Okay, I know it has been a while since I have posted. It is exam time... AND it's almost Christmas... so, I haven't had time to write.
However, I will finish the posts of my trip eventually. I will have time after exams are over...
Right now, I could use some prayer... college is TOUGH!
-Britt
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thanksgiving!
I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving! We all have many things to be thankful for. I'm not going to bore you with my list... because I'm sure it looks very similar to yours... I'm thankful for my family... for my boyfriend... for my friends... and so on and so forth...
But I truly hope everyone had an AMAZING thanksgiving... because I had TWO!!!
I had one at Brian's parents house and one at my sister's place. Both meals were outstanding. Props go out to all the cooks who put their time into those dishes!
But I do want to say one thing I'm extremely thankful for. My brothers. I was gone for ONE NIGHT, and this is what they did to my room...
They took my bulletin board down... and I'm not sure what the baby rocker was for...
They even stole my pillows!!!!!
My room was clean before I left... WHAT IS THIS!!!??? I think the electronics are now mine...
-Britt
But I truly hope everyone had an AMAZING thanksgiving... because I had TWO!!!
I had one at Brian's parents house and one at my sister's place. Both meals were outstanding. Props go out to all the cooks who put their time into those dishes!
But I do want to say one thing I'm extremely thankful for. My brothers. I was gone for ONE NIGHT, and this is what they did to my room...
They took my bulletin board down... and I'm not sure what the baby rocker was for...
They even stole my pillows!!!!!
My room was clean before I left... WHAT IS THIS!!!??? I think the electronics are now mine...
-Britt
Friday, November 21, 2008
DAY FIVE - 30 September 2008
I guess I never mentioned this before, so I will now. The deal with the skirts. In Kenya, women wear skirts, below the knee... plain and simple. In areas like Nairobi, you would see women in pants, but if you saw them in rural areas... it gave you a label you probably didn't want. So, all the women on our team wore skirts below the knee.
TUESDAY - DAY FIVE
This morning I woke up around 6:15am. Not really sure why I decided to get up EARLIER than the day before... but I did. I ate a wonderful breakfast of bacon, toast and scrambled eggs. That got me to thinking, I ate better over there than I do here. Maybe I should fix that ;D
We headed out at about 8:30am. However, I had a busy morning. Tuesday (Day two of VBS) was my group's day to run VBS... so I had some last minute scrambling to gather supplies. Amazingly enough, I wasn't freaking out... I know... weird... ;D
This morning I rode in the van with Rick, I think that was the only time I did that... as it so happened... lol.
Anyway, since we left before the other van, Rick decided that we would stop at the equator on the way into Cheppema this morning. I was so excited... especially because I was wearing my favorite skirt!!!! We took TONS of pictures. Several of each team member, then groups... people straddling the 'equator line', etc. However, I got a unique picture. I went into the middle of the road to take my picture on both sides of the equator. One foot in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern. Now, don't ask me which is which, cause I don't know... BUT if I had to guess, I would say that my left foot was North and right was South... see what you think in the picture below. Either way, before I got out of the road, I did manage to get a car to honk at me!!!
Anyway... when we got to the Hope Center, the kids were having recess (we arrived later than the day before because of the equator stop). They were waving to us as we pulled in, with MASSIVE smiles on their faces. We had brought along bubbles today, so we decided to break them out and play with the kids. I can not describe to you how much fun these kids had with the bubbles. The girls chased them, or ducked away from them... and the boys... they attacked the bubbles... it was so funny!!! And of course, some of the kids ate them. Even the older kids had a lot of fun with the bubbles.
When the kids went back to class, I went and observed the preschool classroom. The little kids in there were soooooooo sweet! AND SMART! They were singing the English alphabet. The song went "Capital letter AAAA, small letter a... Capital letter BBBB, small letter b..." But really, you had to HEAR them for yourself. It was so adorable.
I moved on to watch some other classrooms. I went into the standard 3 classroom and sat next to some of the kids. Rachel was up front teaching and the children were writing answers on the board. It amazed me to see that these kids were itching to get up there to write the answer. The kids jumped out of their seats, raised their hands HIGH in the air, and shouted 'teacher, teacher'. What amazed me even more was that they didn't care if they were wrong... they just wanted to TRY! I was blown away. Some of the students in American schools could learn a thing or two about valuing education.
Anyway, after leaving that classroom, I ran into Stephen. We both expressed interest in seeing the grade 8 classroom. So, we hopped in there to watch Elain, Amanda, and BJ teach the students. They taught on everything from snow (and everything that goes with that...) to the United States geography and government system. They needed a little bit of help on the government system (it's been a while since they were in school), so Stephen and I obliged.
The girls even taught on sports and they sang "Take me out to the ball game."
It amazed me yet again how attentive those kids were... and they were willing to learn, even with those crazy wazungu (white people) teaching their class. ;D
The kids broke again for recess. Jennifer found me this time and pulled me aside. She showed me some pictures of her brother... the one who came to America... his name was Elijah. The pictures she showed me were ones taken IN America. This pictures were obviously something that she cherished very much. And she took great pride in showing them to me. I was very glad that she did.
After they went back inside for class, I walked over to a few of the teachers. Sometimes when the kids are doing an independent study, the teachers get a break. Lisa, Sherry and I held a conversation with them for about a half hour. We learned a lot about Kenyan marriage, dowries, Kenyan government and geographic divisions, Kenyan school systems... etc.
After a while, the team ate lunch. Same as the day before... but this time, we had JELLY on the sandwiches. Lisa, Tim, Terry and I gathered supplies for VBS.
VBS was amazing! The kids loved it! When Lisa, Tim and Terry had to act, they did an amazing job!! The kids were laughing hilariously!! And when we asked the kids to memorize the verse, they did an amazing job!!! We didn't have to give them any clues or anything, they had it immediately!!
The health lesson for the day was teeth brushing... and it was obvious that the kids enjoyed it. We even caught some of the kids brushing their teeth after the lesson! It was awesome! The craft for the day was even better, I say that only because I participated in it.
We took polariod pictures of the kids for the craft. We had them stand outside and smile for the camera. They were escorted inside and given a dum-dum to keep them busy. We also put the memory verse at the bottom of the picture. It was so amazing to see how these kids LOVED their pictures. They would look at them, and show them to each other... and then put their fingers on it... it was just... I can't describe it... I wish I cherished pictures like that...
We even took pictures of the teachers and the headmaster, and the pastors. They loved it too!
After we had taken all the pictures and brushed all the teeth... the boys played soccer and the girls sat around and talked. I got to hang out with Jennifer. After learning some more Swahili, we had to leave.
The team got back to Sunrise around 6pm... we ate an amazing s-peghti dinner with fresh nanasi (pineapple) for desert... and then we de-briefed.
At the de-brief, Shane shared a story from his first Christmas in Kenya. He was almost killed, he was robbed and his children asked him "Daddy, am I going to die?". It was hard to keep my eyes dry.
Pam also got vulnerable and shared some of her story from Tanzania.
The team prayed over Shane and Jill.
I went straight back to my cabin, journaled and went to bed!!!
Check in later for pictures!!!
-Britt
TUESDAY - DAY FIVE
This morning I woke up around 6:15am. Not really sure why I decided to get up EARLIER than the day before... but I did. I ate a wonderful breakfast of bacon, toast and scrambled eggs. That got me to thinking, I ate better over there than I do here. Maybe I should fix that ;D
We headed out at about 8:30am. However, I had a busy morning. Tuesday (Day two of VBS) was my group's day to run VBS... so I had some last minute scrambling to gather supplies. Amazingly enough, I wasn't freaking out... I know... weird... ;D
This morning I rode in the van with Rick, I think that was the only time I did that... as it so happened... lol.
Anyway, since we left before the other van, Rick decided that we would stop at the equator on the way into Cheppema this morning. I was so excited... especially because I was wearing my favorite skirt!!!! We took TONS of pictures. Several of each team member, then groups... people straddling the 'equator line', etc. However, I got a unique picture. I went into the middle of the road to take my picture on both sides of the equator. One foot in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern. Now, don't ask me which is which, cause I don't know... BUT if I had to guess, I would say that my left foot was North and right was South... see what you think in the picture below. Either way, before I got out of the road, I did manage to get a car to honk at me!!!
Anyway... when we got to the Hope Center, the kids were having recess (we arrived later than the day before because of the equator stop). They were waving to us as we pulled in, with MASSIVE smiles on their faces. We had brought along bubbles today, so we decided to break them out and play with the kids. I can not describe to you how much fun these kids had with the bubbles. The girls chased them, or ducked away from them... and the boys... they attacked the bubbles... it was so funny!!! And of course, some of the kids ate them. Even the older kids had a lot of fun with the bubbles.
When the kids went back to class, I went and observed the preschool classroom. The little kids in there were soooooooo sweet! AND SMART! They were singing the English alphabet. The song went "Capital letter AAAA, small letter a... Capital letter BBBB, small letter b..." But really, you had to HEAR them for yourself. It was so adorable.
I moved on to watch some other classrooms. I went into the standard 3 classroom and sat next to some of the kids. Rachel was up front teaching and the children were writing answers on the board. It amazed me to see that these kids were itching to get up there to write the answer. The kids jumped out of their seats, raised their hands HIGH in the air, and shouted 'teacher, teacher'. What amazed me even more was that they didn't care if they were wrong... they just wanted to TRY! I was blown away. Some of the students in American schools could learn a thing or two about valuing education.
Anyway, after leaving that classroom, I ran into Stephen. We both expressed interest in seeing the grade 8 classroom. So, we hopped in there to watch Elain, Amanda, and BJ teach the students. They taught on everything from snow (and everything that goes with that...) to the United States geography and government system. They needed a little bit of help on the government system (it's been a while since they were in school), so Stephen and I obliged.
The girls even taught on sports and they sang "Take me out to the ball game."
It amazed me yet again how attentive those kids were... and they were willing to learn, even with those crazy wazungu (white people) teaching their class. ;D
The kids broke again for recess. Jennifer found me this time and pulled me aside. She showed me some pictures of her brother... the one who came to America... his name was Elijah. The pictures she showed me were ones taken IN America. This pictures were obviously something that she cherished very much. And she took great pride in showing them to me. I was very glad that she did.
