A day that changed my life

Today is the one year anniversary of my friend Ryan's plane crash in Kenya. It's hard to believe that it has been one year. This year time has not gone by quickly, it has seemed long. It doesn't seem like yesterday that the accident happened it seems like a long time indeed. August 1st last year was a day I will never forget and one that changed me as a person.

One year ago today I was in Minnesota staying with our in laws packing up our bags to return from furlough. I got on email and someone had posted something about a crash with pilots involved. It's one of those moments when you say "It's probably someone I don't know", isn't that the way it usually is. A day later I got a reply as to who had been involved and was just shocked. That whole week I desperately tried to get in touch with my good friend Dawn to find out how badly her husband had been injured. During that week Ryan continued to go down hill and eventually was airlifted to a burn hospital in South Africa. It was there that he succumbed to his injuries on August 7th. We tried to get back earlier but it was just too expensive to change flights. We got delayed in Chicago overnight and I ran down to a Starbucks to connect on the internet and I had a feeling of dread. I learned then that Ryan had died and now I had 16hrs of being on a plane back to Kenya to think about it all. I was so angry I couldn't have gotten there sooner for my friend but it was just the beginning of realizing God's bigger plan for me and how he wanted to use me in my friend's life last year.

We arrived Monday night and Tuesday morning I went over to my friend's house. I can remember not wanting to go, being afraid of what I would encounter, and mostly not having any experience with this type of situation I had no idea how to be. Isn't that how it is with God and our journey with Him. Him calling us to do life with others and seeking Him in the midst of it. Being open to what he has to teach us through difficult things in life and letting Him work through us. And so my year with my friend began with many tears and deep felt anguish. I can't remember crying so much in life as I did at Ryan's funeral as I'm sure as many of us in those situations realize that this is how life would be for us if we lost someone near and dear.

My life will be forever changed for knowing Ryan. From his death I have only just begun to learn about a new side of God. One of compassion and provision. A God who mercifully takes those who are suffering to be with Him. A God who provides for those that are left behind, one who leads and protects the widows/widowers, and one who calls us to Him in the midst of our deepest anguish. Romans 5:3-5 has come to me a lot this year. We rejoice in suffering, not because we like pain or deny its tragedy , but because we know God is using life's difficulties and Satan's attacks to build our character. Thank you Dawn for showing me how to continue walking with God in the midst of severe anguish and for Ryan's example of a Godly man pursuing God on the missions field. Ryan you are still missed one year later and you would be proud of your wife.

Living Simply

Hi everyone

As always it’s been an eventful several months since we last posted. In April we had an awesome time with our seniors down at the coast of Kenya. After 5 years of raising money we took off on an hour long airplane ride to a town called Malindi. We stayed at a great resort called Turtle Bay. We left the kids in Nairobi so this trip was also an anniversary celebration time for Eric and I as we celebrated 13 yrs of marriage. Our seniors had a great time hanging out by the pool, boating in the ocean and snorkeling. Eric and I had a much needed rest and it was the longest we had ever been away from the girls so we soaked up our time sleeping in and laying on the beach. Our last night there we had a special poolside dinner for the Seniors . It was a trip we will never forget!

May found us frantically finishing last minute details for graduation as well as packing up our house to move in June. As many of you remember we have had many problems with our last house in regards to the water. In April our landlord tore up the backyard and left a huge mess for three months without fixing anything. On top of that she wanted to raise the rent again so we said to ourselves that we would rejoice for the blessing of that house the Lord provided for us for three years but it was time to be finished living there. After a lot of searching we finally decided that we would move into a brand new three bedroom apartment. We are continuing to learn that sometimes in life God has another plan for you and we might not understand it but it’s His best for us right now. We didn’t really want to be moving in the summer but this past month living here has really cut down on our daily stress of living here.

We are no longer constantly worried about when we will run out of water , how long of a shower we can take, and if we have enough water to do laundry. We feel like God has given us a new theme for our lives this year and that is “living simply”.

