I have no pictures and no exciting adventures to report. Wow, that is a horrible way to begin a blog. Why would anyone keep reading after I wrote that? Maybe if I set your expectations low, then you will be thrilled to find out that life in Kenya is not as drab as it could be. I am almost finished with my third week teaching. Teaching middle school is different than elementary, and though I miss having my own classroom, it is nice to have frequent breaks throughout the day that are longer than 30 minutes. I find I don't have to bring work home all the time like I did last year. I can even read books in the evening if I want to! Imagine what a world this is opening up for me. Oh goodness it's exciting.

I have really been enjoying my students lately. The school has such a rich international flavor, and I enjoy seeing so many different colors represented in my classroom. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to post of them, but I will try to do that soon. They're beautiful, trust me. The other day in Bible class I was writing prayer requests on the board, and I wrote down one of my own. I asked them to pray that my mom would be able to find a job soon. One of my studens raised her hand and said, "Why does you mom need a job? Shouldn't your mom be retired or something?" I lauged really hard and then responded with, "How old do you think I am?" Then we got into the discussion of how old I am, and to my surprise, most of them thought I was older than I am. That rarely happens to me since I look young.

At school I do most of my teaching in the science classroom, which I share with the high school science teacher. I have a very small office, which doubles as the high school book room. It smells like old books in there, but I don't mind. I have a desk,, some shelves, and a white board. It's been so nice to have my own little space. Plus, who doesn't like to say things like, "It's in my office," or, "If you need me, I'll be in my office." Or maybe I'm the only one who thinks that's cool...

This weekend I am going out of town with my roommates Heather and Kayla. Heather's brother works at a ranch that's about a 45 minute drive from Nairobi. We are all looking forward to getting out of the fume-infested city. Then next week we have our West Nairobi School staff retreat. This means I will be getting out of Nairobi two weekends in a row. And it is in times like these that life simply can't get any better. I will post pictures when I get back. My giraffe-chasing pictures from last year were taken at the staff retreat, so I'm sure I will have some good ones after that is over.

Good bye family! My parents drove me up to Seattle so I could catch my flight to Amsterdam and then to Nairobi. We stayed with some friends there, and here is the front of their lovely house.

Back at our new apartment in Nairobi, my roommate's brother, Brian, and I were sitting on this bed that he brought back from Sudan. It served as a nice piece of furniture in our living room, until Brian made too sudden of a gesture, and the thing broke.

There were bugs inside eating away at the wood, so it's not all our fault!

Kayla and me on the first day of school - we are so excited to be going to school!!!

It’s been just over a week since my plane landed on Nairobi. With the jet lag gone and school in full swing, it feels like I never left.

The first day of school was Tuesday, August 14^th, and as I write this, I am officially done with my first two days of teaching middle school. This year I decided to move up with the 6^th grade class, which is now the 7^th grade class. I am teaching 7^th and 8^th grade science, pre-algebra, and girls Bible. So far it has been going pretty well. I feel a little inadequate when it comes to teaching science, but the high school science teacher left me detailed lesson plans to teach. It’s nice having everything planned out for me, I just have to work at making these lessons my own. The Bible curriculum leaves something to be desired, and it’s another opportunity to get creative. Bible curriculum usually gives me that opportunity =).

I am living in an apartment with my good friends Kayla and Heather. Kayla and I moved out of the house we lived in this past school year, and now we are enjoying our new place. It’s very cozy inside, and I am very content there. Kayla and I are also sharing a car – a little Toyota Starlet. I have adjusted to driving on the left side of the road, and now I am pretty good at shifting with my left hand as well. The hardest adjustment was getting used to Kenyan roads, Kenyan traffic, and Kenyan drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, etc. Now I am used to it, and I drive in an aggressively cautious manner. Most other drivers are just aggressive.

All in all, it’s good to be back here. Thinking about teaching brand new things is still a little overwhelming, but I love the students here. They make all the work worth it. Please pray that all the little first-week-of-school glitches would smooth out. I’m sure many of the new teachers are feeling overwhelmed, so be praying for them as well.

