this is our recent monthly update we send out in emails...
Friends and Family,
Well here we are, here in Nairobi!! We just flew in at 7am here, 10pm Saturday night your time. We’re so excited to be back in Kenya. Once again, the feeling of stepping foot on Kenya soil was like it’s always been. Like its home, and right where I’m supposed to be. We were away much longer than we would have wanted but sometimes our plans aren’t the Lord’s plans…. And I definitely want to be doing the Lord’s plans. The past 6 months have been wonderful and looking back I know that it was God’s perfect timing with us being in the US. Before going back to the states though I couldn’t imagine being away from Kenya, the country that has become home. We booked our tickets for coming back today about 2 weeks ago not knowing if the country would be at peace or not. Two days before we left for Kenya, a peace agreement was made and a new way of running the government was made making things peaceful. Praise the Lord! There is still a lot of repairing and restoration needed for this country that could take years but I believe God can change it in a day if the people of Kenya would turn their hearts toward God. I know it’s been a LONG time since I’ve sent out an update. This is our new chapter in our life so I thought this would be the best time to start back up. We’ll be sending out these once a month.
I wrote the following two paragraphs about a month ago…
One thing the Lords been really talking to me about is to not look for signs that it’s safe in Kenya so we can go back. With having a new baby and a new little family, my thoughts have been so wrapped up in them and being safe which I found is TOTALLY ok and I have every right to but then again I realize I don’t! This life is not my own, its Jesus’ and He has put a calling within me to be a momma not only to Elisha but to many more children in Africa and seeing that its safe before going back to Kenya is no longer a priority. My only concern is that Jesus has called us to it. Just as when Moses went to battle he told the Lord he absolutely would not go unless His Spirit went before him, that’s also my cry out to the Lord. Now when I hear about the horror stories happening in Kenya, my heart cries out “perfect time to go back! Get me on the next plane!” Anytime I would pray for Kitale before all the horrible stuff started happening in Kenya I would always pray for restoration. Now is the time for restoration than ever before. The biggest cry resonating within me when praying over Kitale is for the children. It seems the children always suffer the most in the end. There’s a book I’m reading right now that I strongly recommend called Be a Hero by Wesley Campbell and Steven Court. It basically talks about battling for our children and it’s a call to be a hero to the “children at risk”. Here is a section of it that should awaken our hearts even more to cry out for children all around the world.
“Children suffer like never before. This is the quiet genocide of our day. This is our modern Auschwitz. This is our generation’s shame. This is a full-blown disaster! More than any other segment of humanity, today’s children are suffering from the vileness of mankind and the neglect and abuse of our families and communities. Numbering in the millions they face some of the most humane conditions ever experienced by anyone- in the sewers of our cities, in the brothels and bars, locked into baking hot shacks in the slums, forced to work, wasting away from curable diseases. And friend, we study it, watch it, report on it, and yet fail to take the necessary action. When 3,000 middle class citizens died tragically in the twin towers of New York city, we saw the power of the free world mobilized- billions of dollars spent on war on terror and flotillas of the best trained armies sent to war. But every day almost 30,000 defenseless, vulnerable children die from preventable diseases and hunger and we, the citizens of the world, don’t get mad enough to stop it. Please note the word preventable. Be a hero is mobilizing an army to make the difference. Do you want to join? You, my friend, are called to follow Christ, to do His stuff. God rescues the weak from those too strong for them and the poor and needy from those who rob them. Pure religion is to look after the fatherless and the widows in their affliction.”
We continue walking out the vision that has been put in our hearts to take action for the justice of children. Currently we’re still in the construction process of the Mattaw Children’s Village. Within the past 6 months we have officially shifted under the Imagine Network. You can go to imgainenetwork.org, it’s going through construction though so if you don’t find it, a new constructed website is coming. I think it was a little over two years ago when this connection happened. Lauren Caldwell (she’s on the board and came to kitale for 2 months with her family last year) and Blenda Aycock went to Saddleback church in California to an aids conference. This was one of those moments you know God is all up in it. Blenda was standing under a tent getting a drink and looks over and sees a man wearing a fleece with a Kenya logo on it. She says “hmm that’s interesting” talks to this man (David Chan) for a bit, Lauren walks back from being in the restroom, Blenda connects them to talk, and it all started! Five people from the Imagine Network came to visit me in Lemoru soon after. That summer they brought a team of 30. David Chan is the mission’s pastor in Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen, TX. They had just begun their Imagine ministry.
