Ready? Steady? GO!

I love that I'm married to the only other person who gets me enough to say, "If you die over in Kenya at least you're doing what you love."

 I'm getting the last ends tied up to head out to Kenya this Wednesday.  NO, I'm not packed; everyone keeps asking me that!  I'm only taking a carry on and a backpack.  I'm also taking the same dirt colored clothing I took two years ago.  Oh, and this really sweet baby doll for a little girl my family sponsors.  Really, the hardest thing about packing is the < 3 oz. & 1 quart sized bag thing. 

The other difficult thing is one of our team members & my friend probably won't be able to come because he's so sick.  That impacts our team quite a bit since he was going to be the techie & photog.  Our challenges keep mounting: power rationing, drought, recent violence. 

One thing remains unchanged...Our Heavenly Father.  He does not shift like the sand (or Kenyan dust!).   He remains steadfast in His constant care and love for us, especially when the challenges increase.  Life is tough, but God IS Faithful! 

Pray for our checked baggage filled with medical supplies, clothing & shoes,  to make it through Kenyan customs without causing hefty bribes to be requested.  Pray for the health & safety of our team: Linda, Karen, Shani, Sue, Rockie & me.  Pray for wholeness & healing for Kirk.

Going Home?

Going back to Kenya seems like returning home; people I dearly love, places I've longed for, and a land so beautiful it makes my heart ache. I even recall the dust fondly! Yes, I felt at home there...yet I wonder what I will find when I get there. Much has changed since 2007. The December 2007 election & the eruption of post-election violence drove me to weep everyday for the people & land I had fallen in love with. People who were in such desperate need before the riots, now had lost all hope; it seemed as though the world had turned upside down. I was at such a loss to even grasp the fullness of how this changed life for hundreds I had just met. Fear for the Meekers gripped my heart & drove me to my knees.

2009 finds Kenya in the midst of a severe drought, placing those who already have so little in an even more tenuous position; crops have failed, animals dying, water becoming increasingly scarce. What will the 2009 team be faced with? Only God knows. By His Grace & Mercy we will serve in any way necessary. Will there be challenges? Certainly. Will our hearts break anew? Most assuredly. Will God be there in the midst of all the suffering? Count on it! Will we see hope & joy even in great suffering? We sure will...He gives hope to the hopeless.

16 days...1/2 way around the world...7 people..only by the Grace of our Father!