Summer is almost gone...

As we have been getting ready for Sydni and Davis to go to school it seems that summer is almost over. The kids are enrolled, supplies are bought, uniforms are waiting to be washed, and new shoes will soon be broken in... school starts August 14th. What will Andrew and Mommy do all day? That is a good question!

The last couple of weeks we have been enjoying the summer. We've been to the zoo a couple of times, the park several times, and not nearly enough time spent riding bikes. Grandpa Bud and Grandma MaryLee were here for a few days and I think we wore them out, but we all had a blast and I'm sure Chuck E. Cheese's will be able to stay in business now.

We are thankful that our air conditioner has been able to keep up with the heat and humidity. It seems like it's been hard to even turn it off the last couple of weeks. I think the humidity will take us more than one season to get used to, if at all. None of us like it at all! It has also been challenging living in a neighborhood that comes alive about 8pm and doesn't quit until about 4am. Thankfully nothing threatening has gone on this summer, just lots of people and lots of loud music.

Well the last week or so I think I am beginning to turn the corner away from being sick. I am about 12wks pregnant now and looking forward to some kind of normalcy. I'm glad the kids were able to survive on cereal and McDonalds as long as they did! I have been feeling pretty good otherwise. I think the pregnancy has increased my fatigue so we've been working around that too. Miles is so gracious in helping out and allowing me the time for naps when his schedule allows it. It's amazing that God knew He'd have to let us forget the so called negative things of pregnancy so we'd do it all over again. And the pregnant brain thing... Miles is REALLY gracious is this aspect, he's knows not to argue over stupid things that I may or may not remember or forget...haha! I can't imagine being in his shoes for these 9+ months!

Well, here is a picture that I know all the Grandma's (and maybe others) are waiting for...

Some friends need prayer

I would like to introduce you to some friends of ours from Spearfish, Traig and Laura Friedrich. They are on a 6 month mission trip to Lesotho, Africa. With them are there four young children. Traig is doing techinal work installing satellites at remote village clinics to better the care they are able to give. There little journey is nearing it's end but not without some big challenges and heartache. Laura has been spending a lot of her time at a local Orphanage called the Beautiful Gate, which cares for children ages 3 and under, and is mostly supported by American churches. The orphanage is more than full because of the ban on adoptions in Lesotho. Recently, in the last couple of weeks, Laura was visiting one of the children who had to be put into the hospital when she met, Palesa, a beautiful 18 month old girl. Palesa is not sick, just abandoned. Since Laura made such a strong connection with her, she began to take care of her, in this hospital where it is not uncommon for people to die of starvation or contract AIDS during their stay. Since Palesa was not sick and there is currently no room at the Beautiful Gate, Laura asked the hospital is she could take her home to care for her until other arrangements can be made. They had a great weekend together but now are waiting for Palesa's grandmother (who showed up after 3 months) to make a decision "if she likes her" and wants to care for her. In addition, Laura has been hard at work to get Palesa into the Beautiful Gate. All the while, praying for the adoption ban to be lifted so Palesa and so many others can "go home".
The Friedrichs have about 3 weeks left in Lesotho and they are now facing the reality of having to leave people they have fallen in love with.

Please pray for little Palesa, the Beautiful Gate, and for Traig & Laura as they seek the Lord's will for what to do next after leaving Lesotho.
You can read much more about them on their blog at www.friedrichsinafrica.blogspot.com
~Salyna

Family, fireworks, & fireflies

We started the holiday weekend a little early on Thursday with a trip to the drive-in. It was the first time the kids had been and they thought it was great to watch movies outside on "the biggest t.v. ever". I'm a little upset that I didn't take any pictures but we made lots of memories anyway. Andrew fell asleep about half way through the first movie, Davis half way through the second one, and Syd almost made it through all of the second one. Then mom and dad decided we'd stay for the third movie (Prince Caspian, which began at 1:15am), by 2:30 we were falling asleep and decided maybe we should head home. We both laughed as we remembered being a little younger and going to all three movies AND staying awake! It was a great family night!

