This page contains email letters received
from the Rothfus' during 2005 and 2004
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Saturday December 10, 2005
Subject: Pest of the Month (Rothfus, Dec. 05)
Monday, I (Ed) picked up a wash cloth from the sink to wipe down a
counter and this guy dropped out! Needless to say, I jumped a bit and
made some type of noise (not exactly a word) of exclamation. The
children were all excited to see what was causing this commotion. We
all decided that he was definitely "Pest of the Month". He was (notice
I say "was", he is no more) a centipede between 2 1/2" to 3" long.
We love you and think of you often!
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
PS. "Centipede" sounds a lot better than "36 Legged Buggy Thing"
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Saturday October 22, 2005
Subject: Rothfus News (October 22, 05)
Some of you have been wondering how Debbie is doing since her ruptured
appendix surgery (nine weeks ago today), so we thought we would touch
base with you all. First of all, thank you so much for your prayers
and words of encouragement, Jesus is so good and what a comfort to be
set on the Rock that is higher than I (Psalm 61:2) through turbulent
times.
Debbie has been going to the Titchie (elementary) library every day and
teaching about half the classes she taught last year. This past week,
we went for a walk around the guard trail. It is about a mile and a
half, with some pretty good ups and downs. We took it slow, but she
did very well. This past Thursday we walked down to Kijabe for supper
at one of our favorite restaurants, Mama Chiklu's, it was a fun family
time. Debbie is probably back up to 90% and is still thankful for Dr.
Bird's insights when he said, "It will take at least 8 to 10 weeks to
begin to feel like you're getting back to normal". Since the
beginning of school two other students have had their appendixes
(unruptured) out and both young men were back in school the next week.
Debbie jokingly said,"That's not fair" :o)
We are all doing well, busy as usual. We are finishing up our
Spiritual Emphasis Week. The speaker this year is Bill McPhee and the
Lord is using him.
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
We have already finished up our third week of school and thought it
would be good to send you an e-mail to update you on how we are all
doing.
Four weeks ago, today, we were preparing for Debbie to go in for
exploratory surgery. Needless to say it was a rather stressful time.
As we looked back over her illness leading up to the operation, we
realized that her appendix had ruptured at least 2 1/2, and possibly up
to 3 days before it was removed. At one of her doctor's appointments,
she read the pathology report for her appendix and it said, "acute
gangrenous appendix with perforation". As we look back, what a
blessing to place these turbulent situations in the Lord's hands, what
a peace He gives us in exchange. Since then, Debbie has been
progressing very well. This past week, we went to church and she has
been able to walk around the RVA campus more. She is rather tired when
she gets home, but what an improvement. It has been a blessing to be
here because the administration and those Debbie works with have all
said to her to take as much time as needed to heal. So she will work
back into the library position slowly.
Our family is adjusting back to a sense of what is normal. It is hard
to tell what is normal in the midst of the "rapids" (such a busy
schedule) and recovering from the appendix. Daniel is now in 8th grade
and doing well. The first few days were a little overwhelming for him,
shifting from vacation to such a busy school load. But he seems to be
doing very well now that he is in more of a routine.
Jennie and Jonathan are in 5th grade and doing well. One big plus for
them is that they have the same teacher, Miss Weissenburger, from last
year. They really love her and just the consistency of her being in
the room has been a stabilizing factor for them. An adjustment for
them is that they have more homework than last year and we realize that
we will have to spend a bit more time at night working on it. One
night, a frustrated Jonathan who was not very excited about giving up
some of his play time, said, "Will we always have this much
homework?!?" Debbie said, "Jon, you're growing up." They are both on
the same soccer team in the 5th & 6th grade soccer program. I think
they were both rather intimidated but still excited. I see them both
as living up to the challenge.
I (Ed) have a new responsibility this year, I am BAF Chairman (Branch
Administrative Funds for RVA) which takes some time. We meet once a
month, for which I am grateful because it gives me time to get caught
up on things before the next meeting. In addition to this, I am
teaching five art classes, fine arts department chairman and Debbie & I
are helping sponsor the 8th grade class (class of 2010). This year, I
decided not to teach 8th grade Sunday school since I will need to put
some margin time into my schedule for family and things that may come
up.
We would appreciate your prayers for:
Right priorities and balance in Jesus.
Debbie's continued healing and recovery.
Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie with the heavier work loads this year and
that they would continue to develop deep friendships with their
classmates.
Ed for wisdom working with the students, teaching and the various
responsibilities.
Thank you again for all your support and encouragement during through
these past weeks of adjustment. What an encouragement you all have
been to us! We love you.
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
Let the "Jello Fest" begin! Debbie is home and doing well.
Thank you so much, each and everyone of you for all the various
positions the Lord placed you in on our behalf (prayer intercessors,
encouragers, messengers, bridge builders just to mention a few).
Debbie called me this morning at 8:30 to let me know that Dr. Bird said
things looked good, she was healing well and that today she could go
home. I went down and we sat and visited and waited for them to
finalize things (like take her central line out) and visited and waited
some more. At 10:30 I said to Debbie, "while we're waiting, I'll run
down and pay our bill so that when you are ready, we can leave." I
came back up after paying the bill at 11:15, one of the nurses took a
piece of paper I had been given and they immediately proceeded to work
at taking her central line out. Being the bright young man that I am,
it finally clicked, you have to actually PAY the bill before being
discharged (I know many of you are going "Duh, Ed!"), but I want you to
know that I am the kind of guy who enjoys on the job training.
Debbie said that the nurses were very kind and competent in their
nursing skills. She shared a story about one of the nurses in
particular, Samuel. Debbie didn't remember much after surgery, but she
did remember that Samuel was one of the first nurses to tend to her.
Her mouth was so dry, she could hardly talk and she wasn't allowed to
drink water. He very carefully and patiently poured small amounts of
water into mouth so that she could rinse it around and then spit it
out. One time, while Samuel was taking care of Debbie, she asked him,
"Why do you enjoy being a nurse?" Samuel immediately responded by
saying,"I find great satisfaction in working with a very sick person
who comes into the hospital totally dependent on my care. Then,
slowly, slowly, I see them heal. Eventually, they leave the hospital a
healthy person."
When we got home, Debbie got situated on the bed. Gandalf is our
technician. He got on the bed, wondered "Who is this stanger?",
smelled her, did a "catscan", decided she was OK and then he curled up
next to her (Gandalf is our cat). The children, dad and Gandalf are
all very glad to have mom home!
Thank you again for all you did and continue to do for us! This will
be my (Ed) last "Debbie Recovery" e-mail for awhile, Lord willing. It
sure has been good to fall into the safety net of friends and family
who care so deeply and to rest in hands of the Lord who lovingly
carries us even before we realize that He is.
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie (& Gandalf)
Thursday Morning, Aug. 25, 05. Debbie is still in the hospital, but
the news is that tomorrow (Friday morning) she may be able to come
home! This gives us more time to prepare for the "Jello Fest" (which
includes grape, strawberry, & mixed fruit jello, pudding and home made
orange sherbet).
We are again having some ups and downs with our e-mail, so I
apologize. Everyday Debbie is looking better and better. I was here
for the momentous "trial removal of her IV" and now she is flying solo!
And, if all goes well, the central line will be removed tomorrow.
