My team's ministry has mostly been evangelism. We walk to the church and then to the villages around there. Africa is so different in almost every way imaginable, even the way they evangelize. For someone like me who doesn't even really like the word (because I picture crazy people in long missionary skirts trying to save the Africans), this is really a stretch. I have told the girls on my team that if I saw myself coming, I wouldn't talk to myself. This is also the response we get from some people we meet, but then we meet some people and get to pray with them and that makes it all worth it.

       The first day we went out I met a 14 year old girl named Lukia. She was a Muslim. We were talking with another girl and not even to her when she walked over to my translator and said she wanted to be saved. They are really quick with this in Africa. They walk up to people, ask if they go to church, if they are saved, or if they want to be. When someone says, "Yes" they want to move right along to a prayer. I like things a little slower. I want to make sure people really know what this means. It's not about numbers. I want people to simply know the truth and have the hope that offers. I also feel like follow-up and discipleship is very important. This is something we are working with the church on.

       This really is the reason I did this whole crazy trip and it is crazy. Most of the time I have no idea what I'm going to do once I get somewhere and once I do know, I feel like there must be someone better somewhere who could do this. I have learned that this is a lie because clearly I am who God wants to be here or I would see someone else. Last month was really neat for us as a team learning to use one another. That is why we are all here together.

   I have met many people out in the village. Today we met a six month old baby named Samali.

She was at an older couples house. We asked whose baby she was. They said she was dropped off two months ago by a women they didn't know and she never came back. She is precious. We learned that the mother wanted to throw the baby down the latrine which is a deep hole. The mother's sister told her she couldn't do that and took the baby. When she got home, her husband said he didn't want the baby, so she ended up taking the baby to this couple's house. 

This couple were in their 50's I would guess. 

They have grown children that are out of the house and really don't feel like they can take care of her either. A couple of our girls held the baby, but I felt like if I held her in my arms, my heart would break and I would start crying. I was already on the verge of this just looking in her big brown eyes.

       Samali was also small because she doesn't have breast milk and her guardians say that she eats when there is food and it didn't sound like they had a enough food all the time. The older couple are Christians and go to another church. I asked if anyone wanted the baby from church and they said no one was helping them. We asked about a children's home and Pastor Alex told us about a baby home in Kampala. We are getting more information about this and hopefully will be able to check this out soon. The guardians want the baby to go to this home. The women is also disabled and they say they can't take care of her. We were also told that Samali has malaria.

       Please pray that if it's God's will that the home would have space and want to take Samali. Pray for her health. Pray that I don't bring one of these adorable babies home in my pack. Samali means gift and I believe she is. Pray also that we are able to get Bibles for the church in their language. They are expensive and most church members don't have Bibles. We feel this is so important for them to grow in their faith.

       On another note. I checked my support account and noticed that I need about $600 more to raise. It is amazing that God has provided over $13,000 already. I'm trusting Him for this. Thank you!

       I also said in my last blog that I would tell the name of Adrian's baby. Her name is Amira and we got a scale and were able to weigh her. She was a little one at barely 6lbs. Continue to pray for that little family too! I had the fun of giving Amira her first two baths. Her birth I will always remember on the Race. I love you all. Until next time.

My time in Kenya for the past month is hard to put into words. There have been moments where I have laughed more then any other month on the WR. Moments where I have wanted to scream (and sometimes laughed so I wouldn't). Moments where I shed a few tears, some happy, some not so much. Even a moment where I had to give a shot to a teammate in the bum who had malaria. Its been a month of firsts. I have wondered if this month was worth it. Last night made everything worth it. Ok, it was worth it all along, but in my tiny human brain I was fighting a little with God. As if I knew even a fraction of His plan for me being here.

      I'll start with how this day started. My team and I met for team time, which is how we start most mornings. I had made a plan to go with Adrienne for an antenatal (baby in the belly) appointment. I'll back up a little more.

      Meet Adrienne.

She is a 22year old women I met probably on my third day here. She lives with her cousin and her family in a mud house not far from the house we are living in. She is beautiful. The first thing I noticed was her belly. It looked like she swallowed a basket ball. A perfect circle. I asked her when she was due. She told me June first. I told her then that I was a nurse and wanted to deliver her baby and so she had to have it just a little early. That's the first time I touched and talked to her belly ball. She just laughed. Adrienne is a talker, a laugher, and a sweet spirit.

      So this morning I walked with her for a couple miles for her baby checkup appointment. She told me it was right up the road We arrive and all is well.

