms with the fact that there were some things that I cannot control that I had to surrender to God. I have 3 terminally ill family members but the deepest burden on my heart is my mom. Mom is a walking miracle. She had a brain tumor when she was 12. Doctors told her she would never have kids because of the radiation she had received but she prayed like Hannah in 1 Samuel and God gave her a child. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer when I was 9 and underwent chemo, countless surgeries, and radiation. She’s a survivor but you don’t just survive cancer - it always comes back to haunt you years later. Last summer we found out she had radiation neuropathy - which is terminal. The same radiation that had saved her life twice is now slowly shutting down her nervous system. I won’t tell you all of the details but last July she could walk with a cane and now she can hardly walk to the kitchen without help or her walker. This past semester as I entered into this new season, I was faced with an overwhelming feeling of apathy and decided to go to counseling to talk through it. I was trying to prepare myself for her death - which will not be soon, but still lurks. The semester was very successful and my counselor and I both agreed that I was ready to handle my emotions by myself as we entered into the summer season. I was not expecting God to answer my prayer and ‘make me whole’ this quickly but sure enough my answer to prayer was right there in Pastor Shaun’s message: Jesus saved us and gave us life in the first two stages so the third isn’t that scary. I don’t have to be afraid of death for any of my family or friends who know the Lord because his blood has saved us for eternity. I dislike being one of those people who goes on a mission trip and finds their answer to prayer, but at the same time I am so thankful that God knew. God knew that I needed to be away from the situation for a little bit to clear my head and he knew that I needed to be in a mindset where I was waiting for him to move - no expectations, remember? God knew that I would have just skipped along to tea with the ANU chancellor if I wouldn’t have been forced to stop, pray, and reflect that day. He knew that leading worship scares the crap out of me but that death scared me too. He sent Linnah, Farajah, Kori, Comfort, Shaun, Kendall, and Bianca into my life to help guide me to that moment. He knew I would stay with Bianca and he knew I just needed a few more seconds soaking in the message to understand what he was trying to speak to me.

Thank you God. Thank you Comfort for being so comforting. Thank you Linnah for praying for me and crying with me. Thank you Bianca for sharing what God was speaking to your heart and letting me in on that conversation. Thank you Pastor Shaun for speaking life into my doubts. Thank you Farajah for seeing the need in my heart and calling me out of my comfort zone. Praise God. Amen.

Kenya: Chapter 2 'Beautiful Things'

Maybe after reading chapter 1, you’re a little scared to continue. Don’t worry - this is the fun chapter. GOD IS ~SO~ BEAUTIFUL. There were so many moments when his greatness was so extensive that I just had to stop what I was doing and take it in. We went on a safari the first Saturday that we were there. We woke up and left at 5:30 as we ate our pre prepared sack breakfast in the safari vehicle. It was going to be a rainy day. The safari was incredible - I was with Lauren, Jarrod, Troy, Katie, Kori, and Rob and I could not stop smiling/laughing the whole 3 hours. My cheeks ached by the time we drove out of the gates. Despite the sprinkles, we saw zebras, giraffes, hippos, a ton of different bird species, ostriches, antelope, wildebeest, and a lion. Plus there were a ton of other animals/creatures that we saw the entirety of the trip whether that be on the side of the road or right outside the flats where we were staying: warthogs, baboons, monkeys, dogs, cats (there was a mom, dad and a litter of kittens at the cafeteria where we ate), donkeys, goats, sheep, horses, more birds (very annoying birds), lizards, and slugs. If you’re reading this right now, you should ask me about Steve the slug - it’s a very entertaining story that I might add into the conclusion of this series. My favorite animal is a deer so I was ecstatic that the antelope were the most frequently seen on the safari. However, the baby elephants we visited at the orphanage after the safari stole the show. Each elephant lost its mother and is being cared for until they are old enough to be readmitted into the wild. As we finished watching the first group get fed, it started to POUR. Imagine the hardest rain you’ve ever experienced + almost all of us had left our rain jackets at the flats or in the vans + there was no ledge or roof we could hide under + mass confusion on where to go = we were drenched. When we finally made it back to the van, there was not a dry spot on our bodies. I squeezed a cup full of water out of my skirt. It was one of the greatest moments of the trip for me. One of the items on my bucket list is to be able to dance in the pouring rain … to be able to take a less than pleasurable situation and find pure joy. The morning and early afternoon on the safari and in the elephant orphanage had brought a joy that extended past temporary happiness.

