Living the Dream

December 3, 2012

"The next time that someone asks me, 'Are you living your dream?' I guess I'll know what to say.  I won't even have to think."  Now, I am sure when Colbie Caillat wrote this song living in the "bush-bush" of Africa is the last dream she had in mind.  But for the past few weeks the Lord has been bringing this phrase to my mind.  And the more I meditate on it, the more I realize how much it applies to this season of my life...
So often throughout these past three months I've found myself contemplating the true beauty of grace.  The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.  More specifically, the beauty of grace is the message of salvation; the message that not after we started to become perfect did the Son of God come to Earth to set us free from our past transgressions.  No, but rather while we were still sinners He came to receive our punishment for, not our past sins, but our sins of past, present, and future-of yesterday, today, and tomorrow-thoughts and deeds alike.  Ephesians chapter 2 (verses 6-10) says,
"God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  For it is by grace you have been save, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
It is my hope that I am not only willing to acknowledge this grace as I set out for each day, but that I would be radical and courageous enough to take full responsibility for these "good works" the Bible tells me I am predestined to do.  This isn't going to be easy; it likely will not be very popular at times, or maybe not even very enjoyable.  (For instance, pit toilets are very much unenjoyable especially after a few months, I tell you!)  Learning to take on this responsibility is going to be a great feat.  Titus chapter 2 (verse 12) tells us that this grace "teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age!"  It's not about attaining perfection in the future, but about working to develop our character now.
Unfortunately, in today's society this isn't a very popular idea, even among many Christians-Christians who would rather live their lives in the light of the gospel of salvation rather than working for the gospel of the Kingdom.  But that's okay, because I don't want my life to be lived in a box; there should be no box that anyone can fit me in other than the one that has been uniquely shaped, by God, for me alone.  I have been called to be in the world, but in no way am I to be of the world.  I want to confuse people, make them think.  I want to be a juxtaposition.  I want to be like the Rabi that hung out with thieves!
With this in mind, there shouldn't be anywhere that I feel I fit in perfectly; nowhere on this earth I feel I belong. But there is always going to be somewhere I am called.  And right now, that's Kenya....So often in the midst of this journey I feel out of place!  I'm sitting in the bush-bush of Africa and so often feeling like a fish out of water: a (very) white muzungu in an African world; an Oregon raincloud being dried up by the hot sun; a fragile flower being pressed down by the wind.  Sometimes I'm struck by the fact that I really, truly am a world away from all I call familiar-everything I know!  But yes, still I can honestly say that this is me living out the dream.  Right now, for these next couple months, this is exactly where I am called to be.  Then it's Rwanda for a short trip, and then it's home.  I know there's work God has for me at home to do too.  But how long God will call me to stay there, or where He will call me to go after that, well that's in His hands, and I know He'll fill me in when the time comes.
Now that's scary; it's scary to not know where He wants me to go next!  But that's where remembering where I belong comes into play.  I belong in Christ, and as long as I'm in Him, I am secure being anywhere in the world.  I'm not saying I've been dreaming of pit toilets, strange food, orange feet at the end of every day, crazy wild animals waiting outside our base at night, or weird scary little things that crawl throughout my whole life.  In fact, I can say that I've never dreamt of that.  But the other day I realized just how perfectly God's been preparing me for this experience over the past four or five years.  Yes, my past two trips to Rwanda were definitely a big help, but God's planning has been more intricate than that.  For years now, I've been volunteering with my church's food ministry program.  The first couple years I would go to church with my mom and help cook lunch for people in the community, serve it to them, and interact with them while we ate together.  But for the past two years I have been working with another part of the food ministry called The Market-going through donated food from grocery stores in the community and organizing it all in such a way that it was set up like a market for the lunch guest to go through and collect whatever food they could use for that upcoming week.  Since being here at DTS, my work duty has been Kitchen (cooking and cleaning dishes) for the first month, and Hospitality (serving and cleaning the speaker's living area) for the past 2, and during outreach I will be working in the Kitchen department (planning meals and making sure we have all the food items we need wherever we're at that week). Coincidence? Well, considering I don't believe in coincidences, I don't think so...It's encouraging to see how God's had has been over me this whole time.
Right now, I can feel in my spirit this is exactly where God has called me to be at this time in my life.  And as we are preparing to leave on outreach throughout Kenya for the next 9 weeks my spirit is rejoicing that this is exactly what God is calling me to do.  This outreach is exactly why I've been brought to Kenya.  And the fact that it is finally here, while stressful because I have to pack all over again in preparation to live out of a backpack for two months, is absolutely thrilling! This is the dream; that Christ no longer calls me servant, but friend and I am carrying out the work that has been appointed to me! (John 15:15-16) The dream that I am exactly where God has called me to be, doing exactly what He has called me to do.  The dream...is what I am living.  So, next time someone asks me, "Are you living the dream?" I'll know exactly what to say.

