Not taken for granted.

Well, it may be that you think we have been lost or have given up on web based updates but that's not true.  Honestly, I struggle to sit down and write a blog for several reasons.  Number one would be I know that my creativity in writing rivals only writers at say a Jr. High level on a Friday afternoon.  Secondly, the events that occur here seem so "everyday" to us and seem repetitious.   Thirdly, it isn't too often that I get a chunk of time to sit and type a note that is reflective and uninterrupted.    However, since it is a quiet Sunday (or was when I sat and tried to write this 3 weeks ago) evening and the kids have gotten to bed, perhaps I can write a small something worth reading and praying about in the days to come.

 I wrote the title for this blog with  a few events and circumstances in mind.   The most significant event of the term was held just last week.  It was our spiritual emphasis week, also known as SEW.  We had a guest speaker Bay Forest come speak for 5 nights to the students challenging them to think about their relationship with Jesus Christ.  His Theme was "SoUled Out".  The capital U was to emphasis that "U" need to be part of giving everything to Christ.    We saw many students stand up and make commitments to really giving their lives to Christ.   We never want to take for granted the gift that we have been given to work with Missionary kids nor do we want to assume that they are all in a right relationship with Christ.   Please pray that our students will take their relationship seriously and will seek ways to continue to grow now that the guest speaker has gone.  I am meeting with 4 guys each week.    Amanda is also meeting with one girl formally and others on a sporadic basis. We appreciate your prayers for wisdom as we interact with these students in a discipleship relationship.

The second event that makes me think about taking things for granted occurred as I spoke with our friend Steven.  His family has taken in 4 street children and hopes to someday get more.   He and I meet for prayer and encouragement once a week.   Steven thoughtfully shared with me about his youth group ( in Kenya, that's anyone in high school up to 25ish  that's not married.)   His students have  a desire to see more youth in their community learn about Christ.   They decided to use a volley ball net donated by RVA and set up a volley ball court.   What amazed me was to hear that the students would fast lunches at school so that they could same a few shillings, like 50 cents to a dollar in order to by the metal poles and concrete for polls.  They are still hoping to save money for  a  good ball.   Wow, I was challenged in how much I take for granted, but also how seriously these students take their roles in sharing Christ with their community.     In Africa,  it's easy to see things we westerners take for granted, however,  I never want to take the gift of salvation for granted.   Pray for us that we will seek ways to share our faith,  equip others to do the same, and for the parents of our students who share Christ on a daily basis through out this vast continent called Africa.

We are now in day 3 of the terrorist event in Nairobi.  It is staggering to see photos of many places that I have stood in that mall.   The most recent posts express that a few more hostages have been rescued.  It is difficult to know how long this will carry on.   These words of the national anthem here seem to be  a good prayer for today.

"Oh God of All creation, bless this our land and nation.  Justice be our shield and defender.  May we dwell in unity, peace and liberty, plenty be found within our boarders.

Thanks for your prayers. 

Nairobi situation update.

Just to keep folks posted about the terrorist attach in Nairobi.   There have been at least 68 people killed and over 175 wounded.   There are no students from our school involved.  We know that there are still hostages being held and the Kenyan police are claiming they will finish the situation this evening.   There were large explosions heard this evening.

There are a lot of mission organizations based in Nairobi. Please pray for the wisdom of mission leaders from all over Nairobi as they seek ways to meet the needs of workers and ministries in this city.    Pray also for the families of those who have lost loved ones.


More to come...

"It was the Best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness"

Dear Friends,  I'm sorry I fail to update this page more often.  Considering the events in Nairobi yesterday, I felt the urgent need to communicate.  This will be brief as I'm headed off to teach Sunday School soon. 

Yesterday some long time friends came to visit us for the Titchie field day.  A day designed to give our elementary students, especially the boarding students, a fun and special day.  Our friends brought their little ones as well as a birthday cake to celebrate the start of another year of life for Amanda.   The games were great, the campus was jumping with life as our Sr. class presented it's Sr store with special burgers, salads and  doughnuts that people drive hours to enjoy.   Then in the after noon, a small party to celebrate with Amanda was to be had. 

