Four years ago, soon after getting married, we decided to sponsor a child through Compassion International.

After looking through many photos of sweet children from around the world, we signed up to sponsor 7 year old Samuel. His home was in Kenya, and of course that connected us. His big brown eyes, along with the Holy Spirit tugging on our hearts, drew us in!

Over the past four years, we’ve written letters and sent photographs. It’s been harder to send letters since our move to Kenya, as we have few chances to receive our US mail throughout the year, but we still keep in touch. Samuel has grown over the years and has done well in school and in making friendships. Samuel’s photo hangs on our fridge door – reminding us to pray for him and his family often.

We hoped one day we would get the chance to visit Samuel and meet him in person – what a privilege it would be!

Our hopes turned into reality this week, as we took a couple of days off work and drove 3 hours out of Nairobi to a town called Njoro. There, we met with the local Compassion staff and finally hugged Samuel!

He is such a sweet boy. He was very shy – just as starstruck as us, probably – and introduced us to his mother and two baby sisters. He showed us where he enjoys playing football. He and his mom invited us into their home for a visit and then we shared a big Kenyan lunch of ugali, spinach, beef stew and chapati. Samuel was incredibly sweet to our Levi (who was super fussy after missing a couple of naps)….Samuel was so patient and loving, demonstrating what a good brother he is to his sisters.

What a blessing it was to know Samuel and his family on a deeper level, beyond letters. It is amazing that we now live so close to each other. We are so grateful for the opportunity Compassion has given us – without the organization our paths may have never crossed.

We were so impressed with the efficiency, organization and tangible impact Compassion International is having in the area of Njoro. It encouraged us to know that we have partnered with such a terrific organization. If you haven’t signed up to sponsor a child, we urge you to do so….it is such a magnificent way to further the Kingdom of God and be connected with others beyond country borders.

Click here to learn more about Compassion International. 

 

 

 

 

 

We had the opportunity to serve alongside the leadership team in another summer of Camp Bluesky!

Camp Bluesky is incredibly special to us, beyond simply being the place where we met in 2010. Something about Camp traditions, the atmosphere, the energy… it nearly becomes part of your identity and holds an irreplaceable space in your heart.

Quite a few things have changed since our first summers at Camp Bluesky, and I’ll be the first to admit change is hard, especially when it involves something like summer camp. The traditions of camp somehow burrow roots inside the hearts of campers and counselors alike…so when changes happen, the mournful sting of uprooting is felt.

However, change is also a good thing. Camp Bluesky has grown tremendously over the years – with 2018 being the largest summer ever with over 800 campers! This growth, along with new ideas, new staff and new generations of campers has spurred on healthy adjustments, all while maintaining the same original vision of Camp Bluesky – to bring the Gospel to the youth of Nairobi.

There was a special change this year that Nate and I both got to a part of bringing to camp:

The “Set the Pace” Award

The “Set The Pace” award was created in memory of Bluesky’s founder, Kim Pace…a.k.a. “Mama,” who passed away in January.  It is awarded to a camper, junior counselor or counselor who embodies three core attributes of Kim’s character: leadership, boldness, and passion. We all know Kim was the epitome of these things…especially when it came to Camp! 

…and a really cool thing happened during Session 2: Nate was awarded the “Set The Pace” award! What an unexpected honor, as well as a special privilege to remember Kim at camp. We look forward to recognizing future campers, JCs and counselors who exemplify these traits. We also look forward to the idea that Kim will be remembered for years to come at Camp Bluesky.

Along with other changes made this summer, so much of Camp Bluesky has remained the same, even still.

We still sing “You Can’t Ride in my Little Red Wagon.”

We still cheer “BOBO” at the closing ceremony.

We still find gold rocks all over the place.

We still (somehow) have corn on the pizza. Haha.

We still get REALLY COMPETITIVE while playing sock war.

We still march in silence to Summit Fire on Friday nights.

We still get crazy pumped when a camper makes Lion’s Pride.

We still get the privilege to introduce campers to a growing relationship with Jesus! 

 

 

Hello again…wow, two posts in one month! A record!

