Yearning for January

I have finally added a way for you to enter your email address to be notified when I post something new. You can find it on the right hand side of the screen. Accept my apology for not being technologically savvy/motivated.
Here is the latest update on my trip to Uganda, albeit short (I'll be more heartfelt/detailed in my next post):

My new departure date is for early January 2014 (around the 11th). I am so grateful that I have more time to raise the rest of my funds and for time to prepare well spiritually and mentally. Preparing to be gone for 11 months is quite daunting.


Last week, I traveled to Atlanta for a pre-departure orientation with Africa Inland Mission. Not only was I welcomed as family, I learned more, I was challenged, and I was reminded again about the church of Christ and it's unity in Him. It always is staggering when complete strangers show a beautiful honesty and vulnerability - our unity in Jesus breaks through barriers and forms a supportive family. It is truly astounding.

One of the staff said something that I will for sure remember.

It was something along these lines: 
Don't speak life and death in the same sentence. Don't say, "I know God can do this, BUT..." There is no "but" when it comes to God. Just stop at "God can do this" because it is truth and life. 

Thank you to all of the AIM staff for the encouragement and support!

Prayer:
   Please continue to pray for funding, and if you want to support me for the first time (or again) let me know at mdbarn89@gmail.com .
 
    Pray for my attitude. I want to actively wait for January; God had a purpose in delaying me and I don't want to miss out on an opportunity. Pray for an attentive heart towards the Spirit's guiding.



Baraka/Blessings,
Missy

Will You Follow Too?

There are many things I love about this life, but few things compare to expression.
Art.
The written word.
Photos.
Dance.
Music.
Expression. I see a beautiful story in all of those things.

I definitely think it is because I have been a quiet person all my life. It's who I am. Even though I have opened up over the years, my strong feelings are careful to show themselves to the outside world even with the best of friends present. Thoughts are constantly circling in my head and most of the time they don't make it past my tongue.

So, I write. I sing. I try to speak the words.

For the past three years, I've had a song. A song that is partially my theme and wholly my prayer. It reminds me what following Jesus really means for me personally, and recently, for certain brothers and sisters in my life. It is my expression.

I Will Wast My Life by Misty Edwards.
The title of my blog and a song that has a lot of meaning. It is uncomfortable, and yet it is simple.

"I will waste my life
I'll be tempted and tried with no regrets inside of me
Just to find I'm at Your feet
Let me find I'm at Your feet

"I'll leave my father's house and I'll leave my mother
I'll leave all I have known and I'll have no other

"I am in love with You there is no cost
I am in love with You there is no loss
I am in love with You I want to take your name
I am in love with You I want to cling to you, Jesus
Just let me cling to You, Jesus

"I'll say goodbye to my father, my mother
I'll turn my back on any other lover
And I'll press on
yes, I'll press on"


What would happen if we all took this message seriously?
How honest and real, uncomfortable and challenging, it is!


This song doesn't just apply to me. It should apply to ALL of us who desire to follow Jesus.
It doesn't just apply to some girl who is going to be an international missionary in Uganda, it applies to everyone because we are all missionaries in life. Well, we should be.

 
"People from my first home say I'm brave. They tell me I'm strong. They pat me on the back and say, 'Way to go. Good job.' But the truth is, I am not really very brave; I am not really very strong; and I am not doing anything spectacular. I am simply doing what God has called me to do as a person who follows Him. He said to feed His sheep and He said to care for 'the least of these,' so that's what I'm doing, with the help of a lot people who make it possible and in the company of those who make my life worth living”
― Katie J. Davis, Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption


What does it look like for you to "waste your life" according to the world's standards?

Me? I will go and teach in a foreign country with different philosophies, different teaching styles, and different beliefs on Special Education. I will miss birthdays, holidays, weddings, and maybe even funerals. I will miss getting a hug from my mom after a day that leaves me completely empty. I will miss the smell of my dad's aftershave on his clothes. My brothers; their infuriating banter. The students I have been with for a year and a half; seeing them grow and change with joy. A comfortable teaching job, finding an apartment, staying with my small church and best friends,  paying off student loans, etc.
That is what I am "wasting". And I intend to continue to "waste" no matter where God takes me.
Yet, I have counted the cost and I am ready. Because God is worth it. He has proved that to me over and over again. He has used me despite my ugliness and selfish nature.
There is no excuse for me to not follow where He leads. It's not about me.

