Team East Africa landed safely in Sacramento on Saturday around noon. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for this team before, during, and now after their trip. It is evident that God was present with this team throughout their trip as they witnessed his many blessings.
Please continue to be praying for the East Africa team as they recover from jet lag and may experience reverse culture shock, especially as we enter 4th of July weekend. Pray that they would be comforted by the Lord as they remember and miss the people they met in East Africa and that they would lean into their relationship with God as they begin to debrief and process these past two weeks.
Make sure to ask your team member about their experience and how you can be praying for them and supporting them specifically now that they’re home! We thank you all!
We are leaving East Africa!!! What a surreal moment for all of us. It feels like just a few days ago that we were leaving Sacramento.
We all woke up between the hours of 4-5am, and left the hotel around 5:35. We made it through security, but had some interesting complications with our suitcases and carry-ons. But in the end, everything worked out just not in the way we expected. But that has been our first complication so far on this trip so we are grateful that it was minor. (Caribbean team now we know just a LITTLE bit of what you have gone through😂)
We had our last meal at Courage Cafe last night and were very grateful for our fieldworkers, and their family, for their generosity and kindness during this trip. It wouldn’t have been able to be such a fantastic trip without them.
We are currently waiting in the airport for our first of three flights home. We all are extremely tired and sad to leave, but ready to go home.
Our fieldworker, J, said a few words to us and about us to the Courage girls when we were saying goodbye. He said, “it’s time for them to go back to their other life in America.” And something about “other life” makes leaving much more easier. Because all of us will forever have a life and relationship here in East Africa. Sounds cheesy, but it’s very true.
I can speak on behalf of all my teammates when I say thank you to our friends and family for their support and prayers, and to Jessup and Global Outreach for making this trip even possible in the first place. We are excited to see you all! 💛
In the last 24hrs we had the amazing opportunity to go on a safari and see God’s creation. We went on 2 game drives guided by a guy named Abdul where we saw:
– Wildebeests – Zebra herds – Warthogs – Giraffe – Herd of Ostrich – Elephant herds – Dikdik – Eland herd – Empale herds – Baboon herd – Cape buffalo – Elephant skull – Superb sterling bird – Tawny eagle – Water buck – Mongoose – Genet (little cat like lemur) – Vervet monkey – Leopard – Honey badgers – Shrike birds – Hyena cub – Jackal (dog) – Clip Springer antelope – Go away bird – Vulture – Hippo – Sacred Ibis birds – Ground hornbill – Mongoose – Lion pride (8 chilling under a tree) (list courtesy of Alyssa but shortened it because so many birds)
It’s very cool to have done something as once a life time as this for the second time. I loved sharing this adventure with my team. We ate lunch after safari and swam in the lodge pool. And are now heading back to courage cafe for dinner on a 3 and 1/2 hour ride. Tomorrow is our last day and we’re all going to miss the girls and East Africa so much. Going to be lots of crying tomorrow.
Little bonus funny quote: Guide – hippos don’t like the sun they burn easily Matt- I can relate to that
Today was absolutely amazing. We started the day off with a double devotion. The first devotional was from mama M and the second was from two of the CLA (Courage Leadership Academy) girls who led us in two songs of worship. Mama M, in her devotional, had talked about how we live in both a spiritual and a physical world. Her main messaged revolved around how when the physical world does not treat us right, we must open our eyes to the spiritual world and recognize how on our side Jesus is. Her devotional also highlighted how important it is to trust in the name of the Lord so that He can help fight our battles. This devotional was really touching and led some of the CLA girls to share parts of their story. We couldn’t be more grateful that they feel comfortable enough to share with us.
After devotionals, our team headed to courage house to see the younger ones! We sang lots of worship songs and praised the Lord. We taught them a new song with hand motions and we all had a blast! After being at Courage House for a few hours, we left to go see a movie with the CLA girls. The little movie theatre we had went to, was located in the center of a little amusement park! We watched the movie Queen of Katway. It was powerful and tear-jerking and most of the girls could relate to it.
Once the movie had finished, we got in the car and headed to the Church we had attended on Sunday because some of the girls from both CLA and Courage House were getting baptized. We played games and hung out for a while before the baptisms. A total of 33 girls had made a public declaration of their faith today. Watching each and everyone of those girls be baptized was so powerful. Each one had been showered in cheering, clapping, love and excitement once they came up out of the water. We were truly blessed to be apart of such a beautiful thing. I pray that God continues to work through these girls each and every day.
Our day started off slow with a nice breakfast and some time to journal or nap. Our team then went to church where we saw people praise God with so much joy. They were singing, dancing, clapping and shouting praise to God. Pastor Sh shared a powerful message about building spiritual muscles through trials and tests. It stood out to me was when Pastor Sh shared how trials can come in so many forms and three steps to overcome any trial are: 1) Word of God 2) Prayer 3) Fruit of the spirit. Also the importance that in relationships trials, we are not fighting each other but fighting against the common enemy behind it. After church we went out to get some lunch and enjoyed delicious food (I had a chicken avocado salad with fries, chapati, juice and some cake for dessert).
