Distance makes the heart grow fonder.

Brace yourself. This is a long one.


This saying has never been more real to me. Especially in reference to my family and friends, comfortable bed with no hyenas howling and insects snuggling you, *Pazookies*, Walgreens, the smell of clean laundry (or the smell of anything clean for that matter). Despite all of the things I miss back home, today is the first day I have truly felt comfortable in Africa. I felt overjoyed to be coming home to Huruma from the safari. I couldn’t wait to see the kids and be in my “dorm”. I feel like so much fear bottled up inside of me just got released and I feel a sense of peace in Kenya now. It’s funny because I couldn’t tell you what I was afraid of when I got here. Afraid was the last thing I expected to be, especially because it was not something I felt at all before I left. I’m not afraid of the people because they are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. I’m not afraid of the animals or the insects, although maybe I should be because the insects are eating me alive and the animals are deadly. I think it might be simply the unknown. After listening to Charlie Hall sing today about Jesus coming to take us away things seem so much in perspective. It reminded me why I came to Africa in the first place and why I wasn’t afraid to leave home. It was because I have God’s promise of the Holy Spirit who is living inside of me. I have His promise that I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. I also have his demand to help those in need. His blunt statement that the poor are rich in faith (Huruma is living proof of that). His calling to go out and be the hands and feet, to take care of the orphans and the widows. All of these things brought me comfort today and for the first time, I felt ready to stay here for three months. God reminded me that I need to live for the moment. I thought when I got to Africa the worries of home would fall away because they would seem so insignificant in comparison to the worries of Africa. Instead the worries of Africa overwhelmed me, they terrified me, they discouraged me. Africa made me feel so small, as if I let my guard down for one second it would swallow me whole. Now, I feel like God has arranged a peace treaty between Africa and me. Not that I feel numb to everything going on here, at first I thought I was because I was so emotionless, but I have just realized that I can only concern myself with today. It’s when I start thinking about long term that Africa gets the best of me. When I focus on today and loving these people and embracing these experiences, is when I share the best of me with Africa. And since I can do nothing on m own, it is actually Christ living through me, I am showing Africa the best of God. I’m convinced God is the only thing big enough to free this country. To lift it up, dust it off and give it new life. I feel it necessary to define “new life”. I mean new life in Christ. I have never been to a place where poverty is like a part of culture but that is how I felt with the Maasaii. It was our last day on the safari and we went to see the Maasaii tribe. Let’s just say it was unlike anything I have ever seen before. They live in cow dun huts and walk on cow dun floors and their huts (and their faces) are covered in bugs. They are known as the warrior tribe but they were the sweetest people. After we left their tribe I asked the group how they thought the Maasaii would respond to technology and if they had the chance to have nice houses built if they would take advantage of it. Everyone pretty much agreed that they wouldn’t because the huts and the bugs were simply their culture. It was how they knew life, plain and simple. I think sometimes people tend think that American culture is the best culture and we need to spread it to other countries but this trip is showing me that’s not the case at all. Yes, we are a lot more sanitary and there are definitely things that we could teach these people about cultivating their culture, but for the most part their way of life is simply that: their way of life. It doesn’t make it wrong or right, it’s just different. The only thing in this place that is definitely wrong and I will be praying constantly for, is the absence of Jesus Christ.

Well, this is like the longest post ever and I didn’t even talk about the safari but I figured I would just let the safari speak for itself. Here are some of my AMAZING pictures:




This one is for my Dad! :)




5 minutes into the safari we got to see a lion eating a Zebra...coolest thing ever!