safari ride

Today was a long day! We spent about 12 hours on the road driving to a safari. It was amazing. Ive posted pics on facebook for those who would like to see them. The roads are not like our roads. They dont do construction and there arent nice and paved. They are red claylike dirt and there are pot holes everywhere. So, you can imagine what that was like for 12 hours. It really made me appreciate our roads for sure. I get so impatient with our roads where there is construction. As we drove down that rode today it made me think of how frustrated I get when the roads arent fixed. It also made me think of many other things. Like the amount of time I spend focusing on the negative stuff instead of looking at the positive in others. Or how I dont appreciate the little things that I do have. Basketball camp ended yesterday and at the end of the day we decided to play 5 on 5. This meant 5 American girls vs. 5 African girls. So, guess who was one of the Americans that played. Yep me, and Lets just say Im out of shape. Im pretty sure Ive NEVER had a group of 2,000 people watching me play a sport... EVER. It was pretty neat to see them excited as their girls would shoot the ball and score. It was the first week any of them had even seen a basketball so to see them out there trying was pretty neat. I think the most humbling part all week for me was when I asked the missionary children what they enjoyed most about the camp and each of them said "getting to work with the kids in the special school". Im not sure if Ive blogged about the kids there but these are kids with severe disabilities. VERY severe. Its heartbreaking. The therapy is not anything close to the therapy we have. They dont know how to treat any of the children much and they dont have anything medicine to treat them with. These kids have no motor control. There are some that are 9 years old that crawl on the floor. You get the picture... Its very emotional yet very rewarding when you get to spend time with them. But the Taylor kids never backed down. Not once. They never held back. Its very touching to see that from a 6 and a 9 year old. They get it. They understand what it means to just see others the way God sees them. They have been brought up to understand what it means to be compassionate to others and what it means to serve. I wish you could have seen pictures of them working with those kids. It brought tears to my eyes because in that moment God showed me through those children what it really means to love others like Christ loves us. Just one of the many lessons God has taught me this week.

Day 4

Another great day! This post wont be long because I am about to pass out but I did want to tell a few highlights from the day. Today we had a lttle over 300 students at the camp. 60 of those student were deaf. It was such a great experience. I wish my sister could bave been here because she is awesome at signing and so passionate when she signs to others. I cant describe how fun it was. Something else that stood out- I went to sit in the sand with a little boy because he was by himself. As I set next to him, I started drawing in the sand. I drew a cross. He looked at it but didnt say anything. I erased it and started drawing other things but he never said a word. Then, as I began to draw a heart, he looked up at me and said "love". That may not seem like a big moment to you. But for me, it made me stop and think. As I looked across the field at all the students I began to think of the students who were deaf, the ones with special needs, and the language barrier. It was in that moment that God showed me that no matter what barriers there are, love is a universal language. We all know the sign for love and how to show it. So, if God is love, what are we doing to help further the kingdom. Are we being intentional every moment with our family and friends and showing love?? Or are we just going through our everyday busy schedules not slowing down long enough to spend quality time with them. I know for me, Im guilty sometimes of being so busy, or thinking Im so busy, that I dont take the time to tell my family how important they are to me or how grateful I am to have them in my life. I was reminded today of how important that time is. To my family- Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for always being so supportive and for setting an example of what it means to serve and to love others. Tomorrow is the last day of basketball camp. Im excited to see what God is going to do. Thank you Lord for allowing me the opportunity to be here.

Day 3

Another great day today. God amazes me more and more each day of this trip. It was the second day of basketball camp. We had over 400 kids come through today! Talk about alot of kids! It was great though. Its great watching their faces as we teach them new skills. Its even more awesome when we tell them about Jesus and their eyes light up. Theres alot of things that stood out to me today that I could talk about but I only have time to talk about a few. Students are given an armband of a certain color and are then divided into groups according to color. There are 6 different colors and each color represents part of the gospel story. (yellow-heaven, blue-creation,black-sin, red-Jesus' blood, white-clean heart, and green-growing in Christ) These children are eager to learn. They write scripture on their arms during story time just so they can go back and read the verse from their new Bible when they get home. Thats humbling to me. Its not just one child, its most of them. It makes me ask myself, am I that eager to know more about God. Do I yearn to know Him on a deeper level? There were 2 children out of 200 yesterday that own a Bible but yet every child knows John 3:16 by heart. How many kids/adults in America (who OWN a Bible) know that verse. It speaks alot to me. And they love the verse. The smiles on their faces when they received the Word of God was priceless. 3 Muslim children decided to take Bibles even though they knew they would get in trouble when the went home with it. These kids heard the gospel and were going around telling others what their bracelet represented. Im tired, physically and mentally. But Im excited about waking up and seeing those little faces. God is moving. Please continue to pray for us and for the hearts of these people. God is faithful. God is love.

