A Day in the Life of a YWAM Student

6:00 - 7:00 a.m.:   Awake to the alarm clock, as we are now able to sleep through all the roosters, ibises, dogs, and crickets.  Immediately turn on the kettle to heat water for sponge baths and breakfast dishes.  Bathe, get dressed, and pack up breakfast gear.

7:00 - 7:30 a.m.  Walk to dining hall for breakfast, which is usually chai tea and white bread.  The bread is freshest at the beginning of the week, and gets gradually more dried out by the end of the week.  We have learned to bring peanut butter and jelly with us for a more substantial meal.

7:30 - 8:30 a.m.  Return home to do breakfast dishes, and Bible study with the kids.  If time, sweep and mop floors from all the dust that finds its way into every nook and cranny.

8:30 - 10:00 a.m.  Worship and Intercessory Prayer time with the whole campus.  Worship songs are generally 1 to 3 lines long and repeated many times before moving to the next song, which makes the Swahili versions easier to learn!  Prayer is done “Tanzanian Style”, with everyone praying aloud (some louder than others) and all at the same time.  The first time we experienced this, Mei asked, “Can God hear everyone when they are all talking at once?”  We are finding it difficult to concentrate during prayer, not being used to this.

10:00 - 11:00 a.m.  Lecture with our DTS (Discipleship Training School) class.  Our class has 32 students.  Only 4 of us are mzungus (white people).  Annie is a college student who is from Michigan, but has just finished her second year at SPU!  Adam is from Vancouver, Canada.  The other students are from various parts of East Africa, including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.  We have several Masaii students from the bush, so campus is much more civilized than they are used to.  Most speak at least some English, so our classes are taught dually in English and Swahili.  We are learning a lot of Swahili just with the exposure, even though there is no formal language training!  Jason and I are the oldest students (Mama and Baba Mzee), and the only ones attending as a couple.

11:00 - 11:30 a.m.  Chai tea break.

11:30 - 1:00 p.m. More lecture time. 

1:00 - 1:30 p.m.  Lunch, which is usually rice or ugali (corn meal cooked with water to the consistency of mashed potatoes); with either beans, potato stew, or sukuma wiki (stewed greens).   Occasionally there will be a few chunks of beef in the rice, called pilau.  

1:30 - 3:00 p.m.  Free time.  This is when we do our household chores, such as lunch dishes, laundry, and additional cleaning.  When there is time, we play with the kids, check email (when the internet server isn’t down), etc.  Currently, Jason is working on putting together some simple book shelves in his free time so I can organize us a little better.

3:00 - 5:00 p.m.  Campus work duties, which may include food preparation, kitchen clean up, public bathroom cleaning, weeding and raking, hauling and sorting garbage, among other things.  

5:00 - 6:00 p.m.  Free time.

6:00 - 7:00 p.m.  Dinner, which is similar to lunch.  We still need to figure out how to get to town every week so we can pick up some additional fruit, vegetables, and eggs to supplement.

7:00 - 9:00 p.m.  Lecture or free time, depending on the day of the week.

9:30 p.m.  Bedtime.

The kids also started school on Monday. I think their favorite part of school is keeping their field journals, where they are keeping track of each new critter we see and writing about it.  We learned yesterday about the Agama Lizard, which is bright blue with an orange head.  We have also learned that native Africans don’t like reptiles.  Ethan was carrying another chameleon around today and all the mzungus were very intrigued, but the Africans were disgusted (and amused at the crazy mzungus).  

Jason took Mei’s staples out yesterday.  She did extremely well holding still, so we took her up to the little shop on campus and let her pick a treat.  She picked a lollipop, and was very excited, saying, “I didn’t know they had lollipops in Africa!”  

We just got word that our final piece of luggage is at the airport, so we are hoping it still contains all or most of it's contents:  all the math books (the kids are sooooo disappointed - ha!), Ethan’s Science Lab kit, some of Jason’s clothes, and some over the counter medicines we had stocked up on.  

