Scholarships

Greetings Family and Friends,

Some of this post is similar to the farming project post, in case some one only reads one of them, so please bear with me.  Here is a more detailed look at the upcoming scholarship project as an extension of the farm project.

A large and rampant problem, or rather need, we have seen here in Kenya over the last year has to do with the high cost of children's school fees in comparison to families' monthly income.  Most schools here in Kenya cost about an average of 500-600 USD per year.  This may not sound like much, but when the average monthly income of many families ranges between $30-150 per month it begins to be difficult.  Coming up with funding is especially challenging for many of the families coming from a polygamous culture with multiple wives and about 10-20 children per family.  It is also challenging for widowed women and orphans.  When a child is short on school fees many, if not all the time, they are sent home to look for the lacking fees until they can come up with something to bring back to the school.  This causes students who are already struggling to become even further behind academically, and their moral and motivation is lowered.  It is hard to be motivated to succeed in school when you do not know whether you will ever be allowed to attend or have the chance to finish due to school fees.

Our goal is to provide income for families in need with part of that income being specifically earmarked for school fees for these families children with a farm project.  We also hope to provide some scholarships to help subsidize school fees for about 5-10 children a year, depending on profits from our bean farm (see earlier post).

Most schools we work with are around the 600 USD range per year.  Our hope was to provide scholarships for about 4-5 girls to start with to pay about two-thirds of these fees.  In this way it would bring the cost down to a manageable amount for families with many children, widows, and orphans.  At the same time it would still give them something to work toward for their children's and their own education.   Students pay by term here so they would be left with a flat amount of $70 every four months to pay.  We will also be assisting with jobs for families on the bean farm, or some "work study" positions for orphans during the breaks and waiting periods.  This not only will assist with those fees but also help keep students busy when they would be otherwise idle.  This would provide an opportunity for them to give back to their local community too.

We have started the interview process by getting students to fill out a questionnaire, acquire a recommendation letter from teachers/principle, writing a letter about themselves, and sitting for an interview.  The top candidates will be visited at their homes by a committee of ourselves and some local Kenyans to discuss the most effective and sustainable way to be connected and helping with their families.  This will come in the form of either scholarship only, a small home business, or perhaps working on the bean farm.  We anticipate needing initial funds to pay for this first term as the bean project gets started this week and has yet to have time to generate profit yet.  But our hope is that after this initial term, the bean farm will sustain the scholarships initially granted as well as open opportunities for more scholarships in the days ahead.  If you would like to be part of this shoot me an email and I can go into further detail.

We welcome any ideas and support any of you may have in regards to the project as we are both new to this, and without any business degrees or training, we are in new territory.  However, we have seen a very real need that we believe we may be able to help with and God has given us a vision of how we can help support the local community.  We pray that this will be a venue to make His glory known even from the sowing of some simple seeds.  Feel free to contact us if you have any questions, comments or ideas!  Also be in prayer for us as we start to break ground this week! To God be the glory!

Chasevarndt@gmail.com

Farming Project

Greetings Family and Friends,  Here is a more detailed look at the upcoming community farm project.

A large and rampant problem, or rather need, we have seen here in Kenya over the last year has to do with the high cost of children's school fees in comparison to families' monthly income.  Most schools here in Kenya cost about an average of 500-600 USD per year.  This may not sound like much, but when the average monthly income of many families ranges between $30-150 per month it begins to be difficult.  Coming up with funding is especially challenging for many of the families coming from a polygamous culture with multiple wives and about 10-20 children per family.  It is also challenging for widowed women and orphans.  When a child is short on school fees many times, if not all the time, they are sent home to look for the lacking fees, until they can come up with something to bring back to the school.  This causes students who are already struggling to become even further behind academically, and their morale is lowered.  It is hard to be motivated to succeed in school when you do not know whether you will ever be allowed to attend or have the chance to finish due to school fees.

Our goal is to provide income for families in need, with part of that income being specifically earmarked for school fees for these families children.

Our vision is to start a small farm.  From running all the numbers and figures on paper, it seems to be viable and sustainable project.  At this point, it looks like the best vegetable for us to farm is French beans.  We have started by renting two acres of land for the next year.  This first year will start as a test run to see how sustainable the farm can be, and whether it can generate enough funds to be considered viable and support 5-10 families and students.  If it is a success, we would like to consider buying 2-5 acres and making a community organization to run and upkeep the farm, thus continuing to support the community long after our time here is over.

