Flying for the first time & missing Daddy

When I promised myself I'd write more often, I forgot that 4 weeks in Kenya with spotty world wide web service was before me. I have however manage to post in the same month.
Kenya is hot right now, I mean hot hot. Much like Kerry describes Arkansas. I told her this morning (her night) that a cold front would probably hit about the time I landed since I hate cold weather.
This trip has been great though. The first week here Vic Small (Victor Otieno, National Director) and I took a trip down to the coast. It didn't hit me until the day we were leaving that this would be Vic's first real airplane ride. Later in the day a friend in Mombasa explained it well, "its so fast, you feel like you don't get your monies worth." If I had to pick a first plane ride it might be this one. 45 mins. and Mount Kilimanjaro out the window for 20 mins. of the flight. We were able to visit the 2 campuses on the coast that God laid our hearts to begin ministry on. BOTH ACCEPTED US WITH OPEN ARMS!! We're praying that we will be able to have permanent staff in place by May.
This past weekend all of our staff made it to Nairobi for our staff retreat. A great weekend of planning, praying & playing together. ACO has a great 2012 planned and with God's blessings we pray that we will be able to disciple young men and women across Kenya! More Later.... when internet allows.

New Year = New Things

Kerry and I decided a few years ago that we wouldn't make new years resolutions, I guess its the "rebel" in us. Maybe its that my resolutions didn't take after the first 15 days of that year. Anyways, now we try to make changes with some accountability. I know, same song different verse. So over the past month I've been really trying to pay attention to life and see where I can correct some habits that have taken hold in my own life, or my husbanding, or my parenting, or my ministering. The first.... blog more. I have a good friend that should of been a writer or a publisher, heck he reads in a morning than I do all year and always has great streaming thoughts. Anyways, he always encourages me to write, so I'm going to write more on this here blog.
Second, I'd like to memorize scripture with my kids each week. A family verse that we can work on together. RaeRae helped me realize this as we drove down the Interstate heading to Texas a few weeks ago listening to his AWANA CD.
Third, I want Kindness to flow from me. In my quite time I'm reading a great book that another wise man gave me. In it the writer says that "as grace is absorbed in my life, kindness begins to flow naturally and freely."
Fourth, you guessed it, show more grace.
Lastly, realize that God is in control of everything, good and bad. We have some lofty goals for 2012 as a ministry, advances into places that are scary and honestly not the safest of places to be. I've felt God leading us in these directions and yet I still have a fear of them. Funny, He leads yet I still wonder, I really give missionaries a bad name.
So I'm a day into 2012 and its started off pretty well. I've got our verse picked out, I felt like I responded well so far with grace and kindness, and I'm blogging. God in control? So far today, an early morning text informed me that a former student of mine is battling for her life after a car accident. I learning this morning as I sat down to work that a ferry and a ship collided overnight on the coast of Kenya and my first thought was, "oh, no. We have a team of students on the coast doing a mission trip." Just a few minutes ago the airline called and told me that undercharged me on my ticket later this month and need to tack on a few hundred dollars. God is in control of everything????
Yes he actually is Tom. He reminded me that life on earth is precious and not to be wasted, our students are home from the coast, and a church picked up the cost on the ticket change.