Home Day

We arrived safely in Calgary just after six.  It was an uneventful flight and we are glad to be back on Canadian soil.  We said many of our goodbyes at the airport.  Kate flew out to Saskatoon, Kevin the Elder was picked up by his son and is driving back to Saskatoon.  The rest of the Saskatoon contingent are staying overnight in Sylvan before driving home tomorrow.  As for the rest of us we made it back to Sylvan.

We will miss Uganda greatly.  Ogooma is permanently in our heart.

Thanks again for your prayers

For the D12

Kevin

Travel Days

I apologize for the lack of contact.  We have been traveling since Wednesday and everywhere we went there were poor to no internet connections, including Kampala.  You would think that things would get better in the big city but such is not the case.

After leaving Kumi on Wednesday we had a long hot travel day to Paraa Lodge in Murchison Falls National Park.  By the time we got there Kate, Sherry and Dot were all feeling ill.  Fortunately we had a full day there including 2 nights so they all had a chance to recover before he headed to Kampala on Friday.  The Game Drive and Boat Trip up the Nile to the Falls were all great, although we didn’t see lions.  The rest of the animals and company were spectacular.  Paraa Lodge is very nice and a great place to decompress after our hectic days at Ogooma. 

We arrived in Kampala late Friday afternoon and had a good rest before a late evening supper at the Hotel.  Saturday morning we packed up again, checked out of the Hotel and were on the road before 9:00 AM.  We spent the morning checking into brick making machines and walking tractors for TOUCH Ministries.  After a nice lunch at Java Cafe we went to the market to load up on gifts for our loved ones.  By this time we were joined by Rosemary, Martha and Sheri Richer who had traveled down from Ogooma by public transport that morning.  We then piled into the vans with all our stuff and traveled to Entebbe for our last meal together.  Sheri had said her goodbyes that morning at the Orphanage.  After 3 months with the children it was a difficult day for her to say the least. She leaves Uganda on Tuesday evening.  I am sure you will hear her thoughts on the TOUCH website. 

We arrived at the Entebbe Airport around nine and spent a good hour in the parking lot repacking our luggage with all our goodies and gifts.  We then said goodbye to Rosemary, Martha and Sheri.  We also said goodbye to Abdal and Bul, our faithful drivers.  After two weeks with these amazing men we have become quite attached to them.  They take very good care of us and we really had nothing to fear with these guys driving us and helping us with the difficulties of Ugandan traffic and culture.  We had so much fun with them, it was hard to say goodbye. 

We got through security at Entebbe and our flight took off just after 12:00 AM this morning (2:00 PM Saturday, Alberta time).  We are now at Heathrow.  We said goodbye to Dot who is traveling to Manchester for two weeks to visit her family.  Four of the team went into London to take a bus tour (Linda, Kate, Tom and Michelle).  The rest of us are too tired to brave the rainy weather so are now through security and relaxing for the next 7 hours or so before the last leg of our journey.  We leave at 4:05 London time (9:05 AM Alberta time)  and arrive in Calgary at 6:45 PM Alberta time). 

We are very much looking forward to getting home.  In some ways this entire journey has seemed unreal but we are very conscious of the fact that all that we have seen and done has been to God’s glory.  Our team got along VERY well, not a harsh word was spoken or a grudge held the entire 16 days.  This in spite of the fact that we range in age from 17 to 70 something.  We all feel very blessed and new friendships have been made that will last a lifetime.

God Bless you all, Thank you so much for your prayers and comments.  We appreciated it all.

For the D12

Kevin the Younger but feeling much older after all this travel.

Goodbye to Ogooma Day

This was a day we all knew was going to arrive all too soon…

I must apologize to my teammates.  Most of these thoughts will be mine only and if they do not reflect the thinking of the rest of the Dedicated Dozen, then I offer my sincere regrets.  This day was very emotional.

We began as normal, the team headed out after breakfast to the orphanage.  Frank, Kevin and I stayed behind and joined several members of the local Touch Board in a teacher interview.  We were interviewing a young lady who would be the third teacher in our Nursery School (K-Grade 2 equivalent).  The interview went well and she was invited out to the orphanage to check it out there.  The three of us and Rosemary arrived around 11:00 AM.  The rest of the team had pitched in doing things around the orphanage.  There was a hiccup with the Pastor’s house so we were only able to help with construction for a few minutes.  We took some team pictures at the church/school building.  Even though we were able to hold the Dedication and Worship services in the building it is far from completed.  The workers and attempting to finish the two classrooms first so that the Nursery School can move indoors, they currently hold school under the tree near the orphanage (all 80 of them).  By this time, negotiations had been completed and we welcomed Salimi to the team – she joins Ruth and Alice.  Pastor Charles was with us for most of the day and he connected with the teachers since he will be the Head Master for the school along with being the Pastor.

