Prayer for Salvation

Dear Prayer Partner,

 

We are having an Evangelistic Emphasis at the Christmas VBS today.

It will begin at 5 a.m. (Texas Time) and end at 8 a.m.  (Texas Time).

There are more than 230 kids in the age groups that will be participating

in this session.  PLEASE pray that those who are not already saved

will accept Jesus as their Savior.

 

Update on Christmas VBS coming soon.

 

Blessings,

Leah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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THANK YOU for your continued PRAYERS and SUPPORT
Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming
 
NEW BLOG FOR OUR PRAYER REQUESTS
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/prayer.html

 

To DONATE  to our ministry with the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

 

To FIND OUT more about us and our Ministry to the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/

Merry Christmas & Adoption Update

Answer to Prayer

After waiting for 18 months, our US Homestudy will finally arrive at the US Embassy before Christmas day. A very big Christmas Present from our heavenly Father. Thank you Lord ! ! !

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Prayer Requests

1) Pray that the CIS department of the US Embassy will approve our I-600.

2) Pray for the Christmas Vacation Bible School Coming up on December 29, 30 & 31st.

3) We had to take out a $600 30-day loan to pay our utilities and some unexpected adoption and immigration expenses. Please pray that God will provide us the funds to pay back this loan.

4) Pray that God will help us find a house to rent.

5) Pray that God will provide us with a car.

6) We are trying to reach a goal of 1000 prayer partners. We have 5 new prayer partners since our last update. We need 665 more. Please ask your friends to join our prayer team.

7) We need 100 people on our Financial Support Team. Pray that God will raise up this team to support the work among the Borana People. We have 11 people who have joined this team so far.

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To DONATE to our ministry with the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

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ADOPTION UPDATE

Since the sequence of the adoption is so confusing. I thought I would give a sequence of events and show where we are. This is how we understand the sequence, but there are frequently things that come up that we have not previously been told about.

1) Apply for foster care approval.

2) Have a homestudy done by the Kenyan Adoption Agency.

3) Once Foster care approval is granted bring an adoptable child home for 3 months.

4) Have a home visit by the Kenyan adoption agency to observe the child in the home and then agree that we can keep him and proceed with applying for adoption.

5) File a petition for adoption with the Kenya government.

6) Have a guardian ad litem appointed by the Kenyan Govt.

7) Have a homestudy done by the Children's Dept of the Kenyan Government.

8) File the I-600 with the US Embassy in Kenya.

9) FBI records Check.

10) Kenyan Adoption Agency performs another homestudy and sends their report to a the Carolina Adoption Services in the USA.

11) Carolina Adoption Svcs. certifies that the US homestudy done by the Kenyan agency meets US Guidelines.

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ALL OF THE ABOVE HAVE BEEN COMPLETED

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12) US Homestudy along with an FBI record check are reviewed by the US Embassy.

13) Approval of the I-600.

14) Go to court for our petition for adoption to be heard.

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Now from this list it sounds like we are almost through. And truthfully, we really should be almost through. We met Ross 3 years ago on January 19th. After three years we are really praying that it is almost over. However, let me warn you, many people have gone to court for what should be the last time and the court has "dreamed up" some other document that must be presented. Something that no one else has every been asked for before and that the lawyer has no way of knowing the judge will ask for. So, while we are a lot closer to the end than we have ever been, it still could be a while.

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URGENT PRAYER REQUEST (08)

Dear Prayer Partner,

 

We have an Urgent Prayer Request.  We received a letter from the American Embassy today informing us that we have 27 days to get our US homestudy completed.  This homestudy is something that we have been trying to get done for 1 1/2 years and have met with many "drag my feet" people who continue to delay it. 

 

We were previously led to believe that if we did not get the homestudy done by January 2, 2009 that we would be allowed to file an extension. This letter says that they are no longer allowing people to file extensions.  This is very SERIOUS, this means that we could lose Ross.  That Ross could lose us.

 

We don't want to try to recount the 18 month long story. We simply want to ask that you would pray for God to intervene and that either the appropriate agency will complete the homestudy in time or that the US Embassy will give us a grace period. 

