My mom joins a ministry trip and a quick jaunt down to South Africa…

Ministry Vlog:

Watch our March ministry vlog. In this vlog we share how our training team has grown from 2 to 11 in 2018 and Clinton’s trip to a Discipleship Conference in South Africa. Please leave us a comment and let us know what you think.

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Sorry we haven’t had an update on the family in a while, but we will get one out to you in April. You can see some family prayer points below.

Thank you for your prayers, your support, your encouragement and walking along-side us as we minister in Kenya. Thank you.

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Praises & Prayers:

Praises

• We are in the midst of the rainy season, and although I can hear them repairing the leaks on the roof of our house as I write this, we thank God that the water coming in didn’t damage anything and didn’t get too close to the electrical breakers.
• The ministry has developed a team of trainers as it continues to expand and become more sustainable. We have grown from 2 to 11 trainers in 2018 so far.
• Clinton attended a Discipleship Conference in South Africa in February where he meet some wonderful people and received some great direction for potential future ministry.

Prayer Requests

• Pahtyana’s birthday is April 7th, please pray that we would celebrate her life and that she would enjoy her special day in the midst of a very busy season.
• Clinton travels for a ministry training trip from March 21st – 26th. Please pray for the family and for safe travels across Kenya during the rainy season.
• Please join us in praying that God would continue to lead and guide our ministry work in Kenya.

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If you would like to join our support team, please send us an email to let us know or you can click here to set up your support directly with SIM USA.

 

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My Discipleship Group built me a new house…

Ministry Vlog:

Watch our first ministry update of 2018, and hear the amazing testimony of how a small group of believers showed this man the love of Jesus and changed his life.

(* The last ministry dates shown in the video should have said days 4, 5, & 6.
The ministry trip was 6 days, sorry for the confusion.)

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We are excited to share a full update on our family and ministry in the new year. We will be sending the next update in the next few weeks, but we didn’t want you to have to wait to see that God is active and changing peoples lives.

Thank you for your prayers, your support, your encouragement and walking along-side us as we minister in Kenya. Thank you.

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Praises & Prayers:

Praises

• We got to spend Christmas with our families, both sets of grandparents traveled to Kenya and have stayed with us for the past 6 weeks. We are VERY blessed.
• The kids had a wonderful time on Christmas break and we got to spend time connecting as a family and making memories.
• Political tensions have decreased and we are now able to resume normal ministry schedules and travels. Thank you Jesus.

Prayer Requests

• Enjoy every moment we have with family visiting from the U.S.
• Seeking God’s guidance and direction as we enter into a new year and new seasons of ministry.
• Transition back to our normal routine and work through sadness after family leaves at the end of next week.

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If you would like to join our support team, please send us an email to let us know or you can click here to set up your support directly with SIM USA.

 

Birthday, Hospital, and Trains, Ohhh My…

FAMILY Update:

Hear about Elly’s Birthday, Clinton’s hospital “adventure”, & Pahtyana’s conference in England. Plus we have a new guard “dog”, you have to watch the video to see:

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MINISTRY Update:

A summary of ministry trips, including a train to Mombasa, amazing testimonies, and some big prayer requests:

Here are some exciting new testimonies:

• I was too shy to participate in church…
• Church Planting through Discipleship…

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Praises & Prayers:

Praises

• Elly celebrated her 9th birthday.
• Clinton returned home from the hospital and is steadily healing.
• We have 1 new monthly financial partner and 2 one-time gifts of support! We are blessed.

Prayer Requests

• Join us in praying for a peaceful re-run of the presidential election on October 26th.
• Please pray for David and his family as he mourns the loss of his step mother.
• Join us in praying for some additional monthly financial partners or partners who can increase their support until we return to the United States in May, 2018. We are planning to be in the US from May to August to connect, share testimonies and raise additional support for the next season of ministry in Kenya.

If you would like to join our support team, please send us an email to let us know or you can click here to set up your support directly with SIM USA.

 

 

 

Greetings from our new home in winter…

FAMILY Update:

Watch a short greeting from our kids from our new home:

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MINISTRY Update:

Watch a short update on the ministry and Pahtyana’s 20 days in the UK:

Check out some of our new testimonies:

• What do Pastors think of our ministry?
• I wasn’t allowed to go to church, but then… 

 

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Praises & Prayers:

Praises

• We moved into a new home, and we love it!
• Pahtyana’s is in the UK for 20 days to attend an exciting conference.
• We are healthy and excited for what God is doing.

