emily peyton cook photography

now booking sunday easter mini sessions: 11 apts. left!

Wow! Thank you so much for your support and speedy booking for April 9's Easter Mini Sessions. Due to high demand, I am opening up the Sunday afternoon sessions from 3-5. I still have one more 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning appointment to fill, too.

I want to fill them all if possible and need your diligence to let me know if you can't make it so I can fill your spot. If everyone shows up, we'll be able to:

a. Fund an existing Kenyan orphan through Light Ministries for 3 months!

or

b. Fund a brand new orphan and support him or her for one month!

From what we've been told, Kenyan children can not be adopted by Americans. That's why we have to take the help to them. We'll be supporting the orphanages Zach spent time in last week. There are so many good things that are being done for them there. These precious people are literally saving the lives of these hopeless children and investing in them spiritually to teach them the Word of God. They also give them an education, so that they can have a way out of poverty. There are children, outside the gates, who aren't funded and longing to be inside those walls. I want to do all I can to connect your children's blessings with those chidren's poverty. I hope you'll be a channel of blessing and support this event and tell your friends so we can fill the remaining 11 spots!

James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

first glance fav's from zach's kenya photos

My husband PREACHING! We didn't know he'd be doing that when he left, but God worked through him and he has a great testimony about it. Souls were saved!

Where Zach preached (notice the photo in the bottom right corner-this guy loves to pose).

See what I mean? LOL!

Aimee, my assistant, cut out what seemed to be 5,000 loaves and baskets for this Kenya trip for the children's Bible Study project. This picture made it all worth it to see that Aimee's hands reached all the way across the world to a little Kenyan girl through a craft project.

"I'd like to give the world a Coke."

These ladies and children were waiting on a medical clinic the missions teams were providing. Some of the adults had never colored before! Can you believe that?

A blind man walked to the medical clinic. This totally reminded me of John 9.

African sunset.

Impala on the game drive safari.

Water Buck on game drive safari.

Giraffe on game drive safari.

Zebra on game drive safari.

Baboon on safari game drive.

 

 

kenya 2011: abide

February 13, 2011, Day 11

John 15:1-17

Abide in Christ:

1. Zach's and my first study as a married couple in our Sunday School class at Bellevue with Dale and Tori Shows.

2. The first study we led as discipleship group leaders in the group God led us to start last Spring.

3. The message that helped lead Zach and I to missions in Kenya. 

4. The first sermon Zach ever preached, on his first mission trip to Kenya(or anywhere), at a tent church at a garbage dump.  At least one soul was saved.

5. The word Abide is displayed on the cross featured above, Zach's Valentine's gift from me this year that he'll receive when his feet cross the threshold of our home on the evening of February 14. 

6. The full circle moment, that brings us back to 1. is that the cross was made by Dale and Tori Shows who first led us on our journey of Abiding and Surrendering to Christ. God is good!

 

From Zach: We will be leaving around 2 pm your time so continue to lift us up for the grueling journey home. My heart is so full of encouragement and praise right now! The gospel is alive and well here and the Lord allowed the power of the Holy Spirit to speak through me this morning. The worship here is pure and untainted by the world and unlike any I have ever been a part of! Praise be to God for bringing me here and allowing me to be a part of the life giving and life changing work going on here.

From Jeff Moser: We are about to leave the hotel for the Java house and one good meal before departing for the airport.  Pray for good flights and good connections.  Back home in some 30+ hours!

 

kenya 2011: lions and giraffes and baboons, oh my!

February 12, 2011: Day 10

Zach preaches again tomorrow on his last day in Kenya. I am devoting my evening prayer time to him so that God may increase and Zach decrease in the message tomorrow. May souls be saved!

