Etana Marie

Today you read a heavy blog.

With very heavy hearts we share with you that we have lost a member of our Fox River family. Early morning on Wednesday, October 21st we received a phone call from Pastor Gideon in Kenya to share that the daughter of our Missionaries, O’Neal and Jenna Nyanje, had passed away after an accident. As Jenna and O’Neal went for chemotherapy, Etana wandered away from the babysitter to a nearby pool where she fell in and passed away. Words nobody ever expects to hear.

I (Abbey) want to share a bit of Etana’s life with you so that we can remember her well and honor her life.

Just over a year ago, we shared the exciting news with you that our dear missionaries, O’Neal and Jenna, were welcoming the newest addition to their family, Etana Marie.

This sweet baby was welcomed after years of prayers and waiting to see how God would bring a child into their lives. As close friends of the Nyanjes, we prayed and waited anxiously with them to see God’s plan come to fruition. Etana, you were prayed for! Etana, you were waited for!

They got the call! They were told about this baby girl who was in need of a family. Then came your picture… STOP IT! There was no going back after they saw your face. Your mom and dad knew you were made to be theirs. On September 27, 2019, they picked Etana up and brought her home. Etana was 7 months old when they became a family of 3, a story that only a good, good Father could write. A story of redemption, faith, hope, healing, and saving grace. Etana, you were sought after!

This little girl captured the hearts of all who laid eyes on her and she knew it! Her laugh was so contagious and could make you smile on even the worst day. Her feisty personality made for days full of laughter and a whole lot of energy! Etana, you are SO loved!

Watching as O’Neal and Jenna became the parents they had waited to be was breathtaking. They jumped in with both feet ready to take on this new adventure. I’m not sure if they were completely ready for how deeply Etana would change their hearts. But girl did you! You took their lives by storm and they immersed themselves in every minute of it! Etana, you are cherished!

On September 25, 2020, Etana’s adoption became official!!! All the court dates completed, papers signed, and meetings logged. O’Neal, Jenna, and Etana were legally made a family. This just solidified that she was the child that God had in store for them. Etana, you were perfectly placed!

Etana Marie, I wrote these words for you on your first birthday and I think they are even truer today than they were then. “You sweet girl were prayed for, you were waited for, you were sought after. You are SO loved, you are cherished, you are perfectly placed!” This rings even more true today because today you are in the arms of your Creator.

Selfishly we wish Etana was still on this earth with us, but we believe she is in the arms of our good, good Father.

Will you pray God’s peace and comfort over O’Neal and Jenna with us? The loss of a child is a journey through grief that consumes and overwhelms. Pray with us for peace that passes all understanding, and for grace as they navigate this journey together.

Welcome to the Family!

Oh, have we got some exciting news to share with you!!

The newest addition to the Fox River Missions family has made our hearts skip a beat and has a beautiful story to be told throughout their life!

Over the last year our Dear Missionaries, O’Neal and Jenna Nyanje, started the process of adoption! And we are beyond excited to share with you that they have welcomed in a sweet, sweet new addition to their family!

Without further ado, we introduce to you…

Etana Marie

ISN’T SHE ADORABLE? This family is SO loved and this sweet one will only make that grow!

As a family friend I have gotten to walk (from afar) alongside them as their story unfolds, and WOW! Just wow! Our God writes some crazy beautiful stories and this one is no exception! There is no part of this story that He hasn’t so intricately planned out and pieced together. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it!

I know that they will be able to share her/their story to bring God such Honor and Glory, but we will let them share that when the time is right!

For now we ask that you join us in celebrating and praying for this new family of three.

• For the adoption process (approval in court, finalizing paperwork, etc…)

• The newness

• The changes

• O’Neal as a new Daddy

• Jenna as a new Mommy

• Etana as a new daughter

• The unfamiliar

• The heart and hurt of adoption

Watch out Miss Etana Fox River loves big and I am confident you are going to feel that!

Because you give - Nicaragua

This is our favorite time of year hear at Fox River! So make sure you follow along this month…

Our last blog was all about ‘My Gift for Jesus’, how you can get involved and where exactly God has partnered Fox River internationally! Check it out if you missed it!

