The Last leg...

I am already depressed. It happens near the end of every summer and especially after big trips. It’s most likely a combination of exhaustion and fear. Exhaustion because I have spent 2 months living out of a suitcase. For two months I have not unpacked a suitcase only replaced one set of clothing for another. Fear because I know nothing will be different when I return and yet everything will be different when I return. Some teens I will continue to see on a weekly basis, some teens will move on to college and school and I will now only see them during school breaks and at weddings and funerals. They forever hold a place in my heart but after they leave I rarely see them anymore. My job done, they go on to become everything we have prepared them to become. I am also depressed because I have been working on this trip for so long that I do not know how the void will be filled when I return. I started working on this trip on Jan 10, 2008 roughly 17 months ago. What I will do now that it is over, I do not know.

For months I have been pushing the Africa team to prepare themselves for the “return let down” Pray through it, I have told them. Be aware of your feelings, pray constantly, and be open about your inevitable struggle to reconcile what you have seen, heard, and done with what your life in Texas is. I prepped them, I prayed for them, I warned them…but it’s me who is struggling. I expected and prepared for everything on this trip. I poured over the details for months carefully choosing routes, flights, hotels, meals and supplies. All in a vain attempt to make sure the outcome was what I thought it should be. For weeks before the trip I slept little, arose early and worked countless hours trying my hardest to plan and replan for every possible detail, yet you can never prepare for everything, especially for what God wants to do. It may even seem that the more you prepare for God the more he may surprise you.

The trip seems like a blur at this point, some long fading dream on the cusp of daylight, vivid and alive during the night but slowly fading in the dawn of light. As I struggle to come out of this slumber my thoughts are scattered and dull. I think of the blinding days leading up to the trip with little sleep as the heavy dull of responsibility pressed on my conscience and sub consistence. I think of the countless emails and phone calls to the airline fighting and squabbling over last minute details. I think of the excitement and joy on the teens faces as we flew into the unknown. I think of their first joy of reaching Africa as I welcomed the team with all the pride I had on my heart. “Welcome to Africa” I told them with a mischievous smile. I think of songs of joy and grace in inaudible tones of unknown languages but understood by all who hear. And my heart remembers the hard times as well. I think of standing on a crowded road outside Londani helplessly watching someone die, then having to look into the faces of young teens that for the first time saw the reality of a broken world when they are so far from home. I think of the early African mornings and late Africa nights checking and triple checking to make sure everyone and everything was prepared for the challenges of a new day, and I think of the countless hours of driving.

Most of all my heart remembers a conversation late into the night that would change my life. There have been three such conversations in my life. Benchmarks, I call them, holy places where I can trace with great accuracy God’s voice, God’s light, and God’s wisdom calling me to a greater awareness, forever changing my life from what I was into what I shall become. The moments are frail and impossible to grasp with pure reason. As soon as you try to wrap your fingers around them and hold them tight and force them to become yours they vanish into the unknown like smoke. From long locked away chambers of my repressed heart I thank you, you know who you are.

It would seem that hidden in this Africa trip are a million tiny benchmarks. Each person on the trip had conversations, experiences and moments that changed their life or at least changed life as they knew it. For me it was an unexpected late night conversation, for others it was a hug from an African child, or a meal prepared from someone who is starving, for some a dead body on a lonely road, or maybe a gift from a passerby, for some the inexplicable joy of an orphan child, or perhaps the happiness we found in an unhappy city. All of us have our “moment”, a holy place, a holy time, a holy voice, a holy experience given to each of us by the great God above, individually prepared and delivered by holy messengers. Proof we are loved by a mysterious and complex creator who deeply wants to show himself to us. In my slumber of business I guess I had forgotten that. I had forgotten that God is calling me with his voice, calling me to something deep, something wide, and something complex.

As we fly over the Atlantic Ocean headed home I am depressed… but hopeful. The God who led me into this African journey 17 months ago will lead me out of Africa when I return home. My prayer is that he will do the same for every man and women on this trip, that God will lead them out of Africa. My prayer is that God will lead them out of Africa with hope, out of Africa with joy, out of Africa with confidence, out of Africa with….

A voice.

“A voice calling out in the wilderness” of our so called lives as we once knew them.

Last post later

I will post up my trip report tonight. I typed it on the plane but I
Connor find wifi at the airport.

Coming home

We are about to board our flight. I will try to update everyone when we get to London. See you in a few days!

