Just a little catching up!

It's been awhile since I've just blogged - so this will probalby be hit and miss!

Needless to say, my trip was amazing.  I'm still digesting the experience.  Someone asked the other day if I was off the "mountaintop" of the experience yet.  My honest answer is no, and nor do I ever want to be!

The boys are doing well.  Andrew is getting a little overwhelemed - school, work, senior year, social life.  Remember those days?  We are working on stuff for college - we'll see where that leads us.  He's a good kid and I'm blessed to have him as mine!

Michael is well - being back out on the ramp is catching up to him although he is doing a great job.  His calf muscles are giving him a run for his money.  Basically the Dr. said that they are producing an acid (anyone can get it when they suddenly strain their muscles) and that is what is causing his pain.  Nothing that can't be fixed with vitamins and minerals and stuff like that.  I'll be thankful when he works through this part. 

Work is great!  I'm working on my presentation for the office for October 22nd.  It'll be hard to condense it down to an hour.  Everyone has been great about my trip - it's amazing how often now I notice when people talk about Africa and specifically Kenya.  Not even about my trip - it's as if a bug has been put in my head to be sensitive about that.  Guess I shoudn't mention bugs...but more on that when we talk about my trip!

I haven't had time to work on cards or stitching or anything.  It took almost a week to get my energy back from jetlag and since then I feel very busy.  I'm actually looking forward to the fall weather to be able to sit back and enjoy the crisp days/nights at  home. 

I'm sleeping better most nights - but nights I worked on my video and I would assume the same while I work  on catching up my blog I'll experience much of the restless dreamfilled nights.  But that is ok - it was a lot to absorb and I don't ever want to NOT have trouble sorting how humanity can allow so much poverty. 

Spent ALL DAY Saturday working at dad's with my siblings.  Dad isn't someone who wants/needs anything so for this birthday we agreed to go over and do the yard work he wanted done.  I'll never live down a line in my e-mail "if we all work togheter it shoudn't take too long" - well, we started at 9am and at 5 our butts were dragging out of there!  We pulled up the bushes out front (which included moving a ton of lava rock - twice!), trimming the trees, bushes and whatever else he wanted done.  But it was well worth it.  He really likes it. I'll try to post a few pictures soon! 

Not much going on this weekend.  I HOPE to be able to work on some cards Saturday night.  My nephew is getting married on Saturday but we should be home fairly early.  Michael is going to go play poker with the guys and I'll find somewhere to send Andrew.  =)    I'm scanning websites now for ideas and I'll probably take my camera to Archivers to get a few more ideas.  Kinda sneaky of me, huh?

I got an e-mail from Justine (she was the Kenya side coordinator for the short term mission trips) about getting in touch with Margaret.  Oh, you don't know who Margaret is, do you?  She is one of the amazing kids in Kenya - at the boarding school - that just touched my heart.  She gave me a letter when I was leaving so I plan on being a pen pal with her...and hopefully seeing her again someday on this side of heaven!   Anyhow, I have a contact address for her now so I'm all excited about that!

Gosh, I know lots more has happened over the last two weeks  - I'll share as I remember and in the meantime I'll continue to update. 

A tiny glimpse of my trip...

Please use the link on the right hand side to view the video I just posted about my trip.  Use the one that says "A Tiny Glimpse of My Trip"

For some reason I can't seem to get it to post over here!  Sorry about that!

Home sweet home...

So sorry for not updating.  I'll start now and do it one day at a time.  Most pictures that I'm going to share are on FB - but I'll upload them here or upload them to Shutterfly or Snapfish and share a link later.

It was amazing.  It was life changing.  I'm struggling with describing it.  The families are amazing, the valley is horrible, the smiles are genuine and there are good works being done there.  The kids appreciate the school not only for the meals they get (which they probably wouldn't get at home) but they seem to know that they need an education to change their lives - something kids here take for granted.

I missed cold drinks - but I'm used to drinking everything warm now.  I missed hot showers, but I was clean in luke-warm ones.  I'm sick of rice - but not once was I hungry.

I've seen kids with all kinds of things - scabies, TB, ring worm, tape worm, malaria, common cold and flu as well as wounds from tripping and running and just being a kid.  Not to mention the kids who were hurting with their home life.  I've seen smiles that would make anyone's day as well as kids who couldn't make eye contact and I could barely hear them.

We had Kenyan Nurses help us on their days off from working at their jobs - we worked with Social Workers who know each one of those kids, their home life and who loved those kids as their own.  Some of those Social Workers live in the valley themselves and are still working to change the lives of those around them.

I've seen and smelled things that I want to forget but I know I never will.  My dreams are confused and jumbled - but only since I've been back.  I think I put things on hold while I was there just so I could do what God called me to do.  He gave me the strength to do it - and now He is opening my eyes to what I saw and is changing my heart to see how I can help and change things.

I'd go back in a heartbeat but I'm so thankful to be home.

I had trouble being in Target yesterday - so much excess here but this is my normal just as the valley is their normal.  There has to be a happy medium somewhere.

I'm experiencing people who are pushing back at me for going so far away to help when we need help here.  We do have poverty here - but not to this extreme.  If you find a spot here in the states like what I experienced in the Mathare Valley, I will be there to help.  We have resources here to help families - they have none.  This is not the post to discuss this - it will come later.  But it hurts when people are so harsh with me when I am already hurting.  I know being tired and physically, emotionally and mentally drained isn't helping but I can actually feel pain when people continue to say should have helped here - I do help here and will continue to do so.

