This is what I like to call a Giraffe Glamour Shot. She felt very pretty today. And looked so as well.
Zebras fascinate me. God's creativity stood out to me today. You can't deny it!
We had a bit of rush hour traffic with the Baboons.

Happy ladies smiling on the safari!

The first line of a blog post is always the hardest to write. There’s a lot of writing and deleting and writing and deleting and writing and deleting. Which is exactly what I’ve done this evening. The past two days have been so full of contrast that I don’t know where to start. So I’m going to start at the beginning and warn you in advance that this is the unabridged version. In other words, it’s long.

When I was packing for this trip I thought to myself, “Wow, there’s nothing like packing for a trip to Africa to reveal my idol of materialism.” Because it’s true. And also makes me want to gag a little. I mean let’s be honest, as I was coordinating my “outfits” I went to my drawer to pull out some tops when I came across three white V-neck tops and two gray tops. And I have a feeling that if I would have kept digging I could have found more. How many do I really need?

Yesterday that hit me fresh all over again.

We walked the dirt roads of Maai Mahiu and visited the homes of each of the six girls moving into Lulu Place next week. It was humbling, to say the least. They live, for lack of a better word, the most simple, humble life, and are full of joy. While we live the most complicated, full of options kind of life and want more. I don’t want to speak for everyone, but this is my simple observation. Maybe I should just speak for myself. Either way, it always leaves my speechless.



Before I left for Kenya, I was with my discipleship group and I explained to them that I had to get out of the mindset that this was just an eight day trip and I’d be back home to my comfortable life after that. Because the truth is, it’s really easy to be sent out on a short-term trip when you know you only have to endure being uncomfortable for a short amount of time. And I know myself really well and I have this fear of coming back unchanged. But after the past two days especially, this I know, the Lord is faithful. Unless your heart is made of stone, it is impossible to come back without an imprint, and even joy, in your heart.


Because it’s hard to put into words the homes we were invited into yesterday, I want to invite you into their homes.

Three sisters. The older two are going to Lulu Place. The little one, Mercy, is staying with her mama. She needs healing on the complete left side of her body. Would you join us in prayer for her?


 What you see is all there is.




Last night as we debriefed around the table, Angela brought up the fact that this trip is different than most because although yes, we have seen where the situations these girls are living in, we know there is relief. Talk about hope! We don’t have to walk away, fly back to the states, and pray about what to do. This time we get to come alongside a faithful couple from Kenya who is doing the very hard work. They have dreamed, they have prayed, they have planned, they have developed relationships, and now they will run a home for young girls alongside a church they already shepherd.

A church we got to visit today and celebrate the opening of Lulu Place! What joy! I love watching the Lord do His thing as people pursue their dreams. That will never get old to me.

Lulu Place. It's beautiful, isn't it?


Is this when I admit that we have a lot to learn in America? We think we know how to throw a party, but I submit that we have yet to scratch the surface of celebrating others. Don’t get me wrong, I love our traditions, but Rift Valley Fellowship take seriously “rejoice with those who rejoice”.



 Each girl and her mother being introduced at church.

 Rose and Laura praying over the girls, dedicating both them and Lulu Place to the Lord.





Today the six Lulu girls were given dignity. And love. And security. And a celebration fit for queen, as Debra so eloquently put it. We all met on the lot of Lulu Place (imagine just a small group of 500), set up tents, prayed, sang songs, and then as the girls pulled into the driveway, each of the women of the church ran to greet them singing a beautiful song in Kikuyu, a tribal language. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life. Because our reason for coming was to dedicate and commission Lulu Place, it is safe to say the eight of us, while videoing and photographing, we’re crying big tears of joy. We later joked that it was the only reason for our sunglasses, to keep from looking like absolute fools. The extreme of seeing their situations yesterday, and their future today was simply overwhelming. It was fitting that the celebration lasted five hours.





We weren’t just celebrating the girls, we were ultimately celebrating the Lord, His faithfulness and provision. And His glory.

