Running out of Chairs........

Headlines of Friday and Saturdays newspaper. 

Kenya had its Presidential elections on Tuesday, 6 days ago. This is the 5th day of all the votes being counted. Currently things are in the verification process. The country holds its breath waiting for the announcement of who the next President will be. Nation wide, schools have been closed to ensure safety. Our prayer is no matter who wins, people will accept, even if it is not the candidate of choice. We continue to pray for peace in Kenya.

Update about the clinic on the farm: a donor gave money to purchase a Complete Blood Count  machine. Now various blood counts and levels can be checked. Even the government facilities in our area do not have a machine of this caliber and we give all the praise to God to be able to provide better care for the people living in the surrounding villages. Jason was the very first one to get his blood taken to see how the machine worked.

There was a second agriculture training completed for 6 Kenyan church planters. The trainees lived at the farm for 3 weeks. They were taught in a classroom setting and then practically went out planting and harvesting with the permanent farm workers.  Before they graduated they had to submit a paper on how they would implement what they learned and start their own farms. We heard that in the evenings the church planters would do Bible studies with several of the farm workers. What an encouragement to see the Body of Christ at work sharing the good news. We look forward for more trainings in the future. 

Last month Jason traveled to Turkey for some leadership meetings. I did my best to be supportive and not jealous when I heard he was with Tim and Carol Freeman. Jason stayed in a hotel right on the Aegean Sea and the videos he took of the view from his balcony were breathtaking. One of the days there was an opportunity for the group of leaders to go to Ephesus. In homeschool we have read and studied the background of the book of Ephesians. We learned that during the time it was written, Ephesus was a very important city in Western Asia Minor, which is now Turkey. There was a pagan temple that highlighted the Roman goddess Diana. (Artemis in Greek). As Jason walked around he was impressed by how intact much of the remains were. He saw the coliseum first hand and had many thoughts on what it was used for back in the day. You could still see the intricate designs of tiles on the ground. The different styles of columns were still standing. There were lots of statues and carved imprints made out of marbled stone. The tour guide explained that at that time, there were servants who sat on the toilets to keep them warm. This might sound like an awful job but it really isn't once you consider that other servants were made to carry heavy stones to build the temple and other structures. Many might be curious how one wiped themselves in the bathroom at that time. Well, There was a sponge tied onto a stick, that sat in a bucket of vinegar. This could be used communally for anyone in need of a clean bottom. 

As Jason was walking around he noticed a tree that had grown through cracks in the stones. When he looked up he saw it was a Pomegranate tree that was only about 8 feet tall and when he began counting how many fruits there were he got into up to 100 and stopped counting. It really was remarkable to see this tree seemingly "out of place" because there was no water source for it to be nourished. He assumed no one was watering it or taking care it. The very next morning there was a devotional on,

"Remain in me, as I remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

The Holy Spirit connected the visual example of the Pomegranate tree- growing tall and flourishing with too many fruit to count to these verses. This tree was connected to a life source that was hidden from the human eye. The roots were deep underground and found a way to establish itself through the hard ground. Despite its dry and rough terrain it was tapped into the true source of life the true vine. It reminded  Jason that no matter what is surrounding you if you are connected to the true vine you will bear much fruit and flourish in times of drought. Our family together with Amos and Grace's family have been faithful to represent Jesus here throughout many years where there were no signs of interest in the gospel. This year there is fruit that has started to be seen. Not just one, or two, but this past Friday there were 4 sitting around our dining room table to study the Gospel of Mark. These 4 had started coming separately at first. One of them asked Jason, 

"do you think it is okay that I still go to the Mosque each day? I promise when I go I am praying you Jesus."

Jason replied that he needs to obey the Holy Spirit and its not for Jason to say what he can and can not do. This is a mistake missionaries have made in the past- giving a new believer a list of rules to follow- and instructing which cultural practices are "not godly". We have to trust that each person can hear from God directly. The missionary should never take the place of God. It has been exciting to see the hunger and thirst to study the Bible and the desire to tell others on the farm. They are even planning to meet together in the village without Jason or Amos which is even more exciting. Next week another 1 or 2 might join in with the 4- we are running out of chairs.

The road heading through the middle of Ephesus

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some of the original columns put back together

A cross from the Early Christians there

beautiful terrazo road 

these clay pipes were used to transport water and sewage

a statue of Mary the mother of Christ they say she came here w the apostle John in retirement

the public toilets these are a little too close for me ....

Jason got to hang out with Rhine (our college friend-he was a groomsman in our wedding)

the CBC machine

Cha Cha taking Jason's blood

Jason Handing out certificates

The graduating class w their teacher Phillip