African Adventures

New Year's Blessings to You!

2011-12-25T23:50:00.000-08:00

The Lord has richly blessed us in 2011. We thank you for partnering with us in Kenya. Below are a few pictures of our December highlights.

Ashley's Gingerbread house

Kayla's Gingerbread house

Below: Pictures of our visit to Mosop Orphanage on Christmas Eve

Kayla, Ashley and Abby Bemm setting out shoes to give to the kids

Melody visiting with the 8th grade girls

Steven playing soccer with some of the boys

Happy with their windmill creations!

Trying on shoes for size!

Shoes to give out to the kids

Ashley with our family friend and "adopted daughter", Diana, who joined us for the day at Mosop Orphanage

Melody with group from Mosop

Kayla - 7th grade

Below: Pictures of our Lake Naivasha vacation
December 2011

Steven - Senior picture

Kids at the pool

picture outside our cottage

Below: Ashley with her sign language class

signing "Mary Did You Know" for

our Christmas program

Steven with Senior Small Group at RVA

Christmas program

RVA choir Christmas program

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

from the Chupp family!

September update

2011-09-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

As many of you are enjoying cooler weather and a change in the leaves, we are experiencing our short rains, with a lot of green grass and bushes, and beautiful flowers blooming. I have always called this place "eternal springtime", and that is exactly how it feels right now, with cool, sunny mornings, and rainy afternoons and evenings! We are all very excited about the new school year, and I wanted to share with you a little bit about what we are doing this year.

Ashley is in 4th grade, and is a part of five 4-5th graders being taught in a co-op with several different moms as teachers. We meet in the "MK School room" which is a large one-room schoolhouse that was set apart for the missionary children's group classes. I am teaching Middle Ages/Renaissance/Reformation History to this group, and we have already enjoyed studying "Beowulf" and the Vikings together.

4th-5th grade class

Kayla is in 7th grade this year, and is doing four online classes with Northstar Academy. She was so excited that this meant she could have her own computer, since her classes are through the internet. This has worked fairly well, although she much prefers her group classes with her friends. She has Math, Science and History classes with other 6-8th graders. I'm teaching the 6-8th grade history class as well (I guess you could say I like history!), so my days are very full with classes and supervising Kayla with her online classes. We are so very grateful that the Lord provides for our children's schooling each year in a different way, and we are trusting that this will be a good year for the girls.

Jr. High History (with our mascot, Bailey!)

Melody (10th) and Steven (12th) have returned to RVA this year. They are doing well, and have become very involved in activities already. Melody is playing basketball on the Varsity B team, and Steven is in the senior Small Group chorus, as well as choir this year. He is also working hard keeping in shape for the coming rugby season later this year.

Melody on summer break with our close friend's little boy, Shadrach

We are very proud of them both, as they have become quite independent and have adjusted well to boarding school living. It is hard to believe that Steven is a senior and will be returning to the States next year. Please pray with us for him, that the Lord will guide his steps and show Steven His special purpose for his life. He is still not sure what he wants to do, so we are doing our best to encourage him and help him find his strengths and interests. Last week he celebrated his 18th birthday, and we were able to visit him to help him celebrate with his friends.

Steven's 18th birthday

In closing, I would ask for your prayers for me, as I wear many hats at Tenwek as a wife, mom, teacher, hostess, secretary, organizer, and perform other tasks that the Lord brings across my path each day.

We are incredibly blessed by the Lord that our children are happy, healthy, and growing academically and spiritually in Kenya, the place we call "home".

Pam

Kid's Update

2011-06-15T10:06:00.000-07:00

Steven (11th) and Melody (9th) have had a great first year at Rift Valley Academy (RVA). They have only 4 weeks of school left to finish out the school year, and then they come home for a six week break. They have been blessed with wonderful dorm parents, have made many new friends, and have been involved with lots of fun activities.

RVA is located on an escarpment that overlooks the Rift Valley. The views from the school are breathtaking, with Mt. Longonot in the distance, and the valley spread out as far as you can see. From Steven's dorm room window, he can see the mountain, and watch the antics of the monkeys in the trees.