 

We appreciate your prayers and ask that you pass the request on to anyone whom you think would pray for this issue.

 

Thank you for your prayers.

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THANK YOU for your continued PRAYERS and SUPPORT
Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming
 
NEW BLOG FOR OUR PRAYER REQUESTS
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/prayer.html

 

To DONATE  to our ministry with the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

 

To FIND OUT more about us and our Ministry to the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/

Thankful

Dear Prayer Partner,

 

    We have a lot to be thankful for this year.  We are thankful to have had a very happy and healthy year.  This is the first year since we arrived in Kenya in 2000, that NONE of our family members have had to be hospitalized.  In 8 1/2 years we have had 10 hospitalizations and we are very thankful not to have added to that number this year.

 

    We are thankful to be moving forward with the adoption.  We are thankful for God's provisions for our physical needs.  We are thankful to be able to continue our work in Kenya and to have our new work permit approved and stamped in our passports.  We are thankful for the many friends both in the USA and in Kenya who have been supportive of us and our ministry.  We are thankful for the people that God has allowed us to see come into His kingdom this year. 

 

    We are thankful for YOU for your commitment to pray for us.  And we are thankful to those who have joined our Financial Support Team.  Your prayers and financial support are allowing us to see people come to know Jesus as His Savior.

 

    We are thankful for our partnership with Evangelical Victory Church (EVC ) in Huruma.  We are thankful that we have the opportunity to plan and work in a VBS over the Christmas holidays.  December 29, 30 & 31st we will have 500 kids come for "Christmas Vacation Bible School" at EVC in Huruma.

 

    EV church is very mission minded and we are excited about the things we are going to be doing together with them in the coming year.  EV Church was started by a young man with a third grade education.  He fled from Ethiopia when he was still a teenager, to avoid being drafted into an army where he surely would have died.  He started EV Church 20 years ago in a slum near Nairobi. 

    Today that church has 500 children coming to Sunday School, 200 young people coming to the Swahili youth service, 100 young people coming to the Borana youth service, and 500 adults coming to the Borana Adult Service.  They have a ministry to widows and orphans, they have a church school, and they have bought sewing machines to use in a vocational school.  In August of this year they sent 50 of their church members to remote villages in Northern Kenya for a MONTH long mission trip.  We are VERY thankful to be able to join together with them and see what God will do next.

 

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THANK YOU For your commitment to our ministry ! ! !

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NEW BLOG FOR OUR PRAYER REQUESTS
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/prayer.html

     

To DONATE to our ministry with the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

 

To FIND OUT more about us and our Ministry to the BORANA PEOPLE go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/

Newsletter October 27, 2008

Dear Prayer Partner,

 

Praise the Lord

1) Praise the Lord for the prayer partners who responded with donations that allowed us be able to pay the fee for our work permit.

2) We have completed the paper work for North Carolina Adoption Services and our application for adoption will be resubmitted this week.

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Life in Kenya

Shopping for fruits & vegetables in the local market can be a challenge.  Market days are Wed. & Sat. The market can be muddy, & trashy.  There are always many young boys there who want to carry things for us so they can make a little money.  We usually hire one of them, sometimes two.  They will carry our bags of produce around while we shop & then carry the bags to our car.  We usually pay them about 30 cents & then give them a piece of fruit.  The fruit is a rare treat for them & always brings a smile.  There is one boy who recognizes us as "his customers" & we usually barely get out of the car before he is there asking us if he can carry things for us.  His picture is below (photo on the left foreground). For more photos and information on shopping in Kenya, go to www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/shoppinginkenya.html

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Prayer Requests

1) Pray that we will actually be able to get our work permit stamp this week.  It has been approved, so it is just a matter of processing the payment. 

2) Pray for the people at North Carolina Adoption Services.  They will be receiving our updated employment and financial information this week.  Pray that they will process our papers quickly so we can proceed with the adoption process here in Kenya.

3) Pray for us as we are now meeting with Evangelical Victory Church and discussing the work that we will be doing with them. Pray for God's guidance that we will develop a common vision for how we will win the Borana People to Christ.  Coming soon a web site for some of the ministries at E.V. Church. 