On Friday night we did some fireworks of our own, watched others that friends & neighbors were doing, and played with some fireflies. It was also very fun. Now were are all trying to recover from two late nights in a row.....whhhhheeeewwwwww....I feel old!

Some quick updates

*First, to answer a question that a lot of people have asked... Salyna is feeling sick and tired but great! Praise the Lord, we had our first real doctors visit today and saw the baby's heartbeat. We are so excited!

*Salyna's mom has been home from the hospital for a little over a week. She is supposed to be having a second round of radiation treatments soon but we don't know much beyond that.


*"Joe" moved to Oklahoma a couple weeks ago to live in a half way type house that is supposed to be Christian based. He is required to go to meetings and church which we pray will keep him on a sober path where he can deepen his relationship with the Lord. Miles has not talked to him much since he left but the last time he did he sounded good.

Thank you for being a part of our lives, sharing our burdens with us, and praying with us. It seems like it's been awhile since we've heard from a lot of you. We hope you are having a great summer and we look forward to hearing from you soon!

Blessings ~Miles & Salyna

Kennedy five...will be six

Yes, you read that correctly!

Our family will be growing again with the birth of our 4th baby sometime in mid-February. We are overjoyed that the Lord has chosen to bless us with another child. We are really excited - so can you imagine the kid's reactions, considering Davis has been praying for a baby sister for almost a year now!! Sydni's reaction has been our favorite so far. After several minutes of discussing this with the kids (which consisted of us trying to convince them, "yes", after they repeatedly asked "Are you sure?") Sydni said "Are you sure you want to do this again?" All we could do was laugh & say "yes". The family as a whole is of course hoping for a girl, but we will be happy no matter what.

Thank you for sharing in this blessing with us!

Salyna's Mother

I just wanted to thank everyone who has prayed with us for my mom over the last few years. As many of you already knew, her cancer in her spine is back. She has yet to have the biopsy for the cancer done. After visiting for 6 weeks she just left our house on May 29th to go back to California. She has had increasing difficulties the last couple of weeks and went straight from the airport to the hospital. It appears that the major tumor in her back has grown excessively over the last 2-3 months. She has begun another round of radiation. As we wait for more tests to be done, I ask you once again for your prayers.

Our visit with her was challenging in some ways but it was good. The kids were sad to see their "Mimi" not feeling well as I was. I pray the Lord will comfort her and encourage her heart.
~Salyna

More Misc. stuff...

Well, as I (Salyna) sit and monitor the weather via the internet & local news (at 10:30pm), I was thinking that we have been wanting to update you all on a few things. So I guess this is as good of time as any.

First, the older kids had their AWANA awards a couple weeks ago and Davis could hardly contain himself. He finished his second Cubbies book & 3rd year with all his patches, bear, and finally the ribbon. He is very excited that he will move on to Sparks next year when he "can do as many verses a week as he wants". Here is a picture from that night, sorry it isn't a better one.

We also got to attend the annual Wichita Riverfest with lots of food, music, and kid's activities. We really enjoyed this time as a family! Davis enjoyed the Kansas National Guard vehicles.Sydni & Andrew with "The Bubbleman"

Sydni has finished Kindergarten and thinks the summer will last "forever" before she gets to go to 1st grade. This picture is from her field day the last week of school. Davis got to go visit the Kindergarten classrooms and meet the teachers, so he is anticipating summer taking "forever" as well!

Other stuff...

Thank you for continuing to pray for "Joe" and what role Miles is playing in his life. They have become friends and Joe is extremely thirsty for the Truth, seeking out answers, and has quite a few convictions he is working through. It has been amazing to listen to Miles talk about much Joe is grasping and passing on to his roommates. He still struggles as he seeks to live his life in a godly manner. It's very awesome to watch the Lord work through Miles.

Also we got the results of Davis' blood tests for allergies and they all came back negative. He has puzzled the doctors as well as mom and dad. His response was "I knew God would help me with my allergies, I've been praying about it every night!" What a humbling experience for us! It has shown us how much our faith is lacking. Rejoice with us in Davis' faith! So we have stopped his medicine for now to see how he does.

