Sweet Granny

Edna Olivia (Granny) Jones went to be with Jesus on February 26, 2012.

Granny loved all things sweet, especially sweet tea.  No doubt, she would find this story of her great grandson especially sweet.


I got word of granny's passing while in church Sunday morning, but decided to wait and tell the kids until the drive home from church.  We had just been up to see her a few days earlier and the kids knew she was not long for this world. However, the news that she had actually passed was still tough.  


Jonah and Hannah responded at first with silence, then Jonah chimed in with "You know mom, I think this is the first death that I am really mature enough to understand what it is all about."  I agreed with him and allowed a few tears to well up in my eyes.  We drove in silence for a while until I heard the crinkle of papers in the back seat.  I looked back to find Jonah flipping pages in his Bible. Finally, he landed on a page, pointed his finger, and began reading. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."  


Jonah looked up at me, fully (and accurately) expecting that his words had provided me comfort. Then he smiled and repeated the last line again. "Shall not perish but have everlasting life."


"That doesn't mean that she didn't die, mom, but it means that she now has everlasting life in heaven."  Very true.  And very very sweet.  


Granny will be dearly missed.

One of my favorite pictures of Granny and Grandpa. (Jonah is in blue on Granny's lap. Cousins Abigail, Anna, and Micah also.) 

The Lord, He has done this.

Therapeutic. 

That's the word I often use when describing why I blog  about certain things. I process things best when I write them down.  It's therapeutic for me to see life through the lens of written words.  That being said, I've had no time to write over these past few months.  Which means...  

It's high time for some therapy.  

About six months ago, Joey made the statement that "this is going to be the hardest year of our lives."  True. True.  But true as that  statement has proved to be so far, it's also proving to be one of the most exciting years of our lives.  We've both grown to know and trust the Lord better.  Joey started his very own dental practice, praise the Lord!  It's now a  fully functioning dental office. It looks beautiful. It has super  employees. It has a growing number of patients. It's a dream come true.   

But we've had our fair share of nightmares along the way. I could  spend hours writing about the frustrating and discouraging things that  have happened, but that is definitely not the sort of "therapy" I need  today. Today, I've chosen not to think and dwell on those temporary and fleeting hurdles we've faced upon this journey.  (They all manage  to resolve themselves anyway.) I want to focus on all of the amazing  things we've seen the Lord do in and through this difficult time. It's  quite astounding to look at these events in light of His obvious hand.  In fact, it's therapeutic. Have I already mentioned that?

Please allow me to lay back on this couch and spill a bit of the story.  My  hope is that in the end, you will say "Yeah God!" because He's the therapist.  He's the one who orchestrated each step. He's the one working out all these details for our good and His glory.

Here are a few of the things the Lord did:

1. The Lord closed a door.  January 1, 2011 was the tentative date  chosen by Joey and his employer of the past seven years to be the date  Joey would purchase his employer's practice. However, as any business  owner will tell you, 2010 was a bad year.  We still met with the  business broker, accountant and bankers, but it was obvious that  January 1, 2011 was not the right date. So we let that date pass. But  we continued the meetings to discuss it. Each meeting we had with the  business broker left me with a nervous stomach and heavy weight on my  shoulders. I couldn't explain exactly why.  It seemed like the next  logical step in our lives was to purchase this well-established dental  practice. But I couldn't shake the fear of being able to keep afloat a  dental office with 7 chairs, 2 dentists and 12 employees, not to mention a business loan.  But I supported Joey and his decision to  purchase.  During the summer of 2011, the owner asked for a meeting  with Joey. "I need to know your plans. I need to know if you are going  to purchase or not. Because if not, I need to pursue my other options"  he said.  Joey had never heard this man speak of other options. All  this time, he truly believed part of the reason he needed to purchase was because he was his only option.  This news was a  relief, but it also sent us into a tailspin. If Joey doesn't purchase,  what does he do instead? Do WE have other options? Will he get fired?  What about his patient base he's worked hard to build for seven years?  We fought the Lord in prayer over these things and more for a solid  month.  At the end of that month, his employer required an answer.  With tears, Joey gave his. The Lord had closed a door. We prayer hard  for a window.

