Starting off the New Year with a bang!

The girls got into this giant water basin by using that blue chair.

On January 1st there were 5 baptisms done in the dining room of our house. Four of those were former Muslims who use to be dead in their transgressions and sins, just as we all once were. These men work at the farm and have been coming to study the Bible each Friday with Amos and Jason. They have been made alive with Christ, saved by grace and are God's handiwork created to do good works for Christ. We had always hoped, prayed and believed this day would come. It is not cliché to say- this was nothing less than a miracle. 

These girls scrubbed the walls until they were bright white. Then we brought it into our dining room ( we pushed the table back against the wall). Filled it up with water and it worked well as a baptism tank.

For security purposes I have no pictures to show. As far as we know no one in the village is aware of what took place. We know there is a tremendous cost to follow Jesus and we are not naive of what could happen as a result. At the same time God's Word tells us what is happening in the heavenly realm when someone leaves their past behind, repents and puts their trust in Jesus.

"Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." Luke 15: 6-7 

"Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin. In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents". Luke 15: 9-10 

Just as there is rejoicing going on in heaven we are rejoicing here on earth at all God is doing. On this day of the baptism our family,  Amos family,  Maggie, Paul and Ashley,  and our family from the Far East gathered in our living room to read about Jesus getting baptized by His cousin John in Matthew 3. This was all done in Swahili. We went through each verse to understand the who, what, where, when, and why's. After this each farm worker individually expressed their desire to be baptized which was their own choice and that no one was forcing them to do so. These words really hit me, that this was a serious action that was about to take place. This was a physical declaration that they were putting an end to their old religion and truly becoming Christians. No one should feel pressured to get baptized. It truly has to be done out of the result of knowing Jesus and wanting to follow in His footsteps. 

Then the baptisms happened. We cheered after each came up out of the water. We ate chicken and chips (French fries) and then parted ways. 

Immediately following this event, there were text messages of financial requests from some of those who just got baptized. As human beings it made us question if they were genuine in their faith. I wish that we didn't have this to report but we always want to be real and honest about walking alongside someone's journey with Christ. We totally believe that we are to help one another as the body of Christ. We have written about having the resources to give big gifts on Christmas Day. Despite this there will continue to be more and more requests. It is not a business endeavor to become a Christian but we have encountered that people actually think it is. Ultimately God is the judge of each person's heart and we will all stand before Him one day and give account of our lives. It can be very emotionally draining at times. We have to surrender up others to the Lord and trust that He is working on their hearts. He still and always deserves our praise. The Bible studies have continued on since the baptism day. We believe that the " Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. " Hebrews 4:12-13

A few days after the baptism we treated all the farmworkers to a day of swimming in the Men only and Women only pool. One of the men that got baptized never showed up. Our daughters and I (Bekah) had a lot of fun with all the ladies who came. We did forget to bring sunblock so our skin got a little crispy, but nothing that a little aloe Vera can't help. We went to the farm over the weekend and the ladies were still talking about what a happy day it was to swim together. I hope we can do this again someday, because it is a totally different experience talking to people away from their normal environment. They are more free in a way.

We just returned from a trip to Nairobi to get Nevaeh and Charis braces appointments done. We got to see Carol Freeman (former teacher, like a Mother and Mentor to Jason and I and grandma to our girls). God knew it was exactly what we needed. To take a break from the emotions we were having in Gtown. We are back in Gtown now for about two months until we travel to the USA for our Home Assignment. We look forward to seeing all our loved ones in America so soon. We also have loved ones here in Kenya that we entrust into God's hands as we prepare to leave. We are not leaving tomorrow so we want to be faithful to what God has set before us right here, right now.

This is the Women's Only pool. All of the village ladies knew how to swim. When asked how they learned they said from swimming in the Tana River (which does have crocodiles by the way)

On our way to Nairobi we stopped to fill up our tank with diesel right out of town. The Lady selling these fruit cups found us and we ate our first fruit cups of the New Year. Sometimes the mangoes are a bit sour.

The boiled egg seller also found us. We really like the kachubari that is put on top.

We got to hang out with Carol Freeman for a whole day in Nairobi. 

On our drive back to Gtown there were some dark clouds and rain.

Always such a beautiful reminder of God's promise and existence.