Praying over the home before the girls came.
Today I asked Esther what words the women were singing in their song, it went like this, “Beautiful girls like these, where have you ever seen them? God is good; He has allowed us to see them.” Heaven help us, I could cry just typing out those words again. After she told me the words in English, she then proceeded to tell me that this is the song they sing as brides are coming to meet their groom. Sobs. I don’t know a more appropriate song to welcome these girls to their new home.

This is Esther. We love her.

“Beautiful girls like these, where have you ever seen them? God is good; He has allowed us to see them.”



Beautiful girls they are. God is so good. He has never let them out of His sight, and He gave Esther the privilege of seeing them, too. A stunning love story. My prayer for all of us is that the Lord would give each of us the privilege of seeing someone as well.

Give us eyes to see and a heart to love your people, Jesus.

P.S. Here is a video we made for Bayou City Fellowship yesterday. It's a 38 second clip of Lulu Place. No pressure to watch, just thought we'd share!


My Movie from Debra Parker on Vimeo.

Also, if you're interested in even more photos, you can follow #KenyaDigIt on Instagram.

 

Hello from Kenya! We landed safe and sound about 24 hours ago, but feel like we've been here for seven days already. Here's our team before boarding in Houston!


It’s currently 10:00 PM in Maai Mahiu and we just finished our first full day here. Our eyes may be a little (a lot) tired, but our hearts are full and ready to work.

We spent the majority of the day sitting around the table getting to know one another, learning more about Lulu Place from Isaac and Esther Karanja, and meeting the rest of the staff of Rift Valley Fellowship. (A few of us had the honor or meeting Pastor Isaac and Esther a few months ago while they were visiting Houston.) That honestly sounds like a really light day, and while it was, we were also briefed on the history of the girls who are moving into Lulu Place this weekend and that was far from light. Esther, Isaac’s wife and also the one who dreamed up Lulu Place, is an angel. I think if you asked any of us after listening to her tell her story, they would agree. What I love about Esther is how she trusts the Lord. Every other word out of her mouth is about her belief in a GOOD Father who provides endlessly and takes care of them. We ended that time by praying for Esther and Carline. It was sweet and I think both parties know that they can only do what they do by the power of the Holy Spirit.


My favorite part of the day was after our conversation; Esther took us to meet Rose. Rose lives here and is a housemother to seven street boys, works hard and loves Jesus. Before we met Rose we were told she could pray the house down. Unfortunately, we have yet to experience that but are looking forward to it, no doubt. Rose radiated joy.





















Later this evening after dinner, we went back to see Rose and meet the young boys she mother’s. We were surprised to meet not only seven boys, but 30 of them. THIRTY. To our delight and surprise, the Lulu Place girls were also there, which means between the 36 kids, there were plenty of hugs to go around. We discussed later on that after our day of learning their history, and then seeing their faces, we each could have wept. It’s an indescribable feeling when you see that hope and brokenness can co-exist. Dare I say it exists in all of us? These girls come from so much hurt, so much brokenness, so much damage, and yet they have a future with so much hope. Not to be cheesy and quote Jeremiah 29:11, but the Lord, through Esther and Isaac, is giving these girls a future filled with hope, with, God-willing, redemption, not to harm them, but to give them Himself. And that is the best news of all.

I feel like we’re just now in the shallow end of what the Lord desires to accomplish this week while we’re here. But I know it’s going to be good. And hard. And hope-filled. Just the small glimpses we’ve had have left us in awe of all the Lord has already accomplished, the tapestry He’s already woven and the details He has taken care of. And it’s just the beginning.

Tomorrow we are going to visit the girls’ homes. Not Lulu Place, but where they are currently living. We’ve been prepped for what we’re going to see, but I have a small inkling words don’t do it justice. Will you pray for us? For these girls? For their mothers who are bound to a lifestyle they assume they’re never going to leave? Or even have the opportunity to leave? We know that Jesus is bigger. That He alone breaks chains and sets people free. And not just that He can do that, but that He WANTS to. Because He loves them so much.

Signing off for now. It’s time to shower and head to bed, and we’re all ready. We still can't believe we're actually here and get to be a part of what the Lord is building here. You guys are the best. Thank you so much for your support and prayers.

