God is Good, and He Provides

My Friends,

I first have to give glory to God for the amazing things he has been doing in my life right now. He knew what He was doing when He sent me here and for those of you that are doubting, I can assure you that His plan is better and in always perfect! I hope and pray that this finds all of you well as you go about your days over the summer. God has kept me well and in all ways I am healthy and able to praise Him. Right now I have some time to give you a short update on what has been going on.

The last time I wrote I was still in the States. Now I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Lodwar, Kenya. How fast things have changed. I've been in Kenya now for about ten days and I've learned so much. I feel like I've been here for so much longer. The days seem to take longer here which may be because it is too hot to work during the middle of the day so you can only rest. There is a lot of resting in Kenya. I had forgotten about that. It just gets too hot to work, so you try and find some shade, put something over your face so the flies do not bother you, and then try and take a nap for a bit. This is what most of the locals do but I have found it hard for me to nap. Because of the heat I wake up feeling worse then when I went to sleep. So instead I have been reading or continuing to work on the projects we have here.

For those of you that don't know, the last time I was here was with a group out of Clemson. We came to the region of Turkana to help with building a School/Church and also with evangelizing and playing with the kids. When we left last time, there was only about 4 feet of wall around the church building and the only thing completed was the roof. Now though, it's completely done and wow! All I can say is that the building is beautiful and a testimony to God's faithfulness. For those of you that were on the trip with me, I can't wait to show you a picture of the school! Your jaw will drop! The walls are completely finished, there are windows and doors put in, and their is a smooth floor inside. And now they have tables and benches for the school kids as well as a blackboard for the teacher to use. It is absolutly incredible what all has been done during the 5 months since I was last here. But there is still even more work to do.

Now that the school house is complete, we are going to build an assembly area as well as a field for the kids to play soccer on! God has really blessed this community! The school program is taking shape and the kids are learning! There is only one teacher there now but BOL plans to bring in another teacher so that they can seperate the older and younger kids. Now when the kids go to school, they are learning to write, perform math calculations, as well two meals while they are there. In the morning the kids are served something called sour porridge. I tried some of it and it tasted gross to me but Duncan, one of the missionsaries, as well as the teacher assure me it tastes good to them as they drink it themselves. The kids also get a lunch of corn and beans cooked into a kind of mashed paste. This is much more food then they would ever get on just food relief missions! And the best part of it, they are learning about Jesus and His love for them!

The community is growing and it is very exciting to be able to come back and see many more huts around the area. Not only is the Spirit drawing people in but God has been blessing theses people with water. Recently the well ran dry and for a week they only had limited water. But through prayer the Lord provided water for them in the form of rain! It has been very strange but very encouraging to come and see that some of the tress and bushes are green! What a site in Turkana! I was blessed yesterday with the chance to see something incredible. Several night ago it rained. The rain from the mountains has been filling the river ever since. I couldn't believe that what I was seeing when I went to the river and saw a strong flowing river instead of a dried up river bed!

I can't wait to tell you all more of what has been going on but also what the Lord has been teaching me. I feel that He is leading me to post each of my daily journals so I will be praying more about that as well as getting them up when I have the chance. I will only be in Turkana for a few more days before we had to a small village in Sudan called Korokomunge. I think it is fairly close to the border but I won't be able to say for sure until I get there. I will spend two weeks there with Duncan, Joel, and William. I'm very excited about it. Though I don't know quite how to react to knowing that most of the people there do not wear clothes... I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I will continue to keep all of you in my prayers and ask that the Lord blesses the time you spend with Him over the summer! I love you all and can't wait to tell you more!!

With love in Christ Jesus,
CT