May 22 the group was in charge of coming up with some games for us all (TNU, SNU, ANU) to play. There was a soccer pitch right outside the university so we all headed out to kick the ball around. The sunset was phenomenal. We were in the middle of the game and I knew I just had to stop to take a picture (of course the other team scored while I was gone, but oh well). There were several other days where the sunsets just blew me away - the last Monday of the trip as we made our way back to Nairobi from the rural countryside, our first Sunday as we sat looking out on a valley from the Maasai lodge we were eating, and the night Katie and I went out to the front of the school to take pictures of the magnificent sunset.

The final beautiful thing I will write about is the sunrise. May 23 we had decided that we would wake up and see the sunrise. Lauren came in to wake up Tally and I but we were too tired and told her we were staying in so she went back to sleep. After a few minutes, I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep and thinking that Lauren had headed up with Ian, Victoria, and Mikayla, I walked out to the soccer pitch by myself. Ian, Victoria, Mikayla, and I watched the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen. I’ve always been more of a sunset girl because (quite frankly) they’re prettier. It was the reason I had been so hesitant to wake up that morning - I would rather sleep than see a subpar sunrise that I could see every day in America. I am now convinced that Africa has prettier sunrises than we do because watching the sun illuminate the clouds and finally burst through the horizon was breathtaking (the sun looks bigger over there, just FYI). The next day we had a bigger group come out with us. There were more clouds so the sunrise wasn’t as cool but even in the subtle beauty of day 2 I sat in awe of the awesome power of our God.

I feel like people often go to Africa and bring back the pictures of the starving children - we all know that those are the pictures that stir hearts and open wallets. When I left for this trip I knew that pictures of the poverty and devastation was not what I wanted to bring back. In case you haven’t caught on, this blog will not focus on the visible debris because Kenya is so much more than what the media has portrayed it to be. ‘You make beautiful things out of the dust’ (Beautiful Things, Gungor). There is LIFE in Kenya - there are so many theologians saying that we should be looking to Africa in the next 10 years for the revival that the church needs. After this trip, I am also convinced that the spark that will light the world and our hearts on fire is about to be ignited in the heart of Africa. I want to demonstrate this hope for the future in some of people I tell you about in the next few chapters. Start listening.

Kenya: Chapter 1 'Stereotypes'

I have a bone to pick with the media and the church.

As I prepared myself for this trip, I tried to go in with 0 expectations. We didn’t have a clear itinerary so I was trying to prepare myself for anything. My main goal was to not put God in a box - to let him speak to me and through me in whatever ways he wanted to. I understood that while many people would go on this trip with the main goal to hang out with the kids we met, I knew that the hidden mission would be to build relationships with the students at Africa Nazarene University - where we were staying. I was determined to stay out of any drama that might arise and try to be kind and bring peace in whatever stressful situations we found ourselves in. I thought I was ready for anything. I was not.

Nairobi did NOT look like I thought it would. It was NOT devastating poverty as soon as we left the airport but rather paved roads, bridges, and tall skyscrapers that looked just like the ones back home. I cried quietly as we drove to ANU, embarrassed that while I had not put God in a box, I had put Africa and Kenya in one. I expected to be living in buildings that were just a little nicer than lean-to shelters. I did not expect the buildings at ANU to have multiple levels. I expected dirt floors. I did not expect it to feel like home. I was wrong. As we walked into the work and witness apartment flats we would be staying in, I was even more surprised as I was encountered with a smell that was very familiar - the room smelled like my Abuela’s house in Puerto Rico (I cried again lol). ANU felt like home from the second we stepped on campus - because it was … and it is.

