Have You Ever Prayed for Loose Lug Nuts?

This was my prayer Tuesday night as we had our second flat tire of the day and the vehicle sat on the

Sunrise in Kenya!

side of the road in the dark. But the story of my “Maasai Adventure Day” really began many hours before that.

We started out bright and early (well dark and early) at 5:40 am to get through Nairobi before rush hour and to avoid the predicted Matatu strike. Due to new rules about governors on their vehicles, there was suspicion that the drivers would park and block the roads. Luckily that didn’t happen and we had no problems as we headed south toward Tanzania.

We reached our first stop, a little over 2 hours later, about 40 km north of the border. I was hoping to see Mt. Kilimanjaro, but it was a foggy morning and we just weren’t close enough. The plan for the day was to meet the Kenyan pastor and a survey team, then head out to another area where the survey would be done to gather data and determine whether it was a good place to drill a well. We started by meeting the pastor in town and had tea with him and another gentleman. Toward the end of our visit, the other gentleman mentioned that our tire was going flat. Very good to know this before going out into the bush. So we headed across the street to the tire repair shop.

We pulled up and a number of men began to assess the situation. Likely the tire would be flat soon so a repair was in order. I had a long lesson on the process of repairing a tire with a tube and split rim. I didn’t even know what that was before then. The longest part of the process was actually removing the lug nuts. They were on so tight and it took multiple men working with different lug nut remover thingy’s (yes I will eventually learn what they are called), a long pipe used for extra torque and lots of sweat! Finally the tire was off, rims eventually separated, hole found and repaired and the whole thing put back together again.  Praise God.

One stop shopping!

During this time I was able to observe the people setting up for their town’s market day. I made friends with a little boy who played hide and seek with me around the corner of the buildings and through the windows of the butcher shop. I also learned that the Kenyans’ are really good business people. The tire repair place was also a Kinyozi (barber shop) and phone charging and repair store. Talk about one stop shopping, too bad my phone was charged and working and I haven’t decided to shave my head….. yet! What a blessing to have the flat in a town, in the daylight and to have some great experiences while I waited.

After that,  we met up with the survey team and headed out to the bush. The pastor said it was only an hour trip out, but to me it felt like over 2 hours, with a few stops for goat and cattle crossings. I wasn’t quick enough to get any good pictures of the cattle. That was the best, when they came at us and just parted and went around us as we stopped there.

We made it out to the area to survey and the team started. From my very over simplified view, they were using seismic readings and electric conductivity to assess where there might be water. As the day went on some Maasai men and women ventured out to see what was going on. I was lucky enough to get to spend a few hours smiling at and beginning to communicate with these ladies and their babies. I practiced some of my Swahili and learned a little Maa (the Maasai language) also. They were very sweet and very curious about everything I did. I have continued to pray for these women and would ask you to also. The flies are bad out there and the baby’s face was constantly covered due to her runny nose. I do not know if I will get back to this area to see them again, but I will keep praying for them and for water to be there and for a successful well to be dug.

Please pray for these women and children!

It was about 11:30 when we arrived and over the next 6+ hours the survey team gathered their data in multiple places. Daylight was getting short and the best option would have been to get right on the road back to the town where we planned to stay for the night. However, the pastor said we must come to his house for a late lunch/dinner. We obliged and graciously but quickly ate our rice, meat stew and chapate, then got back on the road with only about ½ hour or daylight left. It was slow going, but things were going well until we reached a spot in the road where 3 trucks were stopped. There were many people riding in and on the trucks and I guess one was broken down and blocking the road. The Kenyan who was riding with us back to the town said we should try to go around on the side. That was all fine until we were stuck there in the ditch, not able to go forward or backward. As many of you know I pray a lot when traveling in vehicles in other countries and there were many prayers that day already, but now I started praying for release from that dirt and from behind those trucks. After some work the 4 wheel drive was engaged and 4 men (one with a machine gun) helped push us backward onto the road again. In a few more minutes the trucks all managed to move over enough for us to successfully pass on the other side. Praise God we were on our way again without incident and I was thanking God for those peaceful and helpful people on that dark road.

