Home again!

For those who have been following our blog, you know that the last half of our trip I did not write frequently. Life was just too busy!

We did arrive safely in Kitale. Curt had been feeling sick all day, and spent the day back at the lodge sleeping between trips to the washroom. Dr. Popwell, Dr. Kenya and I joined Dr. Stower in Kitale for a clinic. The doctors treated around 60 people. I buzzed back and forth between introducing patients to doctors, writing down treatment plans and follow up plans, calling people in to take seats in line to see the doctors, and making sure the doctors were hydrated. I did my best to turn Curt over to the Lord... but I must admit my mind and heart were back at the lodge.

In the midst of the busy running back and forth God gave many opportunities to share His Word, and the gospel story. Dr. Popwell brought a supply of gospel bracelets that gave the gospel in symbol form. An arrow pointing down signified Christ coming to earth. A cross following that meant that Christ took our sins on himself on the cross. The grave followed that where Christ lay dead for three days. An arrow pointing up told the good news of his Resurrection and conquering of sin and death, and another arrow pointing down reminded us that someday he will return for his children!

At one point I gave a bracelet to one of the ladies and explained the message. She said "you should give this to that lady. She's more of a Christian than I am. I am a hindu." I  gave a bracelet to the other lady.

Then the man at the very front of the line said "I want one too!"

"You don't want one. You are Muslim."

"Yes. I do want one!" So I walked over and gave him a bracelet and explained the gospel to him! What a neat opportunity!

The clinic was scheduled to run until 1:00 pm. At 12:30 pm we called over to tell the people feeding patients to us to stop the line. 1:00 pm came and went. 2:00 pm came and went. 3:00 pm came. By this time I was getting really concerned. Curt had had a fever and chills all night. I could feel his heart racing during the night and now he had been alone all morning, and we still hadn't stopped for lunch. We really needed to leave! I spoke to the lady they had brought to help me around 2:45 pm.

"My husband is back at the lodge. Do you think someone could be sent to make sure he is all right?"

"He's at the lodge?"

"Yes. He was sick when we arrived and he's been there sleeping all day."

"I will send someone over with soup for lunch."

"Thank you!!!"

We also had the doors closed. But a crowd stood outside the door begging to be let in. Finally at 3:30 pm we left. Dr. Stower stayed behind to help about 16 people who had continued to wait outside the door.

Relief flooded my heart as I opened the door and saw Curt open his eyes and sit up in bed. I felt his forehead. He still had the fever, but not as high as the night before. The lunch they had brought him sat next to the door so I brought it over and he ate the soup and a slice of pineapple.

Dr. Popwell and Dr. Kenya headed on to the next appointment- a school where they were going to show a Christian film, and do some more adjustments. They left me behind to care for Curt. Probably around 7:30-ish the fever felt as though it had left him.

The next day we left around 5:30 am. We drove to another children's home where we sang to the kids, and they sang to us as well. We then drove to Vahiga- Dr. Kenya's village. We met his mother, brother, and sister-in-law and their two children. We helped them bring water from the stream and shared cooked corn and hot tea.

Then we headed back to Nairobi. After a long drive we arrived late Sunday evening and fell into bed exhausted. We were up early the next day to be sure the vehicle was completely clear. Our rental vehicle was returned, and a safari company driver picked us up. We went to Charle's brother's house and left some of our luggage there. By 12:00 we were on our way to the Masai Mara for a short safari.

Our driver, Steven, told us he was a believer. Curt and I enjoyed swapping stories with him and hearing about his family. We were joined by Francis- who would help cook. Then we hit the road. After an hour of driving the road wound up into green mountains with steep slopes and no guard rails.

We drove past shops with names like "Facebook Picture Opportunity" and  "Third World Toilets" (no joke!). As trucks barreled past and the passing cars continued we prayed for safety and enjoyed the view. The mountains ended and were replaced by mile upon mile of flat African landscape, long yellow-green grass, dotted by Lion King-esque trees and scrub bushes. Mud huts with exposed sticks still sticking out the sides grouped themselves together periodically, and gardens guarded by cacti and other spikey plants crowded close to them. We saw herd after herd of cows, goats and sheep.