Remember how Aaron and Hur held Moses' tired arms while he held the staff of God up as Joshua fought the battle against the Amalekites in Exodus 17? The Isrealites were winning as long as Moses held that staff of God up. His friends assisted him in enduring and winning the victory. I know Zach has to be exhausted. He's ready to come home, he told me in an email this morning. I pray that he'd remain faithful and strong and focused one more day so that God could gain the victory in Kenya through Zach's preaching in the morning. Please join me in fervent prayer for him as he completes his journey. 

His week away is almost over. I can't believe it. I had one little rough patch, but then all of our friends' and family's prayers kicked in and I've had peace. Last night, at a Sunday School social, several friends told me what specificly they'd been praying for Zach and I and I was amazed at how much those prayers had been answered. They weren't even requests I'd spoken aloud, but God knew, and laid them on the hearts of His people. I know our prayers have reached to Kenya and back this week as Zach's been on this life changing journey. I'm anxious, excited, and nervous about his return. Will he want to tell me all about it when he gets off the plane or will he need time to decompress. This is the longest I've ever gone without hearing his voice, catching up on our day to day life, etc. He's had major life changing stuff before his eyes each day since he's been gone and he hasn't begun to tell me the first detail in his own words because of the lack of communication devices readily available to him. 

I can't wait to hear his testimony, heartbreaking as it may be, so that we as the body of Christ can spring to action to help the people he's departing from tomorrow. We may not all be able to go to Kenya right now, but we can use our talents to reach them from America for God's glory.

Friday
Thursday night after the evening session I was able to meet with the overseers and their wives to officially begin the ‘Tentmaker Initiative’.  For those of you who don’t know, Tentmaker is something God laid on my heart a year ago.  I have been raising money to help pastors start small businesses in an effort to become self-sustaining.  Paul was a tentmaker by trade and a missionary by calling.  He supported himself where he went by folding in with the local tentmakers.  By God’s provision, I was able to present them with enough startup money for 5 pastors to begin.  We went over basic bookkeeping and accounting and established an accountability structure.  The will soon be new fruit businesses and Tea businesses and bicycle taxi business in Kenya!  On Friday morning, we heard an amazing story of one pastor on the Kenya-Tanzania border who intentionally went into a place where tribes were killing one another.  Through his incredible faith, a church is now planted there and seeds of peace are being sown.  Pray for them because most of the people there do not have a bible.  We sent an incredible new device called a ‘Proclaimer’ with the pastor that will play the bible in their native language.  It can be operated by electricity, battery, solar power, and if all else fails, a hand crank!  

After Mike Curry taught a final lesson, we all had to say our goodbyes.  It’s amazing the bonds of friendship that can be made in such a short amount of time.  There are people we met that have changed our lives forever.  There we several teary hugs as we departed.  Most of the team headed to Nakuru for a well-deserved rest and a trip to the game park.  Since we had visited the park on a previous visit, Susan, Katie and I headed to Nairobi to prepare for a conference at a church in Nairobi.  Friday afternoon was another long time of travel over the jarring Kenya roads.

Saturday
Lions and baboons!  And Maasi warriors!  The team members at the game park were able to witness God’s creation up close and personal.  Sometimes a little too close and personal as a baboon tried to join the group in one of the vans!  Quick thinking by their driver George (yes, the called him George of the Jungle!) kept them from becoming blood brothers with a baboon!  And to think Noah gathered 2 of every kind on a boat?

Susan, Katie and I led a Men’s and Women’s conference at Amos and Miriam’s church on the outskirts of Nairobi.  Susan and Katie taught the Chronological Bible study the women have been studying under Donna Gaines and Iva May.  Many of these women had never heard the concepts Susan and Katie taught.  I taught the men about the Leadership style of Jesus, about their position in Christ and about the importance of having a Paul, a Barnabas and a Timothy in their lives.  We had a great day with the church.  We rendezvoused with the rest of the team Saturday night and we are now preparing for our last day in Kenya tomorrow.  We will spread out over three churches tomorrow and share Christ.

