New things have been taking off here in Kenya! We've helped start a few small businesses over the past month. These businesses will help families generate a sustainable income and allow them to provide for themselves. It's been a difficult road to do this, but the rewards we are already seeing are amazing. Check out the video below so see a part of what we've been working on lately....enjoy!
"Listen..." I told the guy as we walked out of the grocery
store. "If you lied to me about having eight children, what's happened in your
past, or not being able to find work...I Don't Care. But please use the food we just bought for something
good. You said you needed it and
that you didn't even want money, so don't sell it to get money for drugs or
alcohol. If you don't need the
food, bless someone else with it.This is a gift from God and not from me. Got it?" He
said yes. As we parted, he asked
me another question and then he was gone.
Over time you can get pretty calloused living as a
missionary. People ask you for
money, food, and everything else you can think of, ALL THE TIME. I've noticed a change in my demeanor
since I arrived in Kenya four months ago.I used to listen to people's stories and be moved by their plight. But after learning and seeing how the
vast majority of these people are con artists, I've become more closed off. As soon as I'm approached now, I don't
trust the person and I go into the conversation already saying "no" in my
mind.
So, I expected this conversation to be nothing out of the
ordinary. I would listen for a
minute and then tell him that I wasn't going to give him money and that I had
to go. But something was
different. Something inside of me
really felt for this guy. I felt
like God was saying help him. So,
we talked for a bit and then he made his plea. He said he didn't want money, but he needed food to feed his
family. I told him I'd help him
out and then we headed down the street.
We walked in to the grocery store and this guy was eyed by
security and workers as we walked around.It was obvious he was dirt poor and wouldn't normally shop there. He proceeded to pick out the largest
bag of everything we were buying and my initial reaction was to go for the more
economical choice. However, I
heard God whisper...get him the best.
As we checked out and got ready to part ways, he asked me a
question. He asked if I needed my
receipt as he tried to grab it from my hand. I put it in my pocket and told him yes; then we parted. Soon after, I realized what had
happened. He wanted the receipt so
he could go back to the store and return the items we had just bought to get
the money. That hurt...I was angry...I
wanted to punch this guy and teach him a lesson. This is why I don't do things like that! I hate being taken advantage off and
being lied to.
And then God whispered to my heart again...
"I told you to buy him that food."
Me: "But I
don't understand why. Why would You
ask me to buy food for someone who is crooked? What if he sold the food and
bought drugs or alcohol?"
God: "What if? So what? You do
what I place on your heart, and let me worry about the details."
Me: "That's
hard for me to do though...especially if I feel manipulated. Especially if I get taken advantage
off."
Then I realized that God was revealing more of His heart to
me. He was letting me feel His
frustration and pain because of how many people take advantage of Him and the
gift he has given to us. How He
feels our pain when we hurt one another and don't love each other well. And that's a hard place to be...but
it puts things back into perspective.
Death....it's not a topic you probably see a lot of blogs
written about.It's probably not
even a topic you think about much until you're faced with it.Whether it's a family member, a friend,
or even yourself....we tend to put of thinking about death until we have to.
But death should be something we think about well before we're
forced to.Certain topics make us
take a step back, evaluate, and then move forward...possibly in a new
direction.I think death is one of
those realities that can alter our perception and change our priorities.
One of my friends just had a family member pass away and
it's a hard thing to deal with...especially when you're thousands of miles apart
from where everything is taking place and where you can connect with loved
ones.A couple days ago we all sat
together and listened as my friend told stories from the memories he shared
with this family member.Some of the
stories were funny and some were sobering, but all of them pointed to the
character in the person that he had loved.
As we sat and were faced with the reality of a life ending,
it made us look at our own families and our own lives.I thought about the legacy I would
leave.About how people would
remember me.About the people that
are close to me and not knowing when any of our lives will end.
John 12:24...
"Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it
remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."
The kingdom of God usually works backwards to the way
everything else does.When I hear
about someone dying, I think of an end.But in the kingdom...it's really the beginning.When I hear of someone dying, I think of how life is
over.But in the kingdom...it's the
start of something new.
