I Need You!!

I need you to partner with me. 
I have this amazing opportunity to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus in 11 different countries over the course of 11 months with The World Race.
I need your prayers.
I need your encouragement.
I need your support.
My blog, http://brandiwilcox.theworldrace.org/ has more information about me, The World Race, and what I will be a part of. Check it out!
The cost of this missions trip is $15,150, which sounds like a lot, but a donation as small as $20 can go a long way. Would you partner with me in ministry to go on The World Race? 
Stop what you are doing right now and pray. (I know you really don’t want to stop and pray, I mean I normally don’t do it when people tell me to, but literally stop what you are doing and pray for God to lead you in knowing how you can support me.) If he has led you to support me financially go here https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=worldrace&desc=For%20Brandi%20Wilcox&tuid=10233314.
May the God of this Universe that we know, love, and serve bless you for your financial contribution.
I NEED YOU!

Your Sister In Christ,
Brandi :)

USA

Yesterday, I flew into Chicago O'Hare airport three hours later than expected due to a delay in London. All 19 of us interns missed our connecting flight to Indianapolis so we stayed the night at the Hilton.

What better way to have reverse culture shock than to stay in a luxurious hotel for free? (A hotel that cost over $250 to stay in for one night!!!)

While in London I was very frustrated and upset at the culture. I saw no less than 50 people with an iPad, Kindle, or MacBook. For the last two months I have been in a culture where people can go days without eating, yet there are people in other parts of the world who have so much money they don't know what to do with it.

I'm not going to say I thought it was okay that they have these luxuries. It breaks my heart to know people that struggle every day. It breaks my heart to realize that the poor look so different to me now. It breaks my heart that I'm sometimes careless with my money spending it on items I do not need.

Life in America is different than life in Kenya. The cost of everything is much higher. I had McDonalds for breakfast at the airport and it was $5.00 which is the equivalent to about half of a months rent in Mathare. In Nairobi, I could eat breakfast food for about $2.00 or less. For me, it's crazy to think about the differences in cost of living between the two countries.

There's nothing quite like reverse culture shock being thrown in you face right upon returning to America.

In Christ,
Brandi :)

Kwaheri Kenya

"Kwaheri Kenya" means "Goodbye Kenya."

Yesterday, I said goodbye to Kenya. I didn't want to leave, but I knew that God was bringing me back to America with a purpose.

I have many, many stories that I will be able to share with others about God's love and presence in Africa.

I will be able to show others how much I have grown through this intercultural experience.

I will be able to share about God's heart for the poor.

I will be able to share how each of us were created for Heaven and our home will never be here on earth.

I will have the ability to share with others to stop praying the prayer, "Lord let your will be done with my life in the next five years" and instead to proclaim this prayer, "Lord guide my every action in accordance with Your Spirit every moment of every day."

Honestly, none of this internship was about what I did in Kenya, but it was all about what God taught me and what He did in my heart.

My life this summer was an endless pursuit of Christ and His love for His people.

He taught me that no one person is better than any other through His eyes.

During each loan meeting I was able to search through the Bible and let the Holy Spirit lead me in sharing a word of encouragement.

God taught me that He loves people no matter where they live.

God taught me that the prayers I'm praying, with the amount of faith I have in Jesus, are able to move mountains in Kenya and America.

He is the Name above ALL Names.

Potentially the most important lesson is that I could use accounting with ministry.

I'm blessed to have had the chance to serve Jesus in Kenya.

I'm blessed to share these stories and Christ's love for His people with you.

Jesus loves you with an undeniable, immeasurable amount of love. Never, ever forget that.

In Christ,
Brandi :)

I Am Going to Miss...

It is officially my last Wednesday night in Kenya. I have several mixed emotions with the thought of returning to the US in one week.

I don't want to leave Kenya.

I am going to miss my coworkers.

I am going to miss that Kenyan culture is very touchy.

I am going to miss my teammates.

I am going to miss buying Pineapple Fanta (everyday) for 50 schillings, or less (about $0.50).

I am going to miss feeling like a celebrity wherever I go.

I am going to miss my loan groups.

I am going to miss my sponsor child, Faith.

I am going to miss samosas and chapati.

I am going to miss greeting everyone in the office twice a day.

I am going to miss having chai twice a day.

I am going to miss the children.

I am going to miss KENYA!

I'm not gonna lie and say I will miss everything about Kenya because some things I will be happy to not have to deal with. In the grand scheme of things, I really think I will miss Kenya more than not. 

The greatest part about all of this is that God is present with me. He is right next to me holding my hand and telling me "Everything will be okay, I have big plans for your future."

Do those plans have Kenya in the future? Honestly, I have no idea, but I know that God is going to lead me where He wants me. 

I'm so blessed to have had the opportunity to be in Kenya for such a long period of time. 

I'm so blessed by the love, support, and prayers from friends, family, and churches back in the states.

Be blessed my friends.

In Christ,
Brandi :)

Faith

For several months now, God has really been laying faith on my heart. I have realized that I can have or do nothing without the faith in Jesus Christ that I now have. I have a ring on my left ring finger that says "Matt. 17:20 FAITH."

Matthew 17:20 says He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

I have seen God move mountains to provide for and to cleanse others.

I have seen God answer specific prayer requests that I have prayed.

