What now?

So we're home, but our mission trip experience has not ended by any stretch. Every team member's facebook wall is blowing up with photos of the trip (and there are MANY still to come!) and we're all telling our favorite stories over and over to family, friends, church members, and others. Underneath that, though, we're processing through the trip, which is still a bit of a blur in our minds. It takes a while to make sense of the beauty we've seen, the sadness and difficulties we've experienced, the amazing work God has done, and the things He is teaching us through all of this. Of course one mission trip won't solve the problems Africa faces, and indeed now that we've seen these problems through a magnifying glass they sometimes look even larger and more difficult. But we do know that God has done great things on this trip and has called us to continue playing a role in His ongoing work of redemption.

We'll be talking more about this and sharing pictures, videos, and reflections next Sunday (June 24th) at Celebration Baptist Church, so please join us there at 9 or 10:30AM if you're curious to hear more in person. Also please continue to pray for Elise as she is staying in Kenya for another couple of weeks serving at a different nearby orphanage. In addition, keep visiting the blog and the facebook pages of team members to see and hear more!

How we almost stayed in Africa...

The last couple of days have not seen a lot of new mission work, but they have seen a lot of interesting experiences. The most productive parts of the days would be the mission debriefing times we had with Tom and our team. Overall, everything was very well received, and I have to say that I believe even more in this partnership than I did before. As has been documented, we saw people engage in extremely difficult ministry situations with a calm, bold faith that was inspiring. These are the greatest lessons and encouragement I bring back with me. Having people show up at church with HIV or reaching out to the desperate, outcast young street people are just a few of the non-theoretical love-of-God-in-action-through-His-people moments we witnessed...and took part in. Translating that to new levels at Celebration remains the challenge. What exactly does that look like for us in such a very different context? On a different note, we had quite a good time at the Masai Market on Tuesday, which gave us a grand total of about two days in this two and a half weeks that you might consider "touristy." Watching our hosts haggle our take home gift prices was fun for me. Gerald wants to blog in more detail when we are safely home, but in our last two days, we had two drivers "arrested." All kinds of fund-raising goes on in this world. While it was hard to say goodbye to our Kenyan friends, the stress of not having the driver we we supposed to was exacerbated by the next driver, who had promised to take us, deciding he didn't really want to. The clock ticked and we began to have visions of buying more credits for Ahngie's (yes, that's now how you say it) phone to call loved ones with the bad news. I could see Michelle causing an international incident... We finally got a matatu and Tom basically told the driver to step on it, and he did. I was in front, with one of the Kenyan team smooshed between the driver and me. Behind me there was a wall of suitcases and then the rest of our team and a few more of our Kenyan friends. Point being, I was the only one from our team to get the full effect of the insanity that ensued. You know those chase scenes in the movies where they go through ridiculously narrow places and people are scattering out of the way of the cars? Been there, done that, except our driver didn't get in any wrecks. But the roller coaster warning to keep your arms and hands inside the vehicle would have been more than appropriate. Ahngie's window was open and they all swear the mirror from another truck physically ducked in and out of it as we passed. Believe it. I expect to fully unpucker in a week or two... We got to the airport, and even though our flight didn't take off for some time, they said we were too late. Our hearts sunk. As Zach struck the genial role, Ahngie began to work a few tears and Gerald and I began to look vaguely dangerous. Not sure which one of these worked, but they relented and let us board. Praise the Lord!!! As we drove through the city this last time, I once again saw men picking through trash heaps in an effort to survive. One of our most common prayer requests was for work. I was struck by the fact that we live in this amazing country full of opportunity and people are trying desperately not to work. I'm ready to be home, but pray I will remember what God has taught me and trust that the mission was for God's glory. And that we have great work ahead of us at home.

Street boys - reflections

Street boys - ponderings As I consider my reactions to the street boys, I recognize how easily a Godly desire to help someone can be corrupted into the original sin - the desire to be like God. I wanted to help the boys, and when they refused I started thinking about how to take the drugs from them, or to forcibly take them to somewhere to detox and go to school and experience what it is like to be loved. But all of those would require that I remove their ability to choose. If I was standing by Adam and Eve, would I have knocked the apple out of their hands? Maybe tied them up so they couldn't pick it? Put a fence around the tree? God gave them the ability to choose, but I would try to take it away. I would make them do right, meaning that I would take away the key thing that distinguishes man from creation. Rocks, trees, animals all obey God, and always and only act as God made them. But man can disobey. When we try to make someone do right, we are saying that God didn't get it right, and that we could make the universe better if we controlled everyone. But, even if we had the power, we would be going against how God made people. My other immediate desire is to alleviate the suffering. But would I have let Adam and Eve stay in the garden after their sin? God says that He disciplines those He loves. Would we step in between a human parent and their own loving discipline of their child? "I know Mommy said you can't have another candy until you finish your school, but you look so sad so here is another candy". Much suffering is on a different scale, to be sure, but human sin and God's wisdom are also on a different scale. What should be a two part reaction - awe at the amazing power of people to choose great good or great evil, plus sadness when the choice is evil; gets corrupted into a desire to fix God's mistakes and to reduce another human to a blindly obedient object of creation, or one that does not merit the discipline of a loving God. We demote God and simultaneously dehumanize the person. If we were God, we would only have made attractive, always obedient, rocks, instead of people. A lonely universe we would create. It is very hard to watch evil created by human choice (I have been surrounded and immersed in it for two weeks now), and we should look earnestly for where we can help brothers in need. Do not let that good get turned into even more evil by discounting the fundamental ability of humans to choose, and trying to reorder God's universe so that sin has no consequence or God cannot discipline. A few principles that appear right to me (although I am always open to more wisdom from God). Alleviate suffering caused by sins of others (help victims) where in my power. Do not lie to people and pretend that their sin is ok ("did God really say not to eat the apple?"). Do not lie to people and help them pretend their sin will not hurt ("if you really don't feel it anymore, maybe it is better if you divorce"). Be very careful that you do not try to make yourself feel good for helping when you are really undercutting God's discipline. Appreciate that the human ability to choose to do great good, necessarily is matched with ability to choose to do great evil. I do not like to admit that I cannot prevent or defeat all the evil in the world, but that is the case regardless of whether I like to admit it. Do the good works God ha prepared for me to walk in, instead of being overwhelmed by everything else.

