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

Singing and Dancing, Kenya Style

One of Jonathan and my memories of Kenya is how much song and dance is important to the culture. We wanted to give you an idea of the spirit of Kenya and fall in love with the people and culture as we have. We found this video on youtube and thought it captured the spirit of the Kenyan people. Hope you enjoy the video!



Adrienne

Thanks for praying!

We are so happy to find out that we will be attending the F.I.T. training with Shepherd's Staff! Hooray! Jonathan got the approval for the time off and we are so glad. We truly feel like this training will help prepare our family as we venture off into the next chapter of our life. We are so excited about what lies ahead and what God's plan is for our family.

Lately Jonathan and I have been reading the autobiography of Hudson Taylor, missionary to China in the 1800's. We wanted to share a bit of the chapter we read that just humbled and spoke to our hearts:

"Having now the twofold object in view of accustoming myself to endure hardness, and of economizing in order to be able more largely to assist those among whom I spent a good deal of time laboring in the Gospel, I soon found that I could live upon very much less than I had previously thought possible. Butter, milk, and other such luxuries I soon ceased to use;and I found that by living mainly on oatmeal and rice, with occasional variations, a very small sum was sufficient for my needs. In this way I had more than two-thirds of my income available for those purposes; and my experience was that the less I spent on myself and the more I gave away, the fuller of happiness and blessing did my soul become. Unspeakable joy all the day long, and every day, was my happy experience. God, even my God, was a living, bright reality; and all I had to do was joyful service.

It was to me a grave matter, however, to contemplate going out to China, far away from all human aid, there to depend upon the living God alone for protection, supplies, and help of every kind. I felt that one's spiritual muscles required strengthening for such an undertaking. There was no doubt that if faith did not fail; God would not fail; but, then, what if one's faith should prove insufficient? I had not at that time learned that even, "If we believe not, he abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself"; and it was consequentially a very serious question to my mind, not whether He was faithful, but whether I had strong enough faith to warrant my embarking in the enterprise set before me."-(Hudson Taylor, pg. 21-22)

As Jonathan and I read this chapter last night (this is just a small part of the rest of the chapter) we were blown away and humbled by the candidness of Hudson Taylor and the similar feelings I (Adrienne) had about this venture. Even though we can outwardly say, "I believe and trust God for all things," I am realizing I can put my trust in other things like the "promises" and "securities" of mine and Jonathan's job (Benefits, 401K plans and such). In reality, those things in themselves don't provide the security we need. To take this step in faith is challenging whether we trust God to do what He said He was going to do. He promised to take care of us for all things.

Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, that you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to this life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Amen!!!)

Bless you guys,

Adrienne for the "Ferg4"

F.I.T.

Wow, I can hardly believe it is the middle of March. We are starting to feel like our move is coming faster and faster. 

About a week ago Pat Kenney (our Shepherd's Staff rep) approached Jonathan and asked if we would be attending F.I.T. (Field-environment Intensive Training). The two week course in Tijuana, MX is designed to equip missionaries with skills they will need on the mission field such as:

1. Relational skills

2. Administrative skills

3. Practical ministry skills

4. Family relationships

5. Leadership skills

6. Personal Health

7. Cross-cultural skills

8. Church relationships

Pat had informed us that our whole family would be able to attend at no cost since we were missionaries with Shepherd's Staff. Wow! That's huge since our family of four would have paid $2,000 for those weeks. As we looked over the time frame (May 30th-June 13th) we didn't think it would be possible to go. Vacation time at Jonathan's work had already been requested and someone else already had that time reserved. Plus, Jonathan needed a week of vacation time for Jr. high summer camp. So we said, "Well, we can't do it unless God opens the doors." I got a call from Jonathan on Wed. night and he said, "You won't believe it, the reserved time for those weeks had been canceled. Those dates are open!" Jonathan also looked over his vacation time and found that he had enough for the total three weeks we needed. What an answer to prayer! So, Jonathan put in for the time and is now waiting for approval. Please pray that if the Lord wants us to go that this next door would open up. Also, I need to request the time off from my PT job at Starbucks. May is just around the corner and we are so excited at this possibility. 

Oh! And our kids say, "Happy St. Patrick's Day!"

Bless you guys,

Adrienne for the Ferg4

There are some folks we'd like you to meet....

3 John 1:5-8 "Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do them well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth."

We would like you to meet some of the members of our care team (believe it or not all of the members of our team are not in these photos!). Our family is so blessed that these group of individuals are here to pray and encourage us as we transition out. Our team meets every other Monday to help our family get out to Kenya. What do we do? Pray, plan, encourage and toss around ideas. Our team has a wealth of wisdom, gifts and SUCH a heart to serve God. We are so encouraged and blessed that God would send us such a wonderful group of people to accomplish what lies ahead. 

These pictures are from this last weekend. We all met on Saturday and assembled breakfast burritos to sell at church the next day to raise some of the funds needed to start up in Kenya. It was so great to see our team get together on a Saturday and just have joy in the Lord and all work together. We are so humbled and blessed by our group.