I will now conitue to enjoy the excitement of the springtime weather in Kansas...haha! The western part of the state has had A LOT of tornados the last two days and now those storms are headed our way. What an amazing display of power!

Until next time...Salyna

Misc. Stuff

Well these last couple of weeks have been extremely busy!! But we are rejoicing in the goodness of our God.

Psalm 19:1

"The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of His hands."

*Salyna's mom has been here visiting since April 15th and will return to California the end of this month. Then she will be having a biopsy done to figure out exactly what type of cancer she has and what the treatment options are. We are praying about her moving here to Wichita.

*We also got the blood test results for Salyna. The rheumatologist was encouraged that the lupus and inflammation markers are low, which probably has something to do with her feeling pretty good lately. :)

*We've had some confusing information about Davis' allergies. The doctor did the skin testing again for all the environmental allergens and he tested negative for everything when less than a year ago in South Dakota he tested positive for nearly everything they tested him for. So now we are waiting on the results of his blood tests. We pray the Lord will make these things clear for us so we know how to continue treating him. He has been struggling the last couple months with his allergies leading to sickness.

*Andrew had his second experience with a cut on his forehead. This one was worse than last year; bigger, deeper, pretty gross. Instead of stitches they glued the cut shut and then put strips over top of it. It has healed really well but it looked bad for awhile.

*We got to visit with some friends we haven't seen in a very long time. And we finally got to meet Elli!!!! Thanks for making the trip guys!

*We have been trying to enjoy the Kansas storms. It would be much easier to do if they didn't happen at 2am.

*Today Miles took the Mobile Medical Clinic to Lighthouse Community Church, a World Impact church plant. They are planning on having the clinic begin to come to their church parking lot in June. It was so inspiring to see their church body and several World Impact folks praying together for this ministry. They have such a desire to help the hurting in their community. Here is a picture from this morning.

We hope you are having a wonderful spring and enjoying whatever celebrations may be going on... graduations, weddings, retirements, new babies, or even just the lilacs blooming. "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Phil 4:4

Update

Thank you for your prayers for "Joe" and how Miles can witness to him. It has been an amazing couple of weeks. Miles found out that Joe is very book smart and loves to read so we were able to give him some books about Christian evidences which he has been enjoying. He has been to church every Sunday so far and today he felt comfortable enough to go to lunch with our whole family. This afternoon he told Miles that years ago he asked Jesus into his life but never got any discipleship and quickly fell away. Miles continues to make connections with Joe almost daily and he gives God the glory for it. It is truly amazing to watch the Holy Spirit use Miles in such a way!

April 2008 Connection Letter

Psalm 40:5

"Many, O LORD my god, are the wonders which You have done,

And Your thoughts towards us; there is none to compare with You.

If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count."

We stand in awe of all the Lord continues to do in our lives. He has blessed us in so many ways we struggle to even know where to begin to share. So we thought we'd do a short general letter and let the kids share what they want to share too.

December brought us a wonderful trip to California. A great time of sharing the season of Christmas with so many friends and family.

January was a time of sickness for all of us and a time for God to show His power through our weaknesses.

February was truly the month of love. It feels like our family has made a connection like never before. We continue to rejoice in this!

March was a sort of "springtime" for us, a time of growth. Both of us have been humbled, overflowing with joy, and under the influence of a peace we cannot claim to understand. Our hearts have been challenged at work and equally at home.

April continues to be a season of spiritual growth, also a time of challenging faith lessons. All of which we are extremely thankful for. We marvel at what God has done with us the last seven months. This past weekend we got to be a part of World Impact's central region conference/retreat. All of the staff from Wichita, St. Louis, Dallas, Morning Star Ranch, and Deer Creek Camp were all here in Wichita to induct the newest missionaries, worship together, have a lot of fun, and a little food...or maybe it was a lot of food and a little fun... anyway, it was an encouraging time of fellowship and exciting to meet our fellow laborers from other cities and ministries. We feel overwhelmingly blessed to be a part of God's family and a part of the work He is doing through World Impact.