These places have become very near and dear to our hearts and we want to share that with you!

Today we will share about Nicaragua and the partnership we have in La Esmeralda…

We could (and often do) share story after story about the life change, but today I want to share about the importance of our partnership in Nicaragua.

For over 7 years now several communities in the mountains of Nicaragua have had access to health care that they would have otherwise gone without.

Let me set the scene as to why this is such a big thing… You see the community of La Esmeralda and several surrounding communities are over an hour away from a hospital/clinic and that is if you have a vehicle. Many of these people do not and it would take hours to walk to get the care they need and that is if they could even attempt the walk. Women would go without prenatal care, they would give birth in their homes without the help they would need, that baby would be born and if it survived it would have nowhere to be checked on, nowhere for someone to make sure babies lungs were clear, that the umbilical cord was cut and kept clean properly, and so on… Farmers would get an infection from getting injured or being sick and would have no access to medication or a facility to have the wound cleaned. Are you seeing the need?

This is where the Medical Clinic has impacted the community of La Esmeralda and surrounding communities.

There is a local place for people to go and get the basic healthcare that they need, that we take for granted. They can go and see a Dr and Nurse and get medication from the pharmacist. Mothers can can be seen from beginning to end of their pregnancy. They receive prenatal care as well as care during and after the birth. These babies are born in a clean environment with equipment to care for them right after birth (we are hoping and praying we can better this space soon). We just celebrated baby #25 last month! We see this as one of the most beneficial pieces of the medical clinic. Healthy babies help make a healthy future! The clinic is able to call for transport if needed for patients in more critical condition! We could go on and on about the benefit of having this clinic in this place!

The Clinic also gives a platform for a way to share the Gospel, a place that the love of Jesus is and always will be something shared as soon as someone steps on the clinic grounds! We want people to know about the hope and freedom that comes from knowing their Savior and that will be something they hear every time they are at the clinic!

Lives at this place are being saved physically and spiritually!

Through the partnership of the clinic Fox River fell in love with the people and community of La Esmeralda, which has opened many other ways we could partner with the local church there.

After growing relationships and seeing how God is moving in this community and church we wanted to be more involved. We partnered with the church as they built a Soccer League Ministry. This ministry reaches youth with an activity that they enjoy and they use it to equip them and grow them in a safe environment!  Each team member is encouraged to attend church services each week and are also a part of devotionals during each practice. This ministry is turning teens who may have been caught up in the wrong things in the wrong environment, into leaders in the church and the community.

Coming to know their Savior through an activity they love? Who wouldn’t want to be involved?

These are just a couple of the things God has allowed Fox River to partner with this community in and we can’t wait to see where else he takes this partnership!

You can be involved! You can join us in making Jesus known through meeting the needs of children, women, men, communities… We are praying with expectation for the big things God is working for this community in the year to come! We hope you will join us!

Thank you for reading, praying, giving… You make these things possible! We are grateful for you!

Being Faithful

Being faithful has many different forms,  Let me tell you about a few I have seen recently...

17 people were faithful and obeyed the call to go on a missions trip to Nicaragua.  And they were faithful all the way to the point we had to cancel.  There is always the question about who will God build our teams with and He never leaves us disappointed as He provides the perfect people team after team.  This team was no exception.  

After we had to cancel our trip for June because of the unrest in Nicaragua our hearts were disappointed, broken, and hurting for our friends.  We wanted so badly to go, but even more we wanted our friends to be safe.  We wanted to help but didn't know what to do.  

We started praying for God to show us what we could do, how we could help from right where we were.  He started stirring up in a few past team members that we needed to come together to pray.  So, those few were faithful to those promptings.  At the end of July we called all past teams and our church family to a night of prayer and worship,   a night to share what was happening in Nicaragua, to pray in specific ways, to worship the God who holds it all.  This night was full of the Spirit and hearts ready to cry out!  It was a good night filled with love for a place that we hold close to our hearts.  God brings so much beauty when we are faithful!

We have also watched as our partner ministry churches in Nicaragua stay firm as they were in the midst of darkness all around them.  These churches and people within them have been so faithful.  We have seen them grow, do outreach events, and continue to love the hurting.  Sharing Jesus has never been overshadowed in those places.  

