After a beautiful two weeks in East Africa, the team has made it back to the US safe and sound. Don’t forget to ask them all about the stories they have about the girls they encountered and how they experienced God in Africa. Pray for them to navigate culture shock with ease as they lean into God and answer whatever he is calling them into next.
Did someone say King of the Jungle?Coming at you live with this morning’s team update and yes, it’s Safari Day!
We kicked off bright and early, leaving the hotel at 6:30 AM Africa time yes, that’s a thing now. I personally woke up at 4:30 AM to pack for our overnight stay classic move, I know.
We began our descent into the wild with breakfast boxes that included an egg sandwich, cucumbers, cinnamon bread, and a bottle of water. We took it all on the road with us for the 4-hour drive. Halfway through, we stopped for ice cream and snacks because what’s a road trip without snacks?
When we arrived at the safari camp the staff informed us we could either leave our snacks at the front desk or keep them in the car because we were glamping (yes, glam + camping = the dream).
Then the adventure began. Our first safari drive was incredible we saw a LION YES, The King Himself, monkeys, elephants, giraffes, and a variety of birds.
Afterward, we had an amazing buffet lunch before heading back out for round two of the safari. This time, we saw buffalo, zebras, even more elephants, and… a ton of bugs.Let me be real: I was screaming more at the bugs than the animals. Those safari cars are not bug-proof!
On the way back, nature showed off with the most stunning sunset complete with an elephant crossing that literally took over the view.
We ended the night with a delicious dinner where I may have eaten 100 pieces of pineapple followed by a team debrief with coffee by a warm fireplace under a sky absolutely filled with stars.
Safari Day = a major win
Mambo! It’s Carolina!
Welcome back! Today’s adventure was absolutely beautiful full of unique tastes, breathtaking views, and unforgettable moments.
We started the morning with breakfast. I had a fun mix of Chips Ahoy and Pop Tarts. While others enjoyed pork sausage and boiled eggs. After breakfast some of the girls came over and we gathered for worship. We praised together and had a devotional that really set the tone for the day.
Then it was time to head out for the day’s adventure! We all packed into the vehicles and drove to a local coffee plantation. The people from the village were so welcoming and showed us how to make a fresh cup of coffee from scratch. First we beat the coffee beans to break the outer skin then roasted them to release the second layer. After that we ground the beans and finally boiled them to make a rich fresh cup of coffee. No milk needed just one teaspoon of brown sugar and it was absolutely amazing!
After the coffee experience we hiked to a hidden gem marked with an X marks the spot dream a waterfall that was truly breathtaking. No words can do it justice. It felt like checking off a dream from my bucket list.
Once the hike was over we returned to the hotel, changed and went out for dinner. I had chicken tacos so good! While others had pizza and sandwiches. We all finished the night with ice cream sundaes for dessert. The perfect sweet ending to a perfect day.
If anyone has any special requests let us know! Stay tuned tomorrow’s adventure hint is Hakuna Matata!
Today was our first day of VBS at our second location of Courage House. Already, this location has been wildly different than our last, but it has just been so cool to see the Lord moving here and among our team!
Our morning started off slowly- we began with a devo and a huge breakfast of bread, mixed fruit with chia seeds, cheesy omelettes, juice, and of course, coffee. Our bus to Courage House was late (we’re on Africa time now!) which, after such a jam-packed week, ended up giving us just what we needed in terms of a quick recharge.
Once at Courage, we started off with a time of worship led by the girls there. Their voices were absolutely jaw-dropping, and even though we could only understand a few words of the Swahili songs, the joy and presence of Jesus was SO strong! After that, we spent the rest of the morning dancing together, which everyone loved. Our team came with prepared songs and choreography (Goodbye Yesterday, Bless Me, I Thank God) but the girls also had requests of their own (Every Move I Make, the Macarena, and Evidence by Moses Bliss).
We were pretty exhausted after all that dancing, so lunch was very welcome. We ate heaping plates of rice, beef stew, beans, cabbage, and avocado, topped with a super spicy chili sauce (this is starting to be one of my favorite meals here!). The older girls here tend to be pretty good at English, so we chatted while we ate. Many of them taught our team bits of Swahili and helped us translate phrases we had questions about.
Soon, we transitioned into what turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the day: our Bible teaching. Bogey and Cheyenne led a sort of “Bible scavenger hunt” with the first three fruits: love (upendo in Swahili), joy (furaha), and peace (amani). We broke into small groups and each group found at least one verse mentioning each word from anywhere in the Bible. Then we came back together and the teams shared their verses along with a quick explanation of why it was important. It was such a fun and impactful way to dig into the Bible in both Swahili and English! We read each verse in both languages, and the girls even helped translate for each other, which was just amazing to watch.
