A Hunger Rises in the Night

Here is another poem by Phil...

A hunger rises in the night,
A throng of souls aching for the bread of heaven!
They cant wait for morning's light,
Death - the penalty of their transgression.

Anguish fills their hearts,
As they see the dawning of the day.
The executioner shows his darts
Tears are falling as they begin to pray.

A cry fills the morning air,
One last chance to plead for grace.
The judge now takes his chair,
As their hearts begin to race.

He grants them a short delay,
Giving His Church a chance to answer.
The extension is for only a day,
And so to them He raises His banner.

Eternal souls now in their hands,
The Church has heard her Master's call.
Will they move the Gospel from their lands?
Or will they let all those souls fall?

Will the Church bring them the bread of heaven?
Will they take this chance to intercede?
Will they release the captives from their prison?
To the Lord of the Harvest, will they lift a plea?

The day now is coming to a close,
Millions of souls still are left to reach.
Christ's blood is ready to interpose,
Yet it is still our job to go and preach!

Oh dear believer, the night is coming,
And then we can no longer labor.
Preach to those who are drowning,
Never let your purpose waiver!

Their day now is closing - do we have the same urgency as those who would see their coming death?

New Car and Car Trouble

A while back, God provided an amazing tool for the ministry: a Subaru Forester. It was back in October that a missionary was moving back to Canada and was needing to sell his vehilcle. Even the night before the news was given to us, we were praying and asking God to provide for the needs of the ministry.

After a long, drawn out issue with wire transfers, we finally got the vehicle we had been praying for.

Here are some pictures of the car:







We have been using the vehicle to do all kinds of work in te last few months. It has been such a great blessing to be able to use the car as we travel all over the country to preach the Gospel. Just as America`s early circut preachers would travel all over the frontier on a horse to preach the Gospel, we now are using a different kind of horse.

With the using of a vehicle, you always find things which need to be taken care of... Well, it just so happens that we have a few things to take care of...

After the "check engine" light came on, Phil took the car to an elder of the church who is a mechanic. It ends up that te shocks are totally dead, the breaks are nearly worn out, there are some sensors that need to be changed in the engine. All of that, and a few other smaller issues end up costing about $1,000.

Yet, we are praising God because we still have a very reliable vehicle that, once fixed, will take us to people who yet to hear te Gospel of Jesus Christ! We are trusting God to provide for all our needs - cars being the least of our needs.

But God really is providing for us! After prayimg specifically for a couple of weeks, God has brought in more support in the first two weeks of January than in te entire mont of December.

Praise God with us! And please keep praying that God will keep providing for all our needs.

Kaithe Day 2... Continuing the Story

On Wednessday the 10th, we got up and prepared for a full day of teaching and preaching.  We were excited to see everyone hungry for the Word.  Phil was scheduled to teach three lessons and Leah, one.

Phil taught the first lesson on the importance of "Preparing to study the Word."  The second lesson was giving 5 simple steps to "Studying the Word."





After the second lesson, Phil commented on how his shoulder was hurting.  Normally having an aching muscle is not a concern.  But after looking at the shoulder, he immediately called the Doctor who had been taking care of him in Kijabe.

There was a swollen area which felt like a rock under the skin.  The whole shoulder was  blue and had spots of dark red areas.  After calling the Doctor, Phil and Simon did as instructed: get an immedate blood test.



They drove to the nearest town - Meru.  In Meru, they had to go through a couple different clinics to find one that could run the right blood test.  Finally, they found a clinic that could do the blood test and give the results within an hour.  The results from the test were shocking!

In order for you understand the weight of the situation, we need to explain a few medical things.  Phil was taking blood thinners in order to clear a blood clot.  Now, the thing about blood thinners is that it makes your blood really thin (as it should), but if you get a cut or experience some kind of trama to the body, you run the risk of bleeding to death because your blood will no longer coagulate.

The reason why Phil needed frequent blood tests is because the doctors needed to monitor how thin Phil's blood was.  When the test is run, a safe number to see on the result is somewhere between 1-2 (at the high end, 2.8).

