TRANSFORM

Pure Religion

2009-05-08T01:20:00.004-05:00

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (James 1:17) Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart (Zechariah 7:9-10)

Eliya (pictured left) and I met at an orphanage while helping to lead a 5-day trip of students from Haven of Peace Academy. I think he’s about 4 years old, but it’s hard to know for sure because he was abandoned. One day he was found sleeping in a public bus when the bus reached the final destination with no one else remaining. One minute he’s in his mother’s arms and when he wakes up, he’s alone, abandoned. The driver took the child (probably around 2 or 3) to the police station and Eliya eventually ended up at Agape Children’s Village. He has AIDS and though he is doing well right now, a year ago his caregivers believed he was going to die because he was so sick.
On Easter Sunday I was playing games outside of our church with the kids when an older woman stopped and greeted me. We talked for a few minutes and when I asked her where she lived she told me she was looking for a place to stay. She had been kicked out of her last home by the landlord. The landlord was the caregiver to an orphaned relative named Paulina. 8-year old Paulina is made to do all of the household work and given no food. The woman that I met had been helping Paulina by giving her some of her food and simply being kind to her. When the landlord/caregiver found out, he forced the woman to leave.
Later on Sunday I was with some friends coming back from the beach. We had to cross the harbor on a ferry. Now, first you need to understand that we don’t have waiting lines in Tanzania. The first person to be served is the person who shoves to the front and demands service. So as we’re waiting for the ferry to unload so that we can get on, everyone begins to push toward the gate and force their way forward. You can imagine fans at a major football game who begin to storm the field to celebrate victory—that is what it is like to board the ferry. So the gates open and every one “storms the field”. I could tell that there was something on the ground a bit in front of me, so I began to try to resist the tide of people thinking that someone had lost their shoe and was trying to get it. But as I get closer I realize it’s a person on the ground nearly being trampled. What was strange was that she wasn’t crying out and no one seemed to be making an effort to either help her or even to avoid stepping on her. I began yelling to the people behind me to stop pushing because someone had fallen on the ground. As I pulled her to her feet, I saw her face—she appeared to be mentally retarded. Drool was coming from her mouth and her eyes were distant and unfocused. She was so skinny that I felt I was lifting a skeleton. I helped her to the side and tried to talk to her but she was unintelligible. I looked around for someone that she may have been with but I found no one.
Why do I tell you these sickening stories of humans neglecting and abusing the vulnerable? I am hoping to paint small and incomplete picture of the need here. I recognize that these things happen all over the world, but these are the specific things that I see here. I have heard countless stories of the abuse of widows and orphans. Pray with me for justice, freedom from oppression and God’s loved to be showered upon orphans and widows here.
Above: Maria, age 7, is another orphan who lives at Agape Children's Village and has AIDS.

Lavish Blessing

2009-05-02T14:09:00.003-05:00

I've just returned from our organization's retreat in Spain (and some in Portugal) and am still wide-eyed with wonder at the blessings of God during the week.
First of all, God worked it out so that many good friends were there with me.
Brett Carl, my former youth pastor and boss
Drew and Lindsey Wilkins, best friends from college
Meg, team mate who's been in the States for 8 months
Anna, college friend who is doing similar work as myself in W. Africa
Lois, mentor and friend from Kenya
and many others! The joy of being with old friends was deep and delightful. I think I had forgotten the goodness of long-standing friendships where there is mutual understanding, love, safety, trust and FUN!
Secondly, I heard and saw the gospel lived out in the lives of the workers of our organization in a way that truly overwhelms me. The gospel preached is a beautiful thing. The gospel lived is earth-shattering, humbling, shocking and glorious. I wish I could say the name of my organization at this point so as to recognize the gospel in them but most of you already know.
Finally, dialoging with fellow workers, meeting new people and hearing how God is working around the world was exhilarating. I heard from workers in Romania, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, N. America, South Africa, France, Spain, and so many more countries! God will build His Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.
May you each be blessed lavishly.
Top: Lindsey, Drew and I in Huelva, Spain.
Bottom: Meg, Anna and I in some town in Portugal... it started with "T"

