Kenya Blog

Hey friends!


Check out my new blog www.kenyapray.blogspot.com devoted towards my 8 week long Kenya missions trip this summer. I will be updating this blog before, during, and after my internship. This blog will be set up so that my friends and family can follow what God is doing through me with this opportunity. You are encouraged to follow me! :) 


Thanks!


In Christ,
Brandi :)

REACH Intern 2010

The following is from a REACH intern from Summer '10 who went to Kenya with the same organization that I will be going with. The visuals that she gives in this post are absolutely amazing to me. God is going to do so much in Nairobi this summer! He is good! :)

From: Mirte de Boer
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2010, 12:34 a.m., from Nairobi, Kenya

My work day is about 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.  I get on the matatus (buses) at 8 a.m. and get to the MoHI [Missions of Hope International] center by 8:15. The matatus are an adventure alone. We jump on them as they are driving by us, already packed. We have to stand as the bus weaves in and out of traffic, not adhering to any traffic laws. Finally, we arrive at the Pangani center where immediately beggars spot us – the mzungus (white people) – and beg for money.

Once at the MoHI center, we take tea … hot chai … anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. Yum. Then we talk about what we are going to do for the day and get started around 10. To go to Kiamaiko slum, we take a matatu. Once there, we follow the translator/CHE trainer through mazes of tin shacks while stopping along the way to greet people (Habari yako!). I’m amazed at the poverty. The smell is sour … like puke, poop, and rotting flesh/food/clothes all mixed together. Burning mounds of trash fill the air with smoke. I find myself fighting tears as I pass young boys with glue bottles stuck to their faces and passed out in alleys.

MoHI schools are like beacons of hope in the slums. All the teachers are incredibly patient and energetic, and you can tell they realize they are more than teachers – they are reflections of Christ. I don’t think I’ll ever be as compassionate as they are. Lillian, the head teacher at Kiamaiko is so funny! She laughs at me a lot because my Swahili is so horrible. She is a very strong lady, and I am so happy to have met her and work with her.

When we find a home to visit, we are greeted very warmly. The homes are about 10 feet by 12 feet, if they’re lucky. We sit on their beds, tables, benches, or anything else they offer as a “seat.” We share our names and ask for theirs; we ask about their families. They share the joy of Christ in their lives as they struggle with HIV. To be honest, I don’t think I’d be sharing about the joy of Christ if I had HIV. While at these home visits, God shows me how insignificant my world is. I can’t speak the language, I can’t relate to the people, and I certainly do not pray as fiercely as they do. Yet, He has me here. I am very humbled and am being blessed far more than doing any blessing. It’s a beautiful thing to be severely humbled and broken and put in a place where I am completely dependent on the people I am trying to help.

Lunch consists of beans, cabbage, rice, and beef stew … and ugali, which is a cornmeal dish that is utterly tasteless. One would think I would blow up like a balloon here with all the rice and ugali, but with all the walking we do (at least 4 miles a day) I am feeling great! Dinner is up to us, so we usually go to the Java House, which is American food but SO good and ALWAYS packed. We need to be home before dark unless a male is walking with us. All the same, we are usually home by 8:30. We are staying at the Ufangamano house, a Christian guest house near the university. There are lots of security guards, and the house is enclosed by a gate, so everything is perfectly safe.

There is so much crazy spiritual warfare every day, which is all pretty new to me considering spiritual warfare in the States is kept behind closed doors. Satan doesn’t stop attacking just because we are done for the day. I find myself praying a lot more.

I realize that I haven’t updated much on my slum experiences. It’s hard for me to say everything that is happening when God is breaking my heart. It’s something I feel that people have to experience for themselves to truly understand. God is here … He is alive and well. And I know this is where I am supposed to be right now.

