How A Mission Trip Changed Jenni's Life

It wasn't until I was overcoming a bad depression that God reminded me I had always wanted to do a mission trip. I came into it with a need for purpose and a history of traveling on vacation to China, Thailand, Morocco and Egypt and seeing some of the poorest families on the planet. I had mentioned the desire to my boss who mentioned that her boss attended Fox River Christian Church and had a mission program. The meeting was the following week. So, with a great bit of fear, I attended my first church service at Fox River, attended the mission trip information meeting and joined a mission trip and a church that would change my life.

I had been consumed by fear. My relationship with my boyfriend was failing and I had wanted to leave for seven years. But, I was stuck. I remember the first trip being hard as I'm not great at developing relationships quickly but as I got settled, I learned there is so much more going on than in my little world in Wisconsin. Kenyan children do speak English but are very shy. They appreciate the smallest gestures: a hug, a smile, crafts. Each kindness brings hope to an unexplainable poverty. I learned about gratitude, love, friendship and a God who loves them and me. I learned about grace for myself to give grace to others.

The first trip was amazing: we built a house out of the earth! I left with a new outlook on life and lifelong friends. I left my boyfriend 10 days after that trip. I started buying my clothes at Good Will and I cancelled my cable TV. God told me to support three kids in Kenya and I looked at my budget and said yes! The letters over email I have written and received have given me great joy. In July, I will go back for a third trip because I can't imagine a better use of my time and resources.

I knew missions could change lives but I never expected I would be so impacted. God is good all the time and all the time God is good. It saved my life and gave me purpose and a reality check of what is important: love.

Emily's Nicaragua story

I remember coming back from Nicaragua. Those few short hours and even sometimes days after returning can be so, so difficult to cope with. I hate to say, but I spent most of the trip home either crying or trying desperately not to. It hadn’t even been a day yet, and I already missed Nicaragua and everyone in it more than I could put into words. Just imagine; everything that happened and everything you witnessed during your time there is so fresh in your mind that it can be difficult to cope with the fact that the world that you’ve grown up in is now the source of your culture shock. All I wanted was to be back in the country and with the people that I had fallen in love with. Coming back from a mission trip can be a really hard thing to explain. Everyone wants to hear about the “fun” things that you did. They want to see all the pictures and they want to hear the stories. But sometimes the stories are hard.

I was challenged, just as my teammates were, to love other people in less than ideal circumstances. When you’re on the outside of a mission trip looking in, it can be easy to see only the polished version. I don’t think anyone really means to make it that way. But it can be hard to look past the countless pictures on social media of all of the beautiful kids the team is getting to know and the countless lives that are being touched and remember that the team is made up of imperfect people, who are imperfect at serving each other and even imperfect at serving the community they are in. Mission trips—at least for the two that I was on—are full of challenges and uncomfortable situations that force growth in people. And sometimes fighting that growth can be an ugly thing. Sometimes it comes out in impatience or a lack of mercy and grace for a fellow team member. Sometimes it comes out in moodiness or unforgiveness. Whatever form it takes, something I quickly realized on my trips was that things were not always as perfect as we like to make them seem. There were many times where I was less than thrilled with my teammates. I know for a fact that there were times that they were less than thrilled with me. However, it was in those times that Jesus could really work in our hearts and change us to become more like Him.

Despite these imperfections and challenges, I know that I wouldn’t want to look back on it any other way. I think that we have a tendency to want to take our stories and clean them up so that they can fit into a tidy and polished version. But that isn’t reality. If we take an honest look at the bible, we can see that God’s people have been a mess throughout history. Even some of the most notable figures in the bible have stories that are far from perfect. David, Moses, even Paul. Just like it is common with mission trips, sometimes the mess in these people’s stories can be overlooked. In doing so however, I think we rob ourselves of the true beauty that God can work from our mess and our imperfection. How could we fully understand God’s saving power in Paul’s life if we did not first understand where he came from? How would we be able to see the vastness of God’s grace if we didn’t fully grasp the weight of David’s decisions? How can we see the beauty that God works in cross cultural missions if we don’t also let ourselves see that we are an imperfect team of people trying to love an imperfect community with a lifestyle very different from our own? The answer is truly that we can’t. We won’t be able to experience the depth of God’s grace for us if we aren’t honest about the depth of our shortcomings.