It has been an incredible journey these last 8 days.  We have seen, heard, smelled and experienced thing that will be difficult for us to put into words when we return.  Give us a day or two to catch our breath, then ask us about our trip. But you might want to sit down, ‘cause it’s gonna take a while!  We love you all and thank you for praying for us.

Maybe God is telling you to join us next time?

Jeff

kenya 2011: the Word was, the Word is, the Word will be

February 11, 2011: Day 9

I've done every devotional 
Been every place emotional 
Trying to hear a new word from God 
And I think it's very odd 
That while I attmept to help myself 
My Bible sits upon my shelf 
With every promise I could ever need

And the Word was 
And the Word is 
And the Word will be

People are getting fit for truth 
Like they're buying a new tailored suit 
Does it fit across the shoulders 
Does it fade when it get older 
We throw ideas that aren't in style 
In the Salvation Army pile 
And search for something more to meet our needs

-Sara Groves, "The Word"

I've heard people ask and even wondered myself, when I was a baby Christian, what would I do if I heard the voice of God? I pointed my finger at those Israelites in Exodus in a "shame on you" way claiming confidently that if I heard the voice of God, I'd have no trouble having faith or following His instruction. 

What I failed to remember, at that point in my Christian walk, was that we have God's Word (the Bible) whereas the Israelites did not. The Word of God came audibly and sometimes physically to them. I have in my hands a written tangible Word from God. I believe it to be absolute truth. If I did not, I guess I would have a crisis in my faith. As I read through it cover to cover, I see God's hand, His big picture among all the snapshots He's provided throughout the Old and New Testaments. I see Him telling me exactly what to do, yet I've let it be a blind spot in my Christian life for far too many years. We, as Christians in America, are His chosen nation. He's blessed us so that we may in turn be a channel of blessing to those around the world who are much, much less fortunate. We are not to neglect the sharing of God's Word with those near and far around us. We are to do as He has told us in black and white writing:

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

From the mouth of Jesus, my Saviour: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20

Read below to see how much an impact following God's Word can truly make. 

Thursday
What a full day!  This morning our teams separated into two with several of the ladies helping lead the women’s conference and several of the men helped with the pastor’s conference.  There was such an anointing of God on the sessions.  These men and women face daily battles beyond what most of us can imagine.  Shortages of food, lack of water,  tribal wars, unfair church landlords, daily travel of hours into the bush to share the gospel.  These are truly heroes of the faith!  As Mike Curry says, there are no easy fields in which to minister in Kenya.  But God tells us not to be afraid of the hard things and the hard places.  These men and women are not afraid!  One of the workers is a lady named Florence.  Florence ministers in the deserts of the Lodwar province.  You’ve probably seen some pictures of some of tribes to which she ministers.  This is the tribe where the women add rings around their neck to lengthen their neck.  Florence travels at least 2 hours each morning into the bush to share Jesus with these people.  She is not ashamed of the Gospel!

The balance of the team went to the poorest feeding station yet.  Pastor Elkanah leads the church there and that church feed 200 children a day on support of on $250/month.  They really need more than 4 times that amount, but they pray over what they have and there is a modern day example of the loaves and fishes!  Again we were able to share Jesus with the children in story, crafts and song and we were able to treat all of them for worms and other issues.  One of the 5th grade Sunday School classes at Bellevue and one of our team members’ mother made dresses for the girls there.  They were so excited to receive new dresses!  Most of them have only the dirty, torn uniforms they were given when they first came to the feeding station.  They’ve never had a new dress!  My father-in-law made 100 little wooden cars for the boys.  Talk about excitement!  Little boys are little boys all over the world.  They all love cars!

In the afternoon most of the team went to visit the boy’s orphanage close to this town.  This is a testament of God’s faithfulness to these people.  These boys are happy and healthy now, but without this orphanage most of them would be dead by now.  I was also able to take some of the mission money from Bellevue that afternoon and provide supplies for both Light Feeding station and Elkanah’s feeding station.  These children will have plates and spoons to use to eat their beans and rice.  Beans and rice was provided for several months.  Two new classrooms will be added to house the growing number of children.  It is so exciting and happy to be the vehicle through which God provides for His people!  I wish you could all experience the joy we have this week as we have used some of the missions offering provided by God’s people at Bellevue.  This is what it’s all about!

