This Wild Journey

Merry Christmas–Hope has come!

This Christmas is much different for us–different sites, sounds, traditions, and even weather! But the depth of meaning of the Savior coming into the world is only getting clearer for me at Christmas this year. I’ve been reading the devotional Come, Let us Adore Him, by Paul David Tripp. Here are some of his words that have really hit home for me this year.

So here’s what the Christmas story is all about: a willing Savior is born to rescue unwilling people from themselves because there is no other way.

The incarnation of Jesus Christ pointedly preaches our inescapable need for radical, personal, and moral rescue and forgiveness.

At Christmas we celebrate a God who is glorious in his abundant love and patient mercy.

In the psyche of every human being lives this weird and uncomfortable battle between hunger for God and a desire to hide from him…The fearful awkwardness between us and God has been forever broken by Jesus, so we can run with confidence into God’s presence and know that he will never turn us away.

The Way, the Truth, and the Life was in the manger, causing angels to rejoice, Mary to wonder, shepherds to worship, and us to have hope…He came to serve, to suffer, and ultimately to die so that his kingdom would reign in the hearts of his people.

I am just so thankful that God provided a way for poor and needy people like me. Mission life has probably shown me more of my soul poverty than I had ever seen before. It’s striking really. I battle my desires for comfort and going my own way on a very consistent basis, and perhaps in a more glaring way, here. It’s a “battle for glory,” Tripp says. A battle against my own kingdom of self, in order to give glory to the One who truly deserves it, and to ultimately lift up the kingdom of God instead of the kingdom of me.

Praise God that he has met our every need in Jesus Christ. We can live in this sin-soaked, painful world with hope because He is Hope! As you celebrate this Christmas, I pray that this reality will sink in deeper with you also. No matter where you are, you are never too far and your situation never too dire to be rescued by the King of Glory, the baby in the manger, the man who took on all our sin, Jesus.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. May the LORD draw you nearer and show you greater depths of his love in 2020!

Krismasi Njema!

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” -Romans 8:32

Posted: December 22, 2019
Under: mission
By: Emily

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What life has been like

We know an update is due. Life has been busy here, mostly with dailyness. It takes a long time to adjust to a new culture on a practical level, and an even longer time to adjust on a heart one. We thought we’d use this post to just catch you up on what we’ve been doing these last few months…

July– Frantically finished packing and said difficult goodbyes to friends and family in the US. (Clinging to the Lord for comfort and strength)

August– Arrived in Kenya! (Praise be to God!) Unpacked our copious amount of luggage and realized all the things that we forgot to bring. (Trusting in God’s Sovereignty) Tom started studying Swahili, Abby turned 4!

September– School started! (Trusting God to teach these kids through us), Continued learning to live in this new culture (Praying God gives us eyes to see His mercies!), Hannah turned 6! David turned 10! (Amazed at God’s ever-present faithfulness as we watch these kids grow) Participated in first WGM Kenya field meeting (thankful for the many faithful servants God has brought here and the diverse ways that they serve) Saw God’s mercies on display as our friend Geoffrey was Baptized!

October-God blessed us with transportation (Praying He will use our “mutatu” for His glory), Married for 16 years! (Praying for God’s continued mercies in our marriage), Josh turned 8! (Amazed by God’s creation watching Josh start to raise chickens) Helped a local church community “mud” a house for a family in need (In awe of the generosity of God’s people, even when those doing the giving don’t have much) Thankful for a loving community of missionaries (Seeing God’s wisdom in bringing broken needy people to serve Him in the midst of their need).

November– Missing family and friends as they enjoy Fall, our favorite season in the US (Overwhelmed by the diversity of God’s creation, even in weather patterns) Enjoying the eternal spring of Kenya (Reminded of God’s power as we watch the wind, hail and lightning of rainy season)

Revisited the Baby Centre and enjoyed reconnecting with and ministering to the many young orphans there. (Hoping to continue involvement there, praying for the lives of these precious ones) Enjoyed a couple days respite as a family, regrouping for the next few months and anticipating moving into the next phase as Tom starts his ministry at the hospital.

To be honest, these have been a tough 4 months. The emotions have been raw for all of us. But we can say without a doubt that God’s hand is evident and He is faithful. We are working through the many transitions clinging to Him, and therefore we are not without Hope! He continually provides, as He leads and carries us.

“Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”
Psalm 28: 6-7

Posted: November 16, 2019
Under: Adventure God has us on, Family, hope, mission
By: Tom

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For such a time as this

The first cold shower I took here was on our first morning. What a way to wake you up out of jet lag! It was miserable. And actually, it wasn’t because there was anything wrong with the water in the place we were staying. It was my own misunderstanding about how to use the system. Many things are like this. Culture shock is very real, and it often shows up in the most “normal” things that you’re trying to accomplish on any given day.

I have to confess, the first couple weeks of living in Kenya were not pretty for me. I could not get past the self-centered, what does this mean for me stage. I saw everything as a hardship, as suffering. I was desperately searching for mercy—undeserved kindness—and while God was faithfully providing it, many days I could not see past my discomfort.

I think we all do this sometimes. Our limited perspective causes us to only see what’s right past our nose. We either stuff down the hard stuff until we explode, or we go along lamenting and wondering why things can’t just be a little bit easier, as if that’s on the list of things we “deserve.” So, in my recent experience with this, the answer was to simply be.

I think the turnaround for me came when I realized, moment by moment, that God was not going to lighten my load all the sudden or magically poof me back to what I might see as the “easy” life in the United States (which is not actually true). It came when I realized I just needed to be in His presence. I needed to trust His heart. I needed to walk by faith, allowing Him to stretch my faith, seeking Him moment by moment and believing that though I can’t see the whole picture, everything that is happening is part of the work He has begun in me, and in us, and will carry on to completion. (Philippians 1:6)

We are here in Kenya for such a time as this. We might not always see the good, we might not always think we’re making much of a difference. We walk on, by faith, declaring that we serve an awesome and mighty God. He does everything on purpose. We pray we will be able to affect people’s lives here—not just by humanitarian work–but by the incredible power of the gospel. Christ is able to save. He is saving me, day by day…and not just from cold showers (though I definitely know that hot showers are by His grace alone!), but from a cold, wayward heart.

I often tell my kids when they are missing something or someone back at home, “I know, we just have to trust God.” It’s true. We might hurt in some ways. We might misunderstand things here or be misunderstood as we go about our days. But God is trustworthy, and where He has you, where He has me, it all has purpose. May we have eyes to see His mercy and ears to hear which way to walk, and hands and feet that do His work and glorify Him.

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family! Thank you for following our journey. We are humbled and grateful.

Posted: September 19, 2019
Under: Africa, mission, refining, the gospel
By: Emily

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