In the midst of death there is hope and there is life....yes,
life.When Jesus went to the
cross, He knew that His death would bring us life.He knew that in order to bring freedom, He had to willing
lay down His life.
We can sit and think about what our legacy will be.We can think about what people will say
about us after we're gone.We can
try to live a better life and make it more meaningful.But I'm reminded of the kernel of wheat
and the lesson I think we need to learn from it.It brought life and multiplied its impact by dying.
So the question is...do you wait till your physical death to
hope for an impact, or do you die to yourself today, tomorrow and the next day
to bring life into places that need it?The challenge isn't to live so your death will be remembered, but to
live so your physical death won't be the first death you've experienced.
I wanted
to give a quick update with how things are going here in Kenya and where we are
heading.We've been here about
three months and things started off slow, but now that we've layed a
foundation, we are starting to see things take off.
First,
and arguably most important, the water situation.Camp Jekazi, another IDP camp about 2 kilometers from Camp
Tumaini, now has a borehole that's almost 1000 feet deep with water around 140
degrees F. It's taken a long time but the now have a pump that can get this
water to the surface.Pipe has
been installed from Jekazi to Tumaini and now we are trying to get some last
minute things fixed and worked out so that Tumaini can get water in the take
they have at their camp!
Second,
we have started numerous conversations with members in the camps about
micro-finance loans.We are having
conversations with individuals about their vision, what's realistic, and how we
can support them in getting back up on their feet.This is a hard process and we are trying to figure it out as
we go.We've already approved one
and started a women going with a small duka (shop) where she sells fruits,
vegetables, soap, tea and other items.It's really taking off and she is making enough to expand the business
and make a decent wage.
Third, we
are still in conversation with Habitat for Humanity about getting homes built
for camp members.Things are
looking good and we are hopeful that at the beginning of next year the process
could be underway. There is a lot of paperwork and information that we are
trying to gather to make this happen, so we have been meeting with government
officials and other people to make this process move forward.
Fourth,
the charcoal business is still getting underway.We have built a small press and are experimenting with
different ingredients for the best briquette.We are having trouble getting cohesion, and are realizing we
are going to need to build something to shred the materials.If anyone has a way to build a
man-powered shredder, chipper, mulcher....let me know...seriously!
Fifth,
shortly after getting here we found out there was already a women's sewing
school that was for IDP women.Instead of trying to start another one, we have been helping out with
the one that's already in place.We are trying to see what partnering with them could look like and how
we can further the visions we each have.
Well....there
is a lot more going on of course...with all the , but that's a quick highlight of the main
things we are seeing happen.Hope
this helps you understand what we're working on and how you can be praying for
us.If you have any questions....let
me know!
Last week I shared about some of the consequences I've seen
from short-term solutions to cycles of poverty.I've seen it play out time and time again now that we
are living in Kenya, and it's a frustrating thing.
I look at the people in the camps we are here to help and
serve, and there is huge gap between us...not just because we are from different
countries, look a little different, or have access to different resources...those
are a given.The gap I'm seeing
more and more is the one that's been created by people trying to help.
I get frustrated with people in the camps because they lie,
cheat, steal, and manipulate us.I
have so much trouble wrapping my mind around why they would do things like
this.I mean, we are here to help!
The longer I live here and the more I get to truly know the people though, I am
starting to understand this scenario more.
I started to ask myself, "If I was in their place, what
would I do? "Here is what they know:They have lived in utter poverty for
years without any sign that things will get better.Foreigners come to visit, usually bringing food or clothes,
and then leave as quickly as they showed up.They are then left alone till someone else comes and
gives another handout.
If this is the cycle I have known in my life, I think I
would react the same way.I would say
and do whatever I needed to so I could get to the front of the line, get the
most stuff, and suck the foreigners dry before they packed it all up and headed
back to their lives of abundance.
So what do you do?
We are trying to break down some of these perceptions and
show that we aren't here to give handouts, we are here for more than a few days
or weeks, and that we love them and aren't going to turn our backs on them.
