27 June: Preparation in Connecticut

We were very busy today removing any kind of packaging or labels or stickers from all the items going to the Anajali School and children.  If they are still in their original packaging, they could theoretically be resold and are levied a heavy tax upon entering Kenya.  It they are disassembled and four or five sharpened pencils put into a zip-lock bag inside another zip lock bag with an eraser, notebook, etc., or a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush removed from their packaging and wrapped together in saran wrap, they are clearly gifts.  Oh, the foolishness of man's rules.  Once they were all packaged and we went out to buy some more flip flops (we needed nearly 500 and we were about 100 short), we had to package all of this in 18 suitcases (one for ourselves and one for Anajali school for each person going). Each suitcase had to weigh under 50 pounds or they would cost $60 for any that were too heavy.  Fortunately many of our personal suitcases were 5 to 10 pounds under the limit so many of the gift packets could go into our own suitcases.  We should have great "fun" unpacking the suitcases when we get to Anajali school and resorting the gift packets for individual distribution.

We were treated by the local Anajali Support team to a delightful lunch of chicken, beans, and rice and then taken out to dinner by the Anajali Ministries Board.  There we found we were the first to be treated to this send off dinner.  It was part of their effort to make the ministry more effectiveand take some of the load off Anne.  We were given more pointers designed to prepare us for what was coming.  We were especially delighted to have Debbie tell us about her experiences during four trips to Anajali.  She especially was blown away by how God revealed His love by giving her a well-spring of a form of love for these impoverished children that she had never experience before.  She and Guy (a board member) also prepared us to be surprised by how deeply we would be affected by the experience.  We can hardly wait to experience that.  The only dark spot on the day occurred in mid-afternoon when Bradford (Anne's husband) was informed a recent MRI had revealed he had a blood clot in one lung.  Anne immediately took him to the hospital where she remained the rest of the day.  Taking our leader away from us could have caused a great deal of confusion and stress, but we felt God's calming presence and we carried on with the task at hand after praying warfare prayers for Anne and Bradford.  It was during these prayers that Carl appreciated for the first time, the importance of this mission trip.  If the enemy is so intent on preventing it that he would resort to such distressing tactics, it must be important.

Please join us in prayer that the physicians will know what to do with Bradford.  We just (as I was typing this) got a report from Anne that Bradford has lots of blood clots in his legs in addition to the one in his lung and swollen lymph nodes.  The doctors are fearful that there may be cancer somewhere in his body, so they will have to keep him in the hospital to try to find out where.  Bradford is insisting that Anne go anyway.  He knows between the Lord and the Doctors he is in the best possible hands.  He has been to Anajali several times and we all can sense in his devotion to this ministry that he loves these children with the same love Debbie was talking to us about.  Pray that while we are gone, the doctors will find the source of this cancer or whatever is causing these clots and Bradford will be a healthier person upon our return.

	Anne's home in Scottland, CT, and the North American headquarters for Anajali Ministries.
	The nine-member, July 2012, Anajali team: L to R: Anne, Chris, Lisa, Emily, Christopher, Elizabeth, Haily, Malaina, Carl

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