Viewing Entries For November 2011  [clear date selection]

From the Field 11.20.11

Hey friends!

Here's a summary from Deanna of their last few days in Kenya!!

Ran a rescue mission to find a needle in a hay stack - rescued a child!

Saturday in Webuye was filled with meetings with the staff for Sam and Deanna, while Dale & Debbie and Lauren brilliantly kept 40 children on track! Sponsors you have some nice letters from your children coming your way soon! The children loved and appreciated the letters you sent to them!

SUNDAY We had a wonderful time of fellowship with a small church on Mt Elgon. The small building had as many people outside as the inside where people were crammed on skinny little benches hip to hip. The worship was beautiful - tears rolled for our team to realize the love these people had for our Lord as they sang HIM praises! Dale and Debbie shared testimonies and what was burning on their hearts for the people! The spirit moved powerfully! The word Deanna brought to the people stretched them to ask the Lord God to reveal individually, personally, and intimately a character quality of Himself they had not yet fully experienced. The team and leadership of the church then moved among the people and anointed them, releasing the ability to hear clearly in a personal way! We don't know all the stories, but God revealed Himself as the Deliverer to 3 different women as they were indeed delivered from demonic strongholds. The team and leadership of the church all responded beautifully even though it was a new experience for most. The room was filled with peace even though it could have erupted in chaos. God our Deliverer revealed himself on Mt. Elgon! God our Peace was present as well! Our Truth, Our Revelation, Our Shield, and MORE showed up boldly and personally!! Sunday also brought us a wonderful opportunity to interact with another young church and pastor - we give Glory to God for these amazing young men and women who bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Gospel of the Kingdom to the war torn, ravaged people of Mt. Elgon! Please lift them in your prayers!! Arriving in Nakuru just after dark, we went to Base Camp to have a peek in the container to find our blessing of abundant maize!! We give thanks to our committed staff and we give God the Glory!! We cooked our own dinner at the baby house housing where we stayed - kinda fun!

MONDAY We headed to the Nakuru game park where God amazed us with His brilliant and creative nature - stork, flamingo, baboon, zebra, rhino, golden eagle, antelope, dik dik, water buck, cape buffalo, giraffe, monkeys, and other that I can't recall or don't know the names and finally LIONS!!! Then on to Limuru! Deanna, Debbie, and Lauren went into to Nairobi where Deanna had two meetings on Monday evening. We also did the shopping for the Thankful hearts Christmas Party while Sam & Dale were back at the hotel organizing the items we had brought from the States!

TUESDAY Deanna's agenda for the day revealed the amazing faithfulness of the Lord!! All this while Sam was with Joseph negotiating for a rental property to house our children that need full time care in Limuru! Way to go team on stellar multitasking!!

WEDNESDAY MH hired a guard that had been interviewed Tuesday and came back to meet Deanna, and Deanna and Sam were able to meet with the Limuru staff. The team was also able to work with the children on sponsor letters and decorating their large gift bags! The guardians began to arrive, and the Limuru guardians are a lively bunch! We had a fun guardian meeting and the Thankful Hearts Christmas Party, complete with a feast!! Our staff worked so hard on an amazing meal. Dale told the history of the American Thanksgiving, and we encouraged the children to receive with thankful hearts because a thankful heart is a happy heart!! The children each received a new uniform and shoes, clothes, washing soap, body soap, lotions, head care products, candles, slippers (flip flops they wear as house shoes), pencils, erasers, sharpeners, stickers, and sweets! We were blessed with the guardians to have the children do a presentation for us with singing, dancing, speeches, and verses. Our oldest boy Peter gave a nice speech full of thankfulness! I wish I could adequately pass along to you the thankful hearts!! Lastly we had cake and a special prayer time for Dale - healing power of God was boldly released thru the children and even some guardians felt lead to come forward and lay hands on him to pray! We are standing in faith!! The children were deeply moved, especially a few! Then there was one weeping older child who carries an anointing for healing!! The compassion of the Lord was so powerfully released on him!! Beautiful!!! We are all waiting for the next tests and reports!! It is great to realize the interaction of Dale & Debbie along with Lauren (who is currently living in Nairobi) have had with the children. I'm hearing the children reference Dale as Babu (grandfather)! That evening Joseph, our financial manager, and Emily, our administrator, joined us for dinner at the hotel. These two have been such a blessing to me and Sam personally this year as they truly carry the heart to do the ministry! Their work is done with passion and with the heart of the Lord for the children!!

THURSDAY This day we had intentionally not scheduled anything, and we did a good job of catching up on all the last items on our list. There was a beautiful meeting together with the staff, hearing hearts and needs, sharing dreams for the future, and talking about their care for the children and their well being! To finish our day, we had a meeting with the landlord, then dinner together with staff finalizing yet more details. Also super thankful for the way Dale, Debbie, and Lauren beautifully kept programming going for kids while Sam and I did so much administratively!!

FRIDAY We packed for our departure, and had a stop by MH in the morning for fun with the children! Then the never easy but oh so precious good byes! We stopped at the Maasai Market before running a few errands in Nairobi and completing one last meeting for Deanna. We had a fun dinner at Carnivore before heading to the airport! We said good byes to Daniel & Lauren, who have been a wonderful discovery for Miracle House, through a 3 year God lead process! We also said goodbye to Joseph, Emily, baby Hadassah, and our trusted driver Emmanuel!!

