Julie has been involved in the school ministry since May. She has primarily been meeting with the 8th grade girls at St. Ann's Primary School. This school is a private, Catholic, girls school and it is an incredible how God worked it out for us to do ministry there. Since starting ministry at the school, Julie has seen several girls come to know the Lord and many more who have been encouraged and are growing in their faith.

During this term, which started in September, God worked it out so that Julie could have two meetings at the school each week. She now has a leadership meeting with the girls on Wednesdays during lunchtime, as well as a meeting on Thursday mornings. Julie has been enjoying getting to know these girls and they have been asking her some excellent questions on life and God's Word.

This week, we took Anna to the school for the Thursday meeting and she sang “Jesus Loves Me” for the class. The girls loved it. They also loved touching Anna's soft hair. After a while, I took Anna outside while Julie and Betty, one of TFC's interns, continued meeting with the class of 8th graders.

Please pray for the 8th grade girls at St. Ann's and for Julie as she continues meeting with them each week. Julie has an incredible opportunity to invest in the lives of these girls at a critical point in their lives. May God use it for His glory!

On Wednesday of this week, I went out to Kimathi Primary School to meet with the class of 8th graders that I usually am with. However, this week, upon getting to the school, I found out that the 8th graders were taking mid-term exams. So, instead, I was able to meet with a class of 7th graders. There were probably around 40 kids in this class. There were nine students in that class on Wednesday who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior! And, there were several others who confessed different struggles they were having and prayed for renewal in their relationship with Jesus! Praise God for His faithfulness to draw people to Himself!

One sad thing, though, was about two Muslim girls in the class. I could tell that God was really working on the heart of on of the girls. When I gave the invitation, this girl looked at me with a longing in her eyes and then she looked back to her friend, the other Muslim girl. The friend shook her head "no" to this girl and she just put her head down and did nothing. I pray that God uses the seed that was planted in her to one day grow into faith and that her friend comes to know Jesus, as well.

About a month or so ago, I found out through my youth pastor friend, Hamisi, that there was an evangelistic youth ministry event being planned called Xtreme Life Weekend. The event was being put on by Nairobi Lighthouse Church. I was able to attend a planning meeting for the event and to get involved in this incredible ministry opportunity.

Xtreme Life Weekend took place last weekend and it was amazing! It featured Kirk Franklin, an international skate board stunt team, and youth evangelist, Mark Jobe. There were also a number of local artists that performed. My personal favorite was the African Children's Choir. They were incredible!

Over the two day event, there were around 40,000-45,000 people in attendance! Blake and I were able to help out through ushering and counseling. I bought a bunch of tickets and gave two each to a group of students that I meet with each week: one for them and one for a lost friend. One of these students gave a ticket to a teacher. She came to the event and she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior!

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to help out with Xtreme Life Weekend and I praise God for the many people that were drawn to Jesus through the event. My prayer is that they will now get connected with a local church and begin growing as disciples of the Lord.

Eli started kindergarten in August at a missionary school called Rosslyn Academy. It is a Christian school whose student body is mainly comprised of MK's and children of employees of the U.N. or one of the many embassies in Kenya. We were very impressed with the school from the moment we first stepped onto their campus. It is situated on an old coffee plantation and the campus is absolutely beautiful. All of the staff that we have met have been so friendly and encouraging to us. It is evident in their lives that they view their role at the school as a calling from God and not just a job.

Eli absolutely loves it there. He has already made so many friends. He comes home each day talking about the games they played together. And he is learning so much! When he gets home from school he is eager to tell us about what he learned that day or to share a new song he learned in music class. One really cool thing is that Eli goes to a Swahili class. He can already count to ten in the language and knows many basic words and phrases!

We do have one prayer request, though. Please pray for safety as Eli rides the school bus to and from school each day. He is on the bus for about 3 hours a day, round trip.

We are very thankful for Rosslyn Academy and for the impact it has had on our family. May God continue to bless this school and allow it to grow in ways that honor and glorify Him!

Back in April, God gave me a vision of what the school ministry in Jogoo Rd. Boys High School could look like. He showed me student leaders standing up among their peers and leading small group discussions in their school. In order to grasp how amazing this is, there is something that you need to understand about this school – it is one of the roughest schools, discipline-wise, that we do ministry in. Most of the students at this school are there because they have been expelled from other schools or because this was the only school they could get into due to poor marks. Many of the students that would come to the Bible studies and worship times that we were having there would talk and laugh and not pay one bit of attention. Nevertheless, I believed that God was telling me that He was going to accomplish the vision that he had given me in Jogoo Rd. Boys High School.

