On Tuesday night I packed up everything I owned and moved out of Kerio Valley.
It was one of the hardest things I’ll ever have to do but we arrived at a point that there was no other option. As many of you know (if you don’t skim through some of the previous posts) the situation with the church in Liter has been difficult. The work in the valley has been delayed and blocked over and over and the condition of the church has worsened and worsened. It is because of the unwillingness of the eldership to cooporate with the mission and the unrighteous acts/attitudes of the church itself that I have, prayerfully and painfully, decided to no longer partner with AIC Liter.
Without the partnership of AIC I am left with no location for the ministry or personal housing. There are also questions as to how the village would react to my abrupt relocation if I tried to immediately begin work somewhere else and how the eldership might play a role in possibly damaging the future of such a ministry. Therefore there remained little option but to leave the Valley altoghether.
I cannot be sure right now if this is a permanent move. I feel in my spirit a strong desire to return to Kerio Valley and continue to pursue a ministry with the people. We have seen not only a poverty for physical wealth but the greatest poverty of all, a lack of the Word of God. It is my hope and that of Steve to come back to the Valley, with a team, to bring development in both of these areas if Christ will allow it. However for now, the church must be left to work out their own struggles and there is little more we can do than to step aside peacefully and to pray that God will win back the hearts that the enemy has gripped so tightly.
I have been blessed this past month by meeting a wonderful couple from Maine who are living in Eldoret planting a church. They have provided me with friendship, prayer, encouragement, and even a place to stay. We are grateful for them and their arrival at such an important time. It is also great to be helping them out with the ministry and life in Kenya as they are still fairly new here.
That said, I’m coming home. There are still many things to take care of and put in order such as the vehicle, the fiance, my personal belongings, relationships etc. As soon as all of that can be arranged/settled I will be flying back home to live life and wait upon the Lord. I’m already looking for jobs and the closer I get to having one the more I’ll know about finding a car and a place to stay.
Its scary to come home, especially since i’m almost empty handed. I have no idea what the next step will be, or even what I hope it will be. But I know that I started a life of ministry more than 5 years ago and God, while allowing me to be humbled and refined, has never allowed me to be defeated and He will not now.
There you have it. I welcome your prayers and support as always and I look forward to seeing many of you soon. Don’t forget to keep an eye on the employment section of the classifieds for me! 
Blessings.
I love you. I know you’re hurting and going home is both exciting and scary but God’s got you Chatty Chatty Chit Chat so you’re gonna be way better than ok. I feel the need to echo your own words back to you- you are not defeated. You did not fail in the valley/Kenya. You made some great relationships; you impacted the lives of those you encountered and you opened your home and your life to them. You did not fail. The love of God shines so fiercely through you. When I read John 13:35 I think of you. You’re one of the strongest people I know. Chat soon!