Stopped for Speeding

On our way up to Nakuru this morning to look at the house, we got pulled over to the side of the road by the police.  Wondering what it could be about, BJ got out his drivers license for a routine check.  To our surprise, we were told that we'd been going 15 kilometers over the "speed limit".  Speed limit???  We didn't even know there was one!  BJ told them that he had not seen a speed limit sign, but they assured us there was one 65 km (40 miles) back in Limuru.  Maybe the sign had just recently been put up, and since we didn't know to look for it . . .  By the way, we've only seen 3 speed limit signs on all the roads we've driven on here, and those have been to slow down in residential areas.  There has never been one on the road to Nakuru before.

However, they were right about one thing.  As we were coasting down the mountain bordering the Great Rift Valley, we'd been going 115 km/hr (70 miles/hour).  Unfortunately, we found out a little bit too late that the official speed limit in Kenya is 100 km/hour!  I do not think this is common knowledge!  So we were told to follow the policeman to the police station.  Thankfully, the station was not very far away.

Naivasha Police Station

Seth and I sat in the car while BJ went in to pay the fine.  I resigned myself to the fact that we could very well be there all day.  I knew from experience that it is impossible to know what to expect from police in a foreign country.  Seth and I prayed out loud for God to give Daddy wisdom and to please take care of the situation for us because we know that He is in control.  My heart smiled to hear Seth's little voice chime in, "Because, God, You know everything." 

By the way, I was very careful not to "put down" the police in any way to Seth.  He needs to learn to respect and obey authority, and it wouldn't help him at all to hear Mommy and Daddy fuming about the police.  Trying to stay as positive as I could, I simply told him that Daddy had not known how fast we were supposed to go.  I was very thankful to be able to honestly tell my son that his daddy would not have gone over the speed limit had he known it.

After waiting in the car for about an hour, I got a text message from BJ saying, "I have to go to court.  Pray that the case will be handled quickly."  As time dragged on, I became more and more anxious wondering what was going on.  Sometimes it is harder to be the one waiting and not knowing.  I prayed for BJ to keep his cool.  

Finally, BJ called me and told me his predicament.  After court, he'd been taken to a holding cell until he could pay his fine of 2,000 shillings ($20).  The problem was he was not allowed to leave, and the fine had to be paid at the bank in Naivasha.  This meant someone had to go pay the fine for him, or BJ would get to stay in jail for a month.  My fear rose as BJ began giving me directions how to get to the bank in Naivasha.  I do not drive in Kenya, and neither BJ nor I know our way around Naivasha.  In fact, he was actually getting the directions from one of the guards.  Furthermore, I do not have a driver's license here although that is in the plans eventually.  Upon remembering that fact, BJ told them it wouldn't work for me to go in his place.  (He also knows I am horrible with directions and that I would very likely get myself lost in the little town of Naivasha!)  It was an impossible situation.  

Thankfully, BJ had kept his cool, and had in fact been chatting with the guards in Swahili up to this point.  Now, when they heard about his predicament, one of them offered to take his money to the bank and pay his fine for him.  It pays to keep a good testimony and to make lots of friends!  I was never so relieved to look up and see BJ standing at the car window ready to drive us . . . home.  No, we did not make it to Nakuru today to look at that house.  After sitting for three hours at the police station, there was not enough time to continue on our way to Nakuru, look at the house, and then get back home in time for BJ's sign language class tonight.  Oh well, there is always another day for that.

On a humorous note, the Kenyans have a philosophy that if you get one thing accomplished during the day, you've had a good day!  After the fact, BJ grinned at me and said, "Well, I got my one thing accomplished for the day--getting out of jail!"  

All was not in vain, however.  While BJ was being detained, Seth and I were able to pass out probably 30 to 40 Gospel tracts as people walked by our car.  A large group of school students, many of them Muslim, were there waiting for their driver who had also been stopped for some reason, probably unknowingly speeding as well!  They each took a tract!  God has promised that His Word will not return unto Him void.  Maybe these students were God's reason we spent the day at the police station.  

Thanks so much for your prayers.  They are more valuable than you know!

Learning to Rest and Trust in My All-Powerful God

A day or two after we arrived in Dubai, BJ got a call from the landlady of that house I absolutely loved in Nakuru.  Remember the one I described in great detail a couple of posts back?  BJ wanted to get in touch with her to try to put a down payment on that house.  We wanted at all costs to hold onto that house until the other couple moved out. 

