Monday 24 September 2012

Anything is possible with God


September last year there was a terrorist bombing in Kampala, Uganda, which killed about seventy-six people during the World Cup final. Al-Amin Kimathi one of the suspects of the thirty-eight that were arrested for the bombing was released from his charges of murder and terrorism on September 24, 2011. Most of those still on trial are charged with terrorism, murder, attempted murder, and the consideration of committing terrorism.

The government systems of countries all around the world today are finding different ways to prevent danger to come to those in the local communities. I understand the necessity of their laws and regulations, but does some of that stuff really work? I mean, when someone violates the laws or rules there are consequences, which that person has to under-go, but what does politics, have control over to keep that person from doing it again? The answer is that there is nothing THEY can do. The government cannot do anything to prevent Satan from accomplishing his goal. Only God and His servants can win that battle. We need to pray for those who think it is right to kill others. We need to reach out, wave them over to the road we are on, do anything to get their attention, and have faith in that ANYTHING is possible with GOD.

From your missionary friend,

Abigail Shelby

Thursday 13 September 2012

Medical Furlough for Tonya

Dear Praying Friends & Family,

Please keep our family in your prayers, especially Tonya.

We are writing to let you know about Tonya's need for a medical Furlough.  We had talked about her health trouble early this year, February or March, I believe.  The prices of tickets were very high at the time that we wanted to plan a trip (June-July), due to the Olympic games in London.  We were then told about trying a gluten free diet to see if that would help.  So her doctor agreed that it would not hurt to try that if the cost was too much to travel in July.  But he said that if we did not see a change for the better she would need to return to the USA for treatment (that treatment being either a full transfusion or multiple iron and vitamin infusions over the course of 8 weeks).  She gets her blood checked almost monthly.  And she has been on the gluten free diet since March.  Her blood work was holding steady or only dropping a tenth of a point here and there.  So we thought that she was doing alright.  But the past few weeks she has noticed a definite change in how she feels, and she has started passing out frequently.  And then we got her last blood work results back the first of last week.  Her iron levels have dropped a full 3 points, her red blood cells are also pretty low this time (which shows that her body is now using up the stored iron in the red cells).  After talking with her doctor, he says that it is very important to get treatment as soon as possible.  The infusions are not possible here, and the transfusion really isn't either due Tonya's somewhat rare blood type.  So we have a ticket reserved for her for the dates of 25th September - 27th November.  She will be flying directly into Little Rock, AR, which is where her doctor (a hematologist) is.  The kids and I will try holding down the home front while she is away.

We normally do not send email requests like this; but the plane ticket alone is $1,700 (that is round-trip from Kisumu, Kenya to Little Rock, AR), and that does not take into consideration the cost of living in the USA for at least 8 weeks.  If anyone feels led to help with this medical trip, then we thank you in advance.  Please feel free to send messages of encouragement to Tonya at mail@shelbysinkenya.org.  And if the Lord leads to help financially, please mark your check clearly with a note for "Tonya Shelby's Medical Furlough" & send to: BIMI, P.O. Box 9215, Chattanooga, TN 37412;  or you can send it to our Home Church: Bible Baptist Church, 3301 North First Street, Jacksonville, AR  72976. 

Thank you for your prayers during this time.

Serving Him in Kenya,

Luke and Tonya Shelby
Missionaries in Kenya

Friday 7 September 2012

Sports can be a moulder of character. (By Breanne)

Sports can be a molder of character if one lets it do its work. One of the most important qualities that can be derived from sports is teamwork. I learned the lesson of teamwork a few years ago, as we played soccer almost everyday. The team captains chose their own team members, another player, Faith, and I were not the best teammates; of course, they always put us on the same team! One reason we never we never worked well on the same team, was because we both liked to be in the front getting goals, not guarding our own goal. But the main reason was because we were both hot-headed. Strife began to slip into our team, every time we played together we lost worse than the time before. I realized that I was not having good sportsmanship, and I am sure Faith realized it too. Though we never spoke about having good sportsmanship, we both began to try working together. Teamwork is not something learned overnight, and it was quite a few games before we both got in the "groove" and began to win again. Faith and I now work well together, but better still, I learned an important lesson; whoever you play with, treat them with respect, and adjust your abilities to match those of your teammate. Learning the simple lessons that sports offer, will improve your character.

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Two Types of Cars (By Breanne)


Every car tends to have its own personality, this personality is what makes a Mitsubishi Pajero and an Izuzu Filly absolute opposites. First, our Filly, or more specifically, Momma's Filly, is a van that is always clean, neat, and white; it is quite spacious too. Of course one would not expect a man's vehicle to be neat, and it is NOT! Our Pajero (Daddy's car) has candy wrappers in the floor, old soda bottles, grimy tools, and who knows what else! The seats probably have not been vacuumed in years and it smells of mildew. Second, my dad's Pajero seemingly falls apart each time it is driven. One cannot even imagine how many times the mechanic comes to fix it in just one month; unlike our van, which holds together well on rough roads, even though it does not have four-wheel drive. Lastly, if our Izuzu Filly were a person she would be a white-gowned young lady with dark lashes. On the other hand, our Pajero is like an old man, run-down with years, he would have a gray beard and would eventually die of pneumonia. A smooth ride in our van is much more relaxing than bouncing around in the back of our Pajero that rattles with tools.