We stopped for lunch, and to buy more bottled water. While Charles was inside purchasing our supplies, a bracelet vendor came to the van. My window was open so he began to try to sell me bracelets. His prices were far to high, and I already had several bracelets, but I talked with him and gave him one of our bracelets. He thanked me and we talked about his family for a short while. I told him up front I did not plan to buy anything.

"It is good of you to talk with me. Usually when I come to a car they close the window on me, or pretend to be asleep. Then, when they get to safari they open the window and lean out of them to see the animals. It shows me that animals are more important than people."

Around 5 pm we pulled into camp. A log lodge open to the air with tables grouped together under it's massive log roof welcomed us almost as warmly as the employee at the door. The employee stood with a tray full of cups of mango juice. He and Joseph- a Masai Warrior showed us to our tents, explained what time the power would be on (7 pm to 10 pm at night. 5 pm to 7 am in the morning) and then told us dinner would begin at 7 pm. And an excellent dinner it was.

The next morning we were up by 6 am and in the car by 8:30 am. Stephen proved himself a skilled driver- navigating over gaping potholes with such smoothness that one barely needed to hold on to the van hand grip poles. He knew all about the wildlife from the common zebra, to the secretary bird, to impala, wildebeest, hartbeest, and warthog, and he was determined to find us some big cats to take pictures of. We spent about 2 hours going back and forth along a river bed searching for lions.

We did not find lions, but we did find giraffe, cape buffalo, hippos, crocodile and elephants, and at the end of the day- two large cats- cheetah!

The next morning we drove back to Nairobi. Stopping along the way to purchase a few more souvenirs. We arrived just in time to repack, and go to dinner with 4 Kenyan chiropractors, and the TV producer from the beginning of the trip.

After dinner we were dropped off at the airport. We had an uneventful flight back with no unexpected stops in Paris or any other city that wasn't on our itinerary. USA customs graciously decided we were not a threat to national security and ushered us through the gates in Chicago to our final plane. At the end of our flight Dad Doucette picked us up and we returned to our home where today we have spent the day trying to recover from jet lag, organize video and photos taken on the trip, and restock our pantry.

Thank you so much for your prayers! When Curt was sick it wasn't even 2 hours after I posted that he was feeling unwell on Facebook that his fever left. It has been such an encouragement to see God's provision and protection time after time.

Well, Jet lag is beginning to take over and more words are ending with head nods than should. So good night!

Heading toward Lake Victoria and Dr. Kenya's Village

Yesterday evening we posted the blog post we wrote the evening of the day we arrived. Yesterday we stayed very busy. We went to Hershima Home that houses many children with disabilities during the day, and then gives their mothers a place to work. Hershima means respect. The mothers all design and make jewelry- their business is called Dignity Designs. I think you may be able to look them up on Facebook!

Here in Kenya often children born with disabilities are killed or the mothers and children become outcasts of society. This place gives them a safe place to live and make a living. 

I wish you could have seen Dr. Popwell and Dr. Kenya as they adjusted the children. The first child was scared, so Dr. Kenya took him on his chest and held him close so the boy felt safe. Dr. Kenya laid down on the adjusting table with the boy on his chest- as if he were the adjusting table, and then Dr. Popwell adjusted the boy. Since that worked so well, that is what they ended up doing with the rest of the children. 

They also adjusted all the mothers, the workers at the house and the construction workers who were helping to construct the compound. 

The first part of the morning was slow and so I sat at the table with the mothers and talked with them. I met many many ladies; Josephine, Lamb, Ann, Elizabeth, and many more. 

I would write more but we are beginning to load the car so I need to put the laptop away and help. 

Nairobi at Last

(This post is from 7/4/12 (Happy Independence Day!))

We arrived bright and early minus the bright part this morning in the Kenyan airport in Nairobi. How early? We'd rather not say but it begins with 3 and ends with 45. Dr. Kenya picked us up at the airport and swept us back to the hotel where the doctors directed Curt and I to catch a few hours of sleep. We'd need to be ready to go by 8:30 am.

