Bittersweet Farewell

     Today was the day we said farewell to Staci, Wycliff & family.  We celebrated with them with a big Thank You party with friends and family.  It was a good day with many words of appreciation from coworkers & staff.
     We have been planning the party for a couple of weeks now and it has been very hectic around the Baby Centre.  We want to say a huge THANK YOU to all the Baby Centre family for all the hard work they have done.  The office staff, especially Emmanuel, Cate and Christine did a fantastic job helping get things done.  The party would not have been possible without the three of them and all the help they provided.
     There were representatives from each department that gave an appreciation speech to let Staci know how she has impacted them and the entire Baby Centre.  Linnet representing the Operations Department, Flo representing the Caregivers, Christine representing the Office staff, Jim Vanderhoof representing WGM, Bishop Reverend Dr. Robert Lang'at offered his appreciation and prayer, & Dan, along with being the facilitator, read letters from Board members that could not attend.
     Below are some photos from the special day.  We pray for all the best for Staci and Wycliff as they move in the direction they feel God is calling them.  They will be greatly missed.

Dana making 300 cupcakes for the party

Dana & April traced all the children's hands onto the banner,
then April painted them.

Staci & Wycliff, the guests of honor

Some of the Baby Centre children, as well as Eliana and Tahila

Singing and dancing for Staci

     The kids put on a great program for Staci.  With many songs, dancing and reciting scripture verses.

More singing & dancing

Carson & Dan presenting Staci with the banner

Bishop Lang'at & Dan praying for the Keter's

Some of the caregivers singing

Caregivers presenting gifts to Staci

     It was a wonderful day and now we have to look towards tomorrow.  We will be presenting at Mogoon AGC in the morning.  This is a new church that is anxious to partner with the Baby Centre and we are taking five of the Baby Centre children with us to do a presentation.  We look forward to this new way to connect with the AGC churches.  

     Monday begins our WGM Field Meeting at Turi.  We finish with that on Wednesday and Wednesday night we present at Tenwek Hospital for the AGC Pastor's Conference.  So please keep us in your prayers for all the travel and all the presentations as we continue to build relationships with the local churches.

Blessings,

D&D

3 December 2012

  Welcome little Joshua Mzima to the AGC Baby Centre.  He is a sweetheart at about 1-1/2 months old, weighing a little over 9 lbs.  From the moment he came he has been full of smiles and is a very happy baby.  Remember to pray for Joshua as he adjusts to life at the Baby Centre.  This brings us to 67 babies!!

Joshua Mzima

To Kinango and Back

   Dan arrived back safely late Thursday evening from Kinango after a very long drive.  It took us over 15 hours from the time we left Mombasa to arrive at the Baby Centre at 11:00PM.  The purpose of the trip was to go and meet the Duruma people.  A least reached people group that live south of Mombasa.  The group that I traveled with was Bishop Rev. Dr. Robert Langat, Rev. David Mutai, Rev. Julius Tonui and Jim Vanderhoof.
   We were also able to stop at the new AGC Church in Mombasa and pray over it and see how things are progressing. Dennis and Gladys are doing a wonderful job, and the church is growing.

AGC Church Mombasa

Dennis and Gladys Mutai

     After leaving the Mombasa church we headed for Kinango. This was a two hour drive through some beautiful but rough country. We met with area leaders of the Duruma tribe and had an official handing over of 100 acres of land to the Bishop for AGC to develop over the next several years. In the pictures below you will see the start of a missionary home and a missions school. We were also able to visit the well that had been repaired through the efforts of AGC, NMC, and Davis-Schirttliff the well contractor.

Bishop laying the cornerstone of the missionary home

Praying inside the new mission school

Praying over the well

   I don't think that words can describe the appreciation of the Duruma people for having this functioning well. We take for granted that when were turn on our faucet at home that there will be clean     drinking water coming out every time. Even with this well they have to transport the water several kilometers, but they are very happy to do it. Before this the closest water source was 25 kilometers away. 

   Below are some pictures of the celebration and ceremony we attended with the Duruma people. We had children and adult dancers as well as a Duruma band play for us. It was amazing!

Duruma band

Duruma adult dancers

Duruma children dancers

     We thank God for a great trip, and safe travel.

     We've had a busy week at the Baby Centre with some children coming to us for protective custody and very many parent packets coming over our desks.  Which is great because those are all prospective parents for our babies. 

