Moving?????
We had a Realtor over last night, and are feeling blessed. She gaves us a list price that was higher than what we had in mind, and had many words of advice and encouragement. Together as sellers and a Realtor we are placing our Trust in the Lord! So we go forward, with making some minor improvements, such as fresh coats of paint, carpet cleanings, de-cluttering, and some little wall repairs here and there. In hopes to have our house dressed for success by March, and place that sign in our yard by April 1st.
Where are we going? We don't know. That's the greatest thing. What we do know is we are OPEN.
Openess: attitude of ready accessibility.
Accessibility to the Lords Will in our lives with being involved in Missions. In our minds we have Africa, Tacoma Washington; headquarters of World Vision, and Colorado Springs; headquarters for Compassion Intl. What the Lord has in His mind, we are not exactly sure of right now. But we have Faith in the unknown.
Together as a family we are praying for the Lords Will. Right now for Noah, his top is Africa. For Jacob his top is Washington. For Bob its a toss up between Washington and Colorado. For me it's a mix of our time being in Africa and in the States nearer to our Oregon family.
Please be praying for us. That we would remain open, and faithful. That as a family we will daily grow closer to Our Lord, and to one another. That we can find someone to come alongside and help us get our house ready. (ya...Bob needs much help in this lol)
We are in no hurry to sell. Our goal is to move when Dave Graduates from High School which is in a Year 1/2. With the economy we know it could take that long or even longer to sell, so we place our Trust in the Lord and begin the process.
Thanks for your love, support, and prayers.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Speaking
For those that are in the area, wanted to let you know that Bob and I will be speaking at our church's Missions Conference on Monday Sept. 14th at 6:00, and then again on Tuesday Sept. 15th at 7:00. Come to one of our sessions and hear all about our trip!
P.S. On a family personal note, please be in prayer for our youngest son Jacob who is 8. He is struggling badly right now with ADHD, and anxiety, depression etc. We are asking the Lord for complete healing! Join us in that prayer~
P.S. On a family personal note, please be in prayer for our youngest son Jacob who is 8. He is struggling badly right now with ADHD, and anxiety, depression etc. We are asking the Lord for complete healing! Join us in that prayer~
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Pray for Rain
National Post:
Kenya is experiencing its worst drought in 20 years. Livestock are dropping like flies, devastating the herdsmen and farmers of the Maasai tribes, and the UN is deeply concerned about the possibility of famine.
Talked with Pamela today; electricity and water is being shut off 3 days a week in Nairobi and surrounding areas. Many people are struggling with hunger. The latest business is getting water; from wherever you can and selling it. Which is scary, due to some of the places they are getting the water.
Please join me in prayer for the Kenyan people. For God to pour down the rains in Kenya.
I am reminded of the story of Elijah, who earnestly prayed for No rain, and for 3 1/2years there was no rain. Then he prayed for Rain; and down it poured James 5:18 tells us, The grass turned green and the crops began to grow.
Let us have faith like Elijah and earnestly pray for Rain for Kenya~
Kenya is experiencing its worst drought in 20 years. Livestock are dropping like flies, devastating the herdsmen and farmers of the Maasai tribes, and the UN is deeply concerned about the possibility of famine.
Talked with Pamela today; electricity and water is being shut off 3 days a week in Nairobi and surrounding areas. Many people are struggling with hunger. The latest business is getting water; from wherever you can and selling it. Which is scary, due to some of the places they are getting the water.
Please join me in prayer for the Kenyan people. For God to pour down the rains in Kenya.
I am reminded of the story of Elijah, who earnestly prayed for No rain, and for 3 1/2years there was no rain. Then he prayed for Rain; and down it poured James 5:18 tells us, The grass turned green and the crops began to grow.
Let us have faith like Elijah and earnestly pray for Rain for Kenya~
Friday, August 7, 2009
Homesick
Our diagnosis:
Inverted Homesickness!~
The way in which missionaries unlearn the love of the old home, die to their native land, and wed their hearts to the people they have served........
Daily we think about Africa, pray for Africa, long for Africa, and pray about the journey of getting from here to there!
There is a lot to consider when thinking about moving to Africa. At times it seems overwhelming at other times we have the Peace of God, that He is in control and will lead and guide us in His ways and timing. We have been in contact with the area director of AIM (African Inland Mission) and have found out great details of what it would be like serving with them overseas. As with Most NGO's you have to raise support. This is the area Bob and I are very afraid of to be honest. When you look at the amount that has to be raised monthly with our current economic situation here in America it just seems impossible. But we all know Jesus word "what is impossible with men is possible with God" Will you join us in prayer as we earnestly seek God's plan for us. We have been told by many Missionary friends and NGO's that the process from getting here to there is anywhere from 18months to two years. In two years David graduates from High School, in which we feel better about leaving at that time; as well Noah will be finished with his elementary years here in America another good time of transitioning if we do go overseas. As two years may seem like a long time, we all know how time flies by. And we all know it could take that long to sell our home, which we are hoping to put on the market next June. So lots to pray and think about and plan for, and lots of seeking. All we for sure know now is that we are open and willing. God will take it from there! We greatly appreciate your prayers for us during this journey.
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"And we know that All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" Rom. 8:28
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
settling.....
Well we've been home a little over a week, and were starting to settle back into some sort of a routine. Today is the first day I have felt good and alive. My sciatica is doing better, now that I am on meds for it and have seen the Chiropractor 5 times!
We've been busy with other Dr. appts. had both boys at the dentist today, and last week had Jacob into a new Dr. one that specializizes in ADHD, as he has been having very negative side effects from the patch. So he is now on a different med, and we are praying this one works, with no bad side effects!
I am back to watching one child for the rest of the summer, so we have been having fun going to the pool, and movies etc. Now if I can just get myself to stay home and unpack that would be good. But no fun :) The end of this month we will be taking off again for a week, to go to our Church's District Camp Resort in Vermilion Ohio for a week of Bible and Missionary Conference. We are looking forward to being up there hanging with family, and talking more Missions stuff!
As we settle into being home in the States, we are continually seeking the Lord and His will for us in Missions. We have been in contact with an organization, and are praying about our future. There is a lot to think about, plan for etc.....and we want to make sure it is all done in God's timing and will. Please continue to pray for us and God's leading. We also feel led to continue Missions work while here in the States. I am hoping to lead a Womens Missions Bible Study, and Bob and I together will continue to spread our zeal for Missions to all those around us, and hope to get involved in some projects state side.
Well I am sitting here staring at a huge paper pile, that I should attempt to get to. But wanted to take just a moment to update.
In September we are hoping to have a special time at our home of sharing our Kenyan stories and eating some good Kenyan food. Details to come in August!
Blesssings to all
We've been busy with other Dr. appts. had both boys at the dentist today, and last week had Jacob into a new Dr. one that specializizes in ADHD, as he has been having very negative side effects from the patch. So he is now on a different med, and we are praying this one works, with no bad side effects!
I am back to watching one child for the rest of the summer, so we have been having fun going to the pool, and movies etc. Now if I can just get myself to stay home and unpack that would be good. But no fun :) The end of this month we will be taking off again for a week, to go to our Church's District Camp Resort in Vermilion Ohio for a week of Bible and Missionary Conference. We are looking forward to being up there hanging with family, and talking more Missions stuff!
As we settle into being home in the States, we are continually seeking the Lord and His will for us in Missions. We have been in contact with an organization, and are praying about our future. There is a lot to think about, plan for etc.....and we want to make sure it is all done in God's timing and will. Please continue to pray for us and God's leading. We also feel led to continue Missions work while here in the States. I am hoping to lead a Womens Missions Bible Study, and Bob and I together will continue to spread our zeal for Missions to all those around us, and hope to get involved in some projects state side.
Well I am sitting here staring at a huge paper pile, that I should attempt to get to. But wanted to take just a moment to update.
In September we are hoping to have a special time at our home of sharing our Kenyan stories and eating some good Kenyan food. Details to come in August!
Blesssings to all
Monday, July 6, 2009
Back in the United States
We're back in Ohio. Kids were up at 6am this morning, wide awake and ready to play. I was up at 4am. Guess we're gonna have some jet lag issues...lol.
Please pray for Janell as she is having some leg & back issues w/pinched nerves & some numbness in her leg. She had a rather miserable flight home yesterday & didn't rest too comfortably overnight. Otherwise than that & the "extended stay" in Brussels, as Janell mentioned above, the return was uneventful. And a HUGE thank you to Jessica for handling the baggage issue for us - they were waiting for us when we arrived in Cleveland last night. Jessica, we cannot tell you how appreciative of that, we are!
We definitely miss Kenya, and it's very, very clear that we are going to return someday. The only question now is - "for how long?". All four of us can see ourselves making Nairobi, home.
That said - please pray for us for our future plans and where God will help us serve. Once again, thank you so much to all of those who have been praying for us and/or gave financially to this trip. We felt amazingly blessed by the Holy Spirit while there and hope that we were a huge blessing to those we served while on the ground there.
Please pray for Janell as she is having some leg & back issues w/pinched nerves & some numbness in her leg. She had a rather miserable flight home yesterday & didn't rest too comfortably overnight. Otherwise than that & the "extended stay" in Brussels, as Janell mentioned above, the return was uneventful. And a HUGE thank you to Jessica for handling the baggage issue for us - they were waiting for us when we arrived in Cleveland last night. Jessica, we cannot tell you how appreciative of that, we are!
We definitely miss Kenya, and it's very, very clear that we are going to return someday. The only question now is - "for how long?". All four of us can see ourselves making Nairobi, home.
That said - please pray for us for our future plans and where God will help us serve. Once again, thank you so much to all of those who have been praying for us and/or gave financially to this trip. We felt amazingly blessed by the Holy Spirit while there and hope that we were a huge blessing to those we served while on the ground there.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
URGENT
We are in Brussels, safely arrived from Nairobi. However they overbooked our flight from Brussels to New York, and needed 5 people to opt to take a flight tomorrow morning to New York, in return they would give each 700usd in vouchers on American Airlines. So Bob and I and the boys decided to take the option, as we LOVE to travel, and now have free airline tickets for our next Family Vacation!!! Jessica went on home to New York, as her hubby is anxiously awaiting her arrival!
PLEASE PRAY FOR JESS, AS SHE GET'S INTO NEW YORK SHE WILL HAVE TO TAKE ALL OUR LUGGAGE THROUGH CUSTOMS!
THEY WILL HELP HER OUT THEY SAID, AND SHE DOES HAVE A 3 HOUR LAYOVER, SO THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF TIME.
IT'S JUST GOING TO BE A HASSLE WITH 7 PIECES OF LUGGAGE!
WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO HER FOR DOING THIS!!!!! SUCH A BLESSING!
So we are now in Brussels at the Airport Holiday Inn, with a pool for the kids and now a good night sleep before another 8 hour flight home in the morning! We are praising God for the extra sleep tonight for the boys before the next flight!
PLEASE PRAY FOR JESS, AS SHE GET'S INTO NEW YORK SHE WILL HAVE TO TAKE ALL OUR LUGGAGE THROUGH CUSTOMS!
THEY WILL HELP HER OUT THEY SAID, AND SHE DOES HAVE A 3 HOUR LAYOVER, SO THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF TIME.
IT'S JUST GOING TO BE A HASSLE WITH 7 PIECES OF LUGGAGE!
WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO HER FOR DOING THIS!!!!! SUCH A BLESSING!
So we are now in Brussels at the Airport Holiday Inn, with a pool for the kids and now a good night sleep before another 8 hour flight home in the morning! We are praising God for the extra sleep tonight for the boys before the next flight!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Lions & Tigers & Bears - OH MY!
Okay, perhaps only the first one. But boy did we see a lot of animals! We are wrapping up our 2-day safari to Amboseli National Park, and the wildlife seeing was out of this world!
But to me, of course, was the view of one of the greatest volcanoes in the world. Rising 16,000 feet above the savanna floor, and over 19,000' tall in all, was the stunning Mt. Kilimanjaro. Absolutely amazing to see it dominate the entire skyline for over 50 miles from end to end! Wow.
So what wildlife did we see? Well, there were innumerable zebras, wildebeests, gazelle & elephants. As in 1000's of the first three and hundreds of the last one. Lots of musk ox/water buffalo (whatever they're called). A dozen or more hippos and water bucks. And about 12-15 lions, including a number of cubs & a fresh kill (yummy!).
Of course I'm not going to forget about Janell's favorite - the giraffe. Alas, there apparently are not many twigas (Swahili for giraffe) here in Amboseli right now, so we've only seen about ten. Janell is obviously not overly thrilled with that...lol.
Janell, Jake and I have had a few bouts w/minor illnesses this week - mostly a cold for Janell & stomach issues for Jake and I. However, it's nothing we cannot handle, except that all three of us had to miss our last church service on Sunday, the worst day of it. BUMMER!
Anyhow, thanks again for your continued prayers & support. We are absolutely in awe of Kenya and could certainly see ourselves serving permanently here. God created some of the most beautiful people and land in the world, and combined them in Eastern Africa!
Praise His holy name & thank you, Lord, for allowing us to share Your love here in Kenya!
Bob
But to me, of course, was the view of one of the greatest volcanoes in the world. Rising 16,000 feet above the savanna floor, and over 19,000' tall in all, was the stunning Mt. Kilimanjaro. Absolutely amazing to see it dominate the entire skyline for over 50 miles from end to end! Wow.
So what wildlife did we see? Well, there were innumerable zebras, wildebeests, gazelle & elephants. As in 1000's of the first three and hundreds of the last one. Lots of musk ox/water buffalo (whatever they're called). A dozen or more hippos and water bucks. And about 12-15 lions, including a number of cubs & a fresh kill (yummy!).
Of course I'm not going to forget about Janell's favorite - the giraffe. Alas, there apparently are not many twigas (Swahili for giraffe) here in Amboseli right now, so we've only seen about ten. Janell is obviously not overly thrilled with that...lol.
Janell, Jake and I have had a few bouts w/minor illnesses this week - mostly a cold for Janell & stomach issues for Jake and I. However, it's nothing we cannot handle, except that all three of us had to miss our last church service on Sunday, the worst day of it. BUMMER!
Anyhow, thanks again for your continued prayers & support. We are absolutely in awe of Kenya and could certainly see ourselves serving permanently here. God created some of the most beautiful people and land in the world, and combined them in Eastern Africa!
Praise His holy name & thank you, Lord, for allowing us to share Your love here in Kenya!
Bob
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Well today was our last Saturday here. Our last VBS! I asked to speak to the kids at the end of VBS today, and should've known better, as of course I started crying! Shocking I know. It was great to have Bob there today! All the kids are mezmorized by the big Mzungu guy! It's cute.
Tomorrow we will enjoy our last Sunday service; and then we are having ALL of Pamela's family here for dinner! We leave for Safari early Monday morning, and won't be back till late afternoon Wed. so we don't have much time left with them, which is very sad, and makes me cry a lot. But I try not to think of it, and am trying to live it all up right to the end!
Enjoy the pics! We have had Internet at home now for a week, and it's been so nice to be able to load pic easier, and to not have to always walk to the Internet Cafe!
So Kwaheri for now, and enjoy the pics! Yesterday Pamela and Bob and the boys enjoyed a 12 hour day going on a tour 2 hours outside Nbi, to Hell's Gates, Nakuru Lake, and Mt. Lagenot. Jessica and I spent the day at an Orphanage holding and feeding babies! It was a great day!
P.S. we were able to purchase hundreds of bags of rice to hand out to the children at VBS to take home to there families! Thank you for your financial support which allowed us to do this :)
the boys in a hot spring with a Massai
Bob's team at VBS won the untangle game!
Pamela and boys at Hells Gate
Pamela and boys with a Lava Rock
Bob and Jess giving out Rice after VBS
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Random Pictures
Jacob and Pamela's nephew Shadrack! eating burritos
me and "my" Kibera kids! the girl I am holding LOVES to rub my arm!
me and Pamela's neice Samara! I love naked brown butts!
in America we have exersaucers! In Africa we have plastic tubs to play in
Pamela and Jacob doing a Word Search together
P.S. we are NOT ready to leave :(
God is Good
Read note below~!
more of the front shop area
more of front shop
in back of shop which will be an apartment....looking through door to shop
outside looking at front of shop, which will be renamed for sewing business
front shop area, door and window
more of the front shop area
more of front shop
in back of shop which will be an apartment....looking through door to shop
outside looking at front of shop, which will be renamed for sewing business
Hey all, wanted to let you know we were able to find Pamela's Mom an Amazing shop for her sewing business within walking distance to her home! The place is on a Main Road, where vacant shops are unheard of! And it was such a God thing of how we spotted it! Here are some pics of the shop. Hopefully next week we will have pics to share of the shop filled with her business stuff!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Random thoughts and stuff
Just some random things that have crossed my mind while here:
Yay: Bob arrives tonight
I miss having a microwave
At resteraunts here when you order a drink (soda) they ask if you'd like it warm or cold........there is a theory that drinking cold soda will give you a cold.......hmmmmm (pamela)
I wish Kayla was here!
They don't have hard taco shells
The boys LOVE brown eggs
When we get up at 10:00am, they laugh as that is mid-day for them.......Hee
It makes me mad that there are so many Orphans and the govt. makes it nearly impossible to adopt and give them a better life
I wish I could vacuum the living room rug; instead we use a course brissel broom
I did not like the Market brokers, chasing me around the market to get a sale
Glow sticks that we brought are a HUGE hit! Especially when the power goes out; the neighbor kids come to us for light!
To keep your shoes clean you gotta wash them atleast every other day
I love brown babies with runny noses and bare butts!
Thank you all for your prayers! and for support..... we have been able to purchase stuff for Pamelas mom to start her business, and will be able to get football supplies for Pamela's brother in laws football ministry!! It's been a blessing to serve and help in these ministries! And you are a part of that! :) Blessings to you
Yay: Bob arrives tonight
I miss having a microwave
At resteraunts here when you order a drink (soda) they ask if you'd like it warm or cold........there is a theory that drinking cold soda will give you a cold.......hmmmmm (pamela)
I wish Kayla was here!
They don't have hard taco shells
The boys LOVE brown eggs
When we get up at 10:00am, they laugh as that is mid-day for them.......Hee
It makes me mad that there are so many Orphans and the govt. makes it nearly impossible to adopt and give them a better life
I wish I could vacuum the living room rug; instead we use a course brissel broom
I did not like the Market brokers, chasing me around the market to get a sale
Glow sticks that we brought are a HUGE hit! Especially when the power goes out; the neighbor kids come to us for light!
To keep your shoes clean you gotta wash them atleast every other day
I love brown babies with runny noses and bare butts!
Thank you all for your prayers! and for support..... we have been able to purchase stuff for Pamelas mom to start her business, and will be able to get football supplies for Pamela's brother in laws football ministry!! It's been a blessing to serve and help in these ministries! And you are a part of that! :) Blessings to you
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Habari to all!
Well, I got a chance to speak to Janell at length today - two phone calls, half a dozen emails and perhaps 20-25 text messages. GREAT chance to catch up. Here's some stuff we chatted about:
Electricity - Unlike clothespins, electricity is not overrated...lol. The power had been out for two days, then the groundskeeper was able to get it working again, and now the entire neighborhood's power went kaput. As of 9pm their time (2pm ET, 11am PT), they were without electricity. Unfortunately, they lost most everything in their fridge - bummer!
Boys - They are having a great time. Jake has said that he "maybe" he wants to live there, because of all the new friends he & Noah have made. Both kids have plugged in quickly to local kids-scene and have made tons of new mates! In fact, when the schoolkids (it's still the school year over there) get home, they come straight to our place to ask for the boys!
Ministry - It is going great and they are seeing things come along wonderfully in their various ministries. This past weekend, a whopping 125 kids showed up for their VBS that they are running! And the soccer camp has been a great success so far. Please keep praying that the Kenyan's minds & hearts remain open to God's grace for them! Thanks for your support here!
Donations Part - Some of the things that our support money has gone to include supplies for the Vacation Bible School (crafts, etc.), supplies for the soccer/Bible camp (soccer balls, cones, etc.) and materials for Pamela's mother to run her small business (she is a seamstress) and generate revenue to support her and her family! The Kenyans have been extremely grateful for these things, that couldn't have happened w/o your support! Thank you!
Please continue to pray for the four of them, as well as myself as I head over on Friday! Please especially pray for Jessica & her hubby, Steve, as they are really struggling w/being apart from one another. They have only been married two months, so a full month apart is understandably very tough at this early stage of marraige!
And while you're praying, praise God for no health nor safety issues to date, and for putting so many people in their path, that are open to the Gospel, to minister to!
In His Grace,
Bob
Well, I got a chance to speak to Janell at length today - two phone calls, half a dozen emails and perhaps 20-25 text messages. GREAT chance to catch up. Here's some stuff we chatted about:
Electricity - Unlike clothespins, electricity is not overrated...lol. The power had been out for two days, then the groundskeeper was able to get it working again, and now the entire neighborhood's power went kaput. As of 9pm their time (2pm ET, 11am PT), they were without electricity. Unfortunately, they lost most everything in their fridge - bummer!