Today our team also had the privilege to be part of the graduation ceremony for some of the girls from CLA (Courage Leadership Academy). It was a time filled with joy as we listened to all the praise and encouragement given to the girls and their speeches too. It really stood out to me that one of the girls said “God has brought us from failure and helped us to overcome it”. It was beautiful to see how far these girls have come and even in the midst of ups and downs, they have never given up. Their determination and faith in Jesus is so inspiring that we can all learn from. The whole courage family was together and it was so cool to see all the amazing girls and staff that we have been building a special relationship with all together. We had snacks and a yummy cake too.
I am personally in love with the music culture here and can’t help but dance every time a beat starts. The DJ was on fire and played some amazing songs which had us all dancing and celebrating. Some of the girls were teaching us some of their dance moves and it was so fun to learn it from them.
We are so proud of the graduates and will be praying that God continues to guide, protect and bless each and everyone one of them during this new journey.
Thank you so much for all of your prayer for our team! We really miss and love y’all!
The CLA (Courage Leadership Academy) girls took us to the Memoria market to do some shopping. They seemed to take delight in helping us find specific items and haggling with the vendors on our behalf. I loved being able to experience more of their world. This outing allowed us to further connect through conversations and experiences. It also gave us the opportunity to see and interact with the incredible people of this city. We were graciously welcomed (karibu) and we did our best to use Swahili—some of the team are doing really well with the language. I appreciated the opportunity to see a new part of the city and to depend up the CLA girls for guidance. (It would have been overwhelming without them and we no doubt would have gotten lost.)
We then spent a couple hours at CLA where we ate another amazing Swahili lunch, played card games, talked, and got to watch Bella enthusiastically play with the CLA kids (it turns out that the language of preschoolers is universal—and Bella speaks it fluently).
We then had the opportunity to take the CLA girls swimming at a local hotel (thank you, Redeemer Covenant Church!). They were very excited to get to swim. We were able to provide swim lessons and teach them “Marco Polo.” There was also time to converse and relax in the beautiful hotel setting (and I may have fell asleep on the grass in the shade).
I think I can speak for the team in saying that our lives are being changed through the relationships we are building with the Courage girls/women. These are some of the strongest, most joyful, kindest, friendliest, most talented people we’ve met. For (about) two weeks we get to live life with them and—I know that this might sound a bit dramatic— it is sacred. It’s like entering holy ground. And because it’s sacred, any words I use to describe it are inadequate. But it’s real because God (ultimate reality) is present. As I’ve watched them dance, sing, worship, laugh, serve, play, learn, teach, support one another, and love each other’s kids as their own, I cannot help but see the self-giving love of God. God’s image shines beautifully and clearly in this sisterhood called Courage House. And we are blessed to experience it. But it’s not just the girls—it’s their kids, the incredible staff, and the fieldworkers (J, St, and Sa). God is at work and is present in and through Courage.
But I also see God’s image reflected beautifully and clearly in our team. From day one they’ve fully entered into this relational ministry and have developed a deep love these Courage girls. They’ve been vulnerable, generous, outgoing (even the introverts), creative, committed, flexible, humble, open, and compassionate—even when feeling tired, sick, and in pain. It’s a privilege for me to watch each one sacrificed love in ways that are both life-giving and physically draining. We also have a lot of fun together.
If you’re still reading this, then you probably won’t mind if I add a little more. Over the past week, I’ve thought a lot about the apostle Paul’s words in Romans 1:11-12– “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” The “spiritual gift” Paul refers to is the activity of mutual encouragement. A charisma or “spiritual gift” is Spirit-directed activity, and Paul envisioned a Spirit-directed activity of mutual encouragement when he visited the Roman Christians (he strengthens their faith, they strengthen his faith). I feel that kind of mutual encouragement on this trip. When we’re with the Courage girls and staff, there is mutual encouragement, learning, giving, sharing, teaching, and supporting .
I also can’t help but think of this Thomas Merton quote that describes this kind of Spirit-directed mutuality: “When the Love of God is in me, God is able to love you through me and you are able to love God through me. . . . Because God’s love is in me, it can come to you from a different and special direction that would be closed if He did not live in me, and because His love is in you, it can come to me from a quarter from which it would not otherwise come. And because it is in both of us, God has greater glory. His love is expressed in two more ways in which it would not otherwise be expressed; that is, in two more joys that could not exist without Him” (“Seeds of Contemplation).
It is this mutual sharing of the love of God with each other that has motivated us, sustained us, and is changing us. Yes, we are on holy ground.
For those reading this (still!), you’ve likely supported us in this endeavor. We humbly say Thank You.
(And to my family, yes, I typed all this on my phone.)
