Guest Blogger: Preston Gordon, CARE for AIDS Event Coordination Intern
From the moment Duncan and Cornel arrived at the Atlanta airport last Wednesday to now as I write from Chattanooga, TN, this summer’s director trip has been a successful and adventure-filled experience. My job for the last month has been coordinating Duncan and Cornel’s time in the States and now that they are here, I am their chauffer, chaperone, and personal encyclopedia on everything that us crazy “mzungus” do on a daily basis.
The main focus of this trip is to extend our network of Americans who partner with CARE for AIDS through raising support and awareness about our ministry. So far, Duncan and Cornel have traveled to Winshape Camp in Rome, Georgia, spoken in the homes of Rich and Karon Wilckens and Ernest and Jan Taylor in the Atlanta area, visited Harris Baptist and Northside Baptist churches in Greenwood, South Carolina, spoken at the home of Sarah Tollick in Greenville, South Carolina, and traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to speak at an amazing fundraising dinner hosted by Donald and Brenda Thompson—all in just over a week! We have had the opportunity to introduce CARE for AIDS to many individuals who were previously unaware of our work in Kenya and to date have raised a substantial level of support for CFA.
Needless to say we have been very busy traveling and speaking, but some other highlights of the trip so far include visiting the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, meeting southern hospitality (e.g. endless quantities of delicious food) around every corner, going on a golf cart adventure around Peachtree City, and exploring the outdoor playground that is downtown Chattanooga.
Tomorrow (7/17) we will speak at Brainerd Baptist in Chattanooga, then head back to Atlanta to speak at Dogwood Church the remainder of the weekend. Next week is filled with speaking events in the Atlanta area, then the following weekend we will head to Virginia Beach to wrap up the trip.
This time with Duncan and Cornel has been an invaluable learning experience for me in so many ways—from logistics of event planning to being forced to rethink questions such as, “Why don’t we use the big open spaces beside the interstate to plant corn and graze cows?”, I have loved every second of it. Having the opportunity to live with Duncan and Cornel for a few weeks has given me an amazing snapshot of their passion for serving those suffering with HIV/AIDS in Kenya. And knowing that these two men of God are leading the way for our ministry in Kenya, I am more confident than ever that God is using CARE for AIDS to transform lives not only through physical counseling and emotional support, but also—and more importantly—through the power and love of Jesus Christ. The work of our Lord is being carried out in Kenya! To God be the glory…
Showing posts with label Guest Post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guest Post. Show all posts
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
"Praise God!" - guest post by Jane Slatton
Following is a guest post by Jane Slatton after her first visit to Africa with a CARE for AIDS vision trip:
“Praise God!”
“Amen!”
“Praise God!”
“Amen!!”
"My name is Jane..."
Though this introduction might never happen in the States - in fact I’m sure it wouldn’t - it was just one of many Kenyan-isms I learned about during my two weeks visiting Nick and participating in a CARE for AIDS vision trip. And while I love the fact that Kenyans switch their l’s and r’s, making “lesson” into “resson” or “coloring” into “coroling,” this Kenyan-ism affected me far more. As Nick and his mom have both mentioned, we spent our first day on the vision trip celebrating with a group of clients as their nine months with CFA came to a close. All of the center workers, all of the Americans, and some of the clients introduced themselves, and as I sat listening I realized the beauty of a Kenyan introduction. Before even stating their own name in front of the group, a Kenyan would shout “Praise God!” to the rousing response of “Amen!” It started to take on a significance of what should come first and who deserves the first recognition. I am so quick to state my name or where I’m from or what I do when someone asks me about myself. But while I was declaring my identity as an American student, I was humbled by others in the room who declared their identity in Christ first and foremost. It was a simple act, and possibly one that is just normal for a group of Christian Kenyans, but for this American it was a lesson about where I’m finding my identity and how I should boldly express that.
