Conquering the Nile

What an insane weekend. We went from Kenya to Uganda to rafting the Nile and then back to Kenya all within 3 days. Thursday afternoon we left for Jinja. We took an overnight bus which was absolutely miserable. I have a hard time sleeping on buses and at 4 am it was time to cross the border. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and going to the DMV, that's what it felt like as we all marched through the Ugandan and Kenyan border patrol at 4 o'clock in the morning. At 6:30 a.m. we arrived in Jinja and were greeted by a pack of "boda boda" (motorcycle) drivers who were determined to drive us to our destination. Lauren made it very clear that we were not willing to be driven on a motorcycle at that early in the morning and that's when Simon appeared out of the group and offered to find us a driver. The Lord had so much favor over us in our trip. Every situation that could have gone terribly wrong, went perfectly fine. Our resort was more like a hostel for backpackers, but it was awesome. We spent Thursday touring the city of Jinja. We also had the privilege of meeting a guy named Jake at the cafe we went to. Jake had been in Jinja for a while and made friends with a few street boys. These boys (Omar, Derek and Ashvan) all ran away from home and are now living on the streets of Jinja. They have a loss of hope and feel that God has forgotten them. Jake challenged them with the Gospel and then prayed over them. I have never been apart of something so powerful. Jake took the boys to the supermarket and we headed to lunch. We were able to tour Uganda on the back of a motorcycle. Uganda is beautiful and the people are SO nice.

BODA BODA RIDES

Praying for the boys

That night, we had a sunset cruise across the Nile. We met some really awesome people from all over the world and all with such different stories. It's crazy to hear about the way people have been raised. One thing that I keep hearing over and over again is how these people do not believe in Christianity, but they feel like they lack something in their lives. We had some really cool conversations on the cruise and then arrived back at the hostel. After an exhausting day, we hit the bed by 8 that night.

Before the Cruise
(this is the first time we've dressed up in a WHILE)

Sunset on the Nile

Saturday, we were up bright and early for a day spent rafting the Nile. We were the cowards who wanted a calm boat, but we couldn't find any other people to raft with us that did not want to flip. After searching through people for a while, we found a group of 3 (Kevin from South Africa, Gi from Ireland and Antonio from Venezuela). They made the trip so much fun. We started off not wanting to flip, but by the end of the day we were ready to take on the rapids. Surprisingly, we never flipped, but what an experience it was. We were served lunch on the Nile and I also had the chance to swim across the Nile. You can just call me Moses.

Our AWESOME group!

Saturday night, we piled back on a bus, crossed the border and headed home. It was such a short trip, but filled with so many experiences.


Today, was awesome. I had the chance to scrub into a ganglion (cyst) removal and I assisted in my first Spine Fusion today!!!! I have been so blessed by the opportunity to be working in this hospital.

Stitch 1, Stitch 2, Stitch 3..

Such an exciting week here in Kijabe. Last Thursday, Cassie and I went on the mobil clinic to an area called Thika. We were working in a school for the disabled. There were so many disabilities to see, but it's amazing the efficiency and speed of the doctors working. People come from the community and the school to have follow-up visits. They also come to be evaluated for surgery or just inspection to see if surgery is needed. We made so many friends in Thika and we later found out that 3 people came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior at the mobil clinic. 

Some of the kids!

My awesome new friend Bilha!

 We had a very chill weekend of watching movies. I managed to go on a nice, long run and Cassie and I met with some senior girls from RVA to talk about college and their new exciting journeys to the United States! The O.R. has been pretty slow this week.


Monday, I scrubbed into Daisy's surgery to help correct her club foot. When it came time to stitch up her incision, Dr. Mbuguae handed me the stitches and said it was my turn to learn! I have never been so nervous in a surgery in my life. Stitching up is definitely more stressful than making the incision. Slowly and nervously I learned how to stitch!  

Tomorrow, all the girls, Cassie, Lauren and our new friend Charmi (she's from the U.K. and has an awesome English accent) will be heading to Uganda to raft the Nile River!! We are stoked and would love for you to be praying for safe travel! 