View of Mt. Longonot from Rift Valley Academy

Their school schedule is September - July, with the months of December, April and August as break months. The December break is usually from Thanksgiving through the new year, so they are home for those major holidays. We have been able to see the kids about every 3 weeks or so, and this has worked very well. They have cell phones also, and we talk to them several times a week. This has allowed us to feel very connected to them and a part of their lives, even though we can't see them everyday. They also have a mid-term break each term when they come home for a long weekend half-way through the term. It always feels like a holiday when they come home for this, as I usually make their favorite foods. These times are always very special and we cram a lot of visiting into those 3 days!

Steven has been playing rugby this term on the school JV team. It is a little like American football, without timeouts and minus protective gear. It is scary to watch, but Steven absolutely loves it, and has had fun on the team. We are slowly learning the game, and enjoy watching the few games we can get to.

Mom and Steven after a rugby match

Melody just finished volleyball season on the Varsity girl's team. Volleyball is my favorite sport to watch, so it was fun seeing her in a few games as well. Their team came away with winning finals this year, so that was very special.

Melody playing v-ball at a home game

Kayla and Ashley are finished with their school year, so they are enjoying a nice, long summer break! Kayla turns 12 this Friday, and I can't believe she will be in Jr. High this fall. Ashley will be in 4th grade. They are at Camp Blue Sky this week. It is a camp run by Christians, and they bring their counselors here from Christian universities in the States for the summer. This is always a very fun time for the kids, and they have lots of activities like swimming, rock climbing, high ropes course, and many fun games. We are very thankful they can have a Christian camp experience in Kenya!

Kayla and Ashley had a wonderful school year with their other MK homeschooled friends at Tenwek. We had a co-op, so most of us moms taught different subjects. This was great, and the kids enjoyed having group classes with their friends. I taught history and band in the co-op, as well as some other individual classes.

Tenwek MK School kids

Kayla is 2nd from left in front

Ashley is 4th from left in front

Thanks so much for your prayers for our children. We feel blessed and privileged to be in Kenya, and are so thankful for the spiritual, academic, and personal growth in our kids this year. We treasure these times, especially with Steven, as he will be a senior in the fall. Please pray that he will sense God's leading for his future after high school.

Blessings and peace,

Pam, for the gang

New Beginnings - RVA and Newborns

2010-08-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

Mike and I have just returned to Nairobi after spending two full days at Rift Valley Academy in Kijabe, Kenya attending New Parent Orientation, while Steven and Melody attended New Student Orientation. Our time was spent listening to a panel of RVA staff answer questions about how to "parent from afar". We also got to know some of the staff better, took a tour of the campus, became familiar with the layout of the school, finalized the kid's class schedules, set them up with e-mail accounts at the computer lab, moved them into their dorm rooms, and met their wonderful dorm parents. I was so incredibly impressed at how hard the school staff and administration work to make the adjustment for new students smooth, and how organized and well-thought out each aspect of dorm/school life is. The kids will be very busy, even on the weekends, as there are many activities as well as required study times in the evenings for them to get homework done. Mike and I were especially humbled and overwhelmed by the love and commitment of the dorm parents, who live with their apartments attached to the dorms. They have an open-door policy for the kids to just come into their living rooms and kitchens to make tea, snacks, and visit. I am so thankful for the loving, Godly people whom God has called to mentor and disciple our children in our absence. I am confident that they will "get into their business" as needed and help them succeed at RVA.

Mike and I had amazing peace as we left the kids yesterday, knowing that this is exactly where the Lord wants them, as He performed a miracle in regard to Steven's acceptance there. When we left, they were chatting and laughing with new dormmates as the returning students were arriving. Mike and I will visit on Sunday and go to church and have lunch with them before we say our final good-bye to head back to Tenwek. We feel very blessed to only be 3 hours from them, as many parents of students will leave them and travel to other countries in Africa and won't see the kids until break, 12 weeks from now. We feel a bit spoiled that we can visit the kids quite often, and plan to return on September 11th to celebrate Steven's 17th birthday with him.

