DOCTRINE IS IMPORTANT, NOT TRENDY

Paul Gifford, Professor of African Christianity at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London was puzzled in his book African Christianity: Its Public Role that "Africa is not reacting to globalization by revitalizing African traditional religion but instead appeared to be opting into exotic religions." These "exotic" religions can be seen as the Spirit-empowered revivalist movements that are wide-spread throughout the African continent.  Many of these movements target the rich and poor alike.  They preach that wealth, healing, and even national peace will come as people give of their finances so that the Holy Spirit can work in their personal lives and communities.  From personal experience, I have seen an evangelist ask people to bring money to the altar so that he can pray a blessing on them and promises that their sacrifice will end in their request being answered.  I once could not understand why people would flock to a preaching crusade and give money freely when it was hard to get them to come faithfully to their local church and support it with their tithes.

Some of the fault lays with traditional Western thinking that is many times brought to the continent by foreigners.  We (non-Africans) seem to believe that witchcraft is a figment of the uneducated minds of the people and that every witchdoctor uses psychological delusion to gain power over the people.  We forget that the power of the devil and demons is real so witchcraft is real.  Africans know that it is real because many of them have experienced it firsthand.  So the traditional western evangelical missionary comes in and tells them it is all in their heads and the African non-evangelical missionary comes and tells them that witchcraft is the major reason for the underdevelopment of their country, their poverty, and their disease.  This second approach appeals to Africans who want an answer to the demonology that they see all around them which they believe causes illness and poverty.

Andrew Walls wrote in his book, The Missionary Movement in Christian History, when describing the modern African Spirit-empowered Revival Movement "Gone are the African drums of the aladuras [spiritualists]; the visitor is more likely to hear electronic keyboards and amplified guitars, see a preacher in elegant agbaba [robe] or smart business suit and a choir in bow ties." He goes on to conclude that Africans want a church that emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit in healing and public witness [tongues speaking] in the lives of the Christian followers.

Many traditional African churches have now joined this trendy non-evangelical Christian movement with more vibrant experiential worship, spontaneous healing, a media driven worship service all worked around an entertainment culture.   Some of these things are really not what I think is the problem. Hopefully Christians everywhere sing vibrantly before the Lord no matter the style and media should help us to get our faces lifted up toward the God we are worshipping.  I think the real problem is that the church is not a hall where we go to be entertained. It is not a place where we go to see the Holy Spirit do His thing!

The church should be a place where folks go to be taught, to be convicted; a place where they find a Holy God who is worthy of their worship and expects obedience from His followers. The church should be a place where the Holy Spirit does work as we submit ourselves to God.  A church should know that doctrine (content of belief) and certitude (conviction of belief) are important reasons that people choose a church.  A pastor must be uncompromising on the Word of God. The congregation must really believe what is being taught and preached and live it out in their lives.  A "truth" church cannot preach that every illness will be healed; and that every financial crisis will be relieved just by our faith. God is working all things out for His glory and His plan. God is in control and bad things do happen but He has promised to work all things together for our good and His glory.

In Africa we do have to tackle the witchcraft issue especially if this issue is pushing people into false religious thought.  We need to realize that witchcraft is real. Satan does have power to scare and intimidate people.

I once told a group of African pastors: "You are more afraid of the devil than you are of God." They looked at me shocked but many knew that it was true.  I have to consistently remind people that in Hebrews we are told that Jesus' death rendered Satan powerless.

"Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives." Hebrews 2:14,15)

How do we overcome the fear of witchcraft?  The answer is not found in just becoming the trendy church or claiming to be able to command the Holy Spirit to do this or that.  The answer is found in a belief that everything is under the rule of Jesus, the One who has made us complete in Him. (Eph. 1:22,23) In Jesus, we have the truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Paul tells us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 13:14) Witchcraft has already been defeated by Jesus; we need to live in that victory.

