Facebook | Your Photos - Church Friends

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=137356&id=550306089&l=00f17c6a5a

These are pictures of me with my friends from church. I love my church!

Facebook | Your Photos - Kenya 2

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=132738&id=550306089&l=710d97291c

These are pictures of our staff retreat to Lake Naivasha awhile ago. Sorry this took so long. On this album is also included pictures of the car my roommate and I purchased when we first got here. There are pictures of our short weekend vacation to Mombasa. And then there are also pictures of me visiting the World Cup Trophy that was on tour here. It was quite the experience.

Update

So, school is still going really well. I still love my kids and my job. I still really enjoy living here in Kenya.

But life is about to get much busier since soccer season starts next week. I'M SO EXCITED!!! Next week we're doing just straight conditioning. The girls are already complaining. The following week (week of Thanksgiving & my birthday!) we're having tryouts. And then we start practicing after that. We don't start games until 2nd semester. We're supposed to have a U-19 team and a U-15 team. I'll be trying to coach both, with the help of one of the other teachers (Joel Dixon) who coached the guys. I'd also like to thank John Antonisse (girls soccer coach at UT-Dallas) and my friend, Jenny Wedemeier, for helping me a ton with coaching ideas, drills, practices, conditioning and the sort before I left for Kenya. Their resources and expertise have become a huge help to me. I'd also like to thank my brother and sister-in-law for giving me more conditioning ideas from Crossfit. I'm excited to use everything I've been learning from each of these people. I'm really looking forward to the season beginning because I love soccer and I really love the girls. I just hope I can be a good coach.

Sorry it's been so long since my last update...

I'm just not very good about updating people on my life and keeping in touch with people. I don't know what my problem is. I want people to know what's going on with me and I want to hear about their lives and I miss all of my friends and family a lot. So, you'd think I would be better at this. Maybe it's my job and life that keep me busy, but I think part of it is also the fact that I'm lazy in this area of my life. Sorry.

I think too, sometimes, that I'm not sure exactly what to share with everyone or tell people because I feel like I do the same thing every day, all the time. But, I know people still want to hear about it. So, my last update was in Sept. Since then, I've attended 2 Kenyan weddings, have gotten to know my students more and more, have developed more friendships outside of school with people from the Kenyan church I attend, have begun to really enjoy living here, have played soccer with friends from church, have been staying busy with school but also been socializing, am learning more about life here, am getting more and more used to driving here, it finally started raining (which we desperately need), I fell down the stairs in my house but am ok, have been downtown Nairobi more, saw the biggest birds (storks) I've ever seen in my life, laughed a lot, been cooking more, and have been able to talk to my parents on the phone. We still haven't run out of water at our house, which is a HUGE blessing since it usually happens each year. The electricity rations are on the downturn and should be ending soon.

Weddings in Kenya are very different than in the States. Usually they're open to whoever wants to show up and they feed everyone. After the ceremony, the couple leaves for about 2 hours to get their pictures taken in their various favorite locations. During that time, the guests are all eating and waiting for them. Then, the couple returns and all the women welcome them at their car with singing and dancing, depending on what tribe they're from. They escort them in with singing and dancing and then everyone gets involved. This is followed by the couples' families giving them advice and blessings in front of everyone. There's the cutting of the cake and the wedding proceeds throughout the rest of the day with an after-party. They usually start around 11am or early afternoon. So, it's been quite interesting to attend those. I've enjoyed them.

But, my biggest highlight has been getting to know my students better. I just love them more and more each day. They have been opening up to me, which has been quite the honor and privilege. But, the more I learn about them, the more I realize what their needs are. Even though I'm teaching at a private Christian school, that does not necessarily mean that everyone's on the same track or has the same lifestyles or morals. The kids here are more like my public school kids than private school kids, not to say that's a bad thing. But, I was assuming differently when I first arrived here. These kids have just as many needs as my public school kids did. I've realized teenagers are teenagers no matter where you go. They still all have the same issues, problems, and insecurities. It all boils down to the fact that every one of them needs and wants to be loved and accepted. My biggest challenge now is to know how to reach them, how to get through to them, how to educate them in matters of life not just in my subject. All I know to do right now is pray for them continuously and earnestly. I realize how much I really care about them and desire for them to know God the way I know Him. I'm desperate for them to see God's love through me, but I'm not so sure I'm always doing a very good job. That's my biggest prayer request right now. So, I would covet your prayers for wisdom to know how to reach my students.

