Back in the States

So we are all back home and resting up.  I slept like a little baby last night after our 34 hour travel session.  We could not have asked for better travel (minus the hour delay in Atlanta).  That is all thanks to our wonderful Lord and the prayers that were said for us.  So thank you, everyone, for the prayers.  I believe I can speak for all 6 of us when I say that we left part of our hearts over in Kenya with those kids.  That was the most amazing experience I have ever had and I can't wait to go back.  I miss all of their little faces and their little giggles.  You can see God's hand working in their lives and the lives of the house parents at Mattaw.  Those house parents were, potentially, the most spiritually grounded people I have ever met.  They all have their own kids yet they are willing to raise 12 or 13 kids that are not their own and they love them all the same.  It's truly an amazing thing.

They taught me this week to really appreciate everything I have.  I know that's a cliche thing to say, but it is so true.  Mom asked one of the house moms, Grace, what she thought they needed:  clothes, shoes, food, etc.  She said they needed nothing.  They live in concrete buildings with electricity only sometimes.  The women cook over little coal stoves and hand wash clothes in buckets and hang-dry their clothes on barbed wire fences.  They have meat only a few times a week and have poridge for breakfast almost every morning.  And she said they needed nothing.  They get it.  They really get it.  They realize that God has provided everything they NEED.  They have everything they NEED. 

Going over their I thought we were helping them by taking things we THOUGHT they needed.  We did help them and some kids did need new clothes, but they provided us with the things our team needed; we experienced joy, true thankfulness, and, overall, we experienced Jesus.  That was the best part of the entire trip! 

We met so many wonderful people and I can't wait to go back!  :) 

Thank you all again so much for the prayers and everything that you did for us.  I attached a link to my Flickr page that has some pictures from our trip.  I tried to pick some of the better ones, but if you have Facebook, I have all 312 pictures posted.  My name on there is just Meghan Scholtens and you should be able to view them even if you're not my friend!  Enjoy! :)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52995884@N03/

Lots of Love from Team 6!
-Meghan, Alleshia, Kim, Jeff, Marci, and Lydia :)

Homeward Bound

Hi everyone! Sorry about the small amount of blog posts. WiFi was sketchy this week because of all the rain, but I will definitely post all the pictures when we get home. We are back in Nairobi tonight and had an interesting ride here. It was a 7.5 hour drive in a smallish van. The roads are in horrible shape and our driver really didn't know English...I got car sick for the first time in my entire life, but it was allllll worth it! :) Kenya is the most beautiful place I have ever seen and I can't wait to come back! I'm already planning my trip in my head! We had American food for dinner and it was really good, but I'm going to miss all the rice! I'm ready to warm up, too! I will update some more when we get home, but we say goodbye to Africa in about 24 hours. Continue to pray please!! And thank you so much for all you have already done! :)

Waking Up In Africa

It is 6:30 on Sunday morning. Jeff and I are sitting on the steps of the main building at our guest lodge and watching the sunrise. It is my second African sunrise and I don't think I've ever experienced something quite like it. We had a wonderful day at Mattaw yesterday and met so many adorable kids! Wi-Fi was a little sketchy last night so I couldn't upload pics off my camera, but I will try again later. We are headed to church in about an hour and a half to go see the kids again! Our lodge is wonderful! Kim and Jeff slept in a safari tent last night and we showered with water heated by fire wood...that is totally the way to go!:) I'll try and do this again tonight. God bless and much love!! -Meghan, Alleshia, Kim, Jeff, Marci, and Lydia :)

Hi everybody!  This is going to be quick, but a litle update . . . we are sitting at the airport in Amsterdam right now waiting for our flight to Nairobi!  We are so excited and so tired, hoping to catch a few hours of sleep on the plane.  It is 10:22 a.m. on Friday the 20th here, but 3:21 a.m. on Friday in Berryville.  We just ate "breakfast" at McDonald's, a nice treat.  They don't use ice in their drinks and Jeff said the Coke was just not the same, "It's like syrup with no carbonation."  Let's just say we'll be ready for American food when we head home.  ;)  We're camped out beside the huge mass of people waiting to get on this plane . . . looks like it will be a double-decker!  This has been a long 15 hours and we still have 8 to go, but we are enjoying the adventure and can't wait to see what God has in store for us!!  Thank you, still, for your prayers and support!  Keep them coming! 
With love,
Meghan, Alleshia, Marci, Lydia, Kim and Jeff

Almost There!

16 hours to go and I still can't believe it! 