Dr. Popwell slept half an hour and then went with Dr. Kenya for an interview with a TV station here in Kenya. Many people in Kenya don't understand what chiropractic work is. The station had decided that if people seemed board they would just do a 10 minute interview, but apparently quite a few people called in and the interview ended up going an hour!

So, the flight... We flew out of Charles De Gaulle airport after running past the Eiffel Tower and the Arche de Triumphe. We were especially moved by the memorial for the unknown soldier. France has seen so much bloodshed.

Returning to the airport for the 3:45 pm flight out we found an enormous line full of baggage and the first time we asked we were told that baggage was checked and boarding passes were issued through this line. We stood in line right behind these cute young egyptian/french boys. They must have been between 10 and 14. The younger kept looking at us as we spoke with the young man from Malasia behind us. Curt was able to clearly present the gospel!

I stood listening in when I felt a tug at my sleeve.

"Pardon." The younger of the two was looking up with wide brown eyes under his curly dark hair.

"Yes?"

"You are... American? You are from New York?"

"Yes, we are American. But, we are not from New York."

"Have seen New York?"

"No, I have never seen New York, but I have seen Washington DC."

"Is capital."

"Yes."

"I" patting his chest with a tanned little hand "Egyptian and French."

"You are a dual citizen?"

"Yes! I love America. I want see New York!"

The line passed quickly as I was quizzed by Moises and his brother about all things American! I showed them pictures from our wedding and he thought my grandparents yard was beautiful.

Rob returned to let us know the line we actually needed to be in was around the corner. We waved goodbye to all our new friends- the young man from Malaysia who is learning about the Bible, and Moises and his brother.

The flight from Paris to Cairo took us directly over the alps! When Curt and I saw that we began praying that the cloudy sky beneath us would clear so we would be able to see the alps and Greece. We watched the map, and as the mountain range grew closer anticipation grew. Looking down we saw thick, thick clouds. Then, after passing through a cloud tower, the sky cleared! We saw the snow covered mountains towering out of the mists, and then range upon range!

The skies crystallized into brilliant clarity as we continued, and there we saw Greece! Curt took picture after picture as we flew over places the apostles might have journeyed through. We think that he took and especially good picture of Thessalonica! I think I even saw Athens! I at least saw a city with ruins sunk into the water beneath!

We landed in Cairo safely, and after a slight heart attack when Curt and I thought our next flight left in 10 minutes, we realized we had a bit more time. We were still one hour off!

The final flight Curt, Dr. Popwell and I were all in the front row. We dozed off and on until the plane touched down in Nairobi.

Even at 3:45 am Naiobi's streets seemed to have a decent amount of traffice. We wound through the streets- Dr. Kenya driving since they drive British style over here- and finally pulled through the gate of the apartment we are staying at in Kenya. We fell into bed exhausted but thankful to God for the wonderful journey.

Our first clinic took place at a chiropractor's office in Nairobi. Margaret and her staff graciously helped Dr. Kenya find housing for the week, and Dr. Popwell and Dr. Kenya returned the courtesy by helping at her office from about 9:30 am to 7 pm. Curt and I have not learned the art of healing backs, so we sat in the waiting room and spoke with many of the patients waiting for their appointments.

The patients that stick out the most in our minds are Simon, Hamma, and a muslim government worker wearing a bright orange headcovering. With each we were able to hear much of what they believed. Simon does not claim any religion, as he cannot understand how a good God could allow such suffering to his children. Hamma and her husband were nominal Hindus. I learned quite a bit about the Hindu religion and some of what they believe about Krishna. Unlike Christianity, the Hindus hope that their good works will out way their bad to earn them a place in heaven.

