Not

I will not be going to Kenya this May.

God knows the Teso. He created them. He will reach them with the Gospel.

Pray with me for His power to known & the life of Christ to be realized among the Teso of Kenya.

Discernment

Brothers & Sisters,

Please pray for my decision to go to Kenya this May. New reasons of timing and concern have presented themselves to abandon the trip at this time. Ask that I will be discerning & obedient. Ask that God will change my heart & others' as needed.

Thank you.

Three Rules

I've said for years. Don't remember when I started. Don't know how I even came up with such sage sayings. I've said for years that I have three rules for missionary service:

1. Be called.
2. Be flexible. Your calling will be tested.
3. Bring someone with you.

With airline ticket re-assignment dates stretched to the max but calling still in tact I have a new itinerary to travel to Kenya as prayerfully anticipated in May 2009.

I do not, however, have anyone currently planning to accompany me. My counterparts have reneged for various reasons. Please pray that God, if it is His desire, would raise up another to discover together. And continue to pray for the Teso & the other people groups without Christ of East Africa.

May '09

Due to our schedules it looks like our Discovery Team from Southview in Lincoln won't be able to make the trip until May 2009.

I wish we'd been there by now.

I wish we had more knowledge of how to pray.

I wish we were developing strategies.

I wish.

God knows.

And more than my wishes I will trust in God's providential knowledge and amazing love.

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

Continue to pray for the Teso. Thank God for the return of peace & day-to-day life in Western Kenya. Pray that God's Spirit would move, God's Word would impact, & God's people would be obedient.

Praying over the Obstacles

I made a great, new missionary friend & told him about our heart to partner in reaching the Teso. I told him how we were stalled out waiting to get there. Once there we could take lots of pictures & videos & capture compelling stories to tell to illustrate the needs for folks. He agreed that was good, but asked a simple question, "Why don't you pray for the obstacles?"

Exactly. Why don't we? Thanks, Jerry, for speaking from the outside what should have been obvious to me from the inside. Perspective. Is that an aspect of wisdom? Then Jerry's got it.

So, Dear Friends, here are a few things to pray for:

• Peace & provision for the peoples of Kenya. Without peace jobs & livelihoods & homes & everything else is turned upside down.
• Harry & Deb Holcomb's work schedules to freed as needed to allow them to make the Discovery trip when God intends. We may be able to go August 25-September 4. That's soon!
• A Strategy Leader from Southview to be called by God to lead every aspect of this partnership forward. Leader, advocate, administrator, strategist. A person of faith & vision.
• A Prayer Leader from Southview to lead in praying for the Teso of Kenya, and be an advocate for them through a variety of other prayer strategies. Another person of faith & vision.
• The Christ-followers among the Teso would be open to a relationship with us & we would all be willing to be used as God intends to start a Church Planting Movement among them.

Thank you, Dear Friends.

I'll update you as things change.

Going?!

Just got word from our missionary, Doug Lee, that we ought to be able to go this fall!

Keep Kenya in prayer. Doug observed a heartbreaking exchange between a parent & child recently. The child wanted to play with another child. The mother response was something like, "No, that child is from (a rival) tribe." Doug thinks the renewed tribal animosity will take a generation to overcome.

Pray that a revival will change hearts before a generation passes.

Agreement Reached

The good news from Kenya last Thursday is the reaching of a power-sharing agreement between the two rival political parties. Amen.

Lead mediator, Kofi Annan, was quoted yesterday by the East African Standard as saying, "Kenya has a lot to offer. As Kenyans you need to work together, heal and unify the nation," adding that it was a beautiful country which he would like to see remain prosperous.

The Standard reports of life now in Kenya, "Some have great hope that peace will prevail and they will go back home. Some are still too traumatised by what they went through, and believe things will never be the same again, even after reconciliation."

An agreement is reached. The real work of finding a new peace lies ahead. What does the future hold for Kenya?