Ok we are teachers...we have to do something to celebrate!!!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
Please Pray
I just wanted to ask you all to please pray for a second grader named Hannah Reed. This morning on the way to school she was sitting in the front seat of the bus(van) and did not have her seat belt on. She leaned on the door and it came open while the bus was moving. Hannah fell out of the van while it was moving. Thankfully she was not hit by the van or the car behind them. She was however scraped up very bad. Her ribs are quite brused (thankfully not broken). We are still waiting to get a new update on the rest of her injuries. Please keep her, her family, and the school in your prayers. The other studenst on the bus were quite shaken up (with a good reason to be). We praise God she was not hurt worse than she was, but she will still be in a lot of pain for awhile. Thank you!
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Sports Update...
Our boys soccer team continues to be undefeated! :) Yesterday we traveled to Rift Valley Academy (the big bording school) and we beat them 5-4. It was a very intense game. The boys played well, although they did get very tired. Unfortunately the girls were not able to pull out a win, but they continue to do well. Two games and a tournament left!
Our God is a GREAT BIG God...and he holds us in his hands...
I learned a little kids song a couple of weeks ago from a church that I was visiting about how our God is great and holds us in his hands. This was very obvious this past week in my life. We (about 11) teachers took a drive up country about three hours to Mt. Kenya. The fourth grade teacher's boyfriend has a farm up there and so we stayed at their house. It was a really nice time to get away. The ride up took about three hours. Parts of the road had just been redone so they were actually quite nice (for Kenyan standards) but other parts were horrible. We (3 of my roommates and I) recently purchased a nissan sunny. It is a nice car for driving around Nairobi but not really the best option for taking "up country" we understand that better now that we tried to take it. There are a lot of speed bumps in the road through the different towns along the way and our car is too low to go over them, especially with five girls in the car (no laughing). So, there came a point that we got out of the car; besides Megan who was driving of course, and we ran beside the car so it would go over the bumps without scarping on the bottom. Needless the say the people along the road got a good laugh at four crazy white muzingo"white people" chasing after their car.
So, we made the trip up...we visited the equator, drove to the base of Mt. Kenya and had a fire (well kind of the wood was wet so it was a small fire), we saw a lot of weird monkeys and missed seeing two elephants by about five minutes. I was really sad about that. We ate lunch in a restaurant called Trout Tree, which really is built into a tree. I totally felt like I was in Swiss Family Robinson, Aje you would have loved it. Of course I ate pizza because I am not a huge trout fan but I did hear that the fish was quite tasty. Mom, you would have loved that part! lets see what else...the equator was freezing cold and we had to wear lots of layers..go figure.
On our way home we had driven through rain, pot holes, past crazy drivers, in the dark for abou three hours and were just getting into the city when...yep we got a flat tire. We had gone through so much but for some reason I guess the car had finally had enough. The back left tire went flat when we hit a small ditch/pot hole that we couldn't see in the dark. It put a damper on our Christmas singing that we were doing in the car (Mo you would have loved that). So, we pulled over into a gas station had a guy there help us change the tire, I am sure we could have figured it out but hey he wanted to help so we let him do it. It was such an answer to prayer that the flat tire came while we were in the city. If it hade been only ten minutes eariler when we probably should have gotten the flat tire we would have been out in the middle of no where, in the dark, without help (not a good situation for five white girls). God definatley had his hand on us.
So, we made it home safely got a new tire the next day. Then on Wednesday night we were driving from Karen, where the school is, back to Nairobi at about 8 pm when we got stopped at a police check. It is very common to have these, and thinking that of course everything was fine we weren't too concerned abotu being stopped. They check your insurance and license and all that and then let you go. Well, the problem was that we had forgotten that we only had a temporary insurance sticker put on our car when we bought it. We were supposed to go in and get the real one but admist our crazy schedules that minor (or major) detail was forgotten. So, he told us that we would have to go to court the next day and pay 5,000-10,000 shillings which can be about $100. Right about then, after I whined about us being teachers and not having time to go to court, the rain started. Not wanting to be out in the rain the police man sad, "I am human too and I would be willing to overlook this whole incident, turn my head, if you would pay 500 shillings (about $7). So, thankfully Daylan had some money in her pocket which was totally a God thing, because we weren't going anywhere to buy anything. So yep...we bribed a cop and got off. So, now we have our new tire and our new insurance sticker and God continues to hold us in his hand. Ok back to teaching now...the day has begun! God bless and I would love to hear from you soon!
