Final day and back in Nairobi

This morning I read from Colossians 1 ..."we have not stopped praying for you...."and just those words made me pause and reflect on all the people praying for this team. It was necessary, and by God's grace many, many prayers have been effective. We saw and tried to help literally thousands, and we know that some will be getting further care because of recommendations given and contacts made by our doctor. We continue to stand in awe of the strength given, and the way God has orchestrated so many things. Paul continues to pray for strength and endurance and patience.....all things we needed this week and things that were given to us.

Our last clinic on Thursday was difficult in a lot of ways. It was chaotic and again hundreds of people came. We probably saw about 600 again, and turned many away as it started to get dark and there was no electricity. Our hearts were torn. When we got there in the morning students were dismissed from their classes. They were excited....we thought b/c they were getting out of class, but it was because most of them had never seen white people! Because the rooms were rather dark the dental station had to be set up outside. This made for interesting times, as people crowded around to watch everything....there were even kids up in trees to get a bird's eye view! We had the help of the two medical students again. These were men met by our doctor quite by "chance" when they were doing a rotation at LVHC. They expressed how much they appreciated helping us and truly felt it was God ordained. They were joyful to be around, are quite good, and were a great help. They hated saying goodbye as well. They saw things that they only hear about in textbooks, so they were glad for the experience.

When we closed the clinic and packed up our stuff we had a short time of thanks and prayer with the interpereters and organizers, and then returned to Dorcas' mother's home to have tea with her and other family members. She was so happy to have us there.

Today we went to Dorcas' home and met some of her husband's family, and then had a tearful goodbye. From there we stopped at the home of her husband's uncle and had a delightful visit with him....a very godly man. One thing he said to us was that what we have done was not done in vain, because even if one life is changed it is worth it....someone, some day will remember what was done for them in the name of Jesus and it will make a difference. We appreciated that perspective, because when you see all the needs and are in the midst of it, it's easy to lose that kind of perspective. We finally began our 6 hr. drive to Nairobi. It was a sunny, cool day, low humidity and we enjoyed beautiful countryside. We stopped around 5 p.m. for lunch/dinner, and finally arrived here at the guesthouse around 9 p.m. Tomorrow will be a day of relaxing, and Sunday a time of worship. Pray as we have some down time together. We have a lot to process. We have learned how quick the Kenyans are to praise God and to greet and welcome people. Dorcas' uncle said today that they have much to learn from Americans, but we said we have much to learn from them......things of value.

I doubt there will be any more posts before we return home. Praise God with us, pray for our safe travel home, and we look forward to seeing all of you!

A Busy Team

A cool morning; beautiful day; lovely grounds; nice, large church; functional rooms for each station; chai breaks; many interpreters; warm greeting from Phillip and Dorcas' uncle when we arrived; many, many people; hours of waiting; unusual cases; frustrating cases; many eye drops and eyeglasses; lots of tooth extractions; weary to the point of tears; feeling spent; feeling helpless at not being able to do more; joyful in helping people from Phillip's church and beyond; collaboration of about 6 churches; thankfulness and appreciation of people; approximately 600 people in one day....yes, 600; seen by our team only...not with help of medical students...all by God's grace; worked until nearly 7 p.m. and had to turn some away.......sooooo difficult; encouragement by God's Word sent on little slips of paper with some of us by a woman from church....and all using it to be uplifted; 4000 ibuprofen and 2000 tylenol and many more meds later, and the day ended about 7 p.m. with tea and praise with the pastors and translators after that; God's sufficiency and adequacy through it all. This gives you a glimpse of our day. It is truly amazing what God is allowing to be accomplished. Our hearts are full of praise. The team is doing well together and encourage each other as needed. God also knew what a respite this new place of lodging would be for us and we praise Him for restful rooms and good food when we return very late evening. When you read these posts in the afternoon or evening, pray that we get well rested on this Wednesday night and be prepared for another busy day on Thursday. We will go to the home area of Dorcas and Phillip's parents and our clinics will be held in a school. We are talking about doing some things a little differently to continue to learn to be efficient and organized. It's also exciting to see the two worlds of Dorcas and Phillip meet.....they get excited to have their "parents and brothers and sisters" from Calvary be with their biological Kenyan family. It gives us joy to serve them. They have been so helpful to us.

