El Elyon is the name that designates God as the sovereign ruler of all the universe. It is God Most High who rules today, even this very minute, over the affairs of man. "For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What hast Thou done?'" (Daniel 4:34-35).
Most of you know that Nairobi was attacked by a group of terrorists this past Saturday. In difficult times like these, as Christians, we must run to His word and trust in His promises. What we know and believe to be true about our God will guide our responses when troubles come upon us. None of the events of Saturday's deadly attack were out of the reach of El Elyon, our God Most High.
We praise the Lord that he saw fit to protect us from this awful event that took place so close to home. The horror and terror that occurred in Nairobi speaks to the evil that is so prevalent in our world. Our prayer is that we would be a light in this darkness, thereby pointing others to Christ. May God be glorified in and through the events of this tragedy!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Saturday, August 31, 2013
One Week Down And a Lifetime To Go!
Most of you know that we arrived safely in Kenya a little over a week ago. The Lord's grace was so evident in each of our lives as we said goodbye to friends and family in the States and handed over our one-way tickets to Kenya at the ticket counter in Detroit. I'm not sure when it will really sink in that this is my new home. Somehow it seems that I am just on an extended missions trip and will be returning "home" soon.
We have been in a state of transition for quite some time now. We've traveled around the U.S. for the past two and a half years to raise support. We always joked about how it would be so great to get to Kenya so that we could just rest and relax. But rest and relaxation seem far away now that we're here.
When we arrived, we stayed at a guest house in the city for the first 4 nights. We moved from there to the home of Joel and Mary Ann Weaver, our ministry partners. After three weeks with the Weavers, we will move to the town of Limuru, where we will attend language school for three months. Following that, we will move into our more permanent home in the Nairobi area.
We've been keeping busy since our arrival. Jonathan has been able to meet with the new seminary students and attend their first official class. We've subjected ourselves to a myriad of injections so as not to pick up any strange diseases. We've learned to grocery shop and convert shillings to U.S. dollars. We visited our soon-to-be home in Limuru. We even went shoe shopping already! We've attended Emmanuel Baptist Church, our church home while we acclimate to life in Kenya. We've also shopped for a car, but haven't found the right one yet!
All of us are enjoying our time in Kenya. We can't praise the Lord enough for his care and protection over our lives; for His clear direction in leading us to this place we now call home. We are excited about the days to come as we adjust to life in Africa!
Please pray with us regarding two specific matters: purchasing a car asap and finding the right home to rent toward the end of the year.
To God be all the glory,
Janet
We have been in a state of transition for quite some time now. We've traveled around the U.S. for the past two and a half years to raise support. We always joked about how it would be so great to get to Kenya so that we could just rest and relax. But rest and relaxation seem far away now that we're here.
When we arrived, we stayed at a guest house in the city for the first 4 nights. We moved from there to the home of Joel and Mary Ann Weaver, our ministry partners. After three weeks with the Weavers, we will move to the town of Limuru, where we will attend language school for three months. Following that, we will move into our more permanent home in the Nairobi area.
We've been keeping busy since our arrival. Jonathan has been able to meet with the new seminary students and attend their first official class. We've subjected ourselves to a myriad of injections so as not to pick up any strange diseases. We've learned to grocery shop and convert shillings to U.S. dollars. We visited our soon-to-be home in Limuru. We even went shoe shopping already! We've attended Emmanuel Baptist Church, our church home while we acclimate to life in Kenya. We've also shopped for a car, but haven't found the right one yet!
All of us are enjoying our time in Kenya. We can't praise the Lord enough for his care and protection over our lives; for His clear direction in leading us to this place we now call home. We are excited about the days to come as we adjust to life in Africa!
Please pray with us regarding two specific matters: purchasing a car asap and finding the right home to rent toward the end of the year.
To God be all the glory,
Janet
Saturday, September 1, 2012
He Orders Our Steps
Thursday Night
9p.m.
Caden jumps off of a stack of storage bins stacked 3 high and screams bloody murder
Can't bear weight on his right leg
Tylenol around the clock
Friday Morning
9a.m.
Wakes up in pain, still unable to bear weight
Debate taking him to urgent care as opposed to ER because of our new $4000 deductible
Decided on Bald Mountain Urgent Care in Lake Orion
For some reason drove past it and ended up going to Beaumont Building
Saw doc, had X-rays at Beaumont Imaging which showed possible hairline fracture of right tibia
X-rays suggested getting another view to be sure
Doc recommended NOT doing another X-ray, but gave me name/number of pediatric ortho to obtain appt (on Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend - yeah right!)