After they went back inside for class, I walked over to a few of the teachers. Sometimes when the kids are doing an independent study, the teachers get a break. Lisa, Sherry and I held a conversation with them for about a half hour. We learned a lot about Kenyan marriage, dowries, Kenyan government and geographic divisions, Kenyan school systems... etc.
After a while, the team ate lunch. Same as the day before... but this time, we had JELLY on the sandwiches. Lisa, Tim, Terry and I gathered supplies for VBS.
VBS was amazing! The kids loved it! When Lisa, Tim and Terry had to act, they did an amazing job!! The kids were laughing hilariously!! And when we asked the kids to memorize the verse, they did an amazing job!!! We didn't have to give them any clues or anything, they had it immediately!!
The health lesson for the day was teeth brushing... and it was obvious that the kids enjoyed it. We even caught some of the kids brushing their teeth after the lesson! It was awesome! The craft for the day was even better, I say that only because I participated in it.
We took polariod pictures of the kids for the craft. We had them stand outside and smile for the camera. They were escorted inside and given a dum-dum to keep them busy. We also put the memory verse at the bottom of the picture. It was so amazing to see how these kids LOVED their pictures. They would look at them, and show them to each other... and then put their fingers on it... it was just... I can't describe it... I wish I cherished pictures like that...
We even took pictures of the teachers and the headmaster, and the pastors. They loved it too!
After we had taken all the pictures and brushed all the teeth... the boys played soccer and the girls sat around and talked. I got to hang out with Jennifer. After learning some more Swahili, we had to leave.
The team got back to Sunrise around 6pm... we ate an amazing s-peghti dinner with fresh nanasi (pineapple) for desert... and then we de-briefed.
At the de-brief, Shane shared a story from his first Christmas in Kenya. He was almost killed, he was robbed and his children asked him "Daddy, am I going to die?". It was hard to keep my eyes dry.
Pam also got vulnerable and shared some of her story from Tanzania.
The team prayed over Shane and Jill.
I went straight back to my cabin, journaled and went to bed!!!
Check in later for pictures!!!
-Britt
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Pictures from DAY FOUR
Pictures from DAY FOUR
The house to be roofed...
I'm trying to figure out how to play that game...
Stephen practicing for worship...
The map for VBS...
The dining hall at the home...
Jennifer in her room....
Jennifer and I...
-Britt
The house to be roofed...
I'm trying to figure out how to play that game...
Stephen practicing for worship...
The map for VBS...
The dining hall at the home...
Jennifer in her room....
Jennifer and I...
-Britt
Day Four- Monday 29 September
DAY FOUR--
Woke up around 6:30am. Very groggy, I headed over to breakfast. Two of the team members (women, of course) had made pancakes and hard-boiled eggs.
I took a VERY SHORT shower and got dressed for our first full day in Cheppema.
The team headed out around 8:30am. It is an hour ride from Sunrise Acres to Cheppema. We pass the Equator on the trip... personally, I thought that was pretty cool. One thing I noticed on this ride... the Kenyan people wave at cars that are passing by. Especially the kids... I made it a point to wave back.
When we got to the Hope Center, I started to help in the clinic with the Nurse (her name is Doris.) We had brought LOTS of medicine with us to help supply the clinic. Those of us helping tried to explain the medication to Doris and to help organize her medicine cabinets. I mostly just organized the medicine by type and let the other women do the rest... I don't know a whole lot about medicine... LOL
Then I went over to check out what the boys were doing on the houses for the teachers. However, since I was in a full length skirt... I really wasn't much help over there. I did get a few pictures though.
When I realized that I wasn't getting anything done with the men at the house... I headed over to the school. Recess had just started, so I watched some of the girls play a game. It looked REALLY FUN... but I didn't really know how to play. The girls drew a grid in the dirt. Then, four girls would jump into the grid... one at each corner. While singing, they jumped around in the squares in a specific pattern. By the end of recess, I had finally gotten the pattern, but then, it was too late... ugh!
All the kids went back inside... some of them with bigger smiles than they came out with... I think that they enjoy learning more than free time sometimes.
Since there weren't any kids to play with during school... I went back over to the houses. I decided that I would take the initiative to get lunch ready. We all decided to eat lunch on the far end of the property under the shade of a rather large tree. Stephen pulled out his guitar and we practiced the songs that we would be performing for VBS.
After lunch came our first hitch of the day. The kids were supposed to be in school until 5pm. We had planned to do VBS at 3. So, we worked with the headmaster and decided to do TWO sessions of VBS. The first was for the young children who were done with school... preschool through standard (or grade) 3. The second session was for standard 4 through standard 8.
Since the kids don't learn English until standard 4, we had to have a translator for the first session. BUT we didn't need one for the second go round. Stephen, Dave and I led worship and Elaine was up there to help us sing! The kids loved the motions (or, as I had to remind myself to say, actions... if you want to know the reasoning behind that... I'll tell you later...). And they even started singing the songs along with us. At least, as much as they could pick up.
A fun note: we did the song called "Every Move I Make" and this song starts out with a chorus of 'Na, Na, NaNaNaNaNa'. Well, in Swahili Nanasi means pineapple. So, they kids thought it was funny. We also did a few other songs. One of which the kids really enjoyed... Everyday! I'm sure most of the team has had more than enough of that song thought ;D
After worship... BJ, Terry, Amanda and Lisa did an excellent job with VBS. They were thrown together at the last minute, and they pulled it off beautifully!!
After the lesson, we split the group into two and while one group colored and decorated treasure maps... the other got a lesson in washing their hands. It was really neat, they used glitter as an object lesson. Wonderful Idea!!
Then, we did it all over again for the big kids!
After the 2nd VBS, the girls wanted to show us the children's home. So, Jennifer took me up to the house and showed me around. Some of the things I saw were extremely upsetting. I guess I had a picture in my mind of this perfect haven for these kids. But instead, the home was sort of run down. I guess that the pastor who ran the home in the PAST did not really keep the building up to standards. Jennifer showed me the chicken coop, where they used to have chickens... until they were taken. She also showed me a very small kitchen and an extremely small dining room for the amount of children.
Jennifer then took me to the girls quarters. Most of the girls live two to a room. She however has her own room, from what I understand, she gets it to herself because she is so much older than the other girls. Jennifer helps out with the other girls and makes sure that they are getting taken care of. Jennifer took me into her room. It was rather small, but I wasn't very surprised by the size. She was very proud of it and of her few possesions. You can see pictures below.
After we walked back outside, Jennifer told me the story of how she and her sister came to the home. I almost cried. It was a heart-wrenching story. I don't feel that the story is mine to tell... but I am reminded of it when I start to think MY life is bad... that story is something I will always carry with me. She also talked to me about the pastor that used to live at the home. Having an idea of what that man was like, I did my best to just listen to her and not throw in my two cents.
We went back up to the center and it was time to leave. Evidently, the rest of the team had been waiting on those of us that went to the home. Jennifer told me that she was going to make me a gift for Sunday and that she loved having me (and the rest of the team) there.
We drove back to Sunrise... and the entire time, all I could think about was the story that Jennifer told me about her life. We again ate at the home of Sunrise's owners, another amazing meal. We had a de-brief after dinner... there were quite a bit of tears... it was hard to stay calm. Dave did a devotional on Deut. 32:11... VERY MOVING!
After the de-brief... my team met to plan for VBS for the next day. We got everything worked out and we were ready for tomorrow. Stephen and I practiced because we had messed up a couple of times during worship on the first (and second) go arounds of that day. However, to save Stephen's face, I will admit that none of the issues were in any way his fault, it was all Dave and I.
I went back to my room after that to journal. BJ came in and started asking me questions about me. When we got down to the "what do you want to do with your life?" question... BJ said, 'you know what you should do... you should work with kids... maybe in children's ministry... you really have a talent for it.'
What can I say?? I think I'm right where I'm supposed to be. On that note... I went to sleep.
Working in the clinic...
For some reason I'm having trouble uploading pictures on this post... I will try to do so in another post..
PLEASE COMMENT... LET ME KNOW YOU ARE READING... I promise it will make me write faster...
-Britt
Woke up around 6:30am. Very groggy, I headed over to breakfast. Two of the team members (women, of course) had made pancakes and hard-boiled eggs.
I took a VERY SHORT shower and got dressed for our first full day in Cheppema.
The team headed out around 8:30am. It is an hour ride from Sunrise Acres to Cheppema. We pass the Equator on the trip... personally, I thought that was pretty cool. One thing I noticed on this ride... the Kenyan people wave at cars that are passing by. Especially the kids... I made it a point to wave back.
When we got to the Hope Center, I started to help in the clinic with the Nurse (her name is Doris.) We had brought LOTS of medicine with us to help supply the clinic. Those of us helping tried to explain the medication to Doris and to help organize her medicine cabinets. I mostly just organized the medicine by type and let the other women do the rest... I don't know a whole lot about medicine... LOL
Then I went over to check out what the boys were doing on the houses for the teachers. However, since I was in a full length skirt... I really wasn't much help over there. I did get a few pictures though.
When I realized that I wasn't getting anything done with the men at the house... I headed over to the school. Recess had just started, so I watched some of the girls play a game. It looked REALLY FUN... but I didn't really know how to play. The girls drew a grid in the dirt. Then, four girls would jump into the grid... one at each corner. While singing, they jumped around in the squares in a specific pattern. By the end of recess, I had finally gotten the pattern, but then, it was too late... ugh!
All the kids went back inside... some of them with bigger smiles than they came out with... I think that they enjoy learning more than free time sometimes.
Since there weren't any kids to play with during school... I went back over to the houses. I decided that I would take the initiative to get lunch ready. We all decided to eat lunch on the far end of the property under the shade of a rather large tree. Stephen pulled out his guitar and we practiced the songs that we would be performing for VBS.
