December update

RVA December update Amy Jarrett PO Box 80, Kijabe, Kenya 00220

Hello my dear friends! So much has happened since I last wrote. I am sorry for the long break in between updates. The last of the term finished out with all the craziness that everyone warned me about. The weekend before school let out we had a dorm Christmas party. It was dessert themed and I had lots of requests for milkshakes. I am always amazed at the amount of food these girls can consume. J We had a great time eating, playing games, doing a craft, and listening to Christmas music. This felt very strange having Christmas decorations and songs in the middle of November, but because the kids won’t be here for Christmas, they like to celebrate it early. The last week was really stressful for the girls as they had many finals and projects due. It was easy to tell that the girls and I were very ready for the upcoming break! I had a couple days where I was discouraged because of bad attitudes the girls had and thought, “Lord, why do you have me here doing this, am I really adequate to be a “mom” to 17 teenage girls?!” I was encouraged by this verse the Lord gave me. “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:4-6 ESV) He is so faithful to give me these reminders from His word! I know that in my own strength, I am not adequate. But because of His calling me here, He has given me the sufficiency through Himself. The last day of dorm clean-up went so well for which I was so thankful after the stressful week. I was sad to see the girls leave but glad for them to have this month at home with their families and time of rest.

Classes finished up really well up at Titchie. I am still not sure what they are going to have me doing this next term but trust that God will only give me what He knows I can handle. As of now I will plan on continuing teaching both PE and Music, but the dean of women is really pushing for me to have less of a teaching load so I can devote more time to the dorm. I would love this, but am happy to continue if they are not able to work something else out. Please be praying for that to work out for the best and that I would be ready to tackle another term of teaching if God wants me to be there.

Vacation time! J Immediately as term was finished AIM held the eastern region conference at RVA. This was a 4 day conference. I really enjoyed the fellowship and meeting other missionaries around east Africa. Several single women stayed in my dorm so I was able to spend time with them. My new friend I met last year at the AIM candidate week in NY stayed with me and we had a Lord of the Rings Marathon each night as we are both big fans. J The theme of the week was “In His Hands” focusing on God’s sovereignty. This was so encouraging to me. Since conference, when I am reading my devotions I have looked specifically for verses talking about God’s sovereignty. It has been a really neat exercise to do. I loved this verse in Acts 17:24-28 “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’“ What a comfort to know that God has already determined our times and the places He would have us go and that we are able to trust Him and seek Him. He says He is not far from us! After conference I have enjoyed the rest and time with other friends here at RVA. I was blessed to be able to join two of my friends for a last minute trip to Mombasa (the beach!) this last week. We had such a good time enjoying the sunshine and relaxation. It has rained for 2 months straight at Kijabe! Since we have gotten back there have been 2 days of sunshine. So maybe the rains are finally letting up for what is supposed to be the dry season until about February. The rains were so bad that in Nairobi part of the main highway was washed away! It’s such a delicate balance here and how strongly people are affected by it. They need the rain for the crops, but when we get too much their farms flood, their homes are destroyed, or roads are ruined.

I am very excited to be picking up Tony and Holly Gordon, and Karen Long and her son on Wednesday. They will be staying for about a week. We will go to Tenwek after I show them around RVA. Please be praying for safe traveling as well as a special time of fellowship with these dear friends. We are hoping to make a few trips to see the orphans while they are here. I am very excited to see them! I am looking forward to being at Tenwek for Christmas with Dad and Rachel. I would really appreciate prayers for comfort while missing being with my family for my first Christmas away from home. I am so thankful that God blessed me to be able to be with Dad and Rachel, but it will be very hard to miss my other siblings and my precious nephews and nieces.

Thank you for praying with me about a ticket home in March/April. I couldn’t believe it, but I found an incredible deal for a roundtrip ticket with Turkish airlines to come home March 24^th-April 15^th. I am so thankful for this opportunity to come home and see the family as well as get to meet my new nephews and niece! J (This will be during the break after our 2^nd term)

It is such a blessing to be a part of the body of Christ. To serve together in the different ministries that God calls us to. I love how when we pray together, we get to be blessed by seeing God’s answers and His name glorified. As always, I would love to hear from you! “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:3-6 ESV)

Serving with you,

Amy

October 2011

October Update 2011 RVA Amy Jarrett
Hello my dear friends! Seriously, time flies.  I can’t believe we only have 5 weeks left in our 1st term. Since I last wrote there have been lots of things happening. Some of you have asked for my address here at RVA and I wasn’t sure if I put it on the website so here it is. Attn: Amy Jarrett; PO Box 80, Kijabe, Kenya 00220

