The Grandkids Christmas Play

Our grandkids could not wait to act out the nativity "play" that we started last year. Some of you got a Christmas card last year that we made picturing all 9 grandkids in a nativity scene. So here is a short video to view. It's really cute!

Saying goodbye and enjoying the last few days

Kyle was on call Friday evening and spent most of the night in the emergency room and ICU in the hospital and had 2 patients pass away. We were daily challenged to pray for the patients and those who faithfully served them. This morning in the church service the speaker reminded us that Jesus came to give people sight and that we are a part of His work by encircling them with prayer for God to open their eyes to a personal relationship with the Savior.
Sat morning we had breakfact with Dr. Roberts and his family and then visited patients, staff, visitors and other who have been serving here at Tenwek, saying our good byes.
We walked through the market that borders the hospital and enjoyed talking to the locals. Everyone is so friendly and enjoyed us coming into their livelihood, even inviting us to their homes. We purchased from some of the merchants and I got my shoes shined for 10 shillings which is about 15 cents. It drew a crowd to see this old grey haired white man sitting in the chair getting his shoes shined. I took pictures with the digital camera and then gathered an even bigger crowd when I showed them and zoomed in close up on each one of them.
Hudson found a friend while here at Tenwek, in Enoch (a little boy about 5 who has been at the hospital for about two months) who enjoyed pushing Hudson around the hospital grounds in a wheelchair. His parents left him some time back to go get money to get him out of the hospital. Here they cannot leave till they pay their bill. Little Enoch has become a favorite of ours as he greets us each day. He sleeps on a bed with another mother and her baby during the night and runs around the hospital grounds during the day like any little boy would want to do. He had major burns on his body and had had skin grafts but is doing well.
We went to two different African churches this morning and enjoyed the singing and sharing time in both.
We are packing up since our vehicle will pick us up on Monday morning for the 4 hour rough road trip back to Nairobi for our flight out at 11:25 p.m. We should be home Lord willing on Tuesday evening.
Thanks again for all your prayers and comments on our blog.

Down the last stretch

Another fantastic finish for the week - I got to suit up and watch a cataract surgery on Weds and then Kyle found me and said they had an opening for two of us to go out for the day with the Tenwek Community Ministry team. What an experience - 9 of us crammed into a Land Rover and about an hour out into the country side. Kyle was so helpful for the Tenwek Community Ministry staff since they do not have doctors normally go with them. They really enjoyed learning from him and thanked him over and over. We had many children and mothers and pregnant mothers that came for medication and treatment. You can see more on Kyle and Vanessa's blog which is http://www.joneshousehappenings.blogspot.com/
Marvin and Jan - Marlene's twin brother who are missionaries in Africa for the past 26 years -came to visit us on Thursday and spent the night with us. We had fun laughing together after eating some Kenyan candy that turned all our tongues red. Marvin spoke to the chaplains this morning and did a wonderful job challenging them.

Yesterday I did the chapel service for the hospital staff at 7:30 and about 60-70 people attended. I spoke to them about Preparing for War and that Satan was against them and they needed to put on the full armor of God every day for the mighty work that that are involved in at Tenwek.
Today I had a chapel service in the nursery for the workers and new mothers. I was holding the little boy that the hospital staff had named Joseph since his mother had tossed him into a pit the day he was born (about a month ago) and left him. I told them the story of Joseph in the Bible and asked them to pray for little Joseph that he would one day grow up to be a great man of God and a leader of men and women. I also asked them to pray for his mother who had done this to this little child. I asked the women if they had any prayer requests and then prayed for them all.
As I was leaving there was a family picking up a family member who had died so I helped them carry the casket over to the bereavement chapel and then one of the chaplains did a short service and then asked me to say a few things and pray for this family. Another car pulled up with a casket and so they asked me to speak to them as well. The lady was 103 years old named Sarah and many people were there to pick up her body. I shared Eccl 7:1-2 and we rejoiced together since she was a Godly mother and grandmother. Even one of the Kenyan doctors came over to give his respect. These people are so special. We have grown to love them and encourage them as we have been so blessed.
Marlene and Vanessa and the boys (Jude and Hudson) are a magnet to the Kenyans. Everywhere we go we draw a crowd because of them and have the opportunity to talk about the Lord. We have enjoyed our time here but are looking forward to coming home.

Open My Eyes that I might See

Another wonderful week so far. The Tenwek eye ward was packed with men, women and children - some with two people to a bed. I was on visitation with Simon the chaplain who was assigned to that ward for this week. We did something unusual when we gathered up all the men and talked to them as a group rather than going from bed to bed. I share Ps. 119:18 about asking God to open our eyes to the things of God and translated that into a message that God not only wanted to give them physical sight, but also spiritual sight. I shared some other passages and then opened it up for questions. They asked me how to trust God with all the injustice going on in Kenya. I shared from the book of Habakkuk about trusting God even in the tough times. They told me they were weak in their faith and asked if I would stay in Kenya and teach them about how to be strong men of God. Pray for Kenyans to learn to be strong in their faith. We did the same with the women and saw a similar response.
This morning I went back and visited with them after many had had surgery on their eyes and then gathered them all up together and shared from Ps. 46 about God being our refuge and strength. One young mother had just been told that she had HIV and so did her 5 year old son (her husband had died of AIDS), so we visited with her and shared some words of encouragement reminding her that Jesus was her Husband to take care of her now.
We got a call to come visit a family that had lost a mother. It just so happened that Kyle had been with them at 2:40 in the morning when their mother had passed away so it was a special time of rejoicing for this woman named Sarah who went into the arms of Jesus. Her 3 daughters - Helen, Annette and Janet were grieving but as we looked at Eccl 7:1-2 we were reminded that this is the greatest day in their mother's life, to now be healed and in the arms of Jesus. We sang together (in Swahili) and prayed together and they thanked me so much for all the care they had received at Tenwek and for Kyle being on call in the middle of the night to cry with them as their mother slipped from this earth, but all the time rejoicing that she knew Jesus and they would see her again.
Marlene has been out in the community and visiting in the children's ward and praying with mothers and children. They love her and feel comforted by her being on the ward.
God has opened our eyes to see His love for the Precious People of Kenya who are always so thankful and content. May we be more thankful and content. Thanks for praying.