Those are stories are of how we have seen people be faithful to the things God was stirring in them.  We can also see how God is faithful throughout each of those as well.  He promises to never leave or forsake us!  He remains the same even as our plans, lives and world changes!  Sometimes (more times then I would like to admit) it takes great heartache to remind me just how big our God is!  He is always faithful, even when I am not!  Yes and Amen?

As we have prayed and awaited updates from Nicaragua we have had days that came with bad news (unrest still strong) and then we have days when we hear that there has been some change for the better!  This is week we got a good report!  This doesn't mean that things are good or even normal yet, but hope comes when peace is replacing violence!  Keep praying because we have a big God who hears us and is at work!!! 

In Honor

You have followed along with us this last week as we sent off Mark to take on the Swim Extreme and as we eagerly awaited the arrival of baby Denise.

Today with very heavy hearts we share with you that sweet baby Denise has passed away.

What we know is that she was born with complications.  Thursday we got word that Denise was here and weighed 9lbs, she seemed healthy, but as hours passed doctors realized her lungs were not expanding enough for her to breathe on her own.  They gave her oxygen at first and then put her on a breathing machine.  Saturday morning Pastor Denis was told by the doctor’s that it did not look hopeful and just a few hours later Denise passed away.  

Oh how we prayed for a different outcome for this family and we know you prayed right alongside us for that miracle.  We thank you for this!  Many of you haven't even met them personally and have been pouring prayers over them for the last few days.  We are so grateful for the Fox River family and the way you have shown love to these very important people!

Although this is not the outcome our hearts wanted we believe that God has better plans than us.  As We wept with our families here for our family there I asked God to make His presence known, to reveal a small piece of His plan so that peace can come.  

I was standing in church Saturday night and honestly there were moments when the words of the songs were too heavy, they meant something new in that moment than they have in the past.  We were singing 'Who You Say I Am' and God was reminding us, (all of us, even baby Denise) are His.  But, he was also telling me, He has her and has saved her from this world of pain and suffering... 

 "Who the Son sets free... Oh is free indeed... I'm a child of God...Yes I am... In my Father's house....There's a place for me... I'm a child of God...Yes I am"  

She is so free!  And she has a place!  Today as our hearts hurt because that place isn’t in the arms of Karen and Denis, we rest in knowing that our God is still good and He promises to never leave us.  I share this knowing that Pastor Denis and Karen believe the same.  We believe this, but this doesn't take away the pain they are feeling now for the loss of their child.  So I ask you to pray for them with me.  Pray that they feel God's presence, that they lean into His strength, that they have people surround them to show them God's love when it's hard to see for themselves.   

As all of this was unfolding Mark was jumping into the water Saturday morning to make his swim around Key West, Florida.  A swim that is fueled with pure passion and Jesus!  Mark wasn't swimming for fun (I mean who swims 12 miles in open water for fun) or for himself, but for other people.  Some he knows personally and many he will never know.  The entire time he was swimming he was praying over Denise, Karen and baby Denise.

Mark was swimming to raise funds to help a local family in a trying time and for funding for improvements in the clinic in La Esmeralda.  

Two major areas the funds will go towards in the clinic. Improving the grounds surrounding the clinic to make for a more sterile and clean atmosphere for healthcare.  This will include paving around the entire facility.  And there is a desperate need for a birthing center in the clinic.  Right now, women have to give birth in a room which is not an optimal spot to be bringing new life into the world. 

Oh, how a safe place for mothers to be cared for throughout their pregnancy, during birth, and for mom and baby after birth weighed heavily on him yesterday as he swam knowing Denise was fighting for her life.  

He finished his swim in the top 10 and placed 2nd in his age group.  That is what swimming with a purpose looks like right there!  Way to go Mark!!!  

Even though his swim is over there is still time to join in on the the purpose behind it.   Today we ask that you pray about giving in honor of baby Denise.  Give knowing that your gift WILL make a difference for not just one life, but for many!  

To read more about the why and to give check out SwimExtreme.

Thank you for praying with us this week! 

