A Great Morning

I am wanting to get better at writing short, more regular blurbs about daily life. No promises though…

I woke up this morning knowing I had too many things to do. I have done a lot so far, and accomplished very little of what I actually had planned. The important things are getting done like ordering buildings for our childrens home, but my office may never get cleaned and organized.

Not on the list was meeting with Pastor Daniels and the tax consultant over the progress of tax exempt status for our school. The consultant came at a great time because I was suppose to pay my quarterly Kenyan taxes 3 days ago, oops.

I rushed out to the bank to get a bankers check to send back to Nairobi to pay our taxes. I withdrew from the Barclays ATM like I always do (no fees), and then went inside to convert the money into a bankers check. It was going to cost a hefty 1,250 shillings ($15).

When the teller asked for my passport, I told him I did not have it but I have my resident ID card. He said without a passport he would need a Kenya government issued ID (which my residence card is!). After going around in circles:

Teller: I need a Kenyan National ID.

Me: This is a Kenyan National ID.

Teller: No, that is an alien certificate.

Me: Yes, they do not give residents “National ID’s.” They give them alien certificates which is equivalent to a National ID.

Teller: No, I need a valid Kenyan ID.

Me: This is a valid Kenyan ID. I use it all the time it was issued by the government as my official identification card. I cannot get anything else.

Repeat x6

He eventually told me to go get my passport. I was extremely frustrated because I was trying to hurry and get back so the tax guy could return to Nairobi, but I was glad to go. I drove to Co-Op Bank where our ministry accounts are. I had the check in 5 minutes and it only cost me 200 shillings ($2.40).

I thank God for sending me to a teller more stubborn than I am. He saved me over $10, and the story gets better.

While I was arguing with the teller, Pastor Daniels was waiting with the tax consultant. They have known each other for years, but normally they finish business and then he goes. Pastor Daniels took the opportunity to tell Shadrach the gospel.

I arrived back to them reading verses together. Shadrach attends a Salvation Army church in his hometown and has always said he was saved, because he wanted to be, but no one had ever explained how to be saved.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:10   

Shadrach asked Jesus to take away the penalty for his sins this morning, and I was reminded how much God loves me and watches out for me

Dubai Retreat

Last week we had the amazing opportunity to travel to Dubai to meet up with our fellow missionaries sent out from Grace Fellowship in WPB, Florida.  What a blessing this week was to us!

The church wanted a time where we could all come together to have a refreshing week, filled with fellowship, teaching, and most of all relaxing!  They sent over a retired missionary couple, the Richards, who provided our sessions each morning.  They were the perfect couple to send! So much wisdom and sensitivity to culture, and I know I can speak on everyone’s behalf and say that they were exactly what we needed!  We had sessions every morning until lunch, and then each couple had the opportunity to meet with the Richards’ alone to discuss personal issues and questions.

As well as learning a lot from our session time, last week was also great to have fellowship with friends who understand the difficulties and joys that we are going through on the mission field!  I (Abby) personally only knew 1 of the other couples before going, so it was really fun to be able to meet and get to know everyone!  Now, after spending a week together we know better how to keep in touch and how to pray for the specific needs in everyone’s ministry. 

Dubai. I didn’t even know where it was until we were going there. And I knew absolutely nothing about it until I was there.  And let me just say….culture shock, big time (for me)!!  Andrew and I laugh now and say it was a good prep for going back to America.  We had every day free after lunch, so we would go into town and enjoy the malls and sites.  The first mall we went to had over 1,400 shops.  The restaurants that we splurged on through the week were TGI Fridays, Chili’s, PapaJohns, Pizza Hut, Coldstone (my personal favorite), Krispy Crème, and Cinnabon.  Now, I know this doesn’t mean much to many of you, but remember…we do not have any American chains here in Kenya, so I have not seen any of these places in over a year! It’s official, I ate way too much last week!!

I could write about the food throughout the whole blog, but I will refrain.  We were also able to do some shopping for our home.  We found an IKEA, which made my day!  We bought a lamp, some picture frames, shades for our lights, and a few baby items.  It was so nice to be able to get these things because in Kenya they are way over-priced, so we have been holding out. What a nice surprise it was to find these decently priced shops in Dubai!

                                         Standing in front of a huge fountain in one of the malls.

The day we were leaving Dubai, I have to be honest…I wasn’t too excited about it.  Part of me wanted to stay in this nice, modern city (with great, smooth roads!). But as soon as we got back to Nanyuki, it felt great to be home.  And that feeling was way better than being in a nice place with familiar shops and restaurants. I am so thankful for the week we had to relax and fellowship with friends, but I am also excited to be back where we are called to serve. 