I wasn’t able to go on the trip to Nicaragua this past summer. Even though it’s been a year and a half or so since I’ve seen the friends that I made there, I still miss them oh so much. There’s been a lot that’s changed in my life since the last time I was there, a lot of new places that my Lord has led me, and a lot of new things that He’s taught me. Even though many of the people that I went to Nicaragua with have gone their separate ways, it’s been amazing to see how our church’s partnership with the church in La Esmeralda has shaped some of my team members and their futures. I think there is something truly beautiful in serving cross culturally, and seeing Jesus reflected through another group of people. There was a lot that was challenging about being in Nicaragua, and a lot that was challenging about trying to love people who know a very different life than we do. In that though, there was so much beauty in loving and being loved by our friends in Nicaragua that has changed me for the better.

Weekend relaxing and returning home

First of all, we're home! I write this as we're on a bus from Chicago back to Fox River. My apologies that the last few posts have been a bit delayed from the events they describe -- this blogging is time-consuming for a chronic perfectionist with attention issues and a weird sleep schedule while abroad!

Saturday was mostly a day to relax and recuperate from the exhilarating but tiring week at the schools. The team had free time to relax by the pool or enjoy the beach along the Indian Ocean just behind our hotel. Most of us did just that -- after enjoying the opportunity to sleep in a bit.

In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to attend the wedding of two dear friends: Jenna Horgan and O'Neal Nyanje. Jenna first went to Kenya with one of Fox River's medical mission trips, returned on several short trips before deciding to spend a year in Kenya, and ultimately return to stay, O'Neal is a part of the Crossroads Fellowship family, where he serves on the audio team, among other things. Theirs is a long, beautiful story of God's working, but out of the scope of this blog. Suffice it to say, many members of our team consider them to be family so it was a joy to be there to witness two great people taking their next step together.

O'Neal and Jenna beginning their married life together

Sunday morning was spent at Crossroads Fellowship church in Nyali. As you may recall from our first day in Kenya, this is where we spent the previous Sunday morning. This week, Susie Horne (Pastor Jim's wife) asked David and me (Jason) to sing with them on the worship team. That is always a special treat and a lot of fun to come together with our Kenyan brothers and sisters to praise our God. There's always a lot of energy and heartfelt worship when we come together in that place and Sunday was no exception.

This Sunday was also the Crossroads Fellowship Baptism Festival, so Pastor Jim Horne delivered a message on the importance of Baptism, looking at a variety of places in Scripture where Baptism either occurred or is discussed. With the significance of this crucial part of the believer's journey fresh in our minds, we walked next door to the church to Wild Waters water park, who graciously opened their doors for a large number of people to be baptized while their church family cheered them on. Over 60 men, women, and children were baptized in a fantastic celebration of faith.

Sunday afternoon was another period of free time. Again, some took to the beach (there was even a small group from our two teams that went to find a nearby geocache) and some wandered up the beach to Yul's, a favorite place to get pizza, burgers, and gelato. We were blessed to have some friends from Crossroads Fellowship join us at the hotel to spend our free time in fun and fellowship.

Of course, our last day in Kenya is always one of mixed emotions as many are sad to leave such a wonderful place with even better friends, but also eager to get home to our loved ones and our familiar surroundings. After we had said our final goodbyes, we had packing to do and a short time to sneak in a little nap before loading up the bus at 1am and departing for Moi International Airport at 1:30. 

The team departed the hotel in the very early hours of Monday morning.

Our travels back to the US were mainly uneventful -- which is just as travels through international airports after a tiring week should be. We had an almost two-hour delay in Istanbul (which may or may not have been a good time to blog about Friday's graduation day in Bomani...ahem), but somehow managed to arrive in Chicago more or less on time. It took longer than usual to get our luggage at O'Hare, but after a quick shock of the bitter cold in Chicago, we all made it to the bus and are still currently heading toward Fox River Waukesha. 

The team was pretty bright-eyed even after the first flight touched down in Turkey.

Thank you for following along and more importantly praying with and for us along our journey. There will, of course, be more stories to tell, photos to share, and videos to post about this short trip full of celebration and fellowship with our Kenyan brothers and sisters in the weeks and months to come. Not only that, but this blog continues to highlight work that Fox River Missions is doing in Kenya and Nicaragua throughout the year. So if you began reading here to follow this trip, we'd love for you to stick around and continue to read about God's amazing work that we are blessed enough to participate in. If you are a regular reader, please continue to share what you find here so that more people can know and hopefully join with us, and most importantly that God would be glorified in what we do.

Graduation Day in Bomani

On Friday morning, the team arrived at New Life Academy in Bomani as the final setup for the graduation ceremony was being completed. Because the chapel in Bomani is a bit smaller than in Vipingo, the proceedings would be taking place outside, with tents setup for the Fox River team, teachers, the graduates, and their families. It was very encouraging to see a very large group of parents and family members gathered to celebrate their students' hard work and achievement.

