It's So Hard to Say Goodbye

As many of you have probably already heard or read, I will be returning to the US on Monday, 31 October. This decision was a very difficult one for me, but one that I felt couldn’t be avoided. There were a number of personal factors that led me to this decision. Nevertheless, it has been very, very difficult saying “goodbye” to my students, their parents, and my West Nairobi School family.

There are a few stories that I would like to share as I finish up my time here in Kenya. Please read on and enjoy.

Although English is one of the national languages here in Kenya, there are often misunderstandings from just a difference in the way we use words. For example, my ninth graders take things very, very literally. I was thanking the freshman one day for how well-behaved they are in my class. I explained to them that sometimes my classes with upper classmen get scolded for talking too often. They then asked me to tell them which class was the worst for talking too much. I told them that I wouldn’t tell them that because they would probably throw me under the bus by telling that class. One of the students sincerely looked at me and said, “Ms. Helton, we would never throw you under a bus!” Ha ha ha ha!!! I then had to explain what the saying actually means. J

Another day with the ninth grade in Health Class, we were discussing genetic testing that would reveal a person’s biological disposition to certain diseases. I asked the class, “How would you feel if a test revealed that you had a 99% chance of developing cancer in your life? Would that consume you?” One of the students (a different one from last time) then sincerely asked, “Do you mean it would eat you alive?” LOL. I then proceeded to explain to him that by “consume” I meant “take over one’s thoughts.”

Watching the students at their sporting events is another fun past time. Here is a picture of the football (soccer) team doing a chant after they won their first game of the season!

 The peoples of Africa have many behaviors that are nothing short of talented! I thought I would share some photos of these talents and encourage you to try them—or maybe not! J

Can you believe how much they put on a rickety bicycle??? Now usually they are riding them with this much on them, but this was a slight incline.

I need to learn to carry things on my head like this! And look--no hands! So impressive.

Okay, now this may not look like it requires talent, but I wish you could see the teamwork that goes into hoisting a man outside this dump truck into the dump truck! They fill it to capacity and get to work this way each and every morning.

Missy Parks, the placement specialist from the Network of International Schools for West Nairobi School, visited us last month. She and NICS so kindly treated the entire faculty and staff to a Brazilian barbecue restaurant called “Fogo Gaucho” for Alanna (the middle school history teacher’s) birthday. We ate beef, chicken, crocodile, and more. It was so good! 

Plus, my friend Jenn (the high school Spanish teacher who taught in South America for five years before coming to WNS) was so amused by the Kenyan gauchos.

I thought that I would close with some pictures of my classes. We had food, drinks, and fun in every bell my last day! Of course, as any good teacher would, we did classwork as well.

This class is Human Anatomy & Physiology. They are Juniors.

This class is Chemistry. They are mostly Sophomores.

This class is Health. They are Freshman and Seniors.

This class is Biology. They are Freshman.

This class is Physics. They are mostly Seniors.

Thank you so much for following my blog. I know that some of you have many questions about my leaving the mission field. And for those of you that gave financially to help me, I can definitely understand your concerns. If at any point, you would like to talk to me personally about those, please feel free. I want everyone to understand why I had to come home.

I am 100% sure that God called me to Nairobi. Why he wants me to come home early is still a question in my mind. I do know, however, that “God is God, and I am not. I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting” (from Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “God is God”). I also know that God’s thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are not my ways (from Isaiah 55:8). For the time being, I am just going to have to trust Him even though I don’t understand it all.

I would appreciate your prayers during all of the transitions that I am making in the near future. Asante sana.

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for my travels home. I did not do very well on my trip here due to severe motion sickness.
• Please pray that I will be able to support my family through some difficult times that they are facing.
• Please pray that I will be able to quickly find a job so that I don’t have to mooch off my mother for too long! LOL
• Please pray for the staff and administration at West Nairobi School that are needing to fill the spaces created by my absence.
• Please pray for my students that God will comfort their hearts as I go. Students in international schools often have to say “goodbye” to many, many people in their lives. Please pray that their transition will be smooth and that God can use this for good.
• Please pray for my roommate, Kristin, as she will be encountering many changes with my leaving as well.

