RVA update September

RVA update 2: September 14, 2011

Wow! Has it really been a month?! We are in our 3^rd week of the term here at RVA.

Dorm Life: I have really enjoyed getting to know my 17 girls. I often have about 5 or 6 that come and sit in my apartment by the fire each night. I am so thankful for your prayers. The girls seem to really mesh well together. They have done really well with homesickness and settling into life here. They have all had to adjust to the newness of high school and the load of homework that comes with that. But on the whole are doing well. Every Tuesday night we have dorm devos and treats. I have learned that 17 girls really like to eat!! J The interesting thing about making treats every week is that there is a shortage of sugar in Kenya because of the drought making sugar cane not available. I am experimenting to lessen sugar in each recipe. J So far everything has turned out good even without the full amount. I have really enjoyed the devotion’s time with the girls. For the first term we are going to study the book of James. We had some great discussion following our study this last week. I am thankful the girls seem open to talking about the Lord and wanting to learn more about Him. Please continue to pray with me that they would grow in their walks with the Lord and if there are any who don’t have a personal relationship with the Lord they would realize their need for Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Titchie classes: Each day I am learning more about class room management in music class but it is getting smoother each week. The kids are great. They are so sweet and each day I am greeted by many “HI MISS JARRETT”s and lots of hugs. I love that part! The PE classes have been fun and I think the kids are enjoying the time. I am hoping that I can keep teaching them the things they need to learn. This Sunday the 1-4^th graders will be singing a song in church for Titchie Sunday. I am in charge of “directing” them. This will be interesting as I am not a director. J

Life: I have gotten to know some new friends that are also serving here at RVA. God has provided lots of opportunities for friendship and since it is not very fun to eat by myself I usually invite someone over for dinner most nights. This has been a great way to continue building relationships with others as I am not able to leave my dorm most nights so I can be here for the girls. This last Saturday I was able to be involved with the Outreach day that RVA put together. I went with a big group of students and 3 other staff members to build a house. This man (Paul) has 9 children and had been displaced from another community because of tribal clashes. We arrived to a house that was framed with sticks that had spaces between them. We filled these with large rocks and then the fun began. Slinging mud! If you have facebook I have put a lot of pictures up from life here and also of this outreach day. I still have not figured out how to post pictures directly to the blog.. I will find out soon though! We had to make the mud there. We stomped the dirt and water, which was brought by a donkey-pulled cart, together and there was plenty of opportunities to get very dirty. J I was so impressed with the student’s attitudes. We worked for about 5 hours straight of hard labor. It was such a blessing to be a part of this labor of love to the family that will move into this new house. It was really neat to hear about God’s protection from one of the other groups that went out to another place. This was the 6^th grade class with about 25 students and 5 staff. They were taking their lunch break when suddenly they were attacked by bees! Almost everybody received multiple stings before they were able to get to safety. Some more than 20 stings!! BUT there were 4 kids who were not stung and 2 of these children were very allergic to bees. Isn’t God Amazing?! Every Monday night is my “night-off” from the dorm. I have joined a small group that will be going through 1^st Corinthians. God is so faithful to also provide some “family” here. There are 11 Mks here from Tenwek hospital and I also get to see their parents when they come to visit. It is such a blessing to see familiar faces daily and have that connection while being so far away from my family. Another huge blessing just arrived today! My dad and Rachel will be serving at Tenwek Hospital for the next 6 months! I got to have lunch with them today as they were on their way from Nairobi. It is about a 3 hour drive to Tenwek. God knows and cares about each of us so deeply. He even cares to give me a part of my family close by!

One of the things I love about living here in Kenya is the quietness of life. (I know.. quiet with 17 girls?!) But since I am “stuck” here on campus every day and pretty much have to be in my dorm and available to the girls, I have a lot of opportunity to spend time in the Word and also reading books. I am reading one now called “In the Arena” by Isobell Kuhn. She was a missionary to China. I have been so encouraged from this book and also with what God has been teaching me in His Word. Something I have recently been convicted of is how I need to hold the desires that God has given me with an open palm. That I am not so set on what I want or think I need but am surrendering those to His will and for His glory. I am so thankful for how the Lord pursues our hearts.