We hope to hire families who are out of work or only work part time.  This farm would be an opportunity for those women to have at least a part time job paying a fair wage.  Our hope is to pay a fair and slightly higher wage than they may get else where but to only payout half of the earnings per week to the working individual, while the other half goes directly to their children's school fees.  In this way we can help guarantee that these children are not sent home from school due to lacking school fees.

Any profits that are generated beyond the costs incurred: ie. rental fees, seeds, water, labor, ect... will be put back into the community in some way.  This will either take the shape of partial scholarships for students (which we talk about in another blog post), other community projects (such as home farms, milking goats/cows, chickens, ect.), or small business loans.  Our hope is that after initial start up cost, the project will maintain itself and generate income for similar projects in the future without any reoccurring support from outside.

We welcome any ideas and support any of you may have in regards to the project as we are both new to this, and without any business degrees or training, we are in new territory.  However, we have seen a very real need that we believe we may be able to help with and God has given us a vision of how we can help support the local community.  We pray that this will be a venue to make His glory known even from the sowing of some simple seeds.  Feel free to contact us if you have any questions, comments or ideas!  Also be in prayer for us as we start to break ground this week! To God be the glory!

Chasevarndt@gmail.com

Wise ole Mango Tree

As I lie in my tent looking out on the setting sun and a very large mango tree, I reflect on what God has been doing in my life over the past year. I think, as Christians, and maybe even as humans, we all want to be wise old oaks (or in my Kenyan case, Mango trees). We wish to be large, substantial, noticeable, firm, steadfast, admirable, producing fruit, and giving shade. I think we view our success as Christians and humans as how well we are doing and how grandiose we have become. We see our purpose to be efficient and effective and can only be successful if we accomplish these things on a large scale.

However, I feel this is contrary to the purpose and plan of God. While we yearn to be large and to leave our mark, God only wants us to find the small part of ourselves that reflects His glory. The piece He has instilled in us from the beginning. Our mission is to reflect his grandeur not become anything in and of ourselves. I believe anything that speaks contrary to this is pride. We want to make a name for ourselves, we want to be successful, and we want to give largely and without expectation because that reflects well upon us. I think this is only natural and part of the human self and psyche, we want to like ourselves, and so we do things to enhance our image. Yet, in doing so, I believe we are obscuring the Son. If I am that large mango tree and God is the sun, the larger I become, the more of Him I block others from seeing.

I believe we all want to be old, large, wise oaks (or mango trees) when all God really wants from us is to be toothpicks. God has a special plan for each of us, and a unique design for our lives, but it requires very little, if almost nothing of who we are. All He desires is for us to reflect His glory. So as we continue to try to grow into those large oaks, He is constantly chopping (sometimes it feels like hacking) down our limbs. We are trying to grow to be something of stature yet we keep getting knocked down. Often I think we wonder, why would God do such a thing, why am I not progressing, why would God allow this to happen to me? We have a different vision than His; we desire to prosper in ourselves when all He wants is our surrender and for us to submit to His pruning. So He chops, we resist. We grow new branches (some which might be very nice and even produce fruit) but He cuts them down, so we try once more, but again it happens, sometimes over and over again until we are broken. Beautifully broken.

I feel it is in this brokenness where we truly find God, where we accept grace, where we submit to “not my will but Thine” where we can let go of our pride and our identity and grasp solely to Him. We allow the pruning, the chopping, the sanding, the shaping until we are whittled down to nothing more than a toothpick. A tiny, insignificant toothpick that is easily overlooked, small, and sometimes brittle. Yet, its function is completely tied to the Creator, to reflect the purpose of His grand design. It leaves no doubt who is at work, for its identity is tied up in Christ. So my prayer tonight for myself and for each of you is to “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.” Psalms 46

For Such a Time as This

“The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places, But there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater.” 

- J.R.R. Tolkien

It’s early morning. The sun is not quite up, but yet I feel called to write. Many times, I believe, we write to clarify our own thoughts, to process things that are going on in our own lives, or that God is teaching us. This note is no different, although writings take many guises; they all help us come to grips with ourselves, regardless of who they are written to. I write this letter to the church at large, to acknowledge where we, as a body of believers are, and to help myself process where we should be heading.

