Leaving town

Just a quick post to say that we will be travelling 'up country' to Kitere (again) and anticipate returning to Nairobi mid July.

As there is no electricity where we are staying, I will not be updating my blog during that time frame. I will take plenty of pictures while gone and give a full report upon my return.

Please pray for safe journey, fruitful ministry and many blessings to all we meet and work with. We will be conducting an HIV/AIDS community awareness forum and will be speaking at several schools in the area, while we are there.

Sunday the 24th of June

Today we heard an excellent sermon, at Glory Outreach Assembly, based on Ezekiel 36:22-32. The pastor talked about having a "new walk with the Lord"...it was quite reminiscent of the sermon we heard last week about new beginnings. She spoke of how sometimes we experience a dryness or tastelessness with the Lord - our zeal for being close to the Word of God lessens. She instructed us to shed any baggage - resentment, guilt, offenses and to get 'back to the basics' to renew our relationship with the Lord.

From there we visited Maggy's church, Nairobi Gospel Centre, to watch a presentation on HIV/AIDS. Maggy is involved with a group for women infected with the virus. Their presentation was excellent. It started with a documentary that powerfully showed the effects of HIV/AIDS on a community near Lake Victoria. Then they performed a short skit about how we tend to stigmatize those diagnosed with the virus. Maggy than spoke for several minutes, educating us on the facts of HIV/AIDS - what it is, how it is transmitted, and how it is not transmitted. There was so much more, but we started late and then ran out of time to talk about nutrition and other important aspects of 'living positively'.

Here is Maggy giving her portion of the presentation. Denise and I agree she is a natural! She is so self assured and earlier she had led praise and worship with style!

Maria helped us to realize that even if you think you could never get the virus (which she had experienced) you can. She heads a project to help women 'live positively' and speaks to groups about how to manage the disease.

This picture you get for free! I could not resist snapping this shot of a young boy 'jamming' on the drum set on the stage at Nairobi Gospel Centre. While we were waiting for the presentation to begin several children were checking out the instruments, but this little guy is a natural!

"We are having an adventure!"

That is what I kept saying this morning as we road in a rather broken down taxi we found at a car repair place (mechanic's shop might make it sound more glamorous that it is)...maybe I should start at the beginning...

I had an appointment with the eye doctor this morning to check out my left eye - I was having some vision problems and decided it would be a good idea to take care of it...

Before we even left the car port, Denise knew something was up with the clutch...we limped into the Total station several blocks from home only to find out that the mechanic was not there yet and we were told he would be there in 5 minutes - 5 'Kenyan' minutes later (20 American minutes) we decided we'd better switch to plan B and find a taxi. After walking two blocks and crossing the street we were quoted 1,200 shillings(!) to ride in a broken down cab that was also showing signs of a clutch problem...oh well, we knew we had to get me to the doctor so we (swallow) decided to pay the money (about $20 US) ...that's when it hit me that I was feeling rather disgruntled - and I remembered the story about Paul and Silas singing praises to the Lord while sitting chained up in a filthy dungeon. As I began to pray my praises to God, I remembered a mantra my daughter and I used to say when we hit an unexpected 'interruption' to our plans - "We're having an adventure!" Speaking those words aloud lifted my spirits and suddenly the day began to look brighter.

We arrived in plenty of time for my appointment - and I am thrilled to say that my eye is fine (thank you to those of you who prayed for a 'clean report')...the best part - the exam cost 3,000 shillings - about $50 US...hmmm - in my book a doctor's visit is much more valuable than a taxi ride...oh well. Denise and I do have a theory...there was NO PAPERWORK to complete prior to my visit - perhaps all the money we pay for doctor's visits in the states pays administrative costs?????

Next we took a coffee break at a lovely hotel across from the Nairobi hospital (which is where the doctor has his practice). We were quoted 1,500 shillings for the cab ride back to the Total station - Holy Cow! - the transportation cost was almost as much as the doctor visit - what is wrong with this picture!?

We discovered, to our delight, that the clutch problem was no more that a very slow leak - it took less than 15 minutes for the mechanic to assess, diagnose and solve the problem - Praise The Lord!

After a short (well in Kenyan terms short - 1 hour) break at the house where we picked up our water bottles to refill at the Nakumatt and grabbed a bite to eat, we headed out to meet missionary friends Don and Laura Dickerson. I have grown to love them and often suggest that we set up time to visit with them...so this visit was at my prompting and lasted all afternoon - to my delight!

I must say what started out as a potentially crummy day, soon transformed into a wonderful blessing, ending with sweet fellowship in the Lord. Even the crazy (and I mean CRAZY) drivers out yesterday - worse than usual with people pulling right out in front of us left and right! - I must say that we spent a delightful day recognizing that "God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!"

