Pastor's Conference & Bragging

Today we woke up early and went to the pastor's conference. At the conference, Abba talked about being a minister of God Word. The pastors loved every bit of it and asked lots of questions. After it was over they all gave a little about themselves. I got it all on video and am making a DVD of it.

Tonight Yashana made melt-in-your-mouth pork chops and fries! It was awesome!

Since I don't have much to blog about today, I'll tell you a bit of my thoughts on the other travelers.

All of them have played key part in this trip. So I wanted to say a couple things about them.

Abba - busy all day and night working on teachings for the pastor's conference, gatherings, bible studies, leader's meeting, and Kingdom Hiker meetings and still squeezes a enough time for me to come to him when I need to talk. Other than that, he been a true inspiration to me and I pray God will use me the same way he has used Abba. ( Oh and I've enjoyed fighting over the honey mustard and mayonnaise with him :) )

Amma - I know more about Amma from this trip than I have since I've moved to the Village. She has been fun to live with here. She has opened up to me some things that took place in her life. God has done a true work in her life and I'm glad I got be on this trip with her. She also has been an inspiration to me. Did I mention I like her laugh :)

Doug - Has been like a father figure here to me, while we've been on this trip. He has worked really hard on equipping the young people with skills they will need when entering the business world. Has been open to me when I talk to him. I also have learned more about Doug on this trip then ever before.Seeing him do all these thing and not wanting anything in return has led me to the conclusion that he love God very much.

Tara ("Jay Ma Liza" or "Are You Done Yet") - My prime target for torture! She has been a mother figure to me though she would also make a good sister, since me and her go back and forth on torturing each other :) Tara has been giving me "out of the blue" encouragements that have been very helpful and uplifting. Her comic relief is like none other. She has been a pleasure to have been on this trip with. She shared her story with me and I believe that God has also done a big work in her life. ( and every time I see her I say "guess what Tara?!" and she says "what Brandon!" in her hilarious sarcastic voice, and I say "your in Africa!" in my sarcastic voice and she just laughs). I'm not finished torturing her yet she has been giving me the best reactions ever! :D

And last but not least My favorite Yashana! - She has been a true joy to be with. Her hard work and determination for these people has been truly inspiring. From setting up a full scaled children's day to crocheting a cell bag for every lady she visits! Truly amazing women. She has the heart of a servant. I could go on all day about her but I will say one last thing She love Jesus Christ with a passion!





I've gained a life times worth of wisdom and knowledge from these five "mazungus". I believe God has put these men and women in my life on this journey to help me to grow in him. I will not come back the same person who left on this trip 6 1/2 weeks ago thanks to them. I'm grateful to God for them.

A Visit to Janet's and an Unexpected, Pleasant Surprise Visit

Yesterday(Wednesday) Simon, Gideon, Evelyn and I went to Janet's house. Janet has a very sweet heart. She told me that after her dad died she cried alot but no matter how much she cried it wouldn't bring back her dad. She said that she cried out to God and asked him to help them and fill in the gap so that she wouldn't just feel like a fatherless daughter. Since then she has been glowing. Actually to tell you the truth, I had known that Mary's husband had died but not that Janet was his daughter. Simon told me last monday when we went past the sight of the accident. He mentioned Janet's dad and I was like "that was Janet's dad! I had no idea, she showed no signs of depression when I got here so I would have never guessed, she has been taking it so well". So it came as a shock to me that she was the daughter who's dad died. I now look at her in a different way. Her mom is very kind and is a very Godly women. Her mom is the one who helped her through, when her dad died. 

Anyways, We went on a hike to this neat looking hill. Then we came back and hung out.

Today (Tuesday), Simon and I went into town and just hung out. Went to lunch and then ran into Lloyd's mom on the street. We went back with her to her work. She and another ladie, who is her teacher, run a fashion design school, and they make clothes. They wanted me to have them make a custom made shirt for 2000 shillings (around $20) if it wasn't Lloyd's mom I would have decline, but she is a very sweet women and I wanted to help her out. Then Simon and I met up with the others by the bank and I got a jacket from off the street. Then we went to pick up Christine, an elder lady in the church, to  go to her son's house. Had some chapati, liver stew, and coffee. (btw I hate liver but this was actually pretty good  ).

