Prayer Request for Kenya...

As you may have seen on the news, read, or heard Kenya recently held its presidential election on the 27th of this month. Until last night the results were unknown and rumours of rigging the election were going around. There has been rising conflict between two of the largest tribes in Kenya and has put life on hold for many. In regions of the country there have been shootings, burning of shops and homes, looting, and closing of roads. Yesterday afternoon Kibaki was announced to have won the elections and was shortly sworn in for another term as president. Many say that if it had been the other tribe's candidate who had won, there was still be unrest, so in terms of being at peace it was a lose-lose situation. So I write this from Kenya still as I am unable to enter Nairobi where I would need to go to take a bus back to Uganda. There are many people who were traveling for Christmas that are now stranded where they are and facing many challenges to return home. But God is in control and always sovereign. The prayer request is that God would be glorified in the current circumstances Kenya is facing and that His people would withstand these trials, pointing to Him. Thank-you so much for your prayers!

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas from Kenya everyone! I have been at YWAM Athi River in Kenya now for five days and am enjoying my vacation or holiday. I completed my first quarter of SBS absolutely warn out physically, emotionally, and spiritually...so I am so blessed to just get away to a place that I love like YWAM Athi River. (Its the closest to home I can get here in Africa!) As I approached the base I was overwhelmed to tears to realize how faithful God is. I remember in February, after our month long stay, I dragged my feet as we left. But now I am back and feel that I will return many times in the future. So far I have seen so many giraffe that I can no longer count of my fingers! I have enjoyed going for jogs through the bush trails and see them almost every time. Yesterday I saw a group of seven of them and when they saw me they decided to run as well. It was so beautiful to see them as they majestically glided in front of me. Along with my walks and jogs through the bush I have also enjoyed helping out in the kitchen and visiting with old friends and new friends from the current DTS. I really feel like this time that I have off from SBS is a time to renew my relationship with God. To be very honest somewhere in these last three months I have become so wrapped up in the work of SBS and other small things, that my relationship with God has suffered. I know that I haven't completely missed God, but I also realize I haven't made him my top focus. So I'm praying for God to revive my heart, restore, instruct, rebuke, and change me so that I may be able to commit to another quarter of SBS, but this time with my eyes on Him and not so much distracted by the small meaningless things that will pass. I really believe that God wants me in the SBS, but I also realize that I need to re-surrender myself to him in order for me to get the very most that he has for me. I really am seeking to hear God speaking me and directing me as I spend my time here in Kenya and also as I return to Uganda. For Christmas I am staying at the base with a few other people. We will have a chicken dinner on Christmas day and hopefully do some other fun things. I am planning to spend some time this upcoming week making cards, communicating, cooking, helping out on the base, and relaxing. Without snow, family, and friends it is hard to imagine that Christmas is almost here. But I am planning to make the very best of all that God has given me and will enjoy as best I can. I wish you all a wonderful Christmas as you spend time with your loved ones and celebrate the joyous birth of our Lord Jesus Christ who so humbly came to this earth so that we may be restored to the Father! God bless you!

I'm Still Here!

Well its been a few weeks again since my last update so here comes another:Since my last update I went through about a week of life without water, except what came from the few times it rained. It was a very challenging time, but I made it and have grown from the experience. Thanksgiving was well, not really thanksgiving! My fellow American staff member got a turkey for a special dinner for my fellow students and myself. By the time the turkey was ready near 9pm I was on the phone with my family and missed most of it. But to be completely honest I was feeling a little sick to my stomach from the smell of the food and was sooo grateful to visit with my family!!!This past week we studied the book of Romans...wow. The book is very intense and takes a lot to truly understand it as Paul originally intended it to be. Previously when people would ask me what book of the bible was my favorite I often said Romans. But that was because of the verses I took randomly from the book that appealed to me. Don't get me wrong, I still love the book, but in a different way because I have never understood the book as I do now. It was written to unite the church, yet it has been the source of so much division in the church today. Of course the enemy came and attacked our school this week in that very area: unity. Disunity has been growing within us in ways that we don't understand or clearly see, and this week it finally dawned on us that it was even happening. Personally I have been transformed by this book. The ideas I had previously that weren't correct have been challenged and I have decided to exchange them for the truth.Two more weeks and our first quarter of the SBS will be finished! Honestly I am very tired physically and mentally and well emotionally at times as well...so I'm looking forward to it. I am still hoping to travel to Kenya where I will stay at YWAM Athi River for most of the time. This upcoming week we are studying the book of Hebrews and then the final week of the quarter is the book of Matthew. Yesterday I received several of my assignments back and academically I am doing well: mostly Bs, but again I am reminded that I am not here for grades. If I get an A on an assignment and miss God that week in what we are studying it might as well me an F! But I am working hard and God's grace abounds for me to finish my assignments and improve each week. So praise God!Things are changing on the base as the Discipleship Training School and Foundations for Community Development school are both on their outreaches. The DTS is still in Uganda, but is soon leaving for Tanzania and the FCD left last night for the Sudan. So the base has less people and the atmosphere is different. Some of my fellow Americans have also left this week who were on staff and that was been hard for me. But I am so thankful for the time I had with them to help ease my transition into being here in Uganda.As for me, I am well. I do have some specific prayer requests, but there will always be those. I am still having digestive challenges, although it has somewhat improved, it continues to be a discomfort! As some of you know I love to run and since I got here I have been struggling with pain in my left shin that has kept me for the past month at least from running. I have had problems with shin splints in the past, but this is really deep in my leg and doesn't go away even if I don't run for weeks. My friend and I were visiting the other day and I came to realize a few things: I have learned to take advantage of opportunities to pray for others as God puts them before me (special thanks to Greg and Kathy Smith who implanted this principle in me as we prepared for Zambia 2 years ago)! Many times while I have been here in Uganda, I have had the opportunity to pray for people and word has spread about me. My prayers work! People have been relieved of pain and healed after I have gone before the Father with them. It doesn't always happen, but word has spread about the times it has on the base. I truly believe in my heart that God can and does heal according to His will and it has been awesome to see Him using me, who is completely nothing, to bring restoration to others. I'm not saying that I have the gift of healing, because this is something very new to me, but I do know that God has heard my prayers for healing several times now. So my friend and I talked about this and she was telling me that this is a huge threat to the enemy, so where would he likely attack me? maybe in the same area, by causing me pain in my leg? I'm not certain of this, but it is a possibility. So instead of accepting the pain in my leg, I have decided to pray for God's healing and am asking that you would join me. Its not a matter of life or death, but running releases me and boosts my spirit. I feel God's strength in me when I do it because I know that without Him, I wouldn't be able to do it. Also, there seems to be some tension between my room-mate and myself. She is from Kenya and of course we come from completely different cultures. I won't go into details, but I am praying that God would break through whatever is standing between my room-mate, who I love, and allow us to live at peace and enjoy our time together.Well this has become a very long update! Tomorrow is our monthly day of prayer, fasting, and intercession on the base...so it should be a wonderful day. Thank-you so much for your prayers, e-mails, cards, and support. May the love of the Lord be with you all. ~Becky