72 hours on terra firma

Just landed from a 2 day trip from the east coast. Now i've got three days to finish up work and prepare for the trip.

A Servant's Heart

Psalm 139:1 "O Lord , You have searched me and you know me."  1 John 1:9 " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
My hubby has been off on business and we had a heated, tearful(me) discussion on my shopping for our trip. Before he left, I told him I would stay within the budget.   Needless, to say that is not what happened.  I got caught up in the moment (ask me about France - my husband wasn't shopping with me that day either) left to my own devices, with a debit card, and really if you ask me I can justify all I bought.  However, it is not going to fit in only 2 suitcases and stuff needs to go back.  That is okay because as I rode my bike up the pharmacy that shorted me by malaria pills and it needs to get straighten out.  God spoke to me "Did you forget why you are going on the trip?" No I'm going to serve you teach your word, and then the shopping, but I need that, it will look cute, it goes with this...all the reasons we spend and justify.  We did a biblical  financial studies I know what His word says about monies or do I?  I also said I was not going to blog on my ego, pride, my sinful nature.   The Lord speaks in powerful ways and I want to listen, I want  to honor His son Jesus, my husband, my team, so Lord, clean my heart so I can serve our missionaries and their children.



My prayer is Lord, my will gets in my way, help me to be more like Jesus and to do  His will in all that I do.Search me, purify me always.  So I can serve. Amen



Susan



(editor's note - Crown Financial Ministries sent us a note this morning that we're now in their national database as Money Map coaches to do one on one coaching according to biblical principles. I found God's timing on that email hilarious after last night's discussion. God is trying to keep us close by having us teach others.)

THINGS HAPPEN....

When we go on Mission trips for the Lord, distractions happen. Son Steven just called and he just had a car accident - wheels went off the pavement, through a ditch and through a field fence. The car is pretty messed up. He says he is okay physically, but it just happened. Please pray for alternate transportation for him so he can continue to work, and that he continues to be healthy. He will go get checked out at the VA where he has his medical insurance. I praise God no one else was involved.

Mary Ann

12 Kilos in a 10 Kilo bag

We had our last planning meeting today, and there was spirited discussion about our Fly540 flights from Nairobi to Malindi. British Airways gives us a generous 3 checked bags at 50 lbs each from LAX to Nairobi. Fly540 gives us a spartan one checked 20 kilo bag (About 44 lbs), and one carryon at 10 kilos (about 22 lbs). We will be able to leave some of the supplies we're taking at the SIL office in Nairobi, but it's likely we'll be paying for an extra bag or two.

I got a new camera backpack for my birthday for the trip, to carry my digital camera, a couple lenses, a laptop, and my overnight stuff for London (basic traveller needs for the insomniac flyer - noise cancelling headphones, a Kindle electronic book, an ipod (iphone)) - the stuff most road warriers travel with. First pack with the bag and it's coming in at 26-27 lbs. Next task is to find 5 lbs of stuff to remove from the bag and carry on my person if necessary. Shouldn't take much more than a camera lens, journal & Kindle. Thank God for cargo pants with lots of pockets.

Naomi's Intro

My name is Naomi.  This Kenya trip will include my husband Joe W. (there are 2 Joe’s on the trip), and our middle school aged daughter, Amanda.  I am excited about the opportunity for our family to minister together.  We have done home ministries but have never traveled out of the country together.  I also have a special connection with the group we will be helping as my parents served with Wycliffe/SIL for 30 years.  I feel overwhelmed as I try to wrap up job duties and get ready to be gone 2½ weeks from home and the office.  This past week I went to the Kenya Consulate in Los Angeles to pick up all of our passports containing our Kenya visas.  While there, I met a 17 year old high school student on her way to Nairobi for 5 weeks.  God gave me the opportunity to encourage her and her mother in this adventure she is taking this summer.  I’m not sure I would be ready to send a high school student half-way around the world by herself.  I hope to be able to connect with her in the future.

Naomi

Worldly Traveler

My name is Mary Ann. I am an active senior widow who loves missions. I grew up in Michigan in a Dutch Reformed family and now enjoy the Evangelical Free Church family. I have three grown children. Raised in the church I made my personal acceptance of Christ at age 14, and total dedication of my life at age 18. Bible studies are my joy, and missions have become my passion since my husband’s graduation to Heaven 9 years ago. I have made numerous mission trips in many countries. When the request for this trip was made, I saw the need to care for Wycliffe babies, ages 1 and 2 – and a wonderful opportunity to be with full time missionaries whom I so admire. I look forward to getting to know and enjoy these little ones while their parents are in conference.

My favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

One Week To Go!

Monday we ran through the curriculum that the Bekah and the home team put together. Gerry made puppets for all the kids, so we got a demonstration on the proper care and feeding of the puppets. WHen we finished, we all got goody bags - 5 pounds or so of VBS supplies to pack with our luggage.

At least two of us aren't ready to pack yet - Judy has a trip to Washington, DC with her students this week, and I've got a trip to a customer in Raleigh, North Carolina. At least I get 72 hours between trips.