Praises:

• Praise God that my colleagues at West Nairobi School have been so encouraging and comforting in this time of difficulty. They have prayed with me, sent me kind notes, and offered many, many favors to make my transitions easier.
• Praise God for my roommate Kristin. She has been a wonderful roommate and has been so kind and understanding with the news of my leaving.
• Praise God for the “Nairobi Girls” (the 7 other new teachers this year) that took me to dinner last night at a great restaurant and really made me feel loved! We are already planning visits when they are home in the States over Christmas and summer breaks! J
• Praise God for a family that is so supportive no matter where I feel He is leading me—Florida, Africa, or home.
• Praise God for all of my students at WNS. Even though I’ve only known them for a short time, I love them very much. They have helped me laugh, taught me patience, and made me feel loved. I will have truly left a piece of my heart in Kenya!

No One Ever Accused Me of Being at a Loss for Words!

I have been in Nairobi now for about five weeks. I have to say that the time is flying by, and I couldn’t believe that it had been a month since my last blog post. For the most part, I have been concentrating on school, school, school, and school. :) That’s what a good teacher is supposed to do though, right???

Those of you that are able to be in contact with my mother or me on Facebook know that I struggled for a little over a week with illness. I had quite a few strange symptoms that I have not had—or at least have not had at the same time. The symptoms seemed to be so unrelated that WebMD could shed no light on their cause! LOL. I began missing school and having difficulty with elevated blood pressure. At that point, I realized it was time to go to the doctor. As you can imagine, health care here is a little different than in the States. The doctor I saw was good, but she didn’t seem to take the same approach to medical issues as I am used to. She never did truly figure out what was wrong with me, but God was merciful anyway! She gave me an antibiotic for a sinus infection that seemed to “fix” whatever else had been wrong as well. It’s a little disconcerting to not know what was wrong, but to be feeling so, so, so much better is a huge blessing.

I teach five classes this semester: Human Anatomy & Physiology, Chemistry, Health, Biology, and Physics. To say that my plate is full is such an understatement. I have had to teach myself time management all over again. My students and I are still getting used to my discipline policies, my pace for class, and their ability to “LISTEN TO MY WORDS”! LOL. (I can’t tell you how many times a day I say that phrase, and yes, I teach high school!) :)

One of the things that I am most thankful for is our furniture! I know that I mentioned ordering our furniture in my last post. I sit at our dining room table to do my schoolwork. We relax in our sofa and chairs to watch an occasional movie or TV show. It really helps make this apartment halfway around the world from my family feel a little more like home.

Recently, a family who has two students in our school invited all of the new teachers over to their house for dinner one evening. The food was wonderful, and the fellowship was even better. God has shown me the importance of investing in peoples’ lives so much more here because my family is so far away. The “highlight” of the evening did not come at their home, however. It was on the drive home. By 7:30pm, it is very, very dark here, and driving becomes so much more difficult. My roommate, Kristin, and I were heading home when I saw a look of terror on her face and realized she was looking at my window. (Note: I was driving.) I look over at my window to see the biggest spider I have ever seen crawling up my window!!!

Now, those of you that know me well know that I have terrible arachnophobia! When I realized that it was on the outside of the window, I was only slightly relieved. I still had to get out of the car when we arrived home WITHOUT this spider getting anywhere near me. One would think this spider would fall off since we were going about 40mph, but oh no. When we got home, I threw open the door and dove out of the car to make sure that it couldn’t get me. :) I searched frantically all over the car and couldn’t find that scary thing. I got back in the car and backed it into our parking space. No sooner did we get our things out of the trunk, when ALONG CAME A SPIDER!  We park our car right next to Kristin’s bedroom window, and they don’t close tightly like they do in the States. I knew that we must kill this ferocious beast or be doomed to meet it again! I asked Kristin to get me the broom. (It was the only item that I could think of that would allow me to keep my distance from the spider while killing it.) Even this took several, several seconds for me to work up my nerve. But alas, we overcame!

