Three words: Camping. Canoeing. Hiking.

September 15-21,2012

   
This semester I had the opportunity to choose to go on a wilderness trip for an elective and get three credits for it at school. Well after much going back and forth about it I decided I would do it. Funny thing is all through high school and beginning of college I promised that I would NEVER go on one of those trips….funny how these things happen!

So I just wanted to write a little bit about the trip and some lessons I learned from it. To start off I want to tell you that I have never really gone camping before, never canoed for long periods of time, and never really enjoyed hiking. So this trip is REALLY out of my comfort zone but I was up for the challenge right up until we actually got to the lake…but I will get to that in a bit. We had 6 people in our group: Wes Scott, Kellie Konzelman, Teresa Beachy, Melita, and Zac Bickel. What a crew!

Saturday and Sunday we were in sessions all day. They were so encouraging and uplifting and I knew exactly why God had me there. We were talking all about tensions and experiences we have gone through and how we need to process through them and really examine what we could/should learn from those experiences. Things that I have never truly dealt with in my life kept coming up and I knew that God wanted me to deal with them so that I could truly be a better leader, friend, daughter, sister, and so on. Well Satan definitely was tempting me and wanting me to be mad that I was there because I did not want to deal with those things.  So right from the start I knew this was going to be a stretching trip. We also slept in tents for those two nights and I thought I was going to DIE! It was freezing and when I work up Sunday morning there was ice on the ground and tent. I then began to get mad that I even went on the trip.

Monday: Well Monday morning rolled around and we had our first taste of what a morning in the wilderness was going to be like. We took down our tent packed them up in our HUGE HEAVY (50+ pound) bags! Ate a cup of oatmeal and hit the road. We got to Canoe Lake an 1 ½ later and as they were teaching us how to pick up the canoe we were standing in the lake and they began to tell us who are  canoe partners were and then they said “oh and Katlyn you are leading us today”…and I  was like “umm what does that mean” and they began to tell me that I had to tell them how to get to the campsite and be in charge for the whole day! I got sooo angry. I wanted to yell and say “ I have NO idea how to camp, canoe, hike or do any of this stuff..why are you picking me to be the leader?!”  but I instead I just did not say a word!  I was just so frustrated. So we began canoeing and come to find out I take us THE longest route. The positive side of that is we got to see a moose like right next to us! The first portage (carrying the canoe through the woods) I did I thought I was going to die. I had pain shooting from my neck to my toes. It was insane! A lot of times we would have to get out of the boat because the water was too shallow and walk and at one point…somehow a frog got inside the bottom of my pants, that was a freaky experience haha! After a long hard day we got to camp and ate a nice hot meal around the campfire. The stars were beautiful and we all slept like babies because of the pure exhaustion setting in from the day.

Tuesday: We get up Tuesday morning and it is raining. Well from the start I knew it was going to be a long day. Wes was in charge that day and wanted us to take the longer route for a challenge. (In my opinion the shortest route was always the best option)  We start off that day and my canoe partner was Melita (who is an absolute beast at the wilderness stuff)  We had a lot of down pours and white topped waves. One canoe tipped over as we tried to “shoot” the rapids. Which was hilarious at the moment but ten minutes later it began to storm even worse and at one point we  could hardly see the other canoes. As we were in the worst of the storm, when I could not feel any part of my body, my hands were purple, and my whole body was shivering and shaking,  the girl (Melita) who I was canoeing with turns around and yells to me, “Katlyn, We are like Peter and the disciples!!!!” haha I wanted to yell back but I could barely even think let alone speak. she was so excited! All of that to say we were out in the storm for about twelve hours. We got to camp and I could barely move. I was hurting and freezing! We, as in the boys, got a fire going and set up camp which Melita helped us A LOT and every few minutes the group leaders would tell us to not stop shivering…I wanted  to tell them that it was not the most encouraging thing ever seeing as I wasn’t controlling my shivering one bit. (Basically when or if your body stops shivering it means your body is shutting down) Well later that night we were told that we were in Ideal HYPOTHERMIA conditions!  So Kellie and I got smart and put our sleeping bags together so we had more body heat! Otherwise we would have froze.

Wednesday: Wednesday was our “solo day”. It was still really cold but it was at least semi sunny! I found a nice place on a rock overlooking the water and bundled up and just spent some quality time with just God, me, and nature! IT was a wonderful day and I enjoyed being able to think through and process through things I have NEVER processed through before. As I returned from day being a lone we were all suppose to start breaking wood and well to say the least there were quite a few mishaps! Here is a video to show you just one of the mishaps…(you can skip to 5:45 mark in the video!) 

