Dear Praying Friends and Family,
We are doing well, and we are preparing for the upcoming Kenyan Presidential Elections. We are writing to you all to ask you to pray with us about these upcoming elections on Monday, March 4th. We are praying for a peaceful election process and for things to remain peaceful after the new President is sworn into office. Please pray with us concerning this matter.
During the last elections here in Kenya in 2007, we saw widespread violence for nearly 3 months after the elections. And there are still many villages that have not fully recovered from that time, which was 5 years ago. During the last elections, the Kisii area was peaceful; but all roads leading into and out of Kisii were closed off for a full 3 months. No supplies like food and fuel were able to get through during that time. We were also without water, electricity, phone and internet service for a large part of that time as well!
We have prepared for the same this time around, and we have made sure that we have sufficient supplies just in case there is widespread violence again. But we are asking for all of you to pray with us for the country of Kenya and its people during this time. And we will try to get updates to you as we are able to. We have already been trying for three days to get e-mail to go out; so we know that the government is already closing off some communication.
Thank you in advance for your prayers for our family and the country of Kenya during this time.
Serving Him in Kenya,
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Luke & Tonya Shelby
Your Missionaries in Kenya
Numbers 6:24
Thursday 28 February 2013
February 28, 2013 - Update/Prayer Request
Printable Version (PDF)
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
We are doing well, and we are preparing for the upcoming Kenyan Presidential Elections. We are writing to you all to ask you to pray with us about these upcoming elections on Monday, March 4th. We are praying for a peaceful election process and for things to remain peaceful after the new President is sworn into office. Please pray with us concerning this matter.
During the last elections here in Kenya in 2007, we saw widespread violence for nearly 3 months after the elections. And there are still many villages that have not fully recovered from that time, which was 5 years ago. During the last elections, the Kisii area was peaceful; but all roads leading into and out of Kisii were closed off for a full 3 months. No supplies like food and fuel were able to get through during that time. We were also without water, electricity, phone and internet service for a large part of that time as well!
We have prepared for the same this time around, and we have made sure that we have sufficient supplies just in case there is widespread violence again. But we are asking for all of you to pray with us for the country of Kenya and its people during this time. And we will try to get updates to you as we are able to. We have already been trying for three days to get e-mail to go out; so we know that the government is already closing off some communication.
Thank you in advance for your prayers for our family and the country of Kenya during this time.
Serving Him in Kenya,
pastedGraphic
Luke & Tonya Shelby
Your Missionaries in Kenya
Numbers 6:24
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
We are doing well, and we are preparing for the upcoming Kenyan Presidential Elections. We are writing to you all to ask you to pray with us about these upcoming elections on Monday, March 4th. We are praying for a peaceful election process and for things to remain peaceful after the new President is sworn into office. Please pray with us concerning this matter.
During the last elections here in Kenya in 2007, we saw widespread violence for nearly 3 months after the elections. And there are still many villages that have not fully recovered from that time, which was 5 years ago. During the last elections, the Kisii area was peaceful; but all roads leading into and out of Kisii were closed off for a full 3 months. No supplies like food and fuel were able to get through during that time. We were also without water, electricity, phone and internet service for a large part of that time as well!
We have prepared for the same this time around, and we have made sure that we have sufficient supplies just in case there is widespread violence again. But we are asking for all of you to pray with us for the country of Kenya and its people during this time. And we will try to get updates to you as we are able to. We have already been trying for three days to get e-mail to go out; so we know that the government is already closing off some communication.
Thank you in advance for your prayers for our family and the country of Kenya during this time.
Serving Him in Kenya,
pastedGraphic
Luke & Tonya Shelby
Your Missionaries in Kenya
Numbers 6:24
Sunday 10 February 2013
A Wonderful Sunday!
Another wonderful day at church today! It has been a VERY long day, but we are VERY excited to see the way our people are just soaking up God's Word & the teaching & preaching on how to have a godly Christian home.
