Monthly Archives: September 2010

No one told them to do it…

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“No one told them to do it. But they begged and pleaded with us to let them share in this service for God’s people.  And they gave in a way we did not expect: They first gave themselves to the Lord and to us. This is what God wants.” 2 Corinthians 8:3-5 NCV

Wow!  When was the last time I “begged and pleaded” for anything…let alone “service for God’s people”.  I heard in a movie the other day “yes you’re serving in our church (it was in a low income area) but you have the look of a convicted man doing time.”  Man, I’m getting hit on all sides here…I’m not begging or pleading and sometimes I feel like I’m convicted, and not in that Holy Spirit kind of conviction way.

There are days when I just want to crawl onto my couch and veg in front of the tv…which would be a feat in itself since we have no tv antenna, only DVD movies and Seinfeld (which I’m that close to finishing what I have).  Anyway…

What a lesson to be learned – not to be told to do something but to do it out of the love Christ showed us.  It’s a lesson I continually need reminded of and God reminds me why I should be begging and pleading to share in the service to Him in various ways :

the joy a child shows when given a gift of a new mattress,

a smile received when you say “jambo”,

little one’s hands reaching out to hold yours,

the knowledge that each and every day the kids are eating because of the Lord’s providence.

There are so many other daily reminders but it’s the Holy Spirit opening my eyes to them that brings the lesson to life.

Days like these

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There are days when I feel like:

but I know on those days God is working on me – even more so because my mind is quiet and I can truthfully say the Holy Spirit is directing my thoughts.

It may be a great blog post – the great ones are always from Him!

Or maybe an insightful meaning into a deep scripture verse – they’re all deep but my small mind can only handle so much meaning at once!

Perhaps it’s just plain and simple rest in Him – which is a much more restful rest than any nap!

Why am I surprised?

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Today Chuck is traveling to parts unknown (at least until he met the pastor he was going with!)  I’m not sure why I seem to be more anxious here than in the States about travel…maybe the stories I’ve heard regarding police stops, car jacking, poisonings, muggings, no help from police etc. have taken hold of my thoughts.  Last night as I was thinking of Chuck traveling today I began to get…you guessed it…anxious.  Questions of would he be ok, what if he’s in an accident and many others began to fill my mind.  Then the Holy Spirit brought this verse to mind:

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.  2 Corinthians 10:4-6

I admit not the whole verse came to mind, basically “take captive every thought” ran through my mind and that’s exactly what I did.  I asked God to take my thoughts and make them His, bind satan in his attempt to infiltrate my mind and move my thoughts back to God’s glory.  You know what happened?  The thoughts were gone instantly and it was like I couldn’t even remember what I was thinking about.  The peace of Christ filled my mind and I went to sleep peacefully.

Should I be surprised?  No, but I am sometimes still surprised to find God is real, He answers prayer, His promises are true and He continues to be ever present in my life even when I turn my back on Him.  It’s one of those surprises I’m happy to see but I’m praying it will become more an expectation of what God can and will do instead of surprising me!

Mattresses and mosquito nets…hooray!

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What a weekend!  It was busy but such a blessing.

Saturday we went to Mercy to put up mosquito nets and hand out new mattresses!

Mwikali shows off her new mosquito net!

Pius loves his new mattress!

Then Sunday it was Nice View’s turn for new mattresses and burning the old ones!

waiting patiently for his new mattress

She slept on this...doesn't seem like much of a mattress, does it?

Now she'll sleep comfortably!

Taking the pieces of this mattress to the burning pile

Checking out the new mattress and it feels good!

Good riddance...thank God for new mattresses!

A big THANK YOU to all who helped make this weekend possible for these kids.  After everyone had their mattress Jane, she teaches at the Academy and also lives on campus, came and said how happy the kids were.  She was close to tears telling me how bad she felt seeing them sleeping on thin, torn or even no mattress (simply sleeping on the wire frame) but now they will sleep comfortably.  May the Lord bless you for your act of kindness to the kids at Mercy and Nice View…a mattress and mosquito net has blessed these kids immensely, thank you!

