After 2 months, 5 countries, 11 bus rides, 20 different missionaries, 75 churches, hundreds of children, and even more memories... I'm home. Danny, Justin, Jacob, and I each arrived to our respective homes around 1 am on Saturday morning. And boy is it good to be with loved ones again. Not that Danny and the guys weren't great to be with, but nothing can replace family. Before I finish this blog for the summer, I want to give you a synopsis of our last 2 weeks in Kenya.
When I left you last, we were in the beautiful country of Uganda. After a lovely time with the Tylers, we made our way back across the border to Kenya. It was quite the experience since we took Matatus (12 passenger vans that have been turned into 24 passenger vans ; )) for four hours, but we made it back. Our last week in Kitale was filled with church, ministry, and home visits. We spent a few days visiting some different street kid/orphan ministries interviewing their leaders and spending time with the kids. God is doing some great things through some faithful people for the street kids challenge. We visited a church and spent some time at the Church of Christ orphanage with our friends there.
After our initial visit with that orphanage in June, Danny and the other missionaries discovered a hole in the ministry there. The orphanage did an excellent job at taking care of the kids through high school, but when they reached 18 they graduated out of the childrens home. The problem is, a person does not stop being an orphan at age 18. We all (whether we like to admit it or not) need our parents well into our young adult years. These kids, especially the girls, are left vulnerable in society without someone to help them and guide them along. We decided to spend our last few days in Kitale going to these girls homes and talking with them. We asked about their hopes, dreams, and passions. We wrote down their general information and started coming up with a profile for each the girls so we can figure out how best to help them - whether it be getting them into a trade school or giving them a micro loan to help start a business. One of the biggest things we did in our visits was to simply tell them that they are still loved and that they are not forgotten - a message some of these girls don't hear very often. I was so blessed to meet these young ladies and to get to ease some of their pain.
After our time in Kitale, we took a bus back down to Nairobi through the oh-so-beautiful Riff Valley. After arriving, we spent a day downtown in some of the markets doing a bit of gift shopping. We had the chance to meet back up with the CMF interns and went with Bethany Stoller to a church in the Mathare Valley slums where she was sharing from the Word that week. This church was only 9 weeks old and had already grown out of one building and had the second one full. I've said it before and I'm going to say it again, God is doing some great things in the slums of Mathare Valley!
A few times over the summer, Danny made the comment that the nature of our trip and travels this summer allowed for us three students to enter deeper into the East African culture than is usually possible. We even had comments in our last days in Kitale about how well we interacted in our greetings. One older man made a surprised remark that he had never seen young wazungu (white people) eat like they were Africans, which considering some of the subtle cultural nuances is not as easy as it sounds. My point is, that after going so deep into the culture, it was necessary for us to take some time to debrief and prepare to enter back into Western society. We went to one of the coffee shops in the UN district and started to unpack and get ready to come back to the States.
Ironically, after spending two days of debriefing and reentry prep, we still had one ministry to interact with... and this one proved to be the most difficult of all. The day before we left Africa, we spent the Morning and early afternoon in Eastleigh - the Somalian district of Nairobi. We met with Larry and Holly Conway who are leading "Made in the streets" ministry. They go into some of the worst places in the streets and rescue kids from them by taking them to a home/detox center outside of Nairobi. At that home, the kids are then given food, shelter, education, and a lot of love... something many of them have never experienced. Most kids that are in the street end up there because of abusive homes. Some of the kids are simply dropped off one day and never have their parents return. All of them are really hurt. Most of them turn to addictive substances. We spent the morning walking through a place of indescribable suffering to some of their "Base camps"... which were really piles of trash that the street boys live on. We went and simply greeted and talked with some of the guys. Danny told a story to them. One of the other workers prayed when we were finished. The truth is, the boys (which were really young men 16-22) were so stoned they didn't really follow too much.
I had a really hard time when we were visiting these young men. I had seen some awful things over the summer and I had seen some pretty hopeless situations, but this was the worst. These boys were sitting/sleeping/sniffing on these huge trash heaps. Occasionally, one of them would start looking through a trash bag to find a piece of moldy bread or rotten meat to eat. They were so high. They were so lost. And the hardest thing was - I couldn't help them. I could do nothing to get these young men out of the situation they were in. But I could be there with them. I could sit on that trash heap and shake their hands. I could tell them that even though the rest of society has deemed you unworthy to even look at, there is still love to be had. That's all I could do... but in that moment, I was connected to Jesus more so than any in my life. When the high, dirty, smelly young man ran across the street and gave me a big hug before we left... and I embraced him fully back... I saw something about how Jesus loves us. Despite our filth. Despite the fact that we are stoned out of our mind because of the traps of sin. Despite the fact that we have condemned ourselves to a hopeless life and are metaphorically sleeping on a trash heap until death comes, Christ loves us (Romans 5). What a powerful image.
I know this is already getting long, but I want to express my deep and sincere gratitude to all of you who have supported me with prayer, finances, or encouragement. There is no way I could have made it through this summer without it. I am so grateful. I wish there were some way to express it fully, but the best I can do is to live my life in continued devotion to the one who hugs us in the trash heaps. I am so excited to see how God uses this summer as a piece of making me the person who He's dreamed me to be. These experiences will definitely play a big a role. Thank you so much, and I pray that you are as eager as I to see what God does in and through me as the days, months, and years continue. May God bless you abundantly as you continue in faithful devotion as well. What a great God we serve!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Tears and Traveling
(Written 7/10/09) I now greet you from the last of the East African countries we are visiting! We made it safely to Kitale last Friday via the night bus. It wasn't an awful ride, but I am sure happy we are done with all night travels. We spent the Fourth of July with some old friends of Danny who are becoming good friends of mine, Tom and Agnes, and boy was it memorable. We had some great reminders of your typical Independence Day, but with a good African twist. I had soda (Black Currant Fanta), corn (charcoal roasted), roasted meat (goat), and even fireworks (a lantern because the power went out). Surely a memorable experience.
On Tuesday, after a few days of church work and children's home visiting, we made our way to Mbale, Uganda with Shawn Tyler. I wrote earlier about Shawn and some of his work. He is quite a remarkable missionary and quite a remarkable man. We have stayed the last few days with him and his wife, Linda, at their home. They have been incredibly gracious hosts and have taught us so much from their lives and service.
Jacob, Justin, and I spent most of the morning and early afternoon on yesterday with Shawn going over some cultural training that was incredibly valuable. We talked first on an anthropological level about some of the basic truths and assumptions in an East African mindset as compared with the American mindset. It was cool to hear Shawn's cultural insights throughout his 28 years of missionary experience. He gave us some great general missionary priciples including some good team building advice. At a discipleship meeting we went to in a village on Wednesday, Shawn also gave us a document he has spent some time putting together comparing African and Western perspectives on money. Way cool. Way valuable.
As mentioned, we spent Wednesday out in a village not too far from Mbale. It was good to meet some of the local church leaders. There were about 40 leaders there from about 12 different churches. It was a blessing to bring some encouragement to them as they continue in their work. We spent yesterday afternoon visiting some of the other works here: Messiah Theological Institute, Good News Productions International (Mbale Branch), and the church here. Shawn had Jacob, Justin, and I teach at the youth meeting that night. We taught on temptations that American youth face. They were both surprized and encouraged to find out that we all struggle with some of the same things. This morning we visited one more work here (an AIDS orphans program) and interviewed and prayed for the leaders of that ministry. Such a great chance to interface with so many different ministries.