Yesterday, was a little discouraging and good learning experience for
me. Debbie has been doing well drinking liquids and so the doctors and
nurses wanted her to try to eat solid foods (the cafeteria was
definitely ready to have her begin eating, they started sending up
large meals). The problem was that every time the food came into her
room, the smell would cause her to feel sick to her stomach. Being the
"good help-mate", I talked to her about how she really needed to try
eating a little bit of the mashed potatoes that they brought for lunch.
So she did, even though it made her feel worse. I went home and
worked on getting my room ready for classes. But through the
afternoon, I felt that I had been a "discourager" to Deb instead of an
"encourager. To be honest, I wasn't feeling the Lord's peace at how I
handled this little situation. So last night when I went in to see
Deb, I apologized for being a "task master" instead of her
"cheerleader" and asked her forgiveness. She graciously forgave me.
We talked about this and it's not the event, but the principle(the mind
set) at work behind the scenes. I realized that I need to be Debbie's
cheerleader down this road of healing. The reason I share this is that
if the Lord places it on your heart, would you pray for me to be an
encourager (cheerleader) not only for Debbie, but also for our children
and those I work with. To encourage them positively and patiently in
the direction Jesus would have them to go. Also, if you could continue
to keep Deb's recovery in your prayers, we would really appreciate it.
Thank you again, we love you all!
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Tuesday August 23, 2005
Subject: Debbie's Recovery, Aug. 23, 05
Thank you so much to all of you who have written notes of encouragement
and all your prayers, what a blessing you continue to be to each of us!
I went down and spent two and a half hours with Debbie this morning.
What a change from even yesterday, it is definitely your prayers at
work! First of all, I notice Debbie was looking really good when I
walked into the room, she is only on the IV (no oxygen, wires, tubes or
other monitoring devices). Her temperature is down to almost normal
and she is now on a clear liquid diet (I made her a feast of strawberry
Jello and take it to her this afternoon, she can't wait!). She had
been up for a walk earlier and then she went for another while I was
there, the nurses are all encouraged because they said that will step
up the healing process the more she can walk. The best news is that
there is a chance she may be able to come home tomorrow (Wednesday),
but if not, Thursday is looking like a good possibility. Jennie wants
to plan a welcome home party for mom, with lots of Jello and...more
Jello!
She said this morning that her recovery so far is feeling a lot better
then her last surgery. The doctors are encouraged by what they see (so
are we!) Many of you have shared some very good thoughts about similar
appendix experiences you, family and friends have had. It has helped
us to put into perspective that this recovery process is a long road.
She definitely is not back up and running after a very hard fall. But,
it is as if, she has gained back her consciousness and is beginning to
catch her wind, next we slowly help her up...
We love you all, thank you again!
Much love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
Our e-mail is back up and running, we are able to use this now for
correspondence. First of all, if any of you have not received news
about Debbie and having her appendix removed, I apologize and would be
glad to send that e-mail to you. We have had problems with the e-mail
service in Nairobi and I moved all the addresses to another account on
the internet, but have no way of telling if they all got through.
I spent a couple hours with Debbie this morning and she is looking so
much better. They are in the process of removing all the tubes and
wires, which we are all thankful for. She is getting better. This
afternoon she goes for her first walk. I was talking with the nurses
and they would like her to take a short walk, five to ten minutes, to
get her system moving in this direction. She is drinking one ounce of
water per hour to start her digestive system. Thanks again for all
your prayers!
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed (for all of us)
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Saturday August 20, 2005
Subject: Debbie Rothfus Update, E
I am attempting to give you an update, though it is a
rather challenging round about way. First let me say, if
you respond to this e-mail please use our
erothfus@kijabe.net, not this account since we rarely
check this one.
First let me say a BIG THANK YOU!!! For all of you who
have been praying for Debbie, she is on the road to
healing. She had a ruptured appendix, went in for
exploratory surgery, and Dr. Peter Bird removed it this
afternoon and she is recovering. She will be in the
hospital anywhere from 3 to 7 days when her system begins
to get back to normal.
Here is the story behind all of this, if you would like to
know. I had written you about Debbie going into the
hospital and the docotrs being a bit perplexed, thinking
that she hadtyphoid, the ultrasound looked normal except
for fluid around her gall bladder. So they thought that
the organs were OK and that she didn't have any problems
with her appendix. This was Thursday evening.
Friday morning, I wrote an e-mail to all of you to keep
you posted BUT it would not send, no matter what I did.
Later, I found out that our e-mail system had a developed
a glitch where we cannot send any outgoing mail, we can
still receive, but not send. I felt like I wanted to say
something, but had no way to say it. Here is that
e-mail...
This is Friday morning and I want to thank so many of you
for your prayers, what a blessing you all are to us! As
of yet, the doctors are not sure what Debbie has, Sara
Hazlett (the doctor from John Hopkins) and Dr. Peter Bird
are still monitoring her condition. They are keeping her
on the typhoid medicine hoping this will take care of what
it is. As Debbie and I were talking this morning, we
realized that it could sound very serious and life
threatening from the state side. But since typhoid is
rather common here, it is also very treatable in Kenya.
Yes, it is not good to get it, but it is something that
is here. We would ask your continued prayers for the
doctors for wisdom in proceeding ahead and Debbie for
healing. I think they may keep her in the hospital
another day to keep an eye on her.
I took down our lap top computer and read her the e-mails
many of you sent, we were very encouraged! Thank you for
all you're doing for us in Jesus! Isn't it good to know
that when we face the unknown, Jesus will reach down into
our situation and lift us up to place us on the Rock that
is higher than I (Psalm 61:2 & 3)
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
Back to this e-mail...Saturday morning, this morning. I
called Debbie, expecting to hear that she was doing better
and that ehr fever was down. I called and asked how she
was doing. This is what I heard."Ed, I'm not doing well,
last night was terrible. I have diaria, I threw up and my
fever is up". I was planning on taking the children down
with me, but decided to go myself, I needed to talk with
Debbie to find out anything (the Lord is good in how He
works things together, because I needed to be there
alone). I went down at 10:30 am expecting to come back
for lunch and didn't arrive back until 5:30. I got to the
hospital and sat with Debbie, we talked, but I sat there
thinking "What am I to do Lord?" After 40 minutes, Sara
Hazlett walked in and we talked. She said that they
needed to just keep monitoring her, this was very
puzzling. I asked if they could run anymore tests and she
said they would do more blood tests. She also said that
she would try to find Dr. Peter Bird, Debbie's surgen, and
have him talk to me. 20 minutes later, Peter walked in
from the operating room, we finally got a chance to talk.
I watched him sit down and look over Debbie's charts and
think quietly. He finally said 'this is very puzzling, we
can wait until Monday and if she doesn't improve, then
maybe we can do more tests". He checked Debbie again and
saw that her swelling was worse and her temperature was
up. He was also concerned about her vomiting the night
before, the diaria and that she was becoming dehydrated
(about the dehydration, the nurses were beginning to have
a very difficult time trying to get an IV in her veins,
she has 12 marks on her hands and arms from successful and
unsuccessful attempts, Peter even tried. I sat and
watched wishing they put the IV in me, but there was
nothing I could do but pray). This is where your prayers
played such a big part in what happened next. Peter said
"I am going to talk to John Fielder (another doctor here
at Kijabe, a specialist in these type internal situations)
for his thoughts". In 30 minutes all three doctors were
sitting in the room talking with us. I had no idea that
this is what was going to be next but Peter said "Debbie,
I think I am going to need to go in and do exploratory
surgery". I was a bit numb, but I said that if this is
what was needed, OK. Within a half hour, I was giving a
pint of blood and so were three other friends from RVA, we
were all O+ and that is what Debbie needed. The clinician
drawing blood said "I will need to stick you twice, to
test your blood and to draw it", I said no problem,
especially after all I saw Debbie go through. I called
family in the states, they prayed with me and I went to
waiting room, 3:30 in the afternoon. Phil Morrison, my
pastor here at RVA, was there with me, we talked and what
a blessing to have someone who sits nearby to help absorb
the anxiousness. 4:15, Peter walked out and sat down next
to us and said "She had a ruptured appendix". I breathed
a huge sigh of relief. He had said that it rupured
underneath and that is why it didn't show up on the
ultrasound, but why she was so sore in the central abdomen
area. He said that is also the reason for Debbies
swelling and the fluid around Debbie's gall bladder. The
gall bladder was inflamed, but in a few days should be
getting back to normal now that the problem has been taken
care of.