Baby is in a good position, blood pressure is good, everything looks good. They don't like to do internal checks to see how dilated a women is until she is in labor. I can understand this because it can increase the risk of infection, but Adrienne I felt was close and having more pressure down low.

      We began our walk home. It was great to spend time with her talking. She mostly talked the whole time. I listened. She asked some baby questions, I answered. We talked about her family, which is a sad situation I won't get into now. We talked about God, the wind, food she likes (eggs make her vomit), and cloning. Just another day in Kenya.

      We make it back to where she is living. She watches her cousin's twin 18 month olds. Christy and Alex were watching them until we returned. Alex and I left for the hospital in the bigger town. We wanted to hold sick babies. We returned from the hospital at 5pm. Christy said that Adrienne started having contractions around the time we left, so for about five hours now. Adrienne's cousin came to get me around 6pm, saying Adrienne was in not okay. I packed a couple things and went to her. Christy, Alex, and Ginger came too.

      Adrienne was having a contraction at first sight of her. She was walking around the yard because she felt better walking during her contractions. I felt her belly and it seemed like she was having pretty intense contractions. I tried to time them which was hard because she never stopped talking and wanted us to have tea with her. They seemed between 4-5 minutes apart and lasted for about a minute in duration. She seemed in pain, but was handling it very well. I asked her if I could check and see how dilated she was and she said yes. We went in the only other room there is in the house and I helped her lay down. By this time it was almost completely dark outside and I can hardly see. We get a lantern and Alex comes in to hold her hand and the lantern for me so I could see what I was doing. It was still difficult to see.

      Thankfully I had bought gloves for just such an occasion. I inserted two fingers and felt the baby's head! I knew it had moved down farther because I didn't feel it low in her belly where it was that morning. It was a crazy moment. One I couldn't quite believe. She still didn't feel 10cm dilated and I couldn't see the head. I guessed only 5cm, but I probably misjudged a little. She just didn't feel that wide around the baby's head to start pushing. I am not a mother/baby nurse. I work in surgery! I had clinicals in L&D, but that was awhile ago.

      Adrienne didn't want to go to the hospital. She had no money and says the nurses are mean. Most babies around here are still born in a hospital or birthing center, but some are born at home. To give you an idea of what the hospital cost is, for a cesarean section it is 3,500 shillings or about 45 USD. I don't remember seeing a vaginal birth price, but it would be even less then this price. Crazy! Hopkins, where I worked charged $1,000 just for the room for one night. She wanted to have the baby at home, but there really was no space. My idea was to ask the pastor if we could use the church and she could deliver there.

      Ginger and I decided to go run home together to ask the pastor and gather a few supplies. We got home and I was telling the pastor what was going on and trying to sell our church birth plan. He said there was a room near the church with a bed that we could use. He got around to this in African time. Ginger was getting stuff together and I was getting impatient and wanted to get back.

      I was gone not more then a half hour and ready to head back when Alex busts in and said, Adrienne just had the baby! I looked at her for a second like she didn't just speak English. She ran into the bedroom and ran back out (something we laughed about later). Out the door she shot again and I ran out after her. Allan somehow was running with me too and had a flashlight thankfully. It's dark and muddy and I had on these shower flip flops and a big bag and haven't been to the gym in Africa lately. I remember praying the whole time, but I have no clue what I was saying. I just wanted to hear a baby cry. This whole run only took about five minutes, but felt forever. When I was about 50ft away, I heard a baby cry. Relief!

      I walk into the house and there is a women with the newborn. She pushes her at me and I check first her umbilical cord to make sure it is tied off. I see that it's a GIRL! She is making some noise, not crying loud. I want her to be louder.

She looks small. I would guess barely 6lbs, but healthy. I notice she is wrapped in Christy's scarf and a blanket we had bought for her days before.

      I go to Adrienne next. She is laying on the cement floor on a blanket. 

Still wearing the same dress she walked to the doctors with me in that morning. She had just delivered her placenta. Her uterus was still contracting. I checked to make sure she wasn't bleeding too much and that she hadn't torn. I was so thankful she didn't need any stitches. This also was hard in the lantern light and Alex and Christy were great assistants holding the blanket for a little privacy and the lantern. I felt her uterus, and started to massage that to help it firm up, plus it was helping her pain. I gave her some pain medicine. She was cold. Cassie gave Adrienne her rain jacket to put on.

