Empty Handed

The first Sunday that I was in Nairobi, I attended a church where we sung the following song:

Majesty Majesty

Your grace has found me just as I am

Empty handed but alive in Your hands

This was a very popular song in the States awhile ago, and I'm sure many of you have heard of it. When I listened to the last line of this stanza that Sunday, I was moved by it, thinking about how I had very little to offer and how God would and could use me for His will.  Little did I know that the full significance of this line would not hit me until a couple days later.

Volunteering for this specific placement in Kapsowar, I knew that I was going to be teaching. I thought that Allison, who has been a teacher for 6 years, and I would be teaching in the same classroom, her taking the lead and me helping out in anyway possible.  God had other plans for me.  On our drive to Kapsowar, one of the full-term missionaries came to get us.  She started to explain how Allison and I would be teaching in different primary schools, and that is when the panic started to ensue. I know absolutely nothing about teaching.  I have taught in Sunday school and Vacation Bible School and also worked at a daycare where I taught the kids how to count, the alphabet, and how to tell time, but that is the extent of my teaching skills.  For crying out loud, people go to college to become teachers! The next day, when we visited the schools, it was clear that the people were expecting a real teacher, and I was so worried that I would fail them.  I started praying in my head right then and there, knowing that it would be through God alone that I would manage teaching.  I needed His help.

I was placed in Kapsowar Primary School, the local public elementary school with approximately 650 students ranging from grades (or standards as they call them here) 1-8.  I was given a seventh grade English class to each, and I was petrified.  The first full school day I was there, I simply sat in on the class I was to teach while the normal teacher taught. It was after that one day that I was expected to take on the responsibility of teaching English.

To say I was nervous to teach would be an understatement; I was terrified.  But God, like He always does, proved faithful and got me through the first lesson I have ever taught.  I have now made it through a whole week of teaching only through His grace.  That is not to say that I have not had help. The teachers at the school are so kind and so helpful, but I know that without them or God I would fail.

As I look back on the lyric "Your grace has found me just as I am, empty handed but alive in Your hands," I think about what God has taught me just in the first couple weeks I have been here.  If I had come to do solely nursing things, I would not have felt empty handed.  I would have felt somewhat competent and comfortable in what I was doing and probably would not have felt such an imminent need for God as I currently do.  He had to break me down and force me to realize that I am empty handed in order for me to be willing to be molded by Him. Even in nursing, I am not a professional and would not have struggled, but I had too much confidence in the flesh and too much pride to really rely on God.  He has been teaching me that, not matter what I do, whether it is teaching or nursing, I need to rely on Him because without Him I am nothing, and that it is not about what I can do, but what He is able to do through me.  As the Lord told Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Through my weaknesses, God's grace and power is being shown.

Kapsowar

I am so sorry that I haven't posted at all these past couple weeks. I have not had internet access but hopefully now that I have it I can post more frequently.

On Tuesday, June 4th, I arrived in Kapsowar, Kenya, the place that will be my home until the end of July. In order to get here, Allison and I took a flight from Nairobi to a city named Eldoret, and from Eldoret we drove on an extremely bumpy, unpaved road that was reminiscent of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, except that it was two hours longer than the ride.

I was immediately in love with Kapsowar when we arrived. It is absolutely beautiful here. Our house is on a hill that is surrounded by other hills, mountains, and valleys, and everything is so green.  Even the red dirt on the ground adds to the picturesque scenery.  In the morning, clouds will often cover the peak of the mountain, but as the day progresses, they roll away to reveal the mountain in its entirety.  The past  couple of days have been overcast with rain, but even the clouds do not diminish the beauty of Kapsowar.  I was told some missionaries in Nairobi that Kapsowar is one of the most beautiful places in the country, and they are absolutely correct.  I do not see how any other place in Kenya could be this beautiful.  The front of our window faces the west towards the mountains, so that when the sunsets, it is absolutely breathtaking. I will add pictures to this post as soon as possible, although you must know that the pictures I have taken do not do Kapsowar justice. You really have to be here to see how beautiful it is, and you will see that God is certainly revealed in His creation in Kapsowar.

This is a view close to where I lived

I am here!

