Half-way point

We have heard that the group is doing well. They are teaching and dealing with some important topics of faith. In addition, some important cultural issues have arose and needed to be addressed. Amber seems to be feeling poorly. Please, stop now and pray for her health. Tomorrow, she will be teaching for several hours in a row. One of the topics she will be addressing is HIV/AIDS. They seem to be making important relationships and lasting friendships as well. Yesterday, they had the opportunity to attend a Masaai funeral.

Be expecting for this team to return with changed hearts, eyes opened, and faith enlarged. It seems impossible to be so involved with something like this, that you yourself would not be forever impacted and reminded of God's greater plan for this world! Hopefully through partnering with this group, you too have been impacted and feel personally tied to their cause and passion. With sincere appreciation, thank you for your support and prayers. They have felt them everyday, and have needed them too. Thank you for reading this!

Now, they are just over half way through. Please, continue to pray for them constantly. Now, more than ever they need your prayers. Making such a big trip, the first few days are lived with adrenaline and excitement! Now, they will start to feel tired, miss home and loved ones, have more cultural challenges, dislike food, get sick, and be prey for spiritual attack. Pray for encouragement and strength. Pray for health, particularly Amber. Pray that God will reveal Himself in amazingly, special ways to each team member. Pray that they will seek God in their loneliness and fatigue. Pray for stamina and unity. Please, continue to pray for the Masaai people to look past the cultural barriers that exist for what God is revealing to them.

Day One of Teaching Going Strong

The conference is well underway, and so far things have gone really well. Laura, Karen, and Bobby did really well today. Tomorrow Carlos and Lindsay will be teaching. For much of their teaching, they are using translators for assistance. Please pray that the translators will work efficiently to take what each has prepared and translate it accurately. Also, continue to pray for each person attending. We believe the Spirit can move in mighty ways in anyone seeking with an open heart. Pray that God will speak through the team members to each Masaai in special, powerful ways.

Part of a great conference is leading and speaking. The other part is the connections and relationships formed. The team will be spending much time with the attendees of this conference. Please pray that each member will go beyond their comfort zone to reach and build relationships for this is what helps to have a lasting impact.

Pray for encouragement, endurance, and a Spirit-filled heart for each member of the team- Amber, Bobby, Carlos, Karen, Laura, and Lindsay. They can get this through so many ways- each other, others there, the nature around them, and yielding humbly to God so as to be filled with what He wishes!

Received word today that they saw several Zebras, Giraffes, and goats around them. Their evening closed with singing some David Crowder praise songs under the beautiful night stars!

Ready, Steady, Go...

After a restful sleep, the group was up and going today. I believe that they even got to watch some of the World Cup Final. They got supplies in Nairobi and were off to Ilamen. The conference started this evening. The topics are so varied in the subject material. All topics are so important to growing believers. Some topics will be in a large group setting, and others will be held in smaller groups. I think that even the most confident speaker can be a bit intimidated starting off. Think of the cultural barrier alone. With that thought this scripture came to mind...

"Ah, Sovereign Lord," I said, " I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."

But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you." declares the Lord.

Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth."

Jeremiah 1:6-9

Please continue to pray for this group serving in faith in Kenya. Pray that God would speak through them to reach those attending and each other!

They are there!

Hello to all. Amber, Bobby, Carlos, and Lindsay have made it safely to Kenya. It was reported that they had good air travel and no luggage was lost. They say that they are feeling really well. They have been traveling for a day and a half. They got to Nairobi in the evening, and were met by the 3 interns from our church. They are spending the night there and will be taking care of some details before they take off for Ilemen for the conference. Ilemen is about 2.5 hours outside of Nairobi. The whole trek is offroading and dirt roads. Their accommodations will be tents with a bucket of water to bathe and wash clothes each day. There will be a cook, cooking for all attending the conference. Tea time is common there in the afternoon.

Please continue to pray for them...

• Pray that they will sleep well this evening, and will not be too jet lagged.
• There is altitude difference. Pray that everyone will remain healthy. Especially with eating a different ethnic food.
• Pray that God will allow all arrangements for this conference to fall into place.
• Pray for each attendee that is coming.
• Pray that each person on the team and the 3 interns will use all they have prepared, and lay it down before the Lord. So that, He will take and do more than they could have ever expected.

And They Are Off...

Hello to all. Well, after much preparation and packing (and repacking to redistribute weight per airline regulations), they are off! Their flight was delayed some, but they will be flying from DFW to London for a quick transition then off again to Nairobi, Kenya. Here are some prayer points as you continue to pray.

• Long flight with little rest, except on plane. Please pray for restful sleep, when they do try to rest.
• Flight left DFW late, please pray that getting onto their connecting flight will not be a problem.
• Please pray for unity of this team. That they will grow closer together as a group. Pray that they will be a source of strength and encouragement to each other.
• Pray for their continued preparation for the conference that they will lead.
• Pray for the hearts of the Masaai people that are coming to the conference.
• Pray that each member will seek God in all that they do, and that God will use each person immeasurably more than expected
• Pray for safety and health of each member. Long travel and no sleep can sometimes be enough to get you not feeling well.
• Pray for the families and loved ones here :) That everything will go smoothly.
• Pray that God will be Glorified in all!

Amen

Nitty Gritty in Details

So, begins the countdown. Our team is leaving for Kenya this Friday. Thank you for returning to this blog and reading through all. We created this as a way to partner with you. We believe that as you read, you feel more and more connected with those going, the cause behind why they are going, and the heart and passion behind this trip. By being connected, we hope that this will help you remember and better know how to pray for the trip and the Masaai people.

It was only about 6 short weeks ago that Amber, Bobby, Carlos, and Lindsay affirmed by stepping out in faith to go, and the group was formed. This interim time has been busy. With each person from our group, life has kept going and all the hecticness that it contains. People are still working their jobs, spending time with their family, and traveling. With the regular monotony of life comes the all the other stuff too- A/C units going out, refinancing your home, and illness. Despite ALL THIS, these guys have still been preparing for this trip. They have been faithfully trying to prepare for the conference that they will be leading. They have worked at raising the $2500 financial obligation required by each to go on this trip, which is indeed a step in waiting in faith. They have had to update vaccinations- including Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Hepatitis, Tetanus, and Malaria prevention. Ouch- nothing like some shots to get you all excited and the low-grade fever that came with the Yellow Fever vaccine.

THEY ARE EXCITED THOUGH! They are serving in faith!!! They have faith that God will use them despite their inadequacies. They are having faith that God can and will work through them to touch and enlarge the hearts of the Masaai people. They faithfully know that God does all this to reach and grow His kingdom for His Glory!

Please continue to pray for each person going. Pray that all their preparation will continue without any surprises or upset. Pray that the each person attending the conference will be Blessed and grow for God, and that He will continue to prepare their hearts even now.

Lindsay's Blog

Please check out a recent post by Lindsay on her blog. She has written several great entries about Spiritual preparation for the Africa trip. The group leaves in a week and could really use your continual prayer. Her blog is...


http://www.lindsayoconnor.blogspot.com/


Be sure to check out the entry, "If you say go..." Read and enjoy! Keep coming back to the this blog too for more information as we begin countdown to leaving for Kenya, next Friday on July 9th!