It's the same for you, but will you follow too?
.
 
 A dear friend of mine completely changed the direction of his life this last summer. His family was counting on him to get his degree and provide for the family after university, but God was calling him to be a ministry in his home country. His family disowned him as he followed Jesus' leading for several weeks. Now, he has reconciled with his family and is on his way to ministry - and knowing him, he will be great at it. I know God will bless him abundantly. I know for sure.
This friend is such an inspiration to me. That is what "wasting" life for Jesus looks like.
 

Waiting in Prayer

   I have some specific prayer requests concerning Uganda that have come up in the past couple weeks.
My departure is most likely going to be pushed back to January 2014, but that is still not certain as it is also possible I will be going this October. There are advantages and disadvantages to both departure dates. I honestly would love to leave in January to give myself more time to prepare. It would also allow me to leave my teaching job at a less awkward time. However, I realized that I need to go when God says to go regardless of my preparedness.
Ultimately, God is directing and orchestrating this trip, but as a human, I worry more than I should which results in stress. Why do I do that when I know for sure He is sovereign? Why do I question even when I know for sure that Jesus is leading me to East Africa? When He has told me time and time again? Oh, the irony. I am so thankful that the Lord loves me unconditionally!
  Please be in prayer with me as things are finalized and decisions are being made for my trip. Also, please pray with me that I will be actively waiting: praying, seeking God's guidance, and trusting Him with my whole being. My funding still is an item to be prayed for as well.

Thank you for all the prayers and love. Know that I am encouraged by all of you!

Mungu akubariki (God bless you),
Missy

The Next Step - Uganda

Though my trip to Kenya will continue to follow me as God continues to reveal more of Himself to me, I am now fully engrossed into my next trip to Uganda. Timing and other details are still not known, but here is more information on this next chapter of my life. Thank you for all the prayers and support in general! It means a lot.

Dear family and friends,

It hasn’t been that long since I last wrote to you and I pray that you are all well and blessed.  My school year has ended as a paraprofessional in an Autism classroom and I cannot tell you how much I have learned this year. Special Education seems to be where I fit best as a teacher and God has gently been leading me there as it becomes part of my heart. However, He isn’t finished with me yet.

During my previous trips to East Africa, it has been clear to me that I want to take a leap of faith to teach overseas, to “go into all the world”, and to represent Christ as I reach children (and others) for Him.  In my next steps, I have been accepted on as a short-term missionary for Africa Inland Mission (AIM) and will be serving in Kampala, Uganda in the special needs ministry. There I will assist teachers as they teach children with autism at Kyambogo University from October 2013 to August 2014 (which may change to January to the end of 2014). I want to make a difference in the lives of the teachers, and especially students using the skills I have acquired during the past year.

In Uganda, children with special needs and their families are often ostracized by society because of the belief that the disabilities are due to demon possession or witchcraft. They also frequently experience neglect and deprivation.  AIM’s desire is for the special needs ministry to provide care for this community’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs as well as for their families and caregivers.  My hope is that I will be used by God to carry out His vision for Uganda’s special needs community.

Not only do I want to be used by God, I want to be continually changed by Him through this step in my life. I am looking forward to learning more from a new culture and people; to learn more about God’s heart for His world, and to grow in my relationship with Jesus. I hope to be challenged in my faith and for God to speak to me as I consider full-time missions in the future.

God is certainly moving in my life and as I am looking to Him for guidance, I am also inviting you to become a part of this ministry by supporting me.  I will have barriers between language and culture, and I will face many challenges. Please keep me in your prayers as I cannot do this alone. Please pray for understanding as I work with teachers and students, smooth travel, and for all that is required of me before I leave the country.

 If you would like to receive e-mail updates for prayer this fall, please indicate that on the included form and return it to me and I will add you to the list! I would also ask that you prayerfully consider being a part of my financial support for this trip. The cost is $15,895 which covers travel, living expenses, as well as contributions towards outreach supplies. I cannot leave until the amount is raised. All donations are tax deductible; and all checks should be made out to Africa Inland Mission. Please do not place my name anywhere on the check - instead use the included form. All checks should be sent directly to me, so that I may record them and then pass them on to AIM. You can also give online at http://www.aimint.org/usa/; just type in Barnett, Melissa. I am looking forward to hearing from you!

