Trip to Nairobi Fun

Its now been two weeks since we landed in Kenya and we are starting to get settled. Having two weeks has been excellent to prepare ourselves by learning where things are and how to get places. Most staff have now arrived, and our all staff meetings started today. If anyone is interested in coming to Kenya on short notice they are still looking for a few positions, in particular Dorm parents for girls dorms and Athletic teachers.

It looks like Sue is going to be very this term as they are short staffed in the Student Health Department. Her nursing schedule is going to be both during the day as well as over-night if their are students who need to stay in Student Health over night. My job is also going to be fun! Working on computers in the middle of rural Kenya is difficult. The town of Kijabe, where Rift Valley Academy is located, currently has a 1MB line into Nairobi on which their are about 800 computers (400 at the school, and 400 in the rest of the Kijabe station). That leads to very slow traffic. Over the next couple of months I have been asked to manage a financial application that they use for many of the services here, as well as look at some computer infrastructure build that they need to do.

Yesterday we took a trip to Nairobi for the day. A wonderful family who has been here for many years (Todd and Kylie Dubber) has been helping us setup and get organized. Food like meat, cheese and milk can only be purchased in Nairobi and takes about 1 hour to get to. We have been told that the opportunities to get into Nairobi is difficult during the term so we should stock up now. Sue and Beatrice went with Kylie to do lots of grocery shopping. Todd and I went with Hannah and the Dubber kids to visit AIM Internation Services in Nairobi. On the way we went through several very very poor towns. It was incredible to see (and reminded me of a World Vision commercial!) We drove down muddy, bumpy roads with hundreds of people walking around the few cars on the roads. Hannah asked my why it smelled so bad. The difference here between the very poor and the wealthy is night and day. These are areas where AIM missionaries don't go near when their are any problems in the country.

At International Services the kids go to go inside the airplanes they have (AIM Air provides air freight and evacuation services in East Africa to many missionary organizations). They had a great time. After shopping we met up with the women and all went swimming at a Nairobi hotel.

Well, that is all for now - I'll post some pictures next time.

Andrew

Goodbyes have started!

Yesterday was a hard day, saying goodbye to one of my dearest friends Helena. Our lives intersected last summer when we both started praying together on Wednsday mornings. Then we started praying together on Tuesday mornings, Wednsday evenings and Sunday evenings. That foundation of prayer set the stage of building a life-long friendship. There is something really cool about having a prayer partner - you become vulnerable, honest with each other and develop a friendship that cuts through all the superficial stuff and right down to the core.

We have prayed together, wept together, laughed together (and sometimes at each other), seen miraculous answers to prayer and also learnt some very interesting lessons about persevearance, trust and patience. In January this year we had a great few days in New York City visiting the Brooklyn Tabernacle Church and attending their amazing prayer meeting with over 2000 attendees - talk about amazing! I still remember seeing the word pray scrawled above the train tracks on the filthy wall of the New York subway system in Brooklyn and remembering that even when things are difficult and ugly around you, prayer is the only answer and it works!

For the past year and a half we have prayed together at least 3-4 times per week and emailed each other almost every day...I guess you could say we are kindred spirits. Yesterday I drove Helena and her husband Jan and son Dilan to the airport and said goodbye as they go on holiday to Holland for three weeks. They return the day after we depart for Nairobi. Sitting here, I can't stop fighting the tears. God not only sent me a surrogate sister, but a dear friend, an intercessor, a woman who has depth of character. Helena, as you gave me the hug in the airport yesterday, I didn't want to let you go. I will miss you terribly.

So that was my first big goodbye and is the start of many more hard goodbyes for all of us. We have just three weeks left.

Last Thursday evening we had a really nice goodbye sendoff dessert party hosted by my parents at their house and it was so wonderful to visit with everyone who came to support us. It really means alot to us.

My friend Mina made a beautiful farewell cake with handmade sugar flowers which I've posted here as well - Mina is such a special, steadfast friend and we have known each other when our eldest girls were just over a year old and we ran a mom and tot's group together. My Hannah and her Marissa are best friends and it will be very hard for them to say goodbye to each other too.

An attitude of praise and thanksgiving!

These past few days I must admit I've been exhausted to the point of despair - lots of new changes and a huge check list as we count the days before we leave. To add to the excitement, my parents John and Jane just told us that they bought a new house and are selling their home and at the same time we are packing and leaving our home - hard to describe all the feelings I have! Yesterday Hannah was crying about leaving and I started crying too..
Anyways, this morning I woke up and read my daily devotional which I recieve by Joel Olsteen and this one was particularly helpful for me today. I realize that I need an attitude reversal!
Sue
The devotional below..
_____________________

Do you ever feel like every time you try to move forward in something, you hit a roadblock? Something happens that throws you off course. Be encouraged today because right now in your life, God is going before you. He’s preparing a way. He’s making your crooked places straight. He’s making your rough places smooth. You may be going through a difficult time right now, but it’s not the end. It’s only the beginning. God has equipped you for this journey. You may feel like you’re in a dry season, but don’t look at your circumstances. Look at the promise of God today! If you’ll keep speaking words of faith, God promises that He’ll anoint your head with oil and your cup will run over. That means you’ll be refreshed and anointed to do what He’s called you to do. God is preparing your path and equipping you for the journey. What do you need today to keep moving forward? Start by checking your attitude. Don’t go around complaining and focused on the negative side of things. Put on an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. Thank Him for making your crooked places straight! As you do, you’ll move forward in joy and gladness in the blessed future He has prepared for you!

We're Featured in the Local Newspaper!