When I was 16 years old I felt God saying I would go and rescue children in Africa. While in Lemoru, we cared for 50 children that were once orphaned. Not too long after first being in Lemoru I felt God was saying this was only the beginning, we’d reach thousands. When things got rough in Lemoru and before knowing we were going to move away from there and start a new children’s home, I was on my knees in the middle of my grass hut crying because I felt it so strongly that God was saying “im going to move you from this place, you have to go and follow me where I lead you if you want to rescue more children, thousands of children”. And I said “yes! In my tears and fears.” The only reason I said yes is because I’m a laid down lover of Jesus. It was as if I became pregnant with a vision. Once we moved to Kitale God began to birth this vision. He brought the right people along our pathway. Every person reading this now, you play a part in this! We’re so greatful for you! Whether you’re a part of this prayerfully, financially, offering wisdom, a friendship or whatever, you mean a lot to us. We can not do this alone! One thing I love about the Mattaw Children’s Village is that it doesn’t come from one person; it actually doesn’t belong to anyone. It’s the Lord’s vision, the Lord’s house, the Lord’s children. I learned from being in Lemoru a quote from Corrie Ten Boon “I try to hold on to things loosely so that when God takes it away from me he doesn’t have to pry my fingers off”. As most of you know, I was pregnant and had our first child December 6th. I went to a conference right after we got back in the states, I was about 7 months pregnant. The woman speaking, Heidi Baker, talked about being pregnant with the promises of God and how sometimes it takes awhile to birth them but not to abort them. It spoke directly to me. I realized at that time that God didn’t only impregnate me with a child but a vision and so this year not only did the Huffmans birth their first child but we’re birthing a vision. In Habakuk 2 it say “though it lingers, wait for it”. A lot of the vision of Mattaw has been established, but there’s still much more, more than I realize, and though it sure is lingering at times, we wait for it! Heidi said at the conference “there have been abortions in America because people didn’t want to pay the price just to look a little bit fat, they didn’t want to be inconvenienced so they’d rather just do away with their children. But the body of Christ has also committed spiritual abortion because its hard to carry the promises of God to full term and they’ve said its too difficult, its too long, I m not going to do it.” We want to carry the promises to full term even if it takes 30 years. When we say yes to Jesus, we become totally mis-shaped, stretched and pulled at times. (just like when you’re pregnant) And it can be “inconvenient”. But the outcome is glorious. During my pregnancy with Elisha there were times I felt it had been forever and the end was so far away. My life was no longer my own (not that it was anyways). My clothes changed, sleeping pattern, eating habits, everything changed. I wanted so desperately to hold him but I had to wait and God had to finish developing him completely. I went into labor at 5am on December 6th. I was induced but I was told he would have come that day anyways. There were some very painful times during that day. Pain I hadn’t ever imagined was possible to endure. But when Elisha came out and I held him in my arms the first time and I looked him in the eyes, all the pain, all the stretching and pulling, was so worth it! And that’s where we are with what we’re doing in Kenya. We haven’t gotten to hold the children yet and speak life into them. We have to wait. At times the waiting is painful and surely can be inconvenient- a different culture, different clothes, different language, another people, everything, we’re completely inconvenienced but we’re ready for it and fully walk into it. But it’s worth it because we’re so in love with Jesus. We are willing to let our pride and plans and inconvenience be pushed and moved and changed until we are a laid down lover and give our self completely over to be submerged in the Holy Spirit, that he could use us to bring about his plans, that he could trust us.
When we first went to Kenya, Katalyst ministries came along as a supporter and it was through them that we used to sponsor the children in Lemoru. They’ve been a huge part of this all along and even though we’re shifting from under them to under Imagine, they’re still a huge part of it. Imagine is able to take this on with much room to expand in Kenya and beyond. We’re thrilled for the future partnerships that will form as well. But its not about the name, the denominations, the organization, its about Jesus. Please continue to pray for us. That we would carry the promises of God to full term. That we would continue to yield our self to God so that we follow Him where He is. That God would continue to align us with the people that are to be a part of this vision.
We’re in Nairobi till Wednesday to get a few things done. Wednesday weFINALLY get to go home!!! We’ll be flying directly into Kitale Wednesday morning. I don’t know if you know, our friend Hollie Aycock has traveled back to Kenya with us. She’ll be staying with us for three months in Kitale. We’re so blessed to have her join us and help out with the Mattaw home. Please pray for her when you pray for us as well. Praise God Elisha did wonderful traveling. He slept almost through every plane trip. He does have a little bit of a cold/stopped up nose so pray that will go away soon.
