Dear Friend, prayers are rising!

And God is MOVING!  He is always moved by our prayers.  He ALWAYS has a Plan.  

THE PLAN
God's plan from Genesis to Revelation has never changed.  Covid-19 can't change it.  The world can't change it.  God's own enemy can't change it.

God's plan, like His character, is always full of love and mercy.  His plan is always to RESTORE.  His plan is to REDEEM.  His plan is to RESCUE.

Dear Friend, you can REST in the fact that all God's plans are good towards you.

Can we encourage you a little bit today?  You are an encouragement to us always and we have been praying for you by name.  

You know what's encouraging?  Jesus Himself is praying for you!!  And He's praying for you by name!  His prayers are continually for you!  So, friend, keep your eyes on Jesus because His eyes are on you.  He doesn't sleep, He doesn't take a break from being our Savior.  He's our Savior Forever.  His power to redeem and heal and save is FOREVER.

Victor loves his new Bible given by Sole to Soul, a campaign started by the children's church of Wellspring Church

Joel met with Mully at Mully Children's Family and connected him with our friend John Duot Duong. John started an orphanage in South Sudan that we support monthly. It was incredible to be in the same room as these two heroes of the faith!

THE SECRET
God never asks us to accept what is happening around us, He only asks us to learn how to be content in Him in the midst of our circumstances.  A child is content when they are being held safely in their parent's loving arms.  There may be chaos all around, and still a baby will rest in the arms of the one who loves them.  

Paul said in Philippians 4 that he learned the secret to being content in every situation. "I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." 

Paul wrote this under house arrest.  But he doesn't spend time lamenting his circumstances or railing at God for keeping him there.  Instead, he pens the most quoted verses of all time.  He spent his time in isolation writing letters of encouragement and discipleship to his church families.  He tells his brothers and sisters in Christ this convicting admonition:  

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:4-7

The secret to peace (which is much like contentment), is to rejoice in the One who strengthens you.

Christ is near!  His strength is available to you today!  His peace will guard your heart and mind!

THE PRACTICE
How do we put this into practice in our lives?  How do we rejoice when all is falling apart around us?  How do we maintain a thankful heart?

Paul gives the answer in the verses that directly follow:

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you."  Philippians 4:8-9

We turn not only our eyes to Jesus, but our thoughts as well!  When we look for Him, we will find Him.

And the world as we know it may have suddenly came to a crashing stop, but we can still "keep putting into practice" all Paul shared.  Our Christianity hasn't been placed on hold.  If Paul's encouragement from a prison cell to the early church could be read over and over again for centuries, what can God do with our obedience to Him during this time?

THE GOOD
If you need some GOOD things to rejoice about, we want to share with you what God has been doing here in Kenya!  Right now the country is on lock down and has been since March.  Groups of people are not allowed to meet or congregate and all schools and churches are closed.  However, we continue to look for ways God can help us reach out in love to the people here and He is providing avenues for us to help FEED THE NEEDY during this time!

Because of lockdown, many in rural communities are without jobs and we were able to feed 100 needy families in the village of Ndituni.  We distributed 1,500 pounds of dry goods.  We also distributed food to two more villages, giving thousands of pounds of vegetables and essentials, going home to home and praying for the sick.

SHOES FOR SMILES AND SOUL TO SOLE!

We have been visiting several schools here in the rural areas of Machakos county before the lockdown went into effect.  Often, we would see children going to school without shoes.  Joel had a dream one night and in it we were driving down a mountain road and giving shoes to the children from a large bag.  The next day, some of our very good friends told us they wanted to start collecting funds for shoes for the children and called the campaign Shoes for Smiles.  We were so excited!  We went out that day and purchased shoes to pass out and we drove down the road in our Miracle Van, looking for children walking home from school without shoes.  Our kids loved getting to do this!  

A campaign was started by many of you in the states and we were able to visit schools and pass out nearly 200 pairs of shoes!  The first school we visited, I didn't have the right size shoe for one little girl and she started to cry.  I glanced down and saw that Story had the right size.  When I asked if Story would give her shoes to the girl, she didn't even hesitate.  Boston carried her on his back the rest of the trip and my heart was so impacted!

