First day of driving... yikes!

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.

Psalm 13:5

Camp BlueSky is built around Adventure. We want to provide a venue for students to experience and try new things, to get out of their comfort zone, and more importantly through this great adventure to have FUN and learn about God. One way we facilitate this is through rock climbing. Each session, the oldest campers will have an opportunity to go rock climbing at Lukenya- these incredible cliffs only about 10 minutes away from where camp is held. The cliffs at the site overlook a vast area of land- you can see for miles and miles. Often times you get to see giraffe, impala, gazelle, baboons, and other wildlife at the site. On these days at camp, we load all the climbing gear and everyone up in a van, pack a lunch, and spend the whole afternoon with the campers outside in God's beautiful creation.

Rock climbing teaches you to trust. It is sometimes scary because you are being held up by a rope and harness 100 feet up in the air. The climber has to trust the person below who is belaying them, and know they have them and will catch them if they fall. This reminds me a ton of my relationship with Jesus. In the same way, taking a step of faith is sometimes difficult. You wonder if you fall what will happen. Rock climbing and belaying campers each week at camp has set a beautiful picture in my mind of what it looks like and what it means to trust God and have fun doing it! Many times it is hard to trust God with your whole heart and not lean on your own understanding. To really know that His thoughts and ways are better than ours 100% of the time is a challenge, and it has looked different for me the past few months being in an unfamiliar country, culture and context. But I am remembering that we are "on belay" 24/7, and that he HAS me all the time. I am safe in his arms. He is my shield and my protection. I cannot go anywhere to escape His presence.

I really felt God's protection and learned to trust him in a simple and new way yesterday...because yesterday I drove for the first time in Nairobi!! I was so nervous, but thankfully it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. Unlike America, the drivers drive on the left side of the road. Not only is everything on the opposite side of the road, which makes right hand turns and other maneuvers tricky...but the drivers here are absolutely crazy & insane! Haha Drivers will cut you off or pass you at any time on the road for no apparent reason. There are no real traffic lights, signs, or even traffic lanes. I think that if you can drive in Kenya, you should never have to take Defensive Driving in the States again because you are ALWAYS driving defensively in Kenya. haha It is ironic to me that in such a laid back and easy going culture, that the driving here is so intense, fast-paced, and everyone seems to be in such a hurry.

Yesterday Kim, Bryce, Tyler and I drove all over the city looking at different schools where we will be teaching and visiting with students. It was fun to see the schools that my campers go to, and to have an idea of what I'll be walking into when I enter these campuses. It definitely allowed me to have a much better context and idea of what these students do every day. Please keep praying for wisdom and guidance for our team as we enter into the new school year!

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Psalm 73: 26

Maasai Mara & The Big 5!

The day after campers left our team headed out to the Maasai Mara for safari!!! We were blessed to see all the Big Five on one safari trip, which RARELY happens. (The Big 5 are: Lion, Leopard, Cape Buffalo, Rhino, and Elephant.) It was an incredible trip.

It is impossible to go to the Mara and not be in complete awe and worship of God by seeing his beautiful creation. The animal speckled plains, the blue and sunny sky, each acacia tree and blade of green grass proclaim the glory and power of the Almighty Creator. Every stripe on the gazelle and zebra, every spot on the leopard and cheetah- God's creativity blows me away! :)

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course."

Psalm 19: 1-5

Stephen and Jason lookin' at the waterhole...filled with hippos!

Meet my new roommates!! :) They are incredible, and I feel so blessed to already have a community of people around me who are encouraging me in the Lord.

From left to right: Me, Kim, Michelle, and Lexi.

Giraffe takin a little afternoon nap.

We camped out for two nights at the Mara. Just on the other side of the river across from our campsite you could see tons of wildebeests, giraffes, and tons of animals roaming the plains. We even saw a pack of 6 cheetahs hunting about 400 yards away. This is a picture of the group cooking dinner one night- we made pasta, yummmmy!

Breakfast of champions.

Cheetah brothers hunting.

Friendship is a true joy.

"From sunrise to sunset I will not forget what You've done for me. From sunset to sunrise, I'll lift my eyes upon Your glory."

"The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all." Psalm 103: 19

Gazelle fight

Cape Buffalo

We got so lucky to see a leopard on the prowl...it was chasing meerkats!

Gazelle

Acacia trees, so beautiful.

Yeah, our van was legit.

Ostrich on the horizon

"Brothers don't shake hands, brothers gotta hug!" -Tommy Boy

Session Five- Stayin' Alive!

It seems like it was just May 24 and I was getting ready to board the plane to move to Kenya. Now it is August 4. Oh, how time flies! Camp has come and gone…five sessions of camp with 545 campers total who came to Camp BlueSky and heard the Gospel this summer. Praise God! Last night I said goodbye to camp staff, and I moved into my new house in Nairobi. It’s crazy! Today I am unpacking, and tomorrow we leave to go to Mombasa on the coast of the Indian Ocean.

As I think and reflect upon the summer, I know that this is just the beginning of something beautiful that God is doing in the city of Nairobi. The Holy Spirit worked in such powerful, tangible, and evident ways at camp this summer in the hearts of kids. I can’t wait to see what God continues to do this next year, and how he brings revival to this city and it’s people.

One of my favorite stories from the summer is about a boy named Sahil who came from a Hindu family and was in Bradyn Boone’s cabin. The whole week Sahil continued to tell Bradyn how much he loved to hear and listen to stories. Each day at morning devotionals a story from Bible was told to all of camp. And each morning Sahil asked tons and tons of questions about the Bible stories he was hearing for the first time. He was so curious! By the end of the week, God had completely captivated his heart. Sahil was making connections with the stories that most young children would not have made, and God had given him an understanding and revelation that the stories he heard (like the story of Adam and Eve, Moses, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Jonah, and Paul) were all connected to the story of Jesus Christ and the cross. He understood that these stories told the bigger story of God’s plan to rescue us and reconcile us to himself through Jesus. Each Bible story told one big story and pointed to a bigger picture of a God who has always had a plan to rescue and redeem his people through Jesus.

Sahil decided that he wanted to have a relationship with Jesus, and give his heart to him at camp! He told Bradyn that the Hindu gods he was learning about all had individual stories he loved to learn about, but none of the stories were connected in any way. He realized that the Hindu gods did not look like him, and understood that he was created in the image of God, and that Jesus loved him. Sahil left camp BlueSky as a new creation—with a newfound relationship with Jesus! He now has a Bible and is excited to tell others about the love of Jesus and the hope we have in him.

God was obviously working in the lives and hearts of these children. Evidence of the Holy Spirit’s radical transformation was obvious throughout the entire summer, and there are so many other stories of children like this who learned to trust God for the first time, and of kids who learned to trust Jesus again with their lives.

Every Thursday night at camp, the campers put on a talent show called "Blue Sky's Best Dance Crew." The last week of camp the girls decided to dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller"... it was hilarious and so much fun teaching the dance. The girls loved getting their faces painted and teasing their hair! haha

This is Erica.

Meet Nikita. This girl made me laugh the entire week and brought so much joy to our cabin!

this is one of my favorite pics! haha :)

Dancing!

Blanch and Kasey- the dynamic duo.

These sweet girls were in my cabin: Risa and Rebecca.

"Look, I have a loose tooth!" -Ella

The Tooth Fairy came to camp this past week! Ella lost her tooth...& She wanted to make sure her tooth was super clean so the Tooth Fairy would come.

A game of kickball turned into the girls braiding my hair into hundreds of tiny braids. And Ella was still wiggling her tooth.