Luke preached about the choices we make as husbands & wives that will affect our families either to the good or bad, & that it is important to take responsibility for those choices. We also had 2 visitors & 1 saved today.
Then we had our monthly ladies meeting, and like good Baptists we ate & then I started teaching about God's plan for every wife, & what the wife's responsibilities are. I had been teaching for about an hour when I said "okay we need to stop here for today, & we will have to continue another day." And every lady there said "oh, no, mama. You just keep going we want & need to hear what you are saying." So, I continued almost another hour!! By the time we stopped and all questions had been answered, we only had about 30 minutes before our evening service was supposed to start.
Almost all of the ladies stayed around to continue talking, fixing each others hair, painting each others fingernails & toenails, & talking about other things that they could do that might please their husbands. They were really excited!
Then it was time for the evening service. For the months of February & March we are doing an intense focus on the Christian home. And last week we started a series of lessons & a 40 Day Love Journey. It was amazing to see some changes in some of our couples already, after only 1 week.
After all of that, we got home at about 7 PM. Just in time to get the computer booted up, Internet on for a Skype call with our home church (Bible Baptist Church in Jacksonville, AR) for a short time during their Missions' Conference. It was great being able to take part with them in their service today.
Then supper some here, clean up, & now it's 9 PM, and I think I have used up the last of my energy typing this post!!
Good night. May God bless all of you with a wonderful day like ours!
Luke preached about the choices we make as husbands & wives that will affect our families either to the good or bad, & that it is important to take responsibility for those choices. We also had 2 visitors & 1 saved today.
Then we had our monthly ladies meeting, and like good Baptists we ate & then I started teaching about God's plan for every wife, & what the wife's responsibilities are. I had been teaching for about an hour when I said "okay we need to stop here for today, & we will have to continue another day." And every lady there said "oh, no, mama. You just keep going we want & need to hear what you are saying." So, I continued almost another hour!! By the time we stopped and all questions had been answered, we only had about 30 minutes before our evening service was supposed to start.
Almost all of the ladies stayed around to continue talking, fixing each others hair, painting each others fingernails & toenails, & talking about other things that they could do that might please their husbands. They were really excited!
Then it was time for the evening service. For the months of February & March we are doing an intense focus on the Christian home. And last week we started a series of lessons & a 40 Day Love Journey. It was amazing to see some changes in some of our couples already, after only 1 week.
After all of that, we got home at about 7 PM. Just in time to get the computer booted up, Internet on for a Skype call with our home church (Bible Baptist Church in Jacksonville, AR) for a short time during their Missions' Conference. It was great being able to take part with them in their service today.
Then supper some here, clean up, & now it's 9 PM, and I think I have used up the last of my energy typing this post!!
Good night. May God bless all of you with a wonderful day like ours!
Friday 1 February 2013
January - February 2013 Prayer Letter
Printable Version (PDF)
Dear Supporters and Friends,
Thank you again for your prayers and special offerings for Tonya as she went to the States for some blood tests on her iron and B-12 levels. She is doing better with less headaches and more energy. She is taking B-12 injections twice a week, and it is helping. They do cause some nausea, but she is coping with it. The doctor wants her to return every six months to be tested; to see if the B-12 shots are improving her blood development, and to see if the shots need to be reduced or increased. It is hard to get the injections here; and when we have gotten them, they are very expensive, and they have lost their potency due to sitting on the shelf in this tropical heat. So she will be getting a new batch of injections on each of her trips State side, as well. Please pray for her next trip, which will only be for two weeks this time, at the end of May.
We opened the year with 11 new students in January, and we are expecting a few more to start in February. They were late due to sickness and schedule conflicts. Please continue to pray for all of our ministries to continue to grow, and for the local churches to help support their local ministries.