 

In two days I will board a plane, along with eight other women from Bayou City Fellowship, headed to land, God-willing, in Nairobi, Africa. We will then take a van bound for Maai Mahiu, Kenya.

This is not the most important into, but because I like visuals, here are the eight of us going. Just call us the Brady Bunch. Grin. (From top left to bottom right: Amber Burger, Debra Parker, Micah Allen, Lindsee Eddy (me), Corey Wetherell, Laura Fedorko, Angela Stamps and Danielle Gunnels.) That is for the two of you who enjoy detailed information as much as I do!


Our mission? To commission, open and celebrate a home called Lulu Place for young girls, a teenage girls safe house, all of who come from a history or are at risk of being trafficked or prostituted. Lulu Place was recently built to provide a safe haven for these girls. A place they will call home that will not only offer a place to live, but provide schooling and care as well. I've added the link above, but in case you missed it, you can click this link to read more about Lulu Place for yourself.


And if for some reason the link isn't working, here is a short two minute video explaining Lulu Place.

 
His Voice Global - Lulu Place from Paul Go Images on Vimeo.

A little background information that might help you understand how we came to know of Lulu Place is that, for the past three years Bayou City Fellowship has partnered with His Voice Global, founded by Vernon and Amber Burger. Vernon is one of our pastor’s at Bayou City Fellowship. About a year ago, His Voice met a pastor from Kenya who shepherds a church, Rift Valley Fellowship in Kenya. Rift Valley is located in Maai Mahiu and, “The town of Maai Mahiu in Kenya consists of 5000 people and 600 prostitutes. That’s about 1 prostitute for every 8 people. Maai Mahiu is located on the “HIV Highway” also known as “The AIDS Belt” in Africa. The prostitutes, or CSWs (Commercial Sex Workers), are mostly made up of teens and young women.” (Taken from the His Voice Global website.) 

Needless to say, Isaac and Esther Munji, the pastors of Rift Valley Fellowship (I promise after this post things will be far less confusing) had a heart to reach out to these women and their girls and dreamed of building a home for the young girls, in hopes that it would prevent them from being the next victims of prostitution. After this dream was shared, it was presented to Bayou City Fellowship and they felt led to sponsor this task and a year later, a home has been built. Praise God! 

And THAT is how this trip came to be! God is a God of provision and to be a part of the story is a sweet gift. We are not just going to take pictures of the home, though there will be plenty of pictures to share, and we’re not just going to decorate these girls rooms with really cute, homemade, pinterest worthy décor, though there will be a lot of that as well; we’re going to get to know these girls, to hug them, to laugh with them, to pray with them, to share the love of Jesus with them. This town has a reputation of being “dirty” and “bad” and “sinful”. Our prayer is that those words would be exchanged for “worthy” and “good” and “beautiful”, not because of who we are, but because of who Christ is. He loves these people more than we could ever dream of loving them.

Lulu is Swahili for precious, protected, and containing great value or worth. Yes, Lord! May these girls live under the conviction that they are precious, protected and contain GREAT value and worth in the eyes of Jesus. They have dignity. And hope. And a future that is good.

It is the desire of Isaac and Esther that God redeems and delivers people in this town. What better way to answer that prayer than by using young women?

So, why am I telling you all this? For one, to pray. I have so many thoughts about this trip in my head and I am going to try my hardest and post some prayer requests before we leave on Wednesday, but also, for support. The Lord has provided above and beyond for the eight of us to go on this trip, but now we’d love to see how God provides financially for these girls as they move into this new season of life. It would be naïve of us to think that just because the home has been built, that there are no more needs. Each of us has a responsibility in the Great Commission to either go, give or pray; so my desire is that each of us consider what is the Lord wants us to do, of course, not out of obligation but out of a generous heart.

To give initially, you can click here.

Over the next week I will be blogging, hopefully daily, about our trip in hopes to represent both these precious girls and His Voice Global well. In those blogs I’ll share more needs and specific ways you can give. YOU, yes you, get to be a part of this story as well. And for that, we are so grateful.