Well here we are, here in Nairobi!! We just flew in at 7am here, 10pm Saturday night your time. We’re so excited to be back in Kenya. Once again, the feeling of stepping foot on Kenya soil was like it’s always been. Like its home, and right where I’m supposed to be. We were away much longer than we would have wanted but sometimes our plans aren’t the Lord’s plans…. And I definitely want to be doing the Lord’s plans. The past 6 months have been wonderful and looking back I know that it was God’s perfect timing with us being in the US. Before going back to the states though I couldn’t imagine being away from Kenya, the country that has become home. We booked our tickets for coming back today about 2 weeks ago not knowing if the country would be at peace or not. Two days before we left for Kenya, a peace agreement was made and a new way of running the government was made making things peaceful. Praise the Lord! There is still a lot of repairing and restoration needed for this country that could take years but I believe God can change it in a day if the people of Kenya would turn their hearts toward God. I know it’s been a LONG time since I’ve sent out an update. This is our new chapter in our life so I thought this would be the best time to start back up. We’ll be sending out these once a month.
I wrote the following two paragraphs about a month ago…
One thing the Lords been really talking to me about is to not look for signs that it’s safe in Kenya so we can go back. With having a new baby and a new little family, my thoughts have been so wrapped up in them and being safe which I found is TOTALLY ok and I have every right to but then again I realize I don’t! This life is not my own, its Jesus’ and He has put a calling within me to be a momma not only to Elisha but to many more children in Africa and seeing that its safe before going back to Kenya is no longer a priority. My only concern is that Jesus has called us to it. Just as when Moses went to battle he told the Lord he absolutely would not go unless His Spirit went before him, that’s also my cry out to the Lord. Now when I hear about the horror stories happening in Kenya, my heart cries out “perfect time to go back! Get me on the next plane!” Anytime I would pray for Kitale before all the horrible stuff started happening in Kenya I would always pray for restoration. Now is the time for restoration than ever before. The biggest cry resonating within me when praying over Kitale is for the children. It seems the children always suffer the most in the end. There’s a book I’m reading right now that I strongly recommend called Be a Hero by Wesley Campbell and Steven Court. It basically talks about battling for our children and it’s a call to be a hero to the “children at risk”. Here is a section of it that should awaken our hearts even more to cry out for children all around the world.
“Children suffer like never before. This is the quiet genocide of our day. This is our modern Auschwitz. This is our generation’s shame. This is a full-blown disaster! More than any other segment of humanity, today’s children are suffering from the vileness of mankind and the neglect and abuse of our families and communities. Numbering in the millions they face some of the most humane conditions ever experienced by anyone- in the sewers of our cities, in the brothels and bars, locked into baking hot shacks in the slums, forced to work, wasting away from curable diseases. And friend, we study it, watch it, report on it, and yet fail to take the necessary action. When 3,000 middle class citizens died tragically in the twin towers of New York city, we saw the power of the free world mobilized- billions of dollars spent on war on terror and flotillas of the best trained armies sent to war. But every day almost 30,000 defenseless, vulnerable children die from preventable diseases and hunger and we, the citizens of the world, don’t get mad enough to stop it. Please note the word preventable. Be a hero is mobilizing an army to make the difference. Do you want to join? You, my friend, are called to follow Christ, to do His stuff. God rescues the weak from those too strong for them and the poor and needy from those who rob them. Pure religion is to look after the fatherless and the widows in their affliction.”
We continue walking out the vision that has been put in our hearts to take action for the justice of children. Currently we’re still in the construction process of the Mattaw Children’s Village. Within the past 6 months we have officially shifted under the Imagine Network. You can go to imgainenetwork.org, it’s going through construction though so if you don’t find it, a new constructed website is coming. I think it was a little over two years ago when this connection happened. Lauren Caldwell (she’s on the board and came to kitale for 2 months with her family last year) and Blenda Aycock went to Saddleback church in California to an aids conference. This was one of those moments you know God is all up in it. Blenda was standing under a tent getting a drink and looks over and sees a man wearing a fleece with a Kenya logo on it. She says “hmm that’s interesting” talks to this man (David Chan) for a bit, Lauren walks back from being in the restroom, Blenda connects them to talk, and it all started! Five people from the Imagine Network came to visit me in Lemoru soon after. That summer they brought a team of 30. David Chan is the mission’s pastor in Calvary Baptist Church in McAllen, TX. They had just begun their Imagine ministry.
