Texas Here We Come

Several have asked me, so how many times have you moved in the last 4 or 5 years Allison? And as my Dad likes to say, "when will you ever settle down?" The answer to those questions are, "way too many" and "settle down??...what does that mean?" Well i do have to admit there are days that I think, "if only we were settled", but I have come to conclusion and peace with the fact that my life is not my own and this world is not my home. I have many homes here on this earth it seems but my true home is in heaven. And I'll never truly feel settled until I reach our eternal home with the Lord. And God has called us to follow him wherever he leads..so this time, to good ole Texas we will go!!! But the moving is so much sweeter now that its my husband that I am going with.

We've been married about a month and a half now and have been living in a small garage apt in North Raleigh. Married life has been wonderful. Many days I ask myself, why didn't i say yes to Dennis a lot sooner:) We've really enjoyed the blessings and beginnings of marriage, and even the challenges. We've really been through a lot together these last few years and my father in law's passing is just another situation that has drawn us closer together. And now we are on to Texas.

This Friday we will load up a minivan with our stuff, drive to Hickory to stay with my Dad for the night, and then wake up early Saturday morning and head to Memphis, TN. We are going to stay the night with our friend Joyce and then Sunday drive the remaining 8 or so hours to Denton, TX. So we should be in "the promised land" (as Dennis calls it) HA! by Sunday evening. This Southern Bell has her hands full with her Kenyan American Texan I have to say.

We are going to be living on a ranch in a little town called Argyle, TX, and even going to be living in a BARN! Yep, a converted barn. (pictures to come when we get there) Our plan is to remain in Texas til the end of the year and return to N.C. in time for the holidays. Denton, TX is the location of Denton Bible Church where our missions organization, Serve International, is located. While we are down there we are going to be attending some classes at MTI, which is the church's Missionary Training Institute. We will also continue with our support raising process and travel around Texas and to California to visit and update some of our current supporters. (if you want more info about our support raising and how you can be involved in our ministry in Kenya please email me allirn4him@pobox.com) After our time in Texas we will return to N.C. to continue support raising here and to visit family and friends before we head back to Kenya some time next year. That time is still up in the air and depends on our support but we are hoping its sometime in the Spring. Of course all of these plans are in God's hands and can change at any moment...so we live day by day holding losely to them, seeking the Lord's wisdom and direction. I am very sad to be moving far from my family in Charlotte, my dear friends here in Raleigh, and my TCC church family. But as the Lord leads I have a great peace and know that He has great plans for us there.

Joy in the midst of Pain

Not sure how many of you read my husband's blog www.leadersservingleaders.blogspot.com but i wanted to post his m ost recent email and thoughts he sent to his friends. What a gracious and comf orting Savior we serve.... A Father to the fatherless!!

To see a tribute picture slideshow Dennis put together for his Dad, click here

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
1 Corinthians 15:55

I don’t know what to say but to thank you very much for your prayers. It is a wonderful thing to be saved and to have a savior that gives us comfort and hope in this time of sadness. God has really used you to comfort me. I cannot reply to every email that I have received...many of you have called and sent text messages from all over the world to let us know you are praying for and with us. I want to assure you that you have not prayed in vain, we definitely have felt and continue to feel your prayers as God has showered us with comfort and peace during this time of sorrow.

Most of you asked whether or not we will return to Kenya during this time. Unfortunately we are unable to travel at this time because I am still waiting for my immigration papers and travel permit. As soon as we get these documents we will be on our way to Kenya to join the rest of the family.

2 months or so ago my friend Peter Odanga went to Busia to see my dad and while there shared the Gospel with him. He asked him if he would like to receive Christ and he nodded his head yes and Peter prayed for and with him to receive Jesus in his heart. We praise the Lord for this (I realized I had not shared this story with most of you). This, to be honest makes the grieving process much easier.

This ordeal has also opened my eyes and brought my heart closer to my Lord. As I reflected on what has just happened...this week my father died but I remain not fatherless because God is my Father and in him I have a Father who knows no death and is Eternal and in Him my father rests in a land up yonder where God himself will be with Him. He will wipe every tear from his eyes. In this land there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain...

I would like to finish with the lyrics of a song that has been of very much comfort to me. Thanks again for your prayers and support please keep them coming.

He Knows My Name (I Have A Maker)
Tommy Walker

I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
and He hears me when I call

I have a Father
He calls me His own
He'll never leave me
No matter where I go

Sad News...please pray

Dear Friends, Please pray for Dennis and his family as he got the news today that his Dad passed away last night....we don't have many details as of right now but here is what Dennis has written on his own blog...

The Passing of My Beloved Dad

This afternoon I got a message from my sisters in Kenya that my dad passed away last night at a local hospital in Busia.

Please pray for my family as we mourn the loss of our Beloved Dad. Thank you for you prayers and support

Though his Dad has been sick for awhile now and his death isn't a complete surprise it still is hitting Dennis very hard, especially since right now he has yet to receive his travel permit/green card to allow him to leave the U.S. Please pray that this will come miraculously quickly so he can travel home to Kenya as soon as possible to be with his family.

(this is a picture of Dennis and his Dad this past December when we were in Busia.)

Omondi Blog CONTEST!!

Ok everyone, now that Dennis and I are married we are talking about starting a new Omondi Blog. We are trying to think of a good and catchy name for it. We are holding a contest to see which of our friends can come up with the best name for our new blog. So what do you think??? Let us know in the comment section here or email me at allirn4him@pobox.com. Let us know what you think!!