Orphan Ministry Update:
We were able to visit all 52 children, whom we are helping through our feeding program at two locations Sidundo and Kuresoi, with a Christmas package of food and toys. They were really surprised! And it was such a blessing to see all those smiling faces, who have gone through so much in their short lives. Also please pray for the upcoming elections to be peaceful on March 4, because during the 2007 elections is when a lot of these children lost their parents.
During the last week of January, we were able to invite 13 boys to start staying at our first orphanage and to start taking care of their full needs. We do not have permanent parents at this time, but we are praying for a couple who will see the desire to help in this ministry. We have about 10 men and women, from Calvary Baptist Church in Sidundo Village, who are sharing the jobs of cooking, cleaning, and sleeping with the boys. We have done medical checkups on all the boys; over half had to be treated for malaria, and most of them had skin problems that have to be cared for.
Special Request: We are always seeking ways to save money and to be good stewards of the financial resources that the Lord has given us, and this has brought us to this special request. Please let us know, either by regular mail (Luke and Tonya Shelby, P.O. Box 9215, Chattanooga, TN 37412) or by e-mail (mail@shelbysinkenya.org), what your preferred method is to receive our Prayer Letter. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you prefer to receive our letters by regular mail; and if we already have your e-mail address, then you will continue to receive it both ways. If you prefer to receive all of our updates by e-mail only, then we must hear from you; please include your preferred e-mail contact information, so that you are able to receive our letters in a timely manner. We want to thank you in advance for your help in this matter.
For Souls in Kenya,
Luke & Tonya Shelby
Dear Supporters and Friends,
Thank you again for your prayers and special offerings for Tonya as she went to the States for some blood tests on her iron and B-12 levels. She is doing better with less headaches and more energy. She is taking B-12 injections twice a week, and it is helping. They do cause some nausea, but she is coping with it. The doctor wants her to return every six months to be tested; to see if the B-12 shots are improving her blood development, and to see if the shots need to be reduced or increased. It is hard to get the injections here; and when we have gotten them, they are very expensive, and they have lost their potency due to sitting on the shelf in this tropical heat. So she will be getting a new batch of injections on each of her trips State side, as well. Please pray for her next trip, which will only be for two weeks this time, at the end of May.
We opened the year with 11 new students in January, and we are expecting a few more to start in February. They were late due to sickness and schedule conflicts. Please continue to pray for all of our ministries to continue to grow, and for the local churches to help support their local ministries.
Orphan Ministry Update:
We were able to visit all 52 children, whom we are helping through our feeding program at two locations Sidundo and Kuresoi, with a Christmas package of food and toys. They were really surprised! And it was such a blessing to see all those smiling faces, who have gone through so much in their short lives. Also please pray for the upcoming elections to be peaceful on March 4, because during the 2007 elections is when a lot of these children lost their parents.
During the last week of January, we were able to invite 13 boys to start staying at our first orphanage and to start taking care of their full needs. We do not have permanent parents at this time, but we are praying for a couple who will see the desire to help in this ministry. We have about 10 men and women, from Calvary Baptist Church in Sidundo Village, who are sharing the jobs of cooking, cleaning, and sleeping with the boys. We have done medical checkups on all the boys; over half had to be treated for malaria, and most of them had skin problems that have to be cared for.
Special Request: We are always seeking ways to save money and to be good stewards of the financial resources that the Lord has given us, and this has brought us to this special request. Please let us know, either by regular mail (Luke and Tonya Shelby, P.O. Box 9215, Chattanooga, TN 37412) or by e-mail (mail@shelbysinkenya.org), what your preferred method is to receive our Prayer Letter. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you prefer to receive our letters by regular mail; and if we already have your e-mail address, then you will continue to receive it both ways. If you prefer to receive all of our updates by e-mail only, then we must hear from you; please include your preferred e-mail contact information, so that you are able to receive our letters in a timely manner. We want to thank you in advance for your help in this matter.
For Souls in Kenya,
Luke & Tonya Shelby
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