I have no idea how I am going begin to tell you about the last ten days in this blog. I feel like even with all the space in the world, I still couldn't communicate how amazing it was!
We arrived at night and settled in. The next morning we went to Chemi Chemi to meet the kids for the first time. When we pulled up, they all came outside to hug us. We had their pictures, but I couldn't believe how little the kids are! They are so small compared to the choirs in the past! And of course, they are PRECIOUS. We just played with them and got to know them. That afternoon, we traveled to Kwambekenya, which is the home of all of the kids in the choir expect for the 6 returning, who are from Nairobi. When we arrived in Kwambekenya, the kids there started running for our bus, but my favorite part was when they realized their friends (the Daraja kids) were on the bus behind ours, they started running for the other bus and cheering. That afternoon, the kids had a concert for their parents and two classes from the primary school. Saturday was one of the best days. We did home visits for the kids in Kwambekenya. The interns split into teams of 3 and we each had a few homes to visit. I went to Kiria to visit Peter, Naomi, Faith, and Edwin's homes. Their parents were all so welcoming and thankful. It was awesome to see where these kids come from and how they live life everyday. I hope this will help me to communicate the kid's home situations to the host homes we stay at this summer. The kids are all so joyful that it is easy to forget where they come from, but that's an extremely important part of their story. Sunday we split up and visited the kids' churches! I went to Mahinda's church. The support they showed him was INCREDIBLE. You can tell how much they love him and are rallying behind him for this summer.
Monday was AMAZING! We went on a safari that morning and ended up seeing two lions which was cool! After that, we visited Karen from the 09 choir. Her school was right near where we were staying. Then, we headed to Nairobi to visit the returning kids' homes. Adam, Kelly, and I went to Moses' home. It was really cool to meet his mom and see how hard she works for the family since she is a single mother. After that, we got back on the bus, and Christi told me that I was going to get to see Josephine Karambu, who I sponsor!! She was a part of the 2008 choir. It shouldn't have worked out, because no planning went into it, but it was a moment where God COMPLETELY lined things up to work out. One group of interns ended up being dropped off right by her school. The school doesn't allow visitors though, but Josephine's mom was at the market nearby and came to the school so we could get in. So I ended up meeting Josephine's mom, which was AWESOME! Then I surprised her at school! She is growing up quick and she's SO beautiful. It was amazinggg to see her, I have really missed her soo much. We got to talk for a while and catch up before I had to go back. I love her so much :)
The next few days were spent at Chemi Chemi hanging out with the kids and doing some preparation for tour involving costumes, merchandise, clothes, etc. We got to sit in on our classes. I am teaching class four, which includes Nelly, Hannah, and David. Grace is the Kenyan teaching with me. In Kenya, they call teachers "cha," so I am now cha Ragan :) We also got to sit in on practice which was awesome. Such a great time of worship. I can't be with Daraja and not be completely aware of how awesome God is and surrounded by his presence.
Now, we are home and waiting for the kids to arrive Monday! Here's how you can pray:
-Pray for the kids' journey. Most of them have never been anywhere close to an airport and have never seen an airplane, and so of course, this can be really overwhelming. Pray for a sense of peace and calmness as they travel. Also, pray for a safe journey.
-Pray that their home sickness is minimal in the first few weeks. America is EXTREMELY different from their homes, and they have such a strong community, there is a good possibility they will miss home a lot. Just pray that God gives them the strength and puts their heart in the right place to get through it.
-Pray for Violet. We still don't have her passport, and the leaders have been trying for 2 years now. The Kenyan government is just so corrupt that they have made this process near to impossible. Pray that if it is God's will, the Kenyan government will show compassion and give us Violet's passport so she can travel with us.
-Pray for the interns. Pray that God will prepare our hearts for what is coming and that he shows us how he wants us to live life and do this ministry he's called us to.
Love you guys! I will update soon!
-Ragan
Friday, May 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Preparing for Tour
As I'm preparing things tonight, I can't even begin to tell you how overcome I am with thankfulness. I'm looking at my life, and the fact that in 5 days, I'll begin one of the most incredible journeys I've been on thus far, and I can't even believe this is real. After two years of hosting kids and going to so many concerts, I can't believe that I will be one of the interns in A WEEK! God is so good!!!
I am definitely excited!! I am currently trying to finish up shopping for things for tour and get everything packed/together. It's a lot of work! God has been faithful in providing though and I know he will continue to be.
There are two areas in which I can ask you guys to pray for:
One is that God prepare the interns. I have no idea what to expect, but I know that this internship is a big responsibility. We as interns will be responsible for care-taking, teaching, discipline, and many other things. Just pray that we can fully rest in God and trust that he is shaping our hearts and minds in the best way for this summer. Pray that we can be open to Him and His word and that everything we say and do is a direct reflection of him, and that our hearts and minds continuously be open to what He has in store for us.
You can also pray for the language barrier. This year's kids are coming with a very minimal understanding of English. Since they aren't from Nairobi, their English hasn't been practiced as much and it will be more of a challenge for communication between us and the kids. I know that God is doing this for a reason and I pray that he can provide understanding between the interns and the kids, even through the language barrier. Pray that there is patience on both sides and that we can communicate despite the lack of English that the children understand.
Thanks for all your support. I love you guys so much and I will update soon :)
lovelovelove,
ragan
I am definitely excited!! I am currently trying to finish up shopping for things for tour and get everything packed/together. It's a lot of work! God has been faithful in providing though and I know he will continue to be.
There are two areas in which I can ask you guys to pray for:
One is that God prepare the interns. I have no idea what to expect, but I know that this internship is a big responsibility. We as interns will be responsible for care-taking, teaching, discipline, and many other things. Just pray that we can fully rest in God and trust that he is shaping our hearts and minds in the best way for this summer. Pray that we can be open to Him and His word and that everything we say and do is a direct reflection of him, and that our hearts and minds continuously be open to what He has in store for us.
