I’m definitely not a morning person but somehow I’ve been able to wake up in time for our team’s 6:40am morning devotional. Praise God for that!
At our trade school site, Will and I got to help transport and piece together bed frames at the base. Every time I thought the truck was full, the locals proved me wrong. All the students at the trade school are very welcoming. I’m very surprised about much Spanish I know, but I’m not mad about it. I think my favorite part about today’s project was riding in the back of the pick up truck and getting to hear Holman, our agriculture site leader, share his testimony.
After work, we went to the micro finance fair to support the women who are starting their own businesses. It was really fun trying to compete with my friends for some really cool items. Following the fair, we drove to a park to play volleyball. My team and I played really well while Jerome went to bed without a win. However, in the last game, the ball hit me in the face twice so I saw that as God humbling me.
When we got back to hotel, we ended the night with a late night pool swim and recapped our day together as a team. It was a really good day.
Hello! Audrey reporting for duty. This trip has been such an enriching experience already so I can’t imagine what else is in store. As the person arguably the most stoked about the experience, I have been given the privilege of updating you all on our trip to Petra yesterday.
My morning started at 4:00am with my roommate (@Emmalee) and fearless leader (@Cason), flashlights in hand, hunting the largest cockroach we have ever seen. Chaos ensued and it’s safe to say we were all fully awake after the monster was finally eliminated.
At 6am (8pm CA Time) our van drivers rolled up and we all began our three hour trip to Petra. Petra is located in a valley so after a windy drive that looked like it was straight out of Dune, we arrived at our destination, applied sunscreen, and bought our tickets. Petra is the home to many Bedouin families, one local we spoke to said his family had lived in the hills of Petra for over 700 years. We were assigned a tour guide who we will call A. At the end of the tour, A said he also lived in the caves surrounding Petra and we were welcome to stay with his family any time, just one example of the presence of hospitality in this country.
The tour of Petra begins at the visitor center and works its way down farther into the valley through a series of canyons. This single point of entry was a benefit of this location for the safety of those who resided there through the centuries. As you walk through the canyons you can begin to see the carvings and infrastructure put in place by the Nabateans, the earliest known residents of the region. The canyon walls have a series of aqueducts carved into the limestone to collect water from the flash floods of this region. Half an hour into the walk, seeing (truly) amazing carvings, structures, original pavestones, and naturally occurring rock formations, we hit the most well known location of this entire site: The Treasury. The Treasury is the location that is shown in Raiders of the Lost Ark and is what many come to see when they visit Petra. I’m going to be honest with you all, I cried a little, but that’s probably not too surprising if you know me. We turned the corner and light was shining on the imposing, famous, and incredibly intricate facade of The Treasury. This location is called The Treasury because for years tradition said that the treasures of a pharaoh were kept behind its high walls.
After this moment of shock and awe we continued our tour, seeing the ancient court of law, countless tombs, some much more intricate than others, and eventually stopping for lunch at a shop owned by a friend of our guide. This shop was located near the colonnade and main cross street of the city. In a full sun area, surrounded by hills dotted by tombs and residential caves, we were able to get to know M, the shop owner, and enjoy some shade while letting what we had all seen sink in.
At first the Bedouin groups selling transportation, food, or trinkets seemed pushy, but then after talking to A, we realized the tourism into Petra is the lone source of income for many of the local residents. Whereas to us we could see a souvenir or “overpriced” drink as non essential and a waste of money, it is the livelihood of those living here and holds much more significance than many are willing to give it.
A finished our tour and recommended that whoever wanted to should visit the “monastery” at the top of the hill, his favorite location at this whole site. Those in our group who were interested, began the trek up the mountain. This was hard. It was so hot, and so steep. All the way up and down the mountain we were stopped by shopkeepers in hopes we would buy a souvenir, and sidestepping donkeys carrying folks up the mountain, and all that the donkeys left behind (you know what I mean).