It's easy to point a finger at short-term missions and say
that it's the problem and we need to do away with it....but we know that's not
the solution.Short-term missions
has it's place...heck, it's the reason I am here and a lot of others are serving
overseas.But we've twisted
short-term missions into something it was never intended to be or do.It's become more of a hobby, vacation,
or something to put on a resume.
Short-term missions isn't the answer to long term problems
or cycles poverty.It's an awakening
tool for those who feel the call of God on their lives to go.It's a chance to see the cost of a life
devoted to God and loving others in a new location. It's a stepping-stone to ask God if He would have you commit to
a location, people, or certain ministry.
I know this hits people in a lot of different places and I've
made some gross generalizations...but it's the essence of what we're dealing with
here.
I was in shock by the scene I had just watched unfold.I was saddened.I was discouraged.I was angry.I saw a vast disconnect I had suspected in my mind,
but when it played out in reality, it had the weight of the WORLD behind
it.The scene happened a few weeks
ago and went something like this...
We had just walked an hour and a half down to the Internally
Displaced People camps in Maai Mahiu, Kenya.As we arrived we were greeted by the normal mass of kids
with no shoes, tattered clothes, and empty stomachs.We walked through the camp and came upon a gathering of
people in one of the open fields.A common occurrence was underway and we came just at the end of it.A group of foreigners had come on a bus
to distribute food to hungry people in the area.I sat down with some of the kids maybe 25 yards away from
the action.
I watched as the Kenyans encircled the food consisting of
maize, cooking oil, and beans.The
foreigners whipped out their cameras and took photos as they started to load
the bus to return to their accommodations for the night.Women danced and sang for the cameras
to show their appreciation.I saw
the foreigner's faces light up and smile as they waved and drove away.They looked like they had just saved
the world...or at least everyone they just captured in the photos they would show
people at home.But the truth
was...they hadn't.
Within minutes of their departure I watched the group that
had encircled the food erupt.People were upset.People
were yelling at one another.They
were trying to figure out how to distribute the food...how it could be done
fairly.... realizing there wasn't that much to go around and it wouldn't sustain
them for long.Scarcity.They were well aware this was only a
temporary fix.
But the foreigners never got to see these events
unfold.They drove off on top of
the world and got to tell stories about how they had done a great dead and made
a positive change.But the picture
I saw was another short-term solution keeping the poor in a cycle of dependency.They hadn't been given any tools to
provide for themselves for tomorrow.They had been taught that once again, some random group of people will
see them in their plight and give them food or money so they don't have to
work....they just have to wait.
See how the two pictures are completely different?
I was saddened...I was discouraged...but most of all I was angry.I was angry with them for coming.I was angry they had an incomplete
picture of what happened and what it means to help.I was angry because....because....I saw myself in them.I have played the same role my whole
life.Whether it's through giving
money and thinking it will solve the problem, or going on short-term mission
trips and not caring about the long term impacts of my actions, or just not
understanding a culture and adding to the problem.
This is what our team is dealing with now....years of a broken
aid programs that were designed to make the missionaries feel better about
themselves with little regard for the ones they were supposed to be serving.
I'll tell you more about how this plays out next week....
Have you ever found yourself in a place and realized you
don't remember how you got there?It's
happened to me before when I'm driving.I get to wherever I was going and think...I don't remember making any
turns, stopping at lights, or passing any landmarks.I don't remember blacking out, but I wonder if it could have
happened.Most of the time it
occurs because I'm deep in thought about something.And while this isn't that big of a deal (besides the risk I
pose to other drivers), it reminds me of how a similar situation can happen in
our lives if we're not careful. We wake up one morning and start to question
how we got to where we are. We take a look at our lives and realize we've been
going along with things and have gotten to a place we don't even want to
be.
It's easy to get caught in the motions of life and forget
what we are doing, why we are doing it, and if we even believe in it.But that doesn't mean we have to
continue on the path we've found ourselves on.Although we may not be where we want or expected, we have
the power to make conscious decisions to change that direction.
