Hi Everyone.
Life has been very busy and kind of stressful recently. It has been long hours at the hangar and extra work outside of the hangar. The missionary that runs the youth group (Jim Levander) has been really sick the last couple weeks so youth group has been my responsibility. Really pray for Jim as he has typhoid, hepatitis A, and shingles. I am running youth group again tomorrow night so pray for me as I prepare.
Last weekend was a lot of fun though. We had a pig roast at one of the compounds and I stayed up all night Saturday to help roast the pig. It was a lot of fun and it tasted very good.
Next weekend I will by going up country with one of the Kenyans. That should be a lot of fun. Well I was hoping to write a lot more today but I have already run out of time. I will try really hard this next week to send another e-mail and give a lot more details.
Thank you all so much for your continued prayers!
In Christ,
~Nathan
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
New Return Date
Greetings everyone!
I now have all of the new ticket information taken care of for my extension. Praise the Lord for the way he works! I leave Nairobi on May 13 and get into GR late on the 15th. Thank you all for praying as all of the details were worked out.
Please be praying for all of the people that work in maintenance at the hangar. We are very short staffed right now. We were short staffed before but last Friday was two of the better Kenyan mechanics last day. So we have a lot fewer people and a lot of work to do. We have just started to work on the two airplanes that came in the container a while back. Those will be big projects. There is a lot of work to do on them. Also, the airplane that they were putting back together when I got out here still has some issues we are trying to get fixed. On top of all of that we have all of the regular inspections and maintenance on the other airplanes.
Also, please be praying as I am trying to work out a couple more chances for me to get outside Nairobi to see the country side and some other ministries as well. I am also trying to coordinate with a couple of the Kenyans to go and visit their families and homes up country. Pray that God will open doors where He wants me to go and to close doors where he doesn't. Pray that I will also be sensitive to his leading.
I have received some requests for some pictures of specific things. It was actually a quite long list. I will not mention who sent it *cough* mom *cough* (just kidding mom) but if anyone would like to see what something specific is like please ask me and I will try to either explain it or post some pictures of it. If there is any specific part of my day or what life is like that you would like to know about, please, don't hesitate to ask! I will also be working on getting captions on the pictures that I currently have up.
Anyways, Thank you all very much for your prayers and support! This would be a lot harder without it.
In Christ,
~Nathan
I now have all of the new ticket information taken care of for my extension. Praise the Lord for the way he works! I leave Nairobi on May 13 and get into GR late on the 15th. Thank you all for praying as all of the details were worked out.
Please be praying for all of the people that work in maintenance at the hangar. We are very short staffed right now. We were short staffed before but last Friday was two of the better Kenyan mechanics last day. So we have a lot fewer people and a lot of work to do. We have just started to work on the two airplanes that came in the container a while back. Those will be big projects. There is a lot of work to do on them. Also, the airplane that they were putting back together when I got out here still has some issues we are trying to get fixed. On top of all of that we have all of the regular inspections and maintenance on the other airplanes.
Also, please be praying as I am trying to work out a couple more chances for me to get outside Nairobi to see the country side and some other ministries as well. I am also trying to coordinate with a couple of the Kenyans to go and visit their families and homes up country. Pray that God will open doors where He wants me to go and to close doors where he doesn't. Pray that I will also be sensitive to his leading.
I have received some requests for some pictures of specific things. It was actually a quite long list. I will not mention who sent it *cough* mom *cough* (just kidding mom) but if anyone would like to see what something specific is like please ask me and I will try to either explain it or post some pictures of it. If there is any specific part of my day or what life is like that you would like to know about, please, don't hesitate to ask! I will also be working on getting captions on the pictures that I currently have up.
Anyways, Thank you all very much for your prayers and support! This would be a lot harder without it.
In Christ,
~Nathan
Friday, March 21, 2008
Praise the Lord
I have an amazing thing to report! All of the details have already been worked out! God has gone ahead of me in this like I couldn't even imagine. Everything is already taken care of! What a blessing!
The main issue that had to be taken care of was the additional cost to stay the extra time. It would have cost around $1000. There was no money left in my account at AIM. Today I received an e-mail from the US office saying that there had been a mistake with my original tickets and that I was charged for two tickets instead of one. This means that there is a $1600 refund going back into my account! That covers the cost of the extension and then some more! God is amazing! He has everything under control and I don't need to worry because His plans are already in place and cannot be changed!