Street boys

We went to city park. Lots of monkeys, they are cute waiting for you to give them food, but you have to be careful since they have no fear of you and get aggressive if you are too slow feeding them. There was also a group of street boys at the park who followed us around begging. The details of their condition would break your heart, as it did ours. I can't imagine how I would ever communicate with them. But our Kenyan friends, some of who came out of similar backgrounds, talked with them, asked them about their drugs (they proudly showed off their glue and pills), and offered to go with them right now to the center where they could get food and school. The boys had run away from places like that already, and said they had no interest in going back. I felt so good knowing that our Kenyan friends could reach these boys, and then so helpless when the boys turned them down. I wished for some way to make them be helped, but the reality is always an individual decision. Even Jesus didn't force people to follow.

Celebration, African style

So, there has been another very cool happening. The day of the well launch party, Pastor Sylvester announced he is starting a new church in that area. We had done a crusade meeting at the village center called Sidundo, a mile or so from the school/well site. After we left the village, Tom and his team did another crusade and had a very strong response. Then, Sylvester had his first worship service for the church he is starting on Sunday. He found a place to meet that would hold about 40 people. The problem is that about 70 showed up! Today, when Sylvester was telling Tom how everything had gone, he asked if, in light of the last several days of work and interchange, he could call his new church "Celebration!" How cool is that? Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to talk to Sylvester and confirm our excitement at this honor.

A few extra thoughts on the village

So, I know Zach Aleady covered the village, but I wish I could convey the impact of the questions we received. I fielded questions that were heart-wrenching. A woman asks, "what if a woman marries a man thinking she is his only wife, only to find he secretly has another?" And on they went. Pastors looked pleadingly to me for training, advice, and counsel. On Thursday, as I taught thought the circles and theology, when I made key points, the "eh's," "amens!" and applause were even raucous. It was an amazing day. When the time came for us to answer questions, they were almost all in regards to family and the brokenness of the relationships. In some ways, the problems here and the questions I get are very similar, but there are huge differences as well. The embarrassment of riches for us extends to our heritage. One person told us that evangelical Christianity did not make it to the village until the 1980's. oh, that we would apply the abundance of our knowledge. As Pastor Sylvester looked at Zach and I, making a plea for us to return, he said, "you have spoken boldly about many things that others fear to tell us." one of the coolest moments ever. So, I had promised the pastors in the village I would make sure they received copies of the matials I have written, since we had none left after the week in Nairobi. Friday was the H2O kickoff, which I will let Angie share abut, but it was cool to see Pastor Sylvester there. He had been one of the keenest listeners and questioners the previous two days. Well, as we went to empty our duffel bag of the gifts for the children and all, Zach exclaims, "Dave is going to love this!" I look over and he is holding a good sized stack of the Pastors' books I wrote. No big deal? We just thought we had given tham all out? Draw your conclusion, but I am giving God full credit, however He did it. It was perfect. Sylvester was there and I was able to walk through some things with him, and became completely immersed in it. There are some good people with hearts to serve God in the utterly remote corner of the world. I pray to be able to help them...and be reminded again of the eager desire to learn the truths of God. May we never grow tired or too familiar in our spiritual pursuits.

The Village part II and reflections

Soon after we awoke on our second day in the Village, we learned that a change of plans would bring the team back to Nairobi sooner and leave us with just one more full day in the Village. Still short on sleep and overwhelmed by the sheer remoteness of everything about our surroundings, not to mention the uncertainty of changing plans, we were faced with what in some ways was bound to be a difficult day. That said, the graciousness and receptivity of the Village leaders was beyond amazing. Upon hearing that we were to leave sooner, several pastors and deacons from the church came to our homestead at 6AM to understand and see how they might learn and benefit as much as possible from our time with them. For me anyway, God used their eagerness to put my mind in the right place to serve for the day.

We sent the girls and my dad out to the school for the day to spend time with the kids at Udamayhi Primary School and work on memory verses that outline the Roman Road. There are great stories from the time with the kids in the Village, not least of which was God doing some fish-and-loaves with our teaching materials. I’ll leave the detailed story-telling to others (and they may have already put a lot of it down on the various blogs).

David and I went up to the church again and David gave the second half of his teaching to a church full again of eager listeners, and I followed after lunch with some key points from the Worldview material. We went through the circle diagrams, which David’s translator illustrated enthusiastically by pulling chairs from the front row to represent the three kinds of man. It took a lot of explaining and re-explaining, though, to help people understand and accept that the second circle was the right place to be, which really paints a picture of everything here. The church in Africa is so passionate, but so young. They will stay up literally all night at a prayer meeting, but do not have any of the Scriptural background that influences the way we think about all of life. That said, they receive the Word eagerly and we pray that after we leave, they will be faithful to put it into practice.

And this will require some tough decisions on their part. After the second teaching session, we did about an hour of question-and-answer, and the questions brought reflected the difficulties faced by the church here. Marriage was the toughest topic, as it’s very normal for men in the Village to have multiple wives and “girlfriends,” even among church members. We didn’t shy away though, speaking very clearly about the truth of God’s Word and the implications on the life of a society and a church. We pray God would move the church to grow to maturity, and especially for those church members who we sense may be willing to challenge the culture and push for these changes that are so essential. The church here truly is like the ones Paul wrote to in the New Testament – a vibrant, fast-growing work of God, but clearly a work in progress. I was a little disappointed to have to end after just the second day, but also know that God allowed us to bring some very needed instruction and encouragement during our time there.

The rest of the team met us at the church and we headed home for the evening around 6:30PM. That night, as others have posted about, we spent two hours worshiping with our Kenyan family, which was one of the sweetest times of the entire trip. The following day we all headed to the school for the H2O launch party, which was a good time and further confirmed our desire to support those in the Village who are truly teaching and giving their lives for God’s truth. Pastor Sylvester is one such man – a young-ish pastor who can bring God’s truth like crazy and also wants so desperately to learn more. In another fish-and-loaves moment, we found some extra of our materials (we thought we had run out in Nairobi) and are going to support him in some unique ways going forward as he continues his work. Prayer is clearly the most important. Following the launch party, we made our way back to Kisumu via matatu in a journey that has been well-chronicled by others already. We spent the night and following day in Kisumu on Lake Victoria (which was a very needed time of rest), then headed back to Nairobi overnight Saturday. Pray for our last couple of days here and our safe (and soon!) return!