We concluded our time at Courage House with our activity stations: friendship bracelets, a Fruit of the Spirit-themed craft, and volleyball. Then we said goodbye and headed over to Courage Cafe, where we wrapped up the day with a dinner of spaghetti and banana bread for dessert. After eating delicious but unfamiliar food for a week, many of our team said it tasted just like home!
Like every day so far, I’ve been so grateful for the work that God is doing here and the way these girls touch our hearts. God is definitely teaching us to trust His intention for each day as it comes, whether that be through shifting plans, unexpected situations, or obstacles popping up – but His plans and provision have turned out to be so, so good! From the moment we step foot at the Courage houses to the moment we leave every day, I’ve felt so much joy and peace and love for these precious girls. I cannot wait to see what amazing surprises He throws at us next!
Blessings,
Kenzie & the East Africa Team
Hey,
We had another full day here in East Africa with the girls! It such a blessing to be here.
We started the morning with breakfast and the fruit here continues to amaze me. The bananas are seriously the best I have ever had. I am not usually a big banana person but I might be changing my mind.
After breakfast some Courage House graduates led devotions with us. They shared about love and the power of forgiveness and gave us some really heartfelt testimonies. It was such a great way to start the day off.
Our first visit was to Courage House 1 where we spent the morning with the younger girls. We danced a lot, played sports, made bracelets, and just had so much fun. They have so much energy and joy and it is so contagious.
Later we headed to Courage House 2 and had lunch with the older girls. They are so kind and welcoming. A few of them tried to teach me Swahili which was very humbling. I am slowly picking up a few words and I love learning from them. We played Uno, Go Fish, and Connect 4 and had some really good conversations in between. There English was really good!
One of my favorite moments today was the Bible study Cheyenne led in Matthew 6 about worry and anxiety. It was so grounding and brought a lot of peace to me. It reminded me to slow down and trust that God is already in the details which was something I really needed to hear.
We also had a small unexpected moment when we held a little funeral for a stray cat that had passed. We even played Taps for it. It is funny how the random moments can bring people together.
Dinner was fish, coconut rice, carrots, cucumbers, and the best Coca-Cola I have ever had. I do not know what it is but it tastes less artificial and more of a richer taste here.
There is just something about this place and these people that makes every moment feel meaningful. I am learning so much not just from what we are doing but from who we are with. I am so thankful to be here.
Much love,
Ellie and the East Africa 🙂
Jambo Jambo from Carolina! Coming at you with an update from today’s adventure!
We started our day bright and early at 5:30 AM to pack and head to the airport. After a quick breakfast (shoutout to the fantastic pineapple I had!), we were nearly on our way when one of our team members realized her camera was missing. We prayed about it and praise God we found it in the van at the very last moment!
Once we were through the airport and settled in, I treated myself to some local snacks: caramel chocolate nut ice cream and Pringles made with only four ingredients. Let me tell you they were so much better than the ones back home!
After a safe and short flight, we were picked up by some seriously cool safari style vehicles labeled “TOTOTA.” The ride to the hotel was incredible we passed cows, goats, and amazing local vendors selling handmade goods.
When we arrived, we were welcomed with a delicious lunch of cilantro garlic soup and fresh bread. Later we had the incredible opportunity to visit the house and meet the girls a powerful and humbling experience.
We ended the day with a dinner of tacos fresh avocado and chips at a location that was… shhhheeeessshhhh absolutely stunning. Finally we gathered back at the hotel for team time filled with worship, prayer, and deep connection.
What has touched me most so far on this trip is 100% the quality of the people and the richness of our conversations there are never ending topics that last till 3am and meaningful exchanges that fill my heart. I absolutely love the locals and how they live life through the lens of doing what you love. Their words and presence bring me such comfort. I feel so at peace and incredibly thankful to be here.
Signing out Bogey
We had some technical difficulties so this blog post was supposed to be before update #3, take a look back at day 2 for the team!
Our second day at Courage House was SUCH a blast. Our time started off with a surprise from the girls at Courage—a choreographed worship song and dance! Our team was absolutely floored by their singing voices and dancing skills. After their performance, we went through a devotion led by Marilyn, and then Tarah and Ellie took over outside to teach everyone a dance to “Goodbye Yesterday” by Elevation Rhythm! We were all hot, sweaty, and exhausted by the end of it, but everyone had so much fun dancing, laughing, and worshipping, it didn’t even matter.
Once we were ready to go inside again, Preslie and Carolina taught more of their series on the Fruit of the Spirit. Today we went over patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness . Then (we switched to activity stations: clay art, a “spa day,” and of course, sports. All of the stations were a huge hit! I was running the clay station with Sydney, and it was so fun to see everyone’s creativity in action. We saw clay hearts, frogs, chairs, flowers, and everything in between (one girl even wrote out “<3 Jesus” in clay!). The spa with Brogan and Cheyenne was also so fun. Everyone loved the silly face masks, and colorful nail polish with stickers. Once we painted all the girls’ nails, they even insisted on doing ours! Sports with Cole and Carolina were also so fun, with a big jump rope, relay races, American football, soccer, and fun volleyball activities (courtesy of Carolina).