The lady in orange, whose name escapes me at the moment, spoke with me for a good 20 minutes. I introduced myself and we spoke for a short time about where we worked, why we were at the office, etc. Then I said "I noticed that you wear a head covering. Are you Muslim?" We had been talking about learning about other cultures, so she said "See, you are very astute, yes I am Muslim. We have a lot in common with Christianity." Thus began a fascinating comparision of the two religions. The lady in orange believes that Jesus, Noah, Abraham and Adam are all prophets, but does not believe that Jesus is the lamb of God. I was able to open Genesis and show from the garden of eden through the fall through Noah, to the tower of Babel and Abraham how God promised a messiah to redeem his people, and how the sacrificial system was instituted to look forward to that event. The lady in orange was summoned to the treatment room, but as she went out she thanked me for the conversation, and I encouraged her to read from Genesis about Abraham, and then the gospel of John. Pray that she will.

Around 2 or 2:30 Margaret introduced Curt and I to Titus- a young man from her home village. She had arranged for Titus to take us to the Kenya National Museum- which house the snake museum, and also to Giraffe Center. On the long car ride we had a wonderful time talking with Titus about his home, family, culture and beliefs.

We entered the museum to find what looked like a colonial building. Titus helped us get tickets and a guide- Maeve who took us through the museum explaining the uses of gourds, the big 5 african animals, the many varieties of birds in Kenya, and my favorite exibit - the Cycles of Life. The Cycles of Life detailed traditional life in Kenya as opposed to modern life from birth to childhood, initiation into adulthood, courtship and marriage, home life, growing old and death. Maeve pointed out a basket and asked if we knew what it was.

"No, what is it?"

"A winnowing basket! Do you know what that is?"

"Yes! I have heard of that! The Bible talks about God winnowing people and how the chaff is blown away by the wind, but the true grain remains!"

Curt's favorite exibit was next. The snake house. Snakes hung from branches, curled around twigs, slid under sand, and slept beneath logs. I have never in my life seen so many poisonous snakes in one place! Now I know what to watch for! Good thing we packed a snake kit!

Titus then drove us on to the Giraffe Center, just outside Giraffe manor where we fed Giraffes. For any who wonder- their tongues feel like a mixture of slime and warm sandpaper! We picked up a special souvenir for Mr. Allen, our boss back home! (No Mr. Allen, it wasn't dirt...)

We returned to the office at 6:30 pm and the office treated us to dinner at a french restraunt. Our time in Paris served us well when we saw the menu! I even recognized a few of the words we had seen around the Paris subway system!

The joy of Margaret's staff is contagious. Dr. Popwell kept us laughing with magic tricks and American jokes. The young ladies who work at the office taught us more about Kenyan etiquette and shared funny stories about the last time Dr. Kenya visited. Apparently one of the patients accidentally took Dr. Kenya's wallet with her last year! They discovered the situation later that night, and still tease him today!

We hope to see the whole team on Facebook!

Well, it's late, I'm running on just a few hours sleep from last night, and we have another big day tomorrow.

Goodnight for now!

Safely in... France???

We have safely arrived in… Paris. Yes, you did not read a mistake, we are currently in Paris. Our flight from Brussels to Nairobi was canceled because of a bird strike, and since we would have been stuck in Brussels until late tomorrow afternoon, the airport, possibly motivated by Dr. Popwell, ;) chose to send us to see Robert in France rather than pay for us to stay in a hotel.

We spent the afternoon trying to adjust from jet lag- touring downtown Paris! We saw Notre Dame, the Eiffel tower (from a distance), the Louvre (also from a distance), and the Paris subway system (up close and personal). Robert, Curt's brother who lives in Vernon, met us at the airport, guided us to each sight and then led us back to the Institute where he works.

We stopped at the French Bakery just around the corner from the institute and picked up some baguettes, and pastries. Since I'm not eating wheat I found a meringue which I am fairly sure doesn't have gluten in it. As I speak, Dr. Popwell is enjoying a "thousand leaves" or thousand layers pastry- kind of like baklava. 

So far, witnessing has been difficult. On the flight over from Washinton to Brussels I don't think the woman I sat next to knew much English. She was originally from Somalia, but had immigrated to Kenya, and then to the United States. She was Muslim, and very busy taking care of the six kids that had come with her and her sister.

