“Behold, you come. And your coming is neither past nor future, but the present, which has only to reach its fulfillment.” -Karl Rahner
Advent is the season when we are especially mindful of “the coming” of Christ. It is not only of his coming 2,000 years ago, when he entered the world as a child, walked among us, taught us how to live and love, and ultimately offered himself as a sacrifice for our redemption. Neither is it only of his future coming, when he will establish his Kingdom in fullness and all of creation will be restored. But it is also of his present coming, in the here and now. Christ comes to us in every moment of every day. He comes to us through the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit that draws us to him. When truth is spoken and grace is offered, he comes to us. When light is chosen over darkness and peace instead of war, when love is offered and hate is rejected, he comes. He comes to us through the beauty of creation and the splendor of the heavens. He comes to us in the faces of the “least of these” and urges us to serve him by serving others. During this season of Advent, I pray that we never fail to recognize him when he comes to us.

It is difficult for us to believe, but we have now been back in the States for 4 months. We have settled in and developed a routine of what our lives will be during our time home. It is busy and frantic, but wonderful as well. The following is an update on our lives over the last several weeks. This past month has been overshadowed by the tragedy at Westgate in Nairobi on September 21 (we shared a few thoughts on the attack in a post that is below this one). It is still difficult for us to process this senseless act of terror, but we continue to pray for all affected.

Travel/Fundraising: We have had a busy and successful month of traveling and speaking. We have driven over 1,600 miles this month, speaking at 5 different churches and attending 5 Global Outreach Rallies in S.C. We are thankful for all of the people we have had the opportunity to meet during our visits, and for those that have felt led to partner with us through prayers and support. We are grateful to the Pastors and congregations of Maranatha PH (Turbeville, SC), Farrington Road Baptist (Durham, NC), Manly Grove (Mt, Olive, NC), New Life Worship (Wadesboro, NC) and Destiny Now-Hope Mills (Hope Mills, NC) for opening their doors to us. We have been blessed by each church we have visited, and we praise the Lord for what He is doing in each of them.
Our travel schedule is starting to fill up a bit, but we still have several open dates in November and December. We would love to visit your church, small group, home, etc., to tell you more about our vision and heart. Let us know if you are interested.

Jamie and Jess: Jess has settled into her job at Falcon Children’s Home. She is working with Marketing and Public Relations and enjoying the challenge. We were so blessed that this opportunity opened up for her while we are home. I (Jamie) am at home, organizing our travel schedule, making contacts, and handling other ministry related tasks. I am also enjoying my role as stay-at-home Dad. The time with the kids is awesome, but the laundry, dishes, and grocery shopping is not as enjoyable. It is a blessing, though, to be able to watch the kids grow each day. Whether we are doing “pre-school,” writing songs on the ukulele, keeping Ethan from destroying himself and the house, playing soccer, or on one of our daily trips to the park, it is a blessing to be able to have this time with them. I have also started tutoring at the Falcon Children’s Home three afternoons a week, and look forward to being “in the classroom” for a few hours each week.

Sophie and Ethan: The kids are doing well and adjusting to our new lives here. Sophie is getting smarter every day. She loves preschool with Daddy. She is working on recognizing letters and knowing the associated sounds, as well as on basic addition. She has really been missing her friends in Kenya. She loves playing with her cousins, Emery and Rayf, but she sees them just a few times a week, and in Kenya she had several neighbors that she played with all day, every day while were at work. So she has started taking a dance/gymnastics class once a week at the Little Gym in Fayetteville. The class is for 3-4 yr. olds and it is an introduction to ballet, tap, and gymnastics, but in a laid-back and playful atmosphere. She is loving her “ballerina class” and getting to dance, tap, and flip with other little girls once a week. She is growing and maturing so much. The thing that impresses us the most about her these days is how intuitive and thoughtful she is. She notices things, makes amazing inferences, and is socially aware beyond her years. She is loving being close to family and loves every second with grandparents, cousins and aunts and uncles, but she still asks about going “home” to Kenya a few times a week. She did tell us today that she likes it when we visit churches and meet new people….so that is good, because we are doing a lot of that!
Ethan is growing and keeping us busy! He is very active and is a curious explorer. He is fascinated by mechanical things and loves to figure out how things work, especially trucks, tractors, trains and planes. His curious nature is awesome, but we have to watch him closely because his curiosity, and his ability to climb nearly anything, often puts him in precarious situations. The other day I found him standing on the dining room table swinging the light fixture (he could just get his fingers on it enough to make it sway). He most enjoys sneaking into the bathroom so that he can climb into the sink and turn the water on. Needless to say we have a strict “all doors closed” policy…but just a few days ago he figured out how to turn doorknobs….sigh. He has really started taking off with his speech. He is using dozens of words and can communicate most anything that he wants. One of his newer words that we love hearing is “truck” (he sounds like he is speaking Arabic when he says it…with a throat clearing ending. It is really cute).

Trip to California: In the beginning of September we were able to take a trip to San Jose, CA, to visit some of our closest friends, David and Iniray Luper. David has an amazing job working at Apple with the maps team (if you have seen the icons on Apple Maps for hotels, restaurants, and businesses, with reviews from Yelp…well Dave’s work makes that happen). It was our first trip to CA. We spent some time in San Francisco, hiking among the giant redwoods in Muir Woods National Park, driving up the scenic coastline on Highway 1, and eating good food….but most importantly we got to spend some time with our friends that we hadn’t seen in 3 years. They are two of the most genuine and generous people we know, and we are so grateful to have them as friends.

