March is almost over...less than 8 months until I am getting married!!! I am very excited, and I find myself trying to ignore the calendar so that time goes by faster. You know when you have a big date at night or there is a big game on TV later that day, and you are so excited to watch it that time just seems to move slow throughout the day? Well, I'm experiencing this phenomenon. Unfortunately, it is not for one day but for 8 months! I just want November to get here fast, but sometimes I forget to live in the moment. I need to enjoy where I am right now in life, and I hope you are doing the same.
Now that I'm done with my random outburst for the day, I guess we can get to my Africa trip. This is going to be my last post about my time in Kenya, but these posts in no way have been able to describe my entire experience....these are just blurbs. I hope you have enjoyed them!
Friday Night
"Kuna Kita Leo Nyumbani Mwababa." This means "There is something today in the house of the Father" in Swahili. One of my friends I have made here taught me this. Her name is Anne and she loves to sing!
Today was another great day in Kisumu, Kenya. However, I'm getting pretty homesick. I miss Christine! one of the pastors we are traveling with has a wife and her name is Christine. Today I tried to explain to him how I am engaged to a beautiful girl named Christine in America. This pastor's name is Francis, and we have made a good connection. Today while we were talking, he told me not to forget him when I'm back in America. I told him to do the same for me. Tomorrow we are exchanging emails so we can stay in contact. Also, we held hands! In the Kenyan culture, it is a sign of friendship to walk down the street holding hands. So Francis and I held hands while walking in the slums.
My time in Kenya today was a blessed day. This morning we went to hangout with the street children, and it was a blast! We played cards, soccer, volleyball and just talked to them. The kids were older than I thought they would be. We had 3 10-12 year-olds and about 18 eighteen year-olds and up. I got the chance to talk and pray with a 19 year old named Kevin. His parents divorced when he was young and his dad left him with the mom. The mom remarried and Kevin lived with his mom and stepdad. As time went by, Kevin's step dad started beating him, and Kevin finally ran away. Now he sleeps and lives on the street. It was a tough story to hear, but I prayed for him and then ate lunch with him. As I am writing this at night on my bed, I can't help but think where Kevin is right now. Which street corner is he sleeping on?
Besides Kevin, I met Jameson, Victor, Collins, Joseph, Victor and another Joseph. The last Joseph was 12 year old but he looked like he was about five because he was so malnourished. As we were playing "Go Fish" with him, we noticed something was on his forehead and in his hair. When we asked him what it was he wouldn't answer. Jameson, an older kid, told us it was glue. You see, street kids drink and sniff glue to get high so they don't have to feel the pain of living without parents and family. Joseph had been sniffing glue. It was just really sad, and it broke my heart.
Our time with the street kids came to an end at 2 o'clock. From there we went house-calling. The first lady we called on was a widow named Helen. She was probably in her 30's and had a boy named Joseph (different Joseph from the previous story) who was 9. She has a business where she sells goods, but her business isn't going very well. She can barely make enough money to put Joseph through school. I asked her about how she copes with her troubles and she said, "I can pray. That's all I can do." I have just been blown away on how much people believe in prayer and its power in Kenya. I want to pray with the zeal and fervor of the Kenyans.
After Helen, we visited a woman named Grace. Grace's husband left her twenty years ago and then came crawling back to her when he got sick. He ended up dying shortly after coming back and once again Grace was by herself with the children. She now supports her family with her semi-successful coal business. She sells coal, and when I say successful I mean she might make $5 a day. Grace is also putting 4 children through school, so that can get really expensive!
Next we visited Marguerite (Christine's middle name! I'm waiting to meet someone with Berry as a name now). Marguerite is 70 years old and has 5 children currently living; the other 4 have died. Marguerite was the most joyful person I've met her in Kenya! She was always making jokes and laughing. It was awesome to see her smile.
Linnett was the next widow we went to visit. She was very young, maybe 22, and she had a 4 year old. Linnett had a fruit business and she was doing very well for herself and little boy.
It was such a blessing to be able to go in and talk and encourage these four ladies! God is so faithful to His people. It just stinks that I had to see faith in these people before I could see God's faithfulness, but I rejoice in the fact that God showed himself to me through Helen, Grace, Marguerite, Linnett and Kevin.