PRAISE THE LORD!
~Nathan
The main issue that had to be taken care of was the additional cost to stay the extra time. It would have cost around $1000. There was no money left in my account at AIM. Today I received an e-mail from the US office saying that there had been a mistake with my original tickets and that I was charged for two tickets instead of one. This means that there is a $1600 refund going back into my account! That covers the cost of the extension and then some more! God is amazing! He has everything under control and I don't need to worry because His plans are already in place and cannot be changed!
PRAISE THE LORD!
~Nathan
Thursday, March 20, 2008
God's Crazy Plans
Hi Everyone,
It has been a long time since I last wrote. I have been so busy that I have not had a chance to use the internet. A lot has happened that I am excited to tell you about! First of all, This last week I had finally come to the place where I was willing to go home at the scheduled time (March 31). Even though I had felt so strongly that God wanted me to extend, I had finally given my plans over to Him and decided that if He wanted me to go home then I would. Then yesterday I had a meeting with John Mosby (AIM AIR Chief Engineer) and Glenn Roadknight (Head of HR) and they had figured out my visa and work permit issue. John then asked me if I was still interested in extending and emphasized that AIM's desire was to see me extend my time. With a green light from both of them I e-mailed the US office in Pearl River asking that they approve an extension for my trip. The US office was excited to hear that everything was going well and that there was the desire to extend. They are prepared to approve the extension through the middle of May as long as some other details get worked out. Please pray that these details get worked out quickly. I guess God just wanted to see if I was willing to give up what I wanted so much and submit to Him before he was was going to allow me to extend. God sure has an interesting way of teaching me lessons.
Well, I have so much more to share but my ride home is wanting for me. I will send another e-mail this weekend telling more about what has been going on.
Thank you for your prayers and please don't stop!
In Christ,
~Nathan
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Quick Update
Hi everyone!
Thank you so much for all of your prayers about my work permit. It sounds like there isn't anything AIM can do to get it approved now that it is denied. However, AIM is going to let me work at the hangar for the rest of my trip. I am a little disappointed, though, because all of this happened while I was trying to extend my trip through the middle of May. Since the permit was denied I cannot extend. Please pray for peace as I try to understand what God is doing. I really felt that he was leading me to extend and to stay to help with all of the work they have to do. Pray that I will be able to sense and see God's will clearly right now as I am a little confused and frustrated by all this.
Other than that this week has been pretty normal. There is a lot of work in the hangar and have spent a lot of time there this last week. We are getting really close to having one of the 206s done and have two more that came in the container that need to be put together.
Thank you again for your prayers!
~Nathan
Thank you so much for all of your prayers about my work permit. It sounds like there isn't anything AIM can do to get it approved now that it is denied. However, AIM is going to let me work at the hangar for the rest of my trip. I am a little disappointed, though, because all of this happened while I was trying to extend my trip through the middle of May. Since the permit was denied I cannot extend. Please pray for peace as I try to understand what God is doing. I really felt that he was leading me to extend and to stay to help with all of the work they have to do. Pray that I will be able to sense and see God's will clearly right now as I am a little confused and frustrated by all this.
Other than that this week has been pretty normal. There is a lot of work in the hangar and have spent a lot of time there this last week. We are getting really close to having one of the 206s done and have two more that came in the container that need to be put together.
Thank you again for your prayers!
~Nathan
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Update and Prayer Requests
Hello again everyone!
I just thought I would give some updates as to what I have been doing. Last Friday before I left for Gatab I was able to get on another DC-3 flight. We had been doing inventory at the hangar the previous days and were still doing it then so I didn't have my camera with me. This has made me decide to bring my camera EVERY day. All day Friday the DC-3 was flying back and forth to Homa Bay on Lake Victoria. They were bringing food that was then going to one of the islands in the lake. We flew over 30,000 pounds of food down there! It was a beautiful flight and that part of Kenya is so green! One of the Kenyans from the hangar also went along and he had never been to that part of Kenya either so it was cool to see his reaction.
