May 30, 2003

Dear Friends and Family:

Thank you for your prayers for our travels and situations at Tenwek. Susanna and Chris arrived safely, and we were able to take a vacation, albeit different than originally planned. We have had some definite answers to prayers that I would like to share with you as well.

Trip to Nairobi and Beyond

Although we knew Susanna and Chris would not arrive on schedule, we didn’t know exactly when and if they would get to Kenya. We decided to go on to Nairobi on Friday as it seemed probable that they could get here soon. As it turned out, they were able to leave from Indianapolis on Northwest/KLM on Sunday and arrived on Monday evening. We had some time to do errands in Nairobi while we waited.

We took 110 Bibles with us to visit the marketplace “dukas” on Saturday. I parked myself in our friend Reuben’s duka and passed out all the Bibles within an hour. And there were more requests for Bibles, naturally. I will write the Gideons to see if they will donate Bibles to Reuben’s church for this ministry. Reuben is seen as the spiritual leader at this marketplace, and we try to encourage him by buying some of our purchases at his shop as well as giving him tapes to distribute. His prayer is for a keyboard for a musical outreach ministry. I told him that we would pray for this. Another friend, Garrison, would like to be able to show the Jesus film with a generator and projector. We mentioned this prayer request last year, but have had no answer other than “wait”. The following picture is of Reuben and two other vendors receiving their Bibles. [Only those on the e-mail list will see the pictures in this letter.]

We also got a refund from Air Kenya on our plane tickets to Mombasa, since we would miss the flight with Susie’s delay. This required a trip to the airport; however they were very understanding. The British Air decision to avoid flying to Kenya had an immediate impact on the small regional airlines, hotels, and safari group tours. As tourism is a big industry in Kenya, many people will lose their jobs here if there is no solution found. The decision has also had an impact on medical volunteers; many are unwilling to commit to coming in the near future.

We were unable to get a refund of our deposit for the hotel in Mombasa, but we got a credit to apply to a lodge near Mt. Kenya, which is 3 hours north of Nairobi. We decided to go this direction since the American Embassy was warning people to stay away from Mombasa and the Muslim coast of Kenya. We also made reservations at the Aberdere Country Club and the Ark.

We got some car repairs done that took most of a morning but definitely improved the reliability of our vehicle. We visited the giraffe feeding park. The girls went to a movie. We purchased another dozen soccer balls with the donated funds for that purpose. And we just relaxed at the guesthouse.

Finally, the time arrived for Susie and Chris to come. We were all so excited to see them. Their flights were fine, although they didn’t get the two extra bag allowance on the new airline. They made it through customs without delay. Since the flight arrived at night, Marty had suggested that we hire a driver from Mountaintop to go to the airport. It costs about the same as taking our vehicle and avoided my driving at night, which is a major hazard since the roads are so poorly lit. Robinson, our favorite driver, took us out. He will soon leave for Uganda to get a Masters degree in Public Health at Makerere University. He already has a BA degree in Microbiology but makes better money driving a car.

The following morning, we drove north out of Nairobi headed for the Aberdere Mountains area. This area was a refuge for the Mau Mau guerillas in the 1950’s. Driving anywhere you’ve never been before in Kenya is a challenge, as roads are poorly marked; you can go a long way before you realize you’re headed up the wrong road. I made only three wrong turns before we pulled into the gate of the hotel. Zebra and Impala scattered off the road as we pulled up.

The Aberdere Country Club hotel is a vestige of the colonial era. There are beautiful grounds surrounding the rambling stone building. Peacocks stroll the grounds and occasionally raid the tables for scraps of food. Wart hogs roam the lawn oblivious to the proximity of humanity. They crawl about on their knees when they are eating, which is most of the time. When they decide to run, they raise their long skinny tail up in the air like a car antenna and take off. Several tour groups had cancelled, so for two nights, we were the only guests eating in the dining room. We had great service with all the waiters and cooks focusing their attention on us.