In May I began casting this vision to a group of student leaders at the high school. They caught the vision and also believed that this was of God. I spent the months of May through July training and preparing these young men to lead small groups in their school. We met every Monday afternoon with these guys and they consistently showed up, eager to learn about leadership and how to lead in small groups. Then, in mid-July, these guys, as well as the rest of the school, were able to see small group ministry modeled for them by the mission team that came over from Eagle's Landing FBC. The mission team did a fantastic job showing what small group ministry could be like in their school.

So, now a new school term has begun in Kenya and it was time to launch what these young men have worked and prayed so hard for. This past Thursday, October 4, was the first student-led, small group ministry meeting in Jogoo Rd. Boys High School! Let me tell you, I could not be more proud of these young men. There are now five small groups consisting of one main student leader, three supporting leaders-in-training, and 10-12 students. I had the privilege of walking around and listening in on some great discussions that these guys were facilitating. The awesome thing is, the students were participating and engaging in these discussions! Students who acted like they couldn't have cared less before were now becoming interested in the small groups! Praise God!!!

This first week was all about the groups getting to know one another. Starting next week, it will look something like this: 10-15 minutes of praise and worship songs, followed by a 10-15 minute mini-message by me or Simon, a young man I am mentoring, and then 30-40 minutes of small group time. God is so amazing and I encourage you to praise Him with me for what He has accomplished in this school! I also encourage you to continue praying for Jogoo Rd. Boys High School and the student leadership team there.

Even though we have been living in Nairobi for nine months now, we are still discovering new things about the city. We had looked for a nice indoor play area to take the kids to before, but we had been unsuccessful in our attempts. We have found several wonderful outdoor playgrounds and play areas, but none of the indoor variety. That is, until last Saturday. Saturday morning I ran across a great website that lists places to go and things to do in Nairobi for families with children. One of the places it mentioned was an indoor playground called Children's World. We decided to take the family there and check it out. We were not disappointed.

The place is incredible! They have an enormous indoor play area, complete with ball pits, swinging ropes, slides, and two levels to run around in and have fun. Then, the place also has an area for kids to watch movies, another area to play video games, some activity rooms, and a snack area with tables for parents to sit and watch their kids play from. The kids had so much fun there! It was a great find. I have a sneaking suspicion that our visit on Saturday will not be our last. In fact, Julie and I are considering having Eli's birthday party there in November.

Here are some pics of the kids playing:

Back in January, I posted a blog about the birth of Moses, the head of TFC Kenya, and his wife Emily's daughter, Kristin Melanie. Well, as many of you know from our monthly newsletters, Patrick, director of operations for TFC Kenya, and his wife, Caroline, have also been expecting a child this year. On July 18, while the mission team from Eagle's Landing FBC was here, Caroline gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl! Her name is Velma Gladwell. Please rejoice with me at the birth of this precious baby. She is now almost two months old.

Here are some pics of baby Velma:

The month of August brought an awesome opportunity for ministry!  The schools are closed in August, so there was no school ministry.  The schools in Kenya run January - March, April off, May-July, August off, and September - November, December off.  This break from the school ministry allowed us to focus more on our partnership and ministry with Ridgeways Baptist Church.  During the month, Blake and I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to the coastal town of Malindi with Ridgeways and Kahawa Sukari Baptist Churches.  Between these two churches we took about 50 youth on the trip.  

The mission trip was incredible!  While in Malindi, we were involved in several different types of ministry.  The group was divided up into teams.  We had a team that was involved in door-to-door evangelism each day.  This team also passed out mosquito nets to people who needed them in the slums of Malindi.  Another team ministered to the community by repainting the police station in Malindi.  Finally, we had a team whose focus was sports ministry with children.  Through all of the different ministries that were taking place, we all shared a common goal: To see Jesus glorified through our lives and to reach out to the community of Malindi with His love.  I believe that our goal was achieved.