Thank you all for your emails and notes of encouragement.  We love hearing about what is happening in each of your lives back home!  God bless you!  

The Adventure Begins!

Jambo!  We arrived safely in Arusha, Tanzania on Wednesday, Sept. 1 with just a few snafus along the way.  The first was a bit more than a “snafu”, but did not thwart God’s plan for our departure.  On Monday, about 4 hours before we were supposed to be at the airport, Mei fell and split the back of her head open.  Jason and Grandma Marmie took her to the ER at Highline Hospital, and with everyone’s prayers and speedy doctors, they were out of there in an hour and a half!  That was definitely a miracle!  She ended up with 6 staples in her head that we have to wash daily and keep covered in antibiotic ointment.  They gave us a handy dandy staple remover for when the time comes to pull them out.  We are not looking forward to that, but are a bit more confident since we took the Health Care class with PBT.  I was so grateful it happened before we left so I didn’t have to stitch her up myself!  She is doing well now with just a little tenderness around the wound.  

We had checked into paying for extra baggage before we left, figuring those fees would be less than shipping, and had been anticipating a $48 per extra bag fee according to the airline website.  We had 3 extras, so were expecting to pay around $150.   Somehow, that $150 turned into a total of $700 in extra baggage fees by the time we got here!  It was going to be even more, but I managed to turn on the tears saying, “But we’re just trying to help orphans.  We left our jobs, our families, blah blah blah...” and suddenly they shaved $400 off the fees.  

Most of our luggage arrived, with only one still missing.  However three of our sturdy plastic bins look like they got thrown off the plane (likely before it even landed!), and shattered, so some of our stuff arrived in plastic bags.  Fortunately none of our fragile belongings were in any of those.  

When we went to get our visas on arrival, we had to apply for visitor visas (which are only good for 90 days).  We had already applied (and paid!) for student visas several months ago, but they did not process in time, so we had to get temp ones until the student ones come through.  The people in line in front of us were from Guatemala and had to pay $50 each.  When we gave our passports, the agent said, “That will be $100 each.”  So we asked why we had to pay $100 when the people in front of us only had to pay $50.  He said, “You are Americans.”  So, there went another 600 bucks that we would not have had to spend had our student visas come on time.  The kids started to get really nervous when they kept seeing Jason pull out fresh $100 bills to pay all these fees, but I think they are learning quickly that many “problems” in Africa can be solved with money.  It is also a reminder of how God provides.  Before we left, He had given us more money than we had budgeted for, so we know He has provided what we will need.

When we arrived, there were several YWAM staff waiting for us with two vehicles.  They took us straightaway to the YWAM campus, to let us get settled into our home for the next 5 months.  Previously unbeknownst to us, YWAM has provided us with a private apartment furnished with a couch, chairs, a table, and beds.  What a wonderful surprise!  We have three bedrooms: one for Jason and I; a big one for the kids with two sets of bunks; and a small one for Myrtlemay.  The bathroom has running water and a toilet with a seat!  Ellie, especially, was extremely pleased!!  We had used the restroom in the Dar Es Salaam airport, and although it was “Western style”, it was missing the seat, and the girls are not quite tall enough to squat over it, so it was a bit tricky.    

They are taking good care of us here, and the kids seem to be adapting well already.   Even though the kids seem to be doing fine, Mei is obsessed with asking, “What is Ruthie doing right now?”   She is so intrigued by the 10 hour time difference, and of course she is missing her cousin and best friend.  

We wake up to roosters at about 4:00 a.m. each morning.  They are apparently set to go off like my snooze alarm, because after they wake me, they settle down enough to where I can go back to sleep for a half hour before they start up again.  By 5:00 the ibises flocking in the nearby tree join the cacophony.  I will say that the ibises have the roosters beat by a long shot.  I think it is about 6:00 before the howling of the local stray dog population joins in the morning music, all played to the background rhythm of crickets.  Breakfast is served at 7:00 so fortunately we have plenty of help waking up in time.  

We took a walk into the surrounding neighborhood yesterday and Ethan had his handmade slingshot with him.  It was an instant kid-magnet, and we were quickly surrounded by children wanting to play with his slingshot.  Most of them did not know English, so it was difficult to explain safety rules when they started pointing it at each other.  We had to resort to waving our arms and turning the children towards the nearby empty field.  Yikes!  We have had to explain to our kids that our usual safety rules still apply, but that others won’t necessarily use the same standards.     

Ethan, our animal lover, is constantly out exploring the compound for little critters.  Happily, I was told there are no snakes here.  He caught a chameleon yesterday and all three kids played with the poor little fella for quite some time.  I was standing behind it and it was pretty neat when he rotated his beady little eye all the way around to look at me without using his head!  

Today was laundry day.  I am such a wimp!  I had two blisters by the time we were done washing and wringing only three days worth of clothes.  The kids did great, and we all appreciate the convenience of a washing machine so much more than we ever did when we actually had one!

We start our YWAM classes, and the kids start school on Monday, so we have a few more days to relax and get settled in.  We are praying for all of you back home.  Please email us and keep us posted on what is going on in your lives!  We don’t want to feel disconnected from all of you who we care so deeply about.  Thank you for your prayers and support!  

Do you trust me?

I have to be honest that I have been dragging my feet about writing this post.  On the one hand, I'm thrilled to share how God has been working His miracles to bring everything together quickly for our imminent departure. On the other hand, for me to share with you exactly how He has been working will require a confession on my part...a confession I am frankly embarrassed to make.

In early July, while we were in Texas, we learned that we had been accepted into YWAM's Discipleship Training School in Arusha, Tanzania, starting Sept. 6.  We were thrilled, but wondered how we would raise the rest of our funds, for at that point we were only at 74% of our budget, meaning we needed to raise an additional $42,000 in about 7 weeks.

When we returned from Texas, a friend shared an idea of a potential funding source that would completely cover our remaining needs.  We contacted the people involved in distributing that funding, and based on initial feedback,  we felt certain this was how God was going to provide for us.  We began looking into purchasing tickets and completed visa applications, sure that we would be leaving August 30.  Then, on July 25, five weeks before our hopeful departure date, we learned that the funding source was not going to be available to us as we thought it might.

Here comes my confession.  I got frustrated and lost sight of the God we serve.  I could not see how we could possibly raise $42,000 in five weeks.  I was tired of not knowing what to say when people would ask when we were leaving.   I was tired of living out of half-packed boxes.  I was tired of busting my bootie every day to prepare, when we might still have 6 more months in the States.  I was just plain tired.  And grumpy.  And not fun to be around.  For a whole week.  I complained to just about everyone...except God.  I didn't even feel like talking to Him.

During this whole week, Mei kept pestering me about the calendar.  She has recently been obsessed with our ridiculously full calendar.  Everyday, she wants to know what we're doing, when we're doing it, where we're going, just question after question.  Finally I said to her, "Do you trust me?"  She nodded her sweet little head.  So I replied, "Okay, then quit bugging me.  I have it all under control.  Just stick with me."  Hm.  I heard myself and wondered if this was actually God speaking to me through my own mouth. So instead of continuing to whine, I put out a request for scriptures on facebook, and received some very good words from the Lord.

"The truth is, you will be in Babylon for 70 years.  (I hadn't waited nearly that long!) But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.  For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. (Jer. 29:10-11)

"Be silent, and know that I am God!"  (Psalm 46:10)

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock."  (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Finally, I went to Him in prayer, asking forgiveness for my whining.  I made a decision to praise Him no matter what, for He is worthy of praise, even when I don't understand what He is doing.

And this is how He responded to my crying out:  Even while I was being a stinker, moaning and groaning, He had been working on people's hearts to prepare the way for us to go.  I woke the next morning to an email from some friends saying they had just sent a $(very large) check to the church on our behalf for our work in Kenya.  Later that day, another sizable contribution  came from an unexpected source.  Over the next few days, smaller contributions kept rolling in, adding to our goal.  It seemed every time I checked my email, there was more.  Then we were totally caught off guard when a friend's mom pledged a five-digit amount.  That put us at 96%!  Wow.  Talk about humbling.

Last Friday, we were on our way to dinner with friends, and I checked email on the way.  There was an email regarding another pledge from friends that put us over the 100% mark.  When we arrived at dinner, we told our dinner companions that we were at 100%.  They responded with, "Darn. We wanted to be the ones to put you over the top."  And they pledged even more!

We are currently at 107% of our base budget.  We have what we will need to live in a rental house and do the work God calls us to in East Africa for 3-1/2 years.  Additional funding beyond our base budget will go towards building a house on the compound where the Children's Home and Primary School are located.

I am ashamed when I read my journal entries from my week of wallowing.  I realize now that God is ALWAYS worthy of praise.  What we see from our perspective is like the underside of an intricate tapestry.  We see the loose threads and the messy criss-crossing of overlapping designs that are are not quite in focus.  But God sees the glorious artwork that He is creating.  It's not necessarily that every circumstance will turn out lovely and tidy.  No, because our circumstances are not the artwork.  We are.  We are God's masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago (Ephesians 2:10).  And it is through our trials, the refiner's fire, that we will become more like Jesus, perfect and beautiful.

We bought plane tickets today and went in for our travel vaccines. We have already gone through quite a journey to get where we are, but I suspect that in 19 days, the real adventure will begin!  I can't wait to see where He takes us!

With This Cup...

We have been in Dallas, Texas for two weeks, doing some missionary training with Pioneer Bible Translators.  In Bush Mechanics, we learned how to properly sanitize a daily water supply, build a home with a composting toilet, and harness the sun's energy to cook food without electricity or fuel.  In our Primary Health Care course, we learned that because we were born and educated in America, the nationals in Kenya will view us as being capable of helping with their medical needs, and we need to be prepared to minister to them in this way.  Thus, through the experiences of three amazing missionary nurses, we have learned that swimming in a dam can introduce parasitic snails to your body; walking barefoot in red clay soil can cause elephantiasis; and when someone shows up on your porch with their intestines in their hands, you should suture through all three layers of muscle, fat, and skin.  We have learned that if someone smells like stale beer, they may have tuberculosis; and if they smell like fresh bread, they may have enteric fever.  While all of this has been incredibly interesting, it has also caused us to stop and think, "What exactly have we signed up for??"

Last Sunday, as I sat in church preparing my heart for communion, I realized that taking the bread and the wine is not just a weekly reminder of who Jesus is and what He has done for us.  It is also an opportunity to renew our own personal commitment to sharing not only in the blessings of a life with Him, but also in the inherent sufferings.  It is an act similar to the giving of the rings in a marriage.  "With this ring, I thee wed..."  Our wedding vows are a public proclamation that we commit ourselves to our spouses for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.  The act of communion is much the same.  With it, we accept whatever cup we may be given as we walk with Jesus.  Sometimes the cup will be sweet.  Sometimes it will be bitter.  But it will always overflow with His mercy and love.

When I become overwhelmed with fear about moving my family to Kenya, I remind myself that God has called us to do this, and the safest place to be is in the center of His will.  We know He may not protect us from every physical danger, but He will protect us spiritually.

"Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; and the Lord protects him and keeps him alive.  He is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies." Psalm 41:1-2

God has continued to orchestrate His plan for our lives.  We have recently received our acceptance letter into the Discipleship Training School with YWAM (Youth With a Mission), which begins on September 6 in Arusha, Tanzania.  In accordance with our agreement with our Missions Committee, we need to have raised 100% of our funds in cash and pledges before we go.  We are currently at 74%, and praying for some new pledge cards to be in the mail when we return home!   If we do not have 90% of our funds by the time we would need to buy airline tickets (around the first week of August), we will need to  postpone our training.  This will be further confirmation of God's plan and timing, as we wait to see when He brings in the needed funds.

We also have had a very dear woman volunteer to accompany us to Tanzania for the first 12 weeks of training, to assist with our children while Jason and I are in classes!  This is a HUGE answer to prayer!!  I will wait to announce who this is, because I do not yet know if she has had the opportunity to share this information with her own family :-)  

Thank you all for your many prayers and words of encouragement.  So many of you have given your time, skills and money to help us in this mission.  May the Lord reward you for your sacrifices.  I love the story in I Samuel 30, ending in verses 23-25:

"For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike." And he (David) made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.

Blessings on you, Dear Friends and Partners, as we all share together in the reward for serving the orphans in Kenya!

Good Water

Our family has finally started feeling some of the sacrifice that comes with obedience.  In the past week we have found new homes for our chickens, Ethan's pet snake, and our dog, Bear. There have been many emotions running through our household. Yesterday, as I snuggled with Bear for the last time before handing him over to his new family (see photo), I took comfort in the following verses:

"Everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will have eternal life." (Matthew 19:29)

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle.  You have recorded each one in your book." (Psalm 56:8)

"I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose in me."  (Psalm 57:2)

All of our children have been really struggling with the idea of moving to Kenya lately.  Last week, Ethan told me, "I know you feel like God is calling you and Dad to Kenya.  But He hasn't spoken to me.  I don' think He's calling me to go."  I tried to assure him that if God is calling Jason and me, He is calling Ethan too.  That didn't really seem to help.  In fact, he even suggested several families that he might live with for the next three years!   


Milton Jones, our former pastor and new President of Christian Relief Fund, preached this morning -- a powerful lesson on trusting God and the good gifts He gives to His children.  He told the story of when he was in Kenya last summer, meeting with Dr. Hezron, a Kenyan doctor. Milton, Larry, and Julie (all CRF Board Members) were trying to convince Dr. Hezron to accept a position working at the Voluntary Counseling and Testing center for HIV/AIDS in Kisumu, Kenya.  Before the meeting began, Dr. Hezron asked if he could get them anything.  Julie requested water.  Expecting bottled water, they were all surprised when water was brought in a pitcher with three cups.  Knowing that a cholera epidemic was ravaging the area at the time (in addition to the usual travel sicknesses that accompany unfiltered water), Milt, Larry, and Julie gave each other knowing glances that warned, "Don't drink the water!"  They continued their meeting with dry lips and parched throats, and Dr. Hezron did in fact agree to work at the VCT.  


As the group was leaving, Dr. Hezron said to them, "You didn't drink the water."  So Julie politely walked back to the table, handed a cup to Milt and to Larry, and took one for herself.  Nervously, they all three drank the water.  As they finished, Dr. Hezron asked, "Do you really think I would give you bad water?  I am a doctor, and if I am going to be your doctor, you are going to have to trust me."

This morning, Ethan sat with us in service, which is unusual, because he usually sits with the teens.  As soon as service was over, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and an amazing look of enlightenment on his face. He said, "Mom, I think God just spoke to me."

"What did He say?" I asked.

He told me, "It was when Milton told about Dr. Hezron saying, 'Do you really think I would give you bad water??' God just told me it was going to be okay.  I'm at peace about moving to Kenya now."

And so we leave you for now with this thought from Luke 11: "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for.  Keep on looking and you will find.  Keep on knocking and the door will be opened.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds.  And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.  

You fathers - if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?  Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion?  Of course not!  If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him."

Cold Feet

No, we are not having second thoughts about moving to Kenya.  On the contrary, in the past week we have had our socks blessed right off, leaving us with chilly toes, as God continues to orchestrate logistics on our behalf!  Our ANSWERED prayers for this week include:

• finding a renter for our house while we are gone;
• finding an orthodontist in Kenya who can take care of Ellie's teeth;
• finding the right home for Bear, our Australian Shepherd;
• finding someone in Kenya to help with work permit applications; and
• being supplied with additional funds through friends and family who have chosen to join us in this journey.

In addition, we've had multiple people offer their professional services to help in unique and special ways including: helping us get our yard and gardens prepared for handing over to our renters; helping us prepare emotionally for the challenges that lie ahead; and taking family photos before we leave. 

We are waiting to hear from YWAM as to whether we've been accepted into their Discipleship Training School.  Lord willing, we will be accepted and will leave for Tanzania the last week of August to begin training on September 6.  We are still trying to find someone who can accompany us for 12 weeks to supervise the children in their homeschooling while Jason and I are in classes during the day.

Thank you to each of you who has committed to praying for us, and has offered support in numerous ways!  We pray that God will bless you abundantly as you serve Him.

$100,000 MILESTONE!!!

I once heard a missionary ask, "Where is the FUN in fundraising?"  I laughed, but now I really get it.  It is absolutely the hardest thing we have ever had to do in our married life. 

The idea of moving our family to Kenya was pretty difficult to swallow in the beginning.  But we have had so many unmistakeable messages from God that this is His plan for us, that eventually His peace that surpasses understanding has replaced our fears*.  (Not to mention that living in Kenya is certainly more appealing than living in the belly of a big fish :-)  It's an exciting moment when you finally peel your fingers away from all that you've been clinging to, with the hope that God will make good on His promise to deliver more than we could ask or imagine**. 

That elation of knowing you are in the center of God's will carries you like a hot air balloon over your promised land.  There you hover, gazing on the sunrise, and even smelling the adventure awaiting you.  But you've never operated a hot air ballooon before, and you suddenly realize you don't know how to land.  You have no way to touch ground in your promised land without the help of the hands and feet of God: your fellow brothers and sisters.

When we made the decision to move forward, we had no idea how humbling it would be to give up our independent status as professionals and ask other people for money in order to obey what we feel God is calling us to do.  We've been timid in our approach, because you never know how people will react.  We've been blessed with a number of friends who call it a "privilege" to be able to walk this journey with us by contributing their time, money, and skills.  We've had others react with disbelief that we would actually ask for support money so we could "vacation" for three years.  (I'm still not sure how taking care of 40+ children 24/7 could be considered a vacation...but whatever).

Whatever you call it, the process of fundraising has definately been part of our spiritual preparation, perhaps even moreso than our physical preparation.  Isn't the whole point of being a Christian to become more like Christ?  I can think of no one more humble than Jesus, giving up His royal status in the heavenly realm to be born a screaming (poopy) infant, completely dependent on Mary and Joseph for His very survival.  He touched the rotting flesh of lepers, scrubbed filthy feet, and eventually hung on a cross between two thieves, all to obey what God was calling Him to do.  As I write this, I wonder if I can start to view fundraising as a privilege rather than a burden.

So now the exciting news....  When we began the process of setting our budget and fundraising, the $160,000 we need to raise seemed absolutely overwhelming and impossible.  This morning we received an email from our amazingly efficient accountant at church that our cash and pledges have exceeded the $100,000 mark!  God is good and "knows all our needs.  He will give us all we need from day to day, if we live for Him and make the Kingdom of God our primary concern." (Matthew 6:33)

With our potential departure only 4 months away, we have much to accomplish in a short period of time.  We still need to raise almost $59,000; in addition to completing YWAM training applications, Kenyan work permit applications, preparing the house for rental, selling much of our household on Craigslist, figuring out our missionary health insurance and shipping options.  We are choosing to leave the fundraising in God's hands for now so we can focus on the other aspects of our preparation.  Please continue to pray with us that God's perfect timing would be revealed and that the many aspects of our new life would come together in a way that glorifies Him!

*Phil. 4:6-7
**Eph. 3:20