I have had many questions about the restaurants here in Nairobi. Until very recently, there were NO American fast food chains. (Apparently, McDonald’s and Kenya have some disagreement about the meat and potatoes they would like to be used.) :( Well, a KFC recently opened. That’s right—Kenya has Kentucky Fried Chicken! LOL. The line was literally hours long the first few days that they were open. Kristin and I still have not gone just because our time is too precious to wait that long in line for food. Most of the other new teachers have gone, and said that it is FANTASTIC! I am hoping to get there this week. I’ll give you a report in the next blog post. :)

Those of you that are teachers or are close to teachers know that it can be very stressful, and one needs time to relax. That time for me is Friday nights. I do schoolwork every other night of the week, but Friday nights are my time to hang out with the other teachers and just have FUN! We usually go to a restaurant, do some shopping, and watch a movie together. The eight of us that are new get along so well that it is a real comfort to be with them and feel that I can be “100% Angela”. :) This past Friday night, one of the “seasoned” teachers had a Greek-themed birthday party at her apartment complete with Greek food and the movie “Mama Mia”. It was a great time of fellowship, but I don’t have such great words for the film! LOL

I am so pleased to let you know that I have found a church home here in Nairobi. I have been attending Nairobi Chapel now for about five weeks. I love their involvement in the communities in and around Nairobi, and I can’t wait to get more involved myself. Three of the other new teachers are attending there with me as well. We have all signed up for “Plug-In” groups to get us more acquainted with the church and to help us know where we can serve. We have our first meeting this Tuesday night and will meet for 10 weeks including a “Plug-In” retreat at the end. I will make sure to keep you updated along the way.

I almost forgot to tell one final story. Here in Nairobi, there is a hawk-like bird known as a kite that will swoop down and take the food right off of your plate if you are outside in a semi-open area! These birds are HUGE! I would guess their wingspan to be 2+ feet. The students (as well as the teachers) at school eat outdoors, so there is always a little fear. We had a special meal time at Nairobi Chapel last Sunday afternoon with some fabulous Kenyan food. The tables were all outdoors in the wide-open field!?! I saw the kites circling but thought that I would be fine. (Said the naive girl!) No sooner did I step out of the tent then one swooped down and tried to steal my food. I screamed! The good news is that he only got my fork! LOL.

I know that this has been a very, very long post. Thank you so much taking the time to read it. I will try my best to update it more often so that the updates are a little more bite-sized. :) I can’t thank you enough for all of the prayers and thoughts for me while I serve God in Africa. Please make sure to keep in touch!

Prayer Requests:

• Please pray for continued health. My blood pressure is continuing to run a little higher than it should be.
• Please pray that God will help me to do all of my preparations faster and/or more efficiently.
• Please pray for our “Plug-In” group. I want to be very active in my new church so that I may spiritually serve the people of Kenya.
• Please pray for the people of Kenya: the drought causes problems with not only water, but food and electricity also; inflation is at 16.5% so prices are rising very quickly; the election next year is already causing tension; and the unemployment rate is said to be over 50%.

Praises:

• The school year has been going very well so far.
• We have not hit anyone or anything while driving! It may sound funny, but in Kenya, that is really your only driving goal. :)

One Week Down and God Has Been So Good!

Tuesday, 2nd August at noon marked my first week in Kenya. I have to say that I LOVE IT! I know that challenges will come, but God has been so gracious thus far. Some amazing things have happened and some amazing adventures have been had. I hope that you will read on to hear all about them.

