A great day for the staff of HCO Kenya!

I love my home church! Trinity Vineyard is such a great support and encouragement to me - and to my staff! One of the many ways they have shown this is the amazing gift they gave to my staff this past week.

My Associate Pastor, Adam & his wife Melody, have just been to visit HCO Kenya. One of their primary objectives was to be an encouragement to the ones serving on the ground. Trinity Vineyard has a unique thought toward and approach to missions. They see the value of supporting those on the ground, the ones doing the day-to-day work that makes the change in lives possible. They also have a strong sense of personal, long-term partnership. They are investing in relationship, not just projects. They are in contact with our staff and boys year-round and have real, personal relationships with them.

Last week, they demonstrated their love and appreciation for our staff by investing in that relationship. In order to spend quality time with them, subs were brought in to help take up slack as the staff spent time talking with Adam & Melody, hanging out, and just enjoying time together. On Adam & Melody's last day there, they gave the staff an amazing gift! They took them on safari!

Almost all mission teams go on safari to see the animals while in Kenya. Yet, very few Kenyans have ever been on safari. We have a game park just minutes from the baby house. In fact, Nakuru National Park and Lake Nakuru can be seen from the baby house, yet only one of our entire staff have ever been to the game park. Maggy and Eunice have lived in Nakuru their entire lives and have never been on a safari in our very own game park. This was a priceless, once-in-a-lifetime kind of gift!

The difference this makes in the lives of our staff is invaluable. Showing them how they are loved and cherished is another way we can show them Jesus. Just look how much they loved it! The joy on their faces - and even the fun of dressing in their best for a day at the park!

 I am so thankful to Adam, Melody, and Trinity Vineyard Church! It is wonderful when people come to love on our babies, but these ladies and men need and deserve that as well. Our babies do receive love; they hear about Jesus and are told of God's love for them ~ because of the ones who are there to do it every day. Making sure that these people are supported, appreciated and know that they are valued is key to taking care of our babies. As much as I love my babies and boys, I would say that I spend much more of my time with, and working for, the staff than with the babies - so that they can be prepared to love the babies and boys every minute of every day. What a blessing it is to have a support church who sees ministry the exact same way and are willing to invest in them.