Phillip dreaded telling people that we just had to end the day and wouldn't be able to see everyone and was afraid people would be upset. After all there were only about 20 left, but we just couldn't do it as there were many more in line whose info we obtained and were waiting to see a nurse or dr, and it was almost 7. One man's reaction surprised and touched Phillip. He turned and said to the people, "We have come so close to the doctors but didn't get to see them. Let's believe we will be healed. Let us go home in faith." Pray for these dear folks too.

"Therefore stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58

Moving On

It's Tues. night in Eldoret where we are now staying. We've had a day of traveling from Kisumu. Monday was our last day of clinics at the Heart to Care buildings. It was a full day. We had planned on stopping by 3 p.m. so that we would have time with officers from Heart to Care and get on the road before dark. That didn't quite happen. We again saw 100's of people....not sure how many.....well over 350. We had to turn some away, because we needed to end so that pharmacy people could get meds filled. Dorcas had to make a trip back to Kisumu to get more because we ran out, so their job ended quite late....about 6:00. People were so appreciative of all the care given. They send their greetings and heartfelt gratitude to all back home. We had a time of thanks from the Heart to Care people. We gave Caren a book entitled "Where there's no doctor in the village" to help her.....she said it is a book she has been looking for, for several years. We did not know that. She was thrilled, and said God answered her prayers for this! There were a few other presentations made, we prayed together and then there were tearful goodbyes. Caren said she was so sad to see us go. God has blessed us as brothers and sisters.

This morning some of us rose early to drive to Lake Victoria for some hippo sightings before breakfast. We didn't see any. :-/ but it was a nice drive and the lake was beautiful and we saw fishermen going out on their boats.

After breakfast we loaded the vans, and headed to Eldoret. It was a day of travel and many stops. We stopped first at a nonprofit eye clinic. It was quite impressive and they do a wonderful work among needy people who need surgeries, etc. We got a complete tour. Then we stopped at a district hospital (government). That was quite an experience as well in a different way. Then we stopped at a tea factory and had a tour! That was most enjoyable and we learned a lot about growing and drying tea. Finally we stopped at Phillip's church near his home in Kenya. This is where he and Dorcas grew up as children. Of course there were many there singing outside to greet and welcome us. Kenyans are so welcoming. They are also always ready and quick to praise God together. It's a joy for us. Then we went to Phillip's house and had lunch.....at about 5:30-6:00. Then to where we are staying. Phillip found this place which caters to groups and is fairly new. It is quite a change from where we are used to staying.....very clean, lovely and all around wonderful! We are tired, but it was a day of beautiful driving and seeing a part of Kenya that is more green and lovely compared to the parched land that we have just seen.

On Wednesday we will be holding a clinic in conjunction with about 6 churches holding it in a church. They expect possibly 400 people. The roads in Kenya are much improved from 3 yrs. ago, until we got closer to this area today. They are really terrible here.....mostly dirt, pot holes, rugged, etc. Continue to pray for safety in travel. On Thursday we will travel to the area of Phillip and Dorcas' parents and hold the clinic in a school. We appreciate all the prayer support you are giving to us. Continue to pray for strength and endurance these last two days of clinics.

Day of Worship

Today we have had the experience of worshipping in the Urudi church. There were visitors there as well because they knew the team was coming and they have been praying for us. We were greeted and thanked profusely by many of the church leaders. They are so thankful for the support and help of not only the team here but our churches who have graciously given and sent us. The choir has grown quite a bit since we were here 3 years ago, and we think they should make a CD! They were excellent and provided us with joyful, worshipful music. Tom preached a challenging message for each of us, and much of the focus throughout the morning was to thank God for all He has done for us. After church ended and everyone was greeted by everyone (quite literally!) the choir went back inside and provided us with many more songs. We then had lunch with the church leaders at the Osenyas and again were thanked and challenged. Team members also shared some thoughts of praise for the hospitality shown to us and how much they minister to us. Jim told them that this is our second home! Total time in church and with the Osenyas was 8 plus hours! They cherish the time......Pastor Osenya said he never thought he would have friends from the US. We gave small gifts to all who were at the house.....ties, scarves, soap, tablets....and they love each little thing. Pray for us on Monday, as we hope to wrap things up by mid afternoon at the clinic so that we have time to be with the widows and orphans from Heart to Care. Pray that we will be able to see all who come, and that we end well. Our hearts are full of praise.