Well, the landlady finally called us back and told us that the other couple changed their mind, and now they do not want to move anywhere.  What a blow!  I was SO disappointed!  What were we going to do now?  There were practically no other options for us in Nakuru.  For a couple of days I fretted, worried, and tried to figure out the problem in my own mind, of course, never coming to a solution.

Then in my morning devotions, I made it to Job 38, and for the next couple of days, I read God's answer to Job's contentions (Job 40:2).  It felt as if God was speaking directly to my heart asking all these questions, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?"  Who puts the bounds on the sea?  Do you know the breadth of the earth?  Who commands the lightening and the rain?  Who guides the course of the stars?  Can you number the clouds in the sky?  Who feeds all of the animals? 

I'm paraphrasing, but you get the picture.  Talk about conviction!  I was rebuked for my worry over something so simple as a house.  Cannot God Who is infinite in wisdom, the One Who controls all of nature, provide me with the house He wants me to have?  Peace filled my heart, and that peace allowed me to rest in my all-powerful God.  It was actually a relief to let go and let Him handle it.  I can't believe I thought I could handle it myself anyway!

So Thursday, BJ made another trip up to Nakuru to look at a house that must have just gone on the market.  This one is beautiful too.  (He brought back pictures.)  It is much larger, and has two of my heart's desires that the other house did not have--a bathtub and a fireplace.  Maybe God wanted to once again do exceedingly above what I could ask or think?  Monday, BJ is taking me up there to walk through the house.  Then we'll make our decision.  If it is the one, we will probably be moved in about a month.  This time, though, my heart will wait patiently on the Lord!

For those interested, here is a picture of the house and yard. 

 

This house would cost a fortune in rent in America, and it would also be very expensive here in Karen outside of Nairobi.  However, the rent in Nakuru is much cheaper.  Our rent would be the same as what we paid for a 1-bedroom apartment in Oklahoma City after we got married.  This house has 5 bedrooms, and my mind quickly designates them as master bedroom, girl's room, boy's room, school room, and BJ's office.  It also has another tiny room that could be a sewing room.  "Ok, Jessi, don't get too excited . . . yet!  Remember, you are resting in Him!"

Playing with Baby Sister

Here Seth was playing cars with his baby sister . . . or is it ON baby sister?  My tummy made a great ramp for his tiny cars to roll down!

I love it when he spontaneously gives my tummy hugs and sugars.  I love seeing the awe on his little face when he feels her kicking.  Seth sure loves his sister.

Our Dubai Trip

We got back last night from two weeks in Dubai.  It is SO nice to be home!  Now let me tell you all about our trip.

We had fun, but this time we did not run ourselves ragged trying to see everything that the city has to offer.  We did that the last time, so this time we just relaxed and actually took a vacation.  We stayed in a furnished hotel apartment that had a stove/oven and refrigerator.  This allowed us to buy groceries and cook our own meals which saved us a lot of money.

BJ and Seth walking in front of our hotel

There was also a washing machine in the room with a drying rack on the balcony.  No need of a dryer in the desert!  Our clothes dried super fast, even overnight.

We got some great shopping in!  Our hotel was right next to the metro train station, so we could hop on the train anytime we wanted to go to the mall.  There was a huge store in the mall that was very much like a super Wal-mart, only bigger!  It was nice to find things that we can’t get in Kenya or that have been out of stock for a while in Kenya.  We brought some items back with us such as . . .

The A&W root beer and cream soda were the best part!!!  Of course, we couldn't bring any of those back, so we just enjoyed them while we were there.

This time, we went to see the Dubai Fountain which was a beautiful water show choreographed to a violin concerto.  The water shoots 500 feet into the air!  It was definitely worth seeing.  In fact, we went back a second evening to watch it again!  

Most of our night pictures didn’t turn out very well, but here is one that BJ took of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.  It was beautiful all lit up at night.   

We enjoyed Burger King, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Cold Stone ice cream, and P.F. Chang's Chinese food.  The latter was a "date" night for us, and wow, it tasted so good!

And we went swimming almost every day.  No, it was not at the beach this time.  Unfortunately, the beach that we found the last time we were in Dubai was too far from our hotel this time.  So we just made use of the hotel swimming pool which was located on the roof of our 13-story building.   

Finding times when no one else was at the pool proved to be a bit of a challenge, but we managed, and Seth loved it!  We bought him some arm floats, and he quickly lost his fear of the water.   

