Kenya Here We Come!

Tonight we fly out for 2 weeks in Kenya.  This last year has been so crazy but we have seen God work in our lives and in ministry.  Last year when we left for Kenya we hoped to move there for a year as Team Missionaries.  God had other plans and we did not get that confirmation.

Today my devotion was in Psalms 1.


1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
    Nor stands in the path of sinners,
    Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
    Planted by the rivers of water,
    That brings forth its fruit in its season,
    Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

Verse three really stood out to me. "He shall be like a tree, Planted by the rivers of water."  I love to be outdoors and I LOVE a big pecan bottom on a creek or river.  There are always a few HUGE trees that it takes several people to reach around.  The big trees have been around for maybe 100 years.  If they could tell you of the things they have seen in their life times I am sure it would be amazing.

One day when I am gone I hope that some people will be able to say that David was a tree that stood firm in all the storms that life could throw at him.  Every now and then a branch may break and cause some pain but our heavenly father knows that we need to be pruned to get rid of some things in our lives.  It saddens me to see people in and out of church. Living by faith and being blessed and then living in the flesh and struggling.  They are blown by the winds of life every direction but the right one.

As we leave for Kenya in a few short hours, I want God to open my eyes and my heart to love like I have never loved before.  Kim and I ask that you will pray for our team as we travel.  God has great things ahead of this team and I am very excited to see what happens.

God Bless.
David and Kim

Prayer Request:
Divine Appointments
Safe travels in Kenya
On time flights
No lost bags
Health
Missionaries Chris and Lisa Moore and Bobby and Lisa Bechtel
Maasai Corner
Mbewau
Injilli
Families at home

Time flies when you are having fun!

Kim and I got married on Jan 5, 2008.  In July we met Chris and Lisa Moore, missionaries to Kenya.  They were in the process of raising their monthly support so that they could move to Kenya full time.  Chris lead our first trip to Kenya in March 2009.  Kim and I left part of our hearts in Kenya that year.  I never imagined that I would ever go to Africa and in two weeks we will be making our fourth trip to Kenya.

God has done some AMAZING things through the Moore's and their ministries.  The school at Mbewau had about 20 kids when we first arrived there and were having school in a small classroom and church. Today they have a beautiful six classroom school. There was a small building that ladies cooked porage at.  Today there is an open air feeding center that doubles as a church!  The Moore's have been in Kenya now for 2 1/2 years and are in the middle of a huge building project at Maasai Corner on the south coast of Kenya.  There is a church, clinic and restroom facilities there now. Last year it was 5 acres of raw land where people worshipped under a couple of mango trees.

This year I am excited to see what God has for us!  There is a youth pastor, a dentist, a teacher, an ER nurse, a collage student, a lay pastor and a professional photographer and blogger on the team.  God has really supplied for each team member.  We fly out on June 13 and will return on June 26.  Please keep this team in your prayers and ask for God to have his way in all of our lives.  I hope that everyone is ready to get MESSED UP for CHRIST!

Kim and I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us financially, with prayer and encouraging words!  We could not have made all of these trips without your help!

One day when we all get to heaven don't be surprised when a Kenyan walks up and says thank you.  You may ask what for and they will say,  "thank you for sending people to tell us about Christ!"

God Bless!!!

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone and I am definitely there...

I feel like I am coming up to another important chapter in my life. This last one has been full of adventure, heartache, self discovery and growth, but I am eager to see what's to follow. I'm not sure what is coming, but I know Life begins at the end of your comfort zone and I am definitely there...

I am glad that God is in control and I am not, because sometimes life doesn't make any sense. I am learning yet again to Let go and Let God have control of every area in my life. 

Sometimes I will ask God for advice, get an answer, ask friends what they think, get confused and finally do what I think is best. Then, I go back to God and say, "Is that really what you meant? OK, I'll do it now. You were right. You always are." The great thing is that He always knows best and I need to trust that He has a good plan for me.

