Current situation in Kenya

We are staying with friends outside Nairobi on border of Tanzania in Masai Mara Nat'l Park. Will stay here until things settle down in Nairobi. We are safe.

Web and phone services will be down for a few days.

Please Pray for the Orphans

Street Sisters



Street Baby


Small Infant

Street Children Pose for Camera!

Anna R and children from the Slums

Melody in the Sun.

Christmas Greetings

We send our love to our friends and family. It is warm here, much like late spring in Arkansas. We have a tree up with photos and cards sent by our friends. Our hearts are full. We are amazed at the support of so many back home. We are encouraged by the relationships formed here in our community. Our children are all doing very well. Lowell will be joining us for Christmas. We are invited by many to join them in caring for orphans here. We get to experience first hand the difference love can make in the life of children who were previously abandoned, abused or left by a mother sent to prison. Christ came down in the form of a servant to rescue and redeem his people who like sheep were helpless left on their own. He continues to use many to accomplish the same for the children in Africa. We are grateful for the priviledge of being here and for those of you who love and support us back home.

We are doing well. We wish you the best holiday.

Here are some of our favorite photos from our family to yours. I hope you enjoy the smiling faces.

School Time

I hope many of my teacher friends see these photos. Notice the first building. The one with the thatch roof. It is a school building.

Next are photos of children at St Nicholas Home. Most children in school here wear uniforms. This comes from the British influence.

I hope you can see nap time. Notice the close quarters. Better not move…

The next school photos are from the Nest. I loved the teacher who was energetic and cheerful with her students. Many have never been to school or have been tramatized. These children need extra time “in the Nest” and benefit from the smaller school setting before transitioning in to the nearby public school.

Our visit to Kasarani.

Anna and I went with our friends to visit an orphan home in Kasarani, a community outside Nairobi. It was a great day for us. We had tea in George and Jackie’s home with children in our laps. George is a pastor of two churches in the slums where he sees people starving and children in desperate situations. This Kenyan couple have answered God’s call to care for orphans. They are providing a family for 10 children, nine who come from the slums. With limited resources, they trust God daily for the needs of the children. George shares with us how God has always provided as they have stepped out in faith to care for the helpless. God has used George and Jackie to rescue these children. To hear these children’s stories and to see them now in a christian family brings great joy.

Here are photos of Anna with some of the children.

One photo is of me and Jackie the mother of these ten children.

Street Boys

As I drive accomplishing my daily activities I always see children walking along the streets. Clusters of children. Some have shoes while others are dirty and barefoot. They are all bone thin usually wearing layers of tattered clothing. They search through the trash set out to be picked up at people's homes. They gather food scraps, plastics and metals. These children probably walk up to our area from the nearby slum. I often wonder about them.. What should I do? The other day when I was working up stairs I heard children's voices. They were speaking in Kiswahili so I didn't understand. I looked out to see five boys about John's age going through our trash put out on the curb. I didn't disturb them. They worked quickly and seemed to have some fun with it. I saw one boy take an discarded apple core and begin to eat it. Another took a discarded microwave popcorn bag. They left with some plastics and scraps. I will never forget that scene from my upstairs window. I am asking God everyday what should I do? I now place my food scraps together in clear plastic bags to put at the top of the trash bag. They will be easier to find for the next group of boys.

Days later, I see this group of boys wandering up and down the streets nearby. As I wait for traffic they ask for money. I say I have food and they are equally excited. I ask them to remain there and wait.. I return with food from our pantry to give them. They asked if I had a shirt for each of them. I had noticed one boy, the larger a hole the size of a bedsize pillow in the back of his shirt. YES !! John had some t shirts in his closet that would work for these boys. I drove home and returned with t shirts for each of them. They thanked me and thanked me.

Please pray for these boys and others who wander our streets..

Melody


1. This is my first meeting up close with the boys.

2. Boys pose excited about having a photo taken and getting new shirts
3. Boys model their t shirts that I got from John's closet. Their clothes were so tattered with holes.

More ... Everyday life

Market on Thika Road






The photo of the team farm is representative of the many tea farms that grow in our area. They are expansive covering rollling hills. A beautiful sight.



