8 days later

Well, we have made it through a week and a day of language school. Since we are still here and our brains have not exploded, I'm gonna call it a success. I joke with Tim that school appears to be making me dumber. The other night he had to explain to me why when it is light here it is dark in the US. I guess new Swahili words are just taking up too much space in the brain.

A typical day for us is to eat breakfast and begin class at 8:30 a.m. We have a wonderful teacher named Godson and there are only two other people in our class. One girl is from Italy and the other is from Sweden. Both work for NGOs or non-for-profit type organizations here in Tanzania. We are learning a lot of grammar as well as vocabulary. Some days it feels as though we are back in grade school learning language rules, changing sentences from positive to negative, changing statements into questions, etc. We take tea from 10-10:30a.m and then we are back in class until 12:30 p.m. when we break for lunch. In the afternoon we have class from 2-4 p.m. We usually only learn new things in the mornings and in the afternoons we play games using things we have learned that day or on previous days.

The place we are staying at is very nice. We have a little cottage all to ourselves. It has 2 beds and a bathroom complete with a hot shower. It is a bit rustic as we have shared our bathroom with geckos and have killed a lot of crickets. It is beautiful here and the nature that we are surrounded by is very loud! All night we can hear crickets, frogs, birds, and monkeys. Despite all those things, we are getting our much needed rest. The food is delicious and plentiful, but there are days where I would just love a cheeseburger or a pizza. We can have all those things when we get back to Nairobi so until then we wait. And eat rice. And yummy fruit.

We leave here on April 7 and return to Kenya by bus. The bus ride here was nice and it allowed us to see a part of Kenya we had never seen before. Tanzania is beautiful. It is very green and lush. We are located near Mt. Meru and Arusha National Park. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Kilimanjaro from here, but sadly we have yet to see it.

In the picture (which Tim took, doesn't he do a great job?!) You can see Mt. Meru and a giraffe. This was taken while we were on a walking safari. It was so incredible as we were able to get super close to giraffes and water buffalo.

Once we return to Nairobi, we should move into our apartment and start working. We are so thankful to be here. Although there were some days for me especially that were a little rough, we have never questioned our desire to be here. We belong here and we love it.

Until next time, tutaonana baadye!! (See you later!)

So it begins

I am not even sure where to begin. It has not quite been a week since we arrived and it already feels as though it has been such a long time. Perhaps I should begin with a disclaimer stating that we are doing great! I (this is Alicia writing) have struggled with wanting to be completely transparent on this blog and knowing that some things don't translate well in writing. Hence, the disclaimer.

Leaving St. Louis last Monday morning was without question the hardest thing I have even done. Or so I thought. We said our goodbyes and shed tears, but God gave us such peace throughout all our travels to Nairobi. We rested all day Wednesday and on Thursday we went into the city and to Missions of Hope's main center. Later that night, I had a little bit of a meltdown as reality sank in. It is such an odd feeling to arrive at the airport with no return ticket. I was just not prepared for what that would really feel like. Because our past few weeks in the US had been so hectic I don't think I really had time to think about or mourn all that would be left behind. Or maybe you can't experience that until you are gone, until those things are no longer a part of your day-to-day. Thursday night that all hit me. Like a ton of bricks. It knocked the wind out of me. It ripped at my heart.

Months ago we wrote this blog and on Thursday that became reality. Talking about giving things up, trading in all we know for what we have been called to, surrender, etc. seemed so simple when we talked about them. All along this road to Kenya, God has provided markers that indicate we are going the right way, doing what is best. Thursday night was when I think it was time to really surrender it all. To become fully dependent upon God.

Here we are in Nairobi, a place we so deeply love and know and yet all of the sudden it feels so unfamiliar. We don't know how to drive, get around, use the money, and so on. It felt so overwhelming. I know there is absolutely no reason why we would know these things, but it felt like we should.

That night as lay in bed, I wept. I cried out to God from the depths of my soul. I ached for my family, for the known. Tim was so wonderful and God was so kind and gracious. In training we learned about mourning the losses and I think my time had come to do just that. The saying goes that the deeper you love the harder the goodbyes. I can say without hesitation that I have loved and been loved deeply.

During the next fews days I memorized Zephaniah 3:17 which says:

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a might savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful song.

