Blessings with Family and Friends

January 2017.  We've had a good time this month  of December  working on things outside of school.  Our family has had a chance to individually, as well as collectively, visit many of our friends in the community.   While Nate has been here, we went to see our good friend Margaret and her family.   Nate was a big surprise to Margaret,  so much so we thought she might pass out.  We spent all afternoon at her house reminiscing about old times when Margaret took care of the children when they were babies.  Margaret's mom was there too and enjoyed seeing everyone.  

Amanda and I had the bitter sweet pleasure of supporting our friend Steven Mwaura at his Father's funeral.  The death was a big surprise to the family as Steven's dad had been in rather good health.  However, the fact that Steven's Dad loved Jesus was a comfort to everyone.  The funeral was an all day event, I learned a few more Kikuyu words as we listened to many people preach in the local tribal language.   We saw choir after choir share songs of hope and assurance.  To our amazement we witnessed 2 Shoshos' ( granma's) from the village who were nearly 100 years old sing and dance for the Steven's mom and family. 

A week after the funeral Nate had arrived and we went to join Steven and his family again.   It was a great day to celebrate what God was doing in his family, their ministry and to encourage his Mom.   We joined them for an amazing meal and as traditional with our families, we brought a cake.   However, this time was different.  After the cake was finished, Steven's daughter Faith, carefully licked out the left over crumbs and icing.  She said, "When your pastor from America came, I learned I should do this."  Way to go Pastor Denny,  after all, icing is always best after the cake is finished.     We spent the afternoon playing with the children and talking.  It was a great day together and we closed with a sweet time of prayer for one another.   

Evan and I worked on the house for Joel. Joel works for RVA and runs the instrument repair shop.  He is a wonderful blessing to our school and Kenya as our shop is able to repair instruments for several schools in Nairobi.   After almost 2 days, we got all the chainsaw cut timbers made into the joists for the metal roof that was put on the next day.   Joel still needs to compete the inside but he's come a long way on his "dream house".

After this month, we'll be back in full swing with driving buses to get students, teaching classes, teaching Sunday school and various medical tasks to minister to MK's.    We'll be sponsors for the senior class and on our various committees for the school.  We do all this as our " official roles and ministry at our school.  However, we are so grateful to live life along side and with our Kenyan brothers and sisters and we are grateful for the ways get to encourage and love each other. Please pray for our ability to balance ministry to our students and to our neighbors.  

What they said in Church last week.

Dec. 2016  I get excited when I see UPG on the screen each week in our church.   Every week we spotlight the ministry and church planting work of one of the families that sends their children to our school.   Many of our families work with unreached people groups, or UPGs.    Afrirca Inland Mission defines  an unreached people group as a group of people who have less than 2% as Evangelical Christians.  There are at least 600 unreached people groups on the continent of Africa.  Each week we get to hear from students, parents or representatives about the work that is happening in UPGs all over Africa. God is doing a great  work in Africa.  Please also realize that God uses his people and his church to reach the unreached. When you and your church partner with missionaries like us in Africa, you are a significant part of reaching unreached people.  

A few weeks ago, some of my students stood on the stage and shared how their parents have finally been able to baptize new believers in a UPG after years of work.   Another pair of my students shared 2 weeks before that of the dire need of mission work in a remote place in Uganda with a UPG   Until now, there has been no one working with the tribe that their parents are moving to work with.   This tribe is not only unreached but it is referred to as an "unengaged people group".  This means that there is no church planting work begun yet.   Since my students shared with our church/school congregation, 2 doctors and and another couple have come forward to commit to working with this people group.  Wow, an immediate answer to prayers.

Hopefully you read here just a bit of the significance of the body of Christ and your role.   We need to pray for workers to to go to a harvest that is ripe.  We need senders to equip those who are called to go.  We need others like Amanda and I to meet the educational, spiritual, physical and social  needs of the children of the workers.   We see that many of our students are graduating and still involved with a kingdom mind set and are working to reach unreached.      So keep praying for more workers, keep sending workers, keep your church involved, and keep us in your prayers.  PLEASE See the PRAYER  REQUEST SECTION of the Blog for specific request. 

It’s been a great 2nd term to say the least.  We last wrote in January summarizing last year.   It’s hard to believe that we have already finished 2nd term of this school year.   This term was crazy busy but also very exciting.   Amanda and I helped with the Junior class put on the Banquet for the Seniors.  The theme was Arabian nights.  Evan is in the photo playing the keyboard for part of the entertainment.  He also helped to write the play that was performed that evening. The Senior class really enjoyed the food, the entertainment and the fact that they could just relax and didn’t have to work to produce anything.    