Later in the week, the vision trip headed south to the Maasai Mara for a safari! I never quite understood why Nick was still so excited to go on safari, having already been four times, probably because I thought it was like watching the same movie four times in a short period - it gets old. But wow, was I wrong. We saw some amazing things, but one evening in particular stands out...
We drove earlier that day to the Mara River to see Hippos and Crocodiles, which was beautiful, but a pretty far drive. An hour into our drive home, we were all pretty antsy to see another animal, especially since we only had one remaining drive. After our repeated reminders to our driver that while Crowned Cranes are neat, we realllly want to see a rhino, he set off in a new direction. Unfortunately, this direction was pretty wet. Out in huge grasslands, we kept driving down a road, then creeping along only to find that the road was too wet to cross, and we would have to turn around. After playing this game for about an hour, someone spotted an elephant up on a hill. Our drivers took off, and in 5 minutes we found ourselves spending dusk with 12 elephants. Our drivers cut off the vans and we sat listening to the elephants chew and hearing their huge, canvas-like ears scrape against their backs. I doubt any animal has ever been so mesmerizing. The mothers moved slowly, ripping huge chunks of grass up with their trunks and swirling it into their mouths. The babies followed close to the mothers, working just a bit harder to get their food. We all just stared until the light started to disappear.
Now I get it- no safari could be like a movie, and no safari could get old. Encountered that closely with God’s incredible creation, you can’t help but be in awe of our Maker.
“Praise God!”
“Amen!”
“Praise God!”
“Amen!!”
"My name is Jane..."
Though this introduction might never happen in the States - in fact I’m sure it wouldn’t - it was just one of many Kenyan-isms I learned about during my two weeks visiting Nick and participating in a CARE for AIDS vision trip. And while I love the fact that Kenyans switch their l’s and r’s, making “lesson” into “resson” or “coloring” into “coroling,” this Kenyan-ism affected me far more. As Nick and his mom have both mentioned, we spent our first day on the vision trip celebrating with a group of clients as their nine months with CFA came to a close. All of the center workers, all of the Americans, and some of the clients introduced themselves, and as I sat listening I realized the beauty of a Kenyan introduction. Before even stating their own name in front of the group, a Kenyan would shout “Praise God!” to the rousing response of “Amen!” It started to take on a significance of what should come first and who deserves the first recognition. I am so quick to state my name or where I’m from or what I do when someone asks me about myself. But while I was declaring my identity as an American student, I was humbled by others in the room who declared their identity in Christ first and foremost. It was a simple act, and possibly one that is just normal for a group of Christian Kenyans, but for this American it was a lesson about where I’m finding my identity and how I should boldly express that.Later in the week, the vision trip headed south to the Maasai Mara for a safari! I never quite understood why Nick was still so excited to go on safari, having already been four times, probably because I thought it was like watching the same movie four times in a short period - it gets old. But wow, was I wrong. We saw some amazing things, but one evening in particular stands out...
We drove earlier that day to the Mara River to see Hippos and Crocodiles, which was beautiful, but a pretty far drive. An hour into our drive home, we were all pretty antsy to see another animal, especially since we only had one remaining drive. After our repeated reminders to our driver that while Crowned Cranes are neat, we realllly want to see a rhino, he set off in a new direction. Unfortunately, this direction was pretty wet. Out in huge grasslands, we kept driving down a road, then creeping along only to find that the road was too wet to cross, and we would have to turn around. After playing this game for about an hour, someone spotted an elephant up on a hill. Our drivers took off, and in 5 minutes we found ourselves spending dusk with 12 elephants. Our drivers cut off the vans and we sat listening to the elephants chew and hearing their huge, canvas-like ears scrape against their backs. I doubt any animal has ever been so mesmerizing. The mothers moved slowly, ripping huge chunks of grass up with their trunks and swirling it into their mouths. The babies followed close to the mothers, working just a bit harder to get their food. We all just stared until the light started to disappear.Now I get it- no safari could be like a movie, and no safari could get old. Encountered that closely with God’s incredible creation, you can’t help but be in awe of our Maker.
