Monday, June 6th

Over the next two weeks, we will have almost everyone on our team post on this blog. There are individuals and families that will post each night we are here so that you can hear from a lot of different perspectives. Tonight we start the rotation! We hope you enjoy!

Katherine Ward :)

After a refreshing but short night we woke up to an awesome breakfast provided by the staff here at Heart Lodge! We then headed to the ABC Orphanage which partners with Feed The Children. The staff at the ABC Orphanage gave us a tour of the orphanage. This part of the day was difficult for me. For several years, I feel that God wants me to adopt when I'm married. Seeing these beautiful and happy children moved me so much.

We weren't allowed to pick the children up, but we were allowed to play with them. When we entered a room for toddlers I went over to a boy, Moses, who couldn't be much older than a year. Moses was separate from the rest of the children. He immediately wanted me to hold him and he hugged my knees and held my hands the entire time. Oh my goodness, my heart felt so much for this beautiful little boy. We were there for only about 10 minutes, but I will never forget him. I teared up as I left because I felt like I already loved him so much. Seeing these children made me appreciate the family God has so graciously blessed me with!

After touring the Orphanage, we toured the Feed The Children facility and storehouse. I was amazed at how much work goes into their organization! They put so much effort and time into serving others, something I'm still learning to put into action and not just in words. I cannot wait to see what else God has in store for the team and I during the next 2 weeks!

Well, I'll let Julie take over now. I could write so much more but I'm tired and I want sleep. Haha

<3 Julie Jackson

Jambo! That's hello in Swahili, in-case you didn't know :) After waking up this morning, the Heart House made the team and I a satisfyingly delicious breakfast that included foods like bacon and bread filled with chocolate, not a croissant, but close.

At 9:15, we left for the ABC orphanage. It was emotional to leave the children because they had no family. You just wanted to stick them in your pocket and take them all home, but sadly we had to wave goodbye for the first and last time. When we left the orphanage, we drove to a school that was associated with Feed the Children and located in the slums. Not only was it hard to just drive through the area, but to quickly say hello and goodbye to the kids we fed at the school was even harder.

Leaving that area, we drove a bumpy 45 minutes to an hour. Although, if it weren't bumpy, I wouldn't feel like we were in Kenya, so it was cool! This road led us to Focus, where we met all the adorable kids that are involved with Project Lucas. I don't even know how to explain how amazing these kids were. They were amused by the littlest things such as a clap or a tire. Not only were they grateful, but they were so loving. They would run up to you and give you hug, even if you didn't know them.

At the end of the day, we sadly had to give our goodbye high-fives and knuckle-touches to the children. Thankfully, it wasn't our last goodbye! We get to work with them for the next two weeks! :D Well, considering i have been writing this blog too long and Jameson is kicking me off... I should go! Have fun in the states! We will get back to you tomorrow!

Sunday, June 5th

We are here!! It was a long and incredible journey! Here's the low down...

We started off at the church at 6:30am. From there we left and drove to Cincinnati to start our flights. Checking our luggage went amazingly smooth and we had an awesome American Airlines attendant. Once we checked all our bags and bins, we went to the gate to wait for our flights. 7 members of the group took an earlier flight to Chicago and got there ahead of the other group, so we just hung out there in the food court and played games.

Once the second half of the group got there, we went to our international gate to wait for our flight. We waited for about an hour and then our flight came. We boarded our Boeing 767 and got ready to travel for over 8 hours. We didn't have screens in the back of our seats but we did have movies and music to listen too. Most of us slept the whole way but there were a few who didn't. The food was pretty good as well (for airplane food)!

Once we landed in Belgium, we headed to our next gate and had about an hour til we boarded our final flight. Some of us took what I call "airport showers". That's when you bring all your travel size toiletries and go to the bathroom and take a shower. It was great! Wash your hair, brush your teeth, wipe off your face, and reapply some deodorant. You feel SO much better.

We boarded our flight to Nairobi and we were on our way. Another almost 11 hours later we landed here in Kenya. At this point we went to get our Visas and then get our luggage and bins. After we got all of them (praise God), we started to load the vans and buses. Then we left to head to Heart House and get settled and go to bed. We ended up laying down at about 1:30am local time.

Katherine and Julie are posting tomorrow so be sure to check it out!!

Jameson

**CHANGE IN SCHEDULE**

This is a VERY important update!! Please read!!

Due to the amount of luggage and bins we will be transporting with us, we have had a change in the time that we need to arrive at the Cincinnati Airport. We will be meeting at church Saturday morning June 4th at 6:30am instead of 9:30am. Everything else is the same!

Again, we are meeting at the church Saturday morning June 4th at 6:30am!! Please be on time!!

See you in 3 days!!!

Final Info Meeting

Prayer Requests

• Bins
• Luggage
• Safety

Meeting Agenda

Flight Info

What will happen at the airport?

