Happy New Year!

We hope all of you had a good holiday with family and friends. We pray that your Christmas and New Year were wonderful, full of true peace and joy. We thought we’d give you a bit of an update on the Swift’s holiday in Africa.

We’re doing ok and enjoyed a little time off at home. Jaime went to the coast on the 7th of December and returned on the 11th. He went with a Christian group here in Nairobi that wanted to do some food relief among the Giryama in Kilifi District (see our recent report on the “Poorest of the Poor” in Kenya). It was a really good trip and a good time to grow relationships with new friends while renewing old relationships among the Giryama. It was a struggle at times, just seeing again the incredible need among the Giryama and how much work is still needed to minister to them physically and spiritually. He pulled some 16-17 hour days and came back with a terrible chest cold, but he’s all better now.

Ginger is recuperating fine from her surgery on the 23rd of December. The doctor found some cysts on her cervix and was concerned. After a bit of anxiety and a few tests, we’re thankful to report that the cysts were benign. Still, she needed to have them removed and we thought the holidays would be a good time to rest. She’s pretty much back to normal now, but still suffering from pain and cramping. Thanks for all your prayers regarding Ginger and her health.

The girls had a wonderful time at home and enjoyed their break from school. Hannah has struggled some with a cold the last couple of weeks, and despite our best attempts at making her rest, it developed into pneumonia. The doctor said that she would be ok resting at home and taking antibiotics. It’s a tough job keeping her still while her sisters are out playing with their new Christmas toys!

Christmas was good for all of us. It is hot and dry as usual at this time of year so it doesn’t feel much like a traditional Christmas. And add to that the fact that we’ve had a lot of problems with water. We went for a full 7 days without water, had it for 2, then none again for another 6! Stop and think a minute about living with only 2 days of water for over two weeks! It’s not fun! Needless to say, everything is a little dirty and stinky and we’re hoping we’ll get some water soon. Pray for rain!

Blessings to all of you throughout this new year. We love you and appreciate so much your financial and prayerful support.