At the end of May Kara’s mom was able to come out for three weeks and help us with preparations for Graduation and to pack up our house. It was fun having family here to celebrate Graduation with us. Graduation day came and it felt like we were graduating our own kids. We were proud to see 18 of our seniors walk down the aisle in their cap and gowns. Many of those students we have had since 8^th grade. Eric delivered an address on “Greatness” and what it means to be great in the world and then in the kingdom of God. It was a special time for us as we have been working hard towards this for 5 years. Afterwards we shared a nice meal together at an Italian restaurant with the students and their families. At the end of May I also said goodbye to my good friend Dawn and her family as they head back to the states for a year long furlough. We have become like sisters this year through all that we have been through and I will miss her dearly. I have come to realize in this missionary life that you don’t always live close to your dear friends but it sure is wonderful when you can.

June found us packing up and getting ready to move. In Kenya you have to paint the entire inside of your house before you move so that was a new experience for us as we were scrambling to paint and get painters to help us finish before we moved. We can now add varnishing wood floors to our resume of skills. We have been excited to be in a new place it smells great and everything is brand new. There is a sand playground for the girls, a pool, and best of all lots of water for us to use and not have to worry about. Moving helped us to pare down on some of our stuff and ultimately funded our summer fun this year. The beginning of June we also celebrated Kayla’s 7^th birthday.

The middle of June we got away for a Kenyan adventure to a place in Kenya we haven’t been before, the Aberdares National Park area. We stayed at a unique hotel called the Tree tops hotel . It is an old and rustic place built into the park in trees. Queen Elizabeth II stayed there and it was there that she found out she had just become queen. The hotel is near a watering hole so animals wander in and out throughout your stay. At dinner time we had a big herd of elephants come to the hole and they stayed in front of the hotel for at least 4 hours. Soon after they came they were joined by a rhino. The hotel had 3 levels of viewing the animals, ground level, mid level, and outside on the top deck. After our hotel stay we drove through the park, we didn’t see many animals but found 3 great waterfalls and a cave.

The month of July we are getting ready for our new teachers to arrive. We will be having 8 new single ladies coming. We have been looking for housing for them, getting furniture moved into their new places, organizing orientation materials for the sessions, and meeting with the principal to plan logistics. It’s been a quiet summer as many of our close friends have left for the states for awhile. So we have had lots of time to just be together as a family. The other day we found a compound near us that is a gated community with smooth roads. We loaded the girls and their bikes in the car and had our first family bike ride.

We pray this finds you doing well and that your summer is spent being with family and enjoying a little down time from the normal hectic school year.

A very full life

Our First graduating Class, our students

since 8th Grade.

Hey everyone

It's been since November that we have updated our blog but our life has been so full this year and all consuming. The thought of trying to put everything down on text was at many times overwhelming the past few months but here goes.

In November my friends Dawn and Tiffany returned from their bereavement leave. It was a busy time of helping them get settled back into life here along with getting their kids enrolled in a school for the first time.

In December I hosted an event for them and I called it a "Blessing Fellowship". Back in October I really felt the Lord calling me to plan something for these ladies that would be a good time of everyone coming together and just heaping blessings on them. So on a Saturday morning we had about 40 missionary ladies come together for food and fellowship in our home. We bought the ladies bags and each lady who came brought a little gift to put inside, they had the opportunity to speak a blessing over them or just give them a little gift. I do not have the gifts of teaching so this totally stretched me as I felt God leading me to give these two ladies and the other missionary ladies who came a message. It was an intense and vulnerable morning but how awesome to be apart of their lives in this way. My friend Dawn walked away saying she felt like she had just had her feet washed by 40 ladies.

Ahhhg the Lord has taught me so much about grief this year and seeking Him in the midst of it. The biggest lessons I have learned and will continue to learn is just how to listen. How to be in the moment with someone and just feel their pain with them. Not to fix it but just to experience their life with them. Being a nurse this is so hard for me to do because I just want to fix things. Every Thursday night I go over to Dawn's house and just be with her as we put the kids to bed it's gotten easier to just go and be a part of her life in this way over the past 6 months.

