Newsletter Update

May/June, 2009 - Nairobi, Kenya, Africa

The past few weeks are almost a blur as we recount the things which have transpired but one thing for sure is that God has been faithful to us and has been so near and dear to our spirits.

Danny’s only sibling, a brother, Charles-65 years old, died the night of April 14th. We busily completed some important tasks Danny had to do on the 15th and worked arrangements for him to leave that night for Dulles airport so Timothy could pick him and bring him on to Richmond. Janet, Isaac and Lealla came with Timothy to airport and surprised Danny. He and Timothy drove the next day to Myrtle Beach to be with his mom and Charles’ wife and daughters. After the funeral he stayed in MB until Tuesday and then drove mom to Atlanta. He spent several days with her and flew back to Richmond for 4 days before returning to Nairobi. So in the midst of sorrow he was able to spend some quality time with the family and of course was so glad to have those last days with the grand babies. Jason came from NYC and sang at the funeral so he was able to be with him also. We miss Charles but we had seen him suffer for many years and his last three weeks had been very difficult; he even spent several days in ICU on a ventilator and had multiple medical issues that his body was just too tired to fight against. Thank you for your prayers for Danny and the family during this time of sorrow.

After Danny left for the states that Wednesday night, I flew on Sunday to J’burg, South Africa for knee surgery on Tuesday. I had good care and assistance from our medical coordinators there and did well through it all. I remained there 10 days after surgery and arrived home one night after Danny’s return. I have been in therapy and now after 6 weeks of healing I feel I am seeing results from the surgery. The pain I had previously been experiencing is almost gone and the incision pain is at a minimal now. Thank you for your prayers for me during this time. I am so grateful for the relief I am experiencing.

A couple of weeks ago we had the option to move to a house that is just one level. We could move immediately so we opted for that. I was not able to pull down and pack up and climb stairs and etc. but we were able to secure help of a great lady who did a good job working with me and we are set up for the most part. It is so good not to have the stairs anymore. We are sharing office space in one of the bedrooms and this set up works so much better. Praise the Lord with us for opening up this opportunity. It has an established yard with lots of trees, plants and birds so we are also enjoying it.

Today...I heard Danny yell with a bit of panic/shock as he called my name so I ran to see what the problem was and he was going toward the kitchen saying, “A monkey just came into the living room!!” Yes, it was true.. we have monkeys in the yard...but we did not want them to be a guest in our home. The monkey had come through the kitchen door and grabbed a banana and orange off the cabinet and we suppose he was coming into the dining room to eat them...ha. But Danny’s yell scared him as he had scared Danny with his entrance. We had been warned to keep our doors closed because this could happen...and so we have learned a lesson. He is a large monkey...I had seen him on some buildings here but I did not want to see him in our house. Anyway, he ran to the gate, sat on it and peeled his orange and ate it. Now I am looking around every corner. Well, I should say looking around every window because a smaller one came today and I really thought he was going to be able to squeeze through the burglar bars. In Africa you do not close windows because you need a breeze; so we might end up having a guest monkey come in during the night. PRAY that doesn’t happen or we both might be scared out of our wits.

Danny has been very busy with preparations for our big sectional meeting beginning June 8-14. Fellow workers from 7 countries will be coming together for a time of training, understanding of new organizational changes, encouragement, fellowship and times of worship and some relaxation. There have been many challenges in all of the logistical parts of this but we are looking forward to this time of being with many that we haven’t gotten to know and to see others we haven’t seen in a long time. He also just returned from a trip to take some volunteers to visit the seminary in Uganda. He always delights to return and see how the work is continuing there. We plan to return there for a few days in June for a strategy meeting. Our heart is still so tender for them. There are many personnel changes taking place in Kampala and our Ugandan leaders need to be very focused in continuing with the principles of leadership they have been taught in starting new house churches and training new believers. Having trained leaders is ever a challenge. PRAY for trained leaders to multiply both in Uganda and Kenya.

Because of the economic crisis the International Mission Board is having to reduce the number of missionaries appointed in the coming months. This is sad to hear because the number of applicants has been increasing and the laborers are so needed on the field. Please continue to PRAY about how you might still be a part of sacrificial missions’ giving. We know times are very challenging and we must PRAY that our churches will be able to remain committed to supporting the cause of sharing Christ around the world. So many still have NEVER heard of Jesus and His love for them.

I haven’t been as involved these past weeks in a lot of ministry due to the pain, surgery and recuperation of my knee. But I look forward to once again being active in reaching out to others in Nairobi. Continue to PRAY for Rungiri Baptist Church. We are blessed by the sound preaching of Pastor Moses and we enjoy being a part of that Kenyan fellowship.

And now for a sweet Happy, Happy 32nd birthday to Timothy on June 17.

Please hear our heart of love and thanksgiving for each of you and we love hearing from so many of you. You are a real blessing to our hearts and spirits.

WE LOVE YOU,

Danny and Claudia