Dear Church,
I have nothing but love towards you, for you are a deep part of me. My heart has been torn for us, and the struggles we are having. I pray for us daily. I know we are hurting. I know we are broken and torn in two. I know there is turmoil and that battles wage within. Differing opinions and strong words have left us battered and confused. From loving sinners, accepting outcasts, supporting the downtrodden, and determining the authority of Scripture and the character of God, we are and have been left divided and broken. Issues of faith and our worldview are often the dearest to us, the hardest to let go, and the easiest to get hurt over.

In this time of mourning and of brokenness, I urge you not to give up and not to circle the wagons. I know you are struggling to follow the steps of the Savior amidst differing opinions and strong points on either side of the line. In disagreement and hurt, the easiest thing is to round up our defenses and focus inwardly and lick at our own wounds. It is exactly what the enemy wants and exactly what we must avoid. When we stop at no cost to not to lose what we have gained, we cease being the very thing we were created to be. In focusing inward, we lose our outlook on the world at large. We lose our effectiveness for we are no longer going to the world we were so called to serve. We are too busy maintaining what we have for fear of any further loss.

Following Him is not easy. We will most certainly see loss. It is dangerous and we will most certainly be uncomfortable, oppressed, among sordid of people, and possibly even in fear for our lives. Yet, it will all be worth it. I urge you church do not become so inwardly focused on the trials at hand that you lose the vision that Christ has given you as the church. We must be focused outwardly if we are to remain the church at all. We must be active in our communities, and in the global church, if we are going to say we are following the vision He has laid before us.

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is in Esther 4, verse 14. “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” “For such a time as this” is one of my favorite phrases in scripture. Everything that has led up to this point in Esther’s life, in my life, in your life, in the life of the Church, could be for such a time as this. What then if we circle the wagons, if we call it quits, if we focus so much on our inward dilemmas that we neglect our people, our tribe, or the ones we came to serve?

Will this stop God from accomplishing His purpose? Of course not! May it never be! God will accomplish His will with or without us, despite and sometimes if we are stubborn in spite of us. As it says in Esther, if you remain silent, deliverance will arise from another place. The question is: will you revel in joy in being part of God’s plan, or just watch it happen from the sidelines? We must be active. We must be willing to lose it all. We must give freely, because who knows if this is not why we have been put in this position, been given everything we have been given, if this is our moment. If we stop reaching out, what have we become as a church? We will then be nothing but a club, an inward focused organization that is of no good to anyone. One might say, “Yes, but we are rallying the troops for later”. What later? Do you not know the time is drawing near? Behold He comes quickly! Who knows if everything you are is for such a time as this?

“Sigh. Let's be blunt. We're a little distracted. What do you want? Once we could follow, now we cannot. You would not fit our image, so we lost the plot. Once we could hear you, now our senses are shot. We've forgotten our first love. We have lost the plot. When you'd come back again. We'll be waiting for you. When you comin' back again? We'll be ready for you. Maybe we'll wake up when... You come back again. Lies. Let's be blunt. We're a little unfaithful. What do you want? Are you still listening? 'Cause we're obviously not We've forgotten our first love. We have lost the plot. And why are you still calling? You forgave, we forgot. We're such experts at stalling, that we've lost the plot.”

-Newsboys, Going Public, Lost the Plot

If we remain silent, if we cannot perform our mission as a body of believers, if we cannot sort our differences, and learn to work together, God will bring it up from somewhere else. It is only whether we want to be a part of His good work, or not. I encourage you, be a part of the work He has called us to do.  We need to come along side others in our community and in the world at large and give the shirt off our backs, to walk the extra mile, regardless of the cost.  There are many ways and many places. But as a church we need to be involved somewhere, in His great plan. For we are His body, His hands, His feet, for such a time as this.

Palms open, held upward

“Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment “as to the Lord”. It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received. –C.S. Lewis

Kenya and the African way of life have taught me many things, much of which I have not began to process or fully understand myself. However, Kenya has taught me to give generously, and to hold nothing with a closed fist, to hold this life and all that is in it with open hands, palms held upward. One’s palms being up shows a submission, openness and honesty. They also indicate humility and uncertainty. I believe that is exactly what God desires from us, not the closed fists with which we hold things so often. Over our time here we have had money, possessions, and plans all taken from us. We have been stripped down to nothing but each other and God, and it was enough. Teaching me that nothing in this life is truly ours: not land, not a building, not money, not a plan, nothing is ours. It has all been given from the Father of lights, so why should we flinch when it is taken away? We (and I include myself) as westerners, as a culture, have entitlement engrained into us. We are self-made, hardworking, and do not quit. It is because of such that we believe we are owed something for our efforts. Not a bad way to be. Our tenacity is admirable, however, we must get over the fact we are owed something.

