What to wear.....

For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And which one of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you? O men of little faith? ... Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. -Matthew 6:25-30,34

Many people are asking what do I get to wear in Kenya. So if you are shopping for Kenya here is the suggested list for packing:

The average temperature 80’s days/ 60’s nights,

no military style clothing or backpacks

· 2 Pairs of LONG PANTS (Khakis/Cargos/Jeans) I recommend light weight No Capris
· 2 LONG SKIRTS, OR SIMPLE LONG DRESS Long means down by your ankles
· 2-4 short or long sleeved T-SHIRTS or BUTTON DOWN SHIRTS—Nothing Tight Fitting!
· 1-2 CASUAL TYPE SHIRTS No tank tops unless worn on safari
· SWIMSUIT – you may have a chance at a pool on the safari
· SHORTS – only appropriate on safari
· 1 Dark SWEATER or LIGHT WINDBREAKER
· 5+ pairs of SOCKS a couple pair of fast drying, or take lots of pair to wear and just leave there!
· 5+ pairs of UNDERWEAR cotton takes forever to dry!
· Sun HAT (baseball caps are fine)
· 1 pair of SHOES to wear with Sunday clothes (Birkenstocks, sandals etc are totally appropriate

for the women – nylons not necessary!
· 1 pair of WALKING SHOES
· SANDALS or flip-flops (flip flops are great for showering too!)

Many people are getting thier shots. Remember you can feel kind of tiered or even kind a sick after them. It normaly last only a day or so. They are worth it!! I recommend the Flu shot too if you have not gotten yours yet this year.

Please Pray this weekend as Kari's women's group is having a garage sale to help raise money for our team!! How Awsome is that!! Thank you girls!!!

Well, I am off to Mexico. I will be back next Friday and then I move!! See you all soon.

76 More Days

To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. -2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Jennifer Haltey is in town from Kenya!!

She will be coming with me to church on Sunday the 22nd. We will be at second service. Then afterwards we will be at Sparta's in down town Bothell for lunch. Please join us!!

Things are coming together fast and time is flying. Remember when we had over 100 days to go...now we have only 76!! Two more months. I can hardly wait.





We have our gifts for the housemum's done thanks to a great sale at Michael's. Now we need two gifts for the housedads. We also have a lot of things coming in for our projects.



Please remember your first $2000 was due on April 15th. Please do all you can to have that in the account at CHCC by the end of April. I will be buying the tickets the beginning of May. The last $1500 is due June 15th. Send out second letters if you have not already. If you need any help please let me know.






Are you calling your prayer partners?

I am going to cheat today and add a post here that was written by Mary Horn for her team last year. Mary works with the Boys at the Nakuru home of GCC. Pray for her as she is not able to go back this year. I know it is killing her not to see her boys. Her words are good ones and I am sure will fit all of us going....

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. Matthew 15:1-11

I know you've heard it a million times, but I want you to be ready for Satan's attacks. I want you to realize that you WILL be attacked (if you aren't already) because you are about to go and do the work of the Lord, AND you will be growing in your faith like never before! This is quite troubling to the enemy and he will place all sorts of obstacles in your way. In 2004 I threw my back out so bad that I ended up in the emergency room. My physical therapist was mortified that I would be on airplanes for nearly 20 hours. He was so worried about me that he worked very hard to get me into ship shape before I left. It was a huge attack.The attacks will come in various forms. Failed exams, troubles at work, financial difficulties, doubts, sickness, and so much more. One man on our team in 2004 had a very ill mother. She was on her deathbed. He and his wife (and the rest of our team) as well as his mother, were all praying she would die before we left. She was ready to go be with the Lord and was so eager to leave this world. They didn't want to leave Kenya to attend the funeral. (I know this all sounds really weird!) She met her savior the day before they would have had to cancel their trip. And everyone was happy to know she was finally Home! The whole thing was horrible and most of us had never prayed for a speedy demise before. But what the devil meant for failure, God used as victory!As these rough seas come, please keep in mind what Jesus said about being pruned and what James said about rejoicing in your trials. James 1:2-4 And make sure you are sharing what you are going through with the rest of us so we can be praying for you!

Our Daily Schedule

With only 88 days until we leave, and just a few more weeks to collect support I hope you are all working very hard to get your support in. If that means you need to send out another support letter then do it soon!

To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. -2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

DAILY SCHEDULE
Anything can, and probably will, change at a moments notice!!! Please determine everyday to be flexible and to…DIE TO SELF!!!