I have been recently studying the book of Isaiah and the Lord has been teaching me so much through it. A lot of things that I have already learned, but opening my eyes to new things and reminding me of how great His love is for me. Isaiah 30:1-5 warns us of how if we are a people who pursue a plan, not of the Lord, we will only find shame and disgrace. We later see in Isaiah 30:8-17 that people will rebel. People will lie and many people will refuse to hear anything of Jesus, but because they choose this life they will bear iniquity and like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse they will break suddenly. Isn't that true of so many of us? When we run from Christ, when we rebel and want nothing to do with Him, we reach a point where we can't take the weight bearing on us anymore. We can no longer support ourselves and we break suddenly. Thankfully, it is in the rest and in this quietness after breaking that we are saved and find our strength. The beauty of Grace is that if we are willing, if we want help, if we surrender and accept the fact that we cannot stand on our own, the Lord waits to show us grace...

"Therefore the Lord WAITS to be gracious to you, therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who WAIT for him." 

Isaiah 30:18 

Just in case you didn't catch that, the Lord himself, like the guy who created the Heavens and the Earth, the one who suffered death on a cross WAITS for us. For more clarification, I did a little research. 

Wait: 

Stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens

Remain in readiness for some purpose

Synonyms: 

verb: await, expect, abide

noun: waiting, expectation, expectancy, expectance, anticipation

The God of the universe ANTICIPATES for you to come to Him. He desires for you to turn to Him and BLESSED are those who do. The Lord has been rocking my world with the Scripture, over and over again. How can you not feel love through that? It is my prayer that if you are at that breaking point, if you are in the rest and in the quietness, turn to Him. His blessings are so much more promising and in Him there is so much more joy to be found. 

Making The Cut

Tuesday, started off being a hard day. Being overseas is absolutely amazing, but it does have it's downs. Yesterday, I found myself missing home a lot. Not only was I missing home, but my anxieties of all the things I have to get done when I return home got to me. I have a TON to do before I start school at South Carolina in the fall. To go along with all of those things in my head, I haven't talked to my mom since I left. I have no idea how she's doing because she doesn't have internet to contact me. I can honestly only suspect the worst, but I really have no clue. She is on my heart everyday and I pray constantly that her desire to beat addiction is as great as my desire for her to be free of it. With all of that attacking me yesterday morning, the first 3 surgeries I sat through were not the best and I didn't want to go play with any of the children in the ward because I just wasn't in the mood. But thankfully, God has a way of working through others to comfort us and love us. One of the nurses could tell I wasn't in the most chipper of moods, she told me to go scrub in to the surgery in the other room. That automatically put me in a better mood than I was in. So, I did as I was told, scrubbed in and was helping prep the patient when Dr. Mbuguae handed me the scalpel and asked if I wanted to make the cut!!! Not only did I make my first incision yesterday, I made my first 3!!

The Second Cut 

Holding the Tendon

Life Changed. 

Scrubbing into surgery yesterday was a major day changer. We also had the opportunity to meet a group of guys passing through Kijabe on a mission trip. I always love hearing the stories of other people's passions and knowing that it all comes down to one thing, spreading the love of Christ.

Wednesday, today I spent the majority of my day watching a spine fusion. The time that I wasn't in the O.R, Cassie and I tracked down the Spiritual Director here at Cure to let her know that we are really interested in seeing more of the spiritual ministry being done. She was so excited to hear that we want to be more involved and even offered for us to go on the spiritual retreat next week. Unfortunately we can't make that trip, but we are so excited to get more involved in ministry. Before we left the hospital today, Pastor Philip invited Cassie and I to join chapel that is held in the ward. Granted the entire service was in Swahili, the Spirit of the Lord was present. The smiles on the faces, the tears that the mothers shed, they were all real. I was able to understand part of one of the mother's testimony, "...now I have Jesus.." that was all I needed to hear. The Lord's work is being done in this hospital. He is using the Cure staff as His hands and feet and most importantly His Kingdom is growing.

Please continue to be in prayer for this hospital, these patients and their families. One life being changed in the hospital could lead to an entire community of change. I ask you to pray big.

In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 29:18-19   

The Girls Get Adventurous

I haven't posted in a while, but that doesn't mean I haven't been doing anything!! The excitement and newness of everything is beginning to wear off and I'm getting in the swing of things here in Kijabe. The hospital has continued to stay steady and we see different patients each week. This week I got to follow around Dr. Theuri at the clinic and help him do rounds. The cases that we saw ranged from follow up visits to constricted neck muscles to a man wanting to get cleared 15 years after his surgery to drive. One of the follow up cases that I had the priveledge to sit in on was Alpha. Alpha had his surgery on both of his deformed legs in February and now he smiles from ear to ear because he has crutches and gets to start walking. You can check out his story here. His story is a perfect example of why Cure does what they do. Rejected from school, healed from surgery and now the joy that this kid illuminates is remarkable. I decided this week that I was going to make get well cards for all of the kids in the ward. I've really been wanting to dive more into the ministry here, but when I'm in surgery's all day it makes it a little more difficult. I figured the get well cards would be an awesome way to love on kids and share scripture with them. I love getting more into a routine at the hospital. Cassie and I are more known around the hospital than when we first arrived, we know faces and are building really great friendships with a lot of the staff.

