UPDATE - Paul & Leah Manyara, National Church Planter and Educator, Kenya 6/29/10

'Jambo' (hello) from Kijabe, Kenya. We pray and trust that this finds you praising our Lord and serving Him as you wait for His return. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness to us. It has been a busy half-year. All the different ministries are going on well. God is making a difference in people's lives. We have had a few challenges. Something happened last Friday night when our small group of Moffat students and another missionary couple who serve with us came to our house for fellowship. When they parked the car in our driveway, which is on a hill, and the couple and one of the students had gotten out, the car started going backwards. We heard some screaming and Paul went out to see what was happening. He found that the car had rolled into our neighbor's garden and God stopped it just a few yards from their house. Our other students were still inside and by God's protection they were not injured. Only one girl was slightly hurt. She was just getting out of the car and was pulled out when it started rolling back. She got some scratches on her knee. It would have been worse for her if she had been thrown out by the car. We saw God's hand in that and we praised Him for His protection.

Another challenge that we have encountered in the last few weeks was the deaths of some of our church members and their families. One of them was a church Elder. He was one of those who planted that church about 16 years ago. One of the children in our feeding program lost his Grandma and the funeral will be on Wednesday. Please pray for all these families that the Lord will continue to comfort them.

The other challenge is that our car has been sick and dead at times. The first time was when Leah had gone to a women's conference. It died as she was going home and she had to call Paul to come get it towed. Since that time it has been fixed, but when we think it is okay, it gets sick again. For almost two weeks now we have not been able to use it. It makes it hard to get to some of the ministries as they are not near enough so we can walk. God has used some friends and relatives to help sometimes, but it has not been easy as they are also busy. Please pray with us that the Lord will provide us with a more reliable car.

We have a busy schedule ahead of us and we would appreciate your prayers. July 9th will be banquet for two classes that are graduating on July 17th. Paul will officiate a wedding for one of our graduates on July 10th. Leah will help bake & decorate the cake. Lord willing, we will be traveling to the States this summer. We plan to leave Kenya on July 21st. Leah will spend some time in the Chicago area. Paul will be at IGM in Rochester, NY, from August 12-20th for the Annual Training School, and then he will travel with the mission till the first week in October. We have a Mission team coming to visit us in November, so Leah will return on September 7th to prepare for their coming and Paul will return in October. We also have another team coming in Jan/Feb and we would ask for prayers that the Lord will work out the remaining details as they prepare to come and serve the Lord with us.

We are also looking forward to visiting with our children while in the US. Miriam is still working at Milwaukee Rescue Mission in Wisconsin. Ruth is still in Carbondale in southern Illinois and plans to graduate in December, Lord willing. Paul, Jr. is still in school in Iowa, but is in Pennsylvania for the summer, and Lord willing, he plans to graduate next year. Please keep them in your prayers so that they will stay close to the Lord and daily follow His leading. Thank you so much for your encouragement, prayer and financial support.