Also, on the way back from doing some house calling, we rode bikes. Now we didn't drive the bike, we just rode them. A man named Stephen was my driver and I got to talk to him a bit. I found out he was a born again Christian and had a family! I asked him if I was the heaviest person he has ever drive and he said, "yes." Thinking he had only been driving for a short while, I asked him how long he had been driving, and he told me he had been driving for ten years...I guess I am fairly husky. But after he dropped me off, he asked if I could pray for him. I did, and it was good to meet a brother even though I'll probably never see him again.
I'm so thankful for my time in Kenya, and I'll never forget what God showed me. I hope you someday have the chance to visit Africa and to see God's church outside of the United States!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Asante Sana
I don't know how to start this blog post, so I am just going to jump into it. This is another journal entry while I was in Africa. This is probably my favorite journal entry while I was in Kenya. I remember that whole day, I couldn't wait to get back and write about it. I wrote this the Thursday night I was there, and I talk about some cool people I met and how the Africans pray!
Thursday Night
Asante Sana! Asante Sana! This means "Thank you very much" in Swahili. I am so thankful right now for my day in Kenya. We just spent all day in Kisumu with members of LIA and local pastors.
First, we met at the LIA Kisumu office and learned about what they were doing in the Kisumu area. They noticed a big need for the kids. I guess HIV/AIDS has tragically effected the Kisumu area, so a lot of people have died because of this nasty disease. Unfortunately, most of the people who died left behind children, and these kids end up on the streets with no one to take care of them. So LIA decided to do something about it. They wanted to empower churches in the area to serve their community in a wholistic manner. This entails spiritual, physical and emotional nourishment. They also started a program for street children to get reconnected with families or teach them a skill so they can support themselves. LIA is doing great things.
After meeting with the LIA team, we went to a church to meet with 5 local pastors and their staff (more like serious volunteers). At first it was really awkward , but then we split up (1 Pastor and staff with 3 of us) and we ate lunch and got to know the pastor and his team. We were with Crispin (pastor), Ellie, Francis, Anne, Wilson, and Mary (LIA team member). We made small talk during lunch, and then finished eating. Then we went with the Crispin and his team to go to visit his house.
As we left the church I noticed we started walking into the slums. The houses, I don't even know if you can call them houses, were small. Some were made with cement and others with mud and tin. I started to think that the pastor decided to switch our plans and now we were going to make house calls to people in the congregation instead of going to his house. It didn't hit me until we walked into an 8x8 house and Crispin said, "welcome." I leaned over to Anne, and I asked here whose house we were in. She quickly said, "the Pastor's home." I was blasted away. I don't know why I thought it was weird for the pastor to live among the people he was leading, but it took me by surprise. When we all entered Crispin's house, they asked one of us to pray for the pastor's home. After a long awkward silence, I volunteered to pray. I was a little nervous.
Now I need to take a break and talk about the Kenyans and prayer. Their prayers are indescribable. The Kenyans pray with so much power, so much zeal and authority. Before we left Nairobi, a man named Paul prayed for our trip. We grabbed shoulders, and I happened to be standing next to Paul. As he began to pray, he was quiet and he paused often to gather his thoughts. Then as he began to pick up speed, his voice grew louder and louder. He was squeezing my shoulder as he prayed with intensity. It was awesome! Tonight during our debrief time one of the LIA team members summed up the relationship between the Kenyans and prayer. Efontez said, "Prayer means a lot to the people here, because it is the only thing we have." Now do you understand why I was a little nervous to pray for my brother Crispin?
Our time with Crispin and his family was a blessing. I learned that he is married and has 4 kids all under the age of eleven. Crispin does live in the slums, so he doesn't make much money. Most of the people in his church, Pentecostal Deliverance Church, make under $1 a day. I've heard that statistic, but I had never seen it...until now. We talked for a while longer, and then it was time to leave. But before we left, we asked Crispin about any prayer requests he might have. He explained about different hardships (injuries, money, family), but the first thing he asked for was peace. I was blown away! He didn't ask for healing or money but peace! Christians in Kenya have a different perspective on life. They don't see life as a way to advance themselves, but they want to advance God's kingdom.