Now, when Phil got the blood test in Meru, the result came back as 34.  According to the doctors, this isn't really even possible for Phil to be living and at that number.  But the doctors in the clinic confirmed that the test yeilded those results.  So, Phil called the Doctor in Kijabe.  He was instructed to leave immediately to go to Kijabe.

So, Simon and Phil returned to Kaithe, we all packed our stuff and left for Kijabe.  We sadly had to cut the seminar short, but better to cut the seminar short and to let Phil's life be cut short.  It took us 7 hours to make it back to Kijabe.

We arrived in Kijabe at 10 pm.  We saw the Doctor and he assessed Phil.  But because of the complexity of the situation, Kijabe Hospital did not have all the necissary equippment to treat Phil.  So, off to Nairobi to the nation's best hospital.  We were leaving Kijabe around midnight and were seen around 1 or 2 am in the Aga Kahn Hospital in Nairobi.

After being seen by a nurse, Phil got another blood test.  We waited for the results... Wondering if this test would confirm the results of the first test that day.  After an hour and a half, we were called into a hospital room.  The test results were somewhat releiving.  Instead of a 34, this result showed a 4.

Now, as I mentioned above, 3 is considered a high number.  So, when the test came back showing 4, it was still a concern (but we were glad to hear that he wasn't dead yet).  After hearing the results, the Hospital staff decided that I needed to talk to a few doctors.  So, we waited -  and in the course of 2 hours, we were seen by four doctors.

We were sent back to Kijabe with note for our doctor here.  We arrived around 5 am.  After taking a cup of tea, we all crashed into bed to rest after such a long day!

The Seminar didn't turn out the way we thought, we had a bit of crazy day with running around the country of Kenya, and we were going on very little sleep.  BUT, God was glorified.  In being a missionaries, we knew that it meant we would face these things.  We knew that it meant sacrificing comfort and convenience for the sake of preaching the Gospel.

We don't know what is in the future, but we know Who holds the future!  And this is our peace, this is our rest, and this is our motivation to keep going.  We are serving the living God!

Kaithe Day 1

We will be very brief in our re-telling of the Seminar in Kaithe.

We are very excited to be in Kaithe. One year ago, we had the chance to teach a brief seminar in this hidden village. Today we are teaching in the same place. This is our first target area and we are looking around this place with excitement and expectation. There is much to be done here, but there are always beginnings... :)

(In an upcoming post, we hope to show you the needed repairs in this place.)

The Seminar we are leading this week is about Christian Leadership.

Today, there were 4 lessons. First was Simon Muhota teaching about developing Christ-like Character.



Second, Leah taught about Servant-Leadership as a necessary part of a leaders character.



Third, Godfrey taught about Shepherding as the identity of those in Christian Leadership.



And last, Leah taught about the necessary work of discipleship by the leaders of the Church.

Tomorrow will be a busy day and many more people will be coming. Please pray for us as these days are very busy - but we praise God for the opportunity to teach people in the Word of God! There is nothing more exciting than the opportunity to teach the Word of the Lord.

Keep tuned... more updates on the way.

Happy New Year!

In 2013 we experienced many "firsts." The most recent of course would be the holidays: Christmas and the New Year in Kenya.

Christmas was very simple. In Kenya, if you are a part of the Church, you will go to a Christmas morning worship service. The Church was very full that morning... and we could not help but rejoice with our brothers and sisters in Christ as we worshiped our Lord, remembering the advent of His incarnation. We also felt a deep sadness. Never in the US could we imagine a group of 600 people getting out of bed on Christmas morning just to praise Jesus... yet this is normal to Christians living in Kenya. While we came here to teach, we are the ones being taught more and more about a genuine hunger for Jesus and a longing for His Word.

After the service, Leah and I made biscuits and gravely for the other Americans who celebrated Christmas with us. Shortly after eating a large breakfast (@ 11:00) we began to roast a goat... In Kenya, it is not Christmas if you don't have Nyma Choma (roasted meat). About 30 people came over to Rev Simon's house. So we ate a feast for our lunch (@ 1:00). Everyone was stuffed and could not image taking another bite! So everyone sat around and talked until it seemed that we could fit a little more food in our stomachs.