Later in the afternoon we went to the local Primary School (Grade 3-8 equivalent) and met with the teachers, head master and students.  We all sat in front of the students in chairs and we were thrilled to meet all 800 or so of them.  Most of the classes contain well over 100 students and the school has no resources for books, extra classrooms, sports equipment and teacher accommodations.  Even the well is broken and they have no ability to fix it.  The Team is donating funds to help fix the well along with getting them some soccer balls when we get to Kampala.  We were once again reminded of how desperate some conditions are around here and feel powerless to help.  But…we also know that we are doing much good and are trying to keep everything in perspective.

Following that we went back to Amelio’s house.  He is a polio victim and we visited him yesterday to see the house that Sheri Richer has helped build – she fundraised for the roof.  Kevin and Frank both felt strongly after our visit yesterday that we needed to pray for his healing –which we did.  We also prayed for Claudia, a neighbour lady with a chronic knee problem.  It was wonderful to see these Elders from Sylvan and Saskatoon take the initiative to listen to the Spirit’s prompting and anoint and pray for these two people.  We leave the ultimate results in God’s very capable hands and are just glad to walk in obedience.  Sheri was given a chicken by Amelio’s family which she then gave to the orphanage.

After this came the time we dreaded – saying goodbye to the staff and orphans.  We hugged and cried and then hugged and cried some more.  The children sang goodbye to us.  They prayed for us and we prayed for them.  And then we hugged and cried some more.  The hardest thing we have ever done is to climb back into our vans and leave them behind.

Two years ago I remember driving away from Ogooma and my heart was heavy with the need to see the orphanage begin.  Now I drive away with a heart that is full of joy.  But I still found myself weeping most of the way back to Kumi.  Not only have I come to love the children and the staff.  I have come to know that we are doing much more; a church, a school and some real advances in farming.  But I have also discovered that I have fallen in love with this place – Ogooma.  I first started claiming the promise five years ago “I will make the nations your inheritance” (Psalm 2:8), a promise given to me on a trip to Cuba.  It is strange to me that God has answered this prayer in such an unusual way, by connecting us (and me) to a remote part of Uganda.  God truly works in mysterious ways, but always to perform His wonders.  I will desperately miss Ogooma and all it stands for (mostly the children).  I do not know what the future holds, but if God wills it I would like to return again.  At the Dedication Service, Rosemary stood beside me and introduced me by saying that when she left Canada in October I was very sick.  By God’s grace I was able to travel here this time and perhaps by God’s grace I will come again to this land that I love with all my heart.

After coming back to Kumi, we had supper at the Kumi Hotel with 25 or so special guests from this town – business leaders and board members.  What a great night for us.  It was summed up by Tata (aunt) Margaret, the eldest person there.  She said that she raised seven orphan children herself (about 2 kilometers from the orphanage) and that what we were doing was so very worthwhile.  She thanked us and in doing so thanked all of you for what you have done.  We finished by singing “It is well, it is well because of Jesus Christ, it is well, it is well in my life”

Amen

We will be out of internet range for two days or so, we leave in the morning for Murchison Falls.  Continue to pray for safe travel and I hope to report from Kampala before we leave.  God Bless you all

For the D12

Pastor Kevin

Visitation Day

The men hit the road early this morning.  We traveled about an hour west of Kumi to visit an orchard.  There we met the owner Robert and he showed us his irrigation system.   It was great to see and gave us all a lot of ideas.  He belongs to a cooperative so we also met with the manager of that cooperative.  Meanwhile the women visited the Orthopedic Hospital and met the Doctor there. There is a young boy who lives near the orphanage who appears to have a club foot.  The reason he is disabled is because when he was young he had a shot of quinine because he had malaria.  The shot was administered incorrectly so it damaged the nerve in his foot.  He now walks on the outside and top of his foot.  Apparently this can be repaired surgically so Dot met with him and his mother.  On Saturday, the Doctor who does this surgery met with them all after the Dedication Service.  He will help little Gerald with the surgery.  It’s amazing that the money that was given by a little girl in Sylvan Lake will make the difference for this little guy.  The little girl’s name is Joey and she asked her guests at her birthday to forego giving her presents and instead donate to the orphanage.  She raised over $40 and that money was given to Dot to take on this trip.  The money she raised will go a long way to providing surgery for little 4 year old Gerald.  Praise the Lord!