Thanks again for reading my blogs. I feel honored.

Many Blessings!

A Beautiful Sunday in Kenya

It's Sunday afternoon and it's a beautiful day. The sun is shining bright, there's a nice breeze, and I get the blessing of being outside using the internet on a beautiful campus. Our school here is quite the spectacle. There are many pretty plants and flowers here. Right now I'm watching a medium-sized lizard crawl around on a rock. Enjoying God's creation is a blessing to me. I believe that's why He created all of these things, so that we would give Him such glory and honor for creating such wonderful things. Evolution doesn't cut it for me.

I'm so pleased and honored to know that people read my blogs and want to keep hearing stories from me about my life here in Kenya. I really appreciate it and am humbled that y'all would care. Thank you! Also, thanks for so many of your prayers. God is answering. I'm doing really well here. I LOVE my students here so much. I loved my students in the States too, but I'm not sure what's different here. Maybe it's because I get to actually know these students more than the ones at home because at home I had around 170 students, whereas here I only have around 55. It's quite a difference when you're talking about investing in students' lives. I also love teaching the classes I'm teaching. I have so much fun with my students, but I like the subjects too. Plus, the students seem way more interested and participate a lot more than I've encounterred before.

I'm also really excited for girls' soccer season to start. Tryouts won't happen until Nov. Most of the girls who play soccer are playing basketball right now, so I can't do anything with them before tryouts. The guys play soccer during lunch. The other day one of them asked if I would be on their team during lunch. I said sure, but that I was sorry if I caused them to lose. I felt so special! And it was so much fun to play with them.

The students and classes make it all worth while. When I get frustrated at the other things that really bother me, like politics that come into play at any job, then I keep reminding myself of the students and it makes it better. Why does every job have to have politics? It's so annoying, frustrating, and it can get ugly too. But, I guess it could always be worse.

Anyways, today was my 4th time to go to a church that I've decided to be a part of. It's called Karen Community Church. I just LOVE it!!! The worship is AMAZING!!! The teaching is good, sometimes are better than others. Today was my first time to go to the singles' sunday school class. It was great! It's a small group and they're super nice and discuss really great things. They invited me to their camping trip next weekend, and I'm soooooo excited to go. I am the only white girl in the group and I'm just really excited to become friends with some Kenyans and just spend time with other people besides those at school (not that there's anything wrong with school people, but I need some diversity). Plus, I want to see more of Kenya besides just the big city of Nairobi. There's so much more! I really love this church. The people seem really great and seem to have their hearts in the right place. I really desire to get involved somehow.

I know I had promised pics a long time ago and haven't done it yet. I'm really sorry, but I will do my best to get those uploaded soon. I still need to downsize them first before I get download them. Thanks for your patience. And thanks for being interested in my life. Many thanks!

My Heroes

I would like to write a blog about my parents because they are my heroes. And no, they did not ask me to write this. In fact, they have no idea I have written this. I guess it just makes sense to write about them since I've been homesick lately.

My parents are some of the most amazing people I've ever known. Of course they're not perfect, but oh, wait... none of us are. What a realization. And if you think you are, then just keep lying to yourself. Anyways, that was a side note.

Getting back on track, my parents have been the biggest influences in my life and I'm truly thankful for that because I believe they have been very good influences. They did the best they could raising me, and I don't think I turned out too bad, by God's grace. ;) They taught me the important things in life and taught me about values and morals. They taught me about faith in God, about the grace that He gives, and His unconditional love. They took care of me, they provided for me, and loved me. They have supported me and have always been there for me. They have always believed in my goals and dreams, even when all I wanted to be was a farmer during my growing up years. What little kid says they want to be a farmer all the way until they're in college? My parents could have said, “Maybe you should pick something a little bit more practical and realistic.” But, no, they let me dream and they supported me in that and tried to find ways to get me there.

And I must say, they're also a pretty good-looking couple, still even at their age. :) I couldn't ask God for better parents. God obviously knew what He was doing when He placed me in their family. My parents have always shown strong faith and trust in God during difficult times and circumstances, and believe me when I say 'difficult'. They have been through some not-so pretty times in their lives and still do. But they have always persevered and sought wisdom from the Lord to make it through those times. And seeing that has always encouraged me. They have also always sought the Lord's will and direction in decisions they've had to make in things I've witnessed in their lives. They have lived their adult lives for the Lord, to serve Him, know Him, and love Him. They continuously share God's love and His message with others. Overall, they've been a good testimony to me. And I hope and pray that God gives me the opportunity someday to try to be that kind of a parent to my own children.