After lunch came our first hitch of the day. The kids were supposed to be in school until 5pm. We had planned to do VBS at 3. So, we worked with the headmaster and decided to do TWO sessions of VBS. The first was for the young children who were done with school... preschool through standard (or grade) 3. The second session was for standard 4 through standard 8.
Since the kids don't learn English until standard 4, we had to have a translator for the first session. BUT we didn't need one for the second go round. Stephen, Dave and I led worship and Elaine was up there to help us sing! The kids loved the motions (or, as I had to remind myself to say, actions... if you want to know the reasoning behind that... I'll tell you later...). And they even started singing the songs along with us. At least, as much as they could pick up.
A fun note: we did the song called "Every Move I Make" and this song starts out with a chorus of 'Na, Na, NaNaNaNaNa'. Well, in Swahili Nanasi means pineapple. So, they kids thought it was funny. We also did a few other songs. One of which the kids really enjoyed... Everyday! I'm sure most of the team has had more than enough of that song thought ;D
After worship... BJ, Terry, Amanda and Lisa did an excellent job with VBS. They were thrown together at the last minute, and they pulled it off beautifully!!
After the lesson, we split the group into two and while one group colored and decorated treasure maps... the other got a lesson in washing their hands. It was really neat, they used glitter as an object lesson. Wonderful Idea!!
Then, we did it all over again for the big kids!
After the 2nd VBS, the girls wanted to show us the children's home. So, Jennifer took me up to the house and showed me around. Some of the things I saw were extremely upsetting. I guess I had a picture in my mind of this perfect haven for these kids. But instead, the home was sort of run down. I guess that the pastor who ran the home in the PAST did not really keep the building up to standards. Jennifer showed me the chicken coop, where they used to have chickens... until they were taken. She also showed me a very small kitchen and an extremely small dining room for the amount of children.
Jennifer then took me to the girls quarters. Most of the girls live two to a room. She however has her own room, from what I understand, she gets it to herself because she is so much older than the other girls. Jennifer helps out with the other girls and makes sure that they are getting taken care of. Jennifer took me into her room. It was rather small, but I wasn't very surprised by the size. She was very proud of it and of her few possesions. You can see pictures below.
After we walked back outside, Jennifer told me the story of how she and her sister came to the home. I almost cried. It was a heart-wrenching story. I don't feel that the story is mine to tell... but I am reminded of it when I start to think MY life is bad... that story is something I will always carry with me. She also talked to me about the pastor that used to live at the home. Having an idea of what that man was like, I did my best to just listen to her and not throw in my two cents.
We went back up to the center and it was time to leave. Evidently, the rest of the team had been waiting on those of us that went to the home. Jennifer told me that she was going to make me a gift for Sunday and that she loved having me (and the rest of the team) there.
We drove back to Sunrise... and the entire time, all I could think about was the story that Jennifer told me about her life. We again ate at the home of Sunrise's owners, another amazing meal. We had a de-brief after dinner... there were quite a bit of tears... it was hard to stay calm. Dave did a devotional on Deut. 32:11... VERY MOVING!
After the de-brief... my team met to plan for VBS for the next day. We got everything worked out and we were ready for tomorrow. Stephen and I practiced because we had messed up a couple of times during worship on the first (and second) go arounds of that day. However, to save Stephen's face, I will admit that none of the issues were in any way his fault, it was all Dave and I.
I went back to my room after that to journal. BJ came in and started asking me questions about me. When we got down to the "what do you want to do with your life?" question... BJ said, 'you know what you should do... you should work with kids... maybe in children's ministry... you really have a talent for it.'
What can I say?? I think I'm right where I'm supposed to be. On that note... I went to sleep.
Working in the clinic...
For some reason I'm having trouble uploading pictures on this post... I will try to do so in another post..
PLEASE COMMENT... LET ME KNOW YOU ARE READING... I promise it will make me write faster...
-Britt
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Day Three-- Sunday 28 September
Alright, I'm doing it.
DAY THREE--
We left the airport around midnight after landing, going through customs and retrieving almost all of our luggage. Shane (the missionary who works for Special Ministries) met us outside and we all loaded up the vans. One van was solely for our luggage and the other two were meant for passengers. Shane and Rick both drove passengers vans out of the parking lot.
The ride to the 'hotel' (for lack of a better word) was fun. Bumpy, but fun! I was amazed at how many billboards there were, and all of them were written in English. I guess I didn't realize at first how prevalent English is in Kenya. I was also surprised by the companies out here. Companies like LG, Mitsubishi, DHL and Car Max!! Granted, Car Max wasn't the same thing... but the others were. For a little perspective on gas prices... we passed a gas station listing gas at 104.9 shillings. That is approximately $1.31. At first, that sounds pretty good, right?? WRONG. Think about it... Kenya is on the metric system... so that is $1.31 per liter. That is almost $5 a gallon. Bet you are liking your $2.65 right about now.
When we got the hotel, we unloaded the bags we needed for the night, checked into our own personal rooms, grabbed a bottle of water for our drinking and teeth brushing needs and headed to bed!
Sunday Morning.
I woke up around 5:45am and couldn't get back to sleep. I took a shower, careful not to swallow or inhale any of the water... yes, I actually plugged my nose and closed my eyes and mouth. I got dressed and went in search of other team members. I happened to be the only one from our team on my floor, so I felt a little lost. I met up with some of the group on the floor above me and we all headed down for breakfast.
Breakfast consisted of toast, coffee, eggs and pineapple. I really enjoyed the meal, but I was a little disappointed. I was totally ready for some food that I DON'T eat in America. Anyway...
Just before 8am we re-packed the car and headed out. It is about a 4 hour ride to Cheppema from Nairobi... extremely exciting for someone who gets motion sick. However, the team was nice enough to let me ride up front... more like they didn't want to be next to me when I got sick. Thankfully, that never happened.
After traveling for an hour or so, we came up to the Great Rift Valley. We got out to take pictures. Right next to where we stopped there were a few shops. The vendors came out with baskets full of merchandise trying to sell it to us. Most of them had carvings of the volcanoes and milima (mountains) in the mtaro (valley) with a few Swahili words translated to English. I was surprised again at how well they all spoke English. I mean, I know it is taught in the schools, but it still amazed me for some reason.
It was so hard to say no to these people, especially because I knew it is their livelihood. I managed to do so however, not sure whether I like that yet or not...
We hopped back into the vans and headed to Cheppema. Amazingly enough, we only needed one bathroom stop on the way. We stopped at a hotel, and they actually had toilets... so no Kenyan bathroom experience yet.
The ride itself was one of the best! We saw so much of Kenya. It was amazing! We saw warthogs and monkeys and even zebra on the side of the road. Along witha a thousand or so cattle and a couple hundred donkeys. Tons of goats and a bunch of sheep. It was so great to see all those animals on the side of the road (and sometimes in the road)... the only problem... I couldn't take pictures. For some reason, the memory card I had for my brand new camera was acting up... evidently I brought a faulty memory card to Kenya. My camera couldn't read the card and I therefore, could not take pictures... UGH!!!
So, we got to the Hope Center around noon. Evidently, the church had been doing its thing since 9am and they were singing songs while waiting for us to get there. We went inside the chapel and sat in the blue chairs. They told us that as visitors, we were to sit in the blue chairs. Once the church finished their shong, the pastor welcomed us... while the other pastor translated the English to Swahili. IT was neat to hear the word Caribou and know what it meant... (welcome, btw). After they welcomed us, Shane got up to speak.
Shane had the team get up and introduce ourselves. So, we all stood up at the front and said our name, something about our family and something unique about ourself. When it was my turn, I said "My name is Britt, I am a student at a University back in America, and I come from a very large family... I have 9 brothers and sisters." Somewhere in the translation, my name turned into BREAD. Well, it stuck. I will always and forever be Bread, to 16 members of my church, the entire nation of Kenya and anyone else who wants to join in on the fun.
In hindsight, I should have said Brittany.
After we sat down, Shane preached on a chapter of Psalms (can't remember which one... sorry). He did an EXCELLENT job and I really think he got through to a lot of the Kenyans there. When he finished with prayer, the children from the home got up to do a song and then a dance. I took as many pictures as my messed up card would allow. When the kids finished, church was over.
At the end of church, people don't just leave though... Everyone files out and gets in a line to shake hands with everyone else. It was really neat, I shook probably a hundred hands, gave a few hugs and said hello/jambo too many times to count. Then, when everyone was done, the Pastor said a prayer and the people dispersed. Most of the kids and quite a few adults stayed behind to talk to us (their visitors).
I met SOOOOOOOO many kids, it was way too hard to remember all of their names. One kid, Jeff, taught me a cool handshake that many of the boys at the school do for a greeting. He also taught me the proper greeting and response (Habari and Mzuri). Shortly after that, a couple of girls came up to me and latched on. Viola and Massey were the only names I understood. Those two (and others) took me up to their school and showed me each classroom and told me which grades sat in those rooms. They then went on th show us the bathroom (evidently they know it is different than ours). The bathroom consisted of a hold in the ground... that was it.
They took me around the massive pile of dirt that would soon become their soccer field and showed me the buildings that will be the homes for their teachers. They said that one of their teachers walks all the way around a mountain to get to school in the morning. After the hike back to the chapel, we sat down and the girls played with my hair. They told me that it was 'very smart'. I really had no idea what that meant, so I just smiled and said thank you... even though it could have been an insult. (I later found out that it means 'nice'... it's a British term).
There was some dancing going on in the chapel, so the girls and I went in to check it out. Sadly enough, right when I got in there... it was time to leave.
It was so wonderful to be around these children. They were extremely friendly. They loved to hold your hand and give you hugs... and they also asked a LOT of questions... it really seemed like they wanted to know who 'Bread' was.
We said our goodbyes and headed toward Sunrise Acres. We stopped at a supermarket to pick up lunch. Then we made it to Sunrise. We will be staying here every night for the week we work in Cheppema. It was absolutely beautiful. And the accomidations were a LOT nicer than we all thought they were going to be. There was even a toilet... a flushable one... I was very excited!!