Next update will be from Nairobi!

Jeff

kenya 2011: one less

February 10, 2011: Day 8

We are called 
To the widows and the orphans
But it's easy to ignore their silent crys
Oh but every single time
Somebody reaches into the darkness
Makes a choice to help the helpless
They let mercy save a life

-Matthew West

Here is the latest update from Jeff. I was very touched by one part of this email about the literal salvation of an 8 month old from a 105 fever at a medical clinic Zach's team participated in yesterday. They had antibiotics to give this baby that wouldn't have been available if they hadn't been there. 

When Jonah was sick last week, it crossed my mind that I could be in the shoes of the people in Kenya with no medication to bring fever down or fight infection. Oh, the things we take for granted!

Updates!

Tuesday
Tuesday was a travel day.  After a late breakfast and a stop at the coffee shop to do a little souvenir shopping, we spent 2 ½ hours on the roughest road you’ve ever ridden on.  Potholes in the road literally slowed us to a crawl.  Along the way we passed bicycles, motor cycles, Matatus (taxis) and 
literally thousands of people walking along the road.  Several people even saw a monkey or two!  After we arrived in Kakamega and took our lunch we visited the Cyber Café and the Nakumatt (the Kenyan version of the Wal-Mart!).  The rest of the afternoon was a rest time.  A team from Rock Creek Church in Arkansas joined us this evening and we will be joining together in ministry the remaining of the week.

Wednesday
This morning we travelled a few kilometers outside of town and visited the Light School and Feeding station.  We were privileged this morning to witness the dedication of their new kitchen.  Maybe it’s not a kitchen any of us would particularly want, they are elated over it!  They have now progressed 
from cooking inside a tin shelter over three large rocks to a brick and mortar building with three wood fired cook stoves.  Those stoves will be used to cook beans and corn for 150 children at Light Feeding station.  We were treated to another program by the children and then we were able to again minister to the children with games, bible stories and crafts.  We were also able to partner 
with Rock Creek’s medical team.  We treated all 150 children with de-worming medicine and then were able to treat a variety of ailments and illnesses.  Then in the afternoon we went back to the station and were able to see about 150 people from the community.  Overwhelming!  We treated all manner of illnesses including one 8-month old that we believe was near death from a 105 degree fever.  We were able to administer antibiotics and send home some follow-up meds with the mother.  It was a truly amazing afternoon.

Wednesday afternoon began the Pastor’s conference.  While Mike Curry met with the overseers of Global Field Evangelism, the ladies from our team met with their wives and began to teach them.  Wednesday evening one of the teaching pastors shared his story about the death of his wife.  It was a powerful message that resonated with the Pastors here.  Many of them face difficulties beyond anything we can imagine.  Pastor Greg’s message helped them to understand that God is in control even in the difficult and dark times.  What a tremendous way to start a conference!

More Later
Jeff

kenya 2011: reflection on the little orange book

February 9, 2011: Day 7

Today it snowed. 

Which meant we were stuck inside after our early morning follow up visit to the Dr. for Jonah. 

So, that meant I had time to think to and from the doctor and at home while J was napping. 

Radical, the little orange book I knew nothing of this time last year has totally put us on the path we're on right now. God used the book to uncover a blind spot in our lives and in our faith. It was quite a detour from our 2010 resolution list of saving and executing a 1,000 square foot addition to our house. The little orange book found it's way into our home along with a sermon series by the author and God's plan for us began to take shape. 

A "Radical" support discipleship group was formed.

Conferences were attended.

House plans were put on hold and eventually canned.

Talk of us teaching through the entire Bible chronologically to anyone who would show up began as an off the wall idea we didn't think would actually happen.

