The Last Three Weeks

It was my sincere and earnest desire to have posted something on this blog long before now, but I seem to be fighting, “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,” (Ephesians 6:12) for every time that I am almost finished with a blog post the computer I was using mysteriously quits working.  I have not given up though and almost have a post ready for posting.  But I have paused in my endeavors to finish that post and am writing this one for I feel that the events of the last three weeks need special attention before I move on with anything else.  For most people following this blog you already know what I am going to share, but for the sakes of those that I do not know are following I am posting a brief synopsis of the past three weeks.  It is my prayer that after reading this post you will never be the same.

March 9, 2014 dawned bright and beautiful here on our new property 12 kilometers out of Lolgorian Kenya.  Just a month and a week before we had made the move from our rentals in Lolgorian to the property.  It had been a big step forward in the progress of the work of Sutherland Bible Collage and a huge landmark for those of us who have worked so hard to get this project off the ground.  We moved into fairly slim accommodations, but we were willing to make it work just to be on the property.  We had planned that by the middle of March we could have classes started so as to be able to still fit our first term in before June.  As soon as these plans were laid however it became extremely evident that our enemy was not happy.   The four of us kids fell sick with respiratory infections making it impossible to be any help to the project and even forcing the other members of our team to do the work that we usually did out and above their own responsibilities.  As we struggled to regain our health, the project came to an almost dead standstill.  During the next few weeks every possible road block was thrown across our path and yet we moved on, though the progress was painful at times, we knew that it was just the enemy trying to discourage us and make us stop doing the Lord’s work.  Finally the last blow was given when on March 9 our father fell sick with Malaria.  Like I mentioned earlier it dawned a perfect day, full of plans of moving forward with the work so as to start school the next week, but before the day was over our father was bed ridden, never to regain full health again.  I do not have time here to go into all the details of his sickness and subsequent death, a week later on March 16, but what is of real importance is the fact that the enemy knows that his time is short and is trying to stop the work of God.  In light of this we as a family have decided that we are not leaving Kenya right now, for to do this would make the devil very happy, no we are staying and by God’s grace we are going to do the work that God gave our family to do- start Sutherland Bible Collage.  Though we do not have our earthly father with us any more, our heavenly father has promised, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb. 13:5)

Though the enemy planned our father’s death to be the end of the work here in Kenya it was just the beginning.  Since his death doors have been opened that has made it possible to do a work that we could have never done before.  Our work here has just started and though we will not start school until June, we praise God that there will still be a Sutherland Bible Collage to open!  We need much prayer as our team has gone from nine members, two of which were skilled workmen, to seven, inexperienced and amateur workmen, who may not know everything but are willing to learn, get their hands dirty and most of all want to do the Lord’s work and see this project succeed.   

I am planning to still continue with the blog posts as I had planned before.  They are a series of stories from our work and everyday life starting from the beginning of this mission trip and moving up until now.  I also plan to make a new page on this blog entitled “Loren” and put up the update that my mother wrote about our fathers sickness and death and more things about his life.  If you would like to get our updates and follow are mission here more closely send an email to godsmissionaryband@gmail.com and ask to be put on the Kenya mission update list.

Brothers and sisters time is short and we have work to do!  Is your life such a threat to Satan’s kingdom that he would like to put you to death?  If not something needs to change.