~Chloe Anne

Like a Family

October 23, 2012

  From what I’ve seen this weekend, an orphanage-when filled with the love of Christ-is like one big family.  Now this big family has about 50 children ranging from 3 to 18, a “Mamma,” a “Daddy,” and many aunts and many aunts and uncles.  It functions as a single unit; they all look after one another.  The sense of responsibility to take care of their brothers and sisters is especially obvious in the older boys (the oldest girls are away at boarding school so we were unfortunately not getting the chance to meet them).  All of these kids possess the purest sense of joy-a truly inspiring feat when you consider all they have been through in just their few short years.
 Every Saturday, because that is when most of the kids are home from school, serves as a day of family chores.  So we spent today helping out this family in whichever ways they required.  A few others and I spent the morning sorting beans and maize (corn).  And, of course, as visitors we attracted a few little helpers along the way.  Then it was time for a tree climbing break; and not just any tree, the biggest avocado tree I have ever seen!  (Sorry, Mom…I know you have always done your best to keep me out of the tree in our yard…but I have always had a spirit that led me up higher than my brothers.  Besides, I just couldn’t resist following these little munchkins.)  The cherry tree in my front yard back at home has been my place to think when the walls of my little world felt like they were about to cave in.  It has been a place where I can separate myself from the world; separate spirit from body.  I felt the same way up in that avocado tree with these kiddos!  We were free.  We were connected by one spirit, the Holy Spirit, simply enjoying its fullness within us.
 When we finally made our way down, we went to the dining hall to help with the very big project of shelling peas.  (I have never seen so many peas in my life!) And of course, what else would we occupy our minds with during this long process besides watching a Barbie Fairytopia movie?!  Now this was the first television I had watched in a month, so I was probably a bit more entertained than I should have been-not something I am particularly proud of, but I am definitely not ashamed either.  Hey, through these Barbie movies (we watched two) the kids, my teammates, and I were taught the value of our uniqueness and the importance of staying true to yourself-there’s value in that! About halfway through the second movie we finished our pea prep, at which point I found at least 10 little hands in my hair.  Some little girls were very determined to see African braids in this mzungu hair!  They had started the process Friday night almost immediately after our team arrived and were continuing their salon work-which seemed to follow me everywhere that I sat still for more than five minutes.  But their task was proving more difficult than anticipated…these mzungu braids were magic!  Who knows how, but every night they seemed to undo themselves…it’s a mystery!
 My salon reconvened after dinner (chapatti-a tortilla like bread-beans, and tea), which of course we ate, as I like to say, “like a family.”  If you have seen early episodes of the TV show “The Middle” you may understand the reference but if not…we ate dinner while watching TV.  One of the older boys put on Madagascar 2, but that was quickly fixed because, of course, we had to finish our Barbie movie!  The younger kids were shocked that anyone could possibly think otherwise.
 After dinner I took a real shower with hot RUNNING water!  Okay, now it may have not quite been a “real” shower (the shower head was in the same stall as a toilet), but after a month of buckets…it was close enough for me!  Then I curled up in my sleeping bag on the bed I was sharing with my sweet sister, Antonia, with my Bible and a pen and I picked out the points of David and Goliath I would share (preach!) in Sunday school the next morning.  Then, as some truly precious little night-owls played games in groups up by the dining hall (located a good distance away from the dorms), I fell asleep to the sound of pure, joyous laughter.
 Sunday morning was a little bittersweet because we knew it was our last day with the kids.  I got up and got myself read for church, then went to go help serve the kids breakfast of rolls, leftover chapatti, and tea.  Each one of them said, “Thank you,” in one language or another…After breakfast it was time to preach!  I told the story of David and Goliath, Antonia translated my words into Swahili for some of the younger kids, and Menzo (Goliath) & Tobi (David) acted out a very loud, somewhat aggressive, and extremely comic version of the tale.  Comic because, of course, they had decided to do this at the very last minute when the groups of kids were split up differently than anticipated.  So it was completely unrehearsed.  The kids loved it!  I found myself continuing to wake up to the same laughter that I had fallen asleep smiling to the night before. 
 Finally, after coming together for the main service everyone shared a delicious butternut squash soup lunch. (This in itself made me miss my mom terribly!)  Then Anne, who was my little shadow for the weekend-especially after her Mamma relayed to her in Swahili that Anne was also one of my names-enjoyed some time on the playground with me.  The tire-swing made us both giddy with laughter!  Still, there came a point when I had to watch Anne’s sweet little tears as our van drove away.  But I have been assured by her Daddy that I will see her again!  They want to bring some of the kids and come for our DTS graduation in February; he promised me he would bring my precious little Anne.
 This was our first taste of outreach.  I can already tell the final 9 weeks of my trip to Kenya will be joyous and spirit-filled.  I cannot wait!