Zach and I separately noticed a mission trip to Africa and said nothing to the other one about it. God brought up the conversation and I knew He'd been preparing me for Zach to go.

We started saving towards a $2,500 first time mission trip to Kenya and sponsoring a Compassion child in Kenya instead of following the American Dream.

God blessed us with our 2nd pregnancy.

The house plans were scaled way down to a bed and bath and studio space was rented on the square for me.

We began teaching through the entire Bible in a year and people showed up!

God shut the door to that scaled down addition and led us to live our "big life in small spaces" a little while or maybe forever longer, who knows? (If I hear, "Where are you going to put that baby?" one more time...) Ha!

Zach boarded a plane bound for Kenya on an 11 day journey. He went to preach, teach, and share the love of Christ. Souls were saved, lives were changed, and eternal impact was made (including our lives). 

I heard from Zach this morning which made my day! He shared that he'd be working at an orphanage today and that he'd experienced his first cold shower since he'd been there. He just thought he'd been roughing it. : )

Hopefully there will be more news and revelation tomorrow.

kenya 2011: prone to wander, Lord I feel it

February 8, 2011: Day 6

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Prone to hear you and not heed it
Prone to scorn you in your love
Prone to wander
Prone to wander

-Come Thy Fount, Sara Groves

I explained in my last post about how my heart has been prone to wander and my mind prone to wonder away from God even though He's continued to provide safety, health, and sustenance for Zach and his team. I explained how I'd come to terms with not receiving email updates from Kenya and I was going to trust God. 

This morning I got up to check Mike Curry's twitter feed and saw that he'd posted 3 journal entries from this year's Kenya trip! (Journal 1, Journal 2, Journal 3) I read over them looking for hints of ministry updates from Zach's team. Surely enough I found a few nuggets within the 3 entries and passed an email along to my prayer partners with the praise of info from Kenya. About the time I hit send, my inbox lit up with a bold new message from ZACH COOK! Only God could have timed that one. As I was typing at 6 a.m., Zach was winding down his day at an internet cafe (his first internet connection since Sat.) at around 3 p.m. It was such a "You've Got Mail" moment and made my week to hear from him in a way only God could ordain. Here is an excerpt from his email:

 

Hey sweetheart!  I am so excited to be sending you this email.  We haven't had access to email over the past few days so I am just now sending an update.  It has been quite an emotional and spiritual experience for me over the past few days, from me preaching for the first time in a tent church at the city dump, to going to an orphanage and a feeding station in the slums of Kitale to yesterday at the pastor training institute dedication!  The faith of these people is remarkable and an inspiration to me and our team.  They truly have "FAITH" that the Lord is going to sustain and provide for them! 

 

We are here in Kakamega for the next few days and then off to the Nakuru game park on Saturday. I have so much to share with you but want to do so in person.  I have been writing my thoughts in my journal each night so that I won't forget what I have seen and experienced!

 

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH and am grateful to you for allowing me to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit to come here.  My reason for coming here has already been validated several times over and I truly will not be the same, but for His honor and glory!  Please continue to pray for us as the next few days promise to be trying and difficult; we have ministry in some of the worst places we will be going to the entire trip.  I am supposed to preach again on Sunday in Nairobi too so please pray that the Holy Spirit would lead me then.

 

Hopefully, I will get to email you again in a few days!  Remember, the Lord is our shepherd and will not allow any trials to come upon us that He will not give us the power to overcome!