Pastor Denis y Karen... Te Amamos!   Sé que nuestros corazones están ahí contigo

Not there, but here

Here I am.  My plan was to be standing with my team in Nicaragua right now, getting ready to see my friends, my family.  My heart has gone and yet I am still here.  As much as I want to be there I know that God is at work and has asked us to stay instead of go this time. 

You know those moments, the ones you realize after the fact that God was using it to prepare you for another?  Yeah?  If not, I pray for a moment like that for you because as the next unfolds you are amazed at the way God works.  It leaves me in awe every time.  Only a God who loves and cares about you works in one day to prepare you for another.

Last year in Nicaragua on our last full evening in La Esmeralda I was standing out in the front of the church watching the team take in the last moments of being there.  Tears were streaming down my face (which just doesn't happen often for me) as I stood in a place that brings so much peace and joy.  A friend asked me what I was thinking about, and I told them the future of this place and the fact that I wasn't ready to leave.  In that moment I had no idea that I wouldn't get to go back this summer, in that moment I could only walk away thinking I would be back.  And today I know that God was using that moment to prepare me for this year.  He was whispering so softly that evening... "Abbey, I hold this place!  I have BIG plans!  I am building here!  Watch Me!  Go and Be Still!"  The tears have returned today, and the promises He has made are still true and I am watching them unfold everyday!

Have you heard the song 'Yes and Amen'?  This song is on repeat in my heart in these moments.  It goes like this...

"Faithful, You are.  Faithful, forever You will be.  Faithful, You are.  All Your promises are Yes and Amen....

I will rest in Your promises.  My Confidence is Your faithfulness..."

As I stay this year I have decided to spend the 10 days praying very specific things over Nicaragua.  

The place we love, the place our friends call home is still being destroyed by darkness.  Things have continued to get worse and people are hurting all across Nicaragua.   My heart is broken for this place and people that hold so much of my heart.

 This is my prayer list for 10 days... 

1. The churches as they pour into their communities
2. Our Missionaries and partners
3. Heart change
4. The violence to stop
5. The hurting families
6. Protection
7. Provision
8. Hope
9. The future of Nicaragua
10. Pastor Denis and Karen are about to welcome their baby girl.   

• That they can travel safely to and from the hospital

• That Karen and baby are healthy for the remainder of the pregnancy and things go smoothly for the c-section  

• Healthy Baby

• Recovery for Karen

• For Pastor Denis for wisdom and strength as he makes decisions for his family

• For Jonathan (big brother) that he adapts well to the changes that baby will bring

(Be watching because we will celebrate with them when baby arrives!!!)

God hears our cries and as I wait for the next time we will get to go and be in this place again I will cry out for hope, change, growth, forgiveness, love, peace, Jesus!   Join me?

Rest in His promises!  He is faithful! 

#FRStudentsInNicaragua 2017

Oh the wrap up...  So many things to share, not enough words to even scratch the surface.

We have been home for just under a week and as we try to grasp at all we have experienced the emotions still run high! 

The Spiritual warfare was real on this trip.  Every turn we made there would be another obstacle to face.  Many things could have broken our team, many moments could have been over taken by fear, sickness, rain, mud, bugs, trees and power lines, etc... but God walked right beside us the entire time.  OUR GOD SHOWS UP!!!  He never ever ceases to leave us in awe as we walk through these trips and I wouldn't want it any other way!  In awe of how our Creator works is a really cool place to be! 

With spiritual warfare you better believe there is Kingdom work being done! 

We take a yearly trip to encourage and fuel the ministry that exists there on a daily basis.  We go and we partner with the clinic and the church in La Esmeralda!  We go with them as they do their ministry in their communities!  God is doing great things in this place through some very special people!

Fox River Students are awesome!!!  They jumped in feet first to all that God had in store for them. From handing out hygiene packs to playing games with the kiddos at the schools, the students were there and ready to show God's love. They didn't allow language to stop them from building relationships and walked away knowing that our God has no language!  Many students stepped out of their comfort zones on this trip and saw how faithful God was to meet them there and do work in and through their lives. 

Our prayer is that each of these students has walked away knowing who God is and how he works in their lives! 