The ceremonies began with a procession of the graduates and honored guests. In true Kenyan fashion, this was a slow moving processional moving in the rhythm of a celebratory dance.

In addition to the 34 students graduating from Standard 8 (8th Grade) and moving into Form 1 (freshman year of high school), the kids moving from KG3 to Standard 1 were also dressed in their little robes and graduation caps. Bringing up the rear were four Americans being very good sports to dress in robes on a very hot, sunny day: Pastor Bobby Bechtel, the director of the Hope Foundation of Kenya; Pastor Jim Horne, representing Manna Worldwide with whom we partner to administer the school; Pastor Mark Roberts, representing Fox River; and Denise Conn (or Mama Denise as she is often called), as the one who administers and coordinates our missions in Kenya and Nicaragua.

KG3 and Standard 8 grads filing in

Pastor Mark and Mama Denise were very good sports about wearing the ceremonial garb on such a hot day. 

The students prepared several special performances to celebrate this special day. A student named Silas in Standard 3 (that is, 3rd grade) recited a history of the school, with impressive detail, entirely from memory. The choir sang two songs (one of which was quite familiar to the Americans in attendance - see the video below), and the school dance troupe performed a traditional Kenyan dance. Even the teachers performed a song as part of the ceremony. It was truly a celebration!

Silas did an incredible job reciting the history of New Life Academy by from memory. 

The school choir preformed two songs. 

The school dance troupe performed a very energetic traditional Kenyan dance. 

The graduation continued with addressed from several honored guests: Head Teacher Victor Kalama, Pastor Allan Owano (national Pastor overseeing New Life Academy), Bobby Becthel, Jim Horne, and Mark Roberts. Many thanks were given to the people of Fox River, whose generosity funds the school. One thing is very clear: the Kenyan people are exceedingly appreciative of the work we do.

Head Teacher Victor acted as the emcee for the graduation ceremony. 

Pastor Mark addresses the graduates

Mama Denise was especially thanked as the one who puts so much work into keeping these missions running smoothly, it's amazing that it's not her only job. She was honored with a portrait of her spending time with the kids she loves so much.

Lisa Becthel and Pastor Allan pose with Denise holding the portrait of her and the students in Bomani.

Each of speakers had encouraging words to the graduates and thanks to God for the incredible work He is doing in the lives of these students and families. The theme throughout the proceedings was perhaps most succinctly summarized by Pastor Bobby's words to the graduates. He challenged them that as they continue to secondary school go with God and to follow Him wherever they go.

Bobby's message was clear: go with God

One by one, the students were called forward to receive their certificate of completion, invitation letter to attend Valerye McMillan Hope High School, and a book bag with a Bible and other gifts. The three boys and three girls with the highest scores on the KCPE, the national primary school completion exam, received special recognition and a special gift of their high school sports kits (shoes and uniforms) purchased for them.

The students who received top scores on the KCPE were recognized and awarded.

Cutting the cakes and giving small pieces to each of the graduates wrapped up the graduation ceremony. Since the Vipingo graduation day, there has been some debate as to the veracity of the rumor that feeding the grads is a widespread Kenyan tradition. We'll have to leave that question to the ages. (In other words, it's probably not, and we're not entirely sure where it came from.) In any event, this time the parents got in on the cake feeding action. After one more final prayer, the graduation celebration concluded.

New Life Academy Bomani Class of 2015

We got to spend the rest of the afternoon on the campus of the school, talking to teachers, graduates, and students. This trip is entirely comprised of people who have been to Kenya at least once, so many of us had students we wanted to connect with while we had the time.

The graduation day in Bomani served to again underscore the incredible transformation that has taken place in these two communities. When we first began following God's lead to work in Kenya, these students were in KG3 - just barely beginning their education. Today, wearing caps, gowns, and smiles, they are ready to begin secondary education - something we often take for granted in the US, but is in no way a given here in Kenya.

By working through people willing to show love to the least of these halfway around the world, lives are being transformed and the kingdom of God is continually advanced. If you are one of our partners working in Kenya and Nicaragua, you have made this possible by saying yes to God. On behalf of our first graduating class, and all kids who will fill their shoes, we say: Asante sana na Mungu akubariki sana -- thank you very much and may God greatly bless you.

On our way home: Landed in Turkey

First of all, my sincere apologies that we're a little behind on the play-by-play of the trip. More is coming soon. 