Thank you for your continued prayers!! As always, please feel free to let me know how I can be praying for you specifically if you have any requests.

Serving with you,

Amy

RVA update AUGUST

Mimi wamewasili!! (I have arrived J )

I want to thank you all for your prayers and support as I was going out. God was so good to provide so much love and prayers through my church family as I was leaving. Castleview had a commissioning service to send me off with prayer and then some friends at church hosted a going away reception for me afterwards. It was such a special time to be able to say “see you laters” and be able to see many people before leaving. Thank you for blessing me in that way!! God was gracious to give me safe travels. I had to pay for several overweight pieces but He worked out several “discounts” along the way. J I arrived at my hotel in NewYork around 2 am and then had meetings all day on Monday starting at 8:30 am. So that was a short night, but I was able to learn a lot and the staff at AIM was great to send me out with lots of prayer as well. Tuesday I headed to the airport and flew out to London around 6:00 pm. I had smooth connections and arrived with all of my luggage! That is always a huge answer to prayer because of how often we lose luggage going through London it seems.

I stayed at AIM’s guesthouse (Mayfield) for one night. I had met up with a family named the Kinzers that have been at RVA for 20+ yrs in London and traveled with them on to RVA the next day. It was great to have the traveling party and not be having to deal with my heavy bags with just me! J

The staff at RVA have welcomed me and been so great to help me get settled into life at RVA. I am still getting used to the altitude (7,000+ft) and adjusting to the cool and rainy weather. Quite a change from our humid Indiana summer! (Let’s just say I am VERY thankful for the fireplace in my living room here. J ) I am learning TONS of information that I am just praying will sink in and I can remember at the right times. We have had orientation every morning for the last 4 business days and tomorrow will continue with our Language training course for the next 6 days. In the afternoons we have had chances to set up our homes/dorms/classrooms. I am pretty much settled into my apartment. I will have to make some purchases of appliances and other household items eventually. Right now I am renting the majority of my household. I started working on decorating my dorm today. I decided to go with a tropical vacation theme. J I will have to figure out how to post pictures on my blog eventually. :) I also found out that I will be teaching in the “titchie swot” this is the elementary side of campus. I will be teaching music and PE to 1-5^th graders. If you have any advice, I would APPRECIATE any ideas. I will only have 3 days a week of classes, but having never taught in a classroom setting, I am trying not to be overwhelmed with the whole lesson plan thing. I am really excited about the chance to be with the little kids though. I think that will be great for helping ease a little bit of homesickness for my nieces and nephews.

I am so excited for my girls to come and start pouring into them. We have about a week and a half before they arrive!

Prayer requests: Prayer for time to be multiplied as it gets down to crunch time for preparing the dorm and for my classes.

-homesickness: God has been so good to keep reminding me of how He has called me here for a time and how He is with me. I have been doing well, but every once in a while I feel the tears coming just missing everyone at home. It is VERY QUIET here in the evenings. So when the girls come, that will change and will help with the loneliness for sure.

Please be praying about all the things needed for setting up my home.. We have rental items that we can use for up to a year, then they like us to buy our own. Since I was a little later than usual, I missed a lot of the “garage sales” from leaving staff.. So I am praying for wisdom of when I should buy or rent the bigger items until the next term and there might be another chance for sales.

I would love to hear from you whenever you get the chance.. If you have facebook I have been uploading some pictures that I have taken around RVA.

I was encouraged from what I read in my devotions last night, Jeremiah 29:11-13 (esv) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD.” I was reminded to continually seek after the Lord, because He promises we will find Him! I am thankful I can rest in His plans for me. My hope is in HIM.

Serving with you,

Amy

FYI

AIMS headquarters have moved!!! Their new mailing address is now:

PO Box 3611, Peachtree City, GA 30269

please make note of this if you need to send anything to them!

Its the Final Countdown! :)

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! I will fly out to NewYork and then have my checkout with AIM on Monday. My departure to Kenya will be on August 9th around 6:00 pm.