By the time we arrived in town to drop off the Kenyan traveling with us, we had decided that driving back to Nairobi was a better choice than staying at the guest dorms. I know sometimes decisions seem not so smart in hindsight, but at that moment it all made sense. I was ready to be home and I figured God had got us through the worst parts of the day safely! It had to be easy from there. Right?

So to the north we headed, making good time, since there was very little traffic.  Then I heard it. That sound that you try to ignore, but you just know it is not good, the second flat tire in less than 12 hours. At this moment I thanked God that we were on a good paved road, with a large shoulder to pull off on and not much traffic. However, I was beginning to worry. I had not forgotten how much time and effort it took many men to remove those other very tight lug nuts, in daylight, with many tools. At that moment I began to pray out loud and ask God for loose lug nuts. Hey, He says ask and it will be granted.  By the grace of God, in only 15 minutes Gene had all the lug nuts off and the spare on and we were on the road again.

I am very thankful that God answered my prayers that day. I had not only prayerd for the loose lug nuts, but also for Gene’s safety since this tire was on the right side (ie road side) of the vehicle, for very little traffic coming that way and for no one to stop and try to “help”. (Friends had a bad experience with that before, not everyone really stops to "help".)

God provided us safe and quick passage the remainder of the way home. I kept praying for this the entire way and was very happy when I recognized the roads again. An hour earlier, I felt like a cat, running out of lives and we were definitely running out of tires. The whole day was a gift from God and I thank Him for the wonderful people I met: the ones who repaired the first flat tire, the little boy who played with me, the women and children I met, the survey team, the gracious pastor who fed us and the men who pushed us out of the ditch. I am thankful for a good place to change a tire for the beautiful stars we saw that night and for being challenged rely on God over and over again. That has been a common theme since I have been here in Kenya.

Goats crossing the road!

Thanks you for all your prayers for me, my teammates and the ministry and people here in Kenya. I could feel your prayers that entire day. Thank you. Thank you. I ask you to continue to pray for us here in Kenya and for missionaries all over the world. They all need your prayers.

Please continue to pray, as this vehicle is now getting new tires and being serviced, It is the vehicle we will take up to Turkana next week. It is a two-day trip and I ask for your prayers for safety, no vehicle problems and a good, peaceful overnight rest before we begin our second day of traveling.  I am so thankful for my “Maasai Adventure Day” and for God’s answered prayers for loose lug nuts!

James 1: 2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

First Impressions

Lots of great memories with these two!

Just one week ago I was in Indiana preparing to leave for the airport. While I had been saying “Good – Good Byes” over the past month, there were a few people I was not able to connect with before leaving. I am sorry about that. However, I am glad that my last few days were spent quietly with family and that I was able to attend my niece’s birthday party. I think my hardest Good Byes were with my niece and nephew. They will grow up and change so much while I am over here. Thank goodness for technology so we can video chat.

Leaving was hard, but my training helped me deal with saying Good Bye.  I also had the blessing of knowing that friends from my January training were going to be on my same flights overseas to Kenya. This was not something we planned, but was obviously God’s plan. It was great to see their smiles again, catch up and share how we were all feeling. We arrived safely and I am thankful that all my bags arrived as well. By the next day my friends had all theirs.

Reality hit me in the middle of that last flight. I felt crowded and uncomfortable. I could not go back to sleep. I just wanted to be on the ground….. and for about two hours I wished that ground was in America, not Kenya.  So I prayed and remembered my training. We had talked about categories of “Guaranteed Losses in Your New Vocation” The title was not, things you may loose or might loose or could possibly loose. It said “Guaranteed”. Right then I was dealing with the loss of my “identity” as part of my family, a veterinarian and an American. Now I am a stranger, foreigner and outsider. The key to dealing with this loss is remembering my identity in Christ. That is what has not changed and what I will not loose.