Injili (Gospel) Baptist Church and our other churches are in a constant battle between teaching the truth and facing witchcraft (Demonology).  But God is greater and has won the victory.  When IBC started working in Majaoni village there were no less than five "mganga wa kienyeji" (healers/practitioners of magic).  Today, three of them have presented their lives to Christ and given up their magic. Praise God for his faithfulness.
​
Preach Jesus...He is the only one who has the power to redeem and save that which was lost.

---

"And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." 1 Cor. 6:11

TIME TO PRAISE GOD

"I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will declare all Your wonderful works. I will rejoice and boast about You; I will sing about Your name, Most High." (Psalm 9:1-2)  

The best time to praise God is all day, every day, as we marvel at Him. Praise should be woven into everything that we do and say. Our life is a great tapestry of colors and scenes that proclaim God's greatness and we should worship Him just for our lives alone.

Matthew Henry said, "Be not afraid of saying too much in the praises of God; all the danger is of saying too little." Today, I want to thank God for one specific thing.  In 2005, The Hope Foundation had a dream to educate needy Kenyan children from kindergarten through High School.  Through the generous giving of Edgewood Baptist, Palmetto Ave. Baptist, Fox River and Park Chapel along with our donors, and some great partnering organizations: MANNA Worldwide (Texas), Crossroads Fellowship (Nyali) and Tin Roof Society (Ohio), we are seeing that dream come to a reality.

This year we are seeing the completion of the Valerye McMillan High School in Majaoni, Kenya with the beautiful addition of an administration building that includes science and computer labs and a library.  Now we have received the final funds to complete the Female Student Dormitory.  This facility will enable us to house over 200 female students on the high school property providing them with safety and loving care over their four years at VMHS.  We are so excited!

In Streams in the Desert, there is a line that reads "Two wings are necessary to lift our souls toward God: prayer and praise. Prayer asks. Praise accepts the answer."  We lifted up our concerns to God for children in Kenya to not only be educated but fed and given the Gospel. And guess what He was listening and beyond that He wanted to hear from us and see our compassion to help those in spiritual and physical need.  The greatest thing is that He decided to honor our request for strength, encouragement and help from His people. So today we PRAISE God for all that He has done.

---

"Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." Psalm 106:1

OPPORTUNITY, NOT A PROBLEM

As missionaries, we are faced with issues every day. These issues can be seen in one of two ways. It can be a PROBLEM or an OPPORTUNITY.  The difference between a problem and an opportunity is in how we view it.  Elisabeth Elliot is quoted as saying, "A life lived in God is not lived on the plane of feelings, but of the will."  I believe that this defines our view. If I am looking at a challenge with my feelings it usually turns into a problem. If I am looking at a challenge with a determination to do God's will it usually turns into an opportunity.

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I must trust Him and put His will at the center of my life. Jesus can never be #2. His calling on my life can't come "next" to other priorities of life.  God must always be in the first position.  I am compelled to take up my cross and follow Him daily. And as each day brings a new cross to bear, it is an opportunity to serve Christ.  As I sacrifice my will to His will, I can follow my calling to help others know about Jesus in Kenya.

There is a crucial question that needs to be answered each time we meet someone. Hannah Whitall Smith put it like this: "...do you yet have a personal acquaintance with Him?"  The answer to this question has determined the course and direction of my life. It has added quality and joy to my life.

I want to live Micah 6:8: "He [God] has shown you, O man, what is good; and what the LORD requires of you; to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Simply put I want to live justly, to love and show mercy and to always serve humbly before my God.

Today, I face a challenge. We need to find thirty-five (35) sponsors for some beautiful children that we want to take into our program at Good News Academy in Majaoni, Kenya.  I have chosen to put this into God's hands.  It is yet another opportunity for God to show Himself faithful through His people.  We would love to see them all sponsored by November so that we can get them prepared to start school in January 2016.

Would you take a few minutes and pray for our opportunity?  Maybe God will lead you to take on a child at $30 a month. If you already sponsor a child, will you tell someone else about our ministry and get them involved.  Many of the children's pictures are on our website: www.hopefoundation.co.ke under the heading "Children In Need".