Weekend ministries and relaxation

Sat morning we took a hike to the waterfalls near Tenwek. We were reminded of the steadfast footing the Lord gives to us when we trust in Him as we saw cows up on the cliffs above the river right next to the edge eating grass on sloops that would scare a mother, but the cows moved along without any fear just eating the fresh green vegatation.
Sunday morning we attended the local church here at Tenwek at 9 and then helped with the children's ministry. The singing in church was beautiful in both English and Swahili. At about 11 we got a taxi and went out to one of the local churches down the bumpy roads about 20 minutes away. Alfred one of the interns Kyle works with had invited us to come to his church meeting (which lasted till about 12:45) and aftewards to have lunch with he and his wife Florence and two kids Abigail and Lucus, in thier home. They had begun church at 7:30 - 9 in the morning for the neighboring children. One of the biggest problems they have in their community is alcoholism. Many of the adults are making homemade alcohol and get drunk every day. They were sharing that what they teach the children in the mornings comes back to them in the version that the kids came home with, repeated back to Alfred and others that work with the children, from the drunken parents in the afternoon. That is the reverse of Ps. 71:17-18, with the children reaching to the older generation. They feel that it will have an eternal impact in their community through the ministry to children. Please pray for this little church called Tiagaga African Gospel Church. They have a passion for reaching their community. AIDS and death are a big problem and more and more orphans are living in their community. Alfred and his wife want to begin an orphanage to help these little ones. This is true religion in practice according to the book of James.
It was a tough weekend at the hospital again (which for them here it is about normal) with 10 more patients dying over the weekend. The hospital morgue stays pretty full. I visited the morgue and they showed me how they clean up the bodies for the families to come and collect them. They have a small chapel called Bereavement Chapel that they do a service for all those that have died in the hospital. The chaplains have a great passion to share about how to have confort in death when they give their life to Jesus. What a great ministry here at Tenwek and we thank God for allowing us to be a part of this work. Thanks for so many of you that are praying.

Friday - A Day with Jude

Our grandson Jude was my priority today. Marlene, Vanessa and Hudson went to visit an orphanage so I volunteered to take care of Jude. They were planning on being back by noon. Jude is 7 months old and one of the smartest little boys I know. He worked me pretty good today. At nap time, if I was not right next to him, he would let me know when I just made the slightest attempt to leave. We took some strolls around the housing area and visited with folks. Everyone loves our grandkids and stops to speak to us. It was about 3:30 when Marlene and the kids got back and Jude was no longer tricked by my feeding techiques. Mom (Vanessa) was a welcome site. They had a great visit but got stuck in the mud on the way there and got a flat tire on the way home. We will be sharing some ways for you to help feed some of these kids in the orphanage for like $15 a month. Most of the kids in the home lost there parents to AIDS which is a huge problem here in Africa.

What a beautiful Country Kenya is.

We were just thinking today that we have told you about the people of Kenya but very little about the area we are working in. We are at an elevation of 6500 feet and the temperature is high in the low 80's and in the low 60's in the evenings. We are in the rainy season so about noon each day we have a downpour which sometimes lasts most of the afternoon into the evenings. The trees and hills are some most beautiful we have ever seen. Tenwek Hospital and the other buildings here are nestled between the hills. Walking around, there are a lot of inclines and steps everywhere which is giving our lungs a good workout. Because of the rainy season, things are particularly beautiful here.
Our windows and walls are thin, so in the very early morning we can hear footsteps ,from people walking the road below our window up to the hospital area, even though we are on the second floor. We share a small 3 bedroom apartment with Kyle and Vanessa and the boys.
We have not had the time yet to go on walks, but there is a waterfall and swim hole nearby that we have heard about. Maybe this weekend we can go see it.

Yesterday and today we had more opportunities to do visitation in the hospital, praying with patients and their family members. Travis has "preached" a couple of times, just in the waiting areas or outside with patients sitting on benches. Marlene gave a brief testimony to young mothers who have new babies. One young mom asked for prayer afterwards for her child, who is not nursing well, and for her children at home.
Janet, who has come a few times to help with cooking and cleaning, has not come in a couple of days, because her daughter, Mercy, is sick. Please be praying for these moms and their children.

Tomorrow, Friday, some of us are going to an orphanage to visit. Most of the children's parents died from AIDS, which is a huge problem here. We hear the adoption process here is really a long, difficult process. A 1 month old little boy in the hospital nursery was abandoned at birth by his mother. She had thrown him into a pit in a plastic bag. He is the cutest little guy. The staff has named him appropriately, Joseph. Everyone is praying for him, knowing God has great things in His plans for little Joseph. Many are saying they would like to adopt him. Pray that he would be placed into a Godly home.