Thank you Lord for Such Amazing Children

Greetings this is Abbey I wanted to tell all of you about what happened to my brother and I two days ago and how it is affecting us now.

Connor and I were laughing and talking like normal we had no idea what was about to happen. Both Connor and I thought that it had to be a joke. The sudden change from joy to fear was frightening. I kept thinking, "how can this happen?" I could see my house from where we were. I just thought "why can't we just run home then it will all be over?" more than scared I felt violated. I thought how can they hate me so much that they would use the foul words that they used. They had no idea where we were financially they didn't seem to care at all. I now wonder what would drive them to such a desperate thing. All in all I feel more sorry for them than I could ever feel for the things they stole.

While they were robbing us I kept thinking of insignificant things. I forgot about the guns and I was wondering whether Connor and I would be able to go to the movies as we planned? When would I get a new phone and as they took Connor's chastity ring I slipped mine off and put it in my pocket. And now I recognize that that, was God comforting me. He helped me to forget about the danger and focus on things that didn't really matter. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS INFINITE GRACE!!

Many people have given their condolences and said they were sorry for us. But I realized that we weren't in any danger really. Connor and I are both saved even if we died we would be sitting with our Father in heaven. And since it was not God's will that we die we are safe with our family. The people who were in danger and still are in danger are the two men that held the guns. I ask that you pray for them, as I will.

A large part of me wants to forget the whole thing. Just pretend that it didn't happen. But I can't do that. It is a part of who I am now. And to forget those to men would not be loving them. It is my responsibility now to pray for them. And to love them.

Through this situation Connor and I have been witnesses of miracles. The day after the incident I read in my Bible the story about Joshua and how God stopped the sun so he would have more time to defeat his enemies. I feel that the miracle that was worked was just as awesome as that. God held out his hand to save us.

A soon as it was over I thanked God that I did not feel desperate for, whatever comfort those men were seeking, to hold a gun to someone. I don't know what they wanted the money for. I can only hope that it was for food for themselves or for someone else. And I know that if I were in the right situation I might have been the one holding the gun. Whatever they are capable of I am capable of. I praise my Maker that He has saved me from that fate.

I ask you to pray for those men's salvation and that Connor and I can use this situation for God's purposes.

And lastly I ask you to pray that God keeps others safe from these same thieves.
Abbey

Hauling Water to the Toilet

We continue to push on with our work at Huruma. We are holding weekly meetings with the Sunday School Teachers to continue our training in the use of the new curriculum. Some of the challenges we face in Kenya are due to substandard water supply. We are currently living in a part of Kenya where there is a public water supply. However, that water supply is frequently off so most houses have water storage tanks in their attics so that during the times the water is off, the family still has access to water from the tank as they wait for the water service to be restored.

When we first moved into our house the water that we were getting was extremely brown. You can see the brown water in the top of the water filter in the first picture below. After we had been here for about 2 weeks and the water had still not cleared up. We decided that we needed to investigate the problem. The upstairs tank was a very old galvanized water tank and it was rusted and in very bad shape. The property manager decided that the tank should be replaced. So the storage tank has been unusable since that time. That was 2 weeks ago.

The "city" water comes into the house only in the kitchen sink and in the inlet for the washing machine. So we have been hauling water from the kitchen to the bathroom to flush toilets for 2 weeks. At the many times when the city water was off we were hauling water from an outside faucet that belongs to a neighbor and was fed off his storage tank. Here is a photo of Alan and Connor installing the new tank. It holds about 150 gallons of water. The second photo is of Alan boring a hole in the tank, the third is one of Connor, who is actually inside the tank. He is holding the other side of a fixture that connects to a float valve.

Prayer Requests:
1) Please continue to pray for us as we try to stay "ahead" of the Sunday School in writing the curriculum that they are using each week.
2) Please continue to pray for the teachers that they learn to use the curriculum and that all of their students will come to know Jesus as their Savior through these stories. So far it is going very well.
3) Pray for a trip to Western Province that Alan will be making in June. He is going with a Kenyan pastor friend for the purpose of evangelism and church planting.
4) Please continue to pray for our financial support base to grow. We are very thankful to those of you who have begun to give to our ministry on a monthly basis and for those of you who have chosen to give a one time gift. It is a tremendous help to us.

