A Life Changing Trip!

Join us next summer on a mission trip to see first hand what God is doing through Fox River in Kenya or Nicaragua. Your life will never be the same and the impact you make on those you serve will change their lives too!

This weekend we will hold information meetings about those trips. Come and learn more about how you can make a difference.

• After every service at every campus

• Basic details covered in about 15 minutes and then we will answer questions

• The Nicaragua Mission Trip is June 24 - July 3

• The Kenya Mission Trip is July 18 - August 1

To learn more, check out our trips page and then join us after one of the weekend services to learn more about this incredible experience!

Ready to sign up? Fill out the form at the bottom of the trips page and we’ll be in touch.

2019 Kenya Team

Loving on our kids!

Fox River team with Nica partners

Community outreach

A Night to Thank YOU!

Dear Fox River Missions Sponsors and Friends,

We have something planned just for YOU!

We are getting ready to launch a new My Gift for Jesus season! But first we want to celebrate!

Sunday, November 17 we will be hosting our very first Fox River Missions Thank you Night. This is a night designed to let you know how GRATEFUL we are for YOU! We want to give you the chance to hear the difference you are making on a deeper level. We want to fill you in on some of the exciting things happening in both Kenya and Nicaragua. We want to be together as we launch the 2020 My Gift for Jesus season!

We will spend time in fellowship as we gather, thanking you, celebrating what God has done, look ahead at what we are praying for this season, and hearing from one of our partners that will be in the building with us!

Come, join us, celebrate, and be spoiled a bit! Our partners in both Kenya and Nicaragua want to thank you for how you are making a difference!

Date: Sunday, November 17

Time: 5-6pm

Where: Waukesha Campus

Light snacks will be served.

Register here and let us know you are coming!

Kerri Update

Hola Fox River Missions Followers,

We wanted to give you an update on Kerri and what she has been up to in Nicaragua.

Some of you may ask… Who’s Kerri? Kerri is a Fox River member who has been changed by International Missions and has a calling on her life to serve in Nicaragua. Fox River Missions has been partnered in Nicaragua for almost 10 years and are in full support to have Kerri on the field.

Over the last several years you have joined us in praying and supporting as Kerri followed the call God has placed on her heart. You’ve watched as she has been on Fox River teams over the years and as she has spent several months there learning more about the culture and the heart behind her calling.

You have heard us share about what has taken place in the country of Nicaragua over the last couple years, as you can imagine the call on her heart has only grown stronger. Kerri has waited and prayed about when God would send her and what that would look like. He answered!

Kerri is finishing her second month of living in Nicaragua. She is in language school and living with a fantastic family that loves her like their own (thank you)! Her program is 9 months and she is being immersed in the Spanish language at school, home, church, and life overall. This is one of the many steps she needed to take to follow God and the calling in her life! As she is there studying she is praying about what the years ahead will bring, but most importantly she realizes that she is already on the mission field and can use every moment to Glorify our God!

Family

Family

School!

While Kerri is there she also has had and will have more opportunities to visit our Partners in La Esmeralda. She was able to go up and spend time with them and share at their women’s retreat. She has been able to go up and get some updates of exciting things happening at the clinic (stay tuned for this news)! We love having Fox River on the ground there to go and encourage our partners! Thanks Kerri!

Our Nica partners in La Esmeralda!

Will you join us in praying for Kerri? Praying that she absorbs the language. Praying that she ceases every moment to make Jesus known. Praying that she has open eyes and heart to what God Has next for her.

Let her know you are praying for her. Follow her blog as she shares stories of God’s working here.

National Exams in Kenya

The 2019 Kenya school year is in the books! School officially ended last Friday with preschool graduations and a closing awards ceremony.
The new school year begins in January, but before then we have almost 100 students finishing primary school and high school that will be taking national exams that will determine their next steps.
Fifty three students finishing grade 8 are sitting for their national exams today, tomorrow and Thursday. The results of these exams will determine if and where they will attend high school. They have prepared well.
There are 43 of our students finishing high school. Their exams will take three weeks in November. Students who do well will be invited to attend university that is highly subsidized.
There is a lot of stress for these students. Will you please pray with us for them?

Heading Home

The team is in the airport and ready to board our first flight home.

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The 2019 Kenya Missions team with our missionary partners, Jenna & O’Neal

The goodbyes (or “see you next times”) are always hard, but knowing our partners are in good Hands makes the parting a bit easier.

As I write this, 12 of us are in line to board our first flight, a 2.5-hour trip to Ethiopia. After a short layover, we’ll have a 17-hour flight to Chicago with a brief refueling stop in Dublin.

Please pray with us for smooth and uneventful travel!

