Weekly Update for Tom and Cheryl Rees in Thika, Kenya                                                              1-16-10

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”                            John 14:12-14

Happenings from Last Week

Tom left for London on Monday because his visa expired. We learned that work permits in Kenya are on hold while the head of immigration works out differences with one of his co-workers in authority. Tom returned on Saturday saying it was quite a change from the warm weather to the cold. He met a man who owns a pub in London and he shared with Tom how his parents are missionaries in Kenya. Tom also prayed for two young girls ages 12 and 6, who were on the plane flying alone. Their parents are divorced and the girls must fly back and forth between New Zealand and England. The 12 year old kept crying while the 6 year old tried to comfort her sister.

Ceasar Family Arrived on Tuesday

Eric and Sheila with their two children, Elliot 3 years and Eliana 1 year, arrived safely from New Jersey. They will be staying with us for a while as they prepare to move to Mauritaus Island to begin a new ministry. Pray for them as they travel this week to Uganda to visit Sheila’s family.  It has been 3 years since Sheila has seen her family and they are praying God will move in a special way to touch her family with God’s love and the truth of His Word.

Waiting for God’s Timing

The work on the church is now complete and Amos has accepted Jesus!  We are so grateful that as Amos worked on the church, God touched him. What a wonderful way to begin a new church. We are praying and waiting on the Lord to open the way for the church to begin. We know that God has the work permit in His hands and everything will come together in His time. We are waiting with anticipation knowing that God is able to do far above all we ask or think.

Continued Prayer for Tom’s Father

We are checking in regularly to see how Tom’s dad is doing. He is mostly resting and taking his dialysis treatments. Continue to pray for his dad as he has pain in his arms and legs. We are praying for God’s timing in our return to the states to be with him.

May the Lord use you in touching others for Jesus this week, Tom and Cheryl

Weekly Update for Tom and Cheryl Rees                                                         1-1-2011

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev.1:7-8

Happy New Year!

Blessings to everyone as we enter the new of year of 2011, God goes before us and will lead us in the way everlasting. Tom and I are taking this time to pray and seek the Lord for His perfect will for the coming weeks and months ahead. We are almost at the end of finishing up work for the church. This week the floor will be painted and then we just need to hang the curtains. We learned this week that hostels full of students two blocks away are waiting for the church to open. God is so good and we look forward to all that He has planned.

Murder on the River

Margaret told us her husband’s cousin was murdered this week. His cousin was a sixteen year old young lady going to the river to fetch water. A couple of other young ladies were at the river and saw his cousin getting water. They decided to drown his cousin in the river. The police were able to arrest the two who murdered his cousin. They are now in jail awaiting trial. Pray for comfort for the families and for the two ladies in jail to know Jesus.

Prayer for Tom’s Father

Tom’s father has been unwell for sometime. He has recently started dialysis, but this has left him very weak. We may need to return in the near future. We are praying for his dad’s comfort and rest during this time. Please pray for all family members to know God’s presence and comfort.

Work Permit

Tom’s visa ends January 11^th and then he must leave East Africa for a brief time. If we receive the work permit we will stay until we are needed to be with Tom’s father. If we don’t receive the work permit then we will make arrangements to leave the end of next week. We are praying for wisdom and guidance as we look to the Lord for His will in the days ahead.

We look forward to Jesus coming again! May God bless you and your family with wisdom and grace in the New Year. Love, Tom and Cheryl

Weekly Update for Tom and Cheryl Rees in Thika, Kenya                                                                   12-21-10

“So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying; ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.” Matt. 1:22

Christmas in Nairobi

Tom and I will be going to Nairobi on Friday and Saturday for Christmas. Dave and Twinkle Zavala have graciously invited us to join the staff at Calvary Chapel Nairobi for the holidays. Tom will be making stuffing and I will be baking 2 pumpkin pies. We are looking forward to a wonderful time of fellowship as we celebrate the birth of Jesus and the testimonies of all that He is doing in each of our lives. Pray for a safe trip to and from Nairobi as the holidays are more dangerous than usual.

In The News

The Daily Nation headline today is “Two dead, 41 injured in Nairobi bus blast.” A grenade exploded next to a bus taking on passengers traveling from Nairobi to Kampala, Uganda. Previous to the explosion Uganda’s chief of police issued a warning that there were strong indications that al-Qaeda linked militants were planning an attack during the Christmas holidays. Three men carrying a box tried to force their way into the bus without submitting to the security check, there was a struggle and the box dropped and exploded killing one of the men. Please pray for protection during the Christmas holidays as many people are traveling up country to be with family members.

Thank you for Praying

Our daughter Melissa was in the hospital after her return from Africa. After being released she went to stay with Nick and Sara, but Sara became very sick, so Melissa helped take care of Nia, Emilia and Rose. Sean was also very sick, but everyone is doing much better now and we are very grateful for all the prayers. Pray for our family to have a wonderful Christmas as they visit with relatives and special friends. We will miss them all this year, but look forward to seeing them on our return in 2011.

Prayer Requests:

 Pray for our dear friend Richard and his family as his mother is in hospice care. His mother is Jewish and has not been receptive to the gospel, so we are asking for the Lord to intercede during this time and bring her to salvation.

 Pray for Wanda, Wes Bentley’s mother, as her husband has recently passed away. May God give her comfort and surround her with His perfect love.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Thank you to all for being such a wonderful blessing in so many ways to Tom and I this year. May God bless each one with peace and joy in Jesus this Christmas.

 Love, Tom and Cheryl