Today was an exciting day because we found out that there is a two page article about our family in our local newspaper called The Oakville Beaver. They put our picture on the top of the front cover and then another picture of the four of us in the article itself. What a boost and an encouragement! I must say reading the article put a big smile on my face - the past few weeks have been difficult and somewhat overwhelming so this was something to remind us of God's goodness as we move forward in this process.

Thanks to David Lea for taking an interest in our story and writing such a great article.

Time continues to tick away..we have 5 weeks before we move out of the house and then another 6 weeks after that before we leave. Today we spent the day packing up the contents of our cupboards and drawers, winter clothing etc... the boxes are piling up in our garage.

That's all for now! We'll post a link to the article as soon as we get it.

God's Faithfulness - 50% Fundraising today!!

It's been such a long time since we've written down our thoughts and as I'm sure you experience yourself -time flies swiftly by. These past couple months have almost been a blur - from writing our prayer letter and the little booklet, mailing them out, sharing our story with our church and other groups. I remember when we were given the go-ahead with AIM back in early March - the personnel director said to us:

'..Andrew and Sue, this isn't much time to raise the funds you will need to go to Kenya three months from now..it is humanly impossible. Normally missionaries need at least one year to raise the kind of support that you guys need to raise. If God wants you to go to Kenya in July, He'll open the doors and provide in miraculous ways, it'll be Him that makes this happen.'

When we heard that, we had mixed feelings..that overwhelming feeling of lack of control over the outcome and wondering in our minds..is this what God really wants..will this come together? I have to admit it's been nervewracking wondering if we will have the financial support we need to go and yet we so clearly have felt God's hand leading us forward and clearly having us trust in Him.

Anyways, today, April 15th was our target date for raising 50% of our monthly requirements and outgoing costs. 3 days ago we were still sitting at 39 % of our monthly support raised and we were wondering, how is this going to happen..and then God intervened once again in miraculous and unexpected ways - we are now at 50% of the monthly funds we need and over 50% of our outgoing funds!

We are so humbled and thankful by the incredible generosity and sacrifice of so many people who are excited about our journey and desire to partner with us through prayer and financial support..thankyou, thankyou, thankyou.

Resurrection Power

Hope you had a wonderful Easter! We had a wonderful Easter service yesterday about the Resurrection power of Christ and how this power can be used in our own lives. God is so powerful and mighty and His desire is that we would live in His freedom!

I'm not sure if you've heard the full story of my dad John Burke - his incredible miracle - but this miracle is a true 'resurrection story'. I have shared a portion of the story in the booklet which is one of the downloads on our website but there is more to the story
A Resurrection Story - My Father Restored!

Back in November of 2007, our church had a 14 day prayer initiative where we were praying round the clock for various ministries and personal requests.

I had included my father, John Burke, as one of the personal requests for prayer. I had asked for prayer that his ability to speak would be restored to him. It was so hard to not be able to communicate with him properly and it brought me to tears to see such a rapid decline in his health. He has late stage Parkinson’s disease and was at the stage of not being able to walk or talk.

The week that the prayer initiative had been started in church, I had wheeled my Dad into the church service in a wheelchair for the first time and he was really depressed. I could barely understand what he was saying and I would have to put my ear right next to his mouth. When he walked, he would loose his balance and his feet would curl up underneath themselves and he would fall and thus he was now in a wheelchair. He had several bruises on this body from falling multiple times.

My dad is my hero, he has always been articulate, strong and encouraging but at this time he was quiet, depressed and he said very little as he knew his words would not be understood.

He had also been to a healing service where he had been anointed with oil about a month before and nothing miraculous had happened (or so it seemed), but, He had been given a special passage from the Lord - My Grace is Sufficient for Thee. He held on to these words tightly.

That same week as the prayer chain was going on he had gone back to the doctor’s to see if there was anything else that could be done for him, he was desperate! The doctor had just read some unpublished research from Italy about the deep brain stimulator that he has implanted in his brain from surgery he had in 2005. With an adjustment in the settings of this stimulator, it was noted that there was a marked improvement in a few of the patients.

That very day, they did this adjustment to my dad. He was able to get out of his wheelchair and walk with a cane! His voice was restored!

This was a miracle that was completely beyond what I could even ask for or comprehend. All I had asked for prayer was that his voice would be restored and now, his balance, walking and his voice were restored! I had been taught an important lesson. To keep believing and to have faith that God can do the impossible.

Over and over, verses came streaming through my mind..one of my favorites is Matthew 7:7-8.

‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives,
and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.’

There's even more to this miraculous story..just last week my dad went back to the neurologist office and the neurologist was amazed because he continues to improve and yet, she still has a hard time accepting that this is a miracle. She told my Dad that after the amazing results from his adjustment back in November, she had called 23 other Parkinsons patients who also have had the brain surgery and have the deep brain implant - they all came into the office to also get the same adjustment but afterwards..not one of them had any change. Only my dad.

God is so powerful and awesome. When we get discouraged that things are falling apart or times are difficult, we have to remember the Resurrection POWER of Jesus. I love these verses from Romans about Abraham - He was faced with many hopeless thoughts and fears and yet he continued to trust in God.

Romans 4:20-23 (The Message)

Abraham didn't focus on his own impotence and say, "It's hopeless. This hundred-year-old body could never father a child." Nor did he survey Sarah's decades of infertility and give up. He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said. That's why it is said, "Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right." But it's not just Abraham; it's also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless. The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.

Blessings to you today,

Love in Christ,
Sue

Stuffing envelopes

Well, we spent the day stuffing and sealing envelopes. I still have the terrible taste in my mouth from licking all that glue!

We got Hannah helping us too - here she is on the floor sealing the envelopes using a little sponge and water (ingenious child!)

Hopefully all the prayer and information packages will get out into the mail this week!