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Going Home Letter

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Closure.

      

      I prayed for a boy that couldn’t walk that he would be able to run faster than the other kids. Broke a chain, that should have been able to hold up a bus, trying to get a bit out of a well. Helped to put an engine in an old range rover, only to find out that we needed parts like a starter and batteries that wouldn’t be in for a long time. Lost a soccer game. Got a multi-tool, nalgene, and 5000 shillings (60 bucks) stolen from me. Never saw a cheetah. And only learned a few more words of swahili.

      If i had any sense of direction to my life it would seam like i was going the wrong way or at least in circles. But the truth is that the entire time i have been blindfolded. And when you aren’t looking to go wherever you thought you wanted to be its easy to end up where God actually wanted to put you. 

     That boy still cant walk, the well is still broken and the car doesn’t run. But for just one second i saw the kingdom of heaven in that boys eyes, down in that well, and even while working on a car, and for whatever small price i paid to be there in that moment it was an expense i consider a gift to pay. 

     “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field”-Matt.14.44

AV- is coming home. 

L4L 

Co-founder

From the busy streets of Kampala, Uganda to the not-so-busy street of South Horr, Kenya, I have been apart of something bigger than myself.  

I have seen the incredible transformation of street children to honorable young men.  I have seen a man help reconcile an entire region once known for frequent and fatal tribal conflicts.  I have seen a guy give up his own bed and sleep on the floor for six weeks, simply because his guests needed a place to put their stuff.

What the people behind each of these circumstances all have in common is they are apart of something bigger than themselves.  They recognize the sacrifice and selflessness required to make a difference and bring about the change they want to see in the world.  They recognize what it takes, commit themselves to what they believe in and in doing so lift the lives of all around them.  I have seen these things.  And I thank God for that.

BK- out

L4L

Forerunner

"At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so in return their plenty will supply what you need.  Then there will be equality, as it is written: 'He who gathered much did not have too much and he who gathered little did not have too little."  2 Corinthians 8:14-15

Hey Folks,

       Its been a little while since my last blog.  A few weeks I guess.  Now I dont want to make excuses but there are several factors which play into being able to get on the internet.  First, everything at this camp is solar powered meaning the panels must receive enough sunlight before they can begin powering things.  This means it is at least noon before the computer can be powered.  Secondly, the internet connection comes through a satellite meaning that a decent cloud cover can result in no internet.  Clouds usually roll in most evenings and connections to the web is halted.  And thirdly, I'm in Africa, why would I want to be on the internet?

So there are my excuses/justifications, however you want to look at them.

        Anyway I wanted to point out something Andrew and I have noticed throughout the entire trip.  We've noticed that while Africa can improve in certain areas theres a few that need no improvement.  One of those is community.  Africans could teach a seminar on the principles of 2 Cor. 8:14-15 and the idea of communal sharing.  One reason for this is the fact that the economy doesnt move as fluently in Africa and the job markets are more barren, becoming more and more so the more rural you get.

        Today I was hanging out with a few guys who graduated high school a couple years ago and are doing some construction work at the camp.  I asked if they were working for Stakwell and they said no, they were volunteering.  It is either do that or loiter around the town doing nothing.

        A few days earlier I was hanging out with some other guys in the same predicament.  Graduated high school, dont have the funds to go to college so they volunteer at the primary schools as teachers.  Oh yeah, and most of these guys are tri-lingual, so pretty smart dudes.  Theres just a lack of opportunity.

          When we are at certain markets we will go from shop to shop with the same people coming along  and encouraging us to buy even though it may not even be their shop that we are in.  They work together and if we buy they will split our sale amongst themselves so that everyone has some.  

        So while it may be financial or locational reasons that promote this super-community lifestyle, its still cool to be a part of it.

         Lastly, a couple days ago Andrew and I hiked a mountain to a town on the other side and it was a nice change of scenery. Our guide was our Samburu friend named Jon who doesnt speak a lick of english but always has a good time.   After finally reaching the town on the other side of the mountain we were pretty hungry so we asked him to take us to food.  Fifteen minutes later we were standing in the middle of a football field, nowhere near food.  The "foo" sound in both must have caused the confusion.  Got to love language barriers.

        Anyway looks like some clouds might be moving in so im gunna go ahead and post this thing

            

   Ben

-co-blogger-

To Live.