Prayer Requests

• Join us in praying for a peaceful presidential election on August 8th.
• Join us in praying for ministry opportunities to share the vision in new regions.
• Join us in praying that me (Clinton) and the kids would survive the 20 days without Pahtyana, who is the reason, logic and sanity that holds our family together.

We’ve Launched Something Very Exciting…

FAMILY Update:

Watch a short update about our family and see our kids walking with animals.

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MINISTRY Update:

Hear the update about our trainings and the exciting launch of our new ministry website and online community.

To experience our new ministry website click: www.CellKenya.org

Please leave a short encouragement or comment to let us know what you think.

• To read a powerful encouragement written by Pahtyana click:

  In Remembrance of Him

• To experience the latest testimonies click: Testimonies

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Praises & Prayers:

Praises

• Join us in thanking God for safe travels to all of our training regions in Kenya.

• Join us in thanking God for a refreshing time at our annual SIM Spiritual Life Conference.

• Join us in thanking God for providing us a strong team to be doing ministry with.

Prayer Requests

• Join us in praying that God would continue to keep our family healthy and safe as we get through the rainy season.

• Join us in praying for more open doors and Kenyans who are eager to join our training team.

• Join us in praying for Clinton as he continues to work on a new book about the Values of Living as a Disciple.

• Join us in praying for Pahtyana as she continues to work on developing some excited writing projects, to be unveiled soon! 

• Join us in praying for our girls that they would finish the school year well (beginning of June) and adjust to the changes that summer vacation and traveling friends will bring. 

Starting 2017 Very Strong!

FAMILY Update:

Watch a short update about our family and even see clips from our girls school presentation about Africa.

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MINISTRY Update:

Watch a short update on the latest Disciple Makers Training conference and hear TWO amazing and life changing testimonies.

To see the individual testimonies click below:
A Child is Healed
Welcome into My Home for a Cup of Chai

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Pastor Stanley:

Watch a short video about why Pastor Stanley chooses to work with our ministry and the value he sees in it.

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Praises & Prayers:

Praises

• Join us in thanking God for the 23 Disciple Makers participants who are dedicated to showing people the Love of Jesus in their communities.
• Join us in thanking God for the new networks of churches in Kenya who are very interested in our ministry and beginning the training programs. One network represents about 150 churches in central Kenya.
• Join us in thanking God for providing for all of our families needs. We trust and rely on him as we continue walking forward in ministry.

Prayer Requests

• Join us in praying that God would continue to supply our financial support so we can continue the ministry. We have a few financial partners who have had to discontinue their financial support for personal reasons, so we are praying that God would speak to the hearts of new partners who share our passion for this life changing ministry.
• Join us in praying for our new participants who are doing their 6-months of Disciple Makers projects, that God would teach them and use them in mighty ways out in their communities. We are excited to share their testimonies with you soon.
• Join us in praying that our kids would have a good balance with Clinton traveling for ministry and the time we get to spend together as a family. Pray that God would guide all of our scheduling.

Getting Back to Kenya

We’ve been asked by a few of our partners to provide a practical understanding of things we are raising support for. Below, are a few examples. If there is a specific area below that sparks your heart, you can click here or on the item itself to set up monthly support.

Ministry Support Needs:  $35/mo. Sponsors an individual training for one church $65/mo. Sponsors one Disciple Makers Class $100/mo. Provides all gasoline needed to travel to trainings

Personal/Family Support Needs: $30/mo. Housing essentials $60/mo. Helps covers our medical costs while in Kenya $100/mo. Helps to provide school fees for Jolie to start Kindergarten in Aug.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are interested in partnering with us and would like more information about what that looks like, please click here.

If you would like to connect with us personally, please email us at: clinton.more@sim.org.

Thank you! 

Home Assignment 2016

Well, it is hard to grasp the fact that we are already on Home Assignment! As so many of our friends and family have remarked, it seems like yesterday that we were saying our good-bye’s and boarding the plane to Kenya.

Yet, here we are. Roughly 2 years down, so many new relationships and friendships forged and so many incredible testimonies of God’s faithfulness to share. We’ve been back for over a month and a half and it’s been a delight to get to share these with many of our partners already!

