Happy 2017!

…I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one!

We’ve begun the year in a whirl of traveling, planning, and adjusting, and it’s only January 10th. With big events coming up, youth groups starting back and Camp Bluesky sneaking up on us, we have a LOT to prepare for!

In the midst of that whirlwind, we moved houses! Usually moving is a stressful process, but thankfully it has been more rejuvenating and life-giving for us.

Just to re-cap, the last 5 months we were fortunate enough to rent a home from our pastor’s family, while they were away in the U.S. for furlough. We shared their home with another couple, to ease the cost of rent and to make good use of their 5 bedroom house! This was truly a blessing, as it allowed us to adjust to our new life in Kenya without the burden of trying to find an immediate living situation. It gave us time to settle in a new country and culture before beginning our housing search.

After days of house-hunting and many prayers, we have found a home and it is WONDERFUL. Seriously, we couldn’t ask for a better place. It is located within 5 minutes of walking distance to one of the schools…in a coveted, secure neighborhood.  It’s nothing short of a miracle from the Lord!

To give you some insight on what makes this a miracle, let me explain.

Our ministry focus is within the international community of Nairobi…specifically the Gigiri area. Thus, we hoped to live somewhat near Gigiri so that our ministry could flourish  and we could be used to our full potential.

However, it is an expensive place to live! (Surprising for Africa, right?) With the United Nations and a number of embassies just around the corner, Gigiri is a hotspot for housing. Unfortunately, employees of the UN and embassies are often allotted a housing stipend…reaching up to $4000 per month. Home owners know this, so they raise their rental prices to match the stipend allowances. …With 1/4 of that as our budget, we can’t compete with that!

…We can’t, but nothing is out of reach for our Lord.

We spent our days looking for a guest house…something small, just our size. A place where Willow could run around and a space big enough for the two of us.  We didn’t need one of the many 5+ bedroom houses that populate this area. We just needed something simple and efficient. We would have loved find a home where we could host ministry activities, but a guest house isn’t really the best place for that. Still, we worked with what we had.

..and lo and behold…

God knew we didn’t need a giant house. He also knew we didn’t need a guest house. He knew exactly what we needed… and we couldn’t have imagined it better!

One day, on a walk near the Mixon’s house, something prompted us to stop and ask one of the guards on the street if any guest homes were “to let.” His discouraging answer of, “no,” was immediately followed by, “…but this house here has the upstairs available for rent.”

A big house had been converted into two living spaces. Not a tiny guest house. Not a giant mansion. A house that fit just right. 

It was a bit outside of our price range, but God is not a God of limits. He provided what we needed with one big swoosh of his Spirit moving.

Oh, Lord, thank you. May this house be YOUR house. Use it as extension of our church…may it be a welcoming,safe, relaxing, Spirit-filled environment for all who enter!

Now, we are getting settled. Our 3 bedroom 3 bath home is perfectly located and plenty big for us and our ministry. We hope to use it wisely, giving it back to the Lord for His work.

2017, we can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us!