Mission Safari September 2006 Update

Dear Praying Friends,

As I write this, we are making our final preparations for departure back to Kenya. We leave from Charlotte, NC on September 12th at 2:35pm, connect in Chicago, layover in London for 4 hours and then arrive in Nairobi on Wednesday the 13th at 8:50pm local time. We are all anxious to get back to our Kenyan home. Four months ago, we would probably not believe that we would be anxious to get back. Funny how life surprises you.

Overall this summer has been a blessing. We needed the cultural break from Kenya. We needed to reconnect with family and friends. We needed to worship in our home church. We needed to vacation in our favorite American cities. We needed Chick-Fil-A, Cracker Barrel, Ruby Tuesday, Breyer's Ice Cream, and Starbucks (well we didn't "NEED" them, but we sure did enjoy them!). And now we NEED to get back. We miss our routine. We miss our Kenyan friends. We miss the work that we have started.

We continue to marvel at how God used us during this summer. It has been an unexpected blessing to hear how God has used our struggles and successes to challenge and bless folks back home. We have been reminded how the "work" of the Spirit is far-reaching; how it oftens goes beyond what we can see. We thank God for that.

We are also thankful for how God has met our needs this summer - our emotional, physical, spiritual, and financial needs. He has helped Sam "relax" the past month. He has helped me write a revised curriculum for the Internship Program at the Hospital (of which I will be the Internship Co-ordinator when I return). He has provided travel mercies.

As we return we ask you to pray for the following:

1. Smooth transition back into Kenya.

2. A good start to another school year - Sam will be joining Sarah and Ben in Homeschool this year. He will be a Kindergartener. Pray for his teacher especially!

3. Pray for my interactions with the discipleship group. 3 of the 5 students will be finishing Medical School in 3 months. They need prayer and direction for where to do their Internship. Pray especially for Thomas as he is applying for a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University (and pray for me as I write his letter of recommendation).

4. Pray for my ability to reintegrate back into the hospital after this 3 month absence. Pray that I will be rested, focused, and wise in setting my priorities.

5. Pray for the adoption. We are hoping to move from Department 1 (which handles approvals for adoption) to Department 2 (the matching of child to adoptive parents) in the next couple of months.

6. Pray for our Suppor Account. Our support account has been a bit low because of the costs of travel. But, this should be resolved once we return to "normalcy."

Thanks so much for your continued prayer and support. We really do appreciate it. We are so blessed by our support team.

To God Be the Glory,

Tim

Comments

[Andrew]

Mmmmm, Chick-fil-a! That made my mouth water! Here in northeastern Brazil we have McDonalds, Subway, and Pizza Hut within eight hours, but no Chick-fil-a.

[Christy]

So glad to have an update on your family. May you have a safe and simple flight home to Kenya and re-settle soon.

[chewymom]

I've been wondering when you were going back! You should be in the middle of your journy right now--praying it is going smoothly.

[Emily Gullatt]

Dr. Tim, I have really enjoyed keeping up with your blog. Thanks for finally updating it. It truly is a blessing & encouragement.

[Deloris Barker]

Arriving to Nairobi Sunday with l9 Work & Witness team members. We will stay at our African Nazarene Univ. campus ([email protected]).
Hope to make contact and see if you still sing!

[Deloris Barker]

Arriving to Nairobi Sunday with l9 Work & Witness team members. We will stay at our African Nazarene Univ. campus ([email protected]).
Hope to make contact and see if you still sing!