hunger for the lord.

ok so the past couple weeks have been more than hectic but in all have been full of God's glory. I am so excited to share with you that the Run4Change website will be up and running by mid august and it is going to be truly amazing. The Lord has been blessing my path every step of the way and I just can't wait for yall to see the finishing touches and just see it fall together and grow.

But let me tell you all what has happened since I have gotten back from Kenya. It has been exactly a month and I just dont even know where to start. One America is busy. too busy and I feel like as Americans we overlook the meaning of living life. We get so busy looking for what we want out of life and what the next step is that we forget to breath and just live for today.

This past Sunday we went over the last parts of James chapter four and it was so inspirational.

James 4:8-10

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up."

Humble yourselves and the Lord will lift you up. How great is that.

Just take a moment and realize what you have done today or this week to glorify God.

If it takes you awhile to reflect on a moment then you need to ask yourself how are you living your life. Are you living it for the Lord or for yourself?

Matthew 5:6

"Blessed are those who HUNGER and THIRST for righteousness, for they will be filled."

So I ask myself what I have done since I have gotten back since Kenya, Have I been living the life that reflects of the Lord?

I reflect over the past year and just how much I transformed. Each day is a new day for the Lord, not a new day for Jenny. Living for God with everythoing I do and every breath is such an amazing feeling.

Please take the time to remember your best friend, God, is waiting to here from you and stop being ignored.

Mungu Akubariki.

With Love,

Jenny

WOW

Ok so it has been a long time since I have posted a blog but! I promised that this blogspoit would keep going and it is going to keep on going.

I have been so busy with work and new student conferences here at A&M buyt everything has been going so well!

The Lord has been challenging me so much since I have been back and I miss everyone back in Kenya!

I am going to be launching the website for Run4Change soon so I will be keeping everyone updated! and! If you are interested in tshirts! well let me know, they are going to be $12 or $15 dollars so again I will let everyone know.

I hope everything is going well with everyone and hope you have a blessed week!

If you ever need to contact me, you know where to reach me: jenkins.jenny@yahoo.com

Thanks a bunch for everything again!!

With Love,
Jenny

up in the air.

June 12th, 2010

Saturday

So I have been up in the air and down already for about 14 hours now. Oh how traveling is an interesting thing. 9 hours before this I was in Nairobi and now I am sitting patiently in London about to board my plane to head to Houston. The Lord has blessed my travels and everything is going smoothly so far. I had a blessed Friday and got to say "see you soon" to everyone. They are all so funny. They only know their life in the village or their life in Kenya. It is hard for them to understand how far I come or how it is to come each time. I wish it could be that easy as how they think. They think so simple and have an amazing strong faith. The Lord has helped me grow this path month and He is just going to continue to grow.

I just remind myself Jeremiah 29:11. This is the verse Lisa picked for Real4Christ Minitries when they first started and I got the pleasure of seeing it everywhere in the house. The Lord reminded me everyday that He has plans for me. My purpose is to be a disciple of the Lord and I am going to do that in every moment and every step of my life. I thank all of you again who donated and support me in everything I do. The Lord has done many wonderful things for Mbewau Academy and the Kenyan people and He will still keep doing wonderful things. I hope you all stay in touch with what the Lord is doing in my life and I want to know what the Lord is doing in yours! So never forget to call me or email me jenkins.jenny@yahoo.com and just share with me about life and the Lord!

Now just because my trip is done for now that does not stop my love for mombasa so this blog will still go on. This blog is more than my love for kenya but this blog is for the Lord. I want to share with all of you what the Lord is doing in my life or what He has put on my heart.

I hope you dont forget about this blogsite and visit it every once and awhile :)

I will keep you updated on when I make it back into the states but as for now, I am safely sitting at my gate ready to be up in the air once again. Ready to see what the Lord has ahead of me.

With Love,

Jenny

last night in Mombasa.

10, June 2010

Thursday

Well tonight is my last night here in Mombasa. It is weird to think at this time tomorrow I will be in Nairobi on the way back to Texas. I have been blessed with my month here with Chris and Lisa and have met so many cool people and have made long life friends. I am excited for what the Lord brings when I get back to America and can not wait until the next time I return to Kenya.

