It's Finally June!

I remember sending out a letter to all eligible youth last August. It was inquiring about their interest in traveling to Kenya in June 2009. A total of nine youth signed up and we began meeting monthly to figure out how we were going to make this trip a reality. Taylor Archibald, Callie Daniels-Howell, Caroline Daniels-Howell, Lydia Dresser, Lindsey Evans, Allison Galloway, Emily Robbins, Leah Wechter and Spencer Zimmerman all agreed to commit to this trip through fundraising, orientation meetings, and yes, even shots! They decorated a home at Christmas, made note cards, sold cookies, cleaned up a yard, and sang/danced/told jokes at the Umoja Variety show all to support this pilgrimage to Kenya in June. Several adults got on board right away as well to help support these youth in their plans: Richard Moman, Mary Jo Stinnette, Ava Williams, Brian Williams and myself.

We learned about Kenyan culture. We learned about each other and how we handle different situations. We talked about what to pack and what not to pack. We discussed different options for our time in Eldoret with Joe & Sarah Ellen Mamlin. We shared ideas about how we can exchange cultures with students in Chulaimbo. We explored ways of sharing our trip with you, our family at North. We did all of this in preparation for our trip in June.

It’s June! We have one last hurrah together with our families on June 8. We land back in Indiana on June 27. While we’re gone, we hope you’ll check our blog: www.youthtokenya.blogspot.com. We’ll try to update as much as internet access allows. This is an opportunity that not everyone receives – we feel blessed to represent North Church as we meet our brothers and sisters in Kenya. Please keep our group in your prayers as we finalize our preparations for this journey and during our time in Kenya. We look forward to sharing the new ways we discovered God with you when we return!

-Anne