“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.
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