Little is Much When God is in It!

It has been great to be back in Kenya. Saturday morning we started driving towards the Tanzania border. We drove for about an hour and then headed down a dirt road out into the bush. We drove past many small villages and came to another road that wasn't much bigger than a cattle trail. The red dirt roads were very rough. The mostly flat land with gullies and washes reminded me a lot of west Texas. This is dry, dusty country but very beautiful to me.

The first church we came to was Mwakalanga. There we visited with the pastor and several church members. Brandon was able to lead a 17 year old young man to the Lord standing in the pastors front yard, praise the Lord! Then we went to visit another family in their home. We quickly learned that she only spoke her tribal language and Swahili wouldn't work. Pastor Chondo began speaking to her in it and we found out that churches in the area faced a problem. Another denomination of church was spreading rumors that churches helped by mzungus "white people" where hurting people and children. It is totally false but one of the tactics the devil uses to distract from the work God is doing. Fear will keep us from truly trusting God that He can take care of us.

We headed out again and drove to Dzombo Church. As we pulled up to the church in this remote village I saw a very small "shelter." This church was maybe 30x15 in size with a few pieces of metal for a back wall and half of the sides. It had a brand new cement foundation that they were very proud of and thankful for. Before they had a rock floor that was very hard on the worship teams feet. As we sat down in plastic chairs under this small shelter a youth choir made their way in to sing several songs. I love a Kenyan choir! The pastor began to sing and the whole group began to worship God. No a/c, lights, sound system, no real walls, but the One True God was there.  Their worship blessed my heart. The church there may not look like much now but they have a great foundation to start with. They have so very little but they have God and His joy that surpasses all understanding.

Little is much when God is in it! 

Kenya Bound!

This summer has been CRAZY!  If someone had told me everything that was going to happen in January I would have laughed at them.  It seems like forever since we set our dates for Kenya and bought the tickets.  It was a hard secret to keep from our friends at Fellowship, Borger.  I almost slipped several times during their training session in January.  It was pretty cool to see their reaction when Kim and I told them that we would already be in Kenya when they get there next Friday.  I am really looking forward to spending time with our missionary friends and seeing what God has in store for their team.

Kenya 2009

Tomorrow when we get on the plane for Kenya, it will be exactly 2 months since we moved into the apartment.  Just being honest with you, this move was very hard for me/us.  I thought that I could be happy anywhere as long as I was with Kim and Sam. When we sold the house I was 100% at peace and knew that God was in it.  It was exciting, crazy, sad and almost a grieving process.  I missed our home, I missed the thought of having over our friends, I missed our life that I was so used to.  One of the weirdest things I missed was getting ready in our bathroom. We have 2 small bathrooms in the apartment.  Kim and I always got ready for church or events together and it took me about 2 weeks to figure out what felt so strange.  The move, all the weddings and the long days of working in the heat had really worn me down.  One night it really sunk in that I was so very tired.  I cried out to God for relief.  I had been doing everything in my own power.  It was really rough.  When I let Him have the control that He should have had all along it was like a huge weight was lifted off of me.

As we board our plane for Kenya tomorrow we will embark on a journey that we have made many times before.  We will go to Amsterdam, Nairobi and on to Mombasa.  I will smell the diesel combined with the dust, the smell of the meat packing plant and the large city dump across the highway. (let that sink in for a minute and try to imagine that smell) We will cross the ferry and head south on the bumpy roads to Ukunda, just  as we have done before.  This is all in God's hands.  I am trusting that He will go before us and prepare the paths ahead of us.

Kenya 2009

Please pray that God will really show us what His plan is for our lives.  I love Kenya and want to be involved there as much as He allows.  The dream of a pastor and missionary retreat is something that has been on my heart and mind a long time too.  It is something that is greatly needed.

We just want to be used of God.  Our hearts are soft, our ears are open and my mind is pretty clear and ready to see Him work!

We will do our best to share stories here and on Facebook.  After resting Friday,  I will head out with Chris, Brandon and Erick to the Tanzania border to visit 4 church plants.  I am so ready to get to Kenya!

Fearless in 2015

I started out this new year asking God for a word for 2015. I heard “Fearless” and thought, “ok, cool, I can work on that” having no idea of the things to come.

Webster defines fearless as: not afraid, very brave, bold, courageous, dauntless, gallant and heroic. 

Urban dictionary uses this definition “Strong willed. Heart of gold. Beautiful inside and out. Able to push through the storms of a shattered heart, broken spirit and tattered body emerging twice as graceful and independent than before. A truly gifted woman with a gorgeous soul and a dreamers spirit.”

I also began studying the book of Joshua in January and repeatedly saw the phrase, “Be strong and courageous.”

Everything was great, calm and comfortable… then 3-4 months ago I began to feel like God was telling us to sell our home. David has been going to Tyndale Bible College for the last two years to get a degree in missions. I was sure that some changes were probably coming after graduation, however, neither of us knew exactly what they would be. Every time I would stress and ask David what we were going to do, he would tell me to wait and trust that God would work things out when he finished school (this was not the immediate answer that I wanted). 

We have talked for years about Davids’ dream of starting a non profit Ranch & Retreat center for missionaries and pastors (to get some much needed time away with their families) as well as wanting to be more involved with our friends and their ministry in Kenya, but we had no idea how these things were going to become a reality.

When David came home after work one day, very discouraged about the direction his 14 year career with the local electric company has been going, I told him about how I felt God was showing me that we could sell the house in order to follow our dreams. I ran the numbers and with selling our home and cutting expenses, David would be able to leave his job and we could live off of our photography companies income. We prayed and talked about it for a couple days and both agreed that we should contact a realtor. We listed the house the following Monday, had multiple offers above asking price, and accepted one that Saturday. During the week, I also found the perfect apartment within our budget, that just so happened to be on sale that month only. 

David and I have always told God that everything we owned belonged to Him, but selling our home and so many of our things in order to downsize was surprisingly difficult. Honestly, when we signed the lease at the apartment and during the first week that we moved in, we cried a couple times. I still cannot bring myself to drive by our old home, but I have seen God working out all of the details and know that we will not regret following God’s leading and going after our dreams in the years to come. 

The whirlwind of changes led me to questioning my heart and motives. Do I really trust that God will continue to provide the work that we need in order to live? Will He come through for us? Is He really good?  I was afraid, but after prayer and reflection on how God has always been there for me, I can answer these questions with a definite yes! He does care about each individual person. He will never leave us or forsake us. He loves us! God has been teaching me that He is more concerned about a persons heart and maturity than any occupation, social status or material belongings.  

I am not suggesting that everyone needs to sell their homes, but I do know that I have genuine peace for the first time in my life. I have looked my fears in the face and replaced them with faith that God is leading us and will continue to work out all the details.

Now, exactly two months to the date from moving into our apartment, we are heading back to Kenya: My favorite place in the whole world. I am expectant that God will show up and show us some amazing things during this journey. 

If you are still reading this, would you please take a moment to pray for David and I! Please pray that God will work in and through us while we are in Kenya and also when we return; that God will  provide the work that we need and wisdom in moving forward with David leaving his job to pursue what we feel God is leading us towards.

The phrase “Do not be afraid” is written in the Bible 365 times. That’s a daily reminder from God to live every day being fearless. God is still working on me, but I wholeheartedly suggest that you take the time to evaluate your fears and give them to God. He turns fears into faith!

Love~ Kim