I want to share something that has been encouraging to me lately, but first I must give a little background. I have mentioned in an earlier posting that there have been a number of things that have been pretty difficult for me over the course of the last 6 weeks. The realities of the deception and lies that plague certain parts of this cultuer, the drunkenness that is so rampant, and the physical and emotional abuse by the powerdul in a hierarchical society that does not allow protection for the weak start to wear on the soul. Seeing the evils of human trafficking and the corruption of the UN and local governments that allow for it, hearing the voices of racism and the stories of lies, theft, and murder that caused that racism, and smelling the raw sewage that floods the walkways of the slums are sensory experiences that never leave. Poverty. Glue. AIDS. And sooo much more. I have shed many tears over the past few weeks as I try to embrace the pain of this suffering rather than running away from it. The other day as I was praying and journaling, I was reminded of an image presented in the book The Shack (I know... heresy...). The main character of the book walks into a room and is overwhelmed by memories of some deep pain in his life. As he starts to shed some tears, the character representing the Holy Spirit comes up to him and sweeps his tears into a tiny glass bottle. This character then explains to the man that she likes to collect tears. They are very valuable to her and are never forgotten or dismissed. The pain we go through is of incredible value to our loving God. He sees every pain and hurt and knows. The tears of our pain are never wasted. I am encouraged to think that God loves me way too much to let me go through some of this if it wasn't of some great purpose and value. My tears will be used by Him.
I wanted to share a bit of what I am learning with you, and I pray you may be encouraged by it. I ask for your continued prayers as the team and I finish our last two weeks strong. We have 7-8 ministries to interface with in the next days. We have a few more teaching sessions and a dozen or so more home visits that are very important. Pray that we will continue to look to Christ for strength as we are getting weary. Pray for our families as we are starting to really miss them. Pray for our saftey in travel and avoidance of police (they are more trouble than good here). Pray that I and the others may not stop learning or listening to what God has to teach us in these next days. Thank you so much for the encouragement many of you have given me over the past days. It has had an impact on me that you will never know, and that in turn has impacted so many on this side of the globe. Blessings.
On Tuesday, after a few days of church work and children's home visiting, we made our way to Mbale, Uganda with Shawn Tyler. I wrote earlier about Shawn and some of his work. He is quite a remarkable missionary and quite a remarkable man. We have stayed the last few days with him and his wife, Linda, at their home. They have been incredibly gracious hosts and have taught us so much from their lives and service.
Jacob, Justin, and I spent most of the morning and early afternoon on yesterday with Shawn going over some cultural training that was incredibly valuable. We talked first on an anthropological level about some of the basic truths and assumptions in an East African mindset as compared with the American mindset. It was cool to hear Shawn's cultural insights throughout his 28 years of missionary experience. He gave us some great general missionary priciples including some good team building advice. At a discipleship meeting we went to in a village on Wednesday, Shawn also gave us a document he has spent some time putting together comparing African and Western perspectives on money. Way cool. Way valuable.
As mentioned, we spent Wednesday out in a village not too far from Mbale. It was good to meet some of the local church leaders. There were about 40 leaders there from about 12 different churches. It was a blessing to bring some encouragement to them as they continue in their work. We spent yesterday afternoon visiting some of the other works here: Messiah Theological Institute, Good News Productions International (Mbale Branch), and the church here. Shawn had Jacob, Justin, and I teach at the youth meeting that night. We taught on temptations that American youth face. They were both surprized and encouraged to find out that we all struggle with some of the same things. This morning we visited one more work here (an AIDS orphans program) and interviewed and prayed for the leaders of that ministry. Such a great chance to interface with so many different ministries.
I want to share something that has been encouraging to me lately, but first I must give a little background. I have mentioned in an earlier posting that there have been a number of things that have been pretty difficult for me over the course of the last 6 weeks. The realities of the deception and lies that plague certain parts of this cultuer, the drunkenness that is so rampant, and the physical and emotional abuse by the powerdul in a hierarchical society that does not allow protection for the weak start to wear on the soul. Seeing the evils of human trafficking and the corruption of the UN and local governments that allow for it, hearing the voices of racism and the stories of lies, theft, and murder that caused that racism, and smelling the raw sewage that floods the walkways of the slums are sensory experiences that never leave. Poverty. Glue. AIDS. And sooo much more. I have shed many tears over the past few weeks as I try to embrace the pain of this suffering rather than running away from it. The other day as I was praying and journaling, I was reminded of an image presented in the book The Shack (I know... heresy...). The main character of the book walks into a room and is overwhelmed by memories of some deep pain in his life. As he starts to shed some tears, the character representing the Holy Spirit comes up to him and sweeps his tears into a tiny glass bottle. This character then explains to the man that she likes to collect tears. They are very valuable to her and are never forgotten or dismissed. The pain we go through is of incredible value to our loving God. He sees every pain and hurt and knows. The tears of our pain are never wasted. I am encouraged to think that God loves me way too much to let me go through some of this if it wasn't of some great purpose and value. My tears will be used by Him.
I wanted to share a bit of what I am learning with you, and I pray you may be encouraged by it. I ask for your continued prayers as the team and I finish our last two weeks strong. We have 7-8 ministries to interface with in the next days. We have a few more teaching sessions and a dozen or so more home visits that are very important. Pray that we will continue to look to Christ for strength as we are getting weary. Pray for our families as we are starting to really miss them. Pray for our saftey in travel and avoidance of police (they are more trouble than good here). Pray that I and the others may not stop learning or listening to what God has to teach us in these next days. Thank you so much for the encouragement many of you have given me over the past days. It has had an impact on me that you will never know, and that in turn has impacted so many on this side of the globe. Blessings.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Slums and Suffering
So it's been way longer than I wished since I've posted last. We've been in and out of internet abilities, so I haven't been able to get enough time. Even now, I'm going to have to be brief because of time, so I'll get to the chase.
I write you currently from Nairobi, Kenya. We made it safely to Lusaka, Zambia and back through Tanzania. Lusaka was a crazy experience. We stayed with some Afrikans (White) Zimbaweans who were absolutely wonderful. It in itself was an incredible cultural experience. We were able to accomplish what we needed for our refugee friend, though it did not happen exactly as we had planned. So many stories and experiences, but I must keep going. Thank you for your prayers for our saftey. Thank you for your prayers for our work. God was faithful and He will continue to be as we continue to see this refugee situation unfold.
Our trip back up through Tanzania was quite the adventure. We took a night bus from Lusaka and stayed the night in Mbeya. We were able to meet with a woman who runs a street boys ministry there and were incredibly blessed by her story and suggestions. God is working in some cool ways. I'll have to write later about that connection. We took a train from Mbeya to Dar es Salaam, where we stayed at the headquarters for the Catholic church in Tanzania. There were Nuns everywhere! It was kind of fun. We spent a day catching our breath there. We went out and walked through Dar and even went to the Beach! It was such a good experience. We stopped with some missionary friends in Arusha on our way back to Kenya.
On our way up to Kenya, we found out that we were going to be leading a VBS in a school in the slums of Mathare Valley. A bit of a shock at first, but a pleasant one. We set to work preparing a VBS for three days for the kids at Kosavo. We knew we were going to meet up with Bethany Stoller (a friend from school) and her team of interns, but only Beth was able to work with us. It was great to see her. Our first day we had planned for 80 kids. We got to the school and found out that there were 460! It was quite the shock! We adjusted our plans a little and ended up doing the VBS 3 times each day. We then went and did some house visits with the Social Workers from Mission of Hope International. It was an incredible chance to see the heart of one of the poorest places in the world. It's really hard to see such poverty. I can't even describe it. I'm still trying to process everything we saw. But no matter what I feel, God is good and He is faithful. He is doing some incredible things through the slums. Where darkness once reigned, there is now hope. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness.
I wish I could write more, but for now I must go. We are leaving for Kitale tonight on a night bus. We'll be there til Tuesday and then we will head over to Uganda for a few days. Then we'll be back to Kitale for a week, then back to Nairobi for a few days. We have lots to do in these next days. I ask your prayers for us, that we may stay well and strong through some of the tough things we must face these next days. I've been pretty torn by what we've entered into these past weeks. It's really hard to see such suffering. It's even harder when you've resolved to enter into it so as to relieve it in ever such a slight way. I'll hopefully write more in a few days. 3 weeks left.
I write you currently from Nairobi, Kenya. We made it safely to Lusaka, Zambia and back through Tanzania. Lusaka was a crazy experience. We stayed with some Afrikans (White) Zimbaweans who were absolutely wonderful. It in itself was an incredible cultural experience. We were able to accomplish what we needed for our refugee friend, though it did not happen exactly as we had planned. So many stories and experiences, but I must keep going. Thank you for your prayers for our saftey. Thank you for your prayers for our work. God was faithful and He will continue to be as we continue to see this refugee situation unfold.