   

Asante Sana (Thank You)

401 decisions to follow Christ

A student from Sheryl's Orphan Preschool

200 patients served in hospitals

26 Bibles given out

500kg of donations distributed

596 sermons preached

172 Children fed

Infinite children held and touched

5,253 children taught

5 Mosques prayed for

2 Hindu temples prayed for

150 FOCUS on the Family school kits assembled

4 churches started

285 prisoners reached

Infinite hands shaken

Numbers. They don’t matter, but they really do matter at the same time.

Dear family and friends,                                                                            

Bwana asifiwe (praise God in Swahili)! The above data is what my team and I accomplished this summer on the Kenya Global Project – this is what we all accomplished. You were right there with us because of all the support you have given me. “But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.  If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body“(1 Corinthians 12:18-19.) As a family of Christ, acting as one, you were sending and I was going. These parts are both equally important in the story of the Kingdom of God. Thank you for doing your part because His Kingdom was grown, my team was strengthened, and lives were changed. The above data was the work of God that we could see with our eyes, but I am confident that God is using those “seeds” to grow a harvest that we cannot see. What a beautiful God.
                After meeting my team in Houston, TX, we traveled to Nairobi, Kenya for a week of orientation: learning about the culture, language, and how to cope with culture shock. Then the whole team was partnered up (as a leader I helped make the decisions on placements) and sent all over Kenya for individual ministry assignments for 3 weeks. I was partnered with two other students (from Arizona and Montana) and sent to Port Victoria on Lake Victoria where we stayed with Mama Rosemary, our host and guide. There, my teammates and I helped at Sheryl’s Orphans Preschool, went door-to-door to share the Gospel, and met/encouraged many people at the church and all around the village. The poverty of the area is overwhelmingly high. While I was there, I saw many children chased away from local schools because they did not have money to pay school fees. It is also an area infected the most with HIV/AIDs and malaria. The children (ages 3-7) at Sheryl’s school only had their elderly grandparents as guardians and many were infected with HIV. Because the school doesn’t collect fees from the orphans, Mama Rosemary is constantly taking in donations to buy food for the feeding program. During our stay, we saw her faith in action and I was constantly in awe of her trust in God to provide.  I witnessed many of her prayers being answered and I was fortunate enough to share in her joy! Mama not only runs the school, she is also a mother to many other people in the village. She is a great inspiration to me and I am beyond blessed to have her in my life. I learned a lot from Mama about trust, giving generously, and having assurance in my Father: God will provide.
                Not only did my whole team accomplish many small tasks, the Lord also did countless things within my teammates and within me as we were being trained in international missions in Nairobi (after our 3 week assignments). I really enjoyed guiding the students as they rustled with the culture and with questions, and the community that I was a part of was a huge blessing to me personally. God poured His love upon me all summer;  blessing me with reunions with friends, blessing me with new friends, affirmation, and confirmation that I am certainly obeying Christ in going to Uganda this fall.
                Kenya 2013 showed me the joy that comes with saying "yes" to Jesus' promptings. He has lavished His love upon me and that made me fall in love with my God more and more. Whether I deserve it or not, He blessed me abundantly by allowing me to go to Kenya and be in a place I love dearly; by allowing me to find the end of my heart's strings in the ebony faces of children and orphans.
                Thank you for allowing me to say “yes” to this trip. Thank you for allowing me to reunite with my dear friends in Kenya and to make new ones. Thank you for supporting me to disciple students as their lives were being changed and their perspectives altered. Thank you for praying that God’s work would be done in Port Victoria. Thank you for sending me to Kenya where I was constantly affirmed that I am obeying God’s call in going to Uganda to teach, to touch the lives of children. Thank you for praying that God would use me and the team for His glory; He did.

            Mungu akubariki (God bless you),

Glavin and I

        

                                                   Missy
 

               

A quick note about my trip to Uganda (October 2013 to August 2014):

If you would like to continue supporting me while I am getting ready to leave for Uganda with Africa Inland Mission, please contact me. The deadline for my funding is August 22^nd. It is coming up fast and I still need a certain percentage of monthly donors. The website to donate is http://www.aimint.org/usa/; just type in Barnett, Melissa. Even if you have questions or want more information, I would love to hear from you!