AND

2 Corinthians 9:8: And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need you will abound in every good work.

I have repeated those verses over and over again. God is sufficient. He loves me. He will calm my fears. He has called me to this place and planted a deep love for Kenya in my heart. He has equipt me with all I need. He has also given me such amazing people to love and who love me back. That means leaving them just stinks. But my life is lived so that Christ may be shared and God may be glorified.

I have prayed so many times throughout the years to be like Jesus. Most times I actually meant it. Turns out that is harder than I thought. I can imagine nothing more beautiful than giving my life fully to Christ and allowing God to direct my steps, trusting him for everything, but in that beauty there is pain. There are choices that must continually be made. I love that God is allowing me to experience this so that I may trust Him. I love that He doesn't just allow us to be part of doing His work on Earth, but he beckons us. He pursues us. He provides reminders and joys and challenges and opportunities for growth. He draws us near. He doesn't need us in Kenya, but He wants us here. Wants us to experience bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth. For that I am so grateful. Even through the river of tears, I am so happy to be here. I am continuing to fall more deeply in love with Jesus. And with Tim ;)

In the midst of the unknown, they are constant.

Thanks so much for all you prayers. We knew you were praying for us. We felt it. Words will never be able to fully express our gratitude. Thanks for reading and letting me share my heart. We love it here and can't wait to see what lies ahead.

Birthday

Today I turn 34. This seems weird to me as I don't feel like what I think 34 should feel like. We don't make a huge deal out of birthdays. Sometimes there is cake, or dinner, or it's a nice excuse to take a weekend trip, but overall not a huge deal. Today I have spent my day in Colorado learning about language acquisition and learning a little Vietnamese. I have received so many kind words and well wishes which have caused my heart to swell a bit today, but it has been a different birthday for sure. Because of this I have thought a lot today about what it means to be born, to celebrate a day of birth, another year.

All around us we are surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery ever. The Rockies are majestic and breathtaking. I love the walks we take each day, breathing in fresh air, taking in all that surrounds us. We cannot help but be reminded of God as Creator. His hands so carefully carved the mountains, dug out the oceans, placed the moon, sun, and stars in the appropriate places. And so much more. These hands also knit me together in my mother's womb (see Psalm 139:13). In the secret place, before my parent's even knew I was, God was carefully creating me. And he didn't just Make me, he created me in HIS image and breathed His breath into my life.

I like to think as He was doing this so carefully, so intricately that He was thinking over my life. He saw the day I would arrive in the world. He saw my first steps, my first words, my first scrapes and bruises. He saw the day I would accept his Son as my Saviour, the day He would again breath life into me in the form of his Spirit. He saw mistakes made, lessons learned, challenges overcome. He knew all the things He would use to make me who He created me to be. I like to think He saw Tim as my husband and the day we walked down the aisle and commuted both to each other and also to Him. He saw times in my life where I would make choices that would lead to a lot of hurting. He knew ways he could use that hurt to help others who were hurting. I like to think He gave me a tender heart and in that heart he placed a spot for Africa and more specifically for Kenya. I love to think of him picturing the day I would step off a plane in Uganda and He would reveal this spot in my heart that I was so unaware of. He saw me coming back and sharing this passion and longing with Tim and knew that in just a few short months He would reveal the same soft spot for Kenya in Tim's heart as well. He saw the day we would commit ourselves fully to spreading the name and love of Jesus to the nations. He saw/sees all the days that followed the commitment.

As we continue out into the unknown, He knows. He sees. It is so comforting to think that as He was creating me, He sees what comes next.

Our Logo

It is safe to say that we are living in transition.  As we inch our way closer to a departure date, we find ourselves living more and more in the "in-between."  As you can probably imagine this is not an easy place to dwell.  We are not fully here and we are not fully there either.  At times we have joked that support raising is not for the faint of heart.  It ebbs and flows. It is full of blessing and surprises as well as challenges and frustrations.  Adding to that is this feeling that you have nowhere that you really belong anymore because everything is changing.  At the same time, we feel assured of what we are being called to.  Cross-cultural ministry in the slums is where we need to be.  Where we long to be. 