Boys - They are having a great time. Jake has said that he "maybe" he wants to live there, because of all the new friends he & Noah have made. Both kids have plugged in quickly to local kids-scene and have made tons of new mates! In fact, when the schoolkids (it's still the school year over there) get home, they come straight to our place to ask for the boys!
Ministry - It is going great and they are seeing things come along wonderfully in their various ministries. This past weekend, a whopping 125 kids showed up for their VBS that they are running! And the soccer camp has been a great success so far. Please keep praying that the Kenyan's minds & hearts remain open to God's grace for them! Thanks for your support here!
Donations Part - Some of the things that our support money has gone to include supplies for the Vacation Bible School (crafts, etc.), supplies for the soccer/Bible camp (soccer balls, cones, etc.) and materials for Pamela's mother to run her small business (she is a seamstress) and generate revenue to support her and her family! The Kenyans have been extremely grateful for these things, that couldn't have happened w/o your support! Thank you!
Please continue to pray for the four of them, as well as myself as I head over on Friday! Please especially pray for Jessica & her hubby, Steve, as they are really struggling w/being apart from one another. They have only been married two months, so a full month apart is understandably very tough at this early stage of marraige!
And while you're praying, praise God for no health nor safety issues to date, and for putting so many people in their path, that are open to the Gospel, to minister to!
In His Grace,
Bob
Since Janell wasn't able to go into full details about the electrical issues, here they are via email from Janell:
"Now onto our new issue. yesterday after returning home we noticed there was no power. so we thought okay another round of a short power outage. then about 4 hours later i went outside and noticed everybody else had power but us. so we try to talk with people and figure it out. the guards took us to the main switch for the whole compound and the fuse for our house was disconnected. So we went to house number 1 where they know the number for our landlord and she said the power company was out earlier and disconnected some as well as hers. and she had paid for her electricity and was not late, so she called them and they came out several hours later and apologized and reconnected it. well by time we got back and found this all out it was 8:00 and electricity company was closed. so we got up this morning to try to call power company and pamelas phone is dead. ugggghhhh so she has headed downtown to the company to figure it out. the girls paid for 2 months of power and we checked our balance and had hardly used any so they must have mistankly pulled ours instead of someone elses. they dont have them marked. so we are going on now 2 days of no power and a refrigerator full of warm food. we are so pissed. and of course the system works so differently here. but pamela said she was going to ask for compesation for there mistake of our lost food.it rained all night so it is a muddy pit here now. Welcome to Africa! :)"
And from Jessica in an email to Nancy (her mom):
"It's SO very hard being away from Steve and only being able to get a message every 2 or 3 days. It’s getting harder and harder as each day passes. It’s so hard to have no communication. I feel so separated. As for calling Pamela’s cell - Pamela has to constantly buy what is called "airtime" He phone uses airtime to place calls to anyone, to receive calls from anyone and to send and receive texts so, when all her airtime is used up, she has to wait till we go into town the next time and buy some more airtime. Also lately we've been having problems with our electricity (we currently don’t have any but should get it later today) and her phones dies. We visited the market yesterday and will be going one more time when Bob gets here. They have almost anything you can think of (coffee, baskets, wallets, placemats, knives, bracelets, key chains, paintings, figurines, coasters, etc). So we paid for some more VBS supplies... tonight is our 2nd night of soccer. The soccer program is helped run by Pamela’s brother-in-law, Everence. Friday we are going to buy some extra soccer balls, some cones and some penneys for them.... the number of kids that show up to play and how far they walk is incredible. Last soccer night we gave them some glow bracelets and tonight I think I’m going to share a few verses and then were going to pass out some candy to them. Tomorrow will be our first day helping out with a program called music for life. We’re still not sure what exactly well be doing. It could be anything from laundry, to stapling, to teaching etc. Friday we are going back to visit in the Kibera slums. We bought some bubbles to blow and play with the kids. We’ll also pass out some candy to them.Saturday will be our second day of VBS. Last Saturday there were close to 150 kids and we were running out of supplies. Praise the Lord! This week we are expecting it to double!"
As you can see, there are definitely some issues that we need to be praying about. Also, please pray for my trip over, as heavy thunderstorms are predicted for Friday afternoon in both Cleveland and Chicago, in addition to some possible complications w/my British Airways flight from London to Nairobi.
Bob
UPDATE at 10:16am (about an hour later): I was able to speak w/Janell on the phone and the power came back on as I talked to her. Albeit illegally. (long story). They should have full, legal power back in the next 2-3 days. The electric company admitted their mistake - they attributed the last payment to the wrong account.
"Now onto our new issue. yesterday after returning home we noticed there was no power. so we thought okay another round of a short power outage. then about 4 hours later i went outside and noticed everybody else had power but us. so we try to talk with people and figure it out. the guards took us to the main switch for the whole compound and the fuse for our house was disconnected. So we went to house number 1 where they know the number for our landlord and she said the power company was out earlier and disconnected some as well as hers. and she had paid for her electricity and was not late, so she called them and they came out several hours later and apologized and reconnected it. well by time we got back and found this all out it was 8:00 and electricity company was closed. so we got up this morning to try to call power company and pamelas phone is dead. ugggghhhh so she has headed downtown to the company to figure it out. the girls paid for 2 months of power and we checked our balance and had hardly used any so they must have mistankly pulled ours instead of someone elses. they dont have them marked. so we are going on now 2 days of no power and a refrigerator full of warm food. we are so pissed. and of course the system works so differently here. but pamela said she was going to ask for compesation for there mistake of our lost food.it rained all night so it is a muddy pit here now. Welcome to Africa! :)"
And from Jessica in an email to Nancy (her mom):
"It's SO very hard being away from Steve and only being able to get a message every 2 or 3 days. It’s getting harder and harder as each day passes. It’s so hard to have no communication. I feel so separated. As for calling Pamela’s cell - Pamela has to constantly buy what is called "airtime" He phone uses airtime to place calls to anyone, to receive calls from anyone and to send and receive texts so, when all her airtime is used up, she has to wait till we go into town the next time and buy some more airtime. Also lately we've been having problems with our electricity (we currently don’t have any but should get it later today) and her phones dies. We visited the market yesterday and will be going one more time when Bob gets here. They have almost anything you can think of (coffee, baskets, wallets, placemats, knives, bracelets, key chains, paintings, figurines, coasters, etc). So we paid for some more VBS supplies... tonight is our 2nd night of soccer. The soccer program is helped run by Pamela’s brother-in-law, Everence. Friday we are going to buy some extra soccer balls, some cones and some penneys for them.... the number of kids that show up to play and how far they walk is incredible. Last soccer night we gave them some glow bracelets and tonight I think I’m going to share a few verses and then were going to pass out some candy to them. Tomorrow will be our first day helping out with a program called music for life. We’re still not sure what exactly well be doing. It could be anything from laundry, to stapling, to teaching etc. Friday we are going back to visit in the Kibera slums. We bought some bubbles to blow and play with the kids. We’ll also pass out some candy to them.Saturday will be our second day of VBS. Last Saturday there were close to 150 kids and we were running out of supplies. Praise the Lord! This week we are expecting it to double!"
As you can see, there are definitely some issues that we need to be praying about. Also, please pray for my trip over, as heavy thunderstorms are predicted for Friday afternoon in both Cleveland and Chicago, in addition to some possible complications w/my British Airways flight from London to Nairobi.
Bob
UPDATE at 10:16am (about an hour later): I was able to speak w/Janell on the phone and the power came back on as I talked to her. Albeit illegally. (long story). They should have full, legal power back in the next 2-3 days. The electric company admitted their mistake - they attributed the last payment to the wrong account.
prayer
Jambo friends and family!
I only have a few minutes left on internet. But need to ask for prayer! We are having issues with our electricity, perhaps Bob can write more details. But it was a mistake on the power companies end, and we are having problems getting them to fix it. So we are now going on day 2 with no power, which isnt so bad except that we just stocked the freezer and refrig with food that is now all BAD!!!! and it's not cheap to buy food. Please pray that this issue will get resolved today, and that funds will appear for us to replace our food supply.
Also pray for Jessica and her husband as they miss each other extremely, and Satan is using that to get them both down. Pray against the enemies schemes in this situation.
Asante Sana
I only have a few minutes left on internet. But need to ask for prayer! We are having issues with our electricity, perhaps Bob can write more details. But it was a mistake on the power companies end, and we are having problems getting them to fix it. So we are now going on day 2 with no power, which isnt so bad except that we just stocked the freezer and refrig with food that is now all BAD!!!! and it's not cheap to buy food. Please pray that this issue will get resolved today, and that funds will appear for us to replace our food supply.
Also pray for Jessica and her husband as they miss each other extremely, and Satan is using that to get them both down. Pray against the enemies schemes in this situation.
Asante Sana
Sunday, June 14, 2009
more pics
jacob and monica at the National Reserve
Jacob with his new football (soccer) team
noah chatting with a new friend! he finds them everywhere!
leaving Kibera, mama flo on my left and sister Pauline on my right (pams sister)
pics
Jacob playing at kibera slum
getting ready for vbs with my african mama and a baby i decided to adopt that day
jacob and his new bf Joseph
Habari my friends and family. Was not able to load pics for my last post, so am here again to try for a 2nd time!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Jambo
Okay so I have to say that clothes pins are overrated!!! hee :) its so much easier just to hang your clothes right over the line without the pins! That was my chore this morning!
Well it's been a week. We have enjoyed just getting used to Kenyan culture and trying to fit in as much as we can! Yes we here the occasional Mzungu Mzungu! :) But that's okay, we use our Swahili and say hello and go about our way.
We have been to several markets this week, to get supplies for VBS which starts tomorrow, as well as food, and yesterday went to Textile alley for fabric for Pamela's mom to sew all of us outfits! The boys even chose there own fabric for there outfits!
Today is Pamela's birthday so to celebrate we are taking the whole family to Nairobi Natl. Park. A mini Safari out the outskirts of town! Pamela's family has NEVER been there, so it' s a real treat for them. Speaking of treat, I ordered pizza the other night for dinner, and Pamela's sisters have never had cheese, so it didn't go over well. Can you fathom being 19 and 21 and never having cheese.....that is the reality of so many here! I am so blessed to be here to encourage and help them.