I think we justify most of this through comparisons. We work hard, harder than them, therefore we deserve this and they do not. Yet, when we flip that comparison against God, we are the ones left completely undeserving. Yet, that is not a comparison that many of us are willing or able to fully make. We are not willing to admit that in comparison to our Lord, our efforts are nothing and we are deserving of nothing.

In Kenya, there is not much that is actually yours. Living in a communal society anything you have is open to be taken from someone you have a relationship with that needs it more. If you hold to anything too tightly you are viewed as selfish and unloving. This is not so in the west, and at first, and to be honest even still, this frustrated me. Not only could I not hold on to my stuff, I saw Kenyans as having no concept of saving, or future planning. Yet, lately I have begun to wonder what are future plans truly? Who can truly plan ahead, especially when the present is hurting so? It is easy to trick yourself into a comfortable future when your needs are met in the present. One has to ignore those who are suffering because to acknowledge them causes your walls to crash to the floor, makes all of your planning for naught. We as westerners can save for the future because we are individualistic. One might say we are selfish, only looking out for ourselves. That is all we are truly responsible for in this life, right? Communal societies in many countries in Africa, in Kenya, and among the Maasai would disagree. They might say we are in this together, they, as the church should, see the suffering around them and take it upon themselves to meet it. They do not hold large grants or savings, they rarely have more than to get them through the week ahead, yet they give it more willingly out of their little than we give from our surplus.

There are many differing thoughts on this. Some might say not to give because it causes dependence. Some say only give to emergencies, to sustainable causes. True, some giving creates problems, but I feel ultimately that problem is one of the recipients making, not a large responsibility of the giver. I think so often we use the possibility of people misusing money as an excuse not to give; rather than giving freely to needs and letting the Holy Spirit be at work through the gift and convicting the recipients where there is misuse. This is not to say not to be wise stewards of the money you have been entrusted with or not to be involved personally with those you give it to, for indeed it has been entrusted to us. However, at the same time we must remember it has only been entrusted to us, it is not our own, we are merely the stewards. So why do we grasp it so tightly? We would rather bury it in a hole where we may never touch it again, than sooner let a cent pass through our fingers.

This is quite the opposite in Kenya. Kenyans never have money, and never are able to save, in part because soon as anything comes in, it is spent or given away. At first I saw this as irresponsible. However, one day I went out to the bush with a friend. This man has a job, makes a reasonable salary for Kenya, and I watched him visit his mom, his dad, his uncle, aunts, and community members, and he gave his months salary away to them for groceries and transport. It was at this moment, along with an accumulation of many others that something began to change. Again, I speak as someone grasping at truth he can see, but does not yet comprehend. I am not claiming to have all the answers. Yet, I do know that as a church we are called to give all that we hold: be that time, money, efforts, plans, world-views, biases, possessions, what have you, and follow Him.

Following him is never easy, and will most certainly leave us with many questions and concerns for the future. Yet, we must stay focused on the present, doing the work He has called us to do, holding on loosely to all that we have and entrusting the rest to Him.

Re-crafting the Vision: Chronological Bible Storytelling

Entasopa Pookin! Greetings from Kenya! We wanted tell all of our loved ones, supporters, and church friends back home about what God has done in the last year. We also wanted to share how God is using us in Kenya now through your support to further His good news!

Before we moved to Kenya, we met with many of you and presented the vision of developing a pastoral training center for pastors who would not have the opportunity or means to attend a Bible training school. At the same time, we tried remain open to how God would move in the years ahead. Knowing our Lord, and knowing Kenya (things often move very slowly), and knowing our plans were shortsighted and human, we began our year of language learning with open hearts.  Our prayers continued (and still continue!) for the development of the training center and for the needs in our community among the Maasai and other local Kenyans. During this time we attended trainings and visited other missionaries in remote areas of the country to see what has worked and what had not for them over the years. We also began meeting with community members to see what was desired and what they needed while discerning what exactly God was calling us to. We are excited to share that although some of our plans and means have shifted through this searching in the last year, we are still pursuing that original vision. God has blessed us in pursuit of some new areas as well.

