Leah, Wilson, and John

Leah has been with RVA for 37 years working for many different families and now she's working for the Boeve's.  Having house help was not something we were looking forward to. To be honest, it is not something we felt we needed and we were a bit embarrassed to have Leah come on Mondays and Wednesdays and do things we should be doing for ourselves. Bootstraps and all that. A change in perspective changed everything. Wife, mother, grandmother, follower of Christ, this lady is amazing. She rides on the back of a piki (motorcycle) each day to work, bundled up in the early morning mountain air. She works 8 hour days and hires a piki for the trip home. She works each day humming songs with a smile on her face. Pretty impressive. Leah works hard, along with her husband, to help provide for her children and grandchildren.  Are we still uncomfortable at times with Leah doing our laundry, undies included? Yes! But if we can help support a family while someone else is doing our laundry, we'll  do it.

Wilson is our driver.  We do not own a car here in Kenya so either we rent out a staff vehicle to drive or we depend on someone else to get us from point A to point B.  Wilson is that someone else.  He  delivers us to where we want to be with great style and speed and he gets us there safely.  Three very important skills when navigating the roads of Kenya.  The traffic here is intense, the matatus (small buses) are dangerous, and we will never again complain about the pot holes in Michigan. Wilson did not graduate from high school.  One of his greatest desires is that his two young children will be able to attend high school and graduate thus giving them more opportunities in life than he was given.  Schools in Kenya are not free.  So Wilson drives and we pay.  Would Jeff like to be the one behind the wheel? Yes (style, speed and safety notwithstanding)!  But if we can help support Wilson and his dream of an education for his children by letting him drive, we'll do it.

John is the man who takes care of Kedong's outside needs.  The Kedong building, which we are a part of, houses 5 different girl dorms.  John keeps it looking good! He mows the lawns, trims the bushes, tends the flowers, sweeps the sidewalks, stacks the wood.  John is a quiet, gentle man.  One of the families that are dorm parents in Kedong have a 5 year old boy named Watson.  I often see Watson helping John with whatever chore needs to be done.  Watching this quiet, tall black man working side by side with this talkative, little white guy, I wonder - why can't we all just get along?  John travels over an hour each day to get to RVA, walking part of the way and taking the aforementioned dangerous matatu the rest of the way.  John has a family to support.  Would Jane like to get her hands dirty by digging in the flower garden?  Yes!  But if we can help John support his family by letting him get his hands dirty, we'll do it.

We followed God's lead, left our home in the US and headed to Kenya to help support missionary families by loving and taking care of their children.  We didn't need to leave our home here to discover more opportunities to help support others.  Makes me wonder how many opportunities to help we may have missed that were right in front of us because we weren't paying attention?  How about you?  Who's right in front of you?  Are you paying attention?

400 Pounds

We just got home from home. We had a great time at home but it is good to be home. It was great to sleep in our own bed but our bed here may be the best bed we have ever had. This could go on and on. We are blessed to have a home in Michigan where we are loved so deeply. It is rewarding to have a home in Africa where we serve and are being used in many ways. Our term starts up today and we are here to go to work but as our good friend Craig always said before each school year, "I need one more day!".

On Monday we woke up way too early for how late we got home from the airport and looked around the apartment at the nearly 400 pounds of treasures we had brought back for us, for friends, for our dorm girls, and we started to unpack. We were not prepatred for how emotional this was going to be. We started pulling out things that reminded us of someone in the States and we were saddened by the nine time zones that separated us and the planned seven months before we would see them again. At different times, both of us were tearing up at missng family and friends.

As the items we brought were categorized, organized and delivered, it pounded in our chest how empty these things were compared to people. We know that intense discomfort with separation from people means there is an equally strong connection and love that draws you together. That, however, does not make it easier. Here, at RVA, with the families of the boarding students and the families that serve here, we see first hand, on a daily basis, the separation caused by this chosen life and realize everyone here is living with a hole in their heart. It also dawned on us that all our loved ones around the world have the same conditon.

The good news? Generations of faithful followers of Christ have felt this same feeling and have shown it to be a good thing. We believe in Jesus and his saving power. We have been called to spread the gospel to every tribe and nation. We are here because that call outweighs the desires of the heart. In some moments it doesn't and you cry when the plane touches down in Nairobi or when you see leftovers in the freezer carefully placed there by your daughters when they came to visit.

This blog, while we share it, is for us to chronicle our emotions as we work in Kenya. Today's emotions are much better than Monday's when they were pretty raw. We are excited as we prepare for the next term. We are looking forward to the girls coming back and connecting again. But it would be nice to have one more day.

Out Of Africa

Welcome to RVA, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.