2. The Lord provided a mentor. Shortly before making the final  decision not to purchase, we drove up to Kansas to meet with my cousin and her husband and seek advice.  Brian is a dentist and he had  recently started his own practice. If the Lord wanted us to start our  own practice instead of buying one, Brian was the guy to talk to. We  had no idea how to start a business. Brian did. We had no idea what to  expect or where to start. Brian did. We had no idea what this could  look like. Brian did. He told us how the Lord directed him when he was  in our shoes.  His story was a testimony of God's provision and  faithfulness and it inspired us.  He couldn't speak to us without  mentioning the Lord and without being filled with excitement for us.  He offered us every help imaginable. His records, his contacts, his  staff, his office... virtually anything we asked, He offered an answer  or pointed us in the right direction. He was a true God sent mentor.

3. The Lord gave us peace. In spite of all the potential angst of  these major life altering decisions we were making, the Lord gave both  Joey and I a strong peace about the decision we had made. I'm not  gonna lie though and say it was easy. We lost many hours of sleep.  (Way more than I care to admit.)  Joey's income dropped drastically.  Things were tough. But through it all, we never questioned the Lord's  direction. The Bible speaks of peace that passes understanding. We  sure didn't understand the what and why of all that was going on, but  we had peace knowing we were in good hands.  It was during this time too that the Lord gave both Joey and I plenty of wise counsel from our  parents who prayed nonstop for us and offered encouragement when we  needed it the most. (Thanks parents!)

4. The Lord provided a perfect location. Our friend David is a  commercial realtor and he walked us through this entire process. He is  the type of guy who is calm and very professional. Every space we  looked into would have required massive amounts of plumbing in order  to accommodate a dental office.  This would easily cost between thirty  and fifty thousand dollars. A few weeks into our search for a space to  lease, Joey remembered a dentist who was soon moving out of his space.  His old space would already be plumbed for dentistry. He asked our  friend to look into it.  Sure enough, this space was to become available right about the exact time that we needed a space. David  walked us through negotiating and signing a lease. He handled the various bumps and hurdles with ease.  In the end, we secured the  perfect location, pre-plumbed for dentistry, and proven to be a  successful dental office location.  It was more than obvious that this  was the Lord's clear direction. And saving fifty thousand dollars in  possible plumbing cost was such a sweet blessing from the Lord, not to mention confirmation we were exactly where He wanted us to be. 

5. The Lord began providing equipment. I don't know if anyone outside  the dental profession really knows the cost of dental equipment, but  ummm... holy moly, that stuff isn't cheap. Right away, however, we had people introducing us to other dentists selling used, but  working equipment for tiny fractions of the actual cost. We saved  thousands of dollars. At first, we were sure we could only afford to outfit maybe two dental chairs,  but the Lord made it possible for  us to completely outfit three ops.  We even managed to fit into our  budget a very nice luxury - heated massage dental chairs!  Woo hoo!  (Side note- the dental supply company delivered the wrong chairs.  Grrr! I've nagged and nagged and nagged and they promise me the  massage chairs will be here by the first of March. We are waiting to  throw an open house at the new place until these chairs arrive because  I want everyone we know to try them out.) ;)

6. The Lord allowed Joey to leave his former office on good terms.  Everyone told us that associate dentists can never leave a dental  office on good terms.  They told us that no matter how friendly or  Christian two dentists are, the parting of ways is guaranteed to get  ugly. This was disheartening news to think about. Joey didn't want to  leave on bad terms. He didn't want to harm this employer by leaving either. So we bathed this in prayer.  There were moments when I was  dead sure Joey would get fired. I even let that fear get the best of  me to the point of fainting (in front a classroom full of students, no less. But that's a story for another time.)  In the end, Joey and his  employer parted as friends.  They worked out a deal that is fair to both and it allowed Joey to notify patients of his departure. Every  person we've talked to in the dental field is shocked at how it all worked out.  Our practice finance team had never heard of such a sweet  departure deal. Nobody got angry. Nobody threw things. Nobody got  fired. The power of prayer prevailed.