Its late here now. But only to kenyans. Its about 9pm which for most americans is right past second dinner time or an hour or so before a quick cookout run. Ben's already asleep, he fell asleep with his shoes on and no mosquito net. Instead of playing the mom role and tucking him in, ill wait about an hour then accidentally play some music loud enough to break his second REM cycle and save him from malaria, and foot fungus.
The last day at the resort Ben and i found ourselves sitting on the edge of one of the nearby resorts talking about our future plans and just what God has been doing in our lives. After talking through a boatload of scenarios we came to the conclusion that nothing would be cooler than being locked in a prison for serving the Lord. Who does that? Not saying i wanted to go harass an officer till i was thrown in jail but just that not very many people we are around are blessed enough to be actually persecuted and beaten for what they believe. I also think that its easier to know that your faith is alive if it has to bleed to stay that way. I guess im just excited to see that we have come to the point of following God so blindly that if it means the worst for us we would be ok with that. Of course when the true trial comes im sure i will regret even thinking that jail time in a foreign country would be cool, but by then ill be over my head in serving the Lord and the pain will only fuel my Love for serving God.
Tomorrow we will travel up the nearby hills/mtns to the tribes and stay there for a few days it should be interesting. Looking forward to telling you about it. Thanks for Thinking of us and your prayers. Now im going to go wake up ben.
Night.
-AV-
L4L
Co-founder.

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Silas

The Number 7

       Rest. Its one thing that both Ben and I havn't had the chance to catch up on. We pretty much jumped out of school on a plane and hit the ground running in Africa and it has been awesome and totally God Breathed but now its rest time. Both of us were in the long haul to push ourselves to the max but even super heros take holidays. So we were invited by Wycliffe to their annual missions conference in Malindi Kenya and that is where we have been for the last 7 days soaking up the sun on the beach for half price. It has been such a blessing being able to see old faces and hang out with new ones. I enjoyed meeting and getting to know the team from the US that came to run the childrens program and the kids themselves. Heres some of the kids/students that stood out.
        Silas. Hes Got a mullet i got Dreads we automatically hit it off cool. German missionary kid who is by far bilingual especially when his sister bothers him in the middle of an intense game of water polo. In that way i was totally jealous of him. If you watch Tarzan then you pretty much have seen this kid. His parents are stationed in Nairobi. Look forward to seeing him in years to come.
       Andrew. Can swim but you would never know it. Has an extreme fascination with headbands. Wears goggles that are usually half full of water. Is the palest kid in his family. A head shorter than Silas.
       Josh. Junior is high school. Messed up his elbow last time i was here in 07' doing gymnastics on the beach. Defies the traditional missionary kid stereotype by being cooler than most of the kids in the states. Wears dark tan Crocks. Has a younger sister named Kendra who was one of my students last time and is growing up to be a young woman quickly.
       Its also been cool getting to hang out with Robin Rempel again and have conversations about end times. I went to kelifi today to see Nate the kenyan i hang out with a lot last time. He is going great.
      We are almost done here and then we will head back to the samburu hills where we will complete our trip by continuing to serve Stakwell and his ministry. Im looking forward to the time there. Please be praying for our time there and that we will be able to get the well fixed and workable. Also pray for Alison Gamble the Cofounder and logistics person. She is the sole reason this trip has been made possible. She had surgery on her gall bladder on wednesday and is having a hard time in recovery so pray that she will be healed. Thanks for reading.
-AV

      

Bombings in Uganda

As some of you may have heard in the news, there have been reports of bombings in Kampala, Uganda.  All of the Love for the Sake of Love team members are safe.  Andrew, Ben, and Erin are many miles away on the coast of Kenya.  Our fourth team member in Africa, Katrina Harris, who is working with the Watoto Baby Home is living in Kampala right now and was very close to the bombings.  Six of Katrina's friends from Alabama were at one of the places where the bombings occurred.  Although everyone around them was seriously injured or dead, they all walked away untouched.  Praise God!  They are still coping with a lot of the horrible stuff they saw.  Please pray for these six missionaries as well as the rest of Katrina's team in Kampala.  I just got an e-mail from Katrina saying that there are rumors going around that there was another blast about an hour ago.  Most of the Watoto's volunteers are safe back in the apartments or are on their way back now. 

If you would like to read more about the remarkable stories of some of Katrina's friends, go to http://www.foundationonrock.blogspot.com/ and http://catherine-uganda.blogspot.com/.

