F.I.T. Training Schedule

As many of you know, we will be in Mexico May 30-June 13 for Field-environment Intensive Training (FIT) to prepare for life in Kenya. We recently received the schedule for this amazing time of edification and encouragement. Here is a list of the classes we will be attending:

Missionary God * Culture Matters * Culture Shock * Re-entry

Church Planting * Spiritual Warfare - Armor

Prayer, Fasting & Personal Worship * Failure Management

Missionary Guilt & Rest * Relationships With Other Missionaries

Interpersonal Skills * Conflict Resolution

Family Relationships * From the Beginning : Marriage

Family on the Field * Being Single Minded

Education on the Field * Managing Stress

Leadership on the Field * Church Relations

Jerusalem to Antioch; Antioch to Philippi and the World

Receiving Short-term Teams

Written Communications and Newsletter Techniques

Culture/ Language Acquisition * Support Considerations

Cross-Cultural Study of Acts * Making Disciples Within Oral Cultures

Inductive Bible Study (IBS) Techniques * The Essential Gospel

In addition to these classes, we will also be attending church services, helping lead three English as a Second Language Clinics for the community, and participating in an immersion program, where we will be staying with a local family for the weekend. The families are great Christian families, but they don't speak English. Talk about being thrown into a different culture!

We also received a list of the other students, and it appears that Josiah and Christopher will have some playmates - there are going to be five other kids there, all age 3 or younger.

Please pray for the Ferguson Four as we head off on this great adventure! We will keep you posted while we are down there - Wireless Internet is available!

Jonathan (for the Ferguson Four)

If these aren't the cutest little passports photos you ever did see...

Hi there! We are so excited to finally get the kids passports! I always wondered what a kids passport would look like and they look just like a regular one....go figure, huh? EXCEPT...they are the cutest passport pictures I've ever seen (such a mom!)

Passports for little ones are only good for about five years. Then they'll go in a scrapbook, I'm sure.  

I've always thought getting a passport is such a cool thing. It gives me the hope that we are going somewhere....anywhere. My grandma has instilled a sense of adventure in my sisters and I and I have to say when these passports came I got so excited for Josiah and Christopher. We are off to an adventure of some sort. How grand!

Adrienne for the Ferg4

What happened here?

Typical Monday morning this morning. But yet, not so typical....

I drag myself out of bed preparing for the hot weather today and as usual I can hear my kids laughing and playing (Christopher through the bars of his crib laughs and Josiah usually tosses Christopher a few toys that will keep him entertained). As I walk out of my room, the sight I see is most unusual. I notice Josiah's door is open and our lamp is on in the living room. I thought, "Oh no, Josiah's been out here playing!" I rush into the kids room to see if they are okay and Josiah, looking pitiful in the corner next to Christopher's crib, I dare to ask, "What have you gotten into???" He looks up at me with these regretful, worried eyes, looking soaked and says, "haiwspway". 

As I look over to Christopher's crib I see a managerie of toys, a diaper BOX and other items. Thank goodness Christopher was okay in his little crib. I have no idea how he avoided the toys and miscellaneous "missiles" flying for his head.

Needless to say, Josiah went straight into the bath where he was scrubbed silly. Praise the Lord, his hair, once severely stuck to his head, was restored to it's gorgeous color and more importantly, texture. 

This reminded me of Lamentations Ch. 3:22-23 Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, 

Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 

Hmm...His mercies are new every morning but with young ones (as well as with me come to think of it) they are probably expended quickly. Oh wait, I think that's just my patience...haha

Isn't it awesome that God is never done with us? He never throws in the towel and calls us a "lost cause"? He just scoops us up and loves us and sometimes rebukes us. He is our loving father. He loves us despite our short comings. (:

FERGUSON FOUR MEET N GREET

Well, we were so blessed at the Meet N Greet yesterday. Thank you for all who came out to support our family. Your prayers love and support were such a blessing. I will post some pictures from the Meet N Greet soon. 

SPECIAL THANKS

Special thanks to our awesome support team for putting together a smooth, flawless event. We were able sport our new "Ferguson Four" shirts with pride (thanks to Anastasia, Helen and Brett Stetzko for the time and effort spent on those shirts). Thanks to Geoff and his friend for providing the bounce house so our little ones could stay occupied. Thank you to Jessie Quintana for helping out with the sound and Shannon Quintana for the great worship. Thanks to my mama for watching our boys at home so we could meet people and go through with the event smoothly.