Alternate mode of transportation

See the two guys perched on the back of the truck? This is yet one more method of transportation - one that is not without a certain level of danger.

As you can see, the traffic is quite heavy...the good news is the truck is not traveling all that fast - however, one false move and these guys could become road kill.

Okay - here is the third guy making his way up the back of the truck to join the other two.

Believe me, traffic does not stop to accomodate this maneuver.

Now there are three atop....

This reminds me of birds perched on the back of a cow - only I believe that is a simbiotic relationship - I am not so sure this one is...I can see no evidence of benefit to the driver of the truck.

Okay - now you see the fourth making his way up the back of the truck...you have probably guessed by now that I was quite enthralled with this whole scene...

In some ways it seems rather surreal, and yet also feels quite normal! Oh no - I think I am getting way too acclimated!

Well, I guess the truck arrived at their 'stop' because they are here climbing down...

Again - traffic did not stop so that they could step down to safety...

I tried to get a final photo of them hitting the ground, but the ride was rather bumpy so that photo did not turn out...but I think you get the picture!

Tishona's first week...

While this will not be a complete journal of her first week, I will share some hightlights. In the first picture you see Tabitha, William's sister, showing Tishona how to make Yuck (or Yak in Swahili)...this is a concoction of garlic, ginger root, lemon, olive oil and honey. William is convinced it has healing properties - and we all agree, IF you can stand to drink it... hence the name with which Denise christened it...Tishona has her own name - she calls it 'blahhhh' and also has a sign language gesture that goes along with it...

Even though we look like we are having fun (and we did for at least some of the four hours of our first CML board meeting!) we really did cover quite alot of ground. I call this "Humble Beginnings" since we have our headquarters set up in Denise's bedroom (which doubles as our office)...you may remember a previous entry describing William's vision The Christian Mission to Learners. It is an exciting holistic approach to reaching out and ministering to students of all ages. Right now the opportunities are primarily at the High School (or Secondary School) level and we are excited about the doors the Lord is opening.

This morning William and Tishona left for his home area, Kitere, which is about 6 - 8 hours from Nairobi (depending on your mode of transportation)...we expect the journey to take them all of 8 hours since they will start on a shuttle to Kisii and then switch to a Matatu to complete the trip. Tishona is excited about the prospect of meeting William's family. I am quite confident they will love her - she is a lovely young woman with a great sense of humor and a heart for the Lord.

Tishona was tickled by the efforts to load several huge water barrels onto the shuttle and asked me to snap this picture.

Denise and I plan to drive up next week. We all will be quite busy while there. Our plans include ministering in several schools, working with a children's home nearby and hosting an HIV/AIDS forum designed to educate the community on the basic issues associated with AIDS. We will also continue to research and take steps towards opening a VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) center at a nearby community center.

Can you see William's face peeking through the window behind Tishona? It was quite muddy so I took the photo from inside the car...

We will miss Tishona and William while they are there and we are here and look forward to joining them in Kitere next week.

Bombing in Nairobi

For those of you who are hearing on the news that a bomb exploded in downtown Nairobi, please know that we were no where near downtown when that happened. We are all safe and were not affected.

What we have heard so far is this: It is suspected that this was a suicide bomber.....and that he was trying to get to the airport. He was in downtown Nairobi attempting to board a bus but was told it was full. He was in a very busy section of town where many people meet and wait for friends, buses etc... (we had been in a nearby spot just Friday waiting to meet a friend.) The bomb went off just after he was told he couldn’t board the bus - killing him, and injuring 39 people.

We are reminded of how precious each day of life is and we are comforted by knowing that God is in control even when it may appear otherwise. Please join us in praying for the victims and their families - also for the people behind this, as they are motivated by hate.

Hate is a tool used by our ultimate enemy and we know that only the love of Christ will ever permeate the hearts and minds of people controlled by hate.

Tishona is here!

Her flight was scheduled to arrive at 7:10 tonight. We spent the day preparing for her arrival - changing the sheets on her bed, finding a towel and wash cloth, and clearing a space in the closet.
We did make a stop on the way to the airport, but arrived in plenty of time to greet her when she arrived. So - we engaged in our favorite activity...Rummy!









As the arrival time drew near Denise went to check on the time - oh, yes...a new development at the airport - there is now a board to show arrival and departure times! So - she discovered that the flight was an hour delayed - so it was to arrive at 20:10 (which is 8:10 PM)...MORE CARDS!


When we went to check again at 8PM...we got confused because the board now said arrival time was 19:15 and that it was on time! Oh no - did she already arrive...but wait, if the plane had arrived that would be noted on the board...so - we went to the information desk and found out that they were having trouble changing the time on the board - it was supposed to be 20:15... whew! And - time for one more game!