The most handsome couples of the evening of coarse.

The class even made the lanterns hanging in the center of this photo.  They were made with our amazing  pottery teacher who is also a class sponsor.  Evan made 4 of them during the December break. 

Amanda and I also got to lead an interim trip to Lake Natron Tanzania.   This trip was intended to give our students the chance to experience new places in Africa.  The students were exposed to Maasai culture, the growth of Christianity within this tribe and they saw the amazing beauty of Lake Natron.    We drove in some of the roughest conditions I’ve ever driven in.  But it was so worth it. 

 Our students led a game day at one of the local schools in Tanzania with the amazing help and translation of a missionary couple.   We played soccer, games with a parachute,musical chairs (without chairs) and attempted to teach them to throw Frisbees. Our sides hurt from laughing so much while we played with these sweet children. We donated soccer balls and pencils to the school. Its is amazing how small things mean so much to the kids.

Musical chairs.... without chairs but extra fun.

Studying Maasai culture gave new insights into the ways that the Gospel message can challenge culture, change lives and give new life to a rich culture.

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This mountain is called Oldoinyo Lengai which is a sacred mountian for the Maasai.  It is also the only active Volcano in Tanzania.

The best part of Banquet and the interim trip was spending lots of time with students.  It’s great to see them learning about themselves, their God and being equipped for real life issues.     It was also fun getting to know these students and having many opportunities to encourage them.  Both groups of students were so satisfied with how their hard work paid off.  Some Students on the trip to Lake Natron were surprised that they could camp for 3 nights and still really enjoy it.   
It was truly rewarding to see both sets of students develop a sense of teamwork and to develop leadership skills.  

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Dear Family and Friends,

We hope this letter finds you well and that you are enjoying the changes to spring time.   We also hope that you had a meaningful celebration of Easter.    We are writing to give you an update on us and to clarify some questions some folks have emailed us lately in concern for our safety and the school's safety.   We are indeed safe and thankful for the Lord's continued protection to our school as well as to the hundreds of parents that work throughout the continent of Africa.   We are deeply saddened by the tragedy of the events in Garissa town in North Eastern Kenya. Garissa is about 5 hours from Kijabe, roughly 260 km north east, about halfway to Lamu. It is a city along a major thoroughfare that provides relatively direct access to the southern border of Somalia. The events that occurred on Thursday April 3rd were claimed to have been carried out by Al-Shab*ab in retaliation for Kenya's role in the African Union Peace Keeping forces in the country of Somalia. They do not bear directly on the security of Rift Valley Academy, other than to represent Al-Shaba*b's intent to cause harm to wherever possible to residents of Kenya, especially those who are nonMuslim.  We are grateful for those of you who have expressed concern for us.   We covet your prayers for the families involved.  There are some pastor's asking that the churches in these areas will be able to love their neighbors and their enemies in light of this atrocity.   We also ask that you continue to pray for the safety of our school and the families that we serve.  Many of our families are reaching into very unreached areas.  We do feel safe over all while here in Kenya and feel that we can go about normal life as in any city in the U.S.  when we travel to the capital, Nairobi.

Our family has been through a busy term and we are thankful for time to catch up  during the few weeks that the school is closed.   Before school ended we took a group of students on an educational trip out of the school for the last week of the term.     It was  great trip to look at issues in Kenya.  We looked at Conservation of Animals and Forests.  We looked at community programs and conflicts as communities and conservation try to coexist.    It was a great trip over all and we were grateful to learn a lot with our students.   One thing we learned is that most predictions from several groups say that Elephants, lions and rhino  in the wild of Kenya will be extinct in 10-15 years.   It is shocking to learn how fast the world is changing.  It was also easy to teach the lesson that the love of money is the root of all evil.  Ivory and rhino horn are extremely valuable around the world and lions are treated as pests by those that want to raise cattle.   One of the encouraging parts of our trip was being able to hand out food to a group that has been really affected by the drought in their region.  They danced and sang songs of praise to God who had answered their prayers. 

We also had the privilege of watching Nate go to his Senior Banquet.   Amanda and I have sponsored the class since 7th grade and we were able to attend the banquet with the students and fellow sponsors.  Wow, the food and decorations were amazing.   In the beginning of March we also participated in a weekend seminar for the seniors in order to prepare them to transition out of RVA and into another culture.   These two guys look deep in thought.  Maybe it is because they know, like all of their classmates, they are leaving the very familiar and supportive environment and going to 2 very different cultures.  Or... maybe they are just deciding if they should go get in line for another cup of chai and donuts :-).  Please pray for our students as many of them are in their home for the last time during the vacation.  They will finish next term and then graduate and get on airplanes to move all over the world.   Transition is part of the MK life but this will be a much bigger transition. 