This photo is taken after our church service. Many women wear this style of African dress. I loved taking this photo of these children and their proud mamma.

Every Day life

Girls After church and just hanging out.




The two ladies are around the corner from our home. They sell vegetables and cokes under the tree. I like to buy from them and they give me the biggest waves with huge smiles every time I drive buy.

This first is an enthusiastic fan at the boys soccer game. When our team does well he blows the biggest cow horn I have ever seen. He works up country with the Masaai tribe. Enjoyed getting to know the Calvert family.

The second is a photo of Guiness our guard dog and Puppy.

Next, is a photo of Helen one of our earliest friends that we have met. She is a professional in Nairobi and has been helping impoverished women and orphan children up country. She is a woman of vision. We are both so glad share together in our similar passions for widows and orphans.

Pray for these children

These 3 children have just lost their mother after a long battle.They are special children to Anna Merritt. Please pray that they will have a family to adopt them. They have special needs.

Surprise visitors!! Flying Termites, Monkeys and our first snake!!!

Flying Termites…

We have had some unique visitors, although not so unique for anyone who has lived in Kenya for a while. Our first unsolicited visitors arrived the night of heavy rain. Hundreds of FLYING TERMITES!! Yes, flying termites. They swarmed in through open windows. They were the size of dragon flies. Shortly after they entered our home they landed on the ground, discarded their wings and squirmed on the floor before dying. They were everywhere. Their smaller relatives have come to visit frequently and do the same thing. I have a bottle of spray starch to kill them and a broom handy to sweep up the remains. We have begun to cover all cracks that remain and the dry season is approaching so we expect the numbers to diminish. What is really strange is many of our new friends have gathered the termites to eat them. They say they're good. We decided we would rather not try these appetizers.

Monkeys…

The next set of visitors we found to be equally exciting. Our dogs have discovered monkeys sitting in the trees behind our yard. I love seeing monkeys just outside my kitchen window. The dogs keep them from coming to close, but it is still fun for us to see them.

A snake…

Just yesterday, we had another surprise visitor. The kids were in school. I was glad Lewis had stopped in for a quick bite of lunch. There was a snake in our eating room!!! It was bright green with it's tongue flashing in and out. I don't know how it got in. Lewis stepped on it and it quickly curled it's body up his leg. I didn't think to take a picture. Lewis killed it and took it out of the house for John to see when he got home from school. That was an exciting lunch. We've had plenty of surprise visitors…Everyday has it's surprises around here.

I will keep you posted on any newcomers who come our way. Have a great day! Melody

Prayer newsletter

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Hearing from the Taylors this past week I am reminded how thankful I am to live with so many luxuries on a daily basis. The Taylors have experienced so many challenges since their move into their rent house all the while keeping a positive attitude, relating their home to camping out. Melody was happy they got a washing machine. She says she no longer has to worry about mixing colors with whites... all the clothes turn out brown. They have beds and they have gotten a couple pieces of furniture from other missionaries who moved.

I was excited to hear that the Taylors got their work permits because now they can get their remaining items. I was surprised to hear how much it cost to ship their boxes. I know they are all looking forward to having some of their things from home. Melody says it is amazing how you can get by with so little. Melody reminds me of their dependency on God and how God cares about every detail of our lives.

Melody said they live in a good part of Nairobi but would appreciate your continued prayers for safety. The month of December will tend to be more violent as various tribes try to seize more political power during the national elections.

If you would like to encourage the Taylor family and bring them some holiday cheer please consider a Christmas card. You can mail a card to their African address or mail it to me by December 15th and I will send it with Lowell (the eldest of the Taylor children who will visit with his family in Nairobi during Christmas break). Please send 5.5" x 8.5" envelopes or smaller.

