Habari za asabuoyi warafiki!

"Good morning friends!"

I hope everyone at home is doing well.

We have definitely been busy here!! We were transfered from moshitown to shanty town where our friends Dusty and Marlana(sp) live. The camp or "outdoor centre" there is where we stayed. We were greeted by our fellow volunteers, the EIT team (Ekklessia International Tanzania).

The camp hosts are pretty awesome. One Brit, one Scot, and one American. To my knowledge, they built this whole camp! It is actually quite big! There's a soccer field where we played outdoor games with the watoto, there's a ropes course, a "mine field" course, a few scavenger hunt game areas, another few team challenge areas, and the 'en-geti' which is the actual camp where they room and eat. While we are here, we are in the process of building an archery centre and a REALLY long zip-line! I WANT TO GET ON IT SO BAD!

It's quite impressive, actually.
The first day we were there, we all got to help with the construction before the watoto got to the camp. (While we were working and getting rid of our arm jiggle (lol) we found mbille (2) chamelions! what!? we pay like a million dollars for them in the states! and we found TWO!!! we named them "Claro" and "malo" which mean "yes, of course" and "mad" in spanish. (yes, we are speaking spanish in a swahili-speaking country... so sue us.)

We cleared out alot of land, and Cubwah ("big" or Cody) and the other men did a ton of work building the support for the zip line.

once the kids got there, we went and entertained them for a bit before dinner.
After dinner, we had our first "session" or "devotions."

I played a little guitar and Alanna and Lauren helped me sing "every move I make" with the moves. the kids loved that!
They taught us some of their songs too!! :) one little girl in particular, Witiness, is such a great singer! and shes only 10!! :D

We told them that "We can trust that God loves us because He created us."
It was quite difficult because none of them spoke hardly any english. The translator helped SO much, but it takes double the amount of time to communicate anything, really.

Afterwards, we all went to bed, because we were actually exhausted lol. kids are exhausting. Especially 16 little ones! HOW DO TEACHERS DO IT!?

The kids had to have been up by 5something AM the next morning because they were all SO loud outside the rooms!! We did breakfast, second devotion, games, snack, ropes course, dinner, and then devotions again.. The Devotions were pretty cool. Alanna and Cody talked about how "we Know God loves us because He sent Jesus to die for us."

The games were all so fun. we played simple games like "duck duck goose" and they had a BLAST! :D Cody WIPED OUT cause the grass was so wet, and Alanna got wiped out ON!! it was actually very entertaining! :D

The night devotion was definitely everyone's favorite because we got to dress up sooo silly and put on a skit for the kids. The night devotion was about "we should love others because God loves us." The kids freaked out when they saw us with crazy hair and bright colors and streamers and silly glasses and leis! They all wanted them!

Afterwards, some of the watoto actually sang and did some dramas. I loved hearing their big voices singing to their God about how thankful they were and about how Jesus stood up in heaven when no one else would, and came to die for us. I loved it.. so much.


Afterwards, we were quite exhausted, once again, and went to lala salama (have a peaceful sleep.)
This morning, we continued the construction, like the last few days, and enjoyed our last few hours with the children.

It's been so incredible to get to know them, even with the language barrier. They all know the universal language.... LOVE. I did the devotion for the team this morning about "When you love with a pure heart, you can't help but to give your all."

It's so true isnt it? When you love purely and wholly, you give everything... and it hurts, but its actually healing, and its refreshing, and its amazing. and that's the love of Christ.


I love this experience. I really hope everyone can get a chance to do something like this, if not in Africa, then anywhere possible. Yes, we're halfway across the world, but you've got your neighbor, your best friend, your mom, your brother, your enemy... anyone and everyone.


So go ahead!

Make a difference!!!!



With all my love,



Christiana <3

Karibu Sana!!

:D You're very welcome here!!!


oh man! we're learning SO much Swahili!! :D it's fantastic!!!
we've learned many greetings, we've learned what different household items are, different types of people (children, child, white person, white people) we've learned how to bargain at the markets! :)

We are having the time of our lives.

This week has been intense. Day before yesterday, we went to the orphanage at Himo, called Kilimanjaro Kids Care, where they have 22 watoto (children.) 4 of them are in secondary school (high school) and the rest go to a primary school. We got to make jewelry with them and got to read with them too. We read a page, they read a page. There are some fantastic readers there!