Thank you for all of your prayers during my trip! It went very well. No problems at all! Jay Mundy and I left around 10:30 Saturday morning and arrived in Gatab Monday afternoon. We could have made the drive in two days but we were taking a route Jay had never taken before so we gave ourselves plenty of time. Gatab sits on top of Mt. Kulal on the east side of the southern end of Lake Turkana. The drive was amazing! Such beautiful country! I never realized Kenya was so mountainous! I am trying to upload some pictures of the trip along with some pictures from the hangar so hopefully the internet will cooperate and I can get a bunch of pictures up.
While we were in Gatab we mostly worked on getting their house set up so that his wife and kids could move up there as well. We rearranged a lot of furniture and did a lot of cleaning. I met several other mission families up there who are involved in a lot of different work. They are doing a lot of construction projects and they also run a small hospital there. I really enjoyed my time up there and would love to make it back there again some time.
Jay and I were picked up and flown back to Nairobi on Thursday afternoon on a 206. It was an awesome flight. The countryside is so cool from the airplane. We also stopped at the airstrip in Kijabe to drop someone off there. Taking off out of Kijabe was a little exciting. You can only take off in one direction and that is down hill. We also had a 25-30 knot tail wind. For those of you who don't know a lot about aviation those conditions add up to the airplane not wanting to leave the ground. Even with very little weight on board we used up every inch of that runway! It was a little exciting for a while! I have the whole takeoff on video so I'm sure some of you will see that when I get back.
Now I have a couple of prayer requests. On Friday after I got back I found out that the Kenyan government has denied my Special Pass (basically my short term work permit). The Human Resource department here was going to see what they could do to possibly appeal that or get the decision overturned. Until then I am going to continue to work in the hangar but if they will not issue the Special Pass I might not be allowed to work with AIM. Please pray that the Kenyan government will approve the permit so I can continue to work in the hangar.
If for some reason the pass is not approved pray for wisdom and guidance for me as I would then look for what options I have. Some of the missionaries in Gatab invited me to come up and work with them for longer if I wanted to so that might be an option but I am not sure. Pray that God will provide clear leading and guidance as this unfolds.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support! You have no idea how much it means to hear how much support I have! It has been such a blessing!
In Christ,
~Nathan
I just thought I would give some updates as to what I have been doing. Last Friday before I left for Gatab I was able to get on another DC-3 flight. We had been doing inventory at the hangar the previous days and were still doing it then so I didn't have my camera with me. This has made me decide to bring my camera EVERY day. All day Friday the DC-3 was flying back and forth to Homa Bay on Lake Victoria. They were bringing food that was then going to one of the islands in the lake. We flew over 30,000 pounds of food down there! It was a beautiful flight and that part of Kenya is so green! One of the Kenyans from the hangar also went along and he had never been to that part of Kenya either so it was cool to see his reaction.
Thank you for all of your prayers during my trip! It went very well. No problems at all! Jay Mundy and I left around 10:30 Saturday morning and arrived in Gatab Monday afternoon. We could have made the drive in two days but we were taking a route Jay had never taken before so we gave ourselves plenty of time. Gatab sits on top of Mt. Kulal on the east side of the southern end of Lake Turkana. The drive was amazing! Such beautiful country! I never realized Kenya was so mountainous! I am trying to upload some pictures of the trip along with some pictures from the hangar so hopefully the internet will cooperate and I can get a bunch of pictures up.
While we were in Gatab we mostly worked on getting their house set up so that his wife and kids could move up there as well. We rearranged a lot of furniture and did a lot of cleaning. I met several other mission families up there who are involved in a lot of different work. They are doing a lot of construction projects and they also run a small hospital there. I really enjoyed my time up there and would love to make it back there again some time.
Jay and I were picked up and flown back to Nairobi on Thursday afternoon on a 206. It was an awesome flight. The countryside is so cool from the airplane. We also stopped at the airstrip in Kijabe to drop someone off there. Taking off out of Kijabe was a little exciting. You can only take off in one direction and that is down hill. We also had a 25-30 knot tail wind. For those of you who don't know a lot about aviation those conditions add up to the airplane not wanting to leave the ground. Even with very little weight on board we used up every inch of that runway! It was a little exciting for a while! I have the whole takeoff on video so I'm sure some of you will see that when I get back.