On Friday, 29th July, we went to a Maasai Market. It was much like a flea market may be in the States, but almost everything is handmade. It was a huge learning experience! You learned not to look at any item for very long, or the African vendor would quickly come up to you, grab and hold your hand, and start trying to talk you into buying. Because we are white, the people start at very high prices, but they usually quickly add “Is negotiable”. We had many experienced shoppers with us to help bargain for appropriate prices. I bought a beautiful large basket to be a clothes hamper as well as bracelets for my niece and nephew, Ashtyn and Cole. (Shhh! It is a surprise.)

We moved into our new apartment on Saturday, 30th July. It far exceeds my expectations of what I thought an apartment in Africa would look like! Raise your hand if you expected me to be living in a mud hut or in a tin shack. Yeah, that is what I thought! Hakuna matata! I thought the same thing. :) The truth of the situation is that Wzungu (white people) must live in compounds that have walls with electric fencing and 24 hour security guards due to the amount of crime in Nairobi. Therefore, our apartment costs what it would in Cincinnati although my salary is much less. All that being said, it is a beautiful apartment, and I work hard daily to make it my home.

Also on Saturday, we went to the Giraffe Park. It was one of the best animal encounters I have ever had. You were to walk up on this stage where the giraffes would come up to eat the food right out of your hands—or your mouth, if you so dared! I did not dare! :) There were nine giraffes in total, but we only fed four--along with a few warthogs.

On Sunday, we, of course, attended church. It was a very good experience as the Kenyan Assistant Pastor delivered a wonderful sermon. The church had a very American feel, and I THINK I would like to attend a church that feels a little more African. I am open to God’s leading and do ask that you pray for me during this search.

If you have ever driven on the right side of the car and the left side of the road, you understand that my first driving experience on Monday was met with great trepidation. To add to the anxiety, there are few real rules of the road in Nairobi. This means that, by American standards, people drive like MANIACS! I have now made about a dozen trips and am okay unless I have to navigate a roundabout. It is my worst nightmare materialized! LOL. Please pray for safety while on the road.

Tuesday was “Furniture Shopping Day” for my roommate, Kristin, and me. One of the major streets in our area has an entire section where goods are sold along the side of the road, and is, therefore, nicknamed “Furniture Row.” Hard bargaining must be done here as well. I am becoming a little more accustomed to it all now and feel that we were able to get a good price for all that we purchased. The truly exciting part is that all of the furniture is made to order! The skill and craftsmanship that these men and women exhibit in such harsh conditions and with so few tools (and obviously, no power tools) is nothing short of amazing! I hope that they understand the admiration and respect that I have for them.

That lastly brings me to the Kenyan culture. I have to say that for the most part, I LOVE Kenyans. (I mean, what people group doesn’t have some idiosyncrasies that annoy others?!?) They are so helpful, eager to please, accommodating, welcoming, hard working, and joyful! For example, they always say “hello” and shake your hand. They will load your cart, push it to the cashier for you, push it to your car for you, load it into your car for you, and then be thrilled when you give them the Kenyan equivalent of 20 cents. It is a culture that values friendships and relationships. God is already working on my heart of how I could improve in these areas. I only pray that it continues, and that I will be able to be a blessing to them in some way as well.

Prayer Requests:

• Satan has been working overtime to get some of the girls off task. Please pray that God would protect us and that we would not let Satan steal the overflowing joy that God gives. 
• School starts on Tuesday, 9th August. There is much to be done to prepare our lessons and our classrooms. Please pray that our classes will have the sweet aroma of a loving God that so much wants a place in the hearts of each of our students.
• Please pray for safety in driving. I will try to have someone take a picture while I drive so that you may see why it is so important.
• Please pray for each of us new teachers specifically:
• Kristin: High School English
• Gari: High School Social Studies
• Rachel: Special Education
• Jennifer: High School Spanish
• Amber: 4th Grade
• Tara: 3rd Grade
• Jessica: 1st Grade
• Me: High School Science

Praises:

• God has blessed me with a wonderful science classroom that exceeded my expectations!

