Seriously, God has been rocking my world since I last updated. I can't even begin to tell you all the huge ways he's moved in my heart!
After I last updated, we were off to Tuscaloosa. There, we got to hang out on a lake all afternoon. It was SO much fun! A lot of kids got to ride tubes and jet skis for the first time which was fun to see. At one point in the day, all the interns got to go out together on the boat. We went tubing which was SO much fun! At one point, I flipped off the tube and rolled five times. It was so fun to just be silly and hang out with the interns for a while. We had two concerts in Tuscaloosa. They were both awesome and God moved in huge ways! At the morning concert, a man decided to sponsor a child. Caitlin hadn't switched the kids on the board like she was supposed to, so he sponsered a child from Kiria, one of the communities that the kids are from. He came back to the night concert to see if he could find out more about his child. He thought the boy was related to Julius because they had the same second name, but second names in Kenya don't work the same way last names do in the US. When he asked Christi, she told him, "there's a good chance he's not related to anyone from Kiria. Some of our kids might know him, though." The first child he saw from Kiria was Faith and when he asked Faith if she knew the boy he sponsored, her face lit up and she said, "That's my brother!" It was SO incredible the way God worked every little detail out for that moment to happen. And Faith got to meet her brother's sponsor and talk to him so when she goes back home, she can tell her brother all about him. Seriously, God is SO huge.
After Tuscaloosa, we went back to PCB for a one night stay to sing at Big Stuf on Tuesday. Linah was supposed to stay with Nelly and Kelly and I were in the hospitality house. Linah's host didn't show up, though, so she and Nelly got to come with us! It was SO much fun to hang out with them. Linah is so wise, too, that I just love soaking up all of her wisdom and seeing the ways she leans on God in every moment.
On our way to PCB, though, our AC on our bus broke. Fortunately, we were close to Common Grounds, an inner city ministry in Montgomery, Alabama that we hung out at before. They were so nice to let us hang out until our bus got fixed.
After Big Stuf Tuesday, we had our longgg drive to Daytona. It ended up being a lot longer, though, because an hour after we left OCB, our alternator went out. We ended up hanging out at a Hardee's in the middle of nowhere and had to rent a bus. We didn't arive in Daytona until 11 that night. It ended up being a great day in all though, and I was so thankful for the way God provided that day.
In Daytona, we got to stay in a hotel with the kids! It was a lottt of fun. We sung for Big Stuf session Wednesday morning and got to hang out on the beach that afternoon.
During the Wednesday morning session. Francis Chan spoke. Literally, he rocked my world. His message about living the way God called us to live was incredible. One of the lines that hit me so hard was "Why would God trust you with the big things when he can't even trust you with the small ones?" Seriously, I can't tell you how many times I've failed God. I've missed quiet times or have been distracted during prayers. I want to do ministry in Kenya, but why would he call me to that if I can't dedicate my whole heart to him in every minute of the day? It was absolutely incredible and hit me so hard. Because of that, I went and bought his book, Crazy Love. I'm only starting it, but I've already been blown away by the truth in it. One of the lines that has stood out to me "you've probably heard the expression, 'i believe in god, just not organized religion.' i don't think people would say that if the church truly lived like we are called to live." how true is that?! we are called to love like crazy and radically strive to live like christ and we need to be faithful in doing that!
Wednesday night, we got to sit in on a Big Stuf session. We got to worship without having to lead and it was awesome to have that time to just be able to praise god. We heard Andy Stanley's message on arguments. He made an awesome point by saying that most of the time when we argue with people, it's because we aren't getting what we want. This has already radically changed the way I look at my disagreements with people and I know it's going to have such an impact on me for the rest of my life.
Yesterday, we came to Winter Park, Florida, which is BEAUTIFUL! Kelly, Linah, and I have been in the hospitality house. Last night, we got to sing for a children's home here, which was awesome. Today, Kelly and I wandered around in Winter Park which was great. We got to catch up on rest and just soak in the word, which was great. I found out this afternoon that my great grandmother's sister, Margaret, actually lives in Winter Park and that both of her daughters were visiting today. She ended up being about 5 minutes from where we were shopping! Kelly and I got to go over there and see them and meet some of my family that I had never met before which was so cool. God makes so many connections...it is crazy to me!
God has been ROCKING my world with Ephesians. I seriously can not get enough of that book. There is so much truth in it...if you haven't ready through Ephesians, I highly recommend it. God speaks awesome truth through that book.
We are close to being to the end of tour and I'm going to be really sad when it's over! These kids, interns, and the kenyan adults have become my family and I am so thankful that god hand picked each one of us to be here this summer.
Here's how you can pray:
-We've had an extremely busy week, so pray for energy and strength in the interns! We are tired, but God is so good about providing the energy for us to get through the day, we just have to completely rely on him.