We have great confidence that Steven and Melody will grow academically, socially and spiritually as they face the ups and downs of dorm and school life, and know that many of you are praying for them as they adjust to life away from home for the first time. Mike and I will return to Tenwek Sunday afternoon, and begin a very busy week as I start school with Kayla and Ashley on Monday. It is a comfort to know that Steven and Melody are "only a cell phone call away" and they can call whenever they need to. Thanks again for all your prayers as we have entered yet another transition in our lives. We will miss them being home, and it will take time to adjust to a "new normal" at home with just the two younger girls. Life continues to be about changes, but we rest on the One who doesn't change, and know He does all things well. You can send Steven and Melody messages at their new e-mail addresses.

Steven - schupp12@rva.org

Melody - mchupp14@rva.org

They would love to get notes while they're at school!

A MONTH OF PEDIATRIC SURGERY!

Mike jumping in! Sometimes in my missionary surgical career I have noticed that patients come in two's and three's within the same surgical subspecialty. Since I plugged in to the surgical staff at Tenwek at the end of July that subspecialty seems to be pediatric surgery. While on call I have operated on three different newborns with urgent surgical needs (the average weight for the three has been just under 4 1/2 lbs!) and one 9 year old kicked in the abdomen by a donkey with a bowel injury. Two of the babies with their moms are pictured below with their permission. Both of these moms speak excellent English so it has been quite fulfilling to explain each day how the babies are doing and to see their faces light up with news of progress. The Tenwek nursery is a BUSY place with a census of 20 to 35 babies most of the year. I found several brand new baby beds with nice LED monitors and modern warmers. Praise God for these provisions at Tenwek.

Mom and one month old, 5 1/2 lb baby boy named Ramos who had condition called pyloric stenosis.

Mom and baby Enoch, a 4 1/2 lb two day old infant after surgery for condition called malrotation.

My responsibilities at Tenwek for the next 10 months will be to provide leadership to the medical staff as Medical Superintendent while helping out in the orthopedic department as much as I can. Dr. Bob Green is an orthopedic surgeon who has spent many years in many countries providing orthopedic care. Bob will be working at Tenwek through the summer of 2011 when our newest career doctor with World Gospel Mission, Dr. Dan Galat, an orthopedic surgeon, returns to Tenwek. Thus far my surgical experience can be summarized as "baby bowel and big bones"! My administrative summary would be "many meetings and endless email"!

Thank you so much for praying for us! God has done marvellous things at Tenwek and in our family in answer to the prayers of His saints. We KNOW it!!!

We will try and post to our blog once or twice a month from here on out to keep all our family and friends "in the know" about the Chupp family. God bless each one of you and your families.

Serving the King in Kenya,

Mike and Pam Chupp

Joyful homecoming to Tenwek

2010-08-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

Greetings friends!

It is hard to believe but we are now entering our fourth full week at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya after arrival here on July 14th. We found our home in great shape and our 1996 Toyota van in good working condition. We have really enjoyed renewing friendships with many missionary and Kenyan families, sharing as many meals together as possible. The months of July and August at Tenwek are busy ones with many comings and goings of visitors and long term missionary families alike. Pam has jumped into the role of hostess for several visitors and families already in the month of August.   One of the aspects of life at Tenwek that we really enjoy is getting to know wonderful, humble servants of Christ who come here as short term physicians/surgeons with their families. One such family was the Rowe family who left this Friday. Dr. Glen and Lori Rowe and kids are from Delaware and have been considering long term service in orthopedic surgery now for a couple of years. Glen was so helpful to me in caring for the orthopedic patients as I was picking up many administrative responsibilities from Dr. Russ White, my missionary co-worker since 1997.