Doc states if we can't get in today, go to ER to have temporary cast placed until we can get appt with ortho ($$$$$$$$$)
Prayers begin
Called ortho but he's left office already due to holiday
Tracked down ortho who Kate saw who happened to be at a clinic at Royal Oak Beaumont Friday afternoon. It is after 1p.m. now.
Spoke with receptionist who reluctantly decided to pull up the X-rays (since they had been done at a Beaumont facility) and show them to the doctor to see if he'd get us in
Doctor said to have us come now, their office closes at 3:30 and it is pushing 2pm by this time)
Saw doctor who decides not to take more X-rays, believing his leg is truly broken and places a cute, blue cast on Caden's leg.
To follow up in 3 weeks to reevaluate
As I look back over the day, I can see God's hand in so many ways. When the urgent care doc basically told me I should take him to the ER for temporary cast, after I had already spent $ on X-rays and office visit at urgent care, I wanted to cry. I thought, why did I come to UC for no reason!! But God had a reason for directing us to that specific urgent care. Only at that urgent care would I have X-rays that would go into the Beaumont computer system, thereby allowing the receptionist at the ortho office to pull them up for the doc to see. And what receptionist or doctor adds on a patient at 3:00 pm on the Friday of a holiday weekend? Only one that God directs to do that!
If I had gone to the Oxford ER, I would likely not have gotten in to see the ortho, because he wouldn't have been able to see the X-rays ahead of time. He spared us the cost of an ER visit and the cost of getting extra X-rays, and allowed us to get in to see the orthopedic doc at the last minute. He is so good! I'm praising him for his sovereignty, wisdom, and direction in our lives!
9p.m.
Caden jumps off of a stack of storage bins stacked 3 high and screams bloody murder
Can't bear weight on his right leg
Tylenol around the clock
Friday Morning
9a.m.
Wakes up in pain, still unable to bear weight
Debate taking him to urgent care as opposed to ER because of our new $4000 deductible
Decided on Bald Mountain Urgent Care in Lake Orion
For some reason drove past it and ended up going to Beaumont Building
Saw doc, had X-rays at Beaumont Imaging which showed possible hairline fracture of right tibia
X-rays suggested getting another view to be sure
Doc recommended NOT doing another X-ray, but gave me name/number of pediatric ortho to obtain appt (on Friday afternoon on a holiday weekend - yeah right!)
Doc states if we can't get in today, go to ER to have temporary cast placed until we can get appt with ortho ($$$$$$$$$)
Prayers begin
Called ortho but he's left office already due to holiday
Tracked down ortho who Kate saw who happened to be at a clinic at Royal Oak Beaumont Friday afternoon. It is after 1p.m. now.
Spoke with receptionist who reluctantly decided to pull up the X-rays (since they had been done at a Beaumont facility) and show them to the doctor to see if he'd get us in
Doctor said to have us come now, their office closes at 3:30 and it is pushing 2pm by this time)
Saw doctor who decides not to take more X-rays, believing his leg is truly broken and places a cute, blue cast on Caden's leg.
To follow up in 3 weeks to reevaluate
As I look back over the day, I can see God's hand in so many ways. When the urgent care doc basically told me I should take him to the ER for temporary cast, after I had already spent $ on X-rays and office visit at urgent care, I wanted to cry. I thought, why did I come to UC for no reason!! But God had a reason for directing us to that specific urgent care. Only at that urgent care would I have X-rays that would go into the Beaumont computer system, thereby allowing the receptionist at the ortho office to pull them up for the doc to see. And what receptionist or doctor adds on a patient at 3:00 pm on the Friday of a holiday weekend? Only one that God directs to do that!
If I had gone to the Oxford ER, I would likely not have gotten in to see the ortho, because he wouldn't have been able to see the X-rays ahead of time. He spared us the cost of an ER visit and the cost of getting extra X-rays, and allowed us to get in to see the orthopedic doc at the last minute. He is so good! I'm praising him for his sovereignty, wisdom, and direction in our lives!
Friday, July 20, 2012
Crazy
On July 31st, Jonathan will turn in his company car, phone, and badge and walk away from a great job that God provided for our family over 7 years ago. In this day and age, you're labeled 'crazy' for doing that. Well, we are crazy, I suppose. Crazy about our God, our faith, our Savior, and our calling. We are excited about the adventure that God has called us to. We know that our God will supply all our needs as we follow His leading in our lives.