Mayfield Guest House

The rest of the flight, picking up my bags, making it through customs and arriving at the Guesthouse was uneventful. When I landed it was noon in Indiana and 7 pm here. I stayed at a guesthouse for 2 nights, where I napped, relaxed, studied a little Swahili, met other missionaries and learned about their work around the country. I spent those first 3 days in a jet-lagged fog but am doing much better now.

My teammates picked me up on Friday and we did the most important thing…..got my phone working. Can you believe a SIM card is only about a dollar here? Feel free to email anytime. I now have my “I message” and “Face time” working and it should be free for you and me. So, if you have “I” devices, please use my email stuckerdvm@gmail.com not my phone number.

I was still in that jet-lagged fog on my birthday, but I was so happy to be here and to spend the day with my teammates. Thank you to everyone who sent birthday wishes, from near and far. I even got to have a burger and milkshake at Java House! Thank you all so much for helping me get here. 

View from the CMF office

Right now I am in Nairobi and will be here for a while longer getting everything set up, learning about the team and attending a team meeting. Then my Turkana teammate will drive us up to Lodwar and most of my stuff will be trucked up. I will have a few weeks to settle in to the house, start learning Turkana and attend more meetings. Then I head back down here to Swahili language school. Since “flexibility is the key” to missionary life, I am prepared for this plan to change again at any time.

Now I want to share some of my impressions of life in Kenya and some of the things we have done. I was here last year for my vision trip so technically these are a continuation of my first impressions from last year. Remember, these are my Nairobi impressions and Nairobi and the area where I will be at language school are very different than Turkana.  I will write another blog with my Turkana first (continued) impressions next month.

Wood for scaffolding. Looks scary!

Going to the Safaricom store (my phone and internet provider) seemed like being in an American store. Well, after the car was searched inside, outside and underneath and we were allowed into the mall parking lot. Parking lots here are much smaller than in America and you pay for parking. Then we stopped at the guard station at the entrance to the mall, which is outside (since the weather is nicer here!). At the checkpoint they checked our bags, before we could enter the mall. The mall almost seemed like something familiar; until I realized that most people were speaking a language I did not understand. However, I did seem to pick up on when they were talking about me!   

Shopping at the Nakumatt is another common task. There is one at most of the malls here. It is like a small Walmart type of store, however, unlike Walmart, the trip was much quicker since I did not bump into anyone I knew! When I really begin shopping for food and other items to take to Turkana it will take longer. The labels are in English, however, I do not recognize the product or know what some of the items are. Secondarily, I need to calculate the prices and understand how much I am spending, or determine whether it is worth buying.

While the SIM card was cheaper, other things are not. I was looking for a curling iron with a Kenyan plug. After finding the only 3 curling irons in the store, I checked the price of the one I might have bought and decided it was not worth $60. Mine works, just slowly and intermittently with my adapter and converter. It was nice to see some lotion and shampoo that I like. Even though the prices were about double, splurging on that may be what keeps me going, along with Pringles and chocolate!

If you have experienced any driving in a foreign country you can relate and probably have your own

I forgot about the loaded carts!

variation of this scenario. Getting anywhere in a vehicle is exhausting for me and I am just the passenger. I am not sure I will ever be comfortable driving in Nairobi. Imagine starting out disoriented, because you are riding in the left front passenger seat and the vehicle is on the left side of the road (and you always forget which side to get in on!). Now the vehicle is on the road and other vehicles are honking and flashing lights. This is a way of “general” communication here, more than a way of “angry” communication. But then, the driver makes a quick left turn without even stopping or looking left and there are cars coming. You panic because you are sitting on the left side of the vehicle. Then you remember the left turn is the “easy” turn here, not across coming traffic!