When I was 16 years old I felt God saying I would go and rescue children in Africa. While in Lemoru, we cared for 50 children that were once orphaned. Not too long after first being in Lemoru I felt God was saying this was only the beginning, we’d reach thousands. When things got rough in Lemoru and before knowing we were going to move away from there and start a new children’s home, I was on my knees in the middle of my grass hut crying because I felt it so strongly that God was saying “im going to move you from this place, you have to go and follow me where I lead you if you want to rescue more children, thousands of children”. And I said “yes! In my tears and fears.” The only reason I said yes is because I’m a laid down lover of Jesus. It was as if I became pregnant with a vision. Once we moved to Kitale God began to birth this vision. He brought the right people along our pathway. Every person reading this now, you play a part in this! We’re so greatful for you! Whether you’re a part of this prayerfully, financially, offering wisdom, a friendship or whatever, you mean a lot to us. We can not do this alone! One thing I love about the Mattaw Children’s Village is that it doesn’t come from one person; it actually doesn’t belong to anyone. It’s the Lord’s vision, the Lord’s house, the Lord’s children. I learned from being in Lemoru a quote from Corrie Ten Boon “I try to hold on to things loosely so that when God takes it away from me he doesn’t have to pry my fingers off”. As most of you know, I was pregnant and had our first child December 6th. I went to a conference right after we got back in the states, I was about 7 months pregnant. The woman speaking, Heidi Baker, talked about being pregnant with the promises of God and how sometimes it takes awhile to birth them but not to abort them. It spoke directly to me. I realized at that time that God didn’t only impregnate me with a child but a vision and so this year not only did the Huffmans birth their first child but we’re birthing a vision. In Habakuk 2 it say “though it lingers, wait for it”. A lot of the vision of Mattaw has been established, but there’s still much more, more than I realize, and though it sure is lingering at times, we wait for it! Heidi said at the conference “there have been abortions in America because people didn’t want to pay the price just to look a little bit fat, they didn’t want to be inconvenienced so they’d rather just do away with their children. But the body of Christ has also committed spiritual abortion because its hard to carry the promises of God to full term and they’ve said its too difficult, its too long, I m not going to do it.” We want to carry the promises to full term even if it takes 30 years. When we say yes to Jesus, we become totally mis-shaped, stretched and pulled at times. (just like when you’re pregnant) And it can be “inconvenient”. But the outcome is glorious. During my pregnancy with Elisha there were times I felt it had been forever and the end was so far away. My life was no longer my own (not that it was anyways). My clothes changed, sleeping pattern, eating habits, everything changed. I wanted so desperately to hold him but I had to wait and God had to finish developing him completely. I went into labor at 5am on December 6th. I was induced but I was told he would have come that day anyways. There were some very painful times during that day. Pain I hadn’t ever imagined was possible to endure. But when Elisha came out and I held him in my arms the first time and I looked him in the eyes, all the pain, all the stretching and pulling, was so worth it! And that’s where we are with what we’re doing in Kenya. We haven’t gotten to hold the children yet and speak life into them. We have to wait. At times the waiting is painful and surely can be inconvenient- a different culture, different clothes, different language, another people, everything, we’re completely inconvenienced but we’re ready for it and fully walk into it. But it’s worth it because we’re so in love with Jesus. We are willing to let our pride and plans and inconvenience be pushed and moved and changed until we are a laid down lover and give our self completely over to be submerged in the Holy Spirit, that he could use us to bring about his plans, that he could trust us.
When we first went to Kenya, Katalyst ministries came along as a supporter and it was through them that we used to sponsor the children in Lemoru. They’ve been a huge part of this all along and even though we’re shifting from under them to under Imagine, they’re still a huge part of it. Imagine is able to take this on with much room to expand in Kenya and beyond. We’re thrilled for the future partnerships that will form as well. But its not about the name, the denominations, the organization, its about Jesus. Please continue to pray for us. That we would carry the promises of God to full term. That we would continue to yield our self to God so that we follow Him where He is. That God would continue to align us with the people that are to be a part of this vision.
We’re in Nairobi till Wednesday to get a few things done. Wednesday weFINALLY get to go home!!! We’ll be flying directly into Kitale Wednesday morning. I don’t know if you know, our friend Hollie Aycock has traveled back to Kenya with us. She’ll be staying with us for three months in Kitale. We’re so blessed to have her join us and help out with the Mattaw home. Please pray for her when you pray for us as well. Praise God Elisha did wonderful traveling. He slept almost through every plane trip. He does have a little bit of a cold/stopped up nose so pray that will go away soon.
created for this,
bud and kimberly and baby elisha
1 comments:
praying for you guys. hi hollie! =) so glad you are there...i know you've been so excited to go.
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