Kenya Kronicles

Pray for Gary and Crossroads Fellowship

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:32:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

Recently Gary went in for another attempt to "jump start" his heart, but it failed so we meet with his cardiologist on the 23rd of July to see what is next, if anything. Gary is hoping to go back to Kenya the end of August, as our co-pastor, Jim Horne, and his wife Susie, will be coming back to the states for her hip replacement surgery and a new Kenyan pastor has been hired that needs training and mentoring.

We are praying that Gary can indeed go to help the church move forward with this very large step. Please pray that the Lord will open the way for Gary to go for three months. Please pray for Jim and Susie Horne as they come back to the states for the surgery (that the surgery will go well and relieve Susie of this pain) and pray for Mike Mutua, the new Executive Pastor of Crossroads Fellowship church. Bobby & Lisa Bechtel are back in Kenya, also to help with Crossroads Fellowship ministries, so they can use prayer as well.

On another note, should Gary go back, another huge responsibility will be to help oversee the continuing Phase Two building process. The building process is being led by the deacons of the church, but since they all work full time jobs, the day to day things usually fall to the pastors.

Crossroads Fellowship is still growing and we believe that when we get Phase Two completed, it will house all the Sunday school children, which will open up seating in the worship center for even more adults. All of the feeding centers and rural churches all are doing well, expanding and growing. We thank God for how He has grown these ministries!

We know that God will lead us into the right decision as we pray and seek His will, and we trust Him completely. Thanks so much for your prayers and financial support over the years. We so much appreciate your partnership.

Your Co-Laborers for the Kingdom,

Gary and Jean

Please Pray

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Tue, 11 May 2010 06:55:00 +0000

Dear Praying Friends;

Just a note to say that Tina has to have a "procedure" on her mouth again. The doctor (an oral surgeon) will go in and try to get some of the infection out of Tina's jaw. This will require an outpatient hospital stay. Tina has some blood disorders which are congenital and has to be on blood thinners for the rest of her life. However, for this procedure, she has had to be off the blood thinners for several days before this procedure. There will have to be six of these procedures in order to try and get all of the infection out of her jaws. Please pray that she will not throw any blood clots and that this procedure will be completely successful.

Thanks

Jean and Gary Smiddy

Update from Indiana

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:13:00 +0000

Dear Friends;

It is a wonderful time to be in Indiana, as spring time is beautiful with all the blooming and budding and new life. It is refreshing. Of course we two, having come back from Kenya, where it was extremely hot, would appreciate some warmer weather; I'm still wearing my winter clothes!

Some of you already know about what I am about to share, so sorry to have to repeat, but so many on this list, I have not communicated with since we returned from Kenya the end of March. Only a few weeks after our return, Gary's heart went back out of rhythm again, so after weaning him off the heart medication he was taking they had to put him the ICU in order to put him on a different medication. This medicine did convert his heart into normal rhythm, but that did not last. So the doctors tried to "cardio vert" (use those paddles on his chest in order to shock his heart into rhythm). They tried four times, but that did not work either. At that point, they sent him home. Their hope is that the new medicine will eventually convert his heart at some point. If that effort fails then the next step will be an "ablation" which I cannot explain, but it would mean a surgery. Yesterday, Gary went to the doctor to get blood work done, almost passed
out and wound up in the emergency room....he was dehydrated! So they gave him IV fluids. Today he is feeling much better and his heart seems to be doing well. We believe it is just going to be this way, in rhythm, out of rhythm! All this to say is that we would appreciate your prayers for us.

God is so good in his perfect timing of things, we are so thankful that we were not in Kenya when Gary began having these issues with his heart, we would not have wanted to be there during these episodes. We just thank him that He sustained Gary's and my health while we were there.

On another note, we just got word today that our church in Kenya, Crossroads Fellowship, had an attempted robbery! Apparently the thieves tied up the two guards, and tried to break into the building and vandalized some of the property. (The church is in the middle of a building project, the education building and we do not know if any of the building materials were stolen). We feel heart sick about this and we would ask your prayers for the deacons and other leaders of the church that they would know how to better protect the property from thieves.

We appreciate you, one and all and appreciate your prayers and gifts in our endeavors for the King, in Kenya.

Lovingly, Gary and Jean

Greetings from Indiana

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 01:04:00 +0000

Dear Friends;

I certainly have to apologize, as this is the longest silence I think you have ever had from us! I had planned to write a long newsy email to you before we left Kenya, but alas, our final few weeks there were such a challenge and so very busy, that I just never completed the letter I had begun. At any rate I wanted to write and bring you up to date and share some information with you about the ministry time we had over the past 7 months in Kenya.

