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