Shambas and Snapshots

Many of my closest girlfriends have started their own "shambas" or gardens, so I thought I would share a few photos of ours here in Kenya. It's a little primitive, but we have the perfect weather for optimal growth.

Moses, our friend, and one of the groundskeepers here on the missionary compound has been showing us the ropes. Hudson loves helping work the "fields".

What an opportunity to share many Biblical truths with Hudson as we talk about the harvest of souls and our role here in Kenya to tend to God's garden.

The Lord has definitely planted many seeds here in Kapsowar that need some watering and tending to.

So Hudson has started his own little ministry. He takes his Spidey backpack full of art supplies, stickers, paints, etc. and goes up to the children's ward all by himself to make friends and spread some joy to those that are suffering. Some who are just suffering from "boredom" as they wait for their parent's to raise enough money for the hospital bill so that they can go home. He really loves his afternoons at the hospital.

Some other good news is that we received the diaper grant from "Cotton babies"! We received 17 of the best cloth diapers on the market- Bum genius. They are so cute and actually pretty "user friendly". They wash up nicely. Which is always a bonus since we do our laundry in the bathtub. Isaac has been working on his Swahili as well.

We also celebrated Kyle's 31st birthday! He was on call, but a Kenyan medical officer covered his shift for 4 hours so we could have a date. And some medical students from Hong Kong watched the boys. We went to the Kerio Valley View restaurant again in Iten. It was nice to get away and have a peaceful dinner. Here is Kyle with his other date.

So here are a few snapshots into our lives here in Kenya. We covet your prayers. Days can be long and hard for everyone, but we trust and hope in the Lord. He is doing a good work here and in our hearts as well.

Firsts

The past few weeks have been filled with all sorts of first times for us. For one, I got to meet and shake hands with the Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga. He was here at the hospital because he donated us a new hospital ambulance. It was a big event around this small village. He flew in on his helicopter landing on the local school soccer field then drove over for his 45 minute ceremony which included lots of speeches from different people. Then he flew off. If you know anything about Kenyan politics he was the man that 2 years ago during the election sparked a string of rioting in Kenya. They now share the leadership with an acting President and Prime Minister. It keeps things interesting around here, but fortunately the violence has calmed down. It reminded us to pray for the leadership of this country and for peace. Right now they are debating the issue of abortion in Kenya which is currently illegal, but still done in secret. Pray that they will continue to protect life here.

The next first involves the new vehicle that God has allowed us to purchase. We are excited about using it in so many ways. The first few days we had it we enjoyed exploring the community around us. Many of the roads are like narrow mountain roads so it is good we have 4 wheel drive.

We drove down to the river and found a nice spot to have a family picnic. Of course, it was a quintessential missionary picnic because we were joined by several cows who were coming to get a drink and eat the grass by the river.

Plus we also got lots of stares from the local farmers passing by who probably had never seen crazy white people eating on the ground with blankets. The boys had a blast.

We are excited to use the vehicle for our first community health outreach on May 11th and look forward to using it for God's glory. Thank you to all those who have helped with the purchase of the vehicle.

Finally, yesterday we got to attend our first Kenyan wedding or should I say weddings. It started in the morning when one of my Kenyan friends asked to borrow our car. I said let me come with you. We went to a house where immediately people started putting flowers and ribbons all over my car. About an hour later the bride, maid of honor and several others came and got in the car. We took them to the church about 10 miles away. Then I had to hurry back to make it to the other wedding that we had committed to go to. I made it just in time for them to ask me to do the closing prayer. I have learned I have to be ready for anything here. The wedding lasted all day and it was quite an experience with the whole community there. We were reminded of how amazing it is to see how each culture celebrates weddings differently and how beautiful the people are whom we came to serve.

Easter Blessings

Praise the Lord! We hope every one of you had a wonderful Easter weekend. We had a great time here in Kapsowar. On Friday Kyle had the chance to do a little devotion for the Pediatric Ward and shared about the cross in Mark 15. He emphasized the curtain that was torn from top to bottom in the temple and how it represents God's desire for us to have our sins forgiven by Christ's death on the cross and come to have relationship with Him. He asked if anyone would like to begin a relationship with Christ to talk with him and 3 people expressed their desire to know Christ. "Mama Ian" accepted the Lord and "Mama and Baba (dad) Evans rededicated their lives to the Lord. It was great to then be able to offer them a Bible in their own tribal language.

On Easter Sunday we started out with doing a little Sunday School for the kids in the hospital. We had a time of singing and Hudson sang a solo of his favorite song "I have decided to follow Jesus." Kyle shared a special Bible story from a kid's book called "Clip and Tell Bible stories" which talked about the Cross and the Empty Tomb. Then the kids watched a video about Jesus. Everyone loved it. Then we went to our church and Kyle was met by one of the church elders who told him that their guest speaker could not make it and asked if he could fill in. He felt like God had really prepared him with a message to share and he really enjoyed it. It was so wonderful to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord with the Kenyans.

We enjoyed a wonderful Kenyan lunch with one of Vanessa's friends in her home. Hudson and her son Brian had a fun time playing together. She is a single mom and doing the best she can to support herself and her son. We are planning to help her go back to a cosmetology school so she can get a special trade doing hair designs which are very popular for African women on special occasions. One of the girls that lives near us has even started coming around asking to braid Vanessa's hair. I'd say she looks pretty good in all braids.

Later that evening we enjoyed a special dinner among the fellow missionaries here on station. We even had a turkey which was a real treat. We also got some plastic Easter eggs filled with candy to hide for the kids. We all had a blast. Then we had our weekly Bible study which was amazing. We talked about how Jesus as the Messiah really was all throughout the Old Testament. Take some time and look at the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22, Psalm 22, and Isaiah 53. Our hearts were encouraged as we remembered our precious Savior.