First, we had incredible ministry opportunities while we were there! Of course, Gary was immediately back to teaching, preaching and counseling.(Jim Horne, the other Senior pastor had to immediately leave for the states just after we arrived). He taught on Tuesday evenings and preached on Sundays, but he also had our two national pastors preach as well who helped carry the load. Pastor Robert Lundi, is in charge of the the high school age group and another group in their 20's and early 30's. He also is very much involved in music and sings in the worship team as well. Pastor Duncan Malalo is another of our national pastors and he is in charge of the children's Sunday school children from 2 year olds to 11 year olds. Both Robert and Duncan are good preachers and are gifted in a number of areas. Gary was successful in bringing back to the church some of the ones whom had fallen out of fellowship for various reasons. It was so exciting to
see people repent of their sins and be restored to fellowship with the Lord and other believers.

Gary was also in charge of moving forward with the building of Phase 2 (the "education building"). He, along with the deacons had to meet with various Contractor's, and hire the necessary people to oversee the construction plus fulfill all the necessary requirements of the Kenya government. It took all the months we were gone to just get the construction started before we left.

Gary's health was really excellent all the time we were there. That said, we did have to call his doctor here for advise on one of medications that had to be adjusted because of his weight loss, but that was the only time he had any problems. We thank the Lord for that blessing!

My time there was spent visiting orphans and former street kids and adults, some handicapped ladies and went to the hospital to visit children with a particular type of cancer, called Burkitt's Lymphoma. Two good friends of mine, Michelle Windell and Les Schwarz, are in an organization that raises funds for these children that have Burkitts for their chemo drugs, vitamins and these drugs can completely cure the children of this disease if treated properly. I was blessed abundantly during our time there, as we were hardily welcomed when we would go to the orphanage for the street boys and also the street women (who do not live in the orphanage but come there for sewing together). We were able to teach Bible studies, bring food to them and have little parties for them. Michelle, Les and I went to the handicapped ladies group that do sewing and sell their goods to mostly tourists, but we were able to sing and teach Bible stories to them.
Occasionally, I helped Les out with the baby group on Sundays, that she formed to help the moms be able to attend church.

Crossroads Fellowship church is still growing, thriving and God's church. On most Sundays there are between 650-750 people in attendence. The depth of the growth in individual lives is amazing to witness. It was such a priviledge from the Lord to be apart of it!

Our Kids: Nathan and Tina are doing well. Many of you have asked about Tina, and we have appreciated your prayers for her because she is doing very well. She seems strong and is able to work. They moved to Arizona a year ago and Nathan has a job with a school photography business. Also, he and Tina have business of their own called Visions by Smiddy and are wedding photographers. Hanna is amazing as she kept "house and home" going while she was working and going to school. She did a great job! She got the McNair Scholorship this year which launches her into grad school after she graduates, but of couse she still has one more year to go. Study Abroad is in her future as she plans to go to France second semester next school year.

We thank you all for your generosity of prayer on our behalf and of course your generosity of financial gifts which help to stay in Kenya.

We are in Indiana at 1464 Butternut Circle, Greenfield, IN 46140; 317-462-3419

May God bless each one of you, Gary and Jean

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:41:00 +0000

Dear Friends/Family;

Greetings from sweltering Mombasa, where our day time temperatures reach 95-104 degrees! Those of you who do not have email, I must apologize for not writing a letter to each of you. Now and then I send out updates via email. This time I plan to print this and send it to you via snail mail. Kenya mail, by the way, puts a new meaning to “snail mail”!

We are doing very well! We thank God that He has been sustaining our health! We had a bumpy (literally) beginning with Gary falling and then Jean following suit. We both hurt our backs. But I am grateful to report that we are doing well now.
This Christmas is very strange indeed. No kids coming home for the Christmas break, no extra food to buy and cook, no presents to shop for. It makes us homesick to be with them during this holiday especially. In fact tomorrow is Gary’s 63rd birthday and the only thing he wants to do is go out to eat. He doesn’t want any fuss. In fact we aren’t even exchanging gifts. But we are praising God for his wonderful gift, Jesus Christ! He is the only Gift any of us needs!

