It is getting late and I should be getting to bed because I have a super long day of exciting paperwork tomorrow; however, it has been an great day and I have some thoughts just running through my head so I thought I would write them out.
I work with a great lady at the juvenile center and ever since I told her about our summer in Africa she has been so excited for us. We have had some great conversations about Christ, missions, our jobs, and trying to figure out this life we've been given. She has been telling so many people about our trip and directing them to our blog. (Thank you Sharon!) One day she joked that she was more excited about us going to Africa. She is for sure as excited as we are. One day I thanked her for her encouragement and she said No thank you for going. You and your husband are doing what we are supposed to be doing. I knew that in my heart but to hear someone else say it really took on another meaning. I dont say this to boast in any way at all Tim and I are just trying to be faithful to what God wants for us whatever that might be. I have to be honest though the joy I felt in that moment was just incredible. We have been so excited about going to Africa that it doesnt feel like a duty it just feels like the best opportunity ever. To have someone else so pumped about what God is doing in your life filled me with this feeling I could not describe and then it hit me-this was the joy they are always talking about in the Bible. It was just so fulfilling.
And the joy continues....We sent out support letters last Friday so if you do the math they have been out less than one week and we have already received more than half of what we need to raise by April 18. People have been giving in such a way I am overwhelmed (in a good way not in the usual lose my mind sort of way). Today as Tim and I were talking about what we had been given in the past 2 days alone we were once again just flooded with this joy.
If we dont say it enough we are so excited to serve in Africa this summer and we are so thankful for those of you who have already supported us financially. We still have a long way to go, but we know that our God is going to provide. In fact He knew exactly who and where all this money was going to come from even before we decided to go to Kenya. Wow-there is that joy again! Most importantly, we want to thank you for your prayers up to this point and to thank you in advance for the prayers you will continue to pray. Our God is doing some great things.
I should go to bed now this was longer than expected. Again thanks for your prayers for Kenya. We are so excited that a peace agreement has been signed and now healing can begin.
Much love to you all
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
PEACE
Just a few minutes ago we got an email from CMF letting us know that a peace agreement has apparently been reached!! That is some very exciting news and such an answer to so many prayers. Here is a link with the whole story:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/28/kenya
Yea for peace!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/28/kenya
Yea for peace!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Support
In a few of these blogs we have written about support. It occurred to us that maybe it would be a good idea to write about this. As one would expect for us to go to Africa this summer it will cost some major money- approximately $11,000. This includes airfare, room and board, meals, and medical expenses. Not included in this cost are other expenses that will be accrued while on the internship and in preparation for the trip. This is a large amount of money and so we have to raise the money to go. We trust God to provide this money through family, friends, co-workers, churches, even strangers.
The great thing about raising support for us is that we get to watch God in action. He uses the people that we care about to bless us richly. The great thing for those who support us is that they are a part of what we are doing in Africa. Even though they may not be physically in Africa with us they are a vital part of what we will be doing this summer. This is true for those who support us financially and also for those who support us in prayer. When you pray for us or send a donation you are not giving to us, but you are contributing to God’s Kingdom. That is a pretty cool thing. This summer when you read about things that are happening in Kenya and see pictures of who we are meeting and what we are doing, please know you are just as much a part of it as we are.
If you are reading this and you didn’t get a letter and you would like to be a part of this whether it be financially or most importantly prayer (or both) please shoot us an email at thestewarts08@gmail.com We would love to get you some info about how you can be a part of this great experience.
Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. Philippians 4:17
The great thing about raising support for us is that we get to watch God in action. He uses the people that we care about to bless us richly. The great thing for those who support us is that they are a part of what we are doing in Africa. Even though they may not be physically in Africa with us they are a vital part of what we will be doing this summer. This is true for those who support us financially and also for those who support us in prayer. When you pray for us or send a donation you are not giving to us, but you are contributing to God’s Kingdom. That is a pretty cool thing. This summer when you read about things that are happening in Kenya and see pictures of who we are meeting and what we are doing, please know you are just as much a part of it as we are.
If you are reading this and you didn’t get a letter and you would like to be a part of this whether it be financially or most importantly prayer (or both) please shoot us an email at thestewarts08@gmail.com We would love to get you some info about how you can be a part of this great experience.
Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. Philippians 4:17
Monday, February 18, 2008
GOD is...
GOD is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house.
GOD is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a disease that will end both their lives.
GOD is in the cries heard under the rubble of war.
GOD is in the debris of wasted opportunities and lives, and
GOD is with is if we are with them.
-Bono
GOD is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a disease that will end both their lives.
