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June 19, 2008
Second Term Begins
Dear Friends,
Well, we made it back to Africa!
The Tale of the Journey
Monday the 16th, After we cleaned the house, dispensed of all our belongings, locked the door and climbed into the truck, Bev looked over at me and said “Wow, I can’t believe we got all that done in one day.” It was a whirlwind. Thomas woke up from his nap to find the house full of people including his Pop-pop and father dismantling his crib. We devoured pizza and washed baseboards. Everyone pitched in and somehow it got done.
In my bro-in-law’s 4Runner pulling a trailer full of our bags and boxes, we migrated to the airport. Bev’s sister Kelly Mooneyham was there to help us. She even parked the truck and trailer – way to go Aunt Kelly!! Thanks to some advance work with the Nashville AA counter our small mountain of things got checked and passed security without incident. We were wiped out by then.
The flight to Chicago took off late and got in late. We thought, man this journey has just started and we’re already tired. Then the flight to London Heathrow was very late and missed our connection to Nairobi,Kenya. Happily, the Lord knew we needed a break.
British hospitality kicked in and we were whisked off by a nice man named Ray in an electric “trolley” to the British Airways counter. He even loaned us an umbrella stroller since we’d been forced to check ours onto the last plane. We were ushered off to the Hilton Heathrow Terminal 4 replete with lunch, dinner, and breakfast. In the room we all passed out for 2 hours, and woke up wondering what day it was. Thomas enjoyed the hotel room. Hopefully they can fix it back up again.
Long story short, what should have been a 31 hour journey became 2 days. The next day we made our Nairobi flight and were picked up by David Njau our faithful taxi driver from Elida Tours. [no charge for the free advertising David]
The Thomas Report
It’s been a trip of firsts:
• Thomas said “No problem!” for the first time
• He fell asleep on us in public for the first time
• He ate an entire ham and cheese sandwich by himself
• He took a nap in his stroller while shopping in Yaya centre
• He is back into the groove of greeting everyone with a hand shake(very important in Kenyan and Sudanese culture)
Not surprisingly we need prayers for his adjustment to the new surroundings. He’s happy meeting new people and going to the store but his little internal clock is off kilter. Hopefully in a few more days he’ll start sleeping through the night again. Yes, he has not done that for a week now.
The Beverly Report
Bev is feeling ok, but it was a very long journey which was tough on her back. Baby Jonathan is kicking and pushing a lot. She feels really cold here in Nairobi – the lows are the 50’s (F) so with no heaters in any houses you can get chilly. It is winter here in Kenya . Wool socks are helping. We opened some boxes and found her fleece jacket also. Please pray for our first meetings with Dr Patel who will be taking up care for her and the baby. We really appreciate him and honestly think of him as God’s provision for us. Bev is also doing the team devotion for our team prayer time tomorrow morning.
The Chris Report
Chris has a strange feeling settling over him that he is somehow responsible for the entire Sudan team. The really strange thing is that it’s true. I’ve already started meeting with our acting director and we’ve had two meals with colleagues who are in town. There are a lot of issues to get my arms around but our team is characterized by a real sense of unity and love. Each team member has a strong sense of calling to be used to build the kingdom in Sudan. I’m walking into a healthy team which has accomplished a vast amount for the kingdom of God in the last years. For that I am profoundly grateful, first to my God and second to Jo-Ann Brant and Laiu Fachhai before her for building a strong organization with a well-formed vision.
Accommodations
Lastly, we’re thankful for a temporary stay at a nice guest house called Gemina Court. It’s worked out well, but we’re more overjoyed to have a brand new 2BR apartment at SIM Kenya’s Rose Avenue to move into! In 2 days it will be ready for us to move in. I’ll send pictures but imagine this: about 15 apartments and flats inside a guarded compound, all occupied by missionary colleagues. It’s a perfect place for us to have our next child, knowing we’re surrounded by friends.
Oh, also, we were met on Wednesday by a gentleman who brought over a rental car for us. It’s a little 1.6L Nissan Sunny and we got it at a great rate. Thanks God for providing wheels for us from Day 1.
It’s late and tomorrow is . . . well Monday. So, I’ll sign off. We hope to write you once a week or as the Lord prompts. We are so thankful for each one of you. Thank you for your prayer and support for our journey thus far. The Lord has provided so much already. We pray the Lord will use us in a mighty way as His hands and feet. We know we could not be the goers without so many people as sending team members.
In Christ and with gratefulness for His Care,
Chris for the Crowders
Published at June 19, 2008 12:06 PM