As far as ministry goes it has been very exciting! Gary, of course is pastoring Crossroads Fellowship church. He preaches on Sundays and Tuesday evenings. He does a lot of counseling and of course is getting all the paperwork done for us to begin building Phase 2 (the Sunday school rooms, kitchen, etc.). He has had numerous meetings with the Deacons and the architect and contractors. So he stays busy! Jean has been involved with outreaches of the church such as visiting a number of different orphanages and teaching, playing and encouraging women and children. That has been lots of fun. Those of you on Facebook will find pictures of various orphanages and the children that live there. There is a group of people here that work with children in the government hospital that have Burkitts Lymphoma (curable cancer if it is caught in time and if the medicines are taken properly). The organization raises funds for the chemo medicine for these kids. Jean has loved every minute getting to visit these kids in the hospital as they receive their medication.

I apologize for this letter being so late in coming. But we just wanted to thank you for your prayer and financial support. We are so blessed to have partners in the ministry such as you!

May you have a blessed Christmas and New Year in Christ!
Love, Gary and Jean

October Update

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Dear Prayer Partners;

After two months of being here, we feel quite at home and involved in Crossroads Fellowship and other outreaches from CF. When we arrived the church was conducting what it termed "Super Saturdays". These Saturdays were conducted for the children of the church. There was Bible teaching, games, crafts, and singing. These were done in August while children were out of school. After the sucess of these, there were three other "Super Saturdays" conducted at three feeding centers in Vipingo, Bomani and Injili.
These were attended by hundreds of children and many of the CF attendees volunteered to help out in the various areas of outreach. Some of the members of CF have gotten involved in several different orphanages and women's projects. Jean has been going with several other ladies to visit the orphanges and women's projects. The women we are visiting tomorrow are former prostitutes and we are going to assess the needs there and how we can help and of course, we want to share the love of Christ to them. We believe that we can share the Bible with them. So please pray that we might be able to have a weekly Bible study with these needy ladies. Right now they are making crafts and selling them in order to help support themselves.

Gary has had our two Kenyan pastors Robert and Duncan, preach on Sunday and to teach on Tuesday evening. Otherwise, Gary preaches on Sundays and then does teaching on Tuesday evenings and on Thursday evenings there are small groups but all held at church. There are many needy people in the church and Gary has been meeting with and counseling some. We try to "see where God is working and join Him in that work "(Experiencing God, which three of the small groups are studying).

We have a a big PRAISE and thanks to you for your prayers for Tina and Nathan! The email we received this morning says it best so see below what Tina wrote:
(I just had an appointment with a hematologist today and received very encouraging news. Apparently I've been misdiagnosed and do not have hemophilia. I do still have two blood clotting diseases but at least it's not complicated by other disorders. The overall visit was so very encouraging- the doctor gave me some solid advice about future medical solutions. She also gave the go-ahead to simply stop my medication for several days, have all the dental work I need, and then resume the blood thinners. This is the safest way to prevent another hospital overdose and will allow me to keep my teeth instead of having them all pulled.

We are just praising God that we were able to see the specialist before making irreversible surgery plans. We feel like a huge weight has been lifted from our shoulders and feel so at peace that the Lord is taking care of all the details one at a time!

Thank you for surrounding us in prayer! God is faithful! T)

We are so thankful to God for this answer to prayer! We are also thankful that Gary's health (heart) has been so good! We just cannot thank God enough for allowing us to have this opportunity to come back and minister here when we in our human thinking believed we might never be able to come back again! But God is faithful even when our faith waivers! We are so thankful and praise God for our dear Hanna, who is taking care of house and home! She is busy with school, but she needs a job and though she has filled a great number of applications, has not procured a job yet. We know that it is no easy task to find any job in the states right now with so many out of work. But please keep that need in prayer on her behalf.

Thanks very much for praying and we want you to know that you are loved and missed greatly!

Love, Gary and Jean

September Update

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:28:00 +0000

Dear Friends;

We left the states 37 days ago having in our minds a schedule of events that lay before us. But God had a different plan! For example, we knew that Jim and Susie Horne, our co-pastor, would be returning to the states at some point during our stay. Little did we know that on the very day we arrived (13 of August) Jim was told by his doctor that he was to leave as soon as possible for an emergency surgery. So they left four days later! This happens to be the very thing that I did not want to happen. "My fear" all along was that I would be left with all the responsibility and not be able to maintain the demanding schedule of being the senior pastor at Crossroads Fellowship. I am very grateful for God's provision of Pastor Robert Lundi and Pastor Duncan Malalo who are dependable young pastors and they have assumed a lot of the day to day responsibilities. This has allowed me to prepare and preach on Sundays and to lead the Tuesday night church service and counsel people as needed. The Thursday night Life Groups are in the hands of these two capable men.

