Happy Birthday!

Yesterday, we celebrated Aaron's 34th birthday. The day started with a gift our family has been waiting a long time for... the keys to our house. Well, we didn't get the keys to the actual house but we did get the keys to the gate which is still cause to celebrate! We will get the rest of the keys this morning and then begin our move across town.

Daddy gets lots of birthday hugs from Tristan, Emma and Ava

We met friends for lunch and Aaron was surprised with a yummy cake. After school, we went home and started our game marathon. We love games! We played late into the night (actually in was only 9 pm but we are getting older...) and had a family sleep over in our room.

Daddy and Ava enjoying birthday pie.

Aaron's one request for his birthday was key lime pie.

Laughter

Never a dull moment!

Ava having a good laugh

Ava has discovered her inner artist, unfortunately she has discovered it through decorating our pillows, furniture, walls, and pretty much everything else she is not suppose to draw on. She likes her "magna doodle", but for some strange reason it just seems so much more fun to sneak a pen out of a drawer or purse and find a new surface to scribble.

She and Emma share a bed room, and over the past month Ava has been waking up extra early and climbing the ladder up into Emma's top bunk. We fear the day when she decides that Emma's forehead will make a good canvas!

Getting ready for bed.

Ava wanted to sleep in her new outfit from India.

Putting It All Together

Erica working on a few designs for her upcoming

jewelry making class with the women

of the Iftin Jewelry Project.

We spent most of today searching out sources for jewelry supplies in Nairobi for the ceramic jewelry project. Erica and the training group will be working closely together to create designs out of the beads that the women are making. Finding supplies here in Kenya is nothing like dropping into Michael's back home in Canada. We are excited to see how the first line of jewelry turns out!

We also shared some time with a Kenyan pastor and his family who are planting a small church near our new home. David works as a part-time gardener in order to support his ministry. As we make the move into a small rental house, he is helping us tame the wild yard and start a small kitchen garden (we are hoping to plant a pumpkin patch). Our move has been delayed because of a leaking roof, but it is a blessing to have rain and to have discovered the leaks before we moved in. We are planning to shift over to the house next week.

We want to thank everyone who has been praying for our family: Emma's chin is healing well after her Easter weekend cut. The stitches came out last Friday, but she'll have to stay out of the water for the next week. Emma is enjoying school and friends as usual! Ava's next court date seems to be on track for May 22nd. We are praying for the health of Sam Mutisya, her guardian ad litum. Sam has been very ill. Ava has been praying for everyone's health lately (even if we aren't sick) with loud and long "Amens". We would appreciate your prayers for Sam as he sees his doctors this week.

Facing Challenges Together

Zahra, Nelius and Erica working through some problems today as we plan for the upcoming term with Iftin.

In July, we will be celebrating the first year of Iftin. We are deeply thankful for God's blessing of Zahra and Nelius who have been working with us and the incredible women of Iftin. It hasn't been an easy journey, but we feel that through faith and determination that obstacles can be overcome.

In Prayer:

* We pray for the desperate need of rain throughout Kenya. Although Eastleigh received a good dosing today, the spring rains have come late and much of the country is extremely dry. As a result, livestock are suffering and crops are withering. Food prices have climbed steadily and the urban poor are among the hardest hit as they try to make their few shillings stretch with the doubling of basic food prices. Canadian Baptist Ministries and Canadian Food Grains Bank are preparing for a major food distribution throughout rural parts of Kenya. Included in this will be a relief aid project in Northeast Province among the Somali communities where the Carlines and Gollos are working. We will be working in Eastleigh to address issues of food security with the families of Iftin.

* We are praying for clean water for the families of Eastleigh. With the generous support of Churches and individuals from Canada, we are preparing to distribute water filtration systems to vulnerable Somali and Oromo families living in Eastleigh and Mathare Valley. We pray that these families will adopt the regular habits needed to maintain clean water and good hygiene that are being taught through the distribution project. Poor sanitation and unclean water are leading causes of child mortality in Eastleigh and throughout the developing world.

* We pray for unity and trust within the community. Many of the women of Iftin have suffered criticism and even persecution for their decision to join Iftin. Traditionally negative views against female education, and the presence of women in public life, make it difficult for individuals who want to break the mold. Over the last month, about a dozen members of Iftin have stopped attending literacy classes due to outside pressure. Pray for us as we struggle to build in roads of trust, while challenging people to value the opportunity for women to learn.