What a Day!

It was another amazing day in Kenya today! God blessed us by sending 5 medical students to assist us. This was truly arranged by an all-knowing God. They integrated well into the team and did a great job of assessing needs of the people....and even better without a translator (usually!). God knew beforehand that we would need their help. The estimate is that we saw close to 500 people today! Dr. Speel and Jen themselves saw about 100 in the eye clinic. The medical needs of rural Kenyans is beyond our imagination, and people will walk miles and miles to see a healthcare worker. It seems that is what they are doing. We get a feel for what it must have been like for Jesus when crowds were pressing around Him. The pharmacy is swamped by the end of the day. The team is weary at the end of their days, but blesssed to be serving in this way. The people hear the Word of God each morning before clinics start. Pray that hearts will be changed, and that they see Jesus in us!

Pastor Shorb and Yvonne had a much different experience for the day. They attended a wedding of 3 couples and it was an experience beyond imagination! Kenya culture at its best, and due to the hour and an unfamiliar computer we will spare all the details. A few highlights however......Yvonne and Caren rode in the back of a covered pickup truck to get there....there were hundreds and hundreds of people dressed in their finest.......each couple had its bridal party of MANY attendants from young children to older women, AND the procession of all these people alone lasted 1 1/2 hours!!!!!!!!! The wedding was about 4 1/2 hours TOTAL but we didn't stay quite that long. Pastor Osenya officiated and Pastor Tom gave a message.

We pray for a great time for our families back home in worship on Sunday. We look forward to our day at the Urudi church. Thank you for continuing to pray for us. The team is doing a great job and doing well.

Compassion in action!

Today was our first clinic day. It's now 7:45 Friday evening and we are on our way back to the hotel. We made a quick stop at the shopping center to get some more supplies. We are very tired. It was a long day.....overwhelming at times. We probably saw well over 300 people. The day started a little later because we began with a program done by the children now at the Heart to Care school. They did a wonderful job considering they were very young.....sang songs and recited. We got a terrific welcome greeting from the headmaster of the school and then he introduced the teachers. The headmaster is a retired teacher who once taught Pastor Osenya! The Osenyas and another couple warmly greeted us when we arrived at the hotel late Thurs. afternoon, and then they were on their way home. To see their excitement and the excitement of Dorcas and Phillip of us being here makes it all worthwhile. They are very appreciative of all that has been put into this trip. People waited today for hours upon hours. We could use more nurses!! We had heavy rain in the afternoon, but many still stayed. The team is doing a great job. All are healthy. Continue to pray for our safety on the roads, for love, patience, wisdom, compassion. We cannot begin to convey everything, but we will try from time to time. Thank you again for standing with us. Tom will be participating in a wedding service on Sat. We will have help from some med students and nurses which will be great! The church and Osenyas provided a healthy snack and later lunch for us. They say they must provide food for us to ensure that we're well fed while here--it's the Kenyan way! ;-) Love to all!!

Great is Thy Faithfulness!

We arrived in Kisumu minutes ago. Flights were great! All luggage arrived and got through customs without a hitch! Praise God! We had a great welcome party as soon as we got off the plane with Dorcas and Phillip and two med students. We got a great night of sleep, and had a long ride today to our destination. We got to view the wonderful variety of Kenya from very dry land to beautiful tea plantations. More later. Keep praying. Thanks

Departure Day!!