As I sit here writing I wonder what 'those' numbers are... how many gave their lives to Christ, how many hygiene packs were given, how many kiddos were at VBS, teens at teen outreaches... and so on.  Are the numbers what really matter?  Do we really need to know the exact number? The people matter, the numbers do not!  I fully believe that this team made an impact, this team fought the good fight, this team conquered fears, this team FOLLOWED!  I believe that our God knows the numbers and that He has multiplied that since we have come and gone!  There are numbers, I just don't know them and tonight I'm okay with that!  One day we will stand next to the lives that were changed this week!!

As you have read before, coming off of trips is an emotional roller coaster, and this year is no exception.  As a leader I help others process and then will take my turn.  I don't know what it is about this year, but it wrecked me!  I can pin point the spot, the moment, the hour that I walked away from my heart.  It is still sitting in that place right now... leaning up against the motorcycle in front of the church as I watched my team take in the last moments of this trip. This spot brings so much peace, somewhere I undoubtedly feel the presence of God!  Needless to say, I don't feel whole.  Maybe this year this place took the remaining pieces of my heart that it didn't already have, maybe God is stirring up something inside me. Through the privilege of following Christ comes the heartache for His work!  Until He tells me otherwise I will continue leading teams over to share in the experience of joy that this place brings me!  It never gets old! 

As we recoup, as we work through our feelings, as we strive to make the changes God has asked of us... Will you pray for us?  Will you pray for those kiddos, teens, families... that we crossed paths with?  Will you pray for Pastor Denis and his team?  Pray for the ministry of the clinic and church in La Esmeralda?

Fox River has a home in La Esmeralda, Nicaragua!  Just let us know when you are ready to go visit with us!

#JuntosSiempre

The stories, the joy, the heartache

Well, we have been home for a week and the emotions and the adjusting are in full swing.  I love trips... I love the people... I love the team... I love the place... I love being the hands and feet of Jesus... I love seeing the difference Fox River has and continues to make in this country, in this community.  But, man the emotions that come with saying goodbye, leaving (your baby sister make it even worse), adjusting back to 'life' are tough to swallow.  I am so thankful I serve a God that holds my heart and knows the pain and the joy that comes with missions! 

With all that being said, let me share what God did...

You might have already read some of this, but bare with me and keep reading...

WE SAW 84 PEOPLE GIVE THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST!!!  In just 6 short days 84 people became part of the Kingdom!!  REJOICE!!!! We have new believers to celebrate!  And that number is only a portion of the hundreds of patients, kiddos and families that we came in contact with, that we had the opportunity to share and plant seeds into their lives that could change their eternity.

We had a year of firsts in the midst of all the 'normal'. 

Our Medical team was the first team that was working in the clinic when a baby was born!  Some of our medical gals got to be hands on! So cool!

We had a movie night for the first time... So much fun!  Something that was a treat for the people of La Esmerelda!  We watched 'Inside Out' in espanol. 

We Celebrated 5 years of the clinic being open and all of the work God has done through that time!

We were able to go, see and pray over the land that Fox River purchased for a new church in Las Nubes!  You might only see green, but we were able to hear the vision of this land... God has BIG plans for this community!

We swallowed children with a giant whale!  Oh, the laughter that came from those sweet kiddos!

We rode in a cattle truck, on motorcycles, bus and in the back of a pick-up (and that doesn't even include all the walking/hiking)!  SO many forms of transportation that made for lots of laughter, muddy backsides and a few bruises! 

And so much more...

Through all the fun, tasks, and work that we do there the best moments consist of getting to know and encourage the Nica team!  We couldn't do what we do without them and I know the time we spend in their community, in their life is such fuel for them!  Yes we get to see people come to Jesus and we get to see babies being born, kiddos laugh when another gets 'swallowed' by a whale, we get to give out hygiene packs and bless those people... But then we leave (even when our hearts don't come with us).  The most important thing we do while we are there is encouraging and supporting the ministry that Pastor Denis and his team work hard at everyday, day in and day out!  If I could only describe to you exactly the amount of gratefulness and heart felt love that these people have for Fox River's partnership and teams you would be in tears.  God has formed such a strong bond between our churches that the only way to describe it is 'Family'!  Language has NO power over the love that we share through OUR God!!  We laugh, we cry, we share, we pray, we love TOGETHER!!

