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COUNTDOWN TO AFRICA!

So its 2:01 in the morning....and the official countdown is:
22 weeks, 5 days, 17 hours, 28 minutes and 58 seconds.

Seeing that makes me two things: 1) excited! 2) a little stressed!

But we all know that we are BLESSED, not stressed! So as preparations for Africa go into full swing I figured that the blog would need more than a monthly update, so get ready for lots of postings!

The most exciting news is that we have a YouTube channel and TWO NEW promo videos on there! Plans are well underway for tshirts to sell, fundraising events and items for donation! God is working so so so powerfully for this trip and I already know that He is going to come through! I am so thankful for all the ideas he has given me and the rest of the team for fundraising! I will post both of the videos on here, on my facebook, twitter...EVERYTHING!

Next exciting order of business is....PAYPAL! We are going to get a PayPal account so if you would like to donate but don't feel safe sending a check, you can donate through our blog!

Okay I think that's all the big news for now! Here's the link to our channel!
http://www.youtube.com/user/TexastoAfrica?feature=mhum#p/a/u/0/B2MG2njiKfo

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

Blessings,
Crissy

Ps....I'm updating this to say we have PayPal button!!

It's official...sortve.

Well first of all, I have to say that God is SOOOOOOOOOO good! I have been praying about going back to Africa because I know that it has to happen and that it's gonna be amazing when it happens. Last year in Uganda we worked with Whitney Hill, a beautiful 24 year old who is serving the Lord in all aspects of her life. She contacted me about maybe having her boyfriend's organization, The Tin Roof Society taking a trip next summer and having them lead it and such. All I could say was WOW, honestly because that's exactly what I needed to hear! I mean I'm only 20!! I can't plan an entire trip on my own, without any resources, so it was just GREAT!! I really wanted to go back to Nairobi and to a slum, well her boyfriend lived in a slum for 2.5 years and has been working with all these people for about 10 years. So it was just one of the coolest moments.

Long story long, Africa is like 95% on for next year, we don't have dates yet but I do know that it's happening and I am so excited. I encourage you to read my blogs from Africa to see if maybe that's where God is calling you this summer!! I truly love this place and these people and I think that you will too!

Have a blessed day,
Crissy

I miss Africa. I miss Shallom. I miss blogging?

In 2 days it will be 3 months since we returned from Africa. I STILL think/talk about it everyday! I didn't think that was possible. My mind can't stop thinking about the beautiful things I experienced there. My heart is so in that place and God knows it, so He definitely won't let me forget about it.

This will be a short blog, but if you happen to read this and you find yourself thinking, "What should I pray about?!" Pray that God provides a way for everyone that wants to go next year to be able to go, that He hand picks the perfect combination of people and that we will find the right church/ministry to go with. I know that this is supposed to happen but it is beyond my sphere of knowledge to know how to PLAN a mission trip, so I really need some serious prayer here! Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day.

With love,
Crissy

Well it's officially been a month.

I know that this is going to say that it's July 18th, but it's really July 17th! It just happens to be 1:49 in the morning. And let's be honest, I can't sleep.

We have been back from Africa for a month and my heart is still breaking in the same way it was a month ago. I absolutely cannot believe that I was able to experience that and that I was able to see some of God's most beautiful children. Well to say the least I have finally been inspired. Inspired to do something, to start something, to get off my butt if I'm being honest. Our time here on earth is short and I can't keep living for myself. Someone else deserves better. YOU deserve better, whoever you are. I'm not quite sure how it's going to work or what it entails, but I am ready to take on the challenge that my Father has instilled on me. I am 95% sure I will be back in Africa next year with my bestfriends in the entire world and I truly can't wait. I think about Shallom everyday, the beautiful singer that's in 6th grade that lives in the world's largest slum. Or Sanu, a little girl with no shoes in a village in Uganda who loves so deeply that you get lost in her smile. Or even Jane, the teacher from the slum who's 19, she can't wait to go to college and help the people from her slum.

But there is so much more than that too. What about our nation? What about OUR slums...our poverty ridden ghettos. What are we doing to help them? I can honestly and regretfully say...nothing. But this isn't a post of guilt or sadness but a post of conviction and passion. I truly am ready for this new season in my life!

I go back to A&M in a couple of weeks and I can't wait to do everything He has for me.

I'm not quite sure if anyone reads this anymore but if you did, Gracias.

Crissy

It's been 4 days since we left...