Once Upon a Time

We taught Jerry, one of our friends here, that made up stories begin with 'once upon a time'. During the past week, we've had many moments that you'd think would begin with that phrase.

Me and Jerry. He taught me a once upon a time story about how zebras got their stripes.

Once upon a time... we drove 300 miles and it took 17 hours. On a bus. With 22 people.

Once upon a time... the extremely top heavy bus we were on tipped so far to the side I promise I could almost reach out and touch the ground.

Once upon a time... Elise hung out the window in the jungle in the pitch dark, only to be yelled at by Jerry to get inside because wild animals might grab her.

Once upon a time... we were warned that people might jump on top of the bus and try to steal our suitcases.

Once upon a time... I killed a cockroach-ish bug bigger than the palm of my hand.

Once upon a time... we almost got struck by lightning, as we raced through a thunderstorm on a slippery dirt road in pitch dark.

Once upon a time... we rode in a van that had holes in the floor, so we could monitor the road while we drove.

Once upon a time... we had a magic blue suitcase that provided so many loaves and fish moments that it's become an expectation instead of a joke.

Then there are the stories that begin with 'guess what?!' and you know it will be really cool.

Guess what?! We got to spend time on two different days with 300 precious kiddos, sitting under the shade of huge trees, in the middle of a Kenyan jungle!

Guess what?! I got to meet the people who will benefit from well #2! The launch party was mucho fun.

Guess what?! We had a two hour long praise and worship par-tay while our bus chugged slowly along! Zach played the guitar while the Kenyan worship team learned our songs.

Guess what?! I rode a piki-piki [motorcycle taxi] - epic! I also rode a took-took [three wheeled taxi thing] - bumpy, but also fun!

Guess what?! Most of the people we met in the village were receptive to the word of God and almost desperate to be taught and discipled!

Guess what?! We have met some awesome people who will always be in my heart!

Some of the crowd at the launch party

I'm starting to prepare myself to leave Africa. It's a beautiful, tragic place that completely drains everything inside of me. One part of me always wants to stay forever, while another part cannot wait to be home. I pray that in these remaining few days, we will continue to be effective and focused. There's still time for a few more 'guess what' moments. I'm about pegged on the 'once upon a time' ones, though...

Back in Nairobi

Kisumu to Nairobi.  When you next travel  between Kisumu and Nairobi, you should know that there are two roads you can take - a good one and a bad one. We took the good one on our return from the village.  Driving down the good road, there are several times when I think I should wake Tom, since the driver has apparently turned off of any discernible road. Overall, the good road is so bad that I would think "if this is the good road, I would hate to see the bad road"; except that we took the bad road on the trip out. They are right - the good road is much better .  We slow to a crawl every few hundred yards to go over speed  bunps, which reassures me that we have not left the road after all. Apparently there must be a law in Kenya that any track that might possibly be traversed  by a motor vehicle must be liberally supplied with speed bumps. No matter how bad the road (or how good, even highways have them), the speed bumps are always there, in pristine condition. I wonder if the machine used to maintain the speed bumps is a special purpose machine, or could it be used to maintain the roads if the bumps did not require so much maintenance? According to Jeff Foxworthy, you might be a redneck if directions to your house include "turn of the paved road." I guess all of Kisumu, including its renowned university and new airport, qualify as redneck.  I do have to compliment our driver. He has guided the bus through tiny jungle tracks, and over these roads, more gently and with significantly more success, than I would have thought possible. I am writing this while we are on the road, and will try to post when we reach Nairobi. So, if you are reading this, we made it to Nairobi. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us. Time to shift prayers to Dave and Zach, since the schedule calls for them to preach at Victory Center, probably less than an hour after getting off the all night bus adventure. Thankful it's not me, since my voice has been lost to the ash, dust, diesel fumes, and smoke from wood and trash fires. Praying for a quick recovery! Gerald

I know when I get home, people will ask, "How was Africa?" What to say? Africa is a great collision of beauty and brokenness. She stands with her arms open wide and a hand held out. Time has little meaning, except, as Gerald put it, as some kind of superlative. I've had to let go of much, trusting God that we are doing good for His kingdom. I am teaching and I am learning. The people have found their way into my heart, and yet, in some ways, I see the distance greater now than ever. Yet, we are here, and can come again. How much would God have is accept and how much should we speak to issues? As even the cheers, clapping, and shouts of "Amen" as we taught show a willingness to change; an interest in the church being different, making a difference, and leading the way. As I stand in this beautiful place, on the shore of Lake Victoria, feeling the cool breeze and surrounded by grazing goats, cows, and chickens, I am torn between compassion and frustration. A woman's question about what to do when she finds herself as a second wife when she didn't know her husband was already married; a pastor's plea for more training; another's sad wonderings about whether his preaching is inadequate and how could I help him... and the list goes on. It has been good work. I pray the resources we leave behind will be of value. The prayers we lift up certainly will be.

The Village, part 1

Our time in the Village has been a step beyond anything I've experienced in missions so far...ridiculously challenging, beautiful, exhausting, effective, and a lot of other things all at once.

After a 4 hour delay in Nairobi (very very normal here), we piled onto the bus and were on our way. I had experienced the long and half-boring, half-terrifying drive out there once before, but a bus full of the entire Kenyan team (about 15 members) and with our luggage and their sound equipment tied down on top, it was a much longer trip than before. And getting to a homestead with absolutely no amenities at 4:30AM is not the conclusion anyone would hope for. We knew this was coming, but in the moment it does not make it any easier. I had to remind myself constantly that we are in one of the poorest, most difficult places in the world to reach (much less do any work), so if our focus did not remain on God we would very quickly become discouraged. We all managed an hour or two of sleep on whatever mattresses they were able to find and lay out for us.