We are praising God for our family in Christ that continues to raise funds for shoes, Bibles, and now FOOD to feed the hungry!  Soul to Sole, a campaign started by our children's pastor, sent us money to purchase 100 quality children's bibles and 100 pairs of school shoes.   Our good friend and Kenyan Pastor, Peter, collected them for us.   When the lockdown forced people out of work, Shoes for Smiles quickly sent money that was intended for shoes to be used for food for families in need.  

We were able to pass out Bibles to 100 children during our recent Food Distribution.  This was the first Bible these children have ever owned! Their smiles were so big and they were so excited!

THE WELL PROJECT

The well project continues to move slowly yet steadily forward.  We have met with numerous government officials and have written countless letters and drafted several plans.  Everywhere we go, we see the need for clean water and how it can affect every facet of life.  We passionately continue to advocate for this basic human need!  We are thankful for the friends we have made here who have worked tirelessly with us.  Recently, we made a very good contact with the Chief Officer of Machakos as well as the Deputy Governor and the project is moving forward and finally gaining ground.  We were told that many of the government officials thought we would leave and give up and they are surprised that we haven't.  It's gained their attention and now we are hopeful it has gained their support.  The government has the drilling equipment, but lacks funds for fuel, transport, and materials.  We have committed by faith to provide those things.  We're in this to the end!  God told us He would do this, and we have put our trust in Him.  Please continue to pray for the well project to begin drilling as soon as the government lifts the quarantine restrictions.

This stone marks the spot (much like Mizpah in the Bible) where the Geologist found water in Ndituni.  Right in the village center!  

NETWORKING MISSIONS

God has blown us away with His plans and purposes!  We've seen His HAND at work in miraculous ways!  One of those ways is through connections He has made for us.  He has been very strategic!  Joel met many national missionaries while he was on outreach throughout East Africa this past summer and one of those is the director of Together Orphan Ministries.  John Duot Duong stayed for 10 days with our family and we arranged for a meeting with him and the Founder of Mully Children's Family, Dr. Charles Mulli.  We continue to support the orphans of Together Orphan Ministries monthly.  We were able to send 500 bibles to them through our friend and director of the Gideons in Northern Kenya, David Otiende.  It was the first time the Gideons have been able to send Bibles to South Sudan.  God is TRULY orchestrating so many plans and purposes and we are BLESSED to see Him at work here in Kenya, South Sudan, and Tanzania.

Our friend Nickson from Tanzania came to stay with us for a week and when he went back to Tanzania he found out that our mutual friend and recent convert to Christianity was in a motorcycle accident.  Ollie is a Maasai tribesman who accepted Christ this summer when Joel and Connor were on outreach in Tanzania. Ollie’s tibula and fibula were broken in the accident and never healed.  Infection set in.  With the help of River City Church in Laplace, we were able to send money to get him transported to a hospital and have surgery on his leg.  Ollie will walk again and he and his family are so grateful! 

Joel with Ollie (on the right) this summer in Tanzania

Thank you for continuing to trust in the plans of God and to be a part of His purposes on this earth!  

Jesus is returning.  He's coming back for His inheritance and that inheritance is US:  His believers!  Let's continue spurring one another on in faith, in love, and in good works.  (Hebrews 10:24)

We Thank God for You!!

Love and Blessings in Christ,

Joel and Joye and Family

We are here! Living at the end of a little red dirt road near the rural village of Kithimani, Kenya. Our altitude is almost a mile high. We are living on a plateau, so the view from the road is mountains. The road leading up to the house is lined with wildflowers and acacia, sisal and succulents. There’s been a lot of rain in the past few days and the house sounds like a little tin ship beneath a waterfall. It’s been quite possibly the longest yet most fulfilling 12 days of our lives. From sunup to well after sundown, there is work to be done.

After nearly 40 hours of traveling, we arrived in Kithimani. Our girls all had travelers sickness and Soul ran a fever for a few days, but besides that, everyone has been adjusting well. From the moment we arrived, our kids have embraced learning Kiswahili. They’ve literally embraced everyone they’ve met! They just overflow with love and joy. I have an even greater understanding of Jesus’ words and commands to be like children. The Kingdom of Heaven truly belongs to little children! I’ve been so amazed by their attitudes. They’ve had to pump water for baths, for filtering drinking water, for cleaning dishes. They’ve battled mosquitoes and bugs we don’t know the name of yet. They’ve navigated the stressful driving conditions with more grace than I have! And my mom is here with us for the first month as well! God told her years ago that she would one day go to Africa for missions. She has been the epitome of grace, kindness, and strength!