 

Thursday: Thursday was our longest distance but our BEST day! We all really were “clicking” and just had a blast going around on the lakes. We did have a pretty bad storm in the beginning but we made it and even though it was our farthest distance, we made it in the shortest amount of time. Because we were getting stronger it was a little easier to carry the canoes and our packs were weighing less because the food was going fast!  We got to go to an awesome campsite with lots of rocks and we all were really excited. We had a great night just laughing and talking with our whole group.

Friday: Friday came and went so fast. We got up and got on our way. It was a sunny windy day. It was a great day to be out on the waters. We were out on the waters for about 3 hours and just really all enjoyed the time we had together. When we got to land it was like almost a relief since we had finally seen other people then just the six that were with is that week and it did not seem so much like the world had vanished.

Overall I learned so much about myself and really was just able to spend some time thinking, praying and learning more about God. It was an incredible experience and I am so glad that God gave me the opportunity to go on a trip like this. In all honesty I did not enjoy every part of it but I know that it was stretching and God used it in my life to help me grow and seek Him in everything I say and do.

Just a Few Stories :)

Well I have so many stories I really do not know where I would be able to start. After telling my family stories for hours and hours I realized how much I did while I was there and how much God taught me.  So here are just a few stories to start off and you probably will hear these stories again some time:)  Here is a video of the kids teaching me Swahili :)  

While we were there we did a few odds and end jobs. Such as cleaning "bathrooms", painting, milking cows, making meals, and most definitely play with the kids:). I want to tell you a little bit about cleaning the bathrooms. They have two main bathrooms for everyone to use and because these children and workers are so used to living in mud huts and on the streets they do not use toilet paper but instead their hand. This seems "gross" to us but it really is their culture and way of life. Karissa and I went into one of the bathrooms and cleaned it for 6 hours. It was well worth the hard work because when we were done it smelled like lavenders:) haha! It was definitely one job I never imagined doing in my life but we did and it was well worth it because it gave the workers a break and helped clean up the place a bit!! 

While we were there we did a few odds and end jobs. Such as cleaning "bathrooms", painting, milking cows, making meals, and most definitely play with the kids:). I want to tell you a little bit about cleaning the bathrooms. They have two main bathrooms for everyone to use and because these children and workers are so used to living in mud huts and on the streets they do not use toilet paper but instead their hand. This seems "gross" to us but it really is their culture and way of life. Karissa and I went into one of the bathrooms and cleaned it for 6 hours. It was well worth the hard work because when we were done it smelled like lavenders:) haha! It was definitely one job I never imagined doing in my life but we did and it was well worth it because it gave the workers a break and helped clean up the place a bit!! 

 I also got to milk a cow which was very different for me. I am not much of a farm girl but this was kind of fun in a way...lol I might as well get used to it especially if I move back there someday :)   

In the left picture is Francis. Mike had met Francis 4 years before who was wearing the same outfit the day we met him as he was when Mike first met him. Mike led Francis to the Lord 4 years earlier. As we were walking through the market Francis came up to us and said hello and began to tell us about how his family had no food and were starving. We bought him food and then had him walk us back to his home so that we could make sure that his family actually got food.  What we found was eye opening his home was in a small row of mud huts and all the people started gathering around wanting to take pictures of us because in Kenya if a white person walks into your village or home it’s a high honor.  We were able to come back later that day and tell Francis we had a job for him back at the orphanage. The people  wanted to take more pictures.  

This lady on the right was the mother of Francis. She kept telling me how her back hurt and it was hard to understand her because she spoke very little English but then she talked about how bad her feet hurt her and she was looking down at mine so I decided to let her try my shoes on. So she did and they were a perfect fit. She was so excited but then she took them off and was giving them back but I told her no no you keep them…and she started screaming and yelling saying “this is my first pair of shoes ever” and everyone was cheering  and she began to dance. It was amazing to think that something that seems so small to me to give away made such a huge deal to her. I was so honored that God was able to use me to spread Jesus’ love to this woman.

These are just a few stories. God did amazing things and was able to use me which I am so humbled by. The fact that God would use me is mind boggling. I am so thankful to those of you have kept up with my journey and I hope will continue to pray for me as I seek out God's will for my life. 

So full of life and happiness all
because of Jesus :) 

 "You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving." – Amy Carmichael

Blessed. (1st half of Kenya Trip)!

