I feel like I’m stepping into a place of hope!

Hi! In case you don’t know me, I’m Jacqueline, Bob Nicol's, youngest daughter. I was finally able to accompany him to Kenya this summer! After years of hearing stories, seeing pictures, and watching videos, I am finally here, experiencing all of it with my own eyes, ears, mouth, nose, hands and heart. And what an adventure it has been! I have tried a lot of new foods, played soccer barefoot in the sand, built a mud hut, peeled a coconut with a machete, shared the Gospel with Muslims, snorkeled and fished in the Indian Ocean, and ridden on the back of a boda boda (motorcycle) and a camel!

Along with all of this excitement, I’ve had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and see some beautiful places. It has been so neat to be able to meet and interact with the people that my dad has worked alongside all these years. I have seen a number of the wells that he and his team have drilled and have met people in the communities that they serve. It has been so neat to see and hear their appreciation for the work that my dad and R4C are doing in their villages. I honestly cannot imagine life without clean, pure water available always, but that’s the reality of life in the bush. Water is a necessity of life, which my father, and each one of his supporters, are providing to thousands of people in Eastern Kenya. Not only are they bringing life in the form of water, but they’re also sharing it in the name of Jesus, and it truly doesn’t get better than that!

In addition to seeing the wells, I’ve been able to spend time at the R4C properties, both of which completely surpassed my expectations. Maasai Corner and MBEWAU are absolutely beautiful – the buildings, the landscape, the staff, and the children are all wonderful. Sadly, I have to say that this is not my impression for all of Kenya. In fact, these places are blatantly different than the cities and the streets in which they exist. When walking through the gates of Maasai Corner and MBEWAU, I feel like I’m stepping into a place of hope. Spending time in the classrooms, the clinic, the soccer field, and the sanctuary, I am aware that I am standing on holy ground. It is evident that this ministry has been blessed by God and that it is being used to shine hope and bring life to these communities. The Lord is clearly at work here through Chris and Lisa and the staffs they have assembled. Although I have not been privileged to watch the ministry’s work play out over the course of its existence, I am able to see the light that it is shining, in stark contrast to the darkness that surrounds. This glimpse only serves as a promise of more hope and light to come. God is surely at work, but is nowhere near finished with this people or this place, and I am so excited to see what else He will do.

Thus far, during my time here in Kenya, I have learned a number of things, a few of which I will share. First of all, I am inexpressibly proud of my dad and the work he does. I am thrilled that from now on when he calls me from here to tell me what he’s doing, where he is, and who he’s with, I’ll understand it all. Secondly, the missionary life is not particularly glamorous. From my few short weeks here I can only understand one tiny sliver of what this life is like, but I am certain that it is not for the faint of heart. I have learned that it is lonely to live in a foreign place with a different culture and language, and it is exhausting to be consistently attacked by the devil for fighting to glorify God. I will forever admire and do my best to encourage and support those who have been chosen by God and called across the world to spread his love to the nations. And lastly, as everyone who has been on a mission trip of any kind can understand, I am blessed beyond words. For living in America, for growing up in a Christian home, for having shoes to wear and clean water to drink, for being educated, for being healthy, for being loved and cared for all my days, I am blessed.