Storying the Bible

2009-01-15T10:45:00.003-05:00

In the neighborhood where I used to live and taught microfinance there are a lot of young boys that I slowly got to know. A friend of mine had the idea of starting a soccer ministry in the neighborhood and so I began running drills and organizing matches for them. After they play, I narrate to them from the Word of God. These narrations start from the beginning and work through the Bible to the ascension of Christ. More than 75% of the members of our church here came to know Christ because of these narrations. Following is a blurb from Firm Foundations Ministry who has put out great resources for storying the Bible.

"This curriculum is set up to chronologically teach through the Bible, from Creation to Christ! The meaning of the gospel takes on new significance with the right foundation, and there will be a complete understanding of what Christ accomplished on the Cross! This curriculum was developed for missionary outreach to pagan cultures that had no foundational knowledge of Christianity. This same approach needs to be used in our western world, with apologetic teaching added to the beginning of each course to defend creation and oppose evolution. This would give a tremendous foundation for children and adults to be able to understand and defend the Scriptures in this secular age.

From the publisher

Just as a jeweler places a diamond on a black velvet background to reveal its beauty, the Gospel can only be clearly seen and appreciated when displayed against the background of the Old Testament. These carefully crafted Bible studies lay a solid foundation for the Gospel from the Old Testament. The Gospel is then presented in all its logic and beauty.

The Bible studies have been used with great success in evangelistic outreach among people from vastly different educational and cultural backgrounds.

As you teach chronologically through the Bible, your students will come to know God as He revealed Himself progressively through Scripture in His interaction with mankind. Beginning in Genesis and ending with the life of Christ, these studies produce an understanding of:

the nature and character of God
man’s sinfulness
God’s hand in history
the grace of God
Christ as the promised Redeemer

The Bible will come alive and will be seen as one story—His story."

2008-12-03T01:05:00.000-05:00

“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me” ~ Psalm 138:8a

Over the last year there have been many times when I have asked God, “What am I doing here? Am I doing any good at all?” It seems that I increasingly see pain, brokenness and sin around and in me. But I’m supposed to be a minister of reconciliation, to preach the gospel in word and deed, to be a part of “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on EARTH as it is in Heaven.” Where is the fruit of that labor?

As I read this verse, God answered many of those questions. The fruit is me. It is my sanctification and that is precisely what I am doing here – being sanctified, made into the image of Christ, prepared to be His Bride. As I teach transformational development principles, microfinance and the Bible, I am the one who really changes as a result of my work. My mother, a gifted teacher, has often told me that as she prepares for Bible studies and teaches them she is the one who learns the most, not the students. That same principle works here – as I toil and labor for God’s Kingdom, as I enter into the pain of those around me, as I speak into the lives of people here, I am the one who experiences healing, reconciliation and sanctification.

God has placed us in relationships – 4 key ones in fact:
1. Me and God
2. Me and myself
3. Me and others
4. Me and creation
As a result of the fall, all of those relationships are broken. But Christ came to reconcile all things to Himself and He gave us the work of reconciliation. Here is some reconciliation that is happening in me:
1. God has grown in my heart – His glory has become more delightful to me, His law has become more wonderful to me, and His deeds have become more praiseworthy to me.
2. I have learned more and more to establish my identity, security and hope in Christ, not in achievement, approval or acceptance.
3. God has blessed me with relationships with people from many different cultures and has given many opportunities to show and receive love, forgiveness and grace.
4. I have begun gardening and as I compost and improve the soil, that is actually reconciling a relationship between me and the earth. Until now, I’ve never appreciated insects and critters, but they help the compost to decompose faster so I now get excited about them. I am being reconciled to earth worms and millipedes and dirt!

House Guests

2008-11-14T14:46:00.004-05:00

In the last few weeks, we have had an unusually high number of houseguests. Here are a few of them...