During our week in Malindi, over 50 people placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for the first time.  We worked with the local Baptist and Methodist churches to make sure that these people get plugged in to a local body of believers.  Also, the group's project of painting the police station caused quite a stir in the community.  One of the national newspapers and tv stations even covered it.  The group was able to communicate to the nation that they were painting a police station in Malindi because they love Jesus.  Other churches in the community told us that they felt ashamed because they had never thought about reaching out in their community the way that our group had.  We invited them to join in with us and some of them did!  After the painting was completed, the police held a ceremony for us and we were able to present the chief officers with Bibles!  God is so good!!! 

As a reward for our service to them and the community, the police insisted on escorting us around town the day of the ceremony. They showed us the highlights of Malindi which included a trip to Malindi Salt Refinery! I can honestly say that it was the largest pile of salt I have ever seen in my life! As an added bonus, they let us climb the mountain of salt. I know that can't be sanitary and that it had to be some kind of health code violation. Nevertheless, it was quite fun!

A team of almost 30 teenagers and adults from Eagle's Landing FBC traveled to Kenya in mid-July for 10 days of incredible ministry. Let me tell you, this team was a huge blessing to us and a great compliment to the ministry we have been doing in the schools in Nairobi. It was amazing to see God using these teens to lead in worship, small groups, and to share their God-stories(testimonies) so boldly in a culture very different from their own.

The team ministered primarily in two areas. In the mornings, they were at Bahati Student Centre in an area of Nairobi called Kayole. In the afternoons, they were at Lighthouse Church ministering to students from Jogoo Rd. Boys and Girls High Schools and Crescent Girls Secondary School in the Eastlands area if Nairobi. In each of these settings the team put on a day camp for the students that included drama, worship, recreation, and small group sessions. God really used their efforts and their faith while they were here. There were several students in the schools they ministered in who placed their faith and trust in Jesus and others who sought a renewed relationship with Him and confessed sin struggles that they had been hiding.

I am so proud of the team that came over and I consider it a joy and privilege to know them and to have been able to serve alongside them. May God bless them for their boldness for and faithfulness to our Lord Jesus!

 

After six months of being away from our family, my parents arrived in Kenya on June 15. This was the same day that we returned from our unexpected trip to South Africa. It was a busy day to say the least! My were here for two weeks and we had so much fun with them. Our kids, Eli and Anna, were just delighted to be able to spend time with their grandparents. While they were here, they went around with Julie and I to the schools we do ministry in, as well as the church we have partnered with, Ridgeways Baptist. My parents came to Kenya, not just to visit us, but also to get involved in the ministry. My dad had several opportunities to share his faith and God's Word with different groups of students. It really blessed me to be able to partner with him like that in this ministry. My father is my hero and I believe a large part of why I had the faith to move my family to Africa was because of how God has used him to have an influence in my life. Thanks, dad! I love you and mom very much!

While they were here, we were also able to go on a Safari to Amboseli National Park. Amboseli is one of the few places in Kenya where there are still wild elephants. It was exciting to get so close to them out in the wild with no barriers between us and them. We also got to see a lioness chase off a hyena from her fresh kill. It was pretty cool. Eli and Anna loved getting to see all of the animals and taking pictures of them.

The last weekend that they were here, we all went down to the Kenyan coast to a place called Watamu for a few days of relaxation and family time. It was absolutely stunning! From the white sand beach to the monkeys climbing about the property we were staying at, it was amazing! It was good to get away for a few days and just spend that time together. We all had fun swimming, making sand castles with the kids, doing a little sight seeing, and just being together.

The two weeks seemed to pass much too quickly. Before we knew it, it was already time to say goodbye. I am grateful for the time we had to spend with them and that they had the opportunity to come to Kenya and see firsthand what God is doing through our ministry here. While they were here, six students trusted in Jesus as their Lord and Savior! A couple of those who got saved had no church background at all.  God is so good!!! 

Hey Everyone, sorry I have not blogged in so long. The summer, actually winter for us, has just been crazy and it is just going to get crazier for a little while. So, Julie, the kids, and I had to make an impromptu trip to South Africa in June. My work permit came in fine but we found out that Julie and the kids' dependent passes would not make it before their six month visas ran up. We pleaded with the Immigration Office here in Nairobi but they would not extend their visas. They told us we needed to leave Kenya for a few days and then we would be allowed back in with a new visa. So, we basically had less than a week to get all the details organized and airfare purchased for getting our family out of the country. It was nuts! But God was good, as always, and provided a place for us to go and airfare that was expensive, but bearable. We were very blessed and thankful, though, to learn that Stuart Park Baptist Church in TN decided to give us $500 which paid for ¼ of our airfare cost! Thank you, Stuart Park!