 

By the time we left, he was getting his kicks and arm strokes down pat . . . just not both at the same time yet!  That comes with much more practice!

Now we are home and unpacked.  Seth was happy to get reacquainted with Barney and Arnie, (They are still alive, thanks to Mr. Roger.) his guinea pigs, and his dirt.  Needless to say, I haven't seen much of him today.  He is busy finding all kinds of live bugs to add to his collection.  Don't worry about me; I am getting used to it!  I am just so happy to be home.  There is truly no place like home!

Headed to Dubai Again

Our visas are about to expire again, so we are having to leave the country again, or rather the East African Community, which includes most all of the countries surrounding us.  Once again, Dubai, U.A.E. proved to be the cheapest place to go, so we are off for another mandatory vacation on Tuesday.  (Wish we could just stay here, but God knows.)  This time we have to be gone for two weeks.  Then when we get back, hopefully, (with fingers crossed), we will be able to get more permanent paperwork under the Mickey's church in Nakuru.  We have tried about four different ways to get paperwork here, so we are hoping that this way will work.  It just takes such a loooonnnng time to get anything accomplished as far as paperwork goes, and we keep running out of time on our short-term visas.  Please keep praying for this very important prayer request!

Anyway, I just wanted to let everyone know that you won't hear from me in blogland for a couple of weeks.  Internet is super expensive in Dubai, so we will just focus on our time together and have fun as a family.  I will be sure to update you when I get back home!  By the way, there are some pictures of Dubai in my blog archive back in April from when we went there the last time.  It is a beautiful place. 

God Revealing His Plan for Us

I am so excited to be able to begin sharing the direction that God is giving us here in Kenya.  It seems that He gives us a little more light into His plan every day and more peace in our hearts too.  It is such a blessing to simply follow where He leads!

Last week, BJ started a Kenyan Sign Language (KSL) class here at Karen Baptist Church.  His goal is to train interpreters in the church and to bring the hearts of the hearing and the Deaf in Karen together.  There are 9 people in the class who are very interested in learning sign language and ministering to the Deaf.

Some of BJ's students

BJ is pumped up about teaching sign language!  That is about all he talks about these days!  He wants to get the Deaf involved in doing some of the teaching too.  What better way to learn sign language than from the Deaf?  In just one week, the sign language students have learned the alphabet and how to introduce themselves.  What a blessing it was today to watch them interacting for the first time with the Deaf at church!  Up to this point, it has only been BJ and I.

The sign language students sat with the Deaf so that they could watch BJ and I interpret.  I am only interpreting some of the songs now until I can better learn the Kenyan signs.  BJ interprets the messages, and the Deaf are understanding so much more from him than they did from me!

 I sat beside Sarah, the lady on the far right in this picture below.

She and her daughter beside her are so excited to learn sign language.  Sarah wants to learn to interpret for the Deaf.  God has broken her heart for them which was evident as I watched her repeatedly wiping away the tears in church.  Then at the invitation, I glanced at her beside me, and I started weeping myself.  She was bent over in prayer with her hands stretched out in front of her as if in offering.  I knew exactly what she was praying in her heart as memories came rushing back of me praying that same prayer so many times.  "God, I give you my hands.  Take them and use them.  They are Yours."  And He will.  A song just came to my mind . . . only the words are changed around a bit.  "Take my hands and let them be filled with messages for Thee."  My heart is so full with what God is doing.

Now you may ask, "How are you going to train these people and work among the Karen Deaf when you are moving to Nakuru?  (2 and 1/2 hours away)

The Deaf and some of the sign language students together after church

Well, BJ is about to get very busy . . . or busier!  You see the Christians in the church in Nakuru also have a broken heart to reach the Deaf in their town.  They want to learn sign language too.  In fact, they have been praying for a missionary to the Deaf to come to Nakuru for 6 years.  So with the larger population of Deaf in Nakuru, God is leading us to move there to start a deaf church and eventually a deaf Bible College.  But at the same time, we can't just abandon the Karen Deaf and these people who want to learn KSL here.  So BJ will be driving back and forth a lot throughout the week teaching sign language classes here and there, interpreting here and preaching there as a pastor to the Deaf.  Maybe God wants to use him as a circuit-riding preacher for a while here in Kenya!  Instead of a horse, this preacher will ride around the country in a little white car!