**A special thanks to Grace Fellowship (and all the members who may have given!) for making last week possible for us!  It was truly a blessing!! 

 

                      On the last day, the boys went dune bashing, dune boarding, and camel riding!

Sleeping on the Ground

“And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.”      -Matthew 10:14

Settling into Loyangolani at the edge of Lake Turkana was a frustrating process. We had come to survey the area and preach the gospel. Our budget was tight, but the people were accustomed to taking advantage of outsiders in this rundown tourist town, and prices kept creeping up.

At one hotel (restaurant), githeri jumped from 20 shillings to 30 from dinner to lunch the next day. When I went to pay the bill at breakfast, the ladies in charge tried to charge me 40 shillings for a cup of tea. Pastor Longisa’s wife had already paid for it, and she had only paid 15 shillings.

We wanted to take our meals there all week, but frustrated by the way they were treating us, I decided to confront them and see how they reacted. Pastor Pokisa told the ladies that we were there to do the work of God and not as tourists. Her response, even though she claimed to believe in God, was “God is God and business is business.” I was honestly furious. You cannot separate God from other parts of your life!

This story is just one example of our entire time in town. Nobody cared about why we came. They claimed to be spiritual but were more interested in ripping us off than listening to the Good News we had to share. Matthew 10:14 was on my heart as we left to survey the El Molo villages our first morning. I was fed up with the people of Loyangolani town.

Out in the village was a completely different story. The chief and elders of Komote welcomed us. They were extremely helpful and never looked at us with dollar signs in their eyes. We decided to travel to the farthest El Molo village because the elders at Komote asked us to return later when people were back in from fishing.

Palo is the farthest El Molo village at 25 kilometers (1 hour drive) from Loyangolani. When we arrived, there was a group of elders sitting under a tree. After introductions, they welcomed us to share our message with them. The previous week we had been rushing from village to village, so after preaching, we would give a salvation invitation and then take names for the local pastors to follow up with. Today we had time so I encouraged Pastor Longisa to take questions.

And [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.      -Acts 18:4

The Apostle Paul didn’t preach and then say raise your hand if you want to go to heaven. He reasoned with the people and made sure they were prepared to believe in the message he was giving and then live out the gospel with their lives.

After Pastor Longisa answered a number of great questions, 6 of the men decided to commit their lives to Jesus!!! There was maybe 15 people at the gathering so this was a great response. In light of the frustration of the town, I decided to ask the others what they thought of spending the night in Palo and continuing to teach the people there. Both our team and the village elders were favorable so we headed back to town to gather our belongings and buy some supplies (we decided not to burden the people with feeding us).

Back at Palo in the evening, the village designated an unfinished manyata (hut) for us to use. It was big enough for the women, and the men were given a cow’s skin to put on the sand for sleeping outside.

Just as food was being served, we got news that a child was bitten by a snake. The village was going to be gathering in half an hour for me to continue teaching the scriptures, but I handed the lesson over to Pastor Pokisa (2 more gave their heart to Jesus as he taught what it means to follow Christ through the 10 commandments) and loaded the boy and his family into the car. Longisa’s daughter, Margaret, applied a tourniquet to slow down the spreading of the poison.

I was glad to have driven the road a couple times as we sped through the darkness. My focus on getting to the hospital as fast as possible was interrupted as I was told to pull over. I stopped just in time for the boy’s mother to jump out and find release for her motion sickness outside. We quickly reloaded with her positioned by the window so she could spew on the go. I am grateful that she got 99% of throw up out the window, although the side of the car was in need of a good wash…

In town, we rushed to wake up the catholic mother who summoned the doctor. A few minutes later the boy was being checked out and given shots. Probably not the best first doctor experience for the one and a half year old. Once everything was settled, we left the parents to spend the night in town and we loaded up for the drive back to Palo.  

We arrived back just before midnight ready to crash. For as hot as it was during the day, it was surprisingly cool outside on the ground at night. Luckily I grabbed my jacket out of the car for a pillow, so it became my blanket when I woke up cold in the middle of the night.

The next morning just as our breakfast of chai was almost prepared, one of the elders came to our tent to because a young man was terribly sick. They were afraid he was going to die. When we arrived at his tent, we found him rolling on the ground uncontrollably. His whole body was tense, but for as much pain as his body seemed to be in, his face showed almost no sign that he was hurting.

We immediately began praying and singing worship songs over him. He seemed oblivious to the fact that we were there, but from time to time he would snap out of it and begin talking with us. Making a long event short, through multiple series of him entering an uncontrollable state, us praying, and him sharing a little bit with us, he told us what was happening.