Then we went home for a couple minutes before we were headed off to Joshua's house. Joshua is a single guy who comes to George's church. I was thinking that we were just going to visit him at his house then leave. I hadn't expected what happened next. We were going driving on the road and there walking on the road was Joshua and another guy named John. We picked them up and headed to his house.  When we arrived we arrived an orphanage/school house. "orphanage?" I thought, "I thought we were visiting Joshua's house". We got out of the van and walked into this big building where about 200 children where sitting. They started singing and it was amazing! They had so much joy there. We all introduced ourselve then the workers introduced themselves. It was awesome. They are so much like a loving family here and they the workers here love God alot. I felt like I was home in the Village. Apperently, to everyones astonishment Joshua is a chef for these orphan here and no one, not even George knew. It was a good suprise. We talked about how we want to come back and do more with these children. They have a pretty neat system here, they said that they run a private school here on the property and they use the school fees, they charge from the kids who come to school from all over Nakuru and beyond, to support the orphans here, and they have a couple of organizations helping them out.

 Today was a great day 

George's name for me is "Opincho" which means "goofy boy" . I think it would fit him as well :P

If you want more details on our week so far go to Tara's blog :)

http://tara-livingchristslife.blogspot.com/


Thanks for your support and prayers! :)

Bumpy roads and yet another talent show :)

Our trip to George's parent's village, near Kisumu, was an adventure! We woke up at 4:30 in the morning so we could leave by 5. The first hour and a half, the roads where smooth. After that, though, it got worse. Not only were the roads terrible after that but there was an exhaust leak that made me noxious. We stopped at this hotel to use the restroom and to eat breakfast, which the ladies packed bananas and yogurt. There was a lot of road construction going on in those areas so we had to take what is called a "diversion" we call it a "detour". Imagine pot holes all over the road and big "speed bumps" that are supposed to slow people down. Now imagine riding on this road crammed into a van with 11 other people :) crazy. 

We got to George's Village 6 hours later in one piece :). Simon, George's nephews, and I went exploring. We came to this little muddy creek and we skipped stones on it. We got back and and ate chapati, peanuts and drank tea. Little did I know, George's mother wanted to feed us, and I already had gorged myself on chapati. good stuff :) After we where done with dinner, Abba prayed for them they we were headed on are long journey home. On the way back we stopped at lake Victoria to get some fish. really good stuff! :) 

We made home again in one piece! 

that was all on Monday the 29th of August. On Tuesday we rested.

On Wednesday night, ate over at Simon's house. His family is definitely my favorite family, to be with, beside George's. After dinner Simon's dad Simon, told us his testimony and how he met Christ through a liver failure that was miraculously healed. After that I got to spend the night over at Simon's house. We had a camp fire out back and we drank stoneys (ginger soda) and tea. I brought my camera so they all wanted to sing a song or do a dance that I could record. Then we went into their living room and watched Lord of The Rings : Two Towers. I got up in the middle of the night with what felt like a stomach bug :(. Simon got up as well and he made me a cup of hot water to drink, which cured me amazingly :). I got up the next morning feeling a lot better. Simon made some mandozi and eggs. 

Thursday was just preparing for the children's talent show.

Today (Friday) was the children's talent show. The children had lots of fun thanks to the efforts of Yashana and the Kingdom Hikers. Then we got rained out and George picked us up. 

So that's about it. enjoying my time here a lot. Abba wants me to give my testimony on  Sunday so I'm preparing for that.

I'm going to miss it here, but I want to come back some time in the future :)

miss you guys,

Brandon

Fun and Gratefulness

Hi again,

Yesterday the Kingdom Hiker's and myself went to a pool at a hotel. We had a lot of fun! After we did that we came home and the guys stayed the night and I taught them how to play monopoly. Nellie played too. They caught on very fast. We played it for about 4 hours!

Then today Abba, Amma, Yashana, and I went to watch Tamasha perform in a talent show. When we got there we where treated like guest of honor. The guy who was in charge of the event, had us move us move up to the front row on cushioned seats. He then introduced us and thanked Tamasha for bringing us.

After that we went to kokeb and met an english woman. She was a teacher in Nakuru.

