Day 2 - June 24 - Sunday at Naomi's Village

The day could not have started better than having breakfast served to us by the one and only Jeremy Callaway.  It was soooo Goood! 

On this Sunday together, We chose to attend a congregation in the community nearby called Mwi' Hungeri - a small congregation Cottonwood Creek has become very fond of over the past 4 years.  Along with many of the children from Naomi's Village, Bonface took our team over to worship with this amazing community and church.  Because of the recent rainy season, the roads are very difficult to drive, so half our team had to walk 3 miles to church.  Yes, imagine that - walking to church - it was so fun and great!  Just made a great experience for us all.

The worship time was God-inspired and God-ordained.  Even though us Americans cannot understand Swahili,  we definitely understood God's Spirit in the room and the power of God as we worshipped together.  It was so unique and simple.  It was confusing, yet inspiring.  Camille Williams shared her testimony, Girls lead worship together, and Keith got to preach. 

On a personal note - my life was changed 4 years ago in this building, so I have a very special place in my journey with the community of Mwi' Hungeri.  From Pastor Samuel, Auntie Grace and all the faithful men and women of this community, you are a testimony of faithfulness as a people of God, who put all of their trust in the Lord for everything.  Thank you for your example and how you are changing lives for eternity!

After worship, we stayed at the church for craft time and lunch, along with visiting the new homes God provided this community last year.  They were so excited and proud to show them to each one of us on our team.  What a blessing to be with them on this day.

Afternoon was spent at Naomi's Village catching our breathe from the morning and spending with the children.  Evening devotional was once again, a God-inspiring time for our team to share with the children, and tucking the kids in at night is a special joy only one can experience to explain.

We are all good, safe and experiencing God move among our team.  Our share time at nights have just been authentic and encouraging.  We are so thankful to be here to learn, love and share Jesus!

In Christ - Keith

#hopebegins
#cottonwoodfamily
#iamgoingnaomisvillage

Day 1 - Saturday, June23 - Philippians 2:4

Our team got off to a start in perfect fashion on our first day - Kenya Time!  Yes, our bus was planning on picking us up at 10am and did not show up until 11am, then we headed to ABC place for our traditional exchanging of Dollars into Shillings - which took another hour and longer and finally traveled through Nairobi, north to the Rift Valley Area.  This was exactly the plan God had for us because we were all enjoying our time together, building unity and friendship along the way.  Take a minute to see our pictures from the view over the Rift Valley.  Words cannot describe it!

Once we found ourselves entering Naomi's Village gates, we were met with the warmest greeting from the three amazing interns here at NV.  We took a quick pic, got oriented with the complex by Mark Sisler, then spent the rest of the day with the children of Naomi's Village with a bonfire and time singing, dancing and sharing life.  Lauren gave her testimony tonight and the Lord used it in a tremendous way to encourage us!  So proud of her.

Our passage from Philippians today encouraged us to share with one another, care for one another and serve one another, and man, the Lord answered our prayers.  The unity in our team is tremendous and the time we had today only shows us all what God is going to do the rest of the week.

Please keep praying for us as we look the the Lord and seek His heart together.

In Christ - Keith

Saturday, June 23 - Getting Started

What a beautiful morning in Kenya, Africa. The Lord has blessed our team with a great night sleep and we are about to embark on the rest of the week here in Africa.

Our devotional time today set the focus for our week together by reading Philippians 2 and looking to Jesus and following His example for our lives through serving others more than ourselves, for thinking of others more than we think of ourselves and serving others more than we serve ourselves - and to do it without grumbling or complaining.

Nairobi has given us the opportunity to live life today and to soak in the beauty of God's great creation.

Join us in praying for our schedule and day today as we journey to Naomi's Village in the Rift Valley area, go through orientation and most importantly - seek and love on the kids and have s'mores tonight, worship, dance and sing!! It is going to be a great day.

Please check in daily to read and see our pictures from our experiences we have while in Kenya this week.