We have met several amazing Kenyans that have been a blessing to our family already. This country is so warm and welcoming. They have made us feel at home. We are blessed to call them forever friends. Peter, Mary, Julius, Felix, Zaddock, and many more—they have all helped us get our family settled here and we are so grateful for them. We are so thankful to Felista and Angels Center of Hope that we have a house to live in here in a peaceful place.

God has led our every step! I’m in tears typing that. Every obstacle we’ve faced (and there have been many), God has provided a rescue! He’s been our Way-Maker, Miracle-Worker, Promise-Keeper (our girls have been singing that song throughout the house lately—at the top of their lungs). When we needed a van, He provided it. When we needed the right visas to stay here, He provided them. When we needed paperwork that often takes months to get, He got it for us. When that same paperwork was lost in a taxi in Nairobi, God miraculously connected the taxi driver back up with us and he brought us the papers! When we ran out of water in our rain tanks after only a week, God brought a water truck in the night right to our front gate! He is the God who MAKES A WAY. Nothing is too difficult for Him! He never runs out of provision, He never runs out of goodness, He never runs out of faithfulness! God is so good.

We visited our friend Mary’s house down the mountain and the little kids laughed and ran after us. We saw the river the kids bathe in and the road they walk to school sometimes in pouring rain. Our kids gave the school children who visited our house stickers and crayons and they put the stickers all over their faces. They had never seen crayons before, either! We only wish we had brought more to give them. We are wrecked for normal living. Our hearts are stretched, we pray God continues to grow our love and our faith.

We post detailed stories and testimonies, as well as live videos and updates, on our facebook page Commission Mankind. Please follow along there! It’s easier to post live videos, because we don’t have wifi. I use my phone hotspot to log into websites. We PRAISE GOD for YOU!! We wouldn’t be here without our family in Christ in the States making this possible. So, THANK YOU! Your love and support truly strengthens our hearts!

Today we visited White Dove Fellowship

Thankful for the prayers and support of local churches!

WE HAVE EXCITING NEWS!!

We feel like shouting from the mountain tops “Look what God has done!”

We were able to purchase TICKETS to Kenya for our family!! And yes, that means TEN tickets were booked for an international flight! My mom is coming to spend the first month with us!

We leave January 18th! Only Five weeks away.

God is giving us a whole new appreciation for His “suddenlies”.

What He says, He does. What He promises, He fulfills. You can stake your life on it. And as Christians, we are asked to do no less.

We’ve staked our lives on His commission. But that doesn’t mean we are paragons of faith. It simply means we are willing to look foolish to the world. :) We are willing to follow Him, and thankfully He leads us one step at a time.

I used to think following God one step at a time was frustratingly slow—now, I understand why the slow and steady pace—each step of obedience requires more faith than the last one.

Recently, Joel and I were praying about whether or not we should go ahead and purchase tickets when there are still some big things we are waiting on provision for; things like a vehicle and an extra rain collecting tank for the house. (By the way, that’s another awesome testimony— we’ve been graciously offered a house to stay in by a family member of Angels Center of Hope.) In both of our prayer times, God gave us similar scriptures. Joel had written on the top of his notes, “God directs our steps” (Proverbs 20:24) and I had written in my notes, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

How can we walk if we don’t take steps? And how will that walk be one of faith if we can see every step?

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God,” Paul says (Romans 8:14)

If we are walking by faith, it becomes as simple as Following the Leader. The Spirit of God is the one who leads and this is how we demonstrate our sonship. This is no normal walk. It’s a walk categorized by blind faith and expectant trust. Does it look foolish sometimes? Absolutely! Does it even make sense to us at times? To be honest, no, not always. .

“A man’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand their own way?” Proverbs 20:24

If God is leading, then He knows where He’s going! God doesn't get lost. He doesn’t lose His way. He doesn’t need a map or a program or a list. He thought of everything and He knows how to get us where He wants us. We can’t miss the destination, when He is our guide. We can’t miss our goal, when He is our aim.

God willing, we will be in Kenya in January! And we’ll be taking it one step at a time, as the Lord leads! He’s brought us this far and we are amazed at the love and support of the people of God and the way we travel together on this journey.

In Christ,

Joye