Now faith is…

the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen. He 11:1

My friend Kennedy was hungry, very hungry. He had not eaten in many days. As he made another long journey home after looking for work and finding none, he fell on his face. Beside the road, face in the dust he thought this was his time to die. He lifted his head to beg for help. “God, he prayed, if you are there please provide food for me today, right now, in this place”. He struggled to his feet and walked to a nearby bush. Under the bush he found a dozen fresh eggs, gathered them in his shirt and exchanged them for a meal at a nearby grocery store. Today Kennedy is a college graduate running his own small business in Nairobi. Today hope is alive in Kennedy’s heart and home. He and his wife are expecting baby number two and he is praying for God to grow his small business to keep up with the needs of his growing family. God has provided a friendship with Kennedy and we are taking steps of faith… together.

Our visit to the Nest

After a dusty, bumpy drive up country we arrived at the Nest. This orphan home provides care for 80 highrisk children in a remote area. We had heard so much about this place by many in our school community. A new friend here took us for our first visit. This is what we found when we entered the compound. There was so much joy in the children's faces. The children were gathered with their caregivers for their outside play time. They greeted us with welcome songs. Loved it!!!


Melody and Claire with young ones. Because of the ratio of caregivers to children and the abuse these children have experienced these children need so much touch and affection.Many children are offered to families in our area for foster care before adoption. We hope to invite others to come and offer loving arms to these precious ones.


John is trying out the bunk bed ladder. All the girls who live here sleep in these two large bunk beds. Toddlers sleep in the cribs along the wall. Can you imagine around 40 girls sleeping in this room. WOW
Lewis and a little one. They want to be held up high the entire time...

God calls us to Go Nearer

With somewhat heavy hearts, we want to let you know of a transition for our family. This weekend we moved out of our Rafiki village. This was not an easy decision, but one agonized over with much prayer and wise counsel from those close to us. While it seems sudden, it comes after weeks of private discussions with Rafiki leadership and concerns we have had. We are very sad to leave these children and the mamas who care for them but we trust that God is in control and He is committed to work all things for good as we all submit to Him.

With your prayers and support we will move forward as Go Near Ministry – Kenya outpost. God led us to start this non-profit organization two years ago with a mission to be advocates for orphans at home and abroad. Founding board members David Watson and Terrence Zeurlein(sp) along with Flip Whitner will oversee our efforts. A strong advisory team of Lee and Karen Smith, Bill and Linda O’Donnell, Nick and Dana Adams, Jack and Carolyn Ciak, Darryl and Leslie Harpool will give leadership and manage communications from our home base. A Kenya advisory board is forming now and will be announced soon.

God calls us to come closer, and in faith, we have. Our passion has grown stronger than ever and we are exhilarated by new opportunities He is presenting here in Kenya. We will fill you in on these opportunities in the days to come as we launch, “Go Near, Kenya!”

God’s word is our guiding light as we step out, again, in faith.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Heb. 11:1

He is calling us to take even bigger steps of faith trusting him as we go even nearer to the needs that surround us. And let us assure you that He is more than able. We have learned to take Mt 6:33 literally as we seek His will first, trust God that all our needs will be met …and more. Join us in expecting great things from our mighty God who is committed to care for His precious orphans and widows.

As God leads you, please direct your tax-deductible donations;

GO NEAR MINISTRY
LEWIS & MELODY TAYLOR
17200 CHENAL PARKWAY STE 300
PMB 227
LITTLE ROCK AR 72223

Our email remains the same, as does our passion for orphans.

Rebellion from the BLOG editor!!

Happy Birthday Lewis.... I hear your 50!!!!

Taylor's New Address

Lewis Taylor
P.O. Box 64590-00620
Mobil Plaza, Nairobi Kenya
EAST AFRICA

God's Invisible Hand

It is so hard to put into words all that we see and experience here in Africa. It is so different than any other place. There is breathtaking beauty in the plant life and scenery. The sky is so blue and expansive, the colors so vivid, birds and wildlife surround us. The terrain is so rugged. We are reminded of that daily as we travel on unbelievable bumpy roads. When Lewis drives, we are silently looking out our windows. We see old women hunched over carrying heavy loads of sticks and firewood. We see people so poor . We see children of all ages in dirty clothes working and playing. We see large groups of uniformed children walking long distances home from school in the afternoons. You are very priviledged to get to go to school here. As we engage with the world around us, God's invisible hand is working in our hearts. I (Melody) reach out to these people and feel such receptivity and warmth from them. He has written a new love in my heart for these people that I couldn't have mustered up on my own that motivates me. Lewis is also experiencing the same intense care and concern for the people here. Last night, John shared some insightful words as we finished our day. He said that he wanted to be in ministry when he grew up. He wanted to help people who are in need. He believes God will take care of him as he serves Him. He sees now how much he has and how little others have and how hard life can be. He wants to use his life to helpl. That is God's invisible hand writing on my 10 year old boy's heart. I am so grateful.

John's soccer team in Kenya

Have we shared there are more than 30 different nationalities at Rosslyn, the school our children attend? John plays on an elementary intramural soccer team. You will see by the following pictures how diverse his team is. I am quite challenged in grasping all the different names of his friends and teammates. Here is a sampling.

John wouldn't let me post an action shot. The best I can do is John sitting with his teammates waiting to go in. Next to John is Jin Wo.

The teams are coed. The players here are Kema, Ezra, YeJeonj, and Kinzea.

The players here are Ithiel, Mugo and Chun Wo.

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and guess what!!!!

They played in the championship today. They won !