I have learned a lot about myself and a lot of where the the Lord is leading me and wants me. I know He wants me in the mission field but as for now, I just need to always have my ears open of where He wants me to be.

SO, today was an amazing day. Chris and I went to the market this morning and what a rush that was! I literally almost got knocked out by sacks of potatoes a countless amount of times. By the end of our market trip, my reflexes were pretty fast. haha but it was so much fun! I love all the people and talking to them and getting fresh fruits and veggies! yum

After we went to the LARGEST market on the east coast, we went to Fort Jesus so I could pick up a few things from Victor and Zera shops! Zera made me homemade samosas :) she is so sweet. and! Victor gave me a necklace as a gift from them from one of the shops. It is made out of coconut shell and it is very pretty :)

They both said "you are a daughter from america!" haha they are such a nice couple.

After visiting them, we went and got some fresh chips or they call them crisps here haha and some cold drinks!

Simone and I hung around the pool while Alfred and Chris planted all these new plants and Lisa was doing different projects around the house. It was a lovely day!

We had a nice steak dinner with baked potatoes and salad. It was a nice dinner with two amazing people, Chris and Lisa! I will truly miss them, but! am so happy I got to spend an awesome month with them.

I have fallen more in love with Real4Christ, with Mbewau, with Chris and Lisa, and with Kenya in a whole. I am truly grateful for all the opportunities the Lord has given me and can not wait for what the Lord has in store next.

I will be home soon and can not wait to give each one of you a BIG hug!

With Love,

Jenny

lets change lives now.

9, June 2010

Wednesday

I love Wednesdays :) they are long and tiring but I love every minute I spend with the kids and teachers at Mtepani. Today Lisa and I stayed busy organizing. She organized her medicine cabinet and I organized the whole storage closet. I truly enjoy just spending time laughing over how scared I get when a spider pops out from behind a crayon box. ha goodtimes.

The closer Friday approaches, the more I realize how much love I have for Chris and Lisa's Ministry, Real 4 Christ. I am truly going to miss everyone here but! I know I will be back soon so! I have BIG plans when I come back to the states.

I was saying in my previous blog that the Lord has set many things on my heart and now I am going to share a little!...

It is called Run4Change and it is going to help Real4Christ Ministries.

As soon as I get home, I am going to get a team together to help me put together Run4Change.

I will start up a website describing the purpose of the program and where I feel the Lord is calling it to go. I have already heard a little of the vision Chris and Lisa have for Mtepani and their new property but I am also going to sit down with Chris and get details on each thing so this program can specifically help them develop a new church, school, soccer field, out fences around the property and so on.

I am excited and KNOW that Run4Change can be a big help financially for Real4Christ. What they are doing here is exciting and is not just helping children but the community. Real4Christ is changing thousands of lives and I believe through the Run4Change program, we can help change these lives as well.

Everyone think about it! and I know you are all thinking Run4Change, well give more details. AND I will I promise! I will keep everyone updated on when the website goes up and when things get happening.

If anyone is interested in helping with this new program, contact me :)

jenkins.jenny@yahoo.com

I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL Wednesday!

With Love,

Jenny

South Coast!

8, June 2010

Tuesday

So today we went down to south coast Kenya today!

I got to see the new land that Real4Christ Ministries is going to build on and they told me the overall vision for the 5 acres :)

I met mama who lives on the land and of course she is so so sweet!

We walked the perimeter of the land (or at least tried to, haha the grass was so long). I fell in a hole, that was fun... but I saved Lisa from falling into it so that was good!

Once we walked the land, we went and visited Perwani or Perani I am not exactly sure how you spell it but we visited the school there and the kids. AND we went to the border of Tanzania just for fun since we were right there and what not.

Once we went to south coast, we had a nice lunch and ran a few errands and headed home for the day. Tomorrow is going to be a full Wednesday as always and I have a lot I want to get done with the craft closet and with the rooms and just getting final things completely organized.

The Lord blessed us with save travels and I cannot wait to share with all of you what the Lord has put on my heart for this fall :) so stay in touch and I will keep everyone posted.

With Love,

Jenny

no goodbyes, just see you soons :)

7, June 2010

Monday

So today is my last Monday in Mombasa :(

BUT we all know I will be back so no goodbyes just see you soons.