We covet your prayers for the ministry work that the Lord has laid before us. First, we pray that we will be sensitive to the the Spirit's leading this summer. It is coming quickly and we have many ideas for outreaches including one in our own neighborhood; it has been easy to feel overwhelmed and sometimes confused. Also, please continue to pray for Miles' safety while working. Lastly, we are still waiting for some blood test results on Salyna. The Rheumotologist that she saw feels that it is too early to diagnose her with Lupus but at the same time thinks that is probably what she has. He ordered a ton of blood tests that we'd been trying to get done for the past couple of years.

Please let us know what is going on in your lives and how we can be praying for you!

Below are some pictures of the kids and what they would like to share with you about what has been going on in their lives...enjoy :)

"I like school. My favorite subject at school is PE because we play games. And I also like Music because we sing a lot. I like my teachers too. I make lots of new friends. I like World Impact because that's how we tell people about Jesus more. We've been bringing one of Daddy's new friends to church with us. We went to Nebraska and I got to see my cousin Gatlin. I was really excited because we hadn't seen him since my birthday. At Christmastime we went to California and I had lots of fun with my grandpa at the zoo. My cat is fun to play with."

"I like to color and play games. I got a new bike because I learned to ride on two wheels. I am growing up to be Christian and loving and caring about my brother and sister. And learning to do what my mommy tells me to. I am doing good. I love everybody who we are sending this to. "

I have been talking more and more and surprising my mom and dad with what I know. I am constantly on the go. I slow down for nothing...unless I fall. I love going to church and I take my own Bible (little blue New Testament). I also carry in my own bag because I have been learning to use the potty. Most times I am pretty excited about it, but sometimes I just don't want to do it. For some reason this makes Mom and Dad a little annoyed, but I don't see what the big deal is. My favorite hobby is terrorizing Penny (the cat). My first favorite cartoon/movie/book/toy is anything Bob (you know, the tomato from Veggie Tales). My second favorite is Spiderman. I am very consistent or should I say that I like everything to be consistent and I don't like change at all. I try to do anything that my brother and sister do, which is cute sometimes but sometimes it gets me in trouble. I like going to Daddy's office to feed the fish. (as told by Mommy)

More on "Joe"...

Joe called Miles on Monday with lots of questions... how to get a very expensive medicine he needed was one of them, which we were able to point him in the right direction and he got what he needed at a fraction of the cost. He also has a buddy who wants to go to church with us next Sunday. In addition to that, these young men wanted to know more about the Bible and how they can learn more/study. So Miles was able to get them Bibles and a beginner study that goes through the plan of salvation. Lord willing he will be following up with them on Friday or Saturday.

We are just amazed at how God is working in their lives, not to mention our own!
Please continue to pray for them and how the Lord might use Miles in all of this.

Prayer request

Just an update on the 25yr old young man who we'll call "Joe"...

I failed to mention that Miles had a New Testament in his pocket that night and he had given that to Joe. Miles has been in contact with him almost everyday and on Friday we took him some food. Joe asked Miles about the writing in the back of the New Testament: Miles had written down things like "I'm too bad to be saved" and then the verse reference. So Joe had been reading this book and asked if he could go to church with us. So this morning, Miles left Sunday School to go pick him up. After church the two of them went to lunch and had great conversation. Joe has a lot of questions and is very open about his own life and how he can't

do it on his own.

We ask for your prayers for "Joe", that he would believe the Truth and ask Jesus to be the Lord of his life. Also for Miles, that he would be open to the Spirit's leading and use wisdom and discernment in this situation.

"Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

For He satisfies the longing soul,

And fills the hungry soul with goodness."

Psalm 107: 8-9

Prayers

Well, we have noticed how few posts we have done the last couple months and honestly we haven't really had anything blogworthy going on...just life for the Kennedys, which I guess we always have something going on. Maybe we are just more comfortable here now and getting some routine although even having a routine doesn't mean the Lord won't change it up like last night...