David and I are leaving in two weeks for Kenya! I'm excited to pack up and take the long journey to the place where I left my heart four years ago... I miss the hustle and bustle of people and animals walking everywhere, open markets, hooting traffic horns and the smell of diesel in the air. I miss the bright Kenyan smiles and Hakuna Matata way of living, but most of all I miss my friends Chris and Lisa Moore, Jackson, Justin, Dunkin, Winnie, my sweet MBEWAU girls: Anna, Gladys and Naomi, just to name a few:) I cannot wait to see everyone!

I am sure that God is going to do great things during this trip, because the devil has been hitting hard and close to home lately. But God had been with me through it all and continues to assure me that someday everything will be worth it all.

XOXO,
Kim

Soil and the Heart

I have really enjoyed working in our yard since we moved into the house last September.  Our front yard has pretty good dirt in the flower beds.  Pretty much anything will grow there.  We bought a bunch of bulbs and a rose bush and its all growing great.


On the side of the house there is a retaining wall.  The neighbors have peagravel on their side of the fence.  A few weeds spring up there and grow for a little bit but dont last long if there isn't any rain.  Within a few days things wither away.


The back yard has pretty good soil right around the house.  The grass is thick and green but in the very back its hard and not much is growing.  I am transplanting St Augustine grass back there hoping that it will eventually cover over the hard dirt and we can have a pretty green back yard to enjoy.


All of this reminds me of the parable of the Sower and the Seed. 
Mark 4:3  “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air^[a] came and devoured it. ⁵ Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. ⁷ And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. ⁸ But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”


Two questions for you: 1What kind of ground is your heart as you read this? 2 Are you sowing any seeds?


I must confess that lately my heart has been a little crusty and hard.  I have had a bad attitude towards my daily job.  There has been A LOT of change going on and some of it doesn't even make sense.  I am so very thankful to a loving and gracious heavenly father that allows us to go through some tough times to soften our hearts for His glory.


We fly to Kenya in 47 days.  
Please pray for:
Our team of 12 going to serve the Lord there.
Divine appointments
Safety
Health
On time flights and luggage
Families that we leave behind

Guatemala Wrap Up.

Guatemala was a very good trip.  I learned that not everything is done like it is in Kenya.  We fed the kids at Eagles Nest rice, a meat patty and gravy.  At Quetzal they children watermelon and spaghetti!!!  

Most of the MANNA Worldwide feeding centers are just that a feeding center at a church.  The children come to the center to eat lunch after school or during their lunch time.  They have kids clubs, Bible studies and church throughout the week.  At first I let what I know over ride what I was seeing.  I kind of froze up and didn’t really know what to do.  It was a great time of learning and meeting new missionaries.  Jerry and Mindy, Edgar and Laura, Vickie and her family.  All of these people are trusting Christ with everything they are, have and ever will be.  Some have young children and some have older children, one is a single mom and one couple is a Guatemalan man and his American wife..  God showed me again that when we trust Him, he will direct our paths and take care of us.  

Keep a look out for video clips from the trip here on the blog and on Face Book.  Kim is working on a video for Galilee Baptist from Decatur, Illinois.  Pastor JJ and his team were a great blessing to Kim and I.  Pastor Ed Trinkle and his team from Philly are CRAZY!!! Thank you for making us feel so welcome with your team.  

This little boy was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or possible his mother was addicted to cocaine.  He has seizures and will be very handicapped for his entire life.  He has a couple of siblings that bring him to the center.  They were being taken care of by family because their mother had abandoned them for a while.  She has returned and is trying to take care of the children.  She is unsaved but coming to the feeding center and church where she is hearing the gospel regularly.

  

The little boy in this picture is Edwin and he is about 8 years old.  His dad passed away in the last few years.  Recently he told the missionary that he wanted to just die so that he could go be with his dad.  As I sat and listened to Jerry tell me these stories I was once again reminded that I have really been blessed in this life.  My heart ached as I thought about how much pain these young children have been through in their lives.  

Kim took a couple of pictures of a beautiful young lady in the Quetzal Feeding Center.  As we were looking through pics with Mindy she said, “stop go back a couple of pics.  This young lady was watching one of her younger siblings when it suddenly died on her 17 birthday.” The father told her that he wished that she had been the one that died.  He regularly tells her that she is ugly and is worthless.  I can not imagine how broken she must feel inside.    