In a few short hours the team will meet at church, weigh bags, pray with those who join us and depart for the airport.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

How good to realize that we can cease striving because our God is in control, and He goes before us and is with us, and will order our steps with every turn. He will be exalted in spite of us! Praise Him for His character and who He is! We arrive in Nairobi on Wednesday in the evening there, but early afternoon in the States. We will be in touch as soon as we can! Blessings to those of you who pray for us and have supported us in many ways.

It Takes More Than a Team of 15!

As I continue to finish up preparations for our trip, I am constantly reminded and reflecting on all that has been given to make this venture possible. The team of 15 that is going is not out of the ordinary, but each have given of their resources, time, vacations, talents, to share the compassion and love of Jesus in another land for a short time. But many of you have also given to make this a reality....many have given sacrificially of your finances. Many have given generously. Many have given supplies. Many of you have prayed and will be praying in the next two weeks. We praise God for you. We could not have done it without you. We've needed you...you've been so important to us. We want you to know that though you are on this side of the ocean, you ARE part of this team too. Our desire is for you to realize that and be affirmed in that. It's amazing. It's God's plan. Jesus talks about the body, and how it functions. Perhaps you would like to read this and be encouraged in the part that you have had! We have been greatly encouraged by you!

"But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ......if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12:18,26b,27

In Sight

Yes, departure is a little over 24 hours away! Excitement is mounting. It will be good to finally get on that plane after these many months of planning and anticipation. Pray this for and with us:

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body, you were called to peace. And be thankful. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord not for man..." Colossians 3:15, 17, 23

Bags are packed!

Wellllll, almost! We had a final time of sorting and packing tonight. So, all the medical supplies are packed. Praise the Lord! Some of us even still have space. God has blessed us abundantly! We are excited, and we are ready. Pray that God prepares hearts......although so much has been said and focus given to meeting medical needs, we want all to hear and see the truth of the gospel. Pray for the opportunities of hearing the Word. Throughout Scripture Jesus often healed the sick, but they often believed in Him and became His child. We desire to see Him do the same in these villages of Kenya. Thanks to so many of you who made it possible to send this team!

Step By Step

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

"I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:24

"Ah Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm, Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17

Where do I begin today? It's amazing that our Creator God actually invites us to come to Him, call to Him, and in doing so, delights in surprising us, showing us things and doing things that we cannot even imagine. We want to believe, but so often find ourselves praying the same prayer as the father in the book of Mark as seen above. When will we learn and remember that our God's arm is not too short to supply every need that we have, and when things look impossible to the human eye, He does amazing things. From the outset, preparing for this trip has been a step by step process of trusting God for what did look overwhelming.

As stated in an earlier post, Calvary church held their vacation Bible school this week. The team had a financial goal in mind for needed medicines when we arrive in Kenya. This amount was above and beyond the $15,000 needed. The amount was quite challenging, and yes, there were doubters in the midst, understandably so. It is with hearts full of praise to God, our Provider, that in His mercy, we reached the goal and went beyond! Rejoice with us! Pray that God stretches everything we've received.......finances and supplies (and suitcase space!).

"I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." Psalm 145:1-3

This picture is a quilt that some of the VBS children worked on in the past week to send to the pastor's family in Kenya. To me, the hand prints symbolize all the many hands that have contributed in many different ways toward making the trip possible, along with hands lifted in prayer and praise to our awesome God.
We praise God for each of you! You ARE part of this team too!!

We are Moses

God is so good to give us examples of ourselves in Scripture. Men and women of the past who had the same struggles we do. Listen to the conversation between Moses and God:

"Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month! Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?'"
The Lord answered Moses, "Is the Lord's arm too short? " Numbers 11:21-23

Can't you just hear the tone in Moses' voice as he reasoned against the probability of provision for such a vast group of men? Impossible! Have you ever been there? I have! When this group began contemplating a trip to Kenya and the expenses involved, the economic situation, the church budget, etc., we were not sure it was the best thing to do. Then the decision was made, we acknowledged it was a step of faith, and many of us were still fearful....what if....... Can you hear God's reply.....is his arm too short for this? I think not! I think God wants us to get to the point where we realize that it is HE WHO PROVIDES.......not US! His arm is NOT short....He can and does go beyond human impossibility! That is something we learn from the Kenyans....their faith in God's provision goes beyond what most of us realize. They believe and acknowledge that all comes from their heavenly Father, because they don't have the means to do things on their own like many of us. God continues to get us ever closer to our financial goal for the trip and for medicines needed. Praise Him with us for His faithfulness.