After what A said would take 30 minutes (around 1.5 hours and 900 steps) we arrived at the top of the hill. Shock and awe again, I’m telling you. A building larger than even the treasury and almost as intricate sat at the top of the hill, facing the country’s border. Totally uncrowded we were able to take in this building and see all the remains surrounding it yet to be studied. The face of this structure also showed signs of the interaction of other cultures at this site. Roman influence echoed from this and many other carvings at Petra begging to tell the stories of anyone who has made it their home. After a while, back down the mountain we went. much faster this time.
We rejoined the rest of our group and began the hour long trek out of the city of Petra. Pizza was consumed, and after another 3 hour drive back home, we all got to reflect what we had seen that day. A great night’s sleep was had, and no more cockroach intruders have been seen since.
Canyons leading to the treasury-check out the water channel on the left!The group with tour guide A! We’re you’re biggest fan <3The shops and steps leading up to the monastery.The monastery-Shaynna for scale.Me after 10 miles of hiking, feeling no pain, only the joy of history.
Hi family and friends! We were incredibly blessed by a family from the states to be able to experience a three-day safari sabbath in the middle of our time here in East Africa. After a 4 hour commute we arrived at the National Park. Immediately after entering the park we encountered a giraffe on our way to the Safari Lodge. The lodge was incredible, and the view on top of the ridge overlooking the nearly dried up river was breathtaking. It was not long before we saw monkeys running around the lodge and swinging in the trees.
After lunch we went swimming, and a snake slithered its way out of a nearby water drain. One of the workers ran to a man nearby, whom quickly grabbed a broomstick and chased the snake up a tree. The man who came to the rescue was B, the owner of the lodge and our tour guide during our stay. He told us the snake was known as an African Tree snake and it was extremely poisonous. B personally had never seen one as large as the one we encountered.
After settling in we went on our first three hour safari tour around the park. We were amazed at the vast number of wild animals, including wildebeests, zebras, elephants, giraffes, monkeys, vultures, mongeese, and a variety of others. The first day was capped off by seeing a leopard hanging out in a tree right next to the road and overlooking the land nearby.
Over the next two days we toured the park three more times, and we were blessed to see the three main cats, including the lions, a leopard, and a cheetah. Arguably, the pinnacle of the trip was witnessing a family of lion cubs wrestling and a family of elephants that made their way through the lodge as the scanvanged the trees for food.
Today is the end of day 3 in Central America. Today was another awesome day of assisting local leaders. Today at the sports camp Jerome and I (Peter) started the day off at a new school and led their PE program. We took 4th graders to play soccer at a park 20 minutes away, running a couple drills and playing soccer games with all the kids. We then returned and worked with 3rd graders. We played various games including monkey in the middle and three flags up to share some American games. Once we concluded, we returned to the school. I started to attempt to talk to the kids with the little Spanish I had when one kid walked up to me and asked me to autograph her hand. Of course I said, “Sí”. Then, simultaneously, all the kids began to swarm me for an autograph, and proceeded to swarm Jerome for his signature. It was just a heartwarming experience for them to show us how much we mean to them. Also, during lunch, God answered my prayer for a PB&J that I was craving. We then transitioned to play baseball with the kids from the two schools and we began to teach English to the kids. After two hours of baseball, we played soccer for an additional two hours. After playing and building relationships with the kids we shared a devotional of David and Goliath. Lastly, we returned to base to listen to the testimonies of some of the site leaders.
Hey! Alina here. Our travels were long with just a few rough patches, but overall it went pretty smoothly. Praise God for safe travels. We are so excited to finally be here and experience this beautiful culture and country.
Our partner organization is absolutely lovely! The library is amazing. It is not a huge library, but it gives a very homey, welcoming and comfortable feeling. There are rooms dedicated to different subjects like fiction, science, family and kids. They even have some of my favorite books that I don’t usually see in libraries. Also, the staff is so kind and knowledgeable. I’ve loved getting to talk to them.
I am so thankful that God has allowed us to be here to impact the people in this country and experience their culture. We’re praying for God to use us to bless them and trusting that he will according to his purpose.