On that note, let me show you a picture of the Great Rift Valley on the way to Nakuru.  It is really hard to get a good picture of the Great Rift Valley because there is usually a lot of cloud cover up there.  This one I took the other day while in the car, so it's a little blurry too.  But it is so beautiful as you look out over the valley.

 

I want to thank you all for all the prayers you've prayed and are praying for us.  God is definitely listening, so please keep it up!

Then Sings My Soul, How Great Thou Art!

My soul is singing right now over what God has done for us!  The last two days have been spent in Nakuru house hunting.  The possibilities Friday were not good.  The houses were not built well and were put together piece-meal so to speak.  It would have taken tons of money to fix them up just to make them livable let alone decent-looking.  And I was raised in a bush hut, so I am not real picky! 

But today, it was like God dropped a perfect house out of the sky for us!  It was like walking into a dream.  The yard is not huge but plenty big enough for kids to play in.  It is beautiful, already landscaped with flowers, and has three huge trees in the front yard for Seth to climb.  That is his dream to climb trees after four years!  The inside and outside of the house does not really need work done to it at all (not common here).  Also, it is all one level which I really wanted.  The house has four bedrooms plus a large den that is separate from the living room/dining room area, and BJ can have his office in the den.  I can use one of the rooms for a school room.  There is a pantry off the kitchen, and the kitchen though small, is very workable.  The living room looks out into the beautiful front yard, and that whole “wall” looking out there is sliding glass doors leading out into a closed-in patio the whole length of the living room.  It is so pretty and peaceful and lets in tons of light. 

Right now, there is a German couple living there until about the end of November which is why I did not take pictures.  Kind of rude and awkward to walk around snapping pictures of their house and their stuff!  They said they have never had water problems—NOT normal in Nakuru.  Everyone seems to have times when their city water gets turned off or runs out.  And their landlord has been very good to them—also not normal.  The neighbors on one side are British, and the neighbors on the other side are Kenyan with a 5-year-old boy.  The Kenyan neighbor lady takes it upon herself to keep an eye on their house whenever they are away for more than a day.  The best part is that this house is in a guarded gated community off the main road, very secure and very safe.  With a dog or two, we would probably never have any problems with crime.  
 

I walked around that beautiful yard in tears, saying, “God, it’s too perfect.  You would do this for me?”  To be able to raise my children in such a beautiful house and yard.  To be able to feel safe.  And to just be able to move our furniture in and live there without having to spend hardly anything to get it fixed up.  It is obviously the Lord's confirmation that Nakuru is the place where He wants us. 

How can I explain that this does not normally happen in Kenya?  You NEVER find a house in a matter of two days, and when you do find a house, it is a house with a ton of problems but that shows promise of being able to fixed up over time with a lot of money.  And God has done it for us twice now, once here in Karen (It only took us a week to find this little house), and now again in Nakuru.  Isn’t it amazing how He leads and fits the puzzle pieces of life together when you follow Him? 

So it looks like we may be moved in and settled in the first part of December well before Christmas and the baby.  I am so excited!  I will probably be giving you a "tour" on my blog within a couple of months!  Please pray with me that we can do whatever is necessary to "hold" on to that house until the other couple moves out.  BJ is trying to get in touch with the owner, who happens to live here in Nairobi, so that we can get a contract with her and give her a down payment a couple of months early!

Also, it looks like God will provide me with girl clothes for our baby.  Mrs. Madory (missionaries we have worked alongside this past year) has saved all of her little girl's clothes for six years.  Now she is going to have a garage sale, and I get first dibs on baby things before that sale!  She also has some baby furniture like a changing table, high chair, and other things that we may need.  God is so good to me!  I told BJ I just want to cry, and he got nervous!  Guys don’t like to see their wives cry, but these are happy, thankful tears!

Our Baby Is . . .

First, Seth and I took pictures with the baby this morning.  Here is our baby at 24 weeks.

Today was our big day to find out!  This time I was determined that BJ and Seth would be in there with me.  We had to sit for a very long time in the waiting room while I was dying with suspense to get it over with and KNOW!  I am sure many of you are dying to know too which is why I am holding you in suspense!  My ornery hubby has given me all kinds of ideas of what I should write in this post, including "Our baby is . . . a baby!"  Or "Mtoto mdogo ni msichana."  Now that is really ornery!  Announce it in Swahili!  But I won't be that mean as I know many of you are almost as anxious to know as I was.