Anyway, we ate lunch and sat around talking for a while... it was then that Rick tried to fix my camera... it didn't work... BUT, by the amazingness of God... Rick had a 2GB card that he allowed me to borrow. So, I will be able to take pictures!!! We also dumped the pictures that were on the other card onto his computer so I wouldn't lose them.
We went to dinner around 6:30pm. We all walked over to the home of the people who run Sunrise Acres. Turns out that land has been in ther family 3 generations. The meal was wonderful, and very filling!!
After dinner was the team debrief! We talked aobut our impressions of Kenya and how we were feeling about the trip. Then, Amanda led a very moving devotional about God giving us the words to speak while we are on the ground in Kenya.
After devotional I headed back to my bunk... I journaled and went to bed... cause I was EXHAUSTED!!!
The Great Rift Valley
Zebra on the side of the road....
Signs at the start of the road to the Hope Center
The girls playing with my hair...
That's it for now... please comment and let me know you are reading and what you think!!!
-Britt
DAY THREE--
We left the airport around midnight after landing, going through customs and retrieving almost all of our luggage. Shane (the missionary who works for Special Ministries) met us outside and we all loaded up the vans. One van was solely for our luggage and the other two were meant for passengers. Shane and Rick both drove passengers vans out of the parking lot.
The ride to the 'hotel' (for lack of a better word) was fun. Bumpy, but fun! I was amazed at how many billboards there were, and all of them were written in English. I guess I didn't realize at first how prevalent English is in Kenya. I was also surprised by the companies out here. Companies like LG, Mitsubishi, DHL and Car Max!! Granted, Car Max wasn't the same thing... but the others were. For a little perspective on gas prices... we passed a gas station listing gas at 104.9 shillings. That is approximately $1.31. At first, that sounds pretty good, right?? WRONG. Think about it... Kenya is on the metric system... so that is $1.31 per liter. That is almost $5 a gallon. Bet you are liking your $2.65 right about now.
When we got the hotel, we unloaded the bags we needed for the night, checked into our own personal rooms, grabbed a bottle of water for our drinking and teeth brushing needs and headed to bed!
Sunday Morning.
I woke up around 5:45am and couldn't get back to sleep. I took a shower, careful not to swallow or inhale any of the water... yes, I actually plugged my nose and closed my eyes and mouth. I got dressed and went in search of other team members. I happened to be the only one from our team on my floor, so I felt a little lost. I met up with some of the group on the floor above me and we all headed down for breakfast.
Breakfast consisted of toast, coffee, eggs and pineapple. I really enjoyed the meal, but I was a little disappointed. I was totally ready for some food that I DON'T eat in America. Anyway...
Just before 8am we re-packed the car and headed out. It is about a 4 hour ride to Cheppema from Nairobi... extremely exciting for someone who gets motion sick. However, the team was nice enough to let me ride up front... more like they didn't want to be next to me when I got sick. Thankfully, that never happened.
After traveling for an hour or so, we came up to the Great Rift Valley. We got out to take pictures. Right next to where we stopped there were a few shops. The vendors came out with baskets full of merchandise trying to sell it to us. Most of them had carvings of the volcanoes and milima (mountains) in the mtaro (valley) with a few Swahili words translated to English. I was surprised again at how well they all spoke English. I mean, I know it is taught in the schools, but it still amazed me for some reason.
It was so hard to say no to these people, especially because I knew it is their livelihood. I managed to do so however, not sure whether I like that yet or not...
We hopped back into the vans and headed to Cheppema. Amazingly enough, we only needed one bathroom stop on the way. We stopped at a hotel, and they actually had toilets... so no Kenyan bathroom experience yet.
The ride itself was one of the best! We saw so much of Kenya. It was amazing! We saw warthogs and monkeys and even zebra on the side of the road. Along witha a thousand or so cattle and a couple hundred donkeys. Tons of goats and a bunch of sheep. It was so great to see all those animals on the side of the road (and sometimes in the road)... the only problem... I couldn't take pictures. For some reason, the memory card I had for my brand new camera was acting up... evidently I brought a faulty memory card to Kenya. My camera couldn't read the card and I therefore, could not take pictures... UGH!!!
So, we got to the Hope Center around noon. Evidently, the church had been doing its thing since 9am and they were singing songs while waiting for us to get there. We went inside the chapel and sat in the blue chairs. They told us that as visitors, we were to sit in the blue chairs. Once the church finished their shong, the pastor welcomed us... while the other pastor translated the English to Swahili. IT was neat to hear the word Caribou and know what it meant... (welcome, btw). After they welcomed us, Shane got up to speak.
Shane had the team get up and introduce ourselves. So, we all stood up at the front and said our name, something about our family and something unique about ourself. When it was my turn, I said "My name is Britt, I am a student at a University back in America, and I come from a very large family... I have 9 brothers and sisters." Somewhere in the translation, my name turned into BREAD. Well, it stuck. I will always and forever be Bread, to 16 members of my church, the entire nation of Kenya and anyone else who wants to join in on the fun.
In hindsight, I should have said Brittany.
After we sat down, Shane preached on a chapter of Psalms (can't remember which one... sorry). He did an EXCELLENT job and I really think he got through to a lot of the Kenyans there. When he finished with prayer, the children from the home got up to do a song and then a dance. I took as many pictures as my messed up card would allow. When the kids finished, church was over.
At the end of church, people don't just leave though... Everyone files out and gets in a line to shake hands with everyone else. It was really neat, I shook probably a hundred hands, gave a few hugs and said hello/jambo too many times to count. Then, when everyone was done, the Pastor said a prayer and the people dispersed. Most of the kids and quite a few adults stayed behind to talk to us (their visitors).
I met SOOOOOOOO many kids, it was way too hard to remember all of their names. One kid, Jeff, taught me a cool handshake that many of the boys at the school do for a greeting. He also taught me the proper greeting and response (Habari and Mzuri). Shortly after that, a couple of girls came up to me and latched on. Viola and Massey were the only names I understood. Those two (and others) took me up to their school and showed me each classroom and told me which grades sat in those rooms. They then went on th show us the bathroom (evidently they know it is different than ours). The bathroom consisted of a hold in the ground... that was it.
They took me around the massive pile of dirt that would soon become their soccer field and showed me the buildings that will be the homes for their teachers. They said that one of their teachers walks all the way around a mountain to get to school in the morning. After the hike back to the chapel, we sat down and the girls played with my hair. They told me that it was 'very smart'. I really had no idea what that meant, so I just smiled and said thank you... even though it could have been an insult. (I later found out that it means 'nice'... it's a British term).
There was some dancing going on in the chapel, so the girls and I went in to check it out. Sadly enough, right when I got in there... it was time to leave.
It was so wonderful to be around these children. They were extremely friendly. They loved to hold your hand and give you hugs... and they also asked a LOT of questions... it really seemed like they wanted to know who 'Bread' was.
We said our goodbyes and headed toward Sunrise Acres. We stopped at a supermarket to pick up lunch. Then we made it to Sunrise. We will be staying here every night for the week we work in Cheppema. It was absolutely beautiful. And the accomidations were a LOT nicer than we all thought they were going to be. There was even a toilet... a flushable one... I was very excited!!
Anyway, we ate lunch and sat around talking for a while... it was then that Rick tried to fix my camera... it didn't work... BUT, by the amazingness of God... Rick had a 2GB card that he allowed me to borrow. So, I will be able to take pictures!!! We also dumped the pictures that were on the other card onto his computer so I wouldn't lose them.
We went to dinner around 6:30pm. We all walked over to the home of the people who run Sunrise Acres. Turns out that land has been in ther family 3 generations. The meal was wonderful, and very filling!!
After dinner was the team debrief! We talked aobut our impressions of Kenya and how we were feeling about the trip. Then, Amanda led a very moving devotional about God giving us the words to speak while we are on the ground in Kenya.
After devotional I headed back to my bunk... I journaled and went to bed... cause I was EXHAUSTED!!!
The Great Rift Valley
Zebra on the side of the road....
Signs at the start of the road to the Hope Center
The girls playing with my hair...
That's it for now... please comment and let me know you are reading and what you think!!!
-Britt
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Day Two-- We arrive... maybe!!
Literally... the smell of coffee hit us in the London airport. Almost the entire team hit up Starbucks, even though a cup of coffee cost us an arm AND a leg (or, like $10). I personally didn't get coffee, but I did enjoy a great Mango Passion Fruit Blend (for $7).
About the airport, Heathrow is AMAZING!!! That place is HUGE!! We took a 10 minute bus ride around the airport just to get to the right terminal for our next flight. Then, when we got to the right terminal, we went through this MASSIVE security checkpoint. There were at least 20 metal detectors. We all go through with only one hiccup... one of our team members had to check her bag... evidently it was too big. Surprising since it wasn't too big on the way TO London. Oh well, different airlines, different policies.
After we passed the metal detectors... Stephen setting them off... we walked into what I can only describe as a city. Not even like a small city, but a decent sized city. There was TONS of shopping, a bank exchange, Starbucks, restaurants, electronic stores... etc. I mean seriously, who needs to buy a computer IN the airport!?!?! Anyway, this place had everything!! I really can't think of any reason to leave it, except maybe for a more comfortable place to sleep. Although, I didn't make it all the way around the terminal, there could be a mattress store somewhere in there...
Some of us sat and talked, journaled or stared off into space and others shopped. Either way... the time passed pretty quickly.
We all got on the plane and then sat, in the same place, for two hours. It was insane!! A few times the captian came over the intercom and announced what was going on. First, they had to go in and find 17 passengers luggage because they didn't make it to the flight. And then, since we had to wait for that... we were at the back of the line for take off. Some of our team members slept, wish I had. Anyway, we pulled off and I was OUT! I slept for almost 6 hours and the goal was to not sleep at all. Whoops!
British Airways are NICE. We all had personal TV's where we could choose what movies we wanted to watch and a CD library to browse. Plus, the food was AMAZAING!
Anyway, after the 8+ hour plane ride, we all deboarded and headed for customs. We stood in line for about a 1/2 hour. I was the last member of our team to go through. To tell the truth, I was sort of worried. I was afraid they were going to ask me a question I didn't know the answer to, and that I would get held up and left in the airport. But thankfully, nothing of the sort happened.