 
 Missy Barnett
mdbarn89@gmail.com

 

Kenya Global Project 2013

Young boys playing on the boats as they wait to fish with their fathers (Lake Victoria)

Recess time at Sheryl's school

Little Vanessa

Mama Rosemary

The End of My Heart's String

Back in the U.S. yet again.

Ametenda maajabu nasiwezi kueleza!
He has done so much for me and I cannot tell it all! 

    This Kiswahili worship song has been echoing in my head since my fellow worship leader and lovely friend taught it to me on the plane ride back to the U.S. How can I tell it all? How can I tell of God's incredibly love that cannot be fathomed? How He blessed me beyond anything I can understand with love, affirmation, confirmation, and pure joy? How can I tell that He gave me a community of friends my age who quickly became a family with one heart and mind? That I was sweetly broken for every child I touched? Run-on sentences don't seem to be enough. There are too many words to choose from, too many to use to describe my experience in Kenya this summer with my Heavenly Father. Bwana asifiwe! Praise God.
   Going into the summer, I was very confident that it would be easier returning home knowing that I'll be back in East Africa again before the year ends. Yet, as my group was in debriefing, my whole being was resisting the thought of leaving my beloved friends and family in Kenya and in my group. While there were many challenges, the joy I found was overflowing to the point of becoming a waterfall. It was God's doing. I met new friends, and cried many tears of joy when seeing old, dear friends (my friend Silvia being one of the most joyful reunions). It was God's doing.
   Now I am learning evermore that my love for Jesus and the joy that I find in following Him should not change with my circumstances because He doesn't change:
   Sometimes the biggest lessons from Kenya do not show their faces until reentering your home culture. I got hit hard yesterday with my "big lesson" after almost a week of adjusting, impatience with my home culture, struggling with remarks from people around me, and longing to be back with the community I grew to love and the families I have become a part of.

   Apart from learning to give generously, that all I have is God's, and all the confirmation and affirmation I received, I was/am completely blown away by God my Father. Taken aback and utterly blindsided by Him. 
            Me. I am an ugly, selfish, prideful person inside, completely. There is a black blob of sin that consumes me, that rebels against God's voice and His commands. I am a sinful, ignorant being - unfit to be even acknowledged by God or used by Him.
            God. He doesn't need me. He doesn't need us to accept Him, pray to Him, to obey Him, to follow Him. He is the ultimate being, the only One worthy of praise, indescribable, beyond powerful enough to kill and destroy, to wipe out entire nations. He is the beginning of all things, the end of all things. He holds enough love for the universe. He holds the life of the universe with His finger. He is dangerous and mighty.
   Yet, God allowed me to be someone He used. He used me to show an overflow of joy and love for my Jesus despite my ugliness and sinful self. He gave me a joy that shone brightly, that was recognizable; a love for Jesus that I could not contain. It was overflowing to those around me.
   He doesn't need me.
   But He chooses to want me/us. Do you know why? It is for OUR benefit! Because He chooses to love even a wretch like me. No matter how small we make Him out to be, no matter how much we insult Him, no matter how many times we push Him away... God doesn't need us to do anything for Him, but He desires it because it brings us closer to Him - He wants to love us!
   What?! Do you know what that could mean if we all took that seriously? At face value? I am utterly blown away. He could take away my life at any moment; He holds that string that sustains my life and He could let go. 
  Now I completely understand with my whole being why The Lord needs to be praised and respected. I understand why we need to fear Him because of His incredible power and might. He doesn't need me to say "yes" to His call to for me to go to Uganda or to love Him.
  But I am and I do. My love for The Lord is growing evermore as I realize my huge need for Him in my life. I need Him because of how black and ugly I am inside; how weak and prideful.
  Kenya 2013 showed me the joy that comes with saying "yes" to Jesus' promptings. He has lavished His love upon me and that made me fall in love with my God more and more. Whether I deserve it or not, He blessed me abundantly by allowing me to go to Kenya and be in a place I love dearly; by allowing me to find the end of my heart's strings in the ebony faces of children and orphans.
     I am to praise Him because He is good to those who love Him. I am to praise Him because He chooses to love me and give me a desire to hear these words from The Father's lips at the end of all things, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."



