It has been a LONG time since I’ve updated…or at least that’s how it feels! As we settle into life, I sometimes forget to keep everyone up to date with what’s happening around here.
Well, I was sick for almost two weeks…let’s just say it wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had!! I had the stomach flu (which I was worried was malaria, but it turned out not to be, Praise the Lord!!), then I got a really bad head/sinus cold…and when you’re sick it’s sometimes really difficult to see the positive side of things!! It was a rough time for awhile, but thank the Lord I feel much better now!! I had planned on starting to volunteer at New Life Home the week I got sick, so I also had to postpone that, which was frustrating!! (see the previous blog on New Life Home.)
Trevor has been really busy at work…it’s been quite stressful some days, with the pressures of getting the vehicles fixed for the missionaries who have to get back up-country, and not being able to get them
done because it takes so long to get the right parts… There is no such thing as a “Norpine” here…everything is sold separately!! There is a store for nuts and bolts, a store for filters, a store for some tools, and another store for some other tools…you get the picture!! Also, the pace of things is just different, slower and more laid-back, which we knew beforehand, it’s just that those are the things that can really be hard to deal with when there’s a time crunch!! There has also been a lot of paperwork and admin type things that are his responsibility, which can also be difficult when the system works so differently than in Canada.
A lot of up-country missionaries are in Nairobi right now because of the AIM conference they just had, and so a lot of them are bringing their vehicles into the shop…plus there’s been a service special on at the TAM Shop, so that also brings in vehicles. This is all really good for the shop and for customer relations, it just makes things really, really busy!!
So all this has been a real challenge for him, but he is learning A LOT, and God has been so faithful throughout the whole process. At times, when it gets difficult for him to see the big picture and why this is important, then that’s when it seems like God just puts someone in his path to remind him that he is working for God, and that’s all that matters, and to put his focus back on the Lord. It has been a real stretching experience for him already, but we know that God is in control, and that He is teaching us so much.
He also had his 26th birthday on November 10!! It felt strange to celebrate by ourselves (and this was also the day that I was awfully sick, so it wasn’t much of a celebration!!), but he also got lots of birthday wishes from family and friends, and received a package in the mail from his family!! That was really, really exciting!! So we weren’t alone, but had many loved ones celebrating with us, just not “with us”!!
We also had the privilege of having some new friends stay with us for about five days!! We met them when we were up in Kurungu, they are two guys from Australia who are missionaries with AIM, and have lived in South Horr (which is close to Kurungu), for the past year and a few months. They needed a place to stay in Nairobi for a few days, and since we have more than enough room for them, we offered our place, and are so glad we did! It was such a nice time of visiting and lots of laughter!! They were so encouraging to us, and it really felt like we made two new friends. We also spent time with other friends on the weekend, and had a bunch of people over for cake and a movie! It was so refreshing!! We really thank the Lord for giving us that time with new friends, and for giving us that time of good conversation and building relationships.
The other day we went to the store, and as we walked up the steps from the parking garage, we heard the sounds of music, and the closer we got, we realized that we recognized it! It was Boney M Christmas!!! It felt so strange to hear the music from both of our childhoods, and get that “Christmas feeling”, and see the decorations all over the store….and then realize that we are feeling very warm with the hot sun beating down on us, and that we are in Kenya…we laughed!! It will definitely feel even more strange the closer it gets to Christmas!!
We also had another interesting time…as we drove up to another place, Yaya center, and were looking for a place to park, we had to wait for two white tourist vans to unload all their passengers…and as we watched them with their huge cameras, huge gaping purses, wearing big sun hats…I looked at Trevor and said “We don’t look like that anymore, do we??”…it was really funny, because as we were watching them, we were grouping ourselves in with the nationals and staring at all these wazungu…!! At that moment we felt more at home than we had yet!! We are not tourists anymore, and we don’t feel like we are either!! YAY!!