Anyways, there's so much more to say, but how do you put it in words? I love hanging out with my parents because they're just so much fun too! They challenge me, keep me accountable, and make me laugh. The list could keep going, but I think I've made my point. I hope you can have the privilege of meeting them someday. They'll bless your socks off!

I Love You, Mom & Dad! -Jenny

Things Commonly Seen/Experienced in Nairobi, Kenya

at our school, the cafeteria food is 100 times better than at school's in the US
donkeys on the side of the road
goats on the side of the road
people walking everywhere
red dirt everywhere
crazy drivers everywhere
super cheap beautiful roses
mothers carrying their children on their backs like a sack
women carrying huge loads of wood on their backs and walking long distances
cows roaming the main streets looking for grass
'police stops' in the middle of the roads
see lots of shacks
gate guards at every entrance
lots of colorful and noisy birds
pollution
police with machine guns
Obama paraphernalia
holes in the roads
people doing everything by hand
eating a lot of potatoes
people on bicycles
men on the side of the road peeing on a bush
plants being sold on the side of the road
furniture being sold on the side of the road
men standing in the middle of the neighborhood roads selling food, newspapers, mirrors, birds, pirated movies, and anything else
having to maneuver my car around cattle

Here's a common story that happens to me every time I drive at night. Let me first describe to you what driving at night means here. For some strange reason, many people drive with their brights on. There are a few dim street lights overhead. So when it gets dark, it is dark. There are a million holes in the road, but you can't see them with the combination of pitch black and other cars brights shining in your face. In fact, you can't see ANYTHING with that combination. Therefore, here's where the trouble comes in. You see, I live in a country where I am the definite minority in skin color. For some reason, the majority here like to walk out in the middle of the street when it's pitch black outside and they wear dark clothing as well. So, you can just imagine what I'm trying to get at and describe without making it sound wrong. I'm just not sure if they're even aware of why it is so dangerous for them to do this. Do they not really think about it, or does it not even cross their minds that if you have darker skin, and are wearing dark clothes, and it's dark outside, do not cross the middle of the street. I cannot see you and therefore I will more than likely hit you. This is one thing that I have come across that really bothers me.

Things I Took for Granted in the USA

water supply
power supply
family
friends
smooth roads
more than one lane roads
price of gas
home-cooked meals
drinking water
washing machine that works
clothes dryer
clean water that doesn't stain my clothes
pavement vs. dirt everywhere
having pets/dogs
convenience
simplicity
radio
good preaching/expository teaching
good worship
cheerios
good Mexican food
being around people who really know me
being able to drive somewhere in a remote area whenever I need to just get away 2 be by myself
parks
frozen food
Peter Pan peanut butter
ice
highway litter laws
seeing beautiful farms with red barns
clean air
orderly traffic
being able to run longer than 10 minutes without getting out of breath due to 6000 ft. elevation
seasoning salt
garlic salt
flat land
John Deere
people understanding what I say
PRIVACY
swimming
being able to order water for free
rain
Diet Dr. Pepper
sugar products
cheap, yummy, chewy, sour candy
baked goods
orderly driving
stop signs
traffic lights
people not staring at me all the time because of the color of my skin
being the majority
not seeing people starving
being able to wear whatever jewelry I want
having Christian bookstores
having internet everywhere
fast internet
seeing big pickups everywhere
having a pickup
not having to worry if I'm out after dark
street lights at night
street signs
ability to workout outside in the neighborhood
lanes on the roads
laws that are enforced
being able to flush after every toilet use
using sink water to wash my contacts
having an assortment of substitutes to choose from and use
feeling comfortable
feeling safe
having my own classroom
seeing beautiful wheat fields
not having to convert every purchase into dollars just to know how much I'm really spending
taking a bath
actually being able to shave in the shower
big machines that do the work
yards
not having to re-size all of my photos so they can be downloaded
knowing where everything is

The Census

So, Monday morning I came to school to find a note written on our staff white board saying that this past weekend the president had declared a national holiday for Tuesday in order to take the census. So, Tuesday we had no school and people all over the nation were supposed to all stay home so that when the census people came by your house they could ask them a bunch of questions. Only in Africa would something like this happen. Is that really the most efficient way to take a census? Sounds funny to me, but hey, what do I care. I got the day off of school!

