Sisters On A Mission

I'm Living at a Sewing Centre: My house has now also become a sewing centre!  A 9 month dream became a reality  after Jody returned to the U.S. with a mission to gather a team of women to help support one of the aunties of our orphans to start  a business.  Knowing she was a good tailor, the women decided to raise funds through their friends and relatives to buy her a sewing machine. Three weeks after our auntie received the news that the sewing machine was coming, Jody received word that a boutique was opening locally and requested hand-made purses from Kenya! So today after getting home from my weekend adventure at Hell's Gate, I heard the whir of a woman working her new machine!  It gave me so much joy to come home to that sound!  With this new source of income, our friend will now be able to support the orphans in her family. Conquering Hell's Gate... ...or rather, as I sit here with aching muscl...

Hello family and friends!   This week millions went to the polls to elect a new President.  Despite tribalism and grievances from the past, God was gracious and answered our pleas for peace!   After the advise of several friends and family, I choice to spend election week away from voting centers. The Lord renewed and refreshed me in time spent at the Resurrection Prayer Garden and nunnery . It was also quite humorous,  as I was the only woman there along with a  group of men who were on a silent retreat.  It was hilarious, me sitting in the cafeteria eating at a table by myself, looking at the clock, twiddling my thumbs as men silently walked past with plates of food, all giving glances in my direction.  It was heaven until about the third day, when I could no longer take the silence and solitude, at which time I went to a friend's house at a Christian College next door. There I enjoyed the company of Liam (6), Lila (9), Kiara (12), ...

Nairobi is experiencing an unusually hot and dry season, where the wind is blowing the dusty streets, heaping layers of dirt onto furniture and floors.  As a result many people's lungs have been dry and agitated and there has been a lot of coughing, myself included.  Nairobi, temporarily is a desert. As I was coughing away while preparing supper, God reminded me of times of dry seasons in my life; times when I lacked many things. There are times in our lives when God allows a dry season of deprivation and/or loss. In my experience, these seasons often come one after another. They can involve a lack of material resources, a loss of health or a loved one.  And simultaneously  they often entail the absence of community and periods of loneliness. Some people have compared these times to being in a desert.  Have you ever visited a desert in it's driest season?  The heat bearing down on you is merciless and it is agonizing beca...

Nairobi is such a unique blend of multinationals as well as a wonderful mixture of Kenyans from a variety of backgrounds, including the Kenyan diaspora who have returned to their country.  My first week back involved being a part of this rich multicultural setting. A respected colleague of mine flew up from South Africa and had me co-train with her an Indian family recently arrived from Dubai.   The first day we trained the mother and she was so delightful and open to new ideas and cultures.  It was great to see how well she was adjusting.  But I recognized God's hand in her life to bring her many friends to help her through the cultural challenges of living in a foreign land. The next day we trained the father at his office.  He was so open to sharing about his experiences with us.  At one point he told us, "I'm just going to use you guys as my sounding board, a kind of counselor."   One of my greatest joys is seeing someone g...

   http://kenyabirdwatchersparadise.blogspot.com I love an early Kenyan morning.  It seems to me that no matter which part of the country I happen to be in mountains, hills, and trees truly burst forth with the songs of birds.  And what an extraordinary chorus!  It is unlike any orchestra or symphony I have ever heard. For those of us living here, you know exactly what I mean.  There are just so many species of birds! Awakening to this joyous sound this morning reminded me of God's promise in Matthew 6 to not worry about anything since God takes care of the little birds that most people don't even give a thought to. "Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them.  And aren't you far more valuable to Him than they are?" v 26 When I got out of bed today, there were many circumstances in my life for which I could have become worried about.  I was tempted for a moment to tu...

For the first time in years, Ohio has been a winter wonderland!  The children of Sidney had a real treat for their Christmas break.  Jody and I encountered the older crowd of snow borders as well as the little guys on sleds as we ventured out into the snow! One small boy even offered to let us use his sled for a run. Although we have been enjoying our visit with family and friends, we always hold in our hearts our orphan girls back in Kenya.   Our first week back in the States we sold $700.00 in hand-crafted Kenyan jewelry, scarves, and even sandals!  Our proceeds will be used to help the aunts of our orphans to start their own small businesses. Our brother Jeremy, has graciously offered to be a distributor for our African products that the aunties will be making.   God also surprised us with a friends' double portion of harvest this year!  A dear friend who has such a huge impact on the teens in Sidney, Ohio owns a farm which produced...

Hello from the States! This year Jody & I are selling hand-crafted necklaces made from recycled paper, beaded bracelets, wooden bracelets, soapstone carvings, scarves, and many more hand-crafted items from Kenya and Tanzania.  They are made by local artisans and we are raising funds needed to send our teen aged orphans back to school in January.  Esther's story We met Esther this summer after her auntie asked us to disciple her.  She had just prayed to receive Christ shortly after the death of her beloved father left her an orphan. We found she was eager to learn about her Heavenly Father and was excited to know He had adopted her into His family and that He had the power to heal her broken heart. After spending time with Esther over the summer, we learned that she was at an abusive government run boarding school.  That sent Jody, a 17 year educator, to battle to get her into a better living and learning environment.  Through much prayer ...