So, we made the trip up...we visited the equator, drove to the base of Mt. Kenya and had a fire (well kind of the wood was wet so it was a small fire), we saw a lot of weird monkeys and missed seeing two elephants by about five minutes. I was really sad about that. We ate lunch in a restaurant called Trout Tree, which really is built into a tree. I totally felt like I was in Swiss Family Robinson, Aje you would have loved it. Of course I ate pizza because I am not a huge trout fan but I did hear that the fish was quite tasty. Mom, you would have loved that part! lets see what else...the equator was freezing cold and we had to wear lots of layers..go figure.
On our way home we had driven through rain, pot holes, past crazy drivers, in the dark for abou three hours and were just getting into the city when...yep we got a flat tire. We had gone through so much but for some reason I guess the car had finally had enough. The back left tire went flat when we hit a small ditch/pot hole that we couldn't see in the dark. It put a damper on our Christmas singing that we were doing in the car (Mo you would have loved that). So, we pulled over into a gas station had a guy there help us change the tire, I am sure we could have figured it out but hey he wanted to help so we let him do it. It was such an answer to prayer that the flat tire came while we were in the city. If it hade been only ten minutes eariler when we probably should have gotten the flat tire we would have been out in the middle of no where, in the dark, without help (not a good situation for five white girls). God definatley had his hand on us.
So, we made it home safely got a new tire the next day. Then on Wednesday night we were driving from Karen, where the school is, back to Nairobi at about 8 pm when we got stopped at a police check. It is very common to have these, and thinking that of course everything was fine we weren't too concerned abotu being stopped. They check your insurance and license and all that and then let you go. Well, the problem was that we had forgotten that we only had a temporary insurance sticker put on our car when we bought it. We were supposed to go in and get the real one but admist our crazy schedules that minor (or major) detail was forgotten. So, he told us that we would have to go to court the next day and pay 5,000-10,000 shillings which can be about $100. Right about then, after I whined about us being teachers and not having time to go to court, the rain started. Not wanting to be out in the rain the police man sad, "I am human too and I would be willing to overlook this whole incident, turn my head, if you would pay 500 shillings (about $7). So, thankfully Daylan had some money in her pocket which was totally a God thing, because we weren't going anywhere to buy anything. So yep...we bribed a cop and got off. So, now we have our new tire and our new insurance sticker and God continues to hold us in his hand. Ok back to teaching now...the day has begun! God bless and I would love to hear from you soon!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Conferences almost done...
Here I am Thursday afternoon with all but two parent-teacher conferences done! I just wanted to say Thank you to everyone who prayed for me and who send encouraging emails. I have to admit that I really enjoyed the conferences, as I thought I might. The familes at WNS are so amazing and I am so blessed to be able to teach their children.
Sometimes I felt bad because we only spent about five minutes talking about their child and the rest of the time we were talking about how I was adjusting or how they could help me to enjoy my time here more. I just felt like saying, I don't know how that is possible. I got lots of dinner invitations, which is always a good thing. One of my Korean students , Hanbeen, his mom is a cook. Well, she told me in her very broken english that she has her job as a cook for various schools to raise money to send to the Korean missionaries in the area and to support her church. She was such a sweet lady. And from what I have heard she makes AMAZING food...I can't wait to take her up on her offer. That was just one of many that went so well. I had two parents tell me that last year their daughters had cried about math and wanted to give up and this year it is almost one of the favorite classes. All I can say is that God is blessing me..becasue many days I feel like I have no clue what I am doing. I am very thankful for my awesome progessors at Judson that really did teach me some stuff after all ;)
Today the boy's soccer team plays against Rosslyn. I guess I better go and make sure that the field is ready to go. This weekend we are taking a trip to Mt. Kenya because we have tomorrow off of school for Kenyatta Day (to celebrate Kenya's first President). Hopefully I will be ablt to take lots of pictures to share with you. Thanks again for the prayers and emails! Miss you all!