Debbie will be in the hospital for a few days for recovery
to get her fluids back and then have her start eating
again to make sure her system is getting back to normal.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and encouragement.
The timing for Dr. Peter Bird finding this, and being
prompted to do the surgery today was because of all of you
who interceded on Debbie's behalf. If it had been any
longer the septic infection would have been next. But it
looks like it is the healing process ahead, now that the
problem has found and taken care of.
We love you all and as I have said many times before, you
are a special part of our team and we need each one of you
in Jesus,
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
We have a prayer request: two days ago, Tuesday evening, Debbie had
cramps, a temperature and felt sick to her stomach. Yesterday, she
still had the symptoms, but thought that she was getting better. This
morning, about 4 am, Debbie woke me up and said that she felt terrible,
the abdominal cramps were rather severe. She was also very dizzy from
not eating much these past few days. I called Lilly Rebert, a friend
of ours who is a nurse here at RVA, she came right up and took Debbie
down to the hospital here in Kijabe. They have done an ultrasound and
said that things look normal for the most part, but they are going to
do some more tests (they don't think it is her appendix). The doctors
think that Debbie may have typhoid. Could you pray for us that the
doctors will have wisdom as to what to do and for our family to rest in
Jesus through this time?
Thank you so much for all you do for us and the team you all are to us
in Jesus,
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
As you've probably noticed, it has been quite some time since you last
heard from us. I apologize...I have wanted to write for quite some
time, but finally found this window of opportunity (4:00 am Friday
morning). We are doing well this this term (third term). It is
definitely living up to the its title of being "Fast Term". It is hard
to believe that Graduation is two weeks from tomorrow!
In the form of a prayer request, I would like to share a quick story
with you.
The other evening at 5:30, as I was finishing things up in the art room
getting ready to head home, I saw three Seniors and one Junior walking
past my room on the way to drama rehearsal (the play "Pride and
Prejudice" is this weekend). I knew them all and could tell they were
under a lot of pressure, carrying the weight of the world on their
shoulders (you could just see it in their walk). I called out the
obvious dumb question..."Hey, how are you all doing tonight?" I
received three blank stares and one "Mr. Rothfus!?!..." to which I
smiled sympathetically and watched them slowly fade on. As I turned
and walked on, it was as if Jesus challenged my heart with the a
question, "Why didn't you pray with them?" My first reaction was, "No,
besides they are already a ways down the road" Then I realized,
spiritual challenges are rarely in my comfort zone. So I quickly
turned around and went out into the road that runs past my room and
yelled, "Hey, guys! Wait up!" They all stopped and waited for me to
catch up. I said, "This is a strange thought, but could I pray with
you all?" One of the girls said immediately, "Sure!" So we huddled
there in the road, put our arms around each other, and I prayed with
them (a bit out of breath, since they had gone quite a ways). After I
said, "Amen," one of the girls said, "Thanks, Mr. Rothfus." I looked
at her and she had a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.
This is my prayer request:
The students, staff, and faculty are under a lot pressure right now.
The end of the year (Graduation) finish line (July 16) is in sight, but
from what I can see, there a lot of people under attack. Could you
lift up those here at Rift Valley Academy for a strengthening of their
relationships: first of all with Jesus, then between friends, students,
dorm parents, teachers, roommates and families. It is going to be so
important, especially for the Seniors, to build strong relational
foundations before they leave. It so important to build those
important meaningful relationships stronger by adding "bricks of
encouragement" then to remove bricks and weaken those foundational
relationships. Closure in the right way is so important, but if they
(those here at RVA) are anything like me, good closure is very hard and
awkward.
Thank you so much! We love you all and will...WILL... write again soon!
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
Subject: Rothfus Prayer Requests (Third Term, April 05)
As we head into the final school term of the year, third term, we would like to share some specific prayer
requests with you. So many of you have faithfully kept us covered in prayer, and we SO appreciate your
support.
Prayer Requests:
1) In the elementary library, Debbie will be helping with the transition from the present computerized library
program to a different program (the one already in use in the high school library). This will require quite
a bit of time and detail work. Please pray for the transition to go smoothly.
2) Ed had a rather stressful term last term with extra demands (it was a good term, but a bit wearing).
For this term ahead, please pray that he would have a good term in the Lord, keep a good balance, and fit
more margin time into his schedule
3) For Daniel, please pray for the stamina to be able to keep up with the junior high schedule and workload,
and for good rest at night.
4) For Jonathan & Jennie: Pray for them to finish out the year well in the fourth grade with a positive
attitude. Please pray that we as parents would not compare them (twins), but enjoy them and accept them
for the unique individuals they both are. Also for Jennie, please pray for a diminishing of the
bedtime/nighttime anxiety that she frequently experiences and for her to grow in her ability to deal with
these worries.
5) Please pray that we would discern the Lord's leading as we work with the young people He brings into our
lives; that we would know how to encourage and build them in Christ
6) Finally, pray for Christ's priorities as we enter the rapids of third term--to put Jesus first,
then family (build on our family time), and then outreach outside the home.
Thank you again for playing a big part in our ministry here at RVA. This is a team effort and we need
you so much in Jesus. We're praying for you and think of you often. We love you.
Your Family in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
This is a rather unusual "Pest of the Month" and it will take some explaining.
We just returned from a family vacation to the Coast of Kenya. While we were
there, we went exploring on the reef and had a lot of fun finding things you normally see in aquariums.
Here is where "Pest of the Month" comes in. A Kenyan guide wanted to show us an octopus he had found.
The problem was that he was more excited about finding the octopus than the octopus was about being found.
I found out that an octopus not only "inks" when he (or she) is upset, but that they can actually squirt
their ink in AND OUT OF THE WATER. My leg happened to be a target, and as you can see by the picture,
it really is dark ink. The first thing the man said was, "Oh, you are lucky to be inked by an octopus!"
I didn't feel quite as lucky as the guide seemed to think I was. I am holding the octopus in the other
picture, and then we let him go which seemed to make him (the octopus) glad.
We love you all and think of you often!
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
We were working on our pictures the other day and we found this one. When we were down in Mozambique, Debbie
saw this box in the nursery with toys in it. She got a good laugh out of it. We thought you might enjoy it too.
It is amazing how some words just don't transfer into other cultures!
We love you!
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
Four E-mailed Letters From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Monday March 28 2005
Subject: Pest of the Month, (Rothfus-Part 1, March)
I (Ed) just returned from a trip with 14 RVA Juniors and Seniors where
we biked for a week around Savo, Voi and Mombasa (Kenya). I and another
faculty member, Jan Barlow, had the unique priviledge of taking these
students on an educational field trip for the last week of the term.