4) In two months the car we are borrowing has to be returned and in 2 to 4 months the house we are borrowing has to be returned.  Please pray for us that God will provide these 2 very big needs for our family.

5) We have set a goal of having 1000 prayer partners by the end of this year.  Previously, when we worked up north, we faced many physical, emotional and spiritual challenges.  We feel like we need this prayer support to be able to Reach the Borana People for Christ.

6) We also have financial goals in order to support of our family and the ministry among the Borana People.  Join our financial support team with a commitment of $15, $25 or $50 a month.  Thank you to all of those who have already joined the financial support team. If you wish to donate please follow the link at the bottom of the page.

 

Thank you for all of your Prayers. The Fleming Family

THANK YOU for your continued PRAYERS and SUPPORT
Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming
 
NEW BLOG FOR OUR PRAYER REQUESTS
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/prayer.html

 

To DONATE  to our ministry with the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

 

To FIND OUT more about us and our Ministry to the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/

October 8, 2008 Newsletter

Dear Prayer Partner,

 

Praise the Lord

1)  WORK PERMIT HAS BEEN APPROVED--Thank you so much for praying for our work permit.  After a long wait, it has finally been approved and will allow us to stay in Kenya for 3 years for the purpose of doing missionary work.  This is a big relief to us.

2)  PROCEEDING WITH THE ADOPTION--We have finally reached the required level of income to resubmit our papers to the US adoption agency

3) It has been an incredible week for us.  We have prayed for these two items for a long time. Their answer coming in the same week is almost overwhelming.  Great is the Lord and worthy of Glory, Great is the Lord and worthy of praise. We lift up our voice, we lift up our voice. Great is the Lord. Great is the Lord.

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The Borana People: 

This week we are featuring the sedentary Borana housing.  Below you will see 3 different styles of housing for the Borana People.  The type of housing that they build has been influenced by the area where they live.  The third house pictured would be considered the closest to the traditional sedentary Borana house.  The photo may look like there are 4 houses in the center.  This is not the case.  This is one house that has 4 rooms.  Traditionally you would have a room for receiving visitors, a room for cooking, a room for the children to sleep in and a room for the parents, assuming he can afford a house this big.  These rooms are circular and are about 8 feet across.  Many of the Borana live in smaller houses, one or two rooms.

www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/boranahouse.html

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How is life in Kenya different from America?

Last week we focused on a somewhat negative aspect of Kenya life, having to pasteurize your own milk.  This week we are going to focus on one of the better parts of life in Kenya.  This week was Ross' birthday and we took him to the water park in Nairobi.  It cost $1.40 for Ross to get in.  Abbey and Connor each had to pay $3.50.  Alan and Leah had to pay $0.70 each for the privilege of watching their children play.  We packed a lunch, invited friends and we spent a total of $10.00 on a fabulous birthday party.  What would it cost you in the USA to take 3 children to the water park?  AND you probably would not be allowed to bring in outside food and beverages.  Pictures below, 1) Birthday cake and song.  Ross is the one in the Spiderman goggles (a gift he would not take off all day).  2) The water slide (pretty impressive for a third world country). 3) Ross and Abbey coming down the slide.  It was a fun day! ! !

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Prayer Requests

1) Our work permit has been renewed and now we need the funds to pay for it.  $357.  Pray that God will bring this in by the end of October, which is when our current 3 month visa expires.

2) We have been unable to resume our Borana Language Study.  Please pray diligently that God will remove all the obstacles that have kept us from being able to resume.  Though our income has reached an above US poverty level income, we still do not have enough funds to resume our ministry to the Borana People.  The first item in resuming the ministry is Language Learning.  Pray that we will receive the finances we need to resume our ministry. 

3) Continue to pray for new believers, Steven, Joseph and Nancy.

4) Now that we can demonstrate that we have the necessary level of income pray that we will get all our paper work and documentation ready to send to North Carolina Adoption Agency so that we can proceed with adoption.

5) We greatly appreciate your prayer support.  Please pray about whether or not God is leading you to become one of our financial supporters. 

