Hey Everyone! How is everything over in Texas? I hope everything is going fine, I am doing great.

I have recently arrived at the hospital. Yes, I am so excited that I am finally here. There are so many kind people here so far I have made many friends. There is Melody who is 12; she is very kind. Melody has taught me so much about the mission and the people here. There is Andrew who is 13 as well, Jamie, who is 8, Peter, who is 12, and Adam, who is 16. They have been so friendly and kind to me.

Our house that we are staying in is unusually large for mission house and so comfortable (feels like home). We have some people that are helping us get adjusted at home too. There is Richard, who is helping us cook. He is so kind, and there is Milcah, who is helping us around the house with cleaning and such. You have to collect rainwater for everything. Even the laundry- you have to pour it into the washing machine and then line dry everything!! They are both from the Kipsigi tribe. I love them both, they are so very kind.

Well that’s all for now,
Georgia Grace

We finally made it to our destination! Early Tuesday morning we boarded two small Cessna airplanes for the last leg of our journey from Nairobi to the mission hospital we will be working at for the next month. The flight took us over the beautiful Rift Valley of Kenya. I (Paul) didn’t see much of the scenery because I had my eyes closed the whole way! I do not like small planes! Our pilots (Matt and Jay) are men who have dedicated their lives to help fly missionaries in and out of remote locations, deliver food and aid, evacuate injured patients, etc… What an important (and often overlooked) role in advancing God’s Kingdom. We are thankful to the African Inland Mission air ministry. We enjoy a smooth landing (laugh)on a dirt strip (after we chased the animals away)!

Dr. Russ (a long term missionary surgeon and friend) met us at the air strip and drove us 35 minutes to the missionary compound–a 300 bed hospital with 5 busy operating rooms serving a large portion of western Kenya. Once we were settled and had lunch…Dr Russ asked me to come assist him with an emergency surgery. As many of you know, the situation in Kenya is somewhat tense with a lot of ethnic, political and tribal tension. The patient was shot with a bow and arrow and had a penetrating arrow injury to his left flank. What a privilege it was to listen as Dr. Russ prayed over the patient, prayed over the operation and then we repaired his injuries. Needless to say, less than 6 hours after being at the mission hospital I had my first ever arrow! (See the pics!).

Jenn has done a marvelous job “setting up shop”–she is unbelievable! The kids are doing well. They finish their school work and then have lots of other missionary kids to play with. I have been very busy in the OR.

It’s 8 p.m. Wednesday evening…you guys are in Wednesday night service and I’m heading back to the OR for another emergency. Keep us in your prayers. We will try to stay in touch often. Thanks for all the comments and encouraging words.

Blessings to all!
Paul

After the ups and downs of last week it is so nice to be in Nairobi this morning-jet lagged and all! Many of you may not know we were scheduled to leave last Friday but all the unrest and violence put our trip in a holding pattern. After months of anticipation and planning, it was so disheartening to see our plans be delayed and possibly even cancelled.

But then the Lord began to gently remind me that this trip was HIS idea and not MY idea. He reminded me that His plans for me are always good and any delay is a part of His design. All I need to do is to trust in Him and trust His timing.

Once I laid aside my plans and trusted His plans, a peace that passes understanding began to guard my heart and my mind. And, over the next few days it was amazing how everything came into place. I am confident that He will accomplish exactly what He wants—both in us and through us over the next few weeks.

Jen

Hey everyone! We are finally in Africa.  My brother, sisters, and I would like to thank you for all of your prayers and support! We arrived safely last night and are currently staying in Nairobi.

To all of my friends, I want ya’ll to know how much fun I am already having. Yesterday we took two planes; the first plane we took arrived in Amsterdam (that’s in Holland). The second plane we took arrived in Nairobi, though the flight was tiring and our stomachs were empty, we managed to make it to the hotel (dramatic, I know!).

Today I went to have lunch with some of my parents’ friends. We also went to a shop called, Amani. All of the products at Amani are made by African women who have been war victims or women who have been through tough times.