I would like to send a series of 4 pictures with a short of explanation attached to each.
This first picture is one of the two "Pests of the Month". As soon as you look at
it you will know why. Sorry that the picture is s bit out of focus, but he was a bit
grumpy and just wanted to leave. Where we were camping, we had these little guys (scorpions)
camping out under our tents. This guy was probably about 2" long stretched out.
The good thing is that we really didn't find too many until the day we left.
We love you all and think of you often!
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel Jonathan & Jennie
(Sorry about the spelling errors in the first message, I got ahead of myself and I sent it before
I looked over it)
The second to the last night of our biking trip, all the young men and I were sleeping on a porch
roof of a very nice home in Mombassa. About 3 am, I was awake for a few minutes and saw a blurry
object moving around against the faint light in the sky. I worked hard to focus in on it and realized
hat it was a spider lowering itself down from an overhang about 10 feet from me. I must say, I wasn't
very excited about the thought of having this guy crawling around among us while we were sleeping,
so I got up and took a pair of sandals and squished it. In the morning, I found him and here is a
picture of it (the flattened version).
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
Subject: Savo River Train Bridge (Rothfus-Part 3, March 05)
There is a movie called "The Ghost and the Darkness" (it is a rather gruesome movie).
It is based on the true story of two male lions that caused a lot of trouble for those
building the railroad from Mombasa, Kenya to Uganda. The bridge across the Savo River is where
most of the trouble took place and when all was said and done, the two lions had killed a total of 138 men.
As we were traveling from Voi to Savo, we stopped for a break at this bridge. Here is a picture of some
of the students hiking on it. The original bridge was constructed mainly of wood. But, as can you see,
this bridge has a lot of steel in it.
Much love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
Subject: The Biking Gang (Rothfus-Part 4, March 05)
The final picture I would like to send, is a picture of our biking group. Here we are on the edge of
Savo (Tsavo) National Park. This day was only 103 degrees. The following daily temperatures were
105, 106, 110 and over 110 degrees (it kept getting warmer?...hotter!...as we got closer to the coast).
Needless to say, we drank quite a bit of water. We surprised those leading the group by the amount of
gallons we consumed.
This group was such a good group to work and real blessing in Jesus. There were things we came up against,
but they pulled together as a team. The best part for me was that when we had devotions at night and shared
what the Lord was doing, the sharing didn't stop. They kept asking questions throughout the following day
and the next night was like a family coming together to share with Christ at the center. I learned a lot
from these special young people and wish the trip could have been a little longer. But, Jesus really used
them to sharpen me in Him.
We Miss you and think of you often.
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
We went to Nairobi Game Park last weekend and found something that we
had missed before, a "Safari Walk". It sounded interesting, so we decided
as a family to walk through it. What a pleasant surprise! We saw hippos,
lions, cheetahs, monkeys, an ostrich, bongos, a giraffe, zebra, a rhino,
impala, and a spotted hyena. But I think our favorite was the leopard.
We were there around noon so most of the animals were resting in the shade and
not very active. The leopard was up on a tree stand zonked out and we were on an
open porch about 25 feet away. We stayed there for awhile just looking at him--no
movement at all, but what a beautiful cat! I (Ed) decided to make chirping noises
with my mouth, but still no movement. People were coming and going, and still no movement.
Then, I started making low whistling noises and that is when we saw it...an eyelid twitch.
I kept up my obnoxious low grade whistling and the eyes opened. Then he lift his head
and looked straight at me (the hair on my head started to rise). The look was the look of,
"Not another disturbing tourist!" He looked around and then opened his mouth in a big YAWN.
Debbie had the camera and took a picture of him right at the peak of his yawn.
So we thought that it would be fun to send it to you.
We are on midterm break right now. It has been a good term and very busy. But the Lord is always
so good and I feel like we have accomplished quite a bit. The scary part is that the second half
of the term is the crazier part of second term. Please keep us in your prayers for balance and
wisdom as a family serving Jesus here at RVA. We love you and appreciate all of you for the part
of our team that you are!
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
Saturday Feb. 12 2005
Subject: Pest of the Month
Have you ever heard of "safari ants"? We were on a family hike a little while ago and we saw what
looked like a small rope on the ground; the only thing is that it was moving. We took a closer look
and it was a tightly packed trail of ants serious about their work. We had a piece of straw so we
wanted to see would happen if we placed it across their path (major highway). What we have pictured
here are the foremen trying to figure out the plan of action. There was a bit of a traffic jam, but
then they proceeded to move the log (piece of straw) and kept going about their work.
I guess we could be the "pest of the Month" since we were really bothering them.
We love you and miss you!
We are already finishing up the third week of second term, which means we're a quarter of the way through.
We were sharing with someone how first and third terms are like an airport runway. We taxi down it, adjust
our direction as we are picking up speed, then we take off. Second term is different; it is a rocket launch pad.
The term takes right off with a bang and you hope you're aimed in the right direction. A few of the things that
make this term a busier term are Model United Nations, the Junior Senior Banquet, Senior Re-entry Seminar
(preparing seniors for next year and the culture change they'll be facing), Junior College & Career Day, and interims
(a week-long educational trip) for juniors & seniors at the end of the term. I (Ed) and another staff member
will be helping to head up the biking trip from Savo to Mombassa for 14 students.
Classes are going well for me. In Art Survey, we are in the middle of working on the pictures for next year's calendar.
I am continually impressed with the artistic talent with which the Lord has blessed these young people. Debbie has been
busy with library office work and library classes for the 1st through 6th graders. Daniel is doing well in junior high,
and Jonathan & Jennie are enjoying 4th grade. Both Jon & Jennie have been looking forward to this term's sport, tennis
baseball (which is a variation of baseball using a tennis racket and a tennis ball on a baseball diamond). Due to a
shortage of student coaches, Debbie & I are coaching our children's team.
We took five of the young men from our Sunday School class, including our son Daniel, to a Little Lambs day care center
last Sunday in Maingi, 6 kilometers from RVA. We went to spend time with them playing soccer and games, then sharing a
story from the Bible. We all had a good time and I find I am the one who receives the blessing from spending time with
these special little children. We are planning on going one more time in February and once in March and taking the rest
of our Sunday School class. Attached is a picture from last week.
We love you and miss you!
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
Here is a picture of Mike DeLorenzo (our Pilot) and Daniel (the Co-Pilot) on our 6 hour flight from Mozambique back to Nairobi. Daniel was so excited about being able to fly in the cock-pit and spend time with Mike. People may feel that spending quality time with others is insignificant, but just the time Mike spent with Daniel this past week has really impacted him. Daniel has always loved planes and aeronautics, but Debbie and I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Lord directs him in this way. The time with Mike has brought this love even closer to his heart.
Much love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Jonathan, Jennie & Co-Pilot Dan
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Thursday. Dec. 9, 2004
Subject: Pest of the Month (Dec. 04)
Here is the "Pest of the Month", a big beetle from Mozambique. He had some competition...a couple of snakes (including a puff adder, which we didn't see, but it was killed on the compound this week), big black ants swarming on our floor and two LOUD chirping tree frogs three feet outside our bedroom window.