My prayer is that God will continue to allow us to travel and show others the great things that are happening through MANNA Worldwide around the world for the Kingdom.

For More Pics Visit:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.365237893521061.87805.158123600899159&type=1

Solola, Guatemala.

Today we visited Eagle’s Nest Feeding Center, school and orphanage near Solola, Guatemala.  Several years ago a missionary couple saw this property sitting on a hill that was a failed time share resort.  They inquired about the property and were told that it was almost in foreclosure and the asking price was One Million Dollars.  After a year of prayer and raising funds, they were able to buy the property for $150,000.00.  Today they feed about 50 kids in the Manna Feeding Center and the orphanage houses about 65.  

We got to feed the children and hand our more goodie bags that Pastor JJ’s team brought from Illinois.  Most of these children are Mayan.  They are very small for their age.  I met a little boy named Daniel.  The school leader asked him to show his muscles.  Daniel’s muscles were awesome for an 8 year old.  Pastor Pedro even said that Daniel had great ab muscles.  At about 7 years old Daniel started working in the fields with his family.  Pastor Pedro had to beg the parents to let Daniel come to the feeding center after school.  Daniel’s mom only speaks the Mayan language and is illiterate and his dad is never home.  

We just think that we have poverty in America.  In America there is housing, WIC, food stamps and other charities to help out the poor.  Here in Guatemala there is no help from the government.  Some children are required to work very hard to help provide for their family. Many of these kids only get one meal a day.  The missionaries here are doing a great job reaching the lost through the Manna Feeding Centers...David

Today, we went to one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Words can’t 
describe the true beauty of the expansive cobalt lake surrounded on every side by majestic volcanoes. It looked like we were stepping into a scene from Jurassic Park, only better because I was there and it was real. All we could say was wow... The dense forestation and plunging water falls were breathtaking. I wish you all could be here with us. Pictures just can’t do it justice.

We had lunch at the base of the lake, then drove to a MANNA center located on the top of a mountain overlooking the lake and I met little girl there named Lydia. All the kids were seated at their tables about to eat lunch. Our group had just entered the feeding center, when I saw the tiniest little girl helping place spoons in each bowl as her mother served the food and placed them on a table. She was wearing a traditional Mayan/Guatemalan dress. Her black hair was braided. As she sat down at her table to eat lunch with the other kids, I sat down beside her and asked her name and if I could take her picture. We visited for a little while, before she had to return to school. I greatly enjoyed meeting my new friend, but even more, I enjoy knowing that she is being fed every day, her mother is employed, they are hearing about God and MANNA Worldwide is a part of that.

Over the past four years, it has been awesome to see the work that God is doing through MANNA around the world and it blesses me to be able to see it up close and personally. We had a great day today...Kim


Please go to the MANNA FB to see more pics from todays adventures.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.364640360247481.87642.158123600899159&type=1

Guatemala La Gomera Feeding Center

Today we went to the La Gomera Feeding Center.  Manna is feeding about 70 children there. As we walked up i heard Abuelito Abuelito...All of the little kids where calling Bruce Grandpa! It is a very small house with tables set up on a covered porch.  Most of the children were 4-8 years old.  There was one table of early teens.  It was great to hear that all of these young people had accepted Christ and were there serving in the center.   Lago Mera has a Kids Club every Monday where they teach the kids God’s word.  

After the children ate we passed out some goodie bags, candy and put temporary tatoo’s on thier arms.  They didn’t care what the tatoo was. Boys were getting pink hearts and girls were getting lightening bolts.  

We were invited to visit several of the children’s homes. The homes were very small.  Almost all of them cooked outside because the cost of electricity is so high here.  There is a minimum wage here of about $8.00 a day.  Bread, milk and basic essentials are actually more expensive to.  There is great poverty in a very diverse and beautiful country.   Please go to http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.363865350324982.87484.158123600899159&type=1&__adt=15 to see more pics from today.

We got to see a volcano with smoke coming out of the top and the black sand beaches of the Pacific Ocean.