So as I am trying to get back into the swing of things I thought I would attempt to write a blog about our trip to Africa. I am thinking I am going to have to write a few different ones seeing as so much happened in 17 days!

Left to right: Mike , Me, Karissa, Vic

   Too start off I will talk about the 1^st week in Kenya. The team I traveled with was: Karissa Young (BBC friend), Mike Poe  and Vic Rader (Founders of Encouragement Children’s Center). We had a great team and all of us got a long very well and always 

had an awesome time. (see picture to right lol)  God definitely had His hand in this entire trip. Karissa and I met Mike in the Philadelphia airport. Which in and of itself was a  big risk meeting a man that we did not even know. However, God again took care of us and by the middle of the trip we were calling him our father and he was calling us his daughters. J Well we arrived in London and had a few hour layover waiting for Vic to arrive. Well come to find out his flight was late and he was going to miss the flight to Nairobi so Mike told us that we were just going to go ahead and get on the flight because we had people who were going to meet us in Nairobi that were from the orphanage. So we did just that got on the plane and arrived in Nairobi on May 18 at 9pm. Now let me tell you Nairobi is no walk in the park. It is kind of scary especially at night. We had to stop for gas and we got our first taste of men staring at us because we were muzungus (white people). We definitely felt kind of like celebrity because everyone waved and said Jambo (hello) to us everywhere we went. Well Vic arrived the next morning and we took off to head to Webuye. It was a long trip but really awesome because we got to see all different cities, towns, villages throughout Kenya. The trip was about 8 hours and not on what you call roads here but I would call them more like pathways. 

When we arrived at the orphanage the children came out in matching shirts singing to us “we welcome you” it was beautiful and so sweet:) It was a little overwhelming at first but we then got help carrying all of our things inside. It was so cute because the little kids grabbed my backpack and put it on! So we got settled in and then went out and all the children were singing so we went out and sang  with them…then they taught us some dance moves! (quite a funny sight)  Church was awesome. We worshiped the Lord for  4 hours and it was great! We were in a little building (tin roof, tin walls, tiny windows) with about 150 people  and it was quite warm! After the 1^st service we had a break and had about 3 offers of marriage from the men…haha! Long storryyy… lol 

My group of kids=)

Well Monday through Friday we did VBS and many other things during the days. Not an ordinary VBS. There were 47 kids and 2 Leaders. INSANITY=) We had no helpers because apparently the workers thought that they could use that time as a break which was totally fine because we enjoyed running the whole thing. Because the children spoke very little English it was hard for us to communicate. So we would have to do A LOT of hand motions (which if you know me and Karissa we already do that) and work on our pronunciations. Never used contractions there! So we would start off doing music which was always a blast! The kids LOVED to sing and dance.!! We then move into our groups with about 24 kids in each group and do story time…again interesting as they had a hard time understanding English. But I believe the Lord helped both of us to clearly present the stories. The kids responded and were so focused on what I was saying it was amazing. Unlike anything of done before. (which there are a lot  “I have never done this before” things on this trip). Well the last night (Friday) Karissa and I had brought glow sticks for the kids…well it turned out to be a GREAT success! We danced with the kids for over an hour just dancing and singing and loving on them. It was so cool see. Here is a link of a video clip of the glow sticks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q_U7xhmBS0&feature=youtu.be

We also spoke at three schools within  the 1^st  ten days. The first school was awesome. It was named the school of excellence in there area which was mainly for the discipline side of things. There students were so well behaved and we could tell getting a good education. However when you think of a school of excellence you think bathrooms, running water, electricity, nice desks, hard floor and so on. Well erase that picture from your mind. This school did not have any of those things. But yet they were so happy that they were getting an education that they did not even care what kind of buildings and classrooms they had. Well we got a very warm welcome from them. We were able to share our testimonies and a little bit about what America is like. (with a translator) Vic then had the whole school together and spoke to them =)  It was awesome.

Now the second school we went to was a little different Pastor Godfrey (manager of the orphanage and pastor of a church in the area) was the only one who went with us this time. Well there were 1800 students in this school!! It was crazyyy! We only spoke to 2 classrooms and same type of building as the 1^st but not very well disciplined. The kids were very rambunctious and wild. We then were told we could go and talk with some of the kids out in the school yard…well it turns out all 1800 kids were in the school yard…we got MAULED! These kids came at us like we were celebrity's. Pushing, shoving, kicking, and grabbing our hair. It was chaotic and we did not have anyone to help calm them down…it was quite the experience but definitely now I know what it feels like to be a celebrity.