At 8:15 we joined the crowd of people and watched anxiously for Tishona...I think she spotted us before we saw her! It was great to, finally, see them together.

Now we are all home and Tishona is settling in.

Wednesday and Thursday...

Wednesday we visited a local secondary school (equivavalent to our high school in the US) - Nile Road Girls' School. William has a students' ministry called Christian Mission to Learners. For a more complete story check out his blog at tcmlearners.blogspot.com.

We took a dance team with us from Nairobi Pentacostal Church (NPC) but the room we were in did not have power, so they were unable to perform...but to the disappointment of the girls (and us as well!) We enjoyed a time of praise and worship with the girls followed by an inspiring message on how to be best friends with God.

I could see by the reaction on many faces that the message hit home. The program ended with an impassioned prayer inviting the girls to stand up if they had a special need or challenge, or had made a decision to accept Christ. We were all encouraged to see several girls standing!

Thursday we drove into town to meet with several people who had contacted me through Crystal Cathedral Ministries (CCM). We had five appointments set up and met with three. Unfortunately we discovered that the place we had chosen to meet had closed down the previous day! We were there just last week and there was no notice they were closing down and today there was not notice of where they had moved.

We quickly came up with plan B - to find another location and send text messages. The first meeting was with a man for whom I did not have a cell number, so we waited for him outside the area we were to meet, but never did see him. And the person to meet us at noon did not make it.

However, we had a lovely time with the other three. First we met with Jean-Bosco Havyarimana. He shared a fascinating story of repeatedly escaping from Burundi and Rwanda, finally to settle with his wife and three children in Kenya. His dream and vision is to return to his homeland to minister to his people and share the word of God with them. It was clear to all of us that he, indeed, has a pastor's heart. Every Sunday 20 to 25 people gather in his home to watch the Hour of Power together. They begin the morning with praise and worship and sharing testimonies of what God is doing in their lives. Then they watch the program and discuss the message afterwards - it was so encouraging to hear how much the CCM is blessing these people!

Our next 'new friend' is Philip Chebii. He is an officer in the military and works as a airplane technician. His passion for the Lord and sharing the gospel was evident as he told us about preaching the word in his church as well as sharing his faith with his work colleagues. He and his family watch the Hour of Power weekly before attending their local church. He shared with us a powerful testimony of how the Lord got his attention as a teen causing a dramatic change to the course of his life. He also shared a story of receiving guidance from our counseling ministry that truly helped him through a family crisis.
Elizabeth (Liz) Ndirangu is a charming young woman who accepted Christ during a "weekend challenge" while in Secondary School. A weekend challenge is a time for pastors and others to minister to students just before the beginning of a new term. This is exactly the type of ministry for which William has a passion and vision. Liz is also involved in students' ministry at her church so we feel certain we will be partnering with her team in the near future as we continue to work with the local schools. Liz echoed the thoughts and feelings of Jean-Bosco and Philip as she shared what a blessing CCM and the Hour of Power is in her life. In fact, one of the ways she reaches out to her unsaved sister, with whom she lives, is to share the messages she hears on the Hour of Power each week.

We had a wonderful end to a great day because we headed straight home, which meant that not only were we home before dark, but we actually had time to enjoy a late afternoon/evening together at home - we cherish those times as they are all too few!

Monday Night at Nairobi University

Every Monday night students at the University gather in the cafeteria for fellowship and Bible Study. The evening begins with praise and worship as well as introducing guests, of which we were 3. Within minutes of sitting down, I regretted that I had forgotten my camera! This was a fun and enriching evening - and so encouraging to see these young people experiencing and exploring their faith.

The man who started these evenings is a missionary from Tennessee named Phil. He and his wife have been living in Africa for 25 years. Also present were 4 college students from the states who are leaving on Friday, so this was also a time of farewell to them. It was heartwarming to see the bond that has grown over the past several months amongthese students in Africa and the students from the states!

After our time of praise and worship we broke into small groups of 4 or 5. I thoroughly enjoyed studying God's word with these precious young people. After our small group time we gathered together for more praise and worship, said farewell to the US students and walked right into an

adventure of sorts...

As we began walking back to the car, we became so engrossed in conversation that we passed right by the gate to the lot where we had parked. After doubling back, we realized the gate was locked! Oh my, what to do.

Fortunately William had seen a way to enter by foot so we were able to get to the vehicle, but since the gate was locked we had to somehow find a security guard to help break us out!

After spending some time honking to rouse the guard, William and new friend Elfis went looking for the guard to help us. Meanwhile Denise and I stayed in the car, and that is when I decided to document the event with photos!