Stereotypes of Kenya were not the only ones challenged and broken on this trip. God broke down stereotypes of America too. On May 16 Janice, Jacinda, and I met Edwin and Kelvin. Edwin and Kelvin are two of the funniest, most loving, joy-filled people I know. As we talked about the 40-60 security dogs the campus releases every night to keep the students safe, Edwin told us that he could show us where they keep the dogs during the day. The next afternoon, Jacinda, Lauren, and I were walking down to see the dogs. Edwin was talking about how after he showed us the dogs, he was going to go wash his cousin Pauline’s car. When I was younger, my Uncle Gary lived in Nashville and he would wash his car once a week. He taught me how to wash a car - you can’t forget the wheels! I asked Edwin if we could help him wash Pauline’s car and he was surprised. “It’s not that fun”, he said. But I insisted saying that it could be fun if you’re washing with the right people. Before we helped wash the car, we stopped by Pauline’s apartment (she is the director of the sports department at the university) where she prepared coffee and honey rolls for us. Edwin’s little cousin Lynn drove the car up to an area with a water hose and we (Lauren, myself, Edwin, and his cousins Lynn, Stefany, and Jeff) started at it. When I say that car was spotlessly clean, I mean it. I taught them how to clean the wheels and they taught me the importance of cleaning the plastic on the inside of the car. We went over the car 2 or 3 times to get it spotless. Kelvin had walked by and asked to join. We didn’t have an extra rag so I gave him mine and decided to use the bottom of my “mission trip” skirt. Edwin and Kelvin were both shocked. They asked me “why are you helping us clean this car? I have NEVER seen a white person clean a car before. They sit and watch us do it. Plus why are you using your nice skirt? You’re getting it all dirty!” I explained that my skirt was just a skirt and that my parents had set a good example for me growing up to be hardworking. I chose not to say anything about God - I don’t know why. I felt bad about it later. I guess I wanted to show my faith through actions, not just words. That night at debrief, I didn’t tell the rest of the group of the adventurous day Jacinda, Lauren, and I had experienced. I don’t post this to get you to say “wow what a humble servant Erica is” or “way to put your faith to practice sweetie!”. I shared this story to say 2 things - first: this was one of the first moments I had in Kenya where I was not intentionally trying to build relationships or show God to others. It was real, it felt natural, it was authentic. Secondly: do you see what is wrong with this picture? Americans - especially American Christians - are perceived by the world as lazy, selfish, and entitled individuals and yet “American Christianity is the way things should be”. What kind of example have we been setting??? Earlier that very day Jacinda had helped cook lunch at a school and the lead cook had told her “I never thought a white woman would be in my kitchen… you must be so humble to be cooking food with us”. Stop it church. Stop looking for excuses. Stop sitting back and letting relationships, moments, and kingdom work fly by because you ‘don’t feel like it’ or the ‘style of worship/preaching isn’t your thing’ or ‘you’re too tired’ or ‘you’re comfortable where you’re at’ or ‘there are other people who can do it better’ or ‘you’ll do it tomorrow’. God’s kingdom is here NOW. You’re not promised tomorrow. What are you going to do with today? Pray that God opens your eyes to the communities around you - you don’t have to fly to Africa to love on your neighbors. Stop giving a hand out and start giving a hand up. We as American Christians cannot continue to live in this cycle of comfortably living our privileged daily routines when there is a whole world out there that needs love. Plus it’s not that the world specifically needs our help. We are in desperate need of the lessons that the world is waiting to teach us. Humble yourself enough to stop talking and to start listening and learning. Ask God to reveal the stereotypes you have - the mud that needs to be cleaned from your eyes - so that you can start to live into the selfless lives he’s calling you to rather than the dirty, selfish, entitled position we are currently comfortably sitting in.

Kenya: Prologue

When I said goodbye to my family and walked through the security gate of the Nashville airport, I had no idea what God had in store for me. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be one of ~those~ people that embark on a mission trip to Africa and return completely changed… those people that find God, themselves, and peace thousands of miles from home.

