Saturday, March 2, 202 4— Rehema Guest House, Kitale Town, Kenya It is baseball season at home. That means that when I wake in the morning I reach for my phone to see how my favorite college coach and team (Chris Curry and his Little Rock Trojans) did. Yesterday at Belmont College—extra innings win with a home run by a pinch hitter off the bench. I hope you didn’t close out the journal?! I know, you checked in to see how our ministry day was and how you pray for us today. I’m getting...

Friday, February 27, 2024 — Rehema Guest House, Kitale Town, Kenya  The African mornings are my favorite for I know as surely as the sun rises, so shall I…and He, within me. The soft orange glow in the eastern sky is calling. It’s a new day in Africa. The songbirds are singing their familiar refrain. The aroma of breakfast cooking below our room calls me to shake off the last winks and come join God in His new day. If it is anything like yesterday, it will be a hallmark day. The...

Wednesday, February 27, 2024 Kitale Town, Kenya I knew Tuesday evening as I lay in my bed in Kitale listening to the pouring rain what lay ahead. A few inches of rain, and the gumbo mud road from the tarmac to the Mount Elgon Training Center becomes impossible. Just after breakfast Pastor Richard called. I was right. The road was a mess. All of the ministry tractors have been moved to the farms. It is nearly planting season. Which answers your unanswered question as to why God would...

Tuesday, February 27, 2024 Kitale Town, Kenya The slow Kenyan rain provided a soothing ambient background on the metal roof at the Seeds Children’s Home. The thunderstorm in the distant took down the fragile Kitale power grid. The orphanage generator provided just enough power for a couple of dim lights in the gathering hall of the orphanage. And then, worship began to ooze from the children gathered. No one else…. No one else… No one else…can worship God….for me.  Our U.S....

Monday, February 26, 2024—Tasha (Nairobi), Kenya Question: If there is a woman in the church who is pretending to have a demon. Disrupting the services and stealing the pastor’s time, how should we handle that? Just one of the simple, straight-forward questions from the Q & A time of the pastors training conference today. Of course, my conservative baptist crew was right on top of the demonic pretending question! No joking, that was a real question today. But, it was imbedded in about...

Monday, February 24, 2024—CORAT Conference Center, —Karen, Kenya Like you, I live in a mansion. My lights come on when I turn the switch. I drink water straight out of my tap. My toilet flushes every time. My room stays exactly the temperature that I set on my thermostat. When I go to bed I set my security alarm. And, when I walk into my spacious shower, I turn on the hot water and take as much time as I want to. There is an “endless supply” of hot water at my demand and command. Those...

Saturday, February 24, 2024—Mathare Slum—Nairobi, Kenya As I introduced Teresa to the children today, I explained to them that we were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary this year. In the Bible, the 50th year is often set aside as a year of “Jubilee” unto the Lord. I oversimplified the concept of jubilee to simply a “God-party.” I told the kids that we were beginning our jubilee with them. They loved it! But not any more than Teresa and I. As Teresa cut the ribbon for the...

Friday, February 22, 2024—Nairobi, Kenya Last night was tough! I had trouble going to sleep. Teresa fell asleep while I was praying. Then the mosquitos came. I can’t describe the buzz these tiny gnat-sized malaria transports make here in Kenya! And when I did fall asleep, it would be for an hour or so. I was constantly watching my phone to see how the team was progressing in their flight toward Kenya.  But even in the interrupted naps, God was good. Several thoughts came to polish...

Thursday, February 21, 2024—Nairobi, KenyaGod gives smiles that miles cannot erase. I remembered a bad preacher joke just now: An old Arkansas farmer had a prize jackass that he loved to brag about. One day he told the crew at the feed store he and “Jake” were on their way to the Kentucky Derby. When the laughter died down a bit, a friend in the crowd retorted—KENTUCKY DERBY?! Why, you ain’t got no chance of winning anything there? To which the Farmer said, NO. We ain’t got a chance...

Wednesday, February 21, 2024—Nairobi, KenyaI am writing this journal “by faith.” As I type, the North African continent has just appeared outside the airplane window. We’re not in Nairobi yet. But, we have made it to Africa. Unless God has other plans, in a few hours we will collect our luggage, make our way to our hotel, enjoy a long hot shower, and climb into bed exhausted. But, what a wonderful exhaustion it is! It wasn’t fun a few hours ago, but as I replay the images of our brisk...