Our trip back up through Tanzania was quite the adventure. We took a night bus from Lusaka and stayed the night in Mbeya. We were able to meet with a woman who runs a street boys ministry there and were incredibly blessed by her story and suggestions. God is working in some cool ways. I'll have to write later about that connection. We took a train from Mbeya to Dar es Salaam, where we stayed at the headquarters for the Catholic church in Tanzania. There were Nuns everywhere! It was kind of fun. We spent a day catching our breath there. We went out and walked through Dar and even went to the Beach! It was such a good experience. We stopped with some missionary friends in Arusha on our way back to Kenya.
On our way up to Kenya, we found out that we were going to be leading a VBS in a school in the slums of Mathare Valley. A bit of a shock at first, but a pleasant one. We set to work preparing a VBS for three days for the kids at Kosavo. We knew we were going to meet up with Bethany Stoller (a friend from school) and her team of interns, but only Beth was able to work with us. It was great to see her. Our first day we had planned for 80 kids. We got to the school and found out that there were 460! It was quite the shock! We adjusted our plans a little and ended up doing the VBS 3 times each day. We then went and did some house visits with the Social Workers from Mission of Hope International. It was an incredible chance to see the heart of one of the poorest places in the world. It's really hard to see such poverty. I can't even describe it. I'm still trying to process everything we saw. But no matter what I feel, God is good and He is faithful. He is doing some incredible things through the slums. Where darkness once reigned, there is now hope. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness.
I wish I could write more, but for now I must go. We are leaving for Kitale tonight on a night bus. We'll be there til Tuesday and then we will head over to Uganda for a few days. Then we'll be back to Kitale for a week, then back to Nairobi for a few days. We have lots to do in these next days. I ask your prayers for us, that we may stay well and strong through some of the tough things we must face these next days. I've been pretty torn by what we've entered into these past weeks. It's really hard to see such suffering. It's even harder when you've resolved to enter into it so as to relieve it in ever such a slight way. I'll hopefully write more in a few days. 3 weeks left.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Mosques and Missionaries
What an adventure the last few days have been! As I type this post, I am on a bus between Morogoro and Mbeya Tanzania. Outside there is a forest of Acacia trees and there are monkeys running on and off the road. We are about halfway through our journey to Zambia. It's been some long, somewhat tough travel, but a thoroughly amazing adventure. In the last three hours alone we've seen impala, elephants, giraffes, baboons, and lions as well as hald a dozen mosques. In Arusha, three nights ago, we stayed with some CMF missionaries and the took us to Khan's BBQ (which is an auto parts store by day) and had BBQ lamb and chicken on a street with three mosques! If I thought that was crazy, we then went to Tanga and stayed with some Church of Christ missionaries (Tim and Rebecca Tally). Tanga is estimated to be about 70% Muslim. It was an incredible sight to see such influence. The Tally's were such wonderful people. We decided to take a rest day and spend it with them and they suprised us by taking us Mangrove Mucking (an experience I'll just have to tell you in person) and then the next day they took us on a Dhow to snorkle in the Indian Ociean. I know, I know... real tough missions work... but somebody has to do it ; )'
Throughout all of our fun and adventures (and that is what about every minute of Africa seems to be) we have spent hours in conversation with the different missionaries we have encountered. So far we have spent time with missionaries from Good News Productions, CMF, Church of Christ, and Pioneer Bible Translators. We spend time asking them everything we can think about the type of work they do and the challenges that come from it. It's been quite a blessing to see so many different ways that faithful people are trying to use to spread the gospel. It's been an incredible encouragement to hear the stories of old and see the fruit of lives surrendered. No amount of money could be paid for this type of education. Thank you again for being a part of this.
We have been blessed by the opportunities that God has given us on this journey to Lusaka, but I laugh as I look how God has done what is just like Him to do. Through our visits with missionaries, we have made it a goal to pray for them as we can. This has turned into quite the ministry to the missionaries. Not to puff up what we are doing, but God has used our visits as a pretty significant source of encouregement to these families. By listening to thier lives, stories, and struggles and then turning and praying for them we have been able to turn simple connections into something much more meaningful. Bwana Asifiwe!
On another note, I want to give a quick update on the situation with our refugee friends. Danny and I spent our first day in Kenya in and out of meetings with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) and their associated organizations. We have been working hard with Traci back in the States to try to get all of the right paperwork to the right people so we can figure out what is going on. When we came and picked up Jacob and Justin last week, Danny had another meeting with a lady from one of the agencies. There is still a lot up in the air, but we were given some advice to try an additional route while we are waiting for them. Traci has been working so hard back in Idaho and is now continuing as she corresponds with Congressmen and Embassies all over the place. It's really going to be quite an amazing story when it's all done. She might be able to run for president with all of the international diplomatic experience she is getting this month. Please, please, please continue to pray for this situation as it continues to unfold.
I also want to mention that Justin, Jake, Danny, and I are doing well. We have been getting along great and have really enjoyed each others company. It's been quite the adventure, but this has been quite the group of guys. Thank you for your prayers about this.
I do ask your continued prayers for our trip. We are doing so much travel. Not only is their inherent dangers there, but it is also pretty exhausting. Please continue to pray that we do not get sick through this. God has been faithful, and we trust that HE will continue to protect us, as it would be unfortunate to get sick with so many bus rides left.
It's been a wonderful trip so far, full of connections, learning, listening, adventure, and fun as well as hardship, pain, and suffering. We've seen some wonderful sights, but we have also seen some that have a pretty taumatic effect as well. God has been so good and He continues to pour out His love through some amazing blessings, but I don't want to fool you. It's been a tough journey in a lot of ways. Some of the stories of people I've met and the sights I've seen should never be seen or heard. But they are real. And God cares for them so deeply. I ask your prayers for me as I come to grips with some of the hard truths of poverty, abuse, and corruption. It's been hard on my heart.
God is so good and I am excited to see what we do together over the next few days. Lusaka, here we come!
P.S. I wrote this blog post three days ago. We're in Lusaka. More info to come in another post later.
Throughout all of our fun and adventures (and that is what about every minute of Africa seems to be) we have spent hours in conversation with the different missionaries we have encountered. So far we have spent time with missionaries from Good News Productions, CMF, Church of Christ, and Pioneer Bible Translators. We spend time asking them everything we can think about the type of work they do and the challenges that come from it. It's been quite a blessing to see so many different ways that faithful people are trying to use to spread the gospel. It's been an incredible encouragement to hear the stories of old and see the fruit of lives surrendered. No amount of money could be paid for this type of education. Thank you again for being a part of this.
We have been blessed by the opportunities that God has given us on this journey to Lusaka, but I laugh as I look how God has done what is just like Him to do. Through our visits with missionaries, we have made it a goal to pray for them as we can. This has turned into quite the ministry to the missionaries. Not to puff up what we are doing, but God has used our visits as a pretty significant source of encouregement to these families. By listening to thier lives, stories, and struggles and then turning and praying for them we have been able to turn simple connections into something much more meaningful. Bwana Asifiwe!
On another note, I want to give a quick update on the situation with our refugee friends. Danny and I spent our first day in Kenya in and out of meetings with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) and their associated organizations. We have been working hard with Traci back in the States to try to get all of the right paperwork to the right people so we can figure out what is going on. When we came and picked up Jacob and Justin last week, Danny had another meeting with a lady from one of the agencies. There is still a lot up in the air, but we were given some advice to try an additional route while we are waiting for them. Traci has been working so hard back in Idaho and is now continuing as she corresponds with Congressmen and Embassies all over the place. It's really going to be quite an amazing story when it's all done. She might be able to run for president with all of the international diplomatic experience she is getting this month. Please, please, please continue to pray for this situation as it continues to unfold.
I also want to mention that Justin, Jake, Danny, and I are doing well. We have been getting along great and have really enjoyed each others company. It's been quite the adventure, but this has been quite the group of guys. Thank you for your prayers about this.
