Tag: Pray

Short Rains Blues

We’ve entered the “Short Rains” season. While September and October have been beautiful everyday, the last two weeks it has rained everyday and it has gotten cooler (58º-75º). The weather really changes life here. Remember all homes/offices don’t have heat – the temperature outside is the temperature inside. Solar powered hot water heaters also don’t work well on cloudy, rainy days.

There is a lot of uncovered soil and poor drainage so there is mud and giant mud puddles everywhere. For us that means our car is filthy and we were boots everyday, but most Kenyans walk everywhere through all of that, many in sandals.

So we’re suffering from a little seasonal affective disorder. Like everything else we have it much better than our Kenyan friends and coworkers. We’re just not used to it yet. It’s the short rains so we only have a couple weeks of it left. We can make it!

Thanks for being on this journey with us! Please pray for our family this week. Thanksgiving is (of course) an American holiday and not celebrated here. In the past we would have taken this week off and already be with family in Ohio. We miss not being there. We were able to order a turkey and will be eating a grand meal with our American teammates on Thursday. We are very thankful for our life here in Kenya that God has provided.

Colorado Week 3 Update

I can’t believe that we are beginning our last week of training! If someone had told me all that I (Katie) would learn, discover, feel, this past month I wouldn’t have believed them. This place has become home, our one room has become a sanctuary and the 7 outfits that we brought have been more than enough. It is amazing how much you don’t really need and I pray that I remember this as we head home this Saturday.

This week was a big shift. From exhausting language learning drills to a different kind of exhaustion.  These last two weeks are more about learning about yourself and your tendencies to a very deep level so that when we’re going through the crucible of serving in a foreign country we’re prepared for how we handle stress and others who probably act, think, and express their feelings very differently.

Week 3 was a lot about conflict and how we handle stress. MTI even created a very stressful simulation for us to see ourselves through what we had just learned. That was capped off Friday with a surprise solo Sabbath time. I (Pat) had my bucket filled by climbing a mountain 10 minutes from MTI.  The trail started with a lot of icy switchbacks that don’t get hit by the sun, but once you get the plateau on top your footing is sure and you can enjoy the breathtaking view God has made.  I was asking for God to speak to me and I heard that “Kenya is worth it!” That was great to hear because this time of preparation can often feel like the slippery switchbacks on the dark side of the mountain!

PatOnSpruceMountain

Please continue praying about joining our team and supporting us monthly. I know a lot of you have mentioned wanting to support us, now is the time. We are completing our last few items off our CMF check-list and then once all the support is in we will be on our way to serve in Nairobi, Kenya. This has been the most humbling experience. The Lord has called, but we need the church body to get us there. When we get back on Saturday we would love to share our story with anyone who will listen. Let us know and we would love to meet with you.