Last Friday night I met with several leaders of the church to go over the "drawings" and asked them all to pray Friday and Saturday about what God would have us do about building Phase 2 (the education building). By Sunday, it was unanimously decided that we should move ahead. We will be meeting again on Tuesday, the 22nd to approve the architect's contract. Please pray because the dollar against the Kenya shilling is in free fall again. It is down to 73 to $1.00 and upon our arrival it was at 78 top $1.00.
The architect believes that the building can be completed at around $300,000.00. I also believe that is a realistic figure. Should you feel led to contribute to the project, simply make the contributions to Crossroads Fellowship Ministries, P.O. Box 491 , Greenfield, In 46140, earmarked for the Building Fund.

Some of you may not be aware that three weeks ago Gary had a nasty fall, slipping on wet floor tile. He landed directly on his back and we thank God that no bones were broken and there was no blood (which as you know is a good thing, especially being on blood thinners). He is feeling a bit better, but still not pain free. As some of you might remember, he has a "Wednesday group" of men he has played golf with for many years. Since he fell, he has not been able to play, so he is hopeful that soon he will be able to continue. At least he goes out to visit the group on Wednesday nights for a chat. (Pray that he will have opportunities there to share Christ with that group).

Since our arrival, we have seen 5 people baptized, 4 babies dedicated to the Lord, a wedding, and a number of decisions to follow Christ! It is our prayer that the ones who have followed Christ will continue to come to church and be discipled and grow in faith, by the teaching of Word of God.

Please continue to pray for Tina and Nathan. After her ordeal in the hospital she has been recovering at home, but we still do not have word yet as to when she will need the other surgeries. The doctors say that with her blood disorders that this problem with infections at the root of her teeth will probably continue to be a problem so they are contemplating the best course of action for her. So please continue to pray for all the decisions about her health and for Nathan as he works.

Please keep Hanna in your prayers as she is keeping up the house in the states, going to school and looking for a part time job.

Lastly, please pray that the Lord would use us for His purposes and for His glory!

Love, Gary and Jean You can reach our Skype phone at 317-468-2293!

Update :Tina

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:05:00 +0000

Hi Prayer Partners;

Just wanted to let you know that Tina went home from the hospital today and her blood level was 2.6 (it needs to be between 2 & 3). So praise the Lord that she is doing so much better! Thanks so much for your prayer in her's and Nathan's behalf.

With much love, Gary and Jean

Greetings from Mombasa

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:51:00 +0000

Dear Praying Partners;

This morning we were awakened to Tim Okken coming to our door; Tim is the father of our daughter-in-law, Tina. He came to let us know that Tina is in the hospital. (As some of you know, Tina had had blood clots in her lungs over a year ago.) Apparently she has had a tooth bothering her and infection has gone into her jaw. She is to have surgery today at 1 p.m. Arizona time. The difficulty is that Tina is on blood thinner and it is dangerous to do the surgery because of that. So please pray for her and for Nathan, too.

Also, please keep Jim Horne, our co-pastor, in your prayers. We arrived here the 13th of August and he had to go to the states for surgery on the 16th! He had developed scar tissue at the orginal sight of the prostate cancer surgery he had last March. So there was a blockage that occured and had to be dealt with immediately. So they will remain in the states for probably two months so he can be under the doctor's care.

Pastor Bobby Bechtel and his family leave to go on furlough one week from today, so they need prayer for traveling safety and that their two little boys will sleep on the plane rides.

So Gary will be the only senior pastor here. So please pray for him that his health would remain good and that he will be able to rest when he needs to.

Thanks for your prayers on our behalf.

Love, Gary and Jean

We Arrived Safely in Kenya

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:55:00 +0000

Dear Friends;

We just wanted to say hi and to let you know that we arrived safely in Mombasa, Kenya. Just a quick prayer request for our co-pastor, Jim Horne as he leaves on Monday to come to the states as he has some sort of blockage going on at the place where he had surgery. His PSA is normal, so he doesn not have appearant cancer. So he has to have a surgery to repair the scaring.

Thanks for your prayers. We will be in touch when we can use our computer everyday, rather than having to go some place else to use it.