The next morning we got off to a very late start, and the girls got to the school sometime around midday. We arrived at the church later, around 2PM. At the church, following worship and fairly lengthy introductions, we began our session. Quick note: the acapella worship in the Village is still among the beautiful things I've heard, and I will always count singing with our brothers in the familiar brick-walled, dirt-floored sanctuary as one of the greatest experiences I will ever have on this earth. We finally got down to teaching and Pastor David began bringing the Word, talking about what it means to be a pastor. The sixty or so people in the church did seem to be mostly leaders, so the audience was right and they drank in every word. It was also beautiful to see a man whose knowledge I respect so much share about God's truth with people whose hunger for the Word is so deep! Where there is such great need and such a lack of resources, the opportunity to disciple is completely amazing.

Following Pastor David's teaching and a 4PM lunch break, my dad shared the first couple of sections of the Worldview material. Although the give-and-take discussion style he likes to use is difficult when using translators and in the Kenyan communication style, it was still well-received. We concluded the session around 5:45 and they called us piki-piki's (Kenyan moto-taxis) to join the girls for the evening's crusade. The crusade happened at a little "center" which is basically a collection of roadside shops - there's one every couple of miles. I preached at the crusade following the Nairobi worship team's high-energy set (as always). I was so tired that I have no idea how powerful my words were or how they were received, but I pray God used them anyway. The crusade ended around 8, the team loaded up the equipment, and we were back on our way. The bus again crawled over the muddy tracks that pass for roads here, sometimes leaning over so far that people had to get out to let it negotiate the ruts without tipping, but finally, around 10PM, we made it home. Day two report coming soon...

PS - I doubt I will ever understand Kenyan scheduling. After getting home from the Crusade exhausted, rather than go to bed, the team set about making dinner. From scratch. They began eating at around 11:30. And they couldn't understand why some of us decided to sleep rather than join them...that's just normal here I guess...

Experiencing a matatu ride

Matatu ride
We rode in matatus today from the village to Kisumu (on Lake Victoria). Left the village earlier than planned, but some very good happenings (including closing a commitment on our first microfinance investment), but I will defer those details to other posts. The team asked me to help you understand a matatu ride. The descriptions below are mostly true, though understated a little, and I left out the hardest to believe parts.
You can take a shortcut by thinking of a velveteen minivan (which only makes sense if you know the story of the velveteen rabbit), but that doesn't really capture it. Start with a familiar minivan. Take out all the seats, carpet, headliner. Put in 16 metal lawn chairs (4 in the front, then 4 rows of 3). Weld a couple down, put one bolt in the corner of a few, and let the rest rattle around. No seatbelts, of course. Get some big guys to jump on the roof awhile to give it a nice textured surface inside and out. Find a couple of kids to throw rocks at the windows to generate a nice spiderweb look all around. Extra points for having a spare tire (not attached to a wheel) balanced on the roof or sitting on a seat. You now have a starting point for your vehicle.
Pile in 6 Americans, one Kenyan missionary, and two drivers (you need an extra one to open doors, since the latches are all broken; and to negotiate with police), plus 6 large suitcases, 6 carryon suitcases, a medical kit, 2 guitars, and various backpacks etc. Ready to go?
Not quite, because the driver has to have conversations with several old friends, or maybe people he just met. You have to convince him that you are not willing to take another passenger on your lap, even if it is "not far" (one of many impossible to quantify Kenyan expressions). Finally, you start.
But, 100 yards down the street, you see the rest of the Kenyan mission team. Of course you have to stop and visit, which is good because one of them has to catch a bus in the town you are going to, and the only possible way is to join you. Squeeze in, and off you go.
About a half mile down the road, you realize an oncoming car has another Kenyan acquaintance of yours. Everyone waves and says "good bye" hopefully (you are already about 3 hours late getting started), but he stops and you stop and everyone visits awhile. Then you go.
And boy do you go. The road is worse than Wagner Lane - hard, potholed, muddy; but this van can really move. No radio - the rattles of the van (shocks fell off years ago), punctuated by blasts of the horn (it still works) to warn away pedestrians, bikes, goats, and  cars coming the wrong way, provide ample, though loud, accompaniment. The van can also stop, though it protests, for especially treacherous potholes and for speedbumps (why you need them on a potholed, muddy, dirt road is a topic for another, more learned, writer).
For added fun, let it start raining so you can discover that the roof leaks and the windows don't close all the way. Makes you glad you argued the driver off his plan to tie the luggage on top. Our own special treat was a lightning strike less than 30 yards from us on the roadside - flash/bang like I've never seen. We had a great view out the side windows; the view to the front is completely blocked by luggage.
Go about halfway, then stop in another town to find another matatu, since the first one only has insurance and registration for the first half of the journey. Repeat the whole experience as often as desired.
The certainly reminded us that there are things we do not control, and that most of the universe is in God's hands, not ours. We made it safely, in less than half the time the bus took, and found a hotel with hot and cold running water, electric lights, occasional Internet, and beds. God is good.
All in all, it's a real fun day once you get started.
Gerald

P.S. extra points for your mutatu ride if the door falls off the side as you get out, and the young Kenyan woman (going to the bus) casually catches it and pushes it back on.

6/6/2012 Update from Angie via Justin

The team asked me to post the following compilation of thoughts reported to me this morning by Angie ...

The team spent all day yesterday traveling from Nairobi to the village.  The expected 7-9 hour drive took 17 hours.  Apparently they were in a van with 22 people for the whole drive.  Thus, they were exhausted and cranky when they arrived.  However, the training went well today as did the teaching at the school.  They did a crusade this evening, aka mid-morning our time.  They are expecting to do the same for 4 nights in a row.

Angie reports that they are doing OK and are moderately coherent.  They will be updating less often as there is no electricity to charge their toys.

Please pray for the team and the work they are doing.  They are exhausted from the work and the trip but are continuing to pour themselves into serving wholeheartedly.