Some of our time in the States is going to be spent resting up a bit, spending much-needed time with family, visiting with our beloved partners-who have been so instrumental in making all of these testimonies a reality (!!)– and continuing to share our story with others as the Lord opens doors.

God blew the lid off of our expectations in this first term, with all of the additional ministry opportunities for both Clinton and Pahtyana, and directing us to write a book and launch a School of Discipleship! He not only established our footsteps but He faithfully expanded the borders of our territory. We’ve trained further throughout Kenya than we ever expected to in this first term, and have had more opportunities to reach people than imagined. We are praying for the same thing here on Home Assignment. Let us explain…

It is our desire that we not just share and give while we’re “on the field” but even when we’re back, it is our desire to bring back encouragement to those who believed in us, invested in us, and supported us all the way. The testimonies that we carry with us are beacons of Hope and Truth that God’s Word stands, that what we read in the Scriptures, specifically the beauty of the early church in Acts is available to us today! That kind of engagement, that pure community, that investment in each other and the Kingdom…The testimonies we carry with us also bring Hope to those who don’t yet know about the power, the TRUE power of finding Christ –through relationship with others. 

As we continue to raise the support needed to return to Kenya in June and carry on the work, it is our heart to share this Hope with everyone God leads us to. It is our constant prayer that the words they hear will plant seeds of life within their hearts. The Family of God that we find within true discipleship with each other, is meant for each and every one of us. Not just in Kenya. Not just in America. But everywhere. So, it is our heart and passion to make this Truth known wherever we find ourselves.

So. Home Assignment 2016 has officially commenced for the MooreFour. We’ve been so blessed by the welcome we’ve received from everyone here and have loved every second of getting to share about what ALL has happened over the past two years.

Thank you, Lord for all that You’ve done and all that You are in our lives!

Thank you to our wonderful partners who have aligned themselves with what the Lord is doing in and through us and have helped to make this all possible!

Lastly, thank you to our new partners- you are now a part of an incredible team of people from around the world who believe in reaching beyond our own borders to bring Hope, to bring Light, to bring Love, to bring the Family of God to those who like us, are longing for something more!  Welcome! 

Sincerely,

C,P,E&e

 

 

The Eye in the Storm

*For the optimal experience, play this while reading…

Sigh. There are those days in the throws of a hectic week, when you have to fight to carve out much-needed time for yourself, sans little people. So, you dutifully drop them off at school, and make your weary way alone to a coffee shop, order your favorite drink and a lightly warmed chocolate croissant. You miraculously find an unoccupied corner with three comfy chairs, and one table between them. You plop yourself down, unpack your stuff, journal for a bit to clear the clutter in your mind and heart, and then… pull out your laptop. This is the real treat – uninterrupted writing time, all to yourself. A highly-sought after treasure in the land of parenting.

As you begin typing and begin to unpack all that weighs within, you find the snappy jazz ensemble playing overhead is…fun, but a bit chaotic in the moment, and the last thing you need is more chaos swirling around you right now. No. So, you put in your headphones and put on the delightful soundtrack to the movie, The Words, turning it up a few notches to drown out the clinking and the chattering that’s steadily rising as the morning unfolds.

The sweet, inviting, flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg descend down your throat as you waft in the aroma… You begin to submerge yourself further and further into this world you’ve diligently crafted for yourself. The deeper you go, the more the words stop peeking and begin pouring themselves out, and the more your soul finds itself again. The moments are becoming sweeter and sweeter, refreshing your spirit like nothing else. You watch the wintery wind, brisk, unrelenting, whisk the leaves, trash and twigs to destinations of obscurity all around your tightly forged, glass-encased corner of solitude and tranquility.

And then that moment pauses and as it inhales, in walk 4 adolescents, roughly 11-13 years in age. No parents, just the bejeweled bikes that brought them here. One of these little people in particular stands out to you- black hair cropped in the back, with long, bleached oily strands in the front, draped “stylishly” over her eyes, with giant, sparkly heart-shaped sunglasses, dressed all in black and ready to prove her point, whatever it may be. They choose the table adjacent to your corner. As they loudly drag extra chairs over, they giggle and squawk at the noise they’re making. You subtly turn your music up and focus more intently on your screen, tightening your grip on the given moments you need so desperately. It doesn’t take long for them to notice you. All children have a sixth sense about these things, after all.