Kenya doesn't change people. God uses Kenya to change the people who find themselves there.



And this is just the beginning...
 
  

The Speed of Time

With ten days left, I am preparing myself to say "kwa heri" (goodbye) to my Kenya. This will likely be my last update until I land on U.S. soil. I think I have really been able to appreciate each and every day here because I have experienced how precious and scarce my time is here. The feeling in my stomach of dread is very familiar. The fact that I will be heading back to East Africa later in the year isn't softening the blow of leaving despite what I had expected. The people I have met and have gotten to know are the hardest to leave...
While in Kasarani, we have learned about Islam, Hinduism, visited the Mother Teresa orphanage, spent time with the children in Mathare Valley slum, been on a safari in Naivasha, and have been able to process what God taught us all on our three week assignment. I have loved being there for the students as they experience God and as they confront the lessons Christ is showing them. The team in general has been impacting Kenya in small ways and God has used those ways to expand His kingdom and change all of our lives.
The bittersweet number of days remaining will be full. Tomorrow we will be going to a youth prison to do ministry, and Friday will be our trip to Africa Inland Mission's headquarters in Nairobi before departing for Mombasa for debriefing. I cannot wait to see what God has for me/us these few days left.
Sigh. I am thankful that I don't want to leave Kenya because that means it was a great experience. At the same time, it will break my heart as much as it did two years ago.

Please be praying for:
  Continued health for our team
  Safe travel in and from Nairobi
  Rest
  The students on my team
  All of us staff as we serve the students and try and process what we've learned as well
 Brian and Mama Hannah - God to give them energy and strength as they continue to lead and guide us
Also, safe travel as we head to Mombasa, back to Nairobi, and as we fly home.

You are all in my thoughts and I cannot wait to tell you of God's goodness in my life and in Kenya when I get back. Kwa heri!

Baraka,
Missy

Overflow

I miss Port Victoria already and the wonderful family I've become a part of there. However, I think it has been easier leaving them knowing that I will be in Kampala, Uganda later in the year and it is only a 3 hour bus ride to Port. It won't be long.
This week we have been to the Hindu temples to learn more about the religion, but also to do a prayer-walk. This morning, we went to Huruma, another slum in the city, to visit the Mother Teresa orphanage. It was such a delight to visit those places again, especially the orphanage. To my surprise, I found little Grace still in the disabled ward from two years ago. Tears were to be found in my eyes -  you never know who will last or who you will ever get to see again. We connected in many ways then and even this morning. God is good.
Being a staff member of the team, I have spent the last few days listening and sharing wisdom with many students, if not all of them. I love being there for them and guiding them through their thoughts and feelings, yet I haven't had a lot of time to process or share my own - the sacrifice of being a leader.
Even from the time I stepped into Kenya, I think God has been confirming the fast that He wants me here and in East Africa in general. Looking back, it has been clearly stated from Pastor Felix and Pastor Aggrey in Ngong, from Mama, and even from the head master in Port after he had known me only a few days. One day at Mama Rosemary's house, an old mzay (elderly lady), who takes her orphaned granddaughter to the school, came to visit us saying she hadn't had anything to eat for two days. Mama had us girls prepare bread and chai to take her as we waited for our lunch to cook so we could share with her. Later, she showed us a cut on her leg that was making her ankle swell because of an oncoming infection. I grabbed my bag of bandages and ointment to dress it, and then I ended up just giving the whole bag for the mzay to take home with her. Two days later, she walked all the way back to the house just to thank me and tell Mama that I am one of them. "This girl is African, you cannot let her go back." At first I just thought she was being nice and trying to make me feel good, but Mama explained to me that when an elderly person talks, it is something to be taken seriously. Wow. I am still thing about that moment one week later. Whether or not Uganda will be difficult, whether or not I will miss my family and friends, whether or not I end up staying here the rest of my life, God is asking me to obey very clearly right here, right now. I would be a fool not to, and I also have no excuse not to trust Him. He has proven to me time and time again in my 24 years of life that He is faithful, He is good, His grace knows no bounds, and that I will never be separated from His love.
 That, my friends, is only the beginning.
The poverty in Port was also very overwhelming. The area is utterly broken. HIV and malaria are prominent, but there are so many underlying evils and destitution laying around; manifesting in drunkards and deception. Visiting houses during ministry, I got to the point where I expected the owners to ask me to help them by giving. Very quickly I got overwhelmed with the vast amount of needs in the village, in the church, in the school. However, God was very quick to take that burden but also convict me at the same time. Just because I arrived at Port doesn't mean that God stops working so I can step in. He doesn't need me to do His work. He doesn't need me at all. He is bigger and greater and stronger than anything I could ever do. He doesn't need me. At the same time, He wants me to do something and He wants me to obey that command. First and foremost, I need to give them Jesus. That is more important than money, than food, than comfort (I'd love to share the reason with anyone who wants to know, just ask). Next, I have been given resources that are not mine, but God's. I did not choose to be born into comfort - God chose and He has a purpose for that. Coming to terms with that might take me whole life, but at least I am beginning to understand a portion. I need to give.
Please continue to pray for me and the team.
Health (we are dropping like flies)
To stay present in ministry while processing our three week assignments (we will be going back to the slum, a prison, and learning about Islam)
Rest
Cultural sensitivity (the students are becoming a little too free)
Wisdom
From Port Victoria:
    Roofing for the church
    Support for Pastor Mongabe (he is supporting orphans on top of his own children with no income)
    Food for the orphans at the school and a way to sustain themselves
    Mama Rosemary - peace and strength as she has so many children to care for