GOD is in the cries heard under the rubble of war.
GOD is in the debris of wasted opportunities and lives, and
GOD is with is if we are with them.
-Bono
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Who knew.....
So when we got our first batch of info from CMF Tim and I were looking through it and when we came to the vaccination info we were very suprised to discover we needed a rabies pre-exposure vaccination. Needless to say, this caused us to laugh VERY hard. Some of you may remember when Tim and I first got married we lived in the third floor of his parent's house and one night we were "attacked" by a bat.
Here the short version (I hope) one night in the middle of the night we were walking down the hallway toward the bathroom when something flew out and landed on Tim's shoulder. He flung his shoulder forward and the thing flew into my hair. We ran into the bathroom where we found ourselves trapped as this thing was flying crazily about. We figure out it is a bat and when it lands on the wall away from the door Tim yells at me that we have run out of the bathroom NOW! I am paralyzed by fear and say I cant and he lovingly tells me that if we were in the army they would leave me. So under much hesitation I cover my head in towels and run for my life. We narrowly escape the bat.
The next day I call animal control to see what they think and apparently this is an emergency and what we should have done was call the sheriff's department at 3 a.m. to come and rescue us. So they come to get the bat and the can't find it so it is now somewhere hiding in our living space. Nice!!!
Since Tim got scratched and the nasty thing was in my hair they suggested we go get the rabies vaccination. So we go and get it and you must go to the ER which you know is going to be an experience. So we go and find out that on night one Tim gets 7 shots and I need 3. Then you have to get shots 3,7,14, and 21 days after the first one. I felt like someones pet dog!
It was quite the ordeal and provided a lot of humor for everyone. I jokingly said this (and many other exeriences in the first few months of our marriage) were preparing us for missions. Who knew I was right!!
So Tim and I can rest assurred that we can be bitten by any rabid beast in Africa and we are safely vaccinated from rabies.
Here the short version (I hope) one night in the middle of the night we were walking down the hallway toward the bathroom when something flew out and landed on Tim's shoulder. He flung his shoulder forward and the thing flew into my hair. We ran into the bathroom where we found ourselves trapped as this thing was flying crazily about. We figure out it is a bat and when it lands on the wall away from the door Tim yells at me that we have run out of the bathroom NOW! I am paralyzed by fear and say I cant and he lovingly tells me that if we were in the army they would leave me. So under much hesitation I cover my head in towels and run for my life. We narrowly escape the bat.
The next day I call animal control to see what they think and apparently this is an emergency and what we should have done was call the sheriff's department at 3 a.m. to come and rescue us. So they come to get the bat and the can't find it so it is now somewhere hiding in our living space. Nice!!!
Since Tim got scratched and the nasty thing was in my hair they suggested we go get the rabies vaccination. So we go and get it and you must go to the ER which you know is going to be an experience. So we go and find out that on night one Tim gets 7 shots and I need 3. Then you have to get shots 3,7,14, and 21 days after the first one. I felt like someones pet dog!
It was quite the ordeal and provided a lot of humor for everyone. I jokingly said this (and many other exeriences in the first few months of our marriage) were preparing us for missions. Who knew I was right!!
So Tim and I can rest assurred that we can be bitten by any rabid beast in Africa and we are safely vaccinated from rabies.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Email from Africa
The following email is from a friend who lives in Uganda. Over his Christmas break from school he travelled to Kenya to visit his family. When he returned to Uganda he sent this email to us.
Hello Alicia!
I feel so good to communicate to you again. Thanks for your emails and especially the prayers. I went to Nairobi immediately after my exams and amsafely back to Kampala (Uganda). We traveled under tight security but still,most roads have been blocked. Lovely greetings from my family. They are allfine.
Hope Christmas was a blessing to you. We had fun celebrating the birth ofour savior. Indeed, Jesus is our savior.
My first few days in Nairobi were okay until elections. The electoralcommission delayed to announce the results, so every one was concerned.People suspected something wrong to be going on within the commission.Unfortunately, some of the results presented by the commission weredifferent from those obtained at the polling stations. In fact thecommission failed to justify its errors.
Many people have lost their lives and property. We had to keep indoors allthe time. Refugees in their own country. Others fled to the neighboringcountries. Play grounds are the new homes to many Kenyans. I was touched tosee many of them struggle for a meal at a play ground in my home town(Busia). Due to the limited resources, parents have sold their own daughtersto men, just for survival. Others are working as prostitutes. The situation might be worsening.
We are praying for Kenya. I was encouraged by Psalms 69:32-33, the humblewill see dear God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God's help leave injoy for the lord hears the cries of his needy ones. He doesn't despise hispeople who are oppressed.