But what clinched this month's winner was his behavior. We were packing up to leave for the airport when Jon said, "Dad, look at this guy!" He was stuck on the screen outside our living room window and I said, "I need to get a picture of him!" Paul Zimmerman, our friend taking us to the airport, saw it, and I asked him, "Do you think it bites?" Paul said, "Nah, let me hold it for you...OUCH!! He BIT me!!" I looked at Paul's finger...Man, it did bite him; he had quite the mark! So this beetle is the winner of "Pest of the Month" (notice my strategic hand positioning).
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonnie & Jennie
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Sun. Nov. 14, 2004
Subject: Rothfus #4 (November 14, 04)
This is just a quick e-mail to let you know we are doing well. It is rapidly nearing the end of the term, and finals begin for the junior and senior high at the end of this week.
Last Sunday, I took six young men from our Sunday School class (including Daniel), Jonathan & Jennie to a Kenyan church (Africa Inland Escarpment Church) to share a pottery talk. The service began at 10:10 am and finished at 12:50 pm. At first there were around 150 people but by the end of the service, there were around 300 people there. When I began the pottery part of the service, I said the children could come and sit up front next to the wheel. It was like WOOF and I was packed in by children, in front and on the sides. I had to back them up a little bit, but just to let you know how packed in I was, I had to move one boy to be able to get the clay out from underneath him. All in all, it was a very good time in the Lord and we have some special memories. All the boys from our Sunday School class were a BIG help, and many of them asked, "Mr. Rothfus, when you go to another church, can I come with you again?"
Here are two pictures. The first one is of our group (including Nate Taylor, the band instructor's son). The second is to give you a feeling of the front platform and how packed that was. Sorry about the quality of the pictures, but the lighting wasn't the best.
Looking ahead, we have a few prayer requests. The first would be that we would finish this term strong for Jesus. Second, we will be leaving four days after this term ends to help with the children at the AIM Mozambique conference again this year. We would appreciate prayer for our children's passports since they are in the proces of being renewed and we receive them a few days before we leave. Please pray that all goes well with them and we receive them in time. We would also appreciate prayer for safety as we travel to Nampula, Mozambique (in a 14-seater airplane), and for a good time with the children at the conference.
Thank you again for all your prayers, support, and encouragement. Jesus has given us a very special family in you!
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
As a family, we took a small Safari last weekend and had a special time together. We thought that it would be fun to share our four facorite pictures with you. We went to Nairobi game park. We didn't see a lot of different animals, but we did see large numbers of them. For instance, we saw around 150 zebra up close.
This is e-mail one of four (there will be four e-mails for the four different pictures). We thought the sign was rather comical and that you would enjoy this (these are our children posing, not warthogs).
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonnie & Jennie (no warthogs)
This is picture two of four. We saw this giraffe a long way off and watched him. He was apparently interested in us because he kept coming closer and then stood and looked at us for a while.
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonnie & Jennie (& giraffe)
Out of all the Zebra we saw, we thought this one had the most character. Notice the Hayseed (grass) sticking out of his mouth.
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie (& Hayseed)
We are on midterm break and it is good to have a bit of "quiet water" in the rapids.
As I look back over these first six weeks, it is good to ask, "What has
the Lord been doing in my life?" First, it is so good to come back to
the fact that Jesus is working behind the scenes ("...in all things God
works for the good," Rom. 8:28) even while we may fee that we are just
struggling to keep up with the busy schedule. There is peace in knowing that the details we may overlook, He never misses. He is never late, but is always there molding and shaping toward a design (an individual, unique design) he has for each one of us.
Now please don't think I have all this planned out in my mind (what I am going to write) because I have been thinking about this for quite a few days, wondering where to begin. I guess the thought that has kept
coming back throughout the past few years and again more recently is
that the Lord has called me to a specific position and purpose. He has
called me to be an art teacher. Some of you know that my grandfather,
Lyle Anderson, was a pastor and my dad, Don Rothfus, was also a pastor
and a school teacher. Whether we realize it or not, I would say that we have those jobs and occupations that we really admire and tend to place "on a pedestal". It's kind of like saying, "Someday, when I grow up, I want to be a..." (even though I am 45). For me, because I really admire my father and grandfather, it was becoming a pastor.
But for me, in these past few years Jesus has been confirming in my life that the highest calling is for me to be an art teacher. He has called me to be an art teacher, not a pastor. Now down the road, there may be a change. But for today and now, His highest calling is to be doing what I am doing, to live out as fully as I can, to teach art. Coming to the realization that I have been given the gifts and abilities to be an art teacher has been an involved thought process. I have come to realize that it is Jesus who designed me this way, not a self process. I enjoy my relationship with Jesus, I enjoy people, I enjoy art, AND I enjoy connecting them together. There is real satisfaction in doing what I was designed to do. I have also come to realize that I need to let the "comparison game" decrease and die in my thinking. Thoughts like, "If I were doing 'this' job I would be more valuable to the Lord," or "Society (those around us) considers certain positions more valuable than others. Maybe I need to be in one of those positions (even though I am not designed that way)." The Lord doesn't think that way. When He designs and creates us, He has specifics in mind. It may not be the way the world thinks, but that is OK. He is the Master Potter, and to live out His design for our lives IS our highest calling, no matter what that position is, from art teacher to mom to doctor to pastor.
These are just some thoughts about what I feel the Lord has been doing.
It is good to be here teaching art at RVA. We have been prepared for
these positions. What a joy to see the opportunities to work with these young people. We never saw them coming, but Jesus did.
We love you all!
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
On the way home from church yesterday, Debbie found this little critter. Jennie was definitely more excited about posing for this picture than the chameleon. In fact, when I was trying to show Jennie how to hold the little guy, he bit me (do I really look like a big fly?) Well anyway, he is our choice for "pest of the month".
We love you all.
In Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan, Jennie & the Grumpy Little Critter
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Saturday September 4, 2004
Subject: School Begins...
We started school this week and here is a picture of the children on the first day of school (new backpacks and all). Our teenager, Daniel, is beginning Junior High, he is in 7th grade. He was not looking forward to it, and the first few days were rather stressful for him. But he seems to have finished up the week on a positive note and is much more talkative. If you could keep him in your prayers (as with Jonathan & Jennie), we would really appreciate it. Thanks so much!
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
We are back in Kenya after a very busy, but very special visit to the
states. It was SO GOOD to be with family and special friends. We know
we are called to Rift Valley Academy, but, again, it is the
relationships that are the hardest about being so far away for so long.
Proverbs 19:21 says "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the
Lord's purpose that prevails."
...Now for our trip from Raleigh, NC back to Nairobi, Kenya (some of you
missionaries will chuckle as this is all normal). We arrived at the
airport 2 1/2 hours ahead of departure time, thinking "maybe this time
we will be pleasantly surprised." We were surprised, but I don't think
I would attach pleasantly to it. We had courtesy vouchers from British
Airways for an extra piece of luggage per person. Since we were
bringing art supplies, some library books, and clothes for the next two
years back to RVA, we definitely could use them. We were flying
American Airlines from Raleigh to JFK in New York, and I thought I had
better check to make sure it was OK with them. Then I looked at the
tickets and they had marked three pieces on each ticket, so I didn't
give them a second thought UNTIL we arrived at the airport. Well, the
ticket person immediately saw that and said, "American only allows you
to bring two pieces, and BA has no right to assume that we will extend
that courtesy." (If you've ever walked into what you thought was a
normal situation only to find you were caught in the middle of a
conflict, then you'll know the way we felt.) The long and the short of
it was that we paid extra to have the extra pieces of luggage sent to
JFK where the vouchers would take effect on our British Airways
flights. Then, we had to go to the airport security, stand outside the
barriers, and provide keys for the locks while they hand checked a lot
of our bags. You know, I really don't think the way that security in an
airport thinks, so I was wondering, "What could possibly look suspicious
anyway?" I soon found out. First there were the batteries for
Jonnie's & my remote controlled cars (a new hobby we have started). You
know what, they do kind of look like sticks of dynamite with detonators
sticking out the end (oops). They found and examined all six
batteries. After we explained to the security checker about them, he
said, "These did have me a bit scared." Then there were the glaze
chemicals for pottery. The cobalt carbonate looks like gun powder or
like drugs (oops again). Well, after getting everything through (from
the pepperoni to the chocolate chips), I think our security checker was
ready for a career change. We got on the jet at 2:45 for our 3:00
flight. We finally took off at 4:30, though we were never told a reason
why (I was hoping that it didn't have to do with my pepperoni sticks).