Bwana asifiwe for all He has done.
Baraka,
Missy

The Best Medicine

Laughter.
The themes from Port Victoria are swimming in my head as I adjust to being back in the city: "laughter is the best medicine" and "kidogo kidogo polepole" (little by little, slowly by slowly). I arrived in Kassarani with my two ministry partners, Megan and Michelle, yesterday evening and I am still processing everything that God did in Port.
Unfortunately, I don't have much time to tell you all every single blessed detail of the last three weeks - it could be enough for a novel...
Mama Rosemary is quite a character. She is one of the most incredible women I have ever met. Her big personality, her laughter, her unwavering faith is stunning to say the least. Eh, how can I even express her? There are too many words.
She spent the whole three weeks with us in her cement-block house because she has retired from her job with Africa Inland Mission in Nairobi, freeing her to be our guide and mama. She's spent almost 30 years with people from the U.S., so she always told us to feel free and be open with her. What a blessing! There wasn't a house help, so as soon as we learned our way around the kitchen we helped her make chai and most of the meals. I am looking forward to showing off my new Kenyan skills when I come back!
Apart from Mama, we had a wonderful group of friends surrounding us, encouraging us, and teaching us from the school, from Mama's church in Port, and even from the house boy, Freddie. Through all of my ministry there, I felt enormously blessed to be there with all of those wonderful people of God.
We visited Sheryls Orphans Childrens School every morning to help teachers and spend as much time as possible loving on the students. Because of the heat of Port, we went back to the house to eat lunch and rest, then on to door-to-door evangelism with the pastor of Mama's church when it was cooler. There was only one opportunity to minister to girls at a secondary school near by because Kenya is having a nation wide teacher strike. Among those, we walked everywhere so I was able to get to know many of the people along the way, especially the children excited to see wazungu (white people). Port is a very rural, poverty stricken area and I have fallen in love...again. They speak Kiswahili and the local language (Kinyala) of which I was able to learn a few phrases. My favorite thing was to shock people as I greeted them in their mother tongue - it even saved us from being attacked once. That's another story for another day.
Door-to-door evangelism was such a blessing. Out of 20 houses, we lead 16 people to salvation. Bwana asifiwe (praise God!)! That's not saying they will stick with the promise they made, but at least we did God's work and "planted seeds" in the community.
The orphans from the school were my favorite part of ministry. The last Friday, we took them to a nearby town called Kisumu - many of them haven't stepped out of Port at all and they were excited. Riding back in the bus, I was holding a three-year-old girl in my arms as she was sleeping. The other children were singing songs at the top of their lungs, Mama's mouth had not stopped moving since leaving Kisumu, and our well-being was in the hands of the bus driver swerving to avoid oncoming lorries. In the midst of that chaos, God completely and utterly broke my heart and confirmed my call to work with children in Africa as I gazed at the ebony face leaning on my chest. As a three year old, she not only had herself to worry about, but also has the burden of worrying about her old grandma who is unable to feed herself. How can God be so good and bestow all these blessings upon us, and so many children are struggling to live? This might be a question I carry to the grave. God's ways are not our ways. His way is better than Missy's way. He is working and loving all of the orphans even when I can't see it.
Being overwhelmed with all of the poverty was difficult, but Jesus gave me good reminders along the way.