7.  The Lord provided an income. I can honestly say that I don't know how we've been able to pay all our bills these past few months, but by  the grace of God.  I fully expected our savings to be entirely  depleted by this date. Starting a business takes a ton of money. Our  finance team says our loan is one of the smallest dental office start  up loans they've ever done. (It still seems huge to me.) We've stayed in budget. We've kept the costs down. Now we are just trusting the  Lord to bring in patients.  In the meantime, the Lord graciously  provided a job for Joey one day a week at another dental office,  allowing him to supplement his income just enough while we wait for his schedule at the new place to fill up.  That in itself was  God's providence, as the dentist who asked him to work one day a week  is the very dentist who inspired Joey toward dentistry years ago. He  called out if the blue (not knowing we were in the midst of this start- up) and asked if Joey would be interested. Yes, Lord! He's entirely  too good to us, isn't He?

8. The Lord sent us just the right people at just the right time.  Besides the mentor dentists I've already mentioned, the Lord also had His hand in all the other people necessary to make this office happen.  From our contractor (who handled everything so beautifully and kept it all within budget), to our logo guy, to our accountant, to our family members who helped scrape floors or paint, to our employees and everyone in between, we saw the Lord's hand. Joey will tell of very  specific and immediate answers to prayer at times even. We are thrilled with the staff he hired. Lisa, our hygienist, works part time  and patients are thrilled when they find out she is with us.  Missy, Joey's assistant, is my sister-in-law's sister.  She is an excellent  dental assistant.  Plus, she has the added connection of family and a strong desire to see our office succeed.  Jerri is the sweetest phone voice you will ever hear and she takes care if our front office beautifully. She came highly recommended from the orthodontist at our church.  We are  thrilled with our staff.  Then we've had the added bonus of sweet  friends and family who help in various ways.  A friend of a friend offered to do software training free of charge. Our equipment guys upgraded some of our order free of charge and threw in a few added perks we didn't expect.  I'm sure I'm forgetting things here.

9. The Lord allowed our kids to see and experienced His workings.  The kids and I pray every morning on the way to school. The details of the office start-up are a huge part of those prayers.  We got to praise the Lord each time he answered one of those prayers.  But not too long ago, Jonah said something that broke my heart. He mentioned that this  new office was taking away all his fun and he didn't like the fact  that he didn't get to play with his dad very much anymore because of  it.  I shared honestly with him that there have been plenty of moments  that I felt the exact same way, but I also wouldn't trade this time for the world. We have learned through this time how to depend on and  trust the Lord so much more.  My hope is that the kids will remember this time not just for all the extra work we did (and the tears  brought by that work), but also the prayers that were prayed and the trust that grew as a result.

10. The Lord did all of this.  

And this.

And this.

And this.

And because He did it, we want to give Him credit.   

Hello 2012

Every year, it would seem, the Shoop’s have some news;

 What with school, work, and play, there’s a lot that accrues.

 So with your permission, we humbly request

 To give you the highlights in a form that seems acceptable.

 Joe’s still treating teeth that are broken or decayed

 While Hannah and Jonah are now in first and third grade.

 Kelly gives lectures on countries and crusaders

 As she teaches history to seventh and eighth-year students.

 Our family this summer booked no big cruise ship,

 But rather visited Kenya for a weeklong mission trip.

 Each season brought adventure, some big and some small,

 But the most challenging by far started happening this autumn.

 Though more painful at times than brushing with cactus,

 Our family is headlong in starting our new practice.

 So the plan is next month, (that’s January, you see,)

 We’ll open the doors of Shoop Family Dentistry.

Our clever recap of 2011 in and around the Shoop house.  The biggest news by far is the last paragraph.  Check out www.ShoopFamilyDentistry.com and make your appointment today!  (He begins seeing patients on January 30th!)

