Friday, April 27, 2012

I wouldn't normally post on this blog anymore, but I have more followers of this blog than of my newer one. Dan Schelp and I plan on blogging on our Biblical blog here soon. I plan on having a daily devotion written by myself and others posted on it as well.

Its been several years now, but thank you all once again for your support during my time in Africa, and your continued support now as I become a man of God trying to reflect God's light to a fallen world. That very same light that I need myself.

The link to the Biblical blog is http://twomenandabible.blogspot.com/ and I would love to have you come share in this thing we call life and journey in our faith together.

Blessings!
Joseph

Sunday, July 26, 2009

My first African kiss...

The first lion that I saw...










I am Safari Man!

I'm Home!

Well I've been home a little over a week now. I apologize I have been slow on updating the blog. I promise to make several posts tonight after I get off work. I have been rather sick the last week which is my reasoning behind why I have not been posting. I am going to add some pictures and do a few other things. Thanks for your patience and be sure to stay tuned!

Joseph

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Day 27 and 28 Experiences--Tuesday/Wednesday, July 14/15

Today was my last full day and night in Nairobi, as well the part of this day. I spent a lot of it packing and organizing. I also got to go downtown and walk around all by myself for a while, at my own pace, being able to walk quickly (something I don’t get to do here very often) when I wanted to, and to slow down and look around when I wanted to.

I have stuff from the big group that I need to bring back. It has taken me forever to get it all in my bags and I think I’m right at 50 pounds with both of my bags, plus I have two full carry-ons.

There is no such thing as fast food here. Everything operates at a snail pace, it took me 15 minutes to walk up and order and get a simple milkshake.

It is hard here sometimes to just walk down the street and not choke on a smell or massive amounts of smoke coming from some place. This is a cultural difference from what I am used to.

I am certainly going to miss a lot of things here. Mostly the people I have met. I have enjoyed being with them, but I look forward to coming home. I’m headed to the airport here in a few hours from writing this and then my plane leaves at 11:30pm tonight. I am scheduled to get home at the Springfield airport at 5:20pm on July 16th.

This will be my last post about daily experiences but when I get home I hope to do several more posts about a few things, plus at the end a nice big closing summary, so stay tuned in the coming time for all of that, even though I will be back, the writing won’t be done… maybe we can get to over 3,000 hits… Please pray for these people I have met.

I love you all and this time when I say I will see you soon I really mean it.

In Christ,

Joseph

Day 26 Experiences--Monday, July 13

Today was supposed to be the day that we gathered the homeless kids around Kawangware and worked on their project of building them a shower. The Contractor said he was sick. So he wasn’t there, nor was anyone else for the building team, so there really wasn’t anything that we could do in terms of work. We gave them all a meal, and then they quickly dispersed.

-The day itself was not totally lost. I had a great time hanging out with the other youth from Kawangware, and some of the members of the “Conquerors” group. They are really a pleasant wonderful group of young men. I also got to then serve food to the orphan school children that come in every day for the feeding program. As I have said before when I talk about this program, for many of them this will be the only meal they eat that day.

-I had another set of sad goodbyes today as I said farewell to all of the Kawangware youths that I have been working with. They too have become my good friends and I will be sure to keep in touch with as many of them as I can. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve given my email out. I felt truly welcomed by them and truly their friend. I praise God for their faith and for the fellowship I have had with them.

-My shout out today is to my little brother and sister, Colten and Annie. I love you guys. I think you would enjoy Africa.

Well, tomorrow is my last full day in Nairobi. I don’t have much on the schedule, but still have a lot to do before I’m ready to leave.

Love you all. Just a little while longer.

Joseph

Day 25 Experiences--Sunday, July 12

Today I got to go to the service at Kawangware. About an hour before the service was a special service for the street boys. Matthew and I were both supposed to share a message with them. We held the “service” in a small room by the sanctuary. About 10 to 15 boys were there. They were extremely dirty, and wearing torn and tattered clothing for the “cold” weather. We sang a few songs which they got into a little bit, and then we shared the Word of God with them and shared our message through a translator.

Mine was very short and to the point. I talked about John chapter 6--Jesus being the Bread of Life. It was a simple message about how Jesus loves them, how our bodies must have bread to live, but spiritually we must have Jesus or we are dead still. I hope the simplicity of my message was helpful, I think they were paying attention. I would have gone on longer but I don’t think it would’ve been proper. After this, we prayed and listened to a couple of their stories through a translator. The stories were sad, but the two boys who talked kept a general thankfulness and hope about them. We gave them some bread and tea to drink (they make their tea with milk not water) and they gobbled it up as if they had not eaten in some time.

