Friday's Photo Finish

Presenting.........

Boaz Michael D. a/k/a Bo or Bodie; who has made me "Aunt Elisabeth".
Born on the 10th of August at 9:46pm, 6 lbs 12 oz, 20 inches. 

Gospel Written in Nature

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees,

Sunrise over the trees in Amboseli National Park

A white rhino grazes peacefully under Acacia trees around Lake Nakuru

Trees surround a homestead in Mudete; Western Kenya

and flowers,

Garden at Kiambethu Tea Farm in Limuru

Bouganvilla overgrowth beautifies the stone wall of a Nairobi compound.

A Sunbird sips nectar from the flower of a banana tree.

and clouds, 

Rain cloud over Lake Naivasha

Cloud expanse over Lake Amboseli

Mt. Kilimanjaro peeks through the clouds

and stars.

Full moon over Nairobi.

Wildebeests silhouette under the starry sky in Masai Mara; courtesy of Martin Dohrn.

Nairobi Dec 2008; a crescent moon with Jupiter (l) and Venus (r).

- Martin Luther

Now with the Lord...

Mama Susan was a pioneer mother/caregiver at Rafiki Village Kenya.  She took care of 13 boys and raised them well.  Her oldest Rafiki son had many issues due to the fact that he was brought to Rafiki at the age of five.  To hear him speak about Mama Susan as the "best mother" who was "a kind woman, who loved us"; and his memories of "Mom singing lullabies for us to sleep" and how she "taught us to read the Bible and pray"; and to see him as a man carrying his mom's coffin to the grave, was a testimony to her work and prayers for her children at Rafiki.  

What I remember about Mama Susan was her love of singing and her method of doing devotions with her children.  On a devotion about how Elijah was fed by ravens during a famine, she told the children to imagine that the ravens were flying into the king's palace (where there was plenty of food) and taking the bread and meat off the king's table and carrying it to Elijah in the desert.  She asked the children if they could see the ravens doing that; and they could.

Mama Susan is resting in the Lord Jesus Christ, whom she loved.  She worked tirelessly for Him in her calling as a Rafiki Mom and we can begin to see the fruit of her labor even today.  Please pray for the boys who have lost the only mother they have ever known.

Just listening to the radio...

Heard about this on the radio this morning.  I thought how amazing it would be if we had this in the USA.  I wonder how many who claim to be lovers of Christ in the USA would be able to live Romans 1:16 in this way; "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God to salvation..."

Click here to learn more

So maybe you are not in Nairobi to join in the marathon, but you could support their projects to translate bibles into the mother tongues of unreached communities of Kenya.  In country claiming to be 80% Christian these tribes are mostly Islamic or Anamist and destined for eternal destruction.


From the radio program, I heard the following from people who hear and read the Bible in their own language:

"I can read Kiswahili and English, but it's not as if it's my mother tongue."

"Jesus speaks my language!"

"When I hear God's words in mother tongue, I can see it with my heart."


Let's not be ashamed!  Mark 8:38 "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Edwin

Edwin Mutiri, 16th June 2011

This is Edwin's story:  Edwin was a 13 year old boy, he was an orphan due to HIV/AIDS and himself was HIV positive.  We met Edwin for the first time after developing Hepatitis and was in the hospital due to retention of liquid in his abdomen.

Pastor John encourages Edwin to eat some boiled maize

Edwin's abdomen was as swollen as a 9 month pregnant woman's would be.  However after about two weeks of slowly draining the liquid, he was released from the hospital and even returned to school.  We were excited that Edwin was getting better.  The Headmistress at his school even had a special foods and fruits for him.  This year was an important year for Edwin, in November he was to take the KCPE; the exam that would take him to secondary school.  He was worried about missing so much school and having to catch up, but we assured him that he would be able to do it.

After a couple weeks, we heard that Edwin was at home because he was a bit weak and decided to visit.  That is where we took his photo with one of the ministry team (above).  He was looking good and improving every day.  We encouraged him, and when we left he walked us to the gate and we told him we loved him.  

We were shocked to learn on Saturday that Edwin had passed away that Friday in the hospital.  From Thursday evening after we left he had begun to vomit blood.  Apparently the medications he had been taking were so strong that they caused ulcers in his stomach and they ruptured and bled out.  

Edwin is with the Lord, whom he loved.  We are thankful he is resting and no longer in pain or having to take medication or having to be poked and prodded by doctors.  We are thankful that Edwin knew that he was loved, even up to the last day of his life.  Edwin's sweet smile will be missed.