When I got downstairs, everyone was unloading our bags from the conveyer. Amazingly enough, we only ended up ONE bag short. For some reason, it never left London. Thankfully it will be in Nairobi Sunday night. Speaking of Sunday, it is here.
Our plane arrived at 11pm and we didn't start towards our 'hotel' (since I don't know what to call it) until midnight.
Check in later to hear about our ride to the hotel, our first night in Kenya, AND our first experience at a Kenyan church.
-Britt
About the airport, Heathrow is AMAZING!!! That place is HUGE!! We took a 10 minute bus ride around the airport just to get to the right terminal for our next flight. Then, when we got to the right terminal, we went through this MASSIVE security checkpoint. There were at least 20 metal detectors. We all go through with only one hiccup... one of our team members had to check her bag... evidently it was too big. Surprising since it wasn't too big on the way TO London. Oh well, different airlines, different policies.
After we passed the metal detectors... Stephen setting them off... we walked into what I can only describe as a city. Not even like a small city, but a decent sized city. There was TONS of shopping, a bank exchange, Starbucks, restaurants, electronic stores... etc. I mean seriously, who needs to buy a computer IN the airport!?!?! Anyway, this place had everything!! I really can't think of any reason to leave it, except maybe for a more comfortable place to sleep. Although, I didn't make it all the way around the terminal, there could be a mattress store somewhere in there...
Some of us sat and talked, journaled or stared off into space and others shopped. Either way... the time passed pretty quickly.
We all got on the plane and then sat, in the same place, for two hours. It was insane!! A few times the captian came over the intercom and announced what was going on. First, they had to go in and find 17 passengers luggage because they didn't make it to the flight. And then, since we had to wait for that... we were at the back of the line for take off. Some of our team members slept, wish I had. Anyway, we pulled off and I was OUT! I slept for almost 6 hours and the goal was to not sleep at all. Whoops!
British Airways are NICE. We all had personal TV's where we could choose what movies we wanted to watch and a CD library to browse. Plus, the food was AMAZAING!
Anyway, after the 8+ hour plane ride, we all deboarded and headed for customs. We stood in line for about a 1/2 hour. I was the last member of our team to go through. To tell the truth, I was sort of worried. I was afraid they were going to ask me a question I didn't know the answer to, and that I would get held up and left in the airport. But thankfully, nothing of the sort happened.
When I got downstairs, everyone was unloading our bags from the conveyer. Amazingly enough, we only ended up ONE bag short. For some reason, it never left London. Thankfully it will be in Nairobi Sunday night. Speaking of Sunday, it is here.
Our plane arrived at 11pm and we didn't start towards our 'hotel' (since I don't know what to call it) until midnight.
Check in later to hear about our ride to the hotel, our first night in Kenya, AND our first experience at a Kenyan church.
-Britt
Friday, October 10, 2008
Day One-- We leave!
**Here is the deal: I am going to try to recreate the trip for all my readers. I want you guys to experience everything that I did. So, even though that is in NO WAY POSSIBLE, I am going to do a day at a time post to do the best that I can.**
Friday September 26th
First things first, my mom woke me up around 11am and told me that I should probably get up since I had to be at church in about 3 hours. It is probably not necessary to tell you this, but I was late getting to the church.
I slowly got up and realized I had a few last minute errands to do. Mostly, I had to go to the bank, get some money and then have them change the bills over to Series 2001 and up! You see, in Kenya, they won't accept USD earlier than series 2001, something about counterfeiting. Anyway, we made it to the bank, and I exchanged a few bills.
We headed towards the church, and we were GOING to be on time, but my mom had forgotten the directions she needed for immediately after I left. We went back home, got the directions and headed out again for the church. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't freaking out about it. I wasn't worried about being late, and I wasn't worried/freaking out about the trip. In fact, I think my mother was a little bit irked by it. She kept mentioning it, over and over again.
Anyway, I got the the church only about 5 minutes late (and I wasn't the last one there). Rusty had taken a late lunch, so he was there to greet us. The group stood in a circle after packing up the bags and Jonathan Bow prayed for us. I was really glad he was there, it was good to know that he was invested in this trip and those of us going. (p.s. Friday is his day off ;D).
The team loaded up and headed to the airport. I hugged my mom and Rusty three times each (once after already getting in the car... I ran back out for one last hug). My boyfriend arrived late, because he got lost? I guess things look different on a motorcycle than in a car. Anyway, I gave him three hugs as well. I knew I was going to miss all of them immensely!!
We all got to the airport without a hitch. Sandra got her passport and visa back from the embassy only a few hours before we had to leave. The courier who delievered it was in Washington that SAME morning... but it got to her!!
Everyone got through security just fine and there wasn't any trouble with liquids or anything we were carrying on the plane.
At that point, we just had to wait. We sat in the airport for two hours before boarding our flight to Heathrow airport in London. While we were waiting, I got hungry, so I ate at an A&W for the first time... too bad I don't really like rootbeer. But the fries and burger were VERY tasty... and I wasn't looking forward to airline food.
When the team all boarded the plane, we realized that there were a BUNCH of open seats. So, we all got to spread out. The trip was LONG and quite uneventful. I tried to sleep like the rest of my team members, but I only caught about an hour. Wonderful news though, despite the fact that I was awake for about 6 hours on a plane... I didn't get sick at ALL!
We landed in London at 7am in the morning... about 2am Saturday morning back in North Carolina. So, it was time to get up and smell the coffee!
Check in tomorrow to see what the next plane ride was like. LOL!
-Britt
Friday September 26th
First things first, my mom woke me up around 11am and told me that I should probably get up since I had to be at church in about 3 hours. It is probably not necessary to tell you this, but I was late getting to the church.
I slowly got up and realized I had a few last minute errands to do. Mostly, I had to go to the bank, get some money and then have them change the bills over to Series 2001 and up! You see, in Kenya, they won't accept USD earlier than series 2001, something about counterfeiting. Anyway, we made it to the bank, and I exchanged a few bills.
We headed towards the church, and we were GOING to be on time, but my mom had forgotten the directions she needed for immediately after I left. We went back home, got the directions and headed out again for the church. Surprisingly enough, I wasn't freaking out about it. I wasn't worried about being late, and I wasn't worried/freaking out about the trip. In fact, I think my mother was a little bit irked by it. She kept mentioning it, over and over again.
Anyway, I got the the church only about 5 minutes late (and I wasn't the last one there). Rusty had taken a late lunch, so he was there to greet us. The group stood in a circle after packing up the bags and Jonathan Bow prayed for us. I was really glad he was there, it was good to know that he was invested in this trip and those of us going. (p.s. Friday is his day off ;D).
The team loaded up and headed to the airport. I hugged my mom and Rusty three times each (once after already getting in the car... I ran back out for one last hug). My boyfriend arrived late, because he got lost? I guess things look different on a motorcycle than in a car. Anyway, I gave him three hugs as well. I knew I was going to miss all of them immensely!!
We all got to the airport without a hitch. Sandra got her passport and visa back from the embassy only a few hours before we had to leave. The courier who delievered it was in Washington that SAME morning... but it got to her!!
Everyone got through security just fine and there wasn't any trouble with liquids or anything we were carrying on the plane.
At that point, we just had to wait. We sat in the airport for two hours before boarding our flight to Heathrow airport in London. While we were waiting, I got hungry, so I ate at an A&W for the first time... too bad I don't really like rootbeer. But the fries and burger were VERY tasty... and I wasn't looking forward to airline food.
When the team all boarded the plane, we realized that there were a BUNCH of open seats. So, we all got to spread out. The trip was LONG and quite uneventful. I tried to sleep like the rest of my team members, but I only caught about an hour. Wonderful news though, despite the fact that I was awake for about 6 hours on a plane... I didn't get sick at ALL!
We landed in London at 7am in the morning... about 2am Saturday morning back in North Carolina. So, it was time to get up and smell the coffee!
Check in tomorrow to see what the next plane ride was like. LOL!
-Britt
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Home!
I'm home!
That's all I have time to say right now... I would really like to get some unpacking and other such things done...
Please continue to check the blog daily because I will be posting day by day recaps of what happened in Kenya!
Thank you for all your prayers and support!
-Britt
That's all I have time to say right now... I would really like to get some unpacking and other such things done...
Please continue to check the blog daily because I will be posting day by day recaps of what happened in Kenya!
Thank you for all your prayers and support!
-Britt
Thursday, September 25, 2008
This is it!!!!!
Okay everyone... this is it!
My last post before I leave for Kenya! I am BEYOND EXCITED!!!
Don't forget to check out www.cheppema2008.org while we are in country for updates.
Then, check out my blog when I get back for details of my experience!
Thanks for all the prayers and support!
-Britt
My last post before I leave for Kenya! I am BEYOND EXCITED!!!
Don't forget to check out www.cheppema2008.org while we are in country for updates.
Then, check out my blog when I get back for details of my experience!
Thanks for all the prayers and support!
-Britt
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
In case you wanted to know...
Alright everyone, it's official!! My youngest sister (and sibling) is going off to college... in a year that is.
She got two acceptance letters yesterday, one to ECU and one to WCU. She has made the wise decision of ECU, since she wants to be a surgeon. So, she mailed off a deposit, and will be preparing for college over the next 10 months.
My parents... are counting down the days till they can start partying!!! 6 down, 1 to go!
She got two acceptance letters yesterday, one to ECU and one to WCU. She has made the wise decision of ECU, since she wants to be a surgeon. So, she mailed off a deposit, and will be preparing for college over the next 10 months.
My parents... are counting down the days till they can start partying!!! 6 down, 1 to go!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Busy like a Beaver...
Okay... that was really corny... and just plain bad.
I'm sorry I haven't posted in a week. Things have been beyond insane for me right now. I only have 3 days til I leave for Kenya... and I still have two tests, a paper and a lit review due!
AHHHHHHHHHHH!
So, I can't post much right now. BUT, I will say this...
