While it is easy to see the visible results of CARE for AIDS in the lives of individual clients, it is sometimes more difficult to judge the impact that CFA is having within the churches that we partner with. This week we held an appreciation lunch for senior pastors of the five churches we partner with in the Limuru area, and I was blown away by the enthusiasm they exhibited toward the partnership with CARE for AIDS. Before the meeting, I was a little worried that there would be a competitive or complaining atmosphere, but everything we heard was positive, and the pastors all joined in on a very productive discussion, advising each other and sharing stories of things they have learned through working with CFA. I wanted to share a few quotes with you from the meeting that really demonstrate the effect that CARE for AIDS is having on each of these Kenyan churches...
"Since we joined hands together with CFA, our church has experienced so many blessings."
--Pastor Thomas, Banana Hill Baptist Church
"I have witnessed so many people coming to faith through this ministry."
--Pastor Samuel, Koinonia Baptist Church
"This has created a spirit of openness and listening in the congregation...there is a unity and oneness within the group."
--Pastor Linus, Imani Baptist Church
"We had a lot of people who had totally lost hope...they were rejected by the church, rejected by relatives, rejected by the community. When they came, they knew they had found the right place, and now we can celebrate seeing them healthy today."
--Pastor Samuel, Koinonia Baptist Church
"Due to the way they have been empowered by this program, they have hope, they have self-esteem...they are living positively, they have started small businesses, they are saving."
--Pastor Thomas, Banana Hill Baptist Church
"We hear people in the community saying, 'These people are not just preaching, they minister to the whole person.' It is a very positive thing."
--Pastor Michael, Deliverance Church Gachie
"This has given me exposure on how I can deal with these people - it has really helped me personally as a pastor to them."
--Pastor Thomas, Banana Hill Baptist Church
"People who were so weak, now they are strong."
--Pastor Linus, Imani Baptist Church
Praise God for the way that he is using this ministry to build churches that understand how to love and serve people living with HIV/AIDS. In a society where so many churches have turned their backs on these people, it is comforting to know that in each one of these communities, a church has risen up with a reputation for boldly welcoming and loving people who truly need it!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
A Story of Giving
I love the times when stories from the Bible seem to come alive right in front of our eyes. There are many aspects of the life of Christ that are difficult to identify with, especially in the modern, developed world in which most of us live. Here in Kenya, though, I am occasionally exposed to situations that seem to more closely reflect the reality of life that Jesus talked about from personal experience.
This week I heard a story about a client at our Imani center that struck me in such a way. Julia Wangare is a 70 year-old woman who lives with one of her sons and several grandchildren - her husband left her many years ago. She has 8 other children, and she is HIV-positive. Julia is very poor, and has struggled greatly with the infections that come along with HIV/AIDS. Though she is looking forward to learning more about small businesses and projects like keeping rabbits, she currently lives off of the food and resources that her children and grandchildren provide for her. In short, Julia has no money. None.
Julia is also a committed member of Imani Baptist Church and a faithful believer in Christ. She is one of the most appreciative clients in the center, and she is always ready with a word of thanks and encouragement for Rosemary and Humphrey, the CFA counselors at Imani. A couple of months ago, the church leaders decided to build a small building on the property for children's Sunday school classes, and - in typical Kenyan fashion - they held a "harambee," or a fundraiser, to get the project started. As I've mentioned, Julia has no money, but she desperately wanted to help the church and went home in search of anything to give. On the day of the harambee, Julia showed up carrying a few wooden planks that could be used for the building - planks that had previously formed the frame of the bed she slept on every night. Julia had woken up in the morning, taken apart her bed, placed her mattress on the dirt floor, and cheerfully brought the wooden pieces as her gift to the church.
In Luke 21, Jesus talks about a widow who gave a small offering to the temple treasury, commenting that her gift was worth more than all the others because it came out of her poverty. It was a gift that required sacrifice - a gift that came not out of excess, but out of shortage. Julia's story exemplifies how Jesus' message is lived out in reality. It's humbling to me, but also inspiring. Julia might not have a bed anymore, but she has the joy of knowing that she obeyed the calling of Christ and truly gave more than she could afford.
"As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 'I tell you the truth,' he said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.'"
This week I heard a story about a client at our Imani center that struck me in such a way. Julia Wangare is a 70 year-old woman who lives with one of her sons and several grandchildren - her husband left her many years ago. She has 8 other children, and she is HIV-positive. Julia is very poor, and has struggled greatly with the infections that come along with HIV/AIDS. Though she is looking forward to learning more about small businesses and projects like keeping rabbits, she currently lives off of the food and resources that her children and grandchildren provide for her. In short, Julia has no money. None.
Julia is also a committed member of Imani Baptist Church and a faithful believer in Christ. She is one of the most appreciative clients in the center, and she is always ready with a word of thanks and encouragement for Rosemary and Humphrey, the CFA counselors at Imani. A couple of months ago, the church leaders decided to build a small building on the property for children's Sunday school classes, and - in typical Kenyan fashion - they held a "harambee," or a fundraiser, to get the project started. As I've mentioned, Julia has no money, but she desperately wanted to help the church and went home in search of anything to give. On the day of the harambee, Julia showed up carrying a few wooden planks that could be used for the building - planks that had previously formed the frame of the bed she slept on every night. Julia had woken up in the morning, taken apart her bed, placed her mattress on the dirt floor, and cheerfully brought the wooden pieces as her gift to the church.
In Luke 21, Jesus talks about a widow who gave a small offering to the temple treasury, commenting that her gift was worth more than all the others because it came out of her poverty. It was a gift that required sacrifice - a gift that came not out of excess, but out of shortage. Julia's story exemplifies how Jesus' message is lived out in reality. It's humbling to me, but also inspiring. Julia might not have a bed anymore, but she has the joy of knowing that she obeyed the calling of Christ and truly gave more than she could afford.
