A Nairobi Outing

     Hi again! Today I just wanted to put up some pictures, and tell a little of our trip to Nairobi. Nairobi is the capital city, and the main part of Nairobi is only forty minutes away from where we live. Actually the mall we went to today was only a twenty to twenty five minute drive. A trip to Nairobi isn't a very rare thing; we probably go, all together as a family, like two or so times a month. Dad usually has to travel, to Nairobi, around twice a week when he is teaching in the Bible college. Anyway, today I decided I would share our trip, with you, in a few pictures.:-)
     Dad had to meet someone at the mall today and a few other errands, so we all just tagged along. :-) My younger siblings enjoyed playing in the jungle gym thing there; while they did this, Taylor and I rode on the bumper cars. I gave him some pretty good bumps, and he in turn bumped me back, pretty hard. (No, you can never be too old to ride the bumper cars :-) Afterwards mom and I did some window shopping and some "real" shopping in some of the stores. To be specific the clothes stores :-) (our favourite kind of store - or is it all girls favourite?)  We wrapped up, at the mall, by having some pizza for lunch, and then headed out for the rest of the errands. 
     Another interesting thing, and kind of scary too, is all the security checks they have when ever you go to a large, public place in Nairobi. Due, too the many bombing, and terrorist attacks going on, lately, in Kenya the guards are extra careful of everyone. Like -  when we pulled up to the mall today they made everyone or the two in the front seat get out of the car, to inspect them and look under their seats. Then they inspect everyone in the back of the car and all bags.
 So there is our trip to Nairobi in a nutshell. Enjoy the pictures!


I just have to add this at the end, because I am so excited. Please, pray for us (me and the seniors from our home church in america) as we fly to Ethiopia on Monday.(five a.m. on Monday :-) We will be there for a week helping out another missionary. Be looking forward to some posts and many pictures of this trip. (hopefully) :-)

By - Ashlyn Elaine 

A picture of some of the many apartment buildings in Nairobi

Some more apartment buildings
Don't the buildings look extremely close together?

Zach, Winnie, and Suzy have fun playing

Taylor and I went on the Bumper cars

Bumper cars again

yet again, our bumper car ride :-)
Taylor was on his way over to bump me:-)

Where we ate lunch

In the middle is my favourite kind of pizza - Boerewors :-)

A Brewers Emblem on this bus
How in the world did the Milwaukee Brewers get all the way over here in Kenya? Don't ask me, I have no idea. :-)

Suzy's treasures she acquired today
Suzy got a necklace, bracelet, and a little finger puppet from one of those little machine you put coins in.

Making Pizza

It's Friday night, and we had pizza for supper! What more could you ask for? :-)

I love making pizza because it's easy, fun, and good too.:-) (lots of carbs, yes, but, hey, we could all use a few more of those. Right? :-) We had Hawaiian pizza, which has pineapple and ham as toppings. So here are some pictures of my making pizzas.

(lots of pictures :-)

By - Ashlyn Elaine

ready to have the toppings put on

ready to be rolled

home made pizza sauce on home made pizza dough 

pizza toppings

Does it look like we have enough cheese?

ready to eat

left overs :-)

If you want any pizza, I am saving this last piece for you; First one to come gets it! :-)

Zahra eyeing the pizza

What I felt like afterwards

Soul Winning in Thika

 Every Saturday we go out soul-winning in the afternoon. We girls; Mrs.Rains, Ashlyn, Suzy, Winnie, Emily, and I, go into town around 2:00 pm. First thing we do is clean our Sunday school room. Then after that we go out around town and handout tracts, invite people to church, and try to ask questions that would lead to the gospel. This week we were walking down the street and decided to go into a mall area with lots of little shops. We were handing out tracts when Mrs. Rains saw something in a shop that she needed to take a closer look at. We popped into the shop for a quick look and there we found Esther, a lady who had come to our church for a few months and then had moved into Nairobi. She had moved back to Thika. Esther was so happy to see us. She invited us to her home, so we walked home with her. It was just about a 15 minute walk. We were able to see her baby son and have some great fellowship with her. She was so sweet and it was really neat to see her. Mrs. Rains had heard that Esther was back living in Thika and had been praying that she would be able to meet her again soon. In fact, that day, I had been praying for a divine appointment where God would lead us to just the people we needed to see. It was really cool how God led us to the exact shop Esther was in!! 
 Please pray for Esther as her job makes her work on Sunday, so she can't come to church.
Also pray for us as we go out on Saturdays that we would have more divine appointments, boldness, safety, and that more people from church would come out with us. 
 By Sara Anne