Now I have a couple of prayer requests. On Friday after I got back I found out that the Kenyan government has denied my Special Pass (basically my short term work permit). The Human Resource department here was going to see what they could do to possibly appeal that or get the decision overturned. Until then I am going to continue to work in the hangar but if they will not issue the Special Pass I might not be allowed to work with AIM. Please pray that the Kenyan government will approve the permit so I can continue to work in the hangar.
If for some reason the pass is not approved pray for wisdom and guidance for me as I would then look for what options I have. Some of the missionaries in Gatab invited me to come up and work with them for longer if I wanted to so that might be an option but I am not sure. Pray that God will provide clear leading and guidance as this unfolds.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support! You have no idea how much it means to hear how much support I have! It has been such a blessing!
In Christ,
~Nathan
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Trip This Weekend
Hi everyone! I just wanted to write a quick e-mail to ask for your prayers for me and one other person as we will be driving to Gatab in Northern Kenya. Jay Mundy and I will be leaving either Saturday or Sunday and the drive will take 2-3 days (it is only 250 miles!). I will be assisting Jay at the AIM base in Gatab and then we will hitch a ride back to Nairobi on a caravan flight sometime next week (probably Wednesday or Thursday). Pray that we will not encounter any problems while driving and that the trip will go smooth. Thank God for this awesome opportunity for me! I am so excited to really get outside Nairobi and see the Kenyan countryside! Thank you all for your prayers and please keep it up! It really means a lot!
In Christ,
~Nathan
In Christ,
~Nathan
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Lots of Work
I have been very busy and have worked some long hours this week but it has been good experience. It was a lot of work finishing the DC-3 inspection and I was at the hangar till 10:30 Wednesday night. I hope to use that as leverage to get on another flight pretty soon. I am trying to upload pictures but the internet isn't working very well. Hopefully some will get up. This e-mail isn't going to be very long because the internet has died twice on me and I have lost the e-mail and I have to leave in a couple minutes to go to youth group. Life has been good here. I am really enjoying it and have really learned a lot. I will start to write updates on my computer throughout the week and then just copy them in here on the weekend so I won't be so dependent on the internet. I will try to find more time to write next week.
In Christ,
~Nathan
In Christ,
~Nathan
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Work at the Hangar
This last week was my first full week of work at the hangar. On Monday I was able to ride along on an evacuation flight to Nakuru. We brought 26 people from Nakuru to Nairobi to escape the violence in Nakuru. I was basically an extra set of hands to help load baggage and to assist passengers in boarding. (Technically I was a flight attendant.)
Tuesday and Wednesday I did the tail section of a Cessna Caravan phase inspection. I had never worked on a Caravan before so I asked a lot of questions but it went really well. Thursday and Friday I was assigned to a phase inspection on the DC-3. I have never worked on anything so big and so old. The plane is 63 years old! It has been good experience and I look forward to finishing the inspection next week.
I have found a youth group to get involved with while I am here. It meets Sunday nights at Jim and Becky Levander's house. I am going to miss the guys from Rush Creek but I am also excited to get to know a new group of youth while I am here. Jim and Becky are very excited that I want to be involved.
I have also added some pictures of the house I am staying in to the photo gallery. I have not had a chance to take a lot of pictures at the hangar yet and I didn't have my camera with me when I went flying but this next week I will tkae a lot of pictures of the work at the hangar and get them posted next week.
I want to ask you to please pray for the Kenyans that work in the hangar that live in the slums. There is still some violence and danger in the slums and several of the guys haven't slept in sereral days because they are afraid of their homes being burned or looted. I can't imagine that. Please keep them in your prayers.
In Christ,
~Nathan
Tuesday and Wednesday I did the tail section of a Cessna Caravan phase inspection. I had never worked on a Caravan before so I asked a lot of questions but it went really well. Thursday and Friday I was assigned to a phase inspection on the DC-3. I have never worked on anything so big and so old. The plane is 63 years old! It has been good experience and I look forward to finishing the inspection next week.
I have found a youth group to get involved with while I am here. It meets Sunday nights at Jim and Becky Levander's house. I am going to miss the guys from Rush Creek but I am also excited to get to know a new group of youth while I am here. Jim and Becky are very excited that I want to be involved.
