We’re officially in Kenya! My Squad flew to Nairobi for 2 days to recover from the jet lag and to receive more cultural trainings.

Afterwards, the squad broke up into teams of 6 and we all went to separate ministries. My team took an 8 hour train to a city right outside of Mombasa to work with a school/community center. We’ve been here for about a week now so here are some of the things the Lord has been showing me.

The airport:

Th day we flew to Kenya, we were left with one van to transport all 30 of us to the airport(which is about a 1.5 hour drive from the AIM base in Gainesville. Because of our vehicle shortage, they had to make 3 separate trips to the airport. I ended up being on the first van which meant I had approximately 12 hours at the airport before boarding.

If I’m honest, I was pretty excited. I had been struggling to find time to sit with the Lord, read the Bible, and jut rest..so I was looking forward to finding a place to sit for a few hours.

After arriving and chatting for a couple hours, I was antsy to find a place to sit. Then we got a message in our squad group chat that said there was a group of people going to do ATL on the train while they waited.

ATL = Ask the Lord. It’s where you intentionally seek the Lords guidance on your actions. (Ex. Instead of sitting in a row alone, maybe the Lords prompts you to sit next to a lady sitting by herself. Maybe He prompts you to strike up a conversation with a group of teens, etc. The goal is to follow the Lords prompts and watch  Him to do His thing).

I immediately felt defeated. I was had been so excited to sit with the Lord and for Him to fill my cup but now I felt obligated to go out and do something way out of my comfort zone…with a very empty cup. I immediately felt guilty for not wanting to participate and was even fighting some FOMO.

Most people wanted to do ATL but there was a small group that wanted to stay back. I decided to stay back and I told the Lord, “If there’s someone you want me to talk to, please bring them to me because I don’t have it in me to go out right now.”

So we found a relatively quiet spot, I put in my headphones, and spent time with the Lord. It was much needed and honestly, the guilt and FOMO were gone.

A few hours later, a worker walks by us and strikes up a conversation. Through the stories he told us, we could tell that he was dealing with a lot of anger and hurt from people in his life. We briefly shared the hope of Jesus with him, but he was uninterested, which is ok. We were able to lend a listening ear, point him towards the light, and pray for him after he left.

That interaction was a reminder that the Lord will meet me where I’m at. He’s not surprised that I’m tired. He’s not angry that I didn’t want to do ATL. I’m choosing to believe that it was the His plan for me and a few others to stay back and talk to this man. Even if he was not interested in talking about Jesus, my prayer is that he walked away curious. Maybe a seed was planted.

Ballet:

In my last blog, I touched on my experience with ballet and how the Lord has been putting dance back on my heart. So, if you haven’t read that, I’d recommend taking a look.

After arriving at our ministry, we were settling in when our host came in and asked, “Who’s my ballerina?” I was confused, but I told her I did have a background in ballet. (I still don’t know how she knew.) She explained that there was a girl who had been wanting to learn ballet and had been struggling to fit in with her peers.

The next day, I met this girl. When I told her I could teach her ballet, she began skipping and hopping around, grabbing all of her friends to excitedly tell them that they could all learn ballet.

Her reaction melted my heart. Since that day, I’ve taught two classes. It’s brought back a lot of memories, but it’s almost as if the Lord has been sifting through them and removing the bad ones. When I dance with them and see the joy as they learn a new step, the negative feelings I had towards ballet are slowly being replaced with new memories like these.

Memories of physical pain, anxiety, and comparison are being replaced with memories full of laughter. We’re not completely consumed by appearances or perfection. There’s no air conditioning, no barre, no mirrors, and no perfectly coordinated leotards. We’re dancing in T-shirts and pants, some have socks and others don’t. And somehow, it doesn’t matter. They’re just happy to dance.

It’s been healing.

And I don’t know if this is the reason He has been putting dance back on my heart over the last year, or if there’s something more He has planned with it. Maybe I’ll understand the reason someday, and maybe I won’t. For now, I’m just grateful for what He’s doing and enjoying each moment as it comes.

I’m still fundraising, but we’re over halfway there! If you would like to support me, here is some info on how to give!

Fundraising page:

https://adventuresinmissions.servicereef.com/events/adventures-in-missions-3/september-2026-world-race-11-months-26w0901/participants/madeline-boynton

Buy a T-shirt or stickers!

https://maddies-11n11-mission-trip-shop.fourthwall.com/en-chf

Give by check:

Checks should be made out to Adventures in Missions. In the memo line, put "Madeline Boynton 11n11 2026"

Adventures in Missions

6000 Wellspring Trail

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Venmo: (not tax-deductible)

@iwtbt116

https://venmo.com/u/iwtbt116

Donor-advised-fund(DAF):

If you’d like to give through a DAF, please email: donorrelations@adventures.org. They will provide the correct instructions to ensure your gift is designated to my World Race mission!