​You can help turn a problem into a great opportunity.

---

www.hopefoundation.co.ke

GOD WANTS YOU . . . TO BE GENEROUS

Nothing reveals our dedication to Christ and His cause as much as our attitude toward money. I just hate money and the issues that come from the lack of it.  It seems that every Christian organization is always in need of money whether they are a U.S. church or a missionary endeavor like our foundation.  It seems strange to me that Jesus taught more about money than almost any other topic.  I guess He knew that we all have a clear and potent attachment to our money which if not overcome will cause us to miss out on the blessing of being generous.

Each day we need to ask God a question and truly seek an answer. The question is "Lord, how much of your money can I keep for myself today and how much should I use for your kingdom?" I believe that most of us are afraid of God's answer because we are holding onto "our" hard-earned money with a clenched fist. We have forgotten that the way we spend and give away our money is a spiritual thing. In Proverbs 11:25 it says: "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

As Lisa and I work to help the poor and needy in Kenya, Africa we are sometimes amazed at their generosity when visitors from the states come. They kill their chickens, buy sodas and give gifts. Each one of these is at great sacrifice to the family, but I can't stop them from being generous to guests. It is the way they live and it makes them Kenyans. Through their examples, we have learned to be generous and faithfully support our church, missions, the needy and God's ministry in Kenya.

Everyone can learn from them and I believe that we can all help them in some way.  You see, every bit of money that we needlessly spend on ourselves prevents us from helping to meet the need of someone else.  God owns the cattle on a thousand hills which means He also owns all we have acquired.  When we put all we have into God's hands we prove that we trust Him more than "our" money.

Will you allow God to use you by opening up the clenched fist and give generously to help The Hope Foundation reach folks with God's love? We want to be your feet to help the poor and reach the lost.  Being generous is not easy for everyone but it does the heart good.  We need sponsors to donate $30 monthly to help a child attend school, get medical care and food. We need sponsors to help send a pastor to Bible school. We need sponsors to build church buildings. God wants you...to be generous.

SOCCER IS FOOTBALL IN KENYA

When we first went to Kenya there were several things that we needed to learn. One of them was the idea that their favorite sport is football but not American football. They love soccer.  They cheer for teams with names like Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.  The first year we lived in Kenya I saw hoards of people standing on street corners peering into electronic stores or crowding into places with televisions. I wondered what was going on then I realized it was the World Cup and everyone was yelling for their team.

Sports is a part of every culture in most of the world and it touches the youngest to the oldest people in any population group. In every village in Kenya you will find a group of boys (sometimes girls) playing soccer and imaging a day when they will stand on the world stage playing for their favorite team in the World Cup.  It is exciting to see them dream about a bright future but the truth is that most will never reach this goal.

This year, Injili (Gospel) Baptist Church started a sports ministry at our high school property.  They developed a soccer team from their church and now are using it as an evangelistic outreach.  They have invited the Muslim community to develop their own teams and come and play at the high school. This is allowing their people to have a starting point to reach young people with the gospel message. At each game, they pray and sing to God. They even have a devotional challenge.

Eddie Fox once wrote, "The roads of Rome carried the gospel in the first century, but sports is the means of carrying it today."  He is right. Sports opens doors into houses and communities that would otherwise be closed to a Christian voice.

Please pray for the leaders of Injili Baptist and the hundreds of young people that are getting a chance to hear about the love of God monthly.  Our prayer is that many will come to Christ this year through the sports ministry. The goal is fifty new believers in 2015.

DEATH COMES TOO SOON

Every one of us has had to face the death of a person we love.  Each time it is as if death has come too soon. In Kenya, death is a common occurrence for every family with almost every family losing at least one child at birth or in early childhood.  I have stood over the coffin of a child many times and it never gets easier.  We just received the message that one of our teachers at New Life Academy lost her four day old son this weekend.