Oh, and on another note…our youth Bible clubs in Mitumba have been postponed for the next couple of weeks because the kids are on a break from school, and it won’t work very well to have the clubs right now…so that was disappointing, and kind of felt like a set back. But we really hope that we can get them going again not to long from now.
I have also felt pretty low for awhile…trying to figure out why God brought me out here…what my purpose is. I see how God is using Trevor and his skills to bless other people and further His kingdom, but I was losing sight of MY reason for being here. God used the time that I was sick and sitting at home to show me that I, first of all, need to be here for Trevor. He has brought both of us out here together, and I need to be a support to him, especially when he is feeling so tired and stressed, and has so many responsibilities. That should be my priority, and I need to be the helper that God has asked me to be. The second thing that God showed me is that I am not here to DO all these things for him…I am still here to worship God with my whole life, and to be the person He has called me to be. I’ve been caught up in the feeling of not “doing” enough…but God really showed me that it’s not about that. He has just asked me to trust Him, and to give up all the great expectations I had about all the things I was going to do here, and to just give that up and be willing to listen to His voice. It has been a real learning time for me already, and God has proven Himself to be faithful, just like He promised. I will be volunteering at New Life Home for a few days a week, and getting involved in Mitumba again whenever we can start up the club again, but that may be all. That leaves me time to be home and keep things going at home, and not be involved in so many different things that it feels like Trevor and I are living two separate lives.
So we would appreciate prayer for all of this, and please just pray that we would continue to be open to hearing God’s voice, and obeying Him. Please also pray for Trevor in his daily responsibilities at work, and that he will remember what and Who he is working for. Pray also for wisdom and guidance for him as he deals with the challenges that continually come his way. Please pray for me as well, that God would give me contentment and fulfillment in the things that I am involved in and in the time I spend at home. We know that God has a purpose and a plan, and that we are just here to do the one small task He has asked of us.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement…we can’t tell you how much it means to us when we hear from you…you have been such a blessing in our lives, and we are SO thankful. God has used YOU to encourage us, and to give us new excitement and perspective. We are all in this together!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!
"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
Well, I was sick for almost two weeks…let’s just say it wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had!! I had the stomach flu (which I was worried was malaria, but it turned out not to be, Praise the Lord!!), then I got a really bad head/sinus cold…and when you’re sick it’s sometimes really difficult to see the positive side of things!! It was a rough time for awhile, but thank the Lord I feel much better now!! I had planned on starting to volunteer at New Life Home the week I got sick, so I also had to postpone that, which was frustrating!! (see the previous blog on New Life Home.)
Trevor has been really busy at work…it’s been quite stressful some days, with the pressures of getting the vehicles fixed for the missionaries who have to get back up-country, and not being able to get them
done because it takes so long to get the right parts… There is no such thing as a “Norpine” here…everything is sold separately!! There is a store for nuts and bolts, a store for filters, a store for some tools, and another store for some other tools…you get the picture!! Also, the pace of things is just different, slower and more laid-back, which we knew beforehand, it’s just that those are the things that can really be hard to deal with when there’s a time crunch!! There has also been a lot of paperwork and admin type things that are his responsibility, which can also be difficult when the system works so differently than in Canada.A lot of up-country missionaries are in Nairobi right now because of the AIM conference they just had, and so a lot of them are bringing their vehicles into the shop…plus there’s been a service special on at the TAM Shop, so that also brings in vehicles. This is all really good for the shop and for customer relations, it just makes things really, really busy!!
So all this has been a real challenge for him, but he is learning A LOT, and God has been so faithful throughout the whole process. At times, when it gets difficult for him to see the big picture and why this is important, then that’s when it seems like God just puts someone in his path to remind him that he is working for God, and that’s all that matters, and to put his focus back on the Lord. It has been a real stretching experience for him already, but we know that God is in control, and that He is teaching us so much.
He also had his 26th birthday on November 10!! It felt strange to celebrate by ourselves (and this was also the day that I was awfully sick, so it wasn’t much of a celebration!!), but he also got lots of birthday wishes from family and friends, and received a package in the mail from his family!! That was really, really exciting!! So we weren’t alone, but had many loved ones celebrating with us, just not “with us”!!
