Shout praises to God! We made it home safe and sound and only missing one piece of luggage! Our flight out of Nairobi was a smooth flight. While we were in the Paris airport, waiting for our plane to arrive and our boarding time to come, we continued to enjoy each others company in what seemed to be a nice quiet airport. The flight back to the States went very well along with our short drive back to Indiana. We rolled into town around 6:30 last night.
We want to thank all of you who prayed for us and followed us on this blog the past couple weeks. It has been an amazing two weeks. The team unity was incredible! We know it wouldn't have been possible without your thoughts and prayers.
Please continue to pray for us as re-enter our society. Pray we are all able to get over jetlag easily (although Pastor Oscar says we can use it as an excuse for 6 months.) Pray we can also find the right words to describe our experiences to you, our family and friends, so you will be able to catch atleast a glimpse of our past two weeks.
WE'RE HOME!!!!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
On our way home
We are currently at the Nairobi airport and getting ready to enter the gate to get on our first flight! Amboseli was a beautiful way to complete our stay here in Kenya.
Please pray for our journeys home from here. We arrive in Paris around 5:45am there and leave again around 11am. We then arrive in Cinncinati just after 3pm and have a drive home Indy.
We look forward to seeing many of you soon!
Please pray for our journeys home from here. We arrive in Paris around 5:45am there and leave again around 11am. We then arrive in Cinncinati just after 3pm and have a drive home Indy.
We look forward to seeing many of you soon!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Jamie's words describing Friday night and the retreat
There are not words to describe what my heart is holding. I have a saying “tricky, tricky Jesus” that describes a situation when the Lord ambushes me or takes me by surprise. This is one of those times. We have had the privilege of doing the retreat in Diguna. Their gracious hospitality, open and abandoned hearts for Jesus humbles me. However, never would I have dreamed what the Lord would have for us. At the end of our session on Friday, the African Pastors from the surrounding areas knelt down and washed each of our feet on the Grace Team. How is it that Our Lord could send us 6000 miles to wash the feet of all of us? There are not words….I am an undone worshipper, humbled and so grateful for all He has done. My heart is so full ….Jamie
Sunday, November 4, 2007
A Quick Update
Hello everyone!
My computer time is short, so I wanted to post quickly to let everyone know the conference was AMAZING! And we are now at Amboseli. On our dusty journey here we saw giraffe, ostrich, elephants, wildebeasts, heinas, zebra, gazelles and I'm sure more that I'm forgetting at the moment. We also saw the base of Mt Kilamanjaro and the sun set.
Jamie has written some wonderful text to summarize an amazing experience at the conference. I will try to have it with me and post it tomorrow.
Let's just say, God was definitely present and His timing is perfect in every way.
And, who would have thought God would have us travel 6000 miles to have our feet washed. I don't think any of us can put words to the experience.
Ok. Time is almost up on the computer. We have an early morning ride tomorrow to see what animals we see.
Thank you all for your prayers and postings!
GO COLTS!!!!!!!! (We're hoping they play well and win while we sleep!)
Julie
My computer time is short, so I wanted to post quickly to let everyone know the conference was AMAZING! And we are now at Amboseli. On our dusty journey here we saw giraffe, ostrich, elephants, wildebeasts, heinas, zebra, gazelles and I'm sure more that I'm forgetting at the moment. We also saw the base of Mt Kilamanjaro and the sun set.
Jamie has written some wonderful text to summarize an amazing experience at the conference. I will try to have it with me and post it tomorrow.
Let's just say, God was definitely present and His timing is perfect in every way.
And, who would have thought God would have us travel 6000 miles to have our feet washed. I don't think any of us can put words to the experience.
Ok. Time is almost up on the computer. We have an early morning ride tomorrow to see what animals we see.
Thank you all for your prayers and postings!
GO COLTS!!!!!!!! (We're hoping they play well and win while we sleep!)
Julie
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Crazy busy blessed beyond measure
Imagine beginning the day yesterday in a primary school packed with kids and having the privilege of worshipping and sharing Jesus (public school!) for thirty minutes in each age level- Michael wowed the kids in his age level with his proficiency with "rap"- he had them jamming! Then imagine a whole day of six GKC people madly scrambling on sessions for our conference in one small room- this one talking with that one, and then that one talking with the other one- amazing unity! It was a beautiful work of the Lord. We did have a break to go eat Swahili food and visit the Beacon of Hope gift shop, and then back to work! At 3pm, we felt we needed ten more hours, and then by God's grace, we finished by 6pm. It is going to be a great conference!! God is good! Hey, did I mention we really love each other? Not that we didn't before! But the team is like a well-oiled machine, working, laughing, loving, praying- it is a beautiful work of God!! Now we are packing up to head to our conference center where we will live until Saturday, all together. We are supposed to be cohabitating the space with giraffes, elephants, monkeys, etc. We will let you know if we find one in our bathroom!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Let the Little Children Come
Monday was a long day, filled with many tender moments. We started our day at Beacon Of Hope. This is a ministry to mothers with HIV. Beacon teaches the mothers a skill so they are able to go out and get a job. The skills include rug making, bead work, sewing and creating fine woven cloth. Within the facility they have a preschool to free the mothers up to learn their skills and work on projects. The preschool/pre-kindergarten also helps prepare the children for primary school.