We are still struggling with meeting our monthly expenses. This also causes us not to be able to engage in as many ministry opportunities as we would like to because we frequently don't have the funds to take the public transport to the church in Huruma. Please pray about donating to our ministry so that we can do the things that God has called us here to do. See a list of our needs/expenses and information on how to donate at www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/expenses.html

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and financial support. They are a vital part of our ministry.

THANK YOU for your continued PRAYERS and SUPPORTAlan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming NEW BLOG FOR OUR PRAYER REQUESTShttp://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/prayer.html

To DONATE to our ministry with the Borana People go herehttp://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

To FIND OUT more about us and our Ministry to the Borana People go herehttp://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/

Sunday is the Big Day

 

Hi Prayer Partners,

 

I spent last week in Huruma Slum near Nairobi.  I was there with 19 Sunday School teachers at Evangelical Victory Church.  We met in an 9' by 14' classroom that is used for Sunday School.  On Sunday morning 50 children will sit in that same classroom so that they can learn a Bible lesson. 

    

I was helping them develop skills for telling chronological Bible stories for their Sunday School lessons. They learned the different characteristics of God, the different characteristics of Satan, and the different characteristics of man.  Then they learned how to discover these characteristics in a Bible story. They practiced communicating these characteristics by telling Bible stories to each other.

 

Each teacher told his or her testimony of salvation.  All the testimonies were moving examples of the grace of Jesus saving lost people.  Five of the teachers were converted out of Islam.  Their testimonies were particularly powerful as they were resistant to the gospel message.  I was inspired by the contrast between their previous devotion to Islam and the depth of their faith in Christ now.  The Holy Spirit gave me an application to go with the inspiration.

 

At the end of the session on Friday, some of us were walking to a local restaurant in Huruma, when two Muslim men approached me.  They greeted me and when I responded with, "Great, praise the Lord,"  they said, "No, we are Muslims."  We began talking.  They had some questions about who Jesus is.  Before long they said that they needed to go to an appointment.  I told them that I hope we will be able to meet again.  After eating at the restaurant, the teachers and I emerged to meet the same two Muslims again.  Though that meeting was short, the teachers and I were reminded that the Holy Spirit is able to bring us into the relationships He wants to for God's glory.

 

Though Huruma is only about 20 miles from my home, the daily time and cost of taking public transportation made it difficult for me to travel to Huruma from my home each day so I stayed with a friend who lives near Huruma.  These are some of the people that I met and witnessed to during the week as I traveled from my friends home to the conference.

     

Prayer Requests

1. Sunday is the Big Day that we launch the new curriculum.  Please pray for the Sunday School Teachers at EV Church as they begin to use the Chronological Bible Storying Method in Sunday School.    The goal of this curriculum is to lead the children to Christ and then to give them a firm foundation of discipleship so that they will grow up to be "Warriors for Christ".
2. Please pray for the two Muslim men that Alan witnessed to, that they will have more opportunities to hear about Jesus and come to know him as Savior.
3. Please pray for us as we continue to work on writing the curriculum for the Sunday School.  Each month we will be writing and developing the material to be used the following month.
4. Please pray the Holy Spirit will move donors to send the funds necessary for us to pay our electric bill and rent and to buy the few household items that we are still lacking after our recent move to our new house.  You can see a list of the items we still need on our website http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/needs.html 
5. Thank you to all of those who donated last month and for God's marvelous provision in our being able to find "good deals" on what we needed to buy.  We got a queen size bed frame for $25, 6 table lamps for an average of $3 each, a printer-$15, cutlery-$5, curtains for the WHOLE house-$60, and others.  THANK YOU!

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THANK YOU for your continued PRAYERS and SUPPORT
Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming

 

To DONATE  to our ministry with the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

 

To FIND OUT more about us and our Ministry to the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/

The Cattle on a 1000 Hills an Amazing Story of GOD's Provision

The Cattle on a 1000 Hills - I took our computer in to the shop this week and was told that it  would cost $275 to get it fixed. When I went back to pick it up, it was not ready. I patiently waited for 3 hours. When I got ready to pay they said that it would only be $150, a 40% discount because I had to wait.  That is when God reminded me, all the money in the world is His, even the non-Christians' money.  He can give us the resources we need, and can choose whomever He wants to give it.  (The shop owner is not a Christian). God is so fantastic!