We also had the privilege of having some new friends stay with us for about five days!! We met them when we were up in Kurungu, they are two guys from Australia who are missionaries with AIM, and have lived in South Horr (which is close to Kurungu), for the past year and a few months. They needed a place to stay in Nairobi for a few days, and since we have more than enough room for them, we offered our place, and are so glad we did! It was such a nice time of visiting and lots of laughter!! They were so encouraging to us, and it really felt like we made two new friends. We also spent time with other friends on the weekend, and had a bunch of people over for cake and a movie! It was so refreshing!! We really thank the Lord for giving us that time with new friends, and for giving us that time of good conversation and building relationships.
The other day we went to the store, and as we walked up the steps from the parking garage, we heard the sounds of music, and the closer we got, we realized that we recognized it! It was Boney M Christmas!!! It felt so strange to hear the music from both of our childhoods, and get that “Christmas feeling”, and see the decorations all over the store….and then realize that we are feeling very warm with the hot sun beating down on us, and that we are in Kenya…we laughed!! It will definitely feel even more strange the closer it gets to Christmas!!
We also had another interesting time…as we drove up to another place, Yaya center, and were looking for a place to park, we had to wait for two white tourist vans to unload all their passengers…and as we watched them with their huge cameras, huge gaping purses, wearing big sun hats…I looked at Trevor and said “We don’t look like that anymore, do we??”…it was really funny, because as we were watching them, we were grouping ourselves in with the nationals and staring at all these wazungu…!! At that moment we felt more at home than we had yet!! We are not tourists anymore, and we don’t feel like we are either!! YAY!!
Oh, and on another note…our youth Bible clubs in Mitumba have been postponed for the next couple of weeks because the kids are on a break from school, and it won’t work very well to have the clubs right now…so that was disappointing, and kind of felt like a set back. But we really hope that we can get them going again not to long from now.
I have also felt pretty low for awhile…trying to figure out why God brought me out here…what my purpose is. I see how God is using Trevor and his skills to bless other people and further His kingdom, but I was losing sight of MY reason for being here. God used the time that I was sick and sitting at home to show me that I, first of all, need to be here for Trevor. He has brought both of us out here together, and I need to be a support to him, especially when he is feeling so tired and stressed, and has so many responsibilities. That should be my priority, and I need to be the helper that God has asked me to be. The second thing that God showed me is that I am not here to DO all these things for him…I am still here to worship God with my whole life, and to be the person He has called me to be. I’ve been caught up in the feeling of not “doing” enough…but God really showed me that it’s not about that. He has just asked me to trust Him, and to give up all the great expectations I had about all the things I was going to do here, and to just give that up and be willing to listen to His voice. It has been a real learning time for me already, and God has proven Himself to be faithful, just like He promised. I will be volunteering at New Life Home for a few days a week, and getting involved in Mitumba again whenever we can start up the club again, but that may be all. That leaves me time to be home and keep things going at home, and not be involved in so many different things that it feels like Trevor and I are living two separate lives.
So we would appreciate prayer for all of this, and please just pray that we would continue to be open to hearing God’s voice, and obeying Him. Please also pray for Trevor in his daily responsibilities at work, and that he will remember what and Who he is working for. Pray also for wisdom and guidance for him as he deals with the challenges that continually come his way. Please pray for me as well, that God would give me contentment and fulfillment in the things that I am involved in and in the time I spend at home. We know that God has a purpose and a plan, and that we are just here to do the one small task He has asked of us.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement…we can’t tell you how much it means to us when we hear from you…you have been such a blessing in our lives, and we are SO thankful. God has used YOU to encourage us, and to give us new excitement and perspective. We are all in this together!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!
"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
3 comments:
Yup, I will definately keep praying, and thinking of you guys often! Thanks for being real and sharing the stuggles as well as the good times.
We are all thinking and praying for you guys:)
Thank you, thank you, thank you! :-)
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