Kenya comes to Alpharetta

Last Saturday Clay, David and I had the opportunity to meet with Pastor Phyllis and Bishop David from Kenya and key members of the 410 bridge family. We spent 2 hours learning about the specific needs in their villages in Kenya as well as their ministry. For all of us the time we spent with them was as Andy would say a defining moment.

As we have prepared for this trip all of us have been on a quest to truly understand what are the needs in this area. During our meeting we were able to hear first hand what the needs of the area really are. We learned that food is a dire need in Kenya. It's critical, they have had to go without any food for days on end anywhere from 3 days to as many as 14 days. Wow can you even imagine that?

Pastor Phyllis' story had a profound effect on all of us as well. She is a very unique beautiful woman. Her entire life she felt her calling was to be a nurse. As we all know God has numbered our days and has a purpose and plan for our life and many times it's different from our own plans. And that is exactly what happened to her as a matter of fact she used to be so shy that when her pastor would ask her to speak in front of her church it was so overwhelming that when they bowed their heads for prayer, she bolted from the church. Today she has her own church, travels all over Kenya trying to reach the unreached and she and her husband have an orphanage with 87 children.

Iif you came to our get together Saturday you heard the story of how Pastor Phyllis' orphanage came to be. It all started with a boy living on the streets, Boniface, approaching her team after preaching. He said to her "I have never known the love you are speaking about -- I must go with you tonight. I must go to where the love is." He is still in the orphanage today and thriving. It's so simple, the boy stated his need and they were open and took him with them. Clay just sent over the link to the video so you can hear from Phyllis yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqQZL6yHpUo

I will share more of the stories of Pastor Phyllis and Bishop David in the coming days --

Give a little bit

Give a little bit - Give a little bit of your love to me
Give a little bit - I'll give a little bit of my love to you
There's so much that we need to share
So send a smile and show you care

I'll give a little bit - I'll give a little bit of my life for you
So give a little bit - Give a little bit of your time to me
See the man with the lonely eyes
Take his hand, you'll be surprised

Give a little bit - Give a little bit of your love to me
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
Now's the time that we need to share
So find yourself, we're on our way back home - Going home
Don't you need to feel at home? Oh yeah, we gotta sing!

I have had the opportunity this week to connect directly with some pastors who were here visiting from Kenya. Pastor Phyllis and Bishop David are their names. They work with 410 Bridge and live in the region of Kenya that we will be visiting. They also are part of a group by the name GOA. David, Clay and I were able to spent several hours with them learning about their ministry, understanding the needs and more importantly their vision to reach the unreached. Their stories are amazing and over the next several days I will share some of their story with you.

The one takeaway for me though in all of this is that just a little bit -- whether it be prayer, resources, or love can have a profound impact. What's so cool about that is that we all have different talents and resources but just a little bit can make a big difference.

Two more weeks until we leave...it's hard to believe it's so close!

Going Somwehere

So...I am in I am chosen to go on this Kenya trip with 18 others. We are required to raise our support a daunting $3500 and a team to pray for us. I am amazed and in awe of the team that I have assembled for prayer and financial support. I am still overwhelmed by the folks that have responded. Even my nephews Campbell, Landon and Lawson all under the age of 5 greeted me one morning exclaiming we want to support you Aunt Robyn. I feel so incredibly blessed and am so grateful and moved by the team I am assembling. It's not too late if you want to partner with me just shoot me a note -- below is an edited version of my letter.

I am writing to let you know that I have been invited to participate in North Point Community Church's mission to Kenya this summer. My desire to be a part of this trip is really simple…I am completely convinced that this is God's plan for me. I feel that He has been so gracious in His gifts to me and I am certain that it is His desire is for me to use these gifts and abilities for His glory.

Our mission in Kenya will be partnering with http://www.410bridge.com/ and that means visiting two villages the first is Ngaamba where we will work on a water project for the community – working side by side with the residents of this village to bring water to their homes. In the second village, Githurai, we will assist with construction projects for the Havilla Children's Home, an orphanage that houses 45 children.

The reason I am writing you is because I am putting together a team who is willing to pray for me and my team, contribute financially to this project or both. We need prayer for safety, good health, wisdom as we work side by side with the Kenyans. Financially, I need to raise $3500 to cover the expenses of this trip.

Please ask God to guide your decision to partner with me and our team. If you would like to be part of our prayer team, please send me an email at rite2rc@yahoo.com so I can keep you updated on our trip and prayer needs.

Thank you for your consideration in supporting us or more importantly praying for us. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will be glad to answer them.

For His Renown among the nations,

Here's where it begins

Greetings all! Here's where it all begins...and my first post. I am hoping to use this space as a tool to share my experiences and keep all of my supporters engaged in this trip. So that said....here's how it all began.

One evening my friend Clay challenged a group of us to step out and partner with him in going to Kenya this year. It was a pretty easy decision for me as I love the idea of stepping out and reaching out to a community outside of the USA. As Americans, I think we take for granted all of the comforts and blessings available to us -- and I think these trips keep us grounded and mindful of how great it is to live here. Also as most of you know, it's how I am wired I have this deep seeded need to do more and give back. So, of course I said yes to Clay's challenge....and so did...one other person, our friend David. (I have attached a picture of David and Clay for you...shhh...don't tell them. I think they will kill me.)

Fast forward, the three of us find ourselves heading for Kenya 18 July of this year. As the days grow closer I get more excited.

Stay tuned here as I will post pictures, insights, prayers etc.