Esther, her baby, and Suzy

Sisters

   

Sisters

    Suzy is my youngest sister, and is eight years old.

Anyway, today she made up a little surprise for me (wrapped it and everything.:-). She couldn't wait to give it to me, and did so at supper. Inside the bag she wrapped (with all she had to wrap with then - some newspaper :-) a packet of Oreos, a candy bar, and some other little candy. I have to tell you also that, to Suzy, candy is her favourite thing in the world!
    What I liked most about the gift was what she wrote in the letter she gave me: "Ashlyn I know it's not your birthday, but I just want to say thank you for being my sister, Love Suzy." :-)

By - Ashlyn Elaine

Doggy Doggies

In Kenya dogs play a very important role in our lives. Not only do they guard our compound from thieves but they also attempt to keep our yard free of rats, snakes, and birds. Our dogs have gained a reputation of fierceness. One time we were letting someone in and suddenly Kelele dashes out the gate to go play with a little girl on her way to school. This little girl was so terrified that she started running. Unfortunately Kelele is rather fast. Just as he jumped up to lick the little girls face he saw someone beyond the little girl. Kelele started running with the fur on the back of his neck sticking up. All this time we kids were running after Kelele. We finally caught him and brought him back before anyone got hurt. Now we are always on alert when we go in and out of our compound. Nevertheless, we try to use his reputation to our advantage.
Kelele is a sweet, loving dog. He likes to be pet every once in a while. But when he decides that too much is just too much, he just walks away. Kwanza is the fair and elegant queen of the compound. Miss perfect in front of you but miss bossy behind your back. She is definitely  the most put together dog you have ever met with her personal slave Kelele doing her bidding.

A Tawny brown fur on a stocky body with a dopey face, 
Lovable eyes and a smiling mouth with a constantly wagging tail;
The acceptance and love of Kelele are without compare. 
A complete failure in obedience school, but a great friend and companion. 
A dope who would do anything for a petting or a treat 
The wonderful friend of man, a dog is Kelele. 
(Poem by Wesley George '11)

By Emily Swain

Tandem dozing

Kwanza lounging in long grass

Kelele the handsome dope

Kwanza, ready to do some shopping

Dog fight!

A Hike up a Mountain

For Taylor's 12th birthday, we (Taylor, my brother Daniel, and I, along with Mr. Rains and Zaccheus) decided to climb Mt Longonot. For those of you who are wondering, Mt Longonot is an extinct volcano in the middle of the Rift Valley. We started off early, remembering to take plenty of drinks with us :-) As soon as we got there, we were all quite eager to start up the 9,000 ft mountain! The path was covered with a thick layer of dust, and in some places the trail went almost straight up. When we reached the half way point we were all very glad that we each brought along a few sandwiches. With renewed energy we continued up the volcano. We reached the rim of the volcano at about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Still brimming with energy, we decided to hike up to the top of the peak. At about halfway there, Mr Rains and Zaccheus decided to stop while the rest of us continued up to the top. The ascent became steeper, but we reached the top! The scenery from the peak is quite beautiful. God has given us a very scenic country to live in. We were tempted to hike around the entire rim, but it was getting late, so we headed back down. Going down is much more fun than going up! We simply squatted down onto the very loose volcanic soil and slid down the slope :-) good times! While we were heading down, we met some of the same people we saw when we were going up! We were all quite tired so Mr Rains took us to get some milkshakes. Cold milkshakes taste AMAZING after climbing a volcano. The drive home was definitely quieter than the ride there, simply because we were all exhausted!