I got to catch up on stuff, relax, and workout. Working out kicked my butt big time. I didn't think that the change in elevation would make it that much more difficult. But, it sure did because I was hardly able to run very far and I didn't last very long. I mean, I'm not in the best shape, but in the States I can run longer than what I did yesterday. So sad! I'll just have to keep working at it.

My roommate, Jen and I, got a car this past weekend! Yay! It's a Toyota Vitz. It's a very small car, but great for driving around here. We got a good deal for it and we're pleased with it. Plus, it's just SUPER nice to have a way to get around without having to rely on everyone else. I'll add a picture of it later.

Ok, well, I have to get back to work now. Thanks for reading!

What God Just Taught Me

So, this year is the year for the book of 1st Peter. It seems as though most of the things I have learned or heard this year have had to do with 1st Peter. I don't think I've ever had a year where the main focus was on one book of the Bible, but I must say I do like it. :)

Yesterday I was reading the 1st chapter again and two verses I've read multiple times caught my attention, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (vs. 6-7). For the first time, one little phrase was brought to my attention... “if need be.” The reason that seems so profound to me is because that phrase is also followed by “you have been grieved by various trials.” Therefore, that tells me that if I face trials, it's because there was a need to learn something. And if I allow God to do what He wants through that trial (instead of complaining and causing problems), then it should cause me to rejoice because it will strengthen my faith, which is “more precious than gold.” So, instead of me having the bad attitude that I have now about my circumstances, I should look at it as “Okay, I'm going through a trial right now. What's the need? What do I need to learn here? How does God want me to respond to this trial?” And maybe this will help me not be so ugly on the inside. Right now I hate the way I'm being on the inside... it's just plain ugly. And being that I'm quite the transparent person, I don't do a very good job of hiding my ugly self. But, I've at least gotten to the point of recognizing it and am trying to submit that over to the Lord for Him to deal with. I'm going to have to do this moment by moment so that I don't revert back to being my ugly self. It'll be a struggle, though, because it's so much easier to act bad than good, but it's so much better for me to act good than bad. I need to get to the point in life when I do rejoice over trials. That is a hard one to do because I want my life to be easy and enjoyable all the time. But, if it's easy, then there's no growth required. And with growth comes maturity and wisdom... and that's what I truly want.

It's in the Valleys I Grow
-Author Unknown

Sometimes life seems hard to bear,
Full of sorrow, trouble and woe
It's then I have to remember
That it's in the valleys I grow.

If I always stayed on the mountain top
And never experienced pain,
I would never appreciate God's love
And would be living in vain.

I have so much to learn
And my growth is very slow,
Sometimes I need the mountain tops,
But it's in the valleys I grow.

I do not always understand
Why things happen as they do,
But I am very sure of one thing.
My Lord will see me through.

My little valleys are nothing
When I picture Christ on the cross.
He went through the valley of death,
His victory was Satan's loss.

Forgive me Lord for complaining
When I'm feeling so very low.
Just give me a gentle reminder
That it's in the valleys I grow.

Continue to strengthen me, Lord
And use my life each day
To share Your love with others
And help them find their way.

Than You for valleys, Lord
For this one thing I know,
The mountain tops are glorious
But it's in the valleys I grow.

Pictures & Electricity Rations

Here are some pictures you can browse through for your enjoyment.

Saying my goodbyes: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=113096&id=550306089&l=3de1a270d9 Sadly I didn't get any of my family. :(

My first week in Kenya: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=113598&id=550306089&l=71593696d4

The Giraffe Center: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=113994&id=550306089&l=857ef73ccd

School starts tomorrow and I'm feeling a bit better than last week, but not completely ready yet. There's still a lot I'd like to do, but I'm not going to kill myself over stressing about it because stress is seriously a killer. We had an open house/picnic on Saturday where we met some of the students and parents. It was good just to see how the next group of kids will be and how they act together.

So, due to the drought, the country of Kenya has decided to lay out a new program, electricity rations. The entire country is going to be out of electricity for 3 days per week. They haven't told us yet which specific days the electricity will be turned off, but last week it was off 4 days and some of those times were not planned. They turn it off from around 7am to 6 pm, so that changes things around when getting ready in the mornings. Putting on my makeup in the dark makes for an interesting new look. ;) It's just a new lifestyle to get used to, I guess. Not much you can do about it. It will remain this way until the rain comes. So that's our biggest prayer request right now. We're hoping it doesn't get to the point of them giving us water rations. At least the electricity rations are mainly during the days while we're at work and the school has a generator. If they end up happening on Saturdays, then that will be a different obstacle to get used to.

