Dear Friends, 4th-March-2008

Last Thursday, the president of Kenya, (Mr. Kibaki) and his opponent (Mr. Odinga) signed an agreement for power sharing. The agreement will allow for the position of Prime Minister to be created in the Kenyan constitution, and Mr. Odinga will be the Prime Minister. While much more work needs to be done to deal with all the tribal land issues, the first and most important step has been taken. Much rejoicing among the Kenyans has occurred, as they want peace and a return to their normal lives. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR PEACE IN KENYA!

We had a busy February! The first three weekends were spent at different churches, presenting our work and meeting with new and old friends. Thank you to First Christian Church in Roseburg, OR; Tigard Christian Church, in Tigard, OR; and Pleasant Hill Lutheran Church in Pleasant Hill, OR for sharing in our lives. Being on the road every most weekends is sort of difficult as we are still working our regular jobs, but each weekend is such a blessing. You made it easier by your kindness and hospitality. We are so grateful. Thank you!

House, house, house. I sure get tired of thinking about “the house.” I get tired of working on “the house.” I wish “the house” would just go away. I guess “the house” is going to be God’s way of “helping” me grow in my faith; in my patience, and, well, in my patience and faith. Did I mention how God is using “the house” (“t.h.” for short, nevermind, typing “t.h” is more difficult than typing “the house”….) to help me grow in my faith? See, “the house” is really making me crazy.

Rich and Renee Barbis, have not been able to sell “their house”, which makes buying ours rather difficult. So, in one week we are listing ours on the open market. What’s the big deal? Nothing really, except now we get to do all the stuff we were hoping to escape. Stuff like “staging”.

“Staging” is realtor fancy speak for making your home look completely “perfect” for the potential buyers. So, we are trying to maintain perspective on what is “perfect” and what is really attainable and realistic in the next week. Oh, did I mention that the boys are really interested in helping us keep the house neat and tidy? Because, they really understand the concept of “staging” and it’s importance….”Yes, father. I will hang my coat up right away father.” You get the picture. PRAY FOR SANITY AND PEACE IN “THE HOUSE”. PRAY FOR RICH AND RENEE TO “SELL THEIR HOUSE”.

Health. Thank you for praying for our continued health. The boys are doing well. Wyatt just had a small asthma flare, but nothing serious. It usually happens this time of year. We adjust his medicines accordingly, and all is well. Other than his rare asthma issue, he is doing great. The other boys are well. They are all growing (despite what I feed them when Kristi is working)….they are all in the 85% or higher for height and weight. Scary for sure! I am getting nervous about feeding them. I may look into a large herd of camels or goats when we get to Turkana….milk and meat all rolled into one.

Support. Wow! God continues to bless us! Right now, 86% of our sustaining monthly support has been pledged or is coming in and our one-time financial needs are about $8,000. We believe the final $$$ will come in time for us to make our planned June 22nd departure date. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE CHURCHES AND INDIVDUALS WHO ARE CONSIDERING A FINANCIAL PARTNERSHIP WITH US.

Schedule. I am presenting our work to a group of churches in Oakridge on the 14th of March and we’ll travel up to Gladstone Christian Church on the 30th. April 6th we travel to Sweet Home Church of Christ in Sweet Home, OR. On the 12th of April, we drive out across the country (again! Lord help us!) to our three week program called SPLICE. More on that later. We return home May 4th and then the countdown really starts. As of now, we are planning a June 22nd departure date. PLEASE PRAY FOR THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR OUR UPCOMING MEETINGS AND TRAVEL ASSIGNMENTS. PRAY WE STAY IN GOD’S WILL WITH OUR “TIMELINE.”
As I wrote last month, we are learning the importance of holding tightly to Jesus and holding loosely all else. That is a recurring theme and mental picture I have daily! God is really good at keeping His promises of giving us peace and joy in the midst of struggles and trials…how? That’s a mystery; but I am convinced, the minute I try and control all the chaos around me (clinging tightly to things I can’t control), my peace and joy will evaporate… I can’t add a single hour to my life by worrying about “stuff” and “the house”….cling to Jesus….that’s all I need!

Have a great month! Cling to Christ and let everything else go. If you want to talk about what that means for you and you need a sounding board, give me a call. I don’t have too many answers, just lots of experience at “what not to do.”

Love in Jesus, who loves you more!

Scott for the Seidel’s
541.510.9931
www.seidelfamily.org