Highlights of our time here included horseback riding out onto a plain where giraffe, zebra, and impala grazed. They seemed unperturbed by our presence. We later took a walk out onto the plain and viewed the animals. At night, we took a “night eyes” game drive. We drove out to the plain and through the scrub areas watching for the reflection of our lights in the eyes of the animals. We saw some of the same animals, but then we had the rare treat of spotting the bright green eyes of a leopard. The first one disappeared quickly, but on the plain, we found two leopards stalking the impala. They growled and hissed at us as we interfered with their hunting. And to think that we were walking in this area just a few hours earlier.

The third night was spent at the “Ark” hotel. It is in the Aberderes game park and features a game viewing area beside a watering hole and salt lick just outside the hotel, which is built in the shape of Noah’s ark. It very much feels like you’re on a boat with narrow passageways and small state rooms. We enjoyed watching elephants, bush bucks, and Cape buffalo come within a few yards of our observation platform. A rhinoceros grazed on the hill outside our room.

The last two nights of vacation we spent at Naro Moru River Lodge which is the “take off” point for climbers of the 17,100 ft. Mt. Kenya. We were not among the climbers, but we enjoyed the lodge facilities including a pool and a trout stream. Marty was able to give Bibles to three of the housekeepers who were thrilled to get them.

We then drove the seven hours back to Tenwek via Nakuru and Kericho. We thereby went through a different section of the Great Rift Valley than we had been before. It was very beautiful. So even if we didn’t go to the beach, we had a fun, safe vacation in some areas we had not visited before. As we approached Tenwek, we passed a school where I had taken a soccer ball the week before we left. The high school boys were out playing with the ball and having a great time.

This week back at Tenwek has been very busy at the hospital. Most of the doctors are gone for one reason or another. Dr. Phil Renfroe sprained his ankle and missed several days at work. We pray that he is able to discard his crutches soon. Thursday, I had six surgeries, and Friday was fairly slow on OB, so I saw general medical patients in the outpatient clinic. Chris Gordon is now a pre-med major and has watched several surgeries. He is not as “grossed out” as the rest of the family. Amy and Laura are babysitting for the White children while Russ and Beth are on a “couples only” vacation.

Updates from Marty

We are thrilled to have Susie and Chris here to be a part of this Tenwek ministry. They have already enjoyed several opportunities with us. They shared Bible stories and songs with the fifth graders at the local public primary school where Bible teaching is eagerly received. In fact, the new curriculum for the schools includes many Christian text books. Pencils were an appreciated gift for the students. After the lesson, the seventh grade class was invited to join our family in a soccer game. Chris got a workout as goalie as many of these Kenyan boys have “many fancy tricks” as the Kenyan girls informed Alicia.

Another special ministry is the time spent on the Pediatric ward. Susie and Chris helped entertain the children with music, puppets, and bubbles. One beautiful nine-year-old, Jessica, really touched our hearts. She had been brought to the hospital over a month ago in very serious condition suffering from malaria and meningitis. Sadly, her family has abandoned her; but in God’s grace, she wears a beautiful smile and is now very healthy thanks to a month of loving care from the hospital staff and the hand of God on her life. She loves being the “queen” of the ward which is a big change from the treatment she had received at home. Her prior abuse included being forced down into a choo [outhouse potty] hole. Please pray for Jessica as the social worker endeavors to enroll her in a local Christian boarding school.

One other ministry opportunity in the nursery this week was a special highlight for me. In our last prayer letter, I had requested baby clothes for the newborns at Tenwek Hospital. Many of you generously provided these items for Susie and Chris to bring. We took 3 bags of clothes and blankets to the appreciative nurses in charge who eagerly placed an outfit across the top of each baby warmer. Then a large group of mothers came into the nursery to feed their babies and stood wide eyed looking amazed at these precious gifts. As the nurse explained to them about the clothing, they began clapping and thanking us and our home church for this incredible provision. Since most of these mothers had only rags for their babies, these clothes given in Jesus’ name and out of His love make a life-changing impact on many of their lives. The little things we take for granted are often used by the Lord to further His Kingdom. Thank you for your special participation in this ministry at Tenwek.