Alison

Last day in the Samburu Hills

We have arrived safely in Malindi. It’s different but equally beautiful here on the coast.  However, as I predicted, my heart is still in South Horr so I wanted to post about my last day working at the school. 

As I mentioned before, my service at South Horr Primary School seemed pretty miniscule. I developed a routine of walking to school with one of the teachers or, on occasion, Stakwell’s niece, Anita. Upon arriving, I would prepare the English and Math lessons for the Standard 8 students and use any remaining prep time to help mark papers or record grades for the other teachers. I would teach in the morning, use any free time to help the teachers, and return to camp at 12:30 to help Mary and Andrea cook and clean for the rest of the day. 

I loved the walk to school. At first it was overwhelming to hear the smaller children chanting, “Mzungui, Mzungui, Alllooooo!” It was also a little unnerving when kids would see me, stop, stare, and then encourage 4 or 5 friends to walk behind me for a bit. In time though, the children got used to seeing me and would just shout from a distance or smile and wave. I also loved walking into Class 8 each morning. It took a day or two for the students to become accustomed to the idea that an American was there for the sole purpose of teaching them. This is a first for South Horr Primary. However, after a couple of getting-to-know-you sessions and me learning all 42 names, the class and I formed a deep and real connection. The final walk to school and into the Standard 8 classroom seemed so familiar and comfortable that it was hard to believe that I wouldn't be returning the very next morning to continue my lessons. 

The last day, I taught one Math and one English lesson. I brought Ben along to photograph the staff I worked with, as well as my class. I had no idea what I was in for. 

After I had taught the first portion of my lesson, I went back to prepare for the other one but was told not to prepare another lesson by the headmaster. He said the students wanted to use that time to see me off. The next few moments were a teary blur. The teachers asked the class secretary, Hassan, to come up and he proceeded to thank me on behalf of the class for my time spent there. He gave me a beautiful hand-made necklace. Other students followed with handmade necklaces and bracelets. Then all of the students stood up and began to sing in English: 

Give me love, oh dear God of glory. 

Give me love. Give me love. 

Give me love, oh dear God of glory. 

Give me love, till I overcome. 

The song continued with the remaining fruits of the spirit: joy, peace, patience...they had to stop there so I could get myself together! This song and the students singing in harmony was literally the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. 

I stopped crying long enough to tell them that they were each very special and that I loved them a lot. I told them that I would think about them and pray for them every single day. I then read Ephesians 1:16-17 aloud: “I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly asking God, the glorious father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to  give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.”

This song and the reading of this scripture was such a beautiful moment for me. I have re-read this post numerous times because my words and explanation won’t do it justice. Just know that God has shown me his glory in so many ways but this has been the most profound. I encourage you, too, to pray for the students of Class 8. As well as the team and the rest of the needs to be met here in Kenya. 

Erin Gamble

Profoundly Humbled

Whats in your day?

Dynamics. Erin. Somewhere between the travel hair straightener and the fact that now when we do laundry there are articles that have to be hung indoors we have now completed the team. It has been a breath of fresh air and i think i can speak for Ben also when i say that it has been such a blessing having her along. If you have been reading some of her posts then you should be clued into a little of where we are, nowhere near anything. Well tomorrow is her last day here and we are going to miss her when she has to leave, but first we are going to hit up a safari and Wycliffe conference in Malindi, Kenya. 

Can you heal? Like i said we have been reading acts and i have enjoyed it a lot. Remembering that faith has to do with the holy spirit and that means we have been given power strait from the hand of God. In the beginning i read the passage about peter, when they were entering the temple and a beggar asked them for money. ”Look at us! “The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I dont have any silver or gold for you. But i’ll give you what i have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”- 3:4-6 Being asked for money daily in Kampala by all kinds of people it made me think why not heal? It has been a challenge for me to make sure that Ben and i are sharpening each other as men of God, but this was definitely something that was prying at both of our hearts. On the way to Stakwell’s we stopped in Nairobi just long enough to pick up erin, one day. A man approached me with a cast on his leg and held out his hand. If God comes to us as strangers to see if we are actually trying any of the crazy things he lays on our hearts this guy would be number one proof.  So i stopped buying phone airtime for long enough to lay hands on the man and pray for his leg to heal. I truly believed that we was just going to walk away with a smile on his face. But no, he still had a face that was torn with pain and now some confusion. But i look back on it and im somewhat glad that he didnt walk away, i dont know if my pride can handle knowing that God actually healed someone through me. But i do still believe that the prayer did something just maybe he had to walk a few blocks to figure out that his foot didnt hurt any more. Either way im not done trying. There is a little boy here at Stakwell’s named Sawilli he was thrown out of his home as a kid because he couldnt walk, he was seen as a cursed child. Stakwell took him in as his own son and got him some crutches that allow him to get around. I have been thinking about him alot and praying for him. How cool would it be to heal the Lords child. Ill let you know what happens. 

