It is hard to believe that it has been nine years since that fateful day. Thank you to all those who serve our country and protect our freedom.

After our trip home to see family it has been neat to be back and realize we also have a different family over here. Lots of “uncles” and “aunts”. During some of the harder times for other missionary families it has been encouraging to see our SIM family stepping in and helping out. It could be as simple as an uncle rough housing with one of the younger guys while their dad is away. I was able to snap a picture of Avery and her “uncle” Caleb having a deep discussion of some sort one afternoon. It is neat to see how little ones can soften up even rough and tough guys.

Those words really jumped off the page today as I finished up the first week in Beth Moore’s study, A Heart Like His. I wanted to share a bit more of what she wrote, since she sums it up pretty nicely.

David wanted God to use him to bring Israel victory in the name of the Lord. He had just one obstacle: Goliath. Goliath was over 9 feet tall with over 140 pounds of armor shielding him.
We tend to measure our obstacles against our own strength. We often feel overwhelmed and defeated before the battle begins. For example, cigarette smoking can be one such obstacle. A doctor may say, “You must quit smoking because of your health.” The woman may be convinced that God’s will is for her to be healthy. The victory would be good health. But the obstacle is giant- a 20-year addiction that seems much stronger than she is. She is discouraged because she is measuring her obstacle against the size of her own strength rather than the size of her God. I am not suggesting that if we measure our obstacles against God, our battles will be effortless. David still had to face his giant obstacle and use the strength he possessed, but his confidence in God caused a simple pebble to hit like a boulder.

It is funny how just a change in how a teacher shares that might make a point in such a “common Sunday school story” really sink in. I was really was challenged to take more notice of how I am measuring my struggles and obstacles. Will you join me?

We have been moving along in our Swahili studies and have recently gone through some reviews by our tutor. Just for fun here are some examples, 10 points to the first person who can translate these tongue twisters from Swahili to English!

1. Mwalimu wake atakuja pamoja na mke wake.
2. Wake wake wake na mke wako.

We have been attending Nairobi Chapel on Sunday mornings and recently started a membership like class called, Mizizi. Well, one of the first classes they decided to have some ice breakers for us to get to know each other. As it so happened they wanted those whose name started with an “A” to get up and sing, dance or tell a joke. Silly me, I thought I could blend in but with us being the only Westerners in the class I kind of stood out. With little time to prepare I was up in front of a group of 40+ people being told to sing the American national anthem! Let me just say that I have a voice that is “cute” in the little kid choir stage but not for long after that. What makes it even more humorous is that another lady after me sang a FABULOUS worship song in Swahili and got the others to follow along and start dancing a bit….yea I have a long way to go!