Spiritual Victory of the Girls

This has been a difficult week emotionally for Amy and Laura. Right before Susanna left, the girls’ dogs had run away again. Always before they had been found with the aid of their ID tags. But this time they had slipped the collars that had the ID tags. Amy’s dog was found and taken to the Humane Society; but despite the fact he still wore a collar, he was immediately euthanized because he had a cold. Laura’s dog was found by a family who cared for him for a week before they saw the lost dog posters and called our house. Laura painfully decided to allow the family to keep the dog, as they had “adopted it” already, and we are gone too much to really care for the dog the way he needs to be cared for. It was a mature decision for Laura, made by prayer and seeking God’s will, but it was still very painful for her. Please pray for comfort for the girls. In God’s grace, they are sensing His peace as they trust Him with their surrendered hearts.

Patient Updates

I was very pleasantly surprised to see Winny alive [and smiling] on my return. She is the patient with bone marrow failure and B negative blood type who seemed on the verge of death before I left. She was bleeding from the nose and intestinal tract because of the low platelet count. Her hemoglobin [red blood cell count] was less than 3 [normal 12-14], and she was running a high fever despite three antibiotics for 10 days. We had no blood to give her. My last order before I left was the “Hail Mary” trial of steroids. There was no reason to expect it to work, but we had nothing else to offer. During my absence, everything reversed course, and her bone marrow began functioning. They got a pint of blood from someone and gave it to her. The fever went away and the bleeding stopped. She was no longer confused, and she prayed to receive Jesus Christ as her savior when the chaplain visited again. I asked Phil Renfroe what might be the reason for her reversal of fortune. He felt that other than a miracle, it might be that she had a leukemia or lymphoma that had responded to the Prednisone [steroids]. We did a bone marrow test that should give us the answer in a few weeks. In the meantime, Winny and her baby went home from the hospital [on Prednisone] to return for the results later. Thank you for your prayers for Winny. Monica, the patient with paralysis and bone marrow failure, walked out of the hospital on Prednisone as well. She thanks you for your prayers.

Orphan Updates

Susanna brought with her a check for over $2200 which will meet the needs of the orphans for this term’s tuition. Thanks to all who donated to the fund and prayed for this need. There are several items for prayer for the orphans. Another man in the Africa Gospel Church was convicted to donate an acre of land for an orphanage. We now have two plots of ground and the church leaders are desirous of having 10 orphans living on one of the plots [with a set of house parents] by August of this year. Then at harvest time, the need for maize [corn] can be presented to the churches. The vision of caring for widows and orphans is really taking hold in the church here, and we would love to see the vision expanded. I would like to see some of our orphan high school graduates employed as assistant caregivers and tutors for the orphans in the homes.

The normal way that Kenyans start a project is to put up some temporary buildings and then begin fundraising for permanent buildings. My idea is to get some good estimation of the costs of land improvement for sewage, buildings, water supply, etc and submit this model project to churches in the US as a mission project that could then be duplicated as the need and opportunities arose. The number of orphans throughout Africa increases each day. I believe that the church needs to be a part of the solution to this problem as a means of evangelism as well as compassionate care. Please pray for the first couple to be found who would have a heart for caring for orphans as their calling from God. Pray for wisdom for us and for church leaders in developing the model orphanages.

The second area for prayer is our gathering of orphans on Saturday, June 21st for a session of encouragement. Marty and I have an hour to talk to these orphans after other speakers have met with them. Please pray for God to give us the messages that He wants us to give. I already awakened one morning with an outline for the talk, but I want to be sure of the Lord’s direction. Pray that many will be able to attend and that God will revive the hearts of many people.

The young woman, Daisy, who accepted Christ on our visit to her home a few weeks ago came to see us with her mother, Juliana, and Pastor David Kilel. She was excited about attending church and her new relationship with God. David mentioned the need that she has for a way to earn a living. She is 19 with a 5th grade education. She would like to be a tailor, but there is no local apprenticeship program at this time. This is another potential area of ministry to pray for. Our orphans need some life skill to be able to care for themselves in the future.

