We have housing!

 I love how quickly God answers our prayers! Jesus not only answered our prayers for housing, but in my opinion gave us the best option ever! My team and I will be staying with my good friend Nikki Hyodo and her family in Nairobi. As an honorary Hyodo, I'm pretty stoked about this.
Obviously there are many amazing advantages to this for us: staying with some amazing friends, we'll have the advantage of living with "locals" (Nikki and her family are American, but have been missionaries in Nairobi for several years), it's financially beneficial, and the Hyodo's are associated with a couple of near by orphanages. I am definitely planning on taking advantage of playing with beautiful babies during some of our down time.
We are now down to about a week and half before we leave, starting to check things off the list:

• Prescriptions are filled for anti-malarial drugs and anti-diarrhea drugs (check)
• Vaccinated for Typhoid and Yellow Fever (check)
• 3 bottles and one purse size bottle of 98% Deet insect repellent (check) 
• Memory foam travel neck pillow... Oh yes. (check)

Unlike some of my other classmates, I haven't started packing yet. I have, however, collected the majority of the travel sized toiletries I plan to bring and I have mentally begun my packing list. Yes, you read me correctly. My check list is currently only a mental list, but "start packing list" is on a list in my planner ;)
Tomorrow I plan on shopping with my roomie for a few of the last minute items.
I am growing more and more excited as the days draw closer, but I still have to keep my head in the game! Many projects, quizzes, exams, and papers are still due before we leave.
Some things on my heart I'd love prayer for:

• Stamina, time management, and endurance to get through these next days of school before the trips. 
• Good health for myself and all of my classmates (now is not the time for sniffles and sore throats!)
•  I've still been having some issues with pain management with my back and neck from the accident I was in early November; I've been a bit nervous as the days draw near about leaving my chiropractor and massage therapist for a month. But I know that Jesus is sufficient for me and in my weakness He is made strong. But a little extra prayer coverage is always nice :)
• Also prayer for logistics related to the accident, I've been having issues with one of the insurance companies and having to refer them to my lawyer - prayers that nothing will happen with that while I'm away. 
• Prayer for our hearts to begin preparing for the things to come, that Jesus would make us open and would create special opportunities for us to meet people and share the faith in Africa and along the way.
• And lastly safety and health for all the NU nursing teams around the world. 
• The 6 teams are: Kenya, Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, and Bethel, Alaska 

Thank you all for your love and support!  12 days till Kenya...
Until soon,
Amanda

Getting Started, it's almost time!

Hey family & friends,
I decided to start a blog to keep in touch and share my trip to Kenya with all of you!
Here's what we know so far: we will be landing in Nairobi on Friday Feb. 7th, we'll take that Friday afternoon and Saturday to unwind from traveling and try to recover from jetlag a little bit. After that we will jump in head first with ministry and serving, Sunday will be spent with a local church and Monday we start at Nairobi General Hospital. Not all of the details are set, but I'm really excited for how things are coming together. Some highlights for the trip: we'll have a couple of opportunities to serve with children in the slum population, we'll join forces at a medical camp where we'll be able to use our nursing skills to their full potential, and our last weekend in Kenya we will be taking some R&R as we go on safari. The safari is a huge blessing and unexpected treat for us and is a gift to our team from a pastoral contact who has been helping us get connected in Nairobi.
Some things to pray for: We currently don't know what our housing will be in Nairobi. I am confident that Jesus has the perfect place in mind, we just aren't aware of it yet. So join me and my team in prayer that the perfect situation will fall into place, and hopefully we'll know what that looks like before we leave :)
How you can join in with us: As a team we decided we wanted to bless the facilities and organizations we meet in Africa with medical supplies. So each member of our team will be bringing a suitcase filled with the following items:
Stethoscopes (adult and child) -
Thermometers
-Blood Pressure Cuffs (adult and child) -
Scrubs (all sizes) -
Band-Aids -
sterile Gauze -
Antibiotic Ointments -
Glucose Meters -
Gloves -
Hand sanitizer -
Scales for weighing babies and kids -
Tongue depressors -
Headlamps (with batteries) -
Penlights
We would love to give you the opportunity to either donate items or financially to the purchase of these items.
I am so excited for this next journey of my nursing school career! Thank you all so much for the parts you have all played in getting me here, and keeping me here :) What a blessing it is to have such amazing people in my life.
Through this blog I will be making updates as these next weeks grow into days until I leave and while I'm on the trip. Feel free to leave comments, prayers, and any other encouragements you feel like sharing. I'm so enthusiastic for the things to come from this trip, not only the personal growth and nursing experience but the relationships that will be built and experiencing Jesus in a new way and in a new country. I have spent years anticipating this semester and this specific trip, now that the moment is finally here, I'm not quite sure what to do with myself.
Thank you all again, and I hope you enjoy going on this journey with me!
Until soon,
Amanda