While coming home from AWANA we were turning onto our street and saw a young man on a bike being beaten up by another who had hopped out of a car. We stopped and the attacker got back in the car and sped off. We stopped and Miles got out to speak to this guy who was obviously shaken up and stated this was all random, he didn't know the other guy. We ended up loading up his bike and giving him a ride to his house not too far away. He said that God made this all happen so he would meet Miles because he has several difficult things going on in his life and needs someone to talk to. We prayed with him and Miles exchanged phone numbers. Then Davis opened the van door and gave his jelly beans he'd gotten at AWANA to him. After driving away Davis explained to us that he wanted to do that because "that's what Christians do". We thank God for giving us this opportunity and pray that Miles will be able to minister the love of Christ to this hurting man.

This incident confirmed yet again why the Lord has placed us here in this house, on this street, in this city. This comes less than two weeks after a night of heavy gang activity on our street that has tested our faith. What an awesome God we serve! Our trust and faith in Him is continually being tested and growing. We are thankful for it all!!

An update on Salyna... I have been struggling with some pain and a lot of fatigue the past few weeks. I have an appointment on April 1st with a Rheumatologist. We are praying for us to be accepting of the Lord's will in this regard and for this doctor to have open ears.

Another prayer request... The Lord has been so gracious to us and we are so grateful! Since moving we have been overwhelmed financially and pray that some of our burden may be lifted.

Thank you for your prayers!!

Check back for a cute and creative post in the near future!

He Is Risen!

Amazing Love!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little of what we've been up to...

A couple weeks ago Miles set up the Mobile Medical Clinic for an outreach event that a church was doing. Salyna set up World Impact books and info inside and gave tours as well as helping out with doing blood pressure checks. She was able to give information to an uninsured lady in need of healthcare and we learned that she did get the help she needed. It was a great time of fellowship for the whole family. There were all kinds of activities for the kids.

Mobile set up Kids tricylce race

This weekend we surprised the kids by meeting in Nebraska with their cousin from Wyoming. They got to spend an evening, late night, and morning playing together. And the adult fellowship wasn't bad either!

Below are some more pictures...Davis learned to ride his bike on two wheels so he got a new "big boy" bike. We also took the time to take more formal pictures. Enjoy!

Winter fun...no, cabin fever!

Here are a couple beautiful, snowy pictures by the river downtown.



Davis figures out a way to go "sledding" down the stairs...a big book or two is all that is needed!
.
Daddy cannot escape the grip (and weight) of the kids!

Only really good friends would come to a picnic in February?!

Love Day

This Valentine's Day has been a strange one for me (Salyna) but in a good way. Before I met Miles I always hated this day, it was lonely and seemed really dumb. Then after getting married it was still just another day, granted I got a card and flowers or candy or something, but it was still just another day (and I still thought it was dumb).

Today was different. I feel more love for and from my Savior than ever before. I guess I just feel more connected to Him, my relationship with Him has grown so much it's overwhelming. And then add to that the amazing amount of love I have for and get from my wonderful husband! It is so great to watch him do the Lord's work, be tried by the enemy, and persevere! His love for Jesus is so obvious to anyone! Praise be to God for these incredible loves!

So...nothing exciting happened today, no diamonds, no flowers, not even any candy... just love! And it was the best Valentine's Day I've ever had.

Snow Day!

Well I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since our last post. I suppose we've been pretty busy. Nothing too exciting has been going on just our normal everyday stuff.

Today is a snow day for literally all of Wichita. All the schools are closed, church happening are cancelled, some clinics and government have even taken a snow day. So I thought I would take the time to say "hi" to everyone and let you know that we are doing good because of our Lord's grace and mercy!

Miles still really enjoys his job and is now seeing more of why God moved us here, which is awesome! He has been going on prayer walks every week with the WI missionaries and his heart is beginning to really see God's heart for the poor and needy.

