When One Door Closes....Look For Another Door!

It's now been over two weeks since the news came out of Kenya of an attack on Christians at a University.  Eleven days ago, the elders of our church decided that it was not advisable for our youth trip to enter Kenya due to the unrest and threats of additional attacks.  Initially devastated, our family began to pray and consider what this meant for Jen and I.  I didn't not believe our journey was over--we felt no less called to served than when we began.  And so the next phase of our trip now begins:

Journey to Kenya Thailand!  Yes, God is opening doors and we are ever so grateful!  After to speaking with our family, pastors, and Carl Ralston (founder of RNhu) while he was on a visit to our church, Jennifer and I have decided to serve Remember Nhu in Thailand.  There may be 2-3 more members to our team, or it may be just the 2 of us--that part of the plan is still unfolding.  I am sure, however, that our plans to serve these children is still very much alive, and for that I am grateful!

Our travel dates are still (approx) June 29th-July10th, only now we will be headed to one of Remember Nhu's homes near Chiang Mai, Thailand. While there we will do whatever is needed of us, such as working on a construction project, assisting with crafts, help children learning English, helping the houseparents/helpers, and gardening or some other type of work that will improve the lives of the children. Besides visiting with the RNhu children and eating meals with them, we will have the opportunity to attend cultural events to understand life in Thailand better, like visiting an elephant camp, a hill tribe village, a cultural dinner, shopping at the Sunday night market, or a visit to a Buddhist Temple.

Please pray with us as I am working to coordinate our new travel plans on an expedited timeline.  Please, also, continue to pray for those in Kenya affected by the horrible tragedy there, and for the safety of our Kenyan brothers and sisters in Christ.  We so appreciate the support of our friends and family as we continue on our journey.

Lori

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Within the last couple weeks, there have been both ups and downs.  We have seen our Kenya Team add several members, while losing a couple.  We secured our itinerary, only to then hear about the devastating attack on Christians at a Kenyan university a couple days later.  What a ride we are on, but thankfully, God is our rock upon which our hope is in his steadfast hands.

There are now 15 members on our team.  We are thrilled to have the additional help and are excited to get to know each other better as we prepare for what the Lord has in store for us.  We also have had a couple members bow out, which saddens us a bit that they will not be joining us, but understand that not everyone is called in the same ways, at the same times.  I cannot wait to see what lies ahead!

Tina announced our itinerary for flights.  We are to leave Monday June 29th, arriving in Nairobi the following day, and will then leave Nairobi on Thursday July 9th, returning to PDX July 10th.  It makes our plans so much more 'real' to have actual flight times!  Also very eye opening to see that it will take us over 20 hours flight time each direction.  I'll need to be thinking of ways to kill time for sure!

We were also very saddened to hear of the terrorist attack on Christians at the Garissa University College in Kenya.  150 people were killed and many more injured in an attack where Al-Shabaab militants singled out their targets, releasing Muslims and killing non-Muslims, beginning with those attending a Christian morning prayer service.  While this information certainly raises our awareness to any other events in the area, the attack was near the Somolian border where there there has been a history of conflict, far from where our destination is.  We would appreciate your prayers not only that no further attacks occur and that the Kenyan military is able to further secure the area, but that God's will for our plans will be made clear.  We have been aware from the beginning that if the political climate were to change dramatically in Kenya, that our trip could be cancelled for our safety, but are obviously hoping this is not necessary.

The last thing I will leave you with today is a vision of the children we are planning to serve in Kenya.  These are photos shared by the Remember Nhu organization from a trip Nhu took to visit the children's home in Kitale.  We can't wait!!!