| September has been both exhilarating and terrifying. We received word early in the month that Kenya had opened its ports. We rejoiced that the appointed time for our vision of sending a container to the children and villagers of this beautiful land had arrived (Habakkuk 2:3). Then we went to work getting the shipment on its way. Our first call was to Bill, our friend in the shipping business. Bill took care of buying the container, arranging its transportation to our storage units, then onto the fumigation site, and finally to the port for shipping. Aside from the scary delay in finding a container to buy due to COVID-19 and trade complications with China, this process was painless for us since Bill did all the work. We were dismayed to learn that an inspector needed to be on site during the packing of the container; his job would be to certify that all soft goods were in plastic-wrapped bales and other items were in see-through bags. This shocked us since this type of packaging had not been necessary for our previous shipments to Kenya. Realizing the impossibility of repacking 600 boxes to meet these requirements, I turned to Scripture to soothe my mind and quiet my spirit as I waited hours for Immaculate to return my urgent call. The Word encouraged me to remain steadfast, immovable, striving for excellence in the work of the Lord, trusting my work would not be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). I needed to “trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). While I was powerless to overcome the strict Kenyan import regulations, I knew nothing is impossible with God, Who made the heaven and the earth by His great power (Jeremiah 32:17), and Who promises to do exceedingly abundantly beyond what we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Though tears welled in my eyes, I was calm, knowing I did not need to fear nor be dismayed because of this seemingly insurmountable obstacle, for the work was not mine, but God’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). Getting those boxes to Kenya was His job, not mine, and He is faithful. By God’s grace and mercy, our clearance agent in Kenya, Ernest, agreed to waive the packing and inspection requirements and clear the container in Kenya since we are a humanitarian ministry and will not be selling the goods. Whew!!! |
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Victor and his crew are transforming an unused 23′ x 36′ room at the Lumino School for Disabled Children in Western Kenya into a library for the children and villagers.
Our beautiful classroom at the Mirembre Primary is now complete! Elias put the finishing touches on it by painting some of our favorite Scripture verses on the walls. We are excitedly anticipating the joy of the children when they return to school.
Other Activities at Serving in Jesus’ Name in September
- The rainwater catchment system at the Manyasa Primary School is nearly complete. This project was funded by Rockville Bible Fellowship.
- We have decided to go forward with our annual outreach in Appalachia. Plans are underway with our Appalachian fellowship partner, Restoration Outreach, for an October 24 praise and worship event in far-west Virginia, We are excited to hand out the heavy winter apparel we have collected over the past year..
- No update on the batteries for the solar energy at Magodo, but we are hopeful with the stabilizing import environment in Kenya, this project will move forward.
We are grateful for the privilege of continuing the work the Lord has put before us to do and for each of you who support us in so many ways. May the Lord bless you, and keep you, and cause His face shine upon you. May He be gracious to you. (Numbers 6:24-25),
Blessings,
Kathy Carlin, Executive Director