After some rest and silence, we sleepily heated leftover goat and potatoes and rice. One more meal, and then it was off to bed.

Over the next few days, we prepared sermons and tried to get things together for our next seminar. On Friday, the 28th, we went to Godfrey's house to celebrate Christmas with his family. We exchanged presents and enjoyed each others company.

On the 30th, Phil preached about seeking God with all our hearts. The sermon ended with everyone on their knees praying and asking God to bring a New Year's Revival.

New Year's Eve, the Church holds what is called a "mini Kesha." This is a prayer meeting that lasts from around 8pm until a little after midnight. The people like to usher in the New Year with prayer and worship to the King of kings. At this event, Leah had the opportunity to preach the Gospel to a group of over 400 people. She spoke about the importance of living for eternity and the nearness and reality of Jesus's return. Many people were challenged by the message and were forced to think about 2013 as a year which must be spent eagerly awaiting the return of their Lord and Savior.

There is no better way to end 2012 and enter 2013 than by preaching the Word of God. We hope that this will only continue! And by God's grace we know it will!

May the Lord bless you and Keep you this new year as you go through the days to come. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and your feet on the narrow path. We pray that God will send His workers into the harvest field... and perhaps even use this blog to encourage others to count the cost and give their entire lives to: seek Jesus, preach the Gospel to the lost, and spend our very few days in order to purchase more glory for God.

(many more updates coming just around the corner!)

Leah's reflections - obedience unto death

I know this is long, but it is worth the read. These are Leah's thoughts / perspective regarding Phil's time in the hospital...

What Jesus taught me during Phil’s illness: How Do You Remain Obedient Even Unto Death?

Faithfulness=obedience

How do you remain faithful unto death?  How do you rejoice in the worst of anguish?  How do you persevere in the face of absolute loss?

As you know, Phil has suffered great illnesses this past month.  I believe that in some ways, my faith was a little bit tested.  I felt as though my heart and emotions were touched with fire.     How does a Christian rejoice amidst the deep & dark trials of this world?

Philip was admitted into the hospital on Saturday Dec. 1.  He was diagnosed with e-coli, possible malaria and other unknown illnesses. Philip was so sick.  His skin was a yellowish, gray color.  He was so weak that he could barely talk or even sit up by himself.  He could not feed himself or give himself water.  I did not know exactly what was happening inside of his body, I simply knew one thing: his illness only got worse and worse.

It was so hard and sad to watch my husband suffer.  His whole body was in searing pain.  I told nearly everyone I knew to pray for him.  The tests also revealed that Phil’s kidneys were under attack but that his liver was fine.  I was praising God for that good news but I remained concerned for his kidneys.

The next day (Sunday), Phil’s kidneys tested to have improved 80% since the day before (Saturday).  I was overwhelmed with joy at this news!  I was praising God who was sustaining my husband’s life with His own hands.  I did not doubt that God’s will would be done.  For I know that everything that exists in heaven and on earth is under the Lord’s authority and that nothing can possibly happen to my husband that is outside of His will, even suffering and death.

My husband’s strength seemed to be coming back on Monday.  His skin was also appearing to me more of his normal coloring.  However, on that Monday night I received some news that seemed to stab me in the heart.  I found out that Phil’s kidneys were worse than the day he was admitted (he was admitted on Saturday).  After the nurses informed me of this and left the room, I looked out the window and whispered to the Lord, “What is Satan trying to do me?  What is he trying to do to my husband?  Lord, what am I supposed to do?”

I was so exhausted, physically, emotionally and mentally and I felt very sick from the bad news.  I paced around the room, teary eyed, asking the Lord what I should do.  It hit me, as cold as ice, it hit me that my husband could have some serious damage to his kidneys and I knew that his illness was life threatening.

Finally, I just lied down on the floor and prayed.  I felt so weak, sick and honestly, a little scared.