When I think of Emily and her family, I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 1:3,4 which says "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

I love these verses because it shows clearly that God uses people to bring comfort to others.  We can become the arms and heart of God toward those who have lost a loved one.  I can't even image the intolerable pain that Emily is facing today but I can understand the loss of someone anticipated, given and lost.  Through my own pain I can in some small way bring comfort to others.

But in order to be used of God to minister to others, I have had to work through my own pain.  C.S. Lewis once said that after his wife died he criticized God severely for a time. He accused God of every injustice until he had nothing else to say. It was then and only then that he felt the loving arms of God bringing comfort in his pain.  When death comes too soon, we go through a lot of emotions. I know I have experienced hurt, frustration, abandonment, fear and even anger. 

In these times I usually turn to the old hymn, In The Garden, especially the lines: "He walks with me, and He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own; And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known." Isn't it a great comfort to know that God listens to us, that He feels with us and that He understands our pain? But the truth is that we have to allow God into our pain.

Through all the African funerals I have learned two things:

(1) God doesn't get upset when I share my true feelings with him.  

I can tell Him when I am disappointed in how He allowed the death to come. I can tell Him that I am anger that He allowed death to come in a certain painful way. I can tell Him that I feel abandoned because He did not answer my prayers for an earthly healing. You see when I get real with God then I am inviting him into my pain, doubt and grief and He has promised to be there with me in the middle of it all.

(2) God's comfort doesn't mean my tears will go away or that my grief will stop immediately.

God's promise to wipe away all tears from our eyes hasn't taken place yet.  I have to cry in my grief. It is the natural process of healing and God is there with me because He understands. Remember Jesus wept over the death of Lazarus. God knows what it means to physically lose someone close. We must walk through the pain with God...the goodbyes and the living part that comes afterwards.  We must remember that God is there to guide us along the road our hand in His.

Selwyn Hughes wrote "He [Jesus] gives most when most is taken away."  The presence of God can and should be felt with a great force when we are going through a time of bereavement. We should feel the consoling power of Jesus like never before because God understands.  God loved mankind and many are in pain. God is just waiting to be invited to step in and give comfort. Many times this comfort comes in the form of other people standing with us while they grieve.

We can have hope in God even in death. I love 1 Thessalonians 4 verses 13 forward. This scriptures just stirs up emotion inside my very soul because of the great hope found in its words:

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep. that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him...For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

Death that comes too soon is not the end.  Death is not the end because of JESUS who defeated the power of death.  Jesus came to bind the brokenhearted, to comfort those who grieve, to bring beauty out of ashes, to give joy in mourning and to turn despair into praise (Isa. 61).

Concluding Thought:
My prayer is that we are bearers of God's comfort as we use our memories of God's goodness in our own pain to bring comfort to someone else. Because we have hope of a great reunion day and I tell you that I have some folks there that I long to see but I can wait a little bit longer because God has some comfort work for me to do here.

MATCHING WORDS WITH ACTIONS

At birth, God gave many of us a wonderful treasure. It is close-knit and supportive. It is a possession that is beyond value because not everyone possesses it.  This treasure is found in hugs and kisses but also in hugs and tears.  This treasure is a loving family.

Many children in Kenya, do not experience this kind of family.  They seem to only get the left-overs from their parents.  Some of them watch their parents live fast-paced, demanding lives which require long hours of pressurize work just to get enough to make their budget.  Some of them watch as their families falls apart as one of their parents contacts HIV/AIDS. Some of them live in homes of abuse resulting from alcohol or drug addiction. Some watch as their parents attend church on the weekend only to deny God all week with their actions.

Our headmistress, Ms. Eve, meeting with her family of students.

The Hope Foundation's  Valerye MacMillan High School started something special this year. We call it "Family Day". The whole student body has been divided into "families" each one wearing a different color t-shirt. On Family Day, students meet in their different "families" to discuss issues affecting them and how to tackle the issues using biblical approach. Our teachers become Mom and Dad to their family.  They are there to be the kind of person who serves as a model of righteousness and integrity.