It is always helpful to look back at God's faithfulness. Remembering His faithfulness in our lives helps us to trust Him more fully for the future. Several weeks ago, Jonathan gave his notice of resignation to his boss. We believed that July 31st should be his final day, so that he could give himself wholeheartedly to the task of deputation. In our minds, July 31st was no 'magical' day, but just seemed like the right time as we sought counsel from a number of friends. After giving notice, we began to consider health benefits for Jonathan and the kids, as they had been covered by Jonathan's insurance. We knew that we had the option of adding them to my coverage, since I work full-time, but we had overlooked the fact that you can only add family members during open enrollment. Not knowing when this was, I quickly emailed my HR director. She responded that open enrollment was during the last 2 weeks of July, and benefits become effective beginning August 1, 2012. It is through situations like this, that you become more confident and secure in God's faithful love and care for His children. Remembering this gives me confidence for the future. Remembering this gives me peace when my husband does the crazy thing of quitting his job and commits his life to missions in Kenya.
Phillipians 4:19 says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches
in glory by Christ Jesus."
It is always helpful to look back at God's faithfulness. Remembering His faithfulness in our lives helps us to trust Him more fully for the future. Several weeks ago, Jonathan gave his notice of resignation to his boss. We believed that July 31st should be his final day, so that he could give himself wholeheartedly to the task of deputation. In our minds, July 31st was no 'magical' day, but just seemed like the right time as we sought counsel from a number of friends. After giving notice, we began to consider health benefits for Jonathan and the kids, as they had been covered by Jonathan's insurance. We knew that we had the option of adding them to my coverage, since I work full-time, but we had overlooked the fact that you can only add family members during open enrollment. Not knowing when this was, I quickly emailed my HR director. She responded that open enrollment was during the last 2 weeks of July, and benefits become effective beginning August 1, 2012. It is through situations like this, that you become more confident and secure in God's faithful love and care for His children. Remembering this gives me confidence for the future. Remembering this gives me peace when my husband does the crazy thing of quitting his job and commits his life to missions in Kenya.
Phillipians 4:19 says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches
in glory by Christ Jesus."
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Our Video
Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. We have been gone from FBCLO for 5 straight weeks! The time has actually gone really fast. We are glad to be back home for the holidays. We begin to travel again in January. Below is the link to our Moores To Kenya Video that we show in the churches we visit. Take a look!
We have so much enjoyed visiting other churches and seeing the body of Christ in action in different locations. Sometimes we get so focused on our own church ministry (which is a good thing) and forget about the countless other bodies of believers across the land who are committed to serving and loving Christ, just as we are. What an encouragement these people have been to us, whether through their warm hospitality, their kind words of encouragement, or their prayers on our behalf. We hope and pray that the Lord will soon give us some partners in our gospel ministry as a result of sharing our ministry in these various churches. Please pray with us!!
We have so much enjoyed visiting other churches and seeing the body of Christ in action in different locations. Sometimes we get so focused on our own church ministry (which is a good thing) and forget about the countless other bodies of believers across the land who are committed to serving and loving Christ, just as we are. What an encouragement these people have been to us, whether through their warm hospitality, their kind words of encouragement, or their prayers on our behalf. We hope and pray that the Lord will soon give us some partners in our gospel ministry as a result of sharing our ministry in these various churches. Please pray with us!!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Our First Real Meeting!
It's been a while since I've posted. Life is busy and seems as though it will just keep getting busier! After years of planning and many months of developing mateirals and sending them to contacts, we finally had our first deputation meeting. It wasn't a typical meeting, but it proved to be very helpful and especially encouraging to us, as we begin our pre-field ministry.
Our pastor traveled with us to Tampa, Florida to host a luncheon for some area pastors. Our goal was to present the ministry in Kenya and thereby gain contacts in the area who would be willing to invite us into their churches and possibly provide support. Over 20 pastors were invited, but only 4 were able to attend. I have to say, I was a bit discouraged when I heard this news.
Of the four pastors who attended, we had four positive responses to our ministry. The Lord was gracious to show us, once again, that he is in complete control of all circumtances and nothing is too difficult for Him. We don't yet know if these churches will be able to provide us with support (we don't count on that until we actually see it ), but each one of them was quick to invite us into their churches to present the work in Kenya to their congregations.
One of the most exciting events of the weekend took place shortly after we left the lunch meeting. We arrived back at Terry and Jill Wild's house, where we were staying. Terry came in and said he had a proposal for us. He said that his pastor, Andrew Haney, had called him right after the luncheon to discuss asking us to extend our stay so that we could come to their church, Keystone Bible Church on Sunday. We would have a chance to briefly present the ministry, I would sing and we would spend the day with the people of their congregation, just getting to know them better. The Lord allowed all of the details to be worked out, from changing our airline tickets to having help with our kids at home. What a blessing it was to spend the day with this church full of wonderful people. The Word of God was boldly preached, the time of worship was refreshing and the people were such an encouragement to us.
