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Tim and Cheryl Hinds
Missionaries with The Master's Mission
since 1991
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May 2008
Dear friends,
This is
definitely the land of extremes. Heat, wind and even rain! Though its
occurrence is way too rare, we occasionally get a drenching downpour, which
we had a couple of weeks ago. It had been raining for quite a while when I
decided to check how our ditches were holding up on the hill behind us.
When I opened the back door I knew I had seconds before it was coming in.
We grabbed towels, rugs anything we could find and put everything up that
could be destroyed, but it wasn't enough. As the water poured from the
living room into the dining room, we dropped the towels and ran for
shovels. Both of our drainage ditches had broken through and the rain
showed no signs of stopping. It was actually quite humorous as we were all
trying to frantically plug up the ditches with tires, boards, rocks anything
we could think of to stop the flow. It was another one of those extreme rare
moments where we found ourselves dripping wet and cold in Loiyangalani.!
We finally redirected most of the water, the rain began to slack off and
we could assess the damage, which was very minimal.
Now I could
say that we've been busy and we have, fabricating a gate and putting the
finishing touches on David's hotel, it is ready to rent. Hauling sand for
the children's home, the workmen are busy plastering the inside walls. Also
painting the lab again, oh yes, after 3 days of cleaning with some friends,
I decided painting would be a whole lot easier. The good news is the
clinic will open officially in June, with Rosa a very patient and
knowledgeable local nurse. We are also packing the house, most things will
stay out and ready for use as we will only be gone 4 months. Lastly the
Lord has given me a lot of grace, as we go through Luke's things and get him
ready to return to the states. Nonetheless I'm sorry for missing last months
letter. However you probably won't here from us again until we get settled
in the states.
We leave on
the 31st and arrive in Dulles, DC on the 1st of June. We are in MD for a
week, then Greenville, SC and on to the mission in NC. The Lord has given
Luke an excellent opportunity for working this summer, although we're still
in need of a vehicle for him. It has been so encouraging to see things fall
into place.
Remember the
Teasdales as we leave, the work load and responsibilities increase and they
would appreciate your prayers.
See you
soon! Love, Cheryl
March 2008
Dear friends,
15
years! Hard to believe but this month marked the end of our 15th year here
serving in Kenya. When we first arrived we had a 2 year old and a four
month old. We headed immediately to the coast with Paul Craig to get
started on language learning. Our first night in Kenya was an adventure in
itself. There was a frog whose legs and body would slide down the side of
the toilet bowl every time you flushed. The water tank overflowed in the
middle of the night, with no way to shut off the valve and no tools but a
leatherman, Tim sawed off the end of a wooden broom handle and shaved it
down to plug the pipe. We finally crawled into bed hoping for some sleep
when "thud, thud, thud" something was hitting the ceiling of our bedroom.
It turns out fruit bats, hanging from the underside of the roof, were
enjoying a midnight snack of mangoes and dropping the large seeds on our
ceiling. What a night, and what a life! I don't believe the adventure has
ever changed, it's been a life full of challenges, excitement, joy and
sorrow. Moreover, though we were the ones who came to teach and be examples
for others, I do believe we have been taught and received more than we ever
imagined possible. Now it is time for us to take our 17 year old home and
with tears and joy we begin another adventure.
Jessie. with
all her computer saavy, recently asked if we have "booted our tickets" for
America? The answer was yes, we have "booked our tickets" for the 31st of
May to bring Luke home for school. We will stay about 4 months and we look
forward to seeing many of you. We covet your prayers as he needs a
permanent drivers license, vehicle, insurance and a job (he may be working
for a friend of ours, Jim Skutka for the summer). We will be traveling
some, but Luke will be spending his summer working in Greenville, SC as he
has been accepted at Bob Jones University this fall.
We thank you
for your prayers for our family and safety in our travels, we had a good
trip to Nairobi and back. Prices of course have been affected by the recent
troubles but we were able to get everything we needed. Tim was able to talk
with many people about the situation and it was good to try and understand
both sides. The end result of course, is no matter what the issue, hatred
will only destroy and not bring the change that many desire. Our prayer is
still for their hearts to change, so they can truly learn to love their
neighbors as themselves.
We
received some good news this weekend. We now have letter in hand giving us
permission to begin searching for and developing a water source for our
station. We also resubmitted, in person. our proposal for the second phase
of the government lab and we were promised to receive funds soon. (This is
a joint project where we supply the labor, tools, equipment and local
building materials while their funds are used for supplies from Nairobi,
i.e. cement, steel, fencing.)
One dorm has
been completely roofed, and they have begun plastering inside. David's
hoteli is finished with just a small amount of work left on the
shower/outhouse building before it can be officially opened. I have
enclosed some pictures that I hope are not impossible to receive, of our
family, David's hoteli (blue trim) and one of the dorms with it's new tin
roof. (2 story)
We
thank each one of you for listening, praying and sharing in our lives over
the past 15 years, we are very blessed.