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Ministry - 1) Leah will be leading a session at a Parenting Conference at Evangelical Victory Church (EVC). 

2) Alan will be leading a one week conference on Chronological Bible Storying (CBS) at EVC.

3) We are continuing to work on the CBS Sunday School Curriculum.

4) Learn more about CBS at our website. www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/chronologicalbiblestorying.html

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Housing - There is a flat below the flat where we are currently living. Previously the owner was asking for $400 rent.  The owner is now offering it for $200 with a one-year lease.  Because we are hoping to travel to the US for furlough later this year we are hesitating to sign a one-year lease. Furniture - We have some household items we need if we are going to be able to move to our own place:  We need a refrigerator and beds at the very least.  It would also be nice if we could get some chests of drawers and dining room furniture.

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Prayer Requests: 

1) Pray for Alan and Leah as they prepare to teach in April.

2) Pray for Alan and Leah as they work on the CBS Sunday School Curriculum for EV Church.

3) Pray for our decision about whether to move into the flat downstairs or look for another rent house.

4) Pray for God to provide the resources we need to purchase what we need to move.

5) Pray for The Children's Officer to get his report filed in the court before the end of March.

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Thank you for your faithfulness to pray for us, Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming

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For Donations -  http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

Our Home Page http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/

EVERYONE is now OK

Dear Prayer Partner,

 

Thank you SO MUCH for praying for our friend and his co-workers.

EVERYONE is now safely out of the dangerous situation.  As God

reminds you in the coming weeks, please remember to pray for them

as they try to process the ordeal they have been through.

 

Thanks for being there to life up prayer support for those doing the

work of the Kingdom, May God bless all that you do today and everyday.

 

The Fleming Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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THANK YOU for your continued PRAYERS and SUPPORT
Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming
 
NEW BLOG FOR OUR PRAYER REQUESTS
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/prayer.html

 

To DONATE  to our ministry with the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

 

To FIND OUT more about us and our Ministry to the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/

Prayers are working

Dear Prayer Partner,

 

Thanks for praying for my friend. 

 

My friend and his family got out and are safe.  Another co-worker is on a flight

as I write this, so she is on her way to safety.

 

The co-worker with family has tickets for in the morning (Monday p.m. for the US).

 

There is one co-worker who is still waiting on a Visa and my friend says that the situation

is deteriorating.  There are many false allegations in the news media and it is not helping

the situation.  Let me remind you that they have been receiving death threats.

 

Please continue to pray for the last co-worker that he will be able to get his Visa

and get out before the situation escalates anymore.

 

Blessings,

Leah

 

 

 

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THANK YOU for your continued PRAYERS and SUPPORT
Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming
 
NEW BLOG FOR OUR PRAYER REQUESTS
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/prayer.html

 

To DONATE  to our ministry with the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

 

To FIND OUT more about us and our Ministry to the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/

SOME are OUT, Others still need prayer

THANK YOU SO MUCH for you prayers.

 

We have just received word that our friend's family has been evacuated out of the country where they were in danger.  They are in a safe country awaiting another flight that will take them to a place where they will get debriefing and counseling before returning to the US.   Let me clarify that the country where the trouble is, is NOT Kenya.  Sorry for that confusion.

 

HOWEVER, there are also 3 co-workers and one co-worker's family who are still waiting to get out. 

So please continue to pray for them.

 

Since it is on the news I am at liberty to give a few more details.  These friends work for an NGO that does water drilling projects.  The government raided their compound and when they found Bibles in the NGO office they decided to expel all the Expat workers with that NGO.  The Expat also received several death threats.  

 

The coming days will be trying for them.  They were allowed to return to their home and pack a few small bags.  But they have had to leave most of their "worldly possessions" behind.  More importantly they have left a "work" that they most likely will not be able to return to and that will be hard to deal with.

 

Please continue to pray for them as they go through "debriefing" to try to process the experience they have just encountered.

 

I will let you know as soon as the other workers are out.

 

Blessings,

The Fleming Family

 

 

 

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THANK YOU for your continued PRAYERS and SUPPORT
Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming
 
NEW BLOG FOR OUR PRAYER REQUESTS
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/prayer.html

 

To DONATE  to our ministry with the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

 

To FIND OUT more about us and our Ministry to the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/