In Christ,

Brandi :)

Healing Begins

Healing Begins

By: Tenth Avenue North

So you thought you had to keep this up
All the work that you do
So we think that you're good
And you can't believe it's not enough
All the walls you built up
Are just glass on the outside

So let 'em fall down
There's freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We're here now

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark

Afraid to let your secrets out
Everything that you hide
Can come crashing through the door now
But too scared to face all your fear
So you hide but you find
That the shame won't disappear

So let it fall down
There's freedom waiting in the sound
When you let your walls fall to the ground
We're here now
We're here now, oh

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark

Sparks will fly as grace collides
With the dark inside of us
So please don't fight
This coming light
Let this blood come cover us
His blood can cover us

This is where the healing begins, oh
This is where the healing starts
When you come to where you're broken within
The light meets the dark
The light meets the dark

This song was laid on my heart a lot during Spring Break. The brokenness God laid on my heart for the poor people in Mexico truly let me reach out to Him. This brokenness was a glimpse at what I will be feeling this summer when I work in the Mathare Valley slum for 8 weeks. I’m so thankful and blessed to have this opportunity! It’s crazy how God works. He led the leaders to go to Mexico, and then He led me to go. Through going down there I feel more prepared for the poverty and brokenness that I will see. God knew my needs and He fulfilled them. He does that a lot. :)

In Christ,

Brandi :)

God Speak

I'll be honest, there has been a lot of "stuff" going on in my life. Some bad stuff, but lots and lots of good stuff. God has given me so many different opportunities to share my life, heart, and vision with others. These conversations have been a huge blessing to me. 


Yesterday, I went on a 3 hour road trip with Megan, one of my friends, just to go to Cici's pizza. On our way there we were able to sing Jesus music and to get know one another more. It was such a blessing to be able to spend time with her. We went to 3 different book stores searching for what I like to call "Jesus books." We successfully found everything at the first stop. At the Bargain Bookstore, I found a God's Word translation of the Bible and since I had given away my other copy, I purchased this one. Little did I know, this Bible was going to be a huge blessing to me and Megan. On our ride back to campus, I was reading through different topics within the passages of the Bible. Here's what the topics look like:

Not too long, or too short, but very convicting. We read through about 6 of the topics and with every one that I read, I could feel God just telling me, "Brandi, listen to me, for my paths are straight. Do not put ANYTHING before me. Give everything to me because I love you more than anyone."  This is what I like to call "a stab in the heart" when God tells me exactly what I need to hear. I hate when He does that, but I love it so much. I think it so awesome how God was able to convict me of what was going on in my very own life through this new Bible. I'm sure I will be learning more and more from this Bible! The best part was that it was not only convicting to me, but it was to Megan too. This opened up doors for us to share about our struggles and things that we were letting control our relationship with Jesus. I was so blessed by our conversation and being able to encourage her on ways I have dealt with some of the very things she is going through. We decided to stop at McDonald's before we got back to campus and dig more into the Bible. We were sitting their reading through passages and I was practically screaming at my Bible and at God for how convicting these things were. One of the ladies that worked there approached me and asked if God was trying to tell me something. In my fit of rage, God was able to bless me because I was able to talk to this lady about Jesus. I shared with her about some of the things God was teaching me and how He was leading me to go to Kenya this summer. She is a leader over the youth at her church and it was awesome to have her encourage me. What a blessing!




I know work in the cafeteria on my campus and I have been able to share with my coworkers about my trip to Mexico that I just got back from. Also, I have been blessed with the opportunity to share with several of my coworkers about my trip to Kenya and my passion for it. It has been a huge blessing to be able to share Jesus with these people. I don't know where any of them stand with their spiritual walk with Christ, but I am trusting that He will use me to continue reaching out to them. 




Right now, I will admit that I am very, very stressed from having two jobs, 18 credit hours, a leader in CCH, preparing two speeches for CCH, and raising support. BUT I know that God is my provider, my healer, my love, my everything. I know that there is no need to worry or stress about any of these things. God is really stretching me with my time management. I am a Junior in college and I still don't know how to manage my time wisely. I still spend a lot of time on facebook. I still procrastinate my homework until the very last minute. The best part of it all is that God is teaching me to rely on Him more with the busy schedule that I have. Everyday I am walking by faith and trusting that His Will will be done. 


