Tag Goes to School

(and Dot does too) It's been a long time, but he remembered the fun he used to have with the kids! Tag was a Pet Therapy dog in Abilene, so he enjoyed it very much. Dot, on the other hand, needed to keep her distance.

Since I was leaving for Midland right after teaching at my two-day-a-week preschool job in Katy, I took them with me. But that meant the poor babies had to be in the car all day. Praise God for the cold front!! It just so happened that the toddler class was doing a "Family and Pets" unit! What fun! Some of those little guys were so cute...not at all afraid of an 80 lb lab! Of course, I took my class out to play, too. It was a fun day....before the eight hour drive to Midland!!

So...?

Thanks to all of you who have been asking about my trip to Richmond, VA. It was an incredible experience! I had a wonderful time, overwhelming, but wonderful!
In the end, I chose to leave with no IMB position. My prayer was for God to open up a job for me in Kenya, or change my heart and give me a passion for another place or people group. I could have prayed that prayer while sitting at home, but it was something entirely different to have such an opportunity to actively explore other options. I spent hours and hours praying, researching and learning about jobs all over the world. I was able to talk to field personnel on the ground about specific jobs. There were so many jobs that sounded just wonderful! There were jobs all over the world…in amazing places, doing amazing things! Again, it was an incredible experience.
Through all of that, my heart was still pulled toward Kenya. Nothing else gave me the peace in my heart that I felt when considering options in Kenya.
One morning while there I was looking for a scripture I had written in my journal. I came across something I had written/prayed in early September. I remember having two very distinct feelings at one point: peace and disappointment. I knew that God would reveal His plan for me and provide for my needs. Yet, I felt a tinge of disappointment. I kept reliving the feeling of disappointment I had felt when I realized the MK Consultant job I had wanted was not a possibility. I asked God to give me discernment: was this coming from Him, preparing for disappointment that I would feel, or was this a distraction from Satan as he tried to cast doubt?
My prayer was this…
“May I leave Virginia in Your peace, knowing that whatever You have shown me is in accordance with Your good, pleasing, and perfect will. Whether it be going with the IMB or not, may it all be to Your glory and praise. May Your peace be what guards my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. As I pray and submit my requests and concerns to You, let me not be anxious or allow Satan to create worry or doubt. Let Your peace rule in my heart. Disappointment is different than doubt. I can leave Richmond disappointed that You have not given me a job, but I will not leave in doubt. I will not doubt Your Sovereignty, Supremacy, or call on my life.”
Prayer answered!! I am more certain than ever of God’s call on my life. I will most likely not be serving with the IMB, but I am still certain that God has called me to serve. I have started working on that whole process and will update later on where I am headed from here.
Thanks so much for all your prayers and support!!

Why Kenya? (a long one, but worth reading)

As I was praying during my quiet time this morning, I was once again overwhelmed with love for Kenya and the desire to serve Kenyans. I have said that before, and anyone I talk to knows that I do love that place and those people, but I don't know that I have said exactly why I do. And, that is my prayer for this week, going into IMB Matching Conference...that my passion would be evident and I would be able to express that clearly.

Kenya is considered a "reached" nation, meaning that the IMB presence is established there, the Word of Jesus has been preached, and many churches have been established in many, many villages across the country. At this point, the ministry of the church is largely being handed over to Kenyan nationals. Praise God! That's the point, exactly what should happen! Let the Word of God be brought to the peoples and let the work of the Lord be instilled into the believers of that land!

Up to 80% of Kenyans profess to be Christians, but only about 6% attend church. As I talked to many, I found that the concept of a personal relationship with Jesus was almost a foreign concept to them! They have heard the name of Jesus, they come from homes that have heard the Gospel, yet few truly know the Lord.

It is my passion and desire to build relationships with these people and help them to realize that the same God they have heard of is the same God who knows and loves them intimately and individually! I want them to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ! They are in such desperate need of a Saviour. My prayer is that this country of "reached" people would be enlightened to the Truth of Jesus and be drawn into a relationship with the LOVING, LIVING GOD who knows them and desires to be their daily HOPE in the midst of the great trials, suffering, and pain of their daily lives!

Nairobi is a sort of hub city...very Westernized. It is not the "real Kenya," but is full of real Kenyans. It is a great place to meet people from every tribe, from all over the county...from all of Africa, in fact. Many, many people who live and work in the city, travel home to their village on a regular basis, many doing so every weekend. Wouldn't it be awesome to be a part of reaching people in a new way that stretches into villages around the whole country, or even the continent of Africa?!!!

All that being said, my point was to share the reason behind my passion for Kenya. (And, much of this is so true of America, as well!) God has given me this love for a reason. I don't yet know what that is.

In the same manner, my prayer is still that I be open to wherever the Lord leads me! As much as I love Kenya, I know that He can give me a love for another people group if He calls me elsewhere. Please pray with me this week that I would be open to His leading. I pray that my heart for Kenya would be evident to those I talk with, but that my desire to serve the Lord and love others would be evident above all! I do not want to take a job just to take it. And I don't want to reject a job God has created for me just because it is not where I want to be. May I unmistakably experience the words of Isaiah 30:21: "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you hear will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; Walk in it.'"

And, I pray the same for each of you. May we ALWAYS have a passion for all people around us to know our Living God. I become so focussed on people elsewhere that I do not see that same need in those all around me...and it is there!! May our eyes be opened to those in our paths all day long that need to know Jesus as their Hope and Saviour, as well!

Mzungu or Kenyan?

Tina and Mutua came to Houston!! (They are the couple I lived with this summer...my "Kenyan family.") They brought me a special shirt. Since they couldn't find a shirt that said, "I'm really Kenyan" or "I'm Kamba" (the name of their tribe), they had to settle for "Mzungu." (White person!)
One day while I was there, Derek (their nephew, Dee's son) said something about me being a mzungu. Noshi, his younger brother, got quite upset! "She's Auntie Trena! She's NOT a mzungu!" Maybe he'll believe it if he sees it in writing. I miss those little guys!

While they were here, Tina taught me how to tie my hair in a Kenyan wrap. Lots of fun! This is Susan, Tina's sister, with us. Their coming was a surprise to her. Great fun and tricky scheduling to pull that surprise off!