Just wanted to update you that we have safely landed in Istanbul, Turkey. We have about an hour remaining in our layover before boarding and then we'll have a long flight to Chicago.

​So far, so good! Please keep the prayers coming!

Fun Day with Bomani Grads

If you read about our Fun Day with the Vipingo Grads, today's post is going to sound very familiar. One of the perks about sponsoring two schools in Kenya is that when you figure out a good structure for a day or finish a really great activity, you can do it all over again with the other school.

We started out the day by meeting the graduates from Bomani at Valerye McMillan high school. As we did on Tuesday, we split into small groups and received a tour of the school with our group of incoming Form 1 (freshman) students. The Bomani graduates seemed very happy and even overwhelmed by the facilities and the high school students.

Checking out the school library

The current high school science lab. Another lab is being built that's even larger than this one.

The girls dorms are still under construction but are coming along nicely.  

The grads loved the mall. We looked through shops, rode the escalators and elevators, and looked around at all the sights. Bomani is a village a bit further off the beaten path, so even more of the students were seeing new sights that they had only heard about from friends.

City Mall in Nyali

As we continued to enjoy the day, the students became much more outgoing. We've often noticed that the people from Bomani seem to be a bit more stoic at first, but really open up once you spend time with them. Our students from New Life Academy are no exception to this, so the trip to the mall really helped establish (or re-establish) those personal connections.

Making and eating pizza at Domino's was again a fantastically fun experience, for both students and the group leaders. It was fun to see the different toppings the kids chose to put on their pizza. Besides the usual toppings, the Domino's here had Kenyan ingredients like Swahili chicken and piri piri (spicy) sauce.

First spread your dough out... 

Then spread the sauce like this... 

Then add the toppings and smile!

Pop it in the oven

Box it up when it's done! 

After the mall, we returned to the school for some additional time with the students. The graduates got to learn self-defense techniques with Ben and David, while other members of our team talked with the graduates more, or took the time to play with the younger kids at the school.

Some of the littles we got to spend time with in Bomani Thursday afte the trip to the was complete. 

The day at the high school, the mall, and then back to the school was a fun way to celebrate this important milestone with the graduates. These students have worked hard and achieved excellent results. Not only is some time of fun a great way to celebrate, but it's a great way to give deeper attention and connection on an individual basis. It was a huge blessing to the team to have this special time with them.

Medical Team at Graduation Day - Bomani

Bomani had their beautiful graduation day celebration and recognized the children for their great work over the past 11 years in school! See the 2016 Kenya Grad Trip blog link for some great pictures and stories about that.  

The medical team enjoyed joining in on the day, spending more time in Bomani with the children, and having the opportunity to meet some of the parents. The first aid / CPR training team spent some time after graduation teaching a few teachers from Majaoni's school - Good News Academy.  

Jill, Cindy and Debbie - such great teachers! 

I also spent a little time catching up with Ann, the matron for Bomani and Majaoni, having tea and seeing her new kitchen. Certainly the biggest pot of rice I've ever seen! Ann takes great care of the children at the centers and our teams when we come spend time there. 

It was a great opportunity to see a traditional graduation celebration and spend one more day with people that we have grown to love. 

Medical Clinic Day 3 - Bomani

The medical team worked with the children at New Life Center in Bomani today. This day was especially fun because they have a baby class in addition to KG 1 through Class 8. These littles ones are 3-4 years old, and what a great way to start the day! 

In addition, we saw teachers and staff at the school and provided reading glasses to some of them as well.  

Jeremy, a doctor on Crossroads Fellowship Church's medical mission team, joined us today. He was a wealth of knowledge for us. 

One common medical concern in this village is jiggers (Tunga penetrans, also known as chigoe flea). These are tiny parasitic arthropods found in tropical areas. They live in sand and soil and feed on blood by burrowing into exposed skin (most often feet and fingers). They lay eggs under the skin and cause intense irritation called tungiasis. Tungiasis causes secondary infection, toe deformation and nail loss. When the eggs are ready to hatch they fall off and the jigger dies. The eggs then hatch in the area they have fallen. For this reason, it can be difficult to get rid of them from treating one person. Instead the whole family needs to be treated and the home needs to be cleared of them. For some families this is a difficult and on-going issue. The best prevention is good hygiene and wearing socks and shoes. 

To remove the jiggers, we soak their feet in a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water for 20 minutes which kills the jigger. Visible egg sacks can be excised.  

Our tean enjoyed reconnecting with old friends...

Roger and Risper

Jodie and Dorothy

And spending more time with our Kenyan friends... 