~Chloe Anne

Right Here, Today

Now, as I prepare to go on my first outreach trip of this journey, I am frantically typing.  In a matter of hours I will be on my way to spend the weekend serving at a children's home near Nairoi with about half of the rest of my team.  I am so looking forward to discovering what this weekend will bring!  I am excited for the things I am going to learn, the relationships I will be blessed to form, and all the opportunities God has awaiting me.  While I will greatly miss my brothers and sisters I will leave behind at the base, I am grateful for the ones I take with me and the bonding moments we are bound to share! 
This week has been a truly exciting one.  I was so happy to have my brothers and sisters back with me after my quite, yet eventful weekend!  It was a joy to see them return to our home away from home.  Monday we started a very new and exciting teaching from the founder of our base, an Englishman, Edward Ravenhall.  God has spoken so profoundly through him all week. I can’t wait until his book comes out! 
It was good to spend time with him and his two friends, Dave and Dawn, he brought with him-simply sharing meals, going to see African big cats with them like I did on Monday, taking our tea break in the middle of our morning lecture with them, etc.  For, as Ed would describe it, through this interaction with him, just as with other Christians, we have been glimpsing the Kingdom of God.  This is an incredible revelation he has been giving us this week as we have studied the character of God.  It has ben a great encouragement to us, to go out into the world and actively build up God’s Kingdom in everything we do by increasing the amount of God’s character we embody and release into the world around us.  A call crying, “Waken the saints.  Arouse a sleeping Church.”  And this starts right here. It starts today, on a weekend outreach at a children’s home as God continues to tenderize my heart for His people.
~Chloe Anne