Matthew McBride has a different approach to critters than I do... he wants to catch and keep them. I'm all for exterminating. Currently there is a crab in a box, 2 snakes in a cooler (see below), a scorpion in an old ice cream container, and a small tarantula in tuperware.

I stumbled upon this intruder my first night completely alone in the McBride's house... no guard, no Matthew, no one! I did what any sensible girl would do - called Papa! I'm pleased to report that he is now dead.

I was on the other side of the screened in door looking out when this guy jumped on it. Surprise!

Most recent find- just a couple of house snakes. Can someone explain to me why we have "house snakes"? It seems as if whoever named them thought it was appropriate for snakes to be in the house.

These little frogs are a daily issue. They secrete a nice, poisonous slime on their skin so if you touch them, wash your hands quickly. They come in constantly... fortunately, they are frog mutants who can't seem to hop... they creep along like Golum in Lord of the Rings.

Not pictured: a large crab that showed up in the office.

2008-11-11T10:49:00.004-05:00

Mary Mole was my Swahili teacher in Kenya. She’s a dignified and gregarious woman who speaks her mind and works hard. She also has AIDS. Her husband died 7 years ago from AIDS and she was diagnosed shortly afterwards. After spending months in the hospital, she began to improve due to anti-retro viral treatment. She has four children, the youngest of whom is 13 (Sarah - pictured to the left with Mary), all of whom know her status and are loving, loyal and supportive of her. In the spring of this year she decided to make her status known to her boss so that she would have the opportunity to minister to others with AIDS. Her boss, the headmaster at a church-affiliated high school, began to make life miserable for her until finally Mary asked for a transfer.
Mary’s life story is exile. Her mother was kicked out of the house with her and Mary’s sister because she was pregnant out of wedlock. When Mary married a man from another tribe and when her husband died of AIDS, her in-laws refused their responsibility to her and chased her away. Since she had married outside of her tribe, she has always had a hard time among her own tribe. During the election violence she was harassed and robbed simply because her married name was of another ethnic group. And most recently she was practically forced to leave her job at the school. Now she is teaching at another school where her boss has tried to have her fired due to having AIDS. Praise God that the board of the school refused to have her fired on such illegitimate grounds.
I had been in touch with Mary and knew that she had been transferred to a village school a few miles away. So when I went to Kenya to visit, I found out the school she worked at from her cousin and got a "bush taxi" to the school on a cold and rainy day in the mountains of Western Kenya. I wasn’t sure if I would find her and she doesn’t have a cell phone (it was stolen by her sons’ classmates during the post-election violence) so I was anxious as I sloshed through mud and pouring rain to the school compound. The look of surprise on her face is something I will never forget!
I sat with Mary for hours in her new home, so far away from any support system or family. We caught up on life and she told me how she was battling depression, discouragement, and stigma along with AIDS. But her faith in God shook me to the core. As we talked together she shared scripture with me, specific promises of God that she was clinging to. She praised the Lord for His faithfulness to her. And then she said something that I’ll never forget. She told me that she was blessed to have AIDS because it made her appreciate each gift of God in a new way every day. She has learned to treasure God deeply and to delight in Him and that has given her a joy that no one person can take. What a challenge and encouragement she is to me. Please pray with me for Mary! She needs encouragement, love, support and community. Pray for her children as well that they will find Christ to be their security as their mother has.

A Brief Update

2008-10-07T01:23:00.004-05:00

Surprise! This is a new post!

I came to Kenya last week to go to a Chalmers' training and decided it would be a good time to visit old friends. I had the amazing opportunity to meet up with Anna Garriott who was a classmate in Community Development at Covenant and who is currently working in West Africa doing very similar work to me. It's been very encouraging to spend time with her, to bounce ideas off of each other, to discuss our experiences and challenges, to pray together and just to know that the struggles that we go through are, in fact, quite normal. (Above picture - Anna and I doing a little shopping in Kibera, Nairobi. For more pictures, click on the link to my albums).