100 Things About Hannah

On her seventh birthday today, these are a few of the most remarkable things about Hannah:

"One hundred things about Hannah"

You are a toughie.
You are a two year old baby hamster that's this big.
You like crab legs.
You love your Foofey.
You have your mother's independence.
You beep my nose.
You take good care of Julie.
You make little beds for your pets.
You have a great fashion sense.
You like to make ice cream soup.
You are tender hearted.
You like to watch the Science Channel with me.
You are really flexible.
You like it when I push you on the swing and tell you "duck poop".
You know just how many days until your birthday.
You always want me to sing songs and pray.
You love your Tiger and Ty-Ty.
You are a great cousin.
You are not selfish.
You are brave.
You want to be a doughnut cook, a dentist, and a cheer girl.
You created "Pony World".
You like to make your own computers and then work on them.
You have a special spot.
You had a railroad tie fall on you.
You are a good roller skater.
You look a lot like Mimi.
You swim like a fish, or a mermaid.
You can play by yourself for a long time.
You want something from the red bowl.
You like to go fishing with me.
You want to have a spa day.
You like it when I do "tick tock".
You let me pop your toes.
You tell the truth.
You are always concerned when someone is hurt or sick.
You can burp whenever you want to.
You like to have your fingernails painted.
You are the littlest in our family and proud of it.
You are a servant to others.
You like to wear aprons.
You walk on your toes when barefoot.
You like to write in your journal.
You are not picky what your journal is that day.
You have beautiful hair.
You make cards for me and mom.
You like to sit in the front.
You are shy.
You can't whistle, but you try.
You drink pop and it makes your eyes sparkle.
You like coffee.
You have a palindromic name, and you know what that means.
You are the one everyone wants to play with.
You are a fashionista (which is different than having great fashion sense).
You are growing really fast.
You like to eat freshly-browned hamburger with salt.
You say "ow" each time we brush your hair, even if there are no tangles.
You give yourself hickeys.
You always like to be reminded of how big you were when you were born.
You do a perfect "Katie" impression.
You are always gentle.
You said that one store was "inappropriate."
You are very modest.
You invented the "homemade Hannah" sandwich.
You stop and smell the flowers.
You are a peacemaker.
You want a phone.
You have a cute smile.
You can wear 20 outfits in one day.
You always need "help" cleaning your closet.
You rub soft things on your lips and face like someone I know.
You like to take long baths.
You are Jonah's best friend.
You ask insightful questions.
You can cross your eyes.
You set up stores in the living room and charge pennies.
You pray for people you've never met with sincerity.
You are naturally artistic.
You constantly put your hair behind your ears when on stage.
You like to listen to music in the car- usually Rosie.
You eat ribs off the bone.
You let me pull your first tooth in front of your kindergarten
You order tilapia from IHOP.
You like to run and plop.
You have an amazing imagination.
You looks good with dreadlocks.
You pay attention in church.
You like to hide your pets in unusual places.
You want everything with extra, extra, extra, extra honey.
You hide whenever someone's at the door.
You like to use your Easy Bake oven, but don't like the taste.
You are Abigail's BFF.
You look good in boots.
You like to work on your tan.
You don't mind sharing a room with Jonah.
You have two favorite colors: light blue and light pink.
You want braces.
You are God's little princess.
You are our favorite daughter.
You are Hannah, and you are special.


Happy birthday, Hannah. We love you.

Window

"Hello world!"

This was the greeting my Humanities professor used to give each time he walked into our classroom of 40+ students my freshmen year of college.  Our small classroom full of students barely constituted the "world," but we nevertheless couldn't help but grin at his greeting each morning.  He used to pull out old records and randomly play classical tunes throughout class just to keep us on our toes.  Vivaldi.  Mozart.  Bach.  I could tell he loved his job.  I bet he's retired now, soaking up some serious Vivaldi on a regular basis.

I'm not sure where I was going with this.

Oh yes.  Hello world!