Now you are on the freeway and the buses stop to let people on and off. Yes that is correct, but then you have to slow down anyway, because there are speed bumps and then people walking across the road and walking everywhere on the sides of the road. Then there are the matatu’s (van type taxis) loaded with people, some hanging out trying to tell the driver when to stop or just because there is no more room inside? Then you throw in the pikis’s, (motorcycles that carry passengers), more speed bumps, people on bicycles, more speed bumps, people walking beside the road and crossing the road in front of you, more speed bumps, the animals grazing beside the road, more speed bumps.

Heading to the office

Can you tell what I like the least! Then you get on the non-paved roads and dodge the potholes, ruts, rocks, animals, people, and piki’s all over again and cannot wait to get back on the paved road with the speed bumps. (I just realized that my pictures do not do justice to the conditions of driving here. I think I was holding on too tight to take pictures during the "good parts".)

Nursery on the side of the road

Right now Kenya seems like a place with such extremes, from the dry brown desert of Turkana to the lush green of Nairobi, from the slums to the fancy malls, from the tribal people to the modern business people. I have so much to take in and learn. It all seems overwhelming right now, but little by little I will begin to understand, build relationships and communicate with these people, all so I can share God’s love with them. I am so thankful He is with me through all this. He is my strength and I need Him every day and every hour.

Clue: A 3-letter word that gives “HOPE”. Can you guess the word?

I am not in Kenya.

I cannot speak Swahili or Turkana.

I cannot roll my “R’s”

I do not understand Kenyan culture.

I cannot quickly convert prices from Shillings to Dollars.

I cannot comfortably drive on the left side of the road (or right side of the car).

I cannot use the metric system for temperatures, distances or speed limits.

That is a lot of negativity. Almost makes it seem impossible, ridiculous and depressing for me to be moving to Kenya with all that working against me.

But there is "HOPE". Now read each statement with the word "YET!" at the end.

WOW! That one little word changes those statements and gives them a sense of a future  “HOPE”. A hope that they can happen. It does not mean they will be easy to accomplish or that there will be no cost, but adding hope and looking forward is so exciting.  

I just returned from 4 weeks in Colorado at the Mission Training Institute (MTI). I was there with other new missionaries studying language acquisition and cultural adaptation. In a nutshell, We learned "how to learn a language" and how to “thrive, not just survive" in our new cultures.

One thing that became apparent very quickly is that my ability to "thrive" will depend a lot on MY ATTITUDE. That's where that little word "YET" becomes very important. There will be some very frustrating times in my future as I learn about a new culture, a new money system,  two new languages, to use the metric system,  to cook and eat new foods and…….. Well, that list could go on for a long time describing all the new things I will experience.

Adding the word "YET" to the end of my frustrating statements can help me stay positive and have fun while I keep trying and learning. It was neat to already start to experience this while at MTI. We often began to correct ourselves, before anyone else could if we forgot to add "YET" to something that we said.

MTI was an incredible place and the training was invaluable in helping me prepare to leave here and enter Kenya with the proper attitude. I learned so many things that I can use here as I finish my preparations and many that I will recall and use to help me cope with stressful situations in Kenya.

So, to answer the big question on everyone's mind, "When will I leave?" The statement "I do not have my plane tickets…. YET!" is probably the most common answer most missionaries give. However, I now get to respond differently.

Last week, I sent out a challenge for 30 new partners to step out in faith and pledge $30 a month during the next 30 days. So far 7 people have stepped up.

Because CMF can see that I am serious about being at 100% before I leave, they purchased my plane tickets and I leave on March 18th. I am so thankful for everyone who is partnering with me and investing in the ministry in Kenya. I am excited to be taking a part of each and every one of you with me.

I am also praying daily for those remaining 23 partners. God has blessed me so much already and I cannot wait to see who else He has join us in this ministry. HE is my ultimate HOPE and STRENGTH and HE is the one behind the HOPE that I feel in the word "YET". 

