Appreciation, Education, and Salutation

This past weekend was filled with celebrations!

On Friday, the missionaries threw an appreciation kipagenga for our house helpers. All the helpers gathered to be served by us. In true Kenyan fashion, we sang hymns and gave speeches, listened to a short sermon, and enjoyed chai and treats. Each worker received a certificate of appreciation that highlighted the years of service. Some of the men and women have worked at Tenwek longer than I’ve been alive!

Then, on Saturday, we piled into a truck and headed to the village for a harambee. Basically, it’s a party with the goal of raising money for a specific cause, and the cause was nursing school tuition. One of the househelpers is a single mom of 3 kids. The oldest is in a teacher-training school. The middle child was just accepted into Tenwek’s Nursing School. The youngest is in middle school. With only one relatively small income, Eunice was thankful for this blessing of education but anxious about how to pay for it! She threw this fundraising event for your community, and the community was happy to help.

As soon as we arrived, we were welcomed into her home to have chai and butter sandwiches. Then, we all moved to the makeshift tent where Eunice and the village chief welcomed the people in attendance. Different groups were called up front to give the monetary gifts. Each donation was announced through a microphone! Then, they auctioned off different donated items, like bananas and baskets. It was a very educational and encouraging experience. With many sectors of the community working together, Eunice was able to raise enough funds to send her son to nursing school! Praise God!

We had to leave the harambee early because we had another party to attend. This one was at Tenwek and it honored a friend who is leaving for furlough.

 

In true Tenwek fashion, we gathered as a community to eat (of course), share fond memories, and to pray for the person leaving us. Annette intends to return in less than a year, so it wasn’t a true “good-bye,” but rather a “see you later.”

As you can see from one weekend’s events, living in Africa is an adventure. Sometimes the days seem mundane, but then God surprises us with a good kind of busyness. We are so blessed to be serving God here. Thank you for your prayers, interest, and support!

Praises and Prayer Requests:

1. Praise God for all of you!! Our Christmas card wall is still filling up as the Kenyan Posta tries to deliver all the holiday mail. It brings us much JOY to receive cards from you, so THANK YOU!!

2.  Praise God for sweet moments with the boys. Joshua loves chatting with Hannah’s picture. Though it breaks my heart that she isn’t here to be his big sister, it makes my heart happy to know that he already is aware of Hannah.

 

3. Please pray for Annette and so many others that are leaving Tenwek for furlough in the coming months. As it does from year to year, the Tenwek community will change. Holes will be left by each person returning to the States. Pray that God will fill the holes in ways that glorify Him.

4. Please continue to pray for us as we plan our return to the States. We are sad to leave this home, but we are excited to return to friends, family, and church. Pray that we will hear God’s voice as He leads us in all the decisions and details.

5. Please pray for rain! The waterfall is so, so low. We spend too many days without power and/or water. (On the bright side, the boys have learned how to dump water in the toilet to flush it. Important life lesson, right?) Pray that God will grant us favor during these dry months. Pray that God will provide rain in His perfect timing.

Psalm 135:1-7