We are in the process of raising more financial support, so we can continue the ministry God has called us to here in Nairobi, Kenya.

We want to be transparent and honest with you all about our lives here, and finances are not excluded. Hopefully this blog will explain our needs and our hearts, but if you have any questions, feel free to email us at shannamast@gmail.com or nmast2@gmail.com!

Currently, we are in need of about $250 per month to be in a healthy spot financially and continue ministry. Below are some hypothetical questions that we’ve answered for you!

 

Why do you need more support now?

There’s a few reasons: 

1. We began living off support when we moved to Nairobi in August 2016. Initially, we had quite a few supporters give “One Time Gifts,” which was super helpful. For the most part, we divided those gifts over the past 24 months to help cover monthly costs. Now, those 24 months are ending. In addition, over the last two years, some supporters have needed to re-adjust their monthly giving.
2. We had a baby! That may seem like a big one, but we’ve been careful not to spend too much on Levi! (We use cloth diapers, used clothes and toys, etc.) We do have the regular monthly costs of  formula, wipes, doctor appointments, etc. that were not accounted for in our initial support raising in 2016 when it was just the two of us. These monthly costs total to about $150 per month and come out of our budgeted salary. We also have set up a small monthly saving for Levi, that also comes out of our salary.
3. When we first planned our move to Kenya, we met with Bluesky leaders to estimate a budget to meet our family and ministry needs. Since then, we’ve discovered we slightly underestimated the costs. Now that we’ve had two years in Kenya, we have been able to create a more accurate budget.

What does your support money go towards? 

Salary – Our salary, just like any job, goes towards regular lifestyle expenses such as groceries, furniture, baby needs, savings and other day-to-day things. Our salary is not extravagant at all…it is similar to that of youth directors in the U.S.

Admin Fee – Bluesky, along with most missions organizations, has a monthly administrative fee that covers costs to keep Bluesky running as a non-profit and provides us with administrative and accounting resources.

Housing – We are renting a house that fits our family’s needs but doubles as a location for ministry, since our church does not have a building (it meets on a school campus). Utilities such as water and power are included. Fun fact: we don’t have heat or air conditioning in our home…Nairobi weather is the best!

Medical Insurance – This covers routine medical needs as well as any potential medical emergency we may have. (We are switching providers in August, and it will increase our monthly payments, but will have better coverage. It was a Bluesky-wide mandatory switch.)

Flights to the U.S. every 1-2 years – Flights to the U.S. are fairly expensive, averaging around $1000 per ticket.  We want to honor supporters well, so we plan to visit the U.S. every 1.5 years. These visits allow us to spend time with family, connect with supporters and rejuvenate a bit. (a.k.a. get our Chick-fil-A fix!) Any visits to the U.S. for personal reasons outside of this will come out of our personal salary.

*International Christian Fellowship, our church here in Kenya, is one of our supporters. Along with supporting us, the church also covers ministry costs such as Bible studies and snacks for youth group. On special occasions, we’ve asked donors give towards youth events and scholarships for students. 

 

 

Sometimes I see photos of y’all traveling. Does that come out of your support? 

Firstly, we don’t use supporter money to finance vacations or “extras.” Honestly, as missionaries, we definitely feel this immense pressure to live simply and avoid luxuries such as vacations and little “extras.” However, Nate and I truly love traveling and seeing different cultures. We are even willing to give up other things, like eating out or buying new things to do so! We have traveled a bit since our time in Kenya. Fun fact: traveling in Kenya can be much cheaper than traveling in the U.S, especially as a Kenyan resident!

We save up our salary, just like we would with any job, and travel on the money we’ve saved. The only exception is when we purchase a flight to the U.S. on supporter money, we may adjust it to have a layover in a city we want to travel to. For example, last year, we went to Italy on our way to the U.S. Nate poured over numerous flight prices to find a good deal to get us there.  No matter what, flights from Kenya to the U.S. require a layover in Europe/Middle East (and with a baby, a few days to rest between long-flights is super helpful!). So, it made sense for us to plan a vacation that fit into our travel home. All extra expenses, such as our AirBnb, food and train/car travel came from our personal money. We promise to never abuse our supporter money on anything personal!