My address is:
Linda O'Donnell
2606 Millbrook Road
Little Rock, AR 72227-3034

Taylor's Praises

1. Praise God for a home close to the children's school. It gives them more family time, more time for the kids to finish homework, and is less dangerous not having to commute so far.
2. Praise God for their work permit approvals. Yippee! (Now they'll need money to ship their boxes.)
3. Praise God they have plenty of water. They have a filter for making drinking water and hot water for showers.
4. Praise God for their good health. They jog on on the track at the children's school!
5. Praise God because Lowell gets to visit during Christmas break.
6. Praise God they have diverse neighbors: Hindu, Pakistani, Indian, and Kenyan. It is a great learning experience for learning the different cultures. The Taylor's prayer request is that they will have the opportunity to share Christ with them. We know they will be a daily example of Christ's love.
7. John was homesick... missing his dog back home. Praise God for the landlord sharing two dogs (Puppy and Guinness) for him to play with. The family is happy to have the extra protection as the dogs keep the monkeys in the trees and out of the yard...and house.
8. Praise God for orchestrating meaningful relationships with people who want to make a difference in the lives of orphans.

Taylor's Prayer Requests

1. Find a church home as the Taylors visit several Kenyan churches.
2. Pray for Lowell to finish his semester strong and for safe travel to-and-from Kenya during Christmas break.
3. Pray for men to mentor 5 teen boys Lewis got to know at Rafiki.
4. Pray that Rosslyn Academy will be successful in their Christmas project to raise funds and provide gifts for the orphans at "The Nest".
5. Pray for Melody to have clarity of how God will use her to mentor the young ladies at the Faith House. Also, pray for Melody helping develop a women's ministry for the ladies in Nairobi. Melody will co-lead with Chow Wangie, a Kenyan with Family Life.
6. Pray the Taylor children will find comfort with making new Christmas memories in a different culture.
7. Pray for Rafiki to transfer funds in their account to Go Near Ministry.
8. Pray for funds to be raised for shipment of boxes ($3,500).
9. Pray for funds to be raised for the summer furlough airfare ($20,000).
10. Pray for donations to be raised to sponsor two Mamas at The Nest ($123/month).
11. Pray for Lewis' trip to Kisumu to help a friend start a new orphan home.
12. Pray their interactions with Rafiki would be God honoring.
13. Pray for their continued safety and protection .
14. Pray for continued support for their family to remain in Kenya and to expand their outreach to even more ministries, orphans, and nationals.
15. Pray for communications with their supporters.

If you would like to send the Taylors a tax-deductible, financial Christmas gift you can do so by making your check payable to Go Near Ministry. Be sure to write "Taylors" in the memo line and address the envelope to:

Claire's school field trip up country

Here are photos of Claire's school field trip up country.
What a thrill !!!! Like none other field trip ever before.

Now faith is…

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

Our days are filled with awe and wonder...highest highs and lowest
lows I've ever known. Today I sit in awe at what God has just done.
Weighing heavy on me has been approval of our work permit. This
document keeps us in Kenya or sends us home. Today it was
approved...in the most unusual way. I have prayed and watched for a
friend in high places to use some influence to get this done for us.
Instead God provided a Kenyan maintenance man:-) My good friend just
walked me into the Dept. of Immigration and got it done in one days
time. I am just humbled by God's provision as He reminds us where our
strength comes from.

Now faith is…

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

She was worn down, loosing hope fast. Another hard day facing the
harsh boss who lorded authority over her…with a bible in hand.
Threats of being sent "back where you came from" loomed large. She
knew real poverty. She had lost everything. Widowed and alone, she
hoped this would be a place to start over. Today she was sure it was
time to go. But where? And how? She had nothing other than her
meager possessions held by one small closet. New friends had come and
given her strength. They helped her taste real love and it gave her
courage. Courage to stand against legalism. Strength to believe her
God will provide for her. As she prayed God opened another door of
hope. Today she is taking steps of faith into the unknown…with
conviction of things not seen. Our precious widowed friend is assured
of one thing! Her God is good and in control.

Adventure

Like many passages in my bible have come alive to lead us, one of my
favorite songs has taken on new meaning.

Saddle up your horses - by Stephen Curtis Chapman

Started out this morning in the usual way
Chasing thoughts inside my head of all I had to do today
Another time around the circle try to make it better than the last

I opened up the Bible and I read about me
Said I'd been a prisoner and God's grace had set me free
And somewhere between the pages it hit me like a lightning bolt
I saw a big frontier in front of me and I heard somebody say "let's go"!

