This week...

My posts on here have become further apart. So sorry! As the Christmas season has started and the end of the year is nearing, I've started to look back on this past year. I'm astonished at all King Jesus has done in our midst. The good, bad, ugly and victorious moments. It's been a ride for sure. But I'll get more into summarizing this past year soon enough. It's growing deep inside all that He has done, is doing and will do. But remembering all the intense storms we've been through, especially since May, I can tell you that that flows into why updates have become further apart. With every battle though there is VICTORY in the name of Jesus. And I'm learning new levels of trusting God in it all. He is so trustworthy. And the good reminder is that we're invading darkness and bringing the light of Jesus. The enemy hates it and throws attacks. And so the hard times are no surprise. The exciting part is when Jesus shows up big time. And He sure surprises us how He does it. I love it. I love Jesus. And I'm loving the life he created us for.

This week we've had some of our most precious friends in the faith here. They have impacted our lives and Mattaw in ways I can't even summarize in a book. It might seem simple to them at times, the impact they have, but its always so powerful in Jesus' name that it causes a ripple effect to all we do here. I have such a full and thankful heart tonight.

This past Sunday we were in our new church building for the first time! Another piece to the vision fulfilled at Mattaw. We've really focused on our foundation at Mattaw, the house parents and first few houses of children. Growing as a family and establishing what that looks like with opening the first few houses over the past 4 years. Most importantly setting Jesus as the cornerstone and foundation of it all! Then opening house three this year. And knowing eventually God will equip us and open doors to reach out to those in the surrounding village. It's starting and I'm super pumped! I've seen it coming.

I mentioned meeting with the widows a few weeks ago and how strategic and powerful that was. I invited them to come to Dan and Linda's teaching on Tuesday morning. Almost ALL of them showed up. About 24 of them. A few were sick and couldn't make it. I had told them 10am thinking they'd probably be late or rather on "Kenyan time". We were a bit late and come to find out they started showing up early early that morning! Some of them walked 2 hours in the mud to get there. They were eager and hungry for Jesus. Linda taught and it was such a direct word for them. Here's Linda meeting baby Georgie....

What I didn't tell Linda is that when I met with these precious women a few weeks ago, I had asked them how I could pray for them. Some of them had pain and sickness. Some felt better as they left. But many of them asked for prayer for wisdom to deal with conflict in their homes. Many have children that bring much conflict and hurt around their home. Many with daughters that married alcoholics. I didn't ask Linda what she would be sharing with them beforehand. So when she began to share a message of PEACE, my heart smiled. Holy Spirit moved and gave her a direct word for these women. She also shared about Anna in the bible. Anna was a widow. Her and one other person were the first to know Jesus was the savior brought to this earth. She used her time as a widow not to be in despair but used her time to pray, worship and fast night and day in the temple. It's a beautiful life she led. One that was encouragement to these women. There's more to her life, you should read up on it some time. At the end we worshiped. Dan and Linda prayed on them. The presence of God was thick. It was heaven on earth. Our first event held in the church building at Mattaw. What a way to start!

Our house three dad's mom is part of this group. He shared how many of these women helped raise him. But he also shared that his mom was too sick to come to the teaching. We planned to go pray for her after but she ended up walking in at the end. You could see sickness on her face. She had a shortness of breath. She was hurting. She didn't even want chai and that is a big deal for them! We all laid hands on her to pray. The next morning we had the report that for the first time in several months, she was able to sleep through the night with no breathing problems and no pain!!!!! Praise Jesus!!! "God doesn't have to prove himself, but he's happy to reveal himself" -Bill Johnson

That afternoon Dan shared with those in the surrounding villages. There were about 50 people total. It was very powerful and a message none of them had heard. One of hope and equipping the body of Christ. Several shared later how impacted they were. And it just clicked with me as I write this and remember that he spoke on a message from Zechariah. It was in chapter 4 about the lamp stand with seven lights on it. It represents different characteristics of Holy Spirit and how it equips every believer. He also spoke on the temple and foundation. How we are the temple, Jesus is the corner stone and the cap stone. Of course the church building is just a building and we are the church. But this building and starting new in it represents a new season to me. And the teaching Dan taught is pretty foundational for starting this new season. The meaning... wholly cow. Ok, sorry... just one of those light bulb moments!

And with us this week is also Jim Farmer, one of our board members from Texas. He lived in Africa for 15 years with his family. He comes through here a few times a year. But mostly has ministry outside Nairobi, on Mt. Elgon and also in Lemoru, the village I lived in the first year and a half in Kenya. It's incredible how the Lord uses him door to door in villages. I imagine the ministry Jesus did on this earth being very similar to what Jim does here. Pray for him as he goes up Mt. Elgon this weekend. They're going right to the center of a village where a lot of tribal war was going on a few years ago.

The past couple days miss Lucy Lu really drew close to Jim. He's been teaching her new things. She is so smart and he's been able to draw more of that out in her. I just saw the Father's love being shown to her through Jim. So much healing from the traumatic past she came from.

Today they started out the teaching time with worship. Dan and Linda spent last week in Uganda teaching a lot on marriage in different churches, speaking in front of thousands. During one of the times they liked a song they sang where they picked up objects and walked around the room with them. They have the same song in swahili here so we sang it. It was odd until they asked what the song meant...

The song says that we're leaving Egypt, going to the promise land, taking our things with us and not looking back. So they take everything with them and off they go singing!

We are wrapping up their time at Mattaw in the morning with some time with our house parents. This morning Dan shared with just our house parents a word of encouragement on marriage and applied it to what they do. It was beautiful and another one of those teachings that was so obvious it was a word directly for them at the perfect time.

(we've also have two visitors from Minnesota. They're here about two weeks. It's the mom and aunt to Jorday, the guy that graduated high school last year and now ending his 6 months of living with us and volunteering at mattaw. we'll be sad to see him leave! they've been awesome in loving on our kids during their school break and doing things with them like making christmas gifts for sponsors and helping to give all of them doses to get rid of worms. so fun!)

"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty" Zechariah 4:6