Kenya-Bound

Seven years ago, when Erik and I first fell in love, we dreamed about combining our training and talents in order to serve the Lord in overseas missions. Now... Erik has the opportunity! At 35 weeks pregnant, I don't get to serve alongside him, but I feel blessed and thankful to partner with him from home as he heads 9000 miles away to rural Western Kenya.

This morning, we kissed goodbye at the security gate, both of us teary and somber to be saying goodbye, and yet filled with eager anticipation for all that God has planned over the next 14 days. Erik is headed to Nyangina, Kenya, near Lake Victoria in the Nyanza province. He will be joining a small team of four through Engineering Ministries International, and together they will be designing irrigation systems for two demonstration farms. Western Kenya has severe rainy seasons followed by seasons of drought, and little technology to be able to use the water they do have in productive means. Erik and his team will be designing simple irrigation that will hopefully enable the farmers in these poor villages to more efficiently and reliably produce crops. They are partnering with local ministries, sleeping in mud huts, and sharing the Gospel as they attempt to meet a very real need for communities that do not have reliable food production.

A couple of weeks ago, he and I sat down and together mapped out "prayer lists" to focus our prayer time... his is with him, but I wanted to share with you some of the things on my list. Our lists were much the same, although Erik's was more detailed in terms of engineering tasks and goals. What is heaviest on both of our hearts is that we desire for this project to truly, sustainably improve the quality of life for the people living in the villages. We want the trip and the sacrifices of those who have supported us to be "worth it." We also deeply want the Lord to refine our motives as a couple so that we are serving Him whole-heartedly and only for His glory.

Please pray with us that:

- the scope and goals of the project would be clear and feasible and that the team would be well-equipped to complete it.

-that they would work to God's glory and that the villagers would see God's love clearly through them

-that the project would deeply impact the lives of the villagers both physically and spiritually

- that the team would be united and work well together, and that their bodies would be fit and healthy in order to work hard and meet whatever needs arise

-that Erik's heart would be broken for God's people as it has never been before, that he would see people as God sees them

- that out of that brokenness a fire would ignite in his heart - a fresh zeal, a new passion to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and that his passion would grow and carry our family anywhere in the world He wants us to go. I pray fervently that this would be the beginning of lifetime of service for our family- not a one-time event.

Pray, too, for the girls and I, that I would consistent, faithful and intentional as I parent alone for two weeks, and that I would not grow weary.

Thanks for partnering with us! Erik will arrive in London in the wee hours of the morning, then fly on to Nairobi after a nine hour layover there. He won't actually set foot in Kenya until Saturday morning Nairobi time.

I miss him already, but I am thankful to entrust him to God's care as he goes.

The Photos to Go With the Stories

I managed to get a few pictures uploaded... the ones of Erik, Forrest, Michelle, and my two cousins jumping off the dock into the Williamette did not turn out... I didn't realize that afternoon light was waning so much and they are very dark. But here is:


The Wachob family


Amy, Forrest and Ephraim

Elisa sliding down the dune

Elisa discovering her stocking

A cousin hug


Michelle and Elisa at the beach in Pacific City

A fire in the snow on New Year's Day

A Bubble Bath for two

Pregnant mama at 32 weeks. 8 weeks left to grow!

Christmas in Oregon... A New Year in Wyoming

We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas at my mom's house in Oregon... a plunge into the Williamette for the very brave (not this mama), a trip to the coast, a tour of George Fox to show Erik my old dorms, apartments, and classrooms :), a game of pregnant Twister (I beat Amy, but the real competition was who had more contractions following the game. I'm not sure who won that one!), and lots of good food and relaxing.

Michelle drove home with us, and stayed a few days to see friends. It was wonderful to have her here again... the girls love it.

My sweet neighbor delivered her twin girls Adelyn and Anabel two days before Christmas, and we got to see them briefly as we drove out of town that night. Now we see their lights shining brightly at all hours next door as a reminder to pray for this godly family as they adjust to having three children under 18 months. We are so excited for them!

Erik and I headed to bed at about 9:30 on New Year's Eve. We laughed about an East Coast New Year celebration, but I think we were a little shy of hitting that mark. We spent New Year's Day cross-country skiing in the national forest. I am enjoying that gentle exercise, but it is amazing how much I seem to use my abdominal muscles, especially going downhill. I am a bit off-balance, so I think I tense my core and then feel it in steady Braxton-Hicks for a couple of days. :)

Speaking of the bulge in my belly... we are continually thankful for how well this pregnancy is going. Baby is growing (still measuring just 2 cm behind where I should be). I am trying to upload photos both of our trip and of my tummy, but I am struggling, so you will have to wait! Amy had my mom take a side by side shot of us with bare stomachs, so that may be appearing on her blog soon.

We are excited for all this New Year holds... January seems bursting with events as we celebrate two birthdays and then send Erik off to Kenya on the 28th. More to come on the details of his trip later! We feel immensely blessed, and also challenged to more... I love taking time to search my heart and evaluate the choices we are making as a family, goal-setting, planning... Erik and I are definitely nerds in that regard, but I never feel closer to my hubby than when we sit down and evaluate our lives to see where we can grow and change and seek the Lord more. May this New Year offer those opportunities to you, as well!