Can I be real with you guys? My heart has gone missing and the only place I think I'll be able to find it is back in Africa. I'm honestly devastated. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be, I truly have never experienced such overwhelming love before and I just want to be immersed in it again. I already know I am going back next year and have already been recruiting people to come with! Cough...Genna...Cough. This blog really doesn't do justice what we experienced there so PLEASE -- if any of you were moved by this, COME COME COME! That's the only thing I can say. I love Africa and my heart is definitely being called there and I want to do anything I can to help. I am going to spend a whole month there next summer and I am already freaking out. So donations, gifts or prayer would be appreciated even if it is a year away :)

Love you all and thank you for everyone's support during all of this!
Crissy

First day of the clinic!

Today was the first day of our two day medical clinic in the Wakisi Village!

We got to Wakisi property at about 9:30 am and they weren't set up yet so we had to wait for tents and supplies to be set up. Then everyone split up into groups, some to help the doctors write prescriptions, some to test for HIV, some to counsel and tell patients if they were positive for HIV or not, and some to hand out the prescriptions. And then me and another team member Beth, we entertained the children! It was long and hot but we loved it! We had to take some breaks but the kid's energy was wonderful! They LOVED follow the leader, duck duck goose and singing songs! They really enjoyed reading Beth's pop up books and some of the little girls could read in English! It was such a sweet time with them. The whole day took a lot out of all of us but it was good to be there and help people who might not get medicine any other way.

The part that impacted alot of us the most was passing out medicine and counseling patients who are positive for HIV/AIDS. There was at least 10 there today...and I honestly had to hold back the tears. They are so joyful and wonderful to recieve the medicine and see us...but there was a 14 year old girl who tested positive. My heart literally broke for these people. But I know that she is a daughter of the King and He has her in his arms, and that's what got us through today. We have one more day tomorrow and will have to come with full energy!

Any of you GCC people...well Kid's Church from back in the day people, to entertain the kids we sang "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" with Pastor Scott motions..thought you guys would enjoy that :) haha

SO MUCH LOVE!
Crissy & Melissa (In spirit..shes in the room)

Uganda! We're here and have so much to tell!

Just an update, it will be me (Crissy) writing again. We are having a medical clinic the next 2 days and Melissa is counting out doses of pills for the clinicians to use.

First of all, sorry it has been 4 days since we've updated! We have traveled alot and have SOOOOOOOOO much to tell everyone but I will try to be compact? Haha...we shall see how this goes.

The day after we blogged we traveled about 4 hours to a safari called Sweetwater. We ate lunch in this beautiful encampment, they lunch we had there was AMAZING. We all felt too blessed to deserve such a meal. We arrived there at 2 and started our safari at around 3. I wish amazing, wonderful, ridiculous, or even beautiful could capture the majesty that we experienced out there on the safari. But none of those words even come close...we saw gazelles, impalas, water buffalo, elephants (that were literally 5 feet away..it scared our driver), giraffes, chimps, rhinos, zebras, antelope, warthogs and guinea fowls...probably more but I can't remember. Haha. Also, we saw the amazingness that is Mount Kenya....God's creation is something I could marvel at for days...It really shows us how much he loves us to create something like that for us to look at. We then returned from the safari and ate dinner and decided to head to bed. The only thing that most of us mentioned, was that we really couldnt sleep because there was probably baboons on our porch...Yes, baboons. We stayed in "tents" but they had tile floors so it was very nice, the only stressful thing was that it was just kept closed by a zipper. So I kept waking up in the night staring at the zipper waiting for it to be opened by a baboon...Haha, never happened though.

The next day we woke up at 6:30 am and left for Nairobi at about 7 am and rushed and when I say rushed...I mean rushed to the Nairobi Airport to make our 12:55 plane to Uganda and we did! Barely, but we made it to Entebbe, Uganda in about an hour and then to Jinja in about 3 1/2 hours! We checked into our hotel and had dinner because we had a full day for Saturday.

Saturday we woke up, had breakfast and went straight to the prison. Alot of us were scared at first to go into a prison, especially in a 3rd world country..but as one of our team members reminded us "Perfect love casts out all fear". Words could have never been truer, once we got inside the prison and the door locked and closed right behind us and I honestly felt so safe, weird right? As we were walking in we actually heard the prisoners singing songs of praise to our Jesus...it's amazing to know that we serve the same God and he loves us just as much as he loves them and in the same way too...our God is just TOO GOOOOOD! We also had two of our guys bring the word for the prisoners and two guys accepted Christ! One of them was actually a muslim who had caused a great deal of trouble lately, and now we will see him in Heaven! How beautiful. After the prison we drove to Njeru to meet the ladies who sew to support themselves and just see a local village. The kids there are absolutely wonderful and love to be held and touched constantly. We walked the grounds and these people literally live in...huts. They are very small but they are a very happy people! After that we drove to the property that the church im with (Metropolitan Baptist Church) owns, they are going to build a children's home there and a place for missionaries to stay in when they come visit. The property has the words "Elevare" lined out in flowers...meaning to Elevate, elevate people out of their circumstances into the kindgom of Christ. When I say God is with us everywhere we go and all the time, it rings so true and so abundantly. After that we went across the stress to do a crusade, sorry at this point were in Wakisi. It's a town outside of Jinja. But we started the crusade and I learned some new dance moves from some girls there! I got down and sweaty and it was great! They taught me and I taught them...I just love how universal dance is! We then came back to count pills for the clinic and PASS OUT! Literally.