I have also added some pictures of the house I am staying in to the photo gallery. I have not had a chance to take a lot of pictures at the hangar yet and I didn't have my camera with me when I went flying but this next week I will tkae a lot of pictures of the work at the hangar and get them posted next week.
I want to ask you to please pray for the Kenyans that work in the hangar that live in the slums. There is still some violence and danger in the slums and several of the guys haven't slept in sereral days because they are afraid of their homes being burned or looted. I can't imagine that. Please keep them in your prayers.
In Christ,
~Nathan
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Settled In
Hello again everyone!
A lot has happened since I last wrote to everyone. I moved into the house I will be staying in for the rest of my time here. It is a lot nicer than I was expecting. My roommate Caleb is house sitting for a family that is on home assignment so the house is fully furnished and decorated and really feels like a home. It has been interesting, though, because I have only seen Caleb twice and he has only spent the night at the house once since I moved in on Tuesday. This is because Monday night he was in a motorcycle accident on his way home from the hangar. He broke his arm and had to have surgery and was in the hospital for a couple days. He has since then been spending the night with another family because the wife is a nurse. It has been good that I have had to figure a lot of stuff out on my own though because I am not a lot more confident in myself that if Caleb had done everything. He did stay at the house last night but that was the first time since I have moved in. I will try and get some pictures of the house up in not too long but I don't have internet access at the house and need to figure out the best place to use the internet.
Work at the hangar has been fun. The guys I work with are great! They are so helpful and love to answer any questions I have. There is a lot of work right now and they have plenty of stuff for us to do. Especially since Caleb (who is also a mechanic) will not be able to work for a while. It has been exciting to talk to some of the pilots and hear what they are doing in different parts of East Africa. I can't wait to get on a flight! They are doing such amazing things!
Continue to pray for the country and people of Kenya. I am not sure how much is still on the news in the states but there are several places in the country that are still pretty volatile. Nairobi is stable but some places out in the bush continue to suffer pointless violence. Just yesterday about a dozen people were killed and several houses burned down in the town of Nakura. Pray for them!
I appreciate all of your prayers and look forward to everything God is going to do.
In Christ,
~Nathan
A lot has happened since I last wrote to everyone. I moved into the house I will be staying in for the rest of my time here. It is a lot nicer than I was expecting. My roommate Caleb is house sitting for a family that is on home assignment so the house is fully furnished and decorated and really feels like a home. It has been interesting, though, because I have only seen Caleb twice and he has only spent the night at the house once since I moved in on Tuesday. This is because Monday night he was in a motorcycle accident on his way home from the hangar. He broke his arm and had to have surgery and was in the hospital for a couple days. He has since then been spending the night with another family because the wife is a nurse. It has been good that I have had to figure a lot of stuff out on my own though because I am not a lot more confident in myself that if Caleb had done everything. He did stay at the house last night but that was the first time since I have moved in. I will try and get some pictures of the house up in not too long but I don't have internet access at the house and need to figure out the best place to use the internet.
Work at the hangar has been fun. The guys I work with are great! They are so helpful and love to answer any questions I have. There is a lot of work right now and they have plenty of stuff for us to do. Especially since Caleb (who is also a mechanic) will not be able to work for a while. It has been exciting to talk to some of the pilots and hear what they are doing in different parts of East Africa. I can't wait to get on a flight! They are doing such amazing things!
Continue to pray for the country and people of Kenya. I am not sure how much is still on the news in the states but there are several places in the country that are still pretty volatile. Nairobi is stable but some places out in the bush continue to suffer pointless violence. Just yesterday about a dozen people were killed and several houses burned down in the town of Nakura. Pray for them!
I appreciate all of your prayers and look forward to everything God is going to do.
In Christ,
~Nathan
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Orientation
So far the orientation has gone very well. We have been busy but it has been very useful. We have had one short Kiswahili lesson and have two more (tomorrow and Tuesday). We also were shown several local shopping centers where we can get just about anything. We also had a public transportation lesson. The main form of public transportation are matatus. They are basically small minivans that seat 14-16 people. One of the Kenyan workers at Mayfield showed us which routes we will be taking from our houses to the airport and how to get back. I still will need someone to go with me the first couple times.
