An amazing time in Kenya!

I wanted to thank all of you who prayed so much for us on our most recent trip to Kenya. Tyler and I had an amazing time on this journey! I always say it is one of the most difficult things to do but the most rewarding!

We had awesome grace on this trip and many blessings. The flights all came together just fine and we made it to Nairobi without a hitch. With a few hours of sleep on the plane (actually missed the Sahara desert this time) it was a joy to see our friends waiting for us at the airport. We took off into the streets of Nairobi and were made aware very quickly we are not in the West anymore! Besides driving on the "wrong" side of the road, we aren't even really sure where the road is! People scurrying all over, including right in front of the van, and lots of sounds, smells and sights to take in all at once. We stayed in a very nice "Kenyan" hotel the first night, which actually had a hot shower and breakfast for us! A very nice way to transition! The next day we took off across the Rift Valley toward our destination in Western Kenya with the Gussi people.

The drive in the valley (desert) is really rough and takes its toll on us road weary folks! Think of the worst road here in the US and take it further than that...and for many many miles...then you get the idea. We arrived in Kisii just fine later int he afternoon and made a few stops. And then headed out to the village of Sengera where the host family of Kennedy Mangara lives and where we will stay for the next week. It is fun to be greeted by everyone waiting for us there and all the children!!!

The next days are filled with a trip back into Kisii and then to Tabaka where they make the soapstone carvings. We have a church service most evenings at the compound where we are staying. Sunday is when all the churches connected to this network of churches come to the compound for a combined service. It is awesome to see the various choirs perform their worship dances and songs! Neil Thielke from our group speaks at each service.

We also start in on the big job of interviewing the 81 orphans and their caregivers for the ROCK project (Reach Out to Children of Kenya). We had an excellent team this year that kicked right in! Thank you Phil, Marci and Laura! We were able to have three interview stations most times going so we accomplished a big task in good time!

On Monday we began visiting the churches themselves and leading services each day. The only hitch I can even think of was one day of getting stuck in the mud and we all had to get out and help push! (Did I mention that the roads in the highlands of Kisiiland are even worse than the Rift Valley? Especially after the deluge of rain everyday!)

We saw God do some amazing things through prayer! No matter what your theological persuasion is it was amazing to see God dealing with such deep issues! We saw God healing and deliviering people from all sorts of issues! The commrodory on the team was incredible as we saught God for each need and He led us to pray for just the thing He had for them! By the end of the week the Spirit of freedom was incredible! To see people released from their pain, fears and strongholds and worshiping God freely was worth the entire trip! We truly have an awesome God!

I know I can go on and on about the things we did and saw on this trip but I will leave this to our times together and maybe future posts as the impact settles into my mind.

Thank you again for all your support and please remember to pray for the people of Kenya and Kisii!

Rick and Tyler are off to Kenya!

Yeah! After 3 years, a back surgery and other obligations we are returning to Kenya this year!

I am extremely excited to return and see our friends and Christian family in Kisii, Kenya. This year Tyler will be accompanying me on the trip as Torrey is busy with a heavy PSEO school load. We will be leaving on March 10th and return on the 20th , a bit shorter this year. Just as a reminder, this region is where the AIDS orphans live that we support through the Outfitters ministry we are connected to. Supporters give an amount each month so that Kenyan church members can keep the kids rather than sending them to orphanages. There are about 7 different churches in Kisii that participate in this outreach. We will be visiting each church and getting to share with them in many ways.
This year I will be spearheading the interviews of each and every one of the orphans we support (which now numbers 81). This includes 20 refugee kids who the churches have taken in due to the political unrest last year. We will be ensuring that all the kid’s needs are being addressed. We will be looking for physical well being, Spiritual growth and other signs that they are being well taken care of. This can be a very confusing thing to accomplish as things as simple as making sure we have the “right” child is made more difficult by the entirely different way they use personal names in Kenya. Please pray we can accomplish this without too much stress on the leaders or families.
We really do look forward to seeing the kids again and spending time with the churches there. As with other trips like this I have taken, I am sure we will be blessed way beyond what we will be able to give them, but maybe in some small way we can bring something that will minister to them as well.
We would appreciate your prayers and thoughts as we prepare for this awesome trip. We are actually way ahead of where we were the last time we took this trip as we have our shots, passports and are gathering all the other items we need. I have learned that I don’t need quite as much as I brought last time!
If God does lead you to participate with us we really do ask for your prayers first and foremost. I have told many of you before that when I have taken trips like this a person can really tell that others are praying for them. If you feel you would like to participate financially I would ask you to consider helping the Worldwide Hope Fund, which is investing in this ministry and other similar outreaches to the needy and also difficult to reach young people. Checks can be sent to Worldwide Hope Fund, c/o Outfitters for Adventure, 511 E 4th Street, Morris, MN 56267.

We pray God will bless you as you remember us!

Rick and Tyler