Love, Gary and Jean Smiddy

Baby Dedication

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Here are the pictures from yesterday's service. We had a baby dedication for all of the children at Tumaini Children's Home. Joan had just been released from the hosptial so she had to sit in a chair. The baby she is holding was found abandoned at a matatu stop.

Thought you would enjoy seeing the pictures.

Thanks,
Bobby

Going Back to Kenya

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:48:00 +0000

It is with great excitement that we send this letter. It reminds us of how we felt in 1981 as we were packing and leaving for Kenya for the first time. As you know Gary has had a very difficult time health-wise beginning in 2006. We are very thankful and excited to report that the doctors have stabilized all his health issues mostly with medication. Having said that, we feel the Lord is sending us back to Mombasa, Kenya to join the work at Crossroads Fellowship.

We have been so encouraged to know that Crossroads Fellowship church continues to thrive and grow. Regular attendance is close to 700 each week. Praise the Lord for his faithfulness through the years.

The various feeding centers are growing and thriving. God is using the feeding of children to bring many children and adults to Jesus Christ.
Our desire is to spend from August 13th to March, 2010; returning to the states for medical check-ups for Gary.

We know the economy is difficult at this time, and it has affected our support level, too. We are $1,000.00 a month short. If you are already part of our prayer and financial support team we thank you for your standing with us during our time here in the states and please pray with us about our support shortage as well as the following items:Education building (classrooms for Sundays schools; Jim Horne, our co-pastor, cancer; Recruiting a Kenyan national senior pastor; Gary’s & Jean’s health to be good while we are there; For Hanna, our daughter, as she handles all our affairs with the house and bills and balances that with her junior year in university.

Should you like to donate to our support shortage, please send your check to: Crossroads Fellowship Ministries, P.O. Box 491, Greenfield, In. 46140, earmarked for “Smiddys”. If you would like to donate to the building of the Ed. Building, please earmark for the “Building Fund” All donations are tax-deductible.

In His service;

Congregational Picture

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:39:00 +0000

Dear Praying Friends,

Bobby and Lisa sent these pictures today, isn't it amazing what God is doing with Crossroads Fellowship Church! And please note that they had 716 people there and it was not a "special" where we always expect more people! thank you for praying along with us for this ministry and look what God is doing in just seven years!

He is amazing! Love, Gary and Jean

May 2009 Update

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sat, 16 May 2009 22:14:00 +0000

There is so much to report after so many months have come and gone since our last writing, I hardly know where to begin! I must confess that those who have email have heard from us more frequently than those that do not, so I will attempt to catch you up on all the happenings in our family.

As many of you know, Gary has had a very hard time with health issues. A year and a half passed during the time he was so sick. It seemed that once one thing was wrong with him, many other illnesses began to crop up. The bottom line is that he is so much better and with medication, his heart problems seem to be a thing of the past. Therefore, we went to Kenya for five weeks during January and February (we were only allowed by the doctors to go for five weeks as a trial on the new medicine)! It was so great to get back and be with all our church family and to worship and fellowship with Crossroads Fellowship Church! Much was accomplished in that five week trip, but the last Sunday was the “frosting on the cake” with Gary dedicating two of our dear friend’s babies and he participated in the Ordination of five men in whose lives he has played a large part. We thank God for this opportunity.

This letter would not be complete without sharing all the news of our children over the past weeks and months. Nathan and Tina began a photography business during the past year. Most of the work fell to Tina at home (she recovered somewhat from her blood clots), while Nathan went to school full time and worked lots of hours to keep them afloat. I am so happy to report that on Mother’s Day, Nathan graduated from Indiana University receiving his BA degree majoring in Furniture Design! We thank you for all the prayers you have committed to the Lord for him! On Tuesday after graduation, the couple moved to Mesa, Arizona. Tina’s family is there and they plan to focus on their wedding photography business and get more clients there in Arizona. Their website is: visionsbysmiddy.com. Hanna has been very busy this past semester at university and is so glad to have completed her sophomore year. During this past school year she has really gotten involved with Campus Outreach, a Christian group at her school. Also, she has been in a weekly Bible study with high school girls at church where she is mentoring them. She is involved in the college age group at church as well. All these activities have spurred her on to go to Orlando, Florida for the “Orlando Project” during the summer. The time will be spent working at Universal Studios, but the main reason for going is the discipleship program to help her grow in her relationship with the Lord. She will also take a trip to Kenya for her Alumni weekend at Rift Valley Academy where she graduated from high school. The “tradition” of the school is that two years after graduation, all the class tries to get back to Kenya for a reunion.

