So we were listening to the podcast of Pauline Baptist Church last night and Brother Chad was preaching from Nehemiah 6. In verse 15, it tells that the Israelites rebuilt the wall in 52 days. Only 52 days of everyone working together on a common goal and it was accomplished. It got me to thinking about how many days I had until the next chapter of my life. From today, there are 52 days exactly until I leave Kenya. So weird! I've decided to make the most out of the next 52 days. Spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically, the next 52 days are going to be about building. Building the walls of life. Going back to the States is going to be an interesting process. There are all sorts of emotions that will flood my body when I get back, not to mention the fast food that will be enticing me to pack on the pounds. I'll spend the next 52 days building up that layer of protection against the enemy: a wall of protection from fear, doubt, bitterness, sadness, negativity, pride, loneliness, worry, crushed expectations, and anything else that will be thrown at me as I transition from the foreign field to America. Over the remaining time here, I will study more, read more, pray more, encourage more, complain less, play more, and even spend less time on social media. 52 days of intentionality. Is there something in your life that you've been meaning to "work on?" I challenge you to read Nehemiah and then spend the next 52 days being intentional about whatever it is. Want to read your Bible more? Pray more? Eat healthier? Lose weight? Work out more? Make more friends? Reconnect with family? Read through the whole Bible? Clean up your language? Declutter your life? Save money? Learn something new? Be kind? Help those in need? Journal through your 52-day journey to see what God does when you make time to build these protective walls in your life. "And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God." Nehemiah 6:16. In the 52 days that it took to build the wall, they went through so many ups and downs, but in the end, the enemies were afraid because they knew that God's power was in His people. They weren't shaken, no matter what was thrown at them. Make those enemies of self-doubt, negativity, pride, etc..., lose their power over you.
This last week has been a pretty fun one. It's still weird not being in the school room from 8:30-3, but I'm finding stuff to do. Kenya thought it would be a good idea to start the Insanity workout program again. So, everyday after our morning meetings, we've been doing Insanity. There are pros and cons to this, but ultimately hopefully my pants will be baggy when I get home.
We have a new Swahili schedule because the kids have finished their classes and John and Amber want to add in some conversing classes, so for the summer Getrude comes Tuesdays-Fridays. This past Tuesday, we celebrated Getrude's birthday, which was May 25, with cake and ice cream.
I got the chance to go with Clayton and Lindsey to Getrude's house to check on the shamba. I thought checking on it meant to just go look and make sure everything is growing correctly. Apparently, this actually meant to weed the shamba in the hot sun, and I was not dressed appropriately. We had a good time though and even found a couple of hedgehogs. The Farming God's Way plots are doing great!
On Friday, Lynn and Brenda flew to Nairobi to visit before they leave the country this next week. Brother Lynn got to preach and I'm sure they had a great time.
On Saturday, we all loaded up and headed to Mombasa in the rain. Josiah wanted to go paintballing for his birthday, but in order for some of his friends to be there, he had to do it early (his birthday is June 8). The rain let up and the guys and Abigail had a blast shooting each other with paintballs while the rest of us found go karts, camels, and a mechanical bull! Afterward, we all headed to the movies to wrap up a pretty fun day.
We've been hearing about all the flooding in the States. We've been praying for all of those in the affected areas. Even here, we are experiencing quite a bit of rain. The rainy season starts in late April and goes through July. It's been raining a lot, which means we've had a lot of trouble with our electricity. We actually started this month with no power. Thank goodness we have a generator to help get us through those days (and nights) when the power has been off. The rain has been really good for the crops, but not so good for the roads or houses. Getrude told us of one of her neighbors who lost her child recently because of the rains. They live in a mud hut, and the house fell on top of the mom and child. The child did not survive. The rain, while necessary, has brought much destruction lately around the world. Please pray for all of these families.
We have 3 birthdays in June: James on the 7th, Josiah on the 8th, and me on the 10th! There will be a lot happening over the next 52 days. We'll have our birthdays and the Fourth of July and then the group coming right before we leave. We've begun the packing process. Kenya and the kids cleaned out the school room the other day and we are all starting to slowly put things away. I have almost filled an entire suitcase with things I will be taking back with me. The next chapter is overwhelming, exciting, and nerve-wracking. I really thought I would never go back to teaching in the public school system. I'm so thankful that God is in control and that He's got a plan for my life.
Today is our day off and it has been raining most of the day. It makes me want to make some hot chocolate, curl up in a blanket, and watch movies. This is as close to an autumn/winter as it gets! Today is Madaraka Day for Kenya, the day they became a self-ruling nation. This reminds me of how thankful I am for the freedoms we have in the United States, but more importantly, for the freedom we have in Christ if we accept it.
Thank you, everyone, for praying and keeping up with what's going on with East Kenya Missions.
In Christ,
Ashley
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