Keep Calm… and Wait

Ireland’s 40 shades of green left me speechless at times. The peaceful hills peppered with sheep, castles that appeared to have popped out of a fairytale book, sandy beaches, impeccable gardens, and spongy grass that made me want to curl up on the side of a hill with a favorite book and never go back to the real word. As my friend Treena fittingly said, “it’s a photographer’s dream.”

We spent five days in Northern Ireland exploring the coast with friends, eating fish and chips, and walking around Belfast’s city center. People were incredibly friendly, and since my friends had a car we were able to see everything from the Newcastle coast in the south to the Giant’s Causeway in the North.

As beautiful as the land was, my favorite part was getting to spend time with friends from college my friend Lindsey and her husband Cris who live in Northern Ireland and my friend Mandy who is living in Russia but was visiting during the same time Treena and I were there.

It was amazing catching up, making new memories, and experiencing the beauty of Northern Ireland together. Before heading to London to catch a plane to Nairobi we crossed the boarder into Ireland and spent the night in Dublin. At night Dublin is alive with music floating through the air and groups of colorful people packing the streets. Before we caught our plane in the morning we saw the sleepy side of the city with most of the shops closed and relatively deserted streets.

Our flight to London went smoothly with only a small delay. We spent the night at my friend Steph’s flat, and it was great talking travel and journalism with her and her flat mates. In the morning Treena and I got up early to catch the tube headed to the airport. Things seemed to be going smoothly. We made it through security, found our gate, and waited to board the plane. Boarding went well. We were able to get seats together (thank you British Airways) even though we had originally been placed in different rows. We found our seats, stored our luggage, and waited for the plane to take off. Tired from the previous day’s travel and from getting up early I dozed on and off and woke up to an announcement that the plane’s fuel levels were high so the crew had to do additional checks before take off. About an hour later another announcement was made asking everyone to leave the plane, take all of their luggage, and re-board at a later time. They gave us vouchers for lunch and asked us to stay in the terminal and wait for further instructions. Finally at 4pm we boarded the plane again (we were originally supposed to depart at 10:45am).

We got on the plane and waited and then waited some more before the pilot informed us that because one of the passengers had failed to show up (and the passenger’s bags were still on the plane) the plane would not be able to take off unless the crew was able to get the bags off the plane in the next 20 minutes. Twenty minutes later we were still on the plane but then told to get off the plane while they switched us to a different plane. Off we went again, another food voucher, more waiting, a little more waiting, and then back at 8pm to board the plane for the third time. We got to our gate in plenty of time to board just to hear that the plane’s crew had not yet arrived so it would be another hour. By 9pm we were finally on the plane and when the plane finally started to move down the runway we all clapped. Even though we ended up leaving close to the time we should have been landing it just felt good to get to Kenya. Customs and Visas went well. All of our luggage arrived, and friends were waiting to pick us up at the airport.

Kenya has been incredibly amazing, but I’ll have to save that for another post. All I can say is that I’m in love with Africa and especially with the 17 kids who live at the children’s home. The experience has been so rich already to the point where I don’t even know how I will begin to start describing it. God has been so good, and I know He is going to teach me so much during this next year.

Smooth Sailing

I’m finding that trains are the best place to write. They are fairly quiet, comfortable, and are a nice little break in the midst of amazing experiences. I’m taking a bit of a risk titling this blog “Smooth Sailing” because Treena and I are only part way through our journey to Northern Ireland, but the last two days in Edinburgh have been an oasis of calm in a beautiful country. Even as I’m typing, I keep looking out the train window and whispering wow. It’s hard to describe, but the landscape is a lush green with strips of vibrant yellow tucked in between the hills and outlined by mountain crags. As the Scots would say it’s “brilliant.”

 

 

Pulling into the Edinburgh Waverley train station at 10:20pm and seeing familiar faces waiting for us on the platform was a beautiful sight. Heather and Adrian have the incredible gift of hospitality and my friend and I instantly felt at home. Heather had even put our names up on the door of the rooms we were staying in cutely spelled out with Scrabble tiles.

 

We enjoyed some tea and toast before heading to bed. After sleeping in a bit the next morning, we hopped on a bus back into the city’s center. During the day we saw the Sir Walter Scott Memorial, toured the Edinburgh Castle, had lunch at the Elephant House, and walked down the lovely Victoria Street. Later that evening Heather drove us to Forth Bridge, so we were able to enjoy that view as well.

 

Sir Walter Scott Monument

 

Since starting this blog post we have taken two trains and two buses and now we are on a ferry crossing the Irish Sea. It’s still breathtakingly beautiful. The bus ride along the cost of Scotland was extra stunning. It’s going to be hard to go back to any kind of normal life after this trip. It is just so calming and inspiring being in the middle of all of this beauty.  I feel close to God seeing such diversity in landscape and culture, and it makes my heart happy. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to take this mini trip on my way out to work in Kenya because it reminds me just how big God is and how creative and amazing His creation is as well. I’m just seeing a slice, but it is mind-blowingly beautiful slice. The trip has also reminded me how incredible the body of Christ is as people have hosted us in their homes and have been willing to partner with me on this journey. God is good. He has provided each step of the way, and I’m thankful that this portion of the trip has been smooth sailing.

