Jambo! family and friends!
Here is the short but promised second part of our American
trip. It’s more personal than most of our updates, but we wanted to share all
of our wonderful experiences with all of our friends who prayed so diligently
for our trip to be a great one. Because it really was.
Yet, rivaling the excitement of the Ingathering was the overwhelming joy of seeing and being with our families. Staying with Chris, Renee, Kaitlyn, Brina, Vivian, and Ethny gave us a chance to relax and feel very much taken care of. Every need we had was met through their wonderful generosity and hospitality. We felt very taken care of.
A week or so after the Ingathering, Cynthia and I flew to Orlando, Florida to visit our families and friends there. We had almost ten days to spend with our mothers, siblings and their children.
About half way through our
Florida visit our son Caleb drove down to Orlando from Gainesville for a short but
wonderful visit.
When we returned to Tennessee, our daughter Nichole and her children, Cruz, Cadence and Leandra flew in from California and stayed with us at Renee’s house. Her husband Dean stayed behind in California to work so they could
afford the trip. Sorry we missed you but thank you Dean!!
The next few days there
was plenty of fellowship, fun and food. I actually gained 10 pounds during our
American trip!
Another one of the highlights in our trip was the time spent
with our daughter Hannah Jerusha and her four precious children. They are all
doing very well and it was so delightful to see and spend time with our
precious grandchildren; Blue, Luna, Cedar and Rylynn.
Lastly; to our delight, Caleb, his daughter Sarah, Kristina and her son... drove all the way
up from Florida to spend three more days with all of us in Tennessee.
It was delightful being with him and his friend Kristina.
We have already grown to love her and her son
We had a lot of time for ‘Fall fun’ with the grandchildren
and a lot of great talks with our children. Not being sure when we will be able
return to the States due to the ever-rising cost of travel we made the most of
our time with them.
Soooo... We had Thanksgiving early...
We watched the Christmas story Scrooge early...
For Cynthia and I, our time with everyone was both sweet
and memorable.
Lastly, and this is a request to all our friends and family
both in the States and Kenya, … please pray for our children and grandchildren
back home in the States. They too have been asked to sacrifice their fathers,
grandfathers, mothers and grandmothers for the Kingdom of God. It’s not easy
and though we feel their support and encouragement … we also are aware of the
personal cost they too must pay for us to live in Kenya. Please hold them up to
the only One who can meet those needs and encourage their hearts.
Thanks to all who helped make our trip possible...With much love… Your missionaries … Dave and Cynthia
4 comments:
Glad you made it back home safely. Our prayers are always with you, your Kenya family, and all of your family here as well.
Take care, and may our God richly reward your efforts and sacrifices for His Kingdom.
Wishing you every good gift from the giver of light! May His Spirit lead you and follow you wherever you may go.
Dave
Thanks Dave for the comment it is greatly encouraging.
10 pounds added?OMG!We will make sure we squeeze it all out with the help of Mama Cynthia!hahaha
What a delightful morning read!! You are a wonderful blogger, Abba, and photographer! ....thanks for sharing all those family moments with us. We Bless the Lord with you for an incredible visit and warm family memories made! And, yes, your plea was heard to always keep your Stateside family lifted up to the Lord. [ I'm adding it to the men's prayer list right now :)]. And, oh, your Ingathering memories blog is a treasure to us all who were there as well. (It's always great to have someone in the family who likes to make a scrapbook!)
There's no doubt that the coming year will only bring more fruit in Stonehouse Ministries there in Kenya. My heart overflows to think of the sacrifices you've made, and the tenacity with which you and Mom follow our Lord, do His bidding, and keep on keeping on. You're a constant inspiration. Please, do not grow weary in well-doing! Blessing on you and Mom and all your dear dear family and friends there. May the Lord make travel between us all more frequent and attainable. (As David Kirkwood said to us long ago, so let us do it ....ask the Lord for a PLANE!!). with longing hearts, to those we hold dear, we say, "See you here, there or in the air!" Looking forward to the Day of His Coming, Hashachar
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