Thanksgiving, Birthdays, Death fight, and Cinemas

November 27 -December11

     It has been a busy few weeks around here. I am finally getting the chance to write an update. I am glad we are busy but it was a little too busy. Thankfully this week we are not as tight and can take a breather before we go back at it hard this weekend in the Mombasa area. Anyways...
    Well we had an awesome Thanksgiving! There were twenty-one of us here for Thanksgiving dinner. Our team was here as well as the Ghrists and Trenton Yenokida from Mombasa. We had all the fixings! We took Thursday and Friday off and just spent time together. It was fun to hang out with the Ghrists and Trenton. The food...and oh the Turkey... can't wait until next year!

   After the Thanksgiving celebrations settled down we had Abigail's 12th birthday party. Kenya made and awesome cake and we had a fun evening celebrating. It is so hard to believe that Abigail will soon be a teenager, she is such the young lady already. We also celebrated Amber's birthday! She is a little older than Abigail but we will keep that a secret. Kenya made Amber an amazing German Chocolate Cake! Birthdays are awesome with cake! We are so glad to have Amber here and for God giving her another year of life.

      Of course with the passing of Thanksgiving our attention has turned to Christmas so we got festive and put up the tree which is always a fun time!

    Clayton, John, and I went to Mangangani for church on Sunday following Thanksgiving while the ladies and kids went to Malindi. We had good services with the folks at Mangangani. I taught Sunday School and translated for John while he preached the morning message. After services we had lunch with Juma and went by to see Daniel's family to check on how his wife was doing. She is doing better each time we visit.
     Last week we had a pretty busy week working on planning and preparing for the weekend with Gandini and Singuaya. Brother John and I also made a trip to Singwaya to carry out some food and to be sure we had the plan all in order for the week. We met with the Singwaya church for about two hours, then ran to meet with the Gandini church for an hour before coming back to the house.

    All week long we had to deal with no water also. We did manage to pump water up to our tanks from the well out front but the water was really heavy and tasted bad. At least we were able to take showers, wash clothes, and brush our teeth. I think we went the entire week without city water thankfully the water returned by the weekend and I think we have at this point flushed all the heavy water out of the system.
     Clayton, John, and I also made a trip to Mombasa to meet with Immigration officials. We went to two offices and got some good counsel but no forward movement. There is a new Director in Nairobi and he is very strict and is redoing everything so it has changed the system a little. After our trip to Mombasa we spoke to an agent we used in the past about getting Brother John's work permit and Lindsey's dependent pass and we will start that process soon. We also spoke to her about registering a new Society for the coast. Pray for all this work with the government that the Lord will work it all out.
   While we were in Mombasa we met with Elly and Fred, the pastors in Miritini and Bokole. Eli said that the Bible Institute classes were going well and gave me a great written out report and papers to grade. We also talked about the Eyes on Christ campaign and Cinema's that are planned for this month in Miritini, Bokole, and the new area Midiani. It was a great meeting with much accomplished and great encouragement. I cannot forget to mention the piece of Cross Fit equipment we picked up on our way home from Mombasa. You can see it in the pictures... Clayton is establishing a Cross Fit Gym at our house with he and I and our kids as the first members.

     I took the Land Rover in on Friday before we were to go show the cinema in Gandini to get new tires put on and they found that we had busted a shock on our trip to Singwaya the day before. Now remember that I just had those shocks put on a few weeks ago and they were the best in the country... I was very disappointed and called the shop in Mombasa about the shock imediately. They were very apologetic and told me they would make it right. The problem was that we were to be in Gandini the next day to show cinema but I could not drive out with a busted shock. What could I do?

     I got up at 5am and took the three hour drive to Mombasa and got the shock fixed then turned around and drove back. I passed by the house and picked up Clayton, John, and Josiah with all the equipment and we went straight out to Gandini. We got there a few minutes after the ladies had started setting things up.

