Heavenly Father's Love

 

Neil explains the Heavenly Father's love to Mary

Mary is an orphan in Kaloleni, one of Kenya's poorest regions about 30 miles from Mombasa. Our Outfitters for Adventure missions organization was given a gift just before Neil traveled to Kenya which will provide food and clothing for Mary for a year. 

Mary, the orphan, lived with the grandmother, but the grandmother neglected her. Now she lives at the pastor, Elvis', house. Elvis, with 5 of his own children to care for, needs help to provide for Mary. I have seen his house. He has nothing. We were approached by Arrestus, a leader in the church, to request help for Elvis to care for Mary. Mary's parents both died of AIDS. Mary's brother is an epileptic living with their uncle in Mombasa. 

Mary needs a sponsor through ROCK (Reach Out to the Children of Kenya) to continue her ongoing support [$25/month or $300/year]. On the internet, an article stated that 50% of the children in the county where Kaloleni is located are orphans due to their parents dying of AIDS. 

Around 5:00 a.m. (Kenya time) Monday morning, Neil and Francis began the drive on the busy highway from Nairobi to Mombasa, Kenya's major seaport. Neil texted:

We are playing the age-old game of chicken on the Mombasa highway. Only here, it is called, "I think I can make it." Playing the game with fully loaded Mercedes semis makes it so much more fun [not].

By 1:30 p.m. (Kenya time), Neil wrote:

My tummy is fine. I think the fruit juice upset it after dinner Sunday night. As soon as we lay our heads down for a nap, we were both sound asleep.  

Church attendance in Kaloleni has been spiraling downward. Our work here should be interesting. Little Ruth, who was named after you, is now four years old. The coastal region near Mombasa has had a severe drought after the spring floods. There is 100% crop failure on the corn, which is their main food source. Our host was dead-ended on school payments for 2 of his children. We are staying in his first cousin's opulent house. His cousin is a financial auditor at the US embassy in Nairobi.  

Francis of Kaloleni stopped by. His son broke his arm playing tonight. I gave him funds to pay the doctor bill. So far no mosquitoes tonight [malaria is a concern in Kenya]. I teach in the morning [Tuesday].  

Tuesday lunch break Neil texted:

Good morning, dear. [Kenya is 8 hours ahead of Minnesota time.] We already had 1 1/2 hours of teaching. It is 75 degrees Farenheit. Lunch was chicken, rice, and beans. Very pleasant. There will be one more lesson today. Tomorrow we will visit the surrounding churches with Elvis, the pastor in Kaloleni. 

After completing the second teaching session, Neil texted:

We're back at a house about 500 meters from where we sleep. Francis of Kaloleni is feeding us supper at his house. He cut the top off a coconut for me. What a refreshing drink! 

The stars are gorgeous here on the equator, with no light pollution. I have a scratchy throat tonight. Good night to the most lovely wife in the world. I love you, Neil.

Prayer Requests:

• Healing for the boy's broken arm
• Healing for Neil's scratchy throat
• Rain to end the drought so crops can grow
• Financial increase for parents to feed and educate their children 
• Hearts that are hungry for Jesus
• Increase in church attendance
• ROCK sponsors

Outfitters for Adventure's website has information on sponsoring a child through ROCK (Reach Out to the Children of Kenya) or helping Kenya in other ways.