“Do not fear” – latest prayer letter from our mission partners Gerald and Louise

‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10. Sometimes when we are going through hard times, we forget that God knows and he is there as our help. Instead, we fear and lose hope but, when we look up into the heavens, God is there and is interested in helping us. 

As we mentioned in our previous prayer notes, Gerald contracted COVID-19 near the end of last year and, as a family, we had to isolate for two weeks as per the regulations. The symptoms made Gerald feel quite unwell for several days but then they reduced. We were able to manage the illness at home, without going to the hospital, thanks to a friend from church (Dr Mboke) who helped us know how to deal with it. As Gerald was not able to isolate himself from the rest of the family, Dr. Mboke helped guide us on the dos and don’ts. It was tough with having one member of the family down and having to look after the boys but God was very kind to us. 

The government of Kenya is determined to improve access to and equity of quality essential health care services to all Kenyans. However, quality health services remain very expensive for many citizens. According to Kenya’s ministry of health, there is one doctor for every 7,200 citizens. COVID has stretched a weak health system further and health professionals are feeling the weight of it. 

Though Kenya has not had as many cases of COVID as in other parts of the world, the effects of it can be felt in every sector. Some businesses have closed down and certain sectors like the tourism industry have massively scaled down – meaning that there is a huge number of people now struggling to make ends meet even more than before. 

There was a spike of cases in Kenya in November and December but even with schools going back properly in January things don’t seem to have deteriorated further. The change of the school calendar has meant that the TransformD programme dates have been readjusted accordingly. TransformD takes advantage of the gap between students finishing high school and joining university. Previously this was between January and August but, for at least the next three years, it will be between May and September. This means that we will be running TransformD between May and August for now. As everything hopefully continues to settle down we will see what else can be done after August this year. 

We will be running a week-long youth camp around Easter for young people aged 14 – 18. Already we have 30 students signed up for it. We are praying that this can all go ahead smoothly and we look forward to engaging in 1 Thessalonians, topical issues and small group bible study of Jonah, as well as the usual sport, games and fun. 

At home we are managing as best we can, often tired and always kept busy! The twins are moving from their own language into using some language we recognise, which is very exciting to listen to. They can understand a huge variety of instructions – Daniel is very keen to follow the instructions and also likes to try to enforce them on Jeremiah, who is a bit more relaxed about rules and requests! James is now six months old and, at a recent clinic, was weighed at 10kg – which is what the twins weighed at 18 months! We are enjoying seeing him getting used to solid foods. He seems to have all the same allergies as the twins but thankfully we will have a much better idea of how to move through it as his body adjusts to some of the proteins. We are grateful that he is big and strong – he can sit up in the high chair to spectate on the running and throwing from a safe distance. The twins love trying to make him laugh and giving him cuddles. 

The mid-week ladies fellowship at Gracepoint Church has recently resumed on a fortnightly basis. 10 – 20 ladies attend, many bringing their small children or babies to the crèche. We have been going through selected psalms and Louise facilitates the bible study. This has been very enjoyable for Louise and provides some adult company and fellowship with friends. 

Prayer points

• Give thanks that James is doing so well and has stayed in good health. Please pray for us to have energy and patience to look after the children well and keep our eyes fixed on the Lord.

• Please pray for the upcoming youth camp at the end of this month here at iServe Africa. We are targeting about 40 students: pray that we will be able to reach them with the gospel.

• Please pray for the preparation of the TransformD Discipleship programme starting in May. Pray for the resources needed and for God to send us the right people.

• Please pray for Dr Mboke who has been very helpful to us and other people around us. Pray that the Lord will continue to give him strength and wisdom in dealing with matters of health. Pray for his wife Aida and their little son Seth.