      On December 1st we were able to send one of our babies home. Mary Ivy went home with her new mom and dad. She also has a new older brother waiting for her at home.

Mary Ivy and her new mom and dad

     These are the days that encourage us and allow us to press on. It is a very emotional day for all of us here to say goodbye to a child we have taken care of for so long, but are so happy for the family that God has brought to take her home.

     We have had many things to prepare for with the AGC Pastor's Conference coming up in a little over a week.  We've been trying to get 2013 forms, calendars and business cards up to date so that we have them to take with us.  

     On Dec. 9th we will be speaking at a local church.  Some of the children will be going with us and doing a small program for the congregation.  Dan will be speaking as well as some others of the Baby Centre staff.  These are wonderful opportunities to get the local church involved at the Baby Centre by informing and challenging them to get involved.

     Please pray for all of us here at the Baby Centre for endurance. We are also at this time enduring a matatu(taxi) strike. It has been all over the nation. We are having to shuttle BC employees to and from home in order to keep things going. Thank you for keeping up with us, and praying for us.

Blessings,

D&D

Thanksgiving

     There are so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving that there isn't enough room to list them all.  God has been good to us and we are so thankful to Him for the many blessings and the "bends in the road" that we've encountered over the last year.

Linet preparing food

     This is our first Thanksgiving in Kenya.  We miss our families and friends back in the states, but are so very thankful for the family we have here in the Baby Centre employees and the other missionaries.  Kenya doesn't celebrate a Thanksgiving Day so on Wednesday we threw a Thanksgiving lunch for all the Baby Centre employees and explained to them what Thanksgiving Day is all about in America.  We had a really good time serving and talking with the employees.  Here are some photos.

Margie preparing food

Cooking on the new outdoor cooker

Us serving lunch

Some of the group

     Then today, Thanksgiving Day, the missionaries celebrated together.  We had our meal at Staci & Wycliff's home.  We had a wonderful turkey (after we were able to get it thawed out!), mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, salad, butternut squash casserole, green beans, rolls, pumpkin pie, chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake, mango pie, chocolate pie, coffee and pumpkin spice latte!!  It was a wonderful meal.  Then we had good fellowship with each other and some time to just relax.  We were very thankful for today and time with our missionary family.  We were all missing our families back in the US so it was good for all of us to be together today and laugh and have a good time.  Here are a few photos.

Dan carving the turkey

Dan & Wycliff carving the turkey

Carson, Wycliff, April, Alice, Staci, Eliana

     Thank you Lord for your goodness, your faithfulness, your love.  

We are thankful for all of you, we pray that you too will have a wonderful day of contemplating how the Lord has blessed you. We thank God for all of the babies. We thank God for people like Robyn Moore and Dr. Chuck Bemm who volunteer their time to make sure the babies are healthy.

   Bwana asifiwe, Bwana asifiwe tena!

   Praise the Lord, praise the Lord again!

Blessings,

D&D

18 November, 2012

   We have had another very full week. We traveled to Nairobi on this past Thursday to complete paperwork for Dana and Carson on their visa's. That is an adventure that is very hard to explain, and we are very happy it is over.
   We also went to Aga Khan University Hospital for Dana's annual check-up from her cancer. We are so pleased to announce that the test came back favorable, 5 years cancer free, PRAISE GOD!!! They were so very good to us there. Dana was able to share some of her story with the staff, and tell them why we are in Kenya. She got a text this morning from one of the staff at the hospital, an amazing connection God has given her.
   We also have had many visitors this week. One of the visitors was the father of the twins, Naomi and Jonathon. This was his second trip here to see the kids. He is so appreciative of the care his children are getting. He also brought us onions and potatoes from his farm. It was such a wonderful expression of love to us that has really encouraged us.
   We had a team come from some local colleges that prepared meals for the kids and the staff and helped out with many small projects around the Baby Centre.
   Then this morning we had a group of women come from a church in Njoro. One of our caregivers attends the church and she had invited them. It was a wonderful example of the vision that we see spreading throughout the community. When I asked them how many had been to the Baby Centre before, none of them had. Before the end of the tour, half of the women were in tears. They had no idea what the Baby Centre was about. They spent a lot of time just holding and loving on all the children.  They assured us that though this was the first time they were here, it would not be the last.  They plan on returning to spend more time with the children and to bring some more much needed supplies.
   Days just fly by with all the busyness of the Baby Centre, the many visitors, and the other projects that are on-going.  It is hard for us to believe that it is almost Thanksgiving!  We ask for prayers as this will be a difficult time for us with being away from our four kids (son-in-law included), our parents and our siblings.   (We will definitely take this opportunity of our families being together to plan on skyping with them so that will be wonderful! Technology can be a great thing!)  We will celebrate here at the Baby Centre first on Wednesday by cooking a meal for the entire staff.  Then, on Thanksgiving day we will celebrate with Staci, Wycliff & kids, April, and Jim & Alice with the usual Thanksgiving day meal!
   We are thankful for our families, friends, and for everyone that is interested in this ministry and all that God is doing here.  Thank you for your continued support and for staying in touch through our blog.