Once I finished this email, another one came through from Jeff, his team leader with a summary of their ministry the past few days. Here is the email he sent:

  

We are sitting in the cyber cafe in Kakamega, Kenya after a bone-jarring 2 1/2 hour drive from Kitale.  This afternoon is a rest time for us as we prepare to dive back in tomorrow.  Here's what's been happening:


Saturday 
We awoke bright and early Saturday morning and took our breakfast at the Java House Café in Nairobi.  We then boarded a propeller driven plane and flew in-country to Kitale.  Once we arrived we checked into our hotel at the Kitale club.  Our rooms are not much more that block rooms with a bed, but they look like the Peabody compared to what most Kenyans live in.  After we ate lunch we went to visit the orphanage run by Richard and Helen.  There, 48 children and their teachers live.  Most of their stories will take your breath away.  We heard about Thomas, who before coming to the orphanage searched through trash dumps to find food.  Maximilla was rescued from an abusive aunt who tried to sell her to men for sex at 11 years old.  She had been tortured by her aunt to the point where her foot was completely turned under and she could not walk.  Through the work of the orphanage she has had surgery on her foot and can now walk again.  And then there is Delmas, who was rescued after being abandoned in the bush for 5 days.  When he was rescued, they weren’t even sure he was alive.  Now, 3 years later Delmas looks like one of the healthiest children in the orphanage.  These are only a few of the stories that could be told, each one as heartbreaking as the last. 

Sunday
On Sunday morning we broke into 4 teams and visited 4 different church services.  Zach, Katie T and Tracey ministered in the tent church.  We know that at least one person at that church gave their life to Christ after Zach taught them that before they could abide in Christ, the must first have Christ living in their heart.  Samuel, Autumn, Michael and Phyliss visited the church in the Kipsongo slums.  Samuel brought the message.  Katie, David, Ruth and Hannah visited one of the poorest churches and Katie brought a message of hope to an area where hope is hard to find.  Lastly, Jeff, Susan and Mary were blessed to travel to Mt. Elgon and have church with several house churches.  We met under a tree and I preached about Nehemiah and how he followed his vision from God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  God used this message because there were about 15 different pastors present.  Many of them had ministered through the violence of 2007, which hit the Mt. Elgon region particularly hard.  What blessed and humbled me the most was that many of the people at that meeting travelled 20-30 Kilometers THAT MORNING to be there.  And I get upset if I don’t get a close enough parking space on Sunday mornings!

Sunday afternoon we went back to the orphanage to play with the children there.  The children quickly overcame their shyness and were playing games, blowing bubbles and kicking the soccer ball.  While most of the team were playing with the children, several members of the team took Helen and the headmistress of the feeding station, Rebekah, to the market.  Eight or Nine 
shopping carts later, the orphanage had been restocked with cleaning supplies and the feeding station had new pots and pans, plates, knives, forks, spoons and other cooking supplies as well as a restocked cleaning supply closet.  These things were provided by some of the mission offering given by Bellevue Baptist church members.


Monday Morning
Jesus said, ‘Suffer the little children to come to me’.  This morning we were overwhelmed by over 350 children at the Kipsongo feeding station.  Kipsongo is one of the poorest slums in all of Kenya.  Many of the children live in huts that have been fashioned by sticks, mud, dung and plastic.  These dome-shaped huts house many people who are scratching out an existence any way they can.  Most of the children in Kipsongo feeding station get their only meals of the day there.  The feeding station gives them a vitamin enriched porridge each morning and then provides a lunch of beans and corn or rice and beans.  During the rest of the day they are in classrooms where they are taught the word of God and their ABC’s.  Without Global Field Evangelism’s work in Kenya, many of those children would never survive.  Those children blessed us with a program of singing and dancing and then the team was able to spend time in their classrooms telling bible stories, teaching them songs and making crafts.  As we left we drove through the slum.  The excited cries of ‘Muzungu’ (white person) rang through the slum.  It’s a sure thing that the team members will never be the same after witnessing the things we saw today.
 

Monday Afternoon
Several years ago when Mike Curry first started coming to Kenya, Mike visited a church that met under a tree in Mt. Elgon just outside Kitale. God gave Mike a vision that one day a Pastor training center would be built at the top of the mountain.  Well, today we attended the groundbreaking for that building!  Pastors from literally miles around came and worshipped together as the foundation work began.  We were privileged to see part of God’s provision and plan for that area.  It is our hope that one day we will be able to bring teams of teachers and pastors from Bellevue to this new training center to teach those who will minister to this area.  There are a multitude of tribes within a several hundred mile radius of Mt Elgon as well as several unreached people groups.  God blessed us to be able to be present at the beginning of what I believe will be a great launching pad for ministry as local pastors are trained to reach their own people.