We went to Kibera last night, where one of Pamela's sisters lives with her 3 kids. I was so proud of the boys, Noah made a 1 sec. comment about all the rubbish and that was it, they were off playing with the kids the whole night in the slum!! Didn't matter that it smelled or that there was rubbish everywhere, or that children were running around 1/2 naked. They had a blast and want to go back :)
We are going to try to find bubbles so we can have fun blowing them with the kids next week when we go back. I so want to open up a Nursery school there! Many of the kids don't talk cause they cannot go to school due to money. Oh just breaks my heart.
Thanks for all your prayers! None of us have been sick, and were sleeping pretty well. The boys are doing pretty good overall. They have there moments; but there hearts are genuine and loving the kids here!
In our compound there are many kids, each day after school they come knocking on our door asking for Jacob and Noah. It's so cute!
Noah makes friends everywhere we are at. And a lot with adults. They love talking with him, and the LOVE his Lego guys!!!
Okay I am going to go for now. I am going to try to load more pics. Interenet is slow, so we'll see if it works or not.
So for now Kwaheri :)
Well it's been a week. We have enjoyed just getting used to Kenyan culture and trying to fit in as much as we can! Yes we here the occasional Mzungu Mzungu! :) But that's okay, we use our Swahili and say hello and go about our way.
We have been to several markets this week, to get supplies for VBS which starts tomorrow, as well as food, and yesterday went to Textile alley for fabric for Pamela's mom to sew all of us outfits! The boys even chose there own fabric for there outfits!
Today is Pamela's birthday so to celebrate we are taking the whole family to Nairobi Natl. Park. A mini Safari out the outskirts of town! Pamela's family has NEVER been there, so it' s a real treat for them. Speaking of treat, I ordered pizza the other night for dinner, and Pamela's sisters have never had cheese, so it didn't go over well. Can you fathom being 19 and 21 and never having cheese.....that is the reality of so many here! I am so blessed to be here to encourage and help them.
We went to Kibera last night, where one of Pamela's sisters lives with her 3 kids. I was so proud of the boys, Noah made a 1 sec. comment about all the rubbish and that was it, they were off playing with the kids the whole night in the slum!! Didn't matter that it smelled or that there was rubbish everywhere, or that children were running around 1/2 naked. They had a blast and want to go back :)
We are going to try to find bubbles so we can have fun blowing them with the kids next week when we go back. I so want to open up a Nursery school there! Many of the kids don't talk cause they cannot go to school due to money. Oh just breaks my heart.
Thanks for all your prayers! None of us have been sick, and were sleeping pretty well. The boys are doing pretty good overall. They have there moments; but there hearts are genuine and loving the kids here!
In our compound there are many kids, each day after school they come knocking on our door asking for Jacob and Noah. It's so cute!
Noah makes friends everywhere we are at. And a lot with adults. They love talking with him, and the LOVE his Lego guys!!!
Okay I am going to go for now. I am going to try to load more pics. Interenet is slow, so we'll see if it works or not.
So for now Kwaheri :)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
06/10/09 Update by Bob
Habari!
Got a chance to speak w/Janell on the phone this morning, in addition to having already exchanged several emails. All is going extremely well, and we'd all like to thank you, again, for your support through both prayer and finances to make this trip a reality! However, please keep praying, as there is a lot to do yet. God has answered an abundance of prayers so far, that's for sure, and I give Him tons of praise for that!
When I talked to Janell, they were at one of the markets (Noah wasn't real thrilled w/some of the smells...lol) gathering supplies for Vacation Bible School, which kicks off on Saturday. They are busily preparing for that, as it will be one of the signficant features of the time over there.
This evening, they will be having their first round of soccer camp, where 40-60 young ones will gather to play soccer and listen to the gospel. This will be a weekly event on Wednesdays. I'm sure Jake will be excited, given his passion for football (what they call it outside of the US/Canada).
The boys are acclimating very well with very few episodes by other, and are making a ton of friends. Evidently there are numerous children in the complex they are staying in, and they've now played w/pretty much all of them, surprise, surprise (our kids, "social"? nahhhh...lol)! The big hit has been the glowsticks that were donated to us to take - the African children (and adults!) have absolutely LOVED them, as it gets dark very early over there (7pm). They plan to hand them out, en masse, at soccer camp tonight, as the kids have to go home after dark.
Noah has probably learned more Swahili than any of us, and isn't afraid to use it, which the Kenyans just are loving!
I asked Janell if she had seen any creepy-crawlies or other "unfriendly" species. She said that the only thing they've really seen are numerous small lizards, which Jake thinks are totally cool. One major plus is that Nairobi sits both at a high elevation (5,600 feet) and has a cool climate (highs in the low 70's this time of year), so bugs & stuff aren't as active there as in other parts of Africa.
The boys aren't thrilled about the milk over there. Don't know about Jessica, but my three LOVE their cereal, but the boys have been passing on it, due to the different taste to the milk. So far, though, that's been the only food issue.
Janell has said that Nairobi is both very "americanized" and impoverished, making for a very surreal setting.
As far as transportation goes, apparently they've either been walking most places, or traveling w/Sandi, who has a car.
Speaking of the Stoltfus', please pray for Brian, as he's back in Sudan as of Monday, flying relief flights, I believe. Sudan is one of two heavily war-torn countries in Africa (the other is Somalia), so it can sometimes be very dangerous, so please keep him in your thoughts/prayers!
Janell & Jessica are planning on taking Pamela's younger siblings to Nairobi National Park on Friday. NNP is one of many national parks in Kenya that is home to numerous giraffes, lions, and other large game animals. That interesting thing is that it is situated right on the edge of Nairobi! Fortunately, the animals tend to not stray into town at all, because finding a lion in your backyard, probably wouldn't be good, haha.
Well, that's about all for now. Just wanted to give you all an update! Thanks again for your prayers and support - we love you guys!
In His Service,
Bob
Got a chance to speak w/Janell on the phone this morning, in addition to having already exchanged several emails. All is going extremely well, and we'd all like to thank you, again, for your support through both prayer and finances to make this trip a reality! However, please keep praying, as there is a lot to do yet. God has answered an abundance of prayers so far, that's for sure, and I give Him tons of praise for that!
When I talked to Janell, they were at one of the markets (Noah wasn't real thrilled w/some of the smells...lol) gathering supplies for Vacation Bible School, which kicks off on Saturday. They are busily preparing for that, as it will be one of the signficant features of the time over there.
This evening, they will be having their first round of soccer camp, where 40-60 young ones will gather to play soccer and listen to the gospel. This will be a weekly event on Wednesdays. I'm sure Jake will be excited, given his passion for football (what they call it outside of the US/Canada).
The boys are acclimating very well with very few episodes by other, and are making a ton of friends. Evidently there are numerous children in the complex they are staying in, and they've now played w/pretty much all of them, surprise, surprise (our kids, "social"? nahhhh...lol)! The big hit has been the glowsticks that were donated to us to take - the African children (and adults!) have absolutely LOVED them, as it gets dark very early over there (7pm). They plan to hand them out, en masse, at soccer camp tonight, as the kids have to go home after dark.
Noah has probably learned more Swahili than any of us, and isn't afraid to use it, which the Kenyans just are loving!
I asked Janell if she had seen any creepy-crawlies or other "unfriendly" species. She said that the only thing they've really seen are numerous small lizards, which Jake thinks are totally cool. One major plus is that Nairobi sits both at a high elevation (5,600 feet) and has a cool climate (highs in the low 70's this time of year), so bugs & stuff aren't as active there as in other parts of Africa.
The boys aren't thrilled about the milk over there. Don't know about Jessica, but my three LOVE their cereal, but the boys have been passing on it, due to the different taste to the milk. So far, though, that's been the only food issue.
Janell has said that Nairobi is both very "americanized" and impoverished, making for a very surreal setting.
As far as transportation goes, apparently they've either been walking most places, or traveling w/Sandi, who has a car.
Speaking of the Stoltfus', please pray for Brian, as he's back in Sudan as of Monday, flying relief flights, I believe. Sudan is one of two heavily war-torn countries in Africa (the other is Somalia), so it can sometimes be very dangerous, so please keep him in your thoughts/prayers!
Janell & Jessica are planning on taking Pamela's younger siblings to Nairobi National Park on Friday. NNP is one of many national parks in Kenya that is home to numerous giraffes, lions, and other large game animals. That interesting thing is that it is situated right on the edge of Nairobi! Fortunately, the animals tend to not stray into town at all, because finding a lion in your backyard, probably wouldn't be good, haha.
Well, that's about all for now. Just wanted to give you all an update! Thanks again for your prayers and support - we love you guys!
In His Service,
Bob
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Our first few days
Here are some pics of the house, and boys at church and us at Pamelas parents house! Enjoy
Jambo! We are here in Nairobi! Don't have much time so gonna just highlight some stuff till the next time :)
Flights went really well. Boys were perfect on the plane!!! Only time there was any issues with them was in London airport where we had to wait 4 hours! And they have NO play area for the kids! :(
Our house is great! I will add some pics!
Our first full day we spent at Pamela's parents home where they cooked us a great African spread! It was awesome!!! Then we got some grocery shopping in early evening, had dinner at our house; then went to bed at 8:00!!!
Today we went to the Kibera Slum to Pamela's Parents church! It was awesome. The kids there had been practicing some drama and songs to put on a show for us! Church was 4 hours long; typical in Africa.....the boys did AMAZING!! Sang, and played with the kids the whole time!!!! Made lots of friends! :)
Then hung out at church for awhile, then headed into town got some food, the kids enjoyed playing in the sand (dirt) and on playset then headed to the Cafe where we are now; and ya there getting a little on the bored side. So gonna go for now! Tomorrow we will hook up with Sandi Stoltzfus and head to there ministry site here in Nbi!
Thanks for all your prayers!
Jambo! We are here in Nairobi! Don't have much time so gonna just highlight some stuff till the next time :)
Flights went really well. Boys were perfect on the plane!!! Only time there was any issues with them was in London airport where we had to wait 4 hours! And they have NO play area for the kids! :(
Our house is great! I will add some pics!
Our first full day we spent at Pamela's parents home where they cooked us a great African spread! It was awesome!!! Then we got some grocery shopping in early evening, had dinner at our house; then went to bed at 8:00!!!
Today we went to the Kibera Slum to Pamela's Parents church! It was awesome. The kids there had been practicing some drama and songs to put on a show for us! Church was 4 hours long; typical in Africa.....the boys did AMAZING!! Sang, and played with the kids the whole time!!!! Made lots of friends! :)
Then hung out at church for awhile, then headed into town got some food, the kids enjoyed playing in the sand (dirt) and on playset then headed to the Cafe where we are now; and ya there getting a little on the bored side. So gonna go for now! Tomorrow we will hook up with Sandi Stoltzfus and head to there ministry site here in Nbi!