We were truly witnessing the absolute bottom rung of human existence. Teenage boys with no homes, no food, decrepit clothing, no one in the world that gave a care about them. Life was about survival and the easing of pain, which is why they are getting addicted to bad substances like glue sniffing which I saw was very prevalent.

I know that nothing of my words or anything I can do is able to change their situation here right now. I simply pray that the power of God’s Word works in and among them. If God’s Word when used with water, can claim a person like me as His child, and it can create the heavens and the earth, then it can do anything.

-I got to go to the normal service that the Lutheran Church at Kawangware has. They only have one service, and it's in Swahili. Their services last for several hours. This is mainly due to the fact that they seem in no hurry to do anything, but take their time moving about doing the readings, have announcements and such as well as just general talking about church business and happenings. All of this adds large amounts of time to the service. They also really love to sing, so they have lots and lots of songs. We had a song after each reading, one to start the service, one after a responsive, etc., etc. Most of the music was great, although the whole time I had no idea what they were talking about. The only time they did speak in English was to have me stand up and talk (right smack dab in the middle of the service). I could tell they were talking to me (seeing as I was the only white one in the service as Matthew had left) when they switched to English just momentarily. I extended greetings from the US and that I was blessed and thankful to be a part of their service.

-After a few more pieces of the service, the sermon was about to begin. Before the sermon they send all of the kids out for Sunday school. This was bittersweet for me because it meant I had to miss the rest of the service and music, but it also turned out to be one of the best experiences I have had here.

I got to take the “teenager's” class, though I think that is just what they call it because there could not have been a kid over 13 or 14 in their group, and none younger than probably 8. There was a pretty decent group there (my guess is 30) though I’m told there is normally more. We sang a little, prayed, and then it was time for me to lead their lesson. The lesson was from Acts chapter 28, all the way to the end. I simply had them read from the Bible, and explained the story, and truths we could get from it as we went along. My two main points were that even when something bad happens, God can turn it into something good. Paul was arrested (bad) but because he was arrested and forced to stay put, he wrote letters instead of just traveling. These letters would later make up most of our New Testament. We have much of our Bible (good) because Paul was in chains (bad). The other point was that Paul did not complain or feel sorry for himself, but continued to preach about God.

The lesson went well, and I went slow and think that everyone followed along. Afterwards I asked for questions and after a slow start, it really turned up. I felt like I was the out of town traveling “wise man” that was there to answer any and every question about God they ever had. It was such a joy to be able to listen to these adolescents ask questions that troubled them, and they simply didn’t know or hadn’t been taught. Questions ranged from “Is heaven up?” to “What do you have to do to get to heaven?” to “Jesus was taken up to the sky so doesn’t that mean heaven is up?” (hard one to explain) to “How much do I have to repent?” to everything else. It was my greatest joy to be able to answer most of their questions, and to share with them the joy of Christ.

My favorite moment was after we got done, Douglass (a member of the Conquerors and helping me that day) asked them what they had learned. One boy put his hand up and said “I learned that all I have to do to go to heaven is believe in Jesus and that he died on the cross for my sins.” I don’t know if he had just learned that this day, or if it was simply him saying what he heard in another lesson, but I couldn’t help but smile when he said it. It was so great to be able to share with each and everyone of them that God loved them no matter what they did forever and for always (yes we opened up the end of Romans 8 too).

All in all it was one of my happiest and most rewarding experiences here.

-After Sunday School I got to talking with Douglass of the musical group the Conquerors and all the great work they are doing. They are severely limited by finances though with the work they can do. They want to reach out and connect with more children but they simply don’t have the means to get out further. Their dream (he said it just like a boy who says he wants to be a Major League Baseball player when he grows up) is to one day go to the United States to play their music. I can say first hand, they are very very talented, and are doing great work for the Lord. For the second time in as many days I was pledging to help support them through prayer and whatever else I could do. A lot of that will depend on support from all of you.

They are fundraising for a ministry van. They visit so many schools and have so many more ask them to come (yes public schools asking this Christian band) but they simply can’t because they have no way of getting there and no way of hauling their equipment. They also want materials, devotionals, inspiration books, prayer books, etc. that they can give to these kids to help them.

These are just a few of their needs. This is another group that I would like to send things back to as they need it, doing whatever I can to help, even if its just sending a few Portals of Prayer or something like that.

Well, I’ve written a lot for these two days. I need to be getting some food now. I love you all.

Blessings.

Joseph

Day 24 Experiences--Saturday, July 11

No power of man, beast, or machine, no not even African internet can keep me from posting my last days before I leave. I will still do the other sum up posts and more pictures when I get back, but for now here are the rest of the days.

Well, today was day 24 here. Today was the day of the youth conference of the area Nairobi churches, held at the church at Uhuru Highway.