~ Justin

Just finished our first day of teaching and crusade in the village. Yesterday was at once one of the most wonderful and wearisome days of my life. From a time of great worship and singing with a backdrop of giraffes, zebras, and gazelles and getting to overlook the great rift valley to a trip that we thought would take less than eight hours taking seventeen, the day was certainly something. But God is good. Even though we ran on about two hours of sleep today, all went well. The work here is very different than in the city. Conditions are spartan and we are taking part in "real missionary" conditions. The beautiful reception by the church leaders who were waiting for us to teach them was touching. They had waited a few hours for us, but were still very joyful, open, and received our teaching with gratitude. Wait till you see the picture of me on the back of a piki piki! 125 cc motorcycle taxis are all the rage... Pray that we will rest and know how to communicate what God has for us to share here.

Beautiful Feet Around the World

Hey all!  I guess I had a blog before this one, so I renamed it and kept using it... So I don't have to double-post or re-invent the wheel, here's a link to my thoughts!  They're wordy and long, enjoy!

http://beautifulfeetaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/

~anneliese

Kenyan Kiddos

For me, Kenya so far has been about the 180 kids at the orphanage. They’re such beautiful blessings! I had a really difficult adjustment after spending time with them on the first day. I have a son whom we adopted from Ethiopia. These wee ones have the same flat, almost lifeless look in their eyes as he did when we brought him home. This stirs my emotions because a) it brings back memories of that difficult time, b) it makes me realize how far he’s come, because his eyes now shine with joy, c) it breaks me because I know that a majority of these children will never receive the type of love from a parent that fills them up from the inside. That’s why what we’re doing is so important. We’re teaching them about our Creator, the only one who can fill that hole in their hearts.

Everything else has been quite the experience, too. I LOVE all of the dancing! The music is so joyful and everyone completely gets into it. Yes, even these three men I’m traveling with. They’ve been hilariously entertaining got some moves. Church on Sunday was great, the crusades are awesome, the slums are full of beautiful people, the preaching and teaching has been fantastic. Blech. Sounds like I’m gushing, but I’m not. It’s just truth, peeps. There's a lot of heartache mixed in, too.

Tomorrow, we head to the village. I’m excited about this part. The second water well for my group, h2o (hydration 2 others), is supposed to be drilled while we’re there. You can read more about us at hydration2others.blogspot.com. My dad visited Siaya in January and t’will be cool to meet all of the people and see the sites that he’s talked about.

Alas, I must pass the computer off to another team member. Let it be duly noted that I blogged without being coerced by Dave, like he threatened in his post....

Crusade Notes

Actually, more happened at the crusade than I can record here. The music is the typical upbeat, energetic praise of the Kenyan worshipers, full of movement and the soaring of beautiful voices. By the nature of what it is, the crusade is much more music than preaching. The people we were trying to reach are far from churched and will leave if the preaching goes long. Not that that ever happens in the states... Anyway, the music was great, with Mary,a blind woman, who is a worship music pioneer here singing. There was a man from the Congo, and then another very popular lady who sang. Then I preached, kind of. Well, I preached, but just a very short evangelistic message from John 14:1 and 6, encouraging them that they should not look for other ways to deal with the issues of their lives, because only Jesus is the way. I had misunderstood Tom, so thought I had about half the time I actually did, but God worked it for the best. Tom was able to basically tag team with me and then invited me back up to lead in a prayer of salvation and say a bit more. By the time we finished, of the 2000+ people who were the, 50-100 indicated they had received Christ. Victory Christian people then took them aside to follow up on them and the rest of us went down to pray with people for their sicknesses and other needs. In the midst of that, we had a somewhat startling moment. A woman who had turned in from the road when she heard me preaching came for prayer. Zach prayed with her and when he finished, she fell to the ground, shrieking. To abbreviate a lengthy story, she had turned to a witch doctor, but by the time the night was over, she turned to God. As I prayed over her at the end of the night, I prayed hard not only for her deliverance, but that she would look only to Christ now. The evening was amazing, exhausting, exhilarating, and humbling. Thank you all for your continued love and support! Pray for us as we head to the village tomorrow. We'll make one of the girls blog soon!

We visited church members in Korogocho slum Saturday. This is the home of many of the members of Victory Christian Center Church, the site of the Saturday and Sunday night crusades, and just down the street from the current location of the church. So, a little context on Korogocho will help you place the other posts to follow.

Korogocho got its start when the government relocated some people from a slum that was close to the city center. They were moved to small plots of land on the outskirts of Nairobi (at least, they were the outskirts at the time). They built houses of varying quality on the small plots, then gradually subdivided them, and filled in the rest of their plots with other shacks, and rented them all out to others, and used the rent money to escape the slums. So Korogocho is a maze of tiny rooms, with narrow alleys that intersect, twist, and dead end in unpredictable ways. There are a few “main” roads, and some alleys that are bigger at places. The rooms are typically no more than 10 feet by 20 feet, with a curtain dividing the space into a public room and a bed room. A family of 3-8 people live in each such space. The doors are planks of wood, with some kind of bolt latch, and from 1-2 feet wide by 4-5 feet high. Often no windows, and always open sewage running through the ditches. The rooms are very dark, even in the bright afternoon, with the only light coming through the various cracks in the walls, doors, and roof. According to Tom, though, we kept to the better parts of Korogocho, and didn't visit the worst parts.

We visited a few church members, each of whom had obviously gone to great efforts to clean up their home for our visit. We crowded 6-9 people into the tiny rooms, and visited and prayed with them. Several wanted prayers for a child in high school, that the child would get all As so that they would be allowed to stay in school, and maybe go to college. If one child can make it through college, then they might get a job that will allow the family to move out of the slum. Each person we met knew several other people that wanted us to visit and pray.

Some experiences: we passed a group of children, roughly 4-6 years old. They were giggling and saying “Mzungus” (white people, from a word that roughly means “people who traveled around the world”) –apparently just seeing us was hilarous. One younger child had never seen a white person before, and cried uncontrollably when she saw us. Anneliese was wonderful – she called out “how are you”, which is the only English many of the kids knew. They called back “fine, how are you”, and would keep that going back and forth as long as we were in range. We picked up quite a tail of children following us as we walked.

One disconnect for me was seeing Ruth in a group of kids. Ruth is about 4, and our family sponsors Ruth at the Victory Christian school/orphanage, and Elise had spent some time holding her and playing with her at the school. My vision of Ruth did not extend to her in the squalor of the slums. She looked so out of place, like she must have been photoshopped into reality there. But it was her home.