Friday, was a national Kenyan holiday, very similar to our Independence Day, so none of us had to work. Instead, the O.R. staff decided to go on a 6 hour hike. When they first told us that we were going on a hike, I expected trails and hills. Something similar to what we would hike in America....but oh how I was SO wrong. Our hike began when we were dropped off on the side of the highway to meet our guide. We walked a good 30 minutes around a mountain, down and up a 90 degree hill. We finally made it to where our hike was to begin. There we met up with 2 rangers, dressed out in full camo, boots and both equipped with fully loaded rifles. Walking towards the forest, Cassie slipped on mud and twisted her ankle. When you're in the middle of no where, having a sprained ankle isn't the best. The boys carried her back up to the road (30 minutes back) and she was picked up by a man on a piki piki (motorcycle) and he drove her back home. In the meantime while waiting for the boys to come back, I met some kids collecting firewood for their homes, learned how to carry firewood and Lauren and I both had a little fun with the machetes. We finally reach the opening of the forest and our guide tells us, "We see signs that there are elephants in the forest. We need to remain very quiet, do not panic because we don't want to disturb the wild elephants in their natural habitat." Then, both of the rangers simultaneously cock their rifles. Lauren and I both look at each other thinking "what the heck did we just get ourselves into." What we got ourselves into was a forest with no trails, our ranger Stephen made them for us with his machete, slippery 90 degree hills, spiky dangerous trees, wild elephants and monkeys in the distance and lauren and myself on our butts more of the hike than on our feet. At one point, we had to cross a river. All of the Kenyans manage to jump over, land perfectly and continue along their way. Well, Lauren goes first, jumps across and finds herself knee deep in mud. Then comes my turn, I jump across, land in the water, fight to stand up and straight sink in the mud. It was absolutely hilarious. I have never been so exhausted, delirious and ready to be back at the house in my life. Overall it was still an awesome day.

View of the Forest from the top

Trail Making Machete

The Elephants

Saturday, we had a much needed girls day out in Nairobi. We went to the Masai market and were straight attacked because we were white. We then went to the mall where we were able to get lattes, hamburgers, and pedicures. It was fabulous. Lauren's friend was in town, so while she went to meet up with him Cassie and I went to the park with our friends who drove us, Stephen and Samuel. They wanted to ride the paddle boats and then we all went to some hole in the wall Kenyan restaurant. The drive there and the drive home were so stressful. Kenyan driving is absolutely terrifying, lanes do not matter and neither do brake lights. Thankfully, we made it home safely.

Mall Time!

Paddle Boats at the Park!

I can't believe I only have a month left!! Please be praying for the Lord to use this next month to broaden His Kingdom even more. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how the Lord wants to use me in ministry here. I would love for people to be praying for every conversation, every get well card, even every time I paint a mothers nails. Pray that the Gospel is proclaimed, whether that be through actions or conversation. Thank you so much to everyone who has been praying and supporting me through th

Soap, Scrub, Rinse

Today I got to scrub into surgery!!!! I came into the O.R. this morning and one of the assistance, Peter asked me if I wanted to scrub in, so of course my answer was yes. The little girl they were working on is Abbie, she is 1 and on each hand she had an extra finger. I was so nervous! I was super excited, but I really didn't want to screw anything up or touch something I wasn't suppose to, etc. The experience was absolutely incredible. I assisted the doctors in handing them their tools, taking the fingers away from the table and holding the hands while they were being casted.

Learning the Different Tools

Prepping Abbie

Sweet little Abbie's Before and After

On a daily basis we are seeing kids healed. Today, Abdullani could barely walk because of his club feet. Now he's in recovery and within a few weeks, he'll be walking and standing. It is incredible the way that this ministry works. Before every surgery, the child and family are prayed with, once the child is prepped and ready for surgery, the doctors pray over the surgery and the healing process. This hospital proclaims the Gospel in so many ways. I absolutely love being here and I can't wait to head back into the ward tomorrow to hang out with the moms and kids!