However,  we received text message alerts of insecurity in Nairobi.   As many of you now now, it was a serious attach of terrorists aimed at a high end mall in the capital city Nairobi.   We were asked to pray as some of our students were there with their families.   We found that all the students and families were safe after several hours.  But all the news was certainly not good.  We know that one of our students who is from Nairobi lost at least 2 of his extended family.   We learned that 39 people so far have lost their lives.   Just like at RVA, the mall had promoted a family day with special children's events. 

This has severely shaken the residents of the capital.  As I sat to have  a quiet time this morning, Ps 64 was part of my reading.  It was certainly an encouraging reminder.   Please pray for the millions Blinded by Islam and those that seek to harm innocent people. 

In summary of this hastily written note, our students and faculty have remained protected, Praise the Lord for this, our families that were in Nairobi and had to hide need your prayers for wisdom and peace.  Our school needs your prayers for continued safety in travel and protection here.    We need to pray together for God's Spirit to move in Kenya as a result of this event.   Thanks for your partnership!!!! 

More to come!

Friends, countrymen, lend me your hand...:-)

Well, Tuesday's surgery on my  shoulder and hand went well according to the doctors.   The carpel tunnel surgery will take a while to see if completely effective but the doctor said  that the nerves were really tight in the tunnel.   The AC joint repair went well as well and I can already feel less pain in the shoulder even after the bone scraping and other cleanings. 

Meanwhile, our lives are exciting in other ways.  We are grateful that our house was put on the list to update and remodel.   Before the surgery, they began to replace the vinyl tiles with ceramic.  Now they are working on repainting the first floor.  Steve spends a fair amount of time supervising (single handedly you could say).   The tile is almost finished, the painting will really get underway on Monday.   Fortunately, our neighbors are in the States so we have been able to use their kitchen and dining rooms.  Their house is now referred to as the dinning hall.  We hope to be finished by Thursday, at least for most  part.

Amanda has taken on  a new role this month to organize the New Parent Orientation (NPO).   We will have around 200 parents, new students and siblings come for a 2 day orientation as part of welcoming them to RVA.   The goal of the weekend is that parents can get a grip on the school system and all the activities as well as get help in how to meet the needs of their children.  It is a lot to oversee and to organize but this is her strength to plan and organize.  

Evan went to Tanzania for 12 days to visit some friends, pray for a safe trip back and and an easy crossing of the border.   Nate got to go fly fishing for a 3 day trip and will help out painting this week.  Janel is helping out as Dad's nurse and thankful that so many of her friends are still around on campus.    So that is the update for now.  Check out the photos and prayer need pages as well. 

Suite Notes,

Well it's been soooo ridiculously long since I posted anything I think I should put my thoughts into a collection or a suite of 3 parts.   The first part would be to write about Band tour.  The second part will be about the 2nd half of the term including graduation.  The "Finale" shall be about our upcoming activities of this coming break from classes.  

Band Tour Tweets

As you may recall our Band Tour's theme was Believing the Promises, Revealing the Lies.  The tour theme really challenged several students to look at what they believed about God, the Bible, and the world around them.  As we prepared for tour I asked for students to give testimonies.   7 students came forward and shared with me written examples of ways that they were learning to trust in God and ignore the lies of this world.  These Students' testimonies gripped me as they talked about how they misunderstood their self worth or had a faulty perceptions of who they were.  Through their digging into scripture they were able to find encouragement and offer real examples of hope to our audiences.   Throughout the tour of 6 concerts, our students were constantly surrounded by students at the schools where we performed.  Each student had the opportunity to speak about what God's promises meant to them.     The reflection and devotion time on Friday and Saturday night were the highlight of the tour for me this year.  The way that our students challenge each other to trust in God and to ignore Satan's lies were great to hear.   The other highlight would be the complete absence of accidents this year.    That would definitely be on the praise item list.  Nate was incredible as a leader on the loading crew this year.  

 We enjoyed a great audience at Precious Blood Girls Catholic school.  Our students loved the interaction with them. 
 The sections presented an educational Demo.   Here Nate and his buddies performed a brief portion of an arrangement of "Lassus Trombone"

Second Half Summary.  