We ended up going to Johannesburg, South Africa where we visited with a friend(Martin Lord) I made at a youth ministry conference Blake and I attended back in April. Martin and his family graciously and very generously put us up in their home for the three nights we were in Jo'burg. We had so much fun with them. Martin and his wife, Shannan, have two little girls, Tori and Nicola. Eli and Anna loved getting to play with them. Eli and Anna still ask about their Uncle Martin, Aunt Shannan and the girls.

 Wow! South Africa was fantastic! It was like we back in America. The roads are smooth and there are real traffic lights, they have nice shopping malls similar to ones in the U.S. and they even have McDonald's and KFC. While we were there we were able to take the family to McDonald's, which the kids absolutely loved(Julie and I didn't mind it either). It had been more than six months since they had been to a McDonald's, as we do not have them or any American restaurants other than Wimpy in Kenya. But, as soon as they saw those golden arches they knew what it was. Funny thing is, the food at McDonald's in Jo'burg was cheaper than McDonald's in the States! We also went to a shopping mall one afternoon where they had a Hallmark store and a Cinnabon. The rest of the time we mostly spent around Martin's home. Martin runs a youth ministry retreat and conference center in Jo'burg and this was a busy time for them. We loved walking around the property, though, as there was plenty to do. We went on several hikes overlooking a gorge and then actually down into the gorge. It was beautiful and the kids loved getting to explore.

Our last night there, Martin and his family took us out to a nice steak restaurant. It was an unexpected but very nice treat. We are so thankful for the Lord family and for the hospitality they showed us on very short notice. May God bless them greatly for their kindness to us! We flew back into Nairobi on the same day that my parents arrived in Kenya. At first, the people at the visa counter gave Julie and the kids some problems about giving them a new visa. They kept sending us from person to person in the Immigration Office at the airport. However, we were finally sent to a man who understood our dilemma and he immediately approved the new visas for Julie and the kids. Thank you, Jesus, for that kind man! The dependents passes that Julie, Eli, and Anna need should come in long before these new visas run up. Please pray for us that they do!

Here are a few pics from our trip:

Last Saturday, Julie, the kids, Eli, and I went out to City Park with TFC and group of students from the schools we are working in. We had a great time playing games, worshipping God together, and sharing our struggles and challenges with one another. There were lots of monkeys at this park and we had a good time feeding them and watching them climb and play. A few of the monkeys made very daring attempts to steal our food and a couple of them did not walk away empty handed. It was pretty entertaining.

We also had the opportunity to minister to some street kids while we were there by sharing some of our food with them and the love of Jesus. Unfortunately, most of these kids were high. Glue sniffing is a common practice among the street children in Kenya. Please pray for the street children in Kenya for God to somehow rescue them from this destructive and hopeless lifestyle and to draw them to Himself.

So far, the school ministry has been going great this term. Last Wednesday, two boys placed their faith and trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior at Kimathi Primary School. They were two Standard 8 (8th grade) boys from the class I was sharing my testimony in. Their names are Davis and Erastus. There were also three students who wanted to confess sin struggles in their lives and to renew their fellowship with God! Please join me in rejoicing with these new believers and pray for them to begin growing in their relationship with Jesus!

Also, be sure to check out Blake's blog and read about how God recently worked at Bahati Student Centre, one of the schools that Blake is working in.  God is so amazing!!!

Students here in Kenya are returning to class and so that means TFC's school ministry is about to start back. This term TFC is looking to expand its school ministry. I will be remaining in the Jogoo Rd. area with Patrick in the afternoons while Blake will be working in the Kayole area with Moses. I will continue working in Jogoo Rd. Boys High School on Mondays and Thursdays and will also continue meeting with the boys at Ofafa Jericho Secondary School during their lunch hour on Tuesdays.

There are a couple of new schools that I will be working in this term. They are both primary schools: Kimathi Primary and St. Ann's Primary. We will be working with the middle school students at these schools. Blake and I will both be going to Kimathi Primary every Wednesday morning at 8am and Julie and I will be going to St. Ann's, a girls school, every Thursday morning at the same time. This means very early mornings for us on those days. Traffic backs up quite heavily in the mornings and so we need to leave plenty early to make sure we arrive at the schools on time. Fortunately, we have been learning some back roads to get us there which is saving us some time.

