***This post was originally written in mid-January, but we realized we never published it! Better late than never, right?
We want to begin this newsletter by sharing some incredible news that we have just received. Based on the support that we have raised, and the commitments that have been made, we have been approved and released to return to Kenya in March! We are extremely excited to get back to Kenya, and to continue and expand our work and partnerships there. We are thankful for the generous and faithful support of all of you that have made this possible. The last 18 months of travel and itineration have been amazing, but also difficult and arduous at times. During this time we have spoken at 70 churches, over 50 events, and driven over 50,000 miles…while juggling work and life with young kids. But it has also been an encouraging and refreshing season, because of the amazing people that we have met and the friends that we have made. We can’t thank those of you that pray for us and support us enough. We are so grateful for your partnership!
So, what do the next several weeks look like for us? We have a lot of planning to do and preparations to make. First of all, we want to finish up our lives here well. Jessica will wrap up her work at Falcon Children’s Home this week, and I will be done tutoring, for the most part. We will begin packing up all of our belongings, purchasing items that we will need for the next 3 years, and organizing a shipping container. There is much to do!
Our main focus the coming weeks will be to maximize our time with family and friends. The most difficult part of this journey is before us. We have lived abroad for 5 years. Our children have lived abroad, and were born in Kenya. We know the difficulty of saying goodbye to family, but this departure will be the toughest. Being home for 18 months has allowed us to spend a lot of time with family, and the kids have gotten used to having their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins as a part of their daily lives. We know the goodbyes will be tough for all of us. That’s why we are going to spend as much time with them as possible in the coming weeks. Next week, Jessica’s family is generously taking us to Disney World! They wanted to take Sophie and Ethan before we left, and luckily they are letting Jessica and I tag along as well! We are all very excited about this trip. We can’t wait to see the kids reactions. They nearly explode with joy in the Disney Store, so we can’t imagine how Disney World is going to affect them. We are speaking at a church in South GA this weekend, and then we will head to Disney from there. We are also planning to visit and meet up with some of our closest friends and faithful supporters in OR before we leave. We also hope to find ways to see as many friends and supporters as possible in the coming weeks.
We appreciate your continued prayer during this transition time, both for us and our extended families. We love and appreciate you all.
Philippians 1:3-6
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all of my prayers for all of you. I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion, until the day of Christ Jesus.
Speaking Opportunities:
Speaking at Freedom Life Church Charleston.
We are grateful to have had the opportunity to speak at several more wonderful churches in the past several weeks. Thanks to to all of these churches and pastors.
Churches Visited Since Last Update:
–Maryville PH Church (Georgetown, SC)
–Crossroads Church (Petersburg, VA)
–Peniel PH Church (Royston, GA)
–Upward Christian Fellowship (Flat Rock, NC)
–Freedom Life (Charleston, SC)
–Bible Heritage (Waycross, GA)
Recent Happenings:
Opportunity to Give/Support:
As always, we are looking for opportunities to expand our network of partners. If you are currently one of our partners, would you prayerfully consider sharing about our ministry with your friends and family? We would love to have open doors into new churches, small groups, and home groups. If you have friends, family, or contacts that you feel may be interested in learning about our vision for outreach in Kenya, please let us know.
Click here for more details about our ministry.
Interested in becoming a Partner?
You can make a donation or become monthly supporter by clicking here. Information for mailing checks can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.
Grace and Peace,
Jamie, Jessica, Sophie, and Ethan
THE DUNNINGS IN KENYA 