Becky came at the end of October for a 3 week rotation at Kijabe Hospital.  Collin and Ellen joined for a week when she finished.  We managed our responsibilities and took short trips with the kids when we could. We had a great time! The kids were so appreciative of our new surroundings and managed to travel and see some of the attractions where we live. All of us went on Safari to the Mara and saw things that we had seen only in movies and pictures. It was glorious! Even Nala gorging on Pumba was awesome!

It is not well known that Jane was a contract holdout. She was all set to go anywhere she was asked to go as long as she got to see our grandkids at least a couple of times a year. Being second career people with AIM and the fact that RVA by it's nature has longish brakes between each term, it was a fairly short negotiation. So here we are, back in the USA, and enjoying our first big break.  We got to spend 5 days with the kids and grandkids out in Utah and it was the best. A great time of connection and learning the bends of these beautiful children. Ari already knows that Nana can be trusted and Papa is silly. Jay has stopped crying everytime he sees us which is a big improvement. In fact, he awoke to us after a nap while we were babysitting and giving Ben and Christina a date night and, after a quick room check for Christina, he was off and playing and doing fine. Ben took two days off from work to hang out with us. So wonderful!

We have been away from Grand Haven for 155 days or so our computer tells us. We backed up our computers just before we left Michigan so we've been informed by them of the last back up. We will do that again as soon as we get back home. There is that word, home. Our place in Kenya seems like home. Our niece and her son, our great nephew (and he is great) are doing a wonderful job at the house on Lakeshore. It just is so much less like home than it was back in July. As our mission at RVA grows and our affinity for the people grow, our feeling of being at home in Kenya grows too. Not sure how that will change over the next 18 months, but looking forward to reflecting on it.

These blogs have been meant to track our feelings and emotions as we navigate, for us, what is a pretty big change. Thank you so much for traveling this journey with us.  We treasure your support and prayers.

We celebrate the birth of our saviour with you!  Have a Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year! 

Things to Avoid in Kenya

Now that we have been in Kenya over two months, we are pretty much experts at all things cultural, environmental and...well, everything.  Our friends, Andy and Laura, are ministering in Hilton Head, SC, and everybody says "When can we visit?"   Very few of our friends (like none) have said,  "When can we visit?"  Even so, we thought it would be good to let you know what you may want to avoid if you jump on a jet for the short flight over. Our extensive experience has taught us much and we feel duty bound to share.

There is an insect here called the Nairobi Eye. What a nasty little rascal he is. About as thick as a piece of spaghetti and 15 mm long, (been here so long we use metrics). This guy is little but insidious. So what happens is, if you find one of these tiny creastures on a part of your body and if you accidentally crush them and get their bodily fluid on you, it literally gives you a chemical burn. For days you have an infected sore that is unsightly and painful. We have seen two in our apartment.  With great skill and daring we eradiated them. We crushed them with a paper towel. One of our dorm girls has a burn both above and below her knee from one of these sinister creatures. At this point we could post a shot of a red weeping sore that has been bandaged twice a day for about a week now, but does anyone really want to see that? Nairobi eyes, avoid them!

We have had much less luck dodging the next menace, the long prayer. While this species is not confined to Kenya we do have, it seems, our fair share (rampant among missionary folk).  Pretty sure that neither of us would be defined as big talkers nor long prayers. So, when we talk to God, we get to the point. He already knows all the specifics anyway.  The trick during these long prayers is to keep the eyes closed (although a peek occasionally to see other short prayer prayer warriors like you can be reassuring), heads bowed in reverence (trying not to nod off), and not to cheer out loud when you hear "In Jesus name we pray, Amen!"

 If given the choice of facing a long prayer or a Nairobi Eye we would probably take the prayer. It would be a close call though.  It might depend if we have any paper towel handy?

On the other end of the spectrum, is the elusive zip-lock bag.  These bad boys are banned in Kenya.  If you are lucky enough to find yourself in the possession of one, DO NOT SHARE!  You will never see it again! Treat it with care, washing carefully, until it no longer zips nor locks.  A proper burial may be needed upon its demise for closure.

Oh, the hardships we endure!!

Last night, at our Dorm Devotions, the girls shared about “their people”, what ministry their families were in and where they had served.  Talk about sacrifices and hardships!  Many have experienced several moves amongst several countries across the globe.  Some have been kicked out of countries because of wars, some fleeing during gun battles.  Many have lived in remote villages where the amenities of life are nonexistent.  Most have a hard time identifying where “home” the place is.  That is true sacrifice and hardship. But is it?  All the girls were able to identify the feeling of “home”, the area where God has called their family to serve, whether in one place for all their lives or many different places.  They have grasped the concept that where God wants us is where we should be.  They have lived this way of life, they have seen it modeled by their families, and they have been blessed.  What an inspiration!  Simple concept, complex in its implementation.  Is it a true sacrifice (consider what Christ sacrificed), is it a true hardship (consider what Christ endured) when we are following God’s lead?  Maybe an earthly inconvenience, maybe uncomfortable, but nothing when compared to Christ!  And the blessings promised us are beyond measure!  These young ladies have taught us a great lesson in following Christ.  We need to get out of the way and let him lead!