Jeremiah 29:11  I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not

abandon you, plans to give you the future you HOPE for.  (The Message)

The next 4 weeks will be busy. I will finish my scheduled veterinary work, complete my partnership development, purchase the remaining needed supplies, say more goodbyes to family and friends and rest in the Lord as I prepare to begin the new adventure with Him. Please pray for me and all my new friends from MTI as we continue to process and use what we learned there to "thrive, not just survive".

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  (NIV)

What Does the Missionary Say?

Listening to sounds that I never knew existed. Making sounds that I never knew I could make. Using a mirror to look at my dry, chapped lips to see whether they touch my teeth when making a sound. Learning that some sounds are voiceless. Deciding if a letter has a voiceless or voiced sound.

This is just my first week at Compass, a missionary training class for language acquisition and cultural adaptation, being held at Mission Training International (MTI) in Colorado. What a beautiful area of the country. I praise God for allowing me to make it here safely last Sunday and for having some free time to get out and see His creation. I am also very thankful that I can understand and say a few words in Hindi.  

What a minute! Did you read that correctly? Did I really say Hindi? But I'm heading to Kenya and I probably told you I needed to learn Turkana and Swahili. 

That's right, but  let me explain a little about language acquisition. We are learning how to learn a language, by learning about phonetics and language acquisition projects (LAP's) that will help us take control of our language learning.  Wow!

I feel I have always been a bad language learner and it has been so freeing to hear that there is a different way to do it. What a breakthrough for me. I also learned this week that I am in control of my learning. Super, I love being in control. I will preface that by saying that I am still relying on God to help me with this and I can do nothing without Him. However, the key is that I can control how I learn and what I learn. That also means that if I slack off I can't blame the teacher. If the process we are using isn't working for me and I don't change it, then it's not the teachers fault. It's mine. 

So to practice some of the LAP's we were divided into groups and native speakers of many other languages came here to help us. I am in the Hindi group and we are practicing how to use the LAP's, so we will be prepared when we start with our language helpers overseas.

We have also been doing phonetics drills. This is like a physical workout for your mouth and voice. Let me tell you there are some mighty strange sounds coming out of my mouth during these drills and we repeat them and then change them slightly to compare the similar sounds. I am not sure I can even hear the difference in some of them, but I am getting better. 

So…..."What Does the Missionary Say?" 

I am usually a little slow with pop culture references and I hadn't heard the song “What Does the Fox Say?” until about 3 weeks ago. Being a veterinarian I think it's kind of a fun song and now it's stuck in my head. So, it seemed natural to write a parody using some of the sounds we are learning.

I hope you enjoy this version and get a little better idea of what I have been doing this week. If you haven't heard "What Does the Fox Say?" you may want to listen to it before going on, so that the rest of this blog won't seem totally ridiculous.  Have fun!

 Dog goes woof, cat goes meow

Bird goes tweet and mouse goes squeak

Wait, this is not about animal sounds, but this week I hissed like a cat

I haven’t quacked, or said blub, but my brain said OW OW OW

And these are sounds that I now know……

What does the missionary say? 

 What does the missionary say?

What does the missionary say?

What does the missionary say?

What does the missionary say?

Small blue case, shiny mirror, watching my mouth and having no fear

Little symbols, on the page, suddenly I understand

The sound is right, so beautiful, like it’s not even my voice

But in an  hour, will I still know, how to make that
foreign no-o-o-o-oise, no-o-o-o-oise,

 no-o-o-o-oise,?

Will I loose my vo-o-o-o-oice, vo-o-o-o-oice, vo-o-o-o-oice?

What does the missionary say?

What does the missionary say?

What does the missionary say?

What does the missionary say?

What does the missionary say?

The secret of phonetics. No longer a mystery.

Somewhere in my mouth, the sound is coming to me.

I never knew how to say that. What a victory!

Getting better each day. What do I say?

No, it's not an angel, hiding inside of me.
What is that sound?
Will you listen to me?
 I want to tell you.
I want to tell you.
I want to tell you.

MTI is really awesome!