God has been so gracious to supply all my support needs. He is so faithful. I am also so thankful for the special times He has given me with some of my family and friends these last two weeks. I know He will continue to be with me this week as I pack and get ready to say "see you later" to so many people. Today at church I was reminded from Judges 6 how our Strength is found IN the Lord. How He is WITH us. Just like He promised Gideon when he would be going up against a huge army with "just" 300 men. But God knew what He was doing when He told Gideon to send those men home. It was a chance to see God's power and Glory shine! It was such a great reminder to me of where my strength comes from and I am so thankful for God's presence and care in my life.

Will you please be praying with me:

Time management.. I have so much to do with packing and finishing up my last Bible class before I go. I need to be wise with how I spend that time.. But I also want to make the most of the last days with family and friends.

My Grandpa has been having some chest pain and is having trouble with his physical heart.. We are also praying for his Salvation! Please join my family in praying that God would work in his heart to soften towards the Lord.

Also, could you be praying for baggage and smooth connections? There is always the potential for difficulties with airlines on baggage allowance and lost luggage.. I want to remember that these things are not what is most important and that God will get what He knows I need there. Thank you for your love and prayers!

Next time I write it will probably be from RVA! :) I will have new staff orientation for the first 2 weeks or so before my 9th grade girls will join me in our dorm. I am so excited for what God has planned. I am so blessed that God has allowed me to have a part in this work.

Serving with you!

Amy

change of plans. :)

July Update

WOW.. I have often heard and seen how God’s timing is not my own but I guess God wanted to remind me of that again. J AIM called me on Friday to see if I would be willing or able to leave in August instead of waiting to leave in October. They usually only send people out certain times of the year so that incoming missionaries can attend an African Based Orientation for 2 weeks upon arrival in-country. Our stateside director was talking to the director at RVA and they were hoping I could come and be there for the start of the school term. SO. Since I told the Lord I was willing to go whenever He wanted me to go, I prayed about it this weekend and talked to my family about it and God gave me a peace that now was His timing and He even confirmed it by providing ALL of the support I needed. I am FULLY supported in my outgoing and my monthly pledges. I am so thankful. God is my ever-present, Jehovah-Jireh (my provider) and what a blessing it is to trust Him and see His faithfulness to complete and enable for what He has called me to do. I am also so thankful for the partners He has blessed me with in ministry in all of you as I know that I would not be able to go without you being willing to allow God to use you in your prayers and financial support. So asante sana (thank you very much) J

Please be praying with me that God would be preparing me to have a willing and flexible heart for whatever He calls me to do while in Kenya at RVA. I am so excited to meet the 9^th grade girls I will be living with in the dorm called KeDong and to start building relationships with them.

Also, I now only have 3 weeks to finish preparations! I am confident that God will provide the energy and time since He has opened the doors for an early departure. Please pray for wisdom in getting things finished on my outgoing to-do list and for smooth transitions. I will fly to NewYork where AIM’s HQs are and then leave from NY to Nairobi on August 9^th.

Please pray for special times with family and friends before leaving. It is never going to be easy to say Goodbye, but God didn’t say it was going to be easy. I know I can lean on Him fully for His strength and grace that He has promised us in His word. I am SO excited to see the ways God will work in all of these requests.

How you can help: Since I am going to be a “mom” for these girls, it has been suggested that I should stock up on fun treats that teenagers enjoy that are harder to get over there in Kenya.. some examples are kool-aid packets, ranch packets, small gifts for birthdays, hard candy, etc.. (anything that is lighter weight and non-perishable, or at least will travel well J ) If you would be interested in contributing to that sometime the next 2 weeks, please let me know by email or giving me a call to make arrangements. (my cell is 317-506-0231) amyjarr@gmail.com

“Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” Psalm 33:20-22

Serving with you,

Amy

June Update :)

June Update for Kenya

Hello my friends! Well this last month has been quite crazy. J The beginning of May my oldest brother Pat and his family of 14 moved into our house in Zionsville for a 3 week stay while waiting for the move to Colorado Springs where my brother has a job with Challenger homes. It was so special to have that extra time with them before they moved. My oldest niece, Elissa, graduated from High school! And we also enjoyed my nephew Austin’s kindergarten graduation program. J Elissa will be going to Uganda at the end of July to serve with Sufficiency of scripture (SOS) ministries for 6 months! Please be praying for her and the tribe as this time of separation will be a new step for their family. Also pray for her safety and that her heart would be willing to serve in whatever way God calls her. I was able to join the Tribe on their westward journey for a week before coming back to take care of the Zionsville home. My Dad is currently on the Amazon with my brother-in-law Chris Gordon. They are serving on a medical boat with Samaritans Purse. They are due to arrive home June 18^th late at night. We don’t expect to hear much until then, they said something about limited access to the internet on the Amazon. J