Now, if they could just grasp the concept that their bed needs to be made each morning. ..

Homework in our apartment.

Cloudy days

Who would have believed it? We just spent our coldest August of our lives and we are on the equator. Altitude will do that. Our school is at 7300 ft and almost all of our days have had varing degrees of clouds. In fact, last Saturday we were out early for prayer and a walk and not a cloud in the sky. By the time we finshed breakfast, it had clouded over and the clouds remained for the rest of the day. It was July when we left Michigan and we were going to Africa. So we made some packing mistakes. We were warned that it's winter over here now, but our brains just wouldn't let us reach for the sweaters. Oh well, we just wear our long sleeved stuff... alot!

As for our spirits? Mostly we have had sunny days. There is so much here to rejoice in. The kids are great. The staff is caring and supportive. The mission is clear and important. Yet we still let ourselves lose focus and have cloudy days at times. Jeff's was Sunday. He was frustrated with some detailed forms he had to fill out. This was compounded with the fact that the college football season had started and Michigan laid an egg. Somehow he thinks if he could have watched the game, the outcome would have been different.  That's a lot of pressure on one man!

For Jane, Mondays are hard. She still misses her little guys coming and filling her house, heart and arms. Mondays are the times she thinks most about what our kids are doing in the states and distance and time zones make the seperation hard to bridge.

Not complaints, just sharing. Last night before we went to sleep after a long day, we rolled over and asked each other "Are we making a difference?". Too soon to tell?  But it sure helps to clarify the tasks. Cloudy days or not, our "audience" stays the same. Col. 3:23 - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.  Our theme for the dorm this year is "An Audience of One".  We are trying to instill in our girls that they are to live their lives for the Lord, not for others attention or approval.  The same goes for us. We are here because Christ asked us to come. That really simplifies things. That clears away the clouds.

Sacrifices

The students have arrived, the staff is prepared, and yesterday we had our first worship service together.  As I stood among the students while we sang, I was overcome with emotion. To hear 400+ young people lift up their voices together worshipping our Lord was so powerful and beautiful, an amazing choir!  Then I thought of their parents and how they were worshipping at that moment.  Some were under a tree with no walls around their songs.  Some were worshipping with new church plants singing praises to God for new believers and praying for other hearts to receive the Good News.  Some were meeting in secret knowing God hears their quiet calls to worship.  I prayed that God would let these parents know that their children were celebrating and basking in the Savior’s love!  I prayed that these parents would know that their children would be taken care of to the best of our ability spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Saying goodbye was hard for the girls and their parents.  My heart broke for them.  Thinking about the beginning of school back in Grand Haven and not having my daycare kiddos back in my home and Jeff not being at Lakeshore Middle School, broke our hearts.  But I know God’s tender love and care will cover sacrifices made when answering his call.

The chapel at RVA

Goodbye LMS, hello RVA
Jeff's first day of teaching 8th grade math in Kenya

Ed

We have been in Africa a bit over a month. Things are going well if you ignore the fact that Jane has packed the wrong shoes. "What was I thinking!" is a direct quote. Jeff has jumped from adventure to adventure, first drinking coffee and now bookmarking his favorite zucchini bread recipe (lemon poppy seed is next). Our home is pretty much settled except for those darn bathroom towels that don't match. The dorm is close to being ready. Jeff has his class lists for his 2 sections of 8th grade math and we finally found a printer that we could get to work. We both feel like it is the calm before the storm.

Our dorm has 15 ninth grade girls from 6 different countries with 6 of the girls being brand new to RVA. The schedule starting next Friday is packed like a a missionary's suitcase heading to Africa for 2 years.  The setting here is amazing and the people are better. Tonight we were heading out to get lost on campus. We do this every night, the getting lost part.  It's dark at 7:00 and the campus is on a mountain side. Finding your way for the newbies can be pretty confusing.  As we were walking, we ran into the art teacher, Ed.  Ed has been here for 18 years. We mentioned we were feeling a bit overwhelmed. He empathized, smiled and nodded. Then he said, "If you can remember to find time for Jesus and each other you will do great."

The exact right thing at the right time. Thanks God! Sure there are times when God is silent and we feel alone. But the majority of the time, when we are open to Him, he shows up with skin on. Sometimes we are the ones reflecting God's love. Tonight it was Ed.  Thanks Ed!