The third school was probably the best school to speak too but also the scariest. The way we got there was riding a “bota bota” and they are kind of like motorcycles so that was fun! But the school was in the slums and even worse buildings then the other schools (which at this point I did not think possible). We spoke to almost 400 kids going from classroom to classroom. It was so scary because we could sense some type of evil or something there. We could not figure out why we felt this way but it was intense. Well as we were speaking I just felt so led to share the gospel more in depth then we had in the other schools and I know that God was speaking through me because the things that came out of my mouth I would have never thought I would be able to say so well in front of a group of people. The kids then began asking questions not just about America but about Jesus and God. It was an amazing experience. 

Well after we got done speaking one of the teachers introduced us to a little girl who lived in a small slum that was right by the school and the teacher wanted us to go with her. So we did, just me and Karissa. Well as we walked over the children that were standing by the house looked scared to death about something. The little girl took us into her home and we were looking at the room and all of sudden the little girl froze with fear and this man came from the back and was just very scary. He looked very drunk and possibly demon possessed. We had never experienced anything like this before so we just tried to be very kind and eventually after 5 or so minutes (felt like an eternity) we kindly said we were going to leave and he continued to stare and grunt. So we got of the house and felt very nervous but we wanted to walk the little girl back over to the school . Well of course then the storms came and so we were stuck at the school with Pastor Godfrey. We finally got a hold of someone to pick us up so that was nice. God protected us and it was an incredible experience I will not forget. 

Well this is only parts of the first week...I will write more later =) But for now remember you are blessed and do not forget that ever. 

 

                                                                      

                     Bwana asifiwe!!!! (Praise the Lord!!!)

This is Africa :)

Here in Webuye, Kenya. It's about 10:30pm and going with only 1 real shower of the 8 days we have been here. But let me tell you this has been the greatest trip of my entire life. Despite no running water (which means no showers) and up to now 50 mosiquito bites, it has still been the best trip ever. When those types of things happen we like to use the saying "TIA baby" (this is africa). I am completely in love with this place. I have had the opportunities to speak in 2 schools. One school had 380 kids-we went from classroom to classroom which was nice to speak to smaller groups at a time. (because my voice is almost completely gone.) The second school we got to speak at has 1800 students. It was insane. We only spoke to 2 classrooms but then got to the school yard and all the children were outside and wanted to shake our hands and touch our hair (they are very fascinated by white people hair.) Learning lots of Swahili. Got offered a teaching job at the 1st school..you never know I might be a teacher;) Whatever the Lord wants I will follow. We had a great night of "VBS"...dancing and singing..and introducing them to Glow sticks! They LOVED them. We have done so many things but this is just a VERY VERY VERY brief update because of the lack of internet it is difficult to give more updates. I will update more when I return. One thing I am realizing is that we take EVERYTHING for granted. We have SO much! But yet we complain. These people live in mud huts and have no food, no jobs,no shoes, no beds, one outfit, and the list goes on. So remember this today and remember that you are blessed and if the Lord brings to your mind the country of Kenya please pray for these people not because they are poor but because they are sick and also because they need the Lord. Please pray that I will be able to share the love of Jesus with these precious children who have stories I have ever only read about. Thank you for all your support!

I will update more later:)

Living in Light of eternity :)

Here we go again. The day before I leave for Kenya, Africa :) I am so excited to see what God is going to do. He has worked in my life leading up to this point in amazing ways. I never really understood when people would say that everything is part of God’s plan but now heading out into another world I can see that every little detail God had and still has in his hands. Everything I have done and learned up to this point in my life is going to allow me to do great things for the Lord. If it was not for God’s hand in my life I would not be in the place I am today. I am so thankful that God chose me to be His child and that I can serve Him to further the kingdom of God. I want to always be living in Light of Eternity. I will be traveling with a friend whose name is Karissa Young. I am so thankful that God brought her into my life and she has been a great friend to me and I am beyond excited to travel with her.  I am so thrilled to head out and allow God to use me in whatever way He wants. I have a few specific prayer request:  

1. I will be taking my 1^st malaria pill today and I would just ask that you would pray that I will not experience any of the major side effects with it.  ( I will be taking one pill every day while I am there and 7 days after I return)
2. Karissa and I will have the opportunity to go into the public schools and share our testimonies. We might possibly be speaking to 1800 children at one point. This is a little nerve racking because if you know me I am not a fan of speaking in front of people. But I know that God has prepared me for this and I know that He will be with me the whole time :) 
3. We will be running a 5 day VBS the first week we are there (May 21-25). Pray we will be able to do this well and that the kids will enjoy it. (50-60 kids with only 2 leaders)

We are so committed to honoring God and we are ready to go and serve in Webuye, Kenya for God’s glory. Please be praying as we will be in a completely new place and culture. God is at work and I am honored to be able to be a part of His work. 

