May 2008 Prayer Letter

“Gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life.
To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways,
not knowing what tomorrow may bring.

This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness,
but it should be an expression of breathless expectation.
We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God.”

- Oswald Chambers

During the month of April, I took care of some necessities:

• Renewed my typhoid immunization (each vaccination lasts for three years)
• Opened a local bank account (in case of emergencies)
• Refilled my cooking-gas canister for my stove (each fill lasts 4-5 months)

I met with numerous friends over meals. Jim, Karo’s 13-year old son, spent a couple of days with me. I spent a night at both Karo and Jeremiah’s and Bishop and Margaret’s houses. I got to spend some time with Mark Deng Deng, my Sudanese friend. He was in Nairobi for “tuition” (tutoring) during his April “holiday” from school.

Our fellowship group met in my house a couple of times. One Saturday afternoon, we all attended a wedding together. This past Saturday, we had a “talent night”. It was excellent!

I took an active role in my church:

• Chairing the second Rehema Team meeting
• Regularly attending homegroup and occasionally leading the discussion time
• Serving on the Projection Team

I closed out the month by spending ten days at Matunda. I’ll post photos and a story from this trip in a couple of weeks.

How you can pray for me:

1. Regarding what needs God desires that I meet. For instance: encouragement, mentoring, financial, etc. I need to be careful to follow God’s prompting and not my own impulses.

2. Wisdom in how I spend my time. There’s a constant tension between disciplining myself for adequate personal time (for all-around health and renewal) verses being out-and-about engaged in ministry.

3. Continued good physical health. I still do a fair amount of walking and biking.

4. Ongoing progress with the newly-formed Rehema Team, as we continue to meet monthly. We eliminated the word “benevolence” and chose “rehema” (Swahili for mercy) instead.

5. Sensitivity regarding relationships, most especially as it concerns taking on new ones and/or allowing others to diminish. The ministry God has assigned to me is very much relationship-based. As we all know, relationships can be tricky and demanding at times.

6. My work permit has still not come through.

Thank you for praying for me!