My third Sunday in Kenya…

October 14, 2012
My third Sunday in Kenya…Every week holds the same overall schedule during the lecture phase of DTS, so we count time with Sundays and speakers.  I can tell this base is starting to feel like a second home, or at least I’m getting used to (most) everything (not the continuous presence of spiders in the pit toilet at night…), because when they changed things up on us for the weekend it began to feel foreign.  Over half of our team has been on outreach for the weekend, serving at an orphanage near Nairobi.  I didn’t think it could get more quiet and peaceful here than it already was.  I was definitely wrong!  We’ve definitely been missing some big personalities around here lately.  I’m looking forward to all my brothers and sisters getting home tonight!
However, I have appreciated the chance to relax the past few days.  The quiet was especially beneficial on Friday after I almost fainted from dehydration (I’m presuming) combined with the heat of the traditional African kitchen when we were cooking dinner.  After some severe dizziness, I sat down outside in the refreshing breeze and then went back to my room to lie down until it was time for dinner.  And with rest, some food, water, and extra electrolytes in me I felt much better, and I have ever since! (I would be honest if I was feeling anything else!)  The loving prayers of my family and some long-awaited Skype sessions also helped lift my spirits significantly!
Now, I’ve grown up with brothers.  I’m not too much of a “girl’s girl,” you might say…So Saturday was also very refreshing. The birds woke me to a grey, rainy African morning.  Which, of course, helped me to feel right at home!  It struck me as funny though that our group felt it necessary to wait out the rain before we moved on with our day-definitely not something an Oregonian is used to!  But I played along and waited in the dining hall with Fred and Menzo & Tobi (the two European guys on our team) until the rain calmed to a sprinkle.  Then the four of us walked about 15-20 minutes to the nearest town.  We had to wait a bit for a reasonably priced (less than 50 cents) mutatu, or “van bus” as I like to call it, because they had raised the prices due to the rain and the number of people waiting (not to mention there were a few muzungus present, although we were assured that had nothing to do with it).  I was especially grateful guys traveling with me when a drunken man started singing “You’re so beautiful, you’re so beautiful…” to me.  I may have boarded the mutatu that had just arrived by the grace of God with a little more determination….But my brothers here really do a great job of looking out for me!  We sat 4 YWAMers across the bench with me on the inside, and as we walked through our main town I was always the middle duckling that followed Fred around.  I’m sure we were quite a sight!  Once we’d been dropped at the bus stop, our first trip was to the ATM for the Europeans to withdraw money.  We then made our way to the supermarket (it really is a supermarket!) and shared some factory packaged meat and dinner rolls to make sandwiches along with our own juice or soda (I had a bottle of Pepsi!).  Then Fred went to get his shoes fixed while the three of us wandered around together doing our muzungu shopping.  For me, this included: popcorn, apples, a Kit-Kat, apple juice, chips for Lisa, and laundry soap & highlighters for Emily.  Finally, probably my favorite thing that we did in town was go to the traditional produce market.  I so wish I had pictures of this place!  But we’ve been really discouraged from taking pictures without asking, a lot of Kenyans believe muzungus take pictures to take them home and laugh with their friends, and I’m not sure I why I wanted to take a picture would have translated well even with Swahili translation.  Maybe my next trip will provide a better opportunity.  For now, I’m satisfied with my green oranges that taste a little more like limes! (The lady we bought them from gave me an extra than what I paid her for, I guess because I was sweet! ;) When she asked which I wanted, I asked her to pick because she knew which were best-but who knows how much of that translated.)
And today was another, very traditional African Sunday…I was the only muzungu who went to church with this group, so I got a lot of extra attention from giggling faces peeking around their friends! It was precious.  And I was told multiple times that I looked like a real Kenyan lady, my long blue dress proved I knew how to dress for African church-so that might have added to the children’s confusion. :) When we went outside to “help” with Sunday school because there wasn’t going to be a translation during the Swahili service, we discovered that we WERE Sunday school!  Which at first glance isn’t a huge issue, we had a Swahili-speaking girl with us, my sister Antonia, but…not one of the younger children even spoke Swahili! There was no chance of translation or communication whatsoever.  We managed to explain Duck, Duck, Goose first in English to Antonia, then in Swahili to one of the two teenagers present, then in a Kenyan tribal language to the kids; and so we played that for a good 45+ minutes.  But even that turned into “Jack, Jack, Ghost!”  Afterwards it was all we could do to relax with the kids and make sure they didn’t fall and crack their heads open on the giant pile of stones they were climbing on until service ended.  It was quite the experience!  Following the service they had prepared an exceptionally nice lunch for our base leader (because he is on staff at the church) and us, his visitors.  We ate chipati (a tortilla is the only similar thing I can think of), white rice, and cabbage with other veggies and some kind of meat in it.  The amount of work and preparation that had gone into our meal is quite obvious.  So as the only muzungu present, I prayed that I wouldn’t get sick from anything that might have come in contact with the food during its preparation, and ate up!  It was so humbling…Truly an experience I will never forget.
~Chloe Anne

The Beauty of Grace

October 7, 2012

On Sunday, I walked this road (and a good number of others!) to the most precious little church I’ve ever seen.  We walked through the African bush (which was hosting zebras on our way home), along rock-scattered dirt roads, across the highway, up a small dirt hill path, and through fields-yet even once we reached the church I didn’t see it…

On the far side of a small mud hut is a thin opening for a door that has never been, and likely will never be, installed.  Ducking inside, you will find 7 rows of plastic chairs where the small congregation of 15 people patiently waits to welcome any visitor who has also come to gather in the presence of The Lord.  This humble and passionate group is made up of the pastor, his wife and child, 4 mothers and their babies, 2 other women, an elderly man, and the two younger men on staff at our YWAM base that my fellow muzungu friend Lisa and I accompanied. 

Needless to say, these two tall, fair-skinned, freckled, young women caused quite the ruckus! Scared babies crying, you know, the whole shebang! Fred, one of the staff members was called outside by the pastor to discuss something (something along the lines of asking what we westerners were prepared to share sing or preach………) in Swahili…TIA! And so following some Swahili praise, worship, and preaching (to which they very graciously added some English in the form of hymns and translation from Fred) we were openly welcomed and asked (fully expected) to come to the front of the church (room) beside the preacher and introduce ourselves.  And after introducing ourselves you could probably predict which of the 3 previously listed options we then chose to continue with when we had Fred, the worship leader at our YWAM base, standing next to us.  I don’t remember how many songs we sang, only that as we did I prayed our voices would not simply pour out into the small room surrounded by mud, but much more into the hearts of these women.  Because without God, there is no way our shaky, out of key, poorly timed English words might have reached these Swahili-speaking women!  But there is no doubt these women spoke to me instantly, from the very moment I entered in on their normal Sunday routine.