God has really been working in my heart as the time for departure gets closer and closer. I was expecting that I would be leaving in July, but because of support not being at 100% I am now shooting for an October departure. I am resting in the fact of knowing that God’s timing is perfect! I am confident that He will provide in just the right timing. Please continue to be praying with me for the rest of the needed funds. I am at a little over 100% for outgoing but still at 82% for monthly. There are so many times when I take my eyes off the Gospel that I start to get discontent or question the timing of what is happening. Then God is faithful to remind me of His timing and that I can rest in His sovereignty. His plan is perfect! I am reminded of this verse.

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” (Lamentations 3:21-25 ESV) I can live each day with confidence in Him, resting day by day in His faithfulness.

I am working on getting Bible classes done slowly but surely. Please be praying for diligence with my schedule. I have many things to do on the outgoing list AIM gives us to help with preparations. Also if you could be praying that I would be able to find some sort of job until I leave. The jobs I was working are mostly school-year responsibilities so they have pretty much ended now. If you have anything that comes to mind, feel free to let me know. J

As always, I would love to hear from you and be praying with you about anything you might want to share. Please feel free to email me with any prayer requests or even something God is teaching you. It is always so encouraging to hear how He is working.

Serving with you,

Amy Jarrett

April Update :)

Dear Friends and family,

I hope you have all been well! I can’t believe how quickly the weeks are going by, it is already the end of April! J The end of March and early April were big travel times for me. I was able to go to Colorado with my oldest brother Pat and niece Elissa to see where they will be moving to at the end of May. Elissa and I were blessed to enjoy some beautiful hiking around the Colorado Springs area. Then a lot of the Indiana family headed south to enjoy spring break at Jon and Sharon’s in South Carolina. The times that God has blessed our family with are so precious. On April 17^th we got to have a family party and Easter celebration with the whole family together since Laura and Keisuke Noguchi (my twin) was in town.

The spring season is so beautiful with the flowers blooming and the trees and grass turning green. It’s a great reminder of the new life we have in Christ. The Old has gone, the New has come! It also reminds me of Christ’s greatest love and sacrifice. He humbled Himself to become like us so that He might take on the punishment we deserved in our sin. But He didn’t stay dead, we serve a living Savior!!! He conquered death and sin on the cross and Rose again victoriously. Hallelujah! “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” Col 2:13-15 (ESV)

Preparations are coming along well for Kenya. When I was in South Carolina I was supposed to share about the ministry I will be involved with at RVA to Sharon’s Bible study group. The night before it was supposed to happen it stormed and the power was knocked out so they had to cancel the meeting! Then I was going to share with Jon and Sharon’s Sunday school class on Sunday and ended up getting the flu bug that was passing around our family! My brother Jon and sister Becki were gracious to share a video presentation about RVA and I trust that if God wanted anyone to be involved from that, He could use those ways of communication. God doesn’t need me to do His work; He just blesses us by letting us be apart of it! Satan might try to thwart the effectiveness of ministry that he knows God has planned, but God is Sovereign and all-powerful. His plan will always go through and in His perfect timing so that His name is Glorified. I am still working on Bible classes and trying to be diligent about making time for those.

I am so thankful for all of you and your prayers. Prayer is so important. “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”

(2 Corinthians 1:11 ESV) Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16 ESV)

Also, God has been faithful to provide financial support through many of you. I am about 90% on outgoing funds for Kenya however, I have only about 40% pledged for monthly. AIM requires that we be 100% of pledged monthly support one month before our departure date. (June for me) If I don’t have that, I will have to wait till October for the next departure date. I am thankful and resting in the fact that God is faithful and the Great Provider. He will provide the money when He wants me to go. Please be praying with me that God would make that clear and provide in His timing.

I would love to hear from you what is going on in your life or what you have been learning from the Lord. Please feel free to email or facebook me if you have any prayer requests!

Serving with you,

Amy Jarrett