TO GOD BE THE GLORY.

Katlyn Pollock

(As of right now I will not have internet access while I am in Kenya so I will update my blog when I return:)

45 days :)

Only 45 short days till I am on a plane to Kenya, Africa! I am beyond excited to see how God is going to work in my life and how He is going to use me on this trip.
I have been learning so much and so ready to get on that plane and head over there to put to practice the things I am learning here at BBC. Only about 5 more weeks and i will be officially done with my Junior year of college. Unbelievable. I did not even think I was going to make through my freshman year and here I am now only 2 semesters away from graduation. Praise the Lord. He has been my strength and guide through this college journey and I have learned so much through the highs and lows. 


I don't know if I mentioned this before but my friend, Karissa Young is also going to be going on this trip as well. God has been providing for both of us in amazing ways and we are both excited to learn, grow, and serve. 


*A quick prayer request: 


- I am in charge of the Children's music play program at Summit Baptist Bible Church and I LOVE it. Just please be in prayer as its coming close to the performance date and things are going to start getting crazy:) 



Ephesians 6:10-11 has been a great encouragement to me and I am working on putting on the full armor of God so that I will be able to be the most effective I can be while I am in Kenya for 17 days! I want to be courageously serving the Lord everywhere I am and trusting Him in every area of my life.  


Thank you all for your support and encouragement! 


To God Be The Glory. 

Webuye, Kenya - The next step...:)

Another Adventure Awaits!  This time in Webuye, Kenya with a ministry called Encouragement Inc. I am really excited to see how God is going to work in my life through this trip from May 17- June 2, 2012. Once again, I will be working with orphans and going into the villages to share the love of Jesus with the people who so desperately need it. God has definitely given me a passion for working with orphans and one day starting an orphanage. I am really praying and completely open to what God has for me in the future. As of right now Africa has a HUGE place in my heart but I am still willing to go wherever the Lord wants.

A little update on me!  I am now halfway through my junior year at Baptist Bible College and just changed my major to what BBC calls Specialized Ministries with an emphasis of Elementary Education. I felt as though God was directing me to something other than teaching in a traditional American classroom. I really want to get the education that will best prepare me for the future. This semester I am able to take classes such as “World Evangelism”,  “Cross Cultural Communications”, and “Women Counseling Women” which I think will be so beneficial for me. I am just praising the Lord for the work He has done in my life. I know that if it was not for Him I would not be here right now. I am so thankful for the Godly influences and friendships that each of you have provided for me throughout different stages of my life.

This trip could possibly be my last “short-term missions trip” as I feel that I am being called by God to full time ministry.  When I graduate in May 2013, I plan to get a full time job and begin to raise the necessary funding for such a ministry. I am praying God will show me where He wants me in the future and sense that I will likely be serving full time somewhere overseas. My dream is to move to a Third World country and become acclimated to their culture working among them and waiting on what God opens up from there. (possibly starting an orphanageJ)  However again, I am open to whatever God has for me!

If you would have asked me in high school what I would be doing with my life right now I would have never dreamed that I would be on this path. I have come a long way since my high school days (praise the Lord) and I am very excited that God has changed my heart. This verse has been such a huge part of my life right now.   

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.”

This is so true and I am glad that I do not have to be the one to plan out my life because I know that God is going to have the PERFECT plan for me. I can hardly wait!

As I am sure you realize, I am in need of financial support as well as encouragement, and prayer.   Summit Baptist Bible Church is also going to support me on this trip.  What a blessing! I am also working 2 part time jobs this semester as well as running the children’s spring musical for Summit. As always, my parents are helping me and guiding me.  Prayer is so important! :)

Thank you for joining me in this journey.  I will do my best to keep you updated.  I have continued my Facebook group and also my blog, so feel free to follow me there.  If you have any further questions concerning this trip you can email me or call me.  I would love to answer them!

Thank you so much for praying for and supporting me in this next step of my life.

  LIVE IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY