Plans in Motion

I don't want to go one more day...without Your all-consuming passion inside of
me. I don't want to spend my whole life asking, "What if I had given
everything...instead of going through the motions?" -Matthew West

After much prayer and communication with Shawn and Linda Tyler, we feel that God is calling us to work at the Kitale Church of Christ Children's Home and Bahati Primary School in Kitale, Kenya. Our hope is to leave by summer of 2010. We are in the process of outlining our mission plan, learning Swahili, and fund-raising.
We kicked off our official fund-raising efforts with a garage sale last weekend. We raised $2200, enough for at least one more plane ticket! Even more importantly, the sale was a huge success in helping us to begin the process of "letting go" of all the STUFF that has tied us to our comfortable lives here in the United States. It also raised awareness among friends and family members of our intent to move to Kenya. The support and encouragement we received throughout the process of collecting donations, organizing, pricing, setting up, selling, and cleaning up the aftermath was overwhelming and humbling. THANK YOU to all who participated!

Open Doors?

Jason called from Kitale, Kenya this morning, more excited and emotional than I've perhaps ever heard him. He started with, "What a day!" He went on to tell me about his meeting with Shawn Tyler, a missionary who started an orphanage/school in Kitale a number of years ago. Shawn is currently living in Mbale, Uganda, about two hours away from Kitale. He travels to Kitale once a month to check on the facility and oversee the program from a distance. Over time, without a designated leadership to manage the facility full-time, the facility and program has fallen into disrepair, and is in need of solid management. Shawn's prayer has been for a missionary family to come to Kitale to live at the orphanage and oversee the program from a more hands-on perspective. Apparently he has already raised funds to build a new residence on the property to house said missionary family....and he has asked Jason to design the house!

If we were to move there, our roles might include overseeing the finances and staff, loving and counseling the children, grounds and building maintenance, upkeep of the gardens and animals that feed the children, and possibly some teaching. Could it be more suited to our skills and interests??

Jason said he felt a total peace about the area, and the possibility of taking our children there. It is lush, peaceful, more country than city, and home to 40 children who have been robbed of their parents. The property houses a main building for staff, school building, dormitory, fertile land for planting, a milk cow, goats and chickens. Perhaps best of all, it is also the home of one of our CRF sponsor children, Ian Emmanuel, who is nearly three years old, and spent the day holding Jason's hand and snuggling in his lap.

Jason will spend a bit more time with Shawn tomorrow attempting to outline the needs and goals for the program. He also has other areas to visit in the next week, and more people to meet with; however, at this point he is feeling very strongly that this may be our future home. Please continue to pray with us for discernment of God's plan and purpose for our family.