Well, after band tour, the term really flew by.  We had lot's of students over for wonderful Wednesdays with Waffles.   Our sophomore class moved towards choosing a theme to present our banquet next year.  The theme is a secret but you'll be hearing  more than you'd want to know about this event in the months to come.  For now, let's just say,  we have  a lot of work to get done.   Amanda is on the logistics committee and Steve will head up entertainment.  A highlight for the year would certainly be the privilege of baptizing two of my students.  These students have met with me regularly this year. One of them was meeting with me in a discipleship group.  The girl took private lessons and played in most of the music groups here at RVA.  It was great to see them take this step of declaring their faith publically.


And as all school years, conclude, we concluded with graduation.  However, the day before was a fun little surprise as I fulfilled a promise and took a Senior boy fly fishing at a nearby lake.    We caught a few in the small river that feeds into the lake but nothing actually in the lake.  There were 3 other guys that I got to take and one father who stayed the extra night before taking his son home.    The highlight of that day was hearing one of these guys share how he has really gotten serious in his relationship with God.    Graduation went well, at least as well as can be expected as we say good byes to our students and realize, "I may never see so many of them again".   The father who spent the night with us said "this school is like no other place"  because we had kids in our car who's parents were working in Mozambique, Rwanda, Kenya,  from Canada, U.S.A, Japan and New Zealand.   Our students truly go all over the world.   It's our prayer for them to change it for God's glory.

Upcoming Events

Now that school is out, we are catching up on correspondence,  filing papers for work, planning next term, and trying to get healthier.  The health part is going to be the hard way for Amanda and I.  Amanda has had a real hassles with the return of plantar fasciitis.  She is limping around with a boot on her foot trying to let PT do the work.  Slowly it is seeming to get better but still rather uncomfortable.   On Tuesday the 30th, I'll be having surgery on my shoulder to repair my AC joint as well as have my carpel tunnel opened up in my wrist.  Thus the need to get this note sent off since  I won't be typing for a while.    Hopefully I'll be back to taking on the world two handedly in about 2 weeks.  We'll see.  Meanwhile the floor in our house is being tiled, the kitchen will get painted and we are getting other houses ready for new and returning staff.  Please pray especially for the Nielsen family, they have been trying to return but due to support shortages, they have been delayed almost 6 months.  We really need them back on staff as well as other families.   Drop us a note. We'd love to hear from you.  With eternity in mind... Steve for the tribe. 

Well, it's tour time again for Wind Ensemble.  We are about to embark on a 3 day, 6 concert tour of schools and churches in Nairobi.   We will be able to speak freely about our theme at all 6 venues.   The theme for this year's tour is "Believing the Promises, Revealing the Lies".  We are looking at the promises that God gives us and the lies that Satan tries to tell us.  We are hoping that through our music and the students testimonies that we will encourage our audiences.    Our prayer request is that as we go, we would truly embrace the promises of God in our own hearts.   We would ask for prayers for safe travel.  The last 2 years we have had accidents in the buses.  No one has been injured but these accidents have delayed concerts and been very expensive.   We would also ask for prayer that the students will be able to focus.  We normally go on tour the weekend before mid term but this year's calendar had to be changed. This past weekend all the students went off campus for midterm. (We posted photos in the family section of our adventures)  The senior class is returning today from their "senior safari" to the beach.   They arrive tonight, have classes tomorrow, 2 rehearsals  and we leave Friday Morning for tour.    We have tried to learn 5 new pieces in 6 weeks of rehearsals so the students will need to be very focused not to mention the conductor :-)  I still have many things to master in my conducting of this music as well as devotional thoughts for concerts.    Thanks for your prayers. 

