Giraffe tongues feel like sand paper...

Jambo!
3 weeks down. I can't believe how fast this trip is going. I knew it would go quickly, but with barely a week and a half left all I can say is I'm not ready to leave.
This past Friday we did a mini medical camp at a school in kibera, the largest slum in east Africa and possibly one of the largest in the world. We saw about 300 people. The conditions where these people live are breathtakingly bad. It's difficult to place into words. Kibera is home to around 1.4 million people in roughly a 5 mile radius. These people are born, raised, work,  get married, have children, live, and die with out ever leaving the confines of kibera. They don't ever get out, have never seen grass or open spaces. All they know is poverty, one room stalled homes made out of dengue or mud. Sometimes it's plastered over, sometimes not. There is trash everywhere. Animals run free, living of the garbage in the streets. Almost everyone we saw had reactive airways and after only 6 hours we were all coughing from the pollution. The sewer system (if you can call it that) is horrendous, running in ditches dug between the buildings. Communal "squatty potties" serve as the bathrooms, but they seem to not drain... don't worry, I won't go into detail.  But never have I seen or smelled anything so foul, and this isn't my first trip into a slum. I think the most disheartening thing for me though was reading business signs that labeled themselves as "the slums." They own the title. They own their circumstances. Even if they're given the opportunity to get out, they go back.
WorldComp,  who we've been doing these medical camps with, sponsor the school where this one was held. And as bad as the conditions these people and these children live in, God is doing some amazing things in Kibera. The kids get 2 meals a day, uniforms, learn English, and learn about Jesus. They sang us songs about God and ask us to "SING FOR THE LORD! SING FOR THE LORD!" In that moment those children could have gotten me to do anything. I hate nothing more than performing in public but they had me singing Father Abraham and this "little light of mine" at the top of my lungs. Their joy steals my heart and humbles me to my bones. Another very humbling part of visiting Kibera is the fact that mzungu never go there. White people just don't. They aren't reached. We met a pastor and his wife that actually live there and are ministering to the people of kibera, but their resources are few. I feel so honored that we were able to enter and bring a smile to their faces and health and hope to those we treated.
This is something I hope to never "get over." This isn't something you just walk away from.
It leaves me heavy hearted. Pray for healing for the people, pray for revelation, pray for restoration, pray for revival in Kibera. There is so much need, I'm learning to not be discouraged by the little I can actually do here. I just have to trust that Jesus exceeds my abilities when I reach my limit.
I realize that with all my posts so far I haven't really mentioned my incredible team. I truly feel how Jesus placed us all together perfectly. With all of the heaviness we've seen, the long hours we've put in, the early mornings, hours spent in the jam, all the hard work: we laugh. We laugh so hard, and we encourage, and love. On Sunday we were able to visit the giraffe center, do some souvenir shopping, and spend a day just relaxing.  It was a nice break to not do anything emotionally our physically draining. I let a giraffe kiss my face. 3 times. 
Tonight I am thankful for comedic relief. I'm thankful for long-standing friendships, and brand new ones that have been a special surprise.
Staying with Nikki and her family has continued to be such a gift. I'm going to miss them so much when I head back to Seattle. 
My emotions are raw tonight as I write, I don't feel that this conveys all that I feel. But I leave you with my attempt.
Tomorrow is our last day at the hospital for the week, on Thursday we will do teaching at a school in a slum we haven't visited yet, Friday we head to Narok for a small medical screening, and then on to the Maasai Mara for a weekend safari. I'm really excited for a weekend to simply be a tourist and delight the playground God created for us. Kenya is such an amazingly beautiful place.
Thank you all for sharing this journey with me.
Until soon,
Amanda

Giraffes slobber really bad...

Selfies with Sarah

kibera

Not all mzungu are lost...

