A HUGE loss

We were very shocked and saddened yesterday to hear the news from Melut, that our dear friend and colleague, Rev. Philipa Eisa, Principal of Gideon Theological College in Melut, passed away suddenly. He was teaching a morning class and collapsed.
     Thankfully we were already scheduled to fly back to Melut on Thursday so we will arrive tomorrow and then on Friday travel to Mabaan county where Philip's family has taken his body for burial. We are grateful that soon we will be back together with our GTC family and able to grieve together with them.
     Please pray for Philip's wife Lydia, and their 5 children. And please pray for all who knew him as we each process this grief.

Weeding in his garden last August

Philip was a great teacher, father, and friend.

We will deeply deeply miss you Brother!

A Very Special R&R so far

As many of you know, we left South Sudan at the end of April to come to Kenya for a break. We met up with Eli's parents in Nairobi and flew to Mombasa, a beautiful beach on the Indian ocean! We spent 6 wonderful days together swimming, snorkeling, building sand castles, walking on the sand bars, exploring tide pools and eating lots of good food!

These were such happy times for all of us!

Don't we look relaxed?

We took a glass bottom boat out near the reef to snorkel and the boys found all these starfish in the tide pools. They gathered them into one place for the picture and then put them back.

 

 When we returned from the coast, Eli's 2 brothers and sister joined us! Jason and Caleb were passing through on their way back from a ministry trip to Burundi (in E. Africa) and Alyssa didn't want to miss out on a family gathering so she and our 9-year old nephew Jordan, joined us!

To have some quality time together, we drove 2 hours out of the city to Lake Naivasha and spent 3 beautiful days together catching up, seeing beautiful scenery and wild animals, and being so encouraged by one another.

At the lodge where we stayed

Isaac and his cousin Jordan on a boat ride to see hippos and explore an island full of wildlife.