30 October 2012

THIS is amazing grace.



Who breaks the power, of sin and darkness?  Whose love is mighty and so much stronger?

The King of glory, the King of Kings.



Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder? Who leaves us breathless, in awe and wonder?

The King of glory, the King above all Kings.

This is amazing grace.  This is unfailing love.  That Jesus would take our place and bear our cross and lay down His life, that we would be set free.  Jesus, we sing for all He has done for us.  



Who brings our cares back into order?  Who makes the orphaned a son and daughter? 

The King of glory, the King above all Kings.  



Who rules the nations, with truth and justice?  Shines like the sun in all its brilliance?

The King of glory, the King above all Kings.  



Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.  Worthy is the King who conquered the grave. 

THIS is amazing grace.  

Here's the song I took the lyrics from and quoted above... 





We have unloaded here in Texas... our bags, clothes, heart and all.  So I'm able to sort through photos and share some of what went on before leaving Kenya.  I'm pretty jacked up by the love of Jesus this morning from getting good email updates from Kenya and sorting through recent pictures.  

A few days before leaving Kitale to start our journey to Texas, Bud felt a strong leading to get to Turkana.  It was the last trip he would make before we come back to Kenya and important.  I was in a packing daze and was glad he was going, as long as I could stay in the tornado of clothes and packing. It was an emotional week for sure.  So many mixed emotions of knowing God was leading us home to have our third baby and to grow with our church family, but also just really not wanting to leave our home and family there in Kitale.  

When Holy Spirit leads my man to do go somewhere, he is on it.  So off he went with our two Turkana/Kenyan sons, Dan and Ian.  They ended up staying way out in the reserve this time as oppose to last time when we stayed in a village.  They set up camp next to Ian's family's home.  This was out in the bush bush, as we like to refer to.  A place where you feel you have come to the ends of the earth.  

One of the main reasons they went was to research digging wells there.  This is one of the greatest needs in this region and we feel to meet the needs physically, we should dig some wells first.  


Some friends of ours that have a ministry for street kids, also do water wells and have partnered with people to do this awesome cost effective drilling method.  Their head water dude went with Bud on this trip to help scope the land out.  Unfortunately, we found their system isn't going to work where we go in Turkana.  The ground is so rocky and to get to water its so deep, therefore we need a big drilling rig to come in.  Wow, you'd think I know what i'm talking about here right?  Not so much, I should have my husband typing this part out.  But we're in contact with different organizations that we could partner with to get a drill in but are still holding off until we've established relationship in this area better and know that we are empower the village by meeting their needs rather than making them more dependent on foreigners.  We hope to give more updates on this though and will be giving opportunity to give towards it if you are led to do so.  

The morning they left, Bud didn't share this with me, but he felt in his heart that they would be able to bring Ian's brother back to go to school.  We met him last time but the step dad wanted to keep him out looking after goats.  He's 12 and looks after goats, fighting off the pokot tribe from stealing them.  This was his life, all day everyday.  Ian has been so heartbroken over this and wanted to take him back to Kitale the first time they went back in April.  Bud felt so strong to respect the step dad because we are also after building relationship with them and sharing the gospel and that could of really caused some major tension.  This time though, hearts were changed.  Amazing what happens when you are patient and let God work in hearts, not manipulating anything.  That's another big fat lesson I continue to learn and several blogs I could write on.  Ha.

Anywho, so Ian's family has been struck with much hunger often this year, which is common in this region.  God had been at work in the step dads heart since we were there last.  He is a pretty scary lookin dude with a hard heart upon first meeting him.  Amazing to see him warm up to us.  Ian and Dan didn't tell anyone that they'd be coming for another visit, so no one knew the day they'd be back.  Ian's step dad though just had a feeling they'd be coming the day they did, so he walked all morning to get to a town center where Ian's sister lives.  Sure enough Bud and the boys show up and find him there waiting on them.  Crazy how God works.  He was eager to tell Bud that they wanted Ian's brother to go back with them this time and start school in Kitale.  Yay!  He also was happy to have them come out to the reserve and stay the night out by their home.  Bud shared how that night they really opened up and one thing they shared is how the time before, when we came, we brought them food not knowing how much they were enduring starvation and that showed them how much we loved and cared for them and heard from God.  I once heard one of my heroes of the faith, Heidi Baker, say that sometimes love looks like a bag of rice.  That was sure the case here.  So there's this fine line of knowing when to give needs and when to set up a system of them not being dependent on us.  Thank goodness we follow Holy Spirit who leads us into truth in every situation.  He is so needed and trustworthy in situations like this.  Something that stood out to Bud that the step dad shared is that he wanted us to take Ian's brother and put him in school because he no longer needs to be a boy out fighting off the pokot, that he could die and they'd rather him be somewhere doing something with his life that will produce good when he grows older just like it has done with Ian.  So touching to see how Ian's life is already a huge testimony to his Turkana family.

So instead of bringing me a sheep this time, Bud brought home a new son!  He is adjusting pretty well and we were able to bond some with him and get him started in school at Mattaw before we left.  We recently skyped with them and it was good to see him and talk to him in both of our chopped up swahili.



God is good!  I look forward to getting back with our family and lovin on this son of ours.  I'm not even going to attempt to spell or pronounce Ian's brothers name.  His english name is Joseph so we've started calling him that.  Pray for Joseph and his adjustment to a new life and healing from a difficult past.

This is just another story of God's amazing grace and great love for all the nations... even unto the ends of the earth!

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