Polepole We Learn

Hello from Kenya!!

We are in Nakuru attending our three week Africian Based Orientation. 

So it turns out that it is impossible to function without caffeine. Jeff has been trying to get the monkey of Diet Mt. Dew off his back going cold turkey here in Kenya. He made it one week. We are in "class" 8:30-5:00 each day and he was constantly falling asleep. So he joined the Starbucks generation. Another new thing we learned is it's nearly impossible to figure out how old single women on the mission field are. Also, we met a unicorn - a single, attractive male serving in missions. Very rare!

Our training is very interesting and the learning curve is steep. So far we have been particularly engaged with how to approach learning about a culture. If we ask how, when, or who instead of why, we are much less likely to put someone on the defensive. A phrase to remember is, "Just because it's different doesn't mean it's wrong".

The diversity of those called to serve in Africa is impressive - doctor, ex drug addict, dairy farmer from Minnesota, Ethiopian physics teacher, blond California girl, someone living with a brain tumor that just couldn't wait anymore to spread the good news.  We are particularly inspired by the families that are choosing to pick up and move 9 time zones with their children.  One family with three children ages 7 and under have chosen to chip polepole (slowly in Swahili) away at the enormous number of tribes that have never heard of Jesus. They are going to Northern Kenya to a boarding school that teaches students from 8 nomadic tribes in the region. That blows our minds.  We have become even more convicted with the calling God has placed before us, loving on the children of those serving in the field.  We are so excited to support those missionaries by giving them the knowledge and confidence that their children are safe and being loved while at Rift Valley Academy and in our care.

We thought we would not need to learn Swahili because English was spoken at the school. If we want to engage with any national, it will be far more effective if we make an attempt to talk in something besides English. Almost every national we have met speaks at least three languages, their tribe's, Swahili and English. It makes the most sense to learn Swahili if we want to reach others. Pray that our six decade old brains pick it up fast. For now it's polepole.

Shopping in Nakuru.  It looks like we are going to be OK!

Ready, Aim.... THANKS!

When making a decision the normal process is Ready, Aim, Fire. We made the decision to retire and go to Africa with AIM (Africa Inland Mission) in January, 2017. So it has seemed to us like we have been aiming for 18 months. Obviously, we were not ready to leave 18 months ago and the process has been refining, growing and, among other things, a blessing. We were preparing our hearts and getting our ducks and finding their rows. Our new adventure became common knowledge in our community in October of 2017. The delayed firing (or leaving) led to people seeing us at Meijers and saying, "I thought you were going to Africa?", or, "Are you home already?" Yeah, it seems like we have been aiming for a long time.

Mostly, this time of transition has been filled with counting and crying. We have been counting our blessings and, living in Grand Haven for the last 31 years, there are many. We were welcomed in 1987 so warmly by the schools and the football family that had been created. We were loved by daycare familes that have become a part of our own family. We joined a new group of believers that became our church who came alongside of us and loved us instantly. The blessing of Grand Havenites carried through until the last minute when we were driven to the airport by such dear friends and the crying came again. Being called "a big fat part" of a young friend's family brought tears.  (We think he was trying to be inclusive but Jeff has been eating a lot of cake lately:) Many blessings to count leads to many times of crying!

As we have reached the Fire part of our journey, we are just so thankful to have been a part of Grand Haven. Thanks! That surely is not enough! THANKS! No, not yet! Hmm...I know! A BIG FAT THANKS!