Soccer Balls Continue to Minister

This week two pastors walked great distances to obtain soccer balls for local schools. One walked 27 kilometers and then stood for hours at the side of the road at Bomet waiting for Pastor Kilel to meet him. He was overjoyed to receive the ball. I received a letter from the principal of the elementary school I had visited last week. He thanked me and all of you for your support and encouragement. The impact that such a small thing as a soccer ball can make for the Kingdom of God continues to amaze us.

A Note from Dr. Carol Spears – In Her Own Words

In my last letter I wrote about the terrible ordeal of two of our missionaries. Each has written a letter to supporters, but I wanted to include Carol’s note of May 18, 2003 to encourage you by showing you the strength that your prayers and the hand of God are giving her.

Dear Friends,

Although this is one of the most difficult letters I have ever had to write, it is a story of how God works through hard times. I pray that God’s presence will be with you and that He will strengthen and comfort you as you read on. I wish so much that I did not have to use email to tell you and that you could hear my voice and know that I am OK. The events of the past week have taken me through a myriad of emotions and have tested my faith. I am praising God for seeing me through, providing me with His strength and comfort, and surrounding me with His love in amazing ways through my fellow missionaries here in Kenya.

On Monday, May 12th, one of the other single female missionaries and I were returning to Tenwek from a weekend holiday to Lake Naivasha. We left the beautiful place that we had stayed around 1:00pm and traveled for only 9 kilometers when our vehicle was approached by 4 men coming from the side of the road, 2 who were carrying machine guns. They forced us to stop, demanded that we give them our money, and then entered our vehicle and forced my friend (the driver) into the back seat. The leader of the group (one of the ones with an AK-47) drove the car (with great difficulty and frequent stalls) onto a less traveled, more remote road. They spoke to each other in whispered Swahili during this time. They identified a location with a couple of trees and thick bushes drove the car off of the road into the thick undergrowth/bush. They took my friend and me into a small clearing under the tree and began to go through all of our belongings. They had us kneel down and forced our faces toward the ground and told us not to look up. The leader then took me into another clearing and raped me. He brought me back over to the location where my friend was, again went through our belongings and wanted to know where we had more money. We told him that they had everything that we had. He walked behind us to the other men and they had a long discussion in Swahili. We prayed fervently for God to intervene and to rescue us and spare our lives. We were both prepared to die if that is what God had planned, but we wanted to live. A single engine airplane could be heard in the distance and then flew near the area where we were being held. The men quickly grabbed binoculars (ours) and appeared agitated. When the plane flew even closer, they walked away carrying the things of ours that they wanted as well as our car keys. I waited a few seconds until I was sure they were indeed leaving, and then I walked out into the open and tried to motion to the plane, but we were not seen. We walked quickly to the road and began walking back in the direction we had come from. After about 4 kilometers, a wonderful British lady who lives in the area picked us up and took us to her home. She and her husband were truly angels of mercy! They assisted us with calling back to Tenwek as well as getting the police from three surrounding areas involved. Dr. Russ White, Dr. Eric Miller and his wife Jodi left immediately from Tenwek to travel the four hours to where we were. Beth White gathered others back at Tenwek and began praying for us. I will be forever grateful for the love, compassion, medical care and friendship that these dear friends so willingly gave and are still giving. That evening, the car and our remaining belongings were retrieved (our friends brought the spare set of keys from Tenwek). The police took a full report from both of us. The next day, our friends drove us back to Tenwek. On Tuesday evening, the missionaries all gathered at our request, to learn of what had happened and to pray heartfelt prayers, full of pain and compassion and trust.

