Father, help us not forget those who have given their lives for our country and those who are presently serving in places near and far. You know the sacrifices they and their families make as well as how difficult it is to see a son or daughter, husband or wife, mother or father cope with physical disability or PTSD.

Others are grieving the loss of a loved one from covid-19.

And then there are countless others who are battling cancer and other frightening conditions or are overwhelmed caring for a family member or close friend.

It’s not easy, Lord, but then You never promised life would be easy. But thank You that You have promised always to be with us.

Jesus said: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 TLB

If someone you love has cancer, or if you know of a caregiver who needs comfort and encouragement, this gift book will provide spirit-lifting thoughts for celebrating the gift of life in the midst of troubles. My good friend, Cec Murphey, who cared for his wife as she battled cancer, has given Write His Answer Ministries a box of these beautiful full-color gift books. Only $7. Click here to order.

Let him have all your worries and cares,
for he is always thinking about you
and watching everything that concerns you.
1 Peter 5:7 (TLB)

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“Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord!”
Psalm 150:6

Guest Post from CCWC & GPCWC Keynoter
Michael Gantt

Just about seven years ago, I stood looking across a weed infested, half flooded plot of land in Western Kenya.  We had purchased the property for some future use for the Immanuel Christian School for the Deaf.  The school had so many real and pressing needs, there were some who considered the purchase with great consternation, thinking that the purchase was a great waste of money.  However, as I stood there gazing out over the little plot of land I saw neither weeds nor water.  Instead, I saw great brick buildings rising up out of the overgrown soil. I saw sleeping quarters and a beautiful dining hall and kitchen.  In my mind’s eye, I saw a meeting room for chapel services and public meetings and most beautiful of all – – a grand educational center towering above everything else; a place where Deaf children could overcome every disadvantage their Deafness had saddled them with.

I turned my gaze to a small room where I would meet with our Headmaster Wes Agengo and members of the school board.  On a table in front of us we had rolled out a large piece of white paper and threw some markers on it.  We prayed before picking up those markers and began  to draw a dream. We asked God to give us a vision greater than us. He gave us a vision for a Center for Deaf Education that would not only train Deaf children in basic academics, but a technical center where they could learn a trade and eventually, a Deaf College and Technical Institute.  We had scarcely a penny with which to begin but God had given us a vision and a kernel of faith and with that we began to dream and with the dream,  to plan.

When I returned home to the US,  I shared our vision with my own church. After one meeting a member of my church approached me with a twenty dollar bill.  She said, “That’s all I have, but I am giving it to you in faith that like the loaves and fishes, Jesus is going to multiply this into all the money you need to finish this work.”  Her faith (along with many others) has been rewarded, for God has indeed multiplied that small offering into a great miracle.

The New Academic/Administration Center
for the Immanuel Christian School for the Deaf

     This morning, I received some photos that are a testimony to the power of a small faith and the great faithfulness of our God.  They are photos of that grand Educational Center that is within a few weeks and a few dollars of completion.  It is beautiful beyond any words I can share, but I must tell what God has done.  The campus I could only see in my spirit just seven years ago is today, almost complete. We are just $4,000 and a few weeks away from completion. How great is our God!!!

And yet, it is not merely buildings that have been built there; not just brick and mortar.  The Immanuel Christian School for the Deaf is now considered the leading academic center for the Deaf in all of Kenya.  Our students are excelling at a very high academic level.  Recently, we entered into an agreement with a national Teacher’s College that is now holding lectures on the new campus, training teachers to teach the Deaf.  Some of our own students are training at the college level to be teachers of the Deaf.  I could not have imagined just seven years ago that this would be possible in such a short time.

I asked Marlene Bagnull if I might submit this article for publication on her blog because I wanted to express my deepest gratitude to so many who have been associated with Write His Answer and the Colorado and Philadelphia writers conferences who have been instrumental in the fulfillment of this dream.  Each year as I have spoken at these conferences, those in attendance have sent me home with very generous offerings; amounting to many thousands of dollars in support of my kids in Kenya.

As we stand at the precipice of victory, I want to express my gratitude to the many persons associated with the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference and the Colorado Christian Writers Conference for your encouragement and support.  Without your generous giving we would yet be many miles and many dollars away from completion.  You came to the conferences to learn, to hone your craft, but in the midst of it you found it in your hearts to invest in the lives of desperate children who live far away from you.

I expect to see many of you in Colorado in May and then in Philadelphia in July. I plan to bring photos that are different than those I’ve brought in the past. Photos not of what we HOPE to do – but of a work that is DONE!  Thank you Marlene for your generous allotment of time given to me to present the needs of the school and so many of Marlene’s friends who have made such generous contributions to our work. May His peace and blessings be yours.

Michael Gantt

From Marlene: Thank You, Father, for giving us the opportunity to be part of this ministry to the deaf children in Kenya. Thank You for again doing exceedingly, abundantly beyond . . 

To learn more about this life-changing work go to http://www.kenyadevfund.org.

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Contrasts

Thanksgiving has ushered in
the Christmas season.
I am sobered
not so much by the calories
I have consumed
or the prices in the mall
(although both are too high),
as by the contrasts I see.

There is plenty and want,
joy and grief,
love and hatred,
hope and despair,
the real and artificial.

Father, help me to see You
and to share Your love.
Move me to give as Your Son gave
when He willingly went
from the manger to the Cross.
Let there be a difference in me
that is visible and credible –
that points others to Jesus Christ,
the only Hope and Savior of mankind.

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The challenges Terry Brynan faces daily in Kenya are a sharp contrast to my struggles with computer issues and HTML (in the comfort of my office recliner).

