Hey Guys!! You won't believe it but it's rained Kenya!! I can't believe it. It's so wonderful. They haven't had a good rain since maybe May and tonight it has poured! I had to get on here straight away to let you know.

When it happened I was with the children at LCC watching Spiderman. One of the Mama's came in and started shouting commands at the children and they all rushed out. Well, that's when I smelt the rain. I had little Jenny in my arms and ran out to go stand in it for a moment! What a great end to a fun filled day! Oh, God bless children and Rain!! mvua is "rain" in Kiswahili!!

Pray it rains all night and day!

Sometimes, It's not about you...

My second week is halfway over. Hard to believe. Tomorrow the last of the three other volunteers is leaving and as much as I like adventuring on my own, I really am going to miss her adventursome spirit, wanting to get as much out of life as possible. I've already missed the other two ladies. "Iown iown, beth, bernog...hehe" But God has been good. This week my body chose to wear down. I have some allergy chain reaction thing going on with my left eye and nostril, then my throat has started to swell up...but nothing too serious that I haven't been able to hold the precious babies and work at the church. :-)

To be honest, I've felt more exhausted emotionally than anything. I feel like he's crept into my personal life and as most of you may know, not having good communication with someone is the quickest way to make me feel alienated, but the good thing has been that God has been working with me to keep pushing me back into him. So, I know when I don't feel like I can put trust in the ones that I love and want to grow in life with, that I can trust God. Then I know that if they are leaning in to Him as well, then it will all turn out as it should be. Not only that, but as long as I truely, whole hearted trust in God, I know that he'll guard my ways.

Proverbs 4:26 (or somewhere around there...) Above all, protect your heart....

All of this aside, God has continually reminded me that it's not about me. It's not about the lacking that feel or the doubts that I have or even my issecurities that I'll end up short again. None of that matters, I mean it does, but God's will is greater and right now it's about being the vessel in which He can work through. I've read and heard that saying time and time again about laying down my cross, to pick up His. To set my feelings aside to completely, genuinely be there for others, that God my speak through me...or just be there...

Touchdown in Kenya...

24hrs of flying, not to mention 3 layovers, one more than I expected, I am safe in Kenya. I have already made several friends here. Everyone is so delightful! I love being here, it's like my heart has found it's home. There are several organizations that we are going to be doing work with and after this next week or so of dabbling my feet in the different forms of work, I'll make a decision of where I will be working prodominately. Right now I can already feel that I will be doing a lot of work with LCC-K (Limuru Children's Centre - K branch, which is the group of children from four to seven who are preparing for primary school). They are all so beautiful and loving!!

I am picking up KiSwahili rather quickly. Today is just my second day and I can already greet people, ask how they are, tell them my name, and where I'm from! Not to mention asking them the same, plus some common manners and silly phrases like "let's go", "Hurry!", and "I don't know." hehe It's so much fun! My goal is to be able to have a full conversation in Kiswahili before my two months is over! I've already come so far. My instructor didn't believe today was just my second day when I went to my first lesson! hehe...

Oh! We went on a Safari walk and I found Rafiki! (of "The Lion King") Not the actual one of course, however we are on a mission to find a "Heart-beating" giraffe! lol -pictures to be posted later this week or beginning of next.

p.s. Welsh is a funny language, some words I just shouldn't be told, but a fun one is that microwave is "Poppety-Ping" (spelling may be incorrect but that's how you pronounce it)...

Kwahari! (good bye)

Leaving on a jet plane...

So, for those of you new to my blog, welcome! I'm glad to have you come alongside me in this! Tomorrow I will get up @ two am to take care of some bills and turn my phone off for time that I will be gone. Yesterday was a rough one and God was great to remind me what happens when you choose to push time with Him aside, no matter how enriching the other distractions might be. Maybe I've already stated this in one of my blogs below, but someone once told me that the higher the risk for good, the stronger the attacks will come, for Satan is fully aware of our potention and will stop at nothing to try to make us run back for the hills in fear that we cannot obtain that for which we are striving. Maybe that's not the exact wording, but you get the jist. It is not on our own two feet alone that we can reach our full potential, but as Paul illudes to in Phillipians, it's not that we are made perfect or that we have already obtained that which we are striving for, but that we press forward towards the goal that God might work through us.

