Every time I’m here in Nairobi working in the Mathre Valley slums, there is a very clear sense that God is up to something special…and we just get to be a part of it.

As leaders of Community, one of our constant prayers over the years has been to be where God is working. We’ve felt this is a better approach rather than just asking God to bless what we’re trying to do.

So…here we are again watching God do something incredible. Missions of Hope International is now over 13,000 children in a number of schools. Being in Area 2 (454 children) is just the tip of the iceberg, but you get a great sense of what God is up to when you’re one-on-one with the students and staff. It’s amazing.

The “kids” aren’t the only ones to get in on the action.

On top of our work with the Area 2 school, we’ve also been going into the community to meet with parents. We share with them information about health issues to benefit them and their children, as well as, share with them the Good News of Jesus. Each encounter is a blessing to us, and hopefully one to them as well.

Today (Saturday) we also got to go to Joska, the boarding school for middle school and high school. It’s so refreshing to see these young people as they now have real hope as they experience life outside of the slum.

Keep praying!

Our first full day with our Area 2 school was a huge success. The school is now 454 students strong. We weren’t even sure how we were going to be able to do it all until we got on the scene.

With that many kids, we were still able to do our opening songs, a skit and Bible time with the whole group. Then we split them into 5 smaller groups and did crafts, science, music, and games. (I know, that’s 5 groups and 4 activities, bu, they also had a resting group because we were wearing them out!)

The new school building was being built when we were here two years ago. Now the first 2 floors are finished and occupied. They are planning on going up to 5 stories and they’ll be able to have more than 1000 children.

I also had a personal highlight today when over 450 kids are crammed into a very small space in front of the school for our opening. Then, from the middle of the crowd, the child we’ve sponsored for four years caught my eye and waved at me. Later we got to spend some time together.

We divided into smaller groups this afternoon and went to visit with people in the community. The team I was with was able to explain the Good News of Jesus to a mother who had NEVER heard of Jesus or what He had done for her. She said she wanted to give her life to Jesus, and will now have a discipleship coordinator meet with her to follow up. AMAZING STUFF!

All in all, it was a great way to get this party started. It’s all physically exhausting, but in every other way…exhilarating!

Thanks for your prayers. Keep it up.

From the time we got to London, we’ve enjoyed every ounce we could squeeze out of it. It all started with fish and chips right here…

Actually, we’ve had fish and chips in more than one place! The scenery, sights and experiences have been unforgettable. I would LOVE to come back here again someday.

However, we are now ready to meet our team at Heathrow and head on to Kenya. This next adventure will also be exhilarating, but in a much different way. Being my third time in Nairobi, I know what to expect, but, you never know what God is going to do each and every trip. So, I’m praying my way into this new adventure.

Everyone on our team appreciates your prayer support. We could never do what we are doing without you. The 150 children sponsored by those of you at Community will get to see a few of us, but we will greet them with ALL your love.

Next blog…via Nairobi!

When Michelle and I first started talking about going to London and seeing Megan during her last week in London before we headed to Kenya, we were quite concerned with the price tag of a 10 day stay in the London area. Our first research showed that hotels started at over $300/per night. (Do you remember we were looking to be here for 10 days? Do the math.)

Through a friend of a friend we’ve been able to stay in a modest, but very nice two bedroom loft with a kitchen and living room. This loft occupies the 2nd story of a home that was built in 1720. It also happens to be in Wimbledon. Yes, you read that correctly. We’ve seen Aston Martins, Ferraris, Jaguars and so much more every day. The homes in this area, while quite old, are quite expensive. In fact, we’re staying just down the road from Boris Becker. At the age of 17 (1985), he was the youngest winner of Wimbledon ever.

This picture is looking across Wimbledon Commons toward our home.

Back to the title. “It’s WHO you know.” Long story short…we have been able to stay in this amazing place for FREE! God is good…over and over again. We continue to see His faithfulness show up in our lives. Thank you God!

It gets even better than a place to stay for 10 days. How about a place to stay for all of eternity. Trust me. It’s WHO you know, and His name is JESUS.