I do ask your continued prayers for our trip. We are doing so much travel. Not only is their inherent dangers there, but it is also pretty exhausting. Please continue to pray that we do not get sick through this. God has been faithful, and we trust that HE will continue to protect us, as it would be unfortunate to get sick with so many bus rides left.
It's been a wonderful trip so far, full of connections, learning, listening, adventure, and fun as well as hardship, pain, and suffering. We've seen some wonderful sights, but we have also seen some that have a pretty taumatic effect as well. God has been so good and He continues to pour out His love through some amazing blessings, but I don't want to fool you. It's been a tough journey in a lot of ways. Some of the stories of people I've met and the sights I've seen should never be seen or heard. But they are real. And God cares for them so deeply. I ask your prayers for me as I come to grips with some of the hard truths of poverty, abuse, and corruption. It's been hard on my heart.
God is so good and I am excited to see what we do together over the next few days. Lusaka, here we come!
P.S. I wrote this blog post three days ago. We're in Lusaka. More info to come in another post later.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
African Brothers and Acclimation
Greetings from Nairobi, Kenya! After a hard 8 days of village visits and area church meetings Danny and I are back in Nairobi and are getting to receive our other two team members (Jacob Vaden and Justin Shulmire) from the airport in a few hours. I am greatly looking forward to having them with us and having the extra boost to our team.
The last few days have been incredibly draining, but well worth it. On Thursday and Friday we finished up our village visits by going to the extreme ends of the Kitale church planting work. We visited the leaders of 7 churches over by the Ugandan border. It was quite a remote place - the kind of place where you go on a dirt road for 30 minutes and then turn down an even more remote dirt road and go another 30 minutes. It was about 3 hours away from Kitale. I've been told that I had a rare opportunity to see the real African Interior. The meeting went well and we were able to encourage the leaders there greatly and reunite them with the other churches in the area. I even got to preach a bit and it went fairly well. I was able to share some encouragement from the Word and they were encouraged.
Friday we went way up to a region called Marakwet which is deep within the Cherangani hills. It was quite the adventure just trying to get there. The road was incredibly rough. It was about 10,000 ft altitude and right next to the equator. We got a little toasty ; ). Despite all of that, it was a beautiful place and we were very encouraged by what God is doing up there. We preached and spoke with the church leaders from the area and were able to encourage them and get them connected with the churches in the valleys below. We also had the privilege of being served tea made with sheep's milk (That's right, not goat... sheep). It's been funny to tell that story because we have yet to meet another African who has ever had milk from sheep. : )
On Saturday and Sunday we had meetings at the children's home all day each day. They were great and some good things happened at each of them, but they definitely drained us of any energy we had left. We had the opportunity to hear the regions best children's choir perform at the school. They were wonderful! I also got to connect with some of the grown orphans at a children's home reunion. I spent some time talking with a guy named Steven who is studying Sociology and Religion at the University of Nairobi. He is the first orphan to make it to a University and is doing so much to inspire the current children living at the home. It was really cool to discuss Church history and theology with someone studying from an African perspective.
This week we are going to help the other two team members start to get acclimated to the culture (a much more daunting task than I originally thought) and then have a few meetings with refugee ministries, UN officials (I will post an update on our refugee friend's situation soon - we are still gathering information on his progress), and other missionary contacts in Nairobi as to gather more information in our summer of listening. Pray for our other team members as they battle jet lag and culture shock. Pray for the three of us students as we continue in our language skills. It is so important that we try our best at Swahili as it is seen as a huge relational step if we can try to converse in it. Also, pray from our meetings this week. Pray that they might be effective and that we will hear from God and the people as we continue to listen.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
A Good Break and Godly Men
After three long days of visiting church plants/clusters, we are now taking a rest day – and what a blessing it is. As many of you know, I know what it is to work a hard day. With years of construction, school schedules, and CIY's 19 hour days last year I have built up some endurance and work ethic. That being said, none of it compares to how tired I've been every day after coming back from a village/town center. Yesterday was especially long. We went to visit a group of churches at a church that was right on the Ugandan border. It was a 3 hour drive over some rather rough roads. We then had a 5 hour meeting, all of which was in Swahili. I'm trying really hard, but after about 3 hours of straight Swahili, my brain starts to go numb and I can't draw enough energy to listen and translate any more. It was a great meeting though. We had representatives from 6 different churches and they were so delighted to have us come visit them. Danny and Mike preached full length sermons to them in Swahili. I gave my introduction in Swahili and then switched to English to give a short devotional thought. I didn't do super well, but it was my first time preaching in a cross-cultural context and there are some things that you just have to learn by making mistakes. I think that I'll do better tomorrow because I know a bit more what actually made sense to them and what didn't. Danny is having me work up to longer sermons over the next few days. It's good to have his guidance through this surprisingly tricky task.
I know I mentioned in brief what a blessing it is to be with Danny's old colleagues, but I want to go into a bit more detail for you about why it is such a gift. These men truly are veterans in mission work. Shawn and Linda Tyler have been in Africa doing mission work for 28 years. They lived in Kitale for 13 years and this is when the 4 couples worked together so much. During that time, the four couples lead the way in planting 125 churches (There are now about 150 because those churches have planted more churches that have planted more churches... so cool! [you must also take into account the fact that a certain number of churches have died due to a number of circumstances]). In this time the 4 couples also started a children's home which is thriving, as well as a number of other working missions projects. After the four couples decided to move to different works, Shawn and Linda moved to Uganda where they have continued in church planting and also have started a theological training center that now has extensions in Kenya and the Sudan. They take church leaders from the various churches and give them the much needed training that they are unable to find elsewhere. I believe they have also started a children's home in Uganda as well as several other physical and spiritual ministries.
Mike Schragge (sp?) moved to Nairobi after several years in Kenya and started the Kenyan branch of Good News Productions (Some of you may know it as the parent company of Media Challenge). He has served as a major player in the international ministry with them and he has traveled more places with them than I can count. He currently calls Joplin, MO his home and is an elder at College Heights Christian Church and is the head of their missions board there. Some of you might remember that he came and spoke on Missions Emphasis Week at BBC this year. He spends a lot of time traveling to churches in America and speaking with their missions boards. He is a great man of God and has incredible insight on how the American church interacts with the rest of the globe.
Kirk Hayes is the third man. I know that he was also involved with Good News Productions for a good amount of time after the team left Kitale. I also believe he was the President of a Christian University in Texas (I think it was Lubuck Christian University). I am not entirely sure what he now does because I have talked with him the least. He has an incredible mind and is continually pointing out how our various actions and interactions are mirroring spiritual realities. All of these men are incredible men of prayer, but Kirk is especially mindful to turn to God in praise and petition fairly consistently. It is such a blessing to be around these men.
Each day we get up and have a prayer time at 7 till 7:45 or so. I then get to go with one of the men and Danny out to a village and learn from them throughout the day. After the day is over, we all come back and have dinner and a debrief time for a few hours in the evening. As we discuss and record (Linda types it all onto a Word Document) the events of the day, the guys are very intentional about pointing theological, missiological, and sociological principles for me. More than that, they are very intentional about pointing out specific and general principles for my life as a Christian and a minister. They have all been in ministry for 25+ years and are getting to see the benefits of longevity. They are constantly pouring into me through advice, encouragement, and prayer. It is such a blessing. This week alone has been worth every dollar that you have given as it will leave a lasting impact on my life.
I ask your continued prayer as I learn from these men and as we continue tomorrow with our village visits. They are definitely pushing me to the very edge. God is definitely teaching me to rely on Him for so much. May our gracious Father pour out such amazing blessings on You as well as we continue in this ministry together.