Curt shared the gospel briefly with the young man from Angola that sat beside us on the flight from Brussels to Paris. We gave him one of the gospel bracelets Dr. Popwell brought, and Curt explained what the different symbols meant.

Please pray for an open door of witness. We may try our very hardest, but God is the one who provides opportunities and tender hearts. Please pray that we would recognize the opportunities, and see God work.

One sad bit of news. We have lost our digital camera. We were using it on the subway, set it down to get a backpack, and never picked it back up. We realized it just minutes after exiting the subway, but the subway car had already left.

Rob plans to lend us his camera, which he seldom uses, and we'll return it to him when he comes for Curt and Nate's graduation next spring.

How can I describe Paris? Having seen mostly downtown and Notre Dame the city seems alive with a million different colors and shades. We saw everything from diminutive stooped french ladies dressed all in black, to vibrant turquoise saris, to what must be the latest in fashion (I sure haven't seen it before!) We saw gawkers at the famous landmarks, and those who clearly were so used to the sights that they didn't even glance toward the magnificent structures. We spoke to friendly US citizens who had lived in Europe for the past 10 years, and several rather pushy homeless people.

On top of the artist palette of people, mix in the sights and smells of a European country; Smells like aroma of the Bakery around the corner, the pungent odor of unwashed sweaty people crowded into the subway, the fragrance of the abundant blooming flowers that spill from flower boxes around the city, and even the smell of the French cheese we had with dinner, and you might begin to imagine the diversity.

Finally, add that surrounding and framing everything is the ornate and intricate French architecture. You just need to see a picture of Notre Dame, or the Eiffel tower to get the picture.

What a neat experience! Despite the delay in arriving, we are so thankful for how God worked. What other flight cancellation would have placed us close enough to Curt’s brother that we could see him? It seems that over and over we are recognizing God’s sovereignty demonstrated by his timing. Now, if only we can hold onto that lesson for the future, when things don’t go quite like we want!

Tomorrow we will fly out around 3:45pm, make a brief stop in Cairo Egypt to switch flights, and finish, Lord willing, in Nairobi!

Crazy Morning!

I know, I know we just posted, but we had a crazy morning. As you can see from our other post we were up bright and early. All was packed. All was ready for the car.

Around 7-ish Curt decided to take the bags out to the car. He came running back in the door.

"Christy! There's a woman calling for help, want to come with me?"

We raced out the door, jumped in our car and followed the sound of the blood curdling screams around the corner.

There was a dark blue car with the windshield smashed and it looked like the guy was using the car to follow the girl with long hair who was running through backyards screaming desperately.

As soon as he saw us the guy took off. Well, Curt took off right behind him. Oh, I should mention we called 911 while getting into the car, so the emergency operator was on the phone. We told her where we were, and at the corner of St. Mark and Aiken Chapel Rd. we caught up as he stopped at the stop sign. We were able to catch the license plate number. The guy turned and sped down St. Mark doing probably 75 to 80 mph! He swerved onto Main St. Taylors. By this time, we didn't want to get in a wreck so we had slowed down. I saw him turn down Stevenson. When we got to the street his big blue car with dark tinted windows had been launched into someones front porch and completely taken out the pillars of their porch. The airbag had gone off and the man was gone.

We asked a car passing by if they had seen the man running, but they hadn't. We gave the emergency operator the location and drove back to see if we could find the woman. She had just walked from the place we had seen her to the corner of Jonquil Lane and Aiken Chapel. She was crying, smeared with blood, and distraught. We got her name and gave that to the emergency people, then had her climb in the car and took her to our apartment.

She kept saying "he was going to kill me! You don't understand, he was going to kill me." I gave her a warm wet washcloth to wipe off some of the dirt, and helped her clean the scratches on her face, arms and legs. Apparently he had been choking her at one point. She had some pretty bad bruises, but none of the scratches were deep.

Officers started arriving within minutes. Our little apartment was crowded with 2 officers, and 2 EMTs. The officers interviewed her, and EMTs checked her injuries.

Funny the things that go through your head. I kept thinking "I am so glad our house is clean." We gave the officers our contact info, and told them we'll be out of country for 2 weeks. They took her back home in their squad car, and now we're heading out to church.