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of starts; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground." Psalm 147:3-6

Black Coffee, Magnificent Views and the O.R.

welcome to Africa, all weekend the internet was down so I was unable to keep up this whole blogging thing. Secretly it was kind of nice not to have the internet to fret about. A weekend in Kenya is fabulous. There is a lot of down time, so we were able to do a lot. Saturday, Cassie and I went on a run around Kijabe. A combination of the elevation and the sun, we felt like there was no more oxygen in Kijabe within minutes. We spent the rest of the day ENOing in front of the Rift Valley until it started pouring down rain.

Our view from the ENOs

The view from our run

Sunday started off with church. Which was surprisingly very Americanized. The area of Kijabe that we are in is very populated by missionaries. We were still some of the only white people in the service, but the service mimicked a typical American service. We left church, made lunch and then headed up to RVA. RVA is a school that houses missionary kids. Lauren plays volleyball there every Sunday with the staff and some of the local Kenyans. Neither me or Cassie are particularly gifted in volleyball, so we chose to run and workout around the soccer fields. We also explored the area around the school. I don't really know if we were suppose to but we went outside the gate and ventured around the mountain to find a huge valley, of course neither of us had our cameras.

Monday, waking up bright and early and FINALLY feeling like I'm on a good sleep schedule. Today has been spent in the Operating Room. Not only did I get to witness my first surgery, I got to witness my first 4 with more to come! 3 of the surgeries have been for club foot and the other surgery was to drain an infected skin graft on a burn patient. I didn't pass out, I didn't feel queasy and I was still able to eat lunch after I finished! I can't wait to experience even more crazy surgeries. Check out one of the kids they are currently treating, his name is John and today he had his casts changed to continue his recovery! Tonight we're going to a bible study that Lauren is apart of and until then, I'm back in the O.R.!

Arriving and Adjusting

We are FINALLY in Kijabe!! After 3 long days, we finally arrived. I have realized that I love going to new places, but I absolutely HATE the travel. Flights are just not my friend. My first flight to New Jersey was delayed an hour, I was awake for the entire 7 hour flight to Amsterdam and I felt sick the entire flight to Nairobi. I have been so excited for this trip, but the weight of being gone for 7 weeks definitely hit me on my way to Amsterdam. I realized how much I was going to miss everyone on the way there. Once arriving to Nairobi, I found Cassie and the man who was there to pick us up.  He drove us to a little motel in Nairobi and told us there would be a man there to pick us up in the morning. I managed to get a solid 5 hours of sleep until my body told me it was done sleeping and I was wide-awake at 5 a.m. Before making it to Kijabe, the one thing that was keeping me going was Isaiah 41. Fear not, the Lord is with you. He has chosen me as His servant and He will guide me with His righteous right hand. Before Kijabe, I was feeling a little uneasy about the whole trip. It was hard arriving alone, not knowing where we were and not having any means of communication, but arriving in Kijabe gave me much more comfort about the journey. The house we are staying in is precious. It’s a little two-story house, Cassie and I both have our own rooms and we’re staying with a girl named Lauren. She works for Cure and has been such a help to us in adjusting. I can't wait to get to know both of these girls in the next 2 months. The view we have from the hospital is amazing. The hospital is located in the Rift Valley and with a five minute walk, you can see everything. 

Home for the next 2 months!

just our view...no big deal

new friends :) 

Today was our first day in the hospital! Our day started out with worship in the O.R. with the nurses and the doctors. There is a devotion every morning before work starts and Fridays are singing day. Christ comes first at this hospital. Which is how it should be. The prayer and worship that took place before work even began made it so clear that these people have a huge heart for the lost and that the hearts of these patients really matter to them. It was really cool to hear them pray over the patients and to worship the One who we are here for. Such a great way to start off the day. Fridays are slower than the rest of the week so there were no surgeries planned, but we were able to walk around the ward, meet the children and paint the mothers nails. I love connecting with the mothers by painting their nails. It's so funny because I try to talk with them and they just laugh (probably because I sound like a southern hick trying to speak Swahili), but painting their nails allows you to connect on such a different level, regardless of the language barrier. I am so excited next week to come, to get in a routine of things and experience more of what takes place at the hospital. 


Prayer Request: 

• For a continued ease in adjusting to a new lifestyle. 
• For me to fearlessly and boldly proclaim the Gospel while I am here. 
• For my heart to be open and receptive to anything the Lord has for me.