After 3 flights, 3 continents, 4 airports, and approximately 20 hours of travel time, I arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya on June 1 with two girls I had met at orientation, one of whom I will be working with in Kapsowar whose name is Allison.  We were all blessed to have all of our luggage arrive with us and getting our visas was a smooth process.  We were picked up at the airport by an AIM employee who drove us to AIM's guesthouse here in Nairobi.  There, we met the Short Term Coordinator for the Eastern Region PJ, his wife Emily, and their two adorable kids, along with another short-termer from the UK who had arrived the day before.  The three of us who had arrived from the States got settled into our rooms, emailed our families to let them know we had arrived and were safe, and went to sleep.

The next day was Sunday, and the four of us girls from the US and UK, along with PJ and his family, attended church together.  There we meet a couple of other short-term missionaries as well as a couple who was full-termers.  The church was amazing, and everyone spoke English, so we were able to understand the sermon! After church, all of the short and long-termers that we had met went to coffee with us, and it was fun to get to know each other better and simply relaxing.  After that, us four girls went to PJ and Emily's house for about an hour, spending time with them and the kids.  We then went to an Ethiopian restaurant for lunch, which was exciting and yummy! There, we met a couple of other short-termers as well as celebrated one of them that would be leaving Kenya in less than a week.  We were then dropped off at the guesthouse where we had dinner, blogged, and went to bed.  All in all, it was a wonderful first day in Kenya!

It was such a blessing to get to know other missionaries here, especially PJ and Emily! They are such a sweet couple and the love they have for the Lord is quite evident.  It was sad to say goodbye to Emily today because we will not see her again because Allison and I leave for Kapsowar on Tuesday, and when we come back to Nairobi just before we leave for the States, PJ, Emily, and the kids will already be in the US on home assignment.  It was so wonderful to spend the day with her and the kids and hear how the Lord has been at work in her life. PJ will travel with us to Kapsowar on Tuesday, so we did not have to say goodbye to him just yet.

One thing in case you want to know: Kenya is 10 hours ahead of Pacific time, meaning it is 7 hours ahead of Eastern time. Just thought I'd let you know in case you were curious! Also, we saw two camels in Nairobi yesterday! They were just walking along with their owner, although one looked like it was running away. Emily told us that camels are not very common in the capital, so it was exciting to see them on our first day!

That is about all of the news for now! Today (Monday), we will have ABO (Africa Based Orientation) and then on Tuesday, Allison and I will fly to Kapsowar, which is where we will be for the next two months. I have heard it is beautiful there, so I am excited to get to our final destination!

Family, New Friends, Strangers, and Prayers

This past week, before I arrived in Kenya, I have been learning more about relationships and what a blessing they can be, especially when prayer is involved.

The night before I left to go to Georgia, my dad, mom, sister, cousin, and a couple who are close family friends covered me in prayer for my journeys ahead.  I cannot say how much I was blessed by their words and how I wish I could have written them all down.  They were so encouraging to me and beseeched the Lord on my behalf , and it was so wonderful to be with some of the people I am closest to on the night before I left.  I will not be able to ever thank them enough for the prayers they offered up to the Lord for me.

On Wednesday, I headed to Africa Inland Mission's headquarters in Georgia for orientation.  There were 12 other short-term missionaries there who were all close to may age, which was so much fun and such a blessing! It was such a wonderful experience to meet other brothers and sisters in Christ who share the same passion for Africa as I do and who are willing to spend their time serving the Lord in a foreign country.  It was also great to meet the 3 AIM staff who I have been in contact with the past few months leading up to this and put faces to names! All of us short-termers became close over the 48ish hours that we were together, and it was really hard for us to say goodbye when orientation finished on Friday. We had many wonderful conversations and had fun just hanging out and exploring the town we were in. It was a great time and we are going to stay in contact with each other to hear about everyone's experiences in Africa!

While in Georgia, all of us went to Chick-fil-A to have dinner.  When we arrived, it was obvious that we were all together, so after we had our food and sat down to eat it, one of the workers came by as she cleaning up some other tables.  She was very sweet and asked us what we were all doing there together, and we told her that we were all going to Africa through AIM.  She was so excited about our journeys that she prayed for us right then and there! It was so encouraging to be prayed over by a total stranger who clearly loved the Lord.

This all took place before I left for Kenya, so it was so encouraging and such a blessing to know that people had been praying and would continue to pray for me as I go on this exciting journey!