Friday, March 26, 2010
"Love People" - guest blog by Sherry Gordon
Following is a guest blog by recent CFA Vision-trip participant Sherry Gordon - who also happens to be my wonderful mother! Enjoy...
“Vision Trip” is the perfect name for our visit with Care for Aids in Kenya. I was able to catch the vision of the ministry and see it blossom in the lives of hurting people. For our team’s first day in Limuru, we attended a graduation ceremony for 70+ clients as they completed their nine month CFA experience. The day started with many games, crafts and Bible lessons for the children, continued with a huge picnic for everyone, and concluded with a praise and worship service in the church. The celebration was exhilarating and the joy of the Lord overflowed. Client after client gave testimony about how their lives were radically changed by the diet and medical counseling, the financial teaching, and the spiritual enlightenment they received from the center. All instruction had been bathed in joyful love and friendship. These clients, despite their HIV+ status, had more joy than one can imagine.
Forty-eight hours later our team spent the morning at a center where clients were beginning only their third week. Each was sick, downcast, ashamed, frightened and hopeless. Meeting these "freshmen" clients sealed in our minds the true transformation real individuals are experiencing in their lives through CFA. Resurrection is truly taking place in Kenya where lonely, hopeless people are being miraculously nurtured back to life. Praise God for every worker, donor and administrator who together are making the vision a reality! God bless them richly for the sacrifices being made to redeem the lives of the forgotten.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to experience in person the ministry of CFA. What a tremendous blessing to leave the comforts of America and till the soil of my heart for others. Even so, after days of seeing hurting, hungry, desperate people everywhere we turned in Africa, I was overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. I wanted to wipe the runny noses of hundreds of toddlers wandering by the roadside. I wanted to take the young children to school to increase their chances of survival. Everything in me wanted to clean them up, get them out, and provide a way of escape from their dirty and discouraging world. On my last night in Africa, unable to sleep, I asked: “God, what do you want me to do about this….what do you expect of me?” The answer came clearly, as if the Lord himself were sitting with me, “LOVE PEOPLE.”
In the US, in Kenya, in the grocery store, in our neighborhood or one across town, wherever we are –“Love People”. The Lord does not expect us to rescue from their circumstances everyone He places in our paths, but we can be Jesus in their lives. We must make sure our investments are paying dividends in eternity.
Give Hope……Spread Joy……Write a Check……Spend Time……Say a Prayer……Take a vision trip……Share Jesus…..Love People.
“Vision Trip” is the perfect name for our visit with Care for Aids in Kenya. I was able to catch the vision of the ministry and see it blossom in the lives of hurting people. For our team’s first day in Limuru, we attended a graduation ceremony for 70+ clients as they completed their nine month CFA experience. The day started with many games, crafts and Bible lessons for the children, continued with a huge picnic for everyone, and concluded with a praise and worship service in the church. The celebration was exhilarating and the joy of the Lord overflowed. Client after client gave testimony about how their lives were radically changed by the diet and medical counseling, the financial teaching, and the spiritual enlightenment they received from the center. All instruction had been bathed in joyful love and friendship. These clients, despite their HIV+ status, had more joy than one can imagine.Forty-eight hours later our team spent the morning at a center where clients were beginning only their third week. Each was sick, downcast, ashamed, frightened and hopeless. Meeting these "freshmen" clients sealed in our minds the true transformation real individuals are experiencing in their lives through CFA. Resurrection is truly taking place in Kenya where lonely, hopeless people are being miraculously nurtured back to life. Praise God for every worker, donor and administrator who together are making the vision a reality! God bless them richly for the sacrifices being made to redeem the lives of the forgotten.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to experience in person the ministry of CFA. What a tremendous blessing to leave the comforts of America and till the soil of my heart for others. Even so, after days of seeing hurting, hungry, desperate people everywhere we turned in Africa, I was overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. I wanted to wipe the runny noses of hundreds of toddlers wandering by the roadside. I wanted to take the young children to school to increase their chances of survival. Everything in me wanted to clean them up, get them out, and provide a way of escape from their dirty and discouraging world. On my last night in Africa, unable to sleep, I asked: “God, what do you want me to do about this….what do you expect of me?” The answer came clearly, as if the Lord himself were sitting with me, “LOVE PEOPLE.”