I have seen God's healing power touch my mom.

I have the faith in God that I need to see Him move mountains in my life and the lives of others around me.

Today, I found a different kind of faith.

Today, I met the child that I sponsor.

Today, I met God's precious child that He adores.

 
Her name is Faith. She goes to school at Mabatini and she is in Nursery 2 (preschool). She is very very shy. Her favorite color is red. She is an orphan. Her mom was a single parent, but her mom died when Faith was really young. She lives with her uncle.

She is God's beloved. He has her in His hands. He loves her more than I could ever love her. He knows every single detail about her heart and life.

Around 11 am today I was able to meet Faith. Here is a picture of us first meeting.

At first, she would not come close to me or look me in the eye. After a little bit of time she opened up and sat on my lap as I gave her a Bible, pencils, and some other items.

I could see joy in her face as she was receiving the gifts. Sarah, the social worker at Mabatini told me that the Bible I gave her would be her most treasured gift.

I was able to be with Faith most of the day.

I cannot explain the joy I felt while holding her in my arms.

I had tears of joy and pain flowing at the same time.

Joy for knowing that through her going to school she is able to get an education, eat two meals a day, and learn about Jesus.

Pain for her living situation. Pain for realizing she does not have a woman's lap to sit on. Pain for all of the emotional stress she goes through. Pain for the unknown about her moms death.

BUT there is hope for Faith. As a part of Missions of Hope International, she has a way to have hope for her future.

I believe there are no words to describe how amazing, yet heart breaking today was.

I will cherish this day and remember it forever.

Here are some photos from our day together.

I'm so blessed to have met Faith.

I'm so blessed to call her my child.

Now, I have another way my faith in Jesus Christ has changed me.

For $35 a month, you too could change a life. You could be the answer to a child's prayers. I want to encourage you to pray for God's direction in your heart. For Him to show you if you could be the person a child has been waiting for. Be in prayer for God's direction and I have faith that He will show you His will for you. :)

You may be thinking that $35 a month is a lot. You may be thinking that you can not sacrifice that amount of money, but I can guarantee you that your gift will impact eternity.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

In Matthew 6, Jesus shares that our treasure should not be on earthly things, but that it should be set on eternity.

Is there an eternal reward for the money you may treasure?

Is there an eternal reward for spending money precariously?

These questions and many others have been going through my mind for several months leading up to this internship. Through lots of prayers, God has shown me that this is His Will for me. I don't know where He will lead you in this decision, but I know that it is in His hands.

Please join me in praying for Faith. Pray for God to provide her Uncle with all he needs to support her. Pray for her love of God to grow daily. Pray for protection from evil within Mathare.

 

While I was meeting Faith today, my friend Kylie (another intern) met her sponsor child named Agnes. Here are some group photos we took.

Thank you for following my blog and reading about God's Will for me as I am here in Kenya.

Be blessed and have faith in our Lord.

In Christ,
Brandi :)

Kenya 2.0

"You look very smart" means "You look very pretty"

"Sawa sawa" is my most used Kiswahili phrase. It means "It is good."

I work from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm Monday through Friday.

It is winter in Kenya right now. Daily I get questioned if I am cold, but my response is always a "No."

Most of the people in Mathare have cell phones. They are all prepaid.

It is very important to use your mosquito net because without it you can end up with over 50 mosquito bites on one arm. & yes I have over 50 bites on my left arm. 

A smile can light up most peoples faces. I will walk and look at Kenyans and they will have a blank stare on their faces, but if I smile it will make them smile. It's a small way God has shown me joy.

God has been convicting me and teaching me so much about myself and those around me. So much that sometimes I can't even put it into words.

My will and my way are not in line with God's. Therefore, I must seek and trust Him to lead me in all that I do.

I wear sandals to Mathare every day. I walk on dirt roads covered with trash and who knows what else. 

I have lost 20 pounds over the course of four months.

I walk at least 2 miles every single day. On Wednesdays I walk at least 5 miles.

I love praying for the loan groups to see God's provision for all of their needs.

Fridays loan groups are the worst, but Wednesdays are the best.

I miss Taco Bell....a lot

I have witnessed the power of prayers for healing when God healed my teammate of Mono. If she would have had mono, then she would have had to return to the US. 

I was in a room with about 30 high school students yesterday. We shared about life, played games, and talked about the Bible. It was very encouraging.

Ultimately, God is good.

In Christ,
Brandi :)

Temporary Home

While sharing my testimony with my coworker, Opiyo, I felt God taught me another lesson. I shared a very short, condensed version of my testimony basically explaining my living situation and how I found Christ.

I explained to him that I don't have a permanent home in America. Currently my home is here in Kenya. Once I arrive to Indiana, I will have a home at the CCH Girls House. In December I will graduate and no longer know where my home will be.

It has been very apparent that God is trying to teach me a lesson with this.

In the grand scheme of life, none of this matters.

I was NOT made for earth.

I was NOT made to make my permanent home here.

I am not HOMELESS.

I was made for heaven.

I was made to meet my Savior.

I have Heaven on my mind and I'm looking at everything with an eternal perspective.

THIS place here on earth, wherever I am is not my home.

THIS is my temporary home.

I will never be fulfilled by a home for as long as I am here.

In Christ,

Brandi :)