Yesterday we arrived back at Point of Grace. We handed out some slippers (flip flops) and spent time with the kids. Today we worked again on the cow shed again. Since it is metal, we put a coat of paint on it. We had the help of the high school boys and so we made quick work of it. We played net ball and frisbee with the kids and worked on some different projects. School shoes were handed out, some crosses were ready to be delivered tomorrow. And on the way into town for a supper out we stopped at the equator and stepped on both hemispheres. Enjoy the pictures! We promise to post more when we get home.

Hi everyone!  We have arrived safely at the Mara.  Yesterday at Point of Grace we mudded the house for a man named Walter.  He lives alone on a small plot of land but deprecatory needed a safer home.  With the help of the Point of Grace boys we finished the job in 2 hours.  The afternoon was spent running various errands in Kisumu.  We were able to pick up various supplies at the Nakumatt (their version of Walmart), get much needed medicine for the school, and purchase a hammer mill and chainsaw for the school.  After that trip was done, we gathered at the school chapel to celebrate Ash Wedneday (on Tuesday) with ashes and Holy Communion.  I think what the best part of the day was being able to feed the kids and eat with them.  We were able feed them both chicken and bananas.  We were determined to get them some fruit when we heard that they only get fruit twice a month.  We promise to post pictures soon after we get back.  They are mostly on cameras right now.  If you happene to browse Facebook though, you might catch a few pictures here and there.  As always, thanks for your support and your prayers!  

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In Christ,
   Rev. Timothy A. Chase 

Grace Lutheran Church and School

404 Central Ave N

Dodge Center, MN 55927

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.  His praise endures forever!" Psalm 111:10

Wow, what a day we have had here at Point of Grace. We started out with some temporary goodbyes as the High School students left for half time break. It is a country mandated week off of school. Some went home and some have stayed. Among the many factors is distance from school to home. Tomorrow the rest of the kids start their break. They must be back by Sunday at 4pm but many are coming back Saturday sometime.

This morning the team split in half and did home visits. We think there were close to 15 houses we stopped at. We all heard so many stories, saw so many things, what a blessing it was to everyone. We can wait to share our experiences with you this morning.

This afternoon the team split up again. Karen and Lori went to the NEEMA group meeting and presented them with a gift from Grace. Adam and Kelly spent some time in the classrooms with the children. Mitch was put to work trying to find a way to better wire their fuse box and gain more reliable service with their generator. Pastor spend the afternoon working at the cow shed. He help load and unload 6 loads of sand and rock. By the way, the cow shed is coming along well. Tomorrow they should be pouring cement for floor. It is going to be a great resource for the high school here.

Last night and tonight we handed out our gifts to the boarding students and they were all so appreciative of what they received.

Tomorrow will be yet another full day. We will be missing the hut, going to town to buy supplies, and hopefully getting back in time for our Ash Wednesday on Tuesday service.

As always, thank you for your prayers and support. We are so grateful for all of you!

Hello Blog friends!
Well it is the end of a crazy first day. VBS was a a success. The kids absolutely loved the songs we brought. We ended up singing some of them 8-10 times. To hear them is "heaven" Mitch said. Crafts when about as well as we could have expected. The ladies did a fantastic job of planning ahead and pointing the men in the right direction!

Pastor Chase was excited to see the library and to hear how well is it being kept up and utilized. Kids and teachers alike frequently make use of it. It is a blessing to all, praise God.

We began our work on the cow shed this afternoon. While the workers poured cement we all used machetes and "slashers" to cut down bushes, weeds, and unwanted trees. We are happy to announce that while most trees lost limbs, no humans limbs were lost.

While most of the team went through suitcases last this afternoon and sorted out underwear and socks and Pastor Chase spent some time with Pastor Meeker and Jim Brockmann at the water filter project, the cafeteria project, and seeing other things that needed to be done.

We have identified some extra things around the school that we can take care of while we are here and we will update you on that as things happen.

At the end of the day we thank God for His guidance on our travels here and for His hand of mercy on everything we have done. God is indeed present here at Point of Grace and indeed He is good.

Good Morning everyone!  It is 12:30 AM Nairobi time and we are finally settling into our hotel rooms.  It has been a long day and a half of traveling and we are all excited to be able to lay in a bed, albeit unfamiliar.  Our flights were uneventful for the most part. I had a random meeting with 2 other LCMS pastors in our flight from Amsterdam and Nairobi.  One is from our district, Minnesota South, and the other is a career missionary here in Kenya.   We shared some storied and talked a little theology 38,000 feet in the air.  I also met a man who was going to do some investigating abou building a road to an important hospital in another country.  There is a lot of work being done here!  

Tomorrow morning we will begin our drive to Point of Grace an hopefully it will be uneventful as well.  Thank you for your continue prayers as we go out our travels.  Tomorrow night the wor begins!  

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In Christ,
   Rev. Timothy A. Chase 

Grace Lutheran Church and School

404 Central Ave N

Dodge Center, MN 55927

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.  His praise endures forever!" Psalm 111:10

Hello from Amsterdam our blog followers! Just a brief update to say the first leg of the trip went off smoothly and we are on a 5 hour layover now. Not much sleep was had on the flight but hopefully the next will be different. Thank you all, again, for your constant prayer and support. We are thankful for you all!

Final thoughts from Pastor Chase - Feb 2017

Well, this is the month.  After months of getting ready, all of our planning, preparing, packing, comes to an end this month.  The final hoops we must jump through now all involve airport security and customs agents!   Even for these, we have tried to properly prepare :)  

We are all so excited for the opportunity to visit Point of Grace Academy, some for the first time and for others again, to work on behalf of Pastor and Lorna Meeker.  We are looking forward to building a house and cow shed, and completing whatever work the Meeker's find for us to do.  

While we may not have said it out loud, we have all had our thoughts of "am I the right one to be doing this?" or "maybe God could use someone else besides me, maybe I am not cut out to go on the trip."  Every team member has had countless struggles during our planning.  

Before we started meeting, I had selected a Bible verse that would guide us through each meeting and that we would hold before us as we traveled, taught, and constructed.  This year I chose Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."  

This trip, in so many ways already, has caused us each to grow in our faith.  We know so clearly that we are only able to complete a mission like this because God is guiding us.  We have been able to see His almighty hand in every aspect of planning.  And if He has been with us to this point, we know that He will continue to be with us wherever we go.  

And so it is that as we step out of our comfort zone and head to a different country, a different culture, a different way of life, we do so knowing THE ONE who always goes before us.  And what a blessing to know God is in control.  

While we know this 2 week trip will be full of work and adventure, we also know that there will be more work to do when we get home.  We are looking forward to sharing this trip with as many as possible. Through these opportunities we will be able to help identify ways our friends, families, and area churches can lend a hand spreading the Gospel at Point of Grace.  

Now, more than ever, we are asking for your prayers as we prepare to embark on a lot of travel.  Pray for our safety in travel and work.  Pray that in all that  we are able to do that God's name would be glorified and His saving Gospel spread.  

Please keep coming back to our blog.  We will do what we can to update you on what is happening while we are at Point of Grace, so that you can see through words, what is happening through the hands of Grace!  

Asante (Thank you!) 

Pastor Chase and the 2017 Mission Team