Sister Denee, their dog Kinzie, Brother-in-law Steve

the whole fam

Kendra joined us for our family weekend. She fits right in, except for her red hair =).

Mom and Dad at our family picnic on Sunday

Kayla is a fellow teacher in Kenya and also one of my closest friends. She and her boyfriend, sister, and nephews and niece came for a visit. This is her boyfriend, Craig, not her nephew.

My mom and I made these quilts for Katy and Kendra's graduation gifts. It was a lot of work!

This may very well be my last post before I head back to Kenya. That means that this is the last time I will be able to publish large picture files. Once I hit the home of slow internet connections (that would be Kenya, or anywhere in Africa really), I can only give you small ones. I'm sure this will be the cause of much heartache in the U.S. of A. Since I have been very consistent about not posting updates on my blog, I thought I would begin now. But where to begin...

I have spent the last few weeks in Bend, Oregon where my parents live now. My mom and I went to see my sister and brother-in-law (Denee and Steve) in Portland one weekend so we could help them paint their house. Well, in typical Portland fashion, it was rainy and humid all weekend, so there was no painting to be done. We did clean up their yard and enjoyed each other's company. And for anyone who cares, I enjoyed Burgerville's seasonal milkshake, which is raspberry right now. Delicious. You Oregonians out there know what I'm talking about. I thank God daily that I can tolerate lactose. Well, maybe not daily...

Last week I worked on getting my newsletters written and acquiring the addresses that I lost when my computer was stolen (Danielle Cornelius and Keri Ann Rumrey, if you're reading this, can I get your address?). I was able to do some other fun things, like play frisbee golf with my brothers and go rafting on the Deschutes River. Both were quite fun, though one was a but more thrilling than the other. I think rafting is probably the best activity you can do in the summer in central Oregon. It's too hot to do most anything else. But I'm a wimp because I've grown up with summers that reached 70 degrees max, and on the rare occasion that it did hit 80 degrees, we all wished we had air conditioners in our houses. I remember well those 50-degree spring days when we were finally allowed to throw on our swimming suits and run through the sprinkler. Oh Alaska, look what you have done to people.

This past weekend Denee and Steve came to Bend. It was the first time our whole family had been together since about this time last summer. Everything feels complete when we're all there. Things are going to change soon, however, since Wrecks, the dog we have had since I was 10 years old, is finally going to be put to sleep. His body isn't working very well anymore, and he's in so much pain that it is time to let him go. I know fellow dog lovers will understand that this is almost like the death of a family member. I drained my tear ducts today. My mom and I shared tissues.

The summer seems to have gotten away from me, and I don't know where it went. This Sunday I leave for Kenya. My parents are going to drive me to Seattle. From there I will fly to Amsterdam and then to Nairobi. I am looking forward to the school year and all that it holds for me, but as always, it is hard to say good bye to my family and friends. It has been so wonderful to be in the northwest and to enjoy all these people who are so much a part of who I am.

I'm back in the contiguous United States. I ended up extended my stay in Anchorage for a few extra days as I was having far too much fun visiting friends and gallavanting around my home town. It was wonderful to be able to catch up with the friends and family I haven't seen for a year. Now I am back in Bend, Oregon where my parents live. My brothers, Dayn and Drew, are here as well, and it feels so nice to have at least part of the family together. I have missed them so much. I hope you like these pictures. They aren't in chronological order.

Dayn and I went spelunking today in Boyd Cave here in Bend. It was incredible! This is Dayn crawling out of one of many small holes. We were pretty dirty afterwards.

This is us toward the back of the cave. We used the flash on the camera.

On my last day in Anchorage, some of my best friends and I went out to breakfast at Snow City Cafe. From left to right we have Debra, Jannell, Emily, me, Rachel, and Jessi.

Dayn and I had a really cold, windy hike back to Rabbit Lake. Hooray for Alaskan summers!

This is at the Alyeska Ski Resort. Jessi had a free night's stay at the Alyeska Prince Hotel, so the 5 of us got to spend the night there for free (the hotel is not pictured, just God's creation). Left to right - me, Jannell, Jessi, Lauralee, and Melody.