They start talking to themselves and looking over their shoulders at you. Then Sparkly Heart Girl stands up and defiantly walks over and plops down in the chair next to you, in “your” corner and looks directly at you. She sits on the furthest side of the chair closest to the window, not exactly courageous enough to sit right next to you, but bold enough to sit there in the first place. Her comrades look shocked and in awe that she would be this bold. After all, everything about you says, “I’m in my precious space, please do not disturb.” But Sparkly Heart Girl, has a point to make. She does a stare down with your lowered forehead as you write a mere 3 feet away, adjusts herself on the chair, moving closer to the middle. She bumps your crossed ankles with her scuffed and frayed Converse sneakers and stares at you to observe the inevitable reaction. When there is none, she does what any self-respecting pre-teen making a point can do, she reaches over your bag on the floor, definitively puts her cup on “your” table, right next to your cup, napkins, headphone case, and charger. Gasp. Her fan club is aghast. But then when there is yet a reaction to be observed, she grabs her sugary drink from the table and immediately jumps up to rejoin her group. Oh, but not before plopping down on the other chair next to you and promptly falling off the corner of it onto the ground because in her newly minted defiance she misjudged it’s location. Fits of squeaky laughter fill the air, circling around you, but you remain in your sphere. Still, unmoved, absorbed in the music and moments you’ve fought for.

They suck down the dredges of their whipped cream laden drinks and leave to mount their bikes again. But not before Sparkly-Heart Girl makes her last stand. She leans in on her bike, just outside your glass-encased world, and does a stare down with your forehead one last time, for posterity’s sake, you presume. Yet, this time… you look up. And lightly smile.

Yes, I see you Sparkly-Heart Girl, your eyes say. Yes, I need to be seen and heard too. But unlike you, this morning, I do not need to be heard by anyone around me. I am heard by everyone around me all day long. By my own children, by my husband, by those I work and live life with. In fact, those around me count on what I say to them daily. For guidance. For affirmation. To be molded, to be released. But this morning, this moment, I do not have to be heard by them, nor do I need to be heard by them. I need to be heard by my own self. I need to hear what I have to say. And as you continually press your presence up against the glass of my world, an act of youthful desperation in a way, you infringe upon my own act of weathered desperation.

So, thank you, Sparkly-Heart Girl, in your desperate defiance of social norms, you have helped me define something for myself… The storms will never cease. This much is certain. But there are ways to find the eye in those storms, to grasp at that peace, to reach out and cling to that hollowed chasm that the chaos can dance around but never touch. Sometimes, this peace is brought in by others but then there are times, times when no one can bring it to you. You just have to buckle down and be that chasm encased by chaos yourself.

 

Facing the Foreign Familiar

As I’m nearing the eve of our departure for the States on our first home assignment, I must confess, I’m a bit shocked. In some ways, it feels like yesterday that we were getting our bags unpacked and our little house outfitted here in Kenya. But to be nearly two years in, and looking now at closing up our little house for the first time, is mind-boggling. Where was all of that time spent?? In reflection, it was spent traveling, training, getting malaria, making multiple hospital visits for various ailments, enjoying quality conversations over steaming cups of Kenyan chai and mandazi with newly acquainted friends, learning Swahili, failing at Swahili, trying out new areas of ministry to fail and try again and again, hanging the laundry up to dry in the African sun day in and day out, crying tears of exhaustion and tears of elation, and above all coming face to face with a new self. A self well known and a self still to be known.

As I face returning to the familiar, I own that I am not the same as I was when I left it for foreign lands. I own that when I step foot on the soil of my homeland, it will not feel quite like the home I knew and once invariably belonged to. I own that I will be a foreigner in the familiar, treading lightly on old, well-worn paths. I now understand this byproduct of living abroad, that I belong nowhere, and yet feel that I can now belong anywhere, in a sense.

What will it be like to be “home” but to realize in a new way that “home” is what I carry with me? That as a wife and a mother, I.Am.Home. to three hearts. This is my cherished burden to bear and my blessing to bestow. I own the trials of this first season, allowing the lessons within each one to chip away at the rough edges. I own the triumphs as well, allowing the hard won victories to propel me forward in fierce Hope and carefully crafted perspective.

Yes, nearing the eve of our departure, I face the foreign familiar. But when  I stop to reflect on this, I see that I’ve been facing the foreign familiar all along, it’s been staring back at me in my own reflection.