I was not able to access the internet during that period. Please send mygreetings to Tim and everyone else. May God give you a rainbow for everystorm, a smile for every tear, a blessing for every trial, a sweet song forevery silence and an answer to every prayer in this New Year.
In Christ,
Phillip.
Hello Alicia!
I feel so good to communicate to you again. Thanks for your emails and especially the prayers. I went to Nairobi immediately after my exams and amsafely back to Kampala (Uganda). We traveled under tight security but still,most roads have been blocked. Lovely greetings from my family. They are allfine.
Hope Christmas was a blessing to you. We had fun celebrating the birth ofour savior. Indeed, Jesus is our savior.
My first few days in Nairobi were okay until elections. The electoralcommission delayed to announce the results, so every one was concerned.People suspected something wrong to be going on within the commission.Unfortunately, some of the results presented by the commission weredifferent from those obtained at the polling stations. In fact thecommission failed to justify its errors.
Many people have lost their lives and property. We had to keep indoors allthe time. Refugees in their own country. Others fled to the neighboringcountries. Play grounds are the new homes to many Kenyans. I was touched tosee many of them struggle for a meal at a play ground in my home town(Busia). Due to the limited resources, parents have sold their own daughtersto men, just for survival. Others are working as prostitutes. The situation might be worsening.
We are praying for Kenya. I was encouraged by Psalms 69:32-33, the humblewill see dear God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God's help leave injoy for the lord hears the cries of his needy ones. He doesn't despise hispeople who are oppressed.
I was not able to access the internet during that period. Please send mygreetings to Tim and everyone else. May God give you a rainbow for everystorm, a smile for every tear, a blessing for every trial, a sweet song forevery silence and an answer to every prayer in this New Year.
In Christ,
Phillip.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Blessings and Prayers......
We just wanted to share a few of the exciting things God is doing as we prepare for Africa.
As you can imagine going to Africa for an entire summer requires a large amount of money. We have not really begun raising support yet but God has already blessed us with some funds toward the trip.
I (alicia) have been at my job for over 7 years and have saved up a great deal of vacation time. I am planning to use all my time for the internship this summer but this does require agency approval. Originally the necessary approval was given and then about one month ago this approval was in jeopardy which raised the question if we had to choose between my job or Africa what would we choose? Without much thought we knew we were going to spend our summer serving in Africa no matter what the cost.
The next Sunday my mom felt like she should say something at church about our trip. After church someone came to my dad and gave him and envelope containing $450. He had been saving this money to buy a new 4-wheeler. He said after he heard what my mom had to say he knew God wanted him to give that money to us as he felt like we needed to go to Africa more than he needed a 4-wheeler. Needless to say when my mom called to tell us the news I was overwhelmed by God's goodness. It was really something that assured us we were where God wanted us to be. A week or so after that my job approved my vacation request.
We would like to ask all of you to join us in praying for Kenya. As many of you know since the December 27 election results were announced there has been a great deal of violence and unrest. Please pray for peace. Please pray that through this difficult time the love of God can be shown to all of those who are hurting in Kenya. Please pray for us as we prepare to go to an area that has been affected by so much violence.
As you can imagine going to Africa for an entire summer requires a large amount of money. We have not really begun raising support yet but God has already blessed us with some funds toward the trip.
I (alicia) have been at my job for over 7 years and have saved up a great deal of vacation time. I am planning to use all my time for the internship this summer but this does require agency approval. Originally the necessary approval was given and then about one month ago this approval was in jeopardy which raised the question if we had to choose between my job or Africa what would we choose? Without much thought we knew we were going to spend our summer serving in Africa no matter what the cost.
The next Sunday my mom felt like she should say something at church about our trip. After church someone came to my dad and gave him and envelope containing $450. He had been saving this money to buy a new 4-wheeler. He said after he heard what my mom had to say he knew God wanted him to give that money to us as he felt like we needed to go to Africa more than he needed a 4-wheeler. Needless to say when my mom called to tell us the news I was overwhelmed by God's goodness. It was really something that assured us we were where God wanted us to be. A week or so after that my job approved my vacation request.
We would like to ask all of you to join us in praying for Kenya. As many of you know since the December 27 election results were announced there has been a great deal of violence and unrest. Please pray for peace. Please pray that through this difficult time the love of God can be shown to all of those who are hurting in Kenya. Please pray for us as we prepare to go to an area that has been affected by so much violence.
If you want to check out the area we are going to please go to adifferentkindofnovember.wordpress.com
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