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.