What do i do in a day here? Who knows. Some days we work on wiring the rest of the complex with electricity, others working on cars, but more often driving plays a factor. They have two land rovers here that they use to run food and water to nearby villages who were just recently enemy tribes but the Lord led Stakwell to take them food and he obeyed. The first time he drove up with a truck full of food. The people came running out with tears in their eyes and all they could say is “what took you so long.” So now they have me drive the land rover out there to deliver water and other things. Its pretty much in the middle of the dryest land i have ever seen. And they are more than cliche tribal people, piercings, paint, and sometimes no clothes. One time after we arrived and unloaded the 1 and half tons of food, that was labeled US Aid From the American People, i jumped in shotgun and we headed up a near by hill to go get some diesel. About halfway up i turned around and had a bit of a realization. The car was filled with the driver Timothy (2 wife tim hes like 54 looks older though) me riding shotgun holding an AK 47 stakwell told me to hold on to it for him and then in the back were 4 other tribal guys decked out with AKs and other gear. Either way i was totally down with it. Just needed to take a minute and take it all in. Ill tell you what though if you had told me a few years ago that one day i would be driving Land rovers in africa to tribal villages i would probably have to change my underwear with excitement. 

Tomorrow im driving a team and some water out to the Turkana tribes. And then trying to put back together a Range Rover that someone took apart most everything including taking out the engine just to find that it needed a new clutch, welcome to Africa. O ps im using a south african accent for the next few days were trying to see how long we can fool this team. Kinda fun to be honest.  Ill keep in touch. Would love any feedback or just say hey. 

AV

L4L Africa Team.

Independence Day

Yesterday, you probably celebrated our Nation's independence by grilling out and watching fireworks. Ben, Andrew, Mundia (our new friend), and I celebrated by taking an overnight trip to Lake Turkana.

Stakwell wanted us to deliver some water to the Turkana tribe and thought it would be good for us to go stay at Lake Turkana for the night. I assume that if there is ever a chance for the Samburu people to "vacation," this is where they go. And so we packed some things into a bag and headed off.

There was a little tension when we dropped off the water because historically, the Turkanas and the Samburus have been enemies. That has subsided a lot since Stakwell introduced Christianity to these people but we made this part of the trip hasty nonetheless. (PS-A member of the Turkana tribe actually led Stakwell to Christ. Ask me about that story later.)

We got to the lodges, unpacked, ate supper, and went to bed. It is much warmer there because the lake creates so much humidity so none of us slept very well. Not to mention that Andrew and I both received insufficient mosquito nets and I spent much of the night deciphering between net and bedsheet while Andrew rigged something up with his knife and the light switch which I still can't figure out.

This morning, we woke up and went to breakfast. Immediately upon leaving the restaurant, we were bombarded with people trying to sell us stuff. Literally bombarded. I felt like Lindsay Lohan coming out of a club. White people mean one thing to people in areas like this: money. Andrew does a nice job of playing body guard, though. With the exception of the African who stuck his head actually in the car and stared directly in my face. But none of us saw that one coming.

We went to the lake next. Andrew was able to get some amazing photos of the team and the scenery. I may not have mentioned this before but this place is so beautiful. So much that mentioning it on a blogpost or taking 100s of pictures won't do it justice. Whether we are driving through the bush, a village, or the barren desert, everything is so preserved that you can't help but see God's glory in it (reference to Rachel Langdon). At the lake, we also bought a fish from a random Turkana man for 30 shillings (about 45 cent). And so now, I am waiting for supper to be ready...Tilapia....jealous Jon, Allyson, and Dad?? :)

On the 3 hour ride back to camp I couldn't help but be blissfully happy. I am so blessed to be here with Andrew and Ben. Our team has such a great dynamic and our ties alone are an example of God's divine intervention. I am also so blessed to see such beauty all around me, both in natural scenery and the people I have been living life with and have grown to love. I guess these last few days have lacked the ABAB pattern and settled into a pattern of contentment and joy. Tomorrow I go back to the school and hopefully learn the rest of my students' names.