That's right.  World.  Seeing how this blog is open up to the whole world (wide web), I technically can justify that greeting.  Though in reality, I am fully aware of the fact that there are a total of three people who might actually read this post.  (Hi mom!)  I'm okay with that.  It's been three months since I last updated.  It's been four months since I've written about something other than Kenya.  I'm a bad blogger these days.

So bad, in fact, that my dad made me promise him a few weeks ago that I would at least write one paragraph on this here blog.  So.  Here I am.  Writing a bit more than a paragraph.   I'm not so narcissistic to believe that anyone really needs to read an update from me, but I would love to look back on this time in our lives and see what the Lord took us through.

And boy is He taking us on a journey.

Life around the Teach and Tickle home has been a bit crazy for the past few months.  School started back again.  I'm teaching (and hence, grading) more.  I hate grading.  There. I said it. Love teaching.  Hate grading. Schedules are a bit crazy.  Budgets are ridiculously tight.  But that's not the reason for my absence on this blog.  The primary reason for my absence are all the big changes that are brewing in the realm of dentistry.  After seven years as an associate working for another dentist, Joey has made the decision to branch out and start his own dental office.  This venture holds equal parts excitement and fear.  I can't overstate that last sentence.

Super long story short ---  The Lord closed a door and opened a window.  Now we are trying to figure out how in the world He wants us to climb through that window.  It seems so high and out of reach right now.  Sometimes I look at the window and wonder how in the world we can fit through it.  Sometimes  I can't see what's on the other side of that window.  Sometimes I just want to wallow inside my box with a window and shake my fists at the empty walls.  Sometimes my eyes are so filled with tears that I can't even see a window.

But my God doesn't see boxes with walls, windows and doors.  He sees the big picture.  He sees the process, the refining, the ministry, and the growth that will come out of our obedience when we finally climb out that window into His marvelous light.

Lord willing, we will see glimmers of that marvelous light when Joey opens the door to his new office sometime in the next several months.

Until then, you may expect my presence on this blog to be somewhat sparse as I have the great honor of helping and supporting my husband in the bazillion decisions leading to his grand opening.

Some of those bazillion decisions were helped along a couple weekends ago when a dental supply company sent us to New York City on their dime, just so we could see their showroom.  We took advantage of that opportunity and made a long weekend of it, taking in the sights and having a great time with Joey's brother Jeff and his wife Rosie.

We stood in Times Square, walked along Broadway and Wall Street, saluted the Statue of Liberty, mourned at the World Trade Center site, hoped for a flash mob in Grand Central Station (didn't happen), climbed to the top of the Empire State Building, listened to Rosie's new album (knock-out, by the way), and watched a sky-writing plane spell out "Last Chance" in the sky above Jeff and Rosie's apartment.  (Wild.)

Then we drove to Scranton, Pennsylvania to visit the dental equipment showroom.  (We didn't run into Jim and Pam, although I am sure we would have instantly become BFFs had we had the chance to meet them.)  All in all, it was a super quick but fun and informative trip.

Our camera managed to take zero excellent photos, but here are a few:

from the patio rooftop of Jeff and Rosie's apartment with the skyline of NYC in the background

the statue of Liberty in the distance

my favorite "statue" in the forefront

Times Square

This shows the excitement side of starting a dental office. 

Thankfully, I don't have a picture of the fear side.

It's a big world.  I'm so thankful for a window. Pray for us as we climb through that window.

Supernatural Contentment

Most of us didn't wake up to a cold shower this morning.

Or find ourselves extra tired because we got called to the hospital three times overnight.

Or realize we forgot to put more water out in the sun in order to have enough purified water for the day.

Most of us didn't have to create three meals from scratch today.

Or plan groceries for months at a time because the nearest real grocery store is two hours away.

Or find bugs in our bread.

Most of us had ice in our drinks today.

Most of us didn't have to use a bathtub or a clothes line in order to do laundry.

Or a sink of soapy water in order to do dishes.

Or a mosquito net in order to sleep without the annoyance of bugs.