We had a wonderful dinner all together with our field workers and afterwards, we got some delicious ice cream. It was nice walking around the city and spending time with each other.
Hey friends and family, Emmalee here! Thanks so much for keeping us in your prayers, and for checking in here for an update on our trip so far! ❤️ We certainly miss you all, but the excitement of being in the Middle East and altogether is REAL. We can’t wait to see how God moves in our lives and here at the library! He’s been so good to us already by getting us here safely, providing rest and comfort as we settled in after all our travel, and shining his light and love through our new friends at the library.
To kick it off, let me tell ya about our travel. There were many ups and downs, that’s for sure! (Literally ups and downs with 4 flights, HA!) Nonetheless, we made it, after about a day and a half of travel… at least I think; it gets kind of confusing with the time changes and such. It was so sweet once we finally made it into the city and where we’re staying, and got a chance to clean up and get some quality sleep. The library and our rooms are GREAT! We were all happily surprised to see such beautiful floors, art covering the walls, and loads of books and movies all over the library. We can’t wait to get to work and get to know some of the locals that come visit. ☺️
For me, it’s hard to highlight just one thing since pretty much our entire first day here has been awesome. I was able to sleep in (more than I planned, but I think I really needed it), then get up and grab some coffee and get ready for the day. After a bit, we got some info from the library staff about what all we can expect on this trip, and all the things we’ll get to do! A new wave of excitement came over all of us again at that point. Then we went to a local restaurant and had our first authentic meal altogether! It was so yummy, and to top it off, we went to a local ice cream shop for dessert. 😋 Pretty soon here, we’ll all catch some z’s again and kick off our second day. YAY!
Thanks again for checking in, stay tuned for our next update! And please keep praying for our all-around health individually and as a team. There’s a lot more in store for us, and we can’t wait to share about it next time! 🤗
AMAZING views flying over Canada 🤩 This was a great start to our long-haul, 9-hour flight.We finally made it!! Our field worker and the director of the library, met us at the airport with a couple vans and a luggage truck to take us to the library.Beautiful building! This is where we get to stay and connect with the community for the next week and a half or so.Free time = photo opps! The library is gorgeous inside and out, and the weather today was so nice. A great start to our time in-country!Dinner with everyone! We were so ready for this.SELFIE WITH ICE CREAM!!! This was such a sweet treat after our tasty dinner. We just couldn’t resist after multiple locals told us we had to try it. 😋
Hi family and friends! After many, many hours of travel and several flights, we arrived and got through customs in the Middle East! Some of our luggage was not as blessed and we are still waiting on its arrival so please be praying we get that soon! We can’t wait to update again soon about our ministry!
Hi family and friends! After a long night of travel, we arrived, got settled, and began our orientation with our ministry partners! We can’t wait to update about our experience with the ministry soon 🙂
Team East Africa A landed safely in California on Tuesday afternoon! Thank you to everyone who has prayed for this team throughout their journey. It is clear that the Lord was answering prayers throughout their trip and we know they would not have had this experience without your faithful support.
Please continue to be praying for the East Africa A team as they re-enter the US and experience jet lag and reverse culture shock. Pray that they remain encouraged by their time in East Africa and that their faith would be strengthened even as they return to their regular rhythms and routines.
Make sure to ask your team member about their experience and how you can be praying for them and supporting them specifically! We thank you all!
Praise God! The team has made it safely to the airport and is getting ready to embark on their first flight. As they get ready to board the plane and have an overnight flight, please join us in praying for their physical safety and health (and some good rest), and ask that God would be preparing their hearts to experience a new culture and engage in ministry.
We will update again when the team arrives and gets settled in Central America!
Praise the Lord! The team arrived safely at the airport and all has been smooth. As they embark on their first flight and get ready for a very long day of travel ahead of them, please join us in praying for their physical safety and health, and ask that the Lord would reveal himself in new ways to the team and work through them in this new place.
We will update again when the team arrives and gets settled in the Middle East!