Looking Toward the Land of the Living

2008-01-08T14:17:00.000-05:00

My room mates and I in Nairobi: Rose and Daisy

It's been a while... what can I say? I have been living the life of a nomad and cannot seem to stay in one place (with a decent internet connection) long enough to update this! I have finally semi-settled into a new home and felt it was a good time to write a little update. I've also added new pictures to my online photo album.

The phrase for “to encourage” in Swahili is “kutia moyo” - literally “to place a heart”. I think that is appropriate in that I often feel as if my heart has been fully replaced when I truly am encouraged. God has greatly encouraged my heart in the month since I last wrote to you.

I traveled to Litein in early December to say goodbye to my friends there before moving to my new location. I had a wonderful time visiting with friends and seeing what God has done in their lives. God blessed me greatly by showering his love upon me through people there. Kenyans are naturally hospitable and friendly, but Liteinians were particularly kind to me. Several women took me into their homes as if I were their own child—they even called themselves my mothers! I learned what it means to serve others, even strangers.

During my 39 hours on a bus through East Africa in a week and a half, I saw some of the most beautiful scenery I could imagine: Masaai shepherds with their herds of cows and goats in places that look as close to wilderness as you can imagine, the towering peak of Kilimanjaro barely visible above the clouds, rolling hills of palm trees and small farms, and African vendors in bright clothes selling their handicrafts though bus windows. God’s creation is but a small yet astounding glimpse of His glory.

I was at my extended team’s prayer meeting on Monday and had the opportunity to hear about the many types of ministry that people are doing here. Some of those ministries are narrating Bible stories to non-believers, working with Asian families and youth, teaching at schools, and church planting. Praying with missionaries that have been in East Africa as salt and light was a both humbling and inspiring.

Finally, in the dark hours of loneliness and doubt that accompany moving to a new place, God has brought me the encouragement of His Word. At times it is through the reading of the Word, other times through a dear friend speaking God’s promises, and still other times it has been through the Holy Spirit’s reminders of the Word. The following verses have brought much hope and light to my heart in the past days:

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!

Wait for the LORD;

be strong, and let your heart take courage;

wait for the LORD!”

- Psalm 27:13-14

I have come to East Africa to help to begin some community development work alongside of what the team here is already doing. For the next few months I will be laying the ground work for this by continuing my Kiswahili learning, building relationships, and learning the culture. At this point I have a “scrape by” knowledge of Kiswahili and can have decent small-talk conversations. I make great mistakes like saying that I am going to abuse a person with a letter instead of sending a letter to a person. Or blurting out the equivalent of “I’m fine” instead of “how are you?” In spite of my absurdities, I am really enjoying Kiswahili and get excited when I can understand phrases that I never thought I could. The problem is that often I don’t realize I understood it until I’ve walked away saying “sorry, I don’t understand”. Hmmm, I’ll have to work on this some more!

vendors selling their goods to
travelers through bus windows

2007-10-28T10:43:00.001-05:00

I said a teary goodbye to my brother Owen today and will take a bus back to Litein on Monday morning. I had a wonderful time with him and am greatly encouraged by the time we shared together. Some highlights:

- We visited a Compassion International (Owen works for them) project where the sponsored kids come each Saturday to worship together, study God's Word and eat nutritious food. The project we visited was at Kampala Baptist Church. I sat in on a health class for 16 year-olds and was so impressed with the volunteer teacher, Abraham, who taught it. As he taught them about preventable diseases he interacted with them in a way that showed he valued each child and his role as a teacher in their lives. One of the girls in the class was the youngest of 9 children in her family and was from Rwanda. Her entire family, with the exception of her mother, were killed in the genocide. I was greatly encouraged as I watched her interact with other kids and worship the Lord in song and dance.

- Owen took time each day to pray with me and reminded me of the importance of fellowship with believers. I certainly have many Christian friends in Litein, but it often takes time to build relationships that foster accountability and mutual building up. I am challenged to go back to Litein and to be more intentional in my relationships there.