Since returning from Kenya, I have had a difficult time recovering from a fall I took while we were there. Some tests I had showed I have a problem with my neck. I am trusting that this can be taken care of with physical therapy. Our plans for our future in Kenya are rather uncertain at the moment, but we do believe that the right time to go is in September. Our co-pastor, Jim Horne was diagnosed with prostate cancer and has been in the states for surgery. He went back to Kenya this week, but he will have to come back to the states every three months to be tested and at some stage may have to have radiation. (He needs your prayers!). Since the other pastor, Bobby Bechtel and his wife, Lisa are leaving for a six month furlough in September, it seems the correct time for us to step in and help. Gary needs a six month supply of his medication which may present a problem (they will only dispense three months supply at a time). With God all things are possible!

Crossroads Fellowship Church now has between 650-700 people attending consistently every Sunday. When we left Kenya for our furlough in 2007, the church building was only half way completed, so we had not seen it until the trip in January. Oh what a beautiful sight! (If you go to the church website listed below you can see it). The Lord is so good to allow us the great privilege of being involved in this ministry! We are so grateful to Him. The next major step for the church is to build onto the existing facility a two story education building. CF is bursting at the seams with all of the children that come for Sunday school. So it is a great need.

Prayer Petitions:

God to direct us in when to go back to Kenya/obtain enough meds

Nathan & Tina in their new business

Hanna in all her adventures for the summer

Gary to continue to feel well and get stronger

Jean’s back/neck situation to heal

Jim & Susie Horne to know when it is time to get back to states for treatment

Bobby & Lisa Bechtel as they lead the church

Crossroads Fellowship to be able to raise the funds needed for the new building

We appreciate and thank all of our partners in this ministry. We are so thankful that you have “stayed with us” even though we have been in the states for so long. We are blessed to have you as prayer support. We thank God for each of you.

Your co-laborers in Christ,

Gary & Jean Smiddy

Update: Tina

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:32:00 +0000

Dear Friends;

Tina went through the surgery well and is resting in the hospital. She gets to go home sometime in a day or two. Thanks so much for your prayers on her behalf.

Love, Gary and Jean

Crossroads Fellowship Wall Update

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:01:00 +0000

It seems that we did in fact build the wall on the wrong property line, as Gary had warned, when it was being built in the first place. We have no recourse, but to rebuild the wall. The church will have to build a wall inside on our "proper" property line, then the existing wall will have to be torn down. The biggest problem is that the wall is into a future "road" which gives the neighbor the only access to his property. This wall is built out of coral (stones) and cement....that means it is no easy task to build or to tear down. So for security reasons, it is better to put up the correct wall and then tear the existing one down. We only have 3 months to bring the whole project to completion. Keep in mind that the whole wall is not in jeopardy, it is only the front which is 65 yards! ha

Yesterday we received an email from Kenya stating that Crossroads Fellowship Church neighbor (it is an amusement/water park) has said that we can use 66 parking slots on their compound on Sundays! Praise the Lord!

We are getting settled back into the USA again and thank God for allowing us to go back to Kenya for a visit. I am happy to report that Gary got along really well. We are praising the Lord for this opportunity. Thanks for your partnership with us! God bless!

Gary and Jean

Back in Indiana Again

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 23:34:00 +0000

We are now back in Indiana and we just wanted to touch base with you once again. I only managed to write to you three times while we were in Kenya, we wanted to bring you up to date on all that has happened since then. First of all, it was great to be back in Kenya again! Gary said, "It was so easy, so comfortable to be there".

We had many highlights of the trip while included the Ordination of 6 young men for the ministry. Three of the 6 men were all saved at Crossroads Fellowship church and have flourished in their ministries. Two of the men remain at the main church as the Youth Pastor and Childrens'Pastor, others work at Crossroads Fellowship/Manna Feeding Center at Vipingo, while one other manages two feeding centers in the area called Shanzu.

We are so thrilled to have been able to witness, over the years, these men grow in their individual relationships with the Lord and how he is already using them in His ministries in Kenya! God is so good that He allowed us to be there for this celebration and to congratulate the men face to face, on their ordinations!

Gary was involved in many many meetings with all the pastors and deacons where a number of decisions on the direction of the church were discussed and prayed over. Gary was able to preach several times and lead some Bible studies plus he had so many counseling sessions as well. We attended the Bible studies that go on at the church throughout the week. Jean managed to sell off all of their household belongings with the help of many friends in Kenya. Jean was able to attend several small group ladies Bible studies and spoke at a ladies fellowship time.