We only had one week with our long time friends Russ and Beth White before they left for the US for their one year home ministry assignment. Russ has been the Medical Superintendent here at Tenwek the last 2+ years and handed over to me (Mike) during several power talk sessions on his back porch. Taking over the position of Med Sup after a two year absence has had its challenges but I marvel how God has brought many gifted people to Tenwek to share the load of supervision and work.  The medical staff at Tenwek has continued to grow with each department enjoying better coverage from consultants, residents, and interns than ever before. Currently the surgical department is staffed with five general surgeons (including Mike) , a urologist/general surgeon, and an orthopedic surgeon. There are six general surgery residents in their first three years of training as well as an orthopedic resident rotating from Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. The orthopedic clinic (which has always been near and dear to my heart) has steadily grown in numbers with more trauma than ever before flowing in. On July 28th we saw 111 patients in 8 hours of clinic. I have already done some challenging cases including stabilizing a cervical spine fracture on a man in his 50's who was in an automobile accident.   He accepted Christ as his Savior two days before the operation under the care and help of my intern, Dr. Elijah Terer.   He is paralyzed, a quadraplegic, but has now the hope of eternal life. Please pray for him; his name is Julius.

Pam has been very busy getting our house organized and the kids settled.  Painting, plumbing, and repairing projects have taken some time but with the great help of Tenwek's industrial department all is going well.

One major event in Kenya this past week was a landmark vote or referendum deciding on a new constitution.    Given events after elections in 2007 in Kenya, there was a great focus on prayer by the church in Kenya that this vote would take place peacefully AND IT DID!    Now four days after the referendum we have heard of no violence or arrests related to anger or retaliation by the losing side. Praise the Lord! Please pray for Kenyans as they now work under a new constitution, that the church will not remain silent as the details get worked out in the implementation of new Kenyan law.

Since our return, a very dear man of God, the Bishop of Africa Gospel Church and the Chairman of the Tenwek Hospital Board of Governors, Rev. Joseph Rono, passed away due to complications associated with diabetes and kidney failure. Rev. Rono was a wonderful friend of Tenwek and of our missionary staff here in Kenya.   I attended one of several memorial services for Bishop Rono in Kericho and found that so many people, Kenyans and missionaries alike, felt so much admiration for this servant of Jesus.   His firstborn, Jennifer, works with our medical staff here at Tenwek as our staff secretary.   Please pray for Jennifer and the rest of the family as well as the Africa Gospel Church as they recover from the loss of a very humble servant leader.

Steven and Melody are excited to be accepted at Rift Valley Academy (RVA) with new parent orientation scheduled for August 25th. We visited the school our first week in country allowing them both to see potential dorm rooms and meet potential dorm parents for the coming year.  Already friendships there are developing with the help of Facebook and email.   We continue to thank our loving Lord that Steven was accepted in the "eleventh hour" as his junior class is very large! Some of his future classmates, whom he met during our visit, were amazed that he got in!

As I close this blog entry, I want to share with you all that God was so good and has brought together our support team at just the right time. During July several friends made commitments to regularly support our ministry such that we believe that we have met the goals set out for us by WGM. July was an incredible month for our ministry financially allowing us to begin this two year term fully supported and able to help Tenwek Hospital as special needs arise. In the near future I'll be writing on a couple of important projects that are underway or hoping to start soon.   More to follow....

Our new contacts:

Dr. Mike and Pam Chupp
Tenwek Hospital
Box 39 Bomet, Kenya 20400
email: mike.chupp@wgm.org
Phone   011-254-731-566667 (Mike)
             011-254-737-688941 (Pam)
Support: World Gospel Mission,    Donor services, Box 948, Marion, IN 46952 and attach note "Mike and Pam Chupp ministry".

In His glorious service,
Mike for Pam, Steven, Melody, Kayla, and Ashley

Arrival in Kenya!

2010-07-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

Ashley on the airplane

Melody, Steven and Kayla before takeoff Tired girl during 6 hour layover in London (it was supposed to be only 3 hours!)