JFK was relatively uneventful as far as surprises go, but it was very
busy. In fact, what looked like a long layover was pretty well filled
up with getting our five extra pieces of luggage checked in. By the
time we got everything taken care, our flight was boarding for the 9pm
flight, so got right on. The next morning we arrived at Heathrow, in
London and had (what we thought) would be an hour and and a half
layover. Our flight was boarding so we were able to take the children
to the front and board first. By the way, while we were landing, I had
a passing thought...I wondered... "Do these planes ever have electrical
problems with the control panels or landing gear?" Hmm. Back to
boarding our flight for Nairobi. We were standing there waiting to walk
on to the plane, when the steward said, "I'm sorry, but it will be a few
minutes, and we'll have to go back to the gate and wait there." Guess
what? There were electrical problems, and we had to switch planes (I
felt a little guilty). So our flight was moved to another gate and we
left three and one half hours later. Meanwhile, I needed to contact
Mayfield (the AIM guesthouse in Nairobi) to let their driver know we
would be late. Have you ever tried to use the internet in the
airports? What an adventure! Twelve dollars later (seven of it,
learning how to put the money in) I had sent out four e-mails to RVA
asking our friends to contact Mayfield, not knowing if any would get
through in time. In fact, throughout the flight, I wanted to worry
about the rest of the trip, but it was as if the Lord whispered, "There
is no safer place then in My hands," so I kept placing the details back
into His hands.
From there on out, everything went fairly smoothly. We arrived in
Nairobi at five past midnight and went through immigration and customs
effortlessly. Our ride was waiting there (he had gotten the message).
We were only missing one bag (no biggy, we have had practice with this
course--Missing Bags 101--already). It is good to be back here at RVA.
(The prodigal bag arrived the next day.) We had a very special time in
the States, and would go through everything again (including the extras)
just to be with you! Isn't it good to know that we may make plans, but
it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Nothing surprises Him or
catches His plans off guard.
Thank you so much to Mom, Aunt Esther, Waylan & Betsy, John & Sharon,
Tedd & Ivy, all the cousins, Maxims, Grandma De, Dorothy, Brennans, all
the churches (for your flexibility in fitting us in your schedules), and
so many of you for including us! What an encouragement you were to us
as you welcomed us into your lives and made us such a part of things.
Thanks so much for all you did for us!!!
We were finally able to spend some time with our Kenyan family, the Kiptinesses (Kip, Edna, Kip's mother, and two of their five children). Three years ago (almost four by now) when we first came out, they were our host family in Nairobi. They took us in and really helped us through some cultural transitions. But I think the biggest impact they had was that we (as a family) saw Christ's love exhibited cross culturally. We were drawn in not as Americans, but as family and what a comfort when we are struggling to get our feet back under us emotionally.
We have been trying to arrange a visit for some time now, and this morning we were able to get together here in Kijabe for breakfast. We had a special time together reminiscing. Now the unusual part of the visit was the weather-- it was rather cool (in the lower 50's F). In fact, we had a fire going and we were all dressed rather warmly (a few of us had warm coats on, notice the picture). In spite of the cool weather, we had a warm family time together.
This is a busy time as we're wrapping up the year. Graduation is July 10th, and there are still a lot of things to do in the art department and library. But it is also a fun time as we see a lot of familiar faces as many RVA graduates return for Alumni Weekend next weekend.
We love you all and think of you often.
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Wednesday June 9, 2004
Subject: Our Maasai Visit
We went to a Maasai church on Sunday, and I think this was the most unique setting yet. The church was a temporary building constructed about a year ago. You can see it pictured behind us in the picture. The walls were woven branches covered with cow dung. I was studying the roof which was also woven branches and covered with cardboard, plastic sheets, and branches from bushes (some of the flowers were blooming). There were enough open spaces to make it light in there. Surprisingly, this structure weathered the heavy rains rather well last month.
I shared my pottery testimony and the congregation (think of fitting 50 or so people in this structure) was very enthusiastic and receptive. The service began about 10:15 am and finished around 1:30 pm. These are very memorable times (in more ways than one). I think one thing that struck me was to look up from throwing on the wheel and see a little boy so intent on the clay, that he didn't even notice the 10 or 11 flies on his face.
We have enjoyed being able to share with the Maasai churches this year, but this is the last one for now since the rest of the term is rather busy and then we will be in the U.S. for six weeks. We look forward to the opportunity to go to more churches during the next school year. We miss you and think of you often!
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Sunday May 30, 2004
Subject: Taking Our Sunday School Go-Carting
Yesterday was the long awaited day. . . we finally got to take our 14 seventh-grade boys go-carting to GP Carting in Nairobi. We had A LOT of fun! What a special time with these guys! We had a few minor wrecks and occasional bumping; but, overall, everyone took care and watched out for each other. Needless to say, there is a lot of energy at the Junior High level! We're tired today!
Thank you so much to all of you who made this trip possible for those young men You don't know what a dream come true it was for many of them! We love you all and appreciate ALL you do for us!
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie & the Gang (including our 14 Sunday School boys);
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Monday May 3, 2004
Subject: Maasai Church May 2, 04
I was invited to speak at another Maasai church. This visit was scheduled long ago for May 2, but I didn't realize the potential impact that rainy season could have. This past week was rather rainy with Saturday being very wet. (Unofficially, I was told that we have already had 18" of rain this rainy season so far.) I called pastor Simon (the Maasai pastor) and told him that I wasn't sure we would be able to make it if it kept raining, but then we turned it over to the Lord.
Yesterday (Sunday, May 2) was a beautiful, sunny morning, so I loaded up Daniel, three of his friends, Zed and myself and we headed to the valley. The roads were good and there was only one stream that looked a bit iffy (the water came up about a third of the way on the car door). We had a great service and pastor Simon was so complimentary of what the Lord is doing through the pottery talks. He said that seeing the Word of God through pottery has left an impression on the Maasai people.
I am not sure how many conversions there have been, or how the Lord has used these talks in personal ways. But I do know two things that the Lord has impressed upon my heart. The first is that he has given us such a special supportive team in each of you! (I wish you could be here to be a part of all that is going on first hand.) Second, I find that I am the one who is blessed each time I go and share at a Maasai church. Let me give you an example. Yesterday after the service, we were all invited to a Maasai home for chai (tea). The people were so hospitable and just drew us into their lives; they made us such a part of things. As we were getting ready to leave, two of the Maasai ladies who had served us started putting Maasai bracelets on the boys. Then one of them took off her necklace and put it on Daniel, and the other took hers off and put it on me as a gift of appreciation (you can see these in the picture). Later, on the way home, Zed said, "That was a very big gift." He meant that this was something very dear to her that she wanted to share with us. I thought about what she did and how little they all have. What an example of generosity and selflessness. We hope to visit another Maasai church on Sunday, June 6.