Okay now to today! We all went to 3 different churches that our missionary Whitney Hill is directly involved with. I went to the church in Njeru, the village I mentioned earlier and anyone from Grace reading this...if you guys thought we were contemporary...YOU AINT SEEN NOTHIN YET! The people of this village were dance crazy! And I loved every single minute of it! They were certainly making a joyful noise and MOVEMENT to God! We then went back to the hotel for lunch and to talk to the other team members about their experiences at churches. From what I can get, dancing is a HUGE thing here in Uganda! I love it and I wish we did it more in church!! After counting some more pills, we went to Agnes' childrens home, Agnes is 68 and takes care of about 45 kids with the help of 2 volunteers...amazing right? They sang us about 5-7 songs and they were so beautiful!! Two little girls and a boy named Joshua really captured our hearts, we loved listening to their little voices and they were all very entertaining, especially Joshua. He was so extroverted, we decided he could be on america's got talent! Haha. They then sold us these beads that they make out of magazines! So whoever wants presents, I got them :) They are so pretty and I think out of all of us, we probably spent a good $200 at least and it really blessed the kids and caregivers! Now were back at the hotel...about to pass out once again.

God's spirit is so overwhelming here and it's all I can take to not cry about every 5minutes. I am so grateful to be here and I hope you all understand how mighty and wonderful our God is. He loves all of you so very much and the plan and will he has for you is truly uncontainable. Today as you have a wonderful afternoon in your beautiful houses with wonderful friends...I want you to think about the Ugandan people who live in grass huts and have dirt floors in church and are constantly praising our Jesus just because He is GOOD! Not because their lives are easy or because they have money...just because Christ is their Savior and they are thankful...really makes me contemplate my decisions. Don't feel guilty about the life you live, that's not how I mean...but just really look and examine how blessed you were to be born in America with what you have.

Love you all and sorry for the NOVEL! Fo reals.
Crissy and Melissa

Last day in Nairobi...

Well as I try to encompass yesterday and today, I am brought to tears because talking about it makes me never want to leave...and we leave tomorrow for a safari and then Friday for Uganda. I am very excited for what God's going to do in Uganda, but what I have witnessed here in Kibera is beautiful and shocking all in one.

I'm going to start with yesterday. We started out the day by going to Kibera again, Kelsey is Sandy Baird's (he's with Manna worldwide) daughter in law, she planned a day camp for the kid's. So in the morning we worked with the grades 1-5 and in the afternoon we worked with 6-8. Crissy was team orange (which dominated) and Melissa was team yellow...they came in a close second. It was so fun to play with the kids, we did tried to play leap frog...and that was a disaster to say the LEAST! Haha each grade/team had about 50 kids so just try to picture the disaster. Then in the afternoon we did the same with the kids and Kelsey and Kyle's (her husband/Sandy's son) team did worship and a skit with the kids. In the afternoon, I talked to the teacher Jen again and she asked if we could see her house so we went to see her house with some of the guys from our team...and she had a somewhat bigger house than the others but still 6 people share a bed. The house itself had a downstairs and and upstairs with a "living room" and bedroom that the 6 people share. For Kibera it's big, but for us...it's still very small and made of metal which most of them are made of mud. So Jen's family is doing a little bit better than most. We also got to meet her brother, Abel and see his house. He has his own house to himself which also means he's doing good for himself. I mean good in the sense of Kibera...is well not the best but they don't know much different like we do but it still breaks my heart. Abel has a job sometimes and so he can afford the rent on his apartment.

After we left Kibera, we went to Langota High School, the one we mentioned on the post before! This time we went at 5 pm, to tutor the 30 ish students that are from Kibera that are being sponsored. I got a Form 2 (sophomore) student named Mercy. She was studying biology, luckily I just took biology last semester and even though I didn't do so hot...I knew enough to help her and even some of the people tutoring freshman around us. It was a sweet time for us to bond and I really like talking to the older students because the younger ones are SO precious but you can really get some stories out of the older ones. Then we left and ate at an italian restaurant, I have been in Africa since Saturday and I have yet to eat african food...haha.