Don't Count the Days, Make the Day's Count

Hopefully you are enjoying the spring weather and anticipating a beautiful summer.  For some of you, the school year is coming to an end.  Congrats to those graduating and to those who have made it through another year of learning.   It seems like we are just getting starting on our third term however, we've already finished 4 weeks of school.    The time is flying by and as they do I'm reflecting a phrase I heard just before leaving the States.  It says  " The way you spend your days is the way you spend your life."   Well, as I think of my days that have blurred by, I wonder how am I spending my life.  It is a constant reminder to me to make the days count,.... not just to count the days.   I spend a lot of time teaching, organizing, searching for the things I lost because I still need to organize, preparing for the next class or rehearsal, learning about new technology...and the list goes on.  However, my awareness is heightened to what is most important.  I must spend my days building up individuals in their relationship with Christ and focusing on Kingdom work.  I hope you find at the end of today that you can see some ways that you've laughed, loved and learned, all because of Christ and his call to seek His kingdom first.  Please check out the prayer request section of the web site for updated requests.

When we went to visit my sister in NY this winter, we learned about snow conditions called the "lake effect".    Well, now that we are back in Kenya we learned about the African version of the lake affect.  We've been getting about .5 to 1 inch of rain every other day for the last 18 days.  It has been very wet here.  Then we had 2 days of sun and then last night we got 5. 3 inches of rain in about 5 hours.   This has lead to major mud slides in the community.    We are grateful that although severe damage occurred to the campus fence, nothing happened to any of the campus houses or the national's houses nearby.    We are very concerned that the road to the school has been weakened.  There has been such erosion beside the road that it may not withstand the weight of traffic.  Check out the photos.   The mud slide covers about 1,000 meters of devastation.   The photos work down the hill that is the side of the campus.  The last photo with Janelle looks back up the hill.  Thanks for your prayers.

People say that time fly's when you're having fun.  Well, I had no idea that we were having sooooo much fun that more than a week has flown by since we left.   We had a good trip on the airplane ride to London (about 8 hours) and then a brief 4 hour layover and then 9 more hours on the plane to Nairobi. We were the last ones off the plane, as our seats were pretty far in the back of the cattle car section.  We  have never found it helpful nor soothing to be in a rush to get off the plane only to hurry up and wait at immigration and then hurry up and wait for luggage.    This trip only proved that our theory of go slow was worth it.  After finally getting to the baggage claim, not one of our 20 pieces was appearing on the conveyer belt.   However, shortly after arriving, all 20 pieces made it and nothing seemed damaged or missing.   So we loaded up the carts, explained to the customs official that we were moving here for another 2.5 years and she waved us through as we were some of the last to leave.   The gents to our right were getting a bit upset about being charged duty for something so perhaps the lady clearing us didn't want to miss any of that excitement.  In any case, we were quite relieved to see our friends waiting for us and the bus ready to carry us and the luggage back to our home.  Our trip from the airport to Kijabe at night was uneventful.  Thankfully!!  There was  a bit of heavy rain but by 10:30 p.m. the traffic was rather clear.    By 12:00 a.m. we arrived at the gate of RVA only to be surprised by 3 of our children's friends who had gotten a call that we were on our way and timed it so they could come out and see us.  WOW what an encouraging welcome.    We got the luggage off the bus and into our car and a van so that we could take the narrow road up to our driveway and turn around once the luggage was off loaded.    By 2:00 a.m. we were really tuckered and headed to bed.

It' now been 9 days since we arrived and we are mostly unpacked and have gotten things out of storage and settled in.   We were blessed by folks that had us over for dinner the first few nights as well as a friend that drove Amanda to Nairobi for a big grocery shopping trip.   Then the meetings for school kicked in, and now as of Tuesday, school has been in full swing.      It is good to be back for the most part.  Amanda's allergies were horrid by 2 hours after arrival and remain a test to her daily stamina.   We found that a few tools like a vise and bench grinder that were in the car port were stolen while we were gone.  This has been teaching us to remember to hold onto material things loosely.    The students and friends are great to come back to .... the work load is still work.   It is also difficult to be far away from family that is going through some tough times.    This only magnifies our need to spend daily time in prayer.     So with that thought, I'll close this post and spend a bit of time in prayer before I close my eyes.  Keep us in your prayers.  Asante  ( thanks in Swahili)

Time is Flying... and We will too

It is amazing to think that we are supposed to be boarding a plane in just 12 days.    I think we may start writing our own song.... "the 12 days of packing".   We are doing the final purchases for things to take back.  We must make our  calculations to make sure that our stock of chocolate chips is going to be enough to last for all the cookies we want to make for students at RVA.  Meanwhile, we look for the heavy stuff to pack with the light, the bulky to pack with the small and so forth.  All the while submitting our packing efforts to the scrutiny of the almighty scale.     