C.S. Lewis once wrote: "Men are mirrors, or 'carriers' of Christ to other men. Sometimes unconscious carriers." This is a true statement but Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12, "...be thou an example of the believers in word (speech), in conversation (conduct), in charity (love), in spirit, in faith, in purity." Then to Titus, Paul said, "In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness (righteousness), gravity (dignity), sincerity (integrity)" (Titus 2:7).  We need to be a deliberate carrier of Christ because our words of Godly instruction will only seem true if we are willing to follow them and Christ fully.

Please pray for the leaders of the Hope Foundation Ministries that God would help us to know that our teaching may have some impact on people but the real impact comes from the lives we live in front of people.

I want to close with a prayer I read in the devotional "100 Days of Integrity for Men":

"Lord, make me a man who is a worthy example to my family and friends. And, let my words and my deeds serve as a testimony to the changes You have made in my life. Let me praise You, Father, by following in the footsteps of Your Son, and let others see Him through me. Amen."

SHORT TIME - GREAT TASK

Hearing the uproar over Netanyahu's speech before the U.S. congress was both saddening and exciting.  In Matthew 24, the disciples come to Jesus and ask him to tell them "when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"  Jesus goes on to describe in detail that many false prophets will come in His name, that there will be wars and rumors of wars, and there will be famine, pestilences and earthquakes in many places. The verses that have captured my attention in the last month is verses 8,9: "All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." Jesus gave us the signs but he did not tell us the exact time and event that will signal the rapture and the beginning of the tribulation period (v.36) but with the deaths of Christians around the world happening in vivid color right in front of us on our electronic devices and the rise of violence and unrest in the world who cannot say that it seems that the rapture is near. 

As we look at current events, one missionary in Kenya put it this way: "The 'labor pains' are increasing in closeness and intensity." In this time of uncertainty what are Christians to do? Matthew 4: 42 tells us to "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." We need to watch and notice the signs that relate to Jesus' teaching. Verse 44 tells us to also be "ready". The explanation seems to imply that to be ready means to be faithful and wise with the time, abilities, and finances that God has given to you.

What will the result be if we as Christians stay faithful and wise?  I think we find it in verse 14: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations..."

This is the primary mission of The Hope Foundation to help meet spiritual and physically needs of people in Kenya so that when the end comes many will know Christ as their personal Savior. In many cases we meet physical needs to save a physical life so we can have the opportunity to save a spiritual life. Meeting felt needs gives us an open door to share the Gospel to a whole family or even a whole community.

We are excited because we have been given a donation to start a new kindergarten at the Injili Baptist Church in Kisumu. Now more people will be impacted with the message.  We have been given a donation to start the construction of a girls dormitory at the high school. Now more people will be impacted with the gospel.  We have been given a donation that covered the cost of the new database system which enables sponsors to send emails directly to their student. Now more people will be impacted with friendship and the gospel. We have been given a donation of shoe box presents for all of our students plus more for the community. Now more people will be impacted with the love of Christ. 

The time may be short but the great task is still before us.  We need believers who are serious about getting the message out. We need to use our mouths to tell people about Jesus. We need to use our abilities to tell people about Jesus. We need to use our feet to tell people about Jesus. We need to even use our wallets to tell people about Jesus.  

Easter is a great time to invite someone to Christ not just to church.

"He which testifieth these things saith, 'Surely I come quickly.' Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." (Revelation 22:20,21)

MY PASSION . . . STARTING CHURCHES

I believe I was called by God to help plant churches in Kenya maybe even the whole East African region.   I pray about helping start a new church and God gives me a vision that causes me to become more excited each day.  I become eager to turn this vision into action. One of my first steps is to develop a plan.

When I first started working in Kenya, this plan usually began with me going out and looking for land in an area that I chose among people that I really didn't know with a culture that I really didn't understand.  In other words, a very traditional model of missionary church planting. The problem was that it didn't work for me. Yes, a church was built but the church became dependent on me. The congregation did not want me to leave. They looked at me as their pastor and honestly thought that they could not get any better than me (which always caused me to smile and laugh).

