Grace Evened Things Out

Kariuki's prayer Update .

 

Nov 2022

Dear Praying Friends,

It has been a trying few months interspersed with rays of divine intervention and grace. Health wise, Jo and the girls have really struggled with asthma and allergies during this time of year with lots of dust and pollen. Jo is doing better, but the girls still have lingering coughs. Zack and Moses, for the most part, are doing well. The dust is worse than usual this year due to prolonged drought - we haven’t had good rains for 4 years in a row. In addition to many families facing food insecurity, in the north camels and other livestock are starving, while wildlife in Tsavo and livestock in Masai land were also heavily impacted. Thanks be to God for consistent light rains in the last two weeks covering most of the country. We are praying for good rains for the next harvest to be plentiful.
 

Grace has been in the continued provision in these very challenging times as we have lost quite a bit of financial support with the global economic crisis. We are thankful for several unexpected gifts which have evened things out, enabling Moses’ continued travel for ministry and training of laborers for the kingdom.
 

Moses has had his pastoral plate full with many of our staff facing challenges in Chad and Kenya. Chad has had unprecedented floods and political violence. Demonstrators agitating for democratic representation were met with extreme force from government forces with many killed and others hospitalized with gunshot wounds. As we write this the government has imposed a dusk to dawn curfew in all the major towns in Chad.
Moses has also been called upon to provide insight and counsel to quite a few members of our extended YWAM family who are facing personal and vocational challenges during this season. Prayers for wisdom and continued grace much appreciated!
 

We have been praying for Joshua to come to Kenya for Christmas and we are thankful to have his ticket booked and plans in place! We have missed this boy and the siblings can hardly wait for their brother to visit. It will be a short visit but hopefully enough time for him to recharge and for us to enjoy his presence.

 

Please pray;

o    For Zack who will be starting his final year of high school in January

o    For our sister-in-law who is recovering from a stroke

o  For sufficient rain to both mitigate and avert further drought and consequent famine in the region
o    For peace and stability in Chad
o    For comfort for families in Chad that lost loved ones (the Toralta and Mbaingera  families)

o    That we have every provision for the good work that He calls us to do.
 

Thank you for your faithful partnership with us in the Kingdom,
 

Moses & Jo

 

Place of our own

The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance! 

(Psalms 16:6 NLT)

Dear Friends,

We hope 2019 finds you well and enjoying the season you’re in!  Time is flying, the past several months have been so full, and we are grateful for God’s goodness throughout.

Chez Kariuki: Our return to Kenya after our visit to the US in August/September 2018 was hectic. We knew it was God’s time for us to move from our rented house into our own place. We had found a flat in a development we liked, about ten minutes from where we lived before.  Though the brand-new units were beyond our budget, we were offered one which had been used as an office for a better price with a promise to have it restored as new inside. The refurbishments took longer than anticipated and we made many trips to review repairs and consult on modifications.  We were finally able to move in the beginning of December, and although some things still need to be done, we are glad to finally be in a place of our own. We are trusting God to finish paying speedily and possibly get extra units for hospitality to ministers and restoration to those who need fresh orientation with God.

Ministry update: In December 2018, Moses made a trip to teach in Uganda at YWAM’s Biblical studies school. In addition to teaching in the school, he spoke at both their community and staff meetings and spent time with staff helping evaluate the past year and envision the coming season. The highlight was breaking bread with staff at the end of year thanksgiving service. Back in Kenya there was opportunity to serve at the local prisons and minister to over a thousand inmates while speaking at the “Prisoners Journey Discipleship” graduation. Moses also participated in our local church denominational national evaluations process. In spite of finishing up the term the very week that we moved in December, we are thankful his end of term exams and papers went well.

After a very busy December, Moses flew out on New Year’s Eve to the US for an eight week internship. He worked with refugees, through Church World Service in Lancaster, PA for his Urban Studies course. He is looking ahead to completing his Master’s degree in June. We are thankful for the God’s protection and providence over all of us during that longer than usual time of being separated as a family.  Although things went smoothly at home, and Moses really enjoyed his internship and relationships with refugees, we’re all happy to be together again from the beginning of March 2019.

In April, Moses heads to Togo, West Africa to teach for a week in the school of Biblical Studies and in the Urban Biblical Studies in the Capital city Lome.  We are enjoying the opportunities God gives us to love those around us and the farther away relationships as well, impacting the nations through His life and word.

In addition to taking care of home and family, Jo continues to be part of a weekly ladies Bible study which she also occasionally facilitates. She has been both blessed and stretched with impromptu hospitality in our new home to various visitors and big groups including the work crew and Moses’s extended family. We are happy our hospitality dream is already sprouting and growing.  She also recently enjoyed volunteering at a nearby nursing home and hopes to continue ministry there on a regular basis.

Family: The children are making friends at our new neighborhood, connecting with school friends who live close by and enjoying the common swimming pool in the development, as this is the hottest time of the year in Kenya. They began the new school year in early January and are now in grades 6,7,8, and 11.  They have worked hard in school and can now converse in Swahili and we are so thankful for that.   We celebrated three birthdays in February, Moses’ (we’ll have to have another celebration when he’s actually with us!!!)  Marianna’s 13th, and Zachary’s 15th.  Three teens in the house now, our home is full of life and noise and laughter, strong opinions and lots of discussions, some deep and some not-so-deep.

We continue to appreciate your continued love, prayers and financial support.  God has shown himself so faithful to us, and we are grateful to each and every one of you who have been a part of that.  Many Blessings,

Moses & Jo Kariuki ~Joshua, Zack, Marianna & Katelyn