We finished up with our time in Crispin's home and walked to Wilson's home. He is a single guy, probably about 28 years old. He also lived in the slums. His house was smaller than Crispinn's, but he was ashamed at all. I could tell you all about or time with Wilson, but I would be up until Midnight writing. We left his home encouraged, and then we took a taxi (a three-wheeled small motor car) to Francis' house. Still in the slums, we went inside his house and talked about the chruch and his family. When it came time for us to pray for Francis he asked for one prayer request, and it was simple. He wanted us to intercede for him and to ask God to make him help the needy. I had to do a double take. I wanted to say, "You are the needy, Francis! We should be helping you." It is very humbling to see the attitude and perspective of the Christians in Kenya. I'm loving this trip. I just hope I'll be able to share it with everyone back home. Tomorrow we are going to play with the street children! I'm so excited!
I am so thankful for the opportunity God gave me to meet new people in Africa. I'll never forget the relationships that were forged in Kenya. One of the last times I saw Francis (he is the one in the yellow tie in the picture above), he told me never to forget about him. Francis, I'll never forget about you. I'll never forget about Africa. Asante Sana.
Thursday Night
Asante Sana! Asante Sana! This means "Thank you very much" in Swahili. I am so thankful right now for my day in Kenya. We just spent all day in Kisumu with members of LIA and local pastors.
First, we met at the LIA Kisumu office and learned about what they were doing in the Kisumu area. They noticed a big need for the kids. I guess HIV/AIDS has tragically effected the Kisumu area, so a lot of people have died because of this nasty disease. Unfortunately, most of the people who died left behind children, and these kids end up on the streets with no one to take care of them. So LIA decided to do something about it. They wanted to empower churches in the area to serve their community in a wholistic manner. This entails spiritual, physical and emotional nourishment. They also started a program for street children to get reconnected with families or teach them a skill so they can support themselves. LIA is doing great things.
After meeting with the LIA team, we went to a church to meet with 5 local pastors and their staff (more like serious volunteers). At first it was really awkward , but then we split up (1 Pastor and staff with 3 of us) and we ate lunch and got to know the pastor and his team. We were with Crispin (pastor), Ellie, Francis, Anne, Wilson, and Mary (LIA team member). We made small talk during lunch, and then finished eating. Then we went with the Crispin and his team to go to visit his house.
As we left the church I noticed we started walking into the slums. The houses, I don't even know if you can call them houses, were small. Some were made with cement and others with mud and tin. I started to think that the pastor decided to switch our plans and now we were going to make house calls to people in the congregation instead of going to his house. It didn't hit me until we walked into an 8x8 house and Crispin said, "welcome." I leaned over to Anne, and I asked here whose house we were in. She quickly said, "the Pastor's home." I was blasted away. I don't know why I thought it was weird for the pastor to live among the people he was leading, but it took me by surprise. When we all entered Crispin's house, they asked one of us to pray for the pastor's home. After a long awkward silence, I volunteered to pray. I was a little nervous.
Now I need to take a break and talk about the Kenyans and prayer. Their prayers are indescribable. The Kenyans pray with so much power, so much zeal and authority. Before we left Nairobi, a man named Paul prayed for our trip. We grabbed shoulders, and I happened to be standing next to Paul. As he began to pray, he was quiet and he paused often to gather his thoughts. Then as he began to pick up speed, his voice grew louder and louder. He was squeezing my shoulder as he prayed with intensity. It was awesome! Tonight during our debrief time one of the LIA team members summed up the relationship between the Kenyans and prayer. Efontez said, "Prayer means a lot to the people here, because it is the only thing we have." Now do you understand why I was a little nervous to pray for my brother Crispin?
Our time with Crispin and his family was a blessing. I learned that he is married and has 4 kids all under the age of eleven. Crispin does live in the slums, so he doesn't make much money. Most of the people in his church, Pentecostal Deliverance Church, make under $1 a day. I've heard that statistic, but I had never seen it...until now. We talked for a while longer, and then it was time to leave. But before we left, we asked Crispin about any prayer requests he might have. He explained about different hardships (injuries, money, family), but the first thing he asked for was peace. I was blown away! He didn't ask for healing or money but peace! Christians in Kenya have a different perspective on life. They don't see life as a way to advance themselves, but they want to advance God's kingdom.
