August is Over

August is finally over, and Nicole and I have finally had a chance to take a few days off.  We were very busy last month because of the youth being on holiday.  After the Losam trip, we had many other youth activities each week, including discussions, movie nights, and a baby center outreach where about 20 youth came to spend time with the babies.  In addition, I was asked to preach the next two Sundays after the Losam trip.  It is safe to say that I was exhausted, though  the experience was also very interesting.  One quick example of this occurred on the second Sunday as I was walking to the pulpit  to begin my sermon.  As I am about to begin, one of the elders came up to the stage and called me to her.  I took a few steps toward her, and she whispered to me that Pastor Meshack, who was away that weekend, had called and wanted to talk to me.  I was caught a little off guard since this was the last thing I expected as I was about to begin my sermon.  I told her the call would have to wait and assured her that Pastor Meshack would understand.  Interruptions are not uncommon during our church service.  In August, we also finished building our brand new ping-pong table thanks to donations from family and the help of a few friends in Kenya.  We ended the month with a day trip to a nearby university, where we played volleyball, badminton, Phase 10, Uno, and many other games with the youth.   We had 36 youth overall and ended the trip with a devotional and time of sharing about the many barriers and challenges we face as  Christians in school, at work, and in our communities.  We, of course, had the many traveling woes, which I am now coming to understand are a necessary part of any youth trip in Kenya, whether I like it or not.  I guess Nicole and I can’t expect not to have adventures here, though I am sure that our “adventures” will be some of our best memories/nightmares of our experience in Kenya.  One thing that we always enjoy is the good laugh we get seeing the many odd things we don’t see in America; such as the Lazarus Funeral Home, or seeing a guy working under his car on the side of the rode while the car is jacked up with two big stones under two of the wheels rather than using a car jack.  Or seeing the “fire equipment” at the AGC Bible School.  Apparently, the school was required to meet certain fire safety specifications, so they added a bucket full of sand near the center of the campus.  Overall, things are going well and after our short rest, we are now preparing for a new sports ministry we have helped to start in our community as well as our church mission trip to Tanzania.   I am a little nervous about it, but I know that the trip will be a once in a lifetime experience.  Nicole is off to Tenwek Hospital (about a 3 hour drive) this evening as one of the babies is very sick.  Please pray for a save journey and for the health of the baby.  She will also be going through surgery in a few weeks because of a problem with her heart.  Nicole and I appreciate all of your support and prayers throughout our stay here in Kenya, and we hope that our short blogs are able to give a small picture of how grateful we are for the opportunities we have had because of so many of our friends and family.  God bless. ~ Jeremy

Sorry for the lack of posts lately.  We have been here, there, and everywhere the past few weeks.  This past weekend we were in Nairobi doing immigration stuff and taking a few days rest.  The weekend before that we were at Tenwek Hospital for the World Gospel Field Meeting.  It was nice to get out of the Nakuru area and spend some time with our friends at Tenwek. 

Life at the Baby Center is going well.  We are up to 29 babies.  We had 30, but Joy (whom I had blogged about a few months back) was adopted last week. We have one baby who just returned from Tenwek Hospital.  She was admitted due to some severe cardiac complications accompanied by pneumonia.  About 3 weeks ago we also received a new girl that is about 11 months old and clearly the product of severe abuse.  She finally smiled this week and it’s amazing to see the change in her as she learns that she doesn’t have to be afraid anymore.   

As for our date to return to the U.S., we are still deciding.  Hopefully we will have a decision by next week.  Our 9 months that we originally committed to is up on October 20th, and currently we are scheduled to fly out that day.  We may extend a little longer depending on the needs here at the Baby Center and our funds, but we haven’t decided for sure.  It’s bittersweet as we think about returning to the U.S.  We are anxious to get home to friends and family, but definitely not looking forward to saying goodbye to the kids/babies and some other friends here.  ~Nicole