To say I have never experienced any trip, especially a mission trip, like this would be the understatement of the century. I was face to face with hidden stereotypes I held that were about to be flipped upside down. I got to see a modern city, the beautiful rural countryside, a school in the slum of Mathare, a Christian University in the heart of Africa, and a safe place for God’s most precious children in a small town.

God knew my heart was aching, still trying to heal from brutal heartbreak that found me in 2017. He knew that Satan had come this past semester and tried to take the joy and strength I had built up. He knew the lessons I needed to learn before my 2 month internship in Puerto Rico that starts in about a week. He knew the inner desires of my heart - that all I truly wanted was to be made WHOLE in Him.

I found God in Kenya. It took over 8,000 miles to finally jolt me awake, to set me on fire again, to expand my view on the world and on God. I found God in the unexpected places. Sure, I saw him in the children we met there… but He had so much more to give than a few good pictures to add to my instagram aesthetic (no images of the children will be put online, FYI, so if that’s what you’re looking for, go find another blogger).

I found God through students at ANU, a car wash, a starry sky, a gust of wind, a ~downpour~ of rain, a slug, a chapel service, little conversations, fellowship over meals, a cemetary, a teacher, a bridge, a camera, a hymn book, personal stories, a rainbow, a couple bracelets, dancing in church, doing something that terrified me, a kind & giving soul, a sunrise, a paint brush, Kenyan tea, and a water bottle.

I left my phone in the US - the greatest decision I’ve ever made. The second greatest decision I’ve ever made was holding myself accountable and journaling every night of the trip. I have 70 pages and 2600+ images full of memories that were 99% free of the distractions of technology and home. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing my stories: experiences, relationships, and a few pictures as I process this gift from God. Welcome to my journey through Kenya - I hope your read today shows you a glimpse of God’s goodness and faithfulness.