Though I’m having tons of fun I miss all of you terribly and can’t wait to see you again. You have been a big part of making this a more exciting trip for me. I promise to keep you posted and please add a comment so that I know how all of you are doing! I really, really, really miss you.

Hugs and Kisses,
Georgia Grace

Jambo everybody!!! We arrived safely late last night at Komo Kenyatta! (A Kenyan airport) Last night we were at the baggage claim area and had just taken our last bag from the conveyer belt when we started to realize that our ride was not there! We searched through the crowd of drivers in search of our own. A lady on the airport staff let us borrow her cell phone because it was just a coincidence that my dad’s international-phone was not working at the time! So we called the lady that was supposed to arrange our ride and she said to get a van/taxi from Express (a taxi service). God protected us and we arrived at our hotel safely! This morning we went to a store that is like a Kenyan Wal-Mart but not as nice! We are going to the hospital in two tiny airplanes tomorrow morning so please pray that our next flight will be safe and smooth!
Sincerely,
Livy

Well, late last night we got off the air plane that had gone from Houston to Holland then to Africa. It was a long plane ride at least sixteen hours. Right after we landed my Dad told me what his dad always said after they landed in another country on a mission trip:  “DEVIL I’M HERE!” Now that always reminds me now however powerful the devil is but God is beyond that. One way he tried to make us give up was that our ride wasn’t at the airport so my dad made a few adjustments and we got a safe driver who was very nice. So we’re at the hotel. Tomorrow we will leave Nairobi and fly in two small airplanes with two kids in one and two kids in the other one. See ya!

Well, we are finally on our way! We are on a KLM flight mid-way between Amsterdam and Nairobi. I’m watching a beautiful sunset over the continent of Africa as I type this note. The unrest in Kenya quieted down enough for us to have a window of opportunity to travel. Even as we make the last leg of our flight to Nairobi, the plane is only 30% full—a clear reminder of the toll the unrest has taken on foreign tourism. We will be in Nairobi two days and then we will load our family and all our bags and supplies into two small Cessna airplanes four a 140 mile trip into western Kenya. We will be working in a 300 bed mission hospital that was founded in the 1950’s and is run by several mission organizations (African Inland Mission, World Gospel Mission among others). We will be working alongside several full-time missionary doctors/surgeons. The plan is for us to work with them two weeks and then several of us short term doctors give them a two week “break” to travel to attend a conference for continuing medical education. Jenn will continue to home school the kids during the morning. In the afternoons they will hike, go to the local village, and work in the pediatric wards, perhaps even an orphanage. Most of you know that Jenn is a registered nurse. I hope to get her back in the OR with me.

We will live on the hospital grounds in a guest cottage within walking distance of the hospital. The children are excited because there will be 8-10 other missionary children at the hospital/compound during our stay. This should supply lots of social interaction after they have done their school work.

Pray for our safe passage through Nairobi and on to western Kenya. Pray for our continued good health. Pray that my skills in surgery would return to me quickly. Pray that we will be a blessing and encouragement to all the missionaries. Pray that we will have lots of opportunities to be the hands and feet of Jesus reaching out to a world in need.

We will stay in touch.
Paul and Jennifer

P.S. Many thanks to Duncan Dodds and Jeana Lawrence for the help with the web site. We really appreciate your time and expertise.

We wanted to share with you what God is doing and ask you to join us in prayer. We are finally headed back to Africa to serve at Tenwek Hospital for a month. I will be operating and giving furlough to the resident missionary surgeon. Jenn and the children will be able to serve at the hospital and in the village schools. Please pray for peace in Kenya and our safety — there is much unrest and violence following the recent elections. Pray we would remain healthy and strong. Pray that my mind and skills would be sharp in the operating room. Pray we would be a witness for Jesus Christ and a blessing to both the staff and the people of Kenya.

~Paul, Jennifer, Georgia, Olivia, Sophia and Jackson

**Updates will be posted on paulosteen.com