It took a few years but I finally realized that my church planting plan had to start with lots of prayer and that my prayer included another person. That other person was to be the pastor of the church not me. So I started praying asking God to help me discover His pastor for a new church. And you know what? God has always led me to the right man at the right time. This relationship between God, the right pastor and me became very important.  The right pastor and I had to develop a close relationship with God and each other. God had to give the vision. God had to help us develop the rest of the plan...the why? where? when? and the how? The wonderful news is that God can be trusted!

In 2014, The Hope Foundation was able to help three men start new churches and an additional pastor get his very first building.  It was a great year filled with passionate men and their families doing good work for the kingdom of God.  I was excited yesterday when I received this report from our churches. Since January 1st, we have had five saved at Upendo (Love) Baptist Church in Kilifi; three saved at Injili (Gospel) Baptist in Kisumu; two saved at Uwezo (Able) Baptist Church in Vitengeni;  one saved at Neema (Grace) Baptist in Bomani; and seventeen saved at Injili (Gospel) Baptist in Majaoni.  That is 28 people who now know Jesus because God gave the vision through prayer.  Many more will get saved and baptized this year because of the Gospel light from these churches.

I have been praying about 2015 and I believe God wants us to start two new churches this year. This won't happen without several things...(1) God leading me to the right pastor; (2) God giving the right vision; and (3) God touching your heart with the passion to help us BUILD.

It takes between $5,000 to $15,000 to construct a church building and purchase the benches, pulpit, Bibles, etc. Would you pray about helping us with a donation? Maybe you can give the whole $5,000 to get the church built. Maybe your church could help us with the $15,000 and complete a whole project. Maybe you can only give $100, $500 or $1,000. The size of the gift is not the issue; the involvement of God's people is the issue. Will you personally become involved in our passion of building new churches in Kenya, Africa? There is no better place to put your money...it is that eternal payback plan.  People's souls will be changed and you will have had a part in it.

Always seeking to build for His kingdom,
Bobby

LETTER TO NO ONE

When was the last time you wrote a letter?  For most of us we really don't write letters anymore. We use email or text if we even write at all.  At one time writing letters was an art form and most every woman in the world loves to get a love letter.  

The Hope Foundation encourages our sponsored children to write letters to their sponsors. Lisa and I usually get the chance to review them and I have to say it is fun to see what they write and sometimes how they spell English words or try to explain something that is truly Kenyan. After approving them, we pass them on to their sponsors and wait for a reply.

This week I received a letter from Asha.  It was a sweet letter full of thankfulness and her heart. She simply addressed it to "Dear Sponser" and drew flowers and a heart at the bottom.  I went into our database and soon realized that this was a letter to no one. I think in the postal service they would call it a "dead" letter.

Asha doesn't have a sponsor. She is one of about twenty children in our ministry that are supported through random non-designated gifts. She has never received an encouraging letter or gift from her sponsor. But somehow she still writes and says "Thank you." Thanks for basic things like shoes, books and pencils.  The sad part for me is that she also asks that someone pray for her. Pray that she passes her exams.  But this is a letter to no one. 

Of course, Lisa and I pray for her and we love on her when we see her beautiful face but what she really needs is a personal sponsor who will do this especially for her.

Will you pray for Asha and the twenty others who need individual sponsors?  Will you consider helping her or one of the others with your prayers, encouraging email letters and financial support? Maybe you already sponsor a child with us, would you be willing to see if a friend, family member, or co-worker would join you in sponsoring a needy child? A gift of $30 monthly changes their world but the gift of your friendship changes their heart.

For more information on how you can sponsor Asha or one of the other twenty plus children, write to Lisa at hopefoundationke@gmail.com for details. Please remember that there is one Asha available but we have an Amin, Brian, Ian, Maureen, Tumaini and others who are also waiting! 

My prayer is this will be last time I received a letter to no one.