I'm sharing today from my son and daughter-in-law. The picture above is where it all started :-D For their wedding gifts, the requested support for a mission trip in lieu of presents. Now, 8 months later, they've spent 2 months in Kenya on a mission trip teaching children at Neema Orphanage and ministering in a slum. I've loved hearing a few of the stories and can't wait as more unveil over time. I think it's important to recognize that God uses us in both big and small ways. Not only do people go on missions in a big way, but they affect others that pray, support and love them back at home too. Those prayers may seem small when you aren't cuddling an African infant or painting a home for women with AIDS, but our contributions are just as important in the kingdom of God. He uses everyone in the place He has put us. So with that in mind, I share with joy this message from my kids...
Angie

To our Family and Friends,

Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers, we are back!!! All three of us have made it home.

The last email that we sent out was a few days after we returned from our three week assignment at Neema. We want to let you know how the last couple weeks of our time in Africa went. Even though the large three week assignment was over, the Lord was still teaching us in many ways and our days were full of more assignments.

A few days after we arrived back with our team, we packed up and went back to Mathare Valley. The entire team spent a day running a clinic, a childrens vacation bible school, and painting KENWA(Kenyan Network of Women with Aids). Devan was part of the painting crew and Katie spent time in the nursery with the children that were too young to go to the VBS. That day there were over 100 children that heard to gospel, 200 people distributed medications such as peptobismol, Tylenol and other over the counter drugs, and over 300 people seen and treated in the clinic.

We also spent one day learning about Hinduism and one day learning about Islam. During those days we visited 2 Hindu temples and a Mosque. We had very knowledgeable men and women explaining these faiths to us and were able to ask and learn a lot about the religions.

There were a few more various projects that we did as a large group during our time near Nairobi. All of which we could write pages on to explain what happened and the lessons we learned.

The final four or five days we took a very long, bumpy, overnight, ten to eleven hour bus trip to Mombasa. Needless to say we rested for a day and then we began our debriefing training. During the four days in Mombasa we spent a lot of time together as a group talking about our experiences and how we would be applying them to our lives back at home in the USA. We never knew that entering back into our own culture could be such an emotionally, physically and spiritually hard process.

Now we are back in the USA. We have spent the last couple days resting and catching up with friends and family. Our jet leg is slowly fading and we are adjusting back into life in our culture one day at a time.

Kenya has been a life changing experience for both of us. The Lord has taught us countless lessons and given us a heart to serve Him even more wherever we are. We want to thank you all so much for your prayers and support through these last few months. God has blessed us so much through you.

We will be sending out a couple more mass emails in the near future to keep you all updated on what is happening in our lives post Kenya and send a couple pictures out from Kenya. Please feel free to email us. We would love to hear from you.

May the Lord bless you and keep you
May He make His face shine on you and
Give you peace,

Devan, Katie and baby (on the way.)