A post from some teen boys (take that into consideration)

The Final Countdown
Boom boom pow wow the last couple of days have been action packed. (that was Layton, this is Chad) We have finished our mission with the precious orphans, they we’re adorable. Somalian pirates haven’t been a problem… So far. The Michael Jackson poster helped me sleep at night. But in all seriousness, we feel like this has been a very successful trip. (that was Chad, this is Layton) Two days ago we left for Nairobi, but Paul had a few tricks up his sleeve. We first stop at a lake infested with flamingos!!! After the site seeing we got back on the road again. We kept on rolling until we had a sudden stop at a hippo boat tour plus bird watching. We got on these six seater fiberglass boats and toured around a small lake with wild hippos and the most unique birds. We saw a rare Fish Eagle that was endangered. Afterwards we were treated with a special tribal dance that was superb.(that was Layton, this is Chad) Fish Eagles are very common, Layton is dumb. That night we ate at the awesome safari park hotel. Men came around with slabs of animal meat and sliced it on your cutting board plate. We ate crocodile, camel, ostrich, chicken, beef, goat, lamb and pork. Yesterday we went on a sweet safari, in which we observed Giraffes, ostrich, zebras, wildebeest, harpies, pumba, gay giraffes (literally) see Stephanie Guthrie for pictures and giggles. (That was Chad, this is Layton) this morning we are eating some fresh fruit for our last breakfast in Kenya. Well of course this was a live blog cast form the great Chad Michael Matthews and the impeccable Layton Ryan Hargesheioheindhownvdmer.

p.s. We jumped off a balcony into a pool… (that was Chad)

A guys post

What up people this is Mason, Hayden and I just got done listening to thriller and dancing. Today was a great last day at the orphanage ,lots of children that were very happy to see us and even some little kids that had never seen muzungus before that’s white people for those of you that do not speak Swahili. We r going back to Nairobi tomorrow to see the flamingos and hippos and to go eat a traditional African meal. The kids have been great at the orphanages and very happy to see us. It is so kool to be able to see what God is doing through us. I thought that I was going to come on this trip teaching kids about love, hope, faith, and God but the more that I look I realize that the kids are actually teaching us about those things.
Your brother in Christ
Mason tiffin


(Hayden) i would just like to say there was a Michal Jackson poster in one of our hotels and it was genuinely creepy. Aside from that this trip has been great. The kids are so happy to see us and treat us like we are the coolest people on earth. We might be their first white person to see. That’s pretty awesome. These kids are always so happy and never get short with each other. I have truly seen real, pure joy this trip in the people here, and they don’t even have a fourth of what we do. The kids freaked out about our (the guys) hairy legs and arms. They thought I had a disease because of all of my freckles. Its overly funny. We taught them the fist pound and it spread pretty fast. They got to where they wouldn’t shake our hands because they just wanted to bump our fist. It was awesome. They do have soft drinks. One is called krest. The flavor is bitter lemon. Imagine drinkin straight acid. And you’ve had krest. But the kids here have taught me to see how real pure joy is not in anything in the world you can buy its just in life, and I think if you slow down and just live your life you will find it.

This has been a live broadcast from yours truly,
Hayden Free

A great day!

Jambo! Habari yako?
That means Hello! How are you? In Swahili. That is about all the Swahili that we have learned so far, besides Msungu, which means white people. Every time we drive down the roads through Kenya the little kids run out to the road and scream that at us. It puts a smile on all of our faces. One thing we have noticed about Kenya is that there are people everywhere, especially lots of kids. Imagine driving to Lubbock every day and seeing nothing but people on the road. It is crazy. We also see lots of animals on the side of the road, like cows, chickens, donkeys, sheep, and goats. Today we even saw a camel. There are also monkeys playing in the front yard of our hotel. This is the most beautiful place we have ever been to, the people and the scenery. There is also a lot of sadness here with so much poverty. We have met so many amazing kids and adults. The first orphanage we went to in Londiani was really hard. It hasn’t been running for very long and is dirty and unorganized. But today and yesterday we were in the orphanage in Sondu which has been there for six years. There is an amazing difference in that six years and it is amazing to see how far they have been able to come in such a short time. The people can take so little and go so far with it.
We were very impressed with the clinic they have set up at the orphanage in Sondu. We have been working with the medical team and this clinic made it much easier on us today. We have seen a lot of really heartbreaking health situations but also some very strong people. In Londiani, we treated a precious little girl who was HIV positive, and also a four year old boy who was partially paralyzed, probably due to a brain tumor. There were less serious cases in Sondu, but Dr. Doke did have to pull a couple of teeth. One of the little girls had her tooth pulled without any pain medicine and didn’t say a word. Their tolerance for pain is just incredible. We complain about the smallest of things, but they may go half of their lives with something very serious and not let it really affect their daily lives. Most of the cases were quick fixes where we could quickly improve their lives, such as giving them glasses or pulling a tooth. It was little things like that that could make such a difference in their lives. Even though we don’t get to do the VBS, we are still able to get to know the kids and make them laugh. It’s nice to know we are doing something that is very helpful to them. Even just our presence there is so meaningful to them.
Every time we leave an orphanage, it is so hard to leave the kids. Even with the short time we have at each orphanage, we still have plenty of time to make an impact on them, and for them to leave an impact on us. They are all such amazing people that have been so welcoming to us. It is going to be very hard to leave Kenya at the end of this trip. The people of Kenya have broken are hearts, but we have also learned a lot. They have taught us how to love and how to be joyful. We have seen Christ in so many people and we can tell that Christ is such a strong force in this country. Today was a really great day at Sondu, and we are excited about our last orphanage experience tomorrow.
Love and miss yall,
Sarah Horton and Hilary Stovall

A note from a teen

Today I thought it would be good to have one of our teens write the blog. Enjoy!