Kenya Update:
I have raised $1,755.03.
I still need $3,916.97.
God is faithful, and He has provided me with so much thus far. 
I'm placing every single dollar in His hands and I know that He will provide.
If you would like more information about my trip, check out my $5,672 blog. 
If you still want more information after reading the blog feel free to email me at telltheworldthatjesuslives@hotmail.com


In Christ,
Brandi :)

2 families. 4 days. 2 houses.

This past week I have been in Acuna, Mexico serving the needs of a family with 13 other college students. 30 students from Trine University took the 2 day trip down to Acuna, Mexico in order to serve two families by building them each a house. The family my group built for was currently residing in a one bedroom house made of plywood and tin. They do not have electricity, they do not have much, but they have a huge blessing now!

Here is a picture of their house that they had:

Here are some pictures of the process of building their new house:

Laying the foundation

Placing the first wall on the foundation

Leveling up the first corner of the house

Chris hammering some nails into the wall.

 All the walls put into place.

Let the chicken wire begin!

The roof crew (minus Tom). That's me on the right.

Oh, the stucco...

Texturing the stucco.

The house at the end of Day 3. Everything is built, now we just had to make final touches on the house.

Juan helping paint his house.

Finishing up painting the house.

The family after our dedication ceremony for their house.

The grandma, mother, and two boys. Santiago is on the left, and Juan is on the right.

Gifts we bought for the family.

God is good, isn't HE? We were all extremely blessed throughout this week with being able to serve this family and be an example of Christ to them. I definitely grew in service and love for kids. We serve an awesome God, can I get an AMEN? :)

In Christ,

Brandi :)

Kenya Pray? Bracelets!

Hello,

As a fundraiser for my internship to Nairobi, Kenya this summer, I was led to purchase bracelets to help with support raising. My support raising goal is $5,672. The bracelets say "Kenya Pray?" on them and they are selling for $3 each or 2 for $5. My vision for these bracelets is for people to wear them and every time they look at it that they will remember to pray for Kenya. Here's my slogan for support raising:

"Kenya pray?

Kenya pray for Kenya?

Kenya pray for Brandi?"

Also, I pray that this will be a unique way to market my trip and to share with others my vision and my heart for Kenya and the ministry I will be a part of for 8 weeks this summer. 

Here's a little bit of what my summer in Kenya will involve:

While in Kenya I will be working alongside the team of CMF missionaries and Kenyan nationals currently serving there. We will be traveling to the Mathare Valley slum each day to be a part of the ministry going on. Mathare Valley is a one square mile slum outside of Nairobi with approximately 800,000 residents living there. The main focus of our ministry is to show God’s love through Community Health Evangelism (CHE). CHE is a holistic program that seeks to transform individual’s lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The ministry there involves vocational training, microenterprise, healthcare, education, evangelism, and partnership with local churches to reach the people of Mathare Valley. My team and I will go into the slums each day making home visits, visiting schools and working with children, providing HIV/AIDS education, praying with and discipling families, and ultimately sharing the love of Christ to those who do not know Him. I believe that the ministry I am a part of in Nairobi will bring me one step closer to seeing where God has called me long-term.

Let me know if you have any questions. If you would like to purchase one or more bracelets email me your order at telltheworldthatjesuslives@hotmail.com. Be sure to indicate how many you want and the color. 

In Christ, 
Brandi :)

Contact Info:
telltheworldthatjesuslives@hotmail.com
www.facebook.com/telltheworldthatjesuslives
www.telltheworldthatjesuslives.blogspot.com
www.telltheworldthatjesuslives.tumblr.com

God is CRAZY! :)

Hey friends!


I know it has been a really long time since I have posted. I just wanted to give you some encouragement. My life in the past two months can be summed up with this- God is Crazy! Seriously, He is so good to me. When I fail, He picks me up. When I don't know where I'll be living, He provides. When I need support, He provides me with partners. When I need encouragement, He provides me with friends. When I need motivation, He provides me His words. When I need more money, He provides me with a second job. 


OUR GOD IS CRAZY!


