July 2, 2009

Well we are finally back in civilization. We lost our ability to blog early on due to electricity problems. All we had was dial-up. That is why we never sent any pictures. The good news is we are all safe and the trip has been something none of us will ever forget. God has been with us throughout. I have come to experience that truth in a way I never have before. I have seen people who depend on that in a way that is miraculous to see. We have many pictures, videos, and stories. The consistent theme with each is the presence of God through the work of the Holy Spirit. To give you an example of what I mean we spent the last two days in the Masai Mari game preserve to unwind and see the animals of Africa. Our last night at the lodge where we stayed Ken (pastor at 1st Grapevine) was asked to lead a worship service for the staff. So we did. I really can't capture the experience except to say that the staff witnessed to us in a way that was most inspiring and humbling. God's grace was just so at work in and through the simple way we worshipped together. I truly felt that I was with family. It was just so inspiring.

I am writing from the London airport as I await our flight. I am tired and ready to come home. It is very difficult to take in and absorb all that has happened to us on this journey. I have missed my family of faith. I look forward to being with all of you this Sunday. Our team will be sharing with our church all that we learned on Sunday, July 12. I hope that date is right. I am a little disoriented related to time and place right now. We have really enjoyed getting to know the group from Grapevine. We formed community early on. I thought that in order for you to at least meet one other member of our group from there I would introduce a guest blogger. He has been an important part of our team.
See you when we get home,
Travis

Hello, my name is Keegan from Grapevine and I'm sophomore at L.D. Bell High School. I have sincerely enjoyed this trip. It is truly a trip I will never forget. Seeing the presence of God in a place where that is all they have to hold on to is extremely humbling.
Thanks for allowing me to blog maybe at some point I'll get a chance to meet some of ya'll.

Hey! It's Brittany now. Soooooo I am both physically and emotionally DRAINED but it's totally worthwhile. This experience has been one to last a lifetime and I can't wait to share our stories with everyone! I have taken tons of videos and pics....so be ready for that! But even with that, there's no way I can ever completely describe what happened to us there and what we saw. I can at least try though, and feel free to ask questions when we get home! Not only do we have many stories to share, but we also have lots of information for the church! It is awesome, getting to see what is happening there due to our support! It will be a huge adjustment, coming back home. Probably because while in Kenya, the people made us feel so comfortable, and like members of their family...that place became our home for the past two weeks. It will be interesting to see how we all react! Right now I have no sense of where I am, what time it is, what day it is...anything! It will only get worse....all these time changes! :p

Anyway, our time on here is running out so we're gonna let ya go! Bill & Dottie, as well as Jo, say "Hi"! We can't wait to see you all!
-Britt :)