 

 

What’s it like living on support?:

Initially, it was a scary thought. It requires tons of TRUST. Trust in God to provide and trust in others to follow God’s guidance. There’s a part of us, as Americans, that clung tightly to the “do-it-ourselves” mentality. We had to let go of that, because we can’t do it ourselves…we can’t serve God in youth ministry overseas without leaning on others for support.

Since our first dive in support raising, it has been a really freeing and beautiful experience. Honestly, it paints a great picture of how the body of Christ is designed to lift one another up. Some are designed to send. We were designed to go.

We view our supporters as a team…a special group of friends and family who are partnering with us to serve the Lord in youth ministry here in Nairobi. We are all one body working together for the glory of Him!

We make it our goal to keep supporters in the loop on how ministry is going here. We post blogs, photos on social media and send out bi-annual physical updates. (FYI: physical update going out next month!) Just like with finances, we want to be transparent with our supporters on our lives and ministry.

Support us! 

Lastly, we kindly ask that you consider and pray about joining our support team. Partnering with us is a way for you to reach the international students of Nairobi for the glory of God. Any amount is deeply valued and encourages us immensely! Click here to begin the process.

Love,

Nate, Shanna & Levi Mast

Camp Bluesky holds a special place in our hearts. If you’ve ever been a camp counselor, you understand.

WE. LOVE. CAMP.

 

Back at Camp Bluesky…as a family of 3! 

Things have changed a bit from our first summers at Camp Bluesky (2007 and 2010), but the core of camp is still the same. The traditions of singing before mealtimes, hunting for gold rocks, making mountain group headbands,  SOCK WAR and the “Bo Bo” Cheer are present this summer with just as much heart, competition and passion as ever before!

This year looked a bit different for us, as we were now a family of 3 at camp! Levi was such a champ and loved cheering campers on during events like  “Maji Meyham” and Thursday night’s Talent Show. He was a “celebrity” of sorts around camp…campers loved having him around to play with between games. Levi and Shanna ended up staying at camp for the entirety of session 1. (They wanted to return for session 2, but both ended up getting sick for few days)

Nate is a counselor again this summer, spending 3 weeks total in a cabin with campers. It has been such a life-giving, fruitful experience so far. (He has one more week coming up in July.) Camp devos and “Crosstalk” night have sparked a lot of questions about God in the hearts of his campers.

During the first session of Camp, one of Nate’s campers committed his life to Christ. Another camper, from another religious background, experienced spiritual visions, which we believe is the Holy Spirit working in his heart. This last week, Nate’s campers were encouraged by Christian community – something many of them don’t have outside of their one week of Camp each year. One specific camper was very inquisitive about the Christian faith…he would voluntarily read his Bible every night!

After Nate returned home from Session 2, we were talking about the effectiveness of Camp Bluesky. Of all the ministries we’ve ever been a part of, Camp has proved to be SO consistently effective in connecting the hearts of students with the heart of God. Not to mention, it’s a ton of fun!

 

 

 

***Click Here for a Video of Nate’s cabin performing a customized cabin cheer for the clean cabin checkers!

 

Lastly, another special thing about being involved in Camp Bluesky is that we are able to provide follow up to campers through our youth ministry during the school year. Camp has been a terrific avenue for us to get to know more students on a deeper level. What a great opportunity the Lord has given us!

Prayer Requests:

• The campers who have already attended camp…especially those new in their faith or who are seeking. 
• That God would work through Nate as a cabin counselor during Session 3. Many of these students come from a variety of faith backgrounds, including Hinduism and Islam. 
• Pray for Levi and Shanna as they battle sinus infections and colds. (The weather is chilly here, believe it or not!) Shanna also hurt her wrist playing dodgeball at camp…pray for healing so that she can easily pick up her 25lb son! 
• We are in need of some more monthly donors to join our support team. Pray for supporters to join our team or increase their giving as the Lord leads. Also, that our hearts would trust God to provide and not get stressed about finances. 

 

Last week, we had the opportunity to spend some quality time together with the entire Camp Bluesky team on a staff retreat!

