We are here

Hello loved ones and church family! 

We have arrived safe and sound (at least safe I'm never really sure what sound exactly means)!  I'm not sure that travel could have gone more smooth, except maybe the flights themselves (we had quite the bumpy flights today).  

All luggage accounted for and through customs!! Praise God! He yet agains show us that He's got this and all of our fret was a waste of energy (that we are all lacking anyways)!  Praise Him with us?? 

I can speak from personal feelings... I could not be more excited to be standing in this place that holds so much of my heart. And I can tell you all those who have been with us before are just as full, pray that we as returners do a good job of sharing that excitement and joy with our newbies! 

In all of the joy and excitement, WE. ARE. EXHAUSTED. 

We will travel most of the way to La Esmerelda and stop for the night at Selva Negra.  Pray that we each are able to get a good nights sleep so we can be well rested to kick off our week tomorrow!  

Our hearts are exploding and we can't wait to see friends and meet new ones! 

 'Striving to make Jesus famous'~ Nicargua team 2016

Adiós

The Nicaragua team is headed out!   

We left church at 12am and made to O'hare with plenty of time!  

Apparently you can't do anything at the airport until 3:30am. Oh, well it was some great team bonding!  

We held our breath as bags were weighed, and God has showed us already how in control he is!! All bags checked and all team members through security!!  Take off is at 5:00am!! 

Make sure you watch the Facebook page and Instagram for photo updates!! 

Commissioning and packing

COMMISSIONING

Last weekend the Nicaragua team stood before the congregation as Pastor Guy lead them in prayer. The feeling that comes with knowing your church is praying over you and each of your team members is a feeling that can only be experienced!  Fox River sends off teams fully covered in prayer, support, and encouragement!

The team buckled up for a full weekend of being loved on by our Church.  We loved being able to hop back and forth between our Waukesha and Muskego campuses, knowing that Waterford campus is praying over us as well!  

 We were also able to join the church as we prayed over and sent Kerri (who is now safely in Nicaragua)! What an awesome experience to be able to gather around her and send her off!

Will you join us in praying as we go?  

Here are some certain areas: 

• Travel- timing, customs, safety, and everything in between
• Health- that we stay well rested and fight off the travelers sickness
• Luggage- we need our supplies, can you pray them there for us? 
• People-  Our team members as well as each person we will come in contact with!  For us to allow God to shine brighter than us. That the Nicaraguan people will have open hearts to the message of Christ. 
• Our Events- Clinic days, VBS, Women's Outreach, Teen Night, Movie Night, 5 year Celebration, Hygiene packs, Field day.  

You can find prayer cards at any Fox River campus!  >>>

 

 

 

 

PACKING!!!

Today we came together as a team to pack up all of our supplies. ALL. OF. THEM.

What a packing day entails...  We start off by standing and looking at the heaping piles of supplies that we somehow have to fit in our limited amount of suitcases that can only way 50lbs.  We spread out our suitcases.  Then we get to it... next step would be to get rid of all the bulkiness we can... taking things out of boxes, wrappers, etc.  Ziplock bags are our friends and we use 100's of them!  We spend a couple hours packing, weighing, shifting, repacking, reweighing, and on it goes until each suitcase weighs in right around the 50lb mark. 

It might take a lot of work, patience,  and a whole lot of GOD power for us to get all the things we need into these suitcases, but we love the time we get to be with our team and to see how God makes it all fit.  All of these moments are what builds the experience we will talk and share about for a lifetime! 

These supplies are what build up our events, the hygiene packs, and so much more.  It is so important that they all make it there!  This is a big area we would love you to pray about with us.  Customs can be a little tricky at times and the airlines have so many bags to make sure get to the right places with the right people.  We know we serve a God that has bigger plans than ours and that He has gone before us and is coming with us, but we also know that He listens to us when we cry out!  Will you cry out over our supplies?

Kenya Medical Mission Trip 2017

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Roger examines a student's ears.

You've probably heard a lot about the Summer Mission Trips to Kenya and Nicaragua and all the relationship building, supply distribution, and overall mission support that happens on these trips. Did you know that we also send teams on targeted medical trips to meet the health needs of the people we serve in those two countries?

The Kenya Medical Mission Trip in February 2017 is the next trip that our medical team is planning and we are looking for more doctors, dentists, and other medically-trained individuals to help us provide basic health care to the people of Kenya.

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Our Kenyan partners staffing the temporary clinic pharmacy. 