- We had the great blessing of eating dinner on a boat on Lake Victoria under a beautiful full moon. God's creation glorifies Him but people are specially created in His image to glorify Him on a different level than other aspects. As Owen told me: "One day the moon and Lake Victoria will be no more, but every person will exist forever either in eternal glory or eternal anguish".

I continue to need your prayers!

- Language school or teacher for Kiswahili, probably in Nairobi because I have a place to stay there.

- Direction and wisdom in making future plans. I am also trying to make Christmas plans with my boyfriend, Michael and would appreciate your prayers for that!

- Patience and trust in God's timing. It is very difficult to be in limbo (at least, it feels like I'm in limbo, really God is perfectly in control of all things) and I struggle to be content where God has me right now.

Thank you all for your encouraging emails and for your prayers and financial support. I have been blessed by your service and pray that God's grace will dwell richly in your lives.

On Safari

2007-10-26T01:09:00.000-05:00

First, I apologize for not keeping this blog current. I cannot use the internet in Litein without great expense. I am now in Kampala, Uganda visiting my brother Owen, who is here on business with Compassion International. I've spent the past week visiting community development programs in Nakuru, Kenya and have been greatly challenged and encouraged. One of the programs was at the city dump where 120 families live in either caves or makeshift houses just on the edge of the site. Kenyans from a local church have been ministering to the children there by providing counseling, shelter and meals. Later I visited a Kenyan friend, Josephine, who has a ministry to orphans and their caregivers. I had the oportunity to "preach" to their fellowship meeting and thought about Jesus' reaction to the poor and hurting.
Jesus was close to "the least of these" - fisherman, lepers, tax collectors, and even the promiscuous. The suffering that he saw in this world led him to compassion and then to action. I am greatly encouraged to see the Kenyan church caring for the poor and suffering within her. Please pray with me for the Kenyan Christians in their ministries.
I will be spending a few days in Kampala and then returning to Litien to wrap up my time there. I have applied for a resident permit to my new destination country and may wait up to 4 months for that to be processed. PRAY THAT I WILL GET THE PERMIT IN A MONTH!! I am excited to begin working in my new location in East Africa and struggle to remain patient. God is teaching me what it means to wait on Him and that His plans are better than my plans. I'd appreciate prayers for trust in the Lord. As I wait for my permit, I will try to go to language school in Kenya so that I am prepared for work when I arrive in my new city.
God has greatly blessed my time here thus far and I much appreciate (and need!) your prayers