Father, thank You for Terry’s faith and courage and tenacious efforts to help her people in the “far places.” Keep her safe and healthy. Continue to use her holy boldness to bring many to Jesus.

Hi my beloved family, friends and prayer warriors,

I hope all of you are well and blessed. As always, I love and miss you so much. Thank you for your continued prayers. I was sick with typhoid and pneumonia again, and then malaria but, I am ok. Keep praying God continues to strengthen me to accomplish His purposes and plans.

I finished the 14 meetings around all of the mountains and different areas. I met with about 1200 people. There was 100% support for closing the mountains.  Now, they are waiting for the rain.  Please pray it will rain. Pray God will bless it and make the grass grow and bring the water they need and supply all of their needs.

The meetings were filled with the young men who are usually far away in the mountains taking care of the cows. They returned to their areas when the rains came and the grass grew.  Their presence was a crucial element of proceeding forward with closing the mountains because they are the ones who move with the animals.  They were in complete agreement for the elders to close the mountains and the rules they would need to abide by. 

The young men and boys heard the good news of Jesus, and many trusted in Jesus as their Savior.

There was no time between the end of the meetings to close the mountains and the entire generation of boys going off to get circumcised and live in the bush for the next three months. If I had waited there would have been no way to reach any of them.

In just three new areas God has called me to go, in only three days, about 400 people trusted Jesus.

At one place there were about 220 people gathered on the banks of a dry river bed.  They had watched the Jesus movie and all had trusted Jesus.  We prayed and praised God together.  We ate together and discussed closing the mountains. It was an amazing day. I was getting ready to leave and the women started to sing.  I thought they wanted something from me but, instead they wanted to give me a gift.  It is a rare thing here for people to give me a gift for no reason.  I had nothing to give them.  They came singing and dancing, and dangling in front of them was a big paint sized can of fresh honey to thank me. They didn’t expect anything in return. The Lord impressed on me, that when we praise and thank Him, and let Him know we love Him.  It is as sweet as honey to Him. 

During the meetings, I distributed eye drops because so many have eye infections from dry dusty conditions, with little water and if left untreated, can lead to blindness. To combat nutritional anemia and anemia caused by malaria about 1000 families were given essential micronutrients and about 25,000 chlorine tablets were distributed to help reduce typhoid and water borne diseases.

The blind, the crippled, the elderly, the disabled and families especially appreciated the 100+ blankets and plastic sheeting for hut roofs and nursery schools (made of woven sticks).

The next plan for closing the mountains includes creating supplemental pasture in the lowlands.  The plan is to enclose and prepare 100 acres, 10 acres of pasture in 10 different locations, by fencing it with the cut branches of thorny bushes and trees, bush clearing, putting cut trees in gullies, and scratching the ground surface for seed preparation. These pastures will be used to produce seeds for reseeding, grass for harvest, and when the roots are more established, grazing.  I am waiting on the agreement for the seeds to begin community meetings.  Please pray for tremendous community support and that God will make a way for everything we need.  Pray it would be ready before the rains come and pray the rains come.

I finished delivering the mattresses and blankets for the children to begin sleeping at four of the schools in the bush. Each of those schools also received (1) 90 kg bag of posho, flour made from corn and sorghum, so the children who sleep there can have uji (porridge) for breakfast and ugali (like grits) for dinner.

Then, I found out the World Food Program (WFP) that has been delivering food (posho) for nursery school students all across Kenya stopped providing food for the nursery school students.  The responsibility was handed over to the counties but, my county did not accept the burden. There is not enough food at the schools to also feed the nursery students so I am guessing if nothing is done, the school will feed them and although they started late because the food for grades 1 and above came late, they will also want to close early because they will run out of food.   The nursery school children rely on the lunch they receive at school.  For some of the children, it is the only meal they may have that day.  There is about one month left in this term. Please pray the children will have enough food.

God has provided the opportunity for me to present to the government offices and representatives of international organizations in my county in the last two weeks.  I have been able to share clearly and distinctly what is needed in the far areas of the bush.  They are doing their steering for the coming year.  Pray God will bring the help that is needed. 

It was after midnight, one night, I had had a long day and was returning home.  I stopped to spend the night, far in the bush, at I place I had had a meeting the day before. Where my truck was parked there were two young men arguing about something for a long time. I was in my truck praying and had enough of the disturbance.  I tried to break up the argument and that didn’t work.  I reached into my truck and laid on my horn for about a minute, hoping to distract them. They didn’t even miss a beat. I changed my approach, and kindly asked one of the boys to come with me and led him away from the argument where he could be reasoned with. He left. Everything quieted down immediately. I returned to praying.  Ruth, my helper, opened the door laughing.

Standing next to me were three old women, dressed in animal skin skirts, no shirts, traditional beads and shangas.  They had crept up to camp, each with two sticks, one in each hand.

“Where is Chepurai? Who is disturbing her? Who is attacking her?” They had exclaimed to Ruth,” We heard the sound of her truck and we have come to beat off her attackers! We each found two good sticks and we have come. We decided, if she dies, we die together!”

I am Chepurai. It is my Pokot name. I was so moved by their decision to come to my rescue, no matter what the cost. I flung my arms around them.  I thought to myself, that’s love!  It’s not every day someone is willing to die for me!  But as the words resonated through my thoughts, I remembered Jesus. Jesus died for me! It cost Him everything. That is love!!!
___________

If you would like to give a gift to help the children and families of Pokot, please visit our website at www.JesusIsOurAll.org or send a check made out to

Jesus Is Our All
P.O. Box 111
Frederick, Pa. 19435

Thank you for your love and prayer,
Thank you for your encouragement and care,
Everything you do in love,
Is written in His book above.
May you hear well done good and faithful servant.

With love and prayers,

Terry Brynan

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