NEWS FLASH! We are coming back to the U.S. from July 20th for about 5 weeks.  If you know of a place that we could create as home base in Maryland and a vehicle that we could borrow, we would be grateful for any leads.

The sun sets this past term have been wonderful and so photogenic(photo credit to Janelle).   However, there were way too many of them to remind us that the rains didn't come.   Reports from all over Kenya of shortages and drought will never make your TV News but droughts are happening here.    We have just had 5 days of rain but we really need a month of rain.  The famines up north where we went on our trip will not be eliminated by 5 days of rain.    Please pray for God to glorify himself in Kenya as he see's best.   We are often humbled and challenged by the way that Kenyans trust the Lord and are joyful, even in the midst of very tough times. 

We are grateful for your prayers and support.  Without your partnership we couldn't be here.  Please drop us a note and let us know how you are doing.   We love hearing from folks back in the U.S. 


In His Grace and Strength,

Steve Amanda, Nate, Evan, Janelle

Happy New Year!!!!

We went on a drive to explore opportunities for the interim trip we will lead for 11th and 12th graders in March.  This waterfall is in a protected forest about 5 hour drive from here.  We camped out for a night and then explored 4 waterfalls and pools in this forest.   We hope that your new year is filled by the creator of this water and Living water.   Proverbs 25:25 “Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.”  Give away Living Water!! Thanks to those of you who are partnering with us to see Living Water given to a dry and thirsty continent.

A Christmas Wish!

We just want to take a moment to wish each of you a wonder filled celebration of the gift of Jesus Christ.  We know that this time of year can be hectic, fragmented and distracting.  Hopefully you will have some time to sit and reflect on the "reason for the season".  Daily I've been reminded through my reading, interactions with people, family or situations, that I so desperately need a savior.  I need someone who can restore my relationship with my creator.  It is in the African context that I am also reminded that I don't need tacky decorations, excessive amounts of  food, token gifts, to bring peace in my life.    Don't get me wrong, I love a good Christmas meal, the time together decorating and cooking and of course a gift is always fun.  However, what I need is a savior.  After all it's not even "what" but "who" I need.  If I want peace with all of my family, friends, neighbors and community, I'm so aware that I need the gift of Christmas.  Perhaps you're like me and the idea of peace on earth (or at least in Africa) seems a pie in the sky dream.  However, if more would truly receive the gift of Christmas and live as Jesus did,... myself included, there would surely be greater peace on this earth.  I hope each of us will take the opportunity to realize the value of Christmas a little more this year and to make opportunities to give the gift of Christmas away throughout the year.  Peace!!

As I reflect back on another year of working at Rift Valley Academy (RVA), two thoughts have been impressed upon my heart.   The first ties into the photo on the left.  I took this photo while visiting a tea farm up country near Kericho.  This farm is not measured in acres but in kilometers.   It is a huge operation.  Throughout the plantation, there are large sectors for growing trees.  These trees will be harvested and burned in order to run kilns for producing delicious Kenyan tea.    Someone over 80 years ago mapped out this idea of sustainable forests and tea farm management.  Now before you think I'm going tree huger on you, there is a connection between this forest and our work at RVA.    The thought that comes to mind is seeing that we are helping to raise the next generation of workers for God's kingdom.  We must carefully plant, water, occasionally prune and of course feed these future workers.   Then, hopefully each year upon our graduation, we will be "harvesting a crop" of workers for a Kingdom that was masterfully planned before the beginning of time.    Please pray for our work with our students that we will constantly seek to prepare them for work that has eternal benefits.   Unlike the trees, we pray that no matter where our students go, that they will remain well rooted in the promises and truths of God's word.  

The second thought is that this year's graduation in July 2015 will be very different than any we have attended at RVA.  This year our son Nathaniel will be taking that ceremonious walk out of RVA.   We are excited for Nate as we walk down this path to college life for the first time.   Our family will be headed back to the United States for a brief trip to get Nate settled into college and to visit family.  We will return to RVA at the very end of August to get Evan back to his Junior year.   We are not sure at this point where Nate will be attending.  We are still in the college application process.  We also do not know where we will call home base while in the States for those brief 5 weeks. Further more, we don't know what car we will drive. We have a lot to figure out and July will be here before we know it.  We appreciate your prayers for wisdom in planning and for God's provision.  We'd love to hear from you so drop us a note through email at sataylor@rva.org