Love you all and keep lifting up prayers for God's provision here in South Horr and all of Kenya.

PS - 3 souls were saved at church this Sunday. Amen!

Erin Gamble
Mzungui Ang
"Our white lady"  <-- This is what the younger kids yell when I walk to school. Cute, huh?:)

ABAB Pattern

My thoughts, attitudes, and feelings have been occurring in an ABAB pattern for the last 4 days. Tuesday, I read my own post from when we first arrived in South Horr. I was surprised at how fascinated and "in love" with everything I was that day. Maybe an excerpt from my journal entry from days after we arrived will help you see how surprised I was at the contrast in attitude:


"Went to South Horr Primary after eating old bread and honey for breakfast. Met students in Class 8 (8th grade). Students were very bright and worked far more quickly and accurately than me, much less my students. Listened to staff meeting in Kisamburu (not English). Felt overwhelmed at how little this school had but how bright the students were and how the discipline, curriculum, and instruction/assessment methods are very similar to US. Excused myself to bathroom. Walked out back to small shed and opened door to find a filthy hole in a cement slab."


Just 24 hours before I was so in love with these people. Now I feel that although they are much different than me, they don't need me here. I can't offer them anything that they want. It would be one thing if I had to endure dirty living conditions and bad food when I was serving. But I don't even know what these people's needs are. Much less how to meet them. What was God doing in my heart? After much prayer, meditation, and re-reading emails from home, I felt better. And Tuesday actually turned out to be back to enjoyable (see the pattern?) 


Which brings me to yesterday. I woke up feeling very nauseated. I was unable to eat the breakfast. I went to school and helped administer exams to 4th graders. I came home and was still unable to eat. I was lonely, tired, and thanks to a few more emails for you guys at home, more homesick than ever (keep them coming though:) )Here is an excerpt from my journal entry from last evening:


"God, I don't even feel like writing todays events down. Have you called me into this season of discomfort across the world under the false pretense that I would be serving? Is this you breaking me down? If so, I surrender." 


And so the pattern continues and today was much better. I sort of took over the English and Math instruction for Class 8 and am enjoying my day.


This morning is when I had the realization that the most sincere conversations I had with the Lord, and the time when I was most mindful is when he brings me to my knees with discomfort and longing for the comforts of home. So today, I openly thank God that I was able to eat lunch. I thank him that the water doesn't taste like dirt this morning. I also thank him for the water I've had that does taste like dirt because it is still not going to kill me and will be a constant reminder that I am not entitled to anything. 


The second realization that this ABAB pattern has revealed to me is that I am not here to bring Western Civilization ideas. I am not here to change. I am not here to modify or leave a legacy. I am here to serve. So everyday at school, unless the Lord reveals something different, I will walk into Class 8, teach the English lesson prepared by the teachers there, teach the math lesson with the strategies that Fred, Bonaface, and Joseph show me, and then sit among Kenyan Samburu teachers in a smelly room where I share a very small desk with another teacher and "mark pepas" which is grade papers. My new teacher friend, Joseph, who was sent to high school with money from an American family, walked me home today and upon hearing that I felt that I wasn't helping had this to say:


"Each paper you mark or lesson you teach is helping us. We love to see you here and know that you wanted to come and meet us and help us. When the people in this town see Americans, they know you are here to help us and bring us Christianity and education."


Stop nudging God. I get it. 


So for now, I am happy. I have a full stomach (ham sandwiches today...what?! haha). I feel peaceful and content. And I had a good day at school. Tomorrow may be similar. Or I will be homesick. Or I will have no appetite for this food. Or I will face a challenge that I have yet to face. Either way, God gets all of the glory and to say that these past few days have been humbling is an understatement. 


-Erin Gamble
Just another set of hands

Cliche Africa

Before I came here, everyone kept telling me, “Don’t go with any expectations.” So I tried my hardest not to. All I had ever heard about Africa was the cliche, stereotypical things. So I figured this advice was most applicable to me because I probably had a very ignorant and closed-minded view. 

