Us four girls in Korhogo just finished a Bible study on joy. It was a really great reminder to always rejoice in the Lord and find joy in every day life. Even when things get hard or just less exciting than when I first arrived, it's so important to have joy! So I've been thinking a lot about all my favorite things here and trying to make sure I find joy even in the little things. Here's a list of my favorite things about life in Korhogo, Cote d'Ivoire.

- Frozen Tampico. It's…

is a matter of being with people more than doing things for people. Dr. James Maxey

But in missionary work the great danger is that God's call (John 20, 21) will be replaced by the needs of the people .

Jesus emphasizes in Luke 10: 17-20, that the great secret of joy is not success, but that you have the right relationship with ME.

The one and only purpose is to disciple men and women to Jesus.

Our worship and theology will always be on display in the way we treat…

So as I had mentioned before, I had the possibility of participating in the P.E. class and playing volleyball at College Don Bosco. Everything worked out and I started last week!

Monday and Tuesday mornings, I go to the school and participate in the class. I taught them how to play volleyball, which was interesting because none of them had every played before. I also just participate in whatever they're doing. To be honest, I'm not really sure what my importance there is, but…

Benin has been good to me so far.  With wide strokes you can paint it the same as Cote d’Ivoire, but stopping to look reveals divergences.  And it is the differing details that make me feel like a stranger, or at least stranger than I expected.  I stare at every pot along the road wondering which of these familiar yet unknown foods she is selling there, and more importantly, how to get some on a plate without knowing its name or price.  I do not know how at home I will feel after only two…

My dream since freshman year of college has finally come true. I have helped start a Micro Finance Project in my church (Tiekelezo) to help women in need in that church. There are about 1,000 people who go to that church and many need help. We had originally planned on making this a project solely for women who have lost their husbands through his death or abandonment. Now, we extended it to include any women in the church in need. The Tiekelezo Church Committee choses who to accept into the…

I'm going to assume if you're reading my blog, you've been following them throughout the last nine months, so I'm going to skip the summary of the year and get straight to the point!

Now the choice has been presented to me to stay with Journey Corps for a second year. A year ago I said, "Sure God, I'll give you this year of my life and serve you in Africa. After that, I'm going straight back to America to continue with my plans and go to school, because that's…

SR grad ministers to the needy - in the Ivory Coast of Africa BY Karen Reynolds -Contributing Writer- Versailles Republican Newspaper Kelly Annemarie Bolt, daughter of Tim and Bonnie Bolt and sister of Jason Bolt, is living in the Ivory Coast, Africa these days, helping the poor. She is originally from Holton, with her home church being Hopewell Baptist Church. She left the United States in July of 2011 to go to live in Africa as a missionary with World Venture/Journey Corps. She was able to…

The Bible study I talked about in an earlier blog has started. It's every Wednesday at noon at a high school in my neighborhood, College Bethlehem. It's a private Christian school but just like Christian schools in the U.S. not all the students are Christian. So it's interesting that out of the entire school maybe 10-20 students come. As you can imagine, being at lunch time, some kids would rather go home to eat than come. It reminds me a lot of my days in the Christian club at my high…

Any 2 individuals from different cultures, ethnicities, religions, and upbrining can deeply connect, if they are willing to take the time and listen to each other.…

Here’s what I’m learning: God knows what we need even when we don’t. He knows where we’re going even when we have no idea.

When I left for Cote d’Ivoire in October of 2010, I had decided to put aside a year of my life for God. A year. That’s a lot, right? At the time, I thought so. Well, a year has become 17 months….Does that compute? Last I checked, there were 12 months in…

Father, thank you for the struggle within me.  It molds me and reminds me of all that I tend to forget when life is easily managed. 

The decision to stay indefinitely in missions (mostly easily done by seeking appointment with World Venture) will always feel like a decision too big for me.   Even though whatever we do should be rendered to God, missionary seems to require an Old Testament style calling.  At the same time, I do believe waiting for a guiding pillar of fire can…

Just read a great quote -

"I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made -- I'm a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no…

OK.  We won't be much of a splash but we are really content to finally have our plans to get to the field in May.  The exact day isn't decided because we are waiting for tickets.

We have been feeling blessed along the way.  While this interim of building our partner team has seemed slow it really has been fast.  Some take years.  But being an impatient person has made it seem like it was slow.  I loved my "impatience". I think there is a lesson here.  We hear again and again…

Last Saturday I took my older sister Rachel to the swimming pool. It was her first time ever being in one. In the beginning I had a hard time getting her into the pool. She was very scared and I wasn't sure she would get in.  Finally, she got in but she stayed on the low end and held onto the pole. Linda (new Journeyer from Germany) and I tried our best to explain to her in French how to swim. Not easy. Thankfully there were other Ivorian there who were swimming/learning how to swim who…

As many differences as I experience every day there are some things that never change despite the country or culture. Sure my house doesn't have running water, I eat rice every single day, everybody is always late, and if I eat in front of someone I have to be sure to invite them to eat with me. However, I still find similarities all over the place.

Such as the protective big brother. I have a neighbor who is the definition of creepy and a fetisher, he really wants to marry me…

Last week our group voyaged to Abidjan, little Paris compared with the rest of Cote d’Ivoire, for a seminar on the values and perspectives of West Africa from a Pasteur Sougalo. He is a pastor of one of our churches and teaching at a seminary in Abidjan. He works too hard but took the time to brief us on this vast subject. I would like to convey to you what was not just interesting, like most new information is, but an enlightening of how I see the world through the window of comparison. My…

Lately I feel like I've had so much going on but when I actually think about it, it's really not that much. In my mind it just feels like it 1) because everything takes extra thinking when you're not in your own culture or speaking English, 2) I've had a lot more to do than last month, and 3) I've just had a lot to think about.

Right now my life consists of going to church on Sunday, then visiting people and finding ways to occupy my time on Monday and Tuesday, working at a…

We have a great team out here right now. From left to right: Steph, Devin, Trish, Kelly, Jess & Steve, Almut and Linda. They all need our prayers. I was inspired by Paul asking the Roman church to  to join him in his struggle by praying to God for him. Rom. 15, 30 - 33

Please pray for…

As I sat in the marquis, people started standing up, pacing, throwing chairs down on the ground, cursing and yelling that it was finished. Their cheers and horns, once played with enthusiasm, were lost. Cote d’Ivoire lost to Zambia in a shoot off, player against goalie, standing 11 meters apart. This was after two 15 minute overtimes. The crowd walked away, somber and dejected.

I would have loved to see us win.…

The Journey Corps slogan is “Everything will change”. It’s prophetic, because everything has changed for me and this is why… Six days ago my host mom asked me if I wanted to go to a funeral in the village. This is the first time she had asked me to go and I really wanted to because she was so excited for me to see it and dance with her. That morning though I was feeling a little off color. I had a little diarrhea and my body ached a little bit. I wasn’t sure what I had. I thought it might be…