An Overdose of Adventure

I was going to title this post “Let the Adventures Begin,” but since this journey began on May 23^rd my friend Treena and I have had a little more adventure then even I like. Delayed flights (which resulted in missed flights) hours of  standing in line with very heavy bags, lost luggage, and so many carefully made travel plans ending up in the air.

But, as I’m typing this we are less than an hour from landing in London and since boarding our British Airways flight things have been lovely. We did make some new friends while standing in line for several hours: an au pair from Switzerland, a student from Arkansas, a lady from Spain, and a student who ironically is a freshman at the college where I graduated from. Such a small, small world. Around 10 pm, we all finally got our flights rearranged and then headed to another part of the airport to make sure that our bags would met us at the proper destination. Once that was out of the way we figured we should all grab something to eat together since most of us hadn’t eaten anything since 10 am. Our little band of travelers made our way through the JFK airport in search of the food court which we reached right as many of the venders were closing up for the night or running low on options. But after such a long day anything sounded good.

We thought about just spending the night in the airport since our flight was scheduled to leave early the next morning, but Treena’s husband called around and found us a hotel. By the time we reached the airport it was after midnight, and we needed to head back to the airport around 4 am. Needless to say it was a very short night.

So what started this mess? Things went fairly smoothly in St Louis apart from American Airlines charging me for a second bag after saying on the phone that it would be free. Our flight leaving St Louis was delayed, but not by much, and we had a long enough layover in Chicago to make up for it. Problems started popping up after we reached our gate for our flight to New York. The flight ahead of us was significantly delayed due to the plane’s PA system malfunctioning. Eventually they cancelled the flight in front of us but in the meantime our plane was left sitting at a different gate. When we did finally board, we spent a half hour on the runway before receiving news that the weather in New York city was too bad for us to receive permission to land. When our plane did finally hit the skies we had spent as much time on the runway as we did in the air. Our two hour layover was completely eaten up and our plane for London left before we were able to land.

Missing our flight to London produced a domino effect. We were bumped to a morning flight that arrived well after our flight for Munich was scheduled to leave. From Munich we had planned to travel back to London by train with a stop off in Paris. Sadly, that entire portion of the trip was now impossible. Our relatives at home spent hours looking into options to still make at least some of the Munich/Paris trip work but at such a late date flights and trains were either sold out or ridiculously expensive.

Treena and I have since learned that being “stuck” in London is not such a bad thing. Since starting to write this blog we have spent the last three days in London taking the Tube and seeing some of the city’s most beautiful sights. I must admit I did have a bit of a melt down on Saturday morning after realizing that so many of our plans had fallen through, learning that ticket refunds were out of the question for the majority of our tickets and only partial refunds for the rest, and just feeling plain tired, hungry, and exhausted due to jetlag.

Going outside made all of the difference. That and getting something to eat. People often talk about London being cold and rainy, but we were fortunate to have nice sunny days (a bit cool at times) but overall beautiful. Some of the highlights have been riding the Tube (mind the gap) Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abby, Buckingham Palace, The Tower Bridge (formerly London Bridge) and the general friendliness of everyone that we have met along the way. We’ve also enjoyed our tea and a lovely English breakfast.

Right now my friend and I are leaving London behind as we are on a train heading to Edinburgh. People say it’s magical and from just the few pictures I’ve seen I believe it. So more to come (hopefully) unless we have more unplanned adventures.

Fragile

I wasn’t able to go to the funeral. I’ll be in Kijabe soon but not soon enough. I thought about not going to work after finding out that my aunt had passed away, but one of the best things about working as a nanny is that holding babies can be therapeutic.

I’m tired of writing about grief. It hurts. I’m tired of stressing about what’s going to happen next. My dad left me a voice message last week telling me to call home and my first thought was, “great what happened now?”

Life is fragile so very, very fragile.

My first clear memory of Aunt Martha was after my twin sister died suddenly. She sent my cousin and me American Girl paper dolls and cookbooks. Mine was Molly and Amanda got Kirsten. For an eight year old, it was such an appropriate gift. A thoughtful way of saying, “I know things are tough for you right now, but I care.” That’s the kind of person Aunt Martha was.

She ran a guest house on the coast of Mombassa. My friend and I had planned to spend a long weekend at her house in June. We’d been messaging back and forth confirming dates and talking through travel options.

It still hasn’t completely hit me that Aunt Martha won’t been there when I get to Kenya next month. I know she is in a better place, but selfishly I still want her here. She touched so many live, brought so much joy, and was an inspiration to me and to so many other people.