Today was a great day as always! We hung up all the artwork the kids did in their classrooms so the classes look so adorable!

After Mtepani, we were going to eat at this floating restaurant but! of course out of all the days, it was closed on Monday haha so that did not work out so we went and had some yummy chicken instead.

We then got to walk over to the market center so we could finish ordering all the kids shoes and I got to see the one of the largest markets on the east coast so ! I told Chris, actually I insisted that me and him go thursday morning and see it when it is busy busy because it opens at 5 am - around 12ish so that will be exciting!

And then after that Lisa and I went around to a few places and I bought roasted corn and freshly made chips off the side of the road...oh how I love that about Kenya! oh and I bought a pineapple :) yummy.

and then... drumroll... we finished the monkey cage! Daisy and Lilly love it! they have been swinging on the trees we put inside of it and it is so BIG as you can see I crawled through the back door of it and hopped inside!

BUT overall it was a fabulous day and the Lord gave us great weather and much laughter :)

With Love,

Jenny

John 14:13-14

The greatest thing about being a disciple of Christ is doing the will of the Lord and bringing glory upon His name.

I fall on my knees

6, June 2010

Sunday

Today was a glorious day and so....AMAZING :)

We went to Mtepani for church and I played my song I wrote and presented the guitar to them.

They were so excited and so was I!

The chorus of my song is:

"I fall on my knees

and I lift my hands to the Lord God Almighty

and He has saved my life

and has made me into a woman of Christ.

I thank the Lord for turning me around

and setting my feet on solid ground

and oh how He rescued me

and finally made my life so complete."

:) The Lord was so present at church today and I just thank the Lord for surrounding me with so much love and graciousness. He is truly amazing and we are all truly blessed to have such a wonderful Savior.

After church, we went to lunch with are friends again, Zera and Victor! They are both so sweet. We ate at Boka Boka (the traditional African place again) and this time they had dancers! It was so nice. I also got to see the turtle which is like 400 years old. He is so big, he looks like a statue but I promise you, he is totally real. He started to chase me but I am too fast haha or he is way slow. You can look at that situation either way haha.

Once we ate the owner of Boka Boka, Yolanda, showed us around. She has so much land and owns a little bed and breakfast and it is so cute because it is back behind Boka Boka and is so secluded. It is very nice. AND! then Yolanda wanted all of us to plant a tree! So I got out there and planted haha. The coolest part is she puts your name on a rock and where you are from and puts it under the tree :) so when I come back it will be there!

It was a nice and eventful day. I thank the Lord for every minute of it!

With Love,

Jenny

p.s I took some pictures of Chris and Lisa this morning and I thought the one I posted was oh so cute. :) they are adorable haha I love them!

saturday!

5, June 2010

Saturday!

I woke up and had a wonderful breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon :) yummy.

Once the day began, I did little projects all day. I finished up the painting in the guest room. (There is still a little more things that need to be done in there but I got most of it done). Then I spray painted shapes on the weaved mats for the baby classroom at Mbewau. I got all the crafts ready to be hung in the classrooms on Monday and to top it off Lisa had a lady come over and we got massages! It was so nice.

Tomorrow I am presenting the guitar to the church and I am so excited. I wrote a new song today and will be sharing it with the church tomorrow. It has been another wonderful day and the Lord has blessed my every footstep. :)

With Love,

Jenny

funfilled friday.

4, June 2010

Friday

Today was complete joy. That is all I can really say. If I picked one word, yes it would be joyful.

We started our day off going to Mtepani. Chris was called at 6 this morning about another monkey in the village and guess what? yes that is right. We took it home with us. :) but Lisa and I came up with the name Lilly (like the flower) so now we have Daisy and Lilly. At first Daisy did not know what to think of her but she eventually took her under her care and they became friends.

While at Mtepani, I finished getting all the stories of every kid. It is amazing what each kid has gone through. You have a boy who has a deaf mom to a kid who is the youngest of 11! I have learned so much about these kids and have deeply fallen in love with each one. I almost know a good 80 percent of their names. (there are 100 kids so you have to keep that in mind). I get confused sometimes but I can even tell apart Janet and Judy who are twins, so I think I am getting pretty good! haha.

After finishing the profiles of each kid with Pastor Nzaro, I went and played jumprope, sang, chased bubbles around and just enjoyed my time with all the kids from baby class to KG3 class.