On Tuesday we move out of Mayfield and into our houses for the rest of our trip. I will begin working in the hangar on Wednesday. I am very excited to get to work! I have met a few of the people I will be working with and they are all great. I went to breakfast, church, and lunch with Randy Gottfried (AIM Air's Director of Maintenance Operations) and his family. It was really nice. We had Ethiopian food for lunch and it was excellent! Randy was telling me that there is a lot of work to do at the hangar and that I will have no problem jumping right in. He also said that he is a big fan of people getting outside of Nairobi and seeing what the rest of the country and the surrounding countries are like. I am very excited to travel around! Well, I have a full day of language lessons and several meetings tomorrow so I am off to bed!
In Christ,
~Nathan
P.S. On the right side of my blog I have added a link to a photogallery for my trip. I will add more pictures periodically, so keep checking! Just click on the picture labeled "Kenya 2008".
On Tuesday we move out of Mayfield and into our houses for the rest of our trip. I will begin working in the hangar on Wednesday. I am very excited to get to work! I have met a few of the people I will be working with and they are all great. I went to breakfast, church, and lunch with Randy Gottfried (AIM Air's Director of Maintenance Operations) and his family. It was really nice. We had Ethiopian food for lunch and it was excellent! Randy was telling me that there is a lot of work to do at the hangar and that I will have no problem jumping right in. He also said that he is a big fan of people getting outside of Nairobi and seeing what the rest of the country and the surrounding countries are like. I am very excited to travel around! Well, I have a full day of language lessons and several meetings tomorrow so I am off to bed!
In Christ,
~Nathan
P.S. On the right side of my blog I have added a link to a photogallery for my trip. I will add more pictures periodically, so keep checking! Just click on the picture labeled "Kenya 2008".
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Arrival
I am now in Nairobi. All of the flights went very well and both of the long flights were practically empty so there was plenty of room to stretch out. The first few days here will consist of an orientation and then next week I will begin working in the hanger.
All of my baggage arrived and so did the baggage of the people I travelled with. That was an answer to prayer. I will keep everyone updated, nut for now I am going to bed.
In Christ,
~Nathan
All of my baggage arrived and so did the baggage of the people I travelled with. That was an answer to prayer. I will keep everyone updated, nut for now I am going to bed.
In Christ,
~Nathan
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
On My Way!
I can't believe I am leaving today! I am so excited! God has been amazing and the weather is great today! What an answer to prayer! Please pray for safe travel for me and my baggage and that we both arrive in the same place at the same time. Pray that there will be no problems with customs or anything along the way and that everything will go smoothly.
I also wanted to inform everyone that I have set up a Skype account. Skype is an internet phone service that is free if you talk from computer to computer. If you have a Skype account please add me to your list and maybe we can talk some time. My Skype name is rozey1013. I also attached a phone number to my Skype account so that people without the computer program can call me for a lot cheaper than normal international rates. If you like in the (616) area code the call will be free for you. If you call me it is free for me and if I call you it only costs me 2 cents per minute. If I am not online I do have a voicemail that you can leave messages on. That number is (616) 827-7440. I hope to hear from many of you!
I also wanted to inform everyone that I have set up a Skype account. Skype is an internet phone service that is free if you talk from computer to computer. If you have a Skype account please add me to your list and maybe we can talk some time. My Skype name is rozey1013. I also attached a phone number to my Skype account so that people without the computer program can call me for a lot cheaper than normal international rates. If you like in the (616) area code the call will be free for you. If you call me it is free for me and if I call you it only costs me 2 cents per minute. If I am not online I do have a voicemail that you can leave messages on. That number is (616) 827-7440. I hope to hear from many of you!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Comments
I figured out how the "comments" feature works. You can comment without logging in by clicking on "Comments" underneath each post. Then you type in what you want to say in the text box. Below the text box there is a section that says "Choose an Identity". To comment without signing in you must pick "Anonymous". If you want me to know who left the comment just type your name in the text box with the rest of your message. I hope this clears up any confusion.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
New Itinerary
I just received my new itinerary from AIM. I leave Grand Rapids on Wednesday, January 16 at 2:25pm. I fly to Chicago then to London and then arrive in Nairobi late Thursday night. My return date has also been extended, so I return to Pearl River, NY for debriefing April 1st. What an answer to prayer! It is so nice to have plans again.