Little Things

So I will be honest and share with you I had a bad day. Yes, it was bound to happen. Nothing specifically bad happened. I just was missing the "little things" of home. I kept thinking how I missed our:

Our families. Our friends. Fridays with Leah. Spontaneous lunches with Kelly. Cousin's birthday parties. Worshipping at Tulsa Bible Church. The nursery and Sunday school at TBC. Victory Mom's Day Out. Did I mention our family and friends? I could almost taste a Sonic Cherry Limeade. Being able to call Kyle on the way home and say, "It's been a hard day. Could you stop and bring something home for dinner?". Getting in a car and going to Wal-Mart when I run out of something. Hot water. Consistent electricity. Knowing that all those I loved I could reach by phone anytime. Or better yet just a short drive away. Dates with Kyle and the list could go on.

So then I remembered the "little things" I love here:

The beauty I see of God's creation from every window of my house. Watching my kids' imaginations flourish as they learn to live with minimum. Watching my kids' make friends in a culture that finds joy even in the midst of great poverty. Afternoons with Edna as we laugh together and share openly and honestly the deeper things of the heart. Getting to have breakfast, lunch and dinner with Kyle everyday. Sending Hudson off to the hospital all by himself to be dad's big "assistant". Worshiping our Lord together with another tribe and tongue. Smiles from Kenyans you can see miles away. Walking up the path to buy a dozen fresh eggs. Walking a little further to buy fresh fruits. Mangos (I think of Shannon and Marlene everytime I eat one. I wish I could share one with you right now!) The elderly guy who knocks on my door and brings me fresh lemons and grapefruits straight from his "shamba" (garden) for only 2 shillings a piece. Seeing a new exotic bird everyday. Seeing the local children play outside my door making windmills out of twigs and leaves. The laughter and joy that is always present in their faces. Hearing God's miracles and handiwork from Kyle every evening as he shares about his day at the hospital. Knowing without a doubt that this is exactly where God wants my family and I to be. And all of these little things I love helped me to treasure the rest of my day and enjoy the Lord's goodness to me back at home in Oklahoma as well as my new home here in Kapsowar.

Just for Fun

Just for fun. Just because we live in Africa. Just because these are now our beloved pets. Can you guess which one of us loved Camilla the Camelion the most?

New Life in Kenya

Sadly, one of the most frequent hospital admissions we have here at our hospital is from people who try to end their life by taking poison. Last week we had a young man named Richard that had decided his problems were too many and tried to end his life by this method. Fortunately, he was brought in soon enough by his family members that we were able to save his life. He was unconscious for about 2 days before he woke up. On the third day I saw him and asked him what had been going on in his life that made him want to end his life. He stayed pretty generic and just said family issues. I told him that I may not be able to solve all of his problems, but I could tell him about someone who could help him. He said he knew that he was not a christian and that if he would have died he would not have gone to heaven. He listened very closely as I proceeded to tell him the good news of the gospel. In the end he told me that he was ready to give his life to the Lord and start a new life. His brother, who is a christian and an elder in the local church where he lives, was there and was smiling really big. He and his christian mother had been praying for him for a long time. I had the Kenyan nurse that was translating for me pray with him in his language to ask Jesus into his heart. It was really special and exciting for me to see. I also asked one of our chaplains to come and visit with him and confirm that this was truly a sincere decision. He told me later that he thought the man was really ready to accept the Lord and that he knew the local pastor in his village so we will be able to follow-up with him to see how he is doing. Today in our family devotions we read the story about the 4 seeds and I was reminded that Satan loves to come in and snatch up the seed that was sown. So pray with me for Richard as he is a new young believer in Christ. I told him that he should now go and tell others about how God saved him from death and truly gave him new life.

The Golden Birthday!

The Golden Birthday!

Hudson turned 5 on March 5 and I learned that this is called the “golden birthday”.

We had a fun weekend planned in Nairobi. We stayed with Uncle Marv and Aunt Jan. Hudson requested a lemon birthday cake and of course Jan was able to make his wish come true with a tasty lemon sponge birthday cake complete with sprinkles.

We also met up with some new friends the Simons who work in Nairobi with DOOR (Deaf Opportunity Outreach Ministries). Jeremy’s grandma goes to our church back home and helped get us connected. We also realized Whitney went to NSU where Vanessa went to college and even knew Kyle’s sister and husband! They have 2 absolutely adorable and fun boys that are ages 5 and 3. We went to a water park that cost a whopping $4.00 to get in. It was the best playdate I’ve had in ages! We were able to visit as adults and the kids played so well in the kiddie pool complete with slides!

We also had a neighborhood party! The kids have been waiting for it for it seems like forever. I guess Hudson mentioned it about a month before his birthday. My friend came over and we made an enormous batch of popcorn and 1 cake to feed about 25 kids. We had relay races that made everyone smile. We also learned personally why there is the phrase “Dance like you have ants in your pants”! Apparently after it rains here the ants surface and they all decided to migrate to our backyard. Before we knew it everyone was jumping around like little monkeys trying to get the ants out of their pants!

We had special packages from Kelly and Marlene with birthday goodies for Hudson and party supplies. Thanks! It was a splendid week of celebration!

FYI - for those interested in sending letters or packages to us in Kenya, there is a note on both our facebook pages with detailed instructions on how to send packages, but this in our address~

Our address:

Dr. Kyle Jones

Kapsowar Hospital

PO BOX 68

Kapsowar 30705

Kenya, East Africa