Okay now to today! Sorry for the long post but that's what I get for skipping a day! Today was probably one of my favorite days (I know I keep saying that...but sorry) Me and melissa really got a chance to talk to everyone because all the groups were split up. She already went to bed so today's blog will be mostly me (Crissy) If you couldnt already tell! Haha. So if she has some stories we will share them but mostly I will go through what I saw. Well to start the day we went to Kibera like usual, and we have to cross what we call a "river" what some call a "poop stream" haha but whatever you call it you need a bridge to cross it. And we've had a big piece of metal usually but this morning we had wooden sticks, Melissa went across second and pretty much squatted on the bridge, scaring the rest of us. So when I went I was PETRIFIED! Well I guess it was good to be scared because I got a foot full of "water". I wasn't alone though, a team member with us Beth also got a foot full so we decided that we are soul sisters. Haha...or poo sisters. This is Africa right? Go with the flow...literally. Then after that we met the kids again like usual, they never get less excited to see us, it's so awesome! Kelsey and Kyle's team decided that today they would be split into many groups, the nurses would teach them abstinence training, some people would do crafts and even some would do tutoring for the upcoming test to get into highschool. I used this time to "float" to classrooms, talking to teachers, or just help out wherever I can. I talked to Jen again, I think we're bestfriends at this point...she gave me her email and also gave me a necklace with a carving of a lion. It's a beautiful necklace and I am so honored to have something to remember her by. I will think about her everyday. I also got to talk to some of the 8th grade girls, we exchanged stories about American life versus Kibera/Kenya life. They are so interested in how we go to school, what we wear, what houses look like. I couldn't bring myself to say that we have nothing close to the slums of Kibera...but I tried to say that we have some areas that have run down apartments without sounding bad. Like I said, they dont know any better so I didn't want to hurt feelings. But they are so interested in American life and I am so interested in Kenyan life that we had alot to talk about. And then I asked them to teach me some dance moves, so they taught me some african dances! It was so fun...but then I had to teach them some of my "American" dance moves...thank God for Fade to Black even though I probably didnt represent as well as I should. Haha

Then after they went to class I went to help the Philippine team with their craft in the 2nd grade class and the 1st grade class was getting rowdy so I went to visit them. Well they had no teacher today so I tried...but like first graders in america...5 and 6 year olds aren't very up for doing what you say...but they can do "1, 2, 3, SHHH" Haha...It was an experience. I then talked to the 2nd grade teacher Ruth, I have never talked to someone so thankful! She was so thankful for Pastor Simon and Sandy Baird and our whole team. I loved getting to talk to her and learn all about her family. That is something I have really tried to do this trip, is get stories of people and their history and how they got to where they got. Lastly, I had to "teach" a dance to a group of girls that were learning about music. Brent is from a church in Austin and knew I danced so I did my best...once again I dont know if I did a good job but I tried! Haha. Derrick and anyone else from F2B...if you see the video, promise I know how to dance? Right. Haha.

Finally, as we were leaving the girl Shallom that I have talked to alot said "I will miss you alot.." when I told her I wouldn't come back tomorrow...and wouldnt stop hugging me. It was very sad but it felt good to know someone who barely knew me could love me like that! Those kids have love in a way that I could never express. It was so hard to leave them today but I know that I will be back to Kibera someday.

Thank you all for your prayers! It's hard to believe we're almost halfway over with this trip! We have safari tomorrow and I can't wait to see all the animals!

Peace, Love & Gig Em Aggies (only because we've had some SERIOUS opposition from the longhorns on this trip)

Crissy & Melissa

Day tres...its 9:25 and were already exhausted? Old women.

Hello my friends
Today it had its up and downs. When we first arrived, the children from the school immediately formed a line at least half a mile long from the entrance of Kibera to the school. It was so amazing to see the excitement of the kids to have visitors and wanted to shake our hands. They all introduced themselves to us and we even saw some of the girls we met yesterday (Shalom, Diana and Cynthia). They gave us big hugs and were very excited to see us again. We did see one girl though that we saw at church the day before, but she wasn't in a school uniform, so we asked her why she wasn't in school and she said "Because I don't have school fees". So she just stood outside the school and watched while we played with the kids. It was so sad...

