Probably the Craziest Thing I Have EVER Done!

It's pretty obvious that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Africa. And I LOVED my trip to Kenya last month. I miss the sweet people of Naomi's Village every day. So, when an opportunity came up for me to go back to NV in Kenya, I of course jumped right on it. 

I am going back at the end of July for 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!

Can you tell I'm only slightly excited?!?! ;) Please pray that the Lord will graciously provide the money as He has done in the past. If the Lord lays it on your heart to give you can contact me here or through facebook.

I am waaaaaay into planning so this going-last-minute-thing is totally against my personality but I know I'm supposed to go, so I'm going! I know that He is going to do big things through this trip as he did a few weeks ago when I was there.

I am most looking forward to seeing the precious children and hugging them because I feel like I could never get enough time with them. Wouldn't you want to jump on a plane to see these beautiful faces?

Keeping It Kenyan: 1

My friends and I are all about traditions. So, naturally, I wanted them to eat with me and take me to the airport again this year. We decided on Chick-fil-a because I had to be at the airport at 9:30 in the morning. I got up at an un-godly hour (which I hadn't seen since school let out), finished packing, and was off on my Kenyan adventure. 

Me, Daniella, Kristy, and Deanna enjoying a Chick-fil-a breakfast! Yum! It was the perfect last American meal. :)

Then we swung by my parent's house and picked up my momma so that she could see me off also. 

We were each allowed two 50 lb. bags - one contained our stuff and one was STUFFED with supplies for Naomi's Village. With all of those bags plus carry-on bags, our group had about SIXTY bags!!!! And amazingly enough they ALL arrived in Kenya with us! Thank you Jesus! 

Side note: When packing I highly, highly recommend using eBags! I used them this year and last and seriously will never take a trip without them. While everyone else's stuff was everywhere, mine was neatly rolled in these handy bags. It made repacking when we left a breeze! Click HERE for a link to their website.

P.S. I am not a salesperson for this company, but I think I totally could be! ;)

My sweet friends (and mom) stayed with me as I checked my bags, got my tickets, and waited. It is SOOOO nice to have people "sending you off"!!!!! 

And then I was off to what turned out to be one of the best adventures of my life! Stay tuned for details of my time loving on the Kenyan people (and a few transplants too)! 

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded of you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."   

~Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) 

Bittersweet

Well, I'm back in the States. While I am SUPER happy to be back in my comfy bed (especially because I am sick - and who wants to be sick in a third-world country), I am sad because I left the place that I love. My heart truly longs to be back in Kenya. 

God is good and He has a perfect plan for my life, so I know that He will sustain me here. I am excited to share the wonderful and unbelievable things that the Father accomplished during my trip. Like last year, I will post separate entries for each day once my body heals and the Lord helps me process all that I experienced. 

Thank you for your constant prayers and please continue to pray that the Lord speaks to me as I ponder all that HE has done. I'll leave you with this sweet saying that the orphans in Sudan and Kenya say: "God is good, all the time.......All the time, God is good." Yes and Amen!

Check It Out

Tomorrow is THE DAY!!! 

Visit our team blog while we are gone to check-up on us and how the Lord is working in Kenya. Thanks again for being prayer warriors for us! :)

ClickHERE for the link to the Kenya I Team blog.

What An Encouragement You Are!

Well, I leave for Kenya in about 2 1/2 days!!!!! I can't believe that I have waited an entire year for this day to come and it's almost here! I am overjoyed and thankful that the Lord is giving me this sweet opportunity AGAIN! He really is SO good!!!!! 

Okay, so now I need your help. More than anything I want this trip to be covered in prayer. Would you/your family please commit to praying each day or each time the Lord places it on your heart for me and my precious team? This would mean the world to me! Below are the specific things (in no particular order) that I'd like you to go to the Father about in prayer.

1. safety & traveling mercies (Our travel time from DFW to Nairobi will be about 25 hrs.)

2. team unity (We need to constantly honor and serve one another. This can be difficult because a. we are sinners and b. we will be together 24/7.)

3. strength & health (This gets challenging with the 8 hour time difference!)

4. changed & encouraged hearts for the precious people that we will be ministering to

5. our families in the U.S. (Many people on the team are leaving behind spouses and/or children or nervous parents. ;)

6. that time will not go by too quickly & we can soak up every amazing moment

7. for spiritual warfare to stay away from our team and those that we minister to at Naomi's Village

8. that I won't bring back a kid...haha! Just kidding! :)

 This is the one request that continues to weigh heavily on my heart each day as I prepare:

9. that the Lord will reveal to me if Kenya & Naomi's Village is the place that He wants me to go to do long-term missions (Please pray that my heart is sensitive to the Spirit & willing to obey)

Thank you SO much for walking along side me on this amazing, fabulous, life-changing experience to the place that God has burdened my heart for: Africa! I love and appreciate you! 

*Don't forget to "like" my status about this post on Facebook if you will commit to pray for me. My trip is June 14-25, but start praying now, please!*

Some More Pinterest Love

A few months back I had a post (check it out here) that shared some of the recipes I've tried and liked from the almighty Pinterest (okay, kidding about the "almighty" ;). Below are some things that I've since tried from Pinterest. 

I made these cute cupcakes for Chelle's lingerie shower. The decor was all pink/black zebra, so these matched perfectly! 

*Brownie/Strawberry Cupcake* 

I made these fun cake-in-mason-jars for Chelle and Martin's couples shower. I made one with chocolate cake and the other with strawberry cake. I also made my own cream cheese butter cream frosting to go along with the cake and I must say, it was the bomb! :)

Eventually, I want to try all of the recipes on my Pinterest boards. Obviously I can NOT eat all of these recipes by myself, so my home group members have become my guinea pigs. They are oh so sweet to try everything! 

*Chocolate Chip Cookie bars with a Caramel & Peanut Butter center.......absolutely sinful!*

 *Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownie*

I used Pinterest to give me ideas for my "end-of-the-year gifts" and it was a success! Here are the things that I've made.

 

*It "mint" so much to me that you provided snacks for our class during testing week!*

 

*Thank you for being an "ade" for our class*

 

*I gave these to my kiddos at the end of the year because we always checked our Math problems with Skittles.*

*This was SUPER easy to make, cheap, and works great!*

 This one is probably my favorite.

*It is cream cheese/caramel/heath bits apple dip all wrapped up cute. This taste amazing!!!*

You can check out the links to these fabulous desserts and gifts on my Pinterest under the "Tis Better to Give" and "Sweet and Tasty" boards. Enjoy and get to Pinteresting (hmmmm, is that a word???).

End-of-Year Fun

A few weeks before school ended we had Field Day, and it was one of my favorite days of the entire year! It was SO fun to just "let my hair down" and be a kid with my kids! ;) 

My girls thought it was HILARIOUS to hug me when they were wet.......oh how I love them!

 I'm only slightly competitive ;), so when it was our turn to play tug-of-war I was all about strategizing. Unfortunately, this little event led to really sore hands and back. Gosh, how old am I???

Such a memorable day! 

I can't wait for Field Day 2013!!!!!!