Pics: Leaving Kenya; London/Spain Stopovers to Egypt

Final Days in Kenya...

Heading to London for 2 days,

Spain for a few hours, on my way to Egypt!

The last day in Nairobi was quite eventful. My mom (and dad) sent a care package for my upcoming birthday!!! Well, they sent it back in Aug to Nairobi, but i still hadn't gotten it, and it was 3 days before i was leaving... [Also, England miracle accomodation story below:]
after making some calls to verify that it really hadn't arrived at the right address, we (my friend Kelvin, an intern at the Nairobi chapel church where Cyrus is a pastor, and i) took the day to walk around Nairobi and find it! (by then it was the day before i was to leave!!) 


Praying the whole time, God, you know where this package is, and i really really really want to find it and have it in my hands when i fly out tomorrow... we went to one office, then had to walk across town to another, and there i prayed for someone to be kind to us, to help us out... 


i had called home, but we didn't have a tracking number, just an approx date when it was sent and approx weight... this really really nice lady, christine (that's my middle name!) took down our info, and got up, left her office and went off to try to find it in the records... totally beyond her call of duty. (the 1st lady we spoke to said she couldn't help us until we had a tracking code, which we didn't have, nor could we get in that time frame.) 


I prayed that God would BLESS her for helping me, and help her to find it quickly... everything was written manually, so she had to go back into books... i went up to find her and tell her more info i had just gotten from my mom, who was praying back in the States (and her student, Joshua, was also being a great help, trying to help estimate the weight of the package, based on what was in the box; it became his math exercise for the day!!! Thanks, Joshua!!) 


Anyway, as i walked up to her, she pointed into the book, and I saw, Ericka Smiley.... IT HAD BEEN FOUND!!!!! PRAISE GOD!!!!! I thanked Him out loud, and another lady went back to get the box; she found it!!!! I couldn't believe it. Our God, the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE! is AMAZING. that was SUCH a HUGE miracle. No tracking #, the day before the flight... 3 hours of searching... Thank YOU, God!!!

We had other great things happen that day, too, enough money left to buy souvineers, and then a locked church office, but a window was found to be open, so that i could perfectly reach in and get my 7 picture discs for my camera, so i could leave with them on the flight in the morning!!!! Amazing... all that was building up my confidence and trust in Him for what was to come...
Going to London, not having any contacts....
Before that, the last night, we had a going away party for me... it was so nice; goat meat and all!!! Thank you, dear Kenyan family. They are SO wonderful, SO hospitable.
The next morning, Winnie took me to the airport; such another huge blessing, and Kelvin came to see me off; so nice! I got on the plane and began trusting God for what He would open up in London... I had seen Him do some amazing things, but what would He do in London. 


As i got off the plane, not really meeting anyone who could help me, i thought, the worst would be if i had to stay the night in the airport and the next day, and maybe i can move my flight up... but i was praying for a NICE place to stay, and to easily get to and from the airport... for my flight to Egypt on Friday. 


In customs, the officer asked me where i was staying, i told him i didn't know. He told me that wasn't good, and he shouldn't let me in... but, go ahead an come in, but go downstairs and look up a hotel. Ok, thank you. I went downstairs, wondering what God would do... would there be an internet cafe here where i could write to some of my friends (my original plan had fallen thru before i flew, and i hadn't had time to make any new plans)... 


Down at the baggage claim, i saw a girl traveler who looked to be by herself, around my age... i went up to her and asked if she knew of any places to stay in London, Do you have a place to stay, she asked me. No, I said, I'm trusting that God will open something up for me. I smiled. 


She said, "you should stay with me!" what? i didn't know if i could trust her... but usually travelers are cool people... i walked up stairs w/ her, talking to her... she seemed really nice. She called her friend to ask if i could stay, a friend who was going to have a baby at any time!, and said, "this girl loves Jesus!" How did she know????? I didn't say Jesus... 


When she got off the phone she told me it would be fine, and that she was a Christian and so was the girl.... i asked her how she knew i loved Jesus, and she said, "Not many people would say, "i'm trusting God to open up a place for me." 


WHAT!?! God, you ARE amazing. It was like i had stepped up one step higher and you said i could jump and trust you... and i did... and YOU ARE AMAZING. 


We had such a fun time together; she was just coming off of 8 months of relief work w/ a christian relief organization in darfur (spelling?)... great stories of horrible stomach problems, and lots of adventure! We rode the underground together out to Kent, a beautiful GREEN part of England; reminded me of HOME!!! and I got to take a walk in the woods and see a beautiful rainbow and valley. 


Then they took me to the station on Friday, and I had another adventure of making it back to the Heathrow Airport, Terminal 2!!! Made it, and they put me on an earilier flight to Madrid, so i could more easily connect to my Cairo flight. God is SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO GOOD. Wow. And now i'm in Egypt, friends w/ a great girl i met in Kenya, because i was on a flight from Johannesburg 1 week "late".... later than i wanted, but God knew. We really really really can trust Him. Blessings!!!