Dayn and I went backpacking at Williwaw Lakes with some friends. I love the Chugach.


P.S. After putting all these pictures online, I noticed that my brother Dayn appears in more than a few of these pictures. This is because Dayn and I do a lot of things together, and we are both not working this summer. Perhaps you are wishing you appeared in more. If you weren't working this summer and lived near me, I would probably include you in a lot of pictures as well.

One of the best parts of being at camp was counseling with my brothers! Dayn and I were twins this day, on accident.

Kids playing in the mud. We didn't have much water in our swimming whole.

This is one of the boats that brought kids from villages down river. We had two boats like this completely full of campers. Then one boat came from up river, and some kids arrived by float plane.

My friend Becca and I, in Anchorage, were pretending to be speed skaters.

Colleen (right) just finished running a marathon, and Jannell (left) and I (behind the camera) cheered her on.

Mt. Hood at sunrise

This is the group of us who attempted to climb Mt. Hood.

It's been a whirlwind of a few weeks. I am in Alaska now, visiting friends and unwinding a bit after my last week at Kokrine Hills Bible Camp. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me back up a little bit. I left for Alaska on June 22nd, but before that I got to have a few adventures. On the night of June 20th I attempted to climb Mt. Hood. Due to some difficulties with weather and the health of my fellow climbers, we were unable to summit. I was disappointed to not go to the top, but also a bit relieved as the conditions were quite miserable. It was windy, I was freezing cold, and we were hiking in the middle of the night in order to avoid the warm part of the afternoon that is more avalanche-prone. Someday I will try again, but for now, I am glad I got to have this opportunity. After the climbing attempt, I got to spend some time with my dear friend Kendra Crosby in Portland. We had a really nice day walking around downtown, visiting Powell's Books and Whole Foods. I also got to spend some time with my sister, Denee, in Portland. We made some delicious food and enjoyed a warm, sunny evening in her backyard. This was quite a contrast to the cold, windy, snowy night I spent climbing the mountain.

I left for Alaska on June 22nd and was met at the airport by my good friend Jannell. And my friend Jessi also came to the airport, which was a complete surprise. I cried when I hugged them. Sometimes life just can't get any better, and this was one of those times. We made all the rounds - lunch at the Moose's Tooth, a trip to Kaladi Brothers Coffee, and plenty of hanging out and telling stories about our year apart. And considering my friends are the most funny, witty people in the world, I had a sore stomach the next day. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not as much as you may think. The next day Jannell and I cheered on her friend, Colleen, as she ran the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon. It was fun to watch, to join with the Anchorage community which I have missed so much. I ran into some friends who I had wanted to see, and I had a wonderful time hanging out with them and, of course, laughing some more.

On Sunday morning, I went to the church I grew up in, Anchorage Evangelical Free Church, which is now called Trailside Community Church. I showed them a short video of my year at West Nairobi School and then told them about my time in Kenya. Some of the people gave me money toward a new laptop, and with all the money people have given towards that, I have a new laptop that didn't cost me anything (for those of you who don't know, my computer was stolen last November in Nairobi). It's pretty humbling when people are that generous, but it's a beautiful picture of how the body of Christ works. I'm so blessed, and blessed doesn't feel like a good enough word to describe this feeling.

I spent a little more time in Anchorage on June 24th and 25th, and then I drove up to Palmer to visit Grandma and Grandpa Arnold. Thanks to a friend, Kevin Martin, I have a car to drive while I'm in Anchorage. I stayed the night with my grandparents, and we left early in the morning so I could drive to Fairbanks and they could get a ride to a town called Nenana, which is a couple hours south of Fairbanks. I was driving to Fairbanks so that I could fly to the village of Tanana, then take a boat to Kokrine Hills Bible Camp. This is the camp my grandpa started for the Native kids in the villages on the Yukon River in interior Alaska. I actually went as the guest speaker/teacher for the younger kids. The only access to the camp is by boat or floatplane, since the river is like a highway between villages. When I flew into Tanana (an Athabascan village), I was met by my cousin, Brian, and my brother, Drew. If you want to know more about the camp, the website is http://www.kokrinehills.org/. There is a blog where you can see updates from each day of camp.