January our family was able to get away to South Africa for a special trip to the very tip of Africa in Cape Town and also to Jo'Burg to visit our other team of OCI missionaries. It was a much needed trip for our family and we really enjoyed the beach as well as connecting with old friends. The highlight of our trip was swimming with penguins in the wild on a beach in Cape Town. Never thought I would do that. The end of January brought tragedy again as Kayla's teacher's husband was found dead at home. This whole situation just tipped the bucket for us as we had been feeling more and more burned out and tired. I had a hard time saying goodbye to her teacher as grief just continued to be a part of our lives. Kayla loved her teacher and Mrs.Key was great with Kayla. I think it took about a month for our spirit's to recover and some of our strength to return. Mr. Key was the athletic director at our school. The loss of his presence was felt by many.

In February I became head of the graduation committee and we started planning for our school's first graduation. We had to figure out many graduation firsts for our school as we had to come up with graduation gowns, hats, how to get diploma covers and tassels. It's taken quite a bit of leg work on our part but the graduation ceremony is coming together.

In March our family traveled the farthest we have been out of Nairobi with the kids. Kayla has had issues with the bumpy roads but we decided she might be old enough to try a longer trip. Nakuru town is about 3 1/2 hours outside of Nairobi and we were able to stay at a missionary retreat center. We travelled with friends and had a fun time just relaxing. The kids loved playing on the cement tree house in the rain, having an Easter egg hunt , and finding out how to milk cows. At the end of our time there our family traveled to the local national park and had a great time seeing tons of rhinos, a huge lake full of flamingos, and many giraffe. Also in March I had a good time getting away with my friend Dawn to a local hotel in the country. It was her first birthday without Ryan and I think we had a good time. My life and hers were full of many firsts this year but I felt God with us. He has been a comfort this year and I have seen him provide in so many ways.

April finds us this week continuing to make plans for graduation as we decide how our ceremony will happen as well as packing and getting ready for our Senior trip down to the coast of Kenya. Eric and I are so excited for this time. We are not taking the girls and are really looking forward to resting and reconnecting with the Senior class. We are saying this is our anniversary trip as we celebrate 13 yrs of marriage in May. Eric is going to do some scuba diving and I might just take a nap on the beach :) I hope and pray it will be a great time for us and the Seniors as this is our last big event with them.

We thank you for your constant support of our ministry this year we have felt your prayers in the midst of this difficult year.

Prayer requests

1/ Pray for this Saturday-Wednesday as we leave on a plane with 20 seniors to the coast, pray our girls will be safe in Nairobi and nothing eventful will happen in each situation.

2/ Pray for strength to finish the year strong we have many events left we are in charge of (Graduation, baccalaureate, grad night and helping my friend Dawn pack up and leave)

Coming out of the tunnel

There are times in your life when you can look back and say wow! How did I make it through that? Then you turn to God who is standing next to you and realize you did it only with His strength. The first 3 months into our new term were tough. We felt challenged at every turn. Towards the end of October we started to feel like we were finally coming out of a dark tunnel and November felt like we started living again instead of just surviving.

September found us continuing without Power 3 days a week and not muchwater. Every year near us the city has a local fair and much of the city's

water gets diverted to this fair. So we continued to order water from the water trucks each week and planned our week according to the blackouts. We bought a generator to help us run our fridge for a few hours during the day so that our food wouldn't go bad. I began the Bible study at our house on Tuesdays again and Sept. and October seemed to be filled with helping people in need. I think God revealed to me that is His plan for me right now, to be available for people He brings me whom I can minister to.

Transitioning Kayla into a new school proved to be more intense than we had hoped for. September and October were trying months as we had to figure out a routine that helped her the most. At the end of September we met with her teachers at the school and the plan was to put her into the special education program but we asked if she could have one more month to settle in. At the end of October we all reevaluated her progress and she was greatly

improved in her attitude and functioning at school and didn't need special education assistance at this time. We finally have her completely on her special diet and feel like we have the gluten free

cooking under control. Thanks to a friend who came out in October we were able to get

a bread maker and now are able to make special bread each week that she will actually eat. The Lord just continues to amaze me in His provision for Kayla each day. Where else but in some few countries in Africa would we be able to find a health food store that provides all the special flours we need (gluten free, potato, tapioca, rice flour) and special rice milk. He has provided a lab where we could get all her special tests done for the new medications she is

on and He has provided a new therapist for her that will come out to the school. This therapist just moved back from another country in Africa and is the only one around who can travel and lives near us. God's provision for Kayla these past few months has just been overwhelming to me, it is confirmation again that we are right where God wants us to be. We have always said if we couldn't get the right help we need for Kayla that we would have to think about leaving the field. Our God is the ultimate provider.