The direction we would like to go though may not seem like a
wise decision.I have ideas and
thoughts all the time that I dismiss because they are too crazy, seem too
difficult, or it's not the conventional way of doing it.I'm learning that that's Ok...in fact;
it's probably a good thing.
I'm constantly learning that there is always a bigger story
at work.There are things in
motion that can't be seen.There
is a vision of what could be and a gap between the here and now, and the yet to
come.And that gap is waiting for
people to span it.
It is beckoning people who aren't afraid to see something
more than the reality everyone faces everyday.It is waiting for someone who will say they can see the
potential...they can see it in perfection...they can see it the way God sees
it.That's what we need.People who see a different world, a
different Christianity, a different way of following Christ...not because they
want to be different, but because they are different.
Forget the manuals, the roadmaps, the planning everything to
a T...and start using the creativity He gave you, start thinking in terms that
don't make sense, start trusting in a God who does the impossible.
The norm we are used to is pathetic.It underestimates everything, trusts in
no one, and waits to be disappointed.That's a sad existence.I
don't want to live there...and while it sounds stupid to live in that place, the
reality is...it's comfortable.There
aren't a lot of risks to take and you don't have to think for yourself very
often.You can navigate through
life and not get your hands dirty or worry about too much.So if that's your goal...to follow the
masses and arrive at death safely...go for it.You'll have a lot of company on your journey.
But if you're not satisfied with the status quo, let's start
by waking up and pursuing something different. Let's get on the path that's going upstream, the path that
may not look clear or defined at times, the path that will undoubtedly terrify
us more often than not...but remember, it's a path filled with passion, life
and freedom.
Jesus knows exactly what's coming...his death.A group of soldiers and officials come
to arrest him and he calmly waits knowing what is about to happen.When they arrive Jesus asks them who
they are looking for and they respond, "Jesus of Nazareth."When he tells them he is Jesus of
Nazareth, they fall to the ground.They fall to the ground!
After they pick themselves up, they proceed in trying to
arrest Jesus.Peter grabs his
sword and strikes one of the men, cutting off his ear.Instead of this turning into a fight,
Jesus diffuses the situation not by reasoning with the mob or by apologizing
for Peter's actions, but by restoring what's been damaged and giving himself to
them.He touches the man's ear,
heals it completely and then allows himself to be arrested.
When I read this story I get a little confused and wonder
how much else is going on outside the words that I read.I don't understand how the events
transpired and the officials still went through with arresting Jesus.I mean, if you fall over when He speaks
to you and then heals a guys ear right in front of you, wouldn't that make you
question if you really need to go through with arresting him?
I wonder how hard their hearts had to be to see and
experience the evidence they did and still not believe.If nothing else, I would expect
the man who had his ear healed to speak up and say something.But it's as if nothing happened and
they continue along with what they came to do.
Do you ever hear a story like this and think...how did they
not get it?How are they so blind
and stupid as to not see what was right in front of them?I know I think that.But usually when I start thinking this
way, God reminds me that I'm just as dumb and blind.There are so many things in my life that God is doing right
in front of me that I....for some reason...choose not to see.He is at work all around us, and
whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, it doesn't change the facts that
it's true.
Maybe God chose to let them be blind so his son could
continue with his mission.Maybe
they were so wrapped up in themselves that they couldn't see anything bigger
their assignment.Maybe....maybe...maybe.I'm not sure what the reasoning is, but
I know that without God's help I am in a similar situation.I need God's help in seeing him.I need him to open my eyes, ears, and
heart to acknowledge what he is doing and how I can get over myself and my own
agenda. I need to continually readjust
myself and my vision to follow his lead.
I'm not talking about a physical strength or a control
someone can force on others. I'm talking about a power that rises up to break
people free from the things that oppress them. Spiritual, mental, emotional,
physical chains that aren't supposed to be on people. There has to be a power
that can set those people free. A power that breaks the chains of bondage and
gives a way to new life.
Is this power something we can produce on our own? Is it
something that requires the right steps to lead someone through, does it take a
book to teach us how to use it, does it require a certain level of education to
know how to apply it?