As many of you know, we’ve had a tough year. Bluesky has experienced a lot of transition, growing pains and grief. God has carried us each through many different obstacles, and getting some time to rejuvenate and bond together as a team was exactly what we needed!

We originally had planned to join Young Life of East Africa for their bi-annual staff training. (We usually team up with them for a chance to be poured into and creatively plan for the ministry.) However, Young Life training was in Rwanda, and the Camp budget wasn’t in a place to afford the travel expenses…we needed to stay local.

The new camp director, Brett, asked Shanna to brainstorm and plan some details for a retreat. (YES! She loves this kind of stuff!)

We ended up escaping to Tigoni, a small community about 45 minutes away from Nairobi. It is a beautiful area of Kenya with rolling green hills of tea fields.

We stayed at a lovely AirBnb…a cozy lakeside house. It was gorgeous and so relaxing!

The team went zip-lining on the first day of the retreat…such a fun experience! (Of course a camp team needs to do something ADVENTUROUS together…it only makes sense!)

Click here to see a video of Nate zip-lining! 

The second day, we each took turns leading the group in planned activities….team building games, yoga, a Bible devotion, and a guided prayer. We also visited a nearby tea farm for lunch!

Of course, we spent some time together as a staff discussing and brainstorming some ideas for camp. This time especially was helpful for our hearts…as with any transition of staff, change is hard. Hearing the perspectives and hearts of our new camp directors helped us gain understanding and grow in our excitement for the future of Camp Bluesky!

We saw the Lord’s hand at work during this retreat. He connected us all on a deeper level, protected our team from being harmed in a car accident (on the way back from zip-lining…everyone is okay!) and allowed us to be filled up before the busy-ness of camp season arrives.

We are so excited to see what He does through Camp Bluesky this summer!

 

 

The other day, I took my 8th grade girls’ Covenant Group (Bible study) on a fun Labor Day adventure…Ice-skating!

Yes, it’s true. There’s ice-skating in Kenya! (We’ve yet to find a roller skating rink…but an ice rink… an ice rink we have.)

It was a blast. We started the day together at a local café for brunch, because we’re fancy like that. (Not really…we just wanted to avoid traffic, so brunch it was!) We packed 11 girls and 3 leaders in a school bus and headed across Nairobi to channel our inner Tara Lipinskis and test our triple axel skills. Watch out, Olympics 2022!

We shivered in the beginning and ended up sweating. We dodged fallen children, wobbly-kneed novices and speed demons. We pushed each other on these little plastic seats shaped like seals. We shaved ice up from the rink to create “snow” balls and targeted each other. We attempted backwards skating and little 360 twirls. We finished our skate time with…of all things…cotton candy. All in all, it was a marvelous day together.

Here are some moments from our trip.

Ice-skating in Nairobi was a great adventure! It is funny though, that such a thing exists here. Kenya and ice-skating…it feels like an oxymoron.

The other day at church, the speaker preached about how the Christian life is full of oxymorons.

Dead in our sins. Alive in Christ.

The already. The not yet.

Slaves to Christ. Freedom in Christ.

Mourning our brokenness. Celebrating our forgiveness.

A sinful human with desires of the flesh. Holy and blameless.

Ice-skating reminded me of this sermon…how we are called, as believers, to live out an “oxymoronic” life. To balance the ideas that we are both sinners in need of forgiveness and sons and daughters of God. We are called to love graciously, yet to stand firm in Truth.

Jesus was the ultimate oxymoron. Born in a barn, yet King of Kings. Son of man, yet son of God. Hung out with the “least of these” and misfits, yet reigns on High. He humbly taught, yet passionately corrected. Wore a crown, yet it was made of thorns. Lived a perfect life, yet carried all our sins.

From now on, whenever I go ice-skating on the equator, I hope I am reminded of both the “oxymoronic” life Christ lived on earth, as well as the strangely balanced God-centered life he has called me to.

 

Here are 10 fun moments from DNOW 2018!

