It's December...

I'm not really sure how it's December already.  We boarded a plane for the USA in July and ever since we landed we haven't stopped traveling.  I'm happy to be sitting here in the mountains of NC and hoping for a peaceful month with family and friends.  We have traveled all the way to Maine and California and down to Florida and a lot in between.
 
I'm tired, but blessed.

In our travels we have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and see different churches in action serving their communities.  It has been an encouragement to me to see others serving Jesus where they are at.  As believers we are the body of Christ, being His hands and feet to those around us and showing His love. 

We are anxious to get back to Kenya and see everybody.  I miss the kids in the  Children's Home so much, although I have a blast talking to them on FaceTime, I miss being there for them on a daily basis and getting hugs from them.  They are so funny on FaceTime because I normally just see from their noses up!  They are not used to iphones like kids here in the US.

God is so good and I pray you all get an opportunity to worship Him this Christmas season.  Would you please remember the Children's Home in your prayers this season?  We want to make it special for them even though we are not there.

It's early and I'm awake.  It's still dark outside and I'm sitting here thinking about how I have to say goodbye to the girls in Girls Club later.
I live a life of goodbyes.  It started over 11 years ago when Travis and I crossed the ocean to come here.  It has not been easy but then again you start getting used to it.  You get used to ignoring the discomfort of all those goodbyes.

We have hosted over 50 people in our house over the past year and half.  My girls have learned, as well, the pains of saying goodbye.  Savannah said to me the other day as she was trying to hold back her tears, "why do we always meet such great people and then they have to leave"?

Jesus told Mathew to Follow Him, and I'm pretty sure he got up and followed Jesus without looking back.  Travis and I are passionate about Following Jesus. He has taken us on an amazing ride of faith and we have not looked back and regretted one minute of it.

William Carey said, "Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." When that is your goal, your life will be an adventure and you will see God do great things as you offer your life for His service.
i My husband and I attempted something big for God, we built a school in the Maasai Mara and opened a Home for needy kids.  God is doing great things just as we expected Him to, and I want you to know that HE gives you the strength and never leaves you on your own.  To God belongs ALL the glory.

Pray for me please as we are preparing to go on a 7 month furlough.  This will be the first time I will have to say goodbye to 8 sweet little children who call me Mom.  I know they will be fine here because I serve a great God who loves them and will protect them...but, this mama's heart is hurting at the thoughts of those goodbyes. 

This picture is a good summary of what I love about my life.  Sharing the Gospel.  Lately things have been busy and overwhelming but at this moment it all disappeared as I looked into the faces of these precious children and told them how much Jesus loves them and what He did for them on the cross.  They listened and were drawn in by the story of Jesus's sacrifice for us, for them, and our hope of eternal life in heaven.

May we never be so busy or wrapped up in our lives that we don't share the Gospel!  There are so many distractions!  So many things that are used to deter us from what is really important.  Please, don't miss it, don't miss the very reason we are here and exist!  To love Jesus with all our heart, mind and soul and to love others as ourself.

What does that look like for you?  How much time and energy do you spend on loving God and others?   It's not easy, I know, but, Jesus has given us a helper, His Holy Spirit to help us and guide us.

Oh please, don't miss it!  Don't miss the very purpose you are here.  I know that life is hard and painful but GOD cares, He loves you.   Spend your life doing what really matters, things with eternal value.  It really doesn't matter where you live or where you work or go to school, souls are there needing the Good News of Jesus Christ!   

All you need to do is...share it! 

I live in a place where the people depend greatly on rain so that their herds can have grass and water.  When there is a drought the people suffer immensely and the majority of their herds die leaving the people in poverty because they depend heavily on the herds for their income.

We have been in a drought for a long while and many cows became weak and sick and died.  The air has the stench of death and you can't go anywhere without seeing dead cows.  Then the rains came in a furry and killed any weak cows that were hanging on. When you depend on your cows to feed and cloth your family you can imagine this has been an extremely difficult time for the Maasai.

This week I taught ladies Bible study to a group of ladies in our church.  This Bible study has been going on for years without fail and has been a source of encouragement for a long time.  Although, there was a time when ladies just came but had no desire nor love for Jesus; it was a difficult time, but God's Word never returns void.

After our study in Matthew 6 and 11 about seeking God's kingdom and letting Jesus take our burdens many of the ladies shared testimonies of what God has done in their lives.

There is nothing better in life then to hear testimonies of people who have been saved out of darkness and brought into the light of Jesus.

Here are some of the statements made from these precious ladies.

"I had heard that God's word was preached in this church and I wanted to know what God says and not man, so I came.  After a long time, many years of sitting and listening to what God had to say in the Bible, His word changed my heart."

"We have come from a very far place.  Before we didn't care, we did't know Jesus, but now we know Him and we love Him.  Even if the missionaries are not here for ladies Bible study we still meet because we love Jesus."

Encouragement from an older lady who has been saved a long time.

"When you are at church listen to God's word and put it in your heart so that you can remember it.  When you are old like me and can't hear well you can know God's word because you have put it in your heart.  There is only one path to follow and that is Jesus.  He is the only way.

These ladies are all going through a tough time but they all know the ONE who cares for them.  Their eyes are on Jesus!

"I would rather burn out than rust out."  Amy Carmichael

I'm sure Amy Carmichael knew what it was like to be worn out.  She lived her whole adult life on the mission field serving others, mainly children in dreadful situations.  

Travis and I have been on the mission field for almost 11 years now.  My husband is like a locomotive moving from one thing to the next without any regard to his tiredness and I have always been impressed with his strength to keep moving on and doing the next thing.  He is solely motivated by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to see those around Him come to know Jesus.

I was called to missions when I was young and it was no surprise to my family that Travis and I were heading to the mission field as soon as we were married. When we arrived here in Kenya I was eager to jump in and do whatever I could to serve.  As time past and my girls grew in size and number I began to realize that there was a big task in balancing my family and ministry.  Two very big passions of mine.

For you moms, you know that being a mom entails a lot of job titles and I am pretty sure it's like holding down 2 or 3 full time jobs.  Then add homeschooling to that and now your plate is completely full and overflowing.  But then, I added my passion for missions and to be involved in the lives of the people I live among and to care for them and their children.

To balance all these things is a challenge and some days I fail.  I have learned that God's mercy's are new EVERY morning and that when you lay all these things at His feet He will take care of them and show you what you need to do and what can wait.

One of the best parts about all this is we get to do it together as a family.  It's not just things that Travis and I are doing but things that the whole family is a part of.  It's our life.  It's a crazy life of ups and downs and weird things like chasing goats out of the church so he will stop eating the hymnals.  It's a hard life of caring for people with real needs and real hurts.

The past month or so has been hard but I have learned so much about my God. He never changes!
He stays the same!
He loves me all the time even when I fail!
He will always pick me back up when I fall or just can't get up.

I love how Corrie Ten Boom said it, "In order to realize the worth of the anchor we need to feel the stress of the storm."

If I could encourage you to hold on to your God the Anchor, He will not let you sink!