Julian in NYC

2007-07-21T16:07:00.000-05:00

As I write this update I am watching the local news in New York City: a steam pipe exploded in midtown Manhattan on Lexington and 41st street leaving a 3-lane wide hole in the street.
This story caught my attention, not only because it was an explosion in the middle of the street, but this past Saturday I was walking a block away from that street with Michael Pepper. We were walking towards the U.N. headquarters when Michael pointed out a pizza joint advertising “99 cent slices.” As we walked by and discussed how the pizza must not taste very good because it was so cheap, a voice from the door step spoke to us. “That’s a deal you can’t beat!” We stopped and turned around to see an elderly man sitting on the steps. Michael approached him agreeing that a deal like that looked too good to be true. The elderly man insisted that we find out for ourselves why it was an unbeatable deal for the best pizza in the city. We introduced ourselves to Julian. He was in his 50’s and had immigrated to New York City from Haiti over 20 years ago.
Michael began to pull out his wallet to pay for the slice of pizza. Julian drew a wad of cash from his shirt looking Michael straight in the eyes and telling him to “be nice” and let him pay. We sat down as Julian brought us the slice of pizza. He began to share with us about his life and where he was living. The apartment building above the pizza shop was his home, provided by the small pension he receives from the government because of his disability. Julian has diabetes and it has taken its toll on his body. He removed his shoes to reveal to us his feet without toes. The gaping hole, he said, was to be covered with a skin graft on Monday. Because of this disability he is unable to work so he sits outside the pizza shop panhandling for change everyday. What set Julian apart was his outlook towards his life.
Julian spoke to us about the troubles he had faced while trying to make it in the big city. His diabetes had forced his toes to be removed; he had been hit by a car and shattered his leg. The law suit for his leg was taking years as he was trying to receive some sort of compensation for the accident. He sat, everyday, across from the Chrysler building, a 6 billion dollar enterprise in 60 stories of steel. It was irony at its best. Each passer by, some most likely multi-millionaires, he would simply smile and greet them. He never shook a cup, he did not hold a sign that asked for what he was to ashamed to say in words. Julian simply sat and smiled. As we ate and talked, a young woman walked by and handed him a dollar. Julian commented that she did this everyday for him and he thanked her graciously. Just a short 2 minutes later another woman walked by asking him for a dollar so she could buy some lunch at the pizza shop. Julian gave her the dollar still in his hand from moments earlier.
What struck us about Julian was his gracious way of life. Julian told us that in order for ends to meet, he has to sit on that doorstep and wait for people to give him money. But Julian NEVER asked us for money, he simply wanted to talk. This is the beauty of ministry. On a street better known for its wealthy elite, an elderly Haitian is hoping to encourage people by living generously when he has so little. Julian’s only request of us was that we would call him to check on him after his surgery. He continuously thanked us for stopping and listening, and encouraged us to do this more often.
Paul Miller writes in his book “Love Walked Among Us” that the principle foundation of Jesus’ physical ministry was that he stopped and looked on the people with compassion. This type of ministry seems wrong. We are often caught up in the formalities. What if Julian did not belong to a Church? What if Julian did not even know Jesus? Not to say these questions are not important (we pursued these questions with him because they are important) but we often are too quick to ask, rather than listen. We sat and did our best to have compassion on Julian. We did our best to listen to his story and ache with him when the injustice of a debilitating disease had taken over his feet. We did our best to encourage him through prayer. We walked away from that door step feeling like we had done more than just met a guy on the streets. It felt like we had made a friend, someone we could continue to seek and love. Someone we could continue to learn from, someone we could see a new way of living life graciously.
Trying to follow Jesus’ way of ministry is impossible. It takes time, it takes giving some of yourself away (sometimes to people who will take it and run). But Jesus has called us to die to ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. It would have been easier to keep walking down the street. But something inside of us saw Jesus walking down this street, his eyes filled with tears, looking at a man who had nearly lost his feet. I ask God to give me the grace to learn how to stop, how to listen and how to have compassion. I ask for it not when I get to Kenya but even now in New York City.

Dead and Alive

2007-05-04T07:55:00.000-05:00

African praise songs often contain lists: lists of renounced sins, God’s provision, or the blessings of Heaven. One of my favorite songs from my time in Uganda is a perfect example:
“I have now forsaken the burdens of this world. Jesus is calling me. I have forsaken quarrelling, I have forsaken thievery, I have forsaken hatred, I have forsaken witchcraft, I have fornication….jealousy… prostitution… fighting… boasting… killing. Jesus is calling me.”
The song is much more beautiful in the local language (Karimojong), but you get the idea. I loved watching little shepherd boys, no more than 6 years old, singing with great enthusiasm “I have forsaken prostitution!”
These songs remind me the apostle Paul’s lists of sins we are to die to. Christianity is, thankfully, not a religion of being a better person, but a practice of dying to ourselves that we might live to Christ. Even more comforting is the truth that Christianity is not about trying as hard as we can to die to ourselves, but about recognizing that WE ARE ALREADY DEAD! If we are united with Christ, we are already dead to the old man and alive in Christ.
These truths have challenged me to question what it means for me to preach the gospel in word and deed. Somehow my words and actions are supposed to declare that I am dead to myself but alive to my Savior. An essential part of proclaiming the good news of the gospel is the message that God calls us to life through death.

