HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Thank you so much to those who have supported us throughout the process of coming to Kenya and during our on going ministry!  It's been a tremendous experience so far and we've seen our Lord move in miraculous ways!  It's going to be such an exciting year in 2012 and we are really looking forward to the start tomorrow!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Matching Donation Opportunity!

We are so excited that preparations for construction on the permanent GOGCP facility are moving rapidly!  This is a picture of a similarly designed orphanage.  An anonymous donor has agreed to match up to $20,000 in donations towards the construction of the new home!  If you feel led to help with this ministry, now is the time.  A builder has been selected, plans are being drawn up, and materials are already being purchased!

www.graceofgodchildren.org    OR
Grace of God Children's Project
521 Reed Street
Damascus, VA 24236

Merry Christmas

Thank you to everyone who is supporting us through prayers and financial contributions.  Especially to those who have given towards a vehicle, we have a wonderful Christmas present to the whole Medlin family as well as the children's home - A NEWLY PURCHASED TOYOTA 4WD TRUCK!!!

Old Truck        -        New Truck

Christmas Letter 2011

December 24, 2011                                                                     

Dear Friends & Family:                                                               

What an amazing year this has been for us!  We began 2011 with a 2 week mission trip in January to Kenya.  Now we find ourselves about to celebrate our first Christmas in Kaptagat, Kenya and begin a New Year of longer term ministry.

Michael and the boys have been here about 6 weeks, and the dust has not yet settled from the time their feet hit the ground.  Michael has been working on improving the living conditions at the children’s home, establishing a community children’s ministry, developing a youth soccer league ministry, partnering with local church ministry teams, making numerous missionary contacts, coordinating plans for the short term missionaries coming to serve in 2012, as well as arranging all the personal family matters relating to living in a foreign country. 

Kellie is keeping busy with the children and supporting Michael.  She’s grateful that homeschooling is off to a good start, and loves our new home.  She’s enjoying getting to know the children at the orphanage and developing relationships with the women in our area.  She’s had a lesson in washing clothes by hand, but thinks it will be quite a while before she gets them as clean as the Kenyans do.

Gabriel, Christina, Jacob, and Abigail are enjoying the freedom of pickup truck rides, playing with new friends, experiencing a bit of farm life, and buying treats with their shillings.  God is already using them to develop relationships and share His Word.  We are blessed to have each of them with us during these days, and so proud of their good attitudes towards the cultural differences they are facing!

Currently, David Cheromei, the Founder of the Grace of God Children’s Project (GOGCP), is visiting with us, and is helping us make huge steps towards:  moving the children’s home to the new property before the beginning of the January school term, raising funds for the ministry and beginning construction of the new facility, setting up ongoing policies of operation for the orphanage, and locating our personal transportation.  God is opening doors as only He can do, to accomplish all that needs to be done!  Bwana Asifiwe!

We are so fortunate to have been invited to serve the Lord in this place.  God is teaching us that a willing heart is all He needs.  His power is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9)  Along with that, as life has been a bit less comfortable as of late, it’s caused us to reflect all the more on Christ’s sacrifice for us.  Not only did He leave His Father and a perfect Heaven to be crucified for our sins, which He didn’t commit, He spent over 33 years on earth living in some pretty tough conditions!  We are praying that He will give us His kind of love for others as we learn to peel our eyes off of ourselves and onto our Sovereign Lord.

We hope this note finds each of you well and walking closely with the Savior of the world.  Thank you so much for all of your prayers, acts of kindness as we prepared to leave, words of encouragement, and financial support.  God has and is using you to demonstrate to us, that He’s got us in His hands, and He’s going to take care of it all.  Thank you for your partnership in what God is doing in Kenya.  We love you and hope to hear from you soon and continue to pray for you daily. 

Love in our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ,

Michael, Kellie, Gabriel, Christina, Jacob, & Abigail

Kid's Ministry - Movie Night #3

The Word is spreading as evidenced by our 3rd wednesday evening Movie Night!  The children's attendance has grown to 131 as we both entertain as well as teach the children about the Bible and God's love.  This week, we introduced them to the hand puppets and it was a big hit.  We are blessed to have a youth missions team here from Nairobi to play the parts.

131 Children In Attendance Tonight !

The Puppet Ministry is a HUGE Hit !

Missions Day #2

Another great day in the Lord today as we had a full day of missions!  As I walked the rough roads of Kenya in the morning going door to door witnessing to the community, my body grew weary from the hot sun, high altitude, and tired legs but it was all for the sake of the Gospel  Finally at my last stop, I encountered a young woman named Antonina which the Spirit had already arrived to soften her heart so that she was ready then to receive Christ.  Praise the Lord that He never grows tired and weary!


Isaiah 40:30-31  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.  But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.

Local Mission Day #1

It was day one with the missions team of high-schoolers from Nairobi.  These 8 individuals are extremely confident, eager, and aggressive in their desire to share the gospel with the local community.  In this first day out, we broke into 5 teams of 2 and spent the morning blanketing the homes closest to the church.  In all, we witnessed 15 individuals pray for salvation during our visits!  Praise the Lord for moving in His Spirit!

New Meanings

We came to Africa with the mission of helping the orphaned & needy children and surrounding communities.  After all, we’re the ones who have it all figured out, right?  However, it became apparent very early on, that we are all in critical need of each other's strengths to offset our own weaknesses.  (Thank you Jane for carrying Jacob on the long walk home from church!)

New Friends

The Medlin children have really (I mean really) enjoyed spending time with the Grace of God children.  The GOG kids range from 14 down to 4, and our kids are between 11 and 4 so they have easily found that commonality of friendship that cannot be separated by continents or cultures.  (This is Abigail’s new friend Brenda Kiptoo.) 

Praises and Prayer Requests

Bwana Asifiwe (Praise the Lord!) for our first week of ministry all together as a family in Kenya.  The kids are very excited and playing key roles in relationship building and church services.  Also, God has provided comfortable housing, a guitar for worship ministry, and reliable internet access.  

Some prayer requests include: Our Director, David Cheromei, is flying over Friday to visit and meet concerning immediate construction decisions.  Please pray for his safe travel and Godly wisdom in decision making.  Secondly, please pray for God's provision and wisdom in our search for a suitable means of transportation.  Finally, we will be participating with a mission team from Nairobi, Tues - Sunday in our local area.  Please pray for open hearts and fruitful results from the evangelism efforts.

Movie Night #2

We enjoyed the opportunity of showing Max Lucado's Milo and the Mantis who Couldn't Pray to the children at the Christ Restoration Church, 96 in all!  We taught them a song, served popcorn, and Gabriel told the story of Daniel and the Lions' Den.  It was such a blessing to us to get to share with them about their Father who always hears their prayers! 

Afterwards, our family and many from the GOGCP loaded up in the truck we are currently borrowing to go to the GOGCP home for dinner!  Jacob is back there somewhere, too!

Gabriel turns 11 (Nov 17th)

Pastor Peter baked a vanilla cake in a pot over the fire and it was so good.

Apparently cake is always celebrated by feeding it by hand to everyone.

The Grace of God Children's Home Family

Lake Victoria

I found the dojo in Kenya...

They're serious about football here - shoes or not.

Ministry time after the game.

Lunch at Lake Victoria - fish & ugali - loved it!

Pics of the new property...

Visitors Guest House

Hand Crank Well Pump

The Girls Made It !

Thank you for all the prayers you provided as Kellie and the girls traveled to Nairobi.  We're all safe and sound and ready to head out to the children's home on Tuesday morning.