Hello family and friends!
I hope this email finds you doing well and enjoying the first days of November. As I sit down to catch you up on my latest adventures, I can’t help but be distracted by the beautiful array of fall foliage outside. I never knew there were so many different hues of reds, oranges, and yellows and they’re more vibrant every day. I’m continually blown away by the beauty of God’s creation.
We have made it back from our quick jaunt to Kenya. The 10 day trip flew by faster than I realized was possible. To say that it was an incredible trip would be a vast understatement. God is so good and allowed us to somehow meet all of our agenda items and still have ample time to focus on ongoing relationships in Kenya. There were 3 of us that went on this trip, Scott Nelson, Jason Driver, and myself.
To tell you all about our quick trip would take days on end. I’ll try to include some of the highlights here, knowing that I’ll probably forget something. Some of the things that filled our days were:
- We touched basis with the many friends along Karanja Road and caught up with them. It was encouraging to hear how the Lord has been working in their lives. It was refreshing just to walk down Karanja Road again and feel completely at home. There are so many people in this neighborhood that the Lord has crossed my path with that have made an eternal impact on my life.
- We evaluated the situation at the AIM orphanage. I was able to spend quality time with Eva, the house Mom, encouraging her and hearing how things are going there. We spent a lot of time with the AIM kids in the evenings when they got home from school. Playing games, visiting, laughing, sharing stories, making s’mores, more laughing. They are ever entertaining and there is never a dull moment at the AIM house!
- Driver and I sawthe previous street boys who are now settled into their new home out in the countryside near Karen. They are divided into 3 homes within the facility; each home has a Mom and Dad and 8-10 boys. They’re all in school now and performing well. They each have their gardens that they are extremely proud of. In a nutshell, these boys are simply thriving in their new environment. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so much sheer joy overflowing from a group of kids like I saw in these boys.
- We assessed the current status of the New Adventure School and evaluated our plan to expand the school building in the near future. Each year for the past several years we have expanded by one grade level. Our school now is a complete primary school with classes 1-8. The 8th graders will be sitting for their national exams soon so they are busy preparing for this beast of a test. We were able to meet with the head master and teachers and see what needs the school has and what we can do to help.
- We met with key ministry partners and do some set-up work for the team to arrive in January
- I met a sweet girl named Aisha who just recently turned from Islam to Christianity. I met with her for a few hours one day and was able to encourage her through the Word and pray with her. She was so excited and hungry for this new freedom she’d found and simply could not take her eyes off her new Bible. I was able to introduce Aisha to a woman named Conseleta who is a pastor’s wife living near Aisha and strong Christian woman. Conseleta is excited about discipling Aisha and walking with her on this new journey.
- I was able to enjoy some of my favorite foods such as passion fruit, pineapple, roasted maize, roasted groundnuts, and samosas.
- I celebrated my 25th birthday in Kenya, the 3rd consecutive birthday that I’ve had the privilege of spending in Kenya with great friends.
- We got to know the Real Life team and spent quality time with them. They are ending their time in Kibera after being there a month. They’re now heading up into the mountains, to the village of Eburrufor the next month before returning home.
- We were also evaluating the current safety factor and trying to get an idea of how things are going to be during the next few months with the upcoming Presidential elections. While we were there, we didn’t really see any political violence, God is good! Although, we hear that right around the election (Dec 27) it’s going to get pretty unpredictable.
- I loved experiencing the glory of the Lord and his beautiful creation, new each morning. The jacaranda trees were in full bloom as well as the bougainvilleas and every other flower in Kenya, as it’s the beginning of the spring season there.
- It was encouraging to see part of the promised Harvest that the Lord is bringing forth appear in the most unlikely places. There is so much fruit in Kenya these days!
**Make sure and check out some funpictures located under “My pictures” on the left side of this page**