Bookmark www.cheppema2008.org
That is the only blog that will be updated while I am in Kenya with my team. When I get back I will post day by day entries detailing my experiences on this blog. But until then, make sure you stay updated.
Thanks go to everyone that has supported me on this trip. You have no idea how much I appreciate it!!!!
-Britt
I'm sorry I haven't posted in a week. Things have been beyond insane for me right now. I only have 3 days til I leave for Kenya... and I still have two tests, a paper and a lit review due!
AHHHHHHHHHHH!
So, I can't post much right now. BUT, I will say this...
Bookmark www.cheppema2008.org
That is the only blog that will be updated while I am in Kenya with my team. When I get back I will post day by day entries detailing my experiences on this blog. But until then, make sure you stay updated.
Thanks go to everyone that has supported me on this trip. You have no idea how much I appreciate it!!!!
-Britt
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
No longer a teen!
Tomorrow is the day! I will finally turn 20, and will no longer be a teen.
I would like to say that means I am no longer a kid, but I'm not so sure that is true. I guess, to anyone older than me, I am still a kid.
I am excited though. I will finally be in my twenties!!!
(a side note: a have a HUGE lollipop... and it's good!!! I will always be a kid)
-Britt
I would like to say that means I am no longer a kid, but I'm not so sure that is true. I guess, to anyone older than me, I am still a kid.
I am excited though. I will finally be in my twenties!!!
(a side note: a have a HUGE lollipop... and it's good!!! I will always be a kid)
-Britt
Friday, September 12, 2008
The move...
This year, my younger brother went off to college. Well, not really off to college since he attends NC State, just like his Big Sis. (Please don't tell him I said that...)
Anyway, he moved out of my parents house for the first time, and doesn't plan to come back. Well, I, after planning to not come back, moved back into my parents house. For the summer, I shared a bedroom with my sister Bailey. But I felt like it was time for a change (more like I couldn't get internet in the bedroom over the garage). So, I moved into my younger brother's old room.
Bryce lived in that room for almost 14 years of his life. Needless to say, it felt sort of weird to move all of my stuff into his room, but he is okay with it, so I guess I should be too.
The point of all of this is to say that... I have now lived in every bedroom of my parent's house (excluding the master of course). I find it odd. When we first moved in, my younger brother had the first room on the left, I the first on the right and Brianna and Brandon (my older siblings) were above the garage.
After my mother remarried, I shared my bedroom with two other girls. That didn't last long and I took over my older brother's room (after he left of course). Then, this summer I lived in my older sister's ex-room. Now, I inhabit Bryce's room.
Of the four of us that started here, I'm the only one that changed rooms like that. I'm beginning to wonder if it's a character flaw. Maybe that I'm just not satisfied with what I have, and I think the grass is greener on the other side. Not sure, but I'll start working on that if it's the case.
-Britt
Anyway, he moved out of my parents house for the first time, and doesn't plan to come back. Well, I, after planning to not come back, moved back into my parents house. For the summer, I shared a bedroom with my sister Bailey. But I felt like it was time for a change (more like I couldn't get internet in the bedroom over the garage). So, I moved into my younger brother's old room.
Bryce lived in that room for almost 14 years of his life. Needless to say, it felt sort of weird to move all of my stuff into his room, but he is okay with it, so I guess I should be too.
The point of all of this is to say that... I have now lived in every bedroom of my parent's house (excluding the master of course). I find it odd. When we first moved in, my younger brother had the first room on the left, I the first on the right and Brianna and Brandon (my older siblings) were above the garage.
After my mother remarried, I shared my bedroom with two other girls. That didn't last long and I took over my older brother's room (after he left of course). Then, this summer I lived in my older sister's ex-room. Now, I inhabit Bryce's room.
Of the four of us that started here, I'm the only one that changed rooms like that. I'm beginning to wonder if it's a character flaw. Maybe that I'm just not satisfied with what I have, and I think the grass is greener on the other side. Not sure, but I'll start working on that if it's the case.
-Britt
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
16 Days (and 7)!!!
16 days til Kenya!!!!! That's all I have to say...
well, except that there are only 7 days until my birthday!!! uh, oh, 20!!!
well, except that there are only 7 days until my birthday!!! uh, oh, 20!!!
Monday, September 8, 2008
This trip...
I'm going to stop apologizing for lack of posting... I've decided that y'all can just deal with it! (or I'm just always sorry).
Anyway, I wanted to make a quick post about this trip. I am leaving in 18 days!!!!! 18!!!!!! Can you believe it!?!?!?! It's still insane to me. I am so NOT ready. I don't have the stuff that I need, I'm not even sure WHAT I need.
I have so much left to think about and do, it's crazy. I'm really not sure I will ever be ready... I'm just gonna have to get on the plane and go for it.
Luckily, I am traveling with an amazing team, and they will be there to guide me. As for the freaking out right now... my family members are doing their best to help. I have a pretty great group of friends that are seeing me through this... AND I have an awesome boyfriend that is putting up with the annoying and stressed out Britt!
So what I really want to say is that I am really grateful for the people God has placed in my life. I really don't know where I would be without them.
P.S. Update on being sick: I'm feeling loads better!
-Britt
Anyway, I wanted to make a quick post about this trip. I am leaving in 18 days!!!!! 18!!!!!! Can you believe it!?!?!?! It's still insane to me. I am so NOT ready. I don't have the stuff that I need, I'm not even sure WHAT I need.
I have so much left to think about and do, it's crazy. I'm really not sure I will ever be ready... I'm just gonna have to get on the plane and go for it.
Luckily, I am traveling with an amazing team, and they will be there to guide me. As for the freaking out right now... my family members are doing their best to help. I have a pretty great group of friends that are seeing me through this... AND I have an awesome boyfriend that is putting up with the annoying and stressed out Britt!
So what I really want to say is that I am really grateful for the people God has placed in my life. I really don't know where I would be without them.
P.S. Update on being sick: I'm feeling loads better!
-Britt
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Upsetting News.
Okay-- so, it's not really THAT upsetting. But I just finished an assignment (a ridiculous one at that) for my Psy 220- Orientation to Psychology Course, and it left me a little down in the dumps.
For those of you that don't know, I was originally a criminology major. At the end of my freshman year, I added a psychology major. Then, that summer, I made the decision to go into ministry full time. Since I didn't think that criminology and ministry would work that well together, half-way through my 3rd semester at NCSU, I changed my first major to Public and Interpersonal Communication.
Therefore, I am now a double major in Public and Interpersonal Communcation & Psychology.
However, the sad news. I will not graduate in 8 semesters (4 years). The assignment was to plan through my graduation. Turns out, all the switching and adding majors left me pretty far behind on my requirements. I will have to take an extra semester in order to graduate.
From what I understand, it's not that uncommon, but I really wanted to graduate in four years. Looks like I still get to be a 2010 graduate though!!
I'm going to sulk some more (just kidding) and leave you to post jeering comments.
- Britt
For those of you that don't know, I was originally a criminology major. At the end of my freshman year, I added a psychology major. Then, that summer, I made the decision to go into ministry full time. Since I didn't think that criminology and ministry would work that well together, half-way through my 3rd semester at NCSU, I changed my first major to Public and Interpersonal Communication.
Therefore, I am now a double major in Public and Interpersonal Communcation & Psychology.
However, the sad news. I will not graduate in 8 semesters (4 years). The assignment was to plan through my graduation. Turns out, all the switching and adding majors left me pretty far behind on my requirements. I will have to take an extra semester in order to graduate.
From what I understand, it's not that uncommon, but I really wanted to graduate in four years. Looks like I still get to be a 2010 graduate though!!
I'm going to sulk some more (just kidding) and leave you to post jeering comments.
- Britt
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The many things I can't do!
Recently, I have noticed that almost everyone has some sort of list on their blog. I didn't want to be left out, so here is my list.
It is a little bit different than the other blogs. My list consists of things I wish I could do, but have actually tried and FAILED!
This is not to be pessimistic, it's actually just really funny and I thought y'all might get a kick out of it.
1) Whistle
2) Roll my tongue (I know it's genetic... so no hope there)
3) Moonwalk
4) Flip (that one hurt)
5) Raise a single eyebrow
6) Wink
7) Whistle...
8) Cross all four of my fingers
9) Crush a can on my head
10) Swim above water
11) Whistle...
12) Burp my name
13) Cry on cue
14) Chug a two liter of soda (that one hurt too)
15) Whistle... did I mention that??
Okay, so I know it's a little ridiculous, but all of those are things I really wish I could do. And the whistling thing just really gets to me.
That's all for now, maybe next post will be serious. (right...)
-Britt
It is a little bit different than the other blogs. My list consists of things I wish I could do, but have actually tried and FAILED!
This is not to be pessimistic, it's actually just really funny and I thought y'all might get a kick out of it.
1) Whistle
2) Roll my tongue (I know it's genetic... so no hope there)
3) Moonwalk
4) Flip (that one hurt)
5) Raise a single eyebrow
6) Wink
7) Whistle...
8) Cross all four of my fingers
9) Crush a can on my head
10) Swim above water
11) Whistle...
12) Burp my name
13) Cry on cue
14) Chug a two liter of soda (that one hurt too)
15) Whistle... did I mention that??
Okay, so I know it's a little ridiculous, but all of those are things I really wish I could do. And the whistling thing just really gets to me.
That's all for now, maybe next post will be serious. (right...)
-Britt
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Old cars...
So, again, I apologize for not posting, however, not to my general readers but to my stepfather, who so kindly pointed out that I am forcing my readers to wait. SORRY!!
Anyway, thought tonight was eventful enough to warrant a post.
First of all, tonight was my lifegroup's last night as a single group. My co-leader and I have decided that it is time to break off and create two new groups to provide space for those that really would like to join a young adult group. It is actually very exciting, but more on that later.
This afternoon, after I left my 4:30-5:45pm class, I went to the Quad for praise and worship. Since I had to leave to get ready for lifegroup, I only stayed for 25 minutes or so, but it was still very uplifting. After a few songs, I headed back over towards the parking deck so that I could jet off on errands before picking up Lauren and heading to group.