One huge blessing was the visit of my niece, Elissa Jarrett who is currently serving in Uganda until December. She was here from Oct 5th-11th. It was such a wonderful visit and very refreshing to us both I believe. I rode into Nairobi with a friend to pick her up and we got to enjoy some of the fun things Nairobi has to offer. We went to Nairobi National park where they have an animal orphanage. They had many animals there that you don’t often get to see on safari because of them being so rare. One was a Zebdonk. Yes that is right.  It is a cross between a zebra and donkey! Then we went to the giraffe center where you get to feed the giraffe. One of the fun ways to do this is by putting the pellet of grain between your lips and getting a very slobbery kiss from the giraffe.  Don’t worry; they assure you that the giraffe’s saliva is an antiseptic. This is proven by the fact that Giraffe are one of the only animals that can eat from the thorny Acacia trees because of the saliva that heals the cuts received from thorns. It’s a good thing too, because Acacia trees are their favorite treat.  After getting some supplies we headed back to RVA. Elissa got to see me teach 3 of my PE classes. I think she agreed with my assessment of some rambunctious students that I teach. Friday we headed to Tenwek Hospital to be with Dad and Rachel over our Mid-term break. We were able to go on a one-night safari. It was such a great time to be out in God’s creation and we saw a breath-taking sunset that reminded me of the verse in Psalms. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.” (Psalm 19:1-6 ESV) We also enjoyed the opportunity to visit missionary friends and the enjoyment of being together as a family. Though we were missing “a few” Jarretts to call it a reunion.

Dorm life- There has definitely been trying times the last week. I had to have some difficult conversations with some of my girls. Though I believe God gave me the words to say to them because I think these conversations were used to deepen our relationship in-spite of us dealing with different sins in their lives! I am thankful for God giving me opportunities to have these one-on-one conversations with the girls to challenge them in their walks with Him. There have also been great times together as we continue to grow closer together. I still laugh to myself and think occasionally what God has in mind putting me here with a bunch of crazy teenage girls.  I think our dorm gets the prize for being the loudest. It is probably good that God made me to be a little more quiet and relaxed so that I can be a calming voice when it is needed.

Titchie: I am enjoying the PE and Music classes. While this is a big responsibility to add to my main “job” of Dorm mom, God has given me the strength to handle what He has asked me to do. The dean of Women has been working with the principals to see if they could give me a day off once a month for the rest of this term and then Lord-willing if other people can get all their support, they would be able to take some of the class load on a regular basis when we come back for 2nd term. I didn’t ask for this so I am thankful that God knows what I need and will provide for it in just the right time.

Fun days at RVA: Yesterday we celebrated Multicultural day. Many students and staff dressed up in outfits that represented their Culture’s dress. There were so many beautiful outfits. We also had a program that featured songs from the different language classes; Spanish, French, and Swahili classes. There was a Korean Fan Dance by the Titchie girls that was precious. They had skits and then a flag ceremony with over 20 nations represented that gave a beautiful picture of what Heaven will be like when every tribe and nation will worship the Lord. “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10 ESV) We didn’t have classes and finished the night off with a Staff vs. Seniors flag football game and Fireworks. It was such a fun day!

Kenya: God sent the rain to Kijabe these last two weeks. The people’s gardens needed rain so much and we were grateful for the rain. Northern Kenya is still in desperate need of rain. There are tensions of terrorist threats from groups in Somali since the Kenyan army has pressed into Somali to try and stop the terrorist acts that have happened across the Kenyan border. At this time the American Embassy has just raised awareness and told people to take caution. Another security issue that has happened recently around Kijabe is an increase in car hijackings. This has happened twice in the last 2 weeks. The police are working hard to find who is responsible. These things all sound alarming and we certainly take it seriously to be cautious and wise, but more importantly we serve a Powerful God. He is the only One that remains the same in a world that is ever changing. The safest place to be in this world is in the center of His will. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2 ESV) So please join me in prayer for safety and peace to reign in Kenya, but at the same time, we trust in God’s plan and His protection of His children.

Heart lessons: God keeps working in my heart to surrender completely to Him. I thought I had given Him every part of my life to be Lord over, but He has been showing me where I am still trying to hold tightly to my own desires. I am so thankful for His faithfulness to move and pray that I would be obedient to His plan so that He might be glorified.

Prayer requests:
• Continual wisdom and opportunities to pour into my girl’s lives and for discipleship in their walks with the Lord.
• Missing my family: God continues to be faithful in providing opportunities to talk to family and friends with modern technology that I am so thankful for.  Also, will you please be praying with me about a chance to come home for a visit in April? Right now the tickets seem to be a little expensive so I am praying that if God wants me to find the right one; He would provide the way and make it clear.

As always, I would count it a huge blessing to hear from you. Please let me know if there is anything specific I can be joining you in prayer with or if God has been teaching you something you could share with me. I am so thankful for you friendship and support. It is so encouraging to have your prayer and friendship.

Serving with you,
Amy

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