In this small room, in these women, I saw much more than mud walls and a filthy dirt floor and second-hand Sunday-best dresses.  I saw hope, I saw determination, I saw inspiration!  These women carried their children, wrapped across their backs with an ordinary piece of cloth, who knows how far to come bring themselves before The Lord, their God in the purest way imaginable.  They came to give a precious offering to the work God is doing in their community through a humble, ambitious pastor.  They came to demonstrate to their young children what it is to love and serve the Lord!  The purity of these women, the humility and gratitude of their hearts is more than I could ever hope to possess.  And in this my heart rejoices; leaps for joy at the reassurance that in God’s eyes I am the same as these humble women: as blameless as Jesus.  That, right there, is the beauty of grace.

~Chloe Anne

I Finally Have Internet (TIA!!)

September 30, 2012

One of my least favorite questions in the midst of my preparations for and arrival to Kenya has been, “What are your expectations?”  Honestly, that has to be one of the broadest, most unspecific questions.  Five months ago this whole trip was unexpected; I was sitting at a desk, enduring my last few days stuck in a high school classroom, wondering which country I was going to be in during the year which, by all expectations, would be my freshman year of college.  But I could sense that was not what God had planned for me at this point in my life.  And so, through a long series of events, I now find myself sitting in the shade of a foreign tree, surrounded by rough grass and orange dirt paths, and the longer I sit here the prettiest birds I have ever seen and a toucan-like thingy venture closer and closer to me.  By no means did I expect any of this.  (Well, except for the orange dirt, I was looking forward to that.)  Nor did I expect to spend my entire first day in Kenya walking the streets of Nairobi in flip-flops for a trip to buy laundry soap (Africa Time!!!) or staying behind from a 4 hour long church service with my fellow North-Westerner friend, Lisa (who has already threatened cannibalism, which isn’t a completely insane idea for us to come up with at this point, actually…), for a chance for some quiet and to finally start to process all this CRAZINESS!!  But, here I am.  The truth is: I have very little expectation.  (I will get moderately sick at some point and I will meet some very incredible people, but I will never completely conquer all of these language barriers-unless I feel like learning: German, Swiss-German, Norwegian, Canadian-English, Swahili, Ugandan, Dutch, and a handful of tribal languages.  But honestly, that’s about it!) And that is exactly what makes this moment so perfectly beautiful!  I never could have dreamt of a moment so incredible, yet here I am!  I do not have expectations of this trip, or of God; He has expectations of me.  He is in the process of doing a great work in me over the next few months!  And while that is incredibly exciting, it’s a little scary at the same time.  Bob Goff’s words could not have come at a more perfect time (total God thing!) last Sunday, “God wants to blow your mind, so be not afraid!”  No matter what these next five months have in store, I know they are from God and are a part of His plan for my life.  I am therefore choosing to embrace every part of the work God is doing in me, without expectation or prejudice.  Because through it He is going to blow my mind in big ways!! SAWA-SAWA!
~Chloe Anne

Anticipating the Journey

     During the past two summers I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to Rwanda and partner with Africa New Life Ministries-serving the Rwandan people, building special relationships with individuals and families there, and making many long-lasting memories with people I met along the way. At 17 years old, and as fair skinned as could be, I made my first journey to Africa.  Two red-eyes and a cross-Atlantic flight landed me in Ethiopia.  Then, after a few more hours of flying (on a less substantial, and potentially less trustworthy plane) I found myself walking across the runway into the Kigali airport.  I was finally in Rwanda!  This trip, specifically, had been two years in the making; but God has had big plans for me from long before I was born.  My childhood dreams of being a missionary doctor in Africa have developed into something much more tangible.  The second my feet were on that Rwandan soil and I saw that red dirt I knew this was exactly where I was supposed to be-in that moment and in the future.