Promised photos

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To start things off I’ll show you where we ate lunch while in Nairobi on Thursday.  We ran into a friend (God must have wanted us to meet because this was a miracle to run into her) Veronica and she wanted to treat us to lunch…thanks Veronica!

First you order how  many kg’s of meat you want and the type (beef, goat, chicken at least I think there was chicken available).  Veronica ordered for us and she got beef, goat and a mixture for a total of 3kg’s for 7 people.  After ordering you sit down and wait for the butcher to bring out the meat, which he cuts at your table:

It was my first experience at nyama choma (roasted meat) and if you read my earlier post a bit of a challenge for me.  However I did find it tasty and thanked Veronica for the new experience!

Now for the photos I promised last Thursday…

For most of the kids who even had mattresses this is what they looked like – some just rolled up in a blanket and slept on the wire.

Now they’ll have brand new foam mattresses!  Thank you donors…you know who you are and so does God!

Here are the “mattress helpers”!  They worked together to count, haul and stack the mattresses so now they are ready to be handed out…photos of that coming soon since we are handing them out today!

Then we delivered exercise books (like composition books) to Stella, the head mistress at the Academy.  The wind was blowing them out of the wheelbarrow so we got someone to help out.  She may seem a bit shy but she was extremely excited to help!

Then I was off to visit Class 8 to get a class photo…please pray for these students as they prepare for their final exam.

Chuck handed out sweets to the Class 4 students (he handed out to the lower classes the day before) but these little ones were trying to “encourage” him to give them another one.

Lunch time and pals were hanging out.

At the end of the day the bus was filled to capacity for it’s final run (out of 3) for the day.  This bus is VERY old, it is usually in the shop daily for repairs (just the other day the water pump needed replaced) and has rolled its odometer 3 times!  Needless to say the Academy is in need of another reliable bus.

Once the campus had settled down from the school day, the girls began hauling water to their dorm area for bathing.

It was a busy day but a good day.  We thank God for everyone who helped and continues to help Saved By God’s Grace, when He moves you to donate that helps us to work on the next item on God’s to-do list for the children here in Kenya.

Friday’s Child: A Chance to Support an Impoverished Child in Kenya

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Mbinya Kitele (Child No. 125)

Mbinya lives with her mother Mary who is unemployed.  Her father lives in Nairobi and visits sometimes. 

She has one brother. 

Mbinya’s favorite color is red and she likes to play hide and seek. 

Her favorite class is Kiswahili because it is not hard for her.  Her least liked class is science because it is hard for her. 

Mbinya’s duties at home include fetching fire wood and washing utensils.  She enjoys doing her homework in the evening.

Mbinya is among several children who are ready for sponsorship.  To choose a child to sponsor, please visit our Sponsorship Gallery.

Wait and see

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Yesterday was an exciting day…full of photos, but you’re going to have to wait until next week to see them because today we are traveling to Nairobi.

  • We got mattresses
  • Washing stations are almost complete
  • Nick helped shell peas

Just to name a few things that happened yesterday and I got pictures!

The one thing I did not get a picture of was my ride in a wheel barrow, you’ll have to use your imagination for that one.

Thanks to all who helped make the mattresses a success – we hand them out Saturday and the kids are excited to get them!

Mysophobia

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- according to dictionary.com it is an “abnormal fear of or distaste for uncleanliness or contamination” and I believe I have a slight case of it.  Back in the States I disinfected just about everything in my house…door knobs, telephones, keyboards, hands etc. and I attempt to do the same thing here in Kenya.  However, living here during the dry season makes for an extremely dusty environment and efforts to keep things clean are difficult to say the least.

