York Association of Atlantic Baptist Churches
TIM & DIANE BANNISTER
NEWSLETTERS
October 8, 2002
Dear Friends,
Greetings from windy, warm Kijabe. I went for a walk through the forest today, looking for orchids, and the ground was crispy dry under my feet. The "short rains" are due in about a week or so, and we are praying that the rainfall will be extensive (a good seasonal total is ~40 cm). Make SURE you are in prayer for this. One failed rainy season can cause so much misery here, and with the drought in neighbouring countries, people are watching the sky anxiously.
We are all well at the Bannisters'. The kids are happily settled into school routines. This is one of the less involved terms, although things are gearing up for the Junior-Senior Banquet next term, in which Chelsea, Diane and I will be heavily involved. Connie is acting in this term's musical production, "Hello, Dolly!", which is forging ahead despite major setbacks. The rest of us are managing to stay busy, and are enjoying the dorm more and more. The dorm boys initially seemed to be very reluctant to drop by on a regular basis, but lately they seem more inclined to come in for a chat. That's a praise, but now we need your prayers for more stamina!
Diane is busy with the Student Health Service, and has taken much of the responsibility for paperwork, especially billing. They are using a computer program which they did not ask for and which doesn't work particularly well, so Diane is quite frustrated by this at times. It is costing them a lot of time and it is frustrating those who need bills in a timely manner. Pray for patience and resolution. Other than that, she is really enjoying her work. In addition, of course, she has taken on more and more of a mothering role to the dorm boys.
Much has happened in the last month. The big news was our Spiritual Emphasis Week, an annual event designed to draw kids closer to the Lord. We had an excellent speaker who challenged the kids with every word (also challenged us set-in-our-ways staff, and no holds barred, either!). It was an answer to prayer, and has made an impact on our boys, not to mention the rest of the RVA community. So praise the Lord with us for that.
My involvement at Alpha Joy Children's Care Home has increased. Thanks to those of you who have expressed concern about the little fellow who has begun anti-retroviral treatment. He was here at the Kijabe Medical Centre this past week for his one-month check-up. Although his ear infection is worse, the skin lesions are much better. One month ago, you could have picked him out of a crowd as being HIV+, but not now! The pediatrician is cautious, but pleased, saying that usually there is no apparent response to the medications for two or three months. We are so grateful to God for the rapid change. He has lost a bit of weight, but I think that's partly because he is much more active. Keep praying for him. His name is Muthenji (Moo-THEN-jee), and he's a cutie.
Last Saturday, I took two other RVA staff members and 11 students with me for a games day at Alpha Joy. We borrowed a field from a nearby college (under construction) and played wide games, soccer, volleyball, jumprope, etc. Then we went back to the home for tea and a donut-ish thing called a maandazi (ya gotta try one someday - Yum!). The kids put on quite a little show for us - recitations, songs, skits,etc. This home is run entirely on faith, and not one of the staff or board members has received a shilling in remuneration for over two years. Of course, this has been very hard on them, but they forge ahead. Pray that somehow, the Lord will begin to provide for these faithful staff, so that they can properly feed, clothe and educate their own families. I am always astounded at the joy in this home - the children obviously feel content and safe, and the staff seem to take such joy in what they are doing. Anyway, be in prayer for the staff and children. They are in God's care, and have no-one to turn to but Him and His Body.
Diane and I are a little worried about our financial support at the moment. When we left Kenya two years ago, our support was so low that we could hardly affort airline tickets to get back to Canada. While we were home, the pledged support went up to 100%, and we were so excited about returning to Kenya fully supported. Unfortunately, the last few months have shown a discouraging trend. I know that some of you are unaware that we are on a faith support basis, not on a salary. What comes in from friends and congregations is what we get. There is no "safety net." Please pray with us that our support will remain high, ideally at 100%, so that we will not have to cut back on various ministries here. If any of you are interested in being a part of our support team, let us know and we'll send you the details. Thanks.
I also want to remind you that prayer is a mutual gift we can give for each other. We know that so many of you pray for us on a regular basis, but we rarely hear prayer requests from you. We would be honoured to be able to return some of what has been offered to us, so please don't hesitate to let us know. We pray regularly for many of the churches, ministries, and families we got to know when we were on furlough, and would be delighted to hear what Jesus Christ is doing in your lives, congregations, etc. DO please let us know! Thanks again for standing with us in our ministries here in Kenya. God's blessings to each and every one of you.
Tim, for Diane, Chelsea, Connie, Cody and Caleb