Philippians 4:4-7

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice!

We are rejoicing first for who God is, as well as all He has done and continues to do! This is the most important form of praise and rejoicing because there are many times that it is difficult to rejoice in the midst of trials if it weren’t for the continual praise we can give because of God Himself. We are also praising God for safety and health in travel, and for bringing us to this beautiful place. We arrived Tuesday afternoon and quickly settled into to our new “home” for the remainder of our stay in Kapsowar. The view from our kitchen is absolutely stunning – high mountains in the background with small farms and homes along the mountainside and valley. We have a small two bedroom, concrete house with a gas stove and gas refrigerator. We have electricity, although it seems to come and go randomly. We also have internet access and hope to keep you all well updated throughout our stay. The internet can also be intermittently available however, and we’re not sure yet about skype and downloading pictures – we’ll keep you posted!

Gentle Spirit

I am praying for a gentle spirit as we learn to interact with this culture. My head is spinning with so many thoughts about culture and the various values that each culture focuses on. The people here are very welcoming and friendly. They greet us with a smile and handshake everywhere we go, and seem to be grateful that we are here. We attended a weekly chapel service at the hospital yesterday morning and were warmly welcomed. We are hoping to get to know these wonderful people as much as we can over the next several weeks. Pray that we will have an understanding heart and that we will be filled with gentleness and grace as we learn how to best be of help here.

The Lord is Near

We are so thankful for this truth! We are overwhelmingly grateful for the Lord’s Presence and closeness – especially during this time. We can be assured that even when we cannot “feel” Him near, if you have the Holy Spirit within You, He is always near. What a comfort and blessing this is to know and be reminded of.

Be Anxious for Nothing

We are praying and learning to abide in our Savior when anxious and fearful. As you all probably know, there is a lot of unrest in Kenya right now. There have been two grenade attacks in Nairobi, and the Kenyan police are taking things very seriously as they do their best to protect their citizens. The Kenyan military have invaded Somalia and are trying to build a buffer zone of safety around the Kenya / Somalia border. We feel very safe here in Kapsowar as we are far from the areas of unrest right now. It is quiet and peaceful here. Please pray for wisdom for the Kenyan government and military, and for safety of the people here in Kenya.

Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving / Our Requests

Please pray also for health, interest and ability in learning new languages, creativity in cooking with spare materials, good use of time and building of relationships, and that we will embrace whatever opportunities God gives us each day to share about Him and to love people well. Pray also that we will continue to learn to trust our Savior fully in all things, and not live in anxiety or fear. We are so very grateful for all that God is doing in our hearts and lives. We are excited and curious about what it is He has for us to learn and do here.

It is challenging to figure out how to jump into another culture and figure out how to best be of help in only a few weeks time. We need wisdom.

We are also thankful for the beauty and rest that this place offers. Time has already seemed to slow down here without the busyness and pressures of our lives back home. Seeming to have extra time in a day is such a blessing…

Peace of God

This is another amazing promise! If we do the above, then God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds. This is such an incredible need as well as a wonderful gift. We are soooo thankful for God’s peace in the midst of so much change and unknown. This peace truly does surpass all comprehension as it comes in the midst of outward turmoil and inward unrest. It goes against logic, and is only fully known by those who belong to God. Thank you Lord, for your peace and Presence!

Please keep us updated on how you all are doing back home. We’d love to be kept in the loop with how things are going there. We love you and appreciate you more than you know!

       Meridith