"A bit" busy

Since I last entered a blog post, we have experienced quite "a bit."  "A bit" is a phrase that I have learned usually means more than we understand it to mean in America.  For instance, you might hear that "the road is a bit dusty"

or that "the road is a bit muddy"

or it is "a bit cold" or the child was having "a bit of respiratory distress."  My personal favorite, while we were shopping for vehicles, was "the only problem with the car is that the engine smokes A BIT."  No thanks.  I wondered where that use of the word came from, so I looked it up in the authority of Apple Dictionary.  A portion of the entry reads:

bit  |bit|
noun
1. a small piece, part, or quantity of something : give the duck a bit of bread | he read bits of his work to me.
• ( a bit) a fair amount : there's a bit to talk about there. (emphasis mine)
• ( a bit) a short time or distance : I fell asleep for a bit.

So, actually "a bit" legitimately can mean "a fair amount"... i.e., "a lot."  It is very interesting to see how one language translates into another, and how literal translations do not always convey the popular meaning of a phrase.

Anyway, that was a huge aside!  After our brief getaway that I mentioned in the last post, we attended AIM's annual Eastern Region Conference where we were able to reconnect with friends we met at ABO and meet new friends that are a part of AIM serving in much more difficult areas of Kenya.  These families in several different northern areas had traveled 2-3 days to the conference (which was between Kijabe and Nairobi).    We learned that many of these folks do not have access to any medical care to speak of, and they do not always have good radio connection or internet with which to call with questions or concerns.  They described that, although they have no medical training, the local peoples come to them with their medical needs because they see them as having education and resources.  And their medical needs are not as straightforward and tidy as warts or strep throat!  Each of these families described times when someone had come to them, only to have the person die in their yard or their home or their car as they tried to drive the several hours to get some kind of help.  When you hear about barriers to healthcare being distance to a medical facility or transportation, it is very real.

An exciting aspect of this situation is that the hearts of these local peoples, who are often quite resistant to anyone outside of their tribe (Kenyan or foreigner), are becoming open to the love of Jesus by watching these missionaries struggle with them to get care.  The missionaries are doing all they can and totally depending on God for direction and provision when they reach the end of their human abilities.  By living transparently alongside these peoples, they are winning their trust and listening to their message of God's love for them. 

Another issue for these tribes in the more remote areas is that they don't have Bibles in their languages, so they cannot read and learn once they become Christians.  I can't go into the whole story of how these devices came to be available to these particular missionaries, which was totally God-directed, but World Mission developed a little device called The Treasure to alleviate the problem.

Front:  Very simple controls, speaker, and sturdy casing.

Back: Solar panel which feeds rechargeable batteries.  It all fits into the palm of your hand!

World Mission (or the missionary in some cases) records the Bible and often other audio resources in the appropriate language, World Mission loads the recordings onto the devices and ships them to the missionaries, and they subsequently distribute them as they see the need.  They are being shared among the tribe members and are becoming tools for the local peoples to spread the Good News among their own members!  Very exciting! 
(You can read more about it at http://www.worldmission.cc/index.php/the-treasure/#givegift)

On a frivolous note, here is a photo of our shower at the conference.  Why?  Because it is the best shower I have had in Kenya....the water was hot, the water pressure was good, and water came out of the entire shower head!  So what if I had to wear flipflops!!

Here are Rick and Anna practicing their skit for the "Talent Show" that Rick also emceed.  I would've posted the hilarious skit, but it is too much memory.

To share another "I can't believe I just said that moment".... as I walked by this car in the parking lot at the conference, I said to Rick "Wow, that's nice!  Two spares."  Really?!  But I was serious.  I don't know how you shop for cars or what you admire about them, but I have never been impressed by two spare tires before coming to Kenya!

Wow - two spares!

Lots more to share about the last two weeks, but I will have to split it up.  Thanks for being a part of our journey!

 Much love this Christmas,
Sarah

Isaiah 55:6-13
⁶ Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.
⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰ “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
¹¹ So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
¹² “For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
¹³ “Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up,
And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up,
And it will be a memorial to the Lord,
For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”