CHORUS
Saddle up your horses we've got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace
Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown
This is a life like no other - this is The Great Adventure

Come on get ready for the ride of your life
Gonna leave long faced religion in a cloud of dust behind
And discover all the new horizons just waiting to be explored
This is what we were created for

(Chorus)

BRIDGE
We'll travel over, over mountains so high
We'll go through valleys below
Still through it all we'll find that
This is the greatest journey that the human heart will ever see
The love of God will take us far beyond our wildest dreams

Yeah... oh saddle up your horses... come on get ready to ride

Mel and I pray that each of you know the "Great Adventure" of God's
amazing grace today.

Happy Thanksgiving from Kenya!

We hope you are having wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We wanted to share with you a portion of what we are thankful for so far away. God has been so faithful to bring us to Africa. We love partnering with others who care for the vast number of orphans and widows around us. Leaving Rafiki has been difficult, but God has showed us favor as we venture out to remain here. He has led us to a home close to our children's school that has room for visitors (HINT) We have a tree outside our window with over 30 weaver bird nests and birds that chirp each morning, reminding us that our God who takes care of the birds will take care of us. We inherited two dogs that keep us safe and are great playmates for John. God has kept us safe in our travels and free from major illness. God has increased our children's capacity to adapt in a world full of challenges. Anna has had a terrific basketball season. She led the team to an undefeated season, 3 tournament wins and league champions. Claire and John played intramurals and are making new friends. We camped in a wildlife reserve where Melody narrowly escaped being trapped in the car with a baboon. We hosted Jami Jo Braner in our home and helped her finalize adoption for precious Gabby. We received our work permit that will allow us to begin shipping our items from home.We have been warmly welcomed and embraced by Kenyans and others living in this country. We will spend Thanksgiving with new friends. But at this time, we can't help but miss our special friends back home. We count you as a big blessing.

You have encouraged us as we departed for Kenya and continue as we remain to do God's work. We are grateful for our friendship. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

You are loved, Lewis and Melody Anna, Claire and John

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

Adoption. . . from Jamie Jo and Gabby's Perspective

We have loved having Gabby and Jami Joe in our home this past week. We
have fallen in love with Gabby. She is an energetic little girl
brought to us from Rwanda. This past week we went to doctor
appointments and embassy interviews to finalize the adoption process.
Gabby will be introduced today to her new family in the States. We
will miss this little girl. Read more from Jami Jo.


This roller coaster has been a blessing in SO many ways! There are the obvious ways. . .the JOY—the sheer and utter joy of adding to our family and the JOY of our sweet baby Gabby. But I think the biggest blessing. . .the biggest surprise of this process. . .has been just understanding adoption. . .understanding God's heart as MY Father! He has adopted me and I am equal heir to His throne with Christ. . .His one and only Son. I knew that before, but now I KNOW it. . .I understand it. Now that I have my own adopted daughter and now that I am experiencing the deep LOVE I have for her, I know. I know that my love for her is equal to the love I have for my biological children and I know that I would do ANYTHING for her in the same way that I would do anything for my other three children. And God loves me like that (except in His PERFECT way)!! WOW! That thought puts me on the floor in awe of our Father!

If you have any questions about adoption or the adoption process or anything, I would love to help! My email is jamiejo@kanakuk.com and you can see my daughter's website at www.cicibraner.com. If you're interested in adoption, America World Adoption Agency is WONDERFUL! www.awaa.org They have several programs, including an Ethiopia program (if you're interested in Africa).

Blessings!

Now faith is…

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

James is like many orphaned Kenyans who lost his parents and one brother to curable diseases. As the oldest child James put the weight of the family on his shoulders and has carried it faithfully for many years. He has not carried it alone. God has heard his prayers and provided one job after another to help James work his way through college. Trained as a teacher, James loves helping children learn. After working all week teaching school, he volunteers his weekend time to serve in a local orphanage.