You can also pray for the language barrier. This year's kids are coming with a very minimal understanding of English. Since they aren't from Nairobi, their English hasn't been practiced as much and it will be more of a challenge for communication between us and the kids. I know that God is doing this for a reason and I pray that he can provide understanding between the interns and the kids, even through the language barrier. Pray that there is patience on both sides and that we can communicate despite the lack of English that the children understand.
Thanks for all your support. I love you guys so much and I will update soon :)
lovelovelove,
ragan
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tour Preparation and Support
I hope you all have been doing well! Things have been great at Wingate so far. I’ve been doing well in classes and have met some amazing people. I definitely love it! As some of you know, through my past two mission trips to Kenya and hosting kids of the Daraja Children’s Choir, I have felt God’s calling on my life to pursue international missions. This past fall, as I was praying for God to show me what to do with my summer, I considered and felt compelled to apply for the Daraja 2010 Summer Internship. After many prayers, applications, and months later, I’m so excited to say that I will be a Daraja Intern this summer!
This Summer
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Daraja Children’s Choir, I will give you a little background. The choir is a group of 24 orphaned or vulnerable children from various communities in Kenya. These kids come to the US and travel to different cities to share their love for Christ and be a voice for the organization, the 410 Bridge. The mission of the 410 Bridge is to create a “bridge” between Kenya and the US. Their vision is to form partnerships to transform the nation of Kenya and ignite a passion for missions in the church.
I am so passionate about the 410 Bridge, the work that it does in the lives of the Americans and Kenyans, and the way God is glorified through this organization. The kids of the past two Daraja Children’s Choir’s have captured my heart, and I am so excited to spend the whole summer with the 2010 kids, growing in our love for Christ together while sharing this love and passion with the American people.
My summer will definitely be filled with Daraja! On May 19, I leave for Kenya for two weeks to meet the kids and prepare for summer tour. When we return to the US with the choir, we start touring the Southeast.
Support
There’s many ways in which you can be apart of this summer internship opportunity! The biggest and most important one is to become a part of my prayer team. One verse I’ve been resting in as I approach this summer is Philippians 4:6, which says “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” I ask that you pray for these 24 choir kids, for their hearts to be prepared for the US and overflowing with God’s love. I also ask that you pray for our team of interns. Pray that God prepare our hearts for this summer and show us how to love these kids and help them grow in their faith, while also growing in our own. If you choose to be a part of my prayer team, you can pray for me as well. I have three kids that I will be teaching (Nelly, Hannah, and David). Pray that God uses me in their lives and opens my heart to him in ways I’ve never even imagined.
Another way you can be apart of this is to support me financially. This is an unpaid internship, and to be able to go, I have to raise $3500 by May 19. I know are times are tough right now, but I ask that you take time to pray and see if this is something God wants you to do. Through this, you are supporting a ministry that spreads God’s word to a lot of people. Also, I ask that you pray for this support. Pray that God provides the funds for me to carry out this calling he has put on my life. If you decide to support me, checks can be made to The 410 Bridge with my name and Daraja Children’s Choir Intern Support in the memo line. If you’d rather donate online, you can go to http://my410bridge.org/ragan.riddle and click donate underneath the picture.
Thank you all so much for being such a huge part of my life. I love all of you so much, and I really appreciate your continuous support of this calling God has placed on my life!
This Summer
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Daraja Children’s Choir, I will give you a little background. The choir is a group of 24 orphaned or vulnerable children from various communities in Kenya. These kids come to the US and travel to different cities to share their love for Christ and be a voice for the organization, the 410 Bridge. The mission of the 410 Bridge is to create a “bridge” between Kenya and the US. Their vision is to form partnerships to transform the nation of Kenya and ignite a passion for missions in the church.
I am so passionate about the 410 Bridge, the work that it does in the lives of the Americans and Kenyans, and the way God is glorified through this organization. The kids of the past two Daraja Children’s Choir’s have captured my heart, and I am so excited to spend the whole summer with the 2010 kids, growing in our love for Christ together while sharing this love and passion with the American people.
My summer will definitely be filled with Daraja! On May 19, I leave for Kenya for two weeks to meet the kids and prepare for summer tour. When we return to the US with the choir, we start touring the Southeast.
Support
There’s many ways in which you can be apart of this summer internship opportunity! The biggest and most important one is to become a part of my prayer team. One verse I’ve been resting in as I approach this summer is Philippians 4:6, which says “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” I ask that you pray for these 24 choir kids, for their hearts to be prepared for the US and overflowing with God’s love. I also ask that you pray for our team of interns. Pray that God prepare our hearts for this summer and show us how to love these kids and help them grow in their faith, while also growing in our own. If you choose to be a part of my prayer team, you can pray for me as well. I have three kids that I will be teaching (Nelly, Hannah, and David). Pray that God uses me in their lives and opens my heart to him in ways I’ve never even imagined.
Another way you can be apart of this is to support me financially. This is an unpaid internship, and to be able to go, I have to raise $3500 by May 19. I know are times are tough right now, but I ask that you take time to pray and see if this is something God wants you to do. Through this, you are supporting a ministry that spreads God’s word to a lot of people. Also, I ask that you pray for this support. Pray that God provides the funds for me to carry out this calling he has put on my life. If you decide to support me, checks can be made to The 410 Bridge with my name and Daraja Children’s Choir Intern Support in the memo line. If you’d rather donate online, you can go to http://my410bridge.org/ragan.riddle and click donate underneath the picture.
Thank you all so much for being such a huge part of my life. I love all of you so much, and I really appreciate your continuous support of this calling God has placed on my life!
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