      I told Adrienne I wanted her to try to feed the baby. I was a little worried about the baby's temperature and knew this would make her work and warm up. This would also help Adrienne's uterus to continue contracting so she would not bleed as much.

      The baby latched on great after a minute. Adrienne made a face of pain, but even that was adorable. Allen and Greg meanwhile are over against the far wall both sitting and holding the twins. That was cute too. Women around here don't care so much what guys see. I was trying to focus on what a beautiful picture Adrienne feeding her baby was and not think about everything I didn't have access to. For one, the shots I would normally give, an eye antibiotic I would usually put in the baby's eyes, a scale and tape measure to get weight and height, and a stethoscope, thermometer, and blood pressure cuff for vitals. I was praising God that the baby seemed to be breathing fine because I had nothing to suction with. 

She was born so fast that I was even more worried about fluid in her lungs because it didn't have much chance to get squeezed out on her way into the world.

      Let me go back in time again and tell you how exactly this baby was born when I had just left. The baby came into the world about 20 minutes after I left (so fast!) and about 15 minutes before I got back there and saw the baby. Adrienne said she felt like she needed to poop (the medical term). Alex told her no way was she going into the bathroom over a hole with a 20 foot drop. Alex told her she could poo in the yard so she went outside again. Adrienne squatted a little in the yard. Christy brought a lantern to Alex and Alex thought she was going to help clean her up after doing whatever she needed to do. Instead she saw the baby's head which was all the way out! She called to Christy to get a blanket and the first thing Christy found was a potato sack. Christy threw that on the ground under the baby's head and the rest of the baby just slid out fast on to the sack.

      For a second Alex said she was scared because the baby wasn't crying. Christy had just read a book of Adrienne's that day called, Where There Are No Doctors and remembered it saying you need a string to tie off the umbilical cord. She yelled for string and scissors and a neighbor women brought this. Alex saw the scarf around Christy's neck and tried to pull that off to wrap around the baby almost choking Christy in the process. Adrienne's cousin was screaming, her 4 year old daughter was screaming, a neighbor women came and ran away. Clearly even for Africa this was a new experience. Meanwhile Alex had taken off running back home in the pitch black to get me. I'm so glad she did. I'm a little sad I ended up being gone for the actual birth, but we have laughed so hard about this story and the fact that Christy and Alex were the ones there. God really has a sense of humor. I'm proud of them. They did a great job.

      I had felt like the Holy Spirit told me during month two in Nicaragua that I would deliver a baby. I have been praying for an opportunity to do so ever since. I'm not sure if this counts or not because I missed the potato sack part, but I'll take it and am still hoping for another birth. I've been told by the pastor and Adrienne that I would deliver a baby in Uganda which is where we are heading next. We will see. It's awesome to see God answer prayers.

      As a nurse it's really hard to not have what I think I need to treat a patient. What I would have in America. Sometimes what we think we need is not really what we need at all. Sometimes prayer is the most important tool we have and thankfully that is something we can carry on an 11 month backpack trip around the world. It's sad that I pray more when I don't have other tools instead, but this is the truth. I should thank God every moment for the tools I sometimes have and the knowledge from Him to know how to use them. We can not do one single thing on our own, not even take a breath. In America it's so easy to forget that because we really have everything.

      I'm thankful for this experience, thankful that the birth was really about as uncomplicated as a birth can be, and thankful once again that I saw how much God loves me. I'm glad He used a tiny baby to do that.

"You have formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well." Psalm 139:13-14

*Stay tuned for baby's first bath pictures and her name! She was not bathed (didn't want to drop her body temperature more) or named on her birth night.

*Photos by Ginger Larson* http://gingerlarson.theworldrace.org/

Welcome to Africa. Land of so many things I don't understand. I have never felt this overwhelmed by writing a blog. There are so many problems in Kenya I don't even know where to start. There are good things too, but in my present state of mind they are really hard to focus on. I did also just got back from the outhouse again. It smells so bad in there I just want to vomit every time I go in. Just breath into the toilet paper and you will make it out alive. That's what I tell myself. I'll just start with some of what I've been doing in Kenya and meeting an adorable orphan boy named Vic today.

      Alex and I have been working with social workers from an NGO called Ordinary Women. They have 100 orphans in the program. There are many more on the waiting list. The children are between the ages of 6-18 years old and are total (both parents died) or partial orphans (one parent died). The most common cause of death of these parents is AIDS. What the program does is pay the school fees for the child so they can remain in school, pay for their school uniform, buy them some groceries every month, some soap to keep their clothes clean, and make visits to the child's home or school to evaluate their well being. 