Please continue praying for Jennifer Weeks (Uganda for a year) as neither of her bags arrived in Uganda with her.
Also, thank the Lord that the other people scheduled for Kenya have been able to work their trips out and will be going. One couple at the same time as me (in fact, we have the same flight out of GR and then the same flight out of London) and the other couple will be leaving in February.
Thank you for all of your prayers.
In Christ,
~Nathan
P.S. I have changed the settings on the blog posts so now anyone can comment just by clicking on "Comments" underneath each post. I would love to hear from you! E-Mail: rozey1013@yahoo.com
Please continue praying for Jennifer Weeks (Uganda for a year) as neither of her bags arrived in Uganda with her.
Also, thank the Lord that the other people scheduled for Kenya have been able to work their trips out and will be going. One couple at the same time as me (in fact, we have the same flight out of GR and then the same flight out of London) and the other couple will be leaving in February.
Thank you for all of your prayers.
In Christ,
~Nathan
P.S. I have changed the settings on the blog posts so now anyone can comment just by clicking on "Comments" underneath each post. I would love to hear from you! E-Mail: rozey1013@yahoo.com
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Encouraging Verses
These are just a few of the verses and passages that we looked at during the orientation. I thought I would share them with you. I hope they encourage you and refresh you like they did me.
Isaiah 53:1-5
Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Acts 20:22-24
And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, 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—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
John 10:14-18, 13:15-17
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Matthew 16:24-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
2 Timothy 1:6-7
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Matthew 10:26-31
So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Romans 8:31-39
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Isaiah 53:1-5
Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Acts 20:22-24
And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, 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—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
John 10:14-18, 13:15-17
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Matthew 16:24-25
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
2 Timothy 1:6-7
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Matthew 10:26-31
So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Romans 8:31-39
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Orientation and Most Recent News
The orientation in Pearl River, NY was amazing! I was able to meet everyone that I had been e-mailing with for so long and I was able to meet several other young people eager to go and do God's work in Africa. It was an awesome time to relax and reflect on how God brought us to this point and to refocus ourselves on what he has ahead of us.
The prayer support that was shown at the AIM office was amazing! The staff at AIM has been praying for us and for our trip since the very beginning of the process. To see this kind of dedication was awesome. Every member of the staff has been and continues to be prayer warriors on my behalf! What a blessing!
I would ask for your prayers for the other people I met who are on their way to the field:
The prayer support that was shown at the AIM office was amazing! The staff at AIM has been praying for us and for our trip since the very beginning of the process. To see this kind of dedication was awesome. Every member of the staff has been and continues to be prayer warriors on my behalf! What a blessing!
I would ask for your prayers for the other people I met who are on their way to the field:
- Jake Muscat (Uganda for 6 months)
- Geoff Manton (Tanzania for 7 months)
- Natalie Kwong (South Africa for 8 months)
- Jennifer Weeks (Uganda for 1 year)
I would also like to ask for your prayers for the other people who were supposed to head to Kenya. They are all students and need to determine if it is even worth going if their trip is going to be significantly shortened.
- Ryan & Karen Huizinga (AIM Air, Nairobi)
- Andrew & Sandy Mclaughlin (Kijabe Hospital)
Finally, this is the latest news on the situation in Kenya and specifically in Nairobi. As of yesterday the AIM missionaries in Nairobi have said that the political situation has cooled down significantly. Normal traffic has returned to the streets and shops have reopened. People have begun to go about their daily business again. The protesters are being all but ignored by everyone. However, to be on the safe side, AIM's crisis committee in Nairobi declared that no new missionaries or short-termers should arrive in Kenya before January 17. That means the earliest I could leave Grand Rapids in January 15. I am waiting on AIM's travel department to work everything out and I will let everyone know further details as soon as I know them. Thank you all so much for your prayers and don't stop now! Kenya needs our prayer! Times like these provide great opportunities for the church. Kenya in hurting now and needs a Savior!
God Bless you all! In Christ,
~Nathan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