Before we went, we had the option of reading some profiles on the kids there, and I read a few, but couldnt handle much more.
One boy that was found hadnt eaten in four days when they found him, and he was literally petrified of people. He vomited when he ate a piece of bread for the first time, because he was so malnourished. Now, he is one of the most outgoing, pleasant, joyful kids there. He was so very affectionate and loved all the attention!

We spent hours at the orphanage, and i got to play guitar and we sang a few songs with them. They sang some of there's, too!! :D

Afterwards, 5 of the kids got to come back to the house we're staying in and spend the night with us!!! They are the most adorable watoto! Christina, Upendo, Mary, Stanley(Mpwenda) and Ino(Innocent... i love that name...)

It was incredible to spend time with these children, and learn about their culture and how they live.
They had never seen a shower, and were AMAZED when they saw how it worked. They were jumping up and down with excitement!!

The little girls were running around in our tshirts and trousers (you cant say pants here, cause that means undies!!) We ate dinner, which consisted of Salad, Banana Stew (tasted like beef stew, but no meat) some mangoes, passion fruit, oranges, bread and pasta. The kids ate and ate whatever they were allowed. I just wanted to give them everything! One girl in particular, Christina, who was the little jokester of the group, would eat ANYTHING that was edible!! Literally!! :D such a little actress!

We were all shocked to learn their ages from 10-14, and they all looked around 6-8... they are SO small!! I will be posting some pictures next time we have internet access. Right now we have to go to an internet library for access, and only get a limited amount of time...

anywhoo,

We spent time playing card games with them, talking to them, laying with them, drawing with them... just time. :D it's the best thing you can spend on anyone, anyways.


The kids usually get up around 6AM to scrub the floors and do chores, then school, but today, they were going to be able to sleep until 8!

........................they woke up at 6:30, thus running into Theresa's room to wake her, then Cody(biggie)'s room to wake him. They let the girls sleep. (LOL)

We had a small breakfast of porridge with bananas and spices and some fruit, then off to church. We visited an Anglican church where the english speaking go (wazunugu - white people). It was interested! kinda like a catholic church, I was told.

Afterwards, we went home to eat lunch, and the three sleepyheads (alanna, lauren and cody) all slept! I wandered around, did some journalling, and helped with lunch. they got up and we ate a late lunch, then drove somewhere to give a soccer team some uniforms! I feel like we stayed there FOREVER cause it was soooo hot!!!

Afterwards we took the kids back to Himo. Said we were only going to stay 30 minutes, we ended up staying for an hour or more! Reading with them, playing with them, singing with them, loving on them! :D they soak up any attention and love they can get!

We were riding back to town when Theresa broke the news to us that we would be eating out that night... AMERICAN FOOD!!!!! WHAT!? Cody was STUPENDOUSLY ecstatic!
:) We feasted on cheeseburgers and kuku burgers. i had some kuku and chips (kuku- chicken, chips - fries)

we ended up telling our stories, how Cody and I met, (BAHAHAHA) and then Alanna and Lauren. we learned quite a bit about Theresa too.. it was awesome.

We thought we were going straight to bed when we got home, but we ended up saying up late! about 1am our time! (i know oooooo so late lol, but we are so exhausted and usually get in bed by 10.) We LOVE our home we're staying in and we LOVE our Mama Theresa! :D

Today, we were supposed to split up and two of us do laundry and two of us help deliver some desktop computers to a school, but ended up that the helper already did 99% of it, and so we only got to hand wash a few things, and hang a few things. But it was definitely a tricky thing.

hand washing, rinsing, wringing out and hanging! oh man... i definitely am not in shape for that. it was rough, and i only did it for about 20 minutes! lol. After breakfast, we ended up all going to the school and dropped off 5 desktops for the secondary school. It actually was a really amazing feeling.... these high school students have never even seen a computer, much less done any type of work on one. Theresa believes that educating the watoto will end the poverty in Tanzania. :D

It was just really cool to be able to do that. After another errand or two, we went back home, ate some lunch, then got ready to go to the market for a bit! At the market we did some grocery shopping, we visited a dress shop, where all the girls bough dresses and gifts for friends and loved ones, then we went to a nzuri sana shop (very good shop) where we got some awesome deals on gifts! I can't wait to give everyone their treasures!!!


tomorrow is Mi Precioso Cody's birthday!!!!! He will be 24! AHHHHHHH we can say "shikamo!" to him now, because he will be an elder!! BAHAHA.