We spent the afternoon visiting four homes where Sheri Richer has had a significant impact.  First we stopped at Anne Grace’s grandmothers home where Sherry Wiebe gave her a set of sheets and a suitcase.  Grandma gave Sherry a chicken and some groundnuts.  She also gave a rooster to Shelbie and Kate for some gifts they had dropped by.  The chickens were put in the back of the van, in the luggage place.  It was unnerving to drive around with chickens sitting and clucking and crowing a few inches from us.  Kevin and I were very brave… Later Kate held the rooster, she was terrified but did very well.  We then visited three places where Sheri Richer has helped people, some with friendship and clothes and others where she has helped people build homes.  Sheri identified needs and then hired people to do the work with funds raised by her friends back in Canada.  It was amazing to see how grateful the people were and how much Sheri means to them.  Sheri returns to Canada next week after three months here.  We returned to the orphanage to pick up Tom who was still hard at work on the fencing – he and the crew have done great work.  Sherry Wiebe gave her hen to Anne Grace who will take care of it and profit from its eggs.  Shelbie and Kate’s rooster is destined for the stewpot for the children.

Tomorrow is our last day at the orphanage.  We hope to lay some blocks for the Pastor’s house and play with the kids one last time.  None of us are talking too much about how hard it will be to leave for the last time.

Your prayers are so needed for us but also for the orphanage and the church.  Thank you for reading.

For the D12

Kevin

Glorious Day

A quick update about our day.  We got up early again and headed out to the church for the first Sunday Worship Service.  We arrived at just after nine and the service began shortly afterwards.  It was awesome!  Pastor Charles led the worship and was joined by a lot of the orphanage children with the special music.  The music was loud and boisterous and wonderful.  There was intercessory prayer, scripture reading and a wonderful message – Charles preached from Isaiah 55 about all who are thirsty coming for water.  He used his own family to demonstrate how best to receive the water, not with dirt in your bottle, or a bottle with holes or a rock but with an open heart (clean bottle).  The message was simple and effective, some 25 adults came forward to accept Jesus when the invitation was given.  I was given the opportunity to lead them through a prayer of salvation – it was glorious.  At the end of the service the offering was taken and two eggs (given in offering) were auctioned off!  After much singing at dancing at the end of the service, Pastor Charles and some other leaders met with all those who had come forward earlier and will be working hard to disciple them.  All told there were about 250 people in attendance.

Pastor Charles still has to finish school but will be full time at The Ogooma Community Church in May.  After the service, Kevin Kaiser presented Charles and Rosemary with a communion set – a gift from Circle Drive Alliance Church in Saskatoon.  They were thrilled!

We had lunch at the orphanage and then had a time of prayer with Pastor Charles and his family – they left us on a boda boda (motorcycle) – all 6 of them!  I will post a picture when able.

We played and visited and then raced a thunderstorm back to Kumi – we arrived in the pouring rain.  The rain is desperately needed so we don’t mind a bit.

Blessings on each of you this Sunday, may God enlighten your hearts to the truth as you gather for worship wherever you are.

For the D12

Pastor Kevin

Dedication Day

It has been a few days since our last update.  Internet access is iffy and we were unable to report.  Yesterday we spent the day doing much the same as the day before – Pastor’s House construction and fencing.  We also helped prepare the church for the Dedication which involved ridding the floor of excess water and then mopping it.  The floor is mopped by taking a big rag, bending over at the waist and walking backwards all the while swinging the towel back and forth for the entire length of the floor.  African women do this all the time, it is easy for them.  It is not so easy for Canadians, women or men.  Frank and Kevin had some business at the bank, which only took 2.5 hours.  Not fun.