What a way to begin!

The Morning of our Trip

We woke up early this morning, checked our packing again, ate a protein filled breakfast of eggs and cheese (to prevent jet lag) and now...we're just waiting for the time to leave for church.

It hard to believe after all the planning we've been doing since February that the day of departure has finally arrived.

It's really happening!!!

Note: We aren't completely sure how often we'll be able to use internet. As stated before, if we have access to internet we'll do our best to post a blog update, if not... well you'll have to tune back in after the trip. ;)
Sincerely,
Curt and Christy

T-minus 24 hours

Well friends, in just about 24 hours we'll be boarding the plane for the first leg of our flight to Kenya. We've been checking and rechecking, and checking again our packing. This morning we realized yet another indispensable item that needed to be added- our immunization records! We wont be able to enter Kenya without proof that we have the Yellow Fever shots.

So, we had asked one of our neighbors to pick up our mail for us while we are gone. Yesterday we saw him in the University cafeteria.
"Hey! I thought you guys were in Africa!"
"Nope, we leave Sunday afternoon."
"Well, someone is living in your apartment."
"Yeah, it's us!"
"So, I didn't need to be picking up your mail?"
"Oh, so that's why we haven't had much mail this week!"

Problem solved. And now they'll be taking care of our mail next week, instead of the rest of this week.

Our other neighbors just a had their baby last weekend. Some of their out of town family will be staying in our apartment while we're gone! It worked out just perfectly! We wont have to worry about our empty apartment getting stale, and they wont have to worry about stuffing their family into a one bedroom apartment, complete with newborn!

A friend from school will be using our car while we're gone, and with that, we think we have everything covered!

One thing that has been interesting as we pack is that I (Christy) recently found that I seem to have a gluten intolerance. We're really not sure exactly what will be available where we're going, so we've found gluten-free bagel chips, trail mix, rice cakes and peanut butter to keep me going if I can't eat the meal.

Curt just finished writing up some sermon outlines for the trip. We're looking forward to being able to share the gospel! I have several lessons printed as well, in case we can use them at the orphanage or the girls school.

I keep trying to think of what else we might need to take care. My mind feels as though it's following several thousand different strands that all need to weave together well to make a smooth trip. Of course, often those "hiccups" in trips give opportunities to trust God and share the gospel with those we come in contact with, as well as challenge us to live out our faith. We can't wait to see how God works! Please keep us in prayer!
Sincerely,
Curt and Christy

Prayer Letter 2

Here's our second prayer letter:

Dear Friends,

Things are quickly coming together for the trip to Kenya. Along the way we’ve already had several adventures we thought you might enjoy hearing (and laughing over). 

We sent for our Visas almost as soon as we received our Passports back. Ok, actually it took us a couple of weeks because we would think we had everything together for the Visas and then discover we needed two pictures with the Visas, and the picture on our Passport would not count as one of the pictures. Then, we would think we had everything together, only to find that we had no stamps on the envelopes when we stopped to drop them off at the Post Office. Finally, with what we thought was everything we sent our Passports and Visas off- complete with checks to pay for each Visa. A few days later we received a call from the Kenyan Embassy… we had sent a personal check and they only take cashier checks or money orders. In addition we needed to send two registered mail envelopes for the Visas to be sent back in. Thankfully we sent for the Visas with enough time left to get everything together. We should be receiving them back in a day or two.

Our second adventure involved our immunizations. To go to Kenya one needs Hepatitis A and B shots- which we received in March.  We also needed Typhoid shots, and Yellow fever shots, and Malaria pills. The Hep. A and B shots were just awful. Each shot hurt all the way down the arm as we got them. We were really dreading the Yellow Fever shots because we heard they’d be bad. Well, two days ago we finally got those shots, and thankfully, we have only a slight achiness- not the flu symptoms we had expected! We’re praising the Lord for that!