We are so grateful to all of you for your prayers for our family! We are now staying at a missionary guesthouse in Nairobi after 15 1/2 combined flight hours on a cramped plane with no leg room. It was so sad to have to pass all those "caccoon" seats that go all the way horizontal in first class and head back to our "steerage" compartment, where the guy in front of you puts his seat back in your lap. Our flight to Nairobi was delayed in London too, so we spent a few more hours at Heathrow Airport than we planned on! We did survive with several naps and bad plane food, and our good friends and colleagues, Chuck and Amy Bemm, met us at the airport late last night with our van and a mini bus to carry all our luggage (which all made it with us safely) to the Hampton House, where we will be staying until we head to Tenwek on Wednesday. Kayla and Ashley loved seeing their best friends Abby and Lydia Bemm who were also there to welcome us back to Kenya. Tomorrow we plan on visiting RVA to see the campus and visit the teens who are going there now. Steven and Melody are very excited to see their friends who are in their last week of school. We are all fighting major jet lag though, and after getting to bed last night after 2 am, we slept until noon today! Hopefully we will do better than that tomorrow, since we want to be at RVA just after lunch.

We are all enjoying getting acquainted with Nairobi again, visiting our favorite restaurants and enjoying weather in the 70s and 80s (with no humidity!). Mike drove our van today for the first time in 2 years, and did well in the busy traffic avoiding pedestrians, matatus (public transport vehicles), and pot holes. (Steven told him it was just like riding a bike!) It will take me longer to get used to all the near-misses again though. I decided it was better for Mike if I just closed my eyes, because I kept shrieking everytime things were close, and I was making him even more uptight than he already was! :)

We are so happy to finally be here, and have all the packing, moving, saying good-byes and long journey behind us. It will be great to see our Kenyan and missionary friends again in a few days, and begin to unpack and settle into our home. Mike will have his first transition meeting for the Medical Director position on Thursday, just a day after we get there. Please keep him in prayer as he adjusts to his work again at Tenwek.

Thanks again to all of you who have prayed for us. We are incredibly humbled and grateful for your interest in and love for our family. Most of all, we are grateful to our Heavenly Father, who has watched over us and brought us to this place of service again. To Him we give ALL the glory.

Pam

Answered Prayers

2010-06-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

We received a wonderful answer to prayer today. Steven was accepted to Rift Valley Academy (RVA), the boarding school near Nairobi that we have been hoping he could attend for his last two years of high school. We are incredibly grateful to the Lord for meeting this need, as this was the last major hurdle for us to return to Kenya.

Our support has also been rising consistently as several more friends have committed to joining our support team for the next two years. We are within just a few hundred dollars a month to reaching our full support level.

I have wept a few tears of joy and thanksgiving today, and continue to marvel at how God is meeting our needs and confirming our calling to return to Kenya.

This week has been a fun time of R&R with the Chupp clan at Lake James, NC. We are seeing Mike's brothers, sister, mom and dad and their families for the last time before we leave the country. We are then heading to Chattanooga, TN to see my parents and brother's family until July 6th. We are flying from Chicago on July 9th at 5:15 p.m. and will arrive in Nairobi on the 11th. Please pray for the logistics of our travel, getting 24 pieces of luggage to airports, checked in, etc. and for traveling mercies for all of us!

Thanks again for your prayers. God is answering them. We'll write more soon.

Pam

Transition Time

2010-06-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

We have successfully moved out of our home in Michigan and after only two showings, have also rented the house to a family who moves in July 1st! Things are moving quickly, and after packing 20 trunks and 4 suitcases, we spent two nights in our good friend’s comfortable home (thanks Dave and Amy!). It is Saturday and we have just dropped off Mike’s work car to his brother Brian who bought it from us. We are all piled in our remaining vehicle, which is still for sale, and we will leave it with my dad for him to sell. We will spend the next few days visiting with extended family members before we head back to Michigan on July 7th.
“Letting go” of material possessions, especially the house for me, has been a lesson in holding things loosely. We moved into our home just 13 months ago, and it has been just the perfect house for our family. I have enjoyed it so much, and packing it up, taking things off the walls, and then cleaning it for our new renters was definitely sad for me. I can definitely say however, that I have felt overwhelming peace in this whole process, and have felt the Lord’s hand on my shoulder as I have packed boxes, trunks, and said good-bye to this home in America. It is not easy to leave what is familiar, begin living out of suitcases again, and saying good-bye to friends and family. Please pray for our family as the next two weeks will be full of making many memories with our families, but also saying good-bye to them for 2 years.
I feel maybe a little bit like Peter might have felt when he “stepped out of the boat”, as we have stepped out in faith, renting our home, selling our vehicles, and going to Kenya, while we are still waiting for a positive confirmation on Steven’s acceptance to RVA. The admissions director told us last week that she was “very hopeful” that a place would open up for him. We know that God is never late, seldom early, but always on time!