One of the missions we saw working well, that fit with our vision, and excited us most was sharing the Gospel through stories known as Chronological Bible Storytelling. We have been piloting this method out with many groups: pastors and pastoral trainings teaching them how to do CBS with their congregations and leading CBS in various schools ourselves and training leaders. Along with that, we are hoping to start a few community groups with people we interact with on a regular basis in our area.

What is CBS you ask? In the mid-1970’s an Australian New Tribes missionary in the Philippines attempted to correct a situation where a people had been semi-evangelized but had no real concept of sin and Christ as Savior. He found that he had to go back to Genesis and teach chronologically through the Old Testament to the story of Christ before his listeners really understood their lostness and were open to a Savior and the great story of redemption. Storying was used early on as a culturally appropriate and field reproducible method of reaching and training nonliterates. It was soon found that where those who were nominally resistant and even hostile to traditional presentations of the Gospel were attracted to storying sessions and began to respond.

-CBS is chronological. It teaches the stories of the Bible in chronological order, beginning with creation and continuing to the stories of Jesus. By doing this we lay a firm foundation of who God is, who man is, and how God wants to relate with humanity.

-It is the Bible. It is not simply using stories from our lives to illustrate the message of our sermons. It is not even simply using Bible stories for illustration only, which are both common issues in the local church. It involves telling the Bible stories accurately and teaching the main principles of redemption found in these stories.

-It is storytelling. Stories help isolated truths make sense because they give context, are more interesting to listen to, and are far easier for people to repeat to their friends and family than are three point sermons! Therefore they can more easily share the message with others.

We tell the story as a story while only telling what is in Scripture. For many people that we teach, this will be their main form of knowing Scripture. After telling the story multiple times, we ask observation and interpretation questions to test listener’s comprehension (such as what does this story teach us about God and His character?) We then move on to deeper application questions to have our listeners relate the story to their lives and their own personal stories and lead them in a memory verse related to the story we have learned. We finish by praying, fellowshipping, and worshipping together.

In the short time in sharing this method, we have received great response. Our students have been excited to be interacting with a story instead of merely being read to or listening to a sermon. The pastors seem to desire deeper training on preparing their sermons from Scripture and exegete Scripture, which is something that training them to craft their own stories from Scripture will help with immensely. Recently, we have started sharing with a group of Maasai ladies at the market in Maasai. Although I admit, they are having to help me along a little bit!

We want to thank you for your support as we continue working with pastors in how to teach Scripture and craft stories based off of Scripture to their congregations in the days ahead. We ask for your continued prayers as we work to tell the stories ourselves in the schools and start to find new groups of the unreached in our community wherever we go. It is easy to take and share a story on the road. We are so thankful for each of you and your continued support in this venture. We would like to leave you with part of a story, some sample questions, a clip of us sharing the story, and some of our girls acting out the Christmas story for you (although we apologize for the quiet audio). May God richly bless each and every one of your families as we participate in this work together!

Year One: The Recap

For many months, I’ve had thoughts running in my head about ways to sum up this first year. Although I’m sure Chase’s experience is different, I can certainly say that I have never been more challenged or more sure of God’s abundant grace. I’ll first start with a little (or…long) year recap for this blog entry:

From our first steps on this soil, God’s grace was present. I remember being surprised and saddened by how culture shocked I was. After all, I thought, this was my third time being here. I remember feeling unsure and maybe just a bit afraid of all the unknowns ahead. As Wendell Berry writes, “You are undertaking the first experience, not of the place, but of yourself in that place.” I was uncovering myself in this place and it was strange.

As soon as we hit the ground in Nairobi we checked in with our friends Mwita and Monica who had been living the past six months in East Africa. To my surprise and to my heart’s thankfulness, they happened to be IN Nairobi on the day we arrived! I remember thanking God over and over for the blessing of catching up with them and hearing their stories from past months. One entire day overlapped for me to spend time with Monica and I remember us talking together thinking how many similar struggles we were dealing with at the time. We kept on saying “me too!” and I think God knew that familiar feelings would provide my spirit with the comfort to move ahead. The next few days were when we met George Mixon who helped us get to know some Maasai people not far from Narok near where he and his family had served in years past. I distinctly remember asking him if his kids went to Rift Valley Academy in Kijabe (not knowing about local missionary kid schools or Rosslyn Academy in Nairobi) and him saying, “No, no. They are rivals.” Those funny thoughts and questions seem so long ago! The Mixon family has been a tremendous source of Christ’s strength, hospitality, and love to our family over these many months.

