Ukraine Was Next
Once Bruce and Sherry got home from Zimbabwe, and there is a story there which you can read in the post entitled “Whoop,” we prepared for the second part of our busy year. This was a trip to Ukraine. There is a post about it, but I will fill in a little more. Our goal there was to catalogue books which were donated by Lincoln Christian University to a college destroyed during the Russian invasion. There were four Americans on this team, Bruce and Sherry and a couple from Houston, TX., imagine that. We were joined by a lady from Vienna (I believe). Together we got 7,050 books onto the library shelves.
There was more to this journey that just books. Sherry and I celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary in Kiev, Ukraine. We took much of that day off and the librarian, his wife, and daughter gave us a grand tour of the city with some of its Orthodox churches and war memorials. We had an absolutely wonderful time. Then that evening we were invited by four young ladies to celebrate by having dinner with them. They prepared (ordered?) a traditional Ukraine dinner. After we ate there was A CAKE to die for. It was such a fun day.
The two Sundays we spent there were very inspiring. The first Sunday we attended a new church which was celebrating in first anniversary. The service included a presentation of those who were on the war front. I met an American wife of a Ukrainian soldier. I randomly asked where she was from, Nampa, Idaho, 12 miles from where I grew up. Such a small world we truly live in. After church there were several baptisms in the river by the church and a celebration picnic. Not traditional food, it was pizza cooked on gas barbeques. Who knew? The second Sunday was in a large Baptist church. Again, there was a presentation of men involved in the war. They had a special offering raising funds to buy handheld GPS maps for soldiers. And downstairs the youth group and a group of church ladies were making camouflage nets for them as well.
Kenya
The next adventure of the year was to Kenya. We have been there three times before, a week at a time and always in Narok. This time we were there a month and taught in four distinct regions. Bruce taught on Christian Character and Sherry shared stories of women that Jesus met. We started the month in Oleshur, near the village of Lolgorian. There were between 500 and 700 people during the week and on Sunday we had over a 1000 people there for church.
From there we moved the second week to Olepishet. This was a smaller crowd in a more remote area. The teaching there were also well received (as they were in all four locations). We met some very awesome people in this community. Two non-teaching highlights included a trip to the weekly market. It was quite the experience. The first of two such markets. The second was a celebration for an old village elder. His family, 5 or 6 wives, 20 or so sons, and numerous other family members gathered to honor him. There were people in traditional dress, dancing, speeches, great pageantry. I don’t know what was said as it was not translated. But fun, nonetheless.
The third week took us to another rural area, Esupetai. (I am naming these places because several of my friends have lived in Kenya and might know of which I speak.) This church was unique in that they divided up the teaching by groups. The first two days was the youth. We had car issues and missed the first day, but the youth turned out well for the session. The third day (our second) was the women of the church. They arrived dressed, for the most part, traditional outfits, which was the case everywhere we went. The last day the men, mostly church leaders, had their session. Sunday we had a special treat. Everywhere we went we were given gifts, blankets and jewelry. We came home with like 16 blankets and some wonderful beaded necklaces and wrist bands. Here, in part because they had their own time, the youth made a special point to give us gifts. It surprised us, and the adults traveling with us. Youth usually come, do their time and get out of Dodge. On Sunday morning, the youth leaders made a special point of stopping the end of the service to give them to us. Truly a special moment.
The final community was Ntulele. Don’t ask me to pronounce it. English does not begin words with the letters “nt.” And there was not agreement as to which letter was not sounded. The crowd here was the smallest. It started on the big, and I mean BIG market day. And it was the first day of school for many of the kids. Most kids go away to boarding school, so parents were getting them off. Even though smaller, it was a great group of people. And being a bit smaller meant we got to know a few better than in the larger settings.
The trip was winding down and we headed to the airport. Half way there we learned our flight was cancelled, it was Monday, and there were no flights out of Nairobi until Thursday. So, we simple sat. We had some time to visit a mall (and eat Indian food). Our accommodations was a Catholic convent slash Air B&B. It was a bit austere (one chair in our room which was smaller than my dorm room years ago). It was nice in that we got to catch up on some communication back home and reflect on the month we spent in Kenya.
Upon Arrival Home – Bad News
Finally, we boarded our plane and headed home. Upon arriving at SeaTac, I turned on my phone and learned of a windstorm that took roofs off the Rushangarumwe Clinic. Thousands of dollars of damage. It had been just six months since things got going and then this. The Zimbabweans got busy and a lumber supplier fronted materials and in a couple of days roofs were back on. Solar power was still an issue, but the response was quick. We spent the next couple of weeks raising money for repairs. As of this writing, if all promised funds come, we have raised most of what is needed to get things back to normal. Thanks so very much if you were one who gave.
And Finally, Next
And this is not the end of 2026. November will see Bruce and Sherry, as well as others headed for an AMOR house build. It is a three-day build. There is still time, but registration ends October 4th. We have been part of this ministry since 1983 and are committed to bringing hope and love. We will be home two days and then we are off to St Louis for the International Conference on Missions. Many times, we have attended this conference, and it was there that the need to start As We Go Missions was born.
So it has been a very wonderful and great year. God has done amazing things. At the heart of what we do is learning to be servants. I tell people all the time that I want to learn more than I teach. Every trip, every country, every church, every person I meet changes me. As I interact with Christians and churches around the world I am forever a different person. We thank everyone who contributes to this mission. We could not do what we do without your help. God bless.