I know I mentioned in brief what a blessing it is to be with Danny's old colleagues, but I want to go into a bit more detail for you about why it is such a gift. These men truly are veterans in mission work. Shawn and Linda Tyler have been in Africa doing mission work for 28 years. They lived in Kitale for 13 years and this is when the 4 couples worked together so much. During that time, the four couples lead the way in planting 125 churches (There are now about 150 because those churches have planted more churches that have planted more churches... so cool! [you must also take into account the fact that a certain number of churches have died due to a number of circumstances]). In this time the 4 couples also started a children's home which is thriving, as well as a number of other working missions projects. After the four couples decided to move to different works, Shawn and Linda moved to Uganda where they have continued in church planting and also have started a theological training center that now has extensions in Kenya and the Sudan. They take church leaders from the various churches and give them the much needed training that they are unable to find elsewhere. I believe they have also started a children's home in Uganda as well as several other physical and spiritual ministries.
Mike Schragge (sp?) moved to Nairobi after several years in Kenya and started the Kenyan branch of Good News Productions (Some of you may know it as the parent company of Media Challenge). He has served as a major player in the international ministry with them and he has traveled more places with them than I can count. He currently calls Joplin, MO his home and is an elder at College Heights Christian Church and is the head of their missions board there. Some of you might remember that he came and spoke on Missions Emphasis Week at BBC this year. He spends a lot of time traveling to churches in America and speaking with their missions boards. He is a great man of God and has incredible insight on how the American church interacts with the rest of the globe.
Kirk Hayes is the third man. I know that he was also involved with Good News Productions for a good amount of time after the team left Kitale. I also believe he was the President of a Christian University in Texas (I think it was Lubuck Christian University). I am not entirely sure what he now does because I have talked with him the least. He has an incredible mind and is continually pointing out how our various actions and interactions are mirroring spiritual realities. All of these men are incredible men of prayer, but Kirk is especially mindful to turn to God in praise and petition fairly consistently. It is such a blessing to be around these men.
Each day we get up and have a prayer time at 7 till 7:45 or so. I then get to go with one of the men and Danny out to a village and learn from them throughout the day. After the day is over, we all come back and have dinner and a debrief time for a few hours in the evening. As we discuss and record (Linda types it all onto a Word Document) the events of the day, the guys are very intentional about pointing theological, missiological, and sociological principles for me. More than that, they are very intentional about pointing out specific and general principles for my life as a Christian and a minister. They have all been in ministry for 25+ years and are getting to see the benefits of longevity. They are constantly pouring into me through advice, encouragement, and prayer. It is such a blessing. This week alone has been worth every dollar that you have given as it will leave a lasting impact on my life.
I ask your continued prayer as I learn from these men and as we continue tomorrow with our village visits. They are definitely pushing me to the very edge. God is definitely teaching me to rely on Him for so much. May our gracious Father pour out such amazing blessings on You as well as we continue in this ministry together.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Vehicles and Village Visits
Hamjambo Wote! Today I had my first taste of village life. This morning Danny and I, along with a few others, went to the village Koros to visit the leaders from the Kwanza Cluster (I think that's what it was) of the Kolongoro (sp?) District. We went through a typical African worship service with singing, dancing, prayer, and preaching. I gave my introduction entirely in Swahili (a first for me) to which the people got a real joy and clapped a good amount. It's hard for me to speak much Swahili, which can become a problem in some villages where they don't speak and English, but I've been told that I'm coming along fine. I'd take some prayer for my brain here. I've been trying so hard that I tend to go to bed with a headache from it. It's coming, but it's a rough ride until I get there.
Speaking of rough rides, I can't even describe what African diving is like. Some of the roads make 4-wheeling seem like childs play and the traffic makes Tijuana look orderly. It's incredible. It gets a bit tiresome, but it does add to the adventure. Also, African Drivers are the worlds best drivers. An American would get into a car accident within the first five minutes of being put into this situation. I swear these drivers have an extra sense!
To those of you who have been praying about the Jet Lag, Thank you. That very night after I posted the request I slept through the entire night. Bwana Asifiwe!
I'm looking out the window right now with a complete lack of ability to describe what it's like here. There are people everywhere. Some sitting talking, some trying to sell different goods, some on bikes waiting to give rides, some just walking to their next destination. The plants, trees, and birds are beautiful! The mountains, valleys, and plateaus are awe inspiring. It's amazing.
I ask that you continue to pray as we meet with more and more church leaders. I've gone to three meetings so far and we've had dozens of leaders. We've still got 4-5 more days of meetings. Pray that God will continue to give the 4 men words of wisdom and encouragement for the leaders. Pray that He will also give them rest, as this is an incredibly wearing task for them. Our presence means so much to these people, even more than our words. It is an honor to be such an encouragement by simply being.
To be honest, I'm starting to hit the point where I am really missing parts of home. It is so wonderful here, yet being apart from my family and loved ones is hard. It's even harder to think that It's going to be quite a while until I see them again... or anything familiar. I had a dream last night that many of them had died in a horrible fire and it's really wearing on my heart. I ask your prayer for me and for them as we are apart for the next several weeks.
Many of your African brothers and sisters emphatically send their greetings and blessings. I also send my blessings and love.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Car rides and Chipote
What an adventure the last few days have been! I write you now buying internet at a coffee shop in Kitale, Kenya. Yesterday, after one last UN related meeting, Danny and I hopped into a truck with Mike and Shawn (Two of Danny's old Missionary Colleauges) and drove accross the country to Kitale. It was quite the bumpy ride, but I've been told it's been much worse.
Mike and Shawn are great guys. They are kind and funny and quite knowledgable in the things of God. I am so excited to spend the next week learning from them. Mike works with Good News Productions International, which is actually based out of Joplin, MO right next to CIY! He has worked all over the globe and has spent his life in faithful service to Christ and His gospel. Shawn is an incredible missionary who now lives in Uganda. He and his wife linda have been in Africa for the past 28 years. They have done so much ministry, it's amazing!
It's really great to see the three old friends back together. It reminds me of times with my good friends. Things don't really change... even over 30 years. They have such a tight fellowship.
Driving across the country was about all I could handle yesterday. It was my first time seeing the bredth of Poverty that runs across this country. It was (and is) really hard for me to handle. I just don't understand how it could all be like this. It's so.... foreign... and different. I'm being hit by the culture like a bat over the head. I'm not sure if it's horrible or wonderful? Or is it both? Either way, God is good and He is teaching me so much.
My Swahili is being put to the test for sure. I can now hear about 80% of conversations. I still haven't spoken much, but I'm working toward it. Danny and I stopped in Nakuru yesterday to get some Chipote (kinda like Tortillas) from a stand on the side of the road. We went up to the lady at the stand and Danny started talking with her and the 8 people around her. While she was getting us Chipote, they were commenting on Danny's good Swahili. They then asked if the white guy next to him could speak. Danny said I couldn't very much, to which the started saying "jaribu!" (have him try). They didn't know that I could understand what they were saying and I started to laugh. They were quite persistant that they wanted the young white guy to try speaking. So I did. And I did it without any prompting from Danny, cause I could understand what they were saying. I told them "Sisema, lakini nasikia kidogo." Which means, I can't speak, but I can hear a little bit." They laughed and told me good job, then Danny told them I'd only been in the country two days... to which they were all way surprised. They were quite happy with my work. It will be great to continue learning.
I now want to ask a few prayer requests of you. Entering the country and culture has been harder on me than I thought. There is so much and it's hard for me not to get overwhelmed. Ask God to help me process and understand what I can so I'm not to overwhelmed. Also, Jet Lag has hit me a bit. The last three nights I have woken up between 3-4 am and can't get to sleep. It's been giving me headaches and a bit of a fever occasionally. Pray that Danny and I can get on a regular sleep schedule. The early mornings make for good conversations with Danny and I. We've had about 2-3 hours of conversation before the sunrises the last couple of mornings, so that's been nice. However, I'm ready to be rested again.
Thanks for your prayer. God's moving.
Mike and Shawn are great guys. They are kind and funny and quite knowledgable in the things of God. I am so excited to spend the next week learning from them. Mike works with Good News Productions International, which is actually based out of Joplin, MO right next to CIY! He has worked all over the globe and has spent his life in faithful service to Christ and His gospel. Shawn is an incredible missionary who now lives in Uganda. He and his wife linda have been in Africa for the past 28 years. They have done so much ministry, it's amazing!