I cannot even begin to explain to you how blessed I am. You are extremely blessed too! You are God's child. He loves you unconditionally. He hears your every word. He sees your every move. He forgives you for everything. He guides your path. He provides for your every need. He heals you. He saved you. 


God is crazy! I don't think I could count how many times I have said that in the past two months. Here's a little look at what God has done for me in the past two months...

• Provided a home for me next year with 6 other girls at Christian Campus House's NEW Girls House
• Provided over $700 in funds in under three weeks of support raising
• Provided me with growth towards Christ through biweekly meetings with my campus minister
• Provided me with time through a facebook fast
• Provided me with love, support, and encouragement from people all over the US through my Tumblr account and in person
• Provided me with the opportunity to share my testimony at the annual CCH Banquet in front of over 200 people
• Provided me with several opportunities to share my heart and vision for my internship in Kenya
• Provided me with a network of over 200 people that are praying for me
• Provided me with the ability to reach out to others on campus
• Provided me with a job in the cafeteria; where I can serve the students on campus and serve my coworkers
• Provided me with this job in hopes of being able to minister to my coworkers
• Provided me encouragement for what God is going to do on my missions trip to Acuna, Mexico March 5-March 11

GOD IS CRAZY! Isn't He? :)

I pray you will be blessed and encouraged by this post!

In Christ,
Brandi :)

$5,672

$5,672 is the amount of money I have to raise in order to go on a trip to Kenya this summer for 8 weeks. Below is a letter I have wrote about the trip. If you would like to receive a personalized letter and more information, please comment or send me a message. I would LOVE to send you more information! Thanks for reading!

February 8, 2011

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am overjoyed with excitement and passionately grateful for an opportunity that has been made available to me. As you may know, I found Jesus my freshman year of college and He now continues to put me in situations where I am able to share with others what He is doing in my life. I’m certain that God has called me to be a full-time missionary after I graduate this December, so in order to pursue this calling, I have an opportunity to share the love of Jesus Christ this summer. From June 2-August 6, I will be serving in Nairobi, Kenya as an intern with Christian Missionary Fellowship International (CMF) reaching out to the urban poor.

While in Kenya I will be working alongside the team of CMF missionaries and Kenyan nationals currently serving there. We will be traveling to the Mathare Valley slum each day to be a part of the ministry going on. Mathare Valley is a one square mile slum outside of Nairobi with approximately 800,000 residents living there. The main focus of our ministry is to show God’s love through Community Health Evangelism (CHE). CHE is a holistic program that seeks to transform individual’s lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  The ministry there involves vocational training, microenterprise, healthcare, education, evangelism, and partnership with local churches to reach the people of Mathare Valley. My team and I will go into the slums each day making home visits, visiting schools and working with children, providing HIV/AIDS education, praying with and discipling families, and ultimately sharing the love of Christ to those who do not know Him. I believe that the ministry I am a part of in Nairobi will bring me one step closer to seeing where God has called me long-term.

This internship would not be possible without the prayers and support of churches, family, and friends. I have been praying for this experience since I heard about CMF and their ministries overseas and I believe the best way you can support me is through joining me in prayer. Please pray for my team and myself, and that God would use us to do His Will while we are in Nairobi. Pray for our ministry to be fruitful and for us to have boldness to proclaim the Gospel. Also pray for the hearts of those we are going to be ministering to and for the people of Nairobi in general. In addition, I would like to ask you to prayerfully consider supporting this ministry financially. The total cost of the internship is $5,672 which includes airfare, housing, meals, transportation, insurance, and other ministry expenses. This amount seems like a lot, but I trust that God is faithful and that He will provide for all of my needs. For your convenience, you can support my ministry online by going to www.cmfi.org/REACH and clicking on the “Support Your Intern” icon. Under the section "Missionary/Project Name" please put "Brandi Wilcox." If you do not wish to make a donation online, but would like more information, please send me your address in a comment or message and I will send you a letter.

I am really excited to see what God is doing in Nairobi this summer and I hope you are too. If you have further questions about the work I will be doing this summer in Kenya or the ministry of CMF, I would love to talk with you! Please feel free to contact me. Thank you very much for your love and support and for considering partnering with CMF ministry in Nairobi.