Father, may we each grow in our faith and dependence on you. Forgive us for the lack of faith that we do have. Thank you for your continued faithfulness and provision. Thank you for preparing us for weeks of ministry. We know you are with us, and we love you and delight in the opportunity to serve you.

Compassion

This word continues to come into my mind. At our home fellowship on Sunday evening we talked about what it means. The dictionary tells us that it's a deep awareness of the needs and suffering of another and a desire to relieve it. Throughout the pages of Scripture we see Jesus looking at people and crowds with compassion. It was often followed by action. Many things can motivate compassion. As our Savior Jesus had compassion on each one of us. We should forget about ourselves and the keen awareness we seem to have for self, BUT never forget the compassion Jesus had on us. This should be our motivator as we reach out to help. To whom may Jesus want you to show compassion today? Pray that the Kenya team will have hearts filled with compassion.

To Roll Or Not to Roll?

Space, suitcases, weight are all greatly limited from our trip 3 years ago. So how do we pack as much as we possibly can to take the maximum amount of supplies possible and yet be sure we have enough to wear for two weeks? It sure is great to search the web and find all kinds of help in these crucial matters! (For those of you new to the BLOG when you see colored type, click on it and it will take you to a link!) What about you? Have you had experience in rolling your clothes? Tell us about it! Inquiring minds really do want to know!

I still wish we could do just what Jesus told the twelve in Luke 9:3 ".....take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic."

VBS and Medications

This week is Vacation Bible School at Calvary church. Jen has taken on the task of communicating more about our mission trip to Kenya. She will help the children to know a little more about what it is like for children in the rural villages of Kenya and why we are taking a medical team there. These children are thrilled to have a frisbee or ball to play with. Even more, they would be happy to have medicines readily available when they are sick with a fever or skin problem or stomach ailment. Often they may have to walk many, many miles to get medical help for a parent or sibling or even themselves. Sometimes walking is not even an option because they do not have the money for the medicine anyway. If an emergency arises and they need to be transported to a nearby medical facility, where often there are two people to a bed, that too cannot always take place, because the cost of transporting someone is so high. Often they are plagued with something that is easily treatable, but if left untreated can turn out fatal. As we have heard in some of the posted videos, for many there is no alternative, no option. We trust that the team going from Calvary church will make a small difference in the lives of some. All offering collected this week at VBS will go entirely toward medicines needed for the clinics. We thank God for people who are willing to give.



We pray that the boys and girls this week will learn something of what it means to care for someone else....even if on the other side of the world!

Giving, Giving, Giving

When you were in junior high what did you like to spend your money on? In fact, what do you like to spend it on now? What do middle schoolers want to spend their money on today? That age Sunday School class at Calvary church every year supports a heifer project. This year they decided they also wanted to support Mission Kenya. They were excited about it. I don't know if they earn the money, or if their parents give it to them, but nonetheless it was given. Yesterday Pastor Tom was presented a check for $400 from this group! To God be the glory! It is another big step toward reaching our financial budget for this trip. We continue to praise God for all who have given to enable 15 willing people to show the compassion of Jesus to those who may need to see it and experience it.

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7

Team Perspectives

A Battle

“God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life or death fight to the finish against the devil and all his angels.” Ephesians 6:10-12 (The Message)

When we set out to do what we think God wants us to do we must remember that we are engaging in a battle. Satan will do whatever He can to deter us, discourage us and even defeat us. He will throw all kinds of things at us. Let's remember that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

Pray for the team in this coming week with their final preparations for the trip, in their homes and in their workplaces.

Humility

"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. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:3-5

What was the attitude of Jesus? If we read here, we learn more. He was an example to us of humility and obedience. If He who is one with God, His Father, could be humble and serve, how much more must we as His servants!