A Joyful Season

This blog post took me longer to write than I originally planned. The last 14 months have been monumentally life changing to say the least. In May of 2017 I was in the darkest place I have ever been in - ashamed and guilty because I had lost focus on what really mattered (I was seeing the glass half empty instead of half full) and my definition of love had gotten flipped upside down and twisted. I wasn’t loving myself, my family, and others the way God intended. Last May I started over with a blank canvas - and going into senior year with a blank canvas is both terrifying and frustrating. The only things I knew for sure on that first day of school was that I had a great friend group, volleyball team, and family supporting me, that I was going to Trevecca the following year, and that God was with me. My senior year was the best year of my life- I know that’s very cliché and that I said the same thing about junior year (PSA it wasn’t really all that great of a year). I was making senior year my own and following the Spirit. I stepped outside of my comfort zone and joined basketball, which I’m convinced was the second best decision I’ve ever made, after following Jesus of course. I went to as many church youth events as I could, soaking up every “last” I could get my hands on. When 2018 rolled around, I was ready for the year that would change my life… I just didn’t realize how many changes were headed my way. In the past 7 months, it seems like every stable thing that I could count on has suddenly changed. Allow me to explain… In February my youth pastor who has been there for me for every step since the sixth grade announced he was taking a senior pastor position. I had to say goodbye to my home for the past 14 years and all of the amazing friends that went with it. (Side note - graduating was literally the greatest experience of my entire life. I have never felt so proud of myself and free at the same time. Plus graduating at church was a pretty stellar experience. Also I’m very thankful for my parents who helped me throw my graduation/birthday party because even though it rained the whole night, I’ve never felt so loved and thankful for the blessings in my life. The feelings wrapped up in graduation and the joy I felt also showed me that a lot had changed in a year… my life was back on the right track again so thanks God.) God also answered two of my prayers/questions when it came to my past relationship and the one I will hopefully have in the future. He also introduced me to lifestyle changes at camp and a conference called Six8 Fellowship that happens at Trevecca (I’ll elaborate on those more in a minute). Another change that has come has to do with my Mom’s health. She was diagnosed last year with a condition called radiation neuropathy - this is a side effect of being a cancer survivor. It basically means that the amount of radiation that they treated her with when she had a brain tumor at age 12 and when she had cancer back in 2009 was too much for her body and her nerves are starting to shut down. This condition shows itself in symptoms of other diseases. For example, I’ve thought she might have Alzheimer's for the past few years because she has a hard time remembering names and small details. She also frequently falls when she loses her balance or when her hip doesn’t raise each leg the same width off of the ground. To add to that, the company that she and I work for is moving to Miami, meaning that she’s joining disability and I’m joined the unemployment line right before college. I’m not writing this for your sympathy because our family is more thankful than ever for the time we get to share together. Plus even though Mom has radiation neuropathy, she’s still got plenty of years left. However, the Wigart's are more aware of our time ticking by so we took a trip to Wisconsin to see half of our family a few weeks ago. That trip quickly turned into one of my favorite family vacations. Mom, Dad, and I are even gonna take one more trip before school starts - a cruise to Alaska. Seeing the whales and the glaciers has been on mom’s bucket list for years and since this is probably the last year where she’ll be able to walk around by herself, Dad has pulled out all of the stops. It’s actually been really sweet watching them get so excited for this trip these past few months! To highlight one more very obvious change that’s approaching in my life… college is a thing. I don’t think I’m necessarily scared or nervous - it helps that Trevecca is literally my dream school… but this new kind of independence is fascinating to me. I already have a strong group of mentors and friends going into this and God has certainly provided in the financial aspect of things, but this much responsibility and freedom is honestly intimidating. I’ve never been this excited and more at peace for a new season!
Now for the information I originally wanted to communicate -
This summer has been absolutely amazing. I got to spend 3 weeks at Camp Garner Creek - one as a high school camper and two as a counselor (middle school and tween). I got closer with my friends, met some new mentors, spent time with my roommate, and maybe met a new college best friend. During my time at the campground, I started taking my devotional life seriously. I discovered how refreshing it can be and for the first time in my life, I wake up every day longing for that time with God. It’s been so great to explore different ways where I can grow closer to him through the simple and ordinary. I also figured out at camp that my minor will definitely be youth ministry and not children’s. Don’t get me wrong, the tweens were so fun and it was an amazing week but my heart lies with youth. Thrown in the middle of these weeks of camp was VBS where I got to spend another week watching God open the eyes of my sweet preschoolers. We were in Babylon learning about Daniel and I can’t wait to continue to watch my little ones grow closer to the same God who provided for Daniel so well. I also got to learn about God’s provision in a slightly different way at Six8 Fellowship. I was skeptical going into this week long intensive because of my past experiences. Last year was Six8’s first year of existence and when I went, it made me question everything. I left heartbroken and overwhelmed and tried to suppress memories because the week had pushed me past my comfort zone and to the next continent! This year we talked about Creation Care. I wasn’t very excited going into the conference and thought we’d be talking about a “liberal agenda” all week. However, within the first two days the Lord had convicted my heart. I was looking at this topic like it was basic and needed no attention when God had brought me there for a reason. All week I wrestled with the reality that this growing population is killing our world and that food can be tied into almost every controversial issue right now in politics. I met new friends and grew stronger in my “liberalistic conservative” beliefs. Since coming home, things have changed a lot. I’m not moving to South America to start up a farm and feed half the world’s population but I’m dreaming small. I’ve made the decision to be conscious of the companies I buy from (try it if you dare). I’ve also ditched plastic water/soda bottles completely. When we go out to eat, I’m bringing my own take home containers so I don’t have to waste that styrofoam or plastic take home box. I’m using reusable grocery bags and taking a weekly visit to the Farmer’s Market. I pray for my food differently, intentionally thinking about the journey my food has taken to reach my plate and bless me with energy for a few hours. Finally, my family and I are starting to explore what truly practicing Sabbath would really look like. Yesterday was our first time trying it and it was actually really fun. We had a devotional time together, shared a meal at home instead of out at a restaurant, and talked about life. While I’m not sure how this practice will look once I go to college, I know that I’ve learned so much about a new lifestyle that I feel called to this summer. I’ve been challenged to be intentional and conscious with my food and with my relationship with God. While college is scary and staring me straight in the face, I know that I’m about to enter and invest into the best years of my life. Thanks for taking the time to read this and support me. Have a great last few weeks of summer!