Enns Info Letter 1
Dear Family and Friends,
Some of you may already know the big news so this will serve as a concise reminder; for others it will come as a small shock to learn that the Wes and Jeannie Enns family are embarking on the adventure of our lifetime ? we are going to Kenya, East Africa!!
The preamble to this is about a decade or more in it?s instigation. I find it extremely interesting to look back and see how we have been leading up to this over the course of our individual and then combined lives. The short version would include an unexplainable draw to a country (or probably more it?s people) and a desire to do a mission together (having done these separately in the past). It is an awesome thing to be included in the intricate plans of God. How far back and who was all included in this moment for us (and of course for each one of us as it pertains to our individual lives) will probably only be known by Him but certainly the recent trip of Chris and Lori (bro and sis) to said school and their overwhelming sales pitch was the clincher.
What are we doing? Well, the easy answer is that Wes will be teaching high school English at a missionary school called Rosslyn Academy in Nairobi (be sure to check their website at www.rosslynacademy.com). The boys and I are using him to get into the country and once in place can only imagine what we will see and do. I am basically taking a job transfer with the same company and boss (I?ll let you speculate on the specifics of that J!), though the start of kindergarten for Ezra at Rosslyn will alter my job description somewhat. We will live on campus in basically furnished staff housing.
Since deciding to say yes to this call in the beginning of March we have been at a fairly steady pace of getting our brains in gear on the numerous details to be attended to. The fun of seeing the providential hand of God at work to help us has been utterly enjoyable and has offered us immense confidence of His going with us in all of it. Our house has been sold, our documentation has been taking half the time to be processed, and though the vaccinations are certainly not fun (or quiet!), the boys are gunning for our departure date right along with us. (Initially Ezra did cry because as he said it, ?there won?t be any houses there!? We concede that the only association his young, but extremely intelligent, brain had to Africa were references to elephants, giraffes, and various other savannah cruising animals. Isaiah was just pumped about flying in an airplane and sitting on the ?tables that come out of the backs of the chairs! I want to sit on those tables!? He is just the smartest 3 year old in the world!)
We are scheduled to be flying out of Winnipeg around the 25th of July and the 9 hour time change should be a lot of fun (particularly for Jean, who loves consistent sleep!) I?m sure the rest of us will be fine, in about 6 months or so ? even though we will really miss the snow, blizzards, and chilly temps. We will be vacating our present domicile July 1st, and so will be headquartering at Mom and Dad Enns?, as well as doing some quick visiting to family out West, before leaving this half of the world. It will be a rush (in more ways than one), as we have seemingly an endless ?to do? list, which grows by the day. There are still many unknowns or faith-growth opportunities before us, but God has already shown his incredible faithfulness and strength to us!
Wes has already begun the task of amassing and investigating what he is teaching next year ? as far as we know it comprises of High School English, along with some chapel coordinator duties. Some new material, some old, but Rosslyn is a North-American ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) school, which uses US Curriculum and standards, so most things will fall under the ?oh, I?ve done this before? category. Except, of course, for Ezra, who will most likely be starting Kindergarten this fall, with a whole slew of new classmates from all around the world. An exciting adventure is just beginning?and you can join us! Literally if you want (I?m sure there?s a place for you in Nairobi somewhere! J), but most importantly, through prayer and communication. We are going to be setting up a ?Blog? or weblog (address to be announced), on which we hope to post pictures, videos, and journals to share with you our family and friends what?s going on with us. It?s going to be a great way to share info, prayer requests with you, and allow you the opportunity to see what our life is like over there. Of course, you are more than welcome to email us (this will be the easiest and most reliable source of regular communication for us) out there. I will also pass along these addresses, once they are confirmed. It would mean a great deal to us if you would consider praying for us regularly as we gain momentum on this amazing journey to Africa! God is good!
May God Bless You Richly ? and asante sana (thank-you very much!) for your support! Kwaheri (Goodbye!), until next time.
– Wes, Jeannie, Ezra (5) and Isaiah (3)