Psalm 116:15Precious in the sight of the Lordis the death of his faithful servants. [NIV]
Just before Neil's flight to Kenya we learned that one of his dear friends in Sengera had died. It is amazing that the T-shirt she is wearing in our picture of her from 2016 has the word, "LIFE," on the front, when she spent a large portion of her life struggling with the dreaded AIDS disease her husband had given her before he died. Several years ago, when Neil's sister Beth joined Neil on one of his annual trips to Kenya, this friend was very near death. Beth, a healthcare professional, quickly recognized the seriousness of her condition, and brought her to a clinic for emergency care where her life was restored. This year, Neil will attend her funeral. Her family is busy making preparations for the funeral which will be held on Tuesday. It would be an even sadder event, except for the commitment of her life to serving Jesus. Yes, how precious in God's sight is her death, knowing she will be in His presence for eternity!
Thank you to all who prayed for Neil's and Francis' safety yesterday when the rain began pouring down in the hill country. I must confess that I was rather concerned when there were no further messages. But this morning around 8:30, Neil called. He and Francis spent the night in the hill country at George's house. This morning they conducted the interviews of the ROCK children and their caregivers from George's church. The rain had been heavy and the wind had blown down a tree right next to George's church, but as people here at home prayed the rain stopped as suddenly as it had begun. They were able to travel to Sengera today with no delays. Praise the Lord!
Neil has been sending several messages that are floating around in cyber space unable to reach me. He wants you to know he is not a man of few words on this trip. In the Kisii District, WIFI is more reliable, so he hopes that even their pictures might begin reaching us.
When they arrived in Sengera, Neil and Francis settled into Hellen Aberi's house. Then they drove to Sengera to have a coke with Atkinson who has helped on occasion with transportation. Back at Hellen's, they enjoyed tea and chapati, a Kenyan version of pocket bread. Hellen's friend Rosemary joined them for dinner at Hellen's house. Hellen is pictured below with Benjamin, the ROCK child she cares for in her home.
Hellen is trained as a healthcare worker for HIV/AIDS patients to help them get medication and make trips to clinics and hospitals. She leads a group of several adults who gather weekly for Bible teaching, and she has served as pastor of a church in Sengera. Her secular job is working for the chief.
Neil and Francis were looking forward to bucket baths before heading off to bed. We take electricity, running water, and flush toilets for granted, but many of our Kenyan friends would think they had entered heaven just stepping into our most humble homes.
Prayer items:
- Praise God for hearing our prayers to stop the rain yesterday, giving our guys safe travel today.
- Pray for the funeral to bring joy in the midst of sorrow as friends and family realize their loved one is free at last from AIDS, and that whoever has given their heart to Jesus will have eternity to share their lives.
- Pray that the ROCK children and caregivers will be able to come for their interviews.
- Thank God for supplying their ROCK sponsors here in the USA.