 

Your Servants,

Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming

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THANK YOU for your continued PRAYERS and SUPPORT
Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming
 
NEW BLOG FOR OUR PRAYER REQUESTS
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/prayer.html

 

To DONATE  to our ministry with the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

 

To FIND OUT more about us and our Ministry to the Borana People go here
http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/

Newsletter Sept 29, 2008

Dear Prayer Partner,

Praise the Lord
1) We asked prayer last time for Nancy and her family. Nancy made a commitment to follow Jesus as her Savior this week. Leah and Abbey had a chance to go to their home in the tea fields and meet Nancy's mom and speak with her and pray with her. They still might lose their home, but they have not been pushed out yet.
2) September was our anniversary with Ross. He has now been living with us for 2 whole years. What a blessing he has been.
3) THANK YOU for praying ! ! !

The Borana People: Pastoralist Nomads
The traditional Borana still travel from place to place with their cattle, camels, and goats. They use the camels as pack animals; they do not ride them. They move 3 to 4 times per year. When it is time to move they pack up everything they own and put it on the back of their camel and go in search of grass and water. www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/nomads.html

How is life in Kenya different from America?
We buy fresh milk from a local farmer and we have to pasteurize it ourselves before we can use it. "Store Bought Milk" is available, but it is about $3.50 a gallon. Our "farm fresh" milk is about $1.70 a gallon. The photos below are of Alan and Ross on their way to pick up our milk. Note the overloaded truck on the road in the first picture. It is literally piled higher on top than the height of the vehicle itself. This is VERY common in Kenya. Ross is carrying our milk jug. We have a standing order for milk. We take our empty jug to a local shop. When we arrive our milk is there waiting for us. We take the full jug and leave the empty jug for the next time.

Prayer Requests
1) We are still waiting for our work permit. Please keep praying it will be approved.
2) We have been unable to resume our Borana Language Study. We ask that you pray diligently that God will remove all the obstacles that have kept us from being able to resume.
3) Continue to pray for new believers, Steven, Joseph and Nancy.
4) We ask that you will pray that our financial support will reach an average of $2100 per month. This is the amount that North Carolina requires us to make per month in order for us to resume the adoption.
5) We greatly appreciate your Prayer Support. Please pray about whether or not God is leading you to become one of our financial supporters. No amount is too small.

Your Servants,
Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming

To DONATE to our ministry with the Borana People go herehttp://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

NEW BLOG FOR OUR PRAYER REQUESTShttp://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/prayer.html

Newsletter Sept 12, 2008

Dear Prayer Partner,

    Work Permit-We went earlier this week to check on the status of our work permit.   We were told it had not been processed and that we should come back next month.

    Web Site-Have you ever gone to the sink to get water and there was no water.  You were probably very frustrated.  Imagine having to walk 2 to 10 miles to get your water and then having to carry it back home.  Or imagine dipping your drinking water from a muddy water hole. Please check out the "Desperate for Water" page. www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/water.html

    Our Current Ministry-While we are waiting for our work permit to be approved we are active in a church near where we live.  Alan and Abbey have been involved with the worship team for this church.  We had a meeting at our house this week and some unexpected things happened.  Check out this week's story at www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/stories.html

    A Family in Need-Nancy is a 16 year old girl who goes to church with us.  Her mother has recently lost her job picking tea leaves, due to illness.  She has been told to vacate company housing.  Sometimes this family goes to bed without having eaten that day.  Nancy attends our church, but she and her family are not saved.  Please pray for God's provision for their housing, food and their salvation.

    THANK YOU for your Prayer Support-Your prayers are the most important support we receive.

    Financial Support-We also need financial support in order to provide the basic needs of our family and also for our ministry.  Please pray about whether or not God is asking you to financially support our ministry to the Borana people.  You can find information about what our needs are at http://www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/donations.html

Answers to Recent Prayer Requests

1) Praise the Lord we are all finally well after battling a very bad virus for 5 straight weeks.

2) Praise the Lord for the salvation of Steven and his friend.