We got a chance to go inside to all of the classrooms and say hello to the children! The school started in 2000 with only about 40 kids and now in 2010 they have close to 500, AMEN! It was so cool to hear the stories of Pastor Simon and his life here in Kibera, along with the formation of the school. Another thing in Nairobi is that you have to pass a test in 8th grade to see if you get to go to highschool, and even then it costs so much money to go that most of the students arent able to attend. But we got to visit 2 high schools today, one in the slum of Kibera and one about 45 minutes (walking) away. The farthest one away is a VERY nice school, one of the best in Nairobi and there are about 30 students from Kibera that attend there, thanks to sponsorships. These students have now been given the opportunity to probably attend college. We walked into a classroom of junior physics boys and they were excited to see the girls, haha they all wanted our facebook and emails...so boys are the same on all continents? Yup. haha

We also got the chance to take a tour all over Kibera...and shocking is putting it lightly, the conditions that these people live in is ridiculous and makes my life seem so out of control. There will be a ten by ten "house" and 8-10 people will sleep and live there. Some of the people even run a little shop out of there home to make money, dirt floors, dirt walls, they literally have close to nothing. Only half the people in Kibera have jobs, and it's not like they can earn alot. I asked Jen, the teacher we met yesterday, what they do and she said "guards and people helpers"..pretty much servants. It kills me to see that some kids literally have barely a chance of getting out of there, everything costs money and there parents have close to nothing, and the little they do have they need to pay rent and buy food for the family. School is a luxury here...something people would love to be able to have, in the US, its totally the opposite, if only kids in the US understood what it meant like to not take an education for granted. Makes you think...

God definitely is doing alot of work there and the children are very thankful. And when Jesus said look to the least of these and look at the little children to find Him, well He wasn't lying lol to say the least. It was a long and wonderful day and tomorrow we'll get to play games with them and we can't wait!

holla fo a dolla!
Melissa && Crissy

Day 2...done!

Today was our first full day in Kibera, which is the slum of Nairboi. Pretty much Nairobi has about 4 million people, 2 million which live in the slums, and 1.6 million of those in the slum we were in today, Kibera. We went to church there today from about 10:30- 1 pm. We had the chance to opportunity to talk to a lot of the little kids and especially two young girls, Jen and Faith. They are both 19 which is Melissa's and 1 year younger than Crissy. It was really cool for us to be able to talk to them about their lives and what they do. They grew up in the slums but they wouldn't have been able to go to highschool if they hadn't of been sponsored, here it costs $250 a year to go to highschool, which sounds like nothing to us but here they are lucky if the parents make $50 a month, if they even have a job. But these girls were sponsored by people in the US to go to highschool and actually finish, so now they are teachers in the slums in which they grew up. They hope to go to university and help educate their people about getting educations of their own.

It was a very humbling experience today, because I(Crissy) have been on 4 mission trips and on all of them I have seen poverty and experienced villages, but nothing on the scale that we experienced today. We are traveling with a group from the Phillipines (HOW COOL...we send missionaries there and now they are sending them!) But the missionaries from there have been there for 10 years and they have seen those slums, but they have never seen as many as we saw today. It was also extremely heartbreaking, me and melissa had to carry tissues because of all the times we almost broke down crying. These beautiful children and beautiful love Jesus, and love people! Those commercials that you see on TV about the sad, desperate children...not at all! Yes these kids desperately need shoes, clothes and education BUT they are so happy and love everyone they encounter.

We also got a chance to meet some young girls and boys that we well...LOVE. Haha We are probably getting too attached but if you saw their faces, you would understand. Our "favorites" haha would be shalom, diana, cynthia, naomi, elizabeth, dina, bryer (genna if you read this...haha) and many more. They would hold our hands and talk to us like we were best friends already! We promised diana a soccer ball tomorrow and oh my goodness was she excited!

At the end of the day we got to do a ground breaking service for the church that the Met Church is building for the people because they have outgrown their own..WHOOP! God is good!

Lastly, we went to a market and I dont know if any of you have been to Chinatown in Manhattan...but its about 10 times worse and crazier than that! Haha melissa proved to be a an all-star at bargaining...Crissy? Not so much. haha Good thing she brought a good amount of spending money!

Then we went to dinner and came back to where we are staying and got a chance to talk to the pastor of that church Simon Kibaki, what a wonderful man. He has the most amazing story and he is so blessed about everything that is given to him. Multiple times while listening to him talk I (crissy) almost cried just because if you really think about the extreme poverty of this 3rd world country..its heartbreaking and you want to do something to help change it so desperately. But the little we are helping seems to make a huge difference and with the help of Sandy Baird and Manna Worldwide and the Met Church Houston, God is doing big things and it is so cool to have a small part!

MUCH LOVE!

Crissy && Melissa

ps...its 8:33 pm here in Nairobi, I hope you all are having a wonderful sunday afternoon, and to those who graduated from high school this weekend, CONGRATS!!!

We made it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So it's currently 12:27 pm here in Nairobi, Kenya which means its like 4:30 in the afternoon in the states? I believe thats right! Well after a 9 hour flight to London...a 2 hour layover, then a 9 hour flight to Nairobi, customs and getting our visas, WE MADE IT TO NAROBI, KENYA!! We are so excited that we should probably be getting into bed but the combination of jetlag and adrenaline is making that a little difficult...but since I'm on here I might as well tell you all about our journey!

