"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me."
Psalm139:9-10
Our second field term in Kenya has drawn to a close. The girls and Suzie completed another year of homeschool with Rebekah now ready to enter fifth Grade and Lauren first grade. We set apart elders for Maasai churches in special ordination services. The Ewaso Ng'iro Clinic is up and running. We have passed the keys on to our Maasai partners who will oversee the ministry of both churches and clinics. We leave them equipped with the training and the means to discharge their tasks.
We welcomed Y2K with our CMF team at our training center outside of Narok town. We spent several days in fellowship, worship, and WORK as we cleaned out some storage areas that needed attention badly. For the sake of the kids (young and old), we put together a modest fireworks display preceded by sparklers for the little folks. The time was enjoyed by all until one skyrocket misfired and went right under Suzie's chair! (She still insists I aimed it at her.)
Also in January, we hosted medical student Joel Ahlgrim. We traveled to all seven of our clinics while Joel was with us, making it a full and exhausting month. Joel was up to it all and did great. I taught homeschool while Suzie either worked in the clinics or squeezed in a few days of study to complete her Internal Medicine recertification exam (all five parts!).
Our meeting month! Suzie traveled to Limuru to attend the CMDS (Christian Medical & Dental Society) meeting held every other year in Kenya. The meeting lasted two weeks after which we started a week and a half of CMF meetings at the same conference center.
In March and April, Suzie resumed teaching the girls, and got serious about packing for furlough. I directed my efforts at getting our seven clinics in good shape for our yearlong absence.
The new year has brought with it a sense of renewal and revival among Maasai believers. Our church sent out a dozen men to preach and teach in villages outside our area. They are also calling on believers who have fallen away to get their priorities straight. Our modest church building can barely contain the people who come to worship each Sunday.
CMF missionaries ordained five elders and two young ministers in our local church, an exciting milestone in the life of the Maasai church at Endoinyo Erinka.
Rebekah turned 10 on February 24. We were together with our teammates and had a big cake and ice cream. Rebekah's birthday wish was also fulfilled. During her mother's medical course, Rebekah was able to log in six hours of horseback riding lessons and one trip to a waterpark!
CMF Retreat -- We enjoyed an encouraging weekend retreat led by a couple who work as counselors to missionaries in Nairobi. They were well equipped to speak to the stresses and strains of missionary life in Kenya. We left feeling refreshed and uplifted.
An elephant visited our home one night while we were away. Our brave dog scared him off. Our watchman showed us the skid marks where the elephant's tusks dug up the sod in our backyard as he tried to gore our dog!
THE EWASO NG’IRO CLINIC AND CENTRAL PHARMACY OPENED its new building on the first of March. We thank all of you who helped make this possible.
On May 18, we arrived in Chicago to begin furlough. We plan to spend May 18-24 in Chicago, May 26-June 7 in Nashville, then travel to Houston where we'll stay from June 9-25, and San Antonio, June 26 - July 6. We head back north for the NACC in Louisville, a week of VBS at my home church in Chicago, and a CMF furlough retreat in Indianapolis to round out the month of July. In August, we plan to make a quick visit to see Suzie's family in Vancouver, Washington before school starts for the girls.
This furlough, we will make our home in Nashville, Tennessee. We will miss our friends in San Antonio very much, but we appreciate their support in this decision. We believe that God has opened a real door of opportunity for Suzie to work part-time at Vanderbilt University Hospital where she completed her residency training. This experience will help sharpen Suzie's skills and expand her knowledge base in preparation for a formal exam, the one remaining step to complete her recertification in Internal Medicine during furlough.
I plan to continue taking courses in Emmanuel School of Religion's Doctor of Ministry program. I will also be reporting to churches in the Nashville area, as well as making trips to other states to report to our supporters.
Thank you for your prayers for our family as we conclude our second term of service in Maasailand. Thanks also for your prayers for my father who continues to recover from quadruple bypass surgery and a post-operative stroke in Chicago.
Your Partners in Ministry,
Dave and Suzie Snyder
Join with us in praising God for:
• The growing maturity of Maasai church leaders.
• The 32,000+ lives we were able to touch through our clinics in 1999.
• The completion of our Ewaso Ng'iro Central Clinic & Pharmacy.
• The health and safety of our family.
• Dave's father's successful heart surgery. And petitioning God for:
• Our Maasai friends as they lead the churches.
• John Sankok as he takes over the full administration of CMF's seven clinics.
• Our CMF-Maasai team, with over half of its members on furlough this year.
• Our family as we make the transition from African bush life to life in America (especially that the girls will enjoy their experience in a Nashville school and make some good friends).
• Dave's father's continued recovery from a stroke.
With the mobility of American families, it is a real gift from God when we benefit from the gift of friendship over several generations. When I was growing up in Chicago, my family enjoyed the friendship of Gene and Myrtle Ahlgrim. Shortly before I left for college, they moved to East Tennessee to work with Emmanuel School of Religion. As a new student at Milligan College, Gene and Myrtle opened their home and their hearts to me. I spent many nights in the warmth of their home, finishing a writing project or studying for finals. I learned how to tune the engine of my 1974 Chevy Nova in their garage. I have long felt a debt of gratitude to this special couple for their care and nurture. Imagine my delight when two generations later, Gene and Myrtle’s grandson, Joel, a young man in medical school, asked if we would be willing to host him in Kenya as a medical intern!
Thank you, Gene and Myrtle, for your service to our Lord. Because of your lives, I know what Jesus meant when He said that the Kingdom of God is among us. (Myrtle now enjoys full citizenship in this Kingdom as she went to be with our Lord some years ago.)
And thank you, Joel, for bringing us back in touch with a special family. You were a blessing and an encouragement to us during your internship.
From the Heart,
Dave
PS: Joel’s parents, Alan and Linda Ahlgrim, currently minister with the congregation at Rocky Mountain Christian Church, Niwot, Colorado. Alan has served on the CMF Board.
Checks should be made payable and sent to:
CMF International
P.O. Box 501020
Indianapolis, IN 46250-6020
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