     Somewhere in the midst of the college application process my dad asked me the question: "If you could spend a year in Rwanda instead of going straight to school next year, would you?" I immediately replied, "Of course!"  Up until that point I had been looking at schools but never felt secure in which one I wanted to attend, I knew which were my favorites, but still no matter how much I looked at one or the other not one of them felt “right”.  But I found instant security in this path my dad had suggested, one I would never have dreamed to ask for! So the hunt for a gap year program was on...The journey towards this decision has involved a great deal of thought and prayer, and also a great deal of patience.  It was not easy to listen to the very decided plans of my classmates, how they were going to this school or that, while I sat there not knowing which country I was going to be in next year, let alone which school I would be at.  But finally I can say, with much confidence and excitement, that...
     As of October, I will be serving with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) at their base just outside Nairobi, Kenya. YWAM is one of the world's largest Christian mission organizations. Moreover, it is an international volunteer organization made up of Christians from all parts of the world that have come together for the sole purpose “to know God and make Him known." One of the major ways that YWAM carries out this mission is by organizing schools that focus on biblical foundations and character development in addition to the more tangible missions. Over the years, this program has further developed into Discipleship Training School (DTS). I will be attending a five month DTS in Kenya. My time there will be compromised of twelve weeks of lecture and eight weeks of outreach.  Among other topics, the lecture phase will include the study of Missions, evangelism, forgiveness, worldview, and the character and nature of God. The outreach phase will allow myself and my fellow students to apply what we have learned and a chance to truly "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) by loving on and meeting the needs of the Kenyan people.
     Now I find myself pursuing a life of distance.  Distance from my family, my boyfriend, my friends, my home...distance from all people and things familiar to me, all of which I love and hold dear to my heart. By no means do I believe this will be easy.  On the contrary, I believe this next year, as I spend more time living in Africa than I ever have before, will be the most difficult of my life. As I prepare to travel back to Kenya I know will find myself falling in love with that red dirt and those beaming African faces all over again.  I am ecstatic!  I cannot wait to interact with all the children in the villages surrounding Nairobi.  I cannot wait to laugh with them, to “love-on” them, to pray with them...I cannot wait confirm in them that they are loved and cherished children of The Most High God, and He has not forgotten them!
     In the midst of my preparation for this upcoming adventure, I am beginning to overflow with anticipation.  I know these next five months will not allow me to simply do something “good” or just introduce me to unforgettable friends; these next five months are significant a first step of a journey the span of a lifetime…
My journey has stemmed from a now fourteen-year-old dream.  And I am so ready to see where it takes me!  I am reminded of some lyrics from an Addison Road song, “If I have to jump, then I’ll jump. And I won’t look down.”  This trip is definitely going to be a leap from my comfort zone, but I’m taking it.  There’s no looking back. There is only, as my fellow Disney lovers might say, to “keep moving forward!”  When I arrive home from Kenya in March 2013, I will find myself getting a new job and reuniting with my family.  But I know these next few months will fly by and I will soon find myself preparing to go back to school at long last.  I plan to begin attending George Fox University in Newberg, OR as of fall of 2013.  I will be majoring in Christian Ministries with a focus in Missions and working towards a degree in Pre-Occupational Therapy.  And then, who knows where this incredibly amazing journey will take me from there?  But after such big adventures this next year, it will be good to find myself closer to home throughout the rest of my studies.
     Again, this trip to Kenya is just one (yes rather large) step in my life-long journey. It is my prayer that you are able to join me in this journey.  No journey can be made alone.  The more I have come to realize how little this experience is about myself, but about the life of service God has called me to, I am continually acknowledging this is something I cannot even do by myself.  I desperately the support of my friends and family, and that is something I am so grateful to have always received.  But as I take this upcoming leap, it will only become more and more difficult to keep looking forward, through the moments of struggle that are sure to come.  But I am faithful God has already prepared for encouragement to continue building up around me along the way, for it is building each day as new connections with my soon-to-be best friends go stronger and stronger.  I am so grateful to the community God has surrounded me with and the prayers that are rising up out of that!
     If you would like to partner with me in prayer during these upcoming months, some things I will be praying for are:

• God’s protection- especially health wise as I face a long term trip
• God’s wisdom as He prepares me to be an advocate for His people
• God’s clarity as He is constantly revealing the plans He has in store 
• God’s financial provision for all expenses that come up

     I thank you, friends, for joining me in the adventure of a lifetime.  I thank you for choosing to open your ears and your hearts as I set out to be an advocate for the need God has revealed to me in eastern Africa.

~ Chloe Anne