    We had a great day in Gandini. The church cooked a late lunch of beans and Ugali for everyone and we had a great time of fellowship. We passed out marbles and bracelets for the kids, bracelets for the adults, and popcorn for everyone. Brother John and I did a little bit of teaching before the cinema then we watched the Nativity celebrating the Birth of Christ. We all had a great time! The ladies and kids headed home Clayton, John and I stayed behind and showed the Cinema. There was a great turn out! We had a good trip home until we lost our head lights a few miles from the house. Thankfully we had already passed the police checkpoint and we were not far from home. We managed to get the fog lights on so we could kind of see but it was a great day just long.

     On Sunday we were back out in the village at 9am ready for Sunday school and services. The ladies took all the kids and taught them and the guys visited in the church a little with those that started to arrive. We got services started up at around 10:30 and ran up until about 1:30. The singing was AWESOME! Clayton gave the first reading and I preached the morning message on the importance of the virgin birth. It was so hot! All my clothing were soaked from sweat... it was running down my chin and dripping off my nose. Great visual of the beauty of preaching but really the Lord spoke and it went so well.

     After services we had a time to just fellowship. We passed out bracelets for the kids and adults as well as marbles for the kids. We had an awesome lunch with the Jesus film playing in the back ground in Giriama. Brother John taught from the Christmas story before we showed the cinema. The ladies left ahead of us and John, Clayton, and I showed the Cinema. The church was packed out for the cinema and it was a a great day of fellowship and celebrating the birth of Christ.

    I am so grateful for the entire team and how the village ministry went. Everyone was interacting with the people, laughing, and having a good time. Even if they had no idea what was being said at times everyone was engaged. It was a team effort for sure to pull off the weekend and I believe was a huge encouragement to the churches and for us as a team.
   When the ladies got home on Sunday evening they arrived to a death match between our dogs and a monitor lizard. They got some pretty awesome video of the entire fight. Needless to say the monitor did not make it. Seeing the dogs in action was really cool. If you have not seen the video check it out on Kenya's Facebook.

     Monday we all took the day off to recuperate from the week of work.  All of us but Ashley and the kids because it was a normal school day for them. Tuesday and Wednesday we all worked around here doing reports, finances, immigrations stuff, phone calls, and planning. We were able to get the headlights fixed on the Land Rover and the Motor Bike serviced as well. Today everyone is preparing things for this weekend we are supposed to be in Bokole, Midiani, and Miritini this weekend showing cinemas. We will be staying at a little hotel in Miritini each night.
    Please pray for the Eyes on Christ preparations both here and in the states as we are getting closer to that campaign. Also pray for the Fisher family as their survey trip is fast approaching. Pray for the Fisher family as they pray and seek the Lord's will for their lives.
    Also I wanted to let those who have been praying for Samuel's and Abigail's hands that they are all healed up and look great. We praise the Lord there will not be any permanent damage. They are actually better than the picture below but you can see the improvement.

     

     

November 2014 Report

“Our vision is to be a ministry of eternal significance that impacts the cause of Christ through the 

advancement and multiplication of His churches.”

November 2014

 

 

TEAM on The Ground

         The big news of the month is that the Straders and Howells have joined our family and Ashley here on the ground! It has been a whirlwind of excitement having everyone here.    

         Kenya, the kids, and Ashley spent a lot of time getting things all ready on the compound for everyone’s arrival. We continue to praise the Lord for this awesome compound we live on! We had no idea four years ago when we got this place that it would be such a big part of the ministry. Even with three families and Ashley, we still have plenty of room.

In the midst of all the excitement there has been a lot of work going on as well.  We have spent much time getting things sorted out in the houses and setting up housing. We managed to get internet to each house, PO boxes for everyone,  phones, and food in the fridges! We all are using our vehicles for now so the Straders and the Howells can continue to raise funds to purchase vehicles later.  

         We have team meetings each morning that have been a great source of encouragement and team building. We have even had times to just talk shop and dream about the future and about short term and long-term goals.  It is such a blessing to have these families and Ashley here, and we are all looking forward to the great things the Lord is going to do.

Bible Institute

        

         The Bible Institute classes are going well in Miritini with the mini-projector and Eli leading the classes. We have two more projectors ordered to try and use in the other locations as well. Seeing how well it is working in Miritini has been very encouraging. The video classes are a step in getting the school indigenous like the churches.  Once those who are leading the classes have been through them a few times on video, they will be in position themselves to teach the classes.

