Kenya Prayer Update #5

Happy New Year everyone!

It is 2025.

I hope you all had a great time celebrating for both Christmas and the New Year. I will say, it doesn't seem like January with this wonderful weather here -- I've been accustomed to the hard winters of Maine -- here it's mid 70s every day and high 50s, low 60s each night. Perfect weather by my standards, although when it rains here, it pours buckets. I think we're here right at the tail end of the rainy season, so it has only rained once or twice so far.

The past week and a half, church staff has had off, so we've been doing a bit of exploring, hanging out, reading and whatnot. Pastor Josh and his family made the trip down to Nairobi, Kenya after church on Sunday because he is working on getting Kenyan citizenship. They just came back today. Jake and I sat their dogs while they were gone; two South African boerboel puppies, so we've been both entertained by them and entertaining to them as they are extremely energetic.

Tomorrow the holiday break ends and we'll all be back to regular church activity. With the New Year, the church's young adults' Bible study will be starting back up, as well as weekly evangelism outreaches to the local city. We'll be breaking more ground on the church plot across the street where the new building will be. In coming weeks we'll begin digging holes for the foundation -- fifty 5x5x5' holes. The building is, Lord willing, going to fill the acre plot of land pretty well, with four stories. It will take some good time to complete, but with help from church volunteers and mission teams that come to visit, that time will be shortened.

Last Sunday was the monthly baptisms after church. 6 people were baptized, and 3 of them were saved in conjunction -- so praise God for working in all their lives! Tomorrow evening we have our midweek study, and then this Sunday is going to be a combined service of the 3 services in celebration of the church's 13 year anniversary, so please be in prayer for those events. Also pray for Pastor Josh, he's got food poisoning since coming back from Nairobi, so pray for a quick recovery from that.

I've got two photos for you all this time. One is of the two new puppies chilling in the sun (but it's not chilly by any measure); Goliath is on the left and Zorro the right. The other is a culinary triumph I had the other day making some chai tea. Some of the ladies at church described to me how to make it and a good spice blend, so I gave it a shot and it was nearly perfect. Kenya is famous for its tea plants, and the chai is a dietary staple here. I'd never had chai in the States before coming here, so I don't really know how bad you all have it over there, but I'm almost certain it can't compare with the authentic Kenyan type.

Thank you all so much for your prayers, may God bless you as you seek and as you serve Him this 2025th Year of our Lord.

Tuonane (see ya),

Zion