Most of us didn't have to comfort a mom whose baby died today.

Or witness the sadness of seeing a child with third degree burns.

Or perform three c-sections in a row.

Most of us have the option of an epidural when we give birth.

Most of us didn't sit down to a much anticipated DVD only to have the power go off midway.

Or have to dread the power staying off for days in a row.

Or wake up to a scared child who can't find his way to the bathroom in the pitch dark.

Most of us didn't have to worry about people scavenging our trash for "useful" items we threw out today.

Or people asking us for money to help send their kids to school in order to secure a "better life."

Or walk through town and find ourselves the focus of unabashed stares from every face we pass.

Most of us have a home and car with air conditioning.

Most of us won't ever live in Kenya.

Or experience these difficulties to the same degree.

Or truly understand the sacrifices made by missionaries around the globe.

But then...

Most of us won't ever experience supernatural contentment in spite of these circumstances.

To Kyle and Vanessa

My amazing brother and sister-in-law living in Kenya

Who impressed Joey and I most with their utter contentment and zero complaints.

Happy Anniversary Kyle and Vanessa!

Wild Life

I'm not a fan of wildlife.  Few if any animals intrigue me.  I even have a personal ban against the zoo in my city that I desperately try to uphold.

So when people asked if we were planning to go on safari while in Kenya, I swiftly responded with "I don't think so" and kept my fingers crossed that we wouldn't.  

Shame on me.  

Thankfully, Kyle talked us into going on safari through Nairobi National Park where we witnessed (in their natural habitat) lions, giraffes, ostrich, monkeys, water buffalo, rhino, impala, zebra, and others. 

We even almost nearly witnessed a live birth - - that of our soon-to-be niece, Ariella.  The bumpy safari roads seemed to prompt Vanessa to have quite a few contractions, each running only three minutes apart.  Thankfully, she drank a gallon of water and the contractions stopped, although we were sure a safari-delivery would have provided the most interesting birth story ever.

Outside the National Park, we also visited the elephant orphanage in Nairobi.  

We ran into some Masai warriors.  (Very touristy, I know. They even asked for a "small tip" after I took their picture with the kids.)

Then we visited the Bomas of Kenya, which is a mock set up of the different tribal hut villages of Kenya.  

It was here that we decided to take our 13th Anniversary picture.  We were only a few days off from our actual anniversary date and this trip to Kenya would far outweigh any other trip we could plan this year, so taking our picture in Kenya seemed to fit.  

Kenya may not have held a candle to the romance of our Cancun anniversary.  It may not have had quite as much historical interest as the anniversary we celebrated in Rome.  It definitely cost more than that anniversary we spent at home in order to save money for the new roof.  And boy did it beat the anniversary when Joey locked me out of the house for an hour and a half.  

But isn't that how life goes?  Each year brings with it new challenges, journeys, and romance.   Life is kind of wild like that.  

I may not especially like wildlife.  But I sure like this wild life I get to live. 

Songs of a Hospitable Hospital

The Children's Ward at Kapsowar Hospital has about 20 beds.   20 beds that, at varying times, are filled with sweet souls dealing with anything from broken bones to severe burns to heart disease to any other form of illness.  Although the walls are painted with happy cartoon versions of Bible stories, the ward is not always the epitome of happiness.  Death happens.  Disease gains the better hand.  Despair can be found on the parent's or patient's faces.  The children in the ward are often hurting. But because of the care they are receiving, they are healing and hopeful.  Their faces might show pain at times, but when three pale face children showed up one day to bless them with gifts from America, their faces showed gratitude and joy.  Jonah, Hannah, and cousin Hudson were thrilled to deliver goodie bags to these kids one day.  

As a result of the donations from Jonah's classmates at school, church, and a few neighbors, we were able to include the following in each of the goodie bags:

toothbrush

toothpaste

bouncy ball

coloring book

crayons

notepad

bracelet

light-up bracelet

suckers

balloons

In addition to the goodie bags, we also delivered 14 Christian DVDs for the children to enjoy on their TV/DVD combo in the ward.  Since many of the kids only speak Swahili, we purchased mostly music sing-along DVDs to give to the hospital.  Songs are often easier to enjoy and understand than a story line.  Even if the kids don't understand all the words, they can still feel and see the joy of a song sung by children whose faces show the joy of the Lord.  