Also, a three man team from Park Chapel Christian Church were in Kenya at the same time we were. Pastor David Woods, Terry Tillett and Gary West all came out to see the new church building and the feeding center that PC supports. Pastor David preached one of the Sundays where we had 753 people in attendance and four people met Jesus that day!
.
The Lord allowed us to have wonderful trip in which we accomplished so much and He kept Gary well the whole time we were there! We thank you for your prayers on our behalf and the financial support as well.

NOTE: Jim Horne, our co-pastor is coming to the states for cancer surgery on the prostate. He will be here from the 16 March to May, please pray that the doctors will get all of the cancer!

Gary saw his cardiologist today and he was told the longest period of time he could go would be three months at a time due to availability of the medicines he is taking. But he is more concerned with how Gary would be treated if he was injured or need surgery of any kind, so we would be going back at our own risk. Even though he has said this, we still need to pray for God's will for our future. (All of us are in that same situation, aren't we?)..

God bless you!

Love, Gary & Jean

Please Pray for Crossroads

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 12:09:00 +0000

I am writing from Kenya to bring to your attention a serious issue facing our church, Crossroad Fellowship.

It seems there is going to be building of apartments on the land in front of and surrounding the church property. Last week builders constructed a fence and told us that our property boundary wall was inside their property!

Gary talked to the architect and the builder of our church and both men assured him that our fence was on our property line. Now it seems that one of the men that represents the construction of the apartments as he was on our church. We would call that a conflict of interest. But here with enough money a bribe can be paid and we will be at fault even if it is not our fault!

The man building the apartments and his family are not opposed to pay as many bribes as necessary to get their way. But God can intervene. So please pray for this situation to be resolved and for God to get the glory in it!

Feeling Good

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:38:00 +0000

I just stopped by to use our friend's computer so that I can give you a short update.

Gary preached today, it was his first time since we got here, out of respect to Pastor Dave from Park Chapel being here and preaching last weekend.

At any rate, many of you have asked about Gary's health, so I just wanted to write to say he is feeling good! He doesn't have the strength or stamina that he once had, but for the most part is doing well. He had a blood test this week and his blood thinner level was perfect and his diabetes seems to be under control without medication. He has had many meetings and already been asked for counseling sessions from the very first week.

We are so much enjoying the weather, too. It is running about 88 - 95 degrees everyday with the humidity about 60% - 70%, but it is great to be out of that terrible Indiana weather.

We love all of you so much and appreciate your prayers.

Update from Mombasa

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:34:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

We wanted to drop you a note and tell you that we have three visitors from the states, Pastor David Woods, Terry Tillett and Gary West. They are from Park Chapel Christian Church.

Pastor David preached at Crossroads Fellowshipt today, and it was a good message. It was well received and there were 4 people tat came to Christ for the first time! CF broke all previous records of regular church attendance with 753 people! We praise God for how He has used this ministry so far. It is so much fun to be a part of such a thriving ministry in Christ Jesus!

We are having a wonderful time, visiting various other ministries that some of our CF people are involved in such as the feeding centers. In a place called Vipingo there is a church plant a Manna Feeding Center, and a small school.

Tomorrow and Tuesday we will all go to visit two more feeding centers that have been raised up. Park Chapel supports the one that we are visiting tomorrow. It is called Injili meaning Gospel feeding center. Alan Owino, a Muslim convert, is the pastor and overseer of the feeding center, the church and school, which is all located in the same compound. Alan is also head of another center that we are visiting on Tuesday.

We are so thankful that the Lord has made a way for us to be here! It makes us realize how much we have missed being here.

God bless you and thanks to all of you who are praying for us.

Greetings from Mombasa

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 14:05:00 +0000

We have arrived safe and sound in Mombasa! We have already seen the new church building and settling in, jet-lagged, but enjoying being here. It is hot and humid but LOVELY!

We love you all and please keep us in prayer.

A Short Return to Kenya

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:13:00 +0000

Dear Praying Friends,

Gary had a good report from the doctor this week and we made out plane reservations to return to Kenya on January 23! We are only going to be allowed to go for 5 weeks because the cardiologist here says he wants to see how the labs in Kenya will handle the weekly blood draw to check his blood thinner levels. When we come back they plan to do extensive checkups here to see if everything in Kenya was handled correctly and if so, then we can go back for a longer period of time.