-First things first, the conference was scheduled for 9am. The bishop of all of Kenya was there at 930. Pastor Winterle brough Matthew and I there at 10. No one else was there until well after that. We were unable to actually start the conference until 11:45 when enough people were there. We were definitely operating on Africa time… and people think I’m late.
-The conference itself was very good, the bishop gave a great and very interesting presentation in English, so I was able to follow along. He talked about what makes us Lutherans, and where we came from, and how we came to believe what it is we believe. All in all, it was a very interesting presentation, and I was very pleased to be able to meet the man in charge of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Kenya.

-During the presentation, most of the youths were taking massive amounts of notes. There seems to be a strong hunger and desire to hear and learn God’s Word. Towards the end, it became apparent though that the youths had had an agenda that they wanted to speak with the leaders about. They wanted to bring up to the leaders that they felt they did not get enough attention. I got a list of the questions they had posed typed out and everything. They included things like, “What part does prayer, praise songs, etc. have in a Lutheran worship?” or “What is the Lutheran church's stance on Kenyan culture?” These were questions that were basic enough, but that they had a desire to know. They want to know God’s will for their lives. They want to learn about God’s Word, but they feel like they have no one to teach them. They feel like they do not have a pastor or leader that sits them down to learn these things. It would be my guess that they don’t have any sort of catechism classes or anything like that.

After the adults all left I stood up as they were having a youth only meeting and pledged to do my best to provide them whatever support they need. I promised to pray for them and to share their story back home. It is my goal to be able to send them Bibles in Swahili and English, and to send them catechisms and other such materials in Swahili and English. One girl had asked for an English Small Catechism and I made sure that she got one from Pastor Winterle. She came up and thanked me at this meeting (which was about a week after she got it) and thanked me very sincerely for getting her one. I think that these people want to learn. They want to grow. My heart goes out for them and their struggling youth program. They are working to get it off the ground, they are organizing themselves on their own, but they need help.

The big difference I see between us back home and them is in the substance. They believe and have faith from what they have been told and what little some of them may be able to read of the Bible. Their faith has no substance with which it is built on. They desire the substance, they desire the knowledge and wisdom that comes from knowledge of Jesus Christ, but they simply don’t have the resources to do so. I see many of them joyful when they get the chance to hear and learn about the word. The difference I see with us, is not that our faiths are vastly different, it is that we have all this great wealth of Christian resources at our finger tips, and yet many of us do not believe. Though for having the faith they do in the situations they are in is very commendable, though I have seen tough heartbreaking situations in the US in which faith preseveres. All in all it is not my place to judge their faith or anyone elses. Even the ones that do believe, how many times have you dreaded going to Sunday School? How many times have you dreaded sitting through a church service? How many times did you try to get out of catechism class as a kid? We have all these gifts, and yet I think sometimes we either take them for granted or simply don’t care to learn about God. These people seem to want to have that knowledge and I want to help them to have the tools to grow. “Blessed are those who have not seen, but do believe.” “Unless you enter the kingdom of God like a child, you will not enter it.” are two verses that come to my mind. They have the faith of children, simply trusting in God, but many of them not knowing much more. They haven’t seen much more, or have much more and yet they believe. We have so much more, and we have seen the truth over and over, but do we reject it?

-I got to take the long walk to the bus station with many of the youths after the youth meeting was over. I have become good friends with many of them. The parting with many of them was a very sad one because this was the last day I would see many of them. I will truly miss them. They are wonderful young men and women. They welcomed me with open arms, treated me with respect, helped me along my way, and are my friends (even when they laugh as I try to pronounce their words).

-They like to do greetings here when they stand up to speak in front of a group. Similar to our, “Christ is Risen!” to which everyone responds? Here they do many things in Swahili and a few more in English. The one I like is “God is good” reply: “all the time.” Speaker: “All the time” reply: “God is good”

-I was thinking today, how do we worship God? I think the biggest way is by obeying his commands. What are most of His commands summed up as, by Jesus? Love your neighbor. Therefore, I think that we worship God when we serve our fellow human. I think that’s one of the biggest parts of life, is to serve others, to treat others with respect. Life is about two things, God, and people. We love God and obey him and worship him alone. The rest is people. They are what is important. I am reminded of what my late grandmother whom I loved dearly used to say. We used to all go out to Colorado as a family (I miss those huge family trips) and then we’d stop at some scenic overlook and get out for a picture. Some people would ask if they had to get out of the car or if we could just take the picture of the mountain. My grandmother would always say that everyone would have to get out of and get in the picture. Her reasoning, “20 years from now, the mountains are still going to be there to take pictures of, but all of us won’t be.” My shout out today goes to her, and all those loved ones that are no longer with us. My grandma Esther Brockman was a wonderful person, and she had it right, people are what are important.

In Christ,

Joseph Highley