August Prayer Letter

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is not a path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Deb, you are a pioneer with a machete in your hand. Charge ahead.” Pastor Martin Williams (2001)

“I was born for this.” Joan of Arc (1429)

Whenever I arrive back in the States, I can’t shake this feeling that I’ve walked in on a conversation that’s already in progress. It takes me some time to sort of get into a groove, to catch up on what’s going on with everyone, and to find my place again. On the other hand, when I arrive back in Kenya, it seems I immediately get back into the flow. This particular time, as I’ve met all of my Kenyan friends one by one, I have this strong sensation that it’s as if I never left. God has called me to “exhale” beyond Omaha, Nebraska… all the way across the globe in East Africa!

Whether in Kenya or in the US of A, I do my level best to live in alignment with God’s unique calling on my life. I desire with all my heart, to be faithful to the personality, design, and spiritual gifting that He has bestowed upon me. I do this whether I’m in the confines of a church building or walking the dirt roads of a remote African village.

I minister to folks in their homes, as we break bread together or as we travel alongside one another, dodging muddy puddles or bouncing together in a matatu.

• I am about my Father’s business.
  
• I am impacting my generation.
  
• I am living out the design God had on my life before the beginning of time.
  
• With resolute courage, I live before an audience of One rather than seek the approval of many.

Often, I feel like I’m a pioneer. Such a position can be difficult and lonely at times. However, I’ve learned to accept (and, at times, to embrace) this burden of blazing a trail and going where no one has gone before.

I am truly walking in faith – with no salary and no paycheck! I marvel daily at how God meets my needs as I solely rely on Him. He is my Jehovah-Jireh! And He is ever faithful! Indeed, my cup overflows as God provides me with enough to bless others. It’s far beyond being all about me.

Paul said in Acts 20:24, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me.” Acts 13:36 (Message) says, “David completed the work God set out for him.” At the end of my life, I want to hear these words from my loving, heavenly Father – “Well done, my good and faithful servant”!

Through the month of August, please pray for me in the following ways:

• Since two weeks before I left the States, I haven’t been at 100%. Please pray for my complete healing. God is my Jehovah-Rapha!

• I’ll be on the road much of the month visiting some of the high school students I’m in relationship with (especially Collins and Masudi). I will also travel to see Agnes (mother to Duane, the baby I helped deliver two and a half years ago.) She now has a newborn baby and isn’t living with her husband, Charles. Please pray for my safety and that I will follow the steps God has laid out for me as far as ministering to these folks.

• I’m on my way to Matunda today (Tuesday). Please pray for my peace of mind, as I don’t know what to expect upon arrival at my mud hut. It was broken into a 2^nd time while I was in the States.

• Soon, I’ll begin looking for a place of my own to rent in Nairobi. Please pray that I’ll be sensitive to the Lord’s leading as He grants me the desires of my heart: reasonable price, quiet setting, large enough to comfortably host friends for meals or overnight.

• Please continue to ask God to bless and prosper Jeremiah and Karo’s milk business.

I’m so grateful for those of you that faithfully uphold my friends and me in prayer! May God bless you!

“It is a beautiful thing when folks in poverty are no longer just a missions project but become genuine friends and family with whom we laugh, cry, dream, and struggle.” Shane Claiborne