Safely Home in Kijabe

We would like to thank all of you who have prayed and supported us in various ways during our Home Assignment. There is truly no way that we could serve without you!

We arrived safely in Kenya late on the 20th and made our way to Kijabe that evening . . . arriving around midnight local time.

Our flights were good, although checking in at DFW was a test of our patience. We were fairly tired from packing but the nearly one and a half hours it took to check in was taxing . . . and we didn’t have that many bags. The ticket agent was just veeery slow, etc. We had arrived early but began to wonder if our bags would make the flight. Once on the plane, the pilot announced that there was some sort of mechanical issue and that there would be a slight delay. Strangely enough, we thanked God for the delay so that our bags would likely make the flight. Upon arrival in Kenya, we were pleased to find that all of our bags had come along with us. 🙂

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Needless to say, we were glad to arrive in Kijabe, even at such a late hour. We had organized with a friend to have our house cleaned before our arrival and were grateful to come home to clean sheets on the beds and few cobwebs – the spiders are still here but it was nice not to have the constant reminder.

Of course, we’ve been working through the jet lag. There seems to be a gender division. Luke and Tim have been waking up early while Kate and Maureen have been prone to sleeping in. We are starting to see the end of this pattern, but all get a little tired at various points during the day. Hopefully by next week we’ll be back to our normal selves.

This past Monday Luke began his last term of 1st grade. Kate has been having fun rediscovering toys that she left here. Tim started classes yesterday and has begun organizing the spiritual life events for the term. Maureen has been busy keeping all of us fed and working to organize the house a bit. She will begin back at the hospital this coming week. Luke and Kate have also enjoyed playing at RVA and walking in the rain!

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We took a drive into Nairobi this past Saturday to restock our pantry and fridge, get supplies, and to let the kids enjoy a nice meal at their favorite restaurant. We were also very thankful for friends who fed us the first three nights. Now we’ve stocked up for the next month or so and probably won’t go back into Nairobi for some time. The roads getting out of Kijabe are in terrible condition. The main road going up the hill is being paved but is mostly a muddy mess due to the long rains that have arrived. We were prayerfully thankful to make it home on Saturday as we slid and swerved down the steep curvy road. Seriously, most two-wheel drive cars had stopped alongside the road but we pushed forward trusting God and prayed that our four-wheel drive would be adequate. If you’ve driven on an icy/snowy road downhill then you know what we experienced. There was more than a sigh of relief when our tires caught traction!

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Continue to lift us up in prayer as we transition back to life here. Pray specifically for the following:

• Health, motivation, and concentration as we adjust to the time change
• Homesickness – we’re honestly torn at times between our two earthly homes (US and Kenya)
• Cultural transition as we adjust back to the Kenyan way of life
• Driving Safety
• Financial Support – we’re still $490 a month shy of full support
• Renewed friendships and meaningful relationships here in Kenya
• For God to show us how and where to plug in for our family to thrive and grow in Christ this term
• Peace and strength as we go about our ministry

In Christ,

Tim, Maureen, Luke & Kate

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