I need to remember that nothing can take my joy away from my trip.  I served with my whole heart and soul - and I KNOW I was called to go for God's purpose.   God is still working on me and opening my eyes and heart.  Each time I look at the pictures I remember something different...something that God is still showing me.  My prayer is that God helps me.  People ask how I'm doing and I say tired.  But truth be known I'm hurting.  I've posted a lot of great pictures - the good, the bad and the ugly.  But I need to find away to describe them.

Bear with me over the next few weeks - I'll try to update daily - and do it day by day as if I was there.  Thank you for being patient...forgive me for not being able to update there.  But I'll do my best to share this amazing trip with you!

Praise God!  (Amen)

Praise God Again!  (Amen)

           - you'll understand that later!  =)

Kenya Updates

For those of you that are following my trip through this blog - I'm just going to be updating my mission trip blog from today until I get back.  I'll probably copy everything over to this blog once I get back and settled - but I know I'll have limited internet access over there and I doubt if I can keep both of these upated.

You can go to that blog directly via www.calledtokenya.blogspot.com or on my sidebar of this blog there is a link to that blog.

Thank you for sharing this journey...

May God's peace be with you always!

In His service!

Tricia

Prayers....

Not sure how to start this post - again words escape me.  

A dear friend at work (Hi Corrie!) organized a prayer circle today - what an amazing blessing it was to be a part of that.  She posted a few requests on the board so they could pray specifically for certain things.  Among those listed were safe travels, my boys, good health, my RLS, the kids we will be working with, the FAME team, for us to be His hands and feet and a few more that escape me at this moment.   A wonderful group of fellow coworkers joined hands and prayed over this trip - one by one around the circle.  Lifting things up specifically to the throne of God.  What a moment it was to hear others pray for me.  For my family. This entire mission trip.  My heart melted and stirred with a peace that I'd been seeking for a few weeks now.  My heart was overwhelmed to the point of tears and even as I type this I can still feel comfort and strength - the peace.  I truly can't describe how much it meant to me.

What an amazing experience.

                                  What an honor.

                                                   What a blessing.

                                                                           It is something I'll never forget.

Thank you everyone that was able to be there for the prayer circle.  Thank you Corrie for organizing it.  And thank you Father for Schmidt - for a company that radiates Your love in so many wonderful ways.  For co-workers - from the top down - that are genuine in who they are and who they are in You.

Someone said to me tonight...

"Wow...just think, in 5 days  you will be a missionary!"

Although there is a lot of truth to that - the real truth is I will now be an international missionary.

But it made me think.  Have a been a missionary prior to this trip?

Now I'm not going to get all religious here, but I do want to say something that should be food for thought for all of us - 

Take a look around you.  In your neighborhood, down your street - on the way to work and your coworkers.  The grocery story store clerk and the server at your dinner.  I think a true missionary is not just someone who goes elsewhere - a long distance - or states away to serve or help others.  I think a true missionary is someone who observes their surroundings and makes a difference for those they see - regardless of where they are at.

How often do we not see, or choose not to see, someone around us that needs a helping hand.  Someone who needs a hand up.  A listening ear.  Some encouragement.  A true missionary is willing to give of themself to help another.  It may be as simple as a heartfelt prayer, a smile and a kind word.  It could be a dinner cooked for someone, a walk shoveled or leaves raked.  It is an endless list - and we can all help and make that difference.

Aren't we all called to be missionaries?  Regardless of our faith?  Look deep inside.  We were designed to help our fellow humans.  Been hurt by someone?  We all have.  Not been helped by someone?  We've all felt that.  But we can't let our past define who we are.  We need to learn to forgive and not judge.  We need to see people around us as people - no better than us and certainly no less valued as us.  

Take a moment to watch this video.  I posted it at the very beginning of my blog.  This is who I want to be:

And when I get back - I want to be changed.  I want to have His eyes to see the people around me as He sees them.  Everyone is hurting, stressed, sad, missing someone, angry and well - they don't feel loved.  My job always has been - and forever now will be to be a full time missionary....

No matter where I am at.

Won't you join me?  Open your heart to others and give them help - and hope.

We should all be missionaries for the human race - no excuses.

50(ish) Pounds of Medicine...

and some suckers too!

Today I went with a friend (thanks Susan) to pick up my medicine from FAME to pack.  FAME collected the meds, rotated stock, and sorted what they need most in our clinics and spread everything out to 35 pounds boxes for each of us.  Apparently they take everything out of the packages...not sure if it is to save space in shiping or trash over there or what - but here is my 35 pound box to pack:

My OCD kicked in like you wouldn't believe.....I think I even started twitching!  But no worries!  Tonight after the auction with Daddy I pulled out my suitcase and began to pack:

Toothbrushes, Cough drops, Band Aids and Benedryl tablets

And I packed some more:

Everything else...and then some!

The medicine plus my suitcase came to about 40 something pounds....

So I added the suckers and Smarties - but I had to take the smarties out - looks like the are going in my other luggage...somehow!

I borrowed the OLD scale from Schmidt - Looks like I am a hair over:

50 ish....

I was thinking that on Monday when everything is packed (of course everything will be packed by Monday!  Right???) - I'd go ahead and take a run to the airport and just test it on their scales.  Just to make sure.  If this bag is too heavy I'll just put a small bag of suckers (probably with the smarties) in my carryon.  

So now I have to get everything else into my bigger suitcase.  All the toys that were collected will go into my bigger suitcase.  And my dad has been collecting crayons/markers/paintbrushes and chalk to send as well!  And some beanie babies.  I'm hoping Lori will be packing a 3rd suitcase - if so that'll help a lot!  If my bag is over it'll be $150.00 - a 3rd bag is $200.00.  I would like to help her pay for a 3rd bag if she is going to take one!  I think I'll probably end up putting my clothes in my carryon - yes, with my smarties!  =)