They also encourage the child in their education if their grades are slipping and in their faith.

 I want to be honest and say that the idea of the program and some of what they do is good, but there is a LOT of room for improvement. Questions to the children need to be asked in different ways and there are ways for the origination to be much more efficient and save funds. This I plan to put in my report for the Pastor at the end of the month. The social workers are doing the best they know how to do. There is a large need for education in Kenya. In this country you can pay to pass university classes and get your certificate or diploma

      Alex and I met for the second time today a boy in the program named Vic.  

He is 9 years old. Both of Vic's parents died and he lives with his guardian which is his Grandmother. He is blessed to have a family member to take him in. Vic doesn't talk much. I wouldn't talk much either to two white women if I was him. Vic has some learning disabilities. He had an MRI of his brain last month which showed was normal, but they feel he still has problems with his memory. He can't even remember how to write his name, but could copy it when I wrote it for him today.

      As I had a quick visit with this little orphan boy today, I once again prayed for the future of this child. Sometimes it feels I can really do so little. I know this is another part of what God is teaching me. It doesn't matter how useful I feel. It is not and never was about what I could or can do. God doesn't need me to accomplish His plan in Kenya and in Vic's life. He is God. It isn't about me. That is easy to say, but a lot harder to live out everyday.

Pure and undefiled religion before God is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble. James 1:27

      Please continue to pray for our team and squad health. It's hard to get exact numbers, but a good amount have Malaria, Typhoid, or both. Even if we don't have these illnesses, many have stomach issues. Thanks!

       Another night in Kenya. Mercy, Praise, and Grace just finished braiding my hair. I can't even count all the braids. While I look like a nut, the girls had fun and I loved spending time with them. These girls are 13, 12, and 9 years old. I'm living with all of them this month. They remind me of my littlest sisters Hannah and Grace. I miss them!

      Mercy wants to be a Doctor and we talk about her science homework. Praise loves singing. She wrote her first song when she was four years old. She told me Jesus gives her the words. She has the sweetest voice. Grace is the youngest and the shy one. She doesn't say much to me in English, but she can sure break into Swahili and say a thing or two to the other girls! They all have beautiful chocolate skin and closely shaved heads. Many have to have very short hair for school, so they love when someone has hair for them to practice braiding. They are beautiful inside and out. I love when I have the chance to tell little girls that don't feel beautiful that they are.

      These girls are not even all sisters by birth. The Pastor has some foster children that live with his family. This doesn't seem to matter much to the girls. They all just love each other.

      Another thought I had while the girls were braiding my hair was how a braid is like how a marriage should be. It should be three people, not just two. Just like a braid, it's stronger that way. When two people try to make a marriage work without God, it either falls apart or at the best is not all it could be.

      My team and I have seen many marriages in trouble and just ones that have fallen apart or seem about to. Many of our contacts have admitted to problems in this area and I have just seen unhealthy relationships. Even in Christian marriages this is a great place for Satan to attack. What would be better then destroying the beautiful picture of what marriage is supposed to be? There is a lot of evil at work in this area and we need to pray for marriages to be strong and realize how much God is needed at the center. I feel that many people believe they are doing good works and while that may be true if your marriage doesn't remain your top priority, the rest won't matter.

      Like marriage, Mercy, Praise, and Grace are beautiful things created by God.

     As I write this, I have already left Cambodia and am sitting at our hostel in Kenya. It's a beautiful 60 degree night. I'm looking at a fire, listening to Allan play guitar. Today was just a crazy day of visiting the Indian embassy to get our visas for India in August. Since arriving in Kenya yesterday, I've just been so at peace and filled with Joy. There are so many blessings in our life and we miss them so often. God allows you to feel certain things and I'm so thankful for everything I have and to be in Kenya!

      Before we left Cambodia, Allan and I had the great opportunity to go visit some remote, jungle villages for a couple days. I was so thankful to be able to do this. The focus of the trip was medical, but it ended up being more about seeing many things. God really knows what you need to experience more then you do. It made me think more about ministry and how to get involved. We went with a man named Mordecai and I love how practical his work is.

      Mordecai talks a lot and tells great stories which I love. His wife is a midwife and I met her at the clinic I went to one Saturday. He has a lot of medical experience. He takes all different people out into the jungle to see these villages that no one but him really go to. He mostly rides in with his dirt bike. The roads are better suited for this and he just has a blast on his bike. His philosophy is if you are not having fun and you don't like your job, find a new one. Missionary work is about sacrifice, but it's also about fun and he shows that. He builds relationships with the people, takes medical supplies to them, and many other things.

