Well, this is it, Christmas Eve. The time for parties, family, and friends has been upon everyone for quite some time. I keep thinking back to how Christmas would be in the US, versus in Kenya. Though I miss the lights, the friends, the trees, the snow (and to some extent the fog), it's good to have a different experience. 

Well a lot has happened since my last blog post. Actually, a lot has happened in the past week. A week ago we were dropped off at the SF airport to begin this new journey. But now, it seems that we've been here for more than 5 days. Here are some of the highlights!

Agape Children's Ministry, the reason we came to Kenya.
We went to the Agape campus on Wednesday, and for most of our family it was our first time experiencing it. The boys living on the campus are fun to play with, even though most of the boys are visiting relatives for Christmas. I'll post some photos below.

Well our family has all been together since Sunday night over here! (About mid-day Saturday back in the states) Apart from an initial scare, owing to only 3 of Team Turkey's 13 bags arriving, our stay has been good! Our prayers were answered pretty quickly when the Nairobi airport called to let us know our bags had arrived just an hour before we were scheduled to leave the city. This was after my dad called Lufthansa and they said whether our bags had left Germany was an "internal" matter and couldn't be disclosed to us; and after Turkish Air told us to "Call back in 5 days. We might have found them by then". Getting our luggage so quickly was a great answer to prayer!


Prayers would still be appreciated, as tomorrow we are heading off on an 8 hour bus ride to our final destination in Kisumu.


In Christ, 
Nick, the Towheaded Rambler

Well this is it... Earlier this morning my dad and the 5 middle kids left for San Francisco International Airport, and in just a bit my mom, Grace, Charlie and I, will be leaving as well. Heading from SFO to London, then on to Nairobi.

I was asked yesterday if I was anxious or scared or what? Honestly I don't think it's hit me yet. We have such a crazily busy life that the packing? Just slightly larger than anything we've done in the past 6 years. The leaving? Not such a big deal, we travel all the time. I'm not quite sure when I'll feel that "oh snap, we're gone" kinda feeling, or if I ever will. It's just so, surreal...

That said, I am extremely grateful to all of my friends, friend's parents, friend's friends, etc. All of you have been super supportive and helped us in many ways. Whether it was packing a room, bringing a meal, hanging out with us, you have all made an impact in one way or another. Please keep us in your prayers and please keep in touch! I'm providing my contact info below so you guys can do so :)

Skype name: ngkjeldgaard
Gmail: [email protected]
HeyTell: [email protected]
FaceTime: nick@ekandfamily OR [email protected]
Textie: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/nicholas.kjeldgaard
Twitter: ngkjeldgaard

As you can see there's a ton of ways to communicate with us, as well as following along on our blogs! I love you all, and want to thank you for being amazing friends. 

In Christ, 
Nick, The Towheaded Rambler

If you would've told me 2 years ago that our family would leave everything behind us in order to live in Kenya for a year, I probably would've laughed. "Yep! It's been a dream of my mom's for years. But I don't know if it will ever happen." For years and years our family has dreamed of moving to a different country to serve the Lord, but that dream became a reality about a year ago. 

It was then that Kate and my parents decided to visit two ministries in Kenya that serve the poor and the helpless, trying to restore hope to lost and orphaned children. As soon as they came back it was obvious something had changed in them, it was as if the Lord had given my parents a letter instructing them what to do. Agape Children's Ministry became a focal point of our lives, as opposed to just an organization we had raised money for. Moving to Kenya became our new reality. Passports were obtained, shots were given, supplies were bought, and items were packed.  People often knew us as that crazy family with the 8 kids; but now we were that crazy family, with 8 kids, moving to Kenya. 

All of us had varying reactions to the news. Kate's was one of extreme joy as her heart is for the poor and oppressed in Africa; the little kids were excited about moving to a new country; and I, well, my heart wasn't "souled" out for Africa when I first heard the news. My heart is for serving the local community, teaching the church, and preaching God's word here. It seems logical to me that if I feel this way, then others must feel similarly. Maybe you are not all about moving to a different country to serve the poor, maybe you are not all about moving to a different state. Maybe your heart isn't for the poor at all, but instead to teach and raise up the next generation of pastors, teachers, and leaders. Whatever the status of our hearts however, God's commands are clear. To serve the poor. 

I found one of the clearest passages regarding the church's mandate to serve the poor while reading through Galatians. In this passage Peter and Paul had been called back to "home base", if you will, to get the battle plan. 

Galations 2:9-10 says, "And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do." 

In my mind this is a such a clear reminder that we must serve the poor. Sure we must teach and exhort the existing body of Christ, but we must also reach out for the poor. 

In Deuteronomy 15:10-12 God states, "You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.'"

Obviously God requires us to serve the poor and oppressed everywhere. If serving the poor is not where you feel God has called you to focus your time and talents, you have no excuse. We must simply work harder to remember to serve the poor. While I may not be as excited as Kate, or my mother, this is still God's calling! And it is a calling I am happy to answer! 

In Christ,
Nick, The Towheaded Rambler