New Beads

Aisha, Hawa, Safio and Erica

taking a close look at the finish of the newest glazes

being used as part of the Eastleigh Ceramic Jewelry Project

A peak into the kiln

Falastin and Aisha forming beads during the morning session of the Eastleigh Pottery training program. The first training cohort will be completing their course in May.

New colours and shapes appearing

The Eastleigh Jewelry Project is the first micro enterprise initiative of Iftin. Thanks to the support of the Eastleigh Community Centre, The Sharing Way/Canadian Baptist Ministries and generous Canadian partners in mission, we are working with the Somali women of Eastleigh to build self help support groups, savings programs, and income generating activities that will enable many of the most vulnerable families to overcome extreme poverty.

The ten women currently training with the ceramic jewelry project have been enthusiastic over the progress and proud of their accomplishments. We are praying that the training and development of the jewelry project will continue to progress and that the marketing and sales of their artwork will generate a sustainable income for these women and their families. Erica and James have been researching opportunities to market the jewelry in Kenya (They were both apart of a large sale this past weekend). We are very thankful for a few friends in Canada who have offered to display and sell the Iftin jewelry. We are praying for other opportunities to export their creations.

The work goes on as Hawa, Aisha, and Safio

laugh together around the central table

in the Eastleigh Pottery workshop.

Just-Landed!

Greenwood Drive Baptist Church STM

Around the table -- Greg Jones (Regional minister /Region VI), Richard McAleer, Caleb & Tim Bannister (CBM Kenya), Thomas & Catherine Reid, Elizabeth Aikens, Charles Newman, and Malcolm Card (CBM Africa team leader).

We had the pleasure of welcoming the Greenwood Drive volunteers this morning at Java House for coffee and breakfast, after their long journey from New Brunswick. They will be visiting and serving with our partner churches in rural areas around Thika and Machakos over the next two weeks. It was great to see Greg Jones, who had been our regional minister when we served with the Midland Church in New Brunswick.

We pray that they will experience a transformative time serving and learning from our Kenyan brothers and sisters.

Happy Easter

After all the travelling of this last month, it was great to be home together to celebrate Easter. The kids were up early, well before church, to see what the Easter bunny had dropped around our apartment. After mommy's fabulous cinnamon rolls, we worshipped at the International Christian Fellowship and enjoyed Easter dinner with friends.

The Boys

The Girls

Bunny Princess

Tristan and Emma facing the foam

at Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi

We had planned on spending the weekend at a local hotel (with a great big pool and a cool waterfall slide), but on our first day there Emma had a nasty fall and caught her chin on a piece of metal. We rushed her to hospital where a plastic surgeon was called in. He was able to patch her chin with nine stitches. She was a very brave girl, and we thank God that her injury was not anymore severe. We pray that she heals well over the next week.

This will be our last Easter in our apartment, as we will be moving at the end of this month into a house close to our children's school and Eastleigh. This will cut our daily commutes by over half. We are excited to have a yard for the kids to play in and a small garden.

Easter Play

Tristan as "Wooly" the sheep in
Rosslyn Academy's Elementary Spring Musical

"...His Fleece Was White As Snow" by Dan Baker
was the elementary spring musical this year.
The students told the Easter story
through the eyes of the animals


Dinky the Donkey (Michael), Wooly the sheep (Tristan)
and Rooster (Christian) share the amazing news of Jesus'
resurrection from the dead.



Emma sang in the elementary choir
directed by Lynn Charisse Zettlemoyer



Erica directed the play with another parent, Kim Remich
It was a proud night for us aswe cheered Tristan
and the cast on -- fantastic!

The Cast: Benjamin, Sarah, Amani, Tristan, Christian

Caeli, Lydia, Michael, Grace, Alina

Bollywood here we come...

Tristan and Emma having some fun

dressing up in their presents from India

We were excited to see the kids after nine days of being away. It was a long time to be apart. Ava especially had a hard time dealing with the separation. We are looking forward to sharing some family time together this week as the kids are on their Spring Break.

Tristan -- such a charmer!

Patterns of Promise 1874-2009

India is the second most populated country in the world (coming after China) with about a billion people. That means that about 1 out of every 6 people living on planet earth are in India.