Sometimes I felt bad because we only spent about five minutes talking about their child and the rest of the time we were talking about how I was adjusting or how they could help me to enjoy my time here more. I just felt like saying, I don't know how that is possible. I got lots of dinner invitations, which is always a good thing. One of my Korean students , Hanbeen, his mom is a cook. Well, she told me in her very broken english that she has her job as a cook for various schools to raise money to send to the Korean missionaries in the area and to support her church. She was such a sweet lady. And from what I have heard she makes AMAZING food...I can't wait to take her up on her offer. That was just one of many that went so well. I had two parents tell me that last year their daughters had cried about math and wanted to give up and this year it is almost one of the favorite classes. All I can say is that God is blessing me..becasue many days I feel like I have no clue what I am doing. I am very thankful for my awesome progessors at Judson that really did teach me some stuff after all ;)
Today the boy's soccer team plays against Rosslyn. I guess I better go and make sure that the field is ready to go. This weekend we are taking a trip to Mt. Kenya because we have tomorrow off of school for Kenyatta Day (to celebrate Kenya's first President). Hopefully I will be ablt to take lots of pictures to share with you. Thanks again for the prayers and emails! Miss you all!
Monday, October 16, 2006
October Update
Philippians 2:12-13 “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his purpose.”
Today I had the privilege to spend the afternoon with the Meredith family. Bob and Patty have been missionaries in Africa for over twenty years. They have three children, Emily and Wes both attend University of Nebraska and Ian is an eighth grader at WNS. Emily has taken a semester to study in Africa and has been a huge help to our athletic department by helping to coach basketball. Ian is also a big help to the sports as he is our starting forward on the soccer team. Bob and Patty have both been teachers but now work with Navigator’s Africa, training and disciplining Kenyans. They would really appreciate your prayers as Emily graduates from college soon. Also Patty has struggled with health issues recently and is really seeking God’s strength to continue doing His will.
It was such a blessing to get to spend the day with them, not only because they made us delicious pizza and sent us home with a cake. But I was refreshed by seeing God at work in and through them. I wanted to take some time to share with you some of the things that they blessed me with. Before we (my roommates and I) drove home tonight Bob asked if he could pray with us. He read Philippians 2:12-13 and then prayed. His reading blessed me because, as he pointed out, these verses remind us that we are working out who we are in Christ. I am in the process of using the gifts and abilities that God has specifically given to me for His glory. It is not something that I have achieved but something that I am working on, and will continue to work on. I know that I am supposed to be in Nairobi working at West Nairobi School but I am still working on all the details that includes. Recently God has put a burden on my heart for the middle school girls. I would like to start a bible study of some sort with them. Right now I am overwhelmed by the details of finding time, choosing the girls, and making the commitment. I know that God has given me this passion for a reason and I am excited to see how it is all going to play out. Please pray for me as God continues to show me how he wants to use me here. I just want you to know how thankful I am for the part that you are playing in the whole big picture. If it were not for each one of you, it would not be possible for me to be where I am.
At school it is almost the end of our first quarter, which is hard to believe. The end of the quarter brings report card due dates and parent-teacher conferences. As much as that intimidates me I am excited to get to talk with more of the parents personally. Every time I talk to or spend time around these families I feel I have so much to learn from their example. The sport’s teams continue to do well. The kids and parents are still so excited about this new opportunity and I love being a part of seeing their dreams come true. Recently some of the middle school students put together little book for me about how thankful they were for having sports teams this year. It was so fun to see the things that they get excited about, like nets on the soccer goals, new soccer balls, and lines on the field. Little things that it is easy to take for granted in the US they truly are so thankful for. It was a good reminder to me as I find myself often wishing for a bigger field or a gym. I love all that I can learn from these kids.