Here are a few comments from James in a recent letter;

"Thanks alot for being a good friend to me. I appreciate so much that
you are ready to pray with me especially a time like this. Sometimes
life takes different directions not expected. The impact of this is so
great and sometimes we feel lonely. God will never leave His people
even in times of hardship. I'm glad I have a Bible in my house to
remind me that."

"I think going back to the upcountry will make my life even hard!! I
provide the entire family with everything from the money I earn. If I
leave and go, it means I will need to get another source of income
there in the upcountry. The only option to do that is to work in the
farm till the crops are ready to harvest. There is only one season
there. Farmers plant at the beginning of the year and harvest during
the last two months of the year. Life will be difficult. I have
decided not to go but look another job elsewhere."

Today James is a young man with a vision. He believes he can make a difference in the lives of orphans and is praying about running a school for orphans someday. I am honored when James introduces me as his best friend. James and I meet to talk and pray as we take faith steps to care for orphans

….together.

Zipporah

Just had to share this photo of Zipporah. Isn't she a doll? She is
one of many abandoned infants that are available for adoption. She
lives in a home for orphans, but we are blessed to provide foster care
for her on weekends. We all love this little one, but she and John
have really hit it off. She giggles and loves to be kissed on those
chubby little cheeks. Please join us in praying for a loving "forever"
family to adopt her. We'll be sharing more pictures of Zipporah and
other children who are available for adoption as God places them on
our path and in our hearts.


Love to my friends and family.. Melody

Now faith is…

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

Our family was living in a nice house surrounded by rock walls patrolled by guards 24/7. We were safe but not sound. God was leading us to a difficult place in our relationship with Rafiki leadership. Private discussions were not going well. I sensed that God may be preparing us to take new steps of faith, trusting Him for the unseen. I shared with my children that we may soon leave our secure home, and that I had no idea where we would live next. We needed to pray together. The next day my youngest son, John, approached me with a big smile on his face and with a look of certainty in his eyes. “Dad, we should go find a house tomorrow after church. Then we could move in next week.” He had prayed and now he was sure. I mustered all the self-control I could to bite my tongue as the words crashed against the back of my front teeth, “that’s impossible!”. Instead I said, “sure, let’s give it a try”. Keep in mind that I had no idea how to find property for rent in Nairobi. “For rent” signs are not posted, real estate agents do not work on Sunday and there were just too many details involved that John did not understand. Mel and the girls wisely let John and I go alone for our search. As we left church, we “just happened” to see a teacher from John’s school walking to lunch. Teacher Jay accepted a ride from us and “just happened” to mention there may be a rent house available nearby. We drove by the house and found nobody home. After taking Jay to his lunch spot, we drove back to the house and “just happened” to meet the residents who were new owners of the house. It was no longer available for rent but the owner was sure the house next door was available. As we got in our car to leave a guard “just happened” to come down the street and offered to open the gate so we could walk around the outside of the vacant house. He took our phone number and offered to have the owner call us next day. By Tuesday our family had toured the house and made a decision. On Saturday we moved into our new house in a neighborhood appropriately named “Whispers’. I missed God’s whisper, but John heard it loud and clear. Our family is taking bigger steps of faith… together.

Now faith is…

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

Jombo was raised in a godly home. Over the years he lost both parents and a brother to (curable) diseases. He prayed hard and worked hard to get a high school education and God provided vocational training after high school. Faithful, hard working, well trained Jombo found it difficult to stay employed in Kenya’s small country towns. After marrying he moved with his new wife to the big city of Nairobi hoping to find long term work. They lived on glasses of water (boiled to get the brown out) for many weeks. Finally Jombo was offered a place to “volunteer”. He worked two weeks for free. After proving that he was worthy, he was offered “minimum wage” of 250 shillings/day ($3.84). Today Jombo has earned several raises and more importantly he has learned much. He has a vision to care for orphans. Jombo and I are meeting weekly to pray. Soon we believe God will give us the courage to step out and start a new work. Soon we we will travel to Jombo’s homeland to invite church leaders to help start this new work. Many children are loosing hope BUT GOD is about to extend His hand to save a few more in Jombos homeland. Jombo and I are asking God to help us take faith steps…together.

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...