Moving along one of the "roads" in the van, we passed a man too drunk to stand, laying at the side of the road. People were stepping over or around him. Another man, almost as drunk, was lifting the hand of the lying down man. I thought he was trying to help him up. As we passed by (at about 5mph), it was clear that he was trying to steal the watch of the lying down man, but he was too drunk to succeed, at least while we were in view. All this at 2PM on a Saturday afternoon.

We passed one young man that Tom called by name. The young man turned away, and would not look at Tom. Tom said that he used to come to church but had quit and was now running with a gang again. Many people, however, called out to Tom by name and were glad to see him, and us with him. Almost everyone was curious about us, and most had big smiles and greetings to return when we reached out to them.

We passed another section where Tom said that if you walked through there, everything you had would be taken from you. I asked, and Tom confirmed that they would rob even him, they were that bold.

One group called out to us to join them any buy some soup. The soup is made by boiling goat’s hooves, yum. There was lots of omena for sale, which first appears to be a mass of flies, but when the seller waves his hand, the flies move and a pile of tiny whole minnows became visible. Cheap protein. Tom said that for most people, eating anything from the slum would “put you down” within hours, though the slum dwellers had stomachs adapted to the bacteria.

Overall, it is hard to believe that people could live this way. We have to realize, though, that they don’t sit around trying to be poor. They are doing what they can every day. A very common prayer request is for a job. One woman was sending job applications to hotels (what they call restaurants, many of which are nothing more than a table in front of a shack) and could still not find one to hire her. 12 hours shifts are common, and the people are pleased to find them. They are working hard, or trying to, but don’t have the skills or the economy around them. Despite the reasons for despair, there is a lot of optimism in Nairobi – things are bad, but people have hope that they are getting better.

The crusade Saturday night was amazing, but church on Sunday morning was even better, and the crusade Sunday night was even better than that. I’m sure we will have posts on that, but I wanted to give you some understanding of the surroundings.

Gerald

A quick word about the crusade last night. The crowd was somewhat hampered by the soccer match being played down the street by the national team. However, there still had to be well more than 500 people there. The music was great, as two ladies who are quite renowned here sang and addressed the crowd. Zach did a great job, clearly presenting the gospel and God's promises from Psalm 91. At the end, we went down to pray with the people. Flanked by my niece on one side and Gerald on the other, I began praying as did all the team. Probably 200 people were waiting for prayer. This was hand to hand spiritual warfare. One lady, when I asked how I could pray for her, asked for peace, because her husband had threatened to kill her with a knife last night. Ithe midst of thieves and illicit alcohol that was smuggled in, we prayed for jobs, healing, comfort, peace, and salvation. Now, Zach and I are readying to preach at VCC. The adventure continues! Praise God, He finds us useful for His service. All to His praise and glory!

Hey all, just wanted to tag onto David's post a few reflections and prayer requests. This morning was my third visit into Korogocho and while the buildings and atmosphere itself seems familiar, it would be impossible to "get used to it." The visits are exhausting as we hear such difficult stories and pray with all the faith we can muster for God's healing, but then leave just having to trust that He will act. And I believe He will - we've seen and heard about so many lives changed here so we can have confidence that more is coming. Even in the muddy, disease-filled setting of Korogocho, light shines through.

We're at Tom and Anna's right now, about to head out to the crusade. I'll be preaching so prayers for the Spirit to move would be super-appreciated! Also pray for Tom as he's been feeling poorly for a few days now and is heading to the doctor to find out what's wrong. In addition, for our team as we try to maintain our strength day after beautiful-but-exhausting day. Finally, pray for Evans and Chelsey as they had some important things stolen yesterday so they have to sort through it all.

It's obvious that spiritual warfare is kicking into higher gear and I expect that to continue, but God's power is much greater. All praise to Him!

I just wanted to say a few words about the amazing day we have had so far. There is a young man named Justin, whom we had met through our informal Swahili teacher that greets us outside the place we are staying every morning. Yesterday, he asked to accompany us and listened to Gerald and I teach. He told me today that he is from Mumbasa and was raised Muslim. He also said he was very moved by what we said and liked how we answered questions. He read the verses in the material and listened and now requested my email address. Anneliese gave him her Bible and he promised to e-mail me with any questions.

The other major event so far is that we did house to house visitation in the slum. These are people who are either involved with Victory Christian Centre, or the neighbors of someone who is. We crowded into homes that were maybe 100 square feet. The people were very gracious. They shared with us how we could pray for them and we did. The power of God is present, even in these dark and desperate places. We prayed for jobs, for serious illnesses to be healed, for protection, and for the children to do well. No one goes into Korogocho and then goes back to America to complain. Your home is a castle. Your food is a feast. Do me a favor and thank God for the amazing blessings you enjoy. I know I am.

We are grabbing a late lunch at Tom and Anna's and then to the crusade. Zach and Tom will be preaching, but pray for Tom, as he has been ill during our visit. I don't think there is a connection....

Zach and I will preach at church in the moring and then I will join Tom preaching at the crusade tomorrow. This is all so powerful and humbling. God is good. God is great and worthy to be praised.

After a few days here, I continue to be amazed at what God is doing. It is hard to believe that we have been gone this long. God is providing in every way, and for that we are so grateful. For every challenge, He has an answer. I am not sure where most of the people are spiritually, but I am sadly amazed at how eager they are to show up. What I mean is that I am grateful they want to show up, but wonder at how easily different things keep us in America from availing ourselves of every opportunity for spiritual growth. I think of the crowds who flocked to Jesus, or the thousands who responded in the book of Acts, and I am saddened that we are so busy and distracted that we miss so many opportunities. The people here have shown up and listened for hours. We’ve had to turn people away. Some sat and listened to Gerald and me for six hours on Friday. That is so humbling. Their questions are great; thoughtful questions that they are eager to ask of those who are supposed to know answers.  Thank you for your prayers, as we are strengthened and God brings to mind the words that we need in the moment.