“Oh Jesus, my Love, my Lord, please come near me.  Am I suffering with you?  Am I sharing in the fellowship of your sufferings?”  I prayed to the Lord.  I do not consider myself worthy of suffering with Jesus, but I truly want the Lord to teach me how to glorify Him and remain faithful in trials.

I could not help but wonder if the Lord was calling Phil home.  “Lord, will I say goodbye to him soon?  Are you taking him home now?”  I prayed with watery eyes.  The thought of something happening to my sweet Phil is a pain that feels too heavy to carry, but my deep concern in life is to be sure that I will remain faithful unto death, whether it is my death or someone else’ s.  This is a hard thing to surrender, but we must surrender it nonetheless, for this is the beautiful, joyful & narrow way of Christ.

“Oh Father, please come near.  Lord, let me feel your presence, please, oh God!  I want to rejoice in trials, not despair.  Oh God, Satan is attacking my husband and he is beating me down. Please, please help my precious Phil.”  I whispered to the Lord, fighting the urge to weep loudly.

I felt heavy sadness.  I had been watching my husband writher in pain and be so ill, that he could barely talk and it made me feel so sad.  I felt so sorry for my husband.  The pain was unbearable.  Oh my poor Phil was suffering so much.

Then, suddenly, I do not know if it was just my imagination or what happened, but either way, God used it.  As I lied there on the floor, these words went through my head.  “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”-Luke 22:22:44

Those words would not leave my mind for the next ten minutes.  Even if I tried to think about anything else, I just could not.  I meditated on these words.  Jesus was in agony…but He only prayed all the more earnestly. I desired to do the same.

I was feeling internal anguish, yet these words came to my mind after a while, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.  Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”-Luke 22:42

I cried as I weakly muttered, “Oh Jesus, you were obedient unto death, yes, even death on a cross.  Jesus, you died for an unworthy world.  Lord, you, yourself suffered and for the first time in eternity, the Father turned His face from you and you bore His wrath.  You suffered so much Jesus.  You suffered for me.  You felt greater anguish than any other person in the history of existence.  You understand all suffering.”

I need the Father’s help so badly to be obedient.  I struggle with understanding with how to rejoice in trials.  But as I looked upon Him who has suffered more than any other, it was as if I could feel Him carry my pain.

Sobbing quietly, I remembered how my Savior suffered and felt the anguish of God’s wrath.  He suffered for an unworthy world.  He died for wretched, ungodly people…like me.  Then suddenly, words of power and gentleness shot through the darkness of my turmoil.  And I heard these words:

“Leah, are you thankful for my Son’s sufferings?”

I was speechless and beyond overwhelmed at the thought of the sufferings of Christ. I trembled deep within me. I felt so broken, yet, in great awe of Christ at the same time.  How thankful am I for the sufferings of Christ?  Wow, I don’t know where to begin…I just don’t know where to begin.

I learned that if I am thankful for His sufferings, then I can be thankful when I suffer, no matter how bad the suffering is.  But if I am not very thankful, then I will not be thankful when I suffer for Him.  How thankful we are when we suffer, is determined largely by whether or not we are thankful for the Son’s sufferings for the Father.

“Not my will, but yours be done.  Jesus, you suffered for me and are worthy.  Oh Jesus, thank you for suffering.  You suffered for the Father.  Lord, now please help me to endure these present sufferings.  Please help me to see the joy that you have set out before me.  I know that these sufferings are not in vain. Not my will, but yours be done.”  I quietly prayed to the Lord.

I felt so much of God’s glory in my heart and I felt so honored to be suffering.  My heart had touched the flame of trials but my soul was filled with joy!

I looked at Phil on the bed as he was sleeping and I whispered to the Lord, “Not my will, but yours be done, Jesus.  Jesus, who suffered for me and for an unworthy world, who was obedient unto death.  Jesus, I love you.  Help me to obey you in your will. Yes, even unto death.”