Jambo!
I still can’t believe we are in AFRICA! The trip over here was extremely long and exhausting, but definitely worth it. Let me start out by saying that Kenya, Africa is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been…but also one of the worst. There is such beautiful scenery and the people are wonderful, but the reality is that it IS a third world country, and a completely different lifestyle. There is so much poverty, it’s extremely dirty, and very crowded. The number of people in this small of an area is crazy. Everywhere you go you are surrounded by so many people. Most people here walk or ride bikes, but we have vans we take everywhere we go. The roads, however, are not ideal for the long rides we take. Also, the drivers are CRAZY! The roads are narrow, but each driver feels the need to be in the front at all times so there are cars constantly passing each other and coming way too close to the surrounding vehicles and people walking! Like Paul mentioned in a previous blog, we came across a wreck and that was a huge reality check for all of us. That entire day was very stressful, very draining, and just very tough. Since that day, everything has been great. We have been to 2 different orphanages so far and the kids are precious. Just seeing their smiles brings such joy to us. These kids have next to nothing but show pure happiness and are so thankful for the few things they do have. We came to be a blessing in their lives, but so far it has been an even trade. They have blessed us just as much!
The kids at the orphanages LOVE pictures. They do not have mirrors so they have never really seen themselves. When we show them the pictures of them on our cameras they just grin from ear to ear after they see what they look like. They also roll with laughter when Emily Brown and Leslie Doke smile, because they have never seen braces before. They just don’t understand the crazy idea of putting metal on teeth! They love playing with our hair, and they love playing with Bailey Free’s fake fingernails! It really is the small things that make them smile the most.
It is hilarious, but so neat to drive down the roads through these villages with our arms out the windows waving to the people outside. It just makes us smile as their faces light up, when they point and shout “Mzungu!” (mzungu means “white person” in Swahili) Although, some people look very confused. They don’t understand why 6 vans full of Mzungus would come to their community. They view us as very special, important people. The way they treat us and react to us has been very surprising. It struck us that we have absolutely nothing to do with the fact that we are Americans. We just happen to be born there, but did nothing to deserve it. We are equal to everyone in Africa and all across the world. It’s incredible the things you realize when you are put in a different environment. Some things are even shocking, like the fact that the average income for someone to support a family here is around $2,000 a year. It really puts things into perspective when we think about our lives back home.
The experience so far has been absolutely incredible. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us the rest of the week! Thank you so much for the prayers, they are needed and greatly appreciated!
--Stephanie Guthrie

A New Day

Today was a wonderful day! We awoke this morning to a bright sunny Africa morning. It was 65 and sunny most of the day. After our drive out to the orphanage we were greeted with singing and dancing and the most excited kids ever! The children were so excited to see us they could not even stand still. We got started with our VBS and our medical treatments almost immediately. The teens did a wonderful job with the kids. Every time I looked out I saw our teens playing, and hugging on the orphans. We did bible stories, acted out dramas, played games, and even did arts and crafts. The children really enjoyed it.
Ben and Leslie also did medical checkups today. Each orphan was given treatments for worms and parasites as well as screened for other medical problems. The medical stuff went so well Ben quickly became the most popular man in the orphanage.
Soon our 80 member orphanage became a 300+ member village. When word got out that we had games, crafts and a doctor people started showing up in droves. When we saw all the orphans and workers Ben was able to see some local people but we quickly ran out of medicine and time. There were so many people wanting to see the Dr that Ben had to shut himself in a room until we could get the crowd to leave. Luckily everyone was patient and no one got ugly or rude. We finished the day off with a good dinner, devo and cake for Ashley Brown and Kaitlin Kalt who had birthdays this week.
Overall today was night and day different than yesterday. God gave us a great day with lots to see and do. Tomorrow we will be heading out to Sondu, the oldest orphanage GCR has.
Keep us in your prayers as we hit the road again tomorrow!

A long day...