Thanks for all your prayers!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Time
The time has come~ this time tomorrow we will be in the air on our way!
We are filled with many emotions right now; and just can't wait to land in Nairobi~
If I may, please specifically pray for safe flights, and for smooth times during our lay-overs; and for a smooth procedure through customs in London and Nairobi...........
Kwaheri for now! I hope to update from Nairobi on Saturday!!!!! If I can get myself away from kissin and hugging on my African family :)
We are filled with many emotions right now; and just can't wait to land in Nairobi~
If I may, please specifically pray for safe flights, and for smooth times during our lay-overs; and for a smooth procedure through customs in London and Nairobi...........
Kwaheri for now! I hope to update from Nairobi on Saturday!!!!! If I can get myself away from kissin and hugging on my African family :)
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Finished!
Our Fundraising is finished! All funds have been provided! We are so grateful to you all~ And to our Awesome God, who always provides......
When we were packing up our booth at Hartville on Monday; a sense of relief came upon me, as this was our last Fundraising event for this trip. As I pondered it, I realized we have been doing events raising funds for 2 years. And I know that when I set foot on Kenyan soil next week; I will promptly be reminded of how it was all worth it! Worth the hundreds of extra hours Bob and I have spent doing side jobs and events to reach the goal.
To those who have been at our side these last 2 years, praying, and helping, words cannot express how grateful we are! I only wish that now you could step onto Kenyan soil with us~ Perhaps one day :)
I am in crazy cleaning and packing mode this week.....slowly but surely it's coming along. Pray I can keep the energy needed to do this exhausting chore.
Until my next post, Kwaheri and Asante for everything!
When we were packing up our booth at Hartville on Monday; a sense of relief came upon me, as this was our last Fundraising event for this trip. As I pondered it, I realized we have been doing events raising funds for 2 years. And I know that when I set foot on Kenyan soil next week; I will promptly be reminded of how it was all worth it! Worth the hundreds of extra hours Bob and I have spent doing side jobs and events to reach the goal.
To those who have been at our side these last 2 years, praying, and helping, words cannot express how grateful we are! I only wish that now you could step onto Kenyan soil with us~ Perhaps one day :)
I am in crazy cleaning and packing mode this week.....slowly but surely it's coming along. Pray I can keep the energy needed to do this exhausting chore.
Until my next post, Kwaheri and Asante for everything!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Upcoming Events
Wanted to let you know what events we have coming up geared for our trip!
This weekend we will be setting up 2 boothes at the Hartville Flea Market; one booth will be my "Craft Biz" stuff; and the other booth will be with left-over garage sale stuff. The forecast is calling for nice weather, with mean lots of nice people! Here's a clip for there website re: this weekend!
Memorial Day Weekend Flea Market Special May 21, 2009 - May 25, 2009All Day
Our 69th annual Memorial Day Flea Market Special will be huge! We typically have well over 1,000 vendors and around 30,000 customers. Mark your calendars so you won't miss out on all the bargains and fun. Wear good walking shoes!
Then on Sunday May 31st we will be commisioned off by our CFCF church family! Service is at 10:30
~You are welcome to join us~
I know I say this often, but we are so grateful for your prayers and support! We love you; and look forward to coming back telling you of all the things God has done~!
Monday, May 18, 2009
2 1/2
We are down to 2 1/2 weeks! Here are some updates and prayer request as we quickly approach our departure date!
The Lord has provided more funds for us from our home church and small group! We are so thankful and blessed! So that leaves us with 500.00 to go! Keep praying!
Out of 6 large suitcases I have finished two! YAY! Only 4 to go; along with 3 carry-on suitcases; and our backpacks! This has become a little overwhelming! Please pray for me to have the energy and focus to get everything we need packed in efficient time.
This upcoming Memorial Day weekend, our plan is to sell my crafts at a booth at our local Flea Market. This is a huge weekend for the Flea Market! We need good weather however! Please pray for sunny warm weather! We need to sell sell sell..........
Speaking of selling, please continue to pray that we can sell the Piano! We have had a few emails of interest but no takers yet! It would be such a HUGE blessing if we sold it!
Thank you all so much for your continual prayers and support! You make a difference!
The Lord has provided more funds for us from our home church and small group! We are so thankful and blessed! So that leaves us with 500.00 to go! Keep praying!
Out of 6 large suitcases I have finished two! YAY! Only 4 to go; along with 3 carry-on suitcases; and our backpacks! This has become a little overwhelming! Please pray for me to have the energy and focus to get everything we need packed in efficient time.
This upcoming Memorial Day weekend, our plan is to sell my crafts at a booth at our local Flea Market. This is a huge weekend for the Flea Market! We need good weather however! Please pray for sunny warm weather! We need to sell sell sell..........
Speaking of selling, please continue to pray that we can sell the Piano! We have had a few emails of interest but no takers yet! It would be such a HUGE blessing if we sold it!
Thank you all so much for your continual prayers and support! You make a difference!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Small but So Significant
I was struck this past week by someone who approached me by giving me a 10.00 check for our trip. She was embarrassed due to the fact that it was so small only 10.00! It made me wonder if others are feeling the same. To us it is NOT small! To us it is big; to God it is even bigger. He can take that 10.00 and multiply it as many times He wants! It also struck me as Pamela and I were talking this week about VBS supplies and Mosquito netting, that 10.00 can Save Lives by purchasing a net and a 1/2.
God took 2 Fish and 5 Loaves of bread and fed how many! Thousands! He can do the same with a 10.00 check.
We are still in need of funds for our Ministries over in Kenya. Please continue to pray for our need and together we can Trust in Jesus to provide for our needs and for the needs of the Kenya people!
Blessings to you for giving and praying~
God took 2 Fish and 5 Loaves of bread and fed how many! Thousands! He can do the same with a 10.00 check.
We are still in need of funds for our Ministries over in Kenya. Please continue to pray for our need and together we can Trust in Jesus to provide for our needs and for the needs of the Kenya people!
Blessings to you for giving and praying~
Friday, May 1, 2009
Update!
Rain Rain Go Away!
That was our prayer and theme for the last two days of our Garage Sale
Despite the rain we did have customers!
Not many but better than none!
We are hoping to open up again next weekend; if we can keep the tables for the week! Thank you all for your donations! We will get it all sold!
Please pray that we can sell some of our bigger items like the Piano and other instruments! (we have lowered prices on these)
Asante for your prayers and support
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Full
Jambo Friends and Family!
Well our garage is FULL! Full of treasures to be sold at our Fundraiser Garage Sale tomorrow April 30th and Friday! Thank you for all who donated items!
Please be praying for Sunshine and no rain! Rain is in the forecast, I just need it to hold off till the evenings!
Asante Sana for your continual prayers and support!
I will update on the sale over the next few days!
Well our garage is FULL! Full of treasures to be sold at our Fundraiser Garage Sale tomorrow April 30th and Friday! Thank you for all who donated items!
Please be praying for Sunshine and no rain! Rain is in the forecast, I just need it to hold off till the evenings!
Asante Sana for your continual prayers and support!
I will update on the sale over the next few days!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Jesus loves the Somalis
We've all been hearing a lot about Somalia in the news lately. I wanted to just share some more info on this dark country with you. They are in much need of prayer.
Somalis of Somalia
* MUCH MORE about this people group at the JOSHUA PROJECT
Somalis urgently need health care facilities and trained health care providers! Nearly 4,000 women die in childbirth each year, and one in five children never reach their fifth birthday. Life expectancy is 48. Malnutrition, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS take a huge toll on a regular basis. Countries trying to send aid face organized piracy.
The deplorable conditions and fighting in Somalia are driving people to attempt escape. Over one million refugees have fled. The smuggling trade is flourishing, although the journey is dangerous. Passengers are sometimes beaten or pushed overboard. Some have suffocated in boat holds, while others have faced gun battles with the Yemeni military.
Those living in Somalia are Muslim and lack the opportunity to hear the gospel. Even if they hear, they know severe persecution awaits believers. Some say, "A Christian Somali is a dead Somali." But perhaps those escaping Somalia's disasters will turn to Jesus. Then they can reach friends and relatives for Him. God is able to take all kinds of bad ingredients and turn them into a good outcome. He may use our prayers to draw many Muslim Somalis to a blessed eternal life.
Pray that the problems the Somalis face will cause them to seek the true and living Savior. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send true believers to share their faith in a loving way. May Somalis find the peace they seek.-AK
Ecc. 1:2
"'Meaningless! Meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!'"
If anyone could ever affirm the truth of this statement, it was the author, Solomon, King of Israel. He had it all-power, wealth, honor, glory, wisdom, and a large family!. Yet he proclaimed it all worthless. Why? Solomon had forfeited the enjoyment of God's blessings by his disobedience. Even though he was used of God to bless the Queen of Sheba, Solomon encumbered God's plan to bless "all the families of the world" because of his sin of idolatry. With the channel of blessing diverted to personal pleasure, Solomon evaluated life as vain, empty, and futile.
Pray that we will learn from Solomon, and stay focused on the things of God rather than diverting His resources to our personal pleasures.
Somalis of Somalia
* MUCH MORE about this people group at the JOSHUA PROJECT
Somalis urgently need health care facilities and trained health care providers! Nearly 4,000 women die in childbirth each year, and one in five children never reach their fifth birthday. Life expectancy is 48. Malnutrition, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS take a huge toll on a regular basis. Countries trying to send aid face organized piracy.
The deplorable conditions and fighting in Somalia are driving people to attempt escape. Over one million refugees have fled. The smuggling trade is flourishing, although the journey is dangerous. Passengers are sometimes beaten or pushed overboard. Some have suffocated in boat holds, while others have faced gun battles with the Yemeni military.
Those living in Somalia are Muslim and lack the opportunity to hear the gospel. Even if they hear, they know severe persecution awaits believers. Some say, "A Christian Somali is a dead Somali." But perhaps those escaping Somalia's disasters will turn to Jesus. Then they can reach friends and relatives for Him. God is able to take all kinds of bad ingredients and turn them into a good outcome. He may use our prayers to draw many Muslim Somalis to a blessed eternal life.
Pray that the problems the Somalis face will cause them to seek the true and living Savior. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send true believers to share their faith in a loving way. May Somalis find the peace they seek.-AK
Ecc. 1:2
"'Meaningless! Meaningless!' says the Teacher. 'Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!'"
If anyone could ever affirm the truth of this statement, it was the author, Solomon, King of Israel. He had it all-power, wealth, honor, glory, wisdom, and a large family!. Yet he proclaimed it all worthless. Why? Solomon had forfeited the enjoyment of God's blessings by his disobedience. Even though he was used of God to bless the Queen of Sheba, Solomon encumbered God's plan to bless "all the families of the world" because of his sin of idolatry. With the channel of blessing diverted to personal pleasure, Solomon evaluated life as vain, empty, and futile.