I spoke to the friends of mine often that had just gotten back from Kampala, Uganda (the country next door to Kenya) and asked questions about the culture, what was appropriate to wear, and what I should and should not do to be most loving to these people. I was surprised to hear of ATM machines and other western culture ideas that were very prevalent in this city. I began to ask God to prepare my heart by removing any ignorant thoughts or misconceptions so that I could serve effectively and, at the same time, not be offensive. I was under the impression that this area of the neighboring country had to be similar.

Flash forward. 

For the next little bit of my life, I will live at this camp in South Horr, Kenya. In order to get here, I drove through the real-life version of Lion King. I have seen more goats, camels, and donkeys than I care to mention. I live in a cement hut with a straw roof and no electricity. I wash in dirty, cold water that literally stops working about 5 times each time I try to shower. I do everything outside except sleep: eat, shower, wash my hands, use the bathroom, brush my teeth, even cook (when Natalina and the other ladies let me help). What’s more mind boggling is that I am falling in love with these living conditions and the people I am living among. 

I live among the Samburu tribe. About 50% of these people wear Westernized (or “normal” as ‘ignorant me’ used to say) clothes, and the rest wear traditional tribal attire. The women have little to no hair and the men mostly have long red hair or short hair with red paint around their heads and shoulders. The men wear wraps and beaded straps around their chest. The women wear BEAUTIFUL colored wraps and many beaded wire necklaces around their necks. Yesterday, I attended the last part of a 2 day Smburu wedding ceremony among these people. This didn’t include the cow slaughtering that I missed or the drinking of the goat blood (true story). There was cliche African chanting, cliche African dancing, and even the occasional cliche African topless woman. 

Every child that I see seems to have been hand plucked from a Christian Children’s Fund commercial. Very few wear shoes, many at the wedding ceremony were naked or only wearing a shirt. Although the children that live here at the camp (which is open and free for all members of this tribe which means that any given morning I will eat breakfast next to a decked out Samburu warrior) are wearing a full outfit, the poverty is still very prevalent. Again - cliche.

This morning, Stakwell took us to church (In Africa - “chach”). I entered a covered area with cement floors and waist-high walls (which is preferable because of the breeze and the breath-taking view of the Samburu hills surrounding us). We, a group of white Americans, entered and sat down. A few people that worked at the camp entered closely behind us speaking to us in broken English. Then a handful of the tribal women and warriors entered as well in their beautiful, unmistakable attire. Stakwell’s friend initiated the service and led most of it. The entire service, with the exception of our introductions and greetings which was translated, was in Samburu. I figured out after a few minutes that “Jessu” is Samburu for Jesus as it was the subject of many songs, chants, and parts of the sermon. I have never felt so moved. 

Our God is so awesome that he used Stakwell, a native of the Samburu tribe and non-believer until he was in secondary school, to bring Christ to this unknown corner of the earth. This cliche idea of Africa that we think is outdated and no longer existing. The same God that I have worshipped my whole life in a Southern Baptist Church in Wayne County is being worshipped on the same day of the week, 7 hours earlier, by people that I thought only existed in legends and history books. 

I could obviously write more but I’m going to save some energy for when I start working with the Special Education program at the school tomorrow (PS - among the tribal children was a young man with Downs Syndrome so I look forward to seeing if he attends school and I will work with him or if he works with his family). I found out that this school has a Special Ed teacher who is Samburu. When I asked Stakwell how developed the program was he replied, “Is Nothing.” I can’t wait to see what God does there. 

Andrew and Ben are great. No need to worry about these guys. They were built for this. Andrew made this statement to me last night, “It’s safer to live in a dangerous place within God’s will, than to sit at home on your sofa out of God’s will.” What encouragement. 

Keep my family back home in your prayers as well. My sister will deliver any day now! (Love you my sissy and I can’t wait to meet Claire)

Erin Gamble

Server of Jessu

Surreal

If there was ever a doubt that God was calling me here, that has been alleviated. There is no way that I would have the kind of peace that I have consistently had otherwise. But now that I have been here for 2 days, that aspect of God's provision has been blown out of the dirty, undrinkable water.

