Hi all! This is our latest newsletter, covering the last two months. We give some updates on what has been going on at West Nairobi School, an update with our plans for next year, and even a bit from Sam’s mom from her visit to Kenya. Enjoy!

Parks March-April Newsletter

Again, we email our newsletters directly to all our supporters, but we’d like it to be available to anyone else who is not on our email list as well. If you don’t receive these by email and you’d like to (or if for some reason you didn’t get it this time), just let us know!

Thanks everyone for praying for my mom! She is going to have surgery on May 14th once her infection from the last surgery clears up.

We are down to the final sprint to the finish line for the school year, but let me tell you, it is an uphill sprint! This is probably the busiest time of the year, particularly because I am planning and supervising the 8th grade class trip and fund raisers, as well as helping with their graduation. There are a million other things to do, but I won’t burden you with all the boring details. I will just ask that you continue to pray for Sam and I as we finish this year and travel back to the U.S. for the summer. Pray for health and wisdom and God’s continue grace!

Love you guys! See you soon….

I asked my mom if I could post on the blog a list of prayer requests she sent out last week. She was recently diagnosed with bladder and kidney cancer, so she and Sam and I would be so grateful if you could remember her in your prayers. She also told me today that she has an infection that needs to go away before her scheduled surgery next week. They need to do more tests on her kidney before they can decide on her treatment, so that is scheduled for Thursday.

Thank you all!!

 l) That I could start gaining some weight.  I have lost ll lbs in spite of trying to get as many high caloric foods down as I can.

 2) That I could trust God & that knowing Him would be more important to me even than healing.

 3) Wisdom for the drs., that an operating room could open sooner if possible.  He wanted to get me in sooner but no rooms were available.  That there would be no complications from the surgery.  He said my ureters could burst when he puts the stents in.

 4) To regain some strength

 5) To sleep better

 6) Cancer Treatment Cts. of America offer consultations for $l75 with nutritional oncologists that tell you what supplements to be on.  Rich doesn’t think I should do it because he thinks I will obsess over it.  Pray for wisdom & oneness of heart for both of us on this.

 7) That God could accomplish His purposes in the lives of my whole family through this–Rich, Grant (salvation), Amanda & Sam & my parents.  My parents will be here & in church next Sun., so please pray especially for this.

 8) Rich asks prayer for his business, as some crucial things are happening as he tries to get it off the ground.

 9) I would desire complete healing, that I may be transformed through this, & thus be used to further His kingdom more effectively than ever.  But I am willing to accept whatever His will is, because He is all wise.  I pray that they may even go in there & find NO cancer.  God is able.

 l0) That God could give me open doors to glorify Him in the midst of this.

   Rich just walked by & said I was giving you guys a very lengthy list, but I said, “They know me!”  (And love me anyway–what a comfort!).  Thanks SO MUCH.  

Love you all,           Lynn  P.S. Could never get through this without you!

Dear Kenya Dig It Blog Readers,

I had an amazing trip to Kenya to see Sam and Amanda. They are perfect hosts and tour guides for the entire Kenyan cultural experience! However, here are some lessons I learned firsthand:

1. If anyone tells you that you can’t believe how bad the roads are in Kenya, BELIEVE IT!

2. If they tell you that traffic in Kenya is as chaotic and disorganized as you can imagine, BELIEVE IT!

3. If a Kenyan gives you directions and says it is “right up the road,” it may be – but 10-20 miles up to the next town!

4. Have I mentioned the roads? They go from paved to dirt to mudholes to full of craters in seconds!

5. And what is on the roads? Trucks, busses, and matatus (another whole story in itself) all emitting horrid black smoke, as well as people walking everywhere, donkey carts, sheep herds, cattle, goats, monkeys, and street vendors knocking on your windows selling yogurt, newspapers, movies, pineapples, cellphone minutes.

6. If they tell you Kenyans love visitors, BELIEVE IT! They are extremely friendly, want to shake your hand and want to know whose Mama you are. Then when they find out you ARE a Mama, they give you a huge bear hug.

7. If they tell you safari is amazing, BELIEVE IT! The beauty of the big game in Nakuru was breathtaking. Lions! Zebras! Rhinos! And my favorite, the giraffe with day old babies! Gazelles, buffalo, baboons, the famous Nakuru flamingos, pelicans, dick-dick. Although we searched for the leopard, he hid from us. Believe this? I actually got kissed by a giraffe!

8. If they say the road to Maasai Land passed Narok is bad –UNDERSTATEMENT! Many times I thought Samanda’s little Starlet would be in 1,000 little pieces. But the trip was worth it. We worshipped in Olepolos with the Maasai on Easter Sunday. Amazing, wonderful people. I now have a Maasai name, Karsis, which is the blessing of wealth. They treated us to goat and chapati for lunch. Yumm.

I could go on and on, but you will have to call me if you want to hear more of my adventure. As for Sam and Amanda, they are doing great. I visited both their mission workplaces, West Nairobi School and World Concern, and met both their bosses who assure me they are doing fantastic work. Continue to pray for them, because, well, have I told you about the roads?????

~ Melanie (Sam’s Mom)

PS – If they tell you on the plane to move your legs around to avoid blood clots, BELIEVE IT. I got an extra weeks’ vacation.

I finally visited Olepolos. I have to admit, I was not particularly looking forward to the visit. I am a city girl, so I can deal with Nairobi, but a rural village in the African bush?? That is stretching it. Actually, Sam and I had tried to visit Olepolos several times before, but we always got thwarted. One time we missed the road and drove an hour past it, the a huge storm rushed in, so we just went home.

This time even the blinding fog and rain couldn’t stop us! Sam, Melanie (Sam’s mom) and I spent Easter service at the Olepolos church.

I loved it! The people of Olepolos are amazing! They are so welcoming and kind. It is hard to imagine that this used to be a community without the light of the Lord. They used to be a community that was ridiculed and written off. Now, they seem to be thriving with the love of Jesus.

Not that there is not still poverty in Olepolos, their definitely is. They have many needs, from a bridge to school fees for children, etc. But, they seem to be trusting in and enjoying the Lord despite their physical needs.

When we first arrived at the church service, we were an hour late. Our tiny car couldn’t get through the muddy road into the community, so they had to bring a truck out to meet us. At first, the children just stared and stared. Then, they slowly crept back one pew at a time, and next thing I know, they are sitting on my lap!! The funniest thing they like to do is pet Sam’s arm because Africans don’t have hair on their arms!

After the service, which they attempted to translate for us, the women gave Melanie and I blessings and Massai names. Apparently when Sam first arrived in Olepolos in “06, it was raining. So, they gave him a name that means rain. The women were laughing and laughing because they gave me the female version of his name (Nasha) because I brought rain as well.

Anyways, I don’t think Sam will convince me to move to the countryside to grow mango orchards any time soon, but my stereotypes of the African village are certainly breaking down. I guess surroundings start to matter less as the people start to matter more to you.

If you want to pray for Olepolos, you can join with us in praying for Nolari. She is a teenage girl from an extremely poor family. She is just starting high school thanks to the efforts of the Olepolos community who worked to together to raise money and find sponsors.