Walking in Kenya...

In these hills, adventure thrives, whether we go to a church member’s home for a late afternoon lunch, or go to the market for fruits and vegetables, or go on visitation. There is no telling what you may come in contact with on our walks in the area. Footpaths are the commonly used means of transportation; these paths wind up and down, and twist around every which way through the forests and across rivers. With the scorching heat of the day followed by the drenching downpours in the afternoons, the stench of the garbage and open sewers are normal. Crossing a garbage filled stream on a single plank of termite infested wood can be intimidating, but since it is something that I have grown up doing, it is not much of a problem. Since the way is normally slippery and muddy, every single step must be taken with the utmost caution and awareness. Each bend leading to an adventure, the walks that I have gone on with my family and friends are unforgettable. ~ written by Abigail

Anything is possible with God

September last year there was a terrorist bombing in Kampala, Uganda, which killed about seventy-six people during the World Cup final. Al-Amin Kimathi one of the suspects of the thirty-eight that were arrested for the bombing was released from his charges of murder and terrorism on September 24, 2011. Most of those still on trial are charged with terrorism, murder, attempted murder, and the consideration of committing terrorism.

The government systems of countries all around the world today are finding different ways to prevent danger to come to those in the local communities. I understand the necessity of their laws and regulations, but does some of that stuff really work? I mean, when someone violates the laws or rules there are consequences, which that person has to under-go, but what does politics, have control over to keep that person from doing it again? The answer is that there is nothing THEY can do. The government cannot do anything to prevent Satan from accomplishing his goal. Only God and His servants can win that battle. We need to pray for those who think it is right to kill others. We need to reach out, wave them over to the road we are on, do anything to get their attention, and have faith in that ANYTHING is possible with GOD.

From your missionary friend,

Abigail Shelby

Psalm 22:27 & Philippians 2:10-11 (By Abigail)

Psalm 22: 27—“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.”

Philippians 2:10-11—“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of the things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

These verses tell us that at one point and time everyone will bow to the will of God. They will either see God as a loving Father or as a righteous Judge. It is up to us Christians to see that more and more people see God as their Father instead of as their Judge as the Bible mentions.

City Life & Village Life (By Abigail)

Living in a thriving, urban city compared to living in a remote village in Africa is probably considered as complete opposites; but there are a few similarities. for example, both living conditions have some kind of communication among themselves and with the surrounding cities or villages. The language may differ, or the communication system may vary; but communication is present. Another comparison to be made is transportation within a community. While a bustling city would have subways (although not in Kenya) and automobiles, a rural village's main mode for transportation is one's own feet or a bicycle. The last and perhaps the most important similarity is the fact that they all need the Gospel. Whether a person is a rich businessman or a Maasai warrior does not matter; they both have a choice of either to spend their eternity in burning flames or in glorious mansions in heaven. In conclusion, life in a large economic center or in a rural African village can be comparable in many ways.

Written by: Abigail Shelby

A Pre'cis of Romans 10:13-15 (By Abigail)

God says in His Word that anyone who simply asks God to save him, he will be saved. But how can one ask God unless he is told of the plan of salvation? Those that spread the Gospel have the blessings of God upon them.

Psalm 22: 27—“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.”

Philippians 2:10-11—“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of the things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

These verses tell us that at one point and time everyone will bow to the will of God. They will either see God as a loving father or as a righteous Judge. It is up to us Christians to see that more and more people see God as their Father instead of the terrible aspect of God (to those who are unbelievers) that the Bible mentions in Deuteronomy 10:17.

Written by: Abigail

Isaiah 42:5-7 (By Abigail)

“Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

“I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

“To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” Isaiah 42: 5-7

This passage I find encouraging, because it first points out, in verse five, that God is in control of everything even down to the very breath we take. That breath of air that we often take for granted. And verse six is encouraging as well, as the Lord promises to hold our hand to guide us as a light, I believe, a light of the gospel. Then on to verse seven with the light of God’s Word penetrating through the darkness of the world, and bringing souls to Christ. I hope this has been encouraging to you to know that God is there, and that others see the light of Jesus Christ in you though it may not seem like it at the moment.

“Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:

“I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

“To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.” Isaiah 42: 5-7

This passage I find encouraging, because it first points out, in verse five, that God is in control of everything even down to the very breath we take. That breath of air that we often take for granted. And verse six is encouraging as well, as the Lord promises to hold our hand to guide us as a light, I believe, a light of the gospel. Then on to verse seven with the light of God’s Word penetrating through the darkness of the world, and bringing souls to Christ. I hope this has been encouraging to you to know that God is there, and that others see the light of Jesus Christ in you though it may not seem like it at the moment.

Written by: Abigail Shelby

Often we go to pass out John and Romans and tracts in the areas around the churches my dad has started here in Kenya. The first few times I started going on visitation where the people were not familiar with English, I was hesitant. Because I knew that if I handed a tract to someone, I would need to also tell them that they were welcome to the local church that was having a special service for the anniversary or anything else that was going on. The talking part I was afraid to do, but I also knew that the members of the church needed the example of a bold Christian even if it was just over something as simple as that. But when I heard what my mom said to someone she was visiting with, I was able to follow the conversation and start a conversation with someone else. The only problem that sometimes came up was that the person asked something that I was not expecting he would ask. Now my problem is that I cannot always find the right words to answer their question, but I can understand practically anything they say. Usually there is someone with me and they take it on from there. But now my brother and sisters and I are having Swahili lessons, and I hope that after I have studied the language I would be able to speak fluently in it. For now, though, I am thankful that I can speak as much as I do, and that I can understand quite a bit. I also find it a great blessing to be understood in the little that I can speak.

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

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