The night that I arrived, I waited for an hour for my luggage which was a blast. The moment I found had my bags, I turned toward the exit and I see Andrew's dread locks sticking out because he made SURE to make himself visible so I wouldn't freak out. He and Ben have taken care of me so well. I am so glad that God chose my first African experience to be with these two amazing men of God. We stayed at a missionary's house in Nairobi that night. Irene and Ken are from the western US. Their house was REALLY nice. It was as if God was saying, "Hey. Erin. I realize that the 23 hour flying time and smelly Nairobi airport was a lot of breaking you in. So here is a super nice place for you to crash the first night." (And by super nice, He means my own room, a real toilet, and WARM WATER)

The next day, we traveled with Stakwell (who likes meat. camel meat.) to Nanyuki which is about 4 hours away. We stayed there for the night at a hotel with no toilet seat. BUT it did have hot water. At this point God was saying, "Ok. this is REAL Africa but this is just your first full day so I will continue to break you in easily." We went to the markets, and to Nakumatt which is like African WalMart. After an interesting night with crappy mosquito nets, we began our journey to South Horr this morning at 6:00. Imagine driving from Raleigh to Florida. Now imagine a 5 seated Land Rover with 3 Americans and 3 Kenyans. Now imagine that only 2 of the 10 hours are on paved roads but the rest is straight through paths with rocks and pot holes. Dusty, dirty pot holes. 

Needless to say we are in South Horr safely and I am learning so much about this culture. I am also learning about God's love for me, Ben and Andrew, and these people I never even knew existed on the other side of the globe. Danielle Vuke prayed that I would have the right emotions that I needed and then reassured me that I "lacked no good thing." I have had such a spirit of contentment since I boarded the plane at RDU. Regardless of my fear of connections (thanks for the prayers for that by the way), regardless of the extreme lack of luxuries that I am used to, regardless of the bugs that were crawling over the china that our breakfast was served on this morning, and regardless of 10 hours in what would be considered in the US "miserable conditions." God is humbling me, educating me, and hopefully, beginning tomorrow (my first day of NO traveling), he will begin to use me in BIG ways at the school and here at the camp. 

Peace and Blessings and thanks SO much to our families, supporters, friends, and all those that keep us in your thoughts and prayers constantly. It is such a comfort and we LOVE YOU:)

Erin Gamble

Mzungu

Erin is in Kenya

Erin Gamble made it safely to Nairobi, Kenya this afternoon.  I think that making all of the connections and finding Andrew and Ben at the airport in Nairobi were two of Erin's biggest concerns, so it is a huge relief to know that everything went well.  I am sure that Erin is exhausted from the trip, but I'll try to get a longer update from the team soon.

Alison
Co-Founder

The Rush.

       When i was 12 me and my friends would go to the gas station and buy 2 liter drinks of say 'mountain dew' or something else loaded with caffeine. Then we would wait until we were about to fall asleep and just down the whole drink and get a mad sugar rush for about an hour or two till we would all collapse. That's about what is going on right now. We have 4 and 1/3 days left in kampala before we have to leave and we are just working round the clock to wrap everything up that we need to finish here.
       Why the load? When we first got here we had a few things that were set in stone that we knew that we would be completing, but we were also allowing God to lead us if there were other areas we could be serving. So now we have all of the connections, which have been a huge blessing to us, and we are trying to complete the task of supporting them with video and pictures. It is exciting though, to find out the next little piece at a time of what God wants us to do.
       Change of pace and surroundings. Northern Kenya. Tuesday morning Ben and i will board a bus that will take us all the way to Nairobi, Kenya - a 16 hour bus ride. From there we will pick up Erin Gamble, the completion on our team that will be here in africa this summer. Let me tell you - i am so pumped for what Gods got planned for us. All i understand of where we are going is from a few conversations with George Tissire. We are passing everything,  going a little farther and stopping at....well, nowhere. It will have whole new challenges from the city slum life that we have been around, and both Ben and i are full fledged ready for whatever is in store. That's the update of our schedule..