Then we went to this family, Petranilla knew, to give their daughter a send off party before she went to collage. They were extremely grateful that we came. First everyone introduced themselves. Then Abba and the families pastor prayed over the girl who was going. Then they fed us and played their eldest daughter's wedding DVD. (side note: when I watched their wedding I noticed that they did A LOT of dancing! It was so full of life and they said that was their tradition). Then they did a photo shoot with us. The father prayed one more time and then we said our good bye.

Very full weekend......SO FAR!

We still are going to Georges Village, where his parents live, this Monday!

God is so good to me and us even though I mess up ALOT! I'm grateful for my day :)

learning alot, making new friends and having alot of fun!

please pray for us here that we will have a very good last three weeks!

p.s. sorry again to all you grammar nuts. this email probably drove you crazy :P

Talent Show and Ambassadors

Jambo!

This past Saturday was the Kingdom Hiker's Talent show. They put in a lot of hard work trying to pull this together. When I came Saturday to the tent, I expected a rigid line up for this event. That is not at all how it went. Imagine with me what it would look like if you took our water day, our community conference and then VillageFest and squished it all on to one small piece of property no bigger than the Town Hall, and then put no order to it except what seemed fun

next, yeah pretty crazy, but loads of fun. First we started with a water balloon toss which turned into a full out water fight (complete with people getting held down and a bucket of cold

water being dumped on them, sound familiar, guess I didn't miss water day after all :) ). Next they did worship, which was totally unexpected, I mean who mixes their talent show with worship? but it was awesome! Then came the performances which were very good. After that Tamasha played. To End it George gave encouragement to them and said that they would be doing it again in the future.It came together so beautifully. I wonder how big the next ones going to be?

Lately, Since George, Abba, and Doug have been going to meet with other pastors, and since I have not wanted to stay at the house alone, I have had the privilege of spending time with some unique ladies :). I have been helping them with shopping and watching their personalities is pretty hilarious :P (don't tell them I told you so :P).

Forgot to mention. Monday, I went with Gideon to a Tamasha rehearsal. Gideon told me some guys would come to listen to see if they wanted to give Tamasha a gig, or something like that. When the guys came, that Gideon was talking about, I was videoing and the band members of Tamasha were introducing themselves. After they were done introducing themselves, one of the guys turned to me and said "I would like to know you". I hesitated, and thought about telling them that I was not part of the band but instead just told them my name. There was an awkward pause :(....very embarrassing...and to top it all of a couple of the Tamasha guys had to cover their mouth so they wouldn't bust out laughing....that part didn't phase me as much (because I'm used to that at home only they usually don't cover their mouth :P) until afterward when Gideon told me they were ambassadors to Sudan from Kenya....heart attack :O!!!!!!!!!

Good news! The ambassadors want to sponsor Tamasha! (like buy them instruments!).
Totally the work of God! :)

Now I've been abducted into Tamasha as their Videographer! (after, of course I pay 500 shillings for registration :) ).

Well, that's all for now. tune in next time for "The stuff you may have missed in Africa" for more interesting news! and in case I don't see you good morning, good evening and good night.

Soccer and Work Day

Well, today was very productive.

This morning, after breakfast, I went and kicked around a soccer ball with Simon and a whole bunch of little kids from around the neighborhood. They where so excited to come and play with us.

After lunch Abba, Doug, George, Simon, Lyde, Gideon, Kenford, and I went to the tent to extend it.

After hours of good work, we now have our structure. We where able to extend the tent by 10 ft. :) !!!!

Here is some video I took while we were constructing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tSogI0cU8w

When we where pulling through George's gate, to his house, we where swarmed by my little soccer friends from this morning. I promised them I would come and play with them tommorow.

At the bible study, afterwards, Abba talked about being in Christ and how death cannot touch you if you are in Christ.

Hiking and Vision

No more jet lag :)

Yesterday, Aug. 1st, I got to spend time with the Kingdom Hikers. We went hiking up a tall hill, called Menegai, with some caves on it. We picked up some drinks and snacks along the way for the voyage at woolmat.

the voyage was filled with plenty of laughs, stares, and "Muzungu, buy me sweety". When we got to the top you could see all of Nakuru and beyond. Then if you turned around you could see where the crater is. It was lots of fun getting to do that with them, It reminded me alot of the trips I go on with the messengers.

Today was a pretty neat day.....