I'll sign off for now.
Mungu akubariki sana (God bless you very much)!
Missy

Beaming...

...maybe even brighter than the sun!
   This last week in Ngong town has gone by so fast. Having more responsibilities is a little trying for an introvert who needs her space. However, I have truly enjoyed being here and getting to know everyone on my team and supporting them in any way I can.
   I was feeling ill for three days and still have some symptoms now - weakness, headache, and dizziness. Thankfully it hasn't been a stomach thing, and I don't think it is altitude sickness, but I have had to stay back from some activities to rest. It has been humbling because I tend to take some pride in my health... God always knows what I need. Don't worry, Mom, I've been drinking water.
  Aside from that, there have been some wonderful surprises for me! My friend, Sammyh, and I were on the trip in 2011 together as he was a Kenyan student on the team. I found myself on Sunday morning sitting on the steps of the Senta talking with some students, and I see someone coming up to me. Out of habit, I get up to greet him with a handshake and a "habari", when I suddenly realize it was Sammyh! I cannot express how joyful I felt to see a dear friend from a trip that meant so much to me. I had forgotten how much I missed him and the other Kenyan students. You never know when you will get to go back to Kenya, and when you do you feel blessed beyond words to see friends. I was beaming head to toe.
  Then I was able to say "hi" to Nams, the Kenyan who used to help direct the trip in 2011. It was so wonderful to see familiar faces of people I would consider another part of my family.
  Last, but the most important, I was able to hug my host pastor from my last trip. Yesterday morning I was having devotionals in my room and realized that I left my pen in the dining hall. Walking quickly in the the room, I hardly stopped to really look at the man drinking chai and reading a newspaper until he looked straight at me. Again, my face was beaming and my heart was overflowing with joy! He received me as his daughter with a hug and looked just as pleased to see me. Bwana asifiwe (praise God) for His goodness! I skipped a meeting to have chai with him and get caught up. He sends his greetings and I gave him all of yours (greetings are very important in this beautiful culture).
All of the hosts are in Ngong to come and pick us up to take each team for their ministry assignment, and I knew Pastor Felix would be there, I just didn't know when. He will be taking two of my teammates to Kwale for three weeks and I will visit him and his family when I am in Mombasa towards the end of my stay.
Speaking of assignments, me and the staff announced the teams and the places yesterday - we are all paired (or thrice) up to spend three weeks away from the team to do ministry. I and two other girls (from Montana and Arizona) will be traveling to Port Victoria in the morning with our host Mama Rosemary. Port is a town on Lake Victoria - the highest HIV and malaria infected area in the world. We will be teaching at a preschool in the mornings and doing some door to door evangelism in the afternoon. I have already met Mama Rosemary and she is just bubbly and wonderful and like a big mama.
Please be praying for me and the girls on assignment. I will need to be reminded that I don't have to be the "strong one" all the time. Also pray for our health and safety, our reliance on God, and the ministry there.
I will be challenged and I am so thankful to be working with children again!
Mungu akubariki (God bless you)!
Missy
   

Smile. You're in Kenya.

It feels like home.
Waiting to step out of the plane when it landed at Nairobi airport was short of excruciating, but my face was beaming sunshine! My excitement was a little over the top, I'll admit, but after two 8 hour plane rides I was done with travel. It was all familiar; the smell, the air, and the wonderful, relational people! Four of our Kenyan teammates met us before we dragged all of our luggage to the buses - they will be joining us (Little America) for the summer as a part of our team. I have become close to them already!
We are now staying in Ngong town, an hour outside of Nairobi. So far we've had some cultural training, an some experience in both Ngong town and Nairobi. It is pretty fun to see how the students react to the culture and see them struggle with it like I did two years ago. Granted, this is still the honeymoon stage, and I'll still experience culture shock, but I cannot tell you how much I love being here again. It does feel like home.
The other staff members and I are getting to know the students as we begin deciding everyone's ministry assignments. They are a great group so far...a lot of brokenness, so I am interested in what God will be doing in their lives this summer.
Obviously, I am alive and well. Thank you for your love and support!  Please keep us in your prayers:
    Health
    Community
    Safety
    Wisdom as us staff are making decisions
    and that I will stay in the moment and not compare this experience with my trip two years ago