Also in September we were able to work with Mama Kennedy and her family again as they were evicted from their home unexpectedly and the families they worked for went on furlough

unexpectedly and so they were left without food, home, and provision for their kids to go to school. We had several supporters of ours who stepped in to help them. They jumped up and down for joy as they saw God providing for them through us. I visited them at the end of September and they had found a house to live, new jobs, and their boys were now in school. Their house is really small but they invited me in for a small meal and to tell me about how God is providing for them. It's a pleasure to help several Kenyan families through your support.

In October our power outages just stopped one week and we realized how appreciative we were of the power that we do get. We also found out someone had almost closed the valve near our water meter to off and this was mostly why we weren't getting a whole lot of water. We were still having water shortages in Kenya but our house was getting even less water because someone had turned this valve off :( argh I didn't even know we had this valve. Till one day the water

meter guy came,opened it to full force, and amazingly its been three weeks and we haven't had to order awatertruck yet. So I am now able to tell you that I truly appreciate water and that it is extremely valuable to life :) thanks Lord for that reminder. Hope I don't need that lesson again soon. We also had Fiesta night party with our Seniors. We made a pinata, had a taco bar, and played board games. We have been working hard with the senior class to do fundraisers to raise money for their senior trip in April.

November found us very thankful that our utilities were all working, Kayla was getting more balanced in her daily life, and we felt more rested. For thanksgiving we visited our friends at Rift Valley Academy about an hour north of Nairobi . We cooked turkey, had homemade pies, and played American Football. The kids enjoyed sledding down the grass hill on plastic sleds....sorry for those of you in the midst of winter our sledding is on grass under beautiful sunshine as we move into nice summer days.

Eric finished up the final requirements for accreditation this fall and he felt good getting the bulk

of that work done so that he can rest over Christmas. We had several fundraisers for the Senior class as they are preparing for their big Senior trip to the coast of Kenya in April. Eric organized a school wide selling of West Nairobi school sweatshirts as the first fundraiser and then the seniors put together our first talent show. We had lots of kids tryout and had a packed room full of parents, staff, and students. Eric was the host and also wrote skits for the teachers to perform in between the acts. If our internet was faster I would upload his skit as Craig the lame high school cheerleader from Saturday night live from the 90's. He was a great MC and their performance was hilarious. It was fun watching the high schoolers be a part of this night and for me to see them having fun as sometimes we can loose perspective as to why we came in the midst of the daily work.

We hope that your family is doing well and we pray that as you move into this December and Christmas time that you would not forget the reason we live.....Christ. May He move in you this Christmas in a new way.

Prayer requests:

Eric and Kara- 1/Would you pray we find rest over the 3 week Christmas break...we are tired. 2/We will be taking a family vacation in January pray all goes smoothly and that Kayla adjusts well to the transitions.

3/Kara's friend Dawn (her husband was killed in a plane crash in August) is back in Nairobi pray God gives her wisdom on how to be a good friend and strength as she supports her.

4/ we invited a few pastors from our church in California to be a part of our Graduation in May will you pray if God wants them to be a part of it that He will reveal it to them by end of January.

Blessings on your Christmas

A month that changed my life

Hey everyone

We want to thank you all for your continued support for our minisitry and thank you to all of our supporters for helping us to return in August to continue our ministry. The Lord helped us to raise around $800 of the $1000 that we needed a month in order to return in August. We are still waiting to hear from a few contacts but once again the Lord continues to affirm that being in Kenya is where He wants us now. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us a great deal this past month.