From Houston -> UK
Well...this flight was a little stressful. Haha there was a precious baby who was making use of its lung capacity and it was cramped but we got 2 meals, WHOOP!
Once we finally arrived in the UK we decided to grub and the London-Heathrow airport is HUGEEEEEEEE, so we had to go ALL over the place to find our gate. The british accents? You guys would have LOVED them, I had to control myself to not talk in them the entire way there!!

From UK-> Kenya
This trip is a little hazy for me because I slept the ENTIRE way...and watched a combination of toy story, valentines day and dear john. haha we also got some grub on that one too! gotta love international flights!!

The only major major major bummer is that my phone has decided to stop working! GAH! So once I return I will have to get everyone's numbers from them again and this blog will be my only form of contact! Well tomorrow we're going to church and watching a ground breaking ceremony (a new church is getting built) and then going to the market to do some shopping! You know me and Melissa cant wait for that!

Peace & Blessings!
Crissy



So after 24 hours of travelling total my body is screaming at me for not being in bed, but as Crissy said the adrenaline and excitement of what is to come tomorrow is just too much. Flying not one but two 10 hour flights is just a little nerve racking I must admit, and being in three different continents in a days time is a little nuts. The people we have met and already formed great relationships with in such a short time are such blessings, man oh man I cannot say enough how great this experience will be. Tomorrow will be one spectacular day as well. We will be going to church from 10 to 1, which I am sooo anxious for because I know it will be so incredible time of worship and I only wish it could be right now, and then after we will be going to the market where I'm positive I will buy so much handmade stuff. My heart feels like it is seriously about to pound right out of my chest I am so pumped for what is to come. The Lord will be working in wonderous ways the next two weeks and I am more than ready to see what he has in store for us.


With love,
Melissa

LESS THAN 24 HOURS!

Well the time has come ladies and gentlemen! We might post tomorrow but we will be busy so we wanted to make sure we had a post before we left!

First of all we would like to say thank you to all you amazing people out there who have supported for us, prayed for us, or even talked to us! We owe yall more than we could ever give or put into words! A special shout out to Rex Williams (Melissa's dad) because he has done SOOOOOOOOOO much for this trip and really relies on God for everything, what a blessing he has been to both and especially me because he's not even my dad!

God has been so faithful and wonderful during the preparation for this trip and we are so excited to get to be his hands and feet during our trip to Kenya and Uganda. I (Crissy) could literally cry thinking about this and we both are ridiculously just dying to GET THERE ALREADY! We have about 20 hours of travel a head of us but we are so ready and will probably just be in intense prayer (or sleep) during our flight and traveling!

Well we are going to try and sleep and Melissa needs to finish packing...haha. Love you ALL SOOOOOOO MUCH! Please pray about us whenever you think of us because we will need it!

Blessings,
Crissy && Melissa

"The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song."
Psalm 28:7

29 hours....or something close to that. haha

BUT REALLY ITS TOMORRROW!!!!!! Tomorrow God sets us going on this beautiful journey that He has laid out for us! I am so thankful to be apart of this and my heart is just about to burst with excitement! Currently I am in my apartment by myself with a huge thunderstorm outside...and I am too scared/too excited to sleep! So I thought to myself I will blog! I've read my Bible but don't worry I'll do more of that because God always seems to know just how to calm my soul...Okay back to Africa! We are going to be seeing and doing big things and AS MUCH prayer as you can possibly think of to do, please do it! I bought a whole bunch of stuff today for the trip and I kind of freaked out in wal-mart haha It just hit me that this is really happening! God has been so faithful and so good to us, even in my quiet times He has been speakng specifically about this trip! I am going to be teaching a youth lesson on Job, I've never really taught to youth before, much less youth in another country! I probably should be scared but I am mostly just excited! Me and melissa have been pretty much talking non-stop and I'll be heading over to her house today and I cannot wait! Well, I should probably pack now...haha yeah that sounds like a plan! Goodnight sweet friends and keep a look out for our last blog before we LEAVE! But dont worry we will also be updating as much as we can!