As you may have noticed from the paragraph above, Julie is getting involved in the school ministry this term. She will be working in three schools: Crescent Girls Secondary School, Nile Rd. Girls Secondary School, and St. Ann's Primary School. Julie is very excited about these opportunities and she is looking forward to getting to know the girls at these schools. Blake and I have worked it out for one of us to be with the kids while Julie is out at these schools. Please pray for us as we continue to seek God's vision and guidance for our ministry in Kenya. Also, please pray for the students in these schools that God will draw them to Himself and that they will grow in their walk with the Lord.

As I am sure most of you know by now, Blake and I both had kidney stones in March. I passed mine quickly and have not had any more pain since. Blake, however, still has not passed his stone. Because this poses a potential health risk to him if the stone does not come out, Blake will be checking into Aga Khan hospital on Sunday afternoon and will undergo laproscopic surgery on Monday morning to remove the kidney stone. Aga Khan is an excellent hospital and has come highly recommended to us by some missionaries friends of ours. Please pray diligently for Blake for the stone to pass before the surgery. Then, if Blake does indeed have to have the surgery, pray that it will go without complications and that he will recover quickly. The surgery is not complicated and Blake should be in the hospital for 2-3 days max. Please pray also for the urologist that will be performing the surgery, Saeed Samnakay. He is a Muslim and so we ask that you pray, not only for the surgery he will perform on Blake, but also for his salvation.

Also, school ministry will be starting back up next week as the students return to class.  Please pray for us that we will have God's vision for what the school ministry should look like and how we can be most effective for God's Kingdom. 

Thanks, in advance, for your faithful prayers!

UPDATE (5/8/07) - Blake came home from the hospital today!  The surgery went well and there were no complications.  Praise God for that!  He is still in some pain but he should fully recover within a week.  Thank you for your diligent and faithful prayers!

This week Blake and I had the privilege of being a part of a conference that gathered youth workers from all over Africa. We found out about this conference from our friend and fellow youth worker, Hamisi. God worked it out for us to get registered to be able to attend the event the night before it was to begin. There were 34 countries represented and over 200 people in attendance at the event. It was a great opportunity to meet many new people and to make contacts with fellow youth workers from all over the continent.

More importantly, though, was that God was in our midst at that conference and we had the privilege of meeting with Him. The theme for the conference was “Heart Transformation.” A team came over from the U.S. to lead this and God spoke very clearly to Blake and I through them. Their material they taught was not complicated, it was simply an in-depth study as to what God says about the heart in His Word. It was very powerful, though, because it was the Word of God speaking truth into our hearts. God revealed some things in our hearts to Blake and I that were not right before Him. While I am still a work in progress, I know that something has changed in me. Our desire and prayer is that of David's in Psalm 86:11-13(emphasis mine):

“Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your love toward me; You have delivered me from the depths of the grave.”

Please pray for Blake and I that we will persevere in this and that we will have hearts of a single purpose before God that we may truly reflect God's love to others and what a life changed by His love looks like. Pray also that the contacts and friendships we were able to make at the conference will lead to ministry opportunities for Global across all of Africa, if the Lord wills.

                 

This past Saturday, Julie, the kids, Blake,and I went with TFC to the Ngong Hills, a series of about nine very tall and sometimes steep hills(small mountains). We took over 30 students from the schools that TFC works in with us on a day retreat. As you will be able to see from the pics below, the view from the hills was breathtaking. I don't see how a person can keep from praising God when surrounded like that by the beauty of His creation. The journey up the hills was long and hard but it was definitely worth it. Third Day's song, “These Thousand Hills...” kept playing in my mind as we were hiking. We gathered together on top of one of the hills and had a time of worship and a time for sharing what God has been doing in our lives and saying to us. It was an absolutely amazing experience.

One of the things I am most thankful for, though, was the time we had to get to know some of the students better and for them to get to know us as well. It was an opportunity for fellowship that we don't always get in the schools. Being out at the hills, away from everything, helped create an environment where the students felt free to open up to us more.

Julie and the kids had a great time as well. Julie was able to talk to some of the girls and get to know them better. Anna made the trek up the hills on my shoulders for a good part of the way and made a new friend named Kate, one of the students with us. Eli acquired a nice walking stick which he kept with him the whole day. The journey was long and at the end of the day we were all exhausted, but in a good way.