I spent about a week at camp and really enjoyed teaching these kids. There were 57 of them, and many of them had never opened a Bible before. It was so thrilling to make the Word of God come alive for these kids and to teach them how to look things up in their Bibles. God was so faithful in helping them understand Jesus. I think sometimes we worry that kids this age (8-10 year olds) are too young to really understand the gospel. But I think we underestimate the faith of a child. Though they may not understand all the deep theological concepts that many of us are trying to figure out, their simplicity is exactly what God wants from us. They just believe, and they ask the most fabulous questions. In Psalm 8 it says, "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise." And this is so beautiful and so true.

I got back from camp yesterday (July 4th) and spent the night with the grandparents again and then with some of my cousins and other family members in Palmer. Now I am in Anchorage again, at my friend Jessi's. If you don't quite understand the chronology of events contained in this blog, I think you are not alone. But know that I am alive and well, enjoying Alaska for a few more days before I got back to Oregon on July 10th.

I've been back in the United States of America for just over a week now, and so far I have driven on the right (and correct) side of the road and have been enjoying the exhaust of cars that have to pass an emissions test. Quite lovely. Here are some pictures so far.

Two of my dearest friends in the world, Kendra Crosby and Katy Rogers, came to visit last week. They spent the night with me in Bend, and then we went hiking here, at Smith Rock.

Katy is on the left, and Kendra is on the right. I met Kendra my junior year of college when she was a freshman, and I was her R.A. Katy was inherited through my friendship with Kendra. And a rich interitance at that.


Kendra, Daylan, Katy

I visited Drew for a couple days at his school, Oregon State University. The mechanical engineering classes were a bit above my head, but it was really fun to hang out with him! I missed my little (or maybe I should say younger) brother.

This is my friends Michael and Debby's little girl, Ellie. We were fast friends.

Brother Dayn, brother-in-law Steve, sister Denee, and me eating at Kell's. It is ranked the number one Irish pub in the U.S.

Mom and me at Crater Lake

Crater Lake in all its glory.

My mom's sister Kathie is visiting, and her friend Cathy Dunham from Alaska is also visiting. From left to right is Mom, Aunt Kathie, and Cathy Dunham standing in front of Smith Rock.

One thing I will miss about my house in Nairobi is my neighbor, Miriam.

My future roommates, Heather (left) and Kayla (right)


Me and some of the girls from my class

They cleaned their desks with shaving cream...and their bodies too.

Adrian, Kelly, Amy, and Priscilla reading to the class on reading day.

One part of the Amazing Race involved sticking faces in a plate of flower to find a jelly bean. This is Christian after he was victorious in said endeavor.

Joseph having the same success as Christian (see picture above).

Muthoni, J.T., and Harriet waiting in line for lunch.

Well I am back in the Unites States now, and it is about time for me to write about my last few weeks in Kenya. After the Mt. Longonot field trip, things slowed down a little in my classroom. The problem was that, though things had slowed down, my stress level was still somewhat high, making for a cranky 6th grade teacher. The week before school got out (May 21-25), my class was in charge of chapel. They had wonderful ideas of how we could communicate James 1:19-21 to the rest of the school, but there were so many things going on on top of that. Unfortunately, when my stress level goes up, so does my level of sarcasm, while the patience goes out the window. I found myself saying things to my students that were unkind, and I would go home a miserable person because I felt so terrible about the fiery words I had let fly from my mouth. One morning I woke up and these words were going through me head. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness, Oh Lord.” Being the non-Bible scholar that I am, I can’t remember where this verse if found (though I do know the song), but these words were ringing through my head, and I knew that it was time to change. I thanked the Lord that that morning was fresh, new with no mistakes. I thanked Him for His mercies that never run out. And when I gathered my class together at school, I apologized for my unkind words and was able to share what God had done in my heart. It was a precious time, and though I would like to think I will never get to that point again, that’s probably not realistic. I will always be wrestling with the things that come out of my mouth, but I am so thankful to serve a God who gives me another chance and loves me through it.