(From Mike)

I thought I would jump in and add some updates from Tenwek that impact me and my work at Tenwek Hospital. The Board of Management for the hospital asked me to take on the position of Medical Superintendent in early August shortly after our arrival next month. The current Med Sup, Dr. Russ White, leaves on home ministry assignment in late July so a doctor was needed to jump in the role in his absence. Since I have done the job for over four years in the past, the Board felt that I could best fill this vacancy in Russ' absence for nearly a year. The position is the equivalent of a Medical Director or Chief of Staff in US medical institutions. There are a wide variety of responsibilities and many meetings to attend on behalf of the medical staff which continues to grow at Tenwek yearly. The challenge for me in the past has always been balancing clinical responsibilities with administrative needs of the hospital. I am excited by the fact that we will have fairly balanced coverage in both general surgery AND orthopedic surgery for at least the first six months we return. There are to be two orthopedic surgeons and three general surgeons during those six months (not including me!) plus a urologist/general surgeon. I have had peace in my heart about saying "yes" to the Board's invitation given this kind of surgical coverage at Tenwek. I will definitely, however, request your prayers for wisdom, patience, grace, and a sense of humor as I take over Russ' responsibilities in early August. The CEO, Mr. Geoffrey Langat, has been a dear friend and co-worker in Tenwek administration for several years. His encouragement in years past has helped me get through some challenging times at the hospital. (another reason I said "yes"!)

A recent answer to prayer was the amazing way that God helped Tenwek orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Dan Galat, to find special parts for our essential C-arm xray unit at Tenwek. This xray machine provides real time, video type, xray images that make a huge difference in fixing fractures. The unit broke down in late May just before Dr. Galat came home to the US. This caused a great deal of stress for the orthopedic and GI service which both depend on the C-arm for many procedures. The C-arm had worked faithfully for over 5 years with very heavy, daily use by Mike, Dan, and many visiting orthopedic surgeons over those years. With contacts in the xray equipment industry Dan was able to obtain parts to replace the hard drive on the C-arm and get them to Tenwek with visiting doctors. Just yesterday an email came from Tenwek that the unit was operational again and within 20 minutes assisted in the care of a 12 year old girl who fell from a tree and broke her wrists, elbow, and femur! Praise the Lord for providing for such specialized equipment through the hard work of Dr. Galat and the generosity of Tenwek friends in the xray business!

Our prayer requests in summary:

1) Place for Steven at Rift Valley Academy for his junior year starting in late August. He is first on the waiting list at this time.

2) Sale of our mini-van within the next month

3) Reaching the support target that WGM has required us to reach before returning to Tenwek. We remain about $800/month short of the target.

Thanks for continuing to journey with us. We'll send another post before we leave the country.

Last two weeks in Michigan

2010-06-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

It is Sunday evening, and before the work week starts in earnest and I begin sorting and packing again, I wanted to send out an update. First off, an answer to prayer from my last entry is that Melody was accepted to Rift Valley Academy and Steven is now #1 on the waiting list! We are hopeful that a spot will open up for him soon. Our support is coming in well, and we now only lack about $1,000/mo. in new support. We are also still in need of a renter for our home. God is good, and we know He will meet our needs at just the right time.

Last Sunday Mike was able to share with the children's program at First Church of God in St. Joseph, MI. This was a wonderful new opportunity, and they enjoyed Mike's pictures of Kenya and his gospel "illusions", which he really enjoys doing (see above picture). This Sunday (today) at Berrien Center Bible Church, where we have attended regularly, there was a special time of prayer for our family. Several friends gathered around us and prayed over us, for strength and protection over the coming days and months.