Medical Mission Trips are designed around clinic days. The team arrives at a school, sets up stations for exams, treatments, medication distribution, etc. The team then sees students and members of the community, performing basic checkups, treating conditions as the supplies and expertise of the the team allow. The day is tiring, but very fulfilling. 

On the February 2017 trip, the clinic days will take place at the two primary schools that Fox River sponsors (New Life Academy in Bomani and Crossroads Academy in Vipingo), as well as two other schools in the area. In addition to the clinics, the team will be focusing on providing some health education and health promotion. Educating people on basic health and self-care concepts can go a long way in improving the lives of the people we serve in Kenya.

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Jodie and one of her new friends on a Clinic Day.

Are you medically-trained? Starting to feel the call to spend about a week impacting the lives of literally hundreds of God's children in Kenya? 

You can read more information and begin the application process on our Trips page. While the trip is still several months away, time to prepare is short. Applications are due August 1, 2016. If you are interested in joining the trip, or even if you'd just like more information, please fill out the form on the Trips page, and someone from the Medical Missions Team will contact you soon.

Whether you're prayerfully considering being a part of our next Medical Mission Trip, or you'll be following along on our blog from home, please join us in praying for the Medical Team as they prepare to be the hands and feet of Jesus in Kenya, as well as for the people we go to serve!

Hear from Jenna

We would love for you to hear from our partner in Kenya, Jenna Nyanje.

"Habari Zenu!

(Hello Everyone)

I am a missionary sent by Fox River Christian Church and to be the administrator to one of the schools that we support, called Crossroads Academy located in the village of Vipingo.. This is my 3rd year in Kenya and my 2nd year administrating the schools. It also happens to be my 5th month married to one of God’s greatest provisions in my life, O’Neal. Life, if possible, looks 180 degrees differently than when I boarded a plane just three years ago!

Our plot of land has seen a new growth of some kind every year. Sometimes it takes bringing a new guest to our property, and hearing them say “Wow, this is a lot!”, to not get to comfortable with what our day to day life is out in Vipingo.

Our feeding center at the end of the day dishes about 850 plates of food, some of which are to children who rely on this food solely for their nutrition. Our classrooms sits 378 students in desks with resources and committed teachers, where most would have to attend crowded classrooms and even more would not attend school at all. Our Rescue Center, Life Springs, provides sole custody to 10 of the most incredible redemption stories that I could go on speaking about for days if no one stopped me. The Bible College houses on average 20 men who will be trained to go out and start their own churches in their villages. I say all of this because our ministry out there is like beehive – nothing ever sits still, some type of growth is always being seen, and it is BUSY!

My heart right now for my ministry in Kenya is to make sure that in this busy we don’t step over a diamond in the rough because were quickly going were we are needed.

I believe that we were designed to ache for God’s love and for heaven. I think God puts that in us from the very beginning. I can remember early in my life a hand full of people who loved God and because of their love for God, they loved me so well. It was then a beautiful introduction to later meet my Savior who I would devote my whole life to. That is what I so desperately want for my children in this school.  I pray daily for them, that they would see something beautiful on this campus and that it would be only an introduction to our Heavenly Father.

Many members of our Vipingo community come to the school to speak to me about needing help for their families. Sometimes, we can help them and other times we cannot. But they always leave our grounds being prayed for and encouraged if we can. May I always abide in God to see just when I am to make an introduction, to the Savior."

Please continue to pray for Jenna and her ministry in Kenya.  

The Kenya Team Preparations

The 2016 Kenya Team will depart for Kenya on July 17. We have been preparing for the work we will do with our partners in Kenya. 

Back Row: John Kleinke, Ann Baxter and Peter Van Heesch; Middle Row: Tony Schirripa, Jenni Mosher, Pastor Brent Law, Jon Evans, Michelle & Rick Gebhard and Glenn Singer; Front Row: Lisa Kleinke, Linda Warren, Barbara Singer, Kadejah Van Heesch, Denise Conn, and Lisa Dralle; Not pictured: Jessie Lopez and Ashlyn Nobles

While we are in Kenya we will:

• Continue to build the partnership between Fox River and the ministries in Vipingo & Bomani.
• Distribute the goats and chickens to families in need.
• Hold community outreach events and service projects in both villages.
• Encourage and invest in our missionaries, pastors, teachers and staff.
• Love on the almost 800 kids in Fox River schools!