He was not in any pain but felt like he was being pressed. When the pressure began, his vision would go black, but he could see dark figures moving around him (all the actual people were standing still and he was seeing something other than physical people). All he could feel was fear.

Realizing that this was not a physical sickness but a spiritual attack, we began to discuss what could have caused this. This was actually not the first time this happened, and he shared a story of traditional practices involving money and alcohol gone wrong. This was the night before his first attack.

I told the other men with me, “this is spiritual and not medical and I am not going to stop praying until this young man is delivered.” Honestly I was clueless and feeling uncertain about what to do, but I knew that God was greater than the forces at work and that He wanted to show that to the people of the village.

I began sharing through the translator that sin in our lives separates us from God and leaves us vulnerable to demonic forces. But,the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection overcame the power of sin and evil. Through confession of our sin and faith in Christ, we can be set free from the bondage of sin.

As soon as he confessed and received Jesus into his life, the attacks stopped! He was clearly tired but the fear was gone. We left him to rest and returned to our area to drink chai and prepare for the day.

Many people left to tend to their daily needs, but those who were still around gathered under a tree. We took the time after prayer and worship to give God the glory for His demonstration of power and share a short teaching from scripture.

Another one of the men gave his heart to Jesus, and we decided since it would be some time before we could return, it was best to baptize the believers who were still around.  Since many were out working, there was only 3 of the 10 new believers available, but God has a plan.

We were able to leave them with a Proclaimer, which is a radio like device that plays the Bible in audio. I have had one sitting around for months frustrated that I did not know where to give it away.  It just happened to be one in the Turkana language, which is what a majority of the people speak! We encouraged them to listen to God’s Word regularly and to come together at least once a week to worship, pray, and listen to the proclaimer as a group of believers.

With that we headed back to town.

Over the the years I have studied missions methodologies, learning the techniques that different missionaries have used to build effective ministries (and I am grateful for a wonderful education). At Palo, I feel like I left all that I had learned behind to meditate on what they did in the Bible and especially 1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.” We spent a couple days living with a group of people, sharing their lives, showing the love of Christ, and sleeping on the ground. God did the rest.

 

		Loyangolani VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Journey to the Lake

As we pulled out of Baragoi, at a time way to early to be good for my health, we were greeted by a unique site. It took a moment for my still tired eyes to adjust to the creature racing away in front of us, but after a few seconds my eyes focused to see the hyena. This answered my question on whether there were any wild animals left in this area after being stripped years ago during colonial rule.

Northern Kenya is a unique and wild land, full of intriguing history. We spent almost a week in Baragoi traveling around preaching in villages and creating the site plan for the new church and community center. A major goal is for the land donated by the community to be a place where all tribes can come together. If people can learn that all people are created in the image of God and Jesus Christ died for every person, then maybe we will see an end to the tribal clashes that have plagued this area for centuries.

On the history side, we were preaching in a small, remote village in the middle of the bush. Trying to find out about the area, we ended up getting a history lesson from the wazee (elders). Just up the hill from the where we were standing was the remains of a British colonial settlement. During the revolt that lead to Kenya’s independence, a number of Kenyan prisoners were held in an underground chamber in one of the buildings. According to one of the oldest men in the village, who would have been a boy at that time, one of the prisoners was the man who would later become the first president of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta.

Leaving the rabbit trails behind, let us continue on our journey to Lake Turkana. People kept telling us “barabara ni nzuri” (the road is good). I have learned that good is a relative term. The more appropriate word would have been “afadhali” (better). Compared to what it was you would think it is a super-highway, but it was still one of the worst roads I have ever driven. The road engineers like to put down stones which helps when it rains, but rattles the car to pieces the 99% of the time when it is dry. I just noticed today that the mounts for the plastic accents in the grill are about ready to snap from all the vibration (Update: They did snap).

One of the biggest surprises on the drive was South Horr. We are driving through the desert, and at the base of Mount Nyiro (Sounds like Nero), sits a town that looks like a tropical rainforest. Rainwater on the mountain catches in underground aquifers and slowly trickles down the mountain. The people built a massive storage tank at the outlet of the aquifer and have a seemingly endless supply of water. They grow bananas, mangos, papaya, kale, and much more. It really was a little paradise. We stopped in and took breakfast at Faith Baptist Church with Pastor Lesudo and his family.

Before leaving South Horr, we ran into some boys from the church, and loaded them on the roof of the car to carry them to the next town where they are doing evangelism. Back in the desert, we continued pushing north to Lake Turkana. As we bounced along, we were greeted by a flying rabbit. It smashed into the road in front of us as the eagle that dropped it swooped back around to collect his lunch.