It's really great to see the three old friends back together. It reminds me of times with my good friends. Things don't really change... even over 30 years. They have such a tight fellowship.
Driving across the country was about all I could handle yesterday. It was my first time seeing the bredth of Poverty that runs across this country. It was (and is) really hard for me to handle. I just don't understand how it could all be like this. It's so.... foreign... and different. I'm being hit by the culture like a bat over the head. I'm not sure if it's horrible or wonderful? Or is it both? Either way, God is good and He is teaching me so much.
My Swahili is being put to the test for sure. I can now hear about 80% of conversations. I still haven't spoken much, but I'm working toward it. Danny and I stopped in Nakuru yesterday to get some Chipote (kinda like Tortillas) from a stand on the side of the road. We went up to the lady at the stand and Danny started talking with her and the 8 people around her. While she was getting us Chipote, they were commenting on Danny's good Swahili. They then asked if the white guy next to him could speak. Danny said I couldn't very much, to which the started saying "jaribu!" (have him try). They didn't know that I could understand what they were saying and I started to laugh. They were quite persistant that they wanted the young white guy to try speaking. So I did. And I did it without any prompting from Danny, cause I could understand what they were saying. I told them "Sisema, lakini nasikia kidogo." Which means, I can't speak, but I can hear a little bit." They laughed and told me good job, then Danny told them I'd only been in the country two days... to which they were all way surprised. They were quite happy with my work. It will be great to continue learning.
I now want to ask a few prayer requests of you. Entering the country and culture has been harder on me than I thought. There is so much and it's hard for me not to get overwhelmed. Ask God to help me process and understand what I can so I'm not to overwhelmed. Also, Jet Lag has hit me a bit. The last three nights I have woken up between 3-4 am and can't get to sleep. It's been giving me headaches and a bit of a fever occasionally. Pray that Danny and I can get on a regular sleep schedule. The early mornings make for good conversations with Danny and I. We've had about 2-3 hours of conversation before the sunrises the last couple of mornings, so that's been nice. However, I'm ready to be rested again.
Thanks for your prayer. God's moving.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Beautiful Trees and Barbwire
I don't have much time, but I wanted to let everyone know that Danny and I made it safe to Nairobi, Kenya! The trip over here was crazy! We experienced a day without night, saw the sunset over Greenland, rise over England. I looked out from the plane and saw the mountains of Germany and the Saharah Desert. We've been in and out of UN offices all day and even know I can hear the Muslim call for prayer out the window. It's so beautiful. The sights and sounds and tastes and touches are so many and all at once. We were walking down a road for a while this morning and I saw some of the most beautiful trees, yet they were all in gated houses with barbwire on the walls. It's crazy! I've got to go, but I wanted to give a quick update. I'll write again soon.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Our God Saves
I find it funny how much God uses music to communicate to me in my life. Today was one of those days. But before I tell about this, I am excited to give an update on something we will be doing this summer.
Over the last week, Traci and Danny have discovered a way in which we might be able to fill a need of some very dear friends of Traci. I struggle to find the ability to describe this situation in brief. A woman Traci has been working with has gone through unimaginable hardship in the past few years due to the evils of ethnic discrimination. She is from a people group that is one of the most hated in Eastern Africa. After going through some awful things in war, this woman and her children were taken to the refugee camp where awful things happened to them and those around them. During all of these events her and her three children were separated from her husband. After they received care for gunshot and shrapnel wounds, her and her children were able to come to America as refugees. Unfortunately through this process, she was separated from her husband and her 14-year-old brother.
The husband has spent the last year getting his paperwork together to come over and join his family. According to international law, he has every right to be considered a refugee. However, due to the fact the he is part of this hated ethnic group, he is encountering great difficulty with some of the officials. On top of this, some recent political developments in the country he is in his very life is now in danger. He has been given two options, both of which are death sentences because of the harsh ethnic discrimination This is where we come in.
God has some amazing timing. Danny and I are going to be arriving in Nairobi, Kenya on the 27th. The very next day, we are going to go into the Nairobi office of the United Nation High Commission for Refugees and plead this man’s case and try to get him transported over to Kenya so he can be taken out of the ethnically volatile area. We are going to try our hardest to push his situation and hopefully even get him sent over to be reunited with his family. We have the chance to be his voice and speak loudly on his behalf. This is an incredible opportunity to quite literally save this man’s life and reunite him with his family. What are the chances that we would get this connection the week before we leave to Africa? We serve a savior God.
This is where the music ties in. This morning at my church the worship team played a series of songs declaring how our God saves. The chorus of one of those songs was simply that: “Our God Saves.” As these words echoed in my head, and as I thought of the developments of the last week, I was struck by how true this statement is – and how true I need it to be this summer. We are getting ready to enter some situations that are really quite impossible. We are going to be trying to fight for our refugee friends in Lusaka and Nairobi. We are trying to make a difference in the lives of the poor and fatherless. We are trying to bring some light and love to some souls that may have not felt either for a long time. We are getting ready to enter some situations that could be potentially harmful to us. I am in such a need of a savior God. And there He is.
I ask now for your prayer. We are going up against some forces and quite frankly need a miracle for some of this to work out. I ask you to fight for us and on our behalf. Pray for us as we go to the UN. Pray for this man and his family as his life is at risk right now. Pray for us as we are starting to have our eyes opened to all that God wants to do this summer. It’s amazing to be a part of this man’s salvation. I look forward to learning about this core characteristic of our God as He works this summer. Blessings.P.S. We will be hoping on a plane in about 12 hours.... I look forward to writing to y'all in Africa!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
May in Missouri
Time is moving quickly. In less than a week, I will hop on a plane to travel to a countries I've never been to, cultures I've barely experienced, and peoples I have never met. These past few days, in the limbo between school ending and me leaving, have been filled with preparation. They have also been filled with a number of fears that Satan has been attacking me with.
I have been studying about the language and culture until my eyes grow weary and my head hurts, yet I still have no clue what I am getting into. I have been praying and reading and interacting with refugees in Boise, hearing their stories of hurt and pain, yet I have no clue of the gravity of suffering I am getting ready enter. God has been pulling together so many factors in my life, to the point of bringing almost $5,000 in from over 40 supporters, yet I still sometimes doubt that He is driving this whole summer. The physical, social, spiritual, and emotional problems we are going to be trying to help with this summer are insurmountable! Is what we are going to do even going to make a difference? I have no clue what I am getting into here.
I was reading a blog update that Traci Harrod made on the mission connections website (www.missionconnections.net) and was hit over the head with an illustration she used speaking of our summer. She quoted a song that we sang during mission emphasis week. The lyrics are as follows:
“If you say go, we will go.
Right now I am in the boat. A storm has started that makes May in Missouri look like childs play. And I hear a voice calling out over the roaring waves telling me to come. The voice is telling me to step out on the water. This picture has never made more sense to me than at this moment. There is so much inside of me telling me, "It's water stupid! You can't walk on water! You'll sink and drown!" I haven't a clue what I'm getting into... but He does. And so right now, and in every moment for the next 2 months, I am going to fix my eyes on Him and get out of the boat. Who knows, I may even walk on water.
I have been studying about the language and culture until my eyes grow weary and my head hurts, yet I still have no clue what I am getting into. I have been praying and reading and interacting with refugees in Boise, hearing their stories of hurt and pain, yet I have no clue of the gravity of suffering I am getting ready enter. God has been pulling together so many factors in my life, to the point of bringing almost $5,000 in from over 40 supporters, yet I still sometimes doubt that He is driving this whole summer. The physical, social, spiritual, and emotional problems we are going to be trying to help with this summer are insurmountable! Is what we are going to do even going to make a difference? I have no clue what I am getting into here.
I was reading a blog update that Traci Harrod made on the mission connections website (www.missionconnections.net) and was hit over the head with an illustration she used speaking of our summer. She quoted a song that we sang during mission emphasis week. The lyrics are as follows:
“If you say go, we will go.
If you say wait, we will wait.
If you say, ’step out on the water’
and they say it can’t be done…
We’ll fix our eyes on you
and we will come.”