Today was a long day. Since our plans changed late in our preparations a few weeks ago we had to drive a long way to our first orphanage. Traveling in Africa requires one to be very flexible. The attitude of most Kenya people is much more laid back than in America. Our drivers where supposed to meet us at our hotel this morning at 7am. Leaving at 7am would give us the opportunity to drive the 5 hours to our first stop in Londani before it got too late in the day. It was a good plan, one that I worked very hard on. It would have also worked…if the drivers were not an hour and a half late. When we finally got loaded up into our 8 vans (no small feat with 36 people and 56 bags) we drove for approximately 3 minutes before our driver pulled over. It would seem all 8 drivers did not fill up their tanks before they picked us up.
Filling up the gas tanks was easy enough but did require me to stand out in the middle of a Nairobi gas station with about $1,000 cash paying the bill on 8 different trucks to 12 different gas station attendants. (Kenya still uses full service pumps with attendants) I had to laugh at the looks we got with our 8 vans and the white guy with wads of cash standing on the corner of a busy downtown intersection. Our whole little pit stop cost us another 30 minutes and we finally left Nairobi at 9:30am two and a half hours after our scheduled departure.
The long drive was rewarding in that when we finally arrived in Landani we were greeted by the entire church, orphanage, and village. We pulled in to the compound with children singing and dancing, someone even brought out an African drum and started pounded away.
After the formal and informal greetings we toured the orphanage and had lunch. Since we arrived at such a late hour (2:30) we only had an hour and a half until we had to leave. Our hotel is an over an hour from the orphanage and we did not want to travel after dark.
One the way home something very unfortunate happened. A taxi van called a Matatou was in an accident in front of us. Several Kenyan people were hurt. We were one of the first one’s on the scene and felt a great responsibility to stop since we had so many medical supplies and two medical professionals. Ben Doke (our Dr), Leslie Doke (our nurse) and myself jumped out to help and sent the vans and the teens on ahead away from the accident. One man, a Kenyan, was injured very badly and needed the most help. After 20 minutes of working on him with everything we had, he died with Ben, Leslie and I trying everything we could to stop it.
Needless to say we have had much to digest today. The reality of life in Africa has sunk in full force to our entire team. The combination of a hard day of travel, the first exposure to orphans, and the unfortunate death of the Kenyan man has left us seeking God’s guidance. At devo tonight we discussed at length the day’s events and how we would respond to them. While we did not come up with complete answers we did decide we would do our best to make tomorrow the best day the children have had in a while. We have bible storied, games, crafts and ever finger nail paints that we plan to use to make their (and our) tomorrow better than today.
Please keep us in your prayers and pray extra prayers that God will keep us safe and that the evil one will not attack us. Pray also for our teens who are doing well but have been faced with some harsh realities today. Pray that God will use our work in the orphanages to bless us and our new Kenyan friends.

On the road

I had some computer problems last night so I was not able to post about our day yesterday. Today we are on the road to Londani and I will post a full report tonight!

Everything is going well!

Journey

We made it safely. While long, the trip went well and everyone did fantastic. It has been neat to watch everyone’s reactions and responses to everything that is so new to them.

My favorite part of the journey so far has been to watch the teens that have never been overseas. Everything is such a joy, everything new, everything an adventure. I have said it before and I will say it again, airports are gateways to unknown adventures. Watching the teens walk through the airports I can see the adventure in their eyes and it gives me joy. The buildup for this trip has been hellacious and long. Last week was a blur filled with late nights and long days. As we packed everything needed I got lost several times in the sea of paperwork and details. After 6 months of working I was starting to wonder if the price was too high. Walking through security at the Midland Airport erased almost all of my doubts. From Midland we flew to Houston, from Houston to London, from London to Nairobi. Each airport brought me more joy as I watched teens, young men and young women, start to experience the joy of the journey.

Journey.

We take them every day. We journey to find ourselves, we journey to understand love, and we journey to be made whole. Spiritual wanderers, we are in constant journey. My own journey has been long and sometimes confusing. Stops, starts, and wrong turns have all served to make me who I am. Today some of these teens are discovering their journey for the first time. They are all at different places on their journey, some have already had their short lives filled with pain, others only blissful memories of family and friends. As we land in Nairobi all are taking a next step, each day of this trip will add a new piece to each team members journey puzzle. As we cruised over North Africa at 652 miles per hour my prayers, my hopes, and my expectation is that everyone on this trip will see what God is doing in their own journey through this group journey we take together.

Safe in London

We are safe in London with a 3 hour layover. Everyone is doing great and we have not had any problems.

The start of a journey

Were off... Despite some very frustrating problems to begin with we
are off smoothly and safely. Everyone made it into our first leg with
ease. Looking over the faces of the group i see all emotions. Fear,
excitement, joy all can be seen as we head off onto this great journey.

On a side note I am sorry I did not post any updates about our trip
before now. The build up of the trip took longer and was more involved
then I had ever would have guessed. It turns out taking 36 people and
56 bags to the otherside of the planet takes quite a bit of prep work.

In the coming days I play to update my blog with trip updates,
pictures, and even some post from teens on the trip. I hope you enjoy
reading and following our trip!