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.