Today was amazing! We hung out with the CLA girls for the first time! We did worship, played the name game, nertz, and painted. The girls were lovely and very funny. It was very rainy so we didn’t go swimming but instead played soccer. I got to take portraits of all the girls and it was very fun, each girl was very unique and funny in their own way. I can’t wait for tomorrow!
We just finished day 5 of our trip and the third day with Courage House girls! Today we started with a devotion led by one of the girls, and it was about hearing the voice of God! Then, we and the girls got bagged lunches and went to the hiking spot. A guide met us in a village, and we began our walk. From the start, the hills were very muddy and we had to be careful walking up and down. Local children were seen running along these roads—everyone was astonished that they didn’t slip! It started to rain, but the group kept going. Throughout this trek, many of us kept slipping and sometimes falling and getting dirty! Anyways, we hiked through the beautiful landscape until we reached the waterfall! Most of the group stayed on the rocks at the base of the waterfall. However, my teammates went swimming. It was freezing!
After about 20 minutes of being at the waterfall, the group journeyed to visit the “coffee boys.” A few local men explained and showed us how to make coffee straight from the beans. They made it fun and interactive, showing us how to pound the beans while singing a song! (The credit goes to courage house for the coffee bean pounding picture). They boiled the coffee in water and BOOM, we were able to drink it (sooo good)! We had a chance to buy some of their coffee too. I got some for sure 😛
The hike was tiring but an amazing experience! My team got to our hotel, cleaned up, went to dinner, and drove to Courage House to see a movie with the girls!! My team served the girls yummy ice cream, and started watching “Kicking and Screaming.” I loved hearing them clap for the soccer players in the movie, and laughing super loud at the funny scenes.
Thanks for following along with our trip so far! We’re seeing God work each day.
Hello! Today was the second day at Courage House (fourth of our trip) and it was such a blast. We started the day off with worship in English and Swahili. Alyssa has been very purposeful to sing songs in English but also have some of the staff translate songs into Swahili so the girls could sing in their first language. Alyssa was also able to sing in Swahili too which took some time and effort, but in the end she nailed it.
Once we finished, Eli lead a devotion breaking down the Lord’s Prayer. Everyone was very grateful and moved by what he had to say. After that, we played a name game so everyone could learn each others names. It was very helpful considering the fact that there are a lot of girls 🙂
We played sharks and minnows, soccer, and volleyball for the next 2 hours with a more calm option of coloring bookmarks for a break. The girls made so many and were pleased with their work. It was cool to see each member of our team step up in different areas naturally (Example: Bella teaching some English while the girls asked for bookmark string colors).
At around 2pm, we said goodbye to them and drove to New Generation Bible Camp where we were asked to lead some English kids camp activities. We did fun vacation Bible school (vbs) worship songs, Eli shared his devotion, and we led crafts and sport activities. This camp was made to speak and learn in English, so having native speakers come was very helpful! We were able to have little conversations here and there with the kids. They were fascinated with our skin color, hair and the palms of our hands!
We then had to say goodbye to the kids who we had surprisingly grown close to in just a few hours. The staff was very grateful for our help and volunteer work.
We then went back to Courage Cafe for dinner and dessert, debriefed, laughed at funny moments that had happened throughout the day.
The team is so happy to be here in East Africa! We are excited to see how these next few days will grow us in relationship with God and each other.
Mambo! (That’s “hi” in Swahili!) Today was day 3 of our trip and our very first day of ministry (thank you crazy long flights/layovers!). We spent lots of time talking to, singing with, and playing with the girls of Courage House. The road to Courage House is VERY bumpy, dusty, and lined with corn fields. I don’t think my little Toyota Camry could survive it, but the drivers were experts. The girls lined up at the gate and were chanting with flowers and big smiles for us. I definitely teared up in the car seeing the joy on their faces despite the immense pain of their past. After we all introduced ourselves the staff had us split into groups with the girls to learn some Swahili. This was a team-wide highlight of the day. I was very proud of myself for getting the pronunciation of “cow” correct (ng’ombe). I led some worship and played through most of my songs with the chaplain and some of the girls. They knew a lot of them and had some Swahili versions that the chaplain wrote in so I could learn it. My goal is to memorize one of them or a part of one by the end of the trip. I loved hearing the girls praise Jesus and lay down some sick beats. At the same time, the rest of the team was playing soccer, volleyball, ninja, and other fun active games. Some of the older girls and cooks made us lunch. It was very tasty! The avocados are huge!!!! Taller than my hand and wide enough to fit in both hands cupped together. No wonder they use it so much in their cooking!!! They made spiced pinto beans, rice, savory avocado salad, a cabbage mix, and a spicy red pepper sauce. Yum! After lunch, we made bracelets, danced, played some games, and laughed until around 4:30pm when we drove back to Courage Cafe for dinner. The Cafe is gorgeous and spoils us with incredible food, coffee, and views of Mt. Kilimanjaro (or as the locals call it, Kili) when the clouds move. I think jet lag is still holding onto us because we were all wiped out from the day and came back to our rooms ready for a shower and our bed!