A few other notes…. What can be said about the worship? WOW! Many back home would be uncomfortable with it, but it is so joyful, expressive, celebrative, and heartfelt. I continue to be impressed by Tom, the boldness he has for the vision God has given him, and the great people God has surrounded him with. I’m not sure what is more moving for me, the pleading eyes of the children, longing for us to notice them, to touch them and talk to them, or the earnest searching of the church leaders, who have a great passion for God, but limited opportunities for training. Well, I’ve learned one thing, they like circles in Kenya!

Today, we do visitation in the slum and then have the crusade. It will be a day of hope and good news. Praise God as we get to be the instruments of His grace. At the end of the day, we will hopefully be able to get on and share the experience with you. As I said on facebook, the assault on my senses in only outpaced by the assault on my heart. We remember that we can't do everything, but we can do something. May God give everyone reading this the sense of purpose and opportunity for serving God that we feel this day.

There is, as always, far too much to write about, so I'm especially grateful to Justin for recapping some of yesterday's events! I am sitting in my room at Ufungamano House (our lodging for this part of the trip, on the University of Nairobi campus) waiting for today's work to start, so I thought I would briefly add a few reflections to Justin's recap.

The morning Pastors’ session had a very diverse group of attendees, from senior pastors to young men and women to community leaders and teachers. Pastor David's words were very well-received, and we're looking forward to today when we can have more attendees and also more discussion to really address the Biblical questions people here have on their hearts and minds...and there are a lot of questions. It is truly incredible how hungry people in Kenya are for the Word of God, and how much they want to understand it. You could literally have church all day every day and the building would remain full. Of course in this case they got lunch out of the deal, but not a particularly nice lunch, and other than that there was no “catch” – people really are that excited to be taught God’s Word. And remember, this isn't a church building like the ones we have come to demand in order to be able to have an adequate church experience. It was a packed one-room church with terrible lighting, no A/C, and the smell of the slum surrounding it. The whole thing was incredibly humbling, encouraging, and challenging all at once, and also makes me a little bit sad to think about how dead most US churches are in comparison. I’ve been ruined by the African passion for God - both in their worship and in their eager study of the Word - and I hope and pray that God would continue to transfer that passion to me and to this team, and from there back to the church in New Mexico.

The afternoon session was equally well-attended and people were just as engaged, despite the vast majority being women with small children on their laps. The audience was radically different than what we're used to, and each day I believe we'll get better at communicating through our translators, and understanding what questions and interaction style resonates with the listeners, but in any case God’s Word was received by hundreds of people today and that was powerful. I can say that confidently because it seems people here really believe that when God’s Word is spoken they receive power. Not because the speaker was compelling or the message was especially relevant, but power because it's God's Word and that has power. And not in some abstract, ill-defined way, but real, true, life-giving power. If the topic and speaker are good, that’s a bonus, but they believe the very act of receiving the Word of God changes them. We Americans are so entitled, thinking the Word only has power if it is brought in a way that is tailored to be comfortable, exciting, or enjoyable to us. Lord I pray that You would humble us and give us a faith like our family here in Africa!

Kenya Update: 5/31/2012

The team still does not have internet access.  However, Angie called me (Justin) on the phone today with an update.

But first a verse ... 1 Timothy 3:16-17 -  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
 
Today, the team split up for the first time.  David, Gerald and Zach went to lead the Pastor Training and Worldview conference, while Angie, Elise and Anneliese taught the kids.  Both projects were a big success.

Today, the girls taught each of the classes.  They were very pleased with the children's ability to memorize and understand the verses.  The children loved making salvation bracelets and really enjoy having Anneliese, Angie and Elise there.

Meanwhile, the men received an overwhelming response to the Pastor Training Conference.  Due to the amazing demand, Tom and his crew had to give out tickets.  There was simply not enough room for everyone at the center.  People crowded around the windows and benches were setup outside the doors.  Still people had to be turned away.  Those who were unable to attend the Pastor Training simply waited for the Worldview Conference in the afternoon.  The afternoon conference met the same type of response.  Everyone wanted to be at both conferences.  In total, 120 people packed into the center for each session. Tomorrow the team plans to hold the sessions on the roof of the building.  This will enable them to reach 200 people in each session.  Overall, the people were very receptive to the message.

The girls went to watch part of the Worldview Conference in the afternoon.  The attendees were so gracious.  They immediately cleared the front row for Angie, Elise and Anneliese.  However, the girls did not want to kick anyone out, so spent more time with the kids.

As for the team, Angie reports they are doing better than expected.  They are exhausted from the long day, but doing good.  When I spoke to her, it was almost 10:30 Kenya time and they had just arrived home.

Praise the Lord for the work that is being done.  The people are starving for the hope of the Gospel and the harvest is plentiful.

~ Justin

PS - Join with me in praising the Lord in song for his mighty works.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUsC6EcJy3E

First day

First full day here almost over. We seemed to have managed jet lag by just skipping Monday night - we left Monday morning, sat in planes a very long time, arrived, slept, and woke up Wednesday. I guess we'll get that day back when we return home.
We met with the kids at the Center today. Many of them remembered Zach; a few claimed they knew Pastor David since they saw his photos on the posters for the crusade. The school is amazing - lots of kids, all dressed up, sitting jam-packed next to each other, learning pretty intensely. Play time was just as amazing - the kids are ready to play anything you can show. At one point I knelt down to be at their eye level to tak to them, and I immediately had a large audience of kids, all also kneeling down, wondering what game started with kneeling down but completely ready to give it a try. I held one high in the air, and then had a dozen or more hanging on my hands and asking me to do them next.
We also joined the Wed evening service. Zach, David, and I all spoke. It is quite different speaking with a translator - timing, tone of voice, etc. are all very different. It's still preaching the Bible, and sharing with brothers and sisters, so it was great.
We were walking through the city center (kind of like downtown), and a boy (maybe 15 or so) came up to Pastor Tom to beg. Tom wouldn't give him money, but asked him about his life, learned he lived on the street, and told him to come with us, that Tom would give him somewhere to stay and teach him to fish (fishers of men as Jesus told his disciples). The boy refused, but there are many at the center who came to Christ, and a much better life, that way.
I also was amazed at a similar effect at the kids lunch at the Center. 170 kids, orderly lined up, waiting to be served rice and beans for lunch, and getting served one at a time. Every one of them would be trying to live on the streets, or living with someone just a little older also trying to live on the streets. At the Center, though, they have school, adults who care for them, and a chance to learn about God. Even with that, though, I looked at all those kids, and realized that not a single one of them had a mom or dad that was just theirs, that they could run to when they were scared, or pray with at night. Even with the care at the Center, they are still alone. I had a hard time imaging that, but the gap between what they have, and what they would have been doomed to, was still a bright and glowing testimony to the good that Pastor Tom has started in Jesus's name here.
Apologies if this is a little rambling, I probably wrote too soon about escaping jetlag! Gerald.