The big day was today.  We got up early and headed out to Ogooma to help decorate the church for the dedication.  It was scheduled for 9 AM and got underway around 11:30.  There were many dignitaries there, Government Ministers, Business leaders and a great number of Pastors including the Bishop of Kumi and the retired Bishop of Kumi.  The Dedication Service was amazing.  It lasted well over two and a half hours.  We walked around the building first, singing praises.  Then at the front door a special prayer was said and I was invited to cut the ribbon and declare the church open.  We all entered to more singing.  We had 400 chairs set up and they were all taken plus there were around 200 people outside looking in through the windows and the doors.  The new pastor, Pastor Charles led the service.  After the orphanage children provided special music (they danced while others sang and played) I was invited to speak.  Rev. Leonard from Ngora translated for me and I chose 2 Chronicles 7:14 as my text “If my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves and pray and seek my face…”

Side note – after the sermon the person sitting next to the other Kevin asked him if I was his father.  Kevin thinks it’s because I am old, I choose to believe that the man was Catholic.

After this the greetings from the Bishops, the Government officials and others… During this time they continually thanked God for us (the Dedicated Dozen) and all the people of Canada who have made all this possible – the water, the orphanage, the kitchen, washrooms, power, and especially the church.  We were all overwhelmed and honored.  I felt honored far above my station, they kept treating me like I was a celebrity, and the reality is that I am just the Pastor of some amazing people who listen to God and live by faith.  There was more music, we cut and shared cake with everyone.  We presented a big Bible to the Pastor.  This really struck a chord, they kept asking us to come up and take pictures with it.  The retired Bishop said that no one in this entire region had a better Bible!  The Dedication Service was overwhelming and we felt like we were part of something very very significant for God’s Kingdom.

After the Dedication we were all invited back to the orphanage for lunch.  Lunch was provided for all the special guests and for the entire community.  All told some 700 people were fed.  Of course lunch wasn’t ready until after 4:00 PM so we sat around a lot.  After that the music cranked up and the entire community danced until we finally were able to leave after sunset – around 7:15 PM.

It was a long, exciting and exhausting day.  A day that none of us will ever forget.

Tomorrow we go out for the very first Sunday Worship Service of the Ogooma Community Church (scheduled for 9:00 AM).  After that we have two more full days at the Orphanage before we leave on Wednesday for a few days of R and R.

Thanks for your prayers.  We hope to have an update for you tomorrow, hopefully you will have it when you wake up on Sunday morning.

We are all doing very well, our sleeps have been better.  Oh and a worker asked me for my hat yesterday – I wasn’t going to give it to him because it is my last hat.  When I lifted it off my head, he saw my bald head and immediately said “So Sorry!”  Oh well

For the D12

Kevin the Younger (I think)

Foundation Day

Greetings!

Another eventful day in Ogooma.  This morning the entire team (and Rosemary!) worked on the Pastor’s house which is located about 100 yards from the church.  The workers were making and pouring cement.  We carried bricks and placed them around the footings – these bricks are placed in the cement and then another layer of cement with bricks and so on.  All twelve of us chipped in and the work went well.  The bricks are about twice the size of regular bricks so we could carry at least two at a time.  I asked Kate (our 17 year old) how many bricks she hauled from the pile to the foundation and we figure that she carried about 200.  A meaningful achievement in the extreme heat.  We did this all morning and the then we walked back to the orphanage for lunch.

After lunch most of the team went back to bricks while Tom and John worked with Pastor George on the fenced.  The fence posts all arrived in the morning, the corner posts included.  After some discussion it was decided that we should fence the garden area right next to the orphanage.  We initially intended to fence in some to the land at the far end but made the change so that we could save the gardens from the cows and goats.  These animals roam freely and do great damage to the vegetables and the trees.  Tom supervised and some workers dug over 100 holes for the posts.  Tomorrow we will cement the posts in.

At the back of the garden workers have been digging out the special red clay that bricks are made of. We had asked a few years back about the feasibility of digging a dugout but have discovered that the soil is too porous.  However, with this pit already dug we may be able to line it with the new compressed building blocks and seal it with cement.  If this works we could have a dugout that holds over 100,000 liters of water.

In the meantime the brick workers made much progress and we believe that we can begin building the walls of the Pastor’s house tomorrow.  Sherry Wiebe and Kevin the Elder learned a great deal about local building practices, and even though no power tools are involved (even the cement is mixed by hand) they were very impressed.

While most of the team was busy working in the hot sun, Frank and Kevin the Younger travelled back to Kumi to meet with the Touch Ministries Board. The meeting was a great success and we were impressed by the Board Members and their commitment to the children and to the community.  The meeting lasted for 2.5 hours but when we considered that we could have been out working in the hot sun with the rest of the team it wasn’t so bad.