• The seven other teachers have been such a huge blessing. Everyone has been so kind, patient, and flexible.
• The teachers who are no longer new (I shall refrain from saying “old”! LOL) have dropped so many of their plans over the last several days to drive, shop with, cook for, answer questions for, and just pour God’s love on us. I don’t think I could have done so much in such a short period of time without them.

The African Adventures Are Finally Beginning

I can now officially say that I live in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa! While I can type those words, they have not completely sunk in. It is a little strange to me to feel like it is not a reality, but I am sure that once I live in the culture for a while, it will be VERY REAL! 


Satan was definitely doing EVERYTHING that he could to interfere with me getting to the place that I know that God has called me. We arrived at the Greater Cincinnati Airport on Monday morning a little ahead of schedule. The kiosk would not allow me to check in, and I had to be taken to an actual human!  I was first told that I could not check-in because I did not already have my visa. (While some countries require you to have a visa before you come, Kenya is not one of them.) We finally had to purchase a return ticket (which is refundable) for me!?! The next obstacle came as the question, “How many bags are you checking today?” When I replied five, I knew we were in for another issue. LOL. The representative was very kind and worked on getting it all resolved for quite some time. In the meantime, I tried to call our Member Care Specialist at West Nairobi School only to find out that out of the three cell phones with us, none had plans that allowed them to call internationally! I can laugh at this now, but a meltdown began at the actual time! My mom softly reminded me that since we knew that God wanted me in Nairobi that He would provide the way for me to get there. Oh me of little faith! She was, of course, right, and several minutes later, I was checking in to my flight. We had to really hustle to my gate, but it was good exercise considering I would be sitting for most of the next 21 hours. 


As I’ve mentioned earlier in blog posts, I get severe motion sickness. My doctor had prescribed the sea sickness patches that you put behind your ear to see if that would work more affectively. Unfortunately, not only did the patch not work, but I started feeling even more ill than my usual motion sickness. The captain has already turned on the “Fasten Seatbelts” sign, and we were making our descent into Washington D.C. I become frantic when I realized that there were no “Motion Discomfort Bags” in my seat pocket or in the pocket next to me!!! I could not wait so I rushed into the lavatory that was, fortunately, right next to my seat. As I was getting sick, I could hear the flight attendant on the PA system saying that “someone” is not in their seat, and we could not taxi to our gate until “that person” returned! LOL. Oops! 


Unfortunately, I got sick on the next flight too. The good thing is that about three hours into the thirteen hour flight, I started to feel quite a bit better and was actually enjoying watching movies and TV shows on my own behind-the-headrest monitor. I was praising the Lord when the rest of my flight was rather uneventful!  I arrived safely in Ethiopia and had just a short layover before my two hour flight to Nairobi. 


I have been very pleased with just how friendly Kenyans have been to me even though it is so obvious that I am a foreigner. The man working at the Visa Application desk did not seem to mind that I had filled out both forms since I was not sure which one was correct. A man helped me get all of my luggage onto two carts and would not even accept the tip that I offered him. The man at Customs and I were joking with each other just a few seconds into our conversation. People wave, shake hands, and smile a lot. It has been quite nice!


It has been so great to be reunited with the other new teachers that I met at Orientation in Missippi. We are still waiting for one more to arrive as she has been having some health issues. It has been so wonderful to meet so many of the teachers. They are so kind about answering EVERY ONE of our questions. I know that if they pour God’s love on their students the way that they have us that we are in for an AWESOME school year!


Well, I know this has been a bit long, but I know that so many were curious about all of the details of my trip. I will be opening a YouTube account so that I can post videos that I take. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog and for praying for me while God leads me in this new endeavor! You all mean so much to me!


Prayer Requests:
 Please remember Amber (the new teacher I mentioned earlier)  as she is still traveling and has been ill.
 Please pray that I would feel a little better. I think I am just feeling a little “blah” from a combination of things: fatigue, a reaction to the motion sickness patch, dehydration due to the sickness and the high altitude (Nairobi is 5,000 feet above sea level.), and the altitude.
 Please pray for me and the other new teachers as we set up our apartments and our classrooms. We are currently staying at a guest house so that we have time to buy some necessities before we move in. 


