The HISG hat

Sorry for the two week skip - I’ve been wearing another one of my hats, as the administrative assistant, event planning guru for HISG Kenya.  HISG is a great group of people who focus on connecting needs with resources, I highly encourage you to check out what they are doing around the world.

Well last week, the area director and some associates were in town to meet with people, and we did a half-day forum with some of the Springs of Africa Micro-Finance Clients and other DBSP Graduates (check out the sites for more info on both groups).  After the meeting I got to tag along with the guys as they went to check out a factory that makes “JikoPoa” which literally translated means “cool fire.”  Its a really great invention that uses less wood, produces less smoke, and cooks faster than the coal fire jikos that are widely used here in Kenya.  In fact, Baba Michael we now have one here at the Compound.  

The factory tour was very interesting, and so was the drive there.  Poor Bouvince had to deal with my frustrations at the typical Kenyan way of giving directions - get to a certain spot, call again, get info to the next landmark, call again... Definitely not efficient, definitely not my favorite way to get directions.  After we did get there, and I realized I’d be walking around a metal-work factory in my wedge heels and cream colored pants (natch), I felt like I was in an episode of “How its made.”  There were machines and workers for each separate part of the stove, and it wasn’t until near the very end that you could tell what it would look like.  We got to see the whole process from sheet metal to packaging.

Now this weekend I’m helping to arrange for a quick 3 day visit from some more HISG guys.  The primary reason for this visit is the one-day Social Media seminar on Monday the 5th.  Gunnar Simonsen, is HISG’s SoMe guru, and does a fabulous job at showing people how they can use these tools to spread how and what they do to a larger audience.  Whether they are a non-profit, an NGO, or a for-profit business the language of Social Media can have a huge impact.  I can’t wait to have some time to pick his brain about how to increase the message of DOVE Africa and how His Kingdom is growing in this part of the world.

It was funny, I thought with Diane being out of the country for a few weeks, I’d be a little less busy, rather I’m finding myself busier than ever as I do her small errands as well as my own.  Well that’s the life of an assistant isn’t it.  Plus God is opening up some new doors and opportunities as well that I hope I’ll be able to share about soon.

One thing I can definitely say, life on the mission field is rarely boring!

VBS adventures

So last week you may have noticed that a blog was not forthcoming - I was slightly busy.  It was VBS week at DCF Kawangware.  So instead of sending you a blogpost, I was occupied teaching approximately 80 children to put on the full armor of God.  How amazing to see all these little ones learn these verses all week.  Some of you may have seen the FaceBook pictures that got posted.  Some accompany this post, but if you want to see them all, you can check them out here. (And believe me you do, there are some very precious little faces!)

Each day, there was a focus on one piece of armor with a big idea and a key verse - Belt of Truth, John 14:6; Breastplate of Righteousness, Psalm 119:11; Shoes of Peace, Romans 10:15b; Shield of Faith, Romans 10:17; and on Friday we combined the Sword of the Spirit and the Helmet of Salvation with 2 Corinthians 10:4.  The lead scripture for the week was Ephesians 6:11.  I was wonderfully amazed at how many children learned all six verses!  Guess there’s something to be said for the Kenyan education system of learning by rote.

Please allow me to brag on our volunteers for a paragraph.  The week could not have gone off as smoothly without them.  We had people from our church, various DOVE churches around Kenya, and even some Americans!  I love that people gave of their time, energy and talent to see the Word of God imparted into the hearts and lives of the next generation.  I pray that even if they learned the scriptures by memory, the truth goes deep into their hearts and that they KNOW they are equipped by God to stand & fight against the schemes of the enemy - even as children.

This week is the DOVE Africa Apostolic Leaders training, and then I get to take a few days off. Yay!  Wonder what kind of trouble adventure I can find?

my crazy life

Hello everyone - 
We're pretty busy on the compound this week.  We have a teen short-term mission team here from Pennsylvania, as well as some friends who are in Kenya for a month who are in and out.  And while its busy and crazy, I'm thriving and enjoying it.  I love seeing people learning to interact with others of a different culture - allowing themselves to be stretched and to grow.  


Plus, this is birthday week! Hard to believe I'm 34 - how did that happen.  I'm looking back on what I wrote for goals at New Years (you can read that here). I haven't really made a lot of progress on some of them (umm, guess I'd better get busy working on that book) NTx12 pretty much went out the window back in March, and blogging has only gotten consistent in the last two months.  BUT - I'm growing deeper.  I'm seeing God work in my heart and life in a completely new way.  


I may have started the year out a bit wobbly, but 8 months in, the path is a bit steadier even if I can't see where its going.  And that's okay because I serve a big God who has a better perspective than I do.


A word of encouragement for you that I've been meditating on for a while:
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. - Ephesians 3:16-20