For a while now I have been burdening myself with things that I shouldn't be. So this morning, when I woke up, I went and talked to Abba. After we were done talking I felt peace. He then gave me assignments, for the day, to help me pay attention to others. (sorry for the bad grammar, writing was never my forte). I don't know what else to say about all that so.....moving on.

The youth here is getting ready for the talent show. Some of them and I went to the church so they could practice their dance routine. I must, say they are pretty good dancers :)

sorry for the sloppy blog :(

will try harder next time.....

Brandon :)

New Video

More videos coming soon! :)

Full Day

Today was a full day :)

Woke up this morning at 4 (not quite used to the time and heat in the house yet). At 2:30, this afternoon we had a Kingdom Hiker's meeting. I got to meet all of them besides Johnny. They were delegating people for the talent show. (quick note, being in a blue and white stripe tent, the smell of a fire coming from another yard, the chill of the evening, and talking about a talent show brought back familiar memories of VillageFest Prep). They're expecting over 100 people to show up! After they had settled business on that account, Abba talked about relationships with God, your friends, (and when you get one) your wife and how that the first thing you need to keep a good relationship with them is to be honest at all times.

After that was over I stayed behind, unaware, for their youth worship practice. George started out by talking to them about becoming spiritually mature . He explained to them how God was taking them deeper and they needed to be ready. He also told them that their worship was for God not for them. After that, he kept on switching between Swahili and English so much that I couldn't keep up. Then we sang. Wow, they sing with all their hearts for God even for a practice. Gideon was leading them and he was helping me with me the words. I'll have to write more on them when I get to know them better.

After dinner I was showing Simon how to play war, slap jack, and speeds. He seemed determined to learn how to play, and eventually picked up on how it all worked with the suits and

Here in Africa

Hi all!

(Forgive my lack of grammer)

1st day

Well, where here in Africa! We had a long trip but it went well :) George, Abba, Amma, and Yashanna picked us up from the Nairobi airport at about 3:30am. George drove us to a hotel where we stayed for the night. After we ate a delicious breakfast, we headed for Nakuru. The drive to Nakuru was breath taking. We made two pit stops, one at the Rift Valley and One at Delemere Fast Food where, we ate samosa and drank chai tea. When we arrived at George and Nelly's house and got settled. George and I went to the bank to get our money converted to shillings. We went home ate dinner, and then George got a call from the bank. Apparently, the banker gave me 9,000 shillings ($100) over what I was supposed to get, so we had to go back and get that fixed :P. Later that night Abba did a bible study then we were off to bed.

2nd day

Today we went we all went out to town. Little did I know, the ladies were going shopping and the men were going to kokeb to talk. I jumped out of the vehicle when the ladies got out, because I thought we were all getting out :( It all worked out in the end though, I was made the official bag boy :) After they were done shopping, we went to kokeb's to meet up. The guy, that was driving us in his taxi, wanted 500 shillings for the ride. I was willing to pay it but then piped up Amma "That's highway robbery! I have been here 4 years now, you'll get 200!" then she said "The fair is ussauly 100 but I was not paying 500" :) We got to Kokeb's and talked and had fruit punch and kabobs. Tonight we are having hamburgers and then we are going to have a meeting.

I don't write enough, but hopefully it will improve with time :)

Also here is a quick video from our trip from Memphis to Chicago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAGAIwO1dDk

and here are some pictures from our trip

https://picasaweb.google.com/bnwsMuSiC/MemphisToChicago?locked=true

https://picasaweb.google.com/bnwsMuSiC/ChicagoToIstanbulTurkey?locked=true

missing everyone already!

So far so good :)

Hi,

So far everything has been running smooth. I did forget my camera in Memphis when I borded :(

When I realized I didn't have it I asked the flight attendant if I could run back in and get it. I got out of the plane ran to the lobby door and right when I was going through the door the lady in the lobby said I couldn't get back in and that she was shutting the door. I begged her but she would not give in :( So I sulked myself back to my chair and lo and behold my camera was sitting there. Someone grabbed it that was sitting near us in the lobby and gave it to Tara and she was calling after me when I was leaving the plane. I was about to cry but kept my composure :P sweet relief. But for some it was comic relief. :)

Africa Blog

This will be my blog while I'm in Africa