The last week or so has definatly had some ups and downs. I haven't been as cautious in how my words come out and I'm sorry for the friction that's it caused. I know I can't take it back, but I do pray that there will come peace.

I am definately starting to freak out a little bit and some fears are rearing their ugly heads, but I know it's nothing to worry about. Everything that happens can be turned back to glory, after all, look at our own personal stories. We've already come so far, what's to stop us here?

I love you more than you can know...

Refresher...

So, it's amazing to realize just how great our God is! For all that I feel I've sacrificed for the sake of being obedience to my God's will, I have to say heart aches in a way that I've never felt before. I have been brought to my knees more times than I can count, everytime coming back with more joy and praise and gaditude for my King and this life. I've lost some friends I thought I would be tight with for years to come, I've lost "possessions" that I hold dear and play a huge parts in my comfort, sanity, and even independence...or so I thought. I feel stripped of all the things I wanted to hold so closely to, but with all of that my heart still beltches out the words to Nicole C Mullen's song, "I know that I know that I know that I know!!!! That MY REDEEMER LIVES!!!"

I've had a few bad days. I've definately let "Flesh Woman" (as Joanna River calls her in "Having a Mary Spirit.") take over, but as Paul says in Philippians 3:12-14, "Not that I have already been obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."...in all of this, I finally feel like I have a true relationship with my King. I know I'm not perfect, but I press on for the sake of which He gave his life for me. In this I have hope.

Thank you for all of you who have encouraged me, who have had real hope in me, who believed in me. You mean the world to me and I cherish the relationships I have with each one of you.

Love and Blessing be,
Bonnie Michelle

Determined to keep the passion

"Set us afire, Lord, stir us we pray!
While the world perishes, we go our way
Purposeless, passionless, day after day;
Set us afire, Lord, Stir us we pray!" - Cushman (daily bread '09)

To step back and realize the things I have let go to follow the King on this journey, I am in awe that I still stand, yet here I am. My heart feels the ache of loss, yet it still recognizes the joy of the king. I have hope! I have HOPE!! It is "Our love for Jesus (that) is key to spiritual passion." (daily bread '09)

It was my sweet sweet sister-in-law that reminded me I am determined. It was my time in the word that reminded me just why I am passionate about what I am doing. It's not about me, when it comes to my life, there are so many words, yet I am speechless. All I can say is PRAISE HIM!! Praise him who died for me, praise him to watches over me in the dark, praise him who loves me still. Praise him! For I am weary and weighed with assult from the evil one, yet "I said 'I will guard my ways so that I amy not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are in my presence..." (Psalm 39) As much as I try, I still slip and fall. My tongue isn't always peaceful or gorifying, but I am hopeful that in him I have a future. He has a purpose for me and if nothing else results from this, but that the King of kings and lord of lords is glorified, may it be so! Lord, may it be so!

I corrected things with my passport and should be receiving that shortly. I also have raised $775 even for my trip. That with what I do have saved up so far, I will be able to purchase my ticket which is coming in just barely under $2000. I have been blessed to crash with friends until the end of August and have a few more paychecks before I leave. My trip has been shortened to 2months now due to funding. I am hoping to put together a letter this week to hopefully raise some support from local companies. Praise be to the king! I am excited for this trip! I will also go in for shots later this week.

May I wash your feet?

"Faith looks across the storm - it does not doubt
or stop to look at clouds and things without.
faith Does not question why when all His ways
are hard to understand, but trusts and prays." - Anonymous

Encouragement, when the feet are fearful. Passion to follow desire meets the wall of fearful probability. Discouragement is great when risk for triumph is even greater. His word, a hand up when courage seems meek. Wrestling with the monsters past, then His light shines to scare them back into the dark. The enemy WILL be defeated, the darkness will curl back unto itself, and the world will see light come again. Wings for a heart that forgot it could fly.Humbled are those who serve others, for they will be lifted great before the King. To roam the world, the scale has been weighed and I chose life.

Status on the Kenya trip. I am diligently working on fundraising. I am currently in discussion with my boss about putting together a bowl-athon. I am hoping to contact local businesses, put together a car wash, and even raise funds with a friend for her South Africa trip this fall. I currently have reservations to purchase my plane ticket, which is thankfully just under $2,000. So, it seems things are going well with the prepping and my roommate and I are looking for a studio apt. in the area to rent until mid/end of August.

Thank you for all your prayers and support! Traeh ottraeh!!