Pray for our motives and our attitudes as we wrap up planning in the coming week and as we go to Kenya. May our desires be to be like Jesus in all these things and sensitive to what He wants to teach us.

More reminders

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

As we continue to plan and look forward to what is ahead in Kenya we are thankful to know that God's purposes will prevail, and that He orders our every step. Pray that we will be flexible to accept His purposes!

Again, we hear our Lord saying through the apostle Paul......
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

Father, keep these words reverberating in our hearts and minds. Thank you.

Reminders......

An email from one of our teammates shared the following:

"WHAT A DAY!!!!! The doctor left for a trip to Morocco this AM, and then the x-ray machine broke down! His associate is here to help, but a few other things went wrong, and we all had to stay much later than planned! We had to be calm and very flexible today, which was an awesome reminder of how our clinics in Kenya are! I am praising God for the terrible morning I had!!! I needed to be humbled with this reminder!"

What are the clinics like in Kenya? Following is taken from someone's reflections who was on the trip three years ago:

"We experienced poverty and health needs like nothing we have ever observed. We saw hundreds of people with serious parasite infestations, both internal and external. We saw malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, etc., with shocking frequency."

Thank you, Lord for the preparations you send our way to remind us how much we need you, and the enabling you give to us to serve and your Spirit's work to make us more like yourself.

"Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart." 2 Corinthians 4:1

Praying......

".....You do not have, because you do not ask." James 4:2

I wonder how many of us do not have because we do not ask......it may be a material need, but it could also include strength, competence, peace, joy, etc.

Throughout the gospels we see Jesus spending a lot of time praying.....before ministry, before decisions, anytime, etc. That really struck me as I studied the book of Luke. He was the Son of God, and still needed and desired that time with His Father and that wisdom and guidance from the Father. How often do we long for that time with our heavenly Father.....to adore Him, praise Him, seek His counsel and strength? Each of us on the team need to be seeking Him, and need others praying with us as well. Thank you for doing that.

One thing we learned from our Kenyan brothers and sisters three years ago was the depth of their faith in praying for all things. They know they need God to meet their every need.....it did not seem like they tend to try to fix things on their own first, as we might tend to do.

Their lives demonstrated these verses:
"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Philippians 4:4-6

We look forward to participating in their joyful worship once again

Two Weeks To Go!

Yes, two weeks from today we will be putting the finishing touches on our bags and be ready to meet at the church early afternoon to head to the airport for an early evening flight.

Excitement and nerves begin to mount! Pray as everyone prepares and does what is necessary to be away from families, work, businesses for two weeks. There is always a lot to take care of and sometimes tensions mount too. Pray that we will each keep the mind of Christ and have a Christ like attitude in our attitudes, speech and actions.

Pray for Pastor Phillip Osenya and his wife Caren as they prepare for us and the clinics, arranging translators, getting the word out, etc. There is much for them to think about as well. Also pray for Phillip Letting as he cares for our arrangements such as lodging and transportation, and for the pastors with whom we will work for two days in the Eldoret area. Pray as they prepare too. Pray that these clinics will be a means for ongoing ministry for these churches in their villages to minister the gospel.

"Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." 2 Corinthians 3:5

We desire to picture the compassion of God....

"Jesus' call to serve and provide for others out of compassion requires we think not of ourselves, but how we can reach others. The ministry of the church involves a call to minister through him and for him. To minister outside of the provision Jesus provides is not real ministry. On the other hand, relying on him means that one is in touch with the One who can provide all that is necessary for effective ministry.

The disciples need to see that they can accomplish things they never dreamed of doing through their association with Jesus. They will never be the same again, because the course of instruction Jesus begins with them here (Luke 9) teaches them the important lessons they need for effective ministry. They eventually come to see and draw upon the full effect of Jesus' power.

