News from the Nest

Dear Friends and Family,

We have been doing a lot of traveling lately. We were able to be in New York over Mother’s Day and spend the day with our kids. The weather was perfect and we were able to visit “ The Cloisters” and “Wave Hill”. Both were beautiful and we took lots of pictures that you will be seeing in our news letters. I’m of the firm belief that a beautiful back drop makes everyone look better. Thank you for your prayers for son-in-law Tim. His hernia surgery went well and he healed quickly.

We loved our time in Savannah. We were able to see many of you and visited with three small groups, one group that had been to ETS in March, and several people who are planning a trip to ETS either this summer or this fall. I got to be everyone’s favorite lunch date and Sandy Wagoner saw to it that I got to do practically everything on my “Savannah To Do List”. If we weren’t able to get to see you please know that we really did try.

We have been enjoying our time with Becky, Jerry, and Emma. Emma has grown so much since we saw her last fall. She seems to be growing right before our eyes. She loved the swing, wading pool and red wagon that Poppa got for her. Her Mom loves to go berry picking in the strawberry fields close to our home. Emma has discovered that strawberries ripe from the field are a sweet treat. Her poor mom has been getting lots of berry stains from her clothing. This week they are visiting Auntie Suzy and Uncles Tim and Andy. We will be going back up to New York in the coming week. Being able to spend time with the entire family does not happen very often so we are excited to be able to get everyone together. Look for an updated family picture in our next prayer letter.

We have been able to send over 5000 pounds of
summer clothing and shoes to a ministry in Kenya. They will be received by Well of Hope International, which is an organization that was established to work with widows and their children in the Kiserian and Ngong areas of Kenya. Their goal is to spread the love of Jesus by helping the neediest widows, their children, and also those orphaned by AIDS. For a better description, please go to their website at wellofhopeinternational.org. With the civil unrest after the elections in November, they have seen their needs grow immensely. The clothes will be given to the widows and children in that area of Kenya - some of whom came from the Rift Valley during the turmoil.

Another container was sent to Ethiopia that was filled with bed springs, head boards and end pieces . The beds were for a Mennonite Bible Seminary in Addis Ababa . These were purchased at auction from James Madison University, and we had to remove hardware from 400 beds so they could be palletized and moved easier.

We appreciate your prayers and financial support as well as your affirmations. We truly enjoyed our time in Savannah and it was wonderful to personally connect with so many of you. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as our work is physically demanding and Charlie forgets he is not a young man any more.

Blessings,

Charlie and Kathy