As we get closer to leaving, we have both had to say good-bye to many things that we love, things that have held huge places within our lives.  Lately, I have been thinking about the logos or labels we wear.  There are so many things we adorn ourselves with, things we identify strongly with.  We have begun to strip ourselves of these things over the past year.  We now find ourselves wearing almost no labels.  Tim has worn the SHG logo as student, football player, and coach for years. His football days will be over within the next few weeks.  He has wore the Upward shirt, but that is no longer a role he will fill.  We have both worn Fusion (WS High School ministry) clothing, we no longer have active roles in that ministry.  I have worked at TASC for over 11 years.  It was my first job out of college.  On December 15, I will no longer be an employee. So what is left?  We continue to be son, daughter, sister, brother, auntie, uncle, friend; however, these roles are also changing.  Most importantly the label we have left is Child of God, Follower of Christ. 

Today as I thought about the season of life we are in and the challenges it has brought, I began to let go of the frustrations. The confusion. The control.  I was reminded that never in our lives have we been given the opportunity to strip away all of our labels and to identify ourselves simply as God's children, His beloved, His Disciples.  Nothing else.  That is so beautiful to me. 

This time in our lives has been so much about faith.  Philip Yancey says "I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse."  This makes so much sense to us right now.  Last night as we were praying through some struggles, we talked about how we feel like we are Peter walking on the water (see Matt 14:23-25).  Sometimes we have moved through this process focused completely on Christ.  Our eyes our locked in with His and we fearlessly walk towards him.  But then we hear the wind.  It comes is the form of rejection, disappointment, frustration, sadness, loss of control.  We take our eyes off Christ and we sink. Deeper into those feelings.  However, as soon as we again fix our eyes upon Jesus, we take steps into the unknown, into the deep with ease and confidence.  As we continue support raising, awaiting a departure date, we continue to walk toward Jesus.  He controls the winds and the waves. He calms storms. He calms our hearts.  He can be trusted. 

We have no idea how this all works out.  He does.  We rest in that.  In the midst of the ebb and flow, of the blowing wind, we thank Him for a season of life where we are fully dependent upon Him.  Where His logo is the only one we put on. 

Our Needs

A previous blog gave a brief explanation of support raising.  Now we will go into more detail about our role while serving in Nairobi, our need to get to Kenya, and ways you can be a part of this with us. 

OUR ROLE

Click the link above to get a more detailed idea of what we will be doing while in Nairobi. 

Alicia will be working directly within the child sponsorship program, Hope Partnership.  She will also be able to use her skills as a social worker to provide counseling and other related services to children and their familes.

Tim will be using his ministry skills to incorporate evangelism and discipleship into the microfinance program. He will also be focusing on spiritual development while working alongside local pastors serving at Missions of Hope’s several churches.

We have made an initial 5 -year commitment to serve with CMF in Nairobi.  At the conclusion of this term, we will evaluate to determine if we will remain in Nairobi or serve in another way.

OUR NEED

We are certain God is going to use us in some incredible ways, but we need your partnership to make this possible.  One way would be financially.  We need people to partner will us monthly.  Our monthly budget is $7637. We have currently raised 71% of this budget.  Our remaining balance is $2300 per month!   This number includes housing, ministry and outreach funds, transportation, health insurance and salary.  We are seeking individuals who are willing to include this ministry into their monthly budget.  No amount is too small, or too great!  Without monthly supporters, we cannot sustain our ministry in Nairobi.  This partnership is not only a vital one, but is currently our biggest need.

We are also seeking people who are willing to partner with us through special gifts.  We have a
one-time outgoing budget of $37,364. We currently have 46% of this budget raised.
Our remaining balance is $20,000.  This figure includes training, airline tickets, purchasing of a vehicle and necessary household items.  These gifts are no less important and must also be received in order to depart for the field.

HOW YOU CAN PLAY A ROLE

Obviously, financial support is critical for us.  If you want to partner with us financially, we have several ways you can do that:

You can give online by going to:  https://p2p.paperlesstrans.com/default.aspx?i=cmfms&c3=STEWART+Tim+and+Alicia&c4=400100 

 This will allow you to securely give a special gift or a recurring transaction. 

Or if you prefer non-online giving, please email us at thestewarts08@gmail.com and provide us with your mailing address and we will send you all necessary info.

ALL GIFTS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.

Another way you can partner with us is through prayer.  We are seeking individuals, families, small groups, etc. to commit to praying for us one day per week. We will commit to praying for you on that day as well.  We will regularly update our prayers needs and would love for you to do the same. 
To partner with us in this way, please email us at thestewarts08@gmail.com.

We have also been giving presentations talking about our call to missions and explaining in more depth our roles while in Nairobi.  If you would like to attend one of these informal meetings, please email us and we will make sure you are invited to one of these presentations.