The first two weeks of our being in Kenya, we stayed with two of our friends in the Ngong Hills area. Jeremy and Becky welcomed us into their home to stay for two weeks while we sorted plans for where we would venture to next. I was so excited to meet their new (at the time 3 month old) baby Natasha "Tash". She was so small in this photo!

Time with Jeremy, Becky, and Tash

The month in Olepishet was an experience to be sure and a good one at that. It’s certainly one we won’t soon forget. We spent time in language learning for a month with two bunk beds squished together and enjoyed our trek every few days in Fred Foy’s Landcruiser out to a place with Safaricom internet connection to call our parents and MAYBE only maybe check our emails, post a blog, and checking facebook messages. It was like hitting a homerun every time we saw another one load.  It was also at this spot, where we would have loads of visitors come and stare at us through our car windows, and I don’t mean just casually glance at us through the glass, we are talking faces pushed up against the glass, tapping on the windows trying to talk to us or see what we are doing as we are trying to communicate with our parents on the phone. For the entire forty-five minutes we were there. I can’t blame them. I would too.

We experienced the kindness of that community and it excited us as we looked forward to our work in Kimana. I remember eagerly waiting for the news of the Strang’s arrival. I can remember where I was sitting in that same Safaricom (our internet/phone provider here in Kenya) spot when we called Fred Foy and found out the success of their fundraising. We were overjoyed!

Language and Maasai culture learning in Olepishet

This same rock is where we were invited (by phone) by American missionaries we’d never met to attend Thanksgiving in Bomet at Tenwek Hospital. Those few days blessed us deeply as we got to witness firsthand the impact the Espy family had made on their community in two years serving there. I mostly remember boxes, pizza, tears, and deep conversations. AND, GENEROSITY at its finest! They unloaded tons of spices and useful things for our home to take with us! It was like Christmas morning. During this period, we also found out about (and were in awe of) God's provision as we needed extra funds for a sturdy car. December was another month of displacement where God completely met our needs and exceedingly blessed us. Another dear missionary friend extended her apartment to us for three weeks and we loved getting to know more about her life and ministry, as she also worked with the Maasai. She even had a small Christmas tree set up which did something for this sentimental heart. Rhonda’s encouragement and love to us has been so good for our hearts. And, did I mention she has the best couches ever?!

Mudding a house with folks from Tenwek in Bomet, Kenya

The Strangs arrived a couple of days after Christmas and it was so amazing to see them after months of anticipation and prayer about where this journey would take all of us. We rented an apartment for the month of January and began using it as a base to look for more permanent housing in our area of ministry near Kimana (about 4.5 hrs from Nairobi). We looked at many places, but the prices were much too high. Like eyes popping out of our heads too high. We just had to trust that we would find a place somewhere. Then two of our friends brought us to a house in Loitokitok (the town south of Kimana). Upon opening up the gate, I think Cecily and I both were overcome by the "homeyness" factor.  It was a sweet little place that, with some adjustments, could work for us. And it has! It has been a sweet, sweet place of growth and surrender as the four of us studied language and discerned about where the days would land us all. Nine months in, when we finally were able to put our bags away, I think my spirit breathed a sigh of relief.

Fixin' up the place!

Not too long after our move was Chase’s birthday and unfortunately, gift giving is not usually my forte. However, I think I scored big this year. Chase has wanted a pup ever since we got married. While I am a big dog lover, the thought of having to leave one back in the US was just plain too much. As we neared time in Kenya, Chase kept dropping the hint that he wanted a pup soon. And Mozzie joined our family on May 9^th of this year at nearly three months old! He’s brought some extra laughter and snuggles and has taught us much. He’s a great little guy.

Then: our first meeting on April 17th (Chase's birthday)!

Now: Still loves giving kisses at seven months!

As we look back into a season of transition and unknowns, I see that God was preparing us for something (but that's for another blog). ;) His faithfulness in providing friendships with American missionaries and Kenyans alike has overflowed our hearts with joy.  The love and communication and support between our supporters have uplifted our spirits. It is a great blessing to be on this journey with you.

Be on the lookout for "Year One: The Reflection"