I drove to school this morning and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! I drove my roommate's car and it went pretty well. We survived! The 2 roommates that are continuing teachers, share a car. So, my other roommate who is also new and also named Jennifer, we're trying to find a car to share as well. We went to the car bazaar yesterday and found some good deals. We're going to have our mechanic at school look at them for us and tell us if they're good or not. Most of the cars are Toyota's here, which I love. :) We've been told that public transportation is not very safe, so that we would need to share a car. The cars here are fairly decent, but the roads are not. There are potholes everywhere!

Well, don't have much more to share for right now. I'm going to give a quick shout out to my big brother, Joel, whose birthday was yesterday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOEL!!! Hope you had a super, duper day! Love ya!

To the rest of you, thanks again for your many prayers and for taking the time to read my blogs. It means the world to me.

My First Week Living in Kenya

As of today, I have been living in Kenya for one week and school starts one week from today. I wanted to wait to write until I had pictures to share. But, it is quite the affair to upload photos. So, I'm in the process of figuring out how to do that more easily and then I will put them up. I figured I'd go ahead and write so as not to keep putting it off until forever just because of pictures. I know you all want to see photos, but you will have to be patient with me until I figure it out. Thanks! :)

The first couple of days of orientation were a bit overwhelming with learning about life in Kenya. Of course they are going to tell us of all the dangers to watch out for so that we're not going into life here completely blind. The list was longer than I had thought and so I became quite fearful. I kept thinking to myself, “What am I doing here? I don't know if I can do this. But, I know without a shadow of a doubt that God wants me here for SOME reason. So, I better suck it up and learn how to live.” I've pretty much thought that at least once a day so far. :)

I have gotten to see a lot of cool things and as time progresses, life here does get better and little by little it becomes more normal. The best way I can think to describe what the area looks like that I live in is this: large city with lots of people; many Africans walking on both sides of the road; all roads are only 2-lanes busy with lots of vehicles driving crazy; there are holes all over the roads so the ride is continuously bumpy; lots of pollution and dirt in the air; as opposed to us having concrete everywhere they have red/orange dirt instead (so no matter how hard you try, you're most likely going to be dirty); if you take our plants and give them steroids you could envision how gorgeous their plants look; vendors selling household items on the sides of the main roads; other vendors selling smaller items on smaller roads; you see apartment building after apartment building; every living area has a tall fence and a gate with a guard; even restaurants have fences, gates, and guards.
Here are a few things that I've noticed about life here so far (but I still have much more to learn): roses grow easily here so they are sold very cheap; water trucks carry clean water every so often because people run out (but I'm pretty sure you have to pay for it); the city will turn off the electricity in certain areas without warning; people do say hello and smile when you initiate it; you have to be an aggressive driver to survive here; you always have to filter your drinking water; their version of Walmart is called 'Nakumat'; their westernized mall is called 'Yaya'; a hair dryer costs 2,800 shillings which comes out to a little over $37 (YIKES); windows have bars on them; the part of the house where the bedrooms are has an extra metal door to lock in case intruders come in and you can still be safe. The most common form of transportation for people here is the 'matatu', which looks like a 15-passenger van loaded with over 20 people and they have the craziest drivers. Kenyans have very strong accents so it is difficult to understand their English. They seem very willing to help you with anything (not sure yet if that's because they want something in return). Every Monday night the local cinema has 'Mzuri (pronounced like Missouri) Monday Madness' where you pay $6.67 for popcorn, hot dog, soda, and movie. Good deal! Their version of 'Starbucks' is called 'Nairobi Java House' where they have the BEST coffee I think I've ever had (and I don't really even like coffee, but just use it for caffeine instead). You can also order food there and it's REALLY good. I already tried their beef burger and 'chips' (which are french fries). I think their 'chips' are better than our 'fries' because they actually taste more like potatoes/ homemade fries. You can also get free wireless there during non-peak hours. Kenyans don't use much sugar for anything. So, their desserts aren't very sweet. They do have a lot of the same things we have in the US, but you have to pay a lot more for them. The 'Masai Market' is every Sunday and you can barter pretty cheap for beautiful, hand crafted things. It's a great place to buy souvenirs. White people are called 'mzungus' (pronounced mizoongooz). If they don't know you, they will call you 'sister' or 'brother'. Since the buildings are made of concrete, you can hear EVERYTHING. Dogs bark randomly throughout every night!