The last week of school was filled with games and closing activities. On Tuesday, May 29th, one of the moms in my class put together our end-of-the-year class party. We had a barbecue and then played the Amazing Race. These kids were running all over the school doing crazy things, and it was a lot of fun. After that, we watched a video one of the dads from my class had put together of the various field trips and fun things we have done this year. It was quite the video! If you watched it, you would think that all we did this year was have fun and never work. If only that were the case! I’m only kidding, of course, but the video was awesome. Then I handed out awards to all my students. They all really enjoyed being recognized for their various talents and quirks.

In a lot of ways, it was hard to watch this year come to a close. This has been one of the hardest years of my life, and also one of the best years of my life. I have absolutely loved teaching these 6th graders, and though it was more work than I could handle at times, it was worth every moment. I have grown so attached to these kids, which is why I am moving up to teach middle school this next school year. The sad part is that some of my students are leaving Kenya, and some of them won’t be coming back. There were a lot of tears shed on that last day of school as many of my students were facing the reality that they may never see each other again. That’s the way it goes with missionary kids.

The last day of school was May 31st. I finished packing up my classroom that afternoon and then headed back to my house to pack things up there. Kayla and I are moving to a new apartment in August, so we began moving some of our things this past weekend. It’s amazing how everything has worked out. A few weeks ago we didn’t have a place to live, and we didn’t have a car. Literally within two days of each other, we had found a place to live and a car. We will be living with another teacher, Heather Adkins, and we will be buying a car from a family who is leaving Kenya. It’s so amazing how God literally placed these things into our laps. We are so thankful!

I left Kenya on the night of June 3rd. It was quite a process to get home, as I had a long layover in Amsterdam and then an even longer layover in Seattle before finally flying “home” to Bend, Oregon. I am with my mom in Bend now. It felt strange to not go to Alaska right away because that has always been my home, but I’ve learned that home is where your family is. This is where my family is, so it is home for now. I’m still getting used to seeing white people and SUV’s everywhere, but it is nice to have fast internet connections! I realize this post is getting quite long, so I will sign off for now. Thanks for reading!

The time has come for me to leave this African soil. I have so much to write about the past 2 weeks, but unfortunately there are empty suitcases at home calling my name. Since my final destination is Bend, Oregon where my mom is and none of my friends are, I will have plenty of time to update this blog upon my arrival. Until then, I hope you can wait a few days to hear about everything. I know you're just itching to hear it all. Toodle-oo!

We did it! After weeks of planning and stress (for me, not them), West Nairobi School's 6th grade class finally climbed Mt. Longonot. After studying volcanoes, it was great to climb one. This one happens to have a huge crater in the middle because its top blew a while ago. We left school Friday morning (May 18th) in the pouring rain. We just kept praying that it wouldn't rain while we were hiking, and it didn't! It was cloudy the whole time, but that made for ideal hiking conditions. No one got too hot, so we were quite thankful for the cool weather. After the hike, we went back to school for a sleepover. We had a water balloon fight (I think I still have welts on my back from the boys throwing at point blank), ate pizza, had a campfire, made smores, and then slept as much as we could in our big chapel room. It was a lot of fun, and now I am quite tired. Here are some pictures that I hope you will enjoy.

This is my class at the bottom of the mountain before we started climbing.

Jack and Caleb were my faithful hiking buddies. They stayed with me the whole time. Of the steep parts, Caleb said, "I am happy and terrified all at the same time."

Naomi and some others taking a rest

Of 26 kids, 16 made it to the very top, and this is not an easy climb! I am so proud of them. Notice how many girls made it!

Some of the most beautiful smiles in Kenya

the class and me

Jack and Alec are enjoying the amazing view from the top. Well, as much of it as they can see through the fog.

Harriet, David, and Jack

Amy and Priscilla were a little tired. I don't know if they'd be happy knowing I put this picture on the internet for the whole world to see...

Michael and Wendy Burner have a daughter, Julia, in my class. Without their help and presence, this trip wouldn't have been possible. They helped me out so much!

J.T., Meitamei, and Teddy are ready to go home.

The boys are back at the school, playing basketball.