I have been truly blessed and touched by not only all the kids at Mbewau Academy but by every person who works with Mbewau or lives in the village of Mtepani. Throughout the three weeks that I have been here, I have learned more and more about Real 4 Christ Ministries. I have learned about every person as an individual and I have become intentional.

My friend Alane said it the best when she ran for president of our sorority. She said I want to become intentional with the girls in our sorority. She expressed to everyone that she wanted to know each and every one of us as best as she could and that is what I have done here.

I have become intentional and I have fallen in love with each person and what their heart has to offer.

That is exactly what Jesus Christ does for us. He is intentional with each one of us. I have expressed this many times in my blog but everything happens for a reason and the Lord has a special plan for each person. For goodness sakes, He knows how many hairs you have on your head! He of course knows our purpose and He knows our hearts.

My friend Barrett shared with me a verse today and it touched my heart.

Zephaniah 3:17

"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves, He will take great delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but rejoice over you with singing."

The Lord delights in each one of us and saves us! We overlook how amazing and joyous that is!

So as I finished up crafts with all the kids and called them by name, I had tears in my eyes. I was so happy. I was exhausted by the end of the day because of everything the Lord had filled it with but He filled every minute with joy. And when I am tiresome because of being so joyful and happy, that is never a bad thing :)

Hebrews 13:5

"He himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Reflect on Hebrews chapter 13 and remember the Lord will never leave your side but only strengthen your path as you walk with Him.

Have a blessed weekend.

Mungu Akubariki.

With Love,

Jenny

Open your ears, and begin to listen.

3, June 2010

Thursday

So today was a different day then usual. Lisa and I went with Michelle, Simone, Cameron and Dominique all around Mombasa to different shopping areas because the girls are redecorating their rooms. It was a fun experience seeing different parts of Mombasa that I have not seen already.

We also went by the hospital here in Mombasa. We are all very blessed in America with the supplies and knowledge we have to keep healthy or stay healthy. It is sad what you see and experience in these hospitals but it is reality and it is happening all around us. Michelle works with an organization which helps the kids with certain tumors that can be curable get chemotherapy. The organization helps pay for their medical bills and the chemotherapy they are giving to the children.

We did not stay long at the hospital but it was nice just visiting with the kids and seeing a different perspective on things.

I am getting different things ready tonight for the teachers and kids tomorrow at Mtepani so I am staying busy.

I want to thank you to everyone following my trip and reading my blog. I hope it is helping you with your walk with the Lord as much as it is helping me. Always put your trust in the Lord.

Psalm 25:21

"May integrity and uprightness protect me because my hope, Lord, is in you."

Psalm 25:14

"The Lord confides in those who fear him; He makes His covenant known to them."

Follow the Lord with all your heart and do not just use your eyes but open your ears and listen to what the Lord has to say. He has a plan for everyone of us.

With Love,

Jenny

2, June 2010

Wednesday.

Today was a busy day as normal :)

We headed out to Mtepani early this morning and I figured out different crafts that the teachers can do with the kids. I am going to be doing crafts with the kids on Friday but I wanted to make a list of others so the teachers can do more crafty stuff when I am gone.

So I had fun this morning making bracelets and paper plate fans and paperbag puppets haha. I also made a HAPPY STICK! which is in the picture above :)

We said it was the Mbewau happy stick. It is officially the mascot of Mbewau Academy. haha

But anyways, I had a great time doing that and I am also working on the profiles of each kid so I spent sometime with Pastor Nzaro just learning about each kid and their individual story and what their family is like so that was really cool.

Once we left Mtepani, we came back home and Lisa and I started the paint in the guest bedroom and should be finished by tomorrow!

It was a wonderful day and it was a beautiful day here in Mombasa :)

The Lord shined all around us! (as he always does, even in rain)

With Love,

Jenny

tuesday full of laughter.

1, June 2010

Tuesday

So today was an interesting day. It started off a little rocky but then became very successful. At first, Chris and Lisa had to pick up Alfred because he was not feeling well. He was very very sick. So Lisa and I did not attend bible study this morning so she could take of Alfred.