Day 2.... Today was our first day of basketball camp. Wow! God is amazing. That's all I can say. We begin early this morning and finished the day at 5. It was a pretty awesome day. The language barrier was very difficult. We were told at the beginning of camp that we would all have a translator, but we didn't. So we used the little Swahili that we knew. Thats very difficult when you have 150 5-8 year olds. It was actually pretty comical. In fact, I was in charge of doing the shooting and rebound drill. All day I was asking "how are you?" when I was meaning to say "rebound". No wonder they were so confused. Then Im pretty sure that a few times we all spoke in spanish instead of Swahili. But, God brought us through it. We laughed at ourselves at the end of the night and I'm just thankful that God helped us through the day, dispite the language barrier. As frustrating as it was, at the end of the day, the universal language of love was shown. It didnt really matter that they couldnt understand what we said or that we couldnt understand them. The smiles on their faces, the constant pictures and hugs, and the many greetings we received, was all that mattered at the end of the day. LOVE is here. Its everywhere. They may not have material things. The city may smell of sewage and trash and there may be poverty,but one thing they express well is LOVE. After the camp we handed out 200 Bibles. Of the 150 children we passed out Bibles to, only 2 of them owned a Bible. That breaks my heart. But God is moving and the seed has been planted. I pray He continues to stir in the hearts of these children and teachers as we share the gospel. Please pray for guidance and wisdom as we go out tomorrow to share the gospel to about 220 different students. Thanks again for all of your prayers!

First full day in Africa

So today was our first full day here. It seems like we have been here forever because of the long flight. I think the total of flight time in the air ended up being somewhere around 19 hours. So you can imagine the jet lag. But the energy has been great considering the lack of sleep. Everyone has worked together thus far. Some have been before and for some its a new experience. So, its a lot to take in. It's not like America. The streets are dirt, the houses are made of mud, and there is trash everywhere. We really have no idea how blessed we are. I thought that since I had been here before, I knew what to expect. But its like culture shock all over again. It makes me truly appreciate all that I have. And I get angry thinking about how selfish I can be. How spoiled I really am. These people have Jesus. Thats all they have. Its there only dependence. If it doesn't rain, they dont have crops. As I rode in the bus today, we passed through the city. Theres alot of things here that are different from back home. HEre you see goats on the side of the road, dead chickens on top of trucks ready to be delivered, women walking with buckets of water on their heads, people outside washing their dishes by hand, men in the fields trying to find food for their families next meal...Someone is ALWAYS working. No matter where you go, theres always someone WORKING. It makes me stop and think about the things I take for granted. Its to much to take in. I dont have to worry about my next meal, I get to have a clean shower and a bed to sleep in at night, a washer and dryer to clean my clothes, a dishwasher to clean my dishes, and yet I still always seem to want more. Its been even more humbling than the first time and its only the first day. Tomorrow we start the basketball camp. OUr mission is not to try and teach them to be an amazing athlete or tell them how great the game is. This camp is a tool we are using to share the gospel. To spread the good news to these children and tell them about Jesus. That is what its all about. Im excited. Many still have not caught up on sleep and are lacking in energy. Please pray that as we go out tomorrow that we are enthusiastic and work hard to show these kids we care. Thats what matters. That they see our hearts and that they know we care. I want to be intentional. We only have 9 days. We can sleep later. Im ready to go all out and share the gospel. Im ready to be intentional and not accidental. Please continue your prayers. Love and miss you all!

Washington D.C.

Just landed in Washington D.C. and it is pouring rain from every direction. So, needless to say we are all soaking wet. The trip so far has been pretty smooth. Trying to enjoy our last few American meals. We are headed to the airport at 8 in the morning. Please pray for us as we travel. Pray that we are intentional with the time that we are in Kenya. My prayer is that I look for opportunities to share Christ and that when those opportunitites come, I get out of my comfort zone and do what God has called me to do. To Love. To serve. I will try to continue blogging but cant make any promises. It will depend on the service there which is hit and miss. Thanks to all those who are praying for me. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

One day closer... Im ready to go on this adventure and see what God is doing in Kenya. People have asked "why would you go to a country where there is so much danger" "why would you go there when there are people here you can help?" "why,why,why???" Yes. there is danger. and yes, there are people here who need help.  But there is a piece of my heart that is already in Kenya. For the people, for the children, for the country.  God has been preparing my heart for this trip long before I ever knew I would have the opportunity to go back to Kenya. God's plans are sometime different than our own. Four months ago I had my own plans for the summer. But God had different plans for me. He opened the door to go back and I decided to be obedient. He has provided the money. My loving boss (who is like a second dad to me) is letting me take off an extra week, and everything has fallen into place. Im not there to try to end poverty or change the country. God is in control of making those changes. Poverty will be there when I leave. But if I can make a difference in ONE life , then its worth it. If I can show ONE child what love is and they see Christ through me, then it has made the trip meaningful. That's what its about. I see their hearts. I see broken people just like me. And I am reminded of God's grace for me daily. My prayer is that I am intentional with the time I have there. And that I remember whats really important in life. God is love. Lord, let me see them the way you see them. Fill my heart with compassion. I want to be humble. I want to serve. Let everything I do, glorify you. Amen