Pray that we will learn from Solomon, and stay focused on the things of God rather than diverting His resources to our personal pleasures.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Seven
We are down to 7 weeks!
only
1,000 dollars to go!
God is so Good
Here are a few items we have for sale to finish up our 1,000:
500.00
Kohler & Campbell Piano & Bench
****************************************************************
Armstrong Flute
200.00 obo
200.00 oboIf you are interested or know of anyone who may be interested in these items please let me know! Spread the word!
Our Fundraiser Garage Sale is also coming up. April 30th & May 1st! Some items that will be there are: baby swing, bouncy seats, older exersaucer, large rugs, boys bikes, toys, books etc!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Who Can
Who can move a mountain?
Who can feed five thousand with just 5 loaves of bread and two fish?
Who can take 3,000 to 500.00
GOD CAN! AND HE HAS!
We got confirmation on the rental of a Missionaries home for our stay in Nairobi! It is a townhouse style, with 1 bedroom and bath on lower floor, and 3 bedrooms, two baths, large living room, & kitchen on upstairs! We are renting this home for ONLY $500.00usd.
We are in such awe and adoration of our Lord Jesus Christ! We have surrendered our lives to him, our future to him, and he has blessed us beyond belief. Only God can take us from a 2 double bed hotel room costing 3,000usd to this home!
Now Glory to be God! By his mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. Eph 3:20
So what does this mean for our fundraising & journey:
It means we have gone from needing 5,000 dollars to only needing 1,000.
It also means Pamela gets to live with us while were there.
It means we Are in God's Will, and He is going to do a mighty work in us.
It means when you make the decision to follow Him completely with no reservations, He blesses! (Bob re-committed his life to the Lord 3 weeks ago)
Friday, April 3, 2009
Urgent Prayer
Jambo!
These last few days have been crazy, but a good crazy. We went from our original plan of staying at a Guest House, paying 3,000usd for a room with 2 double beds and a cot. Then we moved to coming in contact in only a GOD way, with a lady in Nairobi serving with an Home-schooling NGO, who suggested we go the route of renting an apartment. So Mary graciously looked into that for us, and came up with two options. At 8:00 this morning, we were ready to book an 3 bedroom apartment for 1,250usd. Well, with the time difference, we would have to wait til after 9:00 when our bank opens to get the funds out and get them transfered. In that hour, again by a GOD way, I received an email from Sandy Stoltzfus friends of ours doing Missions work in Nairobi. Her email stated that she may have another option for us. This option would be a 4 bedroom Missionaries house, in the same location where the Stoltzfus' are at. The current Missionaries residing there, are coming home on furlough. The cost of renting this home would be 500.00usd!!!!!! Did you hear that 500.00.......We could be going from 3,000 to 500.00. Sandy is waiting for confirmation on this option, as the timing would have to work out, as far as them being gone by the time we arrive, and to see if it is still open for rent. Meaning that noone else is on the plate to rent it.
Please pray for this situation. God has been so faithful. We should get word sometime this weekend.
Thank you all so much for your continual support and prayers!!!!!
God is good all the time
These last few days have been crazy, but a good crazy. We went from our original plan of staying at a Guest House, paying 3,000usd for a room with 2 double beds and a cot. Then we moved to coming in contact in only a GOD way, with a lady in Nairobi serving with an Home-schooling NGO, who suggested we go the route of renting an apartment. So Mary graciously looked into that for us, and came up with two options. At 8:00 this morning, we were ready to book an 3 bedroom apartment for 1,250usd. Well, with the time difference, we would have to wait til after 9:00 when our bank opens to get the funds out and get them transfered. In that hour, again by a GOD way, I received an email from Sandy Stoltzfus friends of ours doing Missions work in Nairobi. Her email stated that she may have another option for us. This option would be a 4 bedroom Missionaries house, in the same location where the Stoltzfus' are at. The current Missionaries residing there, are coming home on furlough. The cost of renting this home would be 500.00usd!!!!!! Did you hear that 500.00.......We could be going from 3,000 to 500.00. Sandy is waiting for confirmation on this option, as the timing would have to work out, as far as them being gone by the time we arrive, and to see if it is still open for rent. Meaning that noone else is on the plate to rent it.
Please pray for this situation. God has been so faithful. We should get word sometime this weekend.
Thank you all so much for your continual support and prayers!!!!!
God is good all the time
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Fire
youtube music video just posted!
The words of this song, is my heart and soul's desire!
I hope you will check it out!
Blessings,
Janell or shall I say Auntie Janell (oh how I am longing to hear that phrase)
The words of this song, is my heart and soul's desire!
I hope you will check it out!
Blessings,
Janell or shall I say Auntie Janell (oh how I am longing to hear that phrase)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Update Take 2
Habari za leo! Good day!
We are now at 9 weeks! We spent a great deal of time on Friday, getting more shots, sorry Jacob :( and getting prescriptions filled out for malaria meds, antibiotics for the boys to have ready incase it is needed, etc..... It was an exciting day to be in the preperation mode! Only 2 more shots for Bob and the boys and we will be done with immunizations. Which will make Jacob very very happy :) Support money is coming in. We are thankful for all those who have supported us and are praying for us! We are still looking at needing 3,000 more.
Also we have come into contact with a lady who is in ministry serving in Nairobi, who may have some alternate housing for us, that would be cheaper. Please pray for God's Will in this. If we got quality, safe, yet cheaper housing, we would be free to do more ministry in further areas of Kenya. We would like to get to Northern Kenya to visit an Orphanage there, that is ran by local Ohio people, as well as look back into the possibilty of going down into Tanzania.
Please keep praying for us! We have seen God move in many awesome way thus far due to the prayers of you! Asante Sana for your love and support!
We are now at 9 weeks! We spent a great deal of time on Friday, getting more shots, sorry Jacob :( and getting prescriptions filled out for malaria meds, antibiotics for the boys to have ready incase it is needed, etc..... It was an exciting day to be in the preperation mode! Only 2 more shots for Bob and the boys and we will be done with immunizations. Which will make Jacob very very happy :) Support money is coming in. We are thankful for all those who have supported us and are praying for us! We are still looking at needing 3,000 more.
Also we have come into contact with a lady who is in ministry serving in Nairobi, who may have some alternate housing for us, that would be cheaper. Please pray for God's Will in this. If we got quality, safe, yet cheaper housing, we would be free to do more ministry in further areas of Kenya. We would like to get to Northern Kenya to visit an Orphanage there, that is ran by local Ohio people, as well as look back into the possibilty of going down into Tanzania.
Please keep praying for us! We have seen God move in many awesome way thus far due to the prayers of you! Asante Sana for your love and support!
Update
Habari za leo! Good day!
We are now at 9 weeks! We spent a great deal of time on Friday, getting more shots, sorry Jacob :( and getting prescriptions filled out for malaria meds, antibiotics for the boys to have ready incase it is needed, etc..... It was an exciting day to be in the preperation mode! Only 2 more shots for Bob and the boys and we will be done with immunizations. Which will make Jacob very very happy :)Support money is coming in. We are thankful for all those who have supported us and are praying for us! We are still looking at needing 3,000 more.
Also we have come into contact with a lady who is in ministry serving in Nairobi, who may have some alternate housing for us, that would be cheaper. Please pray for God's Will in this. If we got quality, safe, yet cheaper housing, we would be free to do more ministry in further areas of Kenya. We would like to get to Northern Kenya to visit an Orphanage there, that is ran by local Ohio people, as well as look back into the possibilty of going down into Tanzania.
Please keep praying for us! We have seen God move in many awesome way thus far; due to the prayers of you! Asante Sana for your love and support!
We are now at 9 weeks! We spent a great deal of time on Friday, getting more shots, sorry Jacob :( and getting prescriptions filled out for malaria meds, antibiotics for the boys to have ready incase it is needed, etc..... It was an exciting day to be in the preperation mode! Only 2 more shots for Bob and the boys and we will be done with immunizations. Which will make Jacob very very happy :)Support money is coming in. We are thankful for all those who have supported us and are praying for us! We are still looking at needing 3,000 more.
Also we have come into contact with a lady who is in ministry serving in Nairobi, who may have some alternate housing for us, that would be cheaper. Please pray for God's Will in this. If we got quality, safe, yet cheaper housing, we would be free to do more ministry in further areas of Kenya. We would like to get to Northern Kenya to visit an Orphanage there, that is ran by local Ohio people, as well as look back into the possibilty of going down into Tanzania.
Please keep praying for us! We have seen God move in many awesome way thus far; due to the prayers of you! Asante Sana for your love and support!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
God is Good...
All the time......
and all the time God is good!
Just got word from the Kenyan Embassy that starting April 1st, VISA fees for adults are being cut in half, and children under the age of 16 will have NO FEE for there VISA!
Thank you Lord Jesus for showing us your love and faithfulness through this time of preparation for our journey.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Just.....
As you can see in this picture of the shed, the sign above it says "Just A Shed". As I drove past this last week, I thought to myself, hmmm, yes here in America that is just a shed. Just an added building to our homes for the storage of our stuff. I was amazed at it's beauty, the nice metal doors, with handcrafted design, elegant doorknobs that lock, and the nice windows on each side of the shed, giving light to the lawn mower stored inside. Then tears came to my eyes, and I capture the picture of what I saw in Africa. The "just a shed" buildings made out of scrap metal, mud, whatever resources they can find and how it is not just a shed, it is there Home. Home to many people who will all squeeze into to sleep at night, with no beds, no windows, no door with locking doorknobs.
"Just A Home"
Lord, may we never take for granted the "Just A Shed" things we have. I thank you for making my heart ache for the people of Africa, who take such Pride in their "sheds", (homes).
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the Love of God be in him?? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:17-18
Jesus, thank you for your truth. Thank you for opening the door up for us to not just love in words, but to take action in truth by going to Kenya to seek justice for the poor and needy! To take your Word and spread it to those who's ears are open to hear it. I love you Lord
Thursday, March 19, 2009
11
We are now at 11 weeks and oh so counting down!
We have sent out support letters, and have started parking our vehicles outside due to collections for our upcoming Fundraiser Garage Sale.
Please continue to pray for:
Funding
Visa's to go through smoothly
Good health
Continued Open doors to serve in Kenya
For a huge successful garage sale (April 23rd & 24th)
Asante to everyone for your love, encouragement, and support! God is good!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Starvation and Strife in Kenya
NAIROBI, Kenya — One year after this country exploded in ethnic bloodshed, trouble is brewing here again.