So here we are on the last flight to get us to Denver - Sam will be back with family. Dale & Debbie have a night in Denver before their last flight back to TN. Deanna flies on tonight to California to join family for Thanksgiving!!

We want to thank you all for you prayers - you have indeed carried us in this intense schedule! We are all healthy and thankful!! We give glory to God for your support! Thanks for going with us in this most special way! Please continue to pray for the team as we all re-enter our lives - the Lord's protection and opportunities to share His goodness as we tell the stories of our experiences!!!

Please continue to pray for Dale as the healing power of the Lord has been released in his body!!

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Posted 11/20/11 @ 3:41 PM by Deanna Bjork

From the Field 11.13.11

Hey friends!

This update is posted a little behind schedule, as I was out of town without computer access. BUT the team had a wonderful first day in Webuye!

11/11 for the team was great first day in Webuye! They were thankful for the Lord's faithfulness, and even got to see a double rainbow! They spent the day at MH Webuye, and they had a fantastic time connecting with the kids. They had their "thankful hearts" Christmas party, and they were able to talk about living with a thankful heart. The guardians of many of the children joined the team, children, and staff for a meal and presentations by the children. Several of the MH girls sang a song that Linda had written, and everyone enjoyed spending time together as a MH family. As part of the celebration, the children each made a little bag, and they were given gifts to put in the bag. Each child received lotion, soap, flip flops (in Kenya they call these "slippers"), and a small sweet. Thank you so much our sponsors and donors who gave so generously and made it possible for the children to receive so much! Know that they were filled with joy over all of their gifts! Additionally, each child received a new uniform and shoes. Dale and Debbie had brought Bibles to give out, and Dale was able to give a Bible to one MH boy. Dale reminded him that he was loved very much and prayed for often as he gave him the Bible. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he received his gift - pray that the Lord would continue to work in his heart and that he would hear what the Lord has to say to him and about him.

The staff and team also identified several new children that are potential MH kids. Pray that all the necessary paperwork is completed so that these children may be well cared for! The team was able to spend some time with the staff in the evening by going for a walk. They saw fireflies, which was a first for Deanna, and a joy to the team.

The team is doing well! Continue to pray for health, safety, and rest. Pray that they would be continue to sensitive to the Lord's heart as they are loving on these kids. Additionally, a small bag was stolen one night while the team was eating dinner at a restaurant. Nothing irreplaceable was stolen, but pray that the items will be returned. The team was all safe, and there are no lasting effects other than the hassle of having to replace several small items, but continue to pray protection over the team! Praise the Lord that nothing important was taken! The team said that they have much to be thankful for!

Overall, the team has been reminded over and over again of the Lord's faithfulness. Thank you for standing with them in prayer, and thank you for your prayers and support of the children!

Arienne :)

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Posted 11/13/11 @ 11:30 AM by Deanna Bjork

From the Field 11.8.11

Hey friends!

This is Arienne, and I'll be sending out updates from the team over the next couple of weeks. I got to briefly talk to Deanna late last night, and the team is doing well!

After smooth travels to Nairobi, the team had a restful first night in Nairobi, then traveled to Limuru to visit MH. They had a wonderful day hanging out with kids, meeting the new children, getting to know each other, playing, and just spending time loving on the kids and staff! The children are asking about their sponsors and those who have been on previous trips - know that the children think of you, pray for you, and love you! The team was able to gather around the candidates for the class 8 national exam. This week, the class 8 candidates (those who have completed middle school/8th grade) sit for an exam that determines their eligibility for secondary/high school. Their grade on this test determines if they are able to attend secondary high school and also which schools they are eligible for (think like the SAT, only for high school). The students take it very seriously, and it is big deal! Pray for peace, wisdom, and good memory and application of all that they have learned! There are three children from Limuru and three from Webuye that will be sitting for the exam this week. The team was also able to pray for the children that were sick or needing physical restoration. Overall, the day was wonderful, and the team enjoyed their time interacting, talking, and playing with the children.

The team is thankful for the Lord's provision for both MH and the team - even before the need is realized. Continue to pray for provision and divine encounters.

Today, Deanna will complete some administrative tasks and errands while the rest of the team spends more time at MH Limuru. The team will spend tonight in Nakuru at a 'baby house' just down the street from the MH property. Pray for safe travels, continued health and rest, and intentional and sensitive spirits for the team.

Thank you so much for investing in this trip through prayer! Know that you are making an eternal difference!

Arienne :)

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Posted 11/8/11 @ 8:39 AM by Deanna Bjork

From the Field 11.7.11

Here is a photo of the team :) I'll be posting an update soon - the team has had a wonderful first day!

Arienne :)

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Posted 11/7/11 @ 5:56 PM by Deanna Bjork

Kenya November 2011 Prayer Calendar

John 14:12(NKJV) "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father."

Good evening friends!! Our four team members are now together in Denver preparing to fly tomorrow morning! The prayer calendar is attached ... please pray us along as we travel along! Blessings and thank you for continuing this journey with us! ~Sam

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Posted 11/4/11 @ 10:01 PM by Deanna Bjork