By Aaron Paul

Aaron is a guest writer who is an Mk here in Kenya

Isaiah 40:30-31 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

We made it!

If you look close enough, there is an elephant in the middle of the crater!

They can be harmful to your health!

A view of the campsite where our hike started!

Soccer

Soccer is the main sport in Kenya ,and I love it as well. Having got a new ball from the states, I thought it would be neat to take it to the annual Spiritual Life Retreat. Every year IBCM has a retreat for the students to get away for the week, get closer to the Lord, and be challenged. During the breaks between each session, my brother Aaron, Taylor and I and some of the other students would play a game or two. It was really fun! One time I was running with the ball and tripped and managed to fall on Pastor Josiah Wambua and he landed on his arm. Thankfully he was o.k.:}

 Lots of kids here in Kenya play soccer and we have used this in the past, and even nowadays, to witness to kids. We would find a group of kids, play a game, and then preach to them for 5 to 10 minutes, telling about salvation. It is a very effective tool. Football is what everyone calls it here, and it is great fun to most people. There are always some that don't care for it as well. We enjoy it any way.:}!

By Daniel Elliot 

Daniel is a guest writer who is an MK in Kenya. 

Eternal Ink

I dreamed I was in heaven 
Where an angel kept God’s book. 
He was writing so intently 
I just had to take a look. 
It was not, at first, his writing 
That made me stop and think 
But the fluid in the bottle 
That was marked eternal ink. 
This ink was most amazing, 
Dark black upon his blotter 
But as it touched the parchment 
It became as clear as water. 
The angel kept on writing, 
But as quickly as a wink 
The words were disappearing 
With that strange eternal ink. 
The angel took no notice, 
But kept writing on and on. 
He turned each page and filled it 
Till all its space was gone. 
I thought he wrote to no avail, 
His efforts were so vain 
For he wrote a thousand pages 
That he’d never read again. 
And as I watched and wondered that 
This awesome sight was mine, 
I actually saw a word stay black 
As it dried upon the line. 
The angel wrote and I thought I saw 
A look of satisfaction. 
At last he had some print to show 
For all his earnest action. 
A line or two dried dark and stayed 
As black as black can be, 
But strangely the next paragraph 
Became invisible to see. 
The book was getting fuller, 
The angel’s records true, 
But most of it was blank, with 
Just a few words coming through. 
I knew there was some reason, 
But as hard as I could think, 
I couldn’t grasp the significance 
Of that eternal ink. 
The mystery burned within me, 
And I finally dared to ask 
The angel to explain to me 
Of his amazing task. 
And what I heard was frightful 
As the angel turned his head. 
He looked directly at me, 
And this is what he said… 
I know you stand and wonder 
At what my writing’s worth 
But God has told me to record 
The lives of those on earth. 
The book that I am filling 
Is an accurate account 
Of every word and action 
And to what they do amount. 
And since you have been watching 
I must tell you what is true; 
The details of my journal 
Are the strict accounts of YOU. 
The Lord asked me to watch you 
As each day you worked and played. 
I saw you as you went to church, 
I saw you as you prayed. 
But I was told to document 
Your life through all the week. 
I wrote when you were proud and bold, 
I wrote when you were meek. 
I recorded all your attitudes 
Whether they were good or bad. 
I was sorry that I had to write 
The things that make God sad. 
So now I’ll tell the wonder 
Of this eternal ink, 
For the reason for its mystery 
Should make you stop and think. 
This ink that God created 
To help me keep my journal 
Will only keep a record of 
Things that are eternal. 
So much of life is wasted 
On things that matter not 
So instead of my erasing, 
Smudging ink and ugly blot. 
I just keep writing faithfully and 
Let the ink do all the rest 
For it is able to decide 
What’s useless and what’s best. 
And God ordained that as I write 
Of all you do and say 
Your deeds that count for nothing 
Will just disappear away. 
When books are opened someday, 
As sure as heaven is true; 
The Lord’s eternal ink will tell 
What mattered most to you. 
If you just lived to please yourself 
The pages will be bare, 
And God will issue no reward 
For you when you get there. 
In fact, you’ll be embarrassed, 
You will hang your head in shame 
Because you did not give yourself 
In love to Jesus’ Name. 
By: Author Unknown