Once again I just want to Thank You so much for all of your prayer and support for this adventure that I am on! I know that God is going to bless you for your faithfulness!
Serving our King in Kenya,
Kayla Carraway
Prayer Requests
· Health & Safety
· Finances for our car
· Wisdom about the small group
Today I had the privilege to spend the afternoon with the Meredith family. Bob and Patty have been missionaries in Africa for over twenty years. They have three children, Emily and Wes both attend University of Nebraska and Ian is an eighth grader at WNS. Emily has taken a semester to study in Africa and has been a huge help to our athletic department by helping to coach basketball. Ian is also a big help to the sports as he is our starting forward on the soccer team. Bob and Patty have both been teachers but now work with Navigator’s Africa, training and disciplining Kenyans. They would really appreciate your prayers as Emily graduates from college soon. Also Patty has struggled with health issues recently and is really seeking God’s strength to continue doing His will.
It was such a blessing to get to spend the day with them, not only because they made us delicious pizza and sent us home with a cake. But I was refreshed by seeing God at work in and through them. I wanted to take some time to share with you some of the things that they blessed me with. Before we (my roommates and I) drove home tonight Bob asked if he could pray with us. He read Philippians 2:12-13 and then prayed. His reading blessed me because, as he pointed out, these verses remind us that we are working out who we are in Christ. I am in the process of using the gifts and abilities that God has specifically given to me for His glory. It is not something that I have achieved but something that I am working on, and will continue to work on. I know that I am supposed to be in Nairobi working at West Nairobi School but I am still working on all the details that includes. Recently God has put a burden on my heart for the middle school girls. I would like to start a bible study of some sort with them. Right now I am overwhelmed by the details of finding time, choosing the girls, and making the commitment. I know that God has given me this passion for a reason and I am excited to see how it is all going to play out. Please pray for me as God continues to show me how he wants to use me here. I just want you to know how thankful I am for the part that you are playing in the whole big picture. If it were not for each one of you, it would not be possible for me to be where I am.
At school it is almost the end of our first quarter, which is hard to believe. The end of the quarter brings report card due dates and parent-teacher conferences. As much as that intimidates me I am excited to get to talk with more of the parents personally. Every time I talk to or spend time around these families I feel I have so much to learn from their example. The sport’s teams continue to do well. The kids and parents are still so excited about this new opportunity and I love being a part of seeing their dreams come true. Recently some of the middle school students put together little book for me about how thankful they were for having sports teams this year. It was so fun to see the things that they get excited about, like nets on the soccer goals, new soccer balls, and lines on the field. Little things that it is easy to take for granted in the US they truly are so thankful for. It was a good reminder to me as I find myself often wishing for a bigger field or a gym. I love all that I can learn from these kids.
Once again I just want to Thank You so much for all of your prayer and support for this adventure that I am on! I know that God is going to bless you for your faithfulness!
Serving our King in Kenya,
Kayla Carraway
Prayer Requests
· Health & Safety
· Finances for our car
· Wisdom about the small group
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Boys' Football Team (Soccer)
On Monday we traveled down the road to the Nairobi Japanese School. It is also a pretty young school trying to establish a sports program. We knew it wasn't going to be very strong competition so I decided to give the B teams a chance to play in at least one game. It was really fun to watch them play so hard. They have been practicing as much as the A team but have not had a chance to play yet. It was so cool to also see how many parents showed up for the game. The boys ended up winning 1-0 and lets just saying it was good learning opportunity for the girls. They just weren't really sure what to do when the Japan girls started to play man on man. Tomorrow the Boys' A team will play against a school from Kibera. Kibera is the second largest slum in Kenya. I am excited about this opportunity for our boys to be a good witness. They have done really well about their attitudes so far (as well as can be expected from 13 year old boys that is). I am just hoping the ref actually shows up this time. If he doesn't then I guess it will be my opportunity to perfecting my reffing skills but this time in soccer. Lets hope not!