This week, Blake and I have had the privilege of speaking to and hanging out with an awesome group of teenagers in an Anglican church in a town called Muguga.  Muguga is about 20-25 minutes outside of Nairobi.  Our friend and Nairobi-area youth pastor, Ezekiel, called us up and asked us to help out with a youth conference out there.  This church does not have a youth pastor and so Ezekiel volunteers to help out with the youth ministry there a couple of times a year when he can.  The church was very hospitable to us and even fed us a few of the days.  A big thanks goes out to that church and especially to Rose, Suzanne, and Collins.

There were between 25 and 30 teenagers at the youth conference each day and they were really hungry for the Word of God!  The theme for the week was "Influence" and these young men and women really soaked in everything that was poured into them.  By the end of the week, they really understood the important role that influence plays in our lives and of the incredible power of influence that God has blessed us with to reflect Him to those He places in our lives.

It was great to be able to tag-team this conference with Blake and to be able to have some small group discussions with the youth.  Small groups is where it's at.  I am a firm believer in that.  Small groups allow for more personal interaction and growth and they create an environment that is less intimidating than large groups. 

Anyway, it was hard to say goodbye to those guys at the end of the week.  I had a blast with them and I pray that they continue to open themselves to God and allow Him to shine through their lives so that they may have a godly influence on those around them.

Here are a few pics from the conference:

Last friday, March 30th, we went back to the Nairobi National Park for our family day.  Our newest addition to the family and my ministry partner, Blake Cassell, went with us out to the Walking Safari.  Last time we went to the park we had a great time but this time was absolutely amazing! 

When we went on the Walking Safari a couple of months ago, we basically just walked around and looked at the animals.  It was just like going to the zoo in the States.  This time, however, we took advantage of the guide service they have at the Walking Safari.  The guides at the park are there to show people around and help them see the animals.  Sometimes they even let people interact with the animals a bit.

Well, we must have come to the park on the right day.  The guides brought us down close to the lions and even got the lioness to come over to the fence, just inches from us.  The absolute coolest part of the day, though, was when the guide at the cheetah habitat let us go inside and pet the cheetahs!  It was an incredible experience and a day that I will not soon forget!

Here are a few pics from the day:

Last week was crazy and full of excruciating pain.  On Saturday, March 17th, we received the "blue screen of death" on our computer.  It crashed and there was no saving it.  We tried a number of different things to fix it but nothing seemed to help.  For those of you on our e-newsletter list, this is why you have did not receive a newsletter this month.  Fortunately, we were blessed to be able to replace that computer with a new one very quickly!  Thank you, God, for Your provision!

Then, on Sunday night, I had to rush Blake to the hospital.  He had a kidney stone episode back in December and it decided to pay him another visit.  So, we got to experience being out at 3am in Nairobi and what medical care is like here in Kenya.  I took Blake to Aga Khan Hospital because the IMB missionaries had recommended it to me if we ever needed treatment.  I am very thankful for the help the IMB missionaries have given us and for the good advice.  Blake received very good care at the hospital.

On Wednesday night, it was my turn.  When I started feeling the pain, I couldn't believe it.  I was having a kidney stone!  I knew the pain well as I had experienced it a few years ago with my first stone.  It was absolutely crazy that both Blake and I had kidney stones three days apart.  Nevertheless, it happened.  Blake returned the favor to me and rushed me to the hospital.  I also received very good care at Aga Khan.  Thank you, God, for good healthcare in Nairobi! 

With all of this happening together, Blake and I are convinced that there has been some spiritual warfare going on.  Satan is not happy about what God is doing through our ministry here and he is trying to get us discouraged.  However, we are determined to remain strong in Christ and to use prayer and God's Word to fend off the devil's schemes.  We know that God has led us here and that He has a great purpose for our lives and our time in Kenya.  Please pray for us in this regard.

Please continue to pray for Blake, as well.  While my stone was small and passed easily, Blake's was larger and has not passed yet.  If he does not pass it by April 10th the urologist wants to remove it by laproscopic surgery.  Please join us in praying that Blake will pass this stone very soon.  Thanks, in advance, for your faithful prayers! God Bless!

Blake Cassell has arrived and has moved into our house!  He made it to Nairobi safely and with all of his luggage on Wednesday, March 14th.  Just kidding about the "space invader" thing.  Blake is a welcome addition to our family.  Our kids took to him instantly.  He's their new "Uncle" Blake.  I am so thankful that they have bonded with him so quickly.   Plus, he has offered to help some with washing the dishes and cooking which has endeared him to Julie.   