Several  folks have asked for an update on our financial support so we'll post it here.   We are still seeking to raise support in order to receive approval from our mission.   We need to raise around $400 a month to be fully supported.   We are grateful for the way that God has brought several new partners onto our team.   We are always amazed at how He and He alone provides.  

We got an email from a family that has been partnering with us for a long time.  I think their words clearly tell how they truly understand the concept of being a partner in ministry to Africa.   They wrote: We are definitely praying and have also been keeping our eyes on the situation in Kenya.    I just saw your blog update and I liked how you put it that you are sure that if it's God's will for you to be back in Kenya, He'll provide for it.  God's provision really is quite astounding - over and over again.  We feel so glad to be a part of the work that you guys are doing, and then to have a small part in what all the missionaries there in Africa are doing.  It's fun to be in God's picture, so to speak.  What a blessing to have the prayers and the partnership.  If you are interested in partnering with us, please click on the support link in the side bar or send us an email.  

While reflecting on Easter, the greatest day in history, it serves as a catapult for us to head back to our part of the mission field.  Though we may not feel completely ready, nor do we have full support yet,  we know the fields are "white for harvest".   We are partners in "gathering fruit for life eternal"  because eternity matters.   More posts coming soon.   On the 12th day of packing, my true love said to me..."gather all the cloths and shoes"  Check out a few new photos in family fun.

On the TEAM,

Well, it's been a few weeks and we've been doing a lot of speaking.   This has gone well overall, at least from my view point but perhaps not from all those who have to hear me speak:-)  I know that my children are definitely ready for me to stop speaking and start packing.  However, we are most grateful for the ways that we have been able to interact with people through luncheons after the church services.  We enjoy hearing other peoples stories of why they are interested in Kenya and the ministries in Africa.   It's great to hear of people who are keenly interested in what is happening to share Jesus with people in African countries.   Feel free to email us  with your point of interest in Kenya.

There is less than 3 weeks  until we leave for Kenya.   We still have some financial support to raise, some shopping for clothes for our children and shopping for Amanda.   We also will be trying to pick out and orders some supplies for the band and the student health center.   Home schooling is almost finished but it will give way only for the home school area to be turned into a packing room.   The packing will certainly be much more difficult or at least different with my Dad around to help.   He was always an amazing space saving, efficient packer.  I hope Nate and Evan are up the challenge.   We'll make it a team sport.  Super packing.  

Karibu (Welcome) 

Greetings from Steve and Amanda Taylor.  We've been ministering at Rift Valley Academy (RVA) for almost 20 years.  We thought it is about time for us get in sync with technology and share some of our story on a blog.  The words of 2 Corinthians 4:5-7 seem fitting at the beginning of this  journey in the world wide web.  "For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond servants for Jesus sake.  For God, who said, "light shall shine out of darkness." is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves."   We want this blog to be about more than just our lives.  It's about what God is doing in Africa, in our hearts and in the lives and hearts of those that we come in contact with.

This being said, we are grateful that while we are in the U.S., we have been able to see so many long time friends and make some new ones in the last 3 months.  We are in the U.S. for the primary purpose of reconnecting with family and friends.  Our last time in the States was 2 years ago so it is important to get back and revive relationships personally.  We are also here to raise awareness for what God is doing in Africa and to give people here the opportunity to partner with ministries in Africa.  In this month of March, we will be speaking every Sunday at a different church.  Pray that we would point people to Jesus and His calling to His church.  Stay tuned for further updates and blogs.

A glance at our schedule:
February 10, 2013 Thanks for a great time at Central Presbyterian Church
March 3, 2013 we will be sharing with Cornerstone Church
March 10, 2013 we will be sharing with Hunt Valley Church
March 17, 2013 we will be sharing with Timonium Presbyterian Church
March 24, 2013 we will be visiting Jerusalem Chapel Church in Virginia