Some activities I've participated in during my first week here: eaten Ethiopian (which you eat with your hands and did not feel so good in my stomach); went to the 'Giraffe Center' and fed the giraffes with MY BARE HANDS!; also saw warthogs (Pumba) at the center; eaten wonderful Chinese food; 'Mzuri Monday Madness'; went to the 'Masai Market' and bartered for a few things and was also able to say no to them too (that's a big improvement for me!); went to church where it took them about an hour to sing 5-6 songs since they kept repeating the chorus over and over again (but I hear that's a cultural thing that I've got to get used to); already eaten at Java 3 times (Yummy!); moved into my home and been at school a lot.

I will write more about my school next time because I think this one has gotten long enough. And I hope to also send pictures soon.

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane, I Don't Know When I'll Be Back Again

It is Sunday, July 26th and I leave for the airport in less than one hour. My flight to Nairobi, Kenya leaves in 3.5 hrs. And my life feels so out of whack! I can't even express or describe how I feel right now. I'm sad, depressed, excited, anxious, nervous, confused, tired, etc. And I can't even cry! I don't know how to put that all in one word, but I know God is good and He'll meet my needs.

I'd like to thank my sister (Joy) and brother-in-law (Fernando) for all of their hard work with packing ALL of my stuff and making sure it all fits accordingly. I'd like to thank my mom for preparing my favorite meals and shopping for last minute items for me. I'd like to thank my Dad for making me laugh. Thanks to my other siblings, Joel & Jessye, for calling me before I go. I love you all tons!

My address in Kenya (which is also the address of the school) will be:
Jennifer Prather
P.O. Box 1333-00502
Nairobi, Kenya

They do not have physical addresses for homes and locations. Everything is a P.O. Box. I will not have a P.O. Box for my house, so the above address is it. I would LOVE to receive letters/cards from anyone. They suggest that the best thing to do is send stuff in padded envelopes; it doesn't matter what size. The reason being that anything in a package they charge out the whazoo for me to receive it. You can send me pictures, CD's/DVD's (not in cases), letters, whatever in those padded envelopes and they make it just fine because they generally don't open those to check what's inside. If you want to send a package, I don't want to tell you no, but know that whatever is in it I will end up paying for. The price just depends on how it looks and what they want to charge me. So, if you do send a package, make the items look as old as possible (meaning unwrap them from their original packaging and remove price tags). With packages you also have to fill out one of those green forms (custom slips) at the post office to let them know the contents of the package. So, just put "family memories" or " used ...". I hope I'm making myself clear. That's why I just think letters/cards would be easier, if you want to send anything. But, you definitely don't have to. :)

If you feel compelled to financially support me, then go to http://www.nics.org/. Click on 'Donate'. You can either mail them a check, donate online, or fill out a form for automatic withdrawal. If you write a check, on the Memo line please put 'Project #003282'. If you do it online, please select 'Missionary Project' -> 'Nairobi'-> 'Jennifer Prather, 003282'.

Thank you all for your encouragement, prayer support, and financial support. If I did not get a chance to talk to you or see you before I left, I'm GREATLY sorry! Please do not take it personal. Please keep in touch. I will have internet, but it will be MUCH slower. So, please be patient with me. I will do my best to communicate with you all and keep y'all updated. I will also let you know when I arrive there.

Prayer Requests:
Transition
All my luggage would get there in one piece
Calm nerves
Safety
Health
For my heart

You may email me at jennifer_prather@yahoo.com or jenniferprather@westnairobischool.org.
Either one works just fine! :)
And my skype name is jenniferprather, but with the slow internet who knows if that will work. This is going to be a HUGE test of patience for me. :)

I'll miss y'all tons!
Many blessings to you all!

Well, the Lord sold my truck for me this week to a neighbor down the street. It was a great answer to prayer! My dad was with me when we bought it and with me when we sold it. The man we sold it to was super nice. Here I am saying goodbye to my truck. I had it for 9 years and it served me well. Toyota's are great cars! :)

The Lord has also sold most of my furniture! Now, I'll be having a garage sale this Saturday to try and get rid of the rest of my stuff. Hope there's a good turn out!