Jambo! Habari (how are you)?
So much has happened since my last blog! This past weekend we headed north west to Kakamega for a mini-medical camp with WorldComp. It was an "8 hour drive," but in African time was more like 10. The drive was great (but long): zebras and antelope on the side of the road, and the Kenyan country side is definitely a site to see. Very beautiful. On the way home we also saw monkeys!
At the medical camp we had over 500 patients with only word of mouth advertising. There was a team of nurses, doctors, and pharmacists. It went like clock work. Each screening nurse (myself included) saw over 100 people. 100 people! This is huge for me, even though it was only a small feat for WorldComp, who is used to having over 1000 patients a day at their medical camps. I've never done or seen anything like it. I was able to share the love of Jesus and my nursing skills together at one time. It was the most incredible feeling. Exhilarating and powerful. Reawakening the passion that lead me into nursing in the first place.
We also visited a boys detention center and a deaf home for children. Both of these places are revolutionary for Kenya. The detention center was once practically a slave labor camp, but has been transformed into a rehabilitation center of sorts. The boys are healthy, have school 5 days a week, learn English,  almost all of the boys have accepted Jesus, and are taught trades with the ultimate goal that when they leave the detention center they can enter real life as successful members of society.
Now, the deaf home. This place stole my heart. They are hungry in every sense of the word. The first day we brought beans, little Valentine treats, and heart tattoos. The next day we brought bread, sugar, cooking oil, and a few toys. Their simple joy over receiving bread wrecks me. Their beautiful and eager faces will forever be etched into my mind. The next time I come I will have brushed up on my ASL so I can communicate a little better than the few words I remember from junior high. On a lighter note: I am so pleased to see a home like this when these children would have otherwise been abandoned. Some are brought by their parents, but many are simply found and taken in.
Something way less significant, but still rather important to me: I crossed the equator! This is something I've always wanted to do but wasn't sure how I'd work it out in my life. It was so much fun to take pictures and celebrate the land mark with my team.
Now back in Nairobi, yesterday I was on the labor ward with my roommate Sarah. I'm pleased to say that even for a girl who's not into labor and delivery, it was a pretty awesome day. I had lots of baby time helping mothers get their newborns ready to take home and we helped deliver a baby! Kenyan nurses are very hands on and we jumped right in. Today I was in the Comprehensive Care Center, their clinic for HIV/AIDS treatment. It was so great! They loved having mzungu nurses with them today. I learned a lot, and there were lots of questions about America and offering of cows for mzungu brides. So much fun :)
Our driver Mesh is awesome and has been patiently teaching us kiswahili. My favorite and most frequent words so far: asante sana! Thank you very much, and kasi masuri sana! Very good job. I also really love the word mzungu. It's what they call white people, but really it means one who wanders. This wanderers heart claims the title with pride.  Swahili has been a lot easier to learn than I thought it would be. Hoping that by next time I'll have it down. The most challenging is that each region of Kenya has a different language and culture. So far I've learned greetings and thank yous in Luya for Kakamega and in Masai for when we head to Narok next weekend.
Tomorrow we sleep in! I'm so excited.
Until soon,
Kwaheri (goodbye)
Amanda
P.s.
Prayer requests:
Continued and restored health for my trans and ask the NU nursing teams, continued energy for the weeks to come, and that Jesus would continue to use us to touch lives.

Hard to put into words...