Blake and I seem to have a lot in common and similar senses of humor which is working out great.  Our only point of contention so far is that we support rival college basketball teams.  But, you know, we all have our faults and I can overlook this blight in his character.  Seriously, though, I am thankful to have another partner in this ministry and I am excited about what God is going to accomplish through this partnership. 

Already, in just the first week of Blake being here, I have already seen God using him in big ways.  On his second day in the country, I witnessed God using him to lead a boy to Christ at Jogoo Rd. Boys High School.  Then, just a couple of days later, on Saturday I watched as Blake boldly spoke on spiritual warfare at a youth rally.  God used this to bring two more young people to Himself and into His Kingdom!  God is so amazing!  Here is a pic of the youth rally:

                                       

Please continue to pray for Blake as he gets settled in and seeks out what God has in store for him here.  Our prayer for him is that he will truly feel like a part of our family and that we can be a source of love and encouragement to him as he adjusts to life in Kenya.

This week I wanted to talk about one of the schools that I have the opportunity to visit each week, Ofafa Jericho Boys Secondary School.  Geofin, one of the TFC staff, graduated from this school and is now giving his time to the school that gave so much to him.  There is a group of boys at this school that I think are awesome!  You see, this school does not have a weekly C.U.(Christian Union) meeting like many other schools do.  So, these boys got together and decided to form their own meeting.  Every Tuesday you will find these boys spending most of their lunch hour out in the sun, praying for their school and for each other, and learning from God's Word.  And they don't eat their lunch during the meeting.   They wait until the meeting is over.  They fill up on spiritual food from the Word of God before they fill their bellies with physical food.  These boys are committed and their faith in Jesus is very real and evident.  I think these guys are top-notch and I invite you to join me in praying for them!  Thanks! 

Here is a picture of the group of boys we meet with.  Geofin and Betty, two TFC staff members, are also in the picture.

                                       

This past Saturday, TFC held a youth rally at the Lighthouse Church in Nairobi.  Folks, let me tell you, God showed up in a big way!  It was so exciting to be there and to be a part of it!  Around 500 kids showed up for the rally and God used that opportunity to speak to their hearts.  I was privileged to have been asked to speak at the rally and I am so thankful that God chose to use a broken vessel such as myself to pour out His love on those kids!  When it came time for the invitation, 19 of the kids came forward to make a decision to place their faith and trust in Christ!  Praise God for that!  Others also came forward to confess sin problems and to recommit themselves to the Lord!  It was such an awesome thing to see God working in their lives!  Here are some pics from the event:

To me, that is.  Thanks a lot, everyone, for forgetting the day I was born.  Especially all of you nice people at Global.  Good thing I'm not the kind to hold a grudge!  Lucky for you!  Just kidding, by the way.  It really was my birthday on Wednesday, though.

To celebrate, we went to Village Market and spent the day at the water park.  This was both a fun and economical way to celebrate my birthday.  Admission was only $10 total for our family of four!  I can honestly say that I have never been to a water park on my birthday before.  It felt so weird being there as I am used to it being cold this time of year.  The kids and Julie and I all had a blast while we were there. 

After the water park we stopped for ice cream.  While we were eating our ice cream some Japanese tourists spotted our kids and asked if they could take their picture.  Julie and I said it was ok, thinking that they were just going to snap one quick photo.  Wrong!  I have no idea how many photographs they actually took, but I know that it was a lot.  The kids had fun posing and showing off and Julie and I had a good laugh about it.

It was a wonderful birthday spent with the people I care about most. What more could I ask for? And the kids had so much fun and were so worn out at the end of the day that they both crashed on the way home. Take a look:

Well, that's about it. It was good to hear from mine and Julie's parents. We miss them a lot but we are having a great time serving the Lord and experiencing life in Kenya. Till next time, God bless!

Hey everybody! I just wanted to let you know about Global's picture website. We are able to post many more pictures there than what you get to see on the blog. Plus, you can print off any of the pics you want right at home! I have been trying to get as many pictures as I can on there, so please check it out! Just click on this link: Global Picture Gallery for the Riddles .  Then click on the photo album you want to view. Also, be sure to check out the photo galleries of the other mentors. Hope you enjoy it!