I think it has more to do with faith than education. I think
has more to do with hope than information found in a self-help book. I think it
has more to do with love than a step-by-step checklist.
But that's not how we want to function. We want to have
things planned out and eliminate as many risks as possible. We want to know the
outcome if we follow the prescribed steps. We want the easiest road possible to
get to our destination.
Because the reality is....faith, hope and love are messy
things. They don't have clear boundaries and formulas for how to apply them.
They leave room for interpretation. They leave room for errors and forgiveness,
for pain and joy, for sacrifice and healing....and ultimately, they leave room
for something bigger than ourselves.
It takes the focus off "us" and puts it on others.
We need a power that doesn't fit into the box we've created for it. We
need a power that's rooted in the Gospel. When I read the stories found in the gospels, I see
this power everywhere. Every interaction Jesus had with a person was a display
of His Father's power.Healings
broke out, lives were transformed, and something shifted in others.
This power is still available to us today.For some reason we've categorized
things and told ourselves they don't happen today the way they did in Jesus'
time.And we've bought into this
lie and are living powerless lives.But the world is broken, hurting and dying.It doesn't need another kind word or humanitarian
organization.It needs people that
are alive and living out the gospel.People who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to change things in this world.People who live out their faith, know
the hope that Christ offers, and love unconditionally.
This is the POWER that I am talking about.I need this power....you need this
power...the world is desperate for this power.God...please remind us of what a life filled with your power
looks like.
In a perfect world, our team would own a car by now and be
able to drive from where we live to the IDP camps we are working in.However, as I'm sure you're well aware,
we don't live in a perfect world.So we have to make due with what we have while we wait.And what we have instead of a vehicle
is our legs.Yep, our alternative
is to hike the hour and a half or two-hour journey, each way, to the camp.
AWe do live on the side of the mountain, so the trek can be a
little tiring, but it's good to be able to walk and not be totally reliant on a
vehicle to get us there.Today we
walked to the camps to check on some projects that people started there and to
spend time and build relationships with people.
When we arrived we saw a large group of white people (which
is unusual) congregated in one area.We went to investigate and found a group of volunteers that were there
for a week to help build homes with Habitat for Humanity.When I say "homes" though, you have to
understand that these are very simple, stone and cement buildings with no
electricity or running water, but they do provide a solid structure for
families to live in and be out of the weather.We talked to them for a while before moving on and finding a
large group of Kenyans congregated around a pallet of ugali (a cornmeal mixture
that is similar to thick grits).A
group of nuns had dropped it off and now everyone was trying to figure out how
to distribute it fairly amongst everyone present.
All of these things were happening in the main IDP camp in
Maai Mahiu.That is where most of
the help goes since there are a large number of families there.However, camp Tumaini, the camp we are
working with, doesn't typically receive this type of help.They are a smaller camp and are
recessed farther back from the road so they are less visible....but they're in
worse shape.
We made our way to camp Tumaini, and as is typical, we were
greeted by numerous kids that wanted to practice their English, hold our hands,
and walk with us wherever we were going.We made our rounds saying hello to people and catching up.It had rained the night before, so many
people were working on their small farming plots.Patch and I jumped right in, grabbed a hoe, and helped to
plow Ann's garden where she is trying to grow sweet potatoes.She is a single mom, has six kids,
health problems and is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met.After we helped her for a while she
insisted that we eat lunch with her.This is always a hard thing to do for me because I know she struggles to
get food for herself and her kids, but culturally it is rude to refuse an offer
like that.So we sat in her tarp
home and ate mashed potatoes with small amounts of corn and beans mixed in.Her children ate with us and we laughed
and smiled together as we ate.Before
we left we prayed with her.
Helping out in Ann's garden.
It's hard to live here and see the poverty, needs, and all
the help people are in need of, but there is a hope underlining it all.Our hearts were heavy today, but we left
that camp encouraged.Ann's life
is anything but easy.However, she
still presses on.She still trusts
that God is her provider and healer.She still looks to Him for her daily strength.Her life....her story...encourages me to do the same.