After a visit to the facility we went into the Kware slum-where most of these mothers live-to visit a grandmother and a mother who is so ill she is bed-ridden. Grandmother Ruth is a very dear woman who takes care of several of her grandchildren. Ruth is supported by Beacon of Hope as the grandmother of a daughter with HIV.
Helen is the mother we visited whom is bed-ridden. They say she has improved greatly since she has sought help from the ministry.
On our way out of the slum we were raided by a school of little children shouting "How are you? How are you?" They all wanted to touch us. Chuck was taking pictures of them and then showing them the picture. They would all scream at the sight of their picture. It was a very precious sight.
Following our home visits and a visit to their new 8 acre plot of land we headed to Cheryl's Home. This is the school and orphanage where Grace Kids Company and Grace Kids Camp raised money to support two of the children through their education. The children's names are Dominick and Betty.
All the children greeted us with many songs including, "Blessed Be The Name of The Lord", "Be Bold. Be Strong.", and "This is the Day." They are fantastic singers! It was a blessing to be able to hear about their program and tour their classrooms. A one acre plot of land next to them is for sale. The owner said he would give them first rights to it, but they are waiting for the money to appear.
It was a long day, but a blessing to see some great ministries in action.
Pictures of the Dominick and Betty will be posted soon.
After a visit to the facility we went into the Kware slum-where most of these mothers live-to visit a grandmother and a mother who is so ill she is bed-ridden. Grandmother Ruth is a very dear woman who takes care of several of her grandchildren. Ruth is supported by Beacon of Hope as the grandmother of a daughter with HIV.
Helen is the mother we visited whom is bed-ridden. They say she has improved greatly since she has sought help from the ministry.
On our way out of the slum we were raided by a school of little children shouting "How are you? How are you?" They all wanted to touch us. Chuck was taking pictures of them and then showing them the picture. They would all scream at the sight of their picture. It was a very precious sight.
Following our home visits and a visit to their new 8 acre plot of land we headed to Cheryl's Home. This is the school and orphanage where Grace Kids Company and Grace Kids Camp raised money to support two of the children through their education. The children's names are Dominick and Betty.
All the children greeted us with many songs including, "Blessed Be The Name of The Lord", "Be Bold. Be Strong.", and "This is the Day." They are fantastic singers! It was a blessing to be able to hear about their program and tour their classrooms. A one acre plot of land next to them is for sale. The owner said he would give them first rights to it, but they are waiting for the money to appear.
It was a long day, but a blessing to see some great ministries in action.
Pictures of the Dominick and Betty will be posted soon.
Michael's thoughts on last Saturday
I wanted to share with you a scripture that HIT me yesterday while here. Then after i read it we went to a salvation army home in the slums and then to a girls school in the slums. It was very humbling. I had the honor and priveldge to pray with Mary, a sixteen year old girl, at the girls school. I prayed for her success, salvation, and God's blessing on her.
It hit me that we can be one with our brothers and sisters in Christ all the way across an ocean and that as Americans even thoyugh we don't verbalize it we think we are better than others.
Then I went and saw all this poverty and know that I am not better than anyone. I need to look after others and there welfare.I was also thinking and wondering that if these people and kids even feel sadness at there circumstances. Pastor Bea (the children's pastor for Nairobi chapel) said this is their home and they don't feel sad about it. They feel sad about the lack of food but not their circumstances. We really need to change our mentality in the US from "Oh, poor africans in poverty" to "oh, poor Aficans that don't know Christ."
It is amazing the community they have here. This is their family and they would not want to leave family. We met a guy, Jospeh, who helps at TULIP (the girl's school) who grew up in a slum and is now giving back to the community. It was SO refreshing to see his passion and that he could leave the slum but is intentionally staying the help out and give back to his "family".
Phillipians 2:1-4 ---"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
It hit me that we can be one with our brothers and sisters in Christ all the way across an ocean and that as Americans even thoyugh we don't verbalize it we think we are better than others.
Then I went and saw all this poverty and know that I am not better than anyone. I need to look after others and there welfare.I was also thinking and wondering that if these people and kids even feel sadness at there circumstances. Pastor Bea (the children's pastor for Nairobi chapel) said this is their home and they don't feel sad about it. They feel sad about the lack of food but not their circumstances. We really need to change our mentality in the US from "Oh, poor africans in poverty" to "oh, poor Aficans that don't know Christ."
It is amazing the community they have here. This is their family and they would not want to leave family. We met a guy, Jospeh, who helps at TULIP (the girl's school) who grew up in a slum and is now giving back to the community. It was SO refreshing to see his passion and that he could leave the slum but is intentionally staying the help out and give back to his "family".
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