We love you all and miss you. By the way, when we got back to Kijabe (home), the rain let loose again. The Lord's timing is good!
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonnie & Jennie
We, the Rothfus family, along with several other friends from RVA, went to a Maasai church yesterday, and I (Ed) gave my pottery testimony. About 150 people were there, and what an energetic worship service it was.
I have to share with you about a special answer to prayer. On Saturday, as the children were getting ready for bed, all three were dreading going to the valley for church. In fact, Jonathan and Jennie were crying because they didn't want to go. I was feeling like we were raising American children who didn't want to have much to do with the Kenyan culture. But, on the other hand, I had to be careful not to force them into a very uncomfortable situation. So we all prayed about it (more than once) and I even asked the Lord to make it a fun time for us to remember. Sunday morning came, we drove down to the pastor Simon's Maasai hut (an hour away), had tea, and then added four more Maasai people (two elders, one wife and a child) to our already overloaded vehicle--"There is always room for one more" (as they say in Kenya). I knew we had room on our roof rack for five, so...one church elder, one Maasai child, and three Rothfus children sat on top (and laughed most of the way there). The children seemed to have a good time from then on. But the thing that really touched my heart was to see Daniel and Jonathan walking with Maasai boys after the service, arms around each other. That is why I sent two pictures, to give you a better feel of our time there. Daniel's new friend is Isaiah. They hit it off and their big connection was that they were both twelve and in sixth grade. (How fun to take their picture!)
Then, last night after I finished praying with Daniel and said good night, he asked, "Dad, next time you go to a Maasai church, can I come with you and bring a friend?" I said, "Sure." Thank you, Lord, for answering our prayer!
We love you all!
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonathan & Jennie
Daniel, Jonnie and I just got back from a father & son(s) fishing trip. Jason Hovingh, a good friend of mine, talked to me about the possibility of doing a fishing trip on Mount Kenya at the end of the term (beginning of vacation). We took our boys (along with some other men) in a Land Rover part way up Mount Kenya. Then, carrying all our gear, we hiked the last hour to Lake Ellis. It is a very remote lake and, being rainy season, the weather was rather damp and cool (in fact, there was ice on our tent the last morning when we woke up). All in all, we had a blast! The view was incredible and Daniel and Jonnie both caught two rather impressive trout. I never even got a bite (hmmm...I suppose this is one of those times where it was good that they didn't follow their father's example). I was really excited for them none the less. Here is Daniel with his 24" rainbow trout and Jonnie with his 23 1/2" rainbow trout.
Debbie and Jennie had a good time together too while we gone (we came home to the smell of popcorn, their favorite food). It is a nice way to begin our break and it is nice to all be back together, warm and dry. We love you all and think of you often.
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonnie and Jennie
Daniels's Rainbow Trout
Jon's Rainbow Trout
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Monday March 29, 2004
Subject: Pest of the Month (March, 04)
Just a quick e-mail to send you the "Pest of the Month". Jon was rather excited to find this guy. We were hiking the train tracks yesterday and Jon found him. He is the brightest greenest grasshopper we have ever seen. We brought him home in a jar to show mom (we had to take a lot of breaks to open the lid for fresh air). After mom saw him, we let him go.
We love you all and think of you often,
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonnie & Jennie
Another short e-mail to catch you up on what is happening with our family (particularly with our oldest son). We were playing a game of catch yesterday with a group of children in our side yard (next to our garden). I hit a high ball over Daniel's head so he was backing up into the garden to catch it. He was taken out by a tomato plant with a home made teepee over it. Daniel landed with a thud and I heard a crack, but later saw that it was the tomato plant support. Daniel let out a yell, but was OK for the most part. He was holding his wrist and we kept an eye on him for the rest of the day, but he didn't seem bad. This morning when he got up, he was still holding his wrist, but not complaining. Debbie and I looked at each other and said, "He needs to go for x-rays just in case." Well, here is Daniel with his cast on, he did break his arm (it is called a buckle fracture). There seem to be a number of students here wearing these fashion statements on their arms & legs.
Hopefully, we won't be sending many e-mails of this nature, but we'll do our best to stay in touch with you. We love you and think of you often.
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonnie & Jennie
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Wednesday March 10, 2004
We wanted to write you a quick follow up about last Sunday at the Maasai Church. Four young men from our Sunday School class, Zed (who helps in pottery), our youth pastor, our band director, and I left at 9:00 am to head to the valley for church. We all had a very special time! We arrived a little before 10:00, received a warm welcome, and were shown around. The actual service began about 10:15, and we were all inside a mud (& cow dung--don't worry it smelled great) church. The size of the church was approximately 20 feet by 40 feet, and we fit around 70 people in there (by now the welcome had become very warm). It was a blast; they drew us all in as if we were family. I gave my testimony in clay (the pottery talk), and everyone was glued to what was going on.
The church service ended at 1:30. Afterward, the pastor and translator, Simon, said, "Can you come to my other churches to share this testimony?" (He pastors 5 other churches.) I told him, "Sure, that would be great!" I am speaking at the next Maasai church on Sunday, May 2. Afterwards, they made a special meal for us, and we were treated very nicely inside a Maasai mud home. I have attached pictures for you to enjoy.
Maasai Church Service
Maasai Church, the full group
Inside a Maasai Home
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Saturday February 7, 2004
This is just a quick e-mail to share with you about a small trip we took today. I (Ed) took a break from the busy schedule and took 6 boys from our 7th Grade Sunday School class down to the valley for a fun time with the children from "Little Lambs" daycare orphanage (see attached picture). We spent a couple hours there playing soccer and sharing a pottery talk with them. It was fun to see the children's reaction to the whole process since they have never seen a potter's wheel. Also, I have attached a picture of Pastor Samuel translating into Kikuyu while I spoke. I thought that it would be a challenging procedure, but it was a lot of fun. I shared how the Lord works with our lives as a potter works with clay. We love you and think of you often,
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jennie & Jonnie
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Saturday January 31, 2004
Subject: Have You Kissed...(Hugged?)...A Giraffe Today?
Here is a picture that we took a couple weeks ago at the Giraffe Center in Nairobi. We went with some friends, the Cantanzaros, visiting from the states. We were having fun feeding the giraffe and one of the attendants was showing us how these graceful animals will gently take a "Giraffy Biscuit" right out of your mouth! (If you hold it in your lips) By the way, their tongues are about 12" long and very slimy. Jennie is in the picture (relaxed and enjoying every second of it). Both Jonnie and I (Ed) were feeding the giraffe the same way (it was a few days and much face washing before Debbie was willing to kiss me, just kidding).
We love you all! Hugs & KISSES!!!
Ed, Debbie & the Gang
Many of you have written to us about what COLD weather you are having there in the US. Well, yesterday we had a rather unusual happening here in Kijabe for being our dry warm season...we had a rather substantial down pour and a bit (1/2 hour) of hail. Attached is a picture of a snow ball...I mean a hail ball...I made afterwards. I know we are a far cry from 20 below zero. But, it is something being only 150 kilometers from the equator. My Kenyan friends got a charge (and a good laugh) at me making this thing.