Upcoming Plans:
May 30th—move back home to Suffolk, VA to spend time with my family and home church
July 1-31st—Pre-field Training in NYC
August—time with family and friends
Last week in August—Fly to Kenya to begin my 2-year term

Prayer Requests:
1. Funding: Pray that God will provide 100% of my funds by June.
2. Moving: I will be moving back home to VA at the end of May. Pray that God will bless my last weeks in Chattanooga and that He will grant me peace amidst much change.
3. Identifying: Pray that I will ground my identity in Christ.

Update 1: Missios Conference

2007-04-03T12:13:00.000-05:00

I had the great privilege of participating in my home church’s (Westminster Reformed Presbyterian in Suffolk, VA) missions conference at the end of March. Westminster’s heart for the gospel and for the advancement of God’s Kingdom throughout the earth was a great blessing and encouragement.

While teaching in a children's Sunday school class, I was asked “What language do they speak in Kenya.” I replied that there are two national languages: Swahili and English. A little boy on the front row jumped up and yelled, “I think I know some English! My sister knows a lot of English, she’s learning it in school!” My faith in our school systems is now renewed.

Among the ministries represented were ministry to the differently-abled in Chile, ministry to Jews in Philidelphia, and ministry to church leaders in South Africa. It was such a clear picture of the Body of Christ: everyone was using their gifts, resources, and talents to serve our God.

I believe that my gifts and talents are in ministering to the poor and I pray that God uses me to minister His gospel in word and deed in Kenya. I hope to be in Nakuru, a city about 3 hours North, West of Nairobi, by August.

What, When, Where

2007-02-26T10:22:00.000-05:00

HAYDEN HILL
Serving short term in East Africa with Mission to the World (MTW)
Destination: Kenya, East Africa
Purpose: To learn and practice micro-economic development tools as a means of preaching the gospel in word and deed.
Needs:
1. Financial and Prayer Support: That I would be able to raise 100% of my funds by the June 2007.
2. Prayer:
-Pray for my spiritual growth and preparation in terms of my love for God and for those around me.
-Pray that God would provide a complete prayer and financial support team by June 2007.
-Pray that God would deepen and solidify my relationships with friends and family during my last months in the US. -Language and cultural adjustment: Swahili is the national language. Pray for my quick adjustment and learning.

What does love look like?

2007-02-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and truth.
~1 John 3:16-18

I remember first reading these verses in high school and being profoundly convicted by them. As I read them today I continue to feel conviction for my failure to sacrifice, my failure to imitate Christ, and ultimately my failure to love. For years my wise and godly mother has asked “what does love look like in this situation?” That question rings in my mind as I walk through the daily frustrations of relationships and also as I look at the suffering of the world around me. What does love look like?

I am convinced that, for now, God has called me to love my brothers by traveling to East Africa to work with the poor. God created men and women in His image and by doing so gave them inherent worth, dignity and value. He also told man to work and He has chosen to provide food for His people through their work. Part of the effect of the fall is that there are times when, even though people work, they are unable to sustain themselves.

But the gospel is that Christ brought life and healing. We, being made in the image of God, are to imitate Christ and to be agents of healing in our broken world today. By preaching the gospel and loving our neighbors, we are to point others to the perfect, healing, and life-giving love of Christ.

My prayer is that by using micro-finance and micro-enterprise development I can help to enable those that I work with in East Africa to work and to sustain themselves and their families through their work and thus to fulfill their God-given roles. I hope to leave in August, 2007 to join MTW missionary Lois Ooms in Kenya. For the first 6 months of my 2-year term I will learn from the community health and economic development work that Lois has been doing for the past 20 years. After 6 months I will work together with the Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant College and Lois to evaluate how my next year and a half should be spent in East Africa. It is possible that I will assist with community development training, replicate some of Lois’ projects in other areas, or remain in Kenya to continue working with Lois and her network of practitioners.

I would ask you to pray about your role in this. I am asking you to join me in loving our brothers in action and in truth. Love looks differently for different people. God has called me to love by going to East Africa. Perhaps God has called you to love through prayer or through giving. Please join me in asking “What does it look like for me to love?” I ask that when you see need you not close your heart against it but love in action and in truth.