"As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 'I tell you the truth,' he said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.'"
Sunday, May 2, 2010
May Prayer Requests
A week from right now I will be on my way back to the US. wow. It seems like the past four months have flown by, and I have so much to think about as I prepare to spend two months in the States before returning to Kenya in July. In light of everything that's on my mind right now, I would love to share some prayer requests for me and for CARE for AIDS during this month.
Personally, I would love your prayers that I could tie up all of the loose ends here before leaving on Saturday. I am working with our Directors and Coordinators to make a plan for the next two months, and I am also trying to finish up several projects that have big implications for the future of CFA. A couple of these projects have been in the works for a while now, and they have really been a fun challenge. I'm excited to wrap them up, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the results.
Additionally, I've started trying to find and set up opportunities to share my experiences with people back in the States. I feel a great burden right now to tell as many people at home as possible about what God has been doing here and to give them the opportunity to partner in supporting CARE for AIDS, and I am praying that God would open the right doors and put me in touch with all of the right people. It is my hope that I will not only be able to raise the necessary funds to cover my salary when I return to Kenya, but that my unique experiences will be able to help with the fund-raising efforts of our American team and that we can all see some real fruits together over the summer. Please pray that God would order my steps and give me the words to adequately express what I am so passionate about. (On another note, if you have any ideas of opportunities to share with people or groups, I would love to hear them!)
I would also love your prayers for the transition that I'm facing from life in Kenya to life in America. I am so excited to be reunited with old friends and family for a season, but I also know that it's going to be difficult to leave the new friends that I have become so close to here. As much as I'm looking forward to McDonald's and Wal-Mart, the pace and style of life is very different than what I've become used to, so I'm praying that God will give me flexibility and a quick adjustment.
On the CARE for AIDS side of things, I'd first like you to join me in praising God for the way he has blessed the start of our newest center at Gachie! John and Sarah have recruited a group of 78 eager clients, and they will be starting the normal center operations on Monday. Pray that they would have wisdom, patience, and supernatural love as they begin working with this special group of people every week.
Along those same lines, the Banana center workers have just finished a month of rest and recuperation, and they will begin recruiting their 2nd phase of clients tomorrow. Please pray that God would lead them to the people who really need the hope and help that CFA offers, and pray that the most desperate people would have the courage to come out of hiding and take a step to join the center.
Finally, we are working to hire some new staff over the next couple of months, including a Regional Coordinator for the Limuru region and two workers for the second Kisumu center, and I would love your prayers for the perfect people in each one of these roles. There are so many people in Kenya who need jobs right now, which sometimes makes it hard to find just the right ones. I am really praying that we would find people who share the same passion and vision that all of our team members do, and I'm praying that the new members of the team would fit in perfectly with the wonderful community that we have now!
Thank you so much for your prayers! I know I can speak for our clients and our staff in saying that it is a huge encouragement and comfort to know that people all over the world are praying for the work that we are blessed to have the opportunity to do here in Kenya.
Personally, I would love your prayers that I could tie up all of the loose ends here before leaving on Saturday. I am working with our Directors and Coordinators to make a plan for the next two months, and I am also trying to finish up several projects that have big implications for the future of CFA. A couple of these projects have been in the works for a while now, and they have really been a fun challenge. I'm excited to wrap them up, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the results.
Additionally, I've started trying to find and set up opportunities to share my experiences with people back in the States. I feel a great burden right now to tell as many people at home as possible about what God has been doing here and to give them the opportunity to partner in supporting CARE for AIDS, and I am praying that God would open the right doors and put me in touch with all of the right people. It is my hope that I will not only be able to raise the necessary funds to cover my salary when I return to Kenya, but that my unique experiences will be able to help with the fund-raising efforts of our American team and that we can all see some real fruits together over the summer. Please pray that God would order my steps and give me the words to adequately express what I am so passionate about. (On another note, if you have any ideas of opportunities to share with people or groups, I would love to hear them!)
I would also love your prayers for the transition that I'm facing from life in Kenya to life in America. I am so excited to be reunited with old friends and family for a season, but I also know that it's going to be difficult to leave the new friends that I have become so close to here. As much as I'm looking forward to McDonald's and Wal-Mart, the pace and style of life is very different than what I've become used to, so I'm praying that God will give me flexibility and a quick adjustment.
On the CARE for AIDS side of things, I'd first like you to join me in praising God for the way he has blessed the start of our newest center at Gachie! John and Sarah have recruited a group of 78 eager clients, and they will be starting the normal center operations on Monday. Pray that they would have wisdom, patience, and supernatural love as they begin working with this special group of people every week.
Along those same lines, the Banana center workers have just finished a month of rest and recuperation, and they will begin recruiting their 2nd phase of clients tomorrow. Please pray that God would lead them to the people who really need the hope and help that CFA offers, and pray that the most desperate people would have the courage to come out of hiding and take a step to join the center.
Finally, we are working to hire some new staff over the next couple of months, including a Regional Coordinator for the Limuru region and two workers for the second Kisumu center, and I would love your prayers for the perfect people in each one of these roles. There are so many people in Kenya who need jobs right now, which sometimes makes it hard to find just the right ones. I am really praying that we would find people who share the same passion and vision that all of our team members do, and I'm praying that the new members of the team would fit in perfectly with the wonderful community that we have now!
Thank you so much for your prayers! I know I can speak for our clients and our staff in saying that it is a huge encouragement and comfort to know that people all over the world are praying for the work that we are blessed to have the opportunity to do here in Kenya.
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