In the US, in Kenya, in the grocery store, in our neighborhood or one across town, wherever we are –“Love People”. The Lord does not expect us to rescue from their circumstances everyone He places in our paths, but we can be Jesus in their lives. We must make sure our investments are paying dividends in eternity.
Give Hope……Spread Joy……Write a Check……Spend Time……Say a Prayer……Take a vision trip……Share Jesus…..Love People.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Guest Blogger: Preston Gordon
A Visitor’s Perspective
Greetings! My name is Preston Gordon and Nick has been kind enough to give me the space for a guest blog. I spent this last week here in Limuru, Kenya with CARE for AIDS and want to provide an outsider’s perspective on what is currently happening with CFA here in Kenya.
Given my close ties to CFA through my brother Nick I often hear about what goes on here in Limuru, so I thought I had a pretty good idea of how things work. But there is so much that I’ve learned and seen by being here and meeting people that I could have never understood. The first employees of CFA that I met upon arriving were Duncan and Cornel. From the moment they picked me up at the airport with Nick I knew they were two amazing guys! I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Duncan as he lives in the CFA house where I was staying with Nick, and I cannot imagine anyone but Duncan himself working in his position. His genuine heart for the CFA mission and ability to work towards that effectively with the other workers is so exciting to see.
I soon met the other two employees who work daily in the CFA office, Steve and Kevin. Steve is the financials man, and Kevin is the regional coordinator for the Limuru region. They were also both super enthusiastic about the work and extremely welcoming to me. I had the chance to have dinner at Kevin’s house, where he cooked us delicious chicken stew and chipati, and attend an aerobics class at the Limuru gym with Steve and Duncan. If Nick hasn’t blogged about aerobics yet, it seems to be the latest craze here in Limuru!
After seeing the office work I was able to visit three of the CFA centers around Limuru—the Banana, Koinonia, and Imani centers. Talking to the two employees at each of these centers and sitting in on a few of their counseling sessions with clients was a really cool experience for me. Nick has explained to me numerous times what really goes on with the clients during their time with CARE for AIDS, but hearing what happens from the people who are actually doing it (and seeing them work) gave me a whole new perspective. I think the most humbling thing about these employees is seeing their care for the people and desire to see them succeed while some of them are HIV-positive themselves. In addition they come from very humble homes as well—while talking to one of the employees and mentioning my weekend visit to the Masai Mara, he said he only wished one day he could visit one of his country’s amazing parks to see the animals. It is so sad that Kenyans have some of the most beautiful creatures in the world within their country but cannot afford to go and see them.
Finally, I experienced CFA at the most personal level—I was able to go on several home visits with the Banana employees, Margaret and Joseph. On home visits, the workers go to the clients' homes and for the most part just visit with them, check up on how they are doing and show them they care enough about them to come to their homes. It was wonderful first to see the generosity of the clients. When one of the clients saw she had guests, she would not let us leave until we shared a cup of chai tea and a platter of sandwiches together. Even though she had so little, she wanted to share with me and make me feel welcome in her home.
Two other things really struck me during the home visits. Seeing how so many of the clients take what they have learned in the CFA seminars and really use it to make money was really fascinating. Clients were doing everything from making beaded necklaces and cleaning detergent to raising rabbits and goats to make money, all things which CFA had helped them learn how to do. In addition, getting to encourage the clients and pray for them in their homes and seeing how much it meant to them was a really cool experience. Telling them how much I and so many other people in America cared for them and wanted them to be strong and succeed was such a blessing.
