Live Intentionally

Dear Deana, Chris and the whole Cypress Arts team,

Thanks so much for the money you contributed towards the trip Jennifer and I took to Nakuru, Kenya. It was a blessing to learn that the airline wasn’t going to charge us for the two checked bags Jennifer and I each took. That freed us up to use the money given for other purposes. I thought you might want to know about some of the ways God used and blessed your generosity.

While in Kenya I had the opportunity to read The Hole in our Gospel by World Vision president Richard Stearns. In the book, Stearns claims that many Christians today view their faith as a personal transaction with God for eternal salvation and an internal belief system but have ignored the biblical call to serve orphans, widows, and the poor.

The trip back took 42 hours, but we made it. Reflections on the experience and what we’re going to do now. Now that we’ve seen what we’ve seen, we just can’t just go back to business as usual.

Saturday we went to the drought-stricken community of East Pokot, about 100 miles north of Nakuru to visit with Pastor Chochoi and the girls at the Cana Girls Rescue Home. It is by far the most isolated and desolated place I’ve ever been.

Today Jennifer, Molly, Daniel, and I did a safari in Lake Nakuru National Park. Here are some pics and a little God story.

Today we experienced some amazing community – with a church in the rural village of Kabarak and in a traditional Kenyan dinner with friends. Plus an update on Samuel, Dorcus’s son.

Wednesday in Kenya we experienced the beautiful and the not so beautiful as we served a community living on a landfill and then visited Lake Elementaita and Menengai Crater.

Day 2 in Kenya was intense… visiting a school, visiting some friends, an accident, and an emotional trip to the AIDS and burn wards of the local hospital.

Share Today was our first full day in Kenya.  We woke up to a cool but sunny day.  After breakfast and getting a tour from Molly of the grounds  Joe, Molly, Jennifer, Victor, and I set off on our first adventure. Victor is a Kenyan, about 30 years old, and lives with his wife in [...]

Share I mentioned before that I wanted to give you a tour of Joe and Molly’s place.  I think one of the fears people have of going on a trip like this is fear of what their living conditions will be like.  You go in with so many stereotypes and preconceived notions of what things [...]