We just returned last night from Canadian Baptist Ministries' first ever Global Conference "Patterns of Promise". Together with about a hundred Canadian missionaries, national staff, CBM leadership and board members, we traveled to Delhi, the capital city of India, for an intense seven days of workshops and planning around CBM's four strategic drivers. We owe a huge thanks to our friends Mel, Kerry, Judy and Carol who helped watch Tristan, Emma and Ava at home in Nairobi while we were away.

If you've seen the Oscar winning film "Slum Dog Millionaire", you will recognize the shoes left at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Taj Mahal.

On the Saturday of the conference, we had one day free to tour around the city of Delhi. Many of us took an 18 hour bus drive and tour of the famous city of Agra to see the Taj Mahal. The trip was so long because of accidents and delays on the roads. As much as it was great to see the Taj Mahal, it was wonderful to get out of the conference centre and see more of India.

Carin Guthrie, Suzannah Nacho and Erica

showing off their beautiful foot coverings.

The Taj Mahal

We were glad to be able to spent time together with fellow Canadians serving with CBM, many of whom we had never met before. It was good to discover similar challenges and struggles faced by everyone. As the title of the conference points to, we were looking for patterns. Once you start looking, you find patterns everywhere from the symmetry of a tomb like the Taj Mahal to the ruts and grooves that appear in our lives and ministry. A part of the conference was about getting out of the ruts and into the groove!

Building a god...

We were told that there are an estimated three million gods in India from little shrines to giant statues like the one above that we saw being refurbished on the drive to Agra.

While we believe in one God, it is still a temptation to build little gods out of the stuff of life (the stuff that leaves us always wanting more). Perhaps the most powerful message of the conference, was the call to centre ourselves in who we are as children loved by God. The reality of this relationship is the foundation that all our lives are built upon.

CBM team Africa

Back Row: A. & R. D (Kenya), Aaron & Erica Kenny (Kenya), Tim & Diane Bannister (Kenya), Ana Salomao (Angola), Laura Ward (Kenya), Dorothy Sowden (Angola), Kelly & Paul Carline (Kenya), Bruno Soucy (Rwanda)

Front Row: Jim & Diane McBeth (Angola), John (Rwanda), Malcolm & Patty Card (Kenya), Karen & Colin Godwin (Rwanda), Gato Munyamasoko (Rwanda)

Absent: Kathleen Soucy and Sam Mutisya

Throughout the conference, we heard from many of our colleagues from around the globe. Much of our time was focused around current trends, challenges and best practices within our key drivers of : grassroots leadership development, pioneer outreach, global discipleship and sustainable community development. Erica made a presentation on "Making a Heart Connection" during one of the Pioneer Outreach driver sessions during the conference (she did amazing!). She shared the story of Iftin and some of the lessons that we have been learning in serving cross culturally in Eastleigh. It was a great opportunity to learn from one another and to help shape the course ahead for CBM.


Much of the conference was also given to worship and prayer. Our main speaker, Mark Buchanan, and worship leader, Brian Craig, helped us look to God's patterns of promise for us and the world.

Preparing for Communion as a Present Reality

General Secretary, Gary Nelson, encouraged us and spoke into the process of shaping the direction of Canadian Baptist Ministries. We are so thankful for the leadership and passion of Gary who has been a big part of our own personal journey into cross cultural outreach.

Suzannah Nacho , Erica and Heather Martin

A part of the fun of being in India was the opportunity to share with our national Indian partners. One of our Indian colleagues, Jasmine Jonathan, pulled Erica and a few other women aside so that she could dress them in a traditional Sari. They were beautiful!

Around the table

Standing: Kelly Carline, Erica & Aaron, Paul Carline and Carla Nelson

Sitting: Patty & Malcolm Card, David Sarma, and Gary Nelson

On the last evening, the CBM board organized an outdoor celebration meal where we dressed up in the Indian attire that many of us had found over the week. It was a great time of laughter. Sam Chaise, a representative of the board, encouraged us rather than saying good-bye to say "May the Lord be with you till we meet again!"

Brian Malcolm, Aaron, and David Nacho (No saris for the men)

Holy Cow!

Finally. Although we can't begin to capture the fullness of this past week, we do need to let you know that when travelling in India cows have first priority. They are everywhere: downtown, countryside, crossing the highway, on the sidewalk, in the doorway -- basically where ever they want to go. There are no western fastfood restaurants in Kenya, so we were very excited to see a Mcdonalds in India: I think this is the ONLY place where we didn't see a cow. The Indian Mcdonalds is beef free! McMutton tikka wrap anyone?