         The mini-projectors, battery supply units, and memory cards only cost around $200. This system allows the classes to be taught in multiple locations simultaneously. We hope to continue to add classes as we develop the materials and notes. All these studies are in Swahili and are taught by missionaries or experienced pastors that Brother Hopper uses in the Bible Institute in Western. It is great to have an array of teachers investing in the students.

         Our furlough is only eight months away, and I plan to focus on getting classes put on video so that Brother John can continue with teachings while we are away.  Lynn and Brenda Raburn will be here in April and May to work with us and to get the book of Hebrews videoed for the Bible Institute as well. We still need to do a lot of work on the advanced level of studies but that will be a focus of next term.

Land Rover Funds

          

         We are starting to raise funds for a “new” Land Rover to replace the one that we have. We have put a lot of money in the one we have over the past year to get it in good working condition to last us the rest of this term. While we are away, the Howells and Straders will also be able to use it. One of our church members even started an Iniegogo campaign to help raise funds ( http://igg.me/at/ekmrover ). Although this was a new idea to me, I appreciate his excitement and desire to help make the new Land Rover a reality. If you would like to give to the Land Rover Funds, just send offerings marked “Land Rover Funds” to our sending church at the address below.

         As we begin to look north at working among some of the unreached people groups, the need for a dependable vehicle escalates. The areas we are looking at have seen a lot of violence the past two years, and we do not want to be stranded in hostile areas. Also some of the groups we will be targeting are semi-nomadic, so we will need the off-road capabilities.  Thank you for considering this need.

 

 PO Box 299 Monticello, AR 71657

James Taylor PO Box 811 Malindi, Kenya 80200

Phone 011-254-713289014 missionarytaylor@gmail.com

 

Taylor Tribe

 

This month we worked really hard to get the guest house ready for the Straders.  We didn't have time to paint it before the Vickers came, so we wanted to get it done for the Straders.  Mike and Christy did a lot of functional and practical work on the guest house, like working out water kinks, removing doors, and installing shelves, so I took on the cosmetic work of painting and decorating.  The kids and Ashley helped out with the painting.  I think the Straders were excited to see the difference.  Last year I had to leave a couple of days before they arrived for their survey, and through a small miscommunication, they were welcomed by a dirty house with no sheets.  I was determined to redeem myself.  Hopefully I did.

Once the Straders arrived and the Howells returned from language school, we began planning for Thanksgiving.  We invited some friends from Mombasa and ordered the Turkey.  Turkey is not very common here, so you have to order in advance. And it's not cheap. It cost almost $100 for a 20lb turkey.  We all pitched in and had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with great fellowship.   At first the day started out bad with no power and a turkey still in the oven.  I drove right over to the power company and asked for someone to fix it.  The Lord was awesome because the guy in the office said they were short staffed, but he didn't want my turkey to go bad. So, he came with me, found the problem along the power lines, and fixed it in 5 minutes.  I was extremely thankful for his kindness.  I even got a chance to invite him to church.          

We had the craziest accident this month with Abigail and Samuel.  There is a lime tree in our yard, and the kids all decided to make a stand in the yard and sell fresh squeezed limeade to the adults.  The kids spent the afternoon juicing and making our delicious refreshment for a bargain of only 5 shillings a cup.  Little did we know that a chemical reaction can occur with the acid in the limes and the sun, causing a condition called Phytophotodermatitis.  By the end of the day, Abigail and Samuel, the “head juicers,” were complaining of itchy and slightly burning hands.  We figured it was an irritation from the acid in the limes. We were not prepared for what we woke up to in the middle of the night, two kids who were crying in pain as their hands blistered up with second degree burns.   It was terrible.  It was probably the worst pain they have had in their life.  We doctored with Silvadene and hydrocortisone cream for a week.  Finally, the pain subsided.  We’re very thankful for Doctor Deb Quade who was very helpful in the healing process.  Needless to say, we won’t be juicing limes in the sun anymore.   

Lastly, we celebrated Abigail's 12th birthday.  She is growing into such a sweet young lady.  She is helpful around the house and is very thoughtful in many things she does.  She loves art and draws regularly.  We are so thankful that God blessed us with such a sweet girl.  Thanks for reading and praying.