As I approached my car, I realized that my brake lights were still on. I thought that was weird, but I for some reason assumed that it meant my headlights were on (which sometimes happens because it is a dark deck). So I rushed over to the car and opened my door to turn off the headlights when I realized, 'wait, my headlights aren't on.' So, I did a little shuffle to the rear of my car, and yep, sure enough, my brake lights were still on. Thankfully, I started my car and called Brian (who else would I call in an emergency??) He encouraged me to go home and at least figure out which fuse to pull so that my battery wouldn't die.
Because I tend to listen to Brian's advice (shh, don't tell him that...), I went home. When I got home, I realized that my brake lights were no longer on. I could have just taken it as a good sign, but no, I had to be a pessimist and test it. So, I went inside and brought out an assistant (the aforementioned impatient reader). He helped me figure out that my brake lights were no longer working. Frustrated and a little scared I might get rear-ended, I sent Brian a text explaining my new predicament.
Fortunately, I still live with my parents and was able to borrow their car for the night (since, as important as I am... I had places to be ;D). I met up with Brian, and gave him the key to my car, and headed off to lifegroup. Brian diligently worked on my car (I really have no idea what he did) but he fixed my problem! Which made the status of my night shoot up a couple hundred notches.
Meanwhile, at lifegroup, I relayed the story to some of the members and one of them graciously offered her car while she was out of town. I just thought that was really cool (for lack of better diction). For the rest of the night, our group played Mab Gab and Taboo, both excellent party/gathering games, and had a BLAST! It was a great way to end a year of studying together.
I know that was an extremely long post to tell you that my car is fine AND I didn't have to spend a lot of money on it, but that event made the last 6 hours of my life seem like 24. Plus, who walks up to their car and finds that their BRAKE lights are still on, it's just bizarre.
P.S. That would have been the second time that happened to me since I bought the car.
Thanks for reading, I'm signing off!
-Britt
Anyway, thought tonight was eventful enough to warrant a post.
First of all, tonight was my lifegroup's last night as a single group. My co-leader and I have decided that it is time to break off and create two new groups to provide space for those that really would like to join a young adult group. It is actually very exciting, but more on that later.
This afternoon, after I left my 4:30-5:45pm class, I went to the Quad for praise and worship. Since I had to leave to get ready for lifegroup, I only stayed for 25 minutes or so, but it was still very uplifting. After a few songs, I headed back over towards the parking deck so that I could jet off on errands before picking up Lauren and heading to group.
As I approached my car, I realized that my brake lights were still on. I thought that was weird, but I for some reason assumed that it meant my headlights were on (which sometimes happens because it is a dark deck). So I rushed over to the car and opened my door to turn off the headlights when I realized, 'wait, my headlights aren't on.' So, I did a little shuffle to the rear of my car, and yep, sure enough, my brake lights were still on. Thankfully, I started my car and called Brian (who else would I call in an emergency??) He encouraged me to go home and at least figure out which fuse to pull so that my battery wouldn't die.
Because I tend to listen to Brian's advice (shh, don't tell him that...), I went home. When I got home, I realized that my brake lights were no longer on. I could have just taken it as a good sign, but no, I had to be a pessimist and test it. So, I went inside and brought out an assistant (the aforementioned impatient reader). He helped me figure out that my brake lights were no longer working. Frustrated and a little scared I might get rear-ended, I sent Brian a text explaining my new predicament.
Fortunately, I still live with my parents and was able to borrow their car for the night (since, as important as I am... I had places to be ;D). I met up with Brian, and gave him the key to my car, and headed off to lifegroup. Brian diligently worked on my car (I really have no idea what he did) but he fixed my problem! Which made the status of my night shoot up a couple hundred notches.
Meanwhile, at lifegroup, I relayed the story to some of the members and one of them graciously offered her car while she was out of town. I just thought that was really cool (for lack of better diction). For the rest of the night, our group played Mab Gab and Taboo, both excellent party/gathering games, and had a BLAST! It was a great way to end a year of studying together.
I know that was an extremely long post to tell you that my car is fine AND I didn't have to spend a lot of money on it, but that event made the last 6 hours of my life seem like 24. Plus, who walks up to their car and finds that their BRAKE lights are still on, it's just bizarre.
P.S. That would have been the second time that happened to me since I bought the car.
Thanks for reading, I'm signing off!
-Britt
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Where did the time go?
So, evidently I'm really bad at this whole blogging thing. I haven't posted in FOUR DAYS! I would like to take the time to apologize to all of my avid blog readers (all three of you). Here it goes: I am SO sorry you have wasted your time, coming to my page every single day looking for updates and you got squat!
Might be a pathetic apology, but that's all I got.
Anyway, on the topic of wasting time. I sat down last night (and two nights ago) to write something on my blog, but I couldn't think of anything to write. So instead of posting a whole bunch of words, I decided to catch up on my friend's and church leader's blogs. In truth, I was just procrastinating, however I found one blog to be particularly inspiring. It was my friend (/old boss) Brandon's blog... now he can never claim that I don't read his blog, I better get some major brownie points for this.
He wrote a post entitled 'Getting Things Done'. I thought maybe I was going to get to read about all the millions of things he had accomplished in his day off or something, however I was surprised by what I read. Instead of bragging about all the things he had done, he provided a simple 'productivity management program'. It was simply writing a list of the things that need to get done... and carrying it with you everywhere... seriously, and then simply doing them (who would have thought). Anyway, the part that really got to me was under the materials. Brandon states that you need a patient mindset.
Now, to be completely honest, I missed it the first time through. However, I received a phone call while reading that paragraph and had to start over (God at work, as usual). When I read it the second time, it hit me. I wasn't even patient enough to read all the words in Brandon's blog. I was so focused on getting to the next blog so that I wouldn't miss anybody and I could still get some work done. How crazy is that?? I didn't even have time to fully appreciate his blog.
Anyway, after God's phone call (it was actually a wrong number, but I'm positive that was God's voice/divine intervention), I got to thinking. I started pondering how much time I spend doing things, getting things accomplished or taking on new projects. I mean, you should see my day planner... pretty soon, I'm going to have to start scheduling time with friends (if I have any) and bathroom trips. I know you are probably laughing, but I'm serious.
Just to give you an idea, here was my day today (amazingly not very busy, comparatively):
(1)My first two classes were cancelled.
(2)Wake up call by a wonderful voice, 10:30am-11am, Cary
(and I'm wishing it was earlier so I could have done more today)
(3)Getting ready, 11am-11:30am
(4)Driving to Raleigh
(5)Lunch with a wonderful face, 12pm, Raleigh
(6)Eating and hanging out with Brian, 12pm-1pm
(7)Dropping off my lunch partner, 1:00pm, NCSU
(8)Driving Home 1pm-1:20pm
(9)Working on Sunday's lesson for Kidspointe North, 1:20-3:30pm, Cary
(10)Discussing finances with my landlord(a.k.a Mom) 3:30-4pm
(11)Driving to NCSU 4pm-4:20pm
(12)Class, 4:30pm-5:45pm, NCSU
(13)Driving to Ashley's 5:45-6:30pm (ugh, traffic)
(14)Dropping off information and eating dinner 6:30-6:50pm, WEST Cary
(15)Driving to church, 6:50-6:55pm
(16)Kenya VBS meeting, 7-8:45pm, Crosspointe Church
(17)Driving Home, 8:55-9:35pm
(18)Working on VBS stuff, 9:35pm-10pm, East Cary
(19)Reading blogs, 10-10:30pm
(20) Writing blog and talking to Brian- rest of the night
I think I put about 60-70 miles on my car just today!!! Poor Car!!! Plus I didn't get my homework done!!!
I think I need to slow down. I really am realizing that I have too much on my plate. The problem is, once you have started doing something... whether it be leading or just helping... it is hard to give it up. I don't feel like there is anything that I can cut out of my life. Except maybe sleeping, but I have heard that isn't good in the long run.
Any suggestions for how I can slow down my life without giving up everything!?!?
Well, since I don't want to cut out sleep, or start scheduling it in for that matter... I better sign off.
Seriously, suggestions??
-Britt
Might be a pathetic apology, but that's all I got.
Anyway, on the topic of wasting time. I sat down last night (and two nights ago) to write something on my blog, but I couldn't think of anything to write. So instead of posting a whole bunch of words, I decided to catch up on my friend's and church leader's blogs. In truth, I was just procrastinating, however I found one blog to be particularly inspiring. It was my friend (/old boss) Brandon's blog... now he can never claim that I don't read his blog, I better get some major brownie points for this.
He wrote a post entitled 'Getting Things Done'. I thought maybe I was going to get to read about all the millions of things he had accomplished in his day off or something, however I was surprised by what I read. Instead of bragging about all the things he had done, he provided a simple 'productivity management program'. It was simply writing a list of the things that need to get done... and carrying it with you everywhere... seriously, and then simply doing them (who would have thought). Anyway, the part that really got to me was under the materials. Brandon states that you need a patient mindset.
Now, to be completely honest, I missed it the first time through. However, I received a phone call while reading that paragraph and had to start over (God at work, as usual). When I read it the second time, it hit me. I wasn't even patient enough to read all the words in Brandon's blog. I was so focused on getting to the next blog so that I wouldn't miss anybody and I could still get some work done. How crazy is that?? I didn't even have time to fully appreciate his blog.
Anyway, after God's phone call (it was actually a wrong number, but I'm positive that was God's voice/divine intervention), I got to thinking. I started pondering how much time I spend doing things, getting things accomplished or taking on new projects. I mean, you should see my day planner... pretty soon, I'm going to have to start scheduling time with friends (if I have any) and bathroom trips. I know you are probably laughing, but I'm serious.
Just to give you an idea, here was my day today (amazingly not very busy, comparatively):
(1)My first two classes were cancelled.
