A Final Word
February 27, 2008
It’s just a little after 6 a.m. and I’m overlooking the Indian Ocean on the east coast of Kenya. The sun is sending it’s first few rays of light over the dark water below. I love to hear the sound of the waves crashing to the shore in the dark of night.
After our final goodbyes, we flew out of a small air field in a pasture not far from the hospital and made our way back to Nairobi. After one night there, we boarded another plane bound for Malindi where we will spend three days “decompressing” and relaxing before traveling home. So far it has been a great family time.
We are so grateful for what has happened over the last 5 weeks. We prayed that my skills in surgery would come back quickly, we prayed for protection for our family, we prayed that we would be an encouragement to all the people we came into contact with, we prayed that our hearts would be open to what God would have to say to us while here in Kenya. Our prayers have been answered exceeding, abundantly above anything we could ask or think.
My final word is one of thanks. Thanks to all of you for remembering us in your prayers. We could “feel” the strength of your prayers supporting us during this entire trip. We know (without a doubt), we could not have made it without you. Our internet connection was very erratic, but it seemed like when we needed it the most, we could access the web site and read the comments that so many of you left. Thank you for your timely words of encouragement. You will never know what a difference they made.
Please continue to pray for our safe travel back as we leave Kenya Thursday.
For our friends at Lakewood, we will see you this Sunday.
From Africa with love,
Paul
Dear brother Paul and family,
I thank the Lord God Almighty already for your safe journey back home to Lakewood.
There’s no need to worry, the Lord is in charge and he’ll always bless his people beyond their wildest dreams as they move in his will – which is what you have done in the past 5 weeks. Be blessed in Jesus’name.
Bosé , Florence, Italy.
When you demonstrate christ ,theworld want to see christ in us ,the living episile .T
THY Kingdom come.
Dr Paul,
Every time I read your family’s blogs I’m moved to tears! I’m reminded of how blessed we are here as opposed to the people back home. Sometimes we forget and tend to take things for granted. When you talk about 15,30, and 45 minute walks I remember only too well…I know God has a special calling on my life and just reading the blogs has reinforced that. Thank you and your family for everything that you have done for our people back home. I’m especially encouraged by one blog that you wrote about how it has been your desire to back from the first time you went while in college and how God will meet the desires of our hearts, that its never too late. I needed that encouragement because sometimes I get impatient but all in God’s timing…We look forward to seeing you back in church and hearing more about your mission’s trip. I hope you will share more with the congregation. This reminds me of the message you preached the last Sunday of 2007 about missions, you talk the talk and walk the walk. Enjoy the time in Malindi, you deserve it. May the Lord richly bless you and your family.
Paul,
Jennifer, the girls and I all wanted to say hello and ask you to pass on our greetings to Jennifer, your girls and Jackson. We have been keeping up with your mission adventure through your website and have enjoyed seeing the pictures of you and your family in a very different world than you are used to. We have also prayed for your saftety and strength often while you have been gone. Your family’s picture is posted up in our kitchen and it has helped to remind us to think and pray for your entire family while you are gone. We hope you have a great time of relaxing the next few days and reflecting on the memories that you have made the past 5 weeks. We look forward to hearing some of the stories of the lives that your family has touched and encouraged because you came to Kenya for such a time as this. Be blessed friend and see you soon.
Our best days are yet to come,
David and Jennifer Hull
Paul, Jennifer & Family,
Thanks for keeping us all updated on your time in Kenya. What a blessing it has been to read about your incredible adventure and the powerful impact it has had on your lives. It’s been an inspiration to all of us. God is Good!
Can’t wait to see you guys!
Wendell & Linda
Praise God! Praise God! Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow! I know that you and your family have truly been a blessing!!
Praying for your safe trip home,
Muriel
Prayers are going up now for your family’s safe return. How wonderful that the Lord has given you such a wonderful gift (of surgery) to help others. Blessings, blessings on the whole wonderful Osteen family with all of your comforting and strong messages emphasizing just how much our Lord really loves and cares for me personally, I’m having the best years of my life . Keep up the wonderful work you do for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In His name, Lisa Lyon from Houston now in Austin, Tx.