Right now I am in the boat. A storm has started that makes May in Missouri look like childs play. And I hear a voice calling out over the roaring waves telling me to come. The voice is telling me to step out on the water. This picture has never made more sense to me than at this moment. There is so much inside of me telling me, "It's water stupid! You can't walk on water! You'll sink and drown!" I haven't a clue what I'm getting into... but He does. And so right now, and in every moment for the next 2 months, I am going to fix my eyes on Him and get out of the boat. Who knows, I may even walk on water.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Practice and Preparation
In two weeks from tomorrow I will be on a plane on my way to Kenya! Everyday, with every new detail, I get more and more excited for what is going to be a mind-blowing summer. My last month has been comprised of me asking Danny and Traci question after question after question in my pursuit to be as prepared as possible. I have been researching Kenyan, Tanzanian, and Zambian culture, customs, and geography with some ferocity. I've been cramming as much Swahili in my head as I can amidst the end of a school year. I am happy to say that I got to hear Danny and Traci carry on a conversation with one of their friends in Kenya via speaker phone and was able to understand about 50% of what they were saying. I'm still pretty slow, but I've been told that I am going to catch on pretty quickly in the first couple of weeks. I think after the first two week, when Justin and Jacob get there, I should be starting to get conversational and hopefully be able to translate for the other guys here and there. It's nice to be able to use my aptitude for languages to help our team out.
Mr. Harrod has been working hard to talk with missionaries for us to stay with in our journey throughout Tanzania and Zambia. Traci told me the other day that one of their friends from the international church in Boise has family in Tanzania that she really wants us to stay with. It would be such an amazing opportunity to be able to stay with native Tanzanians. It's also looking like our journey is going to take us through Dar es Salaam, which is the principle city of Tanzania and is predominately Muslim. It would be such an awesome experience to get to see the Muslim culture first hand!
Another exciting turn of events has been the addition of Jacob Vaden, one of my good friends from school, to our trip through Tanzania and Zambia. Originally Jake was only going to be able to join us at the end of June for our time in western Kenya, but do to his family's trip to Mexico being canceled because of the Swine Flu, he's going to join us! I am looking forward greatly to his companionship through that time.
Preparations are going along well. On Friday I finished up my Hep A and B shots. Today I started me malaria preventative medicine. As of today I'm only about $15o short of my needed funds! It's amazing to see how God has brought in $3900! That's so huge for me. He's trying to make sure I know that He's going to take care of me. Thank you to all of you who have helped make this happen! I can't thank you enough. Another more unusual provision was that of my friends Mike and Jen. Jen works at the North Face store here in Boise and they together took a chunk of their tax return and took me shopping at North Face. They bought me a good rain jacket (we are going during the raining season), a fleece, and a good sturdy pair of shoes! It was such a great gift and I am thankful to have such high quality gear to use while I'm there.
So much is unfolding. God is moving in some awesome ways. I'm being moved and taught so much even before I get there and I wish I could share it all. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment and I will get back to you! I'm going to post once more before I leave, and then I will post as regularly as I can get internet in Africa (which may be only once every 2 weeks or so). Please continue to pray as Danny, Jacob, Justin, and I enter our "summer of listening" in Eastern Africa! Mungu akubariki!
Mr. Harrod has been working hard to talk with missionaries for us to stay with in our journey throughout Tanzania and Zambia. Traci told me the other day that one of their friends from the international church in Boise has family in Tanzania that she really wants us to stay with. It would be such an amazing opportunity to be able to stay with native Tanzanians. It's also looking like our journey is going to take us through Dar es Salaam, which is the principle city of Tanzania and is predominately Muslim. It would be such an awesome experience to get to see the Muslim culture first hand!
Another exciting turn of events has been the addition of Jacob Vaden, one of my good friends from school, to our trip through Tanzania and Zambia. Originally Jake was only going to be able to join us at the end of June for our time in western Kenya, but do to his family's trip to Mexico being canceled because of the Swine Flu, he's going to join us! I am looking forward greatly to his companionship through that time.
Preparations are going along well. On Friday I finished up my Hep A and B shots. Today I started me malaria preventative medicine. As of today I'm only about $15o short of my needed funds! It's amazing to see how God has brought in $3900! That's so huge for me. He's trying to make sure I know that He's going to take care of me. Thank you to all of you who have helped make this happen! I can't thank you enough. Another more unusual provision was that of my friends Mike and Jen. Jen works at the North Face store here in Boise and they together took a chunk of their tax return and took me shopping at North Face. They bought me a good rain jacket (we are going during the raining season), a fleece, and a good sturdy pair of shoes! It was such a great gift and I am thankful to have such high quality gear to use while I'm there.
So much is unfolding. God is moving in some awesome ways. I'm being moved and taught so much even before I get there and I wish I could share it all. If you have any questions or comments, please leave a comment and I will get back to you! I'm going to post once more before I leave, and then I will post as regularly as I can get internet in Africa (which may be only once every 2 weeks or so). Please continue to pray as Danny, Jacob, Justin, and I enter our "summer of listening" in Eastern Africa! Mungu akubariki!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Yellow Fever and a Bus to Zambia
It's been a bit longer since my last post than I was hoping, but school (more specifically preview preparations) has kept me pretty busy the past few weeks. It has been a fairly eventful few weeks with my preparations for this summer. Last week, I got the first part of my immunizations. I went to the Travel Clinic at one of the local hospitals and got my shots for Yellow Fever and Typhoid. I think it's safe to say that they were some of the worst shots I've ever had. The Typhoid made my arm hurt for about 3 days, but that wasn't as bad as the Yellow Fever. From what I understand, when you get your Yellow Fever shot, it is actually injecting a mild form of the disease into your body and about 25% of people get moderately sick, and everyone gets a little sick. I'm not sure if I was moderate or less, but I did get a fever for the next 2 days and just felt kind of strange. I've got to go back in a few weeks and get 2 more shots (Hep A & B) and then I'll be done!
While going to this travel clinic was the cheapest option, it also provided for a unique element that I would not have gotten at another doctor's office. I was required to pay for and sit through a counseling session before I received my shots. A RN printed up a bunch of information and explained to me the different required and recommended immunizations for the different countries I will be in this summer. She talked me through the different symptoms and treatments of the various epidemics. After talking for about 45 minutes, we both determined that with the shots I was getting and the people I'm going with, I'm going to be relatively safe, medically speaking. I received both a valuable education and some confidence for going into this summer. The shots are turning out to be about $150 more than I thought they would be, but I'm confident that God will continue to provide what I need.
Over the past few weeks, Mr. Harrod has been working on an itinerary for our trip. There are still some details to be worked out logistically, but it looks like my summer is going to be broken down into the following:
May 26 - Leave Boise 10:15 am
May 27 - Arrive in Nairobi 7:05 pm
May 28-29 - Rest in Nairobi
May 30 - Travel by bus to Kitale
May 31-June 7 - Visit churches in the Kitale Area (I will be with Danny and his old missionary colleagues)
June 8 - Travel to Nairobi
June 9 - Pick up Justin Shulmire
June 10 - Leave for Zambia
June 10-27 in Tanzania and Zambia
June 28 - Pick up Jacob Vaden in Nairobi, Kenya
June 29-July 2 - Rest in Nairobi and visit the slum work in Nairobi with CMF
July 3 - Travel to Kitale
July 4-20 - In Kitale Region (With possible a short trip over to Uganda)
July 21- Travel to Nairobi
July 23 -Leave Nairobi 8:40 am
July 23 - Evening and next morning in Amsterdam
July 24 - Leave Amsterdam 3:30pm
July 24 - Arrive in Boise 11:17pm
Just typing that up gives me a new burst of excitement. An addition to our trip that has developed is a trip down through Tanzania into Zambia. A situation with some refugees right here in Boise has brought up the need for someone to travel to Zambia to get some paperwork for a young man who has had some incredible injustice done to him. Danny, Justin, and I are able to make that trip without incredible expense since we will already be in Africa this summer. By going down into Lusaka (the capitol of Zambia) we are able to bring freedom and hope to a young man in the states, and it is incredible to be a part of such a dramatic life change. It will also give me the experience of a life time to travel through 2 entirely unique countries into a different region of Africa. We will be traveling by public transport and staying with missionaries through out travels. It will be great to make so many connections and to see such different cultures and parts of the world. I am blown away by the greatness of this blessing. Bwana asifiwe!
