An Interesting Experience

I had a interesting and wonderful experience on Monday. Readers of "World Magazine" will be familar with Joel Belz who writes the editor's column each week. For those of you not familar with WORLD - it is a news magazine with the fourth-largest circulation in America. It is the Christian counterpart to TIME and NEWSWEEK. I have read it in the past and since I have started pursuing journalism I have often thought that I would be interested in writing for WORLD in the future. While I was still in Kenya I discovered that the WORLD offices are in Asheville, NC. This was great news for me since we are spending four weeks in Highlands, NC, a hour drive from Asheville. In response to an email I wrote asking if I could visit, Mr. Belz offered to give a bit of his time to meet with me and advise me concerning a future career in journalism. After wondering if our schedule would make space for this meeting, it finally worked out on Monday.
The forty-five minutes I spent with Mr. Belz taught me more than the two books I've read on journalism and the two lessons I've read from London School of Journalism. After showing genuine interest in my life and future, he imparted many small tidbits of practical wisdom. Everything from what to major in at college, things to continally learn about, what types of articles to present to a future employer and what kinda of journalist he would hire on the spot. And these were just a few of the things we talked about.
I will greatly value the advice I received and put it into practice as soon as I can.

The Story of My Life (Currently)

Today a million tears will be shed but no one will stop to listen to the suppressed sobs of broken children. No one will see the tears dripping from the chins of hurting youth. No one will know the truth hidden behind a mother's veiled eyes.

Tonight a precious child will have her innocence violently stolen by a rapist. Knowing the shame attached to rape, she will remain a silent victim and hide her tears behind schoolbooks and games.

A young man watches his father beat his wife in a fit of drunken rage. Taught by his culture that men don't cry he hides his pain behind a mask of distain.

Looking at her children in despair, a young mother knows there is no food for supper. Strong tea, made with tea leaves begged from a neighbor, will be their only breakfast. Knowing she must be strong for her children, she hides her fear behind half-heart smiles and empty promises of a better tomorrow.

In Kenya, and all around our planet, each of these stories is repeated daily. Yet few people take the time to stop and dig deeper. We see the hungry, the sick and the brokenhearted but do we stop to listen to their story? Do we help them overcome and help stop their story from being rewritten in someone else’s life?

In my heart, there is a dream. I want to share their stories - the unheard cries of the hopeless and helpless. But how can I tell their stories unless I meet them and listen to their hearts? Living and ministering in Kenya gives me many opportunities to listen to the hearts of broken people. Working alongside my parents, I have a chance to help them overcome and find hope in Jesus.

During the next year, I will once again join my parents in their ministry in Kenya. This time however I will no longer be living there just as their daughter but also as an individual with a passion, dream and ministry of my own.

Kenya is a land with great need - spiritually, emotionally, and financially. It is sometimes difficult to discern God’s leading in the sea of need. Following are some of the God-given opportunities I see before me.

Assisting my parents in their ministry though PR work, writing updates for our sponsors, helping my dad in his office, fundraising, and assisting with the Remnant discipleship group.

Coordinating visiting teams as the main contact person for the Kenyan side.

Continuing to pursue my dream to become a journalist. I recently had a couple of articles published at http://www.wreckedfortheordinary.com/ l am also taking a correspondence course in freelance journalism though the London School of Journalism. I will continue my writing throughout the next year and hopefully have more articles published.

Ministering in Kibera - Kenya’s largest slum. I am not entirely sure what this ministry will be but I know God has put a special place in my heart for Kibera.

There are many other possibilities for ministry including starting a support group for young single mother, teaching First Aid, discipling high school students, and starting a writing club.

Moving in a New Direction

Yesterday I took more steps toward pursuing my dream of Journalism. I enrolled in a correspondence course through the London School of Journalism. It will take me anywhere from 6 months to 15 months to complete. I will be doing alot of writing for my assignments and hopefully some of it I will be able to get published. I'm really looking forward to learning more and moving more in the direction that God is directing me.