July 4th

Our family spent the 4th at my brother's new house on base at Ft. Hood.

First thing we did was run in a 5K race early that morning.

This is before...

This is after...

Can you pick out the differences?

We spent the afternoon at the pool.

Of course, Kenzie is eating.

Cousins hanging out.

The parachuter had smoke coming out from under him with the colors of the flag.

And then we got to see Dierks Bentley in concert. Except, I found out he's married and has kids. So, that made me kind of sad. ;)

Watching the best fireworks in all of Central Texas (no wonder, there's not much to compete with).

Cousins again... aren't they so cute?!

I really like sunsets.

PFO (Pre-Field Orientation)

So, I just spent 2 weeks in Southaven, MS (right across the border from Memphis) for our orientation. There were about 300 people at this event, 200 of them being new teachers at the various 20 NICS (Network of International Christian Schools) all over the world. I learned a ton, had a blast, and met my awesome Kenya team.





























One of my new roommates in Kenya, another Jennifer. She's SUPER cool! I can't wait to be roomies! :)

Some new friends also going to Kenya. Tom is going to teach H.S. social studies and Tera is going to teach 3rd grade.

Here's my awesome principal (Kathy) and her super cool husband (Vance). It's going to be a blast to work for her. Vance will be working on building projects.

The newly-weds, Shauna and Rich. She's teaching kindergarten and he's the athletic director.

This is the wife (Lesley) of one of our new teachers (Michael), who will be teaching ESL. She's going to be working with a ministry in the slums.

This is our team bowling together. That was really fun. Guys against girls; of course guys whooped up on us. But, it was still a lot of fun.

Here's part of our team dressed up as spiderman to help celebrate the birthday of a son of another team member. Can't you just see how much fun we are going to have?! I can't wait!

Father's Day

I got home from my trip from California just in time to celebrate Father's Day with my family. It was a blast! I love being with family! We also got to spend part of our day at Six Flags.

Eating a yummy funnel cake...
















Antique cars...


































On the Mine Train Ride...

Cousins playing together...

Kenzie's obsessed with the dogs...

Essie...

Kenzie just LOVES Grandpa. She thinks he's so funny!

Kenzie is quite the poser...

Cannon doing his Wolverine pose...

Fernando getting his Father's Day present...

Grandpa getting his presents...

I gave Dad a musical Superman card because he's my hero! :)

Ellie & Essie wearing my shirts...

California Vacation

Well, I'm so sorry that it has now taken me 4 weeks to update since my last post. That's bad, I know. To begin, as soon as I finished my previous job, I took a vacation to California to visit some friends of mine. So, I flew into San Francisco and got the privilege of seeing my most favorite musical “WICKED” for the 3rd time! I was so excited! I won the lottery/cheaper tickets and Kimette, her husband, and I got to sit on the 6th row from the front. It was amazing!
















Then, we went rock climbing...

Played with her kids and her sister's kids...

Played softball...

Then went to Truckee to be with Tawny and her husband and dog...

My Last Day at SOS

Well, today was a bitter sweet day. It was my last day of work at Southwest Office Systems. I am excited for what is to come next, but I am sad to be leaving behind a great job. I really enjoyed working there because I had the priviledge of working with great people. They're a lot of fun!

I feel blessed to have been able to work there. It was totally a God-thing because it was perfect timing and for the perfect amount of time. God really blessed me by providing me with this job. It was just right for me, even if it was for a short amount of time. I'm thankful for all the friendships I was able to build. I just hope that I can do my best at keeping in touch with everyone.

Farmer Jen

I want to share something really exciting (at least it was exciting to me) that the Lord showed me on Sunday. I was praying during the Lord's Supper and He brought the word "harvest" into my mind. I immediately thought about agriculture and the idea of how a farmer harvests his crops. You all know how much I love agriculture and that my childhood dream was to be a farmer. I even studied it in college, but just haven't been sure how God is ever going to use that (which is still the case today).

Then, the Lord showed me the following passages about the harvest:
35Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." -John 4:35-38

35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." -Matthew 9:35-38

The more I thought about this, the more I realized that even if I don't ever have a farm of my own or do anything agriculturally during my lifetime, I can still be a farmer. I am here to reap and harvest souls. How cool is that?! I am Farmer Jen!