Baraka,
Missy

P.S. Dad, I forgot. Please pay my July student loan and I'll pay you back. :)

Off I Go!

So long, farewell...
It has been an emotional and stressful week for me.
Emotional. Saying goodbye to my students and school was difficult. While I'll get to see the students next year, I won't be going back to that school or wonderful staff. It is always hard leaving a place where you have grown immensely as a person and, in my case, a teacher.
Stressful. Not knowing the timing for teaching overseas, Kenya was the first and only trip planned for me this year. Well, God had other plans. Leaving and fund raising for two trips (one bigger than the other) in one year is kind of crazy. That realization was dumped upon me as I raced to complete documents, pack, write a letter, print things, and correspond with AIM during the course of a week.I have witnessed God's peace and strength in my life plenty of times, yet I still become a basket case when there is a long to-do list. One of my weaknesses - trying to control too much and stress about it.  

2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

That being said, I am ready to leave on my 7 am flight tomorrow morn and trust Christ with what I've left at home. I will arrive in Houston to meet my team and then we will depart for a trip to Nairobi, Kenya June 2.
Words cannot express how thankful I am for friends and family like you. I am so undeserving to be this blessed! Please keep me and my team in your prayers as the adventure begins:
  Traveling, team bonding, and for our only expectation be that God will work in our lives through Kenya.

I hope to write again sometime after we land in Nairobi.

Baraka.

Well, I'm Going Back

As the plane surged down the runway with power and speed, tears filled my eyes uncontrollably. Then when the wheels left the African ground, my heart broke a little in my heavy chest. I didn't know whether I'd ever again see a country and people that I had grown to love dearly. I had to trust that God would give me the strength to be content in any circumstance that came my way from that moment on (Philippians 4:11-12).

Kenya. I'm going back.

My first trip to the beautiful country in 2011 (see unfinished blog here: http://adventureforkenya.blogspot.com/ ) changed my world; my perspective, my relationship with God, my heart for people and cultures, all of it. I have been changed. Now, my desire is to give my whole life to Jesus to used for His purpose no matter what the cost.
Since then I have grown as a person, a follower of Christ, and as a teacher. I have not stopped learning from my first Kenya experience and it will forever be a huge part of my history. Yet, a new experience stares me in the eyes. I will have a new team, a new assignment, and new ways I will be brought to my knees in awe of Christ and His unfailing love.

God provided funds for my trip without me lifting a finger. I have so many blessings in my life and my friends and family are a huge part. Thank you all for the support! Being humbled and overwhelmed with the love, I am preparing to leave this Friday, May 31.
Please be in prayer for me and my team as we get ready to rendezvous in Houston before heading overseas. I am feeling particularly overwhelmed with tasks that had to be put off until school got out for the summer. Pray for peace and productivity, and that I would put my whole trust in Christ at this time.

Lastly, I would love letters while I'm in Kenya, so I have included the address in which I can be reached during the summer. You can also send emails.
Keep in mind that I will not have many opportunities to access the Internet and may only update my blog 3-4 times during the course of my trip. Don't assume the worst if you don't hear from me often.

Again, thank you for all of your support and love. May the name of God be praised and may His face shine upon all of you.

Baraka (Blessings),

Missy
            



Missy Barnett
c/o Global Project
FOCUS Centre
P.O. Box 781
Ruaraka 00618 KENYA

DO NOT TO SEND PACKAGES, TELEGRAMS, CABLEGRAMS, REGISTERED
MAIL OR PERSONAL CHECKS, except in case of emergency. The Kenyan postal system is not like ours. Send their letters “air mail” and use metered stamps (regular stamps are sometimes stolen). Letters generally take 2-3 weeks for delivery to and from Kenya.