Three hundred and sixty five days ~ exactly one year ~ after arriving in Kenya, we want to simply summarize what this past year has held for us. With Levi heading off to kindergarten in just a few short weeks, we thought we’d enlist his help with the alphabet.
A = Adjustments. Our whole family has adjusted to a new continent, country, house, school, friends, and way of living with relative ease. What a blessing! B = Baboons. Travis’ wrist rocket is used on a regular basis to scare away the many baboons that roam around our dorm. They are fierce creatures and we are always on guard. C = Camping. In the words of Joshua, sitting by the campfire on a bluff overlooking Hell’s Gate National Park, without a soul in sight, “Now THIS is camping!”
E = Enough. God provided just enough strength for each day. Keeping track of 13 kids’ schedules in addition to our regular “jobs” often resulted in our energy waning. There was always just enough stamina, love, and patience (well…) for our brood! His GRACE is enough! F = Fruit. Not only have we thoroughly enjoyed the physical fruit of living in Kenya (the mangoes and passion fruit are phenomenal ~ and so inexpensive!), we have delighted in the fruit of the Spirit being demonstrated in the lives of our dorm guys ~ especially that of self-control, which was the emphasis at many of our evening devotions this last school term. G = Good-byes. We are starting to fully realize the number of painful good-byes Missionary Kids (MKs) are faced with. Staff and students leave the school each term; some return and many are never seen again. We’ve learned that countless people come into our lives for just a season. H = Hello. We can now understand why MKs may be reticent in meeting new people and making new friends; they realize that it’s just a matter of time after the initial “hello” that the inevitable “good-bye” will come. It certainly doesn’t seem to stop them from including newcomers and loving wholeheartedly in between. I = International. As we walk the campus, we recognize what a truly global school Rift Valley Academy is with over 30 different nationalities. The flair they all bring to school performances (choir, band, drama, etc.) is astounding! These are extremely talented kids! J = Junior High. We pray that we have done our job well in preparing our former 6th graders for junior high school ~ and for the responsibilities and privileges that they will gradually earn and begin to enjoy in the coming years. It baffles us that Kylea will soon be entering grade seven. K = Kikuyu. This is the people group that we live among. As the cost of staple items such as flour has doubled and even tripled in the last three months (and wages have NOT), we feel their pain and try to help them as often as possible. Imagine working 4-5 hours just to be able to buy a bag of flour. L = Laughter. We’ve realized the importance of not only being able to laugh at ourselves when we make mistakes (we’re still learning so many things and, trust us, there are many things to laugh at!), but also of laughing with others! With our dorm guys all so far from home and their parents, laughing is good medicine! We LOVE to hear the joy-filled laughter of all our kids! M = Ministries. We have come to appreciate the creative ways that God has called His people to minister and build His Kingdom! We feel so privileged to be able to uphold these fellow missionaries by caring for their precious children. N = Nakumatt. Similar to a Walmart Superstore, Patti spends many hours shopping for our dorm family at Nakumatt. There are now a chain of them throughout Nairobi and they often import such luxuries as Hershey’s syrup or Heinz ketchup (all at a cost, of course!). O = Opportunities. We seize any opportunities we may have to share the gospel as we travel throughout Kenya. We find that people want to hear the Good News and the hope that is found in Christ! P = Preparation. Specifically, food preparation consumes many hours as our meals are all “from scratch” and take time to produce ~ especially when cooking for 15-20 people at a time. How grateful we are for reliable house helpers who not only ease our load, but for the attachments we make to those who spend so many hours a day with us! Q = Quarters. This one is stretching it a bit but we want you to know that Africa Inland Mission has been in the process of moving their headquarters down to Peachtree City, Georgia from Pearl River, New York. It’s been a lengthy procedure but the move is now official. We’ll give you more pertinent information at the end of this update. R = Rain. Maybe you’ve heard the song Africa by Toto. The song was sung at graduation this year (tradition!) and now our kids sing it nonstop. We truly realize the importance of rain to the lives of those around us. It is their livelihood. Please don’t stop praying for God to “bless the rains down in Africa.” S = St. Edwins. Is a faith run orphanage not far from Kijabe that has grown to have a special place in our hearts. Edwin & Ruth have taken in 27 children over the last four years. They have learned the true meaning of walking by faith, not by sight, as they trust God to meet the needs of these children who will likely never be adopted. Please pray for them!
U = Unity. Our national anthem reads: O God of all creation, bless this our land and nation, justice be our shield and defender, may we dwell in unity, peace and liberty, plenty be found within our borders. As we approach the day of Christ’s return, we know that our enemy will do all that he can to generate disunity. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18 Boy, do we preach that one! V = Vac. The breaks that we get between our three school terms (each term lasting 12 weeks) have become a precious time of our family reuniting. We have come to cherish those few weeks of being a family of six instead of 15. W = Wildlife. We never tire of seeing the amazing animals that God has created and placed in this part of the world! What an imaginative God we have! X = Xtra. It’s always extra special to receive email from “home” and words of encouragement from you. We love to hear what is going on in your lives. We also wish there were extra hours in a day so that we could write extra personal letters to you! Y = Young. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” Psalm 119:9 This was the theme of our dorm this year. We want to instill in our guys the importance of time spent in the Word! Z = Zillions. This represents the amount of thanks that we have for so many faithful stewards who are willing to serve with us here in Kenya by giving sacrificially of what God has given them. Now you know your ABCs! Alphabetically yours, On August 1st, Africa Inland Mission officially moved to Peachtree City, Georgia. It is important that you make this change immediately. We would like to update you with our mission’s new stateside address. Africa Inland Mission’s US office has relocated from Pearl River, New York to Peachtree City, Georgia. Any mail you might send addressed to us at their old NY address will not be forwarded. Our mission requests that if you are supporting us financially by mailing in checks, please send support gifts and other related items to the address below: Africa Inland Mission If you would like to contribute to our support via credit card on-line, you may go directly to the secure donation page using this hyperlink
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The Nielsens
Travis| Patti | Kylea | Joshua | Tia | Levi
Next time won’t you write to me?
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