The Perfect Brother (By Abigail)

We need a good relationship with someone who we consider as being the person we would want to follow in our Christian life. Someone, you could choose to be around a lot, almost as if he were a close sibling. For example, we take on the character traits of the one we hang around the most, and the one we pay the most attention to. We should choose someone we will like and agree with, but we also want someone who will definitely influence our walk in faith positively. We should first look at ourselves to see who we are as a Christian, and who we influence. We should then consider who we want to strive to become. There are three categories from which we can choose from whom to follow: the most popular Christian, the most thrilling Christian, and the most humble Christian.There is the most popular one. The one who knows what it takes to be an influencing example of Christ, but he lets popularity get in the way. He desperately tries to be a Christian who tells others about Jesus, but professes he is a Child of God with arrogance and a tinge of pride. Instead of emphasizing that Jesus is the One who saved him, he goes on to say that he is the one that can now get to heaven by what he himself did (accepting Christ as his personal Savior). This idea changes the meaning of Salvation, and it gives the anticipating sinner a wrong impression of the Gospel. But only a few can spot his downfall; they follow in his steps, regardless of what he says. Here we have an opportunity to see the end result, and we find out that this is the type of person we do not want to be influenced by.Another choice widely available would be the most thrilling Christian. One who has great speaking ability and can give his audience emotion and retells dramatic accounts of the Scriptures. He uses this ability to reach out to the lost. But too often we see that he is consistently forcing Christianity "down their throat." He points out the sins that others do, and he does not let anyone forget what they did wrong. The problem is that he does not point out his own sins to everyone as he does to others. Something else is that he does not even mention a hope for those who do wrong. People decide to reject everything he says, because of his pounding, grating attitude. Remember that the Bible says, "Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with that judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." In other words, we should leave the judging part to God, and we should keep track of what we do wrong and not "worry" about the wrong things of others. We find out through this Christian that by what we say can turn others away from the Gospel.Our last example is the most humble Christian. This person often waits patiently to be noticed; He does not openly proclaim He is present. Only when we listen cautiously can we hear His still small voice. In most instances, He gets our attention by circumstances or hard times in life; but even then the majority of people never notice Him. Only When we look closely can we see the lives He turns around, the sick He heals, and those faithful witnesses He blesses. Then, only when we decide to trust in His grace, we realize that He had been knocking on the door to our heart the whole time - patiently. Here we see that Jesus Christ is the one we should follow.Jesus left behind the best example of the Christian walk, better than anyone else would be able to be. Though other Christians may seem to be pretty good examples, there is always something that will bog them down. We may not know exactly how to act in a particular situation or what to say at a given time; but if we ground ourselves in the Scriptures, we will be influenced incredibly. We now know who we should choose, but we should consider if we are a good example for those around us or not. Are we the proud Christian, or the misleading Christian? Or are we truly striving to be a picture of who Savior is, the Perfect Brother?Written by: Abigail Shelby

Thanksgiving (By Breanne)

Thanksgiving is one of the most savory of the holidays. Thanksgiving reminds me of our family's time together. Thanksgiving at our house, is completely packed with good things to eat, such as Momma's delicate herb-crusted, oven-roasted chicken; for some reason when Momma bakes this dish it reminds me of the pilgrim's meal, simple yet delicious. Cranberry sauce, which reminds me of fall; with its sharp tangy-sweet flavor, is more of a modern addition to the classic dinner. Without rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans, this meal would be unfinished; a main dish without the condiments would be like a house without furniture. Last, but definitely not least, pumpkin pie; the spicy aroma of cinnamon always saturates our house on this thankful holiday. It's not only the smell that helps incorporate a thankful attitude; but having my family around me, assists me in realizing all the blessings that have been showered down on my life.

Written by: Breanne Shelby

Hello! 