Two Weeks to Go

Two weeks from now the second half of the team will be leaving for Africa, and the first wave with Susan and I will be in Africa, but not yet at the conference location. I'm personally not in the pre-trip jitters yet, too much to do in the interim. Looks like I'll at least have a trip to the east coast for work - and my boss mentioned Friday that he might also need me to do a quick trip to Germany. I'm hoping it's just the 5,000 mile round trip in the week leading up to our trip, and not an extra European round trip as well, but if it's both trips - no big deal - spent enough time as a road warrier that I know the drill. It's like last night - Susan asked me if I was tired from the weekend - On Friday night I flew up to the bay area to visit my youngest son, Alex, who had surgery that day. Saturday after another visit with him, I hopped in the car with my oldest son, Jonathan, and drove the 400 miles back to Orange County, and spent Sunday with him. I sent Jonathan back north shortly before 5pm, after spending a couple hours helping him with some maintenance on his car (didn't tell me til we got here that his motor mount was missing a through-bolt). After that, Susan and I did some shopping for a few items of clothing I needed for the trip, then went home and we finished cutting and gluing 150 prayer bookmarks for the team. I was too busy to get tired.

With this being my second short term missions trip, I find I'm getting bolder in talking to coworkers and others about what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, in general just getting the word out about what God's doing with me here. My first trip my line was "I'm going to Paraguay on a missions trip" and that was about it. I was in New York a couple weeks ago with my company's Chief Operating Officer, and went into detail about the trip. At first he said not much of a vacation (and certainly the flying won't be), but as I spoke further, he started getting it. I find when I really dedicate myself to God, the work is much easier than when I'm just using Joe's will to do the work. I remember in Paraguay I had to build a set of shelves for over a sink in the church kitchen. I had relatively crude tools - a small circular saw, no proper workbench, etc., but God helped me cut an amazingly tight set of dados in the sides - something I wouldn't have thought possible with the tools at hand.

This will be a different trip - ministering to the missionary kids, but again, I trust God will provide the patience I need, and will give me the words I need for these kids. I also know the time will be a blessing to the parents who will be able to focus on the conference and recharging themselves, and not have to worry about the kids.

One of the things I'm trying to work on is to be more present. Susan is probably the biggest victim of this - of me doing something with her, but not fully being there - having part of me focused on something else. I ask for prayer to be fully present and focused on God's work while on the trip.

"BIG TRIP"

Five years ago my wife Naomi and I participated in a DreamMaster weekend facilitated by Bob and Cheri Shank at a resort in Del Mar, California. We selected, developed, and presented Naomi's dream to about twenty other couples. Her dream was for us to travel to Africa together to serve God. As a result of a variety of circumstances, it has taken five years for us to finally fulfill her dream. For me, the term "BIG TRIP" has to do with the "thorn in the flesh" God has allowed into my life in the form of Parkinson's Disease. Diagnosed last year, my new lifestyle includes medications and therapy. For several months I have been a part of the "BIG" program designed especially for Parkinson's patients and offered through Hoag Hospital Rehabilitation Services by Physical Therapist Kristin DeMars and Occupational Therapist Mary Ann Bailey. With their help I have seen significant improvement in my capabilities and have the confidence to travel, trusting God to give me the strength to answer His call to serve Him in Kenya.
 
Joe

My Storey : )

My name is Rebekah Storey and I am very excited for this amazing opportunity to minister to the children of some awesome missionary families in Kenya! I came across this trip via my aunt and uncle, Doug and Jolene Wicks, who were trying to see who would be willing to come and support these families by engaging and teaching their kids while they were at conference. I jumped at the chance to use my child development education and have had a blast helping put the curriculum together. I currently work as a preschool teacher and have always enjoyed guiding children as they discover the world around them. I know God is going to touch hearts on this trip and I am excited to be a part of it!

Re: Why am I going to Kenya? the question was put to us.

Susan wrote:
Almost a year ago we moved to SoCal from NoCal, and we knew that we had to seek out a church family.  It was just me & the hubby that moved here. No kids they are grown and doing there own life.  The weekend after we got settled in and the following weekend we went church shopping.  We found our new church family at EFCHB the second church we visited we just felt at home.  From the beginning we have tried to serve, it has been something we are striving to do.  To serve like Christ serves me, to get out of self and to love and serve those around with me.  We joined the missions team and the trip for Africa came up I'd like to say it was a God poke but it was my husband poking me with the IPhone he googled it during the meeting.  After we left the meeting, we talked, and prayed.  It is the Lord's leading in one life and a short time after we were signed up, prepping, planning meetings, praying, and I know more praying for me.  I am going to be with 5-7 year old squirelly, wiggly boys and a couple of men leaders who will probably like squirelly boys, too!  You can be praying for me for God's leading, His will, along with patience, for safe travel, for good health, and that I will do His will.

Proverbs 16:3 "Commit to the Lord whatever you do and your plans will succeed."

Susan

Give Me Your Eyes

Two years ago, upon returning from a short term missions trip to Paraguay, we started hearing Brandon Heath's new hit Give Me Your Eyes. Last night we attended the Fish Festival at the Verizon Amphitheater, and got to go backstage to listen to most of Brandon Heath's set, including his closing Give Me Your Eyes and meet with him after the set. Susan told Brandon she had a story for him and told him of the Paraguay trip and how we used his song for the video slideshow we did for the trip (See cbncparaguaystm2008.blogspot.com/). We then talked about how that song really captures Missions and going out, and about our upcoming Missions trip to Kenya.

Less than a month to go

Over the past several months, the Evangelical Free Church of Huntington Beach has been putting together a short term missions team to support the Uganda - Tanzania Branch of SIL International during their annual conference being held at the Turtle Bay Beach Club in Turtle Bay Beach Club (Watamu, Kenya) www.turtlebay.co.ke from July 10 to 16th. The team includes Joe, Naomi and Amanda, Kyle and Sarah, Joe and Susan, Mary Ann, Lauren, Bekah, Tim, Judy and Becky. Ten of us attend EF Church, and Bekah, Sarah and Kyle have connections to our church.