The team about to board at Moi International Airport in Mombasa

Safari and Closing Meeting

After all the events are done we conclude our trip by going on safari. It gives us the opportunity to experience this great land and begin to turn our thoughts toward home. As each one continues to process what we have witnessed and experienced, we know there are challenges ahead as we prepare for re-entry to our own culture.

Here are a few pictures from safari.

After our return today, we ended the final day of the trip with a closing meeting with our missionaries at Jim and Susie Horne’s home. Each team member shares a meaningful experience from the trip and we seek to bless our missionary friends. It is a special way to say our final goodbyes.

The team begins their journey home tomorrow. Please pray for safe, smooth travels.

Special outfits given to us from our partners and friends at New Life Academy.

Fun Day with Our Kids in Bomani

Today we focused on loving our kids and staff at New Life Academy. We began with our school picture. Don't you just love those smiles!

2019 New Life Academy, Bomani, Kenya

We spent the rest of the morning just as we did yesterday where each class had a Bible lesson, a creative center and outside games. Here are a few pictures of the fun.

Lunch was delicious!

We shared toasting marshmallows and making s’mores with the staff.

The team was able to visit some of the homes of our students and then came the time for the mattress distribution. Pastor Abraham invited needy families to join us for a meeting during which he gave a Gospel presentation. Several indicated that they were choosing to receive God’s gift of eternal life. Oh the joy!

Grateful mamas!

Over 100 mattresses given out to families today. This young lady received a mattress in January and couldn't stop talking to us about the difference it has made in her life!

Saying goodbye to people we have grown to love is always difficult. As we wrap up the ministry portion of this trip, we are so thankful for all God has allowed us to be a part of in the last 10 days.

Tomorrow we head out on safari. This is a great opportunity for us to experience this great country and begin to process what God is doing in us as we turn our thoughts toward home.

Final good byes

Fun Day with Kids in Vipingo

What a beautiful day to share our final day with our staff and kids in Vipingo! We began the day by taking our school picture.

We then spent the rest of the morning investing in our kiddos. Each class enjoyed a creative Bible lesson, a fun craft and some out door games.

While grade 7 helped our team members, grade 8 was able to spend the whole morning with Pastor Mark and Bev. They had some fun games, a challenge, small group discussion and a special treat from Wisconsin, s’mores!

A final lunch with the teachers and then we shared roasting marshmallows and making s’mores with them. What fun!

In the afternoon, we were able to walk into the village to visit the homes of some of our 7th grade helpers. We were humbled and blessed to see where they lived and be welcomed into their homes!

At the end of the day, we were so blessed to give 80 needy families a mattress so their children won't have to sleep on the dirt floor. They were so grateful! Thank you to all who donated to make this possible!

Mark presented the mattresses and talked about the rest we can have in Jesus. It was perfect.

Happy smiles!

The final goodbyes are always hard! As we leave Crossroads Academy, we are filled with joy to be a part of this partnership through which God is rewriting the story of hundreds of children!

Sunday in Kenya

Our day began at Crossroads Fellowship Church. Our missionary, Jim Horne, is the senior pastor and Gideon Banda, who spent 6 months at Fox River last year, is the executive pastor. Jason and Maddie joined the worship team and we enjoyed the service worshiping with these believers.

Maddie

Maddie and Jason with worship team

After a quick bite of lunch we drove to Bomani for the community outreach event. The weather was beautiful and the crowd was large. Like yesterday, we had camel rides, face painting, balloon animals, acrobats, plus all the fun things the Fox River team did with the kids.

Pastor Mark had the privilege of baptizing some of the New Life students to begin the afternoon. Our team fielded a volleyball team to play in a tournament. O'Neal organized some great fun and musical talent for the main stage entertainment. Our local pastor gave the gospel and many received Christ as their personal savior!

After the events were concluded, each family left with a bag of food.

Thank you, Fox River, for loving these communities well by investing in their future through educating their children and introducing them to eternal life through Jesus.

Vipingo big day

Today’s blog comes to us from Abbey.

Jambo! This has been my first time to Kenya and I have been blown away by the work that Fox River has done here. Saturday was our first community outreach day at Vipingo and it couldn’t have gone better. We had so many people come and the weather was perfect! It was a very independent day and was full of stickers, bubbles, tattoos, and face paint. We were able to interact with the kids, and everyone ended up with their own group of kids following them. 

One thing that I experienced for the first time was riding a camel. All of the children would push us to the front so they could ride with us over and over! 

For the entire trip I have been so shocked by how much the students want to help and that especially showed today. All of the older kids took charge and made sure the young ones where taking turns, forming lines when needed, and always offered to carry stuff for me. I’m so thankful for all that they have done.