We recognize we are fully dependent upon God and upon others to return to Nairobi to serve the poor.  Without financial support, we cannot go to the field.  Without the prayers and encouragement of others believers, we cannot effectively minister to those in need.  We are so exited about what God is doing in our lives, and we are exited about the many ways that you make it possible.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

Our Role

A few weeks ago, Wallace and Mary Kamau travelled from Kenya to visit West Side Christian Church.  The Kamuas are the Directors/Founders of Missions of Hope International (MOHi), the ministry we have worked with in the past and will serve with when we move to Nairobi.  We were able to spend a great deal of time with them and that time helped to further define our roles in the ministry.

Tim will using his ministry skills to incorporate evangelism and discipleship by working within the Spiritual Life Department at MOHi.  Missions of Hope currently has planted 6 churches.  A church plant begins as a Bible study at one of the schools and continues to grow into an active church.  Two new studies have started and will soon become churches.  Tim will work alongside recently ordained Kenyan pastors by assisting them as they grow thriving churches.  They will be working together to create and implement a discipleship plan for new members of the churches, helping them grow and become consistent in their faith.  He will also be working to build relationships within the micro-finance groups, helping to incorporate evangelism into these groups and to connect them to their local church.  He will also be using his passion and skills in photography to help communicate the story of Missions of Hope, showing the transformation from the valley of darkness into the Mountain of God.

Alicia will help coordinate the child sponsorship program, Hope Partnership.  There are currently over 6,300 student enrolled in the 13 schools operated by MOHi.  The Hope Partnership provides educational opportunities  to the neediest children living within the Mathare Valley slums.  In addition to education, students also receive a school uniform, two meals per day, basic health care, and a focus on spiritual development.  The educational opportunities for children in the slums are lacking.  In the past, fewer that 5% of students from the slums were able to pass the national exam which is required for entry into high school.  The two classes of students at MOHi that have taken the exam have passed at a rate of 100% !!  Praise God for the opportunity these children are receiving at Missions of Hope thanks to the thousands of sponsors.  The staff at Missions of Hope are praying that over 10,000 students will be enrolled in one of the schools by the end of the year 2012.  Alicia will work to gather profiles for the children, facilitate communication between the child and their sponsor, and maintain all sponsorship information.  She will also be able to use her skills as a social worker to provide counseling for students and their families.

It is safe to say we will be VERY busy once we arrive in Nairobi.  We are very eager to assume these roles and our so thankful that God has provided ways for us to use our passions, skills, and talents to serve those living in poverty within the Mathare Valley slums.

Support Raising

It seems like we have mentioned support raising many times in previous blogs with the promise to explain in further, but we have never really explained it!   So now is our chance to do that.
Within many missions organizations and other outreach or non-for-profit agencies money to operate must be raised from outside sources.  Christian Missionary Fellowship International (http://www.cmfi.org/) or CMF is an organization that depends upon outside donors to operate.  As affiliated missionaries with CMF we are responsible to reach out to others in order to raise the funds necessary to serve as international missionaries to Kenya.  Most of the time, funds are given through individuals, groups, and churches.
As you can imagine this is no small task.  We have been working for a few months now to contact families and churches to share with them the vision God has given us. We work to effectively communicate our desire and our call to be missionaries to Kenya as well as to share the need for us to serve the poor in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.  We then ask for others to be a part of what God is doing through us by partnering with us in prayer and financial support.  This is probably one of the  most humbling experiences we have ever had. It is also one of the most rewarding.  
Probably the coolest thing about support raising for us is getting to see God at work through others.  We can absolutely not move to Kenya and minister to those in need without others giving to us and praying for us.  We have to totally depend upon God to prompt others to partner with us and we have to trust that others will be sensitive to this prompting. 
Another fantastic thing about support raising is that everyone who partners with us is a part of what happens in Kenya.  When you read stories about what God is doing there and how he has used us to share the love of Christ with others, our partners are just as much a part of that as we are.  Our stories become their stories.  I love this.  Not everyone is called to move to another country and be a missionary, but everyone is called to share the love of Christ with others everywhere.  Supporting missionaries is one way to do that. 
A great way.A life-changing, world-impacting way. 
Our next blog will explain more of how someone can partner with us.  We will outline our need and what funds are used for.  Our need is great, but our God is greater.