Once again, there is so much more I could say about how God has been using my preparation for this summer to grow me and stretch me, but this is getting long enough, so I must finish. Continue to pray for my fundraising. Continue to pray for my cultural, linguistic, and spiritual preparations. I look forward to writing again soon. Be blessed!
While going to this travel clinic was the cheapest option, it also provided for a unique element that I would not have gotten at another doctor's office. I was required to pay for and sit through a counseling session before I received my shots. A RN printed up a bunch of information and explained to me the different required and recommended immunizations for the different countries I will be in this summer. She talked me through the different symptoms and treatments of the various epidemics. After talking for about 45 minutes, we both determined that with the shots I was getting and the people I'm going with, I'm going to be relatively safe, medically speaking. I received both a valuable education and some confidence for going into this summer. The shots are turning out to be about $150 more than I thought they would be, but I'm confident that God will continue to provide what I need.
Over the past few weeks, Mr. Harrod has been working on an itinerary for our trip. There are still some details to be worked out logistically, but it looks like my summer is going to be broken down into the following:
May 26 - Leave Boise 10:15 am
May 27 - Arrive in Nairobi 7:05 pm
May 28-29 - Rest in Nairobi
May 30 - Travel by bus to Kitale
May 31-June 7 - Visit churches in the Kitale Area (I will be with Danny and his old missionary colleagues)
June 8 - Travel to Nairobi
June 9 - Pick up Justin Shulmire
June 10 - Leave for Zambia
June 10-27 in Tanzania and Zambia
June 28 - Pick up Jacob Vaden in Nairobi, Kenya
June 29-July 2 - Rest in Nairobi and visit the slum work in Nairobi with CMF
July 3 - Travel to Kitale
July 4-20 - In Kitale Region (With possible a short trip over to Uganda)
July 21- Travel to Nairobi
July 23 -Leave Nairobi 8:40 am
July 23 - Evening and next morning in Amsterdam
July 24 - Leave Amsterdam 3:30pm
July 24 - Arrive in Boise 11:17pm
Just typing that up gives me a new burst of excitement. An addition to our trip that has developed is a trip down through Tanzania into Zambia. A situation with some refugees right here in Boise has brought up the need for someone to travel to Zambia to get some paperwork for a young man who has had some incredible injustice done to him. Danny, Justin, and I are able to make that trip without incredible expense since we will already be in Africa this summer. By going down into Lusaka (the capitol of Zambia) we are able to bring freedom and hope to a young man in the states, and it is incredible to be a part of such a dramatic life change. It will also give me the experience of a life time to travel through 2 entirely unique countries into a different region of Africa. We will be traveling by public transport and staying with missionaries through out travels. It will be great to make so many connections and to see such different cultures and parts of the world. I am blown away by the greatness of this blessing. Bwana asifiwe!
Once again, there is so much more I could say about how God has been using my preparation for this summer to grow me and stretch me, but this is getting long enough, so I must finish. Continue to pray for my fundraising. Continue to pray for my cultural, linguistic, and spiritual preparations. I look forward to writing again soon. Be blessed!
Monday, March 23, 2009
And So It Begins...
As of March 20th, Mr. Harrod and I officially have plane tickets that will take us to Nairobi, Kenya! God was so good to us on the price. We were able to get the tickets for $1,630 each! That's $300 less than we had expected! What a blessing. Our trip there will take us on May 26 through Minneapolis, then to Amsterdam, Netherlands, then to Nairobi. We will then take public transport to Kitale, which is about 11 hours from Nairobi. We are fortunate to have minimal layovers on our way there. Our return tickets go from Nairobi, back to Amsterdam. I was super excited to find out that we get to spend the evening and next morning in Amsterdam, seeing the sights and exploring a new culture on our way back. We will then make our way back through Minneapolis and get back to Boise on July 25. We are very blessed to have such providence with travel arrangements.
As mentioned above, we received a big break on the plane tickets, which is a huge blessing. Thank you to all of you who were praying for such an event to occur! As of today, I have received $2,140 in contributions to this trip. I've spent $115 on a passport, and $1,630 on a plane ticket thus far. With some of the recent price breaks we have been getting, my overall need of support is down to $4,200, and a minimum of $3,200 to go. That means I only need $1,000 more to leave the country, and $2,000 to be fully supported. Praise the Lord for such generous blessings! I ask your continued prayer as the financial support continues to come.
A turn of events that is somewhat sad for me has occurred in the past couple of weeks. Three of out Servant Team members are no longer able to come with us to Kenya this summer. Traci Harrod, one of the key leaders of the team, has been listening to the call of God in her own life and has deemed it wisest for her to stay in Boise. Danny and Traci have recently taken in a young refugee into their home and the thought of leaving this young man with no one to be with for the summer broke Traci's heart. After many weeks of prayer for several of us, she has decided to stay. With this decision, Leah and Brian Rupp, decided to stay in the U.S. as well. While we will greatly miss her presense and expertise this summer, this has not forced us to change our plans too dramatically. Danny and I will leave in the end of May, and will be joined mid-June by another young man from Oregon, Justin, and at the end of June by my good friend Jacob Vaden.
One exciting change that this does effect is what I will be doing during the first weeks that I am in Kenya. Danny and I will arrive in Nairobi, and after a day of rest will travel up to Kitale. From there we will meet up with the other 3 missionaries that Danny worked with in the 80s and 90s and go from church to church in the bush encouraging the congregations. It will be an rare and very exciting oppertunity to work with such vetrans in ministry and see the bredth of a work God has done through a few lives fully dedicated to Him.
There is much more I could write about, but this is getting rather lengthy, so for your sake I will cease ; ) God is teaching me so much more than I could have dreamed through the process of preparing for this summer. I can only imagine what will happen throughout when we actually hop on the plane. Keep praying!
As mentioned above, we received a big break on the plane tickets, which is a huge blessing. Thank you to all of you who were praying for such an event to occur! As of today, I have received $2,140 in contributions to this trip. I've spent $115 on a passport, and $1,630 on a plane ticket thus far. With some of the recent price breaks we have been getting, my overall need of support is down to $4,200, and a minimum of $3,200 to go. That means I only need $1,000 more to leave the country, and $2,000 to be fully supported. Praise the Lord for such generous blessings! I ask your continued prayer as the financial support continues to come.
A turn of events that is somewhat sad for me has occurred in the past couple of weeks. Three of out Servant Team members are no longer able to come with us to Kenya this summer. Traci Harrod, one of the key leaders of the team, has been listening to the call of God in her own life and has deemed it wisest for her to stay in Boise. Danny and Traci have recently taken in a young refugee into their home and the thought of leaving this young man with no one to be with for the summer broke Traci's heart. After many weeks of prayer for several of us, she has decided to stay. With this decision, Leah and Brian Rupp, decided to stay in the U.S. as well. While we will greatly miss her presense and expertise this summer, this has not forced us to change our plans too dramatically. Danny and I will leave in the end of May, and will be joined mid-June by another young man from Oregon, Justin, and at the end of June by my good friend Jacob Vaden.
One exciting change that this does effect is what I will be doing during the first weeks that I am in Kenya. Danny and I will arrive in Nairobi, and after a day of rest will travel up to Kitale. From there we will meet up with the other 3 missionaries that Danny worked with in the 80s and 90s and go from church to church in the bush encouraging the congregations. It will be an rare and very exciting oppertunity to work with such vetrans in ministry and see the bredth of a work God has done through a few lives fully dedicated to Him.
There is much more I could write about, but this is getting rather lengthy, so for your sake I will cease ; ) God is teaching me so much more than I could have dreamed through the process of preparing for this summer. I can only imagine what will happen throughout when we actually hop on the plane. Keep praying!
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