Praises:
 Despite Satan’s many, many attempts, I (and ALL of my luggage) made it to Nairobi safely!
 All of the school faculty, staff, and volunteers have been so kind.
 I do not have to fly again for a very, very long time! 

Does it matter I've not been out of the US before?!?

Sunday Afternoon, my trek began to Southaven, Mississippi for my pre-field orientation (PFO). It is about an 8-8 1/2 hour drive from Cincinnati, so I decided to stop overnight at a hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. I now realize how important that was to get that extra rest!
Since Monday at 4pm, we have been going non-stop. A friend said that she knew I must be busy because my Facebook updates were fewer than usual. (LOL)
I have had a WONDERFUL time getting to know the other seven new teachers going to Nairobi with me. They are phenomenal people! I'd like to share some things about them with you so that you may pray for them.
Kristin Luehr: Is from Minneapolis, Minnesota; will be teaching High School English; and will be my roommate
Gari Reynolds: Is from Southaven, Mississippi; will be teaching High School Social Studies; and is my roomate while we are at PFO
Rachel Case: Is from Olive Branch, Mississippi; and will be teaching Special Education
Amber Geist: Is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and will be teaching Fourth Grade
Jenn Sorenson: Is from Indiana; her parents are missionaries to South Africa; taught with NICS in Suriname; and will be teaching Spanish
Tara Manheim: is from Illinois; and will be teaching Third Grade
Jessica Warren: is from Tennessee; and will be teaching First Grade

From Back to Front, Left to Right: Gari, Jessica, Rachel, Tara, Kristin, Jenn, Amber, and Me.

I would so appreciate your prayers for us all. The transition we are about to experience may very well be the most difficult event we have ever faced. This orientation is trying to prepare us for this transition as well as what an international classroom will be like. We typically have classes everyday (except Sunday) from 8am to 5:30pm. We typically get home about 9pm. (Gari and her family have been kind enough to let me stay with them.)
I wish that I could tell you everything we've learned and experienced, but it would be far too much. One of the facilitators found it quite interesting and exciting that I've never been out of the US! (LOL) She says that it will be the best and the worst thing I've ever done! :) I joked with my Nairobi girls and our school chaplain, Mike Bussell, that the speakers were not doing very well at selling this job! (LOL) Truthfully, I am glad they are preparing us as much as is possible and are teaching us to work through this dramatic transition.
I will be back in Cincinnati on Saturday, July 9th, and then the final countdown will begin! I am Nairobi-bound on Monday, July 25th. Please pray for me every time I come to mind. Thank you all so much for all the support you have given me for this calling.

Praises:
Safety in my trip to Southaven, MS
Rachel's surgery went well, and she is recovering quickly.
All 8 of us going to teach at Nairobi for the first time seem to be normal people, and we get along very well so far! :)

Prayer Requests:
I will be able to join with more financial partners for support in Africa. I have currently only raised 30% of the money that I need.
Safety traveling back to Cincinnati at the end of PFO
Safety and NO MOTION SICKNESS on my flight to Nairobi!!! :)
That my family will feel God's grace and love surrounding them as they transition through me leaving

Reality is setting in!!!

I was waiting for things to pick up before I wrote another post and boy have they! 


Most of my furniture has sold and even went to the same family. I've finished selling most of my collectibles on eBay. God has even blessed me by helping me find some gold jewelry that I was able to sell. Seeing God work in those small areas means so much. It helps me remember that He is the One that called me to this mission work, and He will provide for me along the way. 


I heard a message at church camp in 1994 by Bro. Tom Bragdon called "Wagons for the Way" that has taken on a whole new meaning now that I will be so reliant on God while in Africa. Genesis 45:21 reads "So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey." God had commanded them (the sons of Israel) to return to Canaan and leave Egypt. Pharaoh (because he had come to respect Joseph so much) even gave them wagons and provisions for the way. If God could stir the Egyptian Pharaoh's heart to provide for the Jewish people, I KNOW He will provide for me!