Adrienne for the Ferg4

Only in Kenya...

Here is an article from BBC. I had to share it!

Jonathan


Man Bites Snake in Epic Battle

A Kenyan man bit a python which wrapped him in its coils and dragged him up a tree during a fierce three-hour struggle, police have told the BBC.

The serpent seized farm worker Ben Nyaumbe in the Malindi area of Kenya's Indian Ocean coast at the weekend.

Mr Nyaumbe bit the snake on the tip of the tail during the exhausting battle in the village of Sabaki.

Police rescued Mr Nyaumbe and captured the 13ft (4m) reptile, before taking it to a sanctuary, but it later escaped.

The victim told police he managed to reach his mobile phone from his pocket to raise the alarm when the python momentarily eased its grip after hauling him up a tree on Saturday evening.

Mr Nyaumbe used his shirt to smother the snake's head and prevent it from swallowing him.

His employer arrived with police and villagers, who tied the python with a rope and pulled them both down from the tree with a thud.

Peter Katam, superintendent of police in Malindi district, told the BBC News website: "Two officers on patrol were called and they found this man was struggling with a snake on a tree.

"The snake had coiled his hands and was trying to swallow him but he struggled very hard. The officers and villagers managed to rescue him and he was freed.

"He himself was injured on the lower lip of the mouth - it was bleeding a little bit - as the tip of the snake's tail was sharp when he said he bit it."

Mr Nyaumbe told the Daily Nation newspaper how he resorted to desperate measures after the python, which had apparently been hunting livestock, encircled his upper body in its coils.

"I stepped on a spongy thing on the ground and suddenly my leg was entangled with the body of a huge python," he said.

"I had to bite it."

Very mysterious

Supt Katam told the BBC the officers had wanted to shoot the snake but could not do so for fearing of injuring Mr Nyaumbe.

"If it wasn't for the villagers and officers who helped him, he would have been swallowed by the snake over the Easter holiday," said Supt Katam.

He added: "It's very mysterious, this ability to lift the man onto the tree. I've never heard of this before."

The police officer said they took the snake to a sanctuary in Malindi town but it escaped overnight, probably from a gap under the door in the room where it was kept.

"We are still seriously looking for the snake," said Supt Katam. "We want to arrest the snake because any one of us could fall a victim."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7999909.stm

Come one, come all. Invite your friends and bring a side dish!

Hi friends! As promised, we have the details regarding the Meet N Greet this Sunday, April 19th.

Meet us in the courtyard at Refuge this Sunday for an update on our family's move. We would love to meet you and your friends, family and whoever else is interested on our family's exciting new venture. We will be providing the hamburgers/hot dogs and would love for you to bring a side dish to share.

Refuge (across from the Bella Terra next to the NuVision Building)
Church address: 7800 Edinger Street
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

12:30-2:30 PM

THIS SUNDAY-April 19th

*Bounce house for the kids!

We can't wait to meet you!

Quick Update:

I wanted to ask on this day that you pray for a special family that's close to my heart today. Chris and Karen Lundblad lost their daughter (my best friend) Heidi in a car accident two years ago on this day. The family and friends close to Heidi still mourn our loss. We ask that you remember Chris, Karen, Dana and Michelle Lundblad in your prayers today. Thank you.


We had just an amazing Easter this year. What a blessing it is to reflect on Christ's death and resurrection. Jonathan and I couldn't help but have a renewed sense of hope and peace and love from our Lord. We felt so blessed to share the day with family, friends. Pastor Bill's (Refuge Calvary Chapel Huntington Beach) message was just awesome and hit home with many in the congregation. Several people professed their faith in the Lord for the first time and it was so wonderful to be a part of God's work at Refuge. Here are some pictures from our Easter....








Bless you guys and we hope to see you this Sunday,

Adrienne for the Ferg4

Save the Date! Sunday, April 19th Ferguson Meet N Greet

Happy Friday Everyone,

We would love to see you at our Meet N Greet coming up on Sunday, April 19th. Come hear about our new plans for ministry in Kenya. (If you were at last year's Meet N Greet, our plans for ministry have changed since then). We have some cool things planned for the Meet N Greet and we would love to meet you and your family, friends and anyone who's interested. The Meet N Greet will be after Refuge's last service and will be scheduled to start at 12:30 in the high school room. More details to follow in the next few days.

Hope to see you there!

Blessings,
The Fergusons