Hi Doctor Paul and Family,
You now God is blessing you more and more each day because of your compassion, and love that you have shown to the people of Kenya. Every description of your trip, every anecdote brings nostalgia and memories of good old home. Enjoy Malindi you really deserve it. I am of Kenyan descent and will be starting my nurse anethetist program in the fall and would love to be part of your mission trip as soon as I graduate I would be more than honored to work hand in hand with your team.God Bless you
Asante sana
Paul, Jennifer and family–As I kept up with your trip in Kenya, I was reminded Paul of all the trips we took to Mexico. God was preparing you. God is so good to his children. Penny , Annette and Brittney(Annette’s daughter) have made several trips to Kenya to Aba Arms Ministry. I think Billy and I are going this year in the month of June. Our church is going to start an orphanage in Africa. Just wanted to let you know we love yall and praying for a safe trip home.
Love and Kisses, Marilyn and Billy Morrison
Dr Osteen:
I just want to comment you and your family for all that you have done for the people of Kenya, may god bless you and your richly. It is indeed very touching when people can think and care for others. Please take up the good work.
Diana Fulton
Kingston, Jamaica
Pastor Paul,
Thanks to you and your family for your service in Kenya and for sharing your experiences here with us. I learned of your trip through a mutual friend and prayed that you would not make the trip because of the intersectarian violence. When I found out about your blog, I was relieved to see that your situation at the hospital was much safer than my worse fears. Still, I could not get through a single blog without crying tears of thanksgiving for your service, tears of joy for your safety, tears of rejoicement for your daughter’s baptism, and tears of relief for your safe journey home. Praise God for the work you do in His name!
Bob
Katy, Texas
Dr. Paul, Jeniffer, Georgia, Olivia and Sophia and Jackson,
In past times, to recieve news from someone who was so far away …like Africa, people needed to wait for weeks until a letter comes in the mail. Now, thank God for the internet, we can read what is happening in the other part of the world the same day…We are grateful with you all for putting this blog and allow all of us to be part of the Kenyan people’s lives and your lives too. The amazing thing is that through the letters, we could feel what every one of you had in your minds and hearts. And they actually touched all of us when we were reading each one. They made us laugh, cry, dream, have strenght, have hope, have gratitude… and much more. Thank you again and we are excited to see all of you, the new you after this awesome experience. We love you and continuing praying for you.
Paul,
We are proud of you. You have led us by example. Can’t wait to hear you speak!
Anne & Dave Vice
Thank you Pastor, your family, the missionarys and the hosts for the blessings and encouragement.
God took you to my home, to praech the Good News to all of us. God through your visit reminded me of how far He has brought me and blessed me. I believe God has greater plans for His kingdom and people.
Thanks be to God.
Elizabeth (United Kingdom)
Thank you so much for the work that you all are doing. I love you all, and I love my church!!!
Thank you Paul, your family and the whole missionary team. You’ve been such a blessing to our beloved nation of Kenya. And just when your mission was done, guess what, the fighting politicians signed a peace deal yesterday. It should be such a happy ending for y’all. Hope to see you in future & if I ever visit the USA in my lifetime, I surely shall visit Lakewood, a church I follow every Sunday on TV. Asante sana & God bless the whole Lakewood family who have been such an inspiration to Dr. Paul’s team.
A Mwangi, Nairobi – Kenya
God Bless You All. What and amazing family you all are. A great inspiration to your friends in Australia.
You’re almost home!!! Hooray!!!! Job well done!!!! Hey…we found some authentic chai tea!!!!
Charles and Carolyn Miller
Paul,
Annette “Morrison” Halbrook here. Billy and Marilyn’s youngest daughter. I just found your blog and did not know that you had gone to Kenya. I have been on the board of directors for an orphanage in Kinangop, Kenya for the past two years and have made two trips so far. My heart longs to be there everyday. My pastor and church are planning to build an orphanage in Kenya and I will be going later this year to begin the process and to look for a location. I sat here and just wept at all of your entries as the words and descriptions of the culture, food, and people I know well. It is so cool that you all were able to go and stay for 5 weeks and do such a great and needed work. I still have a deep connection with your whole family and charish all of my childhood memories of me and April going home with each other after every Sunday service, your dad chasing us all around the house until he caught us and tickled us until we cried mercy, April and I driving Joel crazy by bugging him constently. Anyway, I just wanted to say how wonderful your blog was and who knows, maybe we can join forces someday and our families do a mission trip to Kenya together. Your family is so precious. I have 4 wonderful children and 1 grandson. Brittney is 23, Tiffney is 20, Tony (who I adopted at 8 months old- he is bi-racial) is 15, and Neal (I adopted at 10 months old- he is african american) is 10 years old, and Israel (Brittney’s son) is almost 4. We trully love all of you guys and would love to see you all soon. God Bless you and I look forward to sharing Kenya stories with you all soon as well. In Jesus—Annette Sue Morrison Halbrook
I am so very proud of what your ministry is doing over in Kenya. I wish that other Churches would follow in your footstep. I do ministry work in Mexico though my Church and I love the chidren there and they love us as well. When we come back to visit them, their eyes just light up. You, know they can teach us things about being contemp with life and God. I am hoping that I will get a chance to do missionary work some where in Africia. You have inspired me so much. Keep up the work God has bless you to do, and if I can be to some help with your ministry in Kenya please don’t hesitate to call on me.
