First United Methodist Church

Service Times

9am Contemporary | 11am Traditional

The Word of the Day – Gratitude

Kenya Mission Team A, Day 2

Even though we’ve lost 7 hours crossing the ocean and our sense of day/night/time is gone, we are still a happy bunch.  We gathered at 3pm Dubai time (which is what? umm, subtract 8… 7am Saturday in Florida) for a quick devotion before boarding our flight to Nairobi.  A few more in-air meals and movies and before we knew it, we were in Kenya! 

We were met at the airport by Sammy, our exuberant driver who has been a friend to Inua Mission Teams for years.  Sammy had us laughing all the way to our hotel, where we said quick goodnights and headed to bed.

We are thankful for a safe and uneventful journey to Kenya.  We are thankful for pillows, showers and bottled water. We are thankful Loran was able to get her Visa approval as we checked through customs. We are thankful for one another.  We are thankful for a loving God who has opened this opportunity for us to learn, grow and share His love on the other side of the globe. 

The Word of the Day – Anticipation  

Kenya Mission Team A, Day 1

Eight team members gathered at the Orlando Airport this morning, greeted by the amazing Carol Smith with prayers for a truly blessed departure and mission trip experience. We were met with smooth check-ins, easy TSA clearance, and seamless boarding (except for one small hiccup of a temporarily misplaced cellphone…um, Ivor. Oops, was that out loudJ)

We each received an envelope filled with personalized notes expressing love and prayer for our journey and the mission God has planned for us. He has brought each one of us to this place at this time. We might not know our role or how the trip may impact us or those in Kenya, but we are centered on having open hearts and loving spirits.  

We settled in, side by side, for the 14-hour marathon to Dubai.  The “Sleep Winner” of that flight drifted off for a whopping three hours.  We have nearly four hours to spend in the Dubai airport. We are tired and overfed on airplane food, but cheerful and full of anticipation.