This “condition” also makes traveling a difficult endeavor for me and something I’m struggling with right now.  I hate to always compare “back in the States” but that is what I grew up with and became accustomed to for 47 years so…back in the States I loved traveling.  Getting in the truck and heading out, stopping along the way at various truck stops for potty breaks, snacks or just to stretch our legs.  Finding a hole in the wall eating establishment and trying the local fare.

In Kenya, not so much.  First the roads are full of pot holes and makes for a very uncomfortable ride and makes me car sick.  No rest stops along the way (that I’ve seen) – I’ve witnessed enough guys using the side of the road to last a lifetime so I usually make sure I go before we leave and pray we get to our destination before I really have to go again.  (sorry if that was way too much info!)  Eating along the way consists of what I carry and then waiting until we reach our destination to eat, not really an issue just another difference.

All that said we don’t just get in the truck and head out here, we have a specific place we are heading and know what to expect once there.  But it looks like we may be traveling to unknown areas in November (I know that’s a long way off but believe me I may need that long to allow God to get the idea in my head and heart that it is something I must do).  What food will be there?  Will I be able to buy bottled water?  Toilet facilities?  Sleeping quarters?  These questions and more are already making me anxious and I’ve been praying for peace and direction in this area.

And one morning I got hit between the eyes when reading my devotional…

You must refuse to consult your own case and well-being. You must be crucified, not only in desires and habits which are sinful, but in many more which appear innocent and right.

If you would bear much fruit, you must be buried in darkness and solitude.

Am I justifying not going because it appears to be “innocent and right”?  I admit, this is a tough one for me.  Sometimes I feel like a little kid stamping my feet, saying “I don’t want to go!”  But today I’m praying these promises from God while He chips away the disobedience I feel right now -

Deuteronomy 28:1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.

John 14:23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him

Exodus 23:25 Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you

Wash your hands!

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Waiting for the day I can say this to the students at Nice View and it looks to be very soon!

To the far left is the 6-station washing area and to the right is the latrine.  Imagine, now the students can wash their hands after using the toilet and wash before eating.  I’m so excited for this!  The kids will hear me saying “don’t forget to wash your hands”, “go wash your hands” or “clean your face” throughout the day.

Another station is near the kitchen.  On the far left is the kitchen and the 4-station washing area on the right (being constructed).  This will be used for the little ones to wash their hands before eating, after using the toilet and washing their lunch dishes.

There is also water being piped to the kitchen and a sink is being installed.  Now the kitchen will have running water and the kids won’t need to carry water there.  Plus Ann, the Academy cook, will be able to wash the pots and pans right there instead of, again, having water brought to the kitchen for washing.

What a blessing and how thankful I am the Academy has access to water!

BE QUIET!

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I admit it, I sometimes raise my voice to the kids at Nice View.  I raised my voice when I was home all day with my own 4 and Saturday movie night is no exception since I’m around 99 kids.  And that’s if only the boarders are there, sometimes we have day scholar students stop by which takes the number to about 109!

It was the end of the evening, we finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, prayed for the evening and then dismissed everyone to bed.  We had desks around the door so there was just a little, tiny path for students to get out the door.  I tried several times to tell someone to take a desk outside so we’d have a bigger pathway, but no one was listening.  They simply wanted to get out in whatever fashion they could…over desks, over each other and squeeze out the door.  I finally had enough and told everyone to just stop where they were and yes my voice was raised at this point.  Once I had every one’s attention though I was able to get a couple of kids to remove desks so the path was wider.  

I see where I went wrong too (after discussing it with Chuck), next week I’ll access the situation before anyone gets up to leave, make any necessary requests then have everyone leave in an orderly fashion.  Let’s see how that works.

Whew!  I’m not trying to be hard on them just to be a jerk (although they may think I am, just like my own kids did at times!).  I want these kids, as I wanted my own, to be respectful human beings.  Am I asking too much of them to be courteous to each other and to me?  I don’t think so…getting them to really understand what it means to love your neighbor as yourself is a life lesson and one these kids can learn by living harmonously together at Nice View.