I thought this poem was very thought provoking. Makes you think about what you are doing and whether it is worth-while or not. 
Matthew 6:20  "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:"
By: Emily Swain

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! On this day we get the chance to tell our mothers how we are thankful for them. So enjoy!

Dear Mother (Karolyn Halstead)
 I am so thankful for you! I am thankful for your education because without it I might never have gotten through Algebra and Geometry. I am thankful for your fun, loving spirit because it makes our house so lively. I am thankful that you are not only my mom but also my friend ,and willing to listen to me,and give me godly counsel. I am thankful for the example you give ,that you never stop learning.
Love, Emily

Dear Mother (Tina Rains)
Thank you for the Godly example you have always been to me. Thanks for taking time to do the little things with me like: going shopping or going out to eat. Thanks for being such a fun person to be around.:-) Thanks for being a teacher, a friend, and a mother.Thanks for having such a loving, selfless, and giving attitude towards others.  Thanks for putting up with me all these years, or should I say thanks for putting up with all five of us, all these years!:-) 
Happy Mother's day, Mom!
Love, Ashlyn

 

Dear Mother, (Karolyn Halstead)

Thank you so much for always being there for me and always willing to listens to me whenever I need an ear. Thank you for being so kind, understanding, and helpful. Also for being such a godly mother for me to look up to. I could never ask for a better mother then you!!

Tons of love,
                Sara

Here is a fun Mother's Day film we did!

Just Remember it isn't professional...in fact it is pretty BAD!

To every mother who reads this, have a great Mother's Day!

While the Cat's Away the Mice do Play

"While the Cat's away the Mice do Play" or"How our house came to be condemned as a natural disaster site"
This past week Mom attended a masters block class at the college in Nairobi. This being the case Dad, Sara, and I were left at home with the purpose of 'holding down the fort.'
Emily's log of the week.
Sunday: On Sunday Dad told us that Sara and I would be in charge of suppers and he would make breakfast for Mom. So Sunday I came up with a list of meals. Mon.- biscuits and gravy   Tue.- Enchiladas   Wed.- Spaghetti and meat sauce   Thur.- (Dad cooks)   Fri.- waffles and eggs. Dad told me that my menu was too boring and un-creative.
Monday: I did the morning dishes which composed of all Dad's dishes from making breakfast for Mom. Then I read a book  and cross-stitched till lunch. Then I cross-stitched some more and started supper around 3:30 pm. I made biscuits and gravy for supper.
Tuesday: Anthony (our landlady's brother) called to let us know that our landlady was in town and wondered if she could stop by and see the house tomorrow. All in all we had a quiet day with no extraordinary happenings... and I made tacos for supper.
Wednesday: Today I felt over worked and underpaid. I woke up and started running around cleaning up whatever I saw, did two loads of laundry (which included putting them up on the line to dry), and did the breakfast dishes...again. At around 11:00 am Anthony called to tell us they were running late. We had a dentist appointment and told them that we had to leave at 11:30. They got here at 11:20 am and we talked outside for ten minutes. Then they left. So much for running around madly cleaning up the house all morning. We quickly locked up the house and went for our dentist appointment. Sara had two cavities that needed filling. We got to the dentist at 11:45 am and Sara didn't get in until 12:45 pm. Dad and I read until 3:00 pm when Sara finally came out with a very numb mouth. We went home and Dad started dinner.We had pork curry for dinner.
Thursday: Morning was uneventful. After lunch Dad informed us that he wanted us to put together some books he needed for his college class. This process included cutting the pages in half, punching holes, and binding them. I took cutting the pages because our paper slicer is weird and temperamental. Sara's job was to punch the holes and then bind the pages. While I was cutting all of my books save two, Sara was experiencing difficulties. Not only was she not able to punch the holes but what pages she did punch she managed to bind on the wrong side. She did four books when she informed me that she wanted to trade jobs. Being the kind sister that I am, we traded jobs. Sara had just two books left to cut and I had eight books to punch and bind. while Sara was cutting her two books I punched and bound four books.For dinner I was all ready to try to make spaghetti and meat sauce when Dad informed me that he wanted pigs in a blanket. I was fine with that since it is a meal that takes half an hour to prepare. Mom came home early. We had pigs in a blanket for supper and left for prayer meeting around 6 pm.
Friday: Mom took her final exam today. Dad informed me that we seem to have a lot of bacon and pineapple. So what should we have for supper that calls for bacon and pineapple? We decided on pizza. Around 9 am Dad told me that our week of freedom was about up and if I want to make the next week more enjoyable I should probably wash the dishes. I thought that was a clever way to say, "Wash the dishes!" Mom came home around 12:30 pm  and Ashlyn came over for a sleep over at 4:00 pm.
We had pizza for supper.