1st Football Season in 6 Years!: Technically, we have watched football the last 5 years, BUT, we have had to record games or watch in the middle of the night. We definitely haven’t been able to go to any live games. Since being home we have been able to go to NC State-Clemson (Jess enjoyed the outcome more than I did), Clemson-Wake Forest, and we will be heading to Clemson-Florida State next week. We would love to be able to catch a Skins game in D.C. while home, but that is more of a long-shot. We both love football, so being able to be home during the season for the 1st time in 6 seasons has been an added bonus.

Well, that is what is new with us. We are blessed and exhausted, but full of joy….thanks for stopping by.

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Many of you are aware of the horrible tragedy that took place last week at Westgate Mall in Nairobi. A group of Al-Shabab militants stormed the mall killing and injuring numerous innocent people and destroying the shopping center in the process. This act of terror hit very close to home for us. Even though we are currently 8,000 miles away, at home in the States, Nairobi has been our home for the last 5 years. We are currently working towards returning to Kenya where we plan to live and serve for the foreseeable future. We have many friends and loved ones in Nairobi. I have former students that were in the mall with their families when the attack happened. Westgate is a place that we visit frequently. It is a place we go for dinner, to have a cup of coffee, to catch a movie, to visit our favorite bookstore , or to shop at Masai Market, which opens every Tuesday in the roof-top parking lot (the same roof-top parking lot that collapsed into the floors below it). Seeing the terror and destruction that happened there last Saturday was difficult for us, because we can picture ourselves there. We have walked those halls and had coffee at those cafés. Seeing images of the kids that were affected was even more heart-wrenching…..our children have been there dozens of times. Had we still been in Kenya we could have easily been at Westgate last Saturday afternoon.

However, as tough as it is for us to process this horrendous tragedy….we weren’t there. We weren’t harmed. Our children are safe. So our pain is nothing compared to those that were. Our hearts are broken for these victims…children that lost their parents, parents that lost their children, people that lost their spouses, friends, and loved ones. The hundreds of people that were injured physically, and the countless more that will have to deal with emotional and psychological damage for the rest of their lives. We can not fathom the depth of suffering. Our prayers are with them.

We don’t understand the evil that would possess people to commit these types of heinous acts. This isn’t the first time Al-Shabab has attacked Kenya. They have been responsible for kidnappings and several other, smaller, attacks in the last 2 years. They have also claimed responsibility for a couple of attacks in Kenyan border towns this week….but we pray for them as well.

Thank you to those of you that have contacted us offering condolences and your prayers. Please continue to pray for peace, strength, and healing for all of these people and families that were victims of this tragedy.

If you would like to assist those affected you can make on-line contributions through Kenya Red Cross (www.kenyaredcross.org). We also have friends in Nairobi that have organized collections if you would like that contact info.

We have now been back in the States for nearly 3 months and we finally feel like we are settling into a bit of a routine. After nearly 3 months of settling in and figuring things out, we feel like we now have an idea of what our lives will look like during our time here. Since being home we have had the opportunity to speak at 6 different churches/events in NC and SC, attended General Conference and School of Missions in Dallas, and attended Campmeeting services in NC and SC. We have already driven over 3,500 miles…all with Soph and Ethan, who have been simply amazing at rolling with everything. God blessed us with 2 amazing kids.

In addition to traveling, speaking, and fundraising, we have also settled into new jobs. Jessica has been blessed with a position at the Falcon Children’s Home, working 4 days a week as the Director of Marketing and Fundraising……I am staying home with Sophie and Ethan (Have you seen Daddy Daycare?), organizing our travel and speaking schedule, preparing for our speaking engagements, and representing our family at periodic missions meetings and meals. I will also be tutoring three afternoons per week at Falcon Children’s Home, and substitute teaching in nearby schools occasionally, as our schedule permits. I have also been grateful for the opportunity to assist my Dad with his work (Falcon Woodcrafters) a few times a week…it is great having the chance to spend that time with him.

We are enjoying the home we have in Falcon, NC. We are right beside the town park and are a short walk from my parents….from being 8,000 miles to away to 300 ft. away. My brother and his family also live nearby. We have also been fortunate to have already had several occasions to spend extended amounts of time with Jessica’s family. We are enjoying seeing family and friends often and are trying to make the most of it while we are here.

This coming weekend we will be traveling to San Jose, CA, to see our close friends, David and Iniray Luper. Not only are they dear friends, but they are also two of the most generous and giving people we know. We are so grateful for them and we can’t wait to spend a few days with them in CA.

Our travel schedule is coming together, but we do still have a few openings in October and November. If you are interested in having us share at your church, small group, home, school, or any other event…please get in touch with us.

We are only at the beginning of this journey, but we have already realized that it is a journey that requires great faith…and we have already seen countless examples of God’s providence. We do want to extend our gratitude to Kingsway, Culbreth Memorial, East Marion, and Rehobeth P.H. Churches, and the young adult small group of Fayetteville First Baptist, for inviting us to be with you. We were blessed by each of you and are grateful for for your encouragement.

Also…Thanks to Pablo Avila (www.thePABlab.com) for designing our support cards!

This past weekend we were in Dallas, TX, for General Conference and School of Missions. It was a great time to connect with old friends, build new relationships, and gain wisdom from leadership and other missionaries. While there we also received confirmation of our field of service and were given our detailed job description. We are very excited to announce that we will be returning to Kenya. We will coordinate People to People projects in Kenya as well as pioneer a sustainable development program. We also have a vision for beginning a micro-finance loan program for pastors and church workers in Kenya. We are very excited about the vision we have. In many ways Kenya feels like another home to us….after living there for 5 years and with both of our children being born there…it has a huge place in our hearts. When we decided to pursue a life as career missionaries we thought that it would require a move away from Kenya, but we are thrilled that God has opened the door for us to return.