We are currently doing assessments and putting our response plan together for the drought and famine thats taking its toll on portions of Kenya. When we go to assess we never go empty handed. We distributed food in the Pokot area of North West Kenya on Tuesday. We will continue to provide support there until the harvest in Oct. which should relieve them. More assessments to follow in North Eastern Kenya and in Turkana where the situation is critical. Will post pics as we get them. Please keep Kenya in your prayers.

We spent the last few weeks in the USA visiting family and friends and helping our son, Reed get settled in for college. He will be attending Southwestern Assemblies of God University and he is really excited about it. Our return to Kenya was with mixed emotions. Leaving our son thousands of miles away was difficult but we know he is ready for this new chapter in his life. Kenya is facing some really tough times with a severe drought gripping the northern part of the country. We are involved in relief efforts and will be keeping you posted on the situation at hand.

Raelyns class took a field trip to climb Mt. Longonot in the Rift Valley. I volunteered to go along and we had a great time together. Raelyn was the first girl to make it up to the rim of the crater. Raelyn and Onyou decided to roll and slide down the path on the way back. The volcanic dust was really deep and they were covered from head to toe!

Lately we have been helping some Masai communities with greenhouse gardens. Greenhouses have become big business in Kenya. Among the Masai, its a really new idea. The Masai, traditionally, are a semi-nomadic people group. They have always lived in the vast grasslands of East Africa, moving with their herds as they follow the rains and looking for grazing land. Today the Masai have settled down a bit more as open grazing lands have been bought up by settlers. Several of our Masai pastors have decided to try farming. They want to use the income from the sale of the vegetables to plant more churches among their people. Its been fun to be a part of this effort. It means alot of travel on really bad roads, many nights out under the stars in the African Bush, but the end result makes it all worth it. Its our desire to focus our efforts on sustainable projects that build capacity among the churches that we are working with.

For the past 6 weeks we have been hosting a team of ladies from Convoy of Hope in the USA. They have been involved in all kinds of ministry and community development projects. The team has worked hard and roughed it in some remote areas. Kenya has made its mark in their hearts and they have no doubt left a little part of themselves here. Convoy of Hopes intern program is tops!

I traveled to Mt. Suswa in the Rift Valley. On Friday I spoke at a church in the village of Olgumi. I was honored to be the opening speaker for a 3 day revival and pastors came from all over the Rift Valley to participate. The same afternoon some friends from Rosslyn Academy joined me for a trip up the mountain. We camped at the top of the mountain and explored some caves that were formed when the volcano erupted many years ago. We are planning to take a group of 50 students from Rosslyn for a few days of camping and cultural studies. The motorcycle was definitely the way to go, its all dirt roads and rough terrain up there.
I'm already looking forward to my next trip out there!

Kim and I went to the Coastal town of Malindi for a few days of "down time" before school starts. It was a much needed break from the busy summer and a chance for us to spend some time alone, doing nothing! We went for long walks and did not set an alarm and left our phones in the room! We even left the kids in Nairobi!