We get to go to the gates of Kilimajaro, have an awesome picnic up there right at the mountain, and spend the day at the waterfalls and in the caves! WHAT A GREAT BIRTHDAY!! IN AFRICA!!!!!

We are meeting up with our other team from EITanzania tomorrow night (I presume).
It's just going to be an awesome awesome day... it's already been an awesome week.
The days kinda run together and I forget the date if I dont write in my journal every night.
It seems insane, but 9 weeks seems to me such a short amount of time.

I can't wait until the rest of our team can be here to experience this amazing place with us. I am so honored to be doing the volunteer work that we are doing, and even more honored to have recieved the prize of being able to cuddle with an African 'mtoto' or get to get my hands and feet dirty for the name and sake of Jesus Christ.

What a beautiful, beautiful thing. If I close my eyes right now, I can see the hugest grin on Christ's face right now while he holds the hands of the children that i held, right there with me. It literally makes me cry joyful tears when I remember Upendo (9 year old girl) sitting on my lap, asking me, "do you have a mother? how about a father? what about a brother? and a sister?" and i could look at those shining eyes and that big smile and those adorable dimples and say "yes to all... and YOU are my sister!"

oh the joy.


I could die a happy woman..


This is what it's about. just being the love that I have so graciously been shown and keep recieving.


i have to stop because im crying in public. :)


I hope that you all keep us and these orphans and these PEOPLE in your payers. It is truly a miracle what is happening here.

I hope, also that somehow you are making a difference where you feel moved that one is needed. I know from this moment, I will never stop.



Enjoy your day, Rafiki. (friend)


Talk to you soon!


Kwaheri!

Jambo Rafiki!

Hello friends!! :)

I am currently in Africa. Moshi, Tanzania actually.
the flights and travel were pretty gruesome.
Well.... actually I slept the whole flight from Atlanta ----> London...
Once in London, we took the "tube" (aka subway, Marta, metro) to a quaint little town, and stayed in a really cute little town house. We got to eat PORTUGUESE IN LONDON! what!? it was amazing though!
We were able to go to an awesome little church where we spent about an hour praying, then the church prayed over each one of us, and we got to pray over them... that was awesome. They did sort of prophetic prayers, and hit the nail on the head with each one of us.

The flight from London to Nairobi, Kenya was..... LONG. the man next to me had really stinky breath, and i couldn't sleep. of course.

I was way too emotional about not being able to sit with the group. lol. both flights they all had seats together, and both times, i didn't. lol. But a girl switched with me the first flight :)


Anyways... So once in Nairobi, we stayed at an interesting hotel for the night, then in the morning took a bus 9 HOURSSSSSSS to Moshi.

I saw some pretty cool things.

herd of cows in the middle of the road...
Masai next to businessmen... beautiful mountains.... markets and mud huts..

ahh it was so cool.
I tried to sleep as much as I could but it was a pretty uncomfortable ride.. regardless, I'm so glad I got to experience it.

Once In Moshi, we were taken to a cool little house of our host, named Theresa. She's the bomb.com

She's an american who actually runs an organization called Make A Difference Now, which is educating children and teens, and also working in a few orphanages. We actually get to go to one of the orphanages today!! :D I'm so pumped to be able to hold those babies and play with them!!

We are going to get to do some one on one english with the kids, help make bracelets for the organization, play sports, and also get to organize a library?

We're at a internet cafe now, and going to walk around the market a bit!

This morning we all got to help out with making breakfast!! :D Cody got to make scrambled eggs, i chopped tomatoes, Alanna chopped advocados and I Lauren help set the table. we got some fresh mangos and passion fruit along with our eggs and toast and juice, coffee, milk, and tea!

(BTW THE COFFEE IS AMAZING! it has CINNAMON!)

but I only have about 3 minutes left on this computer (its only less than a dollar to use the comp for 30 mins!)

anways, just know we're having a blast and we're going into the schools, churches and orphanages starting TODAY!!

keep us in your prayers!

we love you!!!


Kwahuri!!
(goodbye)

after

work. ugh.