-Pray that the kids continue to run hard after God and that they can minister to their family and friends when they go back home and really shine the light of Christ
-Pray that none of us misses a single moment on the last leg of tour. Pray that we soak it all in and listen to God's direction in every step we take.
Love y'all :)

I know I say this is every update, but time is literally FLYING by. I can not believe the kids are flying home in less than a month! They've grown so much and I am excited to see how they continue to grow over the last few weeks of tour.
After we left Atlanta, we went to St. Simons, Georgia. We had an awesome concert there. It was completely packed and there were people standing in the back. It has been so cool to see how God is present at every concert. The interns have talked a lot about the difference in God giving his blessing and actually bringing his presence, and it has been so cool after praying for him to show up and be present every night to see him work in the people through the concert.
After St. Simons, we headed to Quincy, Florida. Kelly and I had our off day there and it was so nice to just have a day of rest and to soak in the word of God. One thing I've really learned through tour is how to make sure quiet time is a part of my every day schedule. It is something we tend to forget, but it is SO important to have that time to talk to God and just soak in and learn from his word each morning. It has started each day off radically different for me.
After Quincy, we headed to Destin, Florida. We had two concerts in Destin; we sung in two services at Village Baptist in the morning and then did a night concert at Grace Lutheran. Again, God totally was present and working through the kids. I got to see the Bennetts, my host from Fort Walton, which was so refreshing! It felt like visiting with my family. It's crazy how close you can get to people you only stay with for a few days. I'm so thankful for the people God has chosen to put in my path.
At Grace, there was a homeless man who was living outside the church. The coolest thing to see was they way that our 23 kids loved him without boundaries. Whereas most people would avoid eye contact or not speak, these kids talked to him and hugged him. He came to the concert and before we left, he joined our prayer time. The way these kids love reminds me so much of Jesus. They love everyone with no restrictions, and it just made me want more than anything to have the pure and innocent heart of a child. Especially these kids, who run after Jesus and worship him without boundaries.
Monday was a host home day and Beth, Nelly, Hannah, and I went out on the boat with our host family! We met up with Betty, Faith, Grace, Emma, and Elizabeth who were staying with Caitlin and Kelly. We went out to Crab Island and got to swim in the clearest water I've ever seen! We all had so much fun and it was a great "sabbath" day to rest and relax.
After Destin, we headed to Blountstown. My host home absolutely blew me out of the water. The way that Robin, my host mom, served and loved at all times was a direct reflection of her faith. I was so encouraged by her and her family. Her marriage also encouraged me; after being together for almost 15 years, her and her husband are still so in love and it is evident that it's because of their relationships with Christ and the fact that they put Him first. I loved getting to talk to them and hear a little bit of their story. Wednesday morning, we did a session at Big Stuf and then had our concert at Rivertown Community Church that night. It was COMPLETELY packed too. All the chairs were filled and people were standing in the back and in the balcony. God was so present and we had an awesome night of worship just being able to praise him and celebrate what he is doing in Kenya.
This afternoon, we just arrived in Rainbow City, Alabama. Our concert will be tomorrow night. I'm chaperoning boys for the second time on tour! I have Edwin, Samuel, and Kelvin. Tonight, we played croquet while was so funny to watch. They are crazy different from the girls, but I absolutely love staying with them.
God has shown me the coolest things! I have been reading through Romans and 1 Corinthians and the things he's pointed out to me have been incredible. Romans is probably my favorite book and it's pushing me to love and offer grace by first accepting it from him. It's also taught me how to constantly be in prayer and trust in him.
The kids are doing great. They are growing up so quick, I can't even imagine how big they will get when they go home for 3 weeks!
Here's how you can pray:
-Pray for the kids. We are in the season where they are comfortable so they start to push their boundaries. Pray that they can run hard after God and that they can learn how important obedience is.
-Pray for the interns. Pray that God gives us wisdom and strength, and that he shows us when to discipline and when to love.
Thanks so much, love you guys!

I can't believe it's already been over a month on tour...time is FLYING by. The kids are growing in so many ways that it's almost hard to believe. Since I've last updated, we've been to Crestview, Pensacola, and Port St. Joe, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia. Now we are in Atlanta, and we'll head to St. Simons, GA after this.
In Crestview, I got to chaperone boys for two nights! I stayed with Nelson, Julius, and Edwin. It is funny how different they are from the girls. They're a lot faster, they get up earlier, and conversation definitely isn't their style! They were so much fun, though. The Friday we were there, we did two sets at Big Stuf, and drove back to do two night concerts. It was a lot, but God showed up in HUGE ways. The worship that night was incredible. It was our first time being at Emmanuel, the church, and they were so gracious and we loved getting to hang out with them. In Pensacola, we worshiped with Ensley Church of the Nazarene. While we were there, we got to hang out with a cool couple with an awesome story. They had seen Daraja at Catalyst last year and God definitely worked through Daraja by changing something in their hearts. They are a military family and because of a torn ACL, the husband had to miss deployment for the first time. They were in Pensacola living in a hotel for 3 months so the Husband can try to get back into the military life, to make a long story short. They saw Daraja on a magazine cover and found out they would be performing at Ensley the next morning and decided to come. God definitely worked in their hearts through the kids that morning and they were excited to hear about the prospect of the Daraja Academy in the future. It is INSANE the way God works through these kids. I can't even believe sometimes that he chose me to be a part of this crazy life changing ministry for the summer...he has truly blessed me beyond belief.