I Just Want to Feel This Moment

I turned the corner to fields of green tucked around the curves of one of my favorite back roads. I wanted to stop and take a picture but instead decided to keep driving with the radio turned up just enjoying the moment.

Heading back to the city it felt good to soak in the open spaces and the freeing feeling of being the only person on the road. “This is it,” I thought, the perfect combination of living in the city but not living too far away from family and the beauty of peaceful scenery. In moments like that I sometimes think back to a college chapel service. The speaker spoke from Psalms 73 emphasizing the phrase “The nearness of God is my good.”

“As you go through life take time to lean your head against the glass -whether that be the glass of an airplane window or a window in your home- and take a minute to remember the phrase ‘the nearness of God is my good.’” His words stuck with me. I guess for the idea that no matter what is swirling around you in life whether it be success or tragedy remain near to God.

It was easy to feel near to the presence of God on that drive last week. Today I was desperate for His nearness for an entirely different reason after receiving a call saying that my aunt Martha who lives in Kenya is deathly sick. To be honest, I feel numb. It doesn’t make sense. It came on so fast. The doctors are saying it is septicemia and there is not much they can do for her. She is on a respirator thousands of miles away. There is nothing I can do but pray. I feel helpless. I feel shocked, but I also feel hope knowing that I pray to a powerful God who is capable anything. It’s harder to trust in the difficult times. It’s so easy to get angry and ask why because honestly it really just doesn’t make sense, but even in these moments (especially in these moments) I still cling to the truth- the nearness of God is my good. I will make the Lord my God my refuge.

Please Send Me to Africa…

It’s a little bit scary seeing a dream come together. Part of me is so excited it feels like a dream and the other side of me is scared out of my mind wondering if everything is really going to work out.

I’m excited about moving to Kenya and working at the Riziki Children’s Home. I can’t wait to begin working with Kenyans who are building into their communities and tackling tough problems. I don’t want to be the pushy American who thinks they have all the answers. I want to support the work that is already going on. I want to learn. I want to help where I can and be a part of something bigger than myself.

The plane tickets are purchased which is so exciting. This trip is something I have wanted to do for so long. Now it is finally starting to feel real, and that is an incredible feeling. I get to travel on the way out with one of my best friends who is coming out for a short term trip to also work at the orphanage. My friend has always wanted to do an overseas mission trip, and it’s been such a pleasure doing trip planning together. Well, except for the shots which are scheduled for a week from next Friday. That part I’m not looking forward to, but I told my friend that if she gets me through the shots. I’ll get her through customs and airport security.

So we’re going to Kenya with an eleven day stop in Europe. I’m so blessed to have friends who are willing to host my friend and me. If everything goes right we will be able to spend time in London, France, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and possibly Germany. Even writing that sentence scares me a bit because at this point I don’t really know how I am going to pay for everything. But this is such a once in a lifetime experience, so I’m just praying that everything works out.

I’m scared because I’m the type of person who likes to have everything planned out. I budget, I write lists, I want every detail set before I take the first step, but at this point I can’t have that. It’s a one day at a time thing. Planning what I can but learning to let go at the same time which is something I’m not very good at.

So…. I especially appreciate prayers right now. Prayers for wisdom with trip planning. Prayers for finances, prayers for time management and prayer for just a sense of peace because so many times I just don’t have a clue what I’m doing.

But, as I think about going to Africa for 6 months to a year, my heart feels truly happy something I haven’t felt in a long, long time. I feel like in away I am returning home. It’s where I grew up, it’s where I feel comfortable and welcome. As they say, “you can take the girl out of Africa, but you can’t take Africa out of the girl.” I know I’m American, but a piece of me still feels very at home in Africa. Growing up, the song Please Don’t Send Me to Africa had it’s popular streak to the point of being annoying. In the song the songwriter pleads with God to honor his one request and never send him to the continent of Africa. My siblings and I wrote our own version of the song, “please send me to Africa I don’t think I have what it takes to live in suburban America I miss my spiders and snakes.”

Lasting Memories

Love birds

 

Last Thursday I headed to Florida, but it wasn’t a happy spring break trip to Florida it was for my grandma’s funeral. I was put in charge of collecting pictures for the photo board display at the service and also creating a background slide show to run during the visitation.

Grandma and her camera

I love pictures especially old black and whites and also those adorable cute kid pictures, so I spent several hours pouring over my grandma’s photo collection. I know I inherited some of my love for pictures from my Grandma Pontier. She had books and books of neatly organized and labeled albums lined up on shelves in her bedroom. Every grandchild has a book stuffed with baby pictures and almost every out of state trip earned a book as well. My pictures are nowhere near as organized as Grandma’s, but I’ve massed quite a collection myself.

Due to a limited amount of time before the funeral, I didn’t finished the slideshow to my satisfaction, so on the 13 hour car ride home I decided to finish it. When I think of my grandma, her love for pictures is one thing that I am very thankful for. The memories she captured on film I’m sure will continue to touch generations for years to come.