30 years of adventure

Where did 30 years go?

This week we at Afri-Lift are celebrating 30 years of the ministry of our Founders Robin & Margaret Aim here in Kenya.

 

In this blog we would like to honor them not just for the many ministries, schools, support programs and training facilities they have created to change the lives of hundreds of young people. We honor them for their obedience to the Lord.

Many people don’t mind going out of their comfort zones for a short period of time, but not for a lifetime. To leave behind your family, business and friends takes a lot of courage.

Robin & Margaret came to Kenya on July 2^nd 1983 with their 3 children Stephen, Kristen and Lindel. What was intended to be a 2 year stint on the international mission field continues through to today and beyond.

Robin and Margret with family (above) and Afri-Lift staff Kenya(below)

They have faced many challenges – finances for projects, the loss of their oldest daughter, creating a new NGO, staffing and health issues. This year Robin went through surgery of remove a kidney and very large cancerous growth. Praise God he’s in the clear.

To ensure the best educational future for their children, they left home to go to boarding school. That is no easy decision for any parent. Now, both Stephen and Lindel live overseas. Thankfully with Skype they get to see their grandchildren. This is the sacrifice that most don’t think of when they know of someone serving on the international mission field. To only physically see your family every few years is part of carrying the cross.

Much has changed since they left their hometown of New Plymouth in New Zealand - there is now the internet. While it is something that we take for granted in the West, here in Africa it is appreciated more. Imagine in ‘the old days’ when it would take 2 weeks for a letter to get back to your homeland. To make a phone call you would have to spend much more time to organize it than now – you’d have to write a letter to make sure the person would be home and then go to the Post Office and get a call connected through an operator. Now, we just use a mobile phone or make a Skype call. You don’t have to set aside a whole day to go to the bank – you just go to online banking.

Some things haven’t changed. The roads and corruption are just as bad, if not worse. The power and water can still go off without any notice – this is Africa!

We are thank God for sending them to Kenya, we are sure that they could’ve gone anywhere but they came here.