The 12 Days of Christmas (A Missionaries Christmas List)

I am so happy to be "Back Home Again in Indiana". For six weeks in October and November, I took 3 separate trips  and every few days I was back "On the Road Again" traveling through 15 different states. I attended 3 missionary conferences, 2 trainings, my CMF commissioning and visited another mission agency. I visited friends, family and even a few camels. So, before I go any farther let me say "Thank You for Being a Friend" to everyone who took me in, fed me, allowed me to share about the ministry in Kenya and helped me learn more about camels and missions.

It was fun to visit states that I had never been in before, especially "Oooooooklahoma" where the wind was "sweeping down the plain" as I drove through. I got to see the leaves "Turn, Turn, Turn" so many beautiful colors everywhere I went. Luckily, I started in Iowa and ended up in Texas, getting out of both of those states just before the snow and ice hit them. Last week the snow and ice caught up to me here and now "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" to tide me over for the next 3 years. It will be very different to experience Christmas next year in the sand and heat of the desert. 

I really do like seeing the snow when I am inside, warm and dry. In January I will be "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and heading to snowy Colorado for my last month of training (cultural adaptation and language acquisition). I will spend a lot of time inside studying, learning and sharing with other missionaries, but I will have some free time for visiting friends in the Colorado Springs area. If I haven't contacted you and you are in that area, let me know so we can make plans to get together while I am there.

Wait, I don't want to forget that "Christmas Time is Here" and "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year".  I really love Christmas and "These are a Few of My Favorite Things" about the Christmas Season: lights, decorations, songs, caroling, friends, family, food, hot chocolate, sparkly things, sleighing, ice skating, warm sweaters and new pajamas. I have so many great "Memories" of past Christmases. I have been sorting the decorations I saved and have been deciding which ones I might take with me to Kenya to next year.

I have decided that my fuzzy, stretched out knitted red stocking needs to stay here as a part of our family stocking group. It was made for me by my aunt. It's perfect now after many years of use.

As I get ready to say "So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Bye" to America for 3 years,  I have been making lists, checking them twice, gathering supplies and shopping online.

I hope you enjoy my version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" (A Missionary Christmas List). We will just start at 12 and sing down. Are you ready?

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas I put this on my list

12 Instruments for Vetting
11 MP3 songs for singing
10 Sunscreens so no burning
9 Books for learning
8 Nets and bug sprays for no biting
7 Skirts for wearing
6 Diplomas and licenses for working
5 More vaccines
4 Calling, SIM and minute cards
3 Swahili, Turkana and driving lessons
2 Chocolate turtles, M&M's and dove bars
and More monthly partners to join me!

Please don't take this list literally, except for the last line. I now have 65% of my monthly budget pledged and I want to thank all my partners who have helped me get to this point. It has been so much fun sharing with you all and I appreciate your prayers for the ministry.

I need to have 100% of my monthly budget pledged before I can set a departure date and get my plane tickets. I would love for everyone one reading this to consider partnership and consider making a monthly investment in the ministry. I would love to share with you about the ministry and what it means to be a partner. I am happy to visit with you in person or by phone, Skype or FaceTime.

My CMF teammates in Kenya and the people of Turkana are excited to know that I am getting closer to reaching the field.

I am including the link to my CMF page where there is more information and pictures from my vision trip taken in January.

You can sign up to give online by clicking here or just let me know the amount you are pledging and I can send you the information.

As 2013 comes to a close and becomes "Auld Lang Syne" (days gone by) please remember the reason for this Christmas Season. I am so thankful for the gift of Jesus and I am thankful to be able to celebrate Jesus' birth freely and without persecution. This many not always be the case and I ask you to pray for those who don't have that freedom.

Merry Christmas

I'm Thankful For....

At this time of year it is good to reflect on things we are thankful for. This year my thoughts are a little different. I hope you will learn a little about how my life has changed and will change while preparing for and serving in Kenya.

