Happy New Year everyone! Well it’s been a month and a half since my last blog. My time in the US was great and I enjoyed spending time with friends and family. So much so that I did not take the time to blog about those fun times stateside. Now as I look forward to all the Lord has to offer in 2011 I’m glad to be spending January 1 in beautiful Kenya. I arrived in Nairobi last night at about 11pm. By the time I got my visa and collected my bags it was about 15 minutes till midnight. I spent this New Years in a safari van with my driver friend Alex driving the streets of Nairobi. It was not much different from what you would expect to see in the US. Fireworks, excited people, and a lot of optimism… I spent the night last night at the Hampton House, which is a guesthouse for IMB missionaries. When I arrived, as I suspected most everyone had already retired for the night. We have this thing called missionary midnight, which is about 9 pm. This evidently also applies to New Years J I slept well last night and today I have one more flight and a two hour drive to see my amazing friends at Tumaini. I talked to Rose last night and she was so excited that I was back in Kenya. Then I heard from Lacey (an American volunteer whom I know well via facebook but have never met before) and she said the kiddos had been counting down for my arrival. SO, SO, SO excited to be back! I am also very excited to be serving alongside of Lacey for the next couple of months. She also knows of Tumaini because of International Sports Federation.

For those of you that do not know, I will be at Tumaini until March 24^th. On March 25^th I will be returning home to the US for my brother’s wedding. I am still praying about a return date to Kenya after the wedding so please be lifting that up as it comes to mind. I knew even before leaving for Kenya last June that it would not be a permanent placement for me. I felt as if the Lord was calling me to be an advocate for Africa, and a mentor and mobilizer for young people who may be called to serve as a missionary overseas. I knew that my time at Tumaini would be vital in doing this well, allowing me to learn about culture and real needs. But what really sets my heart on fire, as I again realized when I had a chance to speak at several churches over break, is empowering people to get involved how ever the Lord may lead them. God is already beginning to open doors for me to be an advocate back home and I just ask you to come alongside of me in prayer as I seek to trust Him with the time I have left here in Africa and with the decisions that need to be made in order to come back to the US and pursue my passion of advocacy and mobilization.

Well it’s time for the next leg of my journey to Tumaini. Blessings to you all as you begin this new year seeking Christ and all He has in store for you…. It’s gonna be a great year… this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!