Pray

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE (even though it is the middle of the night for you right now...:))
I hope that you are all doing very well, and having a good sleep.
i just wanted to give a little update about what has been going on very recently here. As some of you know there are promblems here with equality and treatment of others. There are porblems between nations, between tribes, and between men and women. This issue has been increasingly apparent over the last few days. My roomate Laura, has had a couple frustrating and hurtful experiences. Just little things, but they have been building up. Last night, she just broke down and told us (mary and I) how she was feeling and why she was frustrated and how God was challenging and teaching her. So i went to pray last night (we have a group here that pray every morning from 6-7 and every evening from 10-11) and mary and I brought up these issues and we are even more hurt and concerned because it is happening here at the college. Here where everyone is a christian and supposed to be treating others with respect and acceptance. So we prayed for it, and it was awesome. Very good just to explain how we were feeling, and let them know that this is a very important issue that we NEED to pray about.
Then this morning i went for prayer again and laura came and shared her heart a bit, but even before she said anything, the girl leading prayer this morning (who was not there last night) chose to read James Ch. 2: 1- 13 where it talks about showing favortism and treating people equally, and how we are all equal in GOd. That no one person is better than another. IT was so cool considering what laura and i were feeling and what we had prayed about the night before. GOd is SOOOOO GOOD> so we prayed again this morning, and it was awesome. My friend Julius prayed, and he encouraged us to be examples for all of the other students on campus. Tha we need to show them how to behave and how to treat others. That is how change here will begin. so i'm feeling very encouraged now after this morning. but i wanted to ask all of you to pray for this issue . it's a big one here. But i know that God is already movving and changing people's hearts. it's awesome to see.
so i will keep you updated with this issue. Thanks for your prayers.
love, Jade

GOOD WEEKEND

Hey All!
First of all thanks to all of you who take the time to comment on my blog... i love checking it and seeing that i have new comments!!! :) it makes me happy. - so keep 'em coming!!
well my weekend was full, but it was good. it actually turned out slightly differently than i thought, but that's God for you, He knows what's best for me, always. On saturday i went with Christa, mary, and Laura to Christa's school (where she teaches in the slums). We went to talk to the oldest class. One of my friends here at PAC i think i mentioned her before - Clemence- came and shared her story, it's amazing. She did a wonderful job, and afterwards we got the chance to pray with pretty much every student. We asked them if they wanted us to pray for them, and if so they could stay, and all the kids stayed. :) so i prayed with about 10 kids. it's was awesome!!! - asked them if they wanted to put their trust in Jesus, and believe that He would come through for them. and they all were like : "yes" it was so great. what an amazing experience and blessing for me. it was wonderful. I'll post a couple pictures from that on this Blog.
Then Sunday morning - kinda started out on the wrong foot. I set my alarm wrong...so i got up an hour later than i wanted to. Then Christa and i went to go pick up one of her students that wanted to come to church - Reta - she normally goes to a Catholic church. But we get there and waited for half an hour and we couldn't find her, she never showed...so that was a little disappointing. Plus we were already frustrated b/c the trunk on the car WOULD NOT stay closed, so it was banging up and down the whole time!!! so annoying!! Anways then we get back to the church and we realize that our friend, Sammy, who we wanted to hear preach, preached in the first service, so we missed him!!! :( so by the time we got to the service and it started, we were pretty bummed out...to say the least...but of courset those are the times when God chooses to speak to you the most i think. Pastor Tony got up to speak and it was like he was speaking to us, to our situation...it was such a God thing. After the service Christa and I were like : "Well obvioulsy that was the service we were supposed to be in!" it was awesome!!! i love the way God works!
Then at night we celebrated Marion's birthday. (she's staying here at PAC with her husband carl - he's teaching here- she turned 65) and we wanted to make it extra special for her, because she had just lost her mom two days before!!!
It turned out to be a really great night:) here's a pic of Carl and Marion
so overall, my weekend turned out to be great. and today was good to, very very busy, mondays are crazy busy for me, but it was good. :)
i hope that all of you are doing well. i miss you all! keep the comments coming, and let me know what your up to!!!
love you all
God Bless
Jade
xoxo

some photos

i wanted to put these with the previous blog that i just wrote but for some reason it was giving me problems..so we'll try this...:)
enjoy.
love, Jade

crazy crazy weekend ahead!!!!! ahhh!!!