• Luggage (lots of it- everyone will have 2 bins and 1 checked bag)
  
• Cincinnati (check in will be chaotic but be prepared) (eat lunch here)
  
• Chicago (we have to go to the international gate which is a long walk) (eat dinner here)
  
• Brussels (we will go through customs here as well)
• Nairobi (see Customs section below)
• New York City (Customs is very good but high security)
• If you need a ride from Cincinnati back to New Albany, please let Scott know so we can plan accordingly
  

Customs

Once in Nairobi, we will deboard the plane and head to the VISA line

• Pack a pen in your carry on bag
• Fill out your form to answer the question, "Why are you visiting Kenya" to be, "We are traveling for tourism"
• Turn in your VISA and head to the top of the steps
• Once everyone is done, we will head down to Customs

In Customs, we will follow the below plan as best as possible

• During this whole process, PLEASE be quiet and on the best behavior so we don't draw a lot of attention to our group in the airport
  
• We need the group to do multiple tasks including getting luggage and bins, getting carts, collecting VISA receipts, and then loading the carts
• Debbie Jo and Alisa will be checking in the bins and accounting for them
• Susan will be collecting your VISA receipt as well
  
• Christian, TJ and Isak will be getting the luggage and bins off the carousel
• Jameson will be loading carts
• Everyone else will be getting carts over to the carousel to load them
• Once they are all loaded we will head through customs

Luggage Night

What will happen?

• Be here 6:30-7:30pm in the Family Life Cafe (park in the side parking lot)
• You don't have to bring your carry on or your personal item but you can
  
• Your checked bags can be no more than 50lbs (your carry on can't be more than 40lbs)
• Make sure you have 3 Passport copies (Checked bag, Scott and Alisa and carry on)
  

Discipleship Buddies

• You will be paired with a FOCUS worker to build relationships and, hopefully, share your faith
• Many are Christians but not all of them

Roommates

• See next blog for the rooming list

First Day/VBS/Painting/Work at FOCUS Center

• VBS (games and a Bible story- David and Goliath)
• Whoever is not helping with VBS will be painting and doing some work around the new FOCUS Center

Travel Insurance

• Fill out the form and get it to Alisa ASAP

Shopping

• This is where you want to buy your souvenirs
  
• There will be tons of stuff
• 79 Schillings = $1 US (at this moment but it could change)
• It is HIGHLY recommended to buy something for the people who sponsored your trip
• NEVER pay the first price given (barter your way to a better deal)
• We will shop at Java House, the Tea Farm, the Market or the Masai Village (if you go) but those are the only places to really shop

Church Services

• We need some people to share their testimonies in the church service and the youth service
  
• If you would like to do this, let Scott or Alisa know (we need about 6 total)

Blog and Phone Number Cards

• Expect this in the email this week
• The phone cards are for you to mail to your sponsors for them to keep up with what's going on on the trip
• No news is good news (so if you don't hear from us, that's a good thing)
• Scott's Facebook will be updated occasionally, so you can check his profile as well for stuff

Questions?

PLEASE see the earlier posts for a review of what all we have covered in our meetings!

If you have questions, see the earlier posts as well because they will probably answer them

If you still have questions, feel free to contact Scott this week and get them cleared up before we leave (the only stupid question is the one that is not asked)

Packing List and Schedule

Info Meeting #4

We are 20 days away...that's less than 3 weeks from leaving!! As we get closer, the details and info gets more intense. So, here is the stuff from our last meeting on Sunday night May 15th in case you missed it.

New News

Project Lucas has moved properties! After receiving an eviction notice on their current property, Project Lucas was forced to look for other properties in and around Nairobi. After A TON of prayer and searching God provided an AWESOME property!!




Meeting Agenda

Ministry Schedule Update
*See the next posting
**The schedule is still TENTATIVE so there could be changes made day of

Here are some highlights of the schedule:

June 3rd

• You get one suitcase to pack your belongings in and then one bin assigned will be assigned to you
• Bring your luggage to church this night between 7:30pm-8:00pm and drop it in the Family Life Cafe

June 4th

• We will meet at the church at 9:30am and we will eat lunch at the Cincinnati airport so bring some money to buy lunch

June 6th

• First day of ministry begins
• Breakfast is amazing and awesome!! Two words...MANGO JUICE!!
• We are going to visit the Abandon Baby Center (ABC) Orphanage and school for disabled children
• With the same organization, we will go into Kibera (the largest slum in Kenya)
• We will be feeding kids and then walk around the slum but we will be EXTREMELY safe because we are with the organization Feed the Children which has respect and recognition
• After this, we will go to Java House for lunch (think combination of Starbucks and Red Robin)
• Then, we will go to visit FOCUS and hang out with the kids

June 7th

• Spend time and love on all the FOCUS kids and leaders all day
  

June 8th

• We will have our first backpack ceremony where we gather all the kids and their families to give out some of the backpacks that we collected
• This will be a ceremony including music, songs, drama, speaking and even government officials

June 9th

• This is the day we will visit homes of the FOCUS kids and visit with the family and deliver some gifts to them as well
• This will be an awesome opportunity to speak to the Kenyan families and, hopefully, present the Gospel to them