Today we had a very Kenyan experience. Although we had told our Land Lady to send us our electricity bill apparantly she did not think it was a priority. So...today was a result our electricity was turned off. So, tonight we decided to go to Java House (a restaurant) to hang out and grade papers and such because we have no light. We are told it will be turned on again tomorrow but I don't know if I believe them. We definately live one day at a time here. We didn't have water for about two weeks because of the trade fair in town. They needed all the city water for that. So, they just took ours. I am definately learning to adjust to a different culture...go with the flow! I am so glad that I grew up in PNG I can really tell that it helps me a lot, just being used to things not turning out as you always plan.
A fun thing that did happen today was that on our way to pay the bill Alison and I saw 4 camels on the side of the road. I wish I had my camera because I was like two feet away from them. It was really cool to see them so close. Two of them were eating off of this really pretty bush with flowers on it. It would have been such a cool picture. OH WELL!
Well, I think that is about it for now. Continue to pray! Next week is the end of our first quarter. It is hard to believe that our school year is 1/4 done already. WOW! Report cards are due and we have parent teacher conferences. Pray for the stress level in our house! Miss you all please keep in touch!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Trip to Lake Naivasha
This weekend I had the privelage to go to Lake Naivasha with some friends. We went in search of animals and were able to see some but not a ton. It was so nice to get out of the city and be with friends. Nairobi is a very nice place to live but sometiems you just need to get out. As you can see it is so beautiful around here! We were walking around a resort place and saw a monkey inside a bird bath. Of course when I tried to take its picture it ran away. But then I looked and there were like 8 monkeys. I got really excited about that!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Daylan's Birthday Party
One of my roommates had her birthday yesterday. We bought some balloons. party hats, and streamers and had a fun time. It is always fun when we get a bunch of the teachers and others that we have met all together. We hope to someday soon, actually decorate our house but for now the balloons and streamers are a nice addition to our ugly white walls.
Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos
Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
We win again!!!
Well, after a really fun weekend with the girls it is back to school. I ended up having nine girls stay the night at our house on Friday night. We ate spaghetti, played games, watched movies, looked at magazines and dreamed about going shopping again some day. It was really fun to get to know the girls on a different level. God has really given me a passion for the middle school girls. I am thinking about starting a small group with some of them but I have a lot of questions about it right now. Please pray that God will give me wisdom about that. Just who I should do it with or when would be a good time or even what I should talk to them about. Lots of ideas but I am just not sure how to put it all together right now, especially because time is limited. So yea, if you think about it just pray that God would give me wisdom in that area.
Our teams continue to do well. We had our first home games yesterday. Despite it being really hot, limited space, and the refs not showing up we were able to play the games and they both won. I made my big debut as a basketball referee...HA! But it all turned out ok! The kids continue to just be happy to get to play but winning is always nice. We start playing against the other American schools next week so we will see how competition changes for those. They are the big rival schools...so big expecations for those! :)
The weather is starting to get really hot right now. We have still had a little rain but we are fianlly coming out of winter..ha! Weird thought! I think that this weekend we are going to go and hike a dormant volcanoe. I am looking forward to getting out of the city again. Well, hope all is well! Thanks for all the prayers!
Our teams continue to do well. We had our first home games yesterday. Despite it being really hot, limited space, and the refs not showing up we were able to play the games and they both won. I made my big debut as a basketball referee...HA! But it all turned out ok! The kids continue to just be happy to get to play but winning is always nice. We start playing against the other American schools next week so we will see how competition changes for those. They are the big rival schools...so big expecations for those! :)
The weather is starting to get really hot right now. We have still had a little rain but we are fianlly coming out of winter..ha! Weird thought! I think that this weekend we are going to go and hike a dormant volcanoe. I am looking forward to getting out of the city again. Well, hope all is well! Thanks for all the prayers!
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