Overwhelmed, but Excited

Well, exactly 2 months from today I will be on a plane, on my way to Kenya. Oh my goodness! I can hardly believe it! The fact that I'm moving to Africa and all the challenges and changes that come with that, are beginning to hit me. Then I begin to get anxious thinking, "What in the world am I doing? What am I getting myself into?" But, I know this is of the Lord and I must obey. Plus, I want to obey what the Lord has called me to do right now in my life because I'm super excited to see what He has in store for me. Still, I have times where I get nervous, stressed, and overwhelmed, just as I'm sure any other human would.

I have already begun to go through all of my things to see what I should take, what I should get rid of, and what I should store. It's tough trying to figure those things out when I've never been to Kenya before, or any part of Africa for that matter, and only know what I hear from other teachers about what I will need. It is helpful getting information from others, but I'm the kind of person that likes to have been there myself to see what it's like to then decide what I will need. Oh well! I'll just have to get over it. :)

The task that God has set before me seems to be getting bigger and bigger the more I realize all that I must do. I have 3 classes to prepare to teach and a team to prepare to coach. It's kind of intimidating, but so exciting all at the same time. God is good ALL THE TIME and He will see me through. What a crazy and wild ride this is going to be!!! :)

I read this really great poem the other day about waiting on God:

Wait only upon God; my soul, be still,
And let thy God unfold His perfect will,
Thou fain would’st follow Him throughout this year,
Thou fain with listening heart His voice would’st hear,
Thou fain would’st be a passive instrument
Possessed by God, and ever Spirit-sent
Upon His service sweet – then be thou still,
For only thus can He in thee fulfill
His heart’s desire. Oh, hinder not His hand
From fashioning the vessel He hath planned.
“Be silent unto God,” and thou shalt know
The quiet, holy calm He doth bestow
On those who wait on Him; so shalt thou bear
His presence, and His life and light e’en where
The night is darkest, and thine earthly days
Shall show His love, and sound His glorious praise
And he will work with hand unfettered, free,
His high and holy purposes through thee.
First on thee must that hand of power be turned,
Till in His love’s strong fire thy dross is burned,
And thou come forth a vessel for thy Lord,
So frail and empty, yet, since He hath poured
Into thine emptiness His life, His love,
Henceforth through thee the power of God shall move
And He will work for thee. Stand still and see
The victories thy God will gain for thee;
So silent, yet so irresistible,
Thy God shall do the thing impossible.
Oh, question not henceforth what thou canst do;
Thou canst do nought. But He will carry through
The work where human energy had failed
Where all thy best endeavors had availed
Thee nothing. Then, my soul, wait and be still;
Thy God shall work for thee His perfect will.
If thou wilt take no less, His best shall be
Thy portion now and through eternity.
-Freda Hanbury

“My soul, wait thou only upon God.”-Psalm 62:5
“A God… who worketh for him that waiteth for him.”-Isaiah 64:4

Preparations & Funny Nieces

Now that my newsletter has been sent out (which is the same as the blog previous to this one), there are many preparations to be done by the time my departure date arrives on July 26th. I am still working for a company in Ft. Worth until June 10th. Afterwards I will get a nice little vacation in California to visit some friends. I can't wait! Then, I'll be off to my pre-field orientation in Mississippi for 2 weeks, to then return back to TX for a few weeks to finalize things before I'm off to Africa!


There's so much to do, and there's so many questions I have, and there just never seems to be enough time in the day. That's why it's midnight when I'm writing this. :)





















What I want to share is some funny things that my nieces said to me this past weekend when they were over for Mother's Day that made me crack up laughing. These nieces are my older sister's kids and they are Ellie (7) and Essie (4).
So, I was reminding the girls that I'm going to be moving to Africa soon. I said that's where the lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras and lots of animals live. And this is Essie's response, "Yah, I've been there! I went with my class and my teacher on the school bus!" :)

Then Ellie said, "Aunt Jenny, what are you going to be when you grow up?"
Essie: "She's already growed up!"
My mom: "She's going to be a missionary. Do you know what a missionary does?"
Essie: "work & work & work" :)
Ellie: "Aunt Jenny, when you leave can I have your jewelry?" :)
Essie: "Can I have your toys?" :)

I have a little stuffed animal lion and zebra that make noise when you hold them in your hand. So, Essie was playing with them and she told me, "Aunt Jenny, when you go to the zoo, don't forget to take your stuffed animals." :)

Aren't they precious?!