Ten million people face starvation, partly because farmers in crucial food-producing areas who fled their homes last year have not returned, instead withdrawing deeper into their ethnic enclaves, deeper into fear.
At the same time, public confidence in the Kenyan government is plummeting. Top politicians have been implicated in an endless string of scandals involving tourism, fuel, guns and corn.
On Wednesday, United Nations officials called for the country’s police chief and attorney general to resign after a United Nations investigation revealed that more than 500 people had been killed by police death squads. One of the Kenyan whistle-blowers himself was shot to death after providing detailed evidence.
“There’s a lot of anger,” said Maina Kiai, the former director of Kenya’s national human rights commission. “If we don’t start resolving these issues soon, things could be worse than before. There could be complete collapse.”
The grand coalition government that was formed last year between Kenya’s governing party and the opposition, after a deeply flawed election, is now widely dismissed as the “grand letdown.” It managed to stop the bloodletting between different ethnic groups that tore this country apart in 2008, killing more than 1,000 people, but has accomplished little else.
The only thing Kenya’s ruling class seems to agree on is refusing to pay most of its taxes, even though Kenyan politicians are already among the highest paid in the world, a stunning fact in one of the world’s poorest countries.
“Corruption is the glue holding this government together,” said John Githongo, the director of an anticorruption institute here.
Kenya’s legendary safari business, an engine of the economy, has not bounced back either. Tourist arrivals were down about 35 percent in 2008 compared with 2007, leading to thousands of layoffs and a steady stream of unemployed youths marching back to the already teeming slums.
President Obama, whose father was Kenyan, has become a savior to many people here, in part because Kenyans say their own leaders have been such a disappointment.
Ethnicity and the country’s lingering Balkanization are topics studiously avoided in Parliament. Few of Kenya’s politicians seem ready to tackle land reform, constitutional reform or the dangerous culture of impunity, all of which were called urgent priorities after the bloodshed last year. Many Kenyans are urging the International Criminal Court in The Hague to get involved, because they have no faith that the Kenyan justice system will prosecute the well-known political figures suspected of orchestrating last year’s killings.
“This country hasn’t healed,” Mr. Kiai said, “because we haven’t done anything to heal it.”
Many victims of last year’s violence feel totally abandoned. On a recent morning, Mary Macharia stood in a long line of sick people at a hospital near Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, her eyes on the floor.
A shiny, bubbly scar stretches from her ear to her lips. The right side of her face looks melted. A glance in the mirror jolts her mind back to the burning church where her daughter was killed a year ago, along with 30 others.
“Some days,” she said, “I hate myself.”
Across Kenya, near the western town of Kisumu, Millicent Awino is all alone, a young woman who used to have two children and a decent job packing flowers. She is essentially a serf now, her time, her sweat and her body at the beck and call of her ex-husband’s family, the only people who would take her in after she fled the violence that consumed her son and daughter and the ethnically mixed town where she used to live. She recently had another child, by the ex-husband who came into her hut one night, but the baby died of malaria.
“I think I’m done with children,” she said.
She also said she would never return to her former home.
Kenya, once a nation of so much promise, remains a land divided. The country pulled apart in 2008, when hundreds of thousands of people fled ethnically mixed areas for the safety of homogeneous zones. This was the result of a disputed election in which the president, Mwai Kibaki, was widely believed to have rigged the results to stay in power. Supporters of the top opposition leader, Raila Odinga, who hails from a different ethnic group, then vented their rage on Mr. Kibaki’s people.
On Jan. 1, 2008, Mrs. Macharia and four of her children ran from their farm near Eldoret, in the Rift Valley, to a nearby church to seek shelter.
The Macharias are Kikuyus, Mr. Kibaki’s ethnic group. A mob made up of men from other ethnic groups surrounded the church, barricaded the doors and set it on fire. Mrs. Macharia tried to escape but tripped on a burning mattress, falling on her right side. She had her 3-year-old daughter, Joyce, tied to her back and the little girl flipped into the flames.
Mrs. Macharia remembers her daughter screaming: “Mommy, don’t leave me here! I don’t want to die!”
But people inside the church panicked and Mrs. Macharia, 41, was trampled at the door.
She spent the next six months in the hospital, getting skin grafts and other painful operations. She wants plastic surgery, she said, “because I don’t like the way people look at me now.”
But for the first time in her life, she is broke. Her family used to have a nice farmhouse, sheep, chickens and cows. Now they live in a one-room apartment atop a sun-baked hill, surrounded by other Kikuyus, living off handouts.
“We used to have it all,” said Haron Macharia, Mary’s husband. “Now, we’re beggars.”
He said he could never go back to Eldoret because his neighbors had turned on him and they were like “snakes.”
The Macharias are worried about their 12-year-old son, James. He, too, was trapped in the church that day, though he survived.
“He won’t stop talking about killing,” Haron said. “He wants to burn everything.”
Over the summer, Kenyan children rioted in hundreds of schools, ransacking classrooms and burning down dorms. Ostensibly, the children were upset about exams. In truth, it may have been a collective outburst after all the violence they had witnessed.
Mrs. Awino’s two children, Wycliffe and Cynthia, were victims of revenge. Mrs. Awino, 24, is a Luo, a large and historically marginalized ethnic group, and while she was at work on Jan. 27, 2008, packing roses for $2 a day, a Kikuyu mob burned the house where her children were staying.
Her losses do not seem to end. After her 3-month-old baby died in early February, Mrs. Awino’s in-laws called her cursed and told her to leave.
“I would,” she said. “But I have nowhere else to go.”
Ten million people face starvation, partly because farmers in crucial food-producing areas who fled their homes last year have not returned, instead withdrawing deeper into their ethnic enclaves, deeper into fear.
At the same time, public confidence in the Kenyan government is plummeting. Top politicians have been implicated in an endless string of scandals involving tourism, fuel, guns and corn.
On Wednesday, United Nations officials called for the country’s police chief and attorney general to resign after a United Nations investigation revealed that more than 500 people had been killed by police death squads. One of the Kenyan whistle-blowers himself was shot to death after providing detailed evidence.
“There’s a lot of anger,” said Maina Kiai, the former director of Kenya’s national human rights commission. “If we don’t start resolving these issues soon, things could be worse than before. There could be complete collapse.”
The grand coalition government that was formed last year between Kenya’s governing party and the opposition, after a deeply flawed election, is now widely dismissed as the “grand letdown.” It managed to stop the bloodletting between different ethnic groups that tore this country apart in 2008, killing more than 1,000 people, but has accomplished little else.
The only thing Kenya’s ruling class seems to agree on is refusing to pay most of its taxes, even though Kenyan politicians are already among the highest paid in the world, a stunning fact in one of the world’s poorest countries.
“Corruption is the glue holding this government together,” said John Githongo, the director of an anticorruption institute here.
Kenya’s legendary safari business, an engine of the economy, has not bounced back either. Tourist arrivals were down about 35 percent in 2008 compared with 2007, leading to thousands of layoffs and a steady stream of unemployed youths marching back to the already teeming slums.
President Obama, whose father was Kenyan, has become a savior to many people here, in part because Kenyans say their own leaders have been such a disappointment.
Ethnicity and the country’s lingering Balkanization are topics studiously avoided in Parliament. Few of Kenya’s politicians seem ready to tackle land reform, constitutional reform or the dangerous culture of impunity, all of which were called urgent priorities after the bloodshed last year. Many Kenyans are urging the International Criminal Court in The Hague to get involved, because they have no faith that the Kenyan justice system will prosecute the well-known political figures suspected of orchestrating last year’s killings.
“This country hasn’t healed,” Mr. Kiai said, “because we haven’t done anything to heal it.”
Many victims of last year’s violence feel totally abandoned. On a recent morning, Mary Macharia stood in a long line of sick people at a hospital near Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, her eyes on the floor.
A shiny, bubbly scar stretches from her ear to her lips. The right side of her face looks melted. A glance in the mirror jolts her mind back to the burning church where her daughter was killed a year ago, along with 30 others.
“Some days,” she said, “I hate myself.”
Across Kenya, near the western town of Kisumu, Millicent Awino is all alone, a young woman who used to have two children and a decent job packing flowers. She is essentially a serf now, her time, her sweat and her body at the beck and call of her ex-husband’s family, the only people who would take her in after she fled the violence that consumed her son and daughter and the ethnically mixed town where she used to live. She recently had another child, by the ex-husband who came into her hut one night, but the baby died of malaria.
“I think I’m done with children,” she said.
She also said she would never return to her former home.
Kenya, once a nation of so much promise, remains a land divided. The country pulled apart in 2008, when hundreds of thousands of people fled ethnically mixed areas for the safety of homogeneous zones. This was the result of a disputed election in which the president, Mwai Kibaki, was widely believed to have rigged the results to stay in power. Supporters of the top opposition leader, Raila Odinga, who hails from a different ethnic group, then vented their rage on Mr. Kibaki’s people.
On Jan. 1, 2008, Mrs. Macharia and four of her children ran from their farm near Eldoret, in the Rift Valley, to a nearby church to seek shelter.
The Macharias are Kikuyus, Mr. Kibaki’s ethnic group. A mob made up of men from other ethnic groups surrounded the church, barricaded the doors and set it on fire. Mrs. Macharia tried to escape but tripped on a burning mattress, falling on her right side. She had her 3-year-old daughter, Joyce, tied to her back and the little girl flipped into the flames.
Mrs. Macharia remembers her daughter screaming: “Mommy, don’t leave me here! I don’t want to die!”
But people inside the church panicked and Mrs. Macharia, 41, was trampled at the door.
She spent the next six months in the hospital, getting skin grafts and other painful operations. She wants plastic surgery, she said, “because I don’t like the way people look at me now.”
But for the first time in her life, she is broke. Her family used to have a nice farmhouse, sheep, chickens and cows. Now they live in a one-room apartment atop a sun-baked hill, surrounded by other Kikuyus, living off handouts.
“We used to have it all,” said Haron Macharia, Mary’s husband. “Now, we’re beggars.”
He said he could never go back to Eldoret because his neighbors had turned on him and they were like “snakes.”
The Macharias are worried about their 12-year-old son, James. He, too, was trapped in the church that day, though he survived.
“He won’t stop talking about killing,” Haron said. “He wants to burn everything.”
Over the summer, Kenyan children rioted in hundreds of schools, ransacking classrooms and burning down dorms. Ostensibly, the children were upset about exams. In truth, it may have been a collective outburst after all the violence they had witnessed.