We finished up with our time in Crispin's home and walked to Wilson's home. He is a single guy, probably about 28 years old. He also lived in the slums. His house was smaller than Crispinn's, but he was ashamed at all. I could tell you all about or time with Wilson, but I would be up until Midnight writing. We left his home encouraged, and then we took a taxi (a three-wheeled small motor car) to Francis' house. Still in the slums, we went inside his house and talked about the chruch and his family. When it came time for us to pray for Francis he asked for one prayer request, and it was simple. He wanted us to intercede for him and to ask God to make him help the needy. I had to do a double take. I wanted to say, "You are the needy, Francis! We should be helping you." It is very humbling to see the attitude and perspective of the Christians in Kenya. I'm loving this trip. I just hope I'll be able to share it with everyone back home. Tomorrow we are going to play with the street children! I'm so excited!
I am so thankful for the opportunity God gave me to meet new people in Africa. I'll never forget the relationships that were forged in Kenya. One of the last times I saw Francis (he is the one in the yellow tie in the picture above), he told me never to forget about him. Francis, I'll never forget about you. I'll never forget about Africa. Asante Sana.
Monday, March 14, 2011
My Reason for Mondays
I love Jr. High ministry! Right now we are in the middle of a teaching series on love and dating. Its called the "Love Shack." Someone people think this title is a little questionable, because it came from a song that is about having, as Bill Clinton puts it, "sexual relations." But the whole purpose of this series is to talk about how our view of love is skewed and misguided. As imperfect people, we often tend to reside in a run-down, dirty shack instead of a strong, stable house when it comes to love. Basically, we are just trying to teach our students about healthy relationships and God's love.
Yesterday we had a question and answer session with our Jr. High students about dating. We sat them all down and talked to them for about 10 minutes about healthy relationships, and how our relationship with God has to be the number one thing in our lives. Afterward we gave them each a piece of paper and asked them to write down a question they have about dating and relationships. Here are a couple of questions we received:
How many girlfriends do boys have on average?
Is it wrong to smack your boyfriend?
Why are girls so complicated? They ask so many questions!
(this one is more of a statement) Why kiss so many different people? God has already picked the one for you. Oh and by the way, I can't date until I am married.
If you have a wedgie is it okay to pick it on your date? Or should you excuse yourself??
Are there more girls than boys?
Why do teens have sex knowing they may have aids?
These are only a few of the questions we got, but I just wanted to share with you guys why I love Jr. Highers! Mondays are sometimes hard to get motivated for, but I just love looking back on Sunday and seeing why I come in on Monday. Middle School students make me laugh and smile all in the same moment. They are in this stage of their life where they are becoming who they are for the rest of their lives. They're bodies are changing physically and emotionally, and it is amazing to see them change spiritually. This is when their faith is no longer just their parents faith, but they start to grasp this idea of God on their own.
This is why I come into work on Mondays. Why do you get up on Monday?
Yesterday we had a question and answer session with our Jr. High students about dating. We sat them all down and talked to them for about 10 minutes about healthy relationships, and how our relationship with God has to be the number one thing in our lives. Afterward we gave them each a piece of paper and asked them to write down a question they have about dating and relationships. Here are a couple of questions we received:
How many girlfriends do boys have on average?
Is it wrong to smack your boyfriend?
Why are girls so complicated? They ask so many questions!
(this one is more of a statement) Why kiss so many different people? God has already picked the one for you. Oh and by the way, I can't date until I am married.
If you have a wedgie is it okay to pick it on your date? Or should you excuse yourself??
Are there more girls than boys?
Why do teens have sex knowing they may have aids?
These are only a few of the questions we got, but I just wanted to share with you guys why I love Jr. Highers! Mondays are sometimes hard to get motivated for, but I just love looking back on Sunday and seeing why I come in on Monday. Middle School students make me laugh and smile all in the same moment. They are in this stage of their life where they are becoming who they are for the rest of their lives. They're bodies are changing physically and emotionally, and it is amazing to see them change spiritually. This is when their faith is no longer just their parents faith, but they start to grasp this idea of God on their own.
This is why I come into work on Mondays. Why do you get up on Monday?