This miracle shows that ministers in touch with Jesus can make provision in surprising ways. From Jesus comes spiritual sustenance. there is no one way to reach people, but one dynamic is constant: To be effective, the one who leads in setting out the provision must be Jesus. However one ministers, those who seek to provide what Jesus offers bring a picture of God's compassion to those they serve."
"The NIV Application Commentary--Luke" Darrell L. Bock

As with the disciples, when we continue to get to know our God we will never be the same. He is the provider of our strength for ministry and of ALL we need to minister, here or in Kenya. He is the one who gives a desire to minister and He is our provision to be effective in any sense of the word. May we keep our eyes fixed on Him who gives us the sustenance to be and to serve in order to show the compassion of God. Pray that each of us on the team will beyond a doubt be "in touch" with our Lord so that we know that in all we do we MUST be relying on Him and not ourselves.

Statistics

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9

Almost half the world live on less than $2.50 a day. One billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services.

According to UNICEF, 25,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth.

Infectious diseases continue to blight the lives of the poor across the world. An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, with 3 million deaths in 2004. Every year there are 350–500 million cases of malaria, with 1 million fatalities: Africa accounts for 90 percent of malarial deaths and African children account for over 80 percent of malaria victims worldwide.Source 9

Water problems affect half of humanity:

* Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation.
* Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.
* The loss of 443 million school days each year from water-related illness.
* Close to half of all people in developing countries suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.
* Millions of women spending several hours a day collecting water.
* 1.4 million die each year from lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation
* 2.2 million children die each year because they are not immunized
* 15 million children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS (similar to the total children population in Germany or United Kingdom)
You can read these statistics and others at Global Issues

We are more blessed than we sometimes realize. We have so much more. What does God want each of us to do with what He has given to us?

Safe Drinking Water

The need to educate the necessity of boiling or treating water before drinking it is great and necessary to combat disease. Pray that we will be able to help in this area. We've just learned of two sources that are used in similar areas to where we are going. Pray as one of our team members has contacted two companies to see if they can provide some help for us in this area. The post here tells what it is like in the rural areas where there is no clean water.

It's not a vacation! But....we are eager to go!

Packing, packing, packing!

Tonight 13 of us gathered and packed about 14 suitcases of medical supplies and other goodies, weighing about 50 lbs. each!! Now everything is sitting in the pastor's office! Pray that he doesn't get claustrophobic! We still have pills to count, label and package, but we are well on our way!

We also spent time thanking God for a supportive church family, and those beyond this local church who have given of their resources to make this trip possible. We are getting closer to our financial goal. Pray that God continues to supply our every need.

"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty." Zechariah 4:6
We trust to do the work of the Lord in Kenya by the power of His Spirit!

Organizing!

Today a few of us enlisted some eager, young helpers to break down the packages in which many meds come and then organize them so that they will be ready to pack in suitcases at our team meeting tonight. Time continues to draw near!

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Pray that each of us on the team uses our gifts through the power of the Holy Spirit and in the strength that He gives for the glory of our great God and Savior who we ultimately serve!

Overview of our mission (Pictures of the work were taken 3 years ago. Supplies mentioned are now acquired.)

God does the multiplying!

Author Dee Brestin tells the following story:
"When my husband and I were young, poor, and new in the faith, a missionary asked us to pray about helping to provide her way to Africa. We prayed about it and decided to give her fifty dollars--which seemed like a lot to us. However when my husband wrote the check, instead of fifty dollars, he wrote out more than twelve times that amount, erroneously writing out the balance in our checkbook! And then he mailed it, oblivious to his error.
Weeks later we received a letter from Afric in which the missionary told us she had wept when she received our check with the exact amount, to the penny, of what she needed. God had moved Steve's hand, though she thought He had moved his heart!
It was only when we read her letter that Steve realized his mistake. Amazingly, none of the checks we had written since then had bounced. And though our blance was tiny, God provided for us over the next few months. A small inheritance check. A gift from friends. Groceries that somehow seemed to stretch.
Is God still in the business of multiplying? Yes, He is! He has the creativity and the power to provide when we trust Him."

Pray as the Medical Mission Kenya team continues to trust God for all that we need for this trip which includes finances and possibly other items. Thursday evening will be spent sorting and packing. May the Lord give us His wisdom and foresight.