Follow You into the arms of the broken...: April 2013

Kijabe Rains....

I think I can see the 5inches of rain in these clouds..right before the deluge

On Friday night we received 5'' of rain in a matter of 4 hours. This led to a massive mudslide around 2am. The security guards thought it was the end of the world as they heard the "freight train" noise coming down the hill at them. They ran for their lives! (can't say that I blame them) The slide was just feet away from some of our staff member's homes and took out one section of our security fence. It crossed over the railroad tracks and took out huge trees in its path.. The aftermath is quite a site to behold. We have a path all around the perimeter of the school that many of us run/walk on called the Guard's trail. There are pictures of the stairs that I have walked up many times surrounded by mud and debris.

Staff member's house.. close call!

Stairs on the "Guard's trail"

The community has been greatly affected by the slide as only 1 of the 4 access roads to Kijabe were safe to be used; leaving the others closed or ruined because of the slide. A section of the rode was entirely wiped out on one of the lower roads. Our main road, the "upper" road is now open, however, there is a very weak point in the road from where most of the ground underneath it has been washed out. Normal cars should be ok to use it, as long as we get a break from the heavy rains we have been having.

road right by campus

upper road tunnel and weak point of road

upper road

lower road.. where did it go?

There have been people that have lost their entire homes and 3 children in a nearby village lost their lives in the slide.. Please continue to hold them in your prayers!
here are some more pictures from around the area..

petrol station in Kijabe

"back yard" of a staff member

lots of mud!

Harambee! (work together!)

used to be a fence along here

one of RVA's main gates

railroad

railroad tie found 200meters below the railroad!

tough guys!! thankful for their hard work. :)

pulling together to get the gate cleared!

We were able to go to our 9th and 10th grade girl's retreat at Brakenhurst. We had a great time of learning about God as our first love and how He is the only one who can satisfy us. I was so encouraged by the other women's testimonies and talks, I think the girls were too. We talked in my small group about how we want to be careful that we don't just leave what we learned behind us at retreat, but that we will live it in our daily lives. Here are a few pictures from our trip there and at retreat.

Mt. Longonot and Kijabe Hill

Kijabe from afar..the cluster of buildings on the hillside

Pride rock

My fellow dorm mom and friend, Emily

skit time.. :) I was a Rugby player

My small group.. (and dorm girls. :) )

10th grade girls

Pedicure time

Isaiah 43:1b-2, 4a

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you.”

Life of a dorm mom…Each day presents its own challenges along with some fun “adventures”. Being a “mom” to 17 teenage girls has definitely kept me on my toes. Whether it be relearning algebra (YUCK J ), editing English papers, giving advice, listening, laughing at their craziness, cooking, middle-of-the-night vomit cleanup, shopping for quantities of snack food I never imagined, teaching life lessons (and learning them together), fixing broken doors, and being available 24/7 for them could get a little difficult if not for the ever-present faithfulness of the Lord for strength and wisdom. One of my favorite challenges has been teaching them God’s Word and realizing anew the things He has done in my life to prepare me for this opportunity. I am constantly faced with a situation with one of my girls that is a lesson I have learned in the past and am then able to share what God taught me and how He was faithful in those situations and point them to His Word because I have already been through it myself. All the every-day difficulties (and I hardly scratched the surface) are all worth it when I have a girl that shows she is learning to rely on Him and maturing in her walk with her Savior. . What a blessing to be a part of these 17 young women’s lives. In dorm devos this term we have been doing stories. It has been so fun to hear about each girl’s life and how God has brought them here and what He has taught them. We end each story with a challenge for the dorm from what God has taught them.

New Opportunities…

The last part of the 2nd term and in the upcoming 3^rd-and final- term I will be coaching JV Volleyball. I am really excited! I have always been on the medical side of the bench, not the coaching. So this will be a new challenge but one from which I look forward to learning. I get to coach 2 of my girls as well as 10 other young ladies.

Mastering the whole stick shift, left side of the road/car driving thing has been an adventure. I am thankful I have been able to though because it turned out that I was able to take my girls (with 2 other drivers) to a country club in Naivasha for a swim day for our Dorm party. My girls told me I looked legit driving. J A funny part about living here is some of the “normal” things in life become obscure.

Matters for Prayer:

I have continued to disciple “Grace” this term, though it is sometimes sporadic when we actually meet. She continues to struggle with her desire to live life for the Lord. She is often despondent and has no will to be here at school and do her best. Please be praying that she will realize that God is the only one who can satisfy and that He is completely trustworthy. She has so many people in her life who have failed her and hurt her. She continues to be very open and honest with me and I am thankful we have a good relationship, but I don’t want her to depend on me for her answers, but depend on the Lord.

Another request is for patience to love and direct another girl that is in my dorm. She is very sweet, but also so dependent on me. She is my little shadow. I am hoping she will learn to interact with the other girls and have a special friend to come a long side her and encourage her to get out of the dorm and experience more of those peer relationships.

Please be praying with me too for how God will direct me for the future. He recently reminded me to not hold onto my plans with closed fists, but to trust Him and be open to wherever He might lead me even if it is totally different than what I was thinking. Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand”

I am not sure what I will be doing when I get home to Indiana in July but I trust God will show me what is next. Also, I was to the point at the end of the term where I was exhausted and very ready for the break. Please pray that I will be refreshed and ready for April 22^nd when the girls get back and that we can make the most of this last term together.

I will be heading to Malindi (the coast) with the WGM-Tenwek- missionary family to teach the 7-9yr olds for their retreat. We will be doing a VBS curriculum focusing on wisdom from Proverbs. I am looking forward to this time with them.

Praise God!! The elections on March 4^th were peaceful and the nation of Kenya has remained calm even after some drama with the losing candidate calling for a Supreme Court verdict declaring the voting count as rigged because of the machines failing. March 30^th they announced the president was official. (Uhuru Kenyatta) Peace reigned and we are so grateful for the Lord stirring peace in the hearts of Kenyans. There were several pockets of violence, but nothing like in 2007. April 9^th will be the inauguration of Kenyatta. That is the day I am to fly out of Nairobi so I am hoping that it will remain calm while trying to get to the airport for the flight to the coast.

I enjoyed being at Tenwek over Easter weekend. It was fun to have the time with my dad and also be able to go to Kenduwia orphan home and play with the kids. The Easter sunrise service was very beautiful and brought back lots of special memories of times there with my sisters and Mom as well. The Pastor gave a very encouraging message on the Resurrection. Reminded me of the hope we have as believers because of Christ’s victory over death. We serve a LIVING God!

This next term will be very full and go by quickly. I want to make the most of every opportunity and continue to pour into the girl’s lives and not get focused on looking to being back at home. 2 of my girls will not be returning this next term as it was time for their family to do a 6month home assignment. I will miss them so much! I got a little taste of what the goodbyes are going to look like in July. I will have 15 girls for term 3. I will continue teaching Sunday school and working in the office, along with the dorm. The first weekend of school we will have a retreat for the Sunday School class. I will be leading worship for that and am looking forward to the concentrated time with all the girls. Thank you for your continual support and partnership! I am so thankful for each and every one of you. Please let me know how I can be praying specifically for you!