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Redefining "Blessed"
I have already been back from Africa for a full week. Time is flying by! It just seems like yesterday I was in Kenya hanging out with leopards and elephants drinking Coke and singing the Lion King theme song. But since I have been back in the States, I have had some time to process everything I saw in Kenya.
For those of you that don't know, I had the great opportunity to travel to Kenya and see what God is doing overseas. We partnered with an organization called Life in Abundance (LIA) that goes into an area and partners with local pastors to help create a wholistic ministry in their churches. They help to educate these pastors on what it means to minister to people spiritually, physically, and psychologically. At the end of every day I wrote in my journal so I could remember everything when I went back to America. For my next couple posts I'm going to share with you guys those journal entries. Enjoy!
After that first night in Kenya, I had a real hard time with the word "blessed." I don't know if you have ever caught yourself calling yourself blessed, but I catch myself all the time. We throw the word blessed around so much that we don't realize exactly what it means. When Jesus uses "blessed" in Matthew 5, he doesn't connect it with happiness, material possessions, or family. He connects blessed with those who mourn, those who are meek, and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. While in Africa, I came to the conclusion that the people I saw in Africa were blessed way beyond anything I could imagine. I think it is our American mindset that the more stuff we have, the more God has shined his favor upon us. Or I know I have thought that just because God allowed me to be born in America, I am blessed. But maybe it is more of a curse than a blessing? We could write a whole post about how hard it is to have a faithful walk in America, but we don't have time for that. Now I am not saying that the people of Africa don't have struggles and that I hate living in America. I love the United States, but we can all agree that we are not blessed just because we are citizens of the U.S.A.
Wednesday Night
My first full day in Kenya is complete, but we really haven't interacted with many Kenyans. This morning after breakfast, we heard from the LIA team, but first we heard from Julius, a local pastor. He gave us a word from John 17 on Jesus' 9 "I Have" statements in his prayer to God. It was hands down one of the most encouraging, challenging message I have heard in a long time. Julius said these 9 "I have" statements were Jesus' commitments on earth. It was great.
After Julius we heard from Paul and James, leaders for LIA. They explained what their ministry was all about and how they were advancing the kingdom. These people are so full of humility and the Spirit.
We then ate lunch and jumped in a couple of vans that had little space to move. We drove for 6 1/2 hours to Kisumu where we are going to be for the next 5 days. On the ride up here, I was able to see a little part of Africa. I saw beautiful mountains, one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen, miles and miles of tea plantations, and lots of zebras! I also saw four-year-old kids walking all by themselves down a busy highway, houses made from mud and tin, men just laying down on the ground, and many other disheartening things. As I was taking all this in I found myself saying,, "I am so blessed." But why am I blessed? Just because I have a lot of crap in my house doesn't mean I'm blessed. Just because I was born in the United States doesn't make me blessed. I'm blessed because I have Jesus. When Jesus said, "I have come to bring the good news to the poor," he doesn't mean those who don't have a roof over their heads. He came for the spiritually poor, for those who don't know Him.
After that first night in Kenya, I had a real hard time with the word "blessed." I don't know if you have ever caught yourself calling yourself blessed, but I catch myself all the time. We throw the word blessed around so much that we don't realize exactly what it means. When Jesus uses "blessed" in Matthew 5, he doesn't connect it with happiness, material possessions, or family. He connects blessed with those who mourn, those who are meek, and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. While in Africa, I came to the conclusion that the people I saw in Africa were blessed way beyond anything I could imagine. I think it is our American mindset that the more stuff we have, the more God has shined his favor upon us. Or I know I have thought that just because God allowed me to be born in America, I am blessed. But maybe it is more of a curse than a blessing? We could write a whole post about how hard it is to have a faithful walk in America, but we don't have time for that. Now I am not saying that the people of Africa don't have struggles and that I hate living in America. I love the United States, but we can all agree that we are not blessed just because we are citizens of the U.S.A.
I think it would be smart for all of us to make sure our definition of "blessed" is correct. Seeing the people of Africa really helped me to redefine my view of "blessed." I guess I'm just trying to save you a trip halfway across the world in order for you to see that we aren't as blessed as we think we are...but if you do have the chance to go to Africa, GO!
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