Pensacola, Florida

Sand will be prevalent in Turkana, but no beach like this one where I will be. I am thankful that I was able to spend an hour at the beach in Florida, even though the wind was whipping and the water was cold.


I am thankful for family, friends and church family. I am thankful for everything being done to help me learn and prepare for reaching the field. I am thankful for partners that have seen the vision for the ministry in Turkana and for everyone who has allowed me to share with them.

Playing a game with my neice and nephew.

It will be hard to be separated from everyone, but thanks to technology (Skype, FaceTime, e-mail, cell phones, Face Book) it is so much easier for people all over the world to keep in touch. I am also thankful for technology that allows me to access my books and information on computers, my Kindle and phone. I will need to take some physical books and references with me, but thanks to technology I will have more room in my bags for other items. Technology also allows me to download music and listen to podcasts of sermons from here in the US. So different from what missionaries faced just 10 to 15 years ago.

So you may have deducted that I will have electricity and internet where I will live in Lodwar, Kenya.  It may not always be on, but the fact that it is there is a true blessing. I am thankful for that and also for the opportunity to have a generator to keep my refrigerator and freezer running when the electricity is off. Another praise for the fact that I will have a frig and freezer and be able to buy food to put in it.

Continuing on with that though I am thankful for the grocery store and vegetable / fruit market in Lodwar.

How many times a day do we stop to thank God for running water and flush toilets? I do every day now. I am also thankful that I will still have running water and a flushing toilet (not a "squatty potty") in my house in Lodwar. While I won't have hot water from the tap there, at least I will have electricity and a gas stove to heat the water when needed for doing dishes and cooking. Depending on the time of day the water may be warmer for a nicer shower.

Dining room looking into the kitchen.

I am thankful for a home in Lodwar that will have a tile floor and screens on the windows. Granted the sand will still blow in, but it will decrease mosquito and insect entry. The house is also large enough to host people who come to visit (hint, hint).

I am thankful for missionaries, mentors and others who share what they have learned. October and November have been and continue to be full of trainings, conferences, meetings, visits, my CMF commissioning and even some work in between all that. I am thankful for the opportunity to do all this.

I am thankful for God's networking for me. I am constantly amazed (although I shouldn't be) at all the connections He sends my way. Every person adds something to my life by sharing their experiences with me.

I am thankful for conferences like the GMHC (Global Missions Health Conference) held right here in Louisville at Southeast Christian Church. I am also thankful that they have started a GMHC Africa and I will hopefully be able to attend next year in September in Nairobi. What a blessing to have a small piece of something familiar right there in Kenya.

 Christian Veterinary Mission Friends

I am thankful for my veterinary friends who were at the GMHC as we all continue to educate people about how veterinary medicine can be used in missions and how it contributes to a holistic missions model.

Missions today is changing and more and more we strive to teach and work along side the people we are called to, rather than doing things for them. We want to empower them and show them their value in God's eyes, so they can share that with others. I am so thankful to be a part of missions in this new era of development.

I am ultimately thankful for my God and my Savior, Jesus, because without them I wouldn't be on this journey. It has been a crazy one at times and it is hard to believe it began with my first short term mission trip when I told God I would "Go" but "I wouldn't leave the country". That trip was a CVM trip to New Mexico, working on the Navajo reservation. It was like a different country, with their different language and culture. Now 10 years later it seems so natural to say I am moving to Kenya next year. I couldn't imagine not doing that.

I am still reminded each day that this won't be easy and I will never be "completely prepared" for what I will face. However, I want to take full advantage of the opportunities and people that God puts in my path. I am thankful for so many people and I simply couldn't name everyone who is helping or has helped me in the past 10 years and really my whole life to get me to this point.

I have so many wonderful partners that have helped me reach 60% of my monthly budget now and I know many more are at the point of joining what will be happening in Kenya. I am thankful that God has brought you all into my life, but remember, it really isn't about any of us. It is about God, his love for us and the sacrifice of Jesus. That is what I am most thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving.