One week later, Kenya still in my mind

During the month of June, Barbra Crabtree had the opportunity to go to Nairobi, Kenya with Operation Christmas Child (OCC), a project of Samaritan’s Purse.  Barbra has volunteered in various capacities with OCC since 2004 where she serves as the Logistics Coordinator for Hillsborough County for the past five years.  

During this Vision Trip to Nairobi she had the opportunity to see first hand the ministry of OCC.  It took 3 flights over a two day period to go from Tampa to Nairobi and once on the ground the trip was jam packed with ministry.  Day 1 was all about getting oriented and going on an outreach event.  Day 2 was an outreach event and witnessing The Greatest Journey discipleship program.  Day 3 was worshiping at a local church and onto our last outreach event.  Day 4 was for experiencing a local cultural event and beginning the travel journey back home.

On day one we went to the Precious Talents Top School where 300 children were in attendance.  The school actually has 800 students, however, the students chosen for this event needed to see an extra dose of hope.  In 2019, a portion of the school collapsed and killed seven of the children.  The collapse was a result of poor construction of the school due to cutting corners.  

Taken from https://nairobinews.nation.africa/tag/precious-talent-top-school/

The students gathered together on the morning of June 14, 2024 to hear a gospel presentation of the hope of the greatest gift, Jesus Christ.  After this, they were presented with a tangible gift that had been packed by individuals within the United States.  These gifts are filled with school supplies, toys and hygiene items and are a tool used in the local church to reach out to the children.

Patiently waiting to open the gift.

Overcome with extreme gratitude for a gift.

Loving the harmonics and soccer balls.

The children must remain patient until everyone receives a box, then a countdown takes place and the mayhem of excitement ensues.  The children are screaming and yelling, laughing, crying.  The emotions run wild as they cannot believe that someone on the other side of the world has packed a shoebox gift just for them.  Many times, this is the first gift a child has ever received in their entire life.  

The children are so happy to receive the gifts, the gratitude exudes from the smiles, the thank you and the hugs.  

Many of the places that we visited on this trip are in areas that are extremely poor, drugs are readily available, children live in single parent homes, prostitution on every corner, and witchcraft was evident.

One blessing while sitting and chatting with the children was that one wants to be an engineer, a lawyer and a neurosurgeon.  These kids have high goals to get out of the poverty that they live within.  I believe that these young ladies will one day reach those goals and be making a difference in their community.

A piece of my heart was left in Kenya when I had to return home on June 17, 2024.  But, I have hope still as I am partnering with a store in Lakeland, Take Heart Africa who have a scholarship program for children within a remote area of Kenya.  In September I will be participating in their annual 5K that will be raising money for educational endeavors for Kenyan youth.

Special Links

Operation Christmas Child - https://samaritanspurse.org/what-we-do/operation-christmas-child/

Take Heart Africa - https://takeheartafrica.org/

Barbra’s Trip Information

www.barbracrabtree.com

Photo Gallery - https://barbracrabtree.smugmug.com/Operation-Christmas-Child/2024-Kenya-Vision-Trip

YouTube Channel: @BarbraCrabtree1 - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaKk5hdtsT_Fo2mw7D8NGcg

Tomorrow is the day

 This morning I got up to go send off our Youth Group as they go off to camp.  Typically I would be going with them.  This year the Lord had other plans for me.  

I have for a long time wanted to go to Kenya, since I was a early teenager actually.  Then, the Lord called me in my later teens, early twenties, to go into full time ministry and go to the mission field.  While the road to the field is different for everyone.  Mine has been all over the place and I have lived my life as if everywhere I have been has been my mission field, but isn't that how life is supposed to be anyway?  We are all called to share the love of Jesus, where we are.  

The Lord has given me opportunities to go to Honduras on mission trips and ultimately live in Honduras for 3 years.  I then returned home to minister to my mom after the death of her husband.  It has been an honor to serve her these last 20 years.  She has not always needed me, I have just made myself available for any and all situations where I can assist.  

Twenty years ago the Lord introduced me to Operation Christmas Child where I began my journey as a Relay Center drop off volunteer.  That meant that as people came to drop off shoeboxes, I would accept them and get key information from them, thank them for the gift and put the gift(s) in a carton to send on it's journey to Atlanta where it would be processed and then sent to a child in another country.  

Through the  years I have held various volunteer positions with the ministry.  I have been an Area Coordinator, Central Drop Off Leader and now the Logistics Coordinator.  It has been a privilege serving in this ministry all these years.  

Tomorrow is a fulfillment in this ministry that few get to participate in, going on a Vision Trip to see first hand the life changing ministry of a shoebox gift.  

To say I am excited is not enough.  I am excited to see how the Lord will use me this week, and more importantly I am expecting to hear from him.

For a long time now, I have known a transition would be coming in my life and I feel like the Lord has been preparing me and guiding me in this transition.  I don't know when, where or how the transition will take place, only that it will.  

I have always known that my life is not my own and that the Lord can send me where ever and I will follow, whether it be for a short time or a long time.  

Is the Lord preparing me for something larger?  I don't know.  I know I have been praying that the Lord would enlarge my territory so I could be used by Him more.  Take my life, the gifts and talents He has given me to be used for His glory, wherever that be.  

Isn't that all he requires of us, is to use the experiences, talents, gifts and life He has given us to bring Him glory.  Everything that we go through in life, the big and the small, can and should be used to bring Him glory.  

As I go throughout my day today, putting the finishing touches on this lifelong dream trip, may the Lord be glorified.

I'm sure I will not be able to sleep tonight, it's like a kid anticipating the big event that is about to happen, thankfully I do not have any issues sleeping on planes.  Be watching my social media pages (Facebook and Instagram) for photos of the journey.  

Providing I have internet connectivity I plan to blog and post each day.  If no internet, the blogs will be posted as I gain internet Access.  

Love you all and thank you for your continued prayers for this journey.

Yesu Anakupenda (Jesus loves you),

Barbra

Prayers for flight attendants and pilots

 It's getting so exciting, in just 15 days I will be able to checkin for my flights.  

As I continue to prepare for the trip I am reminded that everything part of the journey is an opportunity to share the love of Jesus.  

In many of the vlogs that I have been watching on flight travel so many vloggers have stated having a small gift for the flight attendants goes a long way.  That made me think, what a great idea and a way to share the love of Jesus with each person, possibly opening the door to a conversation about their relationship with the Lord.  

I have ordered some gifts for them.  I found this nice prayer to include with each small gift.  

I know it will increase the weight of my luggage, and I'm ok with that if it means sharing Jesus and planting a seed, watering a seed or cultivating that relationship.

As the trip gets closer I am still reaching out to churches to set up speaking engagements the Lord is opening doors to sharing the gospel message and how a shoebox changes the lives of the children, their family and potentially a village.

Drop me a comment, let me know your questions that you would like to ask about the shoebox distribution process, what is something you have always wondered about?

Ivory Coast Shoebox Recipient

This week was the first time I have heard from a recipient of a shoebox that I either packed or at a church that packed shoeboxes.  How exciting.  I know the boxes get to children, it's always nice to get a response.

I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My name is Kone living in the north of the Ivory Coast. I am one of the Sunday School teachers at our church. I am also the uncle of this child who received this Christmas gift in which we found this email address. For this I thought it was good to write to you to say thank you very much. This child is very happy to receive this Christmas present and it's all thanks to you.

 

May the Lord bless you!