From Pensacola, we went to Port St Joe. We had an awesome night of worship with the church and loved hanging out with them. I had a few days off and it was so nice to relax and be able to refill with the word on my day off.
After Port St. Joe, we headed to Savannah. We hung out with our hosts from Bible Baptist a lot! We had an off day with them, and my group spent the morning sleeping in. We got together with some other Daraja girls and walked River Street, which was so much fun. Sunday morning, we had an awesome time of worship with the church. God has huge things in store for Bible Baptist and our hosts were all filled with love, compassion, and servant hearts. It was definitely a great weekend with them.
While we were in Savannah, I kept Betty and Emma. The first two weeks, Betty and I practically spent all our time together because I was always her chaperone. I haven't gotten to stay with her a lot lately, so it was awesome to catch up. One night, we started talking about her life at home. She is an only child and lives with her mom. Her parents were never married. Her Dad left her mom for another woman and he lives in the same city as them, but Betty never sees him. She told me that sometimes, he says he will call and he doesn't or he doesn't answer when she tries to call. She told me that she misses him sometimes and it can be hard not to have a Dad. She reassured me though by saying that she knew that she had a Dad that loved her no matter what and she couldn't ask for a better Father than Jesus. She also told me that her Mom told her that she should always love her Dad, no matter what. Even though he wasn't around, he still gave her life and he isn't a bad person, so she shouldn't feel bitter towards him. WOAH. A twelve year old teaching me about love and about what it looks like to live our your faith. Betty is incredible. I am so proud of the person she is. At 12 years old, she is one of the most incredible people I have ever met in my life. It also says a lot about her mom. I would love to meet her mom one day, because I can tell by the way she raised Betty and the things she says about Betty's Dad that she is nothing short of incredible. The way she can love Betty's Dad after what he did and teach Betty to do the same is such a quality of Jesus that I think a lot of people, including myself, forget or find hard to live out. We continued our night talking about guarding our hearts and listening to the Lord in every moment of our lives. If you haven't met Betty, I hope you get to one day. She will rock your world in the way she loves Jesus and runs hard after the throne at every second :)
Spending the fourth with Daraja really made me realize something that I hadn't necessarily noticed before. As Americans, we tend to put a lot of pride and identity in our home and our nationality. One thing that the kids have shown me, though, is that our identity should ALWAYS be in Jesus and in our salvation, not the place we live or come from. As Americans, we tend to have this pride that we are an amazing country filled with freedom, but the freedom in these 23 Kenyan kids is way more than most Americans have. They are free from the chains of sin that held them captive before. They are free in their salvation, knowing one day they will get to spend eternity in the most amazing place with their awesome creator. And the joy that they show in every second is a direct reflection of that. If Americans could figure that out, I think our country would look like a completely different place.
Being back in Atlanta has been fun! I am staying with Violet and Naomi. We went to fourth of July fireworks last night which was a lot of fun. Today, they got to go to a waterpark and they really enjoyed that too. We love being back at our "base" and the time we spend here is always awesome :)
Over the past day, I've noticed a lot about Naomi. She is 14 and is our oldest kid in the choir. Though she's the oldest, her English is really basic. She struggles to communicate a lot of times. We have a four year old boy in our host home, though, and I have watched the way she cares for him and communicates with him. You can see her good heart and her compassion and it has been a joy to see her in that setting. She would be an incredible teacher. The way she plays with kids and teaches them even the smallest things is so cool. I know that is one gift that God put in her and I can't wait to see how she uses it.
I will update when I can! Tour life is crazy, so it takes a while for me to find time when I can sit down to update you guys.
Here's how you can pray:
-Pray that the interns can be of one heart and one mind, like it says in Acts. Pray that we can be relational and take time to encourage each other spiritually and challenge each other to go deeper in that. Pray that we can seek out the Kenyan adults and hear their stories and learn from their wisdom. Pray for wisdom in discipline and parenting the kids, so we can do the job that God called us to do in the exact way he wants us to do it.
-Pray for safe travel and for the bus to work! All big buses seem to have a lot of problems, so pray that God can keep it together so we can get from place to place.
-Pray for the kids. Pray that they can continue to grow in Christ and that they can know him and love him in a way that they haven't before. Pray that they rest in his grace and are obedient in the way that God wants them to be. Pray that they can minister to each and every person that they meet and that they can use their tools to do so.
Thanks! Love you guys :)