Kenya YES team newsletter #2
Monica Stoltzfus
12/18/07
You can better read our letters, with pictures, at yesteamkenya.blogspot.com.
This week started out eventfully since we last wrote. We got to experience 2 church services at the Songhor Mennonite Church, the 9th and the 16th. Their praise and worship is incredible. They would just break into song, dancing and clapping to beautiful harmonies. The service on the 9th started pretty small, but the congregation grew as the morning continued. The rains the night before had left travel difficult, as many of the church members live a distance from the church, and any rain turns the dirt paths to mud. Even the smallest rain effects travel, which has really made me grateful for the transportation in the U.S. I will never complain about Pennsylvania roads ever again!
Sunday afternoon, I ended up getting sick on my stomach. When 24 hours later I still hadn’t improved, we went to the hospital. Due overloaded transportation and the few paved roads with more potholes than blacktop, the miserable trip of 14km took two and a half hours. When we arrived, I was tested and we found out I had gotten Malaria. But we had caught it relatively early, and with treatment, I quickly improved. Other than this, it has been a praise that we have had really good health!
Praises:
Ÿ For relatively good health, and my quick recovery from malaria.
Prayer requests:
Ÿ Our second and final week of Swahili classes begins Wed. We are learning, but we ask that you continue to pray that we will come to understand more of the language. It has been a blessing, though, that many people understand English.
Ÿ Continued team unity.
Ÿ We will also begin more of our actual outreach next week, so you can keep us in your prayers as we transition.
Ÿ Christmas is coming up rapidly, which leads to thoughts of home and family. Pray that we can have a blessed holiday and won’t be dealing with a lot of homesickness.
Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. It has been an adjustment, but Kenya is beautiful, and the people are very hospitable. It’s beginning to feel a little more like home.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Kenya YES team newsletter #1
Kenya YES team newsletter #1
Becky Jordan
8/12/2007
Check for updates and picutres on our team blog at:
yesteamkenya.blogspot.com
Hello Everyone,
We have made it to Songhor at last. Thursday we made the eight hour bus ride from Nairobi. The roads in Kenya are extremely bumpy and many times we were off road riding on dirt paths due to the main road being under construction. We went to bed early after the long day. Friday morning we woke up to the sound of the roosters crowing and the sight of a mosquito net surrounding each of our beds. It was a wonderful morning; the countryside is beautiful here and the yard is full of chickens running around and cows and goats tied to posts and trees. After breakfast we played soccer with the grandchildren of our hostess who is the mother of Bishop Clyde. We formed a circle with the kids and toss the ball around, we would say our names and then throw the ball and ask for the child's name. Soon they were catching on and would call out our names when they threw the ball to us. Some of the kids know a little English so we were able to communicate with them using what limited swahili we know. They were also quite amused by Monica's camera, taking pictures and videos of each other and laughing at the comments they made on the videos, most of which we didn't understand. Tonight we were playing Uno Bam as a team and the kids surrounded the table yelling "Bam" when we would yell it. And laughing hysterically when we would slap our hands on the pile of cards.
Not being able to communicate is a huge frustration, but it is a relief that most people know English. We are going to have two weeks of intense language study. They tell us that by the end of the two weeks we will be able to communicate well. At this point that seems impossible, but we hope not.
Well that is just a bit about what is going on here in Songhor.
God Bless,
Becky Jordan for the Kenya team
Prayer requests:
That we will learn the language and soon
That we will know how to fit into the culture
Praises:
Safe journey to Nairobi and then to Songhor
The blessing that Bishop Clyde and his family has been
Becky Jordan
8/12/2007
Check for updates and picutres on our team blog at:
yesteamkenya.blogspot.com
Hello Everyone,
We have made it to Songhor at last. Thursday we made the eight hour bus ride from Nairobi. The roads in Kenya are extremely bumpy and many times we were off road riding on dirt paths due to the main road being under construction. We went to bed early after the long day. Friday morning we woke up to the sound of the roosters crowing and the sight of a mosquito net surrounding each of our beds. It was a wonderful morning; the countryside is beautiful here and the yard is full of chickens running around and cows and goats tied to posts and trees. After breakfast we played soccer with the grandchildren of our hostess who is the mother of Bishop Clyde. We formed a circle with the kids and toss the ball around, we would say our names and then throw the ball and ask for the child's name. Soon they were catching on and would call out our names when they threw the ball to us. Some of the kids know a little English so we were able to communicate with them using what limited swahili we know. They were also quite amused by Monica's camera, taking pictures and videos of each other and laughing at the comments they made on the videos, most of which we didn't understand. Tonight we were playing Uno Bam as a team and the kids surrounded the table yelling "Bam" when we would yell it. And laughing hysterically when we would slap our hands on the pile of cards.
Not being able to communicate is a huge frustration, but it is a relief that most people know English. We are going to have two weeks of intense language study. They tell us that by the end of the two weeks we will be able to communicate well. At this point that seems impossible, but we hope not.
Well that is just a bit about what is going on here in Songhor.
God Bless,
Becky Jordan for the Kenya team
Prayer requests:
That we will learn the language and soon
That we will know how to fit into the culture
Praises:
Safe journey to Nairobi and then to Songhor
The blessing that Bishop Clyde and his family has been
Monday, December 3, 2007
Hello Everyone,
We made it to Nairobi, Kenya. Our plane landed at 7:10pm yesterday. We took two taxis to Mike and Cindy's guest house and had an interesting ride. Two of us went in one taxi and the other two in another. The taxi drivers were separated and one of them didn't know where he was going. Finally we were able to find each other, but believe me we were doing some praying. Anyway, we're here safely and Clyde Agola is coming to pick us up and take us to Songhor. We're living minute by minute.
God bless,
Becky Jordan for the Kenyan team
We made it to Nairobi, Kenya. Our plane landed at 7:10pm yesterday. We took two taxis to Mike and Cindy's guest house and had an interesting ride. Two of us went in one taxi and the other two in another. The taxi drivers were separated and one of them didn't know where he was going. Finally we were able to find each other, but believe me we were doing some praying. Anyway, we're here safely and Clyde Agola is coming to pick us up and take us to Songhor. We're living minute by minute.
God bless,
Becky Jordan for the Kenyan team
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Departure
Greetings,
The time has come for us to depart from Harrisburg. It's been wonderful here; however, we all knew the time was coming when each team would depart ways and take hold of the kingdom that stretches across all nations. On Sunday my team and I are leaving from Dulles around 6 and if all goes well we will be in Kenya about 17 hours later.
It is with much saddness that I write to inform everyone that just two Mondays ago it was decided that Cory will no longer be going with us. The Lord has been at work in this team of ours and through may changes has brought about a team that has come to rely upon him for our strength. We are now a small team of four, but a team that will remain strong. We simply ask for your continued prayers.
In Christ,
Ben
The time has come for us to depart from Harrisburg. It's been wonderful here; however, we all knew the time was coming when each team would depart ways and take hold of the kingdom that stretches across all nations. On Sunday my team and I are leaving from Dulles around 6 and if all goes well we will be in Kenya about 17 hours later.
It is with much saddness that I write to inform everyone that just two Mondays ago it was decided that Cory will no longer be going with us. The Lord has been at work in this team of ours and through may changes has brought about a team that has come to rely upon him for our strength. We are now a small team of four, but a team that will remain strong. We simply ask for your continued prayers.
In Christ,
Ben
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