We are so thankful to the Lord for allowing us to be able to go back to Kenya! But it is kind of like the first time we went, kind of apprehensive, yet excited. This will be the first time we have gotten to see the finished church building, the official home of Crossroads Fellowship!

Our Pastor, David Woods is going to be in Kenya during our time there. We are excited about that because Park Chapel has partnered with us in building Crossroads Fellowship.

Thanks for standing with us, our partners in ministry and thanks for all the prayers on our behalf. But please don't stop praying! Of course, the most urgent request is that God will keep Gary safe in Kenya with him being on the blood thinners.

We love you and appreciate you all, you are blessing to us!

Gary & Jean

Update on Gary's Health

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sat, 17 May 2008 13:05:00 +0000

Just wanted to update you on what is going on with us. First note, our new website at http://www.crossroads.or.ke We ask that you take a look and see what God has accomplished and how he used you in prayer and financial support. All Glory to Him!

Also I wanted to give you an update on Gary's health. He went in for the nerve root block and they were unable to complete the procedure because he went into A-Fib. This week he had three episodes and on Wednesday I took him to the VA Hospital in Indianapolis. They kept him overnight and ran some tests. There was no damage to his heart, but he is still in A-fib. We are not sure why he continues to have these episodes. He is still on blood thinners, and that seems to be working for now. They need to shock his heart back into rhythm, but he has to remain on the blood thinners for a least another 3 weeks.

Also, Tina, our daughter-in-law, has been found to have a second blod clot in her lung. She is unable to work full time, but now that Nathan is out of college for the summer, he is working full time. Also, they have launched a website called http://visionsbysmiddy.com, which showcases Tina's photography and Nathan's furniture design.

Hanna is taking a course in summer school and working more hours.

We love and trust the Lord. Jer 29:11

Continuing to Grow

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:43:00 +0000

Crossroads Fellowship Church continues to grow and with the building being finally completed, the members are enjoying their own place to worship the Lord. Some of the members report that there is landscaping taking place as well as the parking lot reaching completion. There has been a temporary building completed for the Sunday School program, however, plans are to build on to the worship center and complete a two story education building. God miraculously supplied all we needed for the worship center, so we know he will provide the money for Phase II.

The marriage of our son Nathan to Tina (Okken) Smiddy began the year 2008, with all of us traveling to Arizona for the wedding. Hanna, along with Tina's brothers were all attendants in the wedding. Even Gary and Tina's father, Tim participated in the ceremony. As is typical in weddings in Kenya, Gary paid cows to Tim as a dowry for his daughter. It was quite a surprise to everyone that attended!

Although it is difficult for any missionary kid to come home, Hanna is adjusting well, working a part time job and learning to balance college, work and life in the States. She is in a Christian organization on campus, which has helped her spiritually, and she has made some friends along the way.

It has been difficult to decide when to write this letter as we seem to once again be in God's waiting room. Gary had an MRI in January and it showed that he has four vertebrae in his neck compressed with never damage at each one. Surgery seems inevitable, however, we will not know definitely until April. We have been waiting a long time for all the testing and appointments to take place and this may delay our return to Kenya. Please pray for Gary and this situation. It has been a long time since you have heard from us, so we wanted to write now rather than wait for an appointment.

Thanks for your financial support and prayer. What a true blessing you are to us! May God Bless You.

A New Year, A Fresh Start

noreply@blogger.com (smiddy family ministries) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 14:04:00 +0000

Greetings from the States!

As many of you already know, Jean and I were seconded from Lighthouse for Christ Mission to our own ministry, Crossroads Fellowship, some three years ago. What that meant was we were able to devote all our time to building up Crossroads Fellowship Church. Because Crossroads Fellowship began a new church and set up three feeding centers , it became necessary for CF to be registered in Kenya as an independent mission separate from Lighthouse for Christ.

The Kenya government granted Crossroads Fellowship Ministries its own legal registration as a Christian mission, and I am happy to let you know that we have now been registered in the US as well.

We want to thank Reverend Timothy Ghrist, Mission Director of Lighthouse for Christ Mission, and its Board of Directors for their support and direction for the past seventeen years. We were given the freedom by these men to start Crossroads Fellowship Church and the feeding centers.

Lighthouse for Christ will transfer any monies left in our account to our new account under Crossroads Fellowship Ministries.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Thank you for your prayer and financial support through the years. God Bless You!