God Bless,
Marilyn Summers-Jones
830.779.5012 /home
All I can say is your experiences in Kenya have touched me in a very profound way. Your entries were so moving, I could almost hear the waves on the beach, see those twinkling stars and feel the warmth of the Kenyan people. I also just about cried after every posting but the one that touched me most was your description of having the honor of baptizing your daughters. What an incredible way to end your stay there. May God richly bless you and your wonderful family in every area of your life.
I am praying for a spirit fill service this sunday. Reading your blog and seeing your love for God and humanity has filled my heart.
Giving God all the glory
Sally
Paul & Jennifer & family,
Every word y’all shared was a reminder of
past missions trip and especially the one to
Uganda by way of Narobi.
I want to thank each one of you for following
the Great Comission of Jesus with such a hands on
reality. Soooo proud of the kids, and was especially
Interested in how God was using Georgia.
Pastor John Osteen seeded in every missions
trip I ever took and for this I will always be
eternally grateful. Thank you, Dr. Paul and Lakewood Church.
Love,
Sylvia Garay
first and foremost is to thank our God who is a great God of all, giving me this opportunity to thank Pastor Joel Osteen for his word and encourangement of his word. He is so powerful especially when i read his books. They have changed my life completely. Listening to his programme on Family TV on Tuesday’s 8.am its wonderful. I hope one-day i’ll have an opportunity to meet Pastor Joel face to face, and God is looking a way forward to that. Thank you for Lakewood Church too. God bless
Peace Anna Kariuki.
Dear Dr paul$ jennifer
Thank you for being there for kenya when we needed it most . Though i am living in chicopee,Ma, i have followed your blog, and your adventures for the last few weeks. At times i was home sick as i read about “chai” and ugali and chapati. All in all , I thank God for your giving. God bless as you continue to walk in his purpose/ plans for your life.
in christ love
Emmah Wanjiru
ITS SUCH A BLESSING TO SEE THE LIGHT AND BEAUTY IN JOEL OLSTEEN FAMILY AND MINISTRY ASK I WATCHED THE CLIPS OF AFRICA I WAS LIKE IN TEARS AND THINK WOW THAT COULD BE ANYONE OF US HERE IN THE U.S.A. SOMETIMES AND ALOT OF TIME PEOPLE AND I HAVE TO ADMIT IT TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED AND IGNORE THOSE THINGS GOING AROUND IN OTHER COUNTRIES I HAVE NOTHING WRONG WITH ME COMPARED TO WHAT I SAWON THE MOVIE CLIPS AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT JOEL,VICTORIA,PAUL AND YOUR MOTHER MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL MORE AND MORE EACH DAT FOR NOT GIVING UP FAITH AND JOEL AS I READ YOUR BOOKS EXCELLENT EXCELLENT BOOKS THE BOOK ON YOUR BEST LIFE NOW MADE ME REALIZE ALOT I WAS DOING WRONG AND WISHED I CAME INTO JESUS AND WAS CLOSER BEFORE BUT ITS OK I KNOW THIS WAS A PATHWAY FOR ME TO OVER COME I HOPE ONE DAY TO BE BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO COME TO TEXAS AND BE PART OF YOUR SUNDAY SERVICES I THINK THAT THERE IS NO OTHER GENEROUS MAN GOD HAS PIC TO DO AND SHOW HIS LOVE TO THEN TYOU JOEL OLSTEEN AND YOUR FAMILY AND TEAM I ENJOY YOUR PASTORING EACH AND EVERY WEEKEND AS I READ MY BIBLE AND YOUR AWESOME BOOK MAY GOO BLESS YOU EVEN MORE AND MORER AND AS I KNOW ALL THING THROUGH CHRIST ARE POSSIBLE AND WHEN HE GAVE HIS LOVE TO YOU YOUR MINISTRY HE PICK THE RIGHT MAN I HOPE AS I READ MORE AND MORE THAT I COME CLOSER TO JESUS AS I FEEL HIS PRESENCE NOW AS I AM WRITTING TO YOU HAVE A GLORIOUS AND BLESSED DAY AND IF I CAN HELP NEXT TIME YOU GO TO AFRICA LET ME NOW I WOULD LOVE TO BE A HELPFULNESS TO YOUR CHURCH AND THANKS A MILLION FOR ALL YOUR PREACHING AND PRAYERS NICHOASL(NIKO) GILLEY TAMPA FLORIDA AMEN
Dear Osteen Family,
It is a great honour to have great servants of our Almighty God visit our beloved country and minister the love and extravagant grace of God to Kenyans.
