about a month ago, i decided to drop ties and make this dream a reality. the circumstances surrounding that decision, ill save for another time. i dont want these to be too tiresome to read. suffice it to say that its been a long time coming and the roads were open this time around. i suppose not being in school and the lack of a job will do that- open roads for dreams.
since that decision, ive been in contact with a number of non profits and organizations in northern kenya/southern uganda, trying to make connections and figure out what the next four months will look like. each connection has been profitable and given me a better idea of what to expect, but ultimately, each one was accompanied by a catch. i have yet to find someone that lines up with my goals, theology, and desire for my time. though, there are a lot of amazing things happening through those same people that i am very excited to partner with.
ultimately, i am going to be working with and serving along side many of those people that i have been talking to, but not exclusively. i do not want to be confined to a certain location or organization. sitting here, a few thousand miles away, it doesnt make sense to me to plan out all my time and be held to that. i would much rather figure it out day by day while i am there, relying on God to bring the people and relationships into my life that will show me what i need to see. im excited for that. i want to rely on God and His people to shape my time there, rather than hiding in the safeguards of organizations and plans.
sorry, im getting longwinded again, and my intention was to keep this short. so here is what i know.
i am leaving Chicago on tuesday, the eighth. thats in five days. im connecting in amsterdam, and from there, straight to nairobe, kenya. its a long flight, and i wont reach kenya till evening the next day. thats a little baffling in itself. my friend, tyler sjostrom, will be meeting me at the airport. he has been in kenya and uganda for the last few months overseeing a building project with a non profit that he and some friends started- venture corps. i will be writing a lot about them in the posts to come- theyre my main contact down there.
tyler will be taking me to building site where we will be staying with a woman named irene. she is a kenyan who will be running the orphanage(the building project is an orphange). more on irene later. we will be staying with her while in kenya. tyler will be with me for a month after i arrive, showing me the ropes, introducing me to people, seeing God's creation.
after that point, it gets really hazy. i hope to spend some time in kampala, uganda. tyler will be flying out of that area, and we will most likely be there together for a few weeks. same deal, going on relationships. tyler has a lot of connections there, and im excited to meet them.
anyway, ill end it there. my hopes and dreams for this trip, all the might be plans, all the could be opportunities, would fill a book. so, what ive shared is what i know. or, what seems to be concrete at this point. im sure God will work as He will, and i just want to be open to that.
i will be flying home just before new years, and just in time for the most brutal part of winter. in case i forget, mom and dad, please bring me a coat! oh, and im up to date on inoculations, and im getting my visas when i get to the countries (i guess african nations are a lot more laid back with that then we are). thats it, thanks for reading, i really do appreciate it. ill be throwing up some prayer requests soon.
all my love
jon
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