Just flew over Ur of the Chaldees. Crazy that thousands of years ago the father of faith traversed those lands. We are all tired, but well. Spent the first leg watching movies and trying to sleep, while surrounded by a big group from a private school in Texas. E different nature of our trips was striking. We are now boarding for Nairobi. Thank you for continued prayers. We will post again as we can.

Who we are

Just a few hours from take-off now. Bags are packed (ok, mostly packed) and, ready or not, here we go! The team sorted and packed all the gifts and donated items together yesterday and spent time in prayer together today, and I am continually in awe of how blessed I am to be part of such a quality group of servants. Everyone on this team has the most important trait of a missionary, which is simply the willingness to GO, but in addition each member has unique experience and passions (Ephesians 4, anyone?) which I believe God will use to huge effect on this trip and afterwards.

The team (from left): Zach, Elise, Gerald, Angie, David, Anneliese

A little more about our team members:

Zach: hey, that's me! I'm leading the team and am all kinds of excited for this trip. I believe God has plans not only to do great work in Kenya, but to use this experience and our partnership to open people's eyes back in New Mexico to His power and love.

Elise: Recently graduated from Tulsa University with a degree in international business, and has lots of international experience in Latin America, as well as a passion to work with children. This is her second trip with Celebration and she'll be helping lead the kids program.

Gerald: An engineer-turned-lawyer-turned-executive in Albuquerque. He has been involved in the partnership for a while, including hosting Pastor Tom when he was in New Mexico in summer 2011. Gerald will be heading up the Worldview conference for church members in Nairobi and the village, and he and I are also actively working on ways to use business and micro-investing as a means to help people lift themselves out of poverty permanently.

Angie: Leader of Hydration2Others along with her husband Justin. She's also a mother of five children, one of whom was adopted last year from Ethiopia. The experience Angie had traveling to Ethiopia and learning about the problems with access to clean water there was what motivated her and Justin to start H2O. In addition to this site, you can read Angie's thoughts on the trip at the H2O blog.

David: Lead Pastor of Celebration Baptist Church in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Through his leadership at Celebration, David has played a huge role in motivating people to get involved in the Kenya partnership. David has a doctorate in theological studies and will be leading a pastor's conference on the trip to train and encourage church leaders. For many of them this will be the first formal training they have ever received.

Anneliese: High school teacher in Bryan, Texas, and has also worked alongside local leadership to run an orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal. Along with Angie and Elise, Anneliese will be working primarily with the kids. Follow her blog, Beautiful Feet, for another perspective on the trip.

Now to finish that packing...stay tuned...

Trip Schedule

Just 3 days now...tomorrow afternoon the team is getting together for a packing party to collect all the gifts, donations, and materials and somehow make them all - in addition to our clothing and personal items - fit into 10 suitcases!

In the meantime, several people have asked to know what we're doing over there and how they can pray for us. So for all our awesome prayer warriors, here are our general plans. We are so grateful for your prayers as they go with us along every step of this journey.

May 28-29: travel to Kenya, arriving in Nairobi the evening of the 29th.

May 30-June 4: in Nairobi. We'll be putting on a kids program at the Centre, and training/discipleship conferences for pastors and church members. In addition, we'll be holding a crusade in a slum named Kariobangi on June 2-3, and visiting and ministering to people in Korogocho door-to-door. We are praying hard for open hearts and minds at all of these events, and for God to speak through us all.

June 5: travel to the Village area in western Kenya.

June 6-11: in the Village. We'll be doing similar discipleship work with the kids, pastors, and church members, as well as evangelism. We will also have a chance to dedicate the 3 existing and in-progress Hydration2Others wells, and tell people what H2O is all about and why so many Christians in the US have felt called to help provide clean water for people a continent away. Pray that God's love and truth would find its way into hundreds of Kenyans' hearts through all of these ministries!

June 12: return to Nairobi.

June 13: say goodbye and depart Kenya.

June 14: arrive in Albuquerque.

That's the very short version of what we're doing. We'll share a lot more as we go along and, of course, God's plans are much better than ours - the truly exciting part of this blog will be sharing about those as He reveals them to us one step at a time. In the meantime, your prayers for the team as we make final preparations and travel are deeply appreciated, as well as prayer for peace for family members of the team as they say goodbye for a couple of weeks.

Blessings to you all!

Where we've come and where we're going

Welcome (or welcome back!) to the Mission Korogocho blog. We're now just four days away from sending our next and largest ever team to Kenya, and can't wait to share our experiences with you via this blog. We hope you'll visit often, share your thoughts and comments with us, and forward this blog on to your friends so they can get excited about the work going on in Kenya!

A lot has happened since we first met Pastor Tom in April of 2010. God has blessed the work in Kenya through the support and involvement of hundreds of people throughout the US, and many teams from New Mexico and elsewhere have gone to Kenya to serve. Although we've retained the "Mission Korogocho" blog title, our partnership with Pastor Tom and his work in Kenya has now gone far beyond the Korogocho slum where we started. The work now reaches people throughout northern Nairobi, as well as the rural Siaya district in the Nyanza province in southwestern Kenya. We are also involved in more different kinds of ministry than ever before including child sponsorship, clean water access, evangelism, discipleship of church members and leaders, and so on. Check out the "About the Mission" tab to learn more about some of these ministries and the partners involved.

Over the next few days we will share more about the team, our goals for the trip, and prayer requests. We believe God has amazing things in store for this trip and for His work in Kenya as it moves forward, and look forward to sharing with you the stories of what He has done and the lives that have changed!