We had to ask so many people to join us to make this trip and this week a reality, and we are so grateful for them and all the work they did with us and for us!  From translators to kitchen ladies we had quite the team of Nicas that stood beside us all week.  The people of La Esmerelda are so very special to Fox River and we can feel that that is a shared feeling!  If you ever wonder how the blood of Christ connects his people you should come to Nicaragua!

I can honestly say that leading a team is one of the most exhausting yet rewarding jobs I have ever been given.  From the tiny details to the giant spiders I have had to 'handle', I'm glad I have a team to laugh at or with me, to cry for or with me, to pray with and for me... My God has such wonderful plans and I in the midst of all the rain, mud, tears, laughter, goodbyes, heartache, joy, 'colored' tent poles, bugs, rats, bats, snakes, and on it goes... am so glad to be a part of this ministry! 

Para mi Nicas~ Te amo y muy profundamente a todos de menos.  Estoy muy agradecido de Dios escribiria una historia como la nuestra.

To my Fox River family~ THANK YOU!  You make this all possible through your giving and prayers!  You are not unnoticed!

To those of you just following along~ I hope you see what the power of Unity in Christ can do!

You have read our stories, yet there is still so much to share... so ask us!!  Ask anyone of the team members, I promise they have something you haven't heard yet!

Do we have to?

As I sit here this morning waiting for the shuttle to the airport with a heart full of emotions, I choose to think about the amazing things God has done this week through the partnership Fox River has made with the people of Nicaragua! 

Goodbyes never seem to get easier even when you know God will bring you back! 

Out flight is at 12:30... Will you pray us home?? And for all the emotions and things running through our heads this morning as we leave this place that has hold of so much of our hearts.  

We will see you soon!  

Commissioning and packing

COMMISSIONING

Last weekend the Nicaragua team stood before the congregation as Pastor Guy lead them in prayer. The feeling that comes with knowing your church is praying over you and each of your team members is a feeling that can only be experienced!  Fox River sends off teams fully covered in prayer, support, and encouragement!

The team buckled up for a full weekend of being loved on by our Church.  We loved being able to hop back and forth between our Waukesha and Muskego campuses, knowing that Waterford campus is praying over us as well!  

 We were also able to join the church as we prayed over and sent Kerri (who is now safely in Nicaragua)! What an awesome experience to be able to gather around her and send her off!

Will you join us in praying as we go?  

Here are some certain areas: 

• Travel- timing, customs, safety, and everything in between
• Health- that we stay well rested and fight off the travelers sickness
• Luggage- we need our supplies, can you pray them there for us? 
• People-  Our team members as well as each person we will come in contact with!  For us to allow God to shine brighter than us. That the Nicaraguan people will have open hearts to the message of Christ. 
• Our Events- Clinic days, VBS, Women's Outreach, Teen Night, Movie Night, 5 year Celebration, Hygiene packs, Field day.  

You can find prayer cards at any Fox River campus!  >>>

 

 

 

 

PACKING!!!

Today we came together as a team to pack up all of our supplies. ALL. OF. THEM.

What a packing day entails...  We start off by standing and looking at the heaping piles of supplies that we somehow have to fit in our limited amount of suitcases that can only way 50lbs.  We spread out our suitcases.  Then we get to it... next step would be to get rid of all the bulkiness we can... taking things out of boxes, wrappers, etc.  Ziplock bags are our friends and we use 100's of them!  We spend a couple hours packing, weighing, shifting, repacking, reweighing, and on it goes until each suitcase weighs in right around the 50lb mark. 

It might take a lot of work, patience,  and a whole lot of GOD power for us to get all the things we need into these suitcases, but we love the time we get to be with our team and to see how God makes it all fit.  All of these moments are what builds the experience we will talk and share about for a lifetime! 

These supplies are what build up our events, the hygiene packs, and so much more.  It is so important that they all make it there!  This is a big area we would love you to pray about with us.  Customs can be a little tricky at times and the airlines have so many bags to make sure get to the right places with the right people.  We know we serve a God that has bigger plans than ours and that He has gone before us and is coming with us, but we also know that He listens to us when we cry out!  Will you cry out over our supplies?