We now know a bit more about what we will be doing in Kenya. It looks like most of the first week will be spent in doing clinics in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital city. As with any metropolitan area Nairobi can be dangerous. We’d appreciate prayer for safety as we spend time there. We will also be visiting at least one orphanage in Nairobi. Most of the second half of the trip will be spent in up in the north western part of Kenya, in Dr. Kenya’s village. The village has no electricity. Curt says it does have running water– we are the ones who do the running to get the water. In the area is a large girl’s school of around 1200 girls! We’re looking forward to doing some teaching there, and some skits and drama.

Thank you for your prayer and financial support. Especially with the good reaction to the Yellow Fever shots we are sure folks were praying. Each time we have come up on a deadline financially the money needed has been there just at the time needed. Just before we got our Yellow Fever shots Curt looked and saw that we were a few dollars short, but that afternoon a card arrived in the mail, giving us the money we needed to pay for the shots completely! God is so gracious to us, as are you!

Just to list a few Prayer requests: Pray for the teams health/safety while in Kenya. Pray for clarity and wisdom in presenting God’s Word. Pray for receptive hearts. Pray that jet lag will not slow us down when we get over there. We have a limited time to spend ministering there and we would like to make every moment count! Finally, this may sound silly, but pray for wisdom as we pack. We’re planning to travel light, and each use our one checked bag to bring Bibles with us. Pray we would not be foolhardy in packing too little or too much. 

Thank you so much!

In Christ,

Curt and Christy Doucette

Prayer Letter 1

Below is the first prayer letter we sent out.

Dear Friends,

                 This summer God unexpectedly provided us with an opportunity to share His good news in Kenya. With Curt in graduate school as a 12 month graduate assistant, we thought we would never have the time to spare for a missions trip during the summer. God works in very unexpected ways! In February, one of the deacons at our church, mentioned that he and a couple other chiropractors would be going to Kenya and they were looking for someone to go along to help. Specifically he was looking for someone to share the gospel. We didn’t think much about it.  With Curt in seminary we never dreamed it would work to go ourselves! The next Sunday Dr. Popwell again mentioned the need. 

We decided to check the dates for the trip and unbelievably when we checked our available time off, the trip worked with one day to spare! After meeting with Dr. Popwell everything was decided and we booked our plane tickets to Kenya!

We are incredibly excited to be able to share the gospel in Africa this summer.  Working in the jail ministry we’ve seen the power of the gospel change lives. We can’t wait to see that happen in Kenya as well.

One lesson that has become very evident through the jail ministry at our church is the need for prayer support. We could go over to Kenya and do our very best to share the Gospel and help, but unless God’s Holy Spirit works in the hearts of those we share the gospel with it will be worthless.  Psalm 65
addresses God as “Thou that hearest prayers” before going on to describe God’s work. We covet your prayer support.

If you would be willing to support us through prayer or financially, or both please let us know. We are looking to raise approxiamately $5,000. Our church will assist with about 1/4 of the cost, but we are trusting the Lord to provide the rest. We will be sure to send trip updates as we prepare, as well as a report of how the trip went!

Sincerely,

Curt & Christy Doucette

One Couple Two Backpacks 12 Days

That's right, in just a few days we and our two backpacks will be headed to Kenya for 12 days! We're going on a Chiropractic mission team with one of the deacons from our church.

We actually know very very little about chiropractic work. After hearing several requests for helpers for this deacon's trip we approached him just to find out how long it would be- with Curt in Grad. school we have limited vacation time, and limited finances. We had just received our tax return though, and when we checked, we had just enough vacation days to go!

The past few months have been a blur as Curt finished his first full year of Grad. school; Christy performed in one of the school plays, we both received Hepatitis A and B Vaccinations, Typhoid Vaccinations and Yellow Fever Vaccinations, packed, participated in several weddings, sent for our visas and passports, and still worked 40 hours each week!

The plan is to try to regularly update this blog while we're in Africa. I will do my very best to send an update a day.

I (Christy) know that the second week we will mostly be up in a little village that doesn't have electricity, and where the running water is water you run to get, so I may not be able to upload each day, but I will at least try to write a little each day to update you as to how things are going. Then when I have access to internet again, I will upload those posts.