Jonah, Hannah, and Hudson sang a song for the children in the ward that day.  Joey spoke briefly about Jonah and the Whale. Jonah and Hannah somewhat nervously handed out our small gifts.  

Then one mama of a patient led the children and staff in a song for us.  This time, we were the ones who didn't understand the words.  But we saw their joy.  Joy in the midst of pain, sickness and death.  Joy in response to our small gifts.   Kenyan songs are often "sing and repeat" type songs.  Kenyan voices are strong and bold.  

The sorrow of the children's ward didn't cause me to cry.  The pride in my own children doing something beyond themselves didn't make me cry.  But this mama's song made me cry.  This mama is no doubt dealing with a sick child who may or may not fully recover.  I don't know her story, but I saw the joy and gratitude on her face.  I heard her voice loud and clear, as you can hear below:

We may have brought a few hundred dollars worth of DVDs and small gifts, but it was clear that this mama gave the better gift that day.  A shared joy.  A reminder that our God is a good God in the midst of sorrow and sickness.  

Join me in praying for the parents and children of the Children's Ward at Kapsowar Hospital.  May they forever know and feel the joy of our good God.  

Family of Faith

It's going to take a while to process and work through all that we saw and experienced in Kenya.  Rather than bombard this blog with a billion pictures and stories all at once, I thought I would just share bits and pieces as they come.

So.  Let me introduce you to the family of Faith...

Actually, this is only a small fraction of the family of Faith.  There are a total of nine children in Faith's family.  And Faith didn't even make it into the above picture.  She was off grinding corn when this photo was taken, but her mother sent for her when we arrived.  Here's Faith:

Faith was a patient of Kyle's in the hospital in Kapsowar.  While under his care, the Lord saw fit to bring her body back into health.  More importantly though, the Lord brought her into a spiritual health when she made Him Lord of her life. She lives about a 20 minute drive away from the hospital, in this beautiful mountainous countryside filled with some of the most gorgeous scenery anyone could expect to encounter in Africa:

It's beautiful, yes, but primitive as well.  Most people in and around Kapsowar live without running water or electricity, growing food in their gardens for a living. This is Faith's homestead:

The huts are used as kitchens.  Faith's mom graciously allowed us to enter their hut and see how she cooks meals for her family: 

She was thrilled to have us pop in for a visit.  Over and over again, she requested we take photos of her, her family, her cow, and her crops.  Most of all, she wanted a photo with Kyle, the doctor who helped her daughter, Faith.

Kyle wouldn't wish for me to glorify him or his ministry with this family.  He would quickly pass along any credit to the Lord.  But I could tell by the way the mother and father of Faith looked and spoke with Kyle that he has obviously made an impact on this family's life. 

Kyle and Vanessa are constantly faced with Kenyan's who request their help financially.  In fact, it is so common for foreigners to give money to Kenyans, that it is not uncommon for Kenyans to outright ask foreigners for money on a regular basis.  Giving money seems like an easy and simple fix for the hardships of these people's lives.  But giving money is not always the answer.  In Faith's family's case, the answer was not money, but instead this:

It's an expanded garden.  Corn, millet, potatoes, beans, and other things I'm not sure I recognized.  These crops will hopefully give Faith's family the ability to produce more and sell more in order to meet the ever growing needs of their family.  In the process, their hard work ethic and perseverance will hopefully prove an example to their neighbors and community of a growing faith in the Ultimate Provider of their needs.  That Provider doesn't wear scrubs and bring small gifts of candy and crayons.  He doesn't hand out shillings on request.  He seeks out and builds true and genuine faith.  

Pray with me that Faith's family becomes a true and genuine 

FAMILY OF FAITH.