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.