Blessings!
Crissy

"Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don't depend on your own understanding."
Proverbs 3:5

2 DAYS til Nairobi and Jinja

2 days and we'll be half way across the world in a completely foreign place with so many unfamiliar places. I have never been more excited. In my life thus far, this is by far the biggest encounter with the Lord I have faced and He has prepared me for all the work in store. I had the opportunity Monday to meet an African missionary, Pastor Zechariah, who only fired up my heart for this trip even more. As I shop for supplies, I imagine the smiles, the tears, the shared moments of joy that are to come. I was just telling Crissy how I feel like this is still just a dream I've joked about since sophomore year in high school, how this cannot truly be happening. But it is, and I can only blush at such compassion shown by my Lord. As much as I contemplate what lies ahead, the more I realize how foolish I am, that I will never know what God has for me in my future and what He has planned for me with the gentlest of hands. My excitement for this trip is becoming overwhelming, most likely annoying to those who have to listen to me babble on a daily basis, mentioning Africa at least three times in a conversation. Crissy gets to Houston tonight and I know that the anxious unrest of what seems unreal will suddenly seem very real and just in my grasps. I keep going over my check list to make sure I haven't missed anything, but of course after a hundred or so there is nothing gone unnoticed.
Will all the funds we have received from so many incredible and gracious people, there is still so much Crissy and I wish we could provide. Here is a list of something that may be laying around the house, things that you maybe have had forever and not ever used. If you feel so inclined, we would be so thankful and blessed to take to Africa and distribute to the natives that we will be fellowshipping with. Just contact me and I am more than willing than to meet up with you to get anything you may have, and thank you so much for all of you guy's support, it is such a blessing that I never could thank you enough for.

Soccer balls
Books (Bibles, Christian books, kid's stories, etc.)
Tooth brushes and toothpaste
Baseball caps
Baby blankets, shirts, socks, dolls, etc.
Scarves and bandanas for women
Writing pens
Men's dress shirts and ties
Reader glasses
and cash is always greatly appreciated

Thank you all again for all of your great support and response to Crissy and I's preparation. We feel so loved and encouraged and cannot wait to go to Africa!

With love,
Melissa

"Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you." Jeremiah 10:7

4 DAYS!!!

Four days. Cuatro days. 4 days. LITERALLY FOUR DAYS UNTIL WE EMBARK ON THE MOST AMAZING TRIP OF OUR LIFE.

I really dont have too much to say because I am so excited for what God has in store!

I have been in Fort Worth since last monday and I have spent everyday with my bestfriends, God has really moved my heart and prepared it for what's going to happen! I was very stressed about everything that was going to happen but it has all worked out and we serve such a majestic and faithful God! Really I am just super excited and I just wanted yall to know my heart and know how much me and melissa are both ready and pumped for what God's gonna do! I love each and every one of you and we will be updating this blog everyday of the trip! Thank you all so much for the support!

Love,
Crissy

17 days.

Well I am so sorry we have not kept up with this blog as well as we should have or that I have not posted as recently as Melissa has!

I'm listening to God right now and all He is telling me is to be real...or maybe even raw is a better word. This semester was by far the MOST intense semester that I have ever survived..I say survived because that's exactly what I did. In no ways am I boasting about anything I did because everything I did was because of Christ, in my opinion I almost feel like a failure..which is okay because that's when we're at our best to be used...when we're at our worst. So I'm gonna be honest, I haven't sought the Lord in all my decisions, I haven't served Him in every single moment but I am coming to terms with myself that He is and always has been the Lord of my life and it is not my job to serve anyone or anything but Him. It's weird how we have to fall PRETTY HARD to realize just who needs to catch us. Anyways...Africa is 17 days away and I honestly have no idea if I'm ready but I know that I will be spending the next 17 days so immersed with my Jesus that I can't think about anything else...I need to apologize to Christ for not being as diligent as I should have, and I guess you all get to see that too.

Now to the good and stressful news. God has blessed me with the most amazing friend in the entire world, and that would be Melissa Williams. What her dad has done for me I truly cannot put into words how grateful I am, but recently my mom decided to resign from her job because she felt the need to join with my Dad in his company so the financial responsibility I committed to is a little bit stressful. If anyone reading this knows me(or doesn't know me) or just feels the need, any donation would be wonderful.

Finally, I am so thankful that God loves me enough to cradle me in my time of distress and take care of me even when I don't give Him all the love He deserves. I'm honestly in tears right now because I'm just immersed in His grace. I'm so blessed that He is letting me serve Him in Africa and I can't wait to see what He has for not only these 2 weeks but the rest of my summer.

Sorry for the novel! Haha


A sinner saved by grace,

Crissy

1 month and 9 days

For donations THIS really is the need-to-know! So sorry for all the confusion!

Make checks out to The Met Africa Mission Trip Melissa Williams
or if it for Crissy then The Met Africa Mission Trip Christina Cano
The address to send all donations to is:
Melissa Williams
12034 Gardenglen Dr.
Houston, TX 77070

and once again you guys are such blessings!!!