The road was descending, the temperature was soaring, and the air was drying out. I started wondering about the stories I have heard. They say as you approach the lake, it looks like you are on the moon as the ground is covered completely by black volcanic rock. The wind blows constantly and the waves on the lake race away from the shore. The temperature can break 120 degrees.

As I was pondering the possibility of such a place, a brigade of naked children began running toward the car waving for us to stop. We were still over 15km from the lake which is the only source of water during the dry season. They were coming with an empty 5L container of water which had been dry for 2 days now. Knowing the situation ahead of time, we came prepared with water to give. At one of the stops, Pastor Longisa had me taking his picture to show that the camera indeed did not steal their blood and burn out their eyes as they had been taught.

At one of the water stops, we picked up a lady who needed a ride to her village and squeezed 4 in the back seat (a common and natural occurrence). We pushed on and I began to notice black rocks bordering the road. Then, as we crested a hill, before our eyes was a carpet of black rocks as far as the eye could see. It looked like an angel driving a God-sized dump truck had grown tired of distributing his stones throughout the earth and decided to drop his whole load in one area.

I slowed the car because the rattling from the rocks was unbearable. As I did, our dust trail began soaring past the car carried by the wind. Even at 50km/h, the car couldn’t stay in front of the dust, and the wind remained constant.

The emerald waters of Lake Turkana finally came into view. We had reached the southern end of the lake and could see El Molo Island. It was hard to imagine that the smallest tribe in Kenya used to inhabit the barren pile of rocks before being moved to the mainland to join civilization. Almost more hard to imagine was that just 20ft from shore, white capped waves were forming and flowing toward the middle of the lake instead of land.

We arrived at the village of the lady we were carrying, and decided to use the opportunity to touch the waters of the lake. I have always enjoyed the challenge of walking across rocks, but having 30+ mph sustained winds at your back added a new element of risk and excitement. One of the pastors was almost blown over into the lake. After checking for crocodiles, it was nice to dip our feet in the cool waters. Actually, the water was quite warm, but anything felt cool compared to the temperature of the air.

After collecting a gift of 2 dried tilapia as a thank you for the ride (Tilapia that would join us in the car for the next 4 days because Maasai and Turkana like cows and goats and not fish. Please send an air freshener with the next team.), we finished the last 13km to Loyangolani. Built around an oasis, the forest of palm trees were a rapid change from the arid, rocky land we had just traveled through.

We found a lodge, enjoyed a bite to eat (my dinner of maize and beans cost a quarter), and settled in for the day. I was thankful for the cold shower. After spending only half a day in the area, I had already consumed 4L of water and I was still thirsty. Still, it was exciting to finally reach Lake Turkana, and many exciting days of ministry awaited!

Travels: Learning in the Chaos

Abby and I have been blessed to see more of Kenya in a year than the average Kenyan sees all his life. It seems like we are always on the road, and sometimes it can feel tiring and chaotic. Most recently we visited the coastal town of Mombasa with my best friend, Jonathan, and his wife, Kelsey,  who came to visit. 

As the manager of a scuba diving shop in Florida, Jonathan was eager to spend some time in the Indian Ocean. For Abby and I, the trip wasn’t just about fun and relaxation, although we did that too, but it provided an opportunity to see the ministry of Chris and Lisa Moore (who we are extremely grateful towards for opening their home for us to sleep at).

The Moore’s are developing community centers focused around a church and evangelism with the goal of providing access to good medical care, quality education, and clean water (http://www.real4christ.com/). They are doing a phenomenal job reaching out to villages that have been largely overlooked and forgotten about, and I learned a lot, especially in the area of project management in a foreign country.

In December, we visited Vernon and Mary Smith in Tanzania for Christmas, another opportunity to see another great ministry. They also have a church, school, and medical facilities, but in a suburb of a large town. It was encouraging to see their love for the Tanzanians and how they lead people to grow in Christ through care and relationships.

We also have a church and school here in Nanyuki with the Daniels. In many ways, these other ministries are modeled after what the Daniels have done, but each one has made improvements and changed things to fit their gifting and the needs of the area, allowing me to compare and contrast.

The above mentioned trips are just a glimpse of our travels. There are countless other ministries we have had the blessing to see, including many within our own fellowship of churches. From leading American teams to working with groups of Kenyan pastors/evangelists, we have also led many trips.

