Sisters On A Mission

Last January my husband and I spent our 1 year anniversary in Costa Rica.  Each morning we would wake to the sound of howlers monkeys.  We would cut up fresh papaya for breakfast and go out to the back veranda overlooking the rain forest with the ocean in the distance. This is where we would open our Bibles and spend time with God in His word.  Afterward, we’d venture out to waterfalls in the rainforest where we discovered all sorts of creatures, from spider monkeys to spiders as large as our hands. Once the sun made it too hot to hike, we would head to the beach for an afternoon in the waves.  There were surfers and tourists and locals with their families.  Rather than bake in the sun, most sat in the shade of palm trees.   We found two restaurants that became our favorites where we enjoyed local dishes like ceviche, raw fish that has been marinated in lime juice, and patacones, fried green plantains.  I had fun trying to resurrect my rusty Spanish with our servers.  It was at one of

Recently God was reminding me of a conversation I had with Him years ago while living in Kenya. “Christianity is not a popularity contest.”  Those were the words that He spoke to me one evening as I tried to understand why I had not been invited to the farewell party.  Even though I had been in Kenya as an independent missionary (not with an official agency), several months prior I had been welcomed into a weekly worship gathering comprised of people from various mission’s agencies.  It was a God-send at the time as I was feeling lonely and isolated.  A typical worship night would begin with a game of volley ball followed by a very meaningful time of worship and prayer.  After several months of attending this gathering, one of the single missionaries was returning to the U.S. and threw a party.  It seemed like everyone in the prayer group, including my house mate, was invited except me.  As I stewed over my hurt feelings that night, and some may say even rightly so, God made it

You say your life is dull right now and you often complain of boredom.   You spend your time trying to fill the loneliness with just the right person; you try to break into just the right clique.   What if right now in the current monotony God is preparing you for the greatest adventure of your life?   And He is using the loneliness to cause you to draw near to Him, so that He can fill your heart with His love, His presence, His daily grace and mercy. He knows that what He will have you do next will require the love, grace, and the power that only comes from an intimate relationship with Himself.   Instead of expending your energies trying to meet your own needs and desires, pour your focus, time and attention into getting to know the character of God.   You’re going to need that knowledge and understanding of who He is, to pull you through the greatest adventure of your life!

Lately I've felt like Charlie Brown. Not that I've had an "I'm a loser attitude," but the rain cloud hasn't gone away! No matter how hard I've worked or studied, the storm cloud has poured down rain in my life. I've come home from work with cuts, bruises, and swollen feet. I've lifted countless boxes, cut myself from dull box cutters, pushed heavy loads of supplies, all to try and get thousands of products in place so that the right people can use them when the time is crucial. I've gotten up in the wee hours of the morning or stayed up til the wee hours pushing myself to get my degree. On top of that, there are people whom I believe I've needed to build into their lives. Any chance I have gotten in between, I've spent building into my life's passion and dream, KCC Coaching & Consulting, educating the world about one another. And yet, things have only gotten harder. I've grieved over dear friends who

With one week underway, Jody has been from Kibera slums to  Machakos (61 km from Nairobi)! Jody arrived in Nairobi Kenya after a 26 hour journey which started in Dayton, Ohio.  She barely made her connecting flight in Zurich, with only 30 minutes to spare!  All her luggage made it and she breezed through customs. Tammy & Jody after a long day in Kibera slum. American missionary, Tammy and Eva, Kenyan ministry partner and Auntie, met Jody with cab driver Benjamin to welcome her back to Kenya.  All three have been good friends with us through out our years spent in Nairobi, so despite the jetlag, it was a good reunion. Arrival at the apartment had a few unexpected surprises.  The previous guests had left the place rather untidy and so Eva and her sister graciously offered there cleaning services.  They literally scrubbed from ceiling to floor and the place is ready for our girls' to come from their village home for discipleship classes this week. Just

Hello Friends!  Jody is returning to Kenya in November and Christy will be continuing the ministry in Ohio.  Here are Jody's thoughts.... Dear friends, On November 13 th  I will be journeying back to Kenya, Africa. You may be asking, “Why now?” or “Aren’t you afraid?” I’ve received hundreds of these questions over the last two weeks. “Why now?”   It is time to continue the work. I talked to one of our precious African daughters last month.  She told me what she was learning in school and how she was growing in her faith. I have watched her and our other girls grow from struggling orphans to beautiful butterflies ready to spread their wings. My goal is to train them up in such a way that they will have confidence to teach and mentor others. They will become the women of Kenya and future leaders of the ministry. They will teach other women how to live in the joy and freedom of Christ. This trip, it will be summertime in Kenya. I will have more time to spend with t