Tonight, Southern Heights Baptist Church held a special service for us that are taking off on this adventure tomorrow.  They showed the Mattaw Promo video and then introduced us specifically.  We were allowed to share about our hopes for this trip and how much we appreciate the community's willingness to support us financially and spiritually.  After Brother Scott shared a devotion, people were encouraged to come to the front where the 6 of us sat and they layed hands on us and prayed specifically for each of us.  It was very encouraging and special for us.  It was awesome to experience the support physically from all the people who care about us.  Thank you all, again!

We still ask for your prayers as we head out at about 8 tomorrow morning.  Our flight departs from Fayetteville to Atlanta, GA, Atlanta to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Nairobi and then from the Nairobi airport to an airport about an hour from the orphanage.  Lots of changes and foreign languages . . . please pray!  :) 

If you read my blogs and would like to leave a comment or share your thoughts and don't have a Google account, you can e-mail me at meghan.scholtens@gmail.com and I have a Facebook and Twitter (@MeghanScholtens). 

Thanks so much!!  Lots of love from Kenya Team 6 and we thank God for you every day!
-Meghan, Alleshia, Marci, Lydia, Kim, and Jeff

34 Hours To Go!

First off, I would like to thank the Carroll County News Paper for doing such a great write-up about our group's trip to Kenya.  We have been so blessed to have so much support from our community and even people all around the country.  I am sure I can speak for our entire team when I say we all feel so uplifted in this time and can not express the gratitude that we have for every single person that has said a prayer for us.  We continue to need prayer as we make our final preparations for our trip and for safety and travel mercies.  We appreciate every thought! :)

So, we depart on our first flight in a little over 34 hours.  It, still, is so hard to believe, but it is so very exciting.  We have planted all of our seeds and now are just waiting for God to make it rain . . . so to speak.  We have been planning this trip for almost a year to the day and it is finally here!  I have a feeling that the 9 days will go by way too fast, but I am expecting them to be God-filled and Holy Spirit-led; they will definitely be the best 9 days of my life, I think it is safe to say.  :) 

I ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers if that is not too much to ask and we found out that we will have internet access at the orphanage, so I will continue to update my blog and hopefully add pictures throughout the week.  :) 

A couple boys at Mattaw Children's Village

Kim Phillips, me, Marci Rogers, and Alleshia Fritz. (Not pictured:  Jeff Phillips and Lydia King)

Just a Thought

So, I've been waiting to take a trip to Africa since I was about 13 and now we leave in only 13 days.  Crazy, but I am beyond excited!  Marci and I were talking about it today and we both agreed we are definitely not mentally ready for this trip.  How can we be, though?  We are traveling half way across the world to a place that is so much more destitute than any place in the U.S. and, even then, most Americans can probably only imagine the physical state that some of these African people live in.  So, no.  We are not mentally prepared for this trip.  But then I was thinking. . . that doesn't even matter.  The only preparing that we need to care about is our spiritual preparedness. 

I am proud to say that the 6 of us taking this trip--Me, Alleshia Fritz, Lydia King (my mom), Marci Rogers, Kim Phillips, and Jeff Phillips--just concluded the most challenging Bible study I have ever taken a part in.  We read Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper and did a study that accompanied it.  It slapped me around a little bit.  Piper's whole point throughout the book was, "Do you want to 60, 70, or even 80 years old looking back on your life one day and be having to seriously ask yourself, 'Did I waste my life?'".  I definitely do not want to have to ask myself that.  And even beyond that, I want people to look at my life and be able to tell that I didn't waste my life.  I pray that you have the same dream for your life. 

I was so blessed to be able to do this study at a younger age because I have so many years ahead of me to fulfill, but I can say I still have wasted many years of my life:  trying to please too many people, worrying about what people think, being afraid of uncontrollable circumstances.  None of it is worth it compared to the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ; none of it even matters.  God did not die a brutal, uncomfortable death for us on the cross so we could live comfortable lives.  He died for us so that we could live audacious (Beach Camp reference) lives for Him.  The only goal for our vapor-like existence should be to live for and to please the God who created us.  That's it! 

Obviously this is all easier said than done . . . that's a given.  Living the Christian life is the hardest thing any of you will ever do, but it is SO. WORTH. IT!!!!!! 

I will say this as I jump off my soap box:  I pray for Christ-like ambition to intrude and guide your hearts if you are willing to live an audacious, God-inspired life.  I also ask a favor from all of you readers.  If you would not mind, please be praying for our team that is traveling to Kenya.  We leave on July 19th and return 9ish days later.  Please pray for our safe travels and that the people we minister to can see Christ through us. 

Thank you so much and may God bless your life!
-Meghan