Kenya

We had a wonderful time at our meeting in Kenya. First, the weather was amazing. When we were in Burkina Faso last year it was incredibly HOT and I promised myself I would never complain about being cold again. Now, I don't like cold weather... at all. I'd rather be in a hot climate... but when it's sooooo hot, you make promises that you intend to keep. The retreat center we were at in Kenya is in the mountains. So while the weather off the mountain is  decent (70s-80s) on the mountain it's much cooler (60s-70s). It was funny at night. There are no heaters so we slept bundled up and had to wrap Chandler up too! During the day it was nice to wear a jacket for once in Africa!

We spent most of our time in meetings that focused on refreshing us. We talked about having a passion for our ministry and the people around us. We had other meetings that talked about ways to help our ministry. One of the organizations that can come alongside and help us is Baptist Global Response (you should check them out!). It's great to trade ideas with others in ministry and hear stories of how the Lord is working around West Africa and the world.

We had one day off and we decided to take a taxi into Nairobi. We went to the mall. This was an exciting day, since there aren't any malls in Benin. There's like 10 in Nairobi. We ate lunch at a restaurant comparable to Panera Bread. We walked into this 3 story mall and found a touch screen map. We were astonished. Trey went and saw a movie in the nice movie theater (the new Superman movie) with another friend and me and a friend went shopping at the Maasai artisan market that sets up in the parking garage. My best purchase from the day is a Christmas ornament made of banana leaves of Santa riding a camel. Awesome. We ended the day at a Brazilian steak house that serves "exotic" meats. Due to newer laws in Kenya, they are no longer allowed to serve zebra, giraffe, and things like that. However, we ate lots of beef, chicken, lamb, sausages, pork, etc. It was all you can eat and absolutely delicious. We really enjoyed our trip to Kenya, but were thankful to get back home and get our house set up!

Chandler Renee - 4 months

Every month that I sit down to write these blogs, it's hard to think back to the beginning of the month and see how much has changed. She celebrated her daddy on Father's day by giving him some Dunkin' Donuts coffee! Quickly becoming a running theme in Chandler's life is adventure. She is already a world traveler, with 2 visas in her passport at just 4 months old! This month she traveled to Kenya and went on a Safari! Not many American babies can say they've been held by a Maasai person in Kenya, or that her cries called the lions to us. She also attended her very first VBS! She's advanced :) A volunteer team from Oklahoma came to do VBS for the kids while the parents attended the meetings. She did a great job staying in the nursery all day and playing with the other babies.

Chandler continues to change daily! This month she started to laugh more. She also does a better job with her hands and reaching out and grabbing for things. She really enjoys playing with her feet and doing her best to get them in her mouth. We think she'll be quite the talker, since she talks most of the day as it is. And the day before she turned 4 months she decided to roll from her back to her front several times... she hasn't done it since that day, though :)

I decided to do my own measurements, since she wouldn't have a 4 month "official" check up. She's now 24.5" long, 14 pounds 8 ounces, and her head is 17.25" around.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Lessons Learned on Safari: The Body

We recently took a trip to Kenya for a meeting with others in our area. We decided to add a safari onto the end of our trip. I mean, when in Rome, right?! We took game drives in the morning and evenings. During the evening game drives we noticed many different species of animals gathering together to eat in an open grassy field. We asked our guide about it and he said that they gather together to protect each other from the predators. He explained how each species is good at something. One has a good sense of smell, the other good vision, the other can make a loud warning sign, and some can sense movement through their feet. As we sat there and watched, it became a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ.

"For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, 'Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, 'Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,' it is not for this reason any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired."

1 Corinthians 12:14-18

We are each given specific gifts for the purpose of creating one body. God provided us with this visual while we were on the safari. It could not have been a more perfect moment. His Creation so perfectly displayed how we as a church work together to encourage each other, support each other, teach, preach, and share the Gospel among the nations. Praise God that we are not expected to do everything, but we can work together to get the job done.