Kotea sporting it in her school uniform.

 This girl was born the same year that Travis and I were married.  Little did I realize then that our paths would cross, never to be the same again.
When Travis and I were first married we knew for sure we were called to go to the mission field to serve God.  We prayed hard and after many years of struggling and some discouragement God provided what we needed to come here.

As I look back on all the prayers I prayed, for the people I had yet to meet, for the children that had yet to be born, I am in awe of God's timing and province.

Kotea's mother died very soon after her younger brother was born.  She has been raised by her aging grandmother and the two other wives of her father.  Her father loves her but having two stepmothers has not been easy for her.  Her grandmother is quite old and so Kotea does a lot of work to help.

Ever since I have known Kotea she has faithfully come to       church on her own. Over the years she has grown into a beautiful young lady who loves Jesus and has a passion for His Word.

I have had the pleasure of teaching her in Sunday school for many years and as of the last few years she has attended my girls Bible study.  This girl is always challenging me with questions about the Bible and has grown leaps and bounds in her faith recently.

She is now in 10th grade and learning the challenges of high school.  Life has not been easy for her but she rises to the challenge and trusts God in all things.  I am truly blessed to know her.  Honestly, I see her as one of my daughters and it seems our bond is growing.  Recently when she was heading back to school, 6 hours away, she stopped me and hugged me saying she loved me.  Understanding the Masai culture of not showing outward affection, her action and words really touched me.

We welcomed Kotea to stay at our Children's Home while she is on school breaks and she has been an abundance of help and encouragement to the girls there.  She has lead them in Bible studies and learning new praise songs and has become a wonderful role model for them.

I am beyond blessed to know this girl.  I am so grateful that God in His providence and timing let our paths cross on this earth.  I have gained a daughter.

Kotea teaching Sunday school for the first time.

Kotea with the girls at Mara Children's Home, 

It's hard to explain the love I have in my heart for the people we work with.  The other day I was walking in the village greeting people, visiting with ladies I haven't seen in a while and inviting others to church and as I was walking around I felt so over whelmed with thankfulness to God for allowing us to be here and serve Him in this way.

Yesterday we had our Women's Bible Study at a ladies house. We do that every now and again to welcome new babies, it's kind of like a baby shower, but different than the way we do it in the states.
When we arrive at the house we all squeeze in and sit where we can and just when you thing no one else will fit, more come and somehow we make room.  Normally it is very hot in the hut but this lady's house is a bit bigger and has a good opening for a door and a window across the room, so, the breeze was nice.  Although, when the wind started picking up the ladies insisted on closing the window so the wind wouldn't bother the babies, (who are nicely bundled I might add).

Elizabeth, my dear Masai friend, shared from the Word to encourage this mama of twins about how children are a blessing and that whenever they start to annoy her just to look at then and say, "You are a blessing," and then you will see your frustrations subside.  She taught for a short time, then the mama who we were there to celebrate had a few words to say.  Now, before I tell you want she said I want you to know that she has 5 or so kids and the last two are twin girls who are just precious.  OK, she started by saying she is thankful we all came to welcome her twins and that she is blessed by us being there.  Then she says, "I'm not finished having babies, I'm not yet satisfied so I will keep having more."  Oh, of course we all laughed in some kind of agreement, but she was totally serious and we all knew it.

Not so much now, but in the recent past, a good Masai women would have around 10 kids.  One of the older ladies in our church whom I just found out recently was born in 1935, used to tell all of us ladies that we needed to keep having babies until our eggs ran out!

After the Bible study all the ladies gave words of encouragement to this mama, it was such a precious time of fellowship.  Then, our hostess brought us chai and bread to enjoy, and two sodas, one for me and one for Sarah.  They are so kind since milk does not set well with me these days.

As we all sat enjoying ourselves I just sat and watched and listened to these ladies go on and on.  Sometimes you would think they are fighting, but they aren't, they are having a wonderful time. I speak Swahili and so do most of them, but Masai is their mother tongue so they were rambling on in Masai and I usually just pick up bits and pieces of what they are saying.  I love watching them have a good time with each other, passing babies back and forth, sipping chai and munching on bread and tons of laughter!

It's times like these that I sit back and think about how much I love Jesus and how grateful I am to be here serving Him, and how sweet fellowship with Christ is because there are no boundaries of tribe, race or tongue!  God is amazing!

"Sing to God, sing praises to His name; life up a song for Him who rides through the deserts, whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him.  A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widow, is God in His holy habitation.  God makes a home for the lonely..."  Psalm 68:4-6

God is faithful in all He does and we see His hand daily in our lives here on the mission field.  I have learned over the years of my life the importance of trusting God fully, especially when He prompts your heart to do something.

Starting a school was not easy for us and is a lot to put on our shoulders. In the bush things are not easy, if something breaks you can't just run to Home Depot and pick up a replacement.  You make something nice and then it gets ruined by the very ones you made it for.  But, you just keep on going, you keep on loving, and you keep on sharing Christ in all you do not matter what.

There are 7 little children who live on this mission station who have come from some hard situations.  Some are fatherless, some come from homes broken by alcohol and some come from great poverty.  Either way, they need help, they need hope and they need love.
Making a difference in a child's life like these sounds inspiring, doesn't it?  Let  me tell you, it's heart breaking and there is nothing easy about looking in the eyes of a child who's father died and who's mother abandoned him, never to been see again.

But, you know what is inspiring?  God, the father to the fatherless. God, who makes a home for the lonely.  God, who loves us and sent His Son to DIE in our place.  If that doesn't put a fire under you then I don't know what will.  If that doesn't motivate you to DO something, than I don't know what will.
If you really trust God, like we like to say we do, then step out of your comfort zone and do something for the Lord who loves you and cares for you.  It's not easy, but, He is with you every step of the way.  He won't call you to do something and then leave you.  Trust Him.  Follow Him.