1. Our Disciple Now theme was #SQUADGOALS. Shawn Koonce (Nate’s high school youth pastor) delivered 4 motivating lessons from God’s Word about navigating Godly relationships. Shawn did an amazing job helping us dive into Scripture together!

2. Friday night began with a climbing competition. What other DNOW does that?!?!

3. Kids volunteered to play CRAZY games. Such as: “Poop Potato,” “Fruit by the Foot Race,” “Flour Power,” and “Watch ya Mouth Race.”

4. We came up with the game “Deceiving Food Race.” It consisted of pudding in a mayo jar, Jello in a “Peptang” (nasty Kenyan brand of ketchup) bottle, Coca-Cola in a vanilla extract bottle and a tub of “Blue Band (Kenyan margarine). It was awesome and gross at the same time as kids raced to finish their food item!

5. We bought 40 pounds of ground beef for Saturday’s dinner. Shanna, Karlie (Bluesky staff), and two of the best housekeepers in Nairobi turned our kitchen into a DNOW meal-making-factory!!!

6. Kids traveled to different locations throughout Nairobi for recreation time. middle school boys played paintball, middle school girls went ice skating (yes, you read that right…ice skating in Africa), high school boys did an Escape Room and high school girls went horseback riding in the beautiful tea fields. Also, families within our church graciously opened up their homes to host students!

7. Nate was the “Game Master” for the weekend. He orchestrated a glow-in-the-dark dodge ball tournament, which was crazy fun!!!

8. The SWAT (Students With a Testimony) team from Athens, GA traveled here during their spring break to volunteer as DNOW leaders for both this weekend and last weekend (we helped with another DNOW across town). The team stayed at our house for a few days and we loved hanging out with them!

9. Last Thursday, we took them to a local Kenyan school that educates many under privileged and orphaned children.  They had a blast leading songs and games with the kids!

 

10. Overall, nearly 70 students showed up for this jammed-packed weekend full of crazy games, small group Bible study time, fun excursions and diving into Scripture together. What a great DNOW 2018!

 

 

If we’re being honest, the past few months have been hard. If we’re being really honest, the past year and half has been hard at times.

This update is to ask for your prayers. 

Don’t get us wrong, ministry with students has been absolutely wonderful and fruitful. There are more Covenant group Bible studies than ever before, and both our high school and middle school youth groups are going great. We absolutely love connecting with students each week and getting a front row seat to see God at work in their hearts.

We ask for prayer for all the other behind the scenes stuff. For the things you don’t see on the websites or our Instagram posts. For the ugly stuff that’s unworthy of photos and leaves us weary.

Many of you know that when we arrived in Kenya in August of 2016, we anticipated working under the leadership of Bluesky and the pastor of International Christian Fellowship Church to lead youth ministry.  However, since then a few things have changed.

1. The pastor of ICF, George Mixon, stepped down from his role as pastor. (He was already working full-time with another missions organization and realized he was being stretched too thin.) He and his wife Martha continue to meet with and disciple us.
2. Dave Preston, Bluesky’s former Director of Operations, had a life-threatening stroke in October 2016. We were looking forward to working under his leadership with Bluesky.
3. We transitioned to a family of three in September of 2017. This was a huge blessing, as we love life with our little Levi. Yet, parenthood is a big lifestyle change, and living overseas, far from family, has made that transition hard at times.
4. The former Executive Director and Founder of Bluesky, Kim Pace, passed away suddenly in January of this year.
5. Our new Camp Bluesky directors, Brett and Bronwyn Stamps were scheduled to move here in February. However, their home in the U.S. burned down days before their departure, along with Brett being hospitalized with burns. (Brett is healing and they are now scheduled to arrive this month! )

These events have left us, along with the majority of Bluesky staff, quite discouraged. In all honesty, it feels as though the Enemy is attacking Bluesky directly.

Satan tends to attack believers in subtle, conniving ways. In Genesis 3, he lies, creates division between Adam and Eve and makes them feel isolated from each other and God. I believe he is using those same tactics to make us feel isolated from God’s care and from each other, as well as tempting us to believe the lie that we aren’t doing enough ministry or we are doing it wrong.