Love,
Cheryl
January 2008
Dear Friends,
We wanted you all to have an update on our plans. As of now, but always
subject to change, we have postponed our trip to Nairobi. Considering all
things we felt that nothing was so pressing that we needed to go now. There
are negotiations taking place and we hope for positive results.
Unfortunately some people will use the chaos for their gain so at this time
we felt that the road to Nairobi was questionable, not necessarily the town
itself. We hope to head down the beginning of March as this will still give
us time to obtain permits and things that would need immediate attention.
We are able grab supplies whenever there is opportunity, so we are far from
starving!
We
have had opportunities for good discussions with the folks here as they get
glimpses of the reality of tribal fighting. God continues to keep peace in
Loiy., even though we are 4 main tribes, plus Somalis and a few others.
On
David's project, we have finished plastering the walls and will begin
painting next week. The boys are getting the long drop ready as we will
pour cement footings and lay up walls for the underground septic tank.
I've
been busy repainting all the windows and doors, inside and out, of our
home. They we're painted desert tan and dark green 8 years ago, which has
faded to a sickly shade of cream and pale lime green. Though not requiring
a lot of artistic ablility, it does spruce things up again. Painting
gives you a lot of time for thinking too .... of falling off ladders, of
less wind, cooler weather, and life without flies, but today I thought about
my Dad.
My
Dad has always painted our house, and always climbed ladders, cut down
trees, mowed his lawn, worked on the house and yard. Though he ages, he has
a strength about him that defies his years, and he just keeps going. He has
a keen mind and enjoys learning new things,. When things were broken, Dad
was the one fixing them . My Dad has been honest and faithful to his wife
and family, we could always depend on him to take care of any problem. I
think his work ethic and integrity has kept him young and strong at heart
and ready for another day.
My mother is remarkable too! She was just as busy, keeping up our home,
caring for family members, involved in community or volunteer organizations
and working part time as a registered nurse. As long as I can remember my
mom could be described in one word, sacrificial. She never thought about
herself, but was always giving and taking care of others. She never had to
be out front or receive praise for what she did. Mom too, has suffered the
effects of hard work for so many years, but even to this day she still finds
the energy to do special things for others.
Both Mom and Dad were very involved with our lives, and supportive of
whatever we tried to do. We were loved and disciplined, taught and
encouraged. We worked, we played, and we were blessed. Thanks Mom and Dad
for everything, then and now.
We
all have parents, grandparents, friends, neighbors or relatives who have
poured their lives into ours. I'm thankul for the sacrifice of many for my
sake and pray that I am just as willing to pour myself out for others. We
thank you all for sharing in our lives and keeping us close in your
thoughts, even though we're far away.
Love
, Cheryl
Back in the
Bush
Well we're back in
Loiyangalani and we thank each one of you for making it possible to be here
again. Although we seem to have gotten a bit softer and older during our
furlo, we've had 3 months of sweating profusely, visitors, working on the
house, repairing our truck and old 4‑wheeler, unpacking crates, cleaning
everything, learning Swahili again, and ministering to our old and new
friends. We are all happy to be back in our old routine and wonderful new
house. The boys have become a huge help to us, as there is always more to be
done. We are thankful for 3 women that have been having a baptism class with
Barb, and show real growth as they learn the basic doctrines of
Christianity. Continue to pray for our young people and the children, as
there is still little response, though many come to church. We are grateful
that this is the Lord's work and He is the one who changes lives, while we
must be faithful to share the truth.
This
past year you might remember some of our tales of creepy crawlies in our
home ‑ scorpions, spiders and such. We've become accustomed to chasing them
down again, and so far only Michael has been stung. The one thing we were
glad of was never having a snake in our house, however, the other morning I
heard Luke yell "snake"! Since we were in another room we went running
towards Luke's voice. Jessie was closest and saw it just inside the living
room and promptly raced out screaming for Dad. Michael followed her and
begins to search for the snake; not realizing it was right by his feet. I'm
behind him watching the snake wriggle over his bare feet, and yelling for
him to "MOVE!" We all now rush out of the room to search for weapons: Tim a
hoe, me a broom, Luke a sledgehammer and Michael a stick. The snake had
disappeared under a couch and Tim bravely incapacitated it. It's amazing how
such a small incident, affects you and makes you wary to sit on anything
without knowing what's underneath it. It also made me think of our friends
here in Loiy. who sleep on the ground, in their huts all their lives. It is
truly a comfort to know there is an Almighty, All-powerful God watching over
us, caring for us. Thank you for your continued prayers for our
safety,health and the people here in Loiy.
Love
The Hinds
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Field Address:
P.O. Box
21028
Nairobi, KENYA
Cell:
(011) 254-72-306219
(no email)
Home Church:
North
Hills Community Church
Taylors, South Carolina
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| Anniversary: |
08/26 |
| Birthdays: |
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| Tim |
01/22 |
| Cheryl |
10/03 |
| Lucas |
08/18 |
| Michael |
10/15 |
| Jessica |
08/22 |
 Tim and Cheryl Hinds:
Conserving the Results (Winter 2003)
Call (800) 419-8618 or
email today for a free copy of the Hinds family's new video
highlighting their ministry in Northern Kenya.
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