The Takeaways

A giant baobab tree made of African fabric 
at Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi

Around my table in the conference room at our Nairobi hotel sat five other missionaries: three fellow church planters from different parts of Mozambique; a regional supervisor in Pretoria, South Africa; and a city strategist in Dakar, Senegal. Our job for the week: share our ideas and strategies for the missionary task in our context with one another; give feedback to one another; learn from one another's experience and expertise. This conference was called "Iron on Iron," and our job was to sharpen one another, as iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17).

The following week we headed to Brackenhurst Conference Center in the Nairobi suburb of Tigoni for a regional meeting with our colleagues who serve in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia. Many of these friends had also attended the training with us in Zambia in July, so it was great to see them and catch up, especially for our kids. Brackenhurst was the perfect place for the kids to roam and play, with its sprawling grassy lawns, playgrounds, nature trails, and tea fields. 

Asher was happy  that we found the playground
first thing when we arrived at Brackenhurst.

The Baptist theological college at Brackenhurst,
where our friend Daniel teaches

Daniel and Harvey discussing theological education
on a walk through Brackenhurst

I was impressed by this tree.

Green grass, green trees, colorful flowers

Enjoying the cool on the shady path

We so enjoyed hearing and learning about our colleagues' work, all the ways they are using their gifts and skills to reach Africa with the Gospel. And of course it wouldn't be a mission meeting without lots of laughter and plenty of prayer.

Throughout the two weeks, a volunteer team from Calvary Baptist Church, Lake Havasu City, Arizona, lovingly and joyfully cared for our children during our meetings. They were delightful, and we are so grateful for their generous service.

Our kids performing the songs they learned during the week

Big boy!

Whenever we attend these types of meetings, some form of this question always pops up at the end: What were your takeaways? So I want to share here three of my takeaways, not only from our meetings but from our entire trip and stay in Kenya.

1. Prayer, fasting, Holy Spirit. It's sort of ironic that we spent hours and days discussing missions strategy and learning tools and forms, when perhaps the greatest truth we learned was that no strategy or form can accomplish the work of the Holy Spirit—ultimately the power and the results come from Him. It's clear throughout the book of Acts that it is the Holy Spirit who calls, directs, fills, and transforms hearts and lives, and He often works through prayer and fasting. So as much as we learn and apply tools, strategies, and forms (which can be useful and effective), at the same time we must be fasting and praying for the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of the people and in and through us. (Please join us in this!)

2. Mission family is family. One of the hardest things about moving to the mission field is leaving family. Even though we didn't live near our family during our last few years in the States, we saw them regularly for holidays and vacations—at least three or four times a year. Here, the family we see three or four times a year, at meetings like the ones we just attended, are our missionary colleagues. Of course they don't replace our parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins back home, but I can see how they serve as substitutes in a way. In the past two weeks, with our mission family, we did workouts, played basketball, had game nights, celebrated birthdays, watched OU football, and sat around playing guitar and singing 90's hits (U2, Counting Crows, Oasis—yes, we're old). Now that we're home, we miss the fellowship, and we look forward to the next meetings (or family gatherings) when we'll see our mission family again.

Happy to be reunited with friends we met
at our missionary training in Virginia, including this cutie

These friends now live in Kenya near Brackenhurst,
where Daniel teaches at the Baptist theological college.

MKs acting out Harvey's reading of the story
of Jesus and Peter walking on water

Jesus (Gracie) pulling Peter (friend Micah) out of the water,
while the disciples watch from the boat

(By the way, everywhere we go it seems we find Oklahoma connections. One colleague in Maputo went to UCO and taught in Bartlesville. Our regional leader pastored in Duncan. Some of our colleagues in Malawi are from the Tulsa area. And two of the volunteers who came from Arizona to work with our children have family in Piedmont and visit there regularly.)

3. I heart Kenya. It's cool, it's verdant, it's sophisticated, it's open-armed. In Mozambique, we live on the beach, but this was a different kind of beauty. Flowers everywhere, rolling hills, tea fields. The people were welcoming and generous, and it was a relief to be able to speak English with them, a luxury we don't have in Mozambique. Every day we had tea time in the morning and tea time in the afternoon (well, coffee time for me). And Nairobi has massive malls and great food and shopping. We ate Mexican food. We enjoyed ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. We found things like Starbucks Frappuccino, Sweet 'n Low, and hazelnut coffee syrup (are you sensing a theme here?), as well as hard corn taco shells, barbecue sauce, and maple syrup. The cafe at Brackenhurst had delicious brick-oven pizzas and the best hazelnut lattes. Finally, Harvey and I even got a date night at a Brazilian steakhouse. So we were  beyond blessed to have the opportunity to experience Kenya as we attended our mission meetings there.

We found this Mexican restaurant at Two Rivers Mall in Nairobi.

Not quite Chipotle, but it was a decent burrito (according to Gracie).

Corn tortilla chips!!!!!

A chef at our hotel in Nairobi
helping Asher practice counting

A Nairobi neighborhood we visited to pray for and talk with the people

Shops and housing in the Nairobi neighborhood
where we spent an afternoon

Apartments in Nairobi

Parklands Baptist Church, where we worshipped on Sunday in Nairobi
(it filled up by the end of the service)

Some good old American food in Nairobi

Our little burger kings (and queens)

Judah made me do it.

I think we have Tic Tacs in Mozambique,
but for some reason the kids were excited to find them in Nairobi.

Latte art message from the barista on our last day at our Nairobi hotel

Some soaps I found in Kenya
(same Shea Moisture I would buy at Target in the states!)

A few of the yummy treats I brought home
(that Frappuccino tasted heavenly!)

It's always nice to be home and get back into our routine, but our trip to Kenya and the meetings we had there really could not have gone better. We are thankful for the opportunities our mission gives us to grow and develop through training and interaction with other missionaries, and we are thankful that they take such good care of us in our travel and lodging. And the mission is able to do that because of the generous giving of Southern Baptists. If you have given to the IMB or a Southern Baptist Church, you contributed to this valuable experience for us, so thank you.

I took many ideas and much encouragement away from the meetings in Kenya. Now I must take those ideas and, motivated by the encouragement I received, put them into practice in Nacala and as I plan for Pemba. We were poured into so that we can go and pour ourselves out. Maybe that's my number one takeaway.

"You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:1–2).

These girls love a plane ride!

Happy to fly to Kenya; now happy to be home