June 10th

• Backpack ceremony in a rural coffee field community
• This will be different from the first ceremony because the people will be standoffish due to a lack of education but we will do lunch and the Gospel

June 11th

• We will be taking the kids from FOCUS on a field trip to the Elephant Orphanage
• We might also be going to the Giraffe Center as well but that's a maybe

June 12th

• It's Sunday so we will be going to church in Kenya at Ruriu Bible Baptist Church where Sylvester used to be the youth pastor
• Once church is over, we will head to Mitchell's Tea Farm which is one of the oldest tea farms around Nairobi

June 13th & 15th

• SAFARI at Fig Tree Camp in the Masai Mara
• We will be going out on the safari in the middle of the Masai Mara for two days to look at the African animals and eat good food
• You will have the chance to go to the Masai Village as well to see what a real Masai tribe is like
  
• This trip is so crucial because of everything we are taking in as we do the ministry we will be doing; plus, it's an amazing reminder of our God and how amazing and creative He is in creation

June 16th

• This is the last day to hang out with the FOCUS kids and there will be a ceremony at the end

June 17th

• We will go to the Village Market and go shopping before we leave for the airport

June 18th

• Arrive back in America

What to Bring

• See next posting for this list also
• Pack clothes that you don't care what happens to them
• You can wear jeans but we encourage you to wear khakis
• Your suitcase cannot weigh over 50lbs
• Put a copy of your Passport in your suitcase, give a copy to Scott for the trip and make a copy to keep at home
• Church clothes need to be skirts below the knees for the ladies and nice pants and shirt for the men
• DO NOT bring anything expensive (laptops, jewelry, etc.)
  

Type of Money to Bring

• Go to the bank and get $50s or $100s that are the newest the bank has
• An estimate of how much to bring is anywhere from $100-$300 depending on how much you want to spend on souvenirs
• The Giraffe Center is $7 and the one lunch you are responsible for is about $8
• When it comes to debit cards and credit cards, call your bank and let them know you are traveling to Belgium, Kenya, New York, Cincinnati and Chicago and you can use them on this trip

Cleaning Your Hands

• Make sure you sanitize and wash your hands
• Do not put your hands near your mouth or in your eyes
  

Shot and Meds

• Permethrin is a bug repellent that you can get at Bass Pro for Safari
• Make sure you have your Malaria medications as well and pay attention to when you are supposed to start taking it before the trip
• Make sure you also have all your shots (Yellow Fever, Typhoid, etc.)
  

Commissioning

• We will be commissioned at the end of the first service on May 29th

Cell Phones

• Don't take it during the day because it could be pick pocketed
• Check with your carrier to see about international charges and plan upgrades because it can be expensive ($2-$3 a minute)
  

Info Meeting #3

Hey everyone! We had a great meeting last night! The excitement is building and God is really pouring out blessings on this team. He has got some amazing stuff in store for us! Here is what we covered and talked about last night if you couldn't be there or if you missed part of it for some reason.

Stuff

Praise

• Everyone has their plane ticket money and most everyone is already completely DONE!!

Kenyan people

• They like to have meaningful conversations and talk. They are a slow moving culture and therefore, they like to stop and talk and get to know you and who you are. In fact, it is rude to just say hello and then move on. They have a saying that goes like this, "Americans have watches and Kenyans have time!"
• Friendship is VERY important to them. It is more important than money even. If someone is in need and they ask for help, Kenyans will give it whether they have it or not because they want to help and because their friendship means more to them than money.
• There will be language issues with the kids especially because they do not know English really well.
• Poverty is part of their life. They don't have electricity and running water. This is just life for them.

Safety

• When asked for money, your response should always be, "You need to go ask Scott"
• Women are to NEVER walk or travel alone or without a guy with them

Clothes to Wear

• Bring shoes that are comfortable because you will wear them all week (no sandals when we are out in Kenya)
  
• Wear pants (preferably khakis), Capri's, etc.

Food and Water

• When brushing your teeth, DO NOT use the water from the tap (use the purified water jug in the bathroom)
• DO NOT eat food that is not cooked at HEART or at a restaurant because it could cause illness
• If you ever have any questions, ask Scott

Backpack Update

• We had to cut off the backpacks at 1,000
• We are taking over 3,000 folders, 20,000 pens, 24,000 pencils, etc.

Ministry Schedule Update

• Backpacks might go to up to 6 schools
• We want to do home visits (20-30 minutes in each home with conversations and prayer)

President Obama

• Any questions, no matter how you feel, need to be answered by, "He's my President"
• Always be positive and answer positively

Stuff You Need to Know

Dates of the Trip: June 4-18 (Flights are still the same just date changed)Total Cost of the Trip

Total Cost of the Trip: $2,960.00

T-Shirt Design (You get two of these shirts):

Running Shirt: It is the same as above only in Carolina blue and they are $15 a piece (see Jameson ASAP if you would like to order one)

Prayer Needs

• Fundraising for everyone
• Funds to get the backpack supplies over to Kenya
• Airline to show mercy for checked bag fee

Our Next Meeting

• May 15th
• May 29th