So far this whole process has molded me more than I could ever imagine. The ways God has come into my life and shown me things I have never realized has been wonderful. Preparing for finals and the closing of my first year at Texas A&M has not been going as smoothly as I thought, with unexpected hitches in my plan every time I blink which has only made me grow further from them all. And what is so great is that through the unexpected things that have come my way, I have realized how great the people around me and those who care about me truly are, and how amazing God is for allowing them to be a part of my life. We are so thankful for everyone that has been so supportive and encouraging in our preparation, and really we cannot say it enough!

Love,
Melissa

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:10

1 month and 20 days

So now that I have a day to breath after being so busy, I thought I would actually give the details of this amazing opportunity Crissy and I have been given!

First of all, as Crissy said, we met through the sorority we joined in the fall semester and ever since have just clicked. I have never in my life met someone I can so openly talk to about my faith and journey to come to know Christ and am so thankful for not only meeting her but developing an amazing friendship with her this past year. I have been dreaming of this chance to travel to Africa since junior year of high school and I cannot think of a better person to go with or a better team to be a part!

Our trip begins Friday June 4th and we will be returning to the great state of Texas on the 17th. Two whole weeks to truly serve and live for the glory of His name, I cannot think of anything better! We will be flying into Nairobi, Kenya and will be stationed there until the following Friday, then will be traveling to Jinja, Uganda! While we are there we will be serving in a variety of ways from working in children's day camps to humanitarian services and even building projects. While in Jinja, all of our activities will be centered on the bordering village of Wakisi, serving the people by throwing an equivalent to a block party and working with the children who live there as well as the women.

All of this is still surreal to me even as I type this. We cannot thank the Metropolitan Baptist Church enough for this incredible opportunity and are astounded by the plans in store for us that only He could have made. I believe in the last two weeks I have mentioned my trip Africa in one way or another in every conversation I have had and it still feels like such a dream I could only assemble in my imagination, but it's actually happening! Every time Crissy and I talk we are overcome with such a joyfulness that only God could provide, and excitement for what He has in store for us as we humbly serve Him with all that we have. Our lives will be radically changed by this trip as we encounter things one cannot possible prepare themselves for, and we could not be more ecstatic. The words of encouragement that I have been receiving has been incredible and the interest donating unbelievable! Thank you for all of your support and blessings, you all are so amazing!

With love,

Melissa

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of thinks not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Address for those interested

Hey guys!

This is Melissa and I have been getting interest in donations which we are SO thankful for! I will be able to post my actual info and leading to this later, but for now here is the address :)
Thank you to everyone once again y'all are absolute blessings!

Melissa Williams
12034 Gardenglen Dr.
Houston, Tx 77070

God Bless and Gig 'Em!

Melissa

Day 1. 1 Month and 29 days.

Hello sweet friends! I'm sure you're wondering what this blog is about. Well my name is Crissy Cano and the other person who will be writing on this blog is Melissa Williams. God has called us to serve him in Africa this summer and we will be using this blog as an outlet for updates, donation requests or just to talk about what God's doing in preparation for this trip.

Here is a little background on how this happened. Well back in August me and Melissa pledged a christian sorority here at A&M called Sigma Phi Lambda (Phi Lamb from now on). And in Phi Lamb we have to do these things called "sigs". Pretty much one-on-ones with 12 pledges and 12 actives just to help you get to know girls in the sorority. Well me and Melissa's was at good ole Taco C and ended up being like 2 hours long? Haha. Come to find out Jesus had been planning this meeting for a while, our beliefs aligned perfectly. Christ was definitely ordaining this friendship. From then on, we saw each other/ hung out pretty regularly, we were in the same Small Group for our pledge class and also did Songfest together...haha. This semester we have been going to this thing called Breakaway here at A&M, it's a HUGE bible study that about 7,000 aggies attend every week to worship God and here his word. Me and Melissa and a group of our friends try to always go together. Well a week ago (literally a week ago today), me and Melissa were on our way and she starts telling me about how she's going to Africa this summer and of course my first thought is...I'm jealous. Haha. Then she proceeds to tell me that she is supposed to bring someone with her and her dad wants to bless up by helping us with the trip and all this stuff. Then the obvious question, oh well who are you taking? "Well...I've been praying alot and I was wondering if that was something you'd be interested in?" She tells me and I TRY not to jump out of the car before shouting YES!!!!!! haha. That night I literally couldn't sleep I was so excited and God had really put on my heart to serve Him all summer and I definitely think this is part of what He has for me and Melissa to serve together. So that brings us to now. Each of us still have about $1500 left to raise for the trip and for shots (OUCH!) but we will be having lots of profit shares here in college station at ALL of your favorite places, spoons - muldoons - fuddruckers - things like that! So if you are broke like many of us, we would just appreciate your prayers...actually we would like prayers more than anything! Thank you for reading the novel I just wrote and thank you for supporting us, Love you all!

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Blessings,
Crissy