 These are villages not even on a map. There is no map so he made one the best he could.

He just figures it out as he goes.

      We started our journey in a Range Rover Defender. This was one bumpy ride. I loved it. On our way to the church we would be staying in, we stopped at this NGO organization where the women can make money by weaving cloth and making all kinds of cool things. 

This is one thing Cambodia needs, jobs for locals so they can feed their family in a way that enables them to keep their dignity.

      We arrive at the church where we will be sleeping. This is just a board wall building. The bed was just a frame really with no mattress.

We were living with a family and they were all so welcoming. The food was great. Good thing I like fish, greens, and rice.

       We saw the well that Mordecai gave supplies to this village to build and other wells we saw along the way too. Clean water is so important to health. He gives the people what is needed to build the wells, but they dig them and do the building themselves. 

There is a sense of ownership this way. This seems so simple, but truly one of the best primary methods of healthcare there is. It's about prevention. A lot of the wells were close to drying up because it's the end of the dry season. This is not a huge deal because they can always just dig them deeper if it runs out before the rains come.

     We were hot after our long ride, so went to bath in the river. 

This was my only option for bathing, so in I went.

 We washed right next to water buffalo.

                                                         I stayed upstream of them to avoid the poo.

      That night a lot of people in the village came out and came to watch a movie in the church. It was just nice to see all these people happy and the feeling of community here was so strong. I was tired and knew that the roasters just crow whenever they feel like it, so fell asleep early.

      Early in the morning we were off to a couple different villages. The villages here mine for gold. I felt like I stepped back into the 1800's gold rush in America, except for all the Asians.

These pictures can show this process better then I can explain it. There is a lot of mercury in the water. This helps the gold to stick together, but also makes the water toxic and is bad for the children to be around. Some of the villages we passed were disserted. This is the end of the dry season and until the rains come, they cant mine for gold again.

      It was in one of these villages that the Range Rover got stuck. It was in mud up to its bumper. 

While I was taking pictures of this and backing up in case the wench snapped back (this happened) 

I felt the ground give way beneath me. Down I feel into this thick mud like quicksand. This was the second time that had happened to me. The first time Allan just pulled me out quick. This time everyone was farther away and I thought no need to make a scene and I can surely get out myself. I am slowly sinking, so I fall down to my knees and am able to pull one leg and then the other out. It's a strong suction in there. I try to stand up and fall through again! I can't believe it. At this time Allan turns around and sees me. I start laughing so much that now I sure am not making progress getting out. We are both laughing. He and half the village it feels like come over for the show. I finally crawl out again and make it to safe land. My pants and shoes look like they have been covered in cement. A boy brings me a bucket of mercury water and I think for a moment before just stepping in and trying to get some off.

       Mordecai breaks out his medical bag. I don't speak the language so this makes it hard. Mordecai hands my his stethoscope and I listen to a 21 day old baby's heartbeat. 

It sounds so fast, but healthy. I check her mom too, but don't do too much other medical stuff. Medications for rashes, worms, prenatal vitamins, and antibiotics are given out.

  There are babies everywhere. One of my favorite things was just holding one. 

I thought while this little girl was in my arms what a different life she would have if she was my child. It doesn't seem fair. God only knows what the future holds for her, but statically speaking it will be very different. The opportunities for education and just even healthy food and water will be so much less. I prayed that she would bring Jesus to this village because really nothing is impossible. This village does not have any Christians. How great it would be for them to be able to find hope in that. I know there is a plan for this baby.

      Our last stop was a village where we were invited to share some palm wine.

It was just fun to be welcomed by these people and to accept what they offered us. They said Allan looked like Jesus with his beard. Allan asked then what they knew about Jesus and was able to speak a little to them about what they believe. Many of these people have seen the Jesus video, but know little else.

          I'm loving my time in Cambodia for the second time. I pray It's not my last time in this beautiful country. I have been doing a couple different ministry things with different organizations.

          I'm teaching English at New Hope School in the mornings. These children are adorable.

They all call me "Teacher" in their cute Khmer accent. I teach a preschool class with Alex and then a 2^nd grade class. The 4 year olds are not difficult. The 2^nd graders are a bit harder especially when I don't have a translator, which is most of the time. 

