Back in Kenya and Sudan

It has been a long time since I last updated here, but if you will forgive me and follow along with me, I will hopefully with God's grace bring you up to date.

February 7th, 2012 -- I arrived back in Nairobi Kenya, as I was looking out the window and seeing all the countryside, I thought "well Lord were home".  I have had people ask me where home is? And my answer to that is, wherever God has me lay my head.

It was great to be back to reconnect with team mates whom I hadn't seen nor heard from in over 9 months, to catch up with everyone, to be blessed as I heard from many how God had been working in their lives, and to meet new team members who had just recently joined the team.

The beauty of God's creatures, and the beauty of Nairobi.

Thank you Father for your travel mercies, for the people you put in my path in the airports and on the planes, and for the ability to stretch out on the long flight.

There will be more coming, however it will have to be when the power comes back on.  :-)

Returning to Sudan

Well the days in the states are coming to a close. I moved out of my house last Saturday, and moved in with my sister and brother-in-law for the time I have left here. What a blessing to be able to stay with them and have this time together. Stuff has been stored, Action Packers have been packed, unpacked, packed, unpacked, trying to get them down to 50lbs each. Have you ever thought about how... heavy dried fruit is????? So with one foot in the states the other foot in Africa and the rest of my body, going every which way, the time for farewells has started. I am thanking God for this time, for all that He has shown me, and for family (all family) What love has been shown. I will miss everyone here.

During my quiet time a few months ago when things were really hard God lead me to Jeremiah 12:5 "If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan."

As decisions were made and meetings held God continued to bring me back to this passage, and I realized this isn't just for Sudan, it is for all of us where ever we are.

I choose to run with the horses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I leave for Sudan on Feb 6th. All praise and glory to God!!!!!

God's Beauty

Taken from my front window, what beauty, what love the Father has for us.  We see God in our everyday living, just by stopping, and looking at what the Creator has created.

As we celebrate the wonder of Jesus' birth, and we celebrate our rebirth into eternal life, let us allow thankfulness to flow freely from our hearts in response to the glorious gift He gave us. The greatest gift of all time our Messiah, Immanuel, our Savior.


But please know this gift that was given to us is for everyone who believes. He is extending salvation to everyone who will believe.

John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." Do you know Jesus, now is the time of Salvation.

Merry Christmas

The Sudan Team

In February the Lord lead me to be apart of the Sudan team in Nairobi.  God showed me that for this short time my gifts would be better used here.  What a blessing it was to be a part of the Logistics team and to work with my Kenyan brothers and sisters.  I would like you to meet the logistics team.

Debbie, Peter, Alfred, Stephen, Leah (little Graham) and Terry

Right before I started my trip to the US, the Sudan team had their SLC (Spiritual Life Conference) up at a beautiful location called Brackenhurst.  God has created such beauty, and His provision for this conference was outside Nairobi at about 8000 feet.  Thank you Jesus

Meet some of the team

 Daniel Yor

 VolleyBall anyone

 Just taking time to rest

 Chris and Jonathan with Heather sitting on the grass

 Julie

 Bethany and Rose

Claire

I am stateside now, and enjoying being home in Silverton Oregon, with my family and my church family.  When we walk with the Lord we are always on a journey.  I will be home for 9 months, and excited to see what God has in store during this time.

Please continue to pray for Sudan; as they move forward to becoming their own country, pray for strong leaders who know the Lord, for wise decisions as they rebuild the infrastructure, and please continue to pray for peace.

ALOT THAT GOD HAS SHOWN ME!!

It has been quite some time since I updated my blog.  Please accept my apologizes.  I will try and bring you up to date on what the last 2 months have looked like.

Praise the LORD.  Praise the LORD, O my soul.  I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 146:1-2

April was filled with alot of farewells, and transitions as I prepared to come to the US for home assignment.
I share with you some of the loved ones that have been such a part of my life for almost four years.

IN SUDAN

 Joy, Kamal, and Sani

 Buls, Rhoda, Kamal and Deborah

 My Mabaan daughter Sani and my Mabaan son Daud

Samoni

KENYA Free Baptist in Kayaba Slums

 My good friend Alice

 A beautiful sister in Christ

 Worshipping together

 Lynn and Nicole

To the girls, Lynn, Nicole and Leah I am known as Sho, Sho (grandma) to Levy and Lucy I am Mum

Muranga Town, Rural Pastor/Women's conference

 No ladders

 

 No electric or gas cookers, everything is done over open fire.  Nothing is easy

They cut up enough cabbage to feed over 200 people

Since December there has been many opprotunities to be a part of what God is doing.  My hearts desire is to be in Sudan, but God has given me the opportunty to be a part of what He is doing in Kenya.  The relationships He has given are wonderful but also hard, as I have had many farewells, and there have been alot of tears shed not only from me but from all of those God has brought into my life.  I would not change anything. 

There is such a hunger in Sudan and Kenya to know God deeper, and to be able to be a part of the Pastor's conference was a blessing and a priviledge. 

"He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.  The LORD sets prisoners free, the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous.  The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, bu He frustrates the ways of the wicked." Psalm 146:7-9

He Is The Way The Truth The Life

"For I know the plans I have for you" During my time here in Nairobi there have been many things to think and pray about, and one of those was whether or not I would be going back into Sudan before I go on home assingment in April. God has opened up the door for the team to start returning to Sudan and the flights to take us back in have started. However I will not be returning to Sudan at this time, there are many things involved in this decision. I share with you some of them. My back, which is better than it has been in several months, realizing that part of the reason for this is the ability to work out and swim, which I can do here in Nairobi, however it isn't quite that easy in Sudan.

The pastor and his wife from my church are coming to Nairobi in March to hold a conference for Kenya Pastors and their wives, and a prayer request from the SIM Sudan Director, sharing the needs in the office, one of those being logistics. "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Through all of this the Lord has impressed upon me that the gifts He has given me can better be used here in Nairobi for the next couple of months. God has opened up the door for me to join Pastor Stan and Mindy (from my home church) in the Pastor's conference in March. He has also given me the opportunity and blessing to be a part of the Logistics team at SIM Sudan to help facilitate the movement of the team back into Sudan, and also coordinate the flying in of 8 tons of medical supplies that was donated. I thank God for His direction.

My heart is in Sudan and it has been hard for me to let go and accept that I would not be going back in with my team. God is faithful, He has worked me through all of this and has seen many tears fall. Even when things are not as you think they will be, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

I want to share with you some of the beautiful people God has brought into my life during this time in Sudan.

Bulus, Kamal, Roda, and Deborah

Katrina and Ester (team mate Karissa)

Rebeka and Hannah

Sani and Deborah (Mabaan Bora)

Gena (Grace) with Deborah

Elizabeth

Please continue to pray for Sudan, as they start the very hard task of rebuilding. Rebuilding Church and Nation.