(2)Wake up call by a wonderful voice, 10:30am-11am, Cary
(and I'm wishing it was earlier so I could have done more today)
(3)Getting ready, 11am-11:30am
(4)Driving to Raleigh
(5)Lunch with a wonderful face, 12pm, Raleigh
(6)Eating and hanging out with Brian, 12pm-1pm
(7)Dropping off my lunch partner, 1:00pm, NCSU
(8)Driving Home 1pm-1:20pm
(9)Working on Sunday's lesson for Kidspointe North, 1:20-3:30pm, Cary
(10)Discussing finances with my landlord(a.k.a Mom) 3:30-4pm
(11)Driving to NCSU 4pm-4:20pm
(12)Class, 4:30pm-5:45pm, NCSU
(13)Driving to Ashley's 5:45-6:30pm (ugh, traffic)
(14)Dropping off information and eating dinner 6:30-6:50pm, WEST Cary
(15)Driving to church, 6:50-6:55pm
(16)Kenya VBS meeting, 7-8:45pm, Crosspointe Church
(17)Driving Home, 8:55-9:35pm
(18)Working on VBS stuff, 9:35pm-10pm, East Cary
(19)Reading blogs, 10-10:30pm
(20) Writing blog and talking to Brian- rest of the night
I think I put about 60-70 miles on my car just today!!! Poor Car!!! Plus I didn't get my homework done!!!
I think I need to slow down. I really am realizing that I have too much on my plate. The problem is, once you have started doing something... whether it be leading or just helping... it is hard to give it up. I don't feel like there is anything that I can cut out of my life. Except maybe sleeping, but I have heard that isn't good in the long run.
Any suggestions for how I can slow down my life without giving up everything!?!?
Well, since I don't want to cut out sleep, or start scheduling it in for that matter... I better sign off.
Seriously, suggestions??
-Britt
Friday, August 22, 2008
Red Means Go!!!
First of all, "red means go!" is a new saying at NCSU. I'm kinda on the fence about this new catch phrase... I think I will make my final decision the day an NCSU student runs a red light and tells the officer that Red means Go!
Anyway, on a somewhat related note, red might mean go! Really, I have a point... all of my professors have cleared my trip to Kenya! No hitches at all, except that I can't get sick this year... seriously, I'm not allowed...
Well, I have to get to bed early tonight (p.s. the time posts on my blog are completely off and I don't know how to fix it...) because I have to set up for a yard sale in the morning... wish us luck!!!
-Britt
Anyway, on a somewhat related note, red might mean go! Really, I have a point... all of my professors have cleared my trip to Kenya! No hitches at all, except that I can't get sick this year... seriously, I'm not allowed...
Well, I have to get to bed early tonight (p.s. the time posts on my blog are completely off and I don't know how to fix it...) because I have to set up for a yard sale in the morning... wish us luck!!!
-Britt
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Ready or Not!
Okay... so I'm really sorry about the lack of posting for the past couple of days. I don't have an excuse, I just forgot!
I can't say much right now, except that classes start back up tomorrow! I guess it's ready or not, right! I think I am ready though, since Kenya is so close, I just want to be able to get school under my belt.
I need to get some sleep though, so I'm going to head out. But be on the lookout for posts about my professors responses to Kenya!!!!
Britt
I can't say much right now, except that classes start back up tomorrow! I guess it's ready or not, right! I think I am ready though, since Kenya is so close, I just want to be able to get school under my belt.
I need to get some sleep though, so I'm going to head out. But be on the lookout for posts about my professors responses to Kenya!!!!
Britt
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Yard Sale
Not sure how many of you heard, but I had an AMAZING yard sale yesterday. My mom and I spent most of the day Friday getting ready to put all of our stuff up for sale. We even stayed up ALL night long pricing items and setting up the sale.
About a month ago (around the same time I received word that I could go to Kenya) my mom said that I could take all the stuff she was saving to sell and use it to raise money to go to Kenya. And I am VERY thankful, because it helped A LOT!
I'll stop teasing you now, the final profit total was $620.00!!!! Isn't that awesome!!! Anyway, that gives you an update on my fundraising. I now only have $1870 to go!
Thanks go out to everyone helping me in this endeavor! (Including those who bought all our junk!) Now all the leftover stuff, is going to the yard sale next weekend for the whole team to go to Kenya!
-Britt
About a month ago (around the same time I received word that I could go to Kenya) my mom said that I could take all the stuff she was saving to sell and use it to raise money to go to Kenya. And I am VERY thankful, because it helped A LOT!
I'll stop teasing you now, the final profit total was $620.00!!!! Isn't that awesome!!! Anyway, that gives you an update on my fundraising. I now only have $1870 to go!
Thanks go out to everyone helping me in this endeavor! (Including those who bought all our junk!) Now all the leftover stuff, is going to the yard sale next weekend for the whole team to go to Kenya!
-Britt
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Feelin' So Fly
On September 14th my church is putting on an event called Kidspace. This is a wonderful production targeted at preschool through elementary aged children. My job for this event is to choreograph (and perform) the worship songs.
I'm having trouble. It's hard to come up with a BUNCH of different motions for all the songs. Anyone know of any good websites or resources that I can have FREE access to with "cool" dance moves? Let me know!!!
I'm having trouble. It's hard to come up with a BUNCH of different motions for all the songs. Anyone know of any good websites or resources that I can have FREE access to with "cool" dance moves? Let me know!!!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
More...
O.K.
Like I said, I'm not really sure how these things work. Is two updates in one day too much??
Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter. I am having trouble going to sleep so I'm going to update everyone on where I'm at in life right now. Be prepared for an extremely long post.
As of right now, I am a junior at North Carolina State University. I am double majoring in Public and Interpersonal Communication(BA) and Psychology(BA). I made the change from Criminology to Communication during my sophomore year because I decided to go into vocational ministry. I'm not really sure what that means for me just yet, but I'm working on it.
I took a long, hard look at my strengths and figured that since I have served in the children's ministry since the 8th grade, I would take a look at that for my future. So, I talked to the children's minister at Crosspointe and she took me on as an intern (crazy right?). Anyway, I have been working in the children's ministry as an intern since the beginning of May. I have learned so much since then, I think my head should have exploded. I would not trade that experience for ANYTHING! I will continue working for them until next Monday. Hopefully they have enjoyed the past 3 1/2 months just as much as I have.
As for the rest of my life, not much is different. Classes start again a week from now and I am definitely ready to go back. I am currently living with my parents in order to cut costs (and help save money to go to Kenya). I don't really have a whole lot else to say.
I guess that there are several family memebers out there dying to know about my relationship status. I am currently dating a guy named Brian. Yes, I know that if you simply change two letters you could make my name, thank you for being the 101st person to think of that ;D
Anyway, we have been dating for four months (and 24 days if you want to be exact). I don't really have much to say about that...
Here are some current pictures:
My baby cousin Savannah and me
Spring Break with Brian and Marshall
Brian and I on his 21st birthday
Well, I think I need to sign off and head to bed... Good night!!!
Like I said, I'm not really sure how these things work. Is two updates in one day too much??
Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter. I am having trouble going to sleep so I'm going to update everyone on where I'm at in life right now. Be prepared for an extremely long post.
As of right now, I am a junior at North Carolina State University. I am double majoring in Public and Interpersonal Communication(BA) and Psychology(BA). I made the change from Criminology to Communication during my sophomore year because I decided to go into vocational ministry. I'm not really sure what that means for me just yet, but I'm working on it.
I took a long, hard look at my strengths and figured that since I have served in the children's ministry since the 8th grade, I would take a look at that for my future. So, I talked to the children's minister at Crosspointe and she took me on as an intern (crazy right?). Anyway, I have been working in the children's ministry as an intern since the beginning of May. I have learned so much since then, I think my head should have exploded. I would not trade that experience for ANYTHING! I will continue working for them until next Monday. Hopefully they have enjoyed the past 3 1/2 months just as much as I have.
As for the rest of my life, not much is different. Classes start again a week from now and I am definitely ready to go back. I am currently living with my parents in order to cut costs (and help save money to go to Kenya). I don't really have a whole lot else to say.
I guess that there are several family memebers out there dying to know about my relationship status. I am currently dating a guy named Brian. Yes, I know that if you simply change two letters you could make my name, thank you for being the 101st person to think of that ;D
Anyway, we have been dating for four months (and 24 days if you want to be exact). I don't really have much to say about that...
Here are some current pictures:
My baby cousin Savannah and me
Spring Break with Brian and Marshall
Brian and I on his 21st birthday
Well, I think I need to sign off and head to bed... Good night!!!
Kenya
This post is to update those in my family or my circle of friends that have yet to hear about my impending trip.
I will make sure to give updates on this trip as much as I can, and you can expect a detailed day by day account when I get back.
Right now, I would appreciate prayer. Prayer mainly focused on the rest of my professors giving me the O.K. to go, but I would appreciate any prayer you decided to send up for me.
Approximately three weeks ago I was presented with the opportunity to join a group of people from
I will make sure to give updates on this trip as much as I can, and you can expect a detailed day by day account when I get back.
Right now, I would appreciate prayer. Prayer mainly focused on the rest of my professors giving me the O.K. to go, but I would appreciate any prayer you decided to send up for me.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Yup, I have one too!
So, I decided I would get a blog. I have recently become an avid blog reader (thanks to all the wonderful people at church who have blogs), and I thought, why not take that a step further. So, here I am!
Truthfully, I'm not really sure how these things work. Don't laugh. I'm not technologically challenged or anything, it's just.... oh, who am I kidding.
Anyway, I always seem to be getting into trouble for not keeping family and friends in the loop. So, this is my solution. I don't expect that a whole lot of people will read this, nor do I want everyone to see that I probably should have failed my English classes, but I hope that it will keep me out of trouble. For the time being at least....I'm sure phone calls will still be expected.
Truthfully, I'm not really sure how these things work. Don't laugh. I'm not technologically challenged or anything, it's just.... oh, who am I kidding.
Anyway, I always seem to be getting into trouble for not keeping family and friends in the loop. So, this is my solution. I don't expect that a whole lot of people will read this, nor do I want everyone to see that I probably should have failed my English classes, but I hope that it will keep me out of trouble. For the time being at least....I'm sure phone calls will still be expected.
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