I really do enjoy work. I like fashion retail probably more than anything else that I've done, except singing, but for some reason, people are really starting to annoy me.

Like inconsiderate people. Alot of times, people just think "oh, I'll leave this here, because they'll clean it up.. it's their job." or they'll stay until after 9, knowing that we close at 9, and that we still have to close everything down.

I promised myself that I would never shop passed 830 again, if the store closed at 9. Ugh.
Idk, also with all the stuff coming up, there's just alot of things I need and want to be doing.

But it is money for africa, or for when i get back!

*sigh*.

I am sitting on my bed at the Farber's house (they've graciously bestowed a blessing on me -- opening their home to me until we go to africa) in the silence. NOT like me at all. I think I just need chill time or something. I've been going all day.... and at work for 6 hours listening to blaring music.... i love music.... seriously, i do, but there's always a need for some silence.

it's kinda nice.


i've been thinking about something lately.

the future.

hah. so unusual.... esp. for me. (i'm futuristic and a dreamer, def. not a realist.)
no but really..
thinking about.. growing up.

i mean i guess this is right about the time that one would start to think of such things.. right?
no but for real... been thinking of things like.... marriage *gasp* and .... a home *gasp gasp*
lol. finishing school, what i want to do with my future.... and a future with someone else in it. ;) no one...specific... really.. *cough* :D


but no really... there's a ton of stuff I want to do, but its narrowed alot.
I've wanted to do everything from plastic surgery to being an international buyer to singer/model/actress/dancer to teacher to stay-at-home-mom to volleyball player to missionary to veterenarian to nurse to theologian to interior decorator to photographer to enterpernuer or whatever. i mean like.. everything. except astronaut.
but yeah, that's narrowed down. since i know my calling its narrowed down, but also circumstancially its narrowed too..
I do know that I want to go to school and finish school.
I do know that I want to worship and lead worship.
I do know that I want a healthy, happy family.
I do know that I want to be 1 person that starts a wildfire of love in the world.
I do know that I want and need to do something about human trafficking.
I do know that I want to mother.
I do know that I have a long way to go.
I do know that it's achievable.



hmm..



all for now.

lovelove

10 days....

10 days.

yes.. no..
9 and a half days.

departure to Africa. (well technically, England, then Africa).


I'm trying not to freak. Trying not to stress, cause we have a week and 2.5 days to raise the rest of this money.

I can't believe there was such a huge deficit.... Idk i mean i sorta can believe it, because thats a TON of money to raise in 6 months. I mean $6000+ for everything. It's sobering, really.


I'm sitting here, during the little free time that I have, and making CDS to sell at the benefit concert on Friday night. We just walked around a neighborhood here in Cumming this morning for two hours.... got $60.00 which is more than we went with, but hardly makes a dent in $4000 in less than two weeks.

But Im literally getting so pumped about it. So pumped. There's so much I want to do. So much i still have to do before we leave.

Like get more shots! EEEEEEK!!! I still need Hep A and Hep B!!

I also have about 6 hundred people that are saying they want to get together with me before i leave. which flatters me and makes me feel good because it means that people want to see me, but its like... im going through my schedule this week, and with all the go-away things and working and packing. (BTW I have the greatest boyfriend in the entire universe. He totally bought me my luggage yesterday. and i dont only love him cause he takes care of me. i love him for him! :) follow his blog at http://codychembars.blogspot.com/)

But the good news is, while i was talking, one of my grandmas friends gave me $5! :) haha.

idk its just insane how this is all panning out. I dont even know. The preview service is tomorrow night.....

i'm excited about it... like super excited...I get to sing!! at the preview service! the first actual service for Revolution Church!!! WHAT!? And I'm part of the intern team that's going on our first mission trip as a church?! WHAT?!? oh man. i dont even know...

Why me? why did I get to be the one to sing at the preview service and lead worship all those times at inman perk and Shad & Ashley's house? Why do i get to go on the mission trip?
I mean its amazing to think about how there are so many other capable, willing, much more deserving peope than myself, but I was still chosen.

man... its insane..


well i've got to go get ready for work now, but please, please keep me in your prayers.

if you need any more info on the service tomorrow night, or the trip and how you can donate, or even about any upcoming events, please visit www.theonelovemovement.com or www.iamrevolution.org


with that... I'm off!