      Waking up. To shift gears i would love to paint you a picture. First off, we love where we are. We live currently in a room that has the dimensions of about smallxnarrow with 3 or 4 other guys. The complex is strait up in the slums. But has its own environment. Abby Tracy was the one that connected us with the place to live and they have been the most generous people to us, allowing us to stay for free and giving us whatever they have available. We love them all. That being said...
We sleep sailor style. A triple bunk with just enough room to lay in it, not sit, not crouch, just lay. I sleep in the middle with Ben on the bottom bunk and there is one other uncle that sleeps on the top bunk. Usually on a school day the boys wake up to get ready for school at o say about 4 lightyears before the sun even thinks about rising. That or at 5:51 on the dot. Chores start then which includes washing the floor, ironing clothes, cleaning shoes. And yelling constantly. shoot. If i had to do chores before school everyday i'd be ticked too. I cant say that i have any idea what they yell about considering its in a different language, sometimes i would love to know just for a second so that i could yell too, but most of the time it's better i dont know, because it would just make my morning to find out that i was woken up over a pair of socks.
     Either way i actually conquered that element and somehow found a way to train myself to sleep through most of the yelling. But being a master at something is never fun, thats why the uncle started sleeping above us. Now its a party, because right at 6:15 ish just after i have fallen back to sleep from the initial earth quake of noise the boys cause, he wakes up. Were you ever bored as a kid and tried to make your bed without getting out of it?, well i know one little boy that did. So at 6:25 just like a can of paint at home depot i am put in the tumbler for 10 to 15 minutes while the bed is being made right above me. Then around 6:50 he undoes the mosquito net that he tucked in, to put his bag back on the bed once or twice depending on the day. Lets sum it up. I now do devos in the morning because its either read about how much God loves me or plot ways to strap my fellow uncle roomate to his bed while he sleeps.  Life is good.
   I do love it here and the people that i am around and i thank God alone for the blessing that i have been given in my health (after malaria that prayer started) and the new family that i have become a part of in the Makerere, Kivulu, Childrens Home.
Andrew
L4L Africa team.
ps Ben and i both read Romans and now are starting to study Acts today was chapter 2. If you want to jump on board i would love to hear some of your feedback on what you have learned from the book. Thanks for reading.

finally on the road

The plan was to leave at 10:30 this morning and we pulled out of the church parking lot a little after 3. Being 5 hours behind schedule seems to be the start of any great church trip so I knew that it was a good sign. We are now a little over one hour into our 8 hour drive to Lee university in tennessee for the first two YCM conferences I'm working at this summer. Each week will have a few hundred students. I never went to any of the great escape conferences as a student so I have no idea what to expect. Its hard for me to go into the situation not knowing anything, but I know its exactly what I need. It will push me to give up all control to God. I'm excited to see what He does there and to see so many middle schoolers experience God...many for the first time.
Andrew and Ben spent the past few days doing work in Rwanda and are now back in uganda. They met with George, the missions pastor from Providence in Raleigh, today and will be working more with him this weekend.
Be on the lookout for a blog post about our website. We're finishing up the final details for it and plan to launch it soon.

Alison
Co-founder

Choir Recording

     Andrew and I just returned from Budaka, a small town in Eastern Uganda, where we were recording a few African choirs.  The literacy branch of Wycliffe sent us to go record and take video of several rural choirs with the idea that the best one may receive a sponsorship to the United States.  While touring in the states the choir would be raising money that would go toward the translation of the Old Testament in their native language.
    We took a bus from Kampala to Budaka.  It was a four or five hour journey through mostly undeveloped area.  The bus stopped about halfway for a bathroom break, which consisted of getting off the bus going into the bushes on the left if you are a woman, or the bushes on the right if you are a man.  We eventually made it to Budaka, met a man named James who was coordinating the whole thing and grabbed some food.  Later that night the entire towns power went off and did not come back on until we were leaving a couple days later.
     With or without power we were there to listen to some choirs so thats what we did.  We listened to a total of five and there was one that particularly stood out.  This choir sung and danced with such an enthusiasm and love for the Lord that we could tell they weren't just performing to perform.  In fact, once we had finished recording they continued to sing and dance for another half hour or so, all the while more towns people would gather to listen and even dance as well.  Then a pretty big thunderstorm rolled in so we all went into a school building where they proceeded to play and sing for another hour.  Hopefully this choir will get the opportunity to perform outside of Budaka and raise money for translation.
      It was crazy how much the people welcomed us and thanked us for coming.  They were very appreciative of what we were doing and seemed almost honored that we would come to their town.  After recording, they served us food and thanked us again.  These were pastors and leaders in the community who were making us food and washing our hands, which was a good reminder of how we are called to serve others.

More pictures!

If you want to see some of Andrew and Ben's pictures from Africa, go to http://gallery.me.com/realityscalling

We'll try to add more soon!

Alison