I began to rejoice as I recalled the sufferings of Christ.  Jesus suffered, knowing the joy that was set before Him.  For this reason, I know that I can also rejoice in my sufferings, knowing the joy and glory that the Lord has set before me and Phil.  Not only this, but the Lord gently reminded me that in my life, Phil and I will face many trials and hardships, but how will we overcome and rejoice in those things?  We will rejoice through our thankfulness for the fact that Jesus also suffered, He suffered for an unworthy world.  He bore the wrath of God upon Him.  And for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.  Just to know Jesus more and more is worth it all and nothing feels like a sacrifice (nothing is a sacrifice but an indescribable honor).

For the joy set before us, we endure our crosses.  For the joy set before us, we rejoice in our sufferings.  For the joy set before us, we say, “not my will, but yours be done, oh King!”  For the joy set before us, we have left everything for Jesus Christ.  For the joy set before us, we have counted the cost and have persevered with exceeding happiness.  All for Jesus!  All for Jesus!  All for Jesus!  It is all for Jesus and nothing else matters.

Monday night was a night of turmoil and glory, of weakness and strength, of sorrow and happiness, of dread and eternal excitement.  I did not know what was happening to Phil, but I knew for sure that God’s will would be done and it will be awesome, no matter what!  I felt the presence of God so strongly as He was helping me to rejoice in our sufferings.

I did not sleep very much that night but I kept imagining Jesus sweating blood before He went to the cross.  I thought about how in His agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Oh, He was faithful unto death, even death on a cross!  I desired that the Lord help me to do the same.

The next day (Tuesday) I found out that Phil’s kidneys miraculously improved!  Not only this, but he was discharged from the hospital because he was able to keep down food and water so well!  I was overwhelmed with God’s mercy to me, an unworthy servant.  That same day, a nurse was showing his kind sympathy for my husband’s illness.  But Phil and I simply explained that we realize this is part of being a disciple of Jesus.  Jesus called us to serve here and we figured that such trials would come our way.  However, we lift up our heads and joyfully press on in Him who is worthy.

I feel the Lord has prepared me for sufferings.  I know that when I suffer that I can look upon Him who suffered more than any other person in history.  I look upon Him who, in His agony, prayed more earnestly and surrendered His will.  No matter the greatness of my agony, I know that I must pray more earnestly and surrender my will.  I want to live my life with the obedience of Christ.  This is not dependent upon my power or strength but it dependent upon God’s mercy.

Also, a song was going through my head the entire time that we were at the hospital.  It is a beautiful song by Jeremy Riddle, called, “Always.”  Here are the lyrics (but I highly suggest you listen to the music because it is absolutely beautiful):

I want to run away,
Find a place, quiet to pray
A place that’s lonely
Where I can find You only
The desolate calls, the wide open space
With the noises that drown
You’ve voiced them away
And I’m weeping…in a daze with love

Always, I am waiting and always anticipating Your love
It’s all my heart can think of
Always, I am waiting and wanting to remain in this love
It’s all I want to drink of

Come to me, be not far off
Give ear to my words and speak back your heart
There is nothing I want more than this

Always, I am waiting and always anticipating Your love
It’s all my heart can think of
And always, I am waiting and wanting to remain in this love
It’s all I want to drink of

I am always, always, always, always waiting for you…

In the Cross Alone

In the Cross alone I shall boast,
Though to all it may seem folly.
For His glory there is seen the most,
And by His grace He makes men salty.

"Salt in the World you must be,"
The holiness of Christ display.
His life in you they must see,
For the World is in moral decay.

In the cross alone shall I glory,
By no other means may men be saved!
All must stand before God who is Holy,
And all by sin have been enslaved.

As a Judge He is obligated to punish,
"For the wages of sin is death."
Our "goodness" before Him is rubbish.
Surely we transgress with every breath!

In the cross alone I shall believe,
With that work we cannot compare a thing!
For there, the impossible He did achieve
To the cross forever we must cling!

God's perfect Justice there is satisfied;
And His perfect Grace demonstrated.
My ransom there is truly ratified;
And my enmity totally eliminated.

In the cross alone I shall hope,
For indeed, it is the only way!
By Jesus - not by priest nor pope...
Shall we be saved on that final Day.

Not by works or deeds of the flesh
Can we stand righteous before His throne.
We cannot place our hope in anything less
But place it only in the cross alone.