I enjoy teaching them some math even more then English and I figure they can learn both together. I have children in this class from age 7-12. It depends on the skill of the child and not the age. We are supposed to wear white collared shirts like all the teachers do. Well someone forgot to mention that to me in the US when I was packing my pack. It has been working out.

            We help serve lunch after teaching which is always rice and some soup with different vegetables and meat. Since many of the children have rotten teeth, I figure this is easy to chew. After this all the children have a two hour nap time and our work here is done. We are also living above the school and below the church on one of the middle levels.

            On Friday night we have the youth service right upstairs. One night we just had a party for the Khmer New Year. The youth seemed to love teaching us some traditional dances and just playing games together. They like having conversations with you too so they can practice their English.

            We also heard about a Ministry called Water of Life from some Australians that live with us. It's been so great hearing their stories. We visited Water of Life now a couple times. Mostly we have just seen the three houses and met the people that run these homes and met the children and young people that live there. One home is for older boys, one is for older girls, and one is for children. It was at Water of Life that I met Carrie who told me about a medical clinic she works with.

            One Saturday I was able to go visit the clinic with a couple other girls from my team. This was a cute little two room clinic for mothers and babies. Sitting outside the clinic were mom's with their babies or pregnant wommen.

Many had a baby or young child and were pregnant again. The first room of the clinic that you walk into is for the babies or children to be examined and the back room is for the pregnant women to be examined. There is one doctor that works here, two midwifes, and Carrie who is an American that does a bit of everything from nursing to social work to translating because she speaks the language. 

These women were so fun to spend the day with.

            The most memorable patient was a little baby about 6 weeks old now. 

She was born around 27-28 weeks to the best of anyone's guess and weighed only a little over 2lbs. Her little eyes were still fused closed on the sides at birth and she couldn't even open them all the way. She has perfect features and can now open her tiny eyes fully. I have never seen a baby this small out of a N.I.C.U much less breastfeeding. It's truly amazing that she is surviving and gaining weight living in the slums.

            I loved standing with these women and not just treating a physical need, but laying hands on this baby and praying for her and her mom. There is something that is hard to put into words about moments like these. I think the best way would be to just say extreme thankfulness that God allows me to be a small part of His work on earth. Also thankfulness that I will never have to have a premature baby, living in a slum and not have enough food to eat or clean water to drink for me or my children. I can not really imagine that. I can try, but no one can if they are not living it every day.

            I was also able to give a baby some medicine for his cough, see some rashes, watch a sonogram, help assess babies, and just hear peoples stories. I miss being in the medical world. It was just so great to give a med again! 

            When you start traveling all over the world, you realize how small it really is and though poverty seems like a huge issue, in a way it Isn't. There is enough food. There is enough water. There is enough cheep medicine to treat the leading causes of death in children around the world.

            You can get on a plane and be in a hut in Africa in a few short hours helping a child sex slave. The world is small. I'll be talking more about this and the AIDS pandemic when I get to Africa next month. I'll be giving practical ideas how you at home can help without moving and living overseas. The resources we have on earth now are just not distributed correctly. Governments and just ordinary people are sinful, but we have awesome potential with Gods' help.

            There is more sharing among the poor then the rich. The rich are really the majority of people living in the western world. Yes Hollywood sends millions of dollars their way and I'm thankful for that, but I've seen a little boy wearing dirty clothes sharing a muffin that our team brought him knowing that the only other thing he has to eat is rice. It's giving when you feel it. It's sacrifice. It reminds me of the story in the Bible about the woman who gave her coins. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything all she had to live on." Mark 21:43

            They gave a portion of what they had. They could afford to give it. She gave everything. I'm not just talking about money either. Jesus wants everything, our hearts, our gifts, our hands and feet. If we don't give it, that baby will die of starvation or from a disease that a cheap vaccine would prevent. That 10 year old girl will sell herself to feed her little brothers and sisters and as a result most likely contract AIDS and die within a few years. We have the resources and education to help and with that a responsibility. This wont look the same for everyone and that's okay. How will it look in your life?

         Today we were able to get in contact with a man that goes into remote villages and does medical clinics. His wife is the doctor at the clinic I went to. Allan and I will be leaving in the early morning for two nights to go to this village. I'm thankful we get the opportunity to do this and I'm thankful for the rest of my great team who will be covering all the English classes while we are away. Pray for us. I'm excited!

       We will be leaving for Kenya on either Sunday or Monday, so pray for us as we travel also. You know moving our squad anywhere takes four days. We just love the longgg bus rides.