The kids finished up school this past week, and we are gradually saying our good-byes to friends at church and school. This next weekend (June 12-13) we will be in the Indianapolis area for a family reunion and to speak at Mike's home church in Mooresville. Then we head to Heritage Baptist Church in Coal City, IN for a Sunday evening service. Monday late morning we will return home to finish packing up the house, and will be moving out on Wednesday, June 16th. On Friday the 18th we will travel south to spend a couple of weeks with both sets of our parents and extended family before we leave the country.

The only thing keeping me sane right now is repeating the verse "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength", and continuing to remind myself to "just do the next thing", and not worry about what needs to happen a few days from now. I continue to methodically go through the rooms in our home and make three piles of things.....either pack for Kenya, pack for US storage, or send to the Grace Christian rummage sale! I'm definitely making headway, but still feel like there is so much to do. As I type this, Mike is going through the closet, packing up all his winter clothes. The kids have also gone through their rooms this weekend, and have made good progress on packing. Unfortunately, Kayla and Ashley have saved out a few too many stuffed animals for Kenya, and they are going to have to make another cut. You'd have thought I asked them to say good-bye to their best friends!

My devotional book, Jesus Calling, had an entry a couple of days ago that seemed to fit where I am right now. Welcome challenging times as opportunities to trust Me. You have Me beside you and My Spirit within you, so no set of circumstances is too much for you to handle. When the path before you is dotted with difficulties, beware of measuring your strength against those challenges. That calculation is certain to riddle you with anxiety. Without Me, you wouldn't make it past the first hurdle! Regardless of the day's problems, I can keep you in perfect peace as you stay close to Me.

As I continue to face these busy, stressful days, I can count on God's strength to see me through. Thanks to all of you who have prayed over us, encouraged us, and affirmed us during another big transition. We are blessed to have you in our lives!

Pam

May update

2010-05-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

We want to let you know a little bit about what's happening with us this month. Mike and I were able to go to Washington D.C. last month to visit a supporting church of ours. The great thing was that Mike's mom came to stay with the kids, so we were able to go alone! We had a wonderful couple of days to ourselves, and managed to have a fun day at the Mall, walking and looking at the monuments, capitol building, white house, etc. I think we walked more than 7 miles that day! Our visit with Ambassador Bible Church was wonderful and a great encouragement to us.

Our plans for Kenya continue to fall into place! I have begun doing a bit of initial sorting and packing of our belongings, as we leave the country in less than two months. We were able to purchase our airline tickets, and depart from Chicago on July 9th. The kids have just 3 weeks of school left, after which we will be packing up the house and leaving the area on June 18th. We plan to travel south to see family and friends for the last time before we leave. Then we will return to Michigan for our flight out of Chicago.

As you can probably tell, I really like to know what's going to happen. I like lists, structure and organization, and most of all, I like to PLAN! However, sometimes I have no control over a plan. We find ourselves in this situation now, when the "plan" is a bit fuzzy and not set in stone. The boarding school, Rift Valley Academy, where we hope our two oldest children will go to school next year, still does not have any openings for them. We have received some positive e-mails from the admissions director, and we are hoping to hear that Melody has been accepted very soon. Steven is #2 on the waiting list, but as of now, there is no additional bed space for Grade 11 boys. At this point, we do not see any other alternative for schooling for Steven. This is a huge faith-builder for us, and my prayer life has increased 10-fold because of this need! I know that them getting into the school is totally and completely up to God and that I can do nothing to "speed up" the process. Please join us in prayer for this very urgent need.

In addition, we are working with a rental manager to find someone to rent our home when we leave. We hope to have it rented as of July 1, Lord willing. We are praying for the right people to come along, at just the right time.

Finally, we still lack about $2,000 per month in support. If you have been thinking about supporting our ministry, please let us know, so that we can get a good idea of what we still need to raise.

These issues can weigh heavily on my mind, but I am learning to trust God's timing, and believe that if He wants us in Kenya, these details that look so huge to me are so very easy for Him to manage. I can honestly say God has given me a "peace that passes understanding" because even I don't really understand it! I want to rest in Him and watch what He does and not worry about the "plan".

Thank you for joining us on this journey, and may He increase your trust and faith as He meets your needs in His time.

