A New Year, A Fresh Start

Greetings from the States!

As many of you already know, Jean and I were seconded from Lighthouse for Christ Mission to our own ministry, Crossroads Fellowship, some three years ago. What that meant was we were able to devote all our time to building up Crossroads Fellowship Church. Because Crossroads Fellowship began a new church and set up three feeding centers , it became necessary for CF to be registered in Kenya as an independent mission separate from Lighthouse for Christ.

The Kenya government granted Crossroads Fellowship Ministries its own legal registration as a Christian mission, and I am happy to let you know that we have now been registered in the US as well.

We want to thank Reverend Timothy Ghrist, Mission Director of Lighthouse for Christ Mission, and its Board of Directors for their support and direction for the past seventeen years. We were given the freedom by these men to start Crossroads Fellowship Church and the feeding centers.

Lighthouse for Christ will transfer any monies left in our account to our new account under Crossroads Fellowship Ministries.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

Thank you for your prayer and financial support through the years. God Bless You!

Merry Christmas

"An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lorrd." - Luke 2:9-11

Thanks be to God our heavenly Father for that unspeakable Gift to us!

Greetings from Mombasa Kenya! Compared to last year n Indiana, Christmas in Kenya just doesn't feel the same. It is very hot and humid. Some days the temperature and the humidity are the same! IN our house the temperature gets to 88-90 degreees so you can guess how it feels outside in the sun. But such is Christmas south of the Equator!

We just wanted to send you an update of what we are doing and the many things which have happened since we have been back after our year furlough in the US. For the most part, we have picked up where we left off, especially at Crossroads Fellowship Church. Beside preaching every other Sunday, Gary leads a prayer and short Bible Study on Tuesday evenings. The prayer time has been sweet. Gary has also been doing a lot of counseling and helping individuals in the church. He and his co-pastor Jim Horne, are working on all the paperwork to try and get Crossroads Fellowship Ministires registered with the government.

We are still in the very slow process of trying to buy property for the church. Many of you have been praying with us about the land. Please continue to do so. By American standards this is unbelievable that it has taken so long; but by Kenyan standards this is nothing. We haven't waited very long at all! We have made some progress with the papers we need from the government but unfortunately there are still more remaining. The church Elders are now in charge of raising funds to finish paying for the last on-half acre and to actually build the church.

Jean is no longer working at the Lighthouse for Christ Eye Center. Although her health is pretty good, she tires easily and cannot handle going to work everyday. She continues to keep the church books and has been teaching a ladies Bible Study. Recently, we had the Impact Youth at our house. This is our teenage group of kids from CF. Hanna was a great help as she organized and ran all of the games. One other Saturday Jean led a group called the Crusaders (ages 20-30) to teach them about first aid and handed out first aid kits that we had left over when the group from Park Chapel came. The Crusaders took up the challenge of learning the "script" about first aid. They did a great job of teaching and handing out the kits. They seemed to catch the vision for this ministry. In fact, they are now challenging CF members to bring toothbrushes and toothpaste so we can go out to that village again and distribute them to the extremely poor.

OUr family is grateful to all of you for your gifts of support, your love, your prayers ans all of the ways you minister to needs. May God bless you richly. May you a most blessed 2006, if the Lord delays.

Your Co-Laborers for Christ,

Gary Jean, Nathan, & Hanna

Back Home Again in Mombasa

Greetings to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! I thank my God every time I remember you and ask Him to bless you.
As I sit at my desk looking at the calendar and thinking about the past months of spring and summer, I try to visualize what the autumn season looks like in your area. Here in Kenya people don't have any idea what that word even means. There is the rainy season and the dry. No one here can imagine what it is like to see the beautiful fall foilage of the trees as they turn a golden, red, or orange. After the past year spent in our home town in Indiana, we can now see those brilliant colors in our minds. As beautiful as they are, the leaves begin to fall and then the work begins: rake, rake rake, until the blisters appear on your hands! You begin raking in October and you really don't finish until the end of November. But what a beautiful picture of God's creation: He is the One that told the trees when to drop their leaves and put them back on again in spring.
After having an eventful year in the US, we are settling into the routine of living here in Kenya once again. Every time we come back, it is only a few days and it's as if we never left.
Gary arrived in early June and got the house back in order and prepared to receive not only Hanna and I, but also, a 12 member team of people from the States. The team from Prak Chapel Christian Church went to three venues to teach first aid equip each person with their own first aid kit, as well as toothbrushes and toothpaste for their children.
One place we all went was St. Joseph's House of Hope. The school / orphange there was started by Carol, a member of Crossroads Fellowship. Carol had a vision to give kids from really poor families a place to only be educated, but as be fed once a day. Crossroads Fellowship partnering with Carol in order to build a schoolwith block walls, concrete floors and a tin roof. The current building has walls made of mud and stick, dirt floors and a roof laid with palm leaves. It is exciting to see what God will do over the next several months.
Mothers of children who attend the school came to be educated in first aid practices. While several of the team members taught the mothers, the children played and learned Bible stories.
The same teaching was done along side Dr. Kiage, an Ophthalmologist had set up an eye camp, sponsored by Lighthouse for Christ Eye Center. Patients received eye exams and also teaching on first aid.
The third venue was at another Lighthouse for Christ Church, hosted by Pastor Jarrod Okeno.
We were so blessed to have the team come and minister in a way we could not ourselves. They were a blessing to all who met them.
We have finally put a down payment on a piece of land for Crossroads Fellowhsip Church, but we are still waiting for 3 government documents which can affect our getting the land. Please pray with us about these needed permissions from the government. Until now we have been met with major opposition to "building a church in this area."
In prayer only can we stand against the attacks of the evil one!
Thanks for your continued support and prayers.