Blessings,
D&D

11 November 2012

    We have been very busy at the AGC Baby Centre over the last two weeks.  We have received 11 babies over the last 13 days. Not all of them are infants, some are here for protective custody.  We thank God for a staff here at the Baby Centre that are versatile and willing to go the extra mile to accommodate these little ones at a moments notice.  We have also been working with the staff on efficiencies and procedures to make life better for the children and more smooth for the staff.
     Below is little Joshua K. that joined us just on Friday.  He is a sweetheart and weighs a little over
13 lbs. and is around 5 months old.  Please remember to keep Joshua K. in your prayers.

Joshua K.

Pastor Bones, Staci and Dan 

     This past Thursday we welcomed Pastor Anthony Bones to the Baby Centre to preside over the installation of the new administration.  Pastor Bones is the Pastor of Good Shepard AGC in Nairobi and is the Vice-Chairperson of the Baby Centre board.  In the process we now have a new organizational structure which is set up for the long term growth of the Baby Centre.  We have installed two new managers in the new structure.  Emanuel is now the Business Manager, and Robert is the Ministry Manager.  Please pray for this new management as we move forward.  We will be saying more about this in the weeks to come.  Staci also transfered the Directorship of the Baby Centre to Dan. This is bittersweet for all of us here.  We all know that God's timing is perfect, and He has brought us all here to this time.  We do thank Staci for all of her years of service and the heart that she displays for these babies every day.  We will miss her and Wycliffe, Gifton, Solomon, and Eliana.
     Also this last Saturday we travelled to Nairobi for a farewell party for Terry and Karen Duncan as they prepare to leave Kenya.  They have been such an inspiration to all of us and they will be sorely missed.
     Today was the opening of the Africa Gospel Church Nakuru Region.  The Bishop Robert Langat was here and presided over the ceremony.  It is part of the church's strategic plan to spread the Gospel throughout this country to every tribe and tongue.  Some of our Baby Centre kids had a part in the program.  They danced and sang and recited a poem.  They all did so well and were so excited about performing (I hope to post a video of them practicing at another time).

Some of the Baby Centre kids singing & dancing today.

Bishop Robert Langat

     We thank you all for your continued prayers and support.  Thank you for continuing to read our blog and stay updated with what is happening in this ministry.

Blessings,

D&D

Thank you Babu Bill

    As we write tonight it is with very mixed feelings. We are so very sad at our loss here on earth of Bill Dearmon, however celebrate with him knowing he has been fully healed now and is with our Savior forever. The impact that Bill and Melody made on this community is tremendous. I have spoken with many of the staff over the last few days, and have heard many stories of how they and their families were impacted by what Bill and Melody started. The AGC Baby Centre not only rescues the little ones that are abandoned all over Kenya, but provides jobs for a large number of people in the community. It also reaches into the economy of the Nakuru area in all of the business we do with the local merchants.
   God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Thank you to Bill and Melody for hearing God's call and saying yes to His leading. This past week has really been a good representation of why the Baby Centre is here. We have had 6 children come to us over the last eight days. Four of them have been a week old or less. Almost every one of these would have surely died if there had not been a place of refuge for them. Thank you to all of you who play such an important part in continuing the legacy that Bill and Melody started. Below are two pictures of babies that you may have already seen.

 
Here is Billy Ray(left) and Melody Ann the two latest additions to the Baby Centre.                                         




Please pray with all of us here in Kenya for the Dearmon family as they grieve the passing of Bill. He will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.

     Blessings,
     D & D