Hey Everyone.
Thanks so much for your comments :) I love reading them!!! So keep them coming. I am doing very well. It’s Friday and I can’t believe it! The weeks seem to go by so quickly here. I’ve almost been here one month!! WOW!
So this weekend is going to be extremely fun but VERY busy!!! So I’ll write now to let you know what I’m doing, and then I’ll probably write on Monday or Tuesday to tell you about all of my experiences sound good?
Tonight is movie night for the Canadians…at the Abernathy’s house (they’re missionaries living here on campus…Mr. Abernathy teaches at PAC) but I’m also staying over at Kirk and Shelley’s house tonight and tomorrow night, because they are away for the weekend, and Kaitlyn is home alone. So I’ll be sleeping there just so she’s not alone at night. Then tomorrow morning I’m leaving at 8ish in the morning, going to karyabungee (no clue how to spell that’s how it sounds…lol) it’s a school. The one that Christa teaches at. (she’s also staying at PAC- I think I might have mentioned her in the emails before – she’s awesome!) So we’re going there and a girl from PAC her name is Clemence (she lived across the hall from me) – she’s sharing her story. She’s from Rwanda, and has been through A LOT! Her story is amazing. And then we’ll have a chance to pray with some of the kids. I’m so excited!!! It will be an awesome opportunity. Then I get home hang out for a few hours, do some hw, then at night I am going to another students house off campus for dinner. Her name is Hayat, and she’s from Sudan. – she also has an amazing story. so that will be cool. Then Sunday morning bright and early I’m off to another school, which I don’t really know about yet, several students are going. Then to church I think Nairobi Baptist- but I’m not sure. So it’s awesome I’m getting a chance to go out and see lots of different places and people, I’m so excited!!! Then Sunday night it is Marion’s b-day. (Her and her husband are staying here till march. He’s teaching at the school.) – they were on the same plane as me and Laura from London. so we’re going over to their place to celebrate her b-day, order some pizza and bake a cake!!! It’ll be fun. So yea it will be crazy insane busy…but super fun as well. I will tell you about all of my experiences asap.
Love you all
Jade

pics

Here are some pictures ....hope they're self - explanatory..some from the party, - mostly. - it might not have worked so if you can read this but see no pics...don't worry i will try again tomorrow but right now i have to go to bed. :)
later
okay i'm trying again! hopefully this works. PRAY!!! LOL. i can't do too many at at time, so here are just a few. the group one is taken at a b-day get together for my friend Julius. (that was this past tuesday), - he's the one with the "crown" on his head. - we made it for him and said that he got to be King for the day..but JUST the day..lol. the one with me and the kids is taken on campus, they're just people's kids that live here. VERY CUTE THOUGH. They love the camera!!- sorry i know that it's repeated....you can just look at it twice.:) i don't know why it did that. Then the last one is me with a little boy that i love at the orphanage right around the corner, that i told you about. i don't know his name..but he's the most adorabe kid. :)
enjoy!
love you all! - comment!!!!:)