Over the last couple of days Dot (an occupational therapist) has met with some disabled people from the community.  Yesterday she met with three men, two who have no use of their legs and one who is a double amputee.  She recommended that they all get hand trikes for mobility.  One of them gets around now by placing flip flops on his hands and pulling himself.  We can get these for about $225 Canadian.  Today she met with a 74 year old lady who lives a couple of hundred yards from the orphanage.  She also cannot use her legs and Dot recommended that she get a wheelchair (cost of $140).  This lady is so excited because she can now go to church, first because she could be mobile and secondly because the church is now so close to her.

That’s it for today.  Tomorrow we will continue to work on the Pastor’s house and fencing.  Pastor Kevin (me) will meet with several people to help plan the Dedication service.  We have met the new Pastor, he was able to join us for supper last night and he came to see his new house today.  His name is Charles and he is a wonderful man.  We are looking forward to meeting his family (he is married and has 4 children) on Saturday at the dedication.

So much to tell!  So little time.  The power was out this morning and again this evening so we struggle to keep laptops charged and we are sharing one dial up stick between us.  I hope this finds you all in good spirits.  We miss all of our loved ones and treasure all your prayers.

For the D12

Kevin the much much Younger (as I type this the older Kevin has fallen asleep and is snoring gently with the light on – it is only 9:30 PM)  I hope I never get that old…

Water Day 2012

I think that we can safely call this day “WATER DAY TWO”  It was reminiscent of the day the water flowed back in 2010.

We came here with several projects in mind.

Dedicate the Church – this is set for this Saturday.  We are expecting an amazing day.  This will be followed closely by the first ever Sunday worship service on Sunday, February 26^th.

Work on Fencing and Farming.  Tom and Frank had a great meeting with  Charles (Rosemary’s brother) and George (Kumi Pastor who is willing to work for us – Pastors do not get a salary here so this will help him).  They made huge progress and are hoping to begin with the fencing tomorrow.  They met with the neighboring land owners to make sure we have the boundaries correct.  Pastor George has an amazing plan for the future of TOUCH farming.  We were impressed.

Help Build the Pastor’s House.  We were watching the machine make the pressed building blocks yesterday.  Today the workers began digging the foundation.  All of the men took a crack at helping dig with hoes, picks and shovels.  All together I figure that we put in 1.5 man hours of labour.  Our excuse for not helping is that we are all over 50 –except young Frank of course who has a few years to catch up to us.  John Wiebe (72 years old) did a good stretch much to the amazement of the workers.  We will be pouring the foundation footings tomorrow.

As amazing as those things are…  We had an unexpected miracle today.  When we arrived yesterday an electrician was installing our battery bank.  We had expected it to be done a while back but after some many difficulties (a bank issue, a theft etc.) it hadn’t been completed until yesterday.  When we left yesterday it was installed but the sun was going down and the batteries were at only 24%.  We got there today around 10:00 and wondered why there was no line up for water (there are usually a dozen women waiting for water as it takes the solar panels a while to fill the tanks enough to give them water).  At about 11:00 Rosemary came to get us.  She and the electrician told us that by this morning the batteries had filled up the two 1000 liter tanks for community use but had also almost filled up both of the 5000 liter reserve tanks.

This exceeded our wildest expectations.  It means that our well will easily keep all of these tanks full even if it is cloudy or at night.  This has huge implications for the community – the women will not have to spend as much time waiting for water.  It also means that we will have plenty of water for farming.  It will also mean that there is extra electricity for the orphanage itself.

God is good.

We had another great day at the orphanage today, the kids are amazing.  I have decided that every time a child rubs my chin (and Franks – we both have goatees) that I am going to rub their chins.  This causes much hilarity.

We hope to do a lot more work tomorrow.  We do not well in the direct heat, some of us are a bit burned but are being more conscientious with the sunscreen.  Frank and Sherry need prayer as neither of them are sleeping well.  We are all healthy, tired and sore, but healthy.  John and Mary Wiebe – both in their 70’s – are a huge inspiration to us; they have so much energy and are so cheerful!

We are loving the Maple Leaves – thank you

For the D12

Kevin the Much Younger

First Day in Ogooma

We are now cleaning up and resting after a long day at the Orphanage.  We are emotionally and physically exhausted after a remarkable day.