More Wedding Photos

Hey here's ALL the photos Casey took at our wedding...There's tons of them!! She did an awesome job!
http://poiemaphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/3255995

Wedding Slideshow

Well for all of you who weren't able to attend our wedding and for all of those who were there but want to relive that day with us again, here's just a glimpse. Thank you Casey for all of your hard work!
http://www.poiemaphotography.com/dennisandallisonwedding/

Well here it is again for those of you who are just seeing my blog for the first time or just want to be encouraged by God's faithfulness and goodness. We printed this and put it in our ceremony bulletins.

Our Story:

A Reflection of God’s Gracious Love and Faithfulness

Dennis and I met in November 2004 during the end of my 2 year IMB term in Kenya. We call it the “pillow story” because we met as a result of mere pillow! That’s right, a pillow. Dennis had just come back from living and studying in Texas, along with his teammate Rusty. They were living and doing ministry in Mombasa. We had a mutual friend, Crystal Bell. Crystal and Dennis knew each other from church when he lived in Texas. I knew Crystal because at the time she was also working for the IMB in Nairobi. Dennis and Rusty had gone to visit Crystal in Nairobi and accidentally left Rusty’s pillow at her house. My other friend Kimberly Samuel (also a SEBTS student and IMB missionary) was traveling from Nakuru to come visit me at the coast for a month. Since she had to pass through Nairobi on her way, she stopped at Crystal’s house. Knowing that Kimbo was headed to the coast she sent the pillow with her hoping we could somehow get it to Dennis and Rusty.

Kimbo arrived to my house with this pillow not knowing what we were suppose to do with it or who it belonged to. One day I got a phone call from this guy named Dennis saying we had his pillow. The guys told us that they would be heading our way that following Sunday because they would be going to Word of Life for church. This happened to be the same place we were going to church that Sunday as well. We told them to look for us. All we knew what that we were looking for white guy and a Kenyan guy. We sat in church that day hoping they would find us. As we sat through service we were very impressed at the guest preacher that day because he was teaching such Biblical truth and in a very expository manner (rare to find in Kenya). Little did we know that that preacher was Dennis himself. It was such good teaching that I can even remember that he was preaching from James 1.

After church, Rusty came up to us looking for his pillow. Then, Dennis came down and introduced himself as well. That day we joined them for lunch. So, that’s the day Dennis and I first met one another (November 28th, 2004). Through the month of December, Kimbo and I were so happy to have some other single missionaries close by to hang out with. She left in January to go back to Nakuru, and Rusty left Kenya in February. We didn’t see each other much, but Dennis and I continued to keep in touch by email, text messages, and phone to encourage one another in each of our separate ministries. It was during this time that I began to really respect him and admire him for the ministry that he was doing in Kenya. He was unlike any other Kenyan I’d ever met. Most Kenyans who have the opportunity to go to the States never return to Kenya, but Dennis had a missions heart for his own people and had returned to Kenya to teach and minister to pastors and college students. His passion for God’s Word and for teaching it to others really impressed me!

On February 14th, 2005 that we had a long talk and discussed our admiration for one another. Because of the IMB’s no dating policy, we knew and agreed we couldn’t date while I was on the field, but in the coming weeks when I told my supervisors about my friendship with Dennis’ and my desire for accountability, the regional leadership decided our friendship was more than it should be and asked me to finish my term in South Africa. This was a very difficult time for both of us, but it was through this that I really saw Dennis’ godly character shine.

After I left Kenya we continued to stay in touch over email and when I got to the States we were able to communicate almost everyday by phone. It was through this communication that our hearts really began to grow for one another. In December 2005, Dennis came to the States to attend my seminary graduation and to visit my friends and family for the holidays. Everyone, including my family, loved him…all an answer to many prayers! I also went to Texas with Dennis to meet his American family and supervisors there. At the beginning of January, Dennis returned to Kenya, not knowing when we’d be seeing one another again or exactly where our relationship would take us. We were just trusting the Lord and praying for His wisdom and direction. Dennis was committed to his job as a missionary in Kenya, and I wasn’t ready to return to Kenya yet.

During this next season apart I got on with “American life,” got an apartment and a really good job. Little did I know that during this time, Dennis was praying that I’d be miserable at my job and would have a desire to return to Kenya. I had lots of little specific prayers of my own about how God needed to show me if this was the man I was suppose to be with for life. I had many fears, but it was during this next 7 months the Lord really showed Himself faithful and answered all of my prayers, one after another! By April, the Lord had done so much in my heart that I had an overwhelming desire to return to Kenya to work with Dennis in ministry in Mombasa. Since majority of our relationship had been long distance, we needed to be in the same place at the same time for a while to really get to know one another.

The opportunity to go through Serve International was there but circumstances like my job, an apartment lease, school loans, support raising and other obstacles made it seem like it would be impossible to go. But Dennis, a man of BIG FAITH, and I began to fervently pray over each of these things. God very quickly and graciously showed HIS HAND to us and took down each of those obstacles. In than 2 months of writing my support letter, I was on a plane to Kenya. During those six months with Dennis in Kenya, we were able to see the REAL Dennis and Allison alive and in person and in the context of everyday life and ministry. Then on Nov. 3, 2006, at Diani Beach, we were engaged at the very spot we had our first “define the relationship talk.” In January of 2007, I returned to the States to work and begin making wedding preparations. Throughout our entire relationship, we have marveled at the goodness and faithfulness of our Lord. Only He could have brought us together and its only He who will continue to sustain us and grow us in our relationship. We can’t imagine going through the ups and downs of life and ministry and the mission field with anyone else! PRAISE BE TO GOD for His marvelous gifts!