I have sat down to write this entry so many times and I still don't think I have figured out how to convey all that the Lord has lead us through this past month. It has been a life changing month for us and a very intense return from our furlough this summer. For those of you who don't know what has happened in our lives, we lost two friends in a tragic airplane crash in Kenya at the beginning of August. One week before we were due to come back to Kenya I found out through facebook that my friend Ryan was in serious condition in the hospital due to an airplane crash. I tried desperately for days to get a hold of my good friend Dawn who is his wife to find out exactly what was going on. After a few days in the hospital in Nairobi Ryan was airlifted down to a special burn hospital in South Africa. One week after the airplane crash Ryan passed away due to internal injuries and burns over 70% of his body. In a quick moment he had decided to take a short airplane ride with his friend Frank, (the other pilot who died) they were taking 2 filmmakers over the slums to make a documentary on what life is like for Kenyans and living on $1.50 a day. The engine of the plane just stopped and they were unable to get it going again. Ryan and Frank both died doing what they loved best and living in God's will for their lives. I feel like God had great mercy over Ryan in those last days and took him to be home with him because he knew the great multitude of pain and suffering he would experience in trying to recover from his wounds. I don't think Ryan would have been able to return to the work he loved most and that was fixing airplanes. I have never really seen this side of God in this way and it was such a unique thing to experience.

We returned on a Monday night and by Tuesday at noon I was sitting with my friend Dawn supporting her through the first of two memorial services for the men. The following Saturday we had the service for Ryan. I don't think anything can prepare you to be the type of friend that a person needs when they have lost a loved one. I have never been so intimately a part of someone's deep soul wrenching pain. It feels even harder knowing that the loss is felt by 8 children who were left behind. I petitioned God for a ton of wisdom and understanding. I felt your prayers as I tried to just do life with my friend who had just lost the love of her life. God has taught me a lot this past month, there were days that I felt like I had aged 10yrs overnight. It has been an unforgettable experience to be a part of a missionary community that has surrounded these two women and helped them through the first difficult month. The two women and families were well taken care of day and night. My friend Dawn is currently in the states but plans on returning in November to finish out her term until June. After a year long furlough she is hoping to return to Kenya to continue her work as a missionary. If you want to read more about these two men and their story you can find it at http://www.aimair.org/page21/page21.html

On top of this emotional turmoil with my friend we were also dealing with a multitude of adjustments with Kayla. Honestly there have been days this past month where I just started crying out to God asking Him how much more Lord.... how much more can I take. I am broken.... I think one major thing we have learned with having a special needs child is that there are few things that are easy with her. This month has been a major month in transitions with Kayla and we had a difficult beginning with Kindergarten. Poor kid having to deal with jet lag, a new school, new friends, new medications, new diet, and on top of that a two week long nasty virus. Having to give Kayla 10 new supplements and medications 3 times a day has added a whole new level of intensity to our family life. On an emotional level we have had to work through grief again and accepting again that our child has special needs and we need to do life with her where she is at. It's humbling having your child at the school where you work and now other people you work with are invited into your own personal family life. We are hoping all of these new supplements and diet changes will start affecting her for the long term. We will know more in 6 months whether or not all the new things we are doing are actually making a difference. We also just recently started reading a book on understanding and parenting easily frustrated and chronically inflexible children. I am hoping for some new insights and more tools on how to live a more peaceful family life with Kayla.

In addition to the above difficulties if those weren't enough we have returned to a Kenya even more in drought than when we left in May. We came back to continued and worsened water problems and are now buying water from private truck companies to supply us with water almost every week. We are also under power rationing going without power throughout the day on Monday/Wednesdays/Fridays. Not a fun way to live but I am continually thankful that God is providing for our needs and we aren't going without like many people here.

This has been a heavy blog and it accompanies a heavy month. Our God is good and it has been amazing to watch him provide for us , for Kayla, and for my friend Dawn. His love endures forever. I am glad my hope is in God and that someday all of this pain and suffering will be taken away . We feel like we are coming out of this dark month and starting to adjust back to life in Kenya. Kayla is improving in school and making friends. Eric is concentrating on just teaching this year and I am slowly trying to find my way again. A death of a friend changes you, I will never be the same. My friend Dawn will never be the same and it feels like God is strengthening us as friends and taking us through this valley of grief.

