This Wild Journey

Where to begin? So much has happened in the last 10 days! The days are all running together a bit actually, and it’s hard to know what day or time it is sometimes! So we started out in Raleigh, with one kid throwing up, a cancelled flight, and being totally rerouted and all flights changed at the last minute. Then we flew to London, where we had about a 9 hour layover (hence the “taking over” of those two rows of seats in the airport in the picture above–that was our spot for about 4-5 hours that day!). Then we (finally) boarded our plane to Kenya. One more night sleeping (or not) on a plane, and we arrived at 5am local time. Lots of weary people, but thankful to be here and start this adventure that God has us on.

Though there were many difficult parts of our travels, the Lord was absolutely with us all the way. I was reminded so intensely that we are just not in control. I thought we had meticulously picked out every seat on the different planes, so we were configured in the best way I thought possible. Then the seat arrangements were thrown out the window and we were at the mercy of the ticket agent! But God always provided what we needed. I did not expect to go through security again at the terminal in London, before we had eaten any breakfast, and with liquids galore in our bags and water bottles. Miraculously, though, we got through with almost no complaining children and no extra searching! I did not expect to set up a nap room on chairs in the middle of the airport, but every one of our children fell asleep on those chairs(or in a lap) and got some much needed rest that day…which was again miraculous! We also almost weren’t on a flight to Kenya from London, as when we got there our reservation just “disappeared” in the computer. Thankfully, my patient husband made many phone calls and by God’s grace our reservation for that flight reappeared. It was all amazing, and really hard, but when we sat on that plane, viewing our route to Africa on the seat back screen in front of us, we definitely breathed a sigh of relief!

When we approached landing in Kenya, I think I reached my most wearisome point. I was just so tired and a bit frustrated at the fact that not much sleep was had on that flight. I prayed and prayed, “Lord sustain me. Sustain us.” And He has.

When we first arrived, it was an experience like no other. We walked in a deserted and unfamiliar airport, where everyone looked at us funny. We had really no idea what to do or how to get our (many) bags. A couple guys tried to help us, and we weren’t too sure if they were genuine. But we didn’t want to make anybody mad only minutes after stepping off the plane, so we let them help and trusted God to protect us. Then we got to customs. It seemed as if literally the guy there was trying to decide how much to mess with these American “tourists.” Again, I stood there and prayed, “Lord have mercy on us.” Our kids were spent, exhausted and weary of carrying all their bags. I was holding Hannah, carrying a bag and pushing a cart with some of our heavy trunks on it. Praise God, the guy asked Tom a couple questions and then let us through without opening even one thing! As we walked outside, the sun was rising and we honestly had no idea what to expect. We knew a Samaritan’s Purse driver would pick us up, but didn’t know if he was there yet or what kind of van he would have. Joshua was crying because he was just so overwhelmed with it all. I told him, “Oh buddy, I know how you feel, but we just have to trust Jesus. He didn’t bring us this far across the world to leave us alone.” Little did he know, but I was preaching to myself. I wanted to cry too.

Well, we eventually got on the van, and arrived at a beautiful hotel about an hour later (after some crazy Nairobi traffic). And they had breakfast waiting for us! What a huge blessing!

The people there were wonderful and friendly, and they fed us very well, which we greatly appreciated. And the kids even had an awesome tree swing and playground to play on there, which was a huge bonus:)

That day was very long, but very productive. Our host family met us and Jess (the mom) and I went shopping to 4 stores to get some necessary things in Nairobi before we would head to Tenwek the next day. It was quite the experience. Especially since I was extremely jet-lagged and only had half a brain! We have to shop for staple items in Nairobi or another town about 3 hours away every month or so because some things just aren’t available in the rural area where we live. Tom had to go to the Kenyan immigration office in Nairobi and figure out his work permit, so he was busy too. But the Lord continued to sustain us.

The next day, after a bit more shopping and lunch we loaded the van again to head to Tenwek. It was about a 5 hour drive, complete with baboons, zebras, people walking & selling all kinds of things on the side of the roads, a quick stop for a potty break and iced coffee (what?!) and a beautiful view of the great rift valley, an amazing part of God’s creation.

Our driver stopped at one point where there were a lot of baboons, and we fed them some chips out the window. Apparently that’s the norm!

Since we’ve arrived at Tenwek we have been overwhelmed in many ways. We are so thankful for the wonderful, warm welcome everyone has given us. Many of the missionaries have stopped by with food and to introduce themselves. People are so willing to help with anything we need, yet they have given us some space to get settled too. It has been a whirlwind of unpacking, recovering from jet lag, meeting people, experiencing church, meeting more people, starting back to school, and figuring out boundaries for our kids. There are many kids here, and very many boys! So our boys literally participated in a Nerf “war” just hours after getting here. The oldest 2 also participated in a Bible quizzing class, sort of similar to Awana, and had the chance to meet many Kenyan neighbors which was great (a story about that may come later). Tom started at the hospital a couple days ago, and so far he is doing well. There is much work to do, and much to learn, but it is a true walk of faith, trusting the Lord to equip him with all he needs to care for each patient, and to communicate with the families. I have been taking care of things here, and since we had a month off school already, we decided to get back into it this week. That was good, as all the other missionary kids are also doing school in the mornings. And we have the added blessing (I am SO thankful) of having house help here. So I literally don’t have to do any cleaning or laundry on the days that they’re here, and very little cooking too. It’s amazing! Things do take a lot longer here, so the help frees me up to school and to be open to other serving opportunities the Lord may bring my way. Abby made friends with our helper, Stella, very fast. She’s such a sweet lady:)

So sorry for this ultra long post, but I will end with a thought about suffering and trials. I know that sounds weird considering how I’ve just witnessed to how God has taken care of us and blessed us so much in this journey already. But as I said there have been many trials and hard things as well. Things from cold showers, unreliable wifi and crazy sleep patterns, to figuring out culture, the hospital schedule and just dealing with the many anxieties and behavioral issues with our kids… We have been reading Romans 12 a lot lately as a family, and verse 12 says,

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

I’ve been reminded that there will be suffering and struggle on this journey. There is no easy life. Maybe we have even been called to one that could be a good bit harder in some ways. But already I have seen that there is a raw and real desperation when you realize you literally have nothing besides the Lord. No guarantees for the moments ahead. Just Him. In a way it is so satisfying, even though on the outside I might feel like I am “suffering,” on the inside I know I can rest secure. God is real. And He is here. He is living and active. There’s a quote from John Piper’s book, Let the Nations be Glad, that goes “…suffering and struggle make us feel the supremacy of God all the more.” I think that is absolutely true. There will be trials ahead, there will be pain and death around us, but God reigns supreme.

We made it to Kenya! And we are so thankful we have Jesus.

We will be heading out tomorrow. And about 24ish hours later we will go from snow to 80 degree weather–halfway across the world–Lord willing! It's hard to believe this day has come. There has been much prayer and anticipation! We're excited to see what God has in store. Thank you for praying for our family. We know God hears and answers. Here are a few updated prayer requests for our travels.

• Unity for our family. That we will not only stay together physically, but also be on the same page logistically and spiritually. That we would not let Satan divide us in any way.
• Protection, flexibility, and just mercy in general in regards to all the travel details. And that all our luggage gets there!
• Open eyes and hearts to be able to see when opportunities come our way to specifically share the love of Christ with someone, even when we feel exhausted or frustrated for one reason or another.
• And lastly, rest and quick recovery from jet lag 🙂

Thank you again so much for praying. May God bless you. We look forward to sending an update from Tenwek very soon! As our son, Luke prayed tonight…”May we serve God all the way!”