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

• Wednesday July 4th Leave Seattle


• Thursday July 5th Day in London, Flight to Kenya


• Friday July 6th Arrive a.m., to Passionist to settle - visit, get to know kids of Grace Children’s Center (GCC)


• Saturday July 7th All day at GCC and HIV/AIDS home - Giraffe Park


• Sunday uly 8th Worship with Church on the Rock - Singles Retreat -GCC


• Monday July 9th Leave for Makindu - check in to Hunters Lodge – GCC’s Girls Home


• Tuesday July 10th Kisingo and Makindu Pre-Primary Schools - GCC


• Wednesday July 11th Paint Home GCC Girls Home


• Thursday July 12th Day in Village and Hospital – Finish Painting – Goodbye to GCC girls


• Friday July 13th Return to Langata - GCC - Pizza night


• Saturday July 14th Nairobi City - Carnivore - Kazuri Beads - Shopping - GCC


• Sunday July 15th Flight to Masai Mara Game Reserve and Lodge, Safari


• Monday July 16th Safari - Visit a Masai Village


• Tuesday July 17th Back to Langata – Goodbye to GCC kids - Java House for dinner - To Airport.


• Wednesday July 18th London and Home
  
  
  

WaMu Article Sparks Great Interest in CMIA

This article came out all over the nation to each employee of Washington Mutual. Over 100 people asked how they could donate to CMIA!!!!


WaMulian Takes Kindness to Kenya
By: Leslie KaulSource: WMFS Communications

Every 14 seconds, a child in sub-Saharan Africa loses a parent to AIDS. This means, in the two minutes it takes you to read this article, another eight children will lose a mother or father.
Licensed Personal Financial Representative Robyn Oldenburg knows these staggering statistics all too well. Every summer for the past few years, she has spent two weeks in Kenya volunteering with an organization that runs three different homes for children affected by the AIDS epidemic.

“Many people picture sick kids, rundown buildings, and a sense of hopelessness in these homes,” Oldenburg explains. “This is true in some areas but not the homes I work in. These kids are happy, well-fed, clothed and schooled. But in order to create this type of environment, it takes money. That’s where we come in.”

Raising the Quality of Life Throughout the year
Oldenburg raises the funds needed to keep the children’s homes functioning and the kids healthy. Her grassroots effort includes everything from soliciting businesses and organizations for donations to having a large garage sale each May. Just in the last year alone, she raised enough money to put in a new roof, floor and bathroom at the girls’ home.

“We had enough money remaining to purchase table and chairs so the girls would have a place to eat together and do their homework,” says Oldenburg.

Kisingo, a small school that educates children who can’t afford to purchase the $28 uniform needed to attend public school, also benefited from her generosity. The Feed the Children organization promised to provide daily meals to the students if a kitchen was added to the school.

“I reached out to several organizations and individuals, and within a week we had the $700 needed to build the kitchen.” These students are now guaranteed at least one meal each day.

In addition to raising money for special projects, Oldenburg collects items during the year to bring to the children. This includes schools supplies, clothing, games, and medication.

WaMu Shares the Same Values
Oldenburg says WaMu is a natural fit for her. “The company carries the same values as anyone who reaches out to these children. In fact, many of my WaMu coworkers and customers have given me supplies to take over. One customer got her young sons and their school involved. They bought 150 flip flops for me to take over!”

And her work continues. Oldenburg and her colleagues are now raising money to build a new main home, which will have a special area for the HIV positive children, so they can get the special care, diets and anti-retroviral drugs they need to help manage the disease. Only $33,000 more is needed to break ground on the $150,000 project.

Oldenburg is driven by the love she has for the children and says her work will never be complete. “On a clear night, if you look up at the sky, you will see about 12 million stars. Now picture a child’s face for each one of those stars. That’s how many children have been orphaned by AIDS in Africa alone.
We may not be able to help each child, but we’ll continue doing all we can for 153 of them.”

ONLY 94 MORE DAYS

Our meeting yesterday was a good one. I can see the team coming together and it is so exciting. Here is a brief overview of what we went over:

1. DeeDee will not be able to come with us. Her daughter is getting married and she needs to be here to help out. We will miss having her and I know it is killing her not to be with us. Next year DeeDee!!!!


2. Kari will be taking over DeeDee's spot as my co-leader. She has been to Africa before and has experience on mission teams. She is a great organizer too!!


3. 2nd letters. Please send out a second letter to all our support list. Letting them know what we will be doing. The projects you are in charge of and where you are at in your support raising.


4. Get your passports!! At this point if you have not gotten your passport you will need to expedited it so we have it in May to send off for your Visa. I will need your passports and 2 more passport photos at our next meeting.


5. Projects: We went over who is in charge of each project and what we need for each project. please ask Life Groups, Family and Friends to help us collect the things we need.


6. Our next meeting is May 6th. It will be at 1pm. We will have a pot luck!! We will also have a guest, Helen who just moved here two years ago from Kenya!!