Sara's log of the week:
 Sunday- On Sunday Daddy told Em and I,that we were going to be in charged of supper and to 
make a list for him. I immediately, and studiously sat down to make a perfect menu. This is what I came up with: Mon.- Peanut butter and Jelly Sandwiches; Tue.- Go out to eat; Wen.- grilled cheese sandwiches; Thurs.- cereal and milk; Fri- order out pizza.  As you can probable guess my list was completely ignored... :o(  
Monday-This morning I awoke to a pile of dish. Yes, Daddy had made mom breakfast, but he had not cleaned it up! As I stared at this disaster I wondered if everyone thought it was my duty to clean it up. I scrambled for an excuse why I shouldn't do it... AH, I know I need to exercise!! I quickly got my socks and shoes on! When I was done exercising I found Emily doing the dishes! (What a sweet, lovable sister) I told her thank you! She turned to me and said, "You are doing them tonight!"   Gulp...
 Tuesday- We didn't do anything that would empress you, or make you say; " Wowzers!!"
 Wednesday- Our landlady was coming over around 11:00 am to check out the house and see if any thing needed to be done. We scrambled around to clean up the clutter around the house... of course every thing was dumped on me to clean and organize. She came over around 11:20 am which was really bad because we had to leave to go to the dentist at 11:30 am. We stood out side the house talking for 9 min and 59 sec. and then she left. She didn't even come in... I made my bed for nothing! We got into the car and went to the dentist. 
Thursday- After lunch Daddy asked us to put together books for the college. Em was to cut the pages apart and I was to punch holes and bind the pages. As I stared down at the pages I was trying to figure out which side on which to punch them. I know you must be thinking, "How hard can punching be?" It is very hard for an honorary blond. I punched three books and all of the them had something wrong, in fact one of them I bond backwards. Emily took over after that. 
Friday- This is the last day of our traumatic week without MOM! Ashlyn is going to come over to wash the dishes and we are going to have homemade pizza. Yes, it is a nice end to a week full of burdens and responsibilities.
On Sunday I heard Mom commenting on the week. "I have finally figured it out! I'll take a course each week, and let the girls keep house." 
So as you can see we made our mom very happy!                                                            
    By  - Sara and Emily   

Staying on God's Side of the Fence

I was reading through "Our Daily Bread" (a devotional book) earlier today, and came across these words: "God's fences keep you within the bounds of His blessings." 

I know sometimes I want to do things my way, and don't even stop to consider what God's will is. These words helped me to remember(something I often forget) that while I am choosing my way over God's, I am stepping out of the bounds of His blessings.
I learned a great lesson form this devotional and I just wanted to share it with you. :-)

What freedom lies with all who choose,
To live for God each day!
But chains of bondage shackle those,
Who choose some other ways. - D.Dehaan

(Psalm 1:1)

By - Ashlyn Elaine