We ate lunch (which was INCREDIBLE, of course), we set up stations again, but this time we left it open so that the girls could float around to any activity they felt like. It was an amazing time of fellowship and connection with the girls. We colored and made friendship bracelets together, danced (Church Clap and the Cupid Shuffle have been big hits), sang, did more nail polish and face masks (Cole fell asleep with his on), wore ourselves out playing sports, and so much more!
It was such a blessing today to to watch each member of this team step into their element and use their giftings to pour into Courage and the girls there, as well as to get to know the girls at Courage House even better (they are so sweet and so much fun!) We all returned to the hotel with very full hearts and can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
Blessings, Kenzie
Jambo everyone!!
Thank you for all the prayers from back home!
It has been a wonderful experience in East Africa! Today we started off the day at a local church and it was a beautiful way to start the day!
We then loaded in the van and took lunch on the road where our team felt true amani (peace) as the team all napped on the way! We arrived at an outdoor mini zoo where we were able to see porcupines, a zebra, gazelle, and hold snakes and turtles!Â
A few of us on the team also rode a camel! We then drove down a little bit and went to an old church/museum about slavery!
We drove back to say a hard goodbye to the girls as we finished up our first week with the first house and getting on a plane tomorrow to next location!
-Cheyenne & East Africa TeamÂ
Hello everyone,
We started our Saturday with another amazing breakfast and a devotion from Kenzie in the book of James. Our team was able to have a really good conversation about the riches of the world versus in Heaven and how that is reflected in the cultures we have experienced.
After breakfast when we arrived at the Courage house, our team was greeted by the girls who already had music playing and were so excited to begin the day. They are so joyful! After praying together, Marilyn read about Jesus, His death and resurrection and how one day He will return. Next was teaching by Presile and Carolina the last two Fruits of the Spirit, gentleness and self-control, to complete the VBS lessons.
Lunch today was a traditional banana soup with beef (it’s delicious) and a tortilla/pancake for dipping.
Since this was the team’s last day at this house location, we celebrated with a trip to the beach. It was so beautiful to see God’s creation with the girls as we all swam and played games on the shore. As the sun set we roasted hot dogs and s’mores for dinner. The night ended with worship all together before going to our hotel and the girls back to the house.
This evening was definitely bittersweet as we will part ways with the girls soon but it has been amazing to see how these girls love the Lord and see how each team member pours into them.
Thank you for all your prayers as we continue on with our trip!
Brogan & the East Africa Trip
Jambo (Hello) Everyone!
Today was our first full day working at the Courage house and interacting with the girls and staff. Each and every part of our trip so far has been such a blessing and leaves me in awe of all that God is doing!
When we first arrived (yesterday) we were able to get settled in our hotels then drove about 10 minutes to the Courage house. Once there we took at tour of the building, met the staff and finally got to meet the girls. Each and every one of them greeted us with such joy and genuine hospitality. When we first met the girls many of them came up to different team members and started calling us “rafiki” which means friend in Swahili. From there we got to chat with the girls and learn their names as they learned ours. After that we met with Stephanie (our fieldworker) and her husband and they shared with us all about Courage Worldwide and the work they are doing. At this point many of us were fighting the exhaustion from travel so we headed back to our hotel and got some good sleep to catch up from the jet lag.
That brings us to today! And wow! Today was so amazing! Despite all of us adjusting to the warmer humidity weather we got to enjoy team time early in the morning where Cole led our devotional and it was a great time for the team to reset and prepare for the day. When we arrived to the house, we got to hear a testimony from one of the Courage workers and the girls led us in songs of worship in Swahili. From there we learned our dance that Tarah and Ellie choreographed with the girls which they loved. Next, we went over the teaching for our VBS which was about the Fruit of the Spirit. We then went further in depth and talked more about what love, joy, and peace means. Once we finished the teaching we jumped into our stations where we played games and sports, made bracelets and colored. After that, we enjoyed a traditional lunch native to our area which consisted of corn and beans that were boiled together for hours topped with cabbage and fresh avocado. After that we hopped into stations again and really enjoyed getting to know all the girls and their beautiful personalities. Once stations were done Marilyn told the girls a Bible story and we did a free time where we played more games, did puzzles and my personal favorite part was when we all played outside and danced with everyone even the staff working. The girls taught us some of their songs and dances and then asked us to teach them some of ours which was so fun! Lastly, we ate dinner and had some more team time to talk about our day and we’re off to bed!
It was so amazing to see each and every team member connect with the girls in their own way and I can’t wait to see how God continues to use this team!
Many Blessings,
Preslie & the East Africa Team