In Christ,

Brandi Wilcox

“Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” Ephesians 6:19-20

If you would like to be added to my list of "prayer warriors" please let me know as well. Thank you for reading!

In Christ,

Brandi :)

Cardboard Testimonies

This video really touched my heart. To see where people have come from and to know that they have found hope in Christ. It has encouraged me to post my own "Cardboard Testimonies." 

In my past, I was lost, a sinner, and hated. BUT now...

Our God, is an awesome God! I don't know if words can explain these testimonies. I feel like most of the people who grew up not knowing the word "Jesus" have felt these same 6 words become a part of their lives. God is transforming me daily and showing me more of his saving grace, forgiveness, and love. Thank you Jesus for showing me all of these life changing things!

In Christ,

Brandi :)

God Answers

 There is no doubt in my mind that God is answering the prayers that are posted in the prayer room. I can feel the spirit of God moving on this campus. I know He is working in the lives of those that are seeking more from life and those that have committed their lives to Him. God is MOVING here! 

After blogging about faith last Friday, God showed up to increase my faith on Sunday. I went to church and knew that the Sunday before a girl had came from Trine to church, but I didn't know who she was. I had an elderly man approach me after church and asked me if I knew who she was and I was like I don't know who it could be. I talked to the pastor's wife, and she told me the girls name was Kate. My friend, Trent and I looked her up on facebook and I was pretty sure I had an idea of who she was, but I had never talked to her before. So, I added her to my friends and later that day she accepted my request. I talked to her about how she went to church the week before and told her that I normally go there, but didn't have a ride. I invited her to come to Tuesday Night Worship with Christian Campus House, and she said she would see if she could make it. I found out that two of her suite mates are a part of CCH and two of my friends. Tuesday night, Kate was there with one of her suite mates! Praise God! It was really awesome how my invitation of her to come to CCH opened up her heart to go. I talked to her on facebook last night and she said she was really glad that she went! God is already at work on her heart and I know He has big things in store for Kate. We will be having a "dinner date" next Tuesday and go to worship together! I love how God is using the people that love Him to further His Kingdom.

Again this past Sunday, God showed up! I had a girl who I know very well text me and ask me if she could talk. We ended up chatting on facebook and she told me that she really wanted to get right with God, and that she thought I could help get her plugged in with CCH. WHAT?!?! I talked to her about different opportunities she has within CCH to get involved and dig deeper with her relationship with Christ. She is not able to go to our Tuesday Night Worships, but she will be joining me in the next Bible Study that we have. Do you know why she contacted me? She contacted me because she knows that I live my life for Christ. I never really thought about how people look at me or what they think of me, but to realize that this girl approached me because she saw Jesus living in me. This just gives me so much encouragement. 

It's crazy to think about all the ways I alone have helped to impact this campus for Jesus (and that's not even my words, a friend pointed that out to me!). Could you imagine what this campus would be like if we all had the mindset of sharing the Gospel daily? Could you imagine what our friendships would be like if we intentionally sat by someone at a meal that we have never talked to before? Could you imagine if each of us put on "Jesus goggles" and saw the world as He does? Could you imagine an entire campus of over 2,000 students, staff, and faculty coming to know Jesus? 

At our Saturday prayer meetings we have had as many as 8 people praying and as few as 2 people. God has been answering our prayers for expansion of the body of Christ through the prayers of these 8 people. What if we had all 90 or so people in CCH coming to the prayer meetings? The above stories are merely two instances of how God has showed up through our prayers. A week after our very first "Prayers for Revival" meeting, we had our weekly "Friday Night Activity" which happened to be ice skating about 45 minutes away from campus. Normally, there will be 20 or so people that show up to CCH events, but God really blew us away with this event because 53 people showed up! That's more than double the normal! This past Friday there was a toboggan run event and there were over 30 people that showed up to that event too! This just goes to show that God is truly answering our Prayers for Revival here at Trine. God is so good, isn't He? :)

In Christ,

Brandi :)