I (Salyna, obviously) started a new Bible study that a veteran WI lady is leading. It is about how the Lord is the salve for our souls. It has really been eye opening in relation to some of the many things I have been through. And the group of ladies is really neat, we all come from different life situations and struggles but we are coming together to study God's Word every week!

Sydni is enjoying school. She loves going to the library and P.E. She is making lots of friends and is always concerned about their salvation and their lives outside of school. It seems she is growing up SO fast. She faithfully does her chores and is openly trying to change her attitude. She is finally beginning to have a good time at AWANA. She had a rough time with moving up to Sparks this year and some of the kids were not very nice. But she kept going, persevered, and now looks forward to Wed. nights.

Davis is battling a pretty bad cold right now and is back on his breathing treatments. He has an appointment with an allergist in a couple weeks. We pray that he'll be able to finally get put on shots and get better relief. He is enjoying some of the one on one time he gets when Sydni is in school. His favorite time is going to work with Daddy. It is very obvious that he is our sensitive kid. He gets very emotional and is sensitive to others needs. He is always thinking about others. He loves to take pictures to his Cubbies teacher. He is the oldest in his Cubbie class and they often put him in leadership roles. He just loves Wed. nights.

Andrew...hum...what can I say about Andrew? Remember he is a 2 yr old boy and whatever comes to your mind when you read that, well that's probably what he is really like. He has no problem keeping up with his brother and sister. And he watches them and learns a lot from them. He is very loving and funny. He is talking so much and repeating everything. He likes to "fight" which consists of him taking a karate type stance, knees bent, and fists up and then lunging at whatever he is "fighting". He is pretty cute. He doesn't do so well on Wed. nights, he gets upset because he can't stay at church too. He loves going to church, from the time he wakes up on Sundays he is happily getting ready for church. He says "I go to church" and then when I pick him from the nursery he says "I played at church". Then he sleeps all afternoon! He is also fighting a pretty bad cold right now.

Well, Penny has adjusted to the Kennedy family really well. She is a very social cat and wants to be where we are. I'm not quite sure how she manages to survive the wrath of Andrew but she does and she's only retaliated once!

We had an answered prayer - a second vehicle! It has been years since we've had a reliable second vehicle that we can all ride in together.

I am just so thankful to God for the goodness He continues to pour upon my family. The loving support we have is awesome. It's great how our brothers and sisters in Christ become friends. Thank you for praying for us!

1 John 4:10-11:

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Meet our new family member...

Penny

Became a Kennedy on Jan. 6th, 2008

9 months old

6 lbs.

We adopted Penny from the Kansas Humane Society. She is a mix of black and white and torti. Her name was Penny and we've decided to keep it. Try to get a family of 5 to decide on a better name...haha! She is really cute and playful. She is adapting to our home pretty well or as well as can be expected with a 2 yr old running around. Cats are one of the few things that Davis is not allergic to, so we've been hoping to get one ever since we moved. Penny is overwhelming loved by all here!!

California Vacation

Approximately 3200 miles in 12 days...lots of wonderful time spent with family, a surprise visit to a dear Auntie, catching up with an awesome friend, playing in the California sunshine including one bay cruise, four different family Christmas celebrations, taking the kids to the beach for the first time, a trip to the aquarium, tracking down ancestors at the zoo, and a birthday party for the boys.....only one word can describe such a vacation...

WOW!

What a way to spend Christmas Eve... wasn't it snowing or something in Kansas?

Four Generations



Birch Aquarium at Scripps with Mimi




Monkeying around at the zoo with Grandpa


First time the kids had been to the beach, La Jolla (Andrew slept)



Happy Birthday... 2 and 5... can you believe it?!

Along the way to California we also got to spend some time with a longtime friend of Salyna's and her family as well as another family who are missionaries. It was great to catch up, watch our kids play together, and witness the burdens of another's ministry. The Lord is doing amazing work on such a personal level that we can actually see and so much more we're never aware of.

Our kids with Elisha and Keira Kontz. (Paul & Sarah's kids)

Davis and Andrew getting a lesson from the "Sheriff" Brian