Johnny Brooks in Kenya

Redesign

I’m working on a redesign of the blog, and hopefully it will be debuted soon. This month marks our 5th year of maintaining this blog. It’s been an interesting 5 years for the Brooks’ family with plenty of ups and too many downs.

Look for some articles this month reflecting on just what was so interesting, and perhaps a few mundane reflections as well.

I seem to always forget to mention this, but over at the Send Them for Him site you can help us earn money by simply clicking through their site before purchasing something online. I’ve done it a few times with ITunes, and other than having to remember to click through their site, it was easy and didn’t affect my shopping at all. Here’s the link for our page:

http://www.sendthemforhim.com/files/Groups/AFAAH/Categories.html

Other ways to donate:

Donations can also be sent via snail mail. Make checks out to Kenya Fund and mail to:

713 West First Street
Beaver Dam, KY 42320

Alternatively you can use paypal. Use our [email protected] email address. Or just click the following button:

Hi.

Stay in Touch

Fresh. New. Beginning. Genesis.

It’s a new year.

Let me start by reminding you of a few things. Like how you can stay connected with us here in Kenya:

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/johnnybrooks

www.facebook.com/kate34

Email:

[email protected]

Phone:

email me for the numbers

Blog:

Of course you already know the address, but just in case here it is again www.purechristianity.blogs.com

Website:

www.afutureandahope.net

One of my goals or resolutions for the new year was to communicate more and better what is happening here in Nakuru, Kenya. So stay tuned for more stories, thoughts, pictures, videos, and more.

Resolutions?

Happy New Year! My prayer this year for myself, and all of you, is that I inch closer and closer to the person that God has created me to be. I say inch, because I move slowly, and get scared when things to to fast.

So what are my New Year resolutions? Hmmmm, let me think…… Resolutions are about changing what we don’t like, right? Well I like my life for the most part, however there are a couple of things…..

• I’m afraid that the first one is private, and I’m not going to share it with you all. Perhaps next year.
• Communicate better what is going on here in Nakuru, Kenya. I realize that so much happens, and I just don’t relay it to you. Well I’m going to do better this year, or at least I’m going to attempt to do better.
• Tell more stories. I want to get more of our stories out there. In written form, video, and even audio. Trust me, we have some good stories. You will cry, laugh, celebrate, and run for cover.
• I will finish downloading Alice Cooper’s Along Came a Spider. Andrew (my 11 year old son) and I are really enjoying it. (digging it, rocking out to it, grooving to it, spinning it, or whatever the new hip terms are now.)

Now for the ministry project church, just what am I supposed to call what we do? I think I will stick with family. So now for some family resolutions:

• Finish filling the beds in Christopher’s House (our boy’s home.)
• Look for suitable land for our family. We want to do some farming, and build houses to our needs.
• Find some folks who are willing to help us pay for that land, and all the other stuff we do.
• Spread the Gospel of the Kingdom to more and more folks here in Kenya, and abroad. We do this by feeding, clothing, caring for, visiting prisoners, and otherwise loving the oppressed, unlovable, and neglected people of this world.

I pray and hope that 2010 will be a good year for us, for those we are sent to, and for you.

Many blessings.

Happy Holidays

We wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

We are taking a break from the blog, or fasting the blog, till January 1st.

Don’t worry we will still be around on Facebook, email, phone, and the occasional Skype call.

www.facebook.com/johnnybrooks and www.facebook.com/kate34

Hope you have a good holiday.We are looking forward to getting closer to our Heavenly Father in 2010.

Ask Johnny and Kate Week

I am officially declaring this week to be Ask Johnny and Kate Week. What exactly is Ask Johnny and Kate Week? Glad you asked. Good first question.

Simply put this is an opportunity to ask us whatever you might want to ask us. Can be related to living cross culturally. Can be related to our family life. Ask us about home birth in Africa. Ask about food. Take a clue from some of the kids and ask questions like this one; “Daddy how come you are so fat?”

No holds barred. We will answer any and every question.

Ask here, ask on facebook, ask via email. However you would like to.

www.facebook.com/johnnybrooks

www.facebook.com/kate34

[email protected]

 

Johnny Brooks,      Yes I am aware that this is completely lame and geekish, but what do you expect? I am lame and geekish.

Some answers: Related to vacations
                       A Question about Raising Children in a culture not their own
                       Concerning Working with Fundamentalists
                       What Makes Babu so Awesome?
                       How did we make the move?
                       Christmas gifts?
                       Baby Name?
                       How do you pay your bills?
                       Where’s Home?
                       Easy Life?
                       Solution to poverty?
                       Scriptures?

Day Off

It’s our day off. Back tomorrow.

Blog Action Day 2009

Today is Blog Action Day 2009, and this year’s topic is climate change. How does climate change impact the work we are doing here in Kenya? I mean really is a warmer climate really going to make that much difference in the lives of these orphaned/abandoned kids? Is the climate change going to impact the poor we work with?

Absolutely yes. The developing world, which includes Kenya, stands to lose the most in this global warming stuff. Populations here are dependant upon seasonal rains to grow the food they eat. Farmers need the weather to be predictable in order to know how/when/where/and what to plant. If they fail, many will suffer hunger.

Currently the drought here in Kenya is wreaking havoc. I have no idea if it is caused by climate change or not, but I do know it’s bad.

I want to provide the orphans we are caring for with the best possible future they can have. This might mean we need to make some effort to reverse global warming, or if that is not possible to devise ways to adapt to a warmer climate. These changes need to be for everyone, not just the rich.

Without dealing with the situation, then the future just gets harder and harder for the kids we are helping.

Johnny Brooks

Haiku

At a loss for words--

Where is my inner muse?

Gone inside to think.

Reminders, Again

Just wanted to share with everyone the many ways you can stay in touch with us. I know I’ve posted this stuff before, but perhaps some new readers don’t know how to reach us.

The easiest way of course is via email. Send something to [email protected] .

You could write a letter and send via snail mail. Use this address:

Johnny Brooks

P.O. Box 2974

Nakuru 20100

Kenya

I, Johnny, use Twitter:

 

Both Kate and I are on Facebook:

 www.facebook.com/johnnybrooks and www.facebook.com/kate34

If you want to send us money, we do this project full time and exist off of people’s generosity, then you can use one of the following methods:

Paypal. Using [email protected]

Make check out to Kenya Fund and mail to:

713 West First Street

Beaver Dam, KY 42320

U.S.A.

If all these fail or you just like the phone you could give us a ring. Do keep in mind any time difference there may be between us and you. 011-254-723-687-644

Of course commenting on the blog gets our attention as well.

Happy communicating!

Johnny Brooks