We arrived in Kumi after dark last night and had dinner at the Kumi Hotel.  After a good dinner we headed to the North East Villa where we checked in.  This is a nice place but of course we are not used to the heat.  Good news though, most of us had a very good night’s sleep.  We gathered for devotions this morning and used 2 Corinthians 5 as an encouragement.  The fact that all of us are considered Ambassadors of Christ was both sobering and exciting for us to consider.  After a great breakfast we walked into downtown Kumi to visit the bank.  Abdal and Ibrah picked us up and we drove out the orphanage.

We were greeted by the Nursery School children singing a Wellecome (that’s how they pronounce it!) What a joy for us all… for those of us who have been here before are amazed at all the changes and the rookies were excited at seeing everything for the first time. There is great evidence of change and progress.  After touring the orphanage, pump house, kitchen and seeing the foundation for the bakery we headed across the road to see the church and nursery school.  There was a huge crew of workers diligently trying to get the facility ready of the dedication. It is hard for me to speak for the entire team but I can tell you that seeing the church building is one of the most significant moments of my life.  I felt as if God was reminding me of His deep love for the church, the body of Christ.  Before our very eyes we are seeing the birth of a new church family and all that it has taken from us is just to give and listen to His leading.  On Saturday we will be dedicating a church building, but God has prepared His bride – The Ogooma Community Church.  The building is beautiful! It will seat at least 400 people and the two Primary School classrooms are fantastic.

After touring the church we saw the compressed brick press in action – a machine that was making the blocks for the Pastor’s house.  We then toured the land past the church which will be future farm land and future development.  It was a long walk and by the time we got back to the Orphanage we were very hot.  The rest of the kids were waiting for us – they were over at the Primary School when we arrived.  They sang some songs for us too.

We had some lunch in the Orphanage and then went to see Berita.  I first met Berita two years ago.  She was raising 7 grandchildren on her own in a rundown hut and was in desperate straits.  In the last two years, her grandchildren have all moved into the Orphanage and the locals have built her a new home, with the assistance of Touch Ministries.  Her new bed had been delivered yesterday and even though the floor hasn’t finished curing she slept there last night.  She was so grateful – she invited us all into her 12 x 12 new home and we prayed for her and blessed her house.

When we got back to the Orphanage the community had gathered and they were practicing for the church dedication.  The music, singing and dancing were spectacular and we joined in as best we could with our poor Canadian sense of rhythm.

We have all been very impressed by Sheri – the short term missionary (and Joanne Sikma’s cousin) who has been here since the beginning of December.  None of us could imagine a better person to do this kind of work.  She loves the kids, loves the locals and has worked well with the staff and Rosemary.  She returns back to Ontario a few days after we leave so is winding up her ministry time.  Sheri will be a valuable resource for wisdom in how best we can continue to work with the people of Ogooma.

Thanks again for your prayers!

For the D12

Kevin the Younger

Uganda!

We left London on time – 10:45 AM local time.  Frank left his I-phone at security but fortunately remembered in the nick of time and was able to recover it just before we boarded the plane.  After an uneventful flight we landed in Entebbe at 10:30 pm.

We were thrilled to be met at the airport by Rosemary and Sheri.  They had a very special surprise for us – they had brought along two of the orphanage kids;
Gloria (age 5) and Anne Grace (age 12) were excited to see us, but not as excited as we were to see them!
We were also met by Abdal and his brother Ibrah who will be our drivers for this trip.  Yes Richard, all 36 bags arrived safely!
It is a real challenge to get us and our luggage in the two vans but we eventually made it to the hotel in Kampala.
We got settled into our rooms at around 2:00 AM.  The night club across the road shut down their dance music around 4 and then rush hour started around 5.
The team is experiencing varying successes at getting sleep but we are all fine.
Frank and Kevin Kaiser went with Abdal to take care of some business this morning. We loaded up the vans again and as I write this we are on the road to Kumi and we hope to arrive before dark.
Pray for a good nights sleep for the entire team tonight. No one is sick but some of us are suffering from sleep deprivation.
What an amazing privilege to be here. Seeing two of the kids reminds us all what this whole thing is about.  God is very good!
Pray for safe travel, it is always an adventure but we have two remarkable drivers who take care of us and answer everyone one our questions, dumb or not.
Pray for our families back home, they need to know God’s peace in our absence.
We should be able to keep in fairly regular touch and I am hoping to have some team members submit their own thoughts for the blog.
Thankyou for being our support1
For the D12
Kevin the Younger (for the record, Kevin Kaiser is exactly 5 months older than me)