Team meetings began in February to prepare for the long journey and all that God has planned for us to do and experience in Kenya.

The team divides into groups to prepare for a special day with the children in our schools.

Will you please pray for each member of this team?

Doctora Mendoza

Thank you to all who have been praying for a Doctor in the clinic in La Esmeralda, we are so excited to announce that our prayers have been answered! 

Meet Bielka Mendoza Zeaz or as we will call her Doctora Mendoza. She is from Jinotega Nicaragua, is married and has four children.  She has six years experience in the Health Center in “La Colonia” in Jinotega, and 23 years in Rural Health Centers and Nutrition Centers. 

Since she was a child, she dreamed of being a doctor.  She saw in the television doctors saving people's lives after the earthquake of 1972 in Managua.  Her motivation for studying this profession was the need of the people for medical services.  She is willing to continue to give her services as long as God gives her strength.

Praise God for all that he has done through Doctora Mendoza and will continue to do as she takes on the job of the doctor in the clinic. Join us in prayer today for the clinic and specifically for Doctora Mendoza, as she starts her new job. 

Life Spring Rescue Center in Kenya

Fox River has had the privilege to partner with Manna Worldwide, our partner for international missions, and our missionaries in Kenya, Jim & Susie Horne, to open a rescue center on the property in Vipingo.

The first house was built last summer and in September of 2015 welcomed the first little ones that had no family to take care of them. Kenya is working to move away from orphanages to adoptions. In this phase of their change, they are only approving rescue centers that are meant to take children in during a crisis until the family situation is resolved or other family members can be located who are willing to take them in. Those who have no family that can take them, will grow up in the rescue center.

The rescue center is a family setting. The building is a home. We have a mama and an auntie who live there and have made commitments to raise these precious children. These ladies are amazing! The social worker is a sweet Christian man who loves the children and gives them a wonderful father figure.

In the 8 months since the doors opened, we have seen 8 children stay for a short time during a crisis and 7 children that are permanent placements. This picture is of the staff and the 7 children God has sent our way. 

Adults: Paul (social worker), Joy (administrator), Margaret (auntie) and Nancy (mamma)

Kids: Blessing (2 yrs), Moses (7 mo), Richard (15 mo), Miriam (2 yrs), Joel (8 mo), Nimshi (15 mo) and Victor (1 yr)

Kitchen

Bedroom for mamma and babies.

Will you pray with us for this special ministry in Vipingo, Kenya?

Kerri

Fox River has had the privilege of sending out short term missionary interns to work in our strategic mission areas of Kenya and Nicaragua. Kerri Roberts is our newest intern and will be spending 3 months in Nicaragua this summer.

Kerri was in high school when she took her first Fox River mission trip to Nicaragua. It was during that first trip that God began to lead Kerri into missions. Since that time Kerri has taken three trips to Nicaragua and has become convinced that this is where her heart belongs.

The picture below captures Kerri's heart. In her own words, she explains what this picture means to her.

"On my third trip, I had the privilege of going out in the community to give mosquito nets to people who really need them. While we were walking around to some of the homes, my friend Jorvin and I were talking. He told me that most of the homes we had been to are never visited by others. As he told me this, he pointed to the tiny house in the middle of the picture and said that was one of the houses we were able to go to. We are reaching the unreached, and touching the untouched. This is what drives me to do what I do."

This short term internship is specifically directed at discerning God's will for full time missions in Nicaragua for Kerri. She will be living and working with our missionary, Donna Woodson. Kerri will have the opportunity to see and learn first hand about all of the ministries Donna touches in partnership with our missionary Brian Weed. Kerri has a burden to develop outreach ministries for the young women of Nicaragua.

Would you please pray for Kerri as she prepares for this next step in her journey of faith? If you would be interested in following Kerri's journey you can read her blog here.

The Search for a Doctor

The clinic in La Esmeralda has about 10,000 patient visits in a year and is by far the closest medical facility for the many communities located in that mountainous region of Nicaragua. It is staffed with a doctor, a nurse and a pharmacist. The doctor recently left the clinic to pursue training in a specialty. 

This week Pastor Denis, clinic administrator, is interviewing candidates to fill this position. Would you please pray with us that God would give Pastor Denis wisdom as he makes this choice and that God would send just the right doctor to serve the people we have come to love in this region of Nicaragua?

Moms and children waiting to see the doctor.

Pastor Denis and Karen

Pharmacist Fatima and Nurse Ariel

The recently completed house built for the doctor and family.