We love you all!
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonnie & Jennie
This is just a quick e-mail to give you a follow-up on what we know of Ben Entwistle (the young man in 10th grade at the conference who has Rheumatic fever). I copied parts from an e-mail we received in December
from his grandparents:
After tests, it was confirmed that he has Rheumatic Fever. He has severe damage to the aortic valve as well as lesser damage to the mitral valve. The doctor will make a decision as to whether to recommend surgery depending on how Ben's heart responds to the medication. At this point the aortic valve flap is "flapping, with significant blood
back wash. That is a non-technical description of what is happening!
If you could keep Ben in your prayers, we would really appreciate it, thank you.
Also, I know this is a bit late, but if anyone would like a year Bible reading plan, I have put it on our computer (adapted from the "Victory Bible Reading Plan"). I will be glad to send you a copy through e-mail. Please let me know if you need Apple Works (for Mac) or Word
(for IBM format).
We love you all and hope you are having a special New Year.
In Jesus,
Ed, Debbie,
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Monday December 15, 2003
Well guess what? the winner for this month was another spider we found down in Mozambique (we found one last year, a camel spider. No one knew the name of this one, just that it was big and creepy looking). We would have sent a picture of a scorpion, but they were a bit squished by the time we got to a camera (so I guess this spider is really a runner up).
We wanted to show you the size, so I asked Jonnie to get next to him.You can tell he is starting to get over his fear of bugs, look how close he got to this guy. I don't think that these spiders are overly dangerous, everyone from Mozambique seems to have seen them. It's just
that they're rather..."creepy" looking.
We love you all!
Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonnie & Jennie
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Friday December 12, 2003
We are back from Nampula, Mozambique where we helped with the children and the youth during the annual AIM Mozambique Conference. This year was our third time to help with this conference. Our trip was a bit of
adventure, but we had a great time with everyone during the week.
We left for Mozambique on Tuesday morning (Dec. 2) at 9:00am on a six-seater airplane (a Cessna 206). It was exciting and the weather was a bit on the cloudy side. It didn't look too bad until we got near Mount Kilimanjaro where there was a major cloud bank (if that is what you would call it). Jeff, our pilot, climbed and flew between the various layers. He tried for an hour, but there was no way around it. So we had to return back to Nairobi. Jeff felt really bad, but we reassured him that Jesus knew exactly what was going on. Jeff is a good pilot and we had one of the smoothest flights we have ever had! For me, it was a good test run, I had a cup of coffee that morning (big mistake) and was right behind Jeff in getting out of the plane (I darted for the
bathroom). On Wednesday, I did things a lot differently for the 3 1/2 and the 4 1/2 hour flights.
On Wednesday morning, Debbie and I got up at 4:30 am to get everything (and everyone) ready again. When we left for Nairobi at 6:00 the weather was terrible--rainy and overcast. I thought, "Oh well, here we go again" (shows my faith in the Lord). We got to Wilson airport and
the weather was not bad, we could see blue sky through broken clouds. We were on our way before 8:00 am and we went another route around Kilimanjaro this time. It was a beautiful day for flying, dodging the big cloud banks and very warm. After one stop in Dar es Salam,
Tanzania, we arrived in Nampula at 4:30 pm.
Greg Hess, an MAF pilot, and Paul Slayton (a good friend of ours), met us as we arrived on the air strip. It was so good to see them since we don't speak any Portuguese and there were a lot of questions, especially
since we didn't have Mozambique visas. Greg and Paul talked to the customs people and they stamped our passports, even the people who issue
the visas had already gone home. We arrived at the conference center at about 5:30 pm and got settled in.
Debbie worked with 8 children (2 to 8 years old), and I worked with 14 youth (9 years to a senior in high school). Debbie's theme was oriented toward Christmas. The younger children were lots of fun, and the
variety of nationalities represented made for many interesting differences in vocabulary and accents. By the end of the week, some of the American kids even seemed to be speaking with British accents. My
focus this year was on the Old Testament Kings and the stories surrounding them. We did art lessons and games, including water balloon
wars, with the temperatures in the 90's and humid (it was very strange to think about many of you facing the snow and cold temperatures!) A normal day with the youth usually included four hours in the morning and
2 to 4 hours in the afternoon. The youth were great! They just seemed to absorb the Bible lessons, and we would spend a good 2 hours discussing the "Kings" each morning. We really enjoyed working with all
the young people and their families. They are a special team, and each year we spend with them builds for deeper relationships in Jesus.
Oh, and a few things happened while we were in Nampula. Jeff (our pilot) came down with the symptoms of Giardia (parasites) on Sunday, but was better for the rest of our stay there. Ben Entwistle, a 10th grader who attends RVA, had a cough that wouldn't go away. Even though he was very active, he seemed a bit worn out. At the end of the conference, his Dad (who is a doctor) discovered a heart murmur as well as abnormal blood pressure, and there is a big possibility that he has Rheumatic
Fever. He is now in South Africa with his family having this checked out. Please keep him and his family in your prayers as this could be a potentially serious situation.
The "bugs of the week" were scorpions. Now when I think of scorpions, I think of 2 to 3 inch crawly things swinging their back tails around. The ones we encountered were around 3/4 to one inch long, and we figured
they were coming out because of the rains. Debbie found one in the preschool room just where the children had been playing a few minutes earlier, and the family with whom we shared a cottage found one on their two year old's bed! I was going to take a picture for pest of the month but we smashed them before we could photograph them!
During the conference, Paul Slayton spent quite a bit of time working on making our visas "official", and guess what? We finally got them on Monday, one day before our Tuesday departure! Some things in Africa are different from the way I would do them, but I have come to learn that "It's not good or bad, it's just different." Our flight back was very good, and we arrived back in Nairobi at around 5:30 pm.
Now we are back in Kijabe at RVA resting up from all the busyness. It is good to slow down for a bit before we head into next term. Thank you again for all your prayers and support. We miss you all, especially
during this Christmas season. We hope you have a special Christmas!
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonnie & Jennie
E-mailed Letter From Ed Rothfus
erothfus@kijabe.net
Thursday December 11, 2003
Here are two e-mails that we thought you might find rather amusing, "Neighborhood News" I guess we would call it. These were sent to all RVA residents last week.
Early this morning I received a call from one of our RVA guards who walks from Kijabe town to work. He said as he approached the junction of the Barn trail and old Kijabe town road, he encountered several elephants which promptly gave chase. He doesn't know if he surprised them or came between the mother and her young, but he was thankful to have reached RVA save and alive.
If you plan to run/walk/exercise today do not use the Barn trail, old Kijabe town road, Nature trail or the railroad tracks above RVA. These elephants were chased out of the shambas near Kijabe town last night and may still be in the area. Do not plan on using these areas for exercise until we have heard that the elephants have moved on to somewhere else. They are very dangerous.
Thanks,
Mark H
Subject: Elephants & Gun Shots
Dear Folks,
The Kenya Wildlife folks are here tonight trying to chase the
Elephants back to their home. So, you might hear gun shots during the
night as they attempt to "communicate" with the elephants. :-)
Tim
I (Ed) have been thinking for awhile now, (the past year or so) that I should take up running again. This e-mail convinced me to wait (for another year or so) before seriously pursuing this, JUST to make sure that everything is safe :o)
Much Love in Jesus,
Ed, Debbie, Daniel, Jonnie & Jennie