In summary, visiting Limuru and seeing CFA in action from the office to the client’s homes was a fun, inspiring, and humbling experience. Kenya is a spectacular country with vibrant people, and seeing the work being done here to those in such great need was very exciting. Lastly, I want you to know that every employee I met and interacted with has a heart for the people here in Kenya and a heart for Jesus Christ. That is truly something beautiful.
Greetings! My name is Preston Gordon and Nick has been kind enough to give me the space for a guest blog. I spent this last week here in Limuru, Kenya with CARE for AIDS and want to provide an outsider’s perspective on what is currently happening with CFA here in Kenya.
Given my close ties to CFA through my brother Nick I often hear about what goes on here in Limuru, so I thought I had a pretty good idea of how things work. But there is so much that I’ve learned and seen by being here and meeting people that I could have never understood. The first employees of CFA that I met upon arriving were Duncan and Cornel. From the moment they picked me up at the airport with Nick I knew they were two amazing guys! I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with Duncan as he lives in the CFA house where I was staying with Nick, and I cannot imagine anyone but Duncan himself working in his position. His genuine heart for the CFA mission and ability to work towards that effectively with the other workers is so exciting to see.
I soon met the other two employees who work daily in the CFA office, Steve and Kevin. Steve is the financials man, and Kevin is the regional coordinator for the Limuru region. They were also both super enthusiastic about the work and extremely welcoming to me. I had the chance to have dinner at Kevin’s house, where he cooked us delicious chicken stew and chipati, and attend an aerobics class at the Limuru gym with Steve and Duncan. If Nick hasn’t blogged about aerobics yet, it seems to be the latest craze here in Limuru!
After seeing the office work I was able to visit three of the CFA centers around Limuru—the Banana, Koinonia, and Imani centers. Talking to the two employees at each of these centers and sitting in on a few of their counseling sessions with clients was a really cool experience for me. Nick has explained to me numerous times what really goes on with the clients during their time with CARE for AIDS, but hearing what happens from the people who are actually doing it (and seeing them work) gave me a whole new perspective. I think the most humbling thing about these employees is seeing their care for the people and desire to see them succeed while some of them are HIV-positive themselves. In addition they come from very humble homes as well—while talking to one of the employees and mentioning my weekend visit to the Masai Mara, he said he only wished one day he could visit one of his country’s amazing parks to see the animals. It is so sad that Kenyans have some of the most beautiful creatures in the world within their country but cannot afford to go and see them.
Finally, I experienced CFA at the most personal level—I was able to go on several home visits with the Banana employees, Margaret and Joseph. On home visits, the workers go to the clients' homes and for the most part just visit with them, check up on how they are doing and show them they care enough about them to come to their homes. It was wonderful first to see the generosity of the clients. When one of the clients saw she had guests, she would not let us leave until we shared a cup of chai tea and a platter of sandwiches together. Even though she had so little, she wanted to share with me and make me feel welcome in her home.
Two other things really struck me during the home visits. Seeing how so many of the clients take what they have learned in the CFA seminars and really use it to make money was really fascinating. Clients were doing everything from making beaded necklaces and cleaning detergent to raising rabbits and goats to make money, all things which CFA had helped them learn how to do. In addition, getting to encourage the clients and pray for them in their homes and seeing how much it meant to them was a really cool experience. Telling them how much I and so many other people in America cared for them and wanted them to be strong and succeed was such a blessing.
In summary, visiting Limuru and seeing CFA in action from the office to the client’s homes was a fun, inspiring, and humbling experience. Kenya is a spectacular country with vibrant people, and seeing the work being done here to those in such great need was very exciting. Lastly, I want you to know that every employee I met and interacted with has a heart for the people here in Kenya and a heart for Jesus Christ. That is truly something beautiful.
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