It is my prayer that God’s favor and peace that surpasses all human comprehension follow your family and all Lakewood fraternity. Please do visit us again and I being a scholar at Kabarak University, Nakuru, will yearn to assist in your outreach to our country Kenya.
I am a born again Christian , who aspires greatly to attend one of Pastor Joel Osteen’s sermons live,that inspire us greatly. Dr. Paul, thank you and your family once again and may the Almighty Lord encompass you with His Great and Everlasting Love.
Lennox Jotham Mwadime, Kenya.
Dr Paul and Family,
Thanks for sharing these beautiful words and journey with us. You have been a great mentor and pastor for me. Your Godly mission to Kenya has given me inspiration and hope to keep believing and knocking and like Joel always says: “ to tell the mountain how big is our GOD…” . Very nice seeing you again at Lakewood…I dont like to see your tears…but loved your joyful tears …I found a whole world behind it! God bless
Glad to hear that you are getting some more time together to relax and enjoy each others company may the good Lord continue to bless and watch over you. Lilia
Paul,
Me and Regina are so excited to hear what our Lord in heaven has blessed you and your family with. The means to go over to a hurting country and help people in need. I have keep a copy of all your writings to remind me of the love our Lord has within you and your family, and a reminder of the humbling experience that you had the joy of being apart of. I will keep this forever as my reminder, and to thank God everyday for the things we have, though they may not be much, they are in his eyes. I am so proud of you and your family for the courage and the strength our Lord has covered your family with to be able to help in this area. What a true BLESSING to be apart of, and to be able to see what you have done, brought peace to a hurt city. I seen a comment form a Keynian that after y’all left a peace treatie was signed, that is truley God working in through you and your family.
You are truly a blessing to us, and we are truly proud of you.
In his strenth,
Cary & Regina Williams
Huntsville TX
My sincere gratitude, to Paul’s family and the entire Lakewood Family, for being there when God needs you to touch his people.
Dear Paul, It was great seeing you and your family at Church on Sunday, I really enjoyed reading about your time in Africa, reading your time in Africa was the first thing I did when I turned on my computer, it was so inspiring, I prayed that you and your family would be safe, would love to see some more of your pictures from Africa, Thank you for sharing your family vacation with me, God Bless you and your family.
I thank the Lord Almighty for the strength that he gave you during your stay in Kenya. One thing i will always be grateful for is that you opted to stay in Kenya when it was unsafe and help the sick. I am a Kenyan and am very thankful for what you and your family did for our country during one of the country’s darkest times. May God reward and bless you richly.
On behalf of the people whose lives you touched, please receive our special thanks because they know that God used you to reach their lives and it could be because of your compassion that they gave their lives to Christ.
God Bless you.
Dr. Paul & Family,
Welcome home !!
Thank you , You are a true insperation.
May God bless you and all of Lakewood family.
Dear Paul and your family,
Thank you so much for being in Kenya. I look forward to see you on TV (local tv station called family tv shows Lakewood Church at 830pm on sat and 1130am on sun) to confirm you and your family arrived home safely and will continue your great work. I am sure Joel will talk about your mission in Kenya. Many Kenyan here now back to normal business although the damage is huge (including I.D.P issues in Eldret and other areas). Good news is people have lots of hope and I believe God is in control!
Dr. Paul & Jennifer,
Thank you for sharing your experiences in missions. It is such an encouragement to so many. Also thank you for attending tonight’s banquet. Your message resonated deeply within me. You are a great source of inspiration to continue to touch people’s lives and fulfill the great commission that Jesus has assigned to us all. I appreciate you driving home the point of everyone; not just doctors, but also administrators, pilots, and people that cut pieces of cloth to use in a hospital; can all impact other peoples lives.
If at the end I want to have “Satisfied” Psa 17:15 by my name, then I better get to work because there is plenty to do in the ripen fields of God!
Blessings to you and your family!