I am super excited!!!  Now I am dreaming of bows in long, (possibly curly) hair, frilly dresses and baby dolls. 

Of course, you can never be 100% sure with ultrasounds, but I asked the technician if he was pretty sure, and he stated that he is 99% sure that we are having a little girl!  Yippee!  Can you hear my shout of joy all the way from Africa?  Yes, I am on cloud nine!!!  I would've been just as happy with another boy.  In fact, I already had it in my mind that I was probably carrying another boy, but now I am quickly and joyously getting used to the wonderful idea of a daughter.  Thank You, thank You, Lord!"

You Have to Be Deaf to Understand

  

  What is it like to "hear" a hand?
You have to be deaf to understand.
 
What is it like to be a small child,
In a school, in a room void of sound --
With a teacher who talks and talks and talks;
And then when she does come around to you,
She expects you to know what she's said?
You have to be deaf to understand.

Or the teacher thinks that to make you smart,
You must first learn how to talk with your voice;
So mumbo-jumbo with hands on your face
For hours and hours without patience or end,
Until out comes a faint resembling sound?
You have to be deaf to understand.

What is it like to be curious,
To thirst for knowledge you can call your own,
With an inner desire that's set on fire --
And you ask a brother, sister, or friend
Who looks in answer and says, "Never Mind"?
You have to be deaf to understand.

What it is like in a corner to stand,
Though there's nothing you've done really wrong,
Other than try to make use of your hands
To a silent peer to communicate
A thought that comes to your mind all at once?
You have to be deaf to understand.

What is it like to be shouted at
When one thinks that will help you to hear;
Or misunderstand the words of a friend
Who is trying to make a joke clear,
And you don't get the point because he's failed?
You have to be deaf to understand.

What is it like to be laughed in the face
When you try to repeat what is said;
Just to make sure that you've understood,
And you find that the words were misread --
And you want to cry out, "Please help me, friend"?
You have to be deaf to understand.

What is it like to have to depend
Upon one who can hear to phone a friend;
Or place a call to a business firm
And be forced to share what's personal, and,
Then find that your message wasn't made clear?
You have to be deaf to understand.

What is it like to be deaf and alone
In the company of those who can hear -- 
And you only guess as you go along,
For no one's there with a helping hand,
As you try to keep up with words and song?
You have to be deaf to understand.

What is it like on the road of life
To meet with a stranger who opens his mouth --
And speaks out a line at a rapid pace;
And you can't understand the look in his face
Because it is new and you're lost in the race?
You have to be deaf to understand.

What is it like to comprehend
Some nimble fingers that paint the scene,
And make you smile and feel serene,
With the "spoken word" of the moving hand
That makes you part of the world at large?
You have to be deaf to understand.

What is it like to "hear" a hand?
Yes, you have to be deaf to understand.


--Written by Willard J. Madsen, a deaf man, 

professor of journalism at Gallaudet University.

Boy + Tree Frog = Happy

What makes a boy happy?  A tiny gray tree frog with a bright red belly!

Seth found it himself, and he is so proud of it.  BJ and Seth made a terrarium for it together, and it is doing very well as it thrives on tiny grasshoppers that we catch for it.  Sometimes we make it a family outing--all three of us out looking for frog food!

All Seth could think about or focus on for a couple of days was his precious tree frog.  It really tickled me the other morning to hear his loving voice from the bedroom, "Bye, Frog.  I'm going to do school now."  The frog has had numerous names over the past couple of days until today when he fondly got renamed Barney. 

And here is Arnie, Seth's new pet beetle.

He wanted their names to rhyme.  Arnie resides in an empty ice cream container in Seth's closet.  Shudder!  I do hope he stays in his container in that closet!  We had a minor "emergency" this morning when we couldn't find him for a few minutes!  The emergency was quite different for Seth and I.  Seth was mourning the loss of his pet while I was experiencing the uncomfortable feeling of, "Where is that huge bug in my house?"   Arnie loves bananas. 

And with the rainy season, the centipedes are back.  I hate centipedes!  My dislike for them is not born of fear.  I just do not like having to deal with them all over my house and floor.  They love my mop!  After a good shake, Seth delightedly gathers up 5-10 of the little creatures.  Gross!  And did you know that centipedes smell nasty?  Or maybe I am just pregnant.  (No doubt about that!)  But I know I smelled them last year too! 

Bugs, bugs, bugs.  "Lord, give me a daughter someday, so we can even the odds around here a little bit!"