Surprise Visit
I’m writing this update from the hallway of a Nairobi courthouse, where I’m waiting for my turn to appear before the judge, admit that I was four days late renewing my motorcycle license, and pay whatever fine I owe. Once that’s done, I can head back to the police station and hopefully retrieve my motorcycle, which has been detained there since Tuesday.
I arrived at the courthouse at 8:00am, only to discover that I had initially been sent to the wrong court. I’ve now been told that they don’t start hearing traffic cases until around 11:00. So, it looks like I’m in for a long day—and perhaps a good story by the time it’s over!
You might be wondering why I’m in court. Why not just pay the fee and be done with it? Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works here, unless of course I had agreed to pay the officer a little something, and then it all just goes away. But here I am. It was my fault and I just need to wait.
It’s been a busy couple of months. Lilli had the chance to surprise all of our kids by showing up at our daughter, Hannah’s, home toward the end of June to be there for our granddaughter’s (Sylvie) first birthday. She also had some sweet moments with her dad and twin sister.
Then I ended up returning to Minnesota as well, to spend some time with my mom (whose health had been declining) and my two sisters. It was a really precious time, as my mom was actually feeling quite well while I was there, and it was refreshing spending time together with both of my sisters. I think the last time we spent any significant time all together was when my dad passed away in 2018. Since returning back to Kenya, the infections have come back, so would appreciate your prayers for my mom and my sisters who care for her.
It was a total of five weeks that Lilli and I spent apart, with two days overlap in Minnesota before we swapped places. I guess it’s a good thing that we were missing each other terribly, and grateful to be together again!
Some highlights from the church:
Our three PC students have just a few weeks left of classes in Ethiopia. Pray for us as we plan for them to come back. It’s possible that not all of them will be ready to begin a year of residency with SGC Nairobi, which will be hard for them. Pray that we can guide them through some initial disappointment, for jobs and housing, and that they can continue to grow and serve with the rest of the church.
The church continues to grow even as we’re still able to gather at the same office building in Westlands. We love that most of our people hang out for 1-2 hours afterward to enjoy tea/coffee, snacks and fellowship. We’re getting ready to start our third round of membership classes in September!
The world is at our doorstep. We’ve recently had Somali and Afghan believers join our Sunday gathering as members of our congregation reach out to them. One of our members is about to be sent out as a missionary to a nearby Muslim country and another was invited to be part of the YLGen in the Lausanne movement, attending their conference in Brazil. Pray we would send these out in a manner worthy of the Name and continue to care for and pray for them. Thanks again for all the ways you do the same for us!
These days it’s very difficult for Kenyans to get visas for visiting the United States, even if they have everything required. And by the way, the denial comes from the American Embassy, not the Kenyan. We understand the need for caution, but Brian has already been denied two times and new appointments haven’t been available. Well, we just found out he has another interview on August 19. Please pray that his visa would be approved and he could join us for our annual Pastors Conference in Orlando in November!
Update: After seven long hours at the courthouse, I was told that my paperwork didn’t arrive and that I would have to keep coming and waiting. I’ll spare you the details, but I now have my motorcycle back!