On top of our visit, we were able to schedule 3 more meetings in various churches to try to raise our support. It was an overwhelming weekend, to say the least. The Lord has proven Himself faithful again and again. And for this, we praise Him. I will post our video soon!
Our pastor traveled with us to Tampa, Florida to host a luncheon for some area pastors. Our goal was to present the ministry in Kenya and thereby gain contacts in the area who would be willing to invite us into their churches and possibly provide support. Over 20 pastors were invited, but only 4 were able to attend. I have to say, I was a bit discouraged when I heard this news.
Of the four pastors who attended, we had four positive responses to our ministry. The Lord was gracious to show us, once again, that he is in complete control of all circumtances and nothing is too difficult for Him. We don't yet know if these churches will be able to provide us with support (we don't count on that until we actually see it ), but each one of them was quick to invite us into their churches to present the work in Kenya to their congregations.
One of the most exciting events of the weekend took place shortly after we left the lunch meeting. We arrived back at Terry and Jill Wild's house, where we were staying. Terry came in and said he had a proposal for us. He said that his pastor, Andrew Haney, had called him right after the luncheon to discuss asking us to extend our stay so that we could come to their church, Keystone Bible Church on Sunday. We would have a chance to briefly present the ministry, I would sing and we would spend the day with the people of their congregation, just getting to know them better. The Lord allowed all of the details to be worked out, from changing our airline tickets to having help with our kids at home. What a blessing it was to spend the day with this church full of wonderful people. The Word of God was boldly preached, the time of worship was refreshing and the people were such an encouragement to us.
On top of our visit, we were able to schedule 3 more meetings in various churches to try to raise our support. It was an overwhelming weekend, to say the least. The Lord has proven Himself faithful again and again. And for this, we praise Him. I will post our video soon!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Don't Waste Your Life
I just finished reading John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life". It was a great book and one that I plan to read again sometime. Piper talks about how most people...most Christians, slip by in life without a passion for God, spending their lives on trivial diversions, living for comfort and pleasure, and perhaps trying to avoid sin. The book is a warning to us not to get caught up in a life that counts for nothing. It challenges us to live and die boasting in the cross of Christ and making the glory of God our singular passion.
My Aunt Linda has been fighting breast cancer for the past 9 years. She will soon meet the Christ who died for her and be healed both physically and spiritually forever. Praise the Lord! She has had many years to 'come to grips' with her coming death. Her diagnosis of cancer caused a renewed commitment of her life to the Lord. She has been a testimony to God's greatness and goodness in the ways that she has responded to this trial in her life. And I am so thankful and encouraged by that.
My Aunt Darlene was just days ago, found to be infected with the West Nile Virus and has suffered severe brain damage as a result. Just tonight, the doctors informed her family that she would not recover and end of life decisions needed to made. One day she was perfectly healthy, and the next she was completely incapacitated. I praise God that she knows and loves Jesus Christ and has lived her life for Him.
What a reminder this should be of the brevity of life (James 4:14). God holds our futures in His hands and only He knows the number of our days. We MUST live a life that counts for God. We must daily decide to live for Christ and be obedient to his Word. We don't know how much time we have, so we must make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:16).
Please pray for both of my dear Aunts and their families during these last days. And remember to make the most of every opportunity God gives to you.
My Aunt Linda has been fighting breast cancer for the past 9 years. She will soon meet the Christ who died for her and be healed both physically and spiritually forever. Praise the Lord! She has had many years to 'come to grips' with her coming death. Her diagnosis of cancer caused a renewed commitment of her life to the Lord. She has been a testimony to God's greatness and goodness in the ways that she has responded to this trial in her life. And I am so thankful and encouraged by that.
My Aunt Darlene was just days ago, found to be infected with the West Nile Virus and has suffered severe brain damage as a result. Just tonight, the doctors informed her family that she would not recover and end of life decisions needed to made. One day she was perfectly healthy, and the next she was completely incapacitated. I praise God that she knows and loves Jesus Christ and has lived her life for Him.
What a reminder this should be of the brevity of life (James 4:14). God holds our futures in His hands and only He knows the number of our days. We MUST live a life that counts for God. We must daily decide to live for Christ and be obedient to his Word. We don't know how much time we have, so we must make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:16).
Please pray for both of my dear Aunts and their families during these last days. And remember to make the most of every opportunity God gives to you.
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