Interesting Opportunities = Interesting people = Interesting Experiences

Interesting opportunities = Interesting People = Interesting experiences

Well how are you all in Canada?? I hope that you’re all doing well. Well I have been here in Kenya now for over 2 weeks. – It seems like much longer. But I think that is a good thing, because it means that I am settled in here, which is awesome. So what can I tell you? – I am meeting all kinds of very interesting people here. Some make me laugh (they don’t always mean to…..LOL), some make me think, some are just good friends, and then some, well some there are just no words to describe……haha. Anyways, “slowly by slowly” (that is what people here say all the time…haha it makes me laugh) I am getting used to things here and settling into a routine and really getting to know everyone here. I love getting to know people. I think that, that has been the best part of being here so far. Just hanging out in the caf with people, talking, learning about their lives and where they have come from….some people here have very cool stories, I love hearing them. And everyone here always has lots of questions about Canada, and what it is like there, and all that, so it’s cool to have the chance to tell people what it’s really like in the west. (I don’t think that half of them have a clue….)
I am learning some Swahili ….sorta..trying…not verygood right now….lol. but I am determined to get to know the basics while I’m here. People teach me things, the problem is I can never remember them. It helps when they write it down for me, somehow seeing it really helps. So when I know some more I’ll let you know.
This past Sunday I went to church with Christa (the teacher who is staying at PAC and teaching in the slum – she’s awesome I love her), Julius and John. (students here at the college that I’m friends with, they’re cool.) Anyways, we went to NPC Parkands…which is Nairobi Pentecostal Church, it’s a smaller branch or sorta sister church of NPC. – so this “smaller” church had about 600 people, and christa and I were the only…literally…the only white people there. LOL it was awesome! The worship was so amazing. The worship leader – Bob goes to Pac and I know him, so that was cool. Overall it was an awesome experience. It was good to get off campus and get and see some things.
The Guys: I know that you are all dying to hear about my experiences with the boys here at PAC. Let’s just say the guys are as varied as they come. Some are quite weird. LOL – very forward and blunt – some of the things I’ve heard make me laugh so hard..but in the middle of it…you’re like : WHAT?!!!?? LOL. It’s hard to take some of the guys here seriously…but I’m doing my best. Laura (my roommate) and I have a lot of fun discussing our experiences…J I haven’t had any proposels…(yet…) but I have had some interesting converstations….(don’t worry I haven’t excepted any gifts either!!! LOL) This one guy, his name is Isaiah. Just to give you a mental pic – he’s like half the size of me, super skinny and short, and his voice is like 10 x higher than mine. LOL. I feel like a man when I talk to him. It was very surprising the first time that he opened his mouth to talk to me…anyways, he’s in my small group here, and so last week he comes up to me and Laura, before small group starts and is talking to us about how he wants to get married…how he wants to go to Canada and all of this stuff.. (now of course I get the brunt of this out of me and laura b/c she makes sure that EVERYONE knows she has a b/f back home in Can. ) One of the most shocking things I heard was Isaiah say that he needs to get a wife cuz all the household duties are becoming too much work for him, so he needs a wife to do them!!!! Ahhhh!! I almost died. Now of course laura (she’s kinda a loud mouth – in the best way) was like if you told that to someone in Canada, you would never EVER get a wife…and this guy was like….”oh….really….” like completely shocked…it was funny! So just some funny stories like that, interesting convos with guys….i get told I’m beautiful most every day….etc etc. but hey I can live with that…LOL. So yea some funny experiences but they’ve been good. It’s just so different here, and it’s funny seeing people’s reactions when you tell them what it’s like in Canada. Esp. with regards to men and women. But slowly by slowly…J we’re just trying to get through to them.
Some of the guys on the other hand are cool. They get that we can just be friends, and it doesn’t seem as though they have another agenda…Julius is one of those guys. I went to church with him on Sunday….and today is actually his birthday, so we’re celebrating that later…he’s 24.
okay so i came back to this so now i've already finished my day here. It was really good.The party for Julius went really well, he had a really good time, so that's good. I'll put soe pictures of that, so you can see some of the ppl that i've been hanging out with as of late. :)
well i better go, i miss you all very much, but i love it here!! so you can be happy for me:)
Keep up the prayers:) Thanks for all of your support!
i love you all!
~Jade

First from africa - just an intro

HEY ALL!
so i was thinking about creating a blog, just thought that it might be an easier way to keep all of you updated....emails were getting crazy...and my pictures won't work...so hopefully this works for everyone, and please still email me once in a while!! i'd still really appreciate hearing from all of you!:)
so i don't have much to say....things are going really well..i'm super super busy....school is getting crazy..just trying to keep up with the teaching style here (not always the clearest...) but anyways i'm glad that i'm busy because they days go by so so so fast. i miss all of you, but the business keeps me from thinking about it too too much..:)
i'm getting used to things here, i've been here for just over 2 weeks, and it has flown by!!! i'm getting involved in lots of different aspects...just starting out, so when i know more about each thing, i'll write.
well i'm going to go....email me/post a comment.
i love hearing from all of you, and i'll write soon!!!
love and miss you all!!!!!
ps- more pics to come!!!:):):)