Wow. 2 while days down.
It's so wonderfully warm! Sometimes this Seattle girl is overwhelmed by the heat, but most of the time it feels amazing.
Everyone we meet says we "come with double blessing! " It started raining the day we got here, and they've been praying many months for the rain to come.
I have never felt more welcomed by a people in my life.
Staying at Nikki's has been wonderful. Her family had truly taken us in and have been taking great care of us.
Our first afternoon here we went to a slum near by the Hyodo house, a small Huruma slum of about 5000 people. They seem top be doing amazing things with their circumstances: creating biofuel, the whole place is wired with electricity, and a few organizations are helping them by providing free secondary school abd an elderly home. The children won our hearts instantly, "mzungu, mzungu! How are you!  How are you!" As the grabbed are hands and walked with us through the compound. We also saw a rather modernized mall that day, and met with Pastor Richard and his wife Valerie. They are our contacts with WorldComp,  who we will be joining for the medical camp next weekend. It was wonderful to hear their take on Nairobi and some of the actual needs of the people that wasn't discovered in our studies.
We were invited to church with a friend of Pastor Richard in the kayole slum, keyhole means muddy. Jesus is doing some amazing things in this community, through medical camps and outreach from this church. Even as the spirit moves, it is sometimes challenging to not be overwhelmed by the staggering need of these people. As we drove through the slums yesterday, I don't think my words can give it justice. The sheer number of people, the smells of the trash and sewage overflowing into their tiny creeks that serve as their only water source. Witnessing people dig through that very trash to find anything salvageable. I do not mean to sound depressing, but here tis is reality.
There seems to only be extreme wealth or extreme poverty. No in between.
Today we are having a lazy morning and then will meet with the doctor from Nairobi General to orient to the hospital and discuss scheduling.
Only 2 days down, and I already feel parts of my heart are being left behind.
Now it's time for breakfast and coffee. Which,  by the way, Kenyan coffee is delicious. 
We all very much appreciate your prayers of safety, health, comfort, and opportunities to make a difference where we can.
Until soon.

Amanda

T-24 hours!

Counting the hours....
Classes, papers, exams, and quizzes are now finished. This has probably been the longest two weeks of my life! But I did it! Punched through the final days of school.
Now I am 99% packed. My Kindle is loaded full of books and music ready to entertain me over the 19 1/2 hours of flying that are in my very near future. We also have 8 suitcases and over 400 lbs of medical supplies packed up and ready to go! Jesus totally blew us away with the medical supplies and finances that have been donated to us over the last few weeks. Clearly, God has some amazing things in mind!
Last night and this morning has been some precious hang out time with my roommates, and our pseudo-roommate Justine. I am blessed to get Allyson and Sarah with me on my trip to Africa, but Jordan heads to Vietnam, Bria to India, Justine to Alaska and Twyla has to stay home in the apartment all by herself for the next four weeks.
We have been so blessed this year with such an amazing house full of girls. We have grown so close, it's been hard as we prepare to leave.
I am so excited about this trip. I love to fly, even on these crazy long flights. I love the people you meet on flights, the comradery of fellow travelers.
And it may seem strange, but I am almost as equally excited for my layover in Schipol, NL as I am to be in Africa. Even though my stay in Holland will only be a few short hours, part of me for just a little while will feel like I'm home.
Most of all I wait in excited anticipation for what Jesus has in store for these weeks ahead.
These verses have been rolling around in my head and my heart for the last month or so:
Jeremiah 20:9 - 
But if I say, “I will not mention his word
    or speak anymore in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire,
    a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
    indeed, I cannot.
It then goes on to talk about persecution, and if we denounce the Lord there's a chance it may end... 
But Jeremiah 20:11-12 says...
But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior;
    so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;
    their dishonor will never be forgotten.
¹² Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
    and probe the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
    for to you I have committed my cause.

Although I do not anticipate persecution for any of our teams, keeping the Vietnam team tightly in my prayers, I feel a sense of renewed passion. A new vigor. A burning fire rising up. That's my prayer for my classmates and the teams heading out. That they would experience the burning fire and passion for Jesus, and begin to see the world and see people the way that He does. Jesus is our mighty warrior, and He is fighting for us and paving the way ahead. 
Thank you again to everyone who has participated in getting me to where I am today. For allowing Jesus to use you as an encourager,  a prayer warrior, an offer of love and comfort, and a friend. 
I cannot foresee what these next days will hold, but I do know that they will far exceed any of my expectations and they're going to be stinking good. 
The next time you hear from me I will be on African soil. Thank you Jesus for fulfilling your promises and giving me the desires of my heart. 
To God be the glory,
Until soon.
Amanda