Monday evening we were treated to a feast prepared by Helen and her church members.  The food was wonderful and the hospitality warm.  Richard and Helen are people of tremendous faith and vision.  I could fill several volumes with the enterprising plans Richard has to grow his ministry.  In five short years they have grown from barely being able to afford rent and food to operating an orphanage for 48 children, feeding 360 children in a feeding station, and mentoring 25 pastors with small churches of their own.  They are truly God’s choice servarnts.

It's now Tuesday afternoon.  The next update will be in a couple of days.  Thanks for all your prayers!  They are our fuel!

Jeff

"My cup runneth over!" Psalm 23:5

-Emily

 

kenya 2011: lift up your face

February 7, 2011: Day 5

Lift up your face!
Lift up your face!
Salvation is calling!
Salvation is calling! 

Yesterday, I felt discouraged and whiny and had lost my focus. Today, I spent most of the morning in God's Word instead of waiting around on the red light on my blackberry to start blinking alerting me of a message from Kenya.

In our Chronological Bible readings we're in Exodus and learning about how much God did to prove his love and redemption of the Israelites. After He performed numerous miraculous signs and wonders they quickly forgot all He'd done for them and promised them and began to grumble and complain. I identified with them this morning. I was all pumped up throughout the planning of this trip and even did great running on adrenaline the first few days they were gone as long as I was receiving those tangible emails of assurance of Zach's protection. As soon as those emails stopped coming, I started doubting that Zach was where he needed to be and I selfishly wanted him back here at home.

I read this verse in Exodus 14 and found comfort:

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today...The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

I realized that the path God had put Zach and I on in January of last year until now was for a purpose. He  called each of us to this trip separately and divinely worked it out for Zach to go. He is being obedient to God's call on his life as well as the life of our family. I have to put my trust in God even when I'm not receiving a message or voice that everything is o.k.

I can't wait to hear all of the stories he has to tell when he gets home. I can't imagine all that he's seen and heard. I know his heart must be heavy from all of the overwhelming poverty. But I know souls are being saved, lives are being changed, and the contagious gift of discipleship that has been impacting our lives has to be impacting lives there, too, because I know Zach is sharing his joy on that topic. 

Jonah is feeling much better today and that's a praise. He's been a brave little boy while his daddy's been away.

kenya 2011: somewhere out there

February 6, 2011: Day 4

I'm feeling very "American Tale" today. 

And even though I know how very far apart we are
It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star
And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby
It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky

I haven't heard from Zach's team by email since overnight Sat. night. There is probably no internet connection where they are, but it is still unnerving not hearing from them from time to time. I've found myself searching google looking for news on Kitale just in case, as crazy as that sounds. 

Zach travels a lot with his job, so we're accustomed to that, but I don't think there's ever been a time when I couldn't just pick up the phone  and hear his voice. It's been much harder than I thought it would be. I truly realize how much I love and miss my friend and husband when he's gone. 

Here's a couple of funnies from Jonah to lighten the mood: 

1. In the middle of the night when he was feverish he looked up from taking his medicine and his eyes landed on a J.Crew catalogue. He said, "Those are my Daddy's shoes." I thought that was so cute.

2. He popped up in the middle of the night and said, "My daddy's in Africa."

3. The first night we stayed at home alone without Zach he looked at me and said, "Me and mommy are scared. My daddy's coming back?" I hadn't said a word about being scared!

Hope to hear from Zach's team tomorrow, so I'll have something to report. I did discover Mike Curry's twitter feed today that shed some light on the ministry activity. This was an encouragement.