There are no words to convey all that I have felt as I have walked this journey, but I will try because it shows the amazing power of our God. From the time the men entered our car, my friend and I began praying quietly, but vocally, that Jesus would protect us and deliver us. He did. Initial thankfulness for our escape quickly turned to questioning why God had not allowed our escape earlier and anger. Why did He not prevent the kidnapping, robbery, and rape? Why was this happening to us and to me? I am thankful that God wants us to be honest and that He can handle our questioning. As I agonized over all that happened, it was clear that one of two things could be true. Either, God is in control of all things and therefore He allowed this evil thing to happen and He will somehow bring good out of it, or He is not in control of all things. I choose to believe that God is in control. I also choose to believe, because I have all the many promises in His Word, that He loves me, He grieves with me and cries along with me, and He will show me aspects of Himself that I could have never known without this experience. I have been overwhelmingly surrounded with love, companionship, provision for my every need by my friends here at Tenwek and across Kenya. I am humbled and touched by how this event has impacted everyone who knows me. I could not be in a better place to walk through this journey than surrounded by fellow Christians and people who love me in an environment where I am allowed time to process all of this. My family has grieved along with me and very unselfishly agreed that I am in the place I need to be for now.

Over the past two days, I feel that God is already bringing the initial phases of healing. I returned to work and it felt good to get back to our patients and doing surgery and working with the Kenyan hospital staff (who are praying for me and reaching out to me too). Friday evening, I reluctantly attended a praise service that was being held to thank God for the many ways he has answered our prayers. As I sat there and listened to the many people who had experienced tragedies, illness, and crises in their lives (including Dr. Russ White’s recent healing and return to health after such a acute, critical illness), I realized I was not alone! In all of these situations, people had prayed for God to intervene. He did, and now they were wanting to publicly praise Him, thank Him and give Him the glory! I felt my spirits lifting and my heart softening and I felt true joy and true praise for the first time since Monday. I know that there will be good times and bad times and that I will likely have many things to work through in the coming months, but I also know that God is clearly saying “Trust me, Carol”. I want to do that and I want somehow, some way, for God to be glorified through all that has happened.

I covet your prayers for some specific things as you feel led:
- pray for my family as they attempt to deal with this and yet are separated from me. In some ways, it is even harder on them.
- pray for my friend who was with me.
- ask God to bless these precious friends here at Tenwek in a special way because I will never be able to show my gratitude sufficiently.
- pray for my protection against pregnancy, HIV, STDs, and any other diseases.
- pray for my remaining time at Tenwek that I will be able to complete all that I need to do and that I will be able to be a witness as I deal with something that so many African women deal with routinely because it is a way of life here.
- pray that the side effects of the HIV medications for post exposure prophylaxis will be lessened.
- pray that I will somehow be able to forgive these men through God’s mercy and grace.
I would be most grateful if you would share this story with your friends and churches and ask for their prayers as well. I thank you ahead of time for all of your messages and prayers. Please bear with me as I seek to walk through this journey. I may not be able to answer each one of you right away, but know that I love you and I thank God for your place in my life.

In His Service,
Carol Spears

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.…Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” II Cor. 4:2-9 ,16-17

Final Prayer Requests

Already our time in Kenya for this term is winding down. We have just under a month before our scheduled return. Actually, we don’t know our schedule, since British Air has tentatively cancelled our flight. They won’t commit to transfer us to another airline or make alternative arrangements until their position has been reconsidered. That leaves us somewhere between limbo and uncertainty.

Please pray that definite arrangements can be made soon, and that our travel agent, Moon Phongxaysanith of MTS, would continue to be diligent on our behalf. Our first choice would be to fly home June 26 with Chris and Susanna on KLM but this appears doubtful; a second choice would be to fly to Uganda and home from there on British Air. Another choice would be to fly to meet Jesus with the rest of you at the rapture, which is always a distinct possibility. That’s why we’re here serving Jesus – because the time is short before He returns. If you haven’t already done so, make your non-cancelable reservation now, before it’s too late.

Serving Jesus with you,

Paul, for the Jarretts, Chris Gordon, and Alicia Bechtle “Left Behind for now” in Kenya

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