Kenya and beyond I'm listening to Reggae and classical guitar music simultaneously as they compete for my attention, both expressions of changing and merging cultures found
Kenya and beyond I'm listening to Reggae and classical guitar music simultaneously as they compete for my attention, both expressions of changing and merging cultures found in the Distant Relatives Eco back packers our team is staying in. After two weeks in Tanzania and serving in Kenya our team has had a couple of days to debrief, lighten our backpacks and take final sips and deep breaths of African air before we head to Brazil on 26th of March. Brazil will be the start of a10 month long pilgrimage through 12 counties in the continent of South America. But back on the mother continent: After almost two months of training in Jefferey's bay, I felt renewed from the inside out and very ready not to only talk about it, but to start traveling. It surprised me how quickly my group of 16 travel buddies transformed into world travelers, as we took our first in-Africa flight, had to get a taxi into Dar Es Salam, Tanzania and had to negotiator to stay in a very cheap "hotel". We had the opportunity to pray for people we met and had a bouncing, traffic swerving, freestyle 17 hour bus ride, crossing the border reaching our destination of Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya is said to be the key to Africa, and this is evident in the merging of music & art and the warmness with which our Kenyan brothers and sisters welcomed us daily. During our outreach my Hidden World team was hosted by Joy Appolis, a South African missionary working with Boulders a Foundation and also a professional cake maker, ( check out her Facebook profile: Cakes of Joy) During our stay, we worked with Pastor Chris, a local pastor whom started a small school: his vision is that every 9 students' school fees will sponsor an orphan, allowing them a quality education. I loved going back to pre- School, doing crafts, presenting Bible stories & life skills, fixing up the play ground and praying for young hearts. In the afternoons, we would walk an hour into the community and pray for new friends we met along the way. Joy also asked us to partner with her in starting a prayer room. I assumed it involved decorating a physical space, but instead the Lord showed us his heart for Africa as we worshiped & prayed with his children here in Kenya. In a small way I feel like I have been living in a two dimensional world up till now, and during the last couple of months, life has become 3D. A highlight was attending Joy's church's colorful and vibrant services, where we were welcomed with complex dance routines, professional audio visual coverage of the event and greeted with cake and sweet Kenyan tea. One of the pastors of Nairobi Chapel, was an orphan himself and having a passion for reconciling families, he annually does an adoption focused series of sermons. My heart was blessed as he shared the practical steps to adoption, as well as explaining how God adopted each one of us into his spiritual family. As this was our first two counties of ministry, we have now been able to debrief at this coastal backpackers. With the tropical humidity it has been bliss being able to swim in salt water again! One of my responsibilities during our journey is planning and preparing food for our team and this involves meeting new people and trying exotic fruits as we explore local market places. We are learning to steward money and to not complain when food tasted more bland or foreign than we are use to. I am very aware of your prayers and joined excitement for me as I venture on. Thank you so much for the gifts of support and contact. When we virtually meet again, I will be some where close to the Amazon! Steering clear of pirañas and enjoying light and life to the fullest! With fondness, your traveling friend, Kotie-Alet
the Distant Relatives Eco back packers our team is staying in. After two weeks in Tanzania and serving in Kenya our team has had a couple of days to debrief, lighten our backpacks and take final sips and deep breaths of African air before we head to Brazil on 26th of March. Brazil will be the start of a10 month long pilgrimage through 12 counties in the continent of South America. But back on the mother continent: After almost two months of training in Jefferey's bay, I felt renewed from the inside out and very ready not to only talk about it, but to start traveling. It surprised me how quickly my group of 16 travel buddies transformed into world travelers, as we took our first in-Africa flight, had to get a taxi into Dar Es Salam, Tanzania and had to negotiator to stay in a very cheap "hotel". We had the opportunity to pray for people we met and had a bouncing, traffic swerving, freestyle 17 hour bus ride, crossing the border reaching our destination of Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya is said to be the key to Africa, and this is evident in the merging of music & art and the warmness with which our Kenyan brothers and sisters welcomed us daily. During our outreach my Hidden World team was hosted by Joy Appolis, a South African missionary working with Boulders a Foundation and also a professional cake maker, ( check out her Facebook profile: Cakes of Joy) During our stay, we worked with Pastor Chris, a local pastor whom started a small school: his vision is that every 9 students' school fees will sponsor an orphan, allowing them a quality education. I loved going back to pre- School, doing crafts, presenting Bible stories & life skills, fixing up the play ground and praying for young hearts. In the afternoons, we would walk an hour into the community and pray for new friends we met along the way. Joy also asked us to partner with her in starting a prayer room. I assumed it involved decorating a physical space, but instead the Lord showed us his heart for Africa as we worshiped & prayed with his children here in Kenya. In a small way I feel like I have been living in a two dimensional world up till now, and during the last couple of months, life has become 3D. A highlight was attending Joy's church's colorful and vibrant services, where we were welcomed with complex dance routines, professional audio visual coverage of the event and greeted with cake and sweet Kenyan tea. One of the pastors of Nairobi Chapel, was an orphan himself and having a passion for reconciling families, he annually does an adoption focused series of sermons. My heart was blessed as he shared the practical steps to adoption, as well as explaining how God adopted each one of us into his spiritual family. As this was our first two counties of ministry, we have now been able to debrief at this coastal backpackers. With the tropical humidity it has been bliss being able to swim in salt water again! One of my responsibilities during our journey is planning and preparing food for our team and this involves meeting new people and trying exotic fruits as we explore local market places. We are learning to steward money and to not complain when food tasted more bland or foreign than we are use to. I am very aware of your prayers and joined excitement for me as I venture on. Thank you so much for the gifts of support and contact. When we virtually meet again, I will be some where close to the Amazon! Steering clear of pirañas and enjoying light and life to the fullest! With fondness, your traveling friend, Kotie-Alet