Another great day of teaching today. Here is Sue in the prenatal class.  

This was our last day of medical clinics. Tomorrow is Bomani's graduation and some health promotion teaching at Vipingo and Bomani. We look forward to another great day in Kenya and feel very privileged to be here, serving these beautiful people. 

Graduation Day in Vipingo

Today was truly a day 9 years in the making. As we said earlier, our school began in 2007 with KG1-KG3 in 2007. Today we saw that very first KG3 class wear caps, gowns, and be commissioned for secondary school. Suffice it to say there were plenty of sniffles, less than dry eyes, and tissues among the people who love these kids and have watched them grow.

The graduates filed in, excited for what was to come. 

Parents and other famlily, teachers, and the Fox River team watched and participated in the ceremony, proud of what these kids have achieved.

The graduation ceremony was similar in structure to what you expect from a graduation ceremony. The school girls choir began with a beautiful song about the great things the Lord has done, and the newly formed school dance troupe performed a dance as well. Several people addressed the graduating students and the crowd gathered, including Pastor Mark Roberts from Fox River, Pastor Jim Horne who oversees the school in Kenya, Jenna Horgan who serves as the school administrator, Teacher James, the Head Teacher, and Pastor John, who pastors the church that meets at the school. 

Teacher James speaking to the graduates, the teachers, and the families

Pastor Mark addresses the students, with Teacher James interpreting for those Kenyans who don't understand English (or southern American accents). 

Each student was presented with their certificate of completion, and some gifts including a backpack and a Bible. The students with top marks in each of their six subjects and top overall average scores were also presented with awards. Teacher James explained to the families about the students' invitation to Valerye McMillan High School and the sponsorship to attend for free, to which there was great applause. God truly is continuing to do a great work in the lives of these students and their families. 

Part of the ceremony that we in America would not be familiar with was cutting and serving of bites of cake to the graduates on stage. This is found in Kenyan weddings, graduations and other ceremonies. The Fox River team got to line up and literally feed a small slice of cake to the graduates. It made for some laughs and some good photos!

Cutting the cake

Each student was fed a bite of cake, while fellow graduates looked on with giggles. Apparently this is all part of a Kenyan graduation ceremony! 

After the ceremony, we lined up the graduates for some formal group and individual photos. We were able to bring a small, portable photo printer so each graduate got a framed graduation photo later that day. 

Crossroads Academy Vipingo Class of 2015

These individual photos turned out very well and the students were happy to received a framed copy later in the afternoon. 

The team got to spend the rest of the afternoon at the school, talking to the graduates, playing with the younger students, and enjoying our last few hours together. Eventually, the time came for the ever difficult goodbyes. It is always hard to leave on our last day at either of our schools. We shared many hugs, letters and notes were passed, along with encouragements to study hard and follow the Lord. 

What transpired today is just one of many testaments to the incredible work God is doing in these kids lives. I (Jason) was able to speak individually to a few of the graduates and talk to them about their school and their education over the last 9 years. The difference that this school, funded by the generosity of those at Fox River who have partnered with us, has made in the lives of these students and their families is unmistakable. Many of the students came to know Jesus at this school. One student I spoke with, who was a Muslim when he entered the school, came to know Christ through one of the teachers who poured into his life on an individual basis. That student was baptized in 1st grade, took a new Christian name, and sees himself as a child of God. 

I know it can be hard to understand what takes place in a country you've never seen with your own eyes, in a culture you don't fully understand, for people you've never met. Please believe me when I say the impact that you, our partners in God's work in Kenya, is having a huge impact that has literally changed lives for eternity. 

Medical Team at Vipingo - Graduation day

When Fox River took the first trip over to see the schools in Bomani and Vipingo, we were so happy to meet the very first KG 3 classes. Now today we were so privileged to be there for their graduation from  Standard 8! They have grown up before our eyes, into these wonderful teenagers who will be starting a new chapter in their lives....high school. 

Following the graduation ceremony, the team was able to spend time with the children and the graduates. Some people made connections with children and really enjoyed a day of rest. On a normal medical trip our goal is to help as many people as we can so that doesn't leave time to take it all in and  make connections with the children. 

In the afternoon we had time to spend doing some health promotion teaching. Our goal is to leave here knowing we shared our skills and knowledge to help people improve their health and the community's health as well. 

Jill and Cindy taught the teachers about first aid and CPR

The time was well spent today, building relationships, teaching, and recognizing the graduates and teachers for a job well done.  

Tomorrow we will do our last medical clinic day in Bomani. We look forward to working with the children there.