I'm enjoying being in one place for an extended period of time. I've unpacked and have clothes I haven't seen for two months (some for 2 years :) which I can wear now. I've been watching movies I've borrowed and writing some. We are visiting with family and lots of friends. Its been very enjoyable.

Well I'm writing this at my brother's house with alot of people around so I'll sign off now.

Slideshow

Checkout the slideshow at the bottom of this page for some pictures (only 500 :) from my trip to America. More coming soon!!

Life

We reached Highlands last night. Its so wonderful be back in the house were we lived for the last 6 months before we moved to Kenya. It is kinda like home for me. It is also wonderful to be back in one place for the last 21 days of our time here in America. I unpacked everything last night and this morning. I get to wear clothes that I brought with me but tha have been buried in the deep recesses of the suitcase for two months. I have many things going on. Including setting up blogs for Scriptural Holiness Mission and The Remnant, tagging one more years worth of pictures, creating slideshows, writing family profiles, setting things up for the correspondence course I'll be taking, researching options for my return to Kenya, writing more articles, meeting with the founder of World Magazine and many more things. I'm looking forward to the little time that I do have and I'm especially looking forward to getting on an airplane on Dec 11th and flying off to a whole "new" life. I believe that God has some amazing things in store for me as I return to Kenya. Please pray for me as I am considering how I can raise some of my own support. I don't feel that it is correct for me to be dependent on the support that my parents raise for their own ministry. Yes in some ways I support and help them in their ministry but I strongly believe that over the course of the next year my ministry will take some different directions from theirs and I would like to have support for that separate from theirs. I'm still promising pictures but not until I finish tagging the picture I have from 2006 - which will mean that all 8,000 pictures I have will be tagged. Then you can expect lots of pictures. :)

Music Video

I just saw this music video. If you haven't seen the music video by Sarah McLachlan for the song "World on Fire" then check it out. Its quite impressive - but nothing like any music video I've ever seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzoNInZ2ClQ

A Decision!

A decision has been reached. After some days of great confusion, frustration and the like I gave up and gave my dad his say. Since I respect his wisdom more than anyone elses on the planet I listened. (My brother also had alot of good wisdom to offer which actually affected my decision to alllow my dad to make the decision). Anyways based on my dad's decision, my lack of peace and direction from God in relation to the World Race and some other factors I have decided... Drum Roll please .... NOT to apply for a postion on the July World Race squad. I will be using my ticket to return to Kenya on Dec 11th. As for the future I have not entirely ruled the World Race out but the timing right now is not God's. Please pray because I know there will be times when I will struggle with this decision - the death of a dream is never easy. Thankfully I know that there are many opportunities for me still in Kenya and I looked forward to watching God at work there. I do intend to continue writing and hopefully more of my articles will be published in the near future. And this blog will definately continue.

More Pictures coming soon :)

While Traveling

I'm still traveling. But that will be over soon enough. We are currently in Dallas Tx. Honestly its uneventful...but I just felt like posting something. I've been tired alot lately and not really thinking well enough to write something interesting or thoughtful. I've been learning all about my new Canon camera and tagging pictures. With almost 8,000 pictures tagging them all is an

extremely extensive process. I've also been trying to update my contacts -another extremely boring and extensive process. I'm really looking forward to getting to Alabama soon and being with my brothers and family again. I'm also looking forward to making a definate decision about the World Race.

I just realized I've never explained what The World Race is. So here goes. The World Race a year long mission trip. It is also a trip around the world. It involves ministering in 11 countries in 11 months. It also includes a great deal of documenting and sharing of experiences through blogging. It is an amazing opportunity that I'm thinking of taking starting July 2008 (the support raising and training process will start much sooner).

The difficult thing about going on the World Race is that I will not be able to return to Kenya with my parents, Mercy and Jed in December. Honestly the hardest part is Jed - he struggles with alot of insecurity anyways and I dread the separation at the airport. He has already made comments about not leaving anybody behind when returning and stuff like that ;(. It will definately be hard.