Yesterday, I received an email to let me know that my roommate in Nairobi will be Kristin Luehr, the High School English teacher. (Insert prayers for her here! LOL) I have already been blessed reading her Facebook page, blog, and roommate questionnaire (paperwork that NICS has us fill out to help with the best possible match). I know that she and I will be great friends and sharing many great and not-so-great experiences as we begin this new chapter of our lives.


Today, I received my travel immunizations. God intervened in this story also! I called my primary doctor to see what vaccines I had had. The woman was vague but correct. I then received a call back from the supervisor of the clinical staff who gave me LOADS of great information including the name of GHA's Travel Medicine/Infectious Disease expert! He was so helpful as he has been to Africa many times. I received Hepatitis A, Yellow Fever, Polio, and MMR vaccines. I even got a 20% discount for paying in full!


Now that I know my roommate and my apartment and have gotten my vaccinations, I'm starting to really realize that I'M MOVING TO AFRICA! I would appreciate your prayers as I work on finishing up everything else. I still must sell my car and have a garage sale to sell the rest of my belongings.


I will be heading to Pre-Field Orientation on June 26th in Southaven, Mississippi. I would ask that you pray for me as I drive there and back and also that my heart will be open to learning everything that they have to share to prepare me for this work. 


Also, pray for the seven other new teachers as they are preparing for the BIG move! I have gotten to know all of them a little better through Facebook and know that they are wonderful women.


I have also begun officially raising the financial support that I need to go to the field. (If you want to learn more, see the "Your Support" tab.) It has been a humbling experience--I don't know of any American that likes to ask for money! I now know that this is one of many, many things that God is wanting to teach me through this calling. Please pray that God would burden the right people to partner with me as I share Christ with those in Nairobi. 


I want to thank you for reading my blog, praying for all of my many prayer requests, and partnering with me in this journey. 

NICS Job Fair - Southaven, Mississippi

About two weeks ago, I decided to head to the Network of International Christian Schools (NICS) Job Fair. I was open to going to any country to which God may direct, so I thought this might provide more insight.

Each of the directors of the 20 NICS overseas schools were assigned a time to give an overview of their work since their meeting with the board of directors one year before. They were given only fifteen minutes to present. I took copious notes and noted open positions for which I was qualified. I was enjoying all of the schools' presentations until the (current) director Les Ommen gave the presentation for West Nairobi School in Karen, Kenya. I was BLOWN AWAY! I felt as if I already knew the students, already loved the country, and already felt that I was getting that High School Science Teacher position! LOL. Now before some of you start to think I am either crazy or really full of myself, let me explain. I feel that God was directing me to the exact school He had for me. I know that He did not have to reveal it to me that way. He could have let me interview with multiple schools and simply wait for a sense of leading. But He did not. At the next break time, I quickly signed up for an interview time for the following day and began praying without ceasing.

My interview could not have gone more splendidly! Mr. Duanne Jobe, the (incoming) director, and I hit it off very quickly, as he too is a science teacher. I openly told him that this was the only position that I was interviewing for because I was that aware of God's leading--a gutsy move, I know. At the end of the interview, Mr. Jobe told me that although he'd never done it before, he was wanting to offer me the position right on the spot!!!

PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!!!

God was even so kind that He allowed me to meet a new friend as well at the fair. Her name is Gari, and she too is headed to Kenya this fall for the first time. She will be teaching High School Social Studies. We even found out that she and I have opposite creature fears and can help each other out: I hate bugs, and she hates reptiles and rodents! See, God even cares about the little things! LOL.

If you'd like to know more information about how I came to this decision, my teaching position, or life in general in Nairobi, take a look around my blog. I'll be chocking it full of new information as regularly as possible.