At the end of each one, I am always happy to return to our home in Nanyuki. Travelling is exhausting. Sometimes I struggle to stay organized because by the time I settle back in it is time to go again. Sometimes my bag is never unpacked from the last trip as I begin a new one (although that is partially my personality as Abby always manages to unpack ). I feel like I have a perpetual to-do list since I am never home long enough to finish everything, but I am thankful for the craziness.

Abby and I have both learned so much in the chaos. These first two years are about discovering our future of missions. I am thankful for this time of learning, but looking forward to settling down more. Until then I know that God will continue to give us the grace to push on in His will.

A New Year

2011 is gone and it has been such a wonderful year for Abby and myself (I’m still working on the year summary as it is challenging to fit everything that has happened in a reasonable length email). We thank God for all that we have experienced and learned these past 12 months. We appreciate everyone who been there with us through prayer, support, and encouragement, and we can’t begin to express how grateful we are to the Daniels for taking us under their wings.

Today is Sunday January 1, 2012, and it has been an interesting day.

We are in Nairobi and went to a church we have visited a number of times at a ministry that is very dear to my heart. My experience was very sad. The ministry has changed a lot from how I remember it on previous visits to Kenya.

Without getting into too much details, the worship was shallow, and a few minutes after the preacher got up to speak, Abby and I decided to leave. I had to leave because my spirit was feeling incredibly oppressed and I was getting a terrible pain in my head. I tried praying but the only relief was found as we left the church.

They were having a time of prayer, but instead of praying God’s Kingdom come and His will be done, they were praying God give me this and that and bless me. It broke my heart to hear this at a church I love so much. Many Kenyan churches (possibly even a majority) have been consumed by a selfish, “name it and claim it” and “sow and reap” type prosperity theology that takes the focus off of God and puts it on man. The need in much of Kenya is not for more churches, but ones that actually glorify Jesus and not man.

“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”      2 Timothy 4:3

When we arrived home Abby and I decided to have a time of prayer and listen to a sermon on podcast from our sending church, Grace Fellowship in West Palm Beach. God had more to teach me.

Pastor David was sharing honestly about a recent trip overseas. He had been traveling like crazy visiting different countries and was harassed a couple different times by airport officials over visas. Then, a ”5 hour” trip to a neighboring country turned into 29 hours on one of the worst roads imaginable involving corrupt police checkpoints and precarious situations.

He was exhausted and at the point of wanting to give up, so he decided to text his son, the missions pastor. All he wanted was someone to pray for him, but his son wrote him back and said, “Dad, Jesus said my yoke is easy and my burden is light. You need to take off your own yoke and put on Jesus’s.” Not what he wanted to hear, but after a moment, he surrendered the situation to God. From that point on in the trip, his body was still exhausted but nothing could get his spirit down, even a yelling airport official.

Abby and I spent the holiday season in Tanzania. It was so relaxing and we can’t thank the Smiths enough for their hospitality and holiday cheer. The nicest part to me was forgetting about everything going on in the ministry in Nanyuki and just relaxing.

I have learned so much this past year and can look back at so many wonderful things that have been accomplished. I can also remember times where I was exhausted to the point where it took a couple days to recover and other times where my body was so worn out I got sick.         

I have spent this last year fighting to fix everything. I have been dealing with some challenges in the Nanyuki ministry. I have taken it upon myself to speak out against the common, heretical prosperity gospel, and rid all of Kenya of it. I have tried to convince every Kenyan that all wazungu (white people) are not filthy rich and it is wrong for them to try to rip them off and con them for a handout. I have been worried crazy trying to avoid such conmen and have been frustrated immensely at the impossible magnitude of it all.

Pastor David paid me a very high compliment earlier this year by saying I was one of the most natural and talented missionaries he had ever met. This is a HUGE compliment from someone with his experience and I thank God for all the ability He has blessed me with. But I remember thinking the rest of the car ride that we were on that I would give up all my natural ability for a heart that longs for God and breaks for the lost like Pastor David’s. 

If you pray for me for just one thing, pray that God would break my heart and open my eyes to see the world the way He does.

As 2012 begins, I commit that this year and every year to follow that I will take off my own yoke and put on the teachings of Christ. I want to be like Jesus and love the way He loved. I want to stop trying to fix everything and look to God to do it, because if I don’t, I will spend the rest of my life tired and overwhelmed by the impossible task of reaching the lost and building the church of Kenya.  

Merry Christmas!!!

We have come to the end of our first year here in Kenya and are so blessed with our new life and experiences that have come with it. Thank you all for your love, prayers, and support!

We have had a wonderful Christmas week in Tanzania with our friends Vernon and Mary Smith. 

We want to wish all of our friends and family a very Merry Christmas!