Mrs. Awino’s two children, Wycliffe and Cynthia, were victims of revenge. Mrs. Awino, 24, is a Luo, a large and historically marginalized ethnic group, and while she was at work on Jan. 27, 2008, packing roses for $2 a day, a Kikuyu mob burned the house where her children were staying.
Her losses do not seem to end. After her 3-month-old baby died in early February, Mrs. Awino’s in-laws called her cursed and told her to leave.
“I would,” she said. “But I have nowhere else to go.”
God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles....James 1:27a
I am so blessed by God's goodness in taking us to Kenya to be a vessel of His love to those that are hurting!!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
13 & Letter
13 Weeks and so counting down!!
We are anxiously getting closer to our departure to Kenya! Support letters are going out tomorrow. Please pray alongside us for all support to be raised, and for complete Trust in the Lord for all the rest of the planning. Asante~
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OLIGERS 4 AFRICA
Our vision ~ As I am writing this letter, it has been nearly 18 months since I was sitting on a flight from Uganda to London then London to New York. As I approached the landing strip at JFK, tears ran down my face, and my heart was heavy and full of ache and love for the people and continent of Africa. It was a day later after landing at JFK, that I landed in my hometown, and told Bob and the boys that we all will go to Africa one day soon. From that moment 18 months ago, we have prayed, planned, gone through Missions training with Perspectives and have worked hard at saving money for our Africa Vision Trip. We have experienced God’s vision for us in going to Kenya and are excited to be in the final stages of planning for our trip this June. My trip to Uganda in 07 has changed me forever, and I am so excited to be taking my family to Africa to experience God in a way that can only be experienced there on the red soil of Africa. Noah and Jacob have been praying for the African people over the past 18 months, and have truly become Mission minded children.
Our plans ~ spend a month in Kenya working alongside my dear Kenyan friend Pamela in Nairobi, as well as working with the African Children’s Choir Kenya base. The boys and I will be leaving June 4th, along with a very special friend, Jessica Jindra, who the Lord has placed in our lives to come to Africa with us to help with the work and with the boys. We are very blessed and excited to have her with us. Bob will be coming out towards the middle of June, and then we will all head home together July 4th. We will also meet up with Missionary friends of ours, Brian and Sandy Stoltzfus who are in Nairobi for six months, and visit their ministry sites and lend a hand as needed.
The work ~ We will be doing several things. We will be running a football (soccer) Bible Camp for the children in the Kibera slum, which is the second largest slum in Africa. It has a size of New York's Central Park and an estimated one million people living it in, most all of them in 10x10 shacks. We also will be running a VBS for a church in Nairobi as well as being of help to the African Children’s Choir/Music For Life Ministry in Nairobi with work in a literacy school in the Kibera slum.
Wanted ~ people to be a part of our ministry in Kenya. Through your prayers and financial support you become a vital part of our ministry. Through our saving and working extra jobs (Bob has worked as a scoreboard operator for over seventy games at our high school, and I have started my own craft business), we have raised ourselves 6,000 dollars. However we are needing 5,000 more. This may seem a lot, but we are supporting five people, with airline tickets, visas, immunizations, accommodations and transportation within Kenya. Also, any additional funds raised will go to supplying t-shirts for the kids in our camps, providing mosquito nets for the families of our VBS children, a meal for the VBS children, supplies needed to run the VBS, extra soccer balls for the Soccer Camp and much more.
We are excited about the opportunity and experience that lies ahead. In addition to financial support, most importantly we need prayer support. Prayer is the fuel that will allow us to be successful as we follow God’s leading in ministry in Kenya. Without prayer, nothing will happen. Whether you’re a “sender” financially or prayerfully, we look forward to your partnership. Please take a moment to fill out the enclosed partner information card and mail it to Bob and Janell Oliger, 6426 Palmer Dr NW, Canton OH, 44718. Checks can be made to Janell Oliger with Kenya trip written on memo line to be deposited in our Kenya account at First Merit Bank.
May the Lord bless you for being a blessing Bob, Janell, Noah, Jacob Oliger & Jessica
Our vision ~ As I am writing this letter, it has been nearly 18 months since I was sitting on a flight from Uganda to London then London to New York. As I approached the landing strip at JFK, tears ran down my face, and my heart was heavy and full of ache and love for the people and continent of Africa. It was a day later after landing at JFK, that I landed in my hometown, and told Bob and the boys that we all will go to Africa one day soon. From that moment 18 months ago, we have prayed, planned, gone through Missions training with Perspectives and have worked hard at saving money for our Africa Vision Trip. We have experienced God’s vision for us in going to Kenya and are excited to be in the final stages of planning for our trip this June. My trip to Uganda in 07 has changed me forever, and I am so excited to be taking my family to Africa to experience God in a way that can only be experienced there on the red soil of Africa. Noah and Jacob have been praying for the African people over the past 18 months, and have truly become Mission minded children.
Our plans ~ spend a month in Kenya working alongside my dear Kenyan friend Pamela in Nairobi, as well as working with the African Children’s Choir Kenya base. The boys and I will be leaving June 4th, along with a very special friend, Jessica Jindra, who the Lord has placed in our lives to come to Africa with us to help with the work and with the boys. We are very blessed and excited to have her with us. Bob will be coming out towards the middle of June, and then we will all head home together July 4th. We will also meet up with Missionary friends of ours, Brian and Sandy Stoltzfus who are in Nairobi for six months, and visit their ministry sites and lend a hand as needed.
The work ~ We will be doing several things. We will be running a football (soccer) Bible Camp for the children in the Kibera slum, which is the second largest slum in Africa. It has a size of New York's Central Park and an estimated one million people living it in, most all of them in 10x10 shacks. We also will be running a VBS for a church in Nairobi as well as being of help to the African Children’s Choir/Music For Life Ministry in Nairobi with work in a literacy school in the Kibera slum.
Wanted ~ people to be a part of our ministry in Kenya. Through your prayers and financial support you become a vital part of our ministry. Through our saving and working extra jobs (Bob has worked as a scoreboard operator for over seventy games at our high school, and I have started my own craft business), we have raised ourselves 6,000 dollars. However we are needing 5,000 more. This may seem a lot, but we are supporting five people, with airline tickets, visas, immunizations, accommodations and transportation within Kenya. Also, any additional funds raised will go to supplying t-shirts for the kids in our camps, providing mosquito nets for the families of our VBS children, a meal for the VBS children, supplies needed to run the VBS, extra soccer balls for the Soccer Camp and much more.
We are excited about the opportunity and experience that lies ahead. In addition to financial support, most importantly we need prayer support. Prayer is the fuel that will allow us to be successful as we follow God’s leading in ministry in Kenya. Without prayer, nothing will happen. Whether you’re a “sender” financially or prayerfully, we look forward to your partnership. Please take a moment to fill out the enclosed partner information card and mail it to Bob and Janell Oliger, 6426 Palmer Dr NW, Canton OH, 44718. Checks can be made to Janell Oliger with Kenya trip written on memo line to be deposited in our Kenya account at First Merit Bank.
May the Lord bless you for being a blessing Bob, Janell, Noah, Jacob Oliger & Jessica
Friday, January 23, 2009
Americanized....
I watched a really good show on the Catholic channel here today. It was a program talking about Africa, places like Kenya who are rapidly becoming Americanized. This subject has been heavy on my heart for awhile now. Even when I was in Uganda, my African friends would always say Oh I'd love to go to America. Hearing those words lays heavy on my heart, as the people in Africa are filled with so much joy, with having little and how us Americans are so bogged down with the busyness of life, and so caught up with all the materialism around us. Really we are greedy selfish people as a whole. And it just breaks my heart that America has been put on a peddle stool. Yes we have a great working government....hmmmm well compared to Africa nations we do, and yes we have things, but yet there is a reason why places like Kenya are sending Missionaries to America. In the past year I have met a handful of Missionaries sent to us, from Africa. It's inspiring yet sad to listen to there stories of how they got here. An interesting point in the TV show program, was a list of organizations in Kenya and other places like Malawi and Nigeria that are focusing on keeping these countries from becoming to Americanized. As I sit here in my nice home, it really makes me think of my problems with depression, and how most of America deals with this disease, how we have mothers pleading insanity for drowning her children in a bathtub. Heavy thoughts, thoughts that make sense of why I was so joyous in Uganda, and how I long to be back in Africa. How I feel so close to the Lord there in the midst of a poverished land. Oh how I pray that my friends in Africa won't gain the mentality of becoming Americanized. How sad it would be to see there joyous hearts turned into selfish greedy hearts.
Keep your lives free from the love of money (america) and be content with what you have, because God has said; "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you"
Heb. 13:5, with my added insert :)
Keep your lives free from the love of money (america) and be content with what you have, because God has said; "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you"
Heb. 13:5, with my added insert :)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Praise God
Praise God to all whom blessings flow.........
God continues to bless, and every time I am more and more amazed of His love for us, I am more and more aware of His hand upon us for our trip!
So the story goes like this; it was Friday January 9th and the ladies at our church were having a party for our Pastor's wife to celebrate her birthday and also to celebrate God's goodness in being done with radiation treatments for her cancer. A lady came up to me, and asked me if I knew if Brian and Sandy Stoltzfus were still in Nairobi or here in the US. I had not a clue, and told her I'd contact my Aunt who may know more. The next day my mom came over and told me she had talked with my Aunt and that she had mentioned that Stoltzus's were heading to Nairobi for 6 months. Now mind you my mom had no clue that I was seeking this out. Through Facebook (love FB) I found Sandy, and she had just arrived Nairobi, and Brian her husband is flying over as he is a pilot with Samaritans Purse this week. As Sandy and I begin to share with one another our "Africa" love stories, we got down to logistics and asked each other where we are staying, and wouldn't you know it, we are literally just walking blocks away from one another. We were both so amazed and in awe of God's goodness.
( And as an extra side note of our commonalities, there daughter is a freshman at Cedarville.....ha, so is our Brandon! )
Praise God from whom all Blessings flow.......
Brian and Sandi Stoltzfus and there family attended CFCF for many many years, before serving more permanently in Kenya. Brian is a pilot for AIM, and Samaritans Purse, and Sandy works with Amani women's refuge center in Nairobi. We will join Sandy at Amani for a few days!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Pics of our Special treat!
Some pics of our wonderful time with Veronica!
first time seeing Snow!
Of course I had to get her Starbucks!! She liked it :)
Shopping trip to Walmart! So big she said! so we got her a scooter! We purchased items for her pregnancy center in Uganda, and umm ya of course a goodie box for Pamela!!!! sorry Tony your next :)
Noah introduced her to M&M's......she liked them!
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