    Boy, has this been a relaxing week, well, compared to the last few weeks. This week we only had school, Bible Institute, and Miss Alice (the lady who comes to help clean the house, was involved in a minor motorcycle accident, resulting in, a sore leg) not being able to help out here; but when you compare that with getting up at five o’clock to prepare breakfast for twenty people, working outside in the hot sun for about ten hours each day, and then coming home in the evenings to prepare supper, (again for twenty people) for two weeks straight; this has really been a relaxing week.
When we first got back from Siaya I was not sure how I would be able to adjust back too normal life, but it seems to go much better than I had anticipated. Though I am still extremely tired at night I am now able to stay up till 9o’clock without falling asleep on the couch first.
My Science Project is on Acids, Bases, and Salts.  If you have any interesting facts that I could use, feel free to tell me about it.  (We are a little low on information right now).

Grandparents (By Abigail)

There are many types of grandparents when it comes to how the react to their grandchildren.

THere are cases when some grandparents are not able to see their grandchildren often. But when they are able to, they spoil them. They give them every kind of sweet one can imagine. They also give them toys that they want and literally everything! Whether or not the parents approve is not even thought of. This behavior may not last long, but it lets the child know that his grandparents love him and miss him when they are apart.

Other grandparents are those that keep the children giggling. Acting like a clown. And playfully arguing about what the child knows. When a child has the knowledge that one plus one equals two, the grandparent will start a playful argument that one plus one really equals eleven! This behavior lasts throughout the child's lifetime - the grandparents consider them as children no matter what age they are, right?

Grandparents mostly are very good at story-telling. For the first part, they are usually experienced at it. And second;y, they have a very wide range of their own personal stories of growing up and such. This gives the grandparent a time to teach the younger generations through illustrations of right and wrong, and good and bad. But they can also teach history, Bible principles, and farts that the children will need to know in their lifetime.

Most grandparents have traits of all three examples given in this composition, but usually there is one trait that best stands out when grandparents are around their grandchildren.

Written by: Abigail Shelby

Click here to see our Facebook Page. This page is only available to you if you are on our Facebook Friend List.  Sorry for any inconvenience, but we wish to respect the privacy of our friends.
 

Other than the work on Luke's car, we have been able to rest some while we have been in Nairobi. Yesterday we just took it easy, ate out, & did a little shopping. Today we spent the morning @ the Resource Library. Then we went to Rosslyn Garden Nursery (so I could get a few more herbs to add to my herb garden), then lunch & a little shopping @ Village Market. Now we are just relaxing Hampton House.

We want to thank the Lord for allowing our vehicles to run well enough to get the CLAIM to and from the airport and construction site while they were here! The morning after they had all left, Luke's car refused to start. We came to find out that the timing chain broke (evidently when he got back from the last trip to the airport)! Since it broke, it also damaged the valves & some other things. But Luke and Bernard were able to get new parts for all of it, and they finally got it all back together this afternoon late. Bernard will drive that vehicle back to Kisii tomorrow & the rest of us will head home in my van on Saturday.

Hi!  I just lost my first tooth! I pulled it all by myself.

I am 6 years old, and I really like living in Kenya.

More coming soon!

I was saved under my dad’s preaching at the age of 15.  And I surrendered my life to the Lord to do or go anywhere He called me.  Luke and I met at Bible College, and we were married in 1995.  It is still amazing to me to see how God has worked in my life to prepare me for the challenges that He knew we would face here.  But He has always been by my side through every blessing and every trial.  He is truly faithful!!

I feel privileged to be able to serve the Lord here in Kenya with my husband and family.  We have seen the Lord do some “Great and mighty things” (Jeremiah 33:3) in our life, and I thank Him for the opportunity to serve Him here as a family.

I was saved in October of 1981, at the age of 7.  I was called to preach when I was 16, and I surrendered to the mission field of Kenya the following year.

I feel privileged to be able to serve the Lord here in Kenya with my wife and family.  We have seen the Lord do some “Great and mighty things” (Jeremiah 33:3) in our life, and I thank Him for the opportunity to serve Him here.

Hello! More coming soon…

Hello! More coming soon…

Hello! More coming soon...