I ask you to pray specifically for:

UNITY. …Within Bluesky, especially as we transition with new leadership in the coming months. Also unity within our marriage, as we serve in ministry together, it’s easy to let the stresses of work enter into our marriage. Pray for healthy boundaries.

FRUITFUL MINISTRY will continue as we disciple and do outreach students. This has been the one constant that confirms the fact God wants us here in Nairobi.

COMMUNITY. That we would feel well connected with friends and our church family, and for them to be a source of accountability, encouragement and family away from family.

DISCIPLE NOW. Is coming up March 16-18. We also are assisting with another Bluesky DNOW the Weekend before. We will be hosting a team of 14 volunteers from the US throughout the week between. Pray that students would grow closer to God and deeper in their faith through the event.

Thank you for reading about our prayer needs and committing to pray, even if it’s just for a minute.  The Lord is sovereign and receives glory through it all. Our ultimate prayer above everything is that we would be vessels for his glory.

 ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

 

*If you would like to join our support team, we are still needing a few more monthly supporters. Click here to support us.

Kim was a force to be reckoned with. Her life was a splash of dedication, courage, adventure and Christ…a hard, intentional splash.

I picture an enormous boulder being thrust by God into this world. It caused an eruption of waves and a series of unending ripples. Such a force that it permeated country borders, numerous cultures and souls spanning all ages. 

Her splash was quick, yet full of force, strength, and faith.

As we gathered on Saturday here in Nairobi to celebrate her life, I couldn’t help but look around the room and see the hundreds of people who were intensely impacted by Kim Pace. Thousands more, in countries and timezones afar, streamed the service… displaying the breadth of her work on this earth.

Many were caught up in the direct wake of Kim. Others, like myself, were hit by the more distant, but steady swells of her life. Thousands more, for years to come, will be touched by the continual ripple of her life and legacy.

. . .

Early in her 20’s Kim followed the Lord’s guiding to move from the comfort of home in Georgia to the wild and unknown of Kenya. In the following years, Kim fell in love with Kenya, developed the ministry and vision of Bluesky, and wooed many of us into joining forces for the sake of Christ.

. . .

I first met Kim in the fall of 2006, as a Berry College freshman. However, stories of Kim had already reached my ears years before while I was still in high school.

I flew to Kenya the following summer, immediately after an intense  and fear-filled sobbing session at her parents house. I was terrified, yet even then, Kim’s courageous and adventurous spirit summoned me to let go of home and embrace the journey that laid ahead: being a counselor for (then) Camp Brackenhurst in Nairobi, Kenya. That summer, we called her “Mama” at camp, traipsed up mountains in Maasai land and loved on campers together. I shared a tent in the beautiful Maasai Mara with her, listening to stories of her past adventures and dreams of future ones.

In those brief two months, I too fell in love with the country of Kenya, the people I met, and the vision of Bluesky Kim had set in place. It was that summer that I confidently felt the Lord’s soft whisper, “This will one day be your home.”

. . .

Since that summer 11 years ago, and because of Kim’s willingness to follow the Lord, my life has changed drastically.  She was a crucial vessel God used to ignite my passion and appreciation for culture, to develop my gifts, to stretch my sense of adventure, to introduce me to my husband, and to call us to Kenya and serve with Bluesky.

I am forever grateful for Kim’s faith and boldness to dive in and make a big splash for the glory of God.

– Shanna

Our time in the US is going by so quickly! We want to make the most of it, so we are hosting a get-together for our supporters in Georgia on January 7th.

If you are part of our support team, are near the Rome area, and would like to hear about how our ministry is going (AND have some tasty homemade desserts!) please join us!

We understand that the holiday season is super busy, so our banquet will be brief. We plan to share from 7:15 to 7:45. Feel free to fellowship afterwards for as long as you’d like! 

If you are currently not on our support team but would like to join, please come! This will be a great time to learn more about what we are doing in Kenya and ask any questions. We are in need of $160 per month to be fully-funded, as our finances and our support team has changed a bit over the last couple of years.

We hope to see you there!

If you have any questions, e-mail Shanna at shannamast@gmail.com