Prayer Requests

1) That our work permit will be approved before November 1, 2008.

2) Pray for Nancy and her family, for their needs and for their salvation.

3) That we will be able to resume our Borana language study soon.

4) That we will have the financial support needed to resume the adoption and our ministry.

5) That we will be able to find another place to live before our friend returns from the U.S.A.

Newsletter August 30 2008

Dear Prayer Partner,

    Work Permit-We are still waiting for our work permit to be approved.  We will go and check on the status of the permit this week, just to make sure that there are not any papers that they want that were not included with our application.

    Web Site-Since our last newsletter we have added lots of NEW information and photos about the Borana people.  Find out about the famous "Singing Wells" in Borana land by clicking on this link.

www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/singingwells.html

    Language Study-The man who was teaching us last year, Boru, was working with another student and then had some responsibilities with his church that have not permitted us to take up the language lessons again.  In addition, we as a family have been battling a very bad virus for about 3 weeks.  Hopefully we will soon be well and will be able to work out a schedule with Boru that will be conducive to us and to him.

    Our Support-In order to live here and have an effective ministry we need to be able to provide the basic necessities for our family. This includes food, housing, utilities, transportation etc. These basic necessities are provided by individuals and churches who feel led by God to make a tax deductible donation to our ministry among the Borana. Please pray about whether or not God is leading you to do that. 

    Our Housing-We are currently living in a house that is borrowed from a friend who is on furlough in the U.S.A.  That friend will return to Kenya sometime between October and March.  Upon his return we will need to have alternate housing lined up. 

Prayer Requests

1) That our work permit will be approved.

2) That we will be able to work out a schedule with Boru to resume Borana language study.

3) That the whole family will get over this virus that is going around.

4) That we will have the financial support needed to resume the adoption and our ministry.

5) That we will be able to find another place to live before our friend returns from the U.S.A.

Newsletter August 17 2008

Dear Prayer Partner,

    Major Transitions-We resigned our position with a large mission agency last July.  At that time, we felt we needed to find a mission agency that was better suited for the kind of work we feel called to do here in Kenya.  We thought that we would complete the adoption quickly and return to the U.S.A to accomplish this task.  We do not believe it is God's will for us to return without Ross.  So, we first need to complete his adoption.

    Carolina Adoption Agency recently told us that we will not be allowed to bring Ross back to the U.S.A. until we find employment.  The Kenyan Government will not proceed with the adoption until we have approval from that agency to return with Ross.  So we began to realize that it was not God's will for us the return to the U.S.A. to find employment.   We believe God's answer is for us to become "independent missionaries."

    Independent Missionaries are not employed by a mission organization.   They are directly supported by churches and individuals.  One of the advantages that we will have in being independent missionaries is that we will have a closer working relationship with the churches and individuals who are partnering with us.  Subsequently, those churches and individuals have the opportunity to have more input into our ministry.  This is the kind of relationship that Paul had with the churches that supported him when he went on his missionary journeys.  This is the direction that we feel God is leading us.

  Come Alongside Ministries is a non-profit organization based in the U.S.A. They come along side missionaries to facilitate the work God has called them to do.  We have joined this organization.  Anyone, who is led by God to be a part of our support base, will be able to make tax-deductible donations to our ministry among the Borana People through CAM.

  Evangelical Victory Church is a Kenyan based church.  When we resigned from our previous position we also had to forfeit our work permit.  So for the past year we have been here on a "visitors" status and therefore not permitted to do any "missionary work." E.V.Church has agreed to work with us.  This will enable us to get a missionary work permit.  Therefore we will be able to remain in Kenya and continue the work God has called us to do.  We have applied for this work permit with the Kenya Government and are awaiting its approval.

     Web Site-We have put together a web site to help you as our prayer partner to know and understand what we are doing.  It explains 1) our ministry and vision of the work among the nomadic Borana, 2) The plight of the Borana people, 3) Information about our family and our own circumstances and 4) How you as a prayer partner can be involved. You can follow this link to view our web site. www.byhisgrace.cc/flemingfamily/

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING.

Alan, Leah, Abbey, Connor and Ross Fleming