Trusting and believing,

Pam

A new thing

2010-03-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19

My heart is incredibly full as I reflect on how the Lord has led our family through the past 2 years, and has given us confirmation to return to Kenya. He has definitely done a new thing in my heart as I continue to work on trusting Him and abiding in His Word. What felt like a wasteland in my spirit only months ago is now a stream of joy and gladness. My faith is being stretched, but in return I am learning to trust Him in ways I never have before. I know He isn't finished with me yet, and has "new things" for me to experience and do for Him.

Mike had a wonderful trip to Tenwek in February, and came back with many pictures and stories to tell us which made us even more anxious to return to our home in Kenya.(Above pictures were taken during Mike's trip.) We are continuing to makes plans to leave the U.S. in July, which is only 4 months away! As winter weather is passing, and we are enjoying warmer weather and the coming of spring, our whole family is definitely feeling the "winds of change."

We covet your prayers as we begin to set our sights on transitioning from the States to Kenya again. A few prayers requests are:

- For a good renter to rent our home in St. Joseph, Michigan for the time that we are in Kenya
- For our two oldest children, Steven and Melody, that they will be accepted to the missionary boarding school near Nairobi for the next school year
- For Mike as he continues working with Southwestern Medical Clinic and also support raising for our return to Kenya (we are currently in need of $3,500 a month in additional support)
- For Pam as she helps Mike with support raising and administrative responsibilities, and takes care of family and household needs for Kenya

If you would be interested in joining our support team, please drop us an e-mail at mike.chupp@wgm.org.

Pam for the Chupps

2 week trip to Tenwek

2010-01-31T10:34:00.000-08:00

This Friday, Feb. 5, Mike will be heading to Tenwek for two weeks. Traveling with him will be Warren and Marcy White, Jim Burczak (Orthopedic surgeon), and Karen Zienert (OB/GYN). Warren and Marcy have been faithful supporters of our ministry over the years, and Warren is the administrator of Southwestern Medical Clinic in Michigan.

Mike is very excited to be returning even for this short time. The timing for this visit is such that the long-term missionary doctors can attend the Christian Medical Dental Association Continuing Medical Education course at Brackenhurst Conference Center outside Nairobi. Mike and the other doctors will help cover the hospital during their absence.

This will be a preparatory visit for Mike as he assesses the needs at the hospital on the general and orthopedic services, and for our future ministry there. In addition, we hope that this visit will provide assurance to our Kenyan and missionary colleagues that we indeed will be returning to Kenya this summer as God provides.

Please pray for Mike and the other visiting doctors as they travel and work at the hospital during this time.

Pam for the Chupp family

Looking ahead--starting anew

2010-01-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

"But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Gal. 3:13-14

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lam. 3:22-23

As I begin this new year and reflect on how the Lord has guided me through depression and anxiety over the last two years, I am constantly aware of His faithfulness and grace towards me. As this new year unfolded, I began to feel a deep sense of starting anew. The Lord has given me new joy, new hope, new vision, new energy. This is a new year, and a new decade. Our family will begin a new term of service in Kenya this summer.

I have also decided to start this new blog and begin journaling my thoughts and share parts of my life as a missionary wife and mother. My hope is that these entries will be an encouragement to you, as well as a window into the life of a missionary family.

That said, let me just update you on what is happening now with our family. Mike is heading to Kenya the first of February with a group of physicians from Southwestern Medical Clinic here in Michigan. They will be there for two weeks. Mike is very excited to be able to do orthopedic work again, and see his missionary and Kenyan colleagues.

I am beginning a new Beth Moore Bible study called "Breaking Free" at our church next week. I'll be one of the small group facilitators, and I'm very excited to be with this group of ladies again.

The kids are staying busy with school, homework, activities and friends. They continue to be excited about returning "home" to Kenya.

Thanks for your continued prayers and we will keep you updated!

Pam

CHUPPLINK HOLIDAY 2009

2010-01-12T14:34:00.001-08:00

CHUPPLINK MEETS BLOGSPOT

2009-09-05T16:53:00.000-07:00