While she was taking care of Alfred, Chris and I went over to Jim's house to pick up a lot of different plants and oh boy did I get messy! But it was fun spending time with Chris and lifting plants and laughing that I was "weak" or so Chris wants to think. (He was the weak one..haha just kidding)

We then came back home and Lisa and I ran a few errands and then painted the kitchen and began to start preparing the guest bedroom to be painted.

AND at the same time Chris and the welder started building a new cage for Daisy! (the monkey)

Anyways, it was a busy day around the house. Tomorrow will be a full Wednesday as usual and we will be out at Mtepani doing lots of work!

Today my devotion was on Ezekial 37:1-14

It talked about how the Lord does not just want us to live for Him but also live WITH Him.

Yes, it is a great thing to do work for the Lord but it is very important that we have that relationship with the Lord and live WITH Him while doing work FOR Him. :)

Ezekial 37:14

"I will put my Spirit in you and you will live..."

With Love,

Jenny

P.S

We have a new friend, His name is Victor and He is a beautiful lab!

pure at heart

31, May 2010

Monday

John 14:1

"Do not let your hearts be troubled, Trust in God, trust also in me."

John 16:23

"In that day you will no longer ask me anything very truly I tell you, my father will give you whatever you ask in my name."

Today was a little rough because I did not feel too well but I finished hanging up all the decorations in the baby class. It is so beautiful! There is a reading corner! and a craft corner! haha. It is pretty cool.

We ran a lot of different errands and got the kids fitted for their shoes today so that went very well.

I hope everyone starts their week off very well and you are all in my prayers.

I pray that I will be pure at heart here at Kenya and back home with the Lord. I pray that I love the Lord with all my heart and have peace with this world. I pray that I stay being a light for the Lord and shine among the Kenyan people and also my peers back at home so that they can see God is good.

And I pray that you all challenge yourself to be a light for the Lord as well at your church, home, work, or anywhere your feet take you. Take every step to glorify God.

With Love,

Jenny

sunday in the sun :)

30, May 2010

Sunday

Today we woke up and had a lovely time at Crossroads for church and then after we had lunch at yuls and also went down to the beach. I got to do a little bargaining and buy some lovely gifts.

After the beach we came back and Simone,Cameron, Dominique, Lisa and I all went swimming and played with daisy. It was a wonderful relaxing day in the sun.

The Lord does a wonderful thing when He brings out the sun and brings people together to have fun and just laugh.

Laughter is a key to life :)

Always embrace those moments and hold onto the memories.

I hope all of you enjoyed your Sunday as much as I did.

With Love,

Jenny

safari safari

29, May 2010

Saturday

SAFARI SAFARI!!

So we just got back from Safari and it was such a wonderful time spent with Chris and Lisa and the animals :)

Although we did not see the BIG cats or lions and sadly didnt see a lot of giraffe we saw very rare animals and got some cool pictures.

It has been raining lately so the animals were a little dispersed among the Tsavo East Reserve but again we had a great time.

Anyways it got me thinking!

I was looking for that simba (lion). I just wanted to see a lion and was taking for granted the beautiful sight around me but the many other animals the Lord was showing to us were so pretty and just as interesting. Just because it wasn't a big lion does not mean it is not important.

So! To relate this to the world and our lives...

Just because it might not seem like you do not do something EXTREMELY big or cool, that does not mean you are not important.

The Lord has a plan for everyone and has something for everyone to do. The smallest detailed things may not seem important but they are and the Lord places each one of us to something special for this world.

So one of the major sins that we have a problem with is jealousy. I have gone through it and pretty much everyone in this world has experienced jealousy.

BUT! you have to remember that the Lord has His special plan made just for YOU.

In Galatians 6:4-5, it talks about carrying your own load and not worrying about others.

In Proverbs 14:30, it talks about peace giving you life but envy is what rots our bones

and in James 3:14-16, it talks about envy and selfish ambition causes disorder.

Reflect on these verses a little and maybe think of a time when you had become jealous of the slightest thing.

Example: I tend to envy peoples possessions like clothes and other things and that is where satan tries to pull me away from the Lord.

BUT! again we need to be secure in the Lord and where He is leading us. We do not need to compare ourselves with others because the Lord has a different plan for everyone. :)

So just like seeing a simple bird or deer on the reserve, they are just as important as a simba.

With Love,

Jenny