Will you continue to pray for the two situations above for me and my friendship with Dawn and our life with Kayla. It seems like those are the two huge prayer requests in our lives right now. For Kenya would you pray again and continually for rain. Many are predicting heavy rains in the next couple of months and for the sake of people's survival here would you pray that as well.

Thank you for your prayers and your support they are constantly being felt.

Kara for the Gibsons

Gibsons in Kenya 09

See what we've been doing the past two years

Enduring and Every day life

Okay I think that I have sat down at least five times in the past month to write an update and then feel like there is nothing to write......I don't have any cool stories about trekking into the jungle and teaching about Christ or translating the Bible into an unknown language. We are just here running the race God has for our family. The past few months God has been teaching us about contentment and finishing the task of this year strong. We have been struggling with wanting to be finished and taking a break with family and friends. He is teaching us about being fully in the race He has given our particular family and not comparing our work with other's. So here is what we have been doing at school each day and in our daily lives.



We are excited to announce that our school and especially our high school has been accredited fully and for the maximum time frame of seven years. That is a huge accomplishment that we have been working towards the past two years. I can't tell you how many nights Eric pulled all nighters in order to make sure things were accomplished. Eric and the entire staff were excited to hear the news in February. In March we watched a lot of sports games at schools and helped with the referee duties, the girls enjoyed playing in the chalk lines after the game, they can't wait to begin playing sports at our school. We also had the 11th graders over for spaghetti and game night. It's been a fun year hanging out with them they are truly turning into some fun and gracious young people.



In April Eric had the opportunity to go on a 11 hour bus ride with friends from school to Uganda. They spent the night at a camp area and rafted the Nile River. From the pictures and video he showed me of their day on the Nile it looked like an incredible trip. It was a beautiful river to raft and the rapids were huge. The went down many fours and several fives. They had lots of safety river guides and watched one of the guys in the kayaks go down a grade six. He had a great trip but the bus ride wasn't that fun.


In April we had our first official banquet at school. I had fun planning out the details and setting up the venue. Our banquet theme was "All Decked Out". We had dinner and Karioke at a nearby restaurant in an open pavillion. We had a great dinner and about 30 kids turned out. Afterwards Eric and another high school teacher set up a stage with microphones and we sang karioke for awhile. Here is Eric and Jonathan singing Eye of the Tiger from Rocky 3. We haven't laughed that hard in awhile it was great fun watching everyone try and sing songs we grew up with but they didn't know anything about. You know that YMCA song is kind of weird when you think about the lyrics :) The kids were so thankful for the night and it was then as I was sitting back and enjoying the night that I looked around at all the kids and the Lord just reconfirmed to me again why we are here.

We continue to be plagued with drought/water problems. Since January our area in town has been receiving little water. Water comes from the city to our house and collects in an under ground tank. When that tank is full it pumps to our house. If water doesn't come from the city then we don't have water in our house. When it gets really bad we take our little blue bucket and scoop the water from the very bottom of the tank. The girls love helping me "get water from the well". So we have been learning what it means to truly appreciate water and how to ration it. We haven't done laundry at our house since January, we have been using buckets of bath water to flush toilets, and check each day the level of water to see if we can take a shower. It's been a constant source of frustration but the Lord helps us keep it in perspective as we drive down a few blocks from our house and see people with no running water to their house at all carting water in containers on their head. We continue to be humbled by how much we have. Pray with us that the water situation improves for our house and the people in Kenya.

Will you pray for us as we travel home at the end of May for our two month furlough. We have about $1200 a month to raise before we can return in August. The task seems huge but we know God can provide if He wants us to return. Please pray specifically that our "Support a missionary for a year" campaign will really connect with people and that they will be moved to join our team. We are heading home in a time of recession but we know God can provide. Pray our faith in Him will remain strong. If we aren't able to finish raising that support amount then we won't be able to return August 9th.