One of the most frustrating and inspiring parts of my work is the biweekly CFA staff meeting. Frustrating, because it usually involves someone coming late, someone talking much more than they should, someone complaining about an issue that I completely disagree with, everyone spending much too long drinking tea (from my American perspective, anyway), and it takes place on a Saturday morning. Inspiring, because it is the time when I can hear all of workers talk about how things are going at their centers, which inevitably prompts me to praise God for certain things and spurs me on to work harder towards others. Today was our first full meeting of 2010, so I wanted to give you all a few of the highlights - things that you can join me in both praying and thanking God for!
First, I can't say enough how excited I am about what God is doing in Kisumu, the new CARE for AIDS region in the western part of the country. Cornel, Geoffrey, Lazarus, and Elisabeth have been working tirelessly for the past couple of months, and it really shows! The first center, at Central Baptist Church, officially started its recruitment the first week in January. In just a couple of weeks Lazarus and Elisabeth have recruited 112 people living with HIV/AIDS who want to take part in the CFA program. 62 of those live too far from the current center, which leaves 50 people who are starting the program. Hopefully that number will jump up to around 75 in the next couple of weeks, and the center can start its normal operations ahead of schedule! Cornel and Geoffrey will keep track of the other 62 people, and they will be the first to know when the next CFA center opens close to where they live. Praise God for the fast start at Central Baptist, and pray that God would provide the funds for us to open another center soon and serve more people in this incredibly needy area.
I also got some encouraging news from our newest center in the Limuru area at Kamirithu Assemblies of God. Paul and Eunice, the workers there, have been recruiting clients for a little over a month and they have a full group of 75 clients, with at least 10 on the waiting list for the next round. They have started counseling all of the clients and holding the first seminars, and they are already starting to see fruit in the way of faith decisions, improving health, and a strong desire to learn. Paul and Eunice have received a lot of help from Rosemary and Humphrey, the workers from our very first center, who are currently on a break between groups of clients. We are so thankful for their willingness to help out and offer their experience to our "rookie" workers, and I am continually amazed at the capacity of all of our staff to give and sacrifice for what they believe in! Please pray that everyone working at KAG would be able to instill in these new clients a proper perspective on the CFA program and help them to grasp the reality of salvation and the bright future that they can have.
More updates will come soon as I get to spend time in each of the centers, and I'm looking forward to sharing with you more stories of how God is blessing this ministry and all of us who are involved with it!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Only in Kenya...
It seems that whenever I arrive in Kenya, something ridiculous happens to welcome me back to the country. In August, my first day back was marked by seeing a car get t-boned by a freight train - the kind of thing that only happens in movies. Yesterday I had a similar experience...
Just outside our house the road takes a sharp, downward turn. This curve is the sight of many accidents, especially with the combination of human, donkey, motorcycle, car, and truck traffic that routinely careens around the turn at top speed. Yesterday, Cornel was riding on a motorcycle taxi in this very curve when he watched the big cargo truck in front of him swerve to avoid a donkey cart, then flip over on it's side, skidding to a halt blocking most of the road. Cornel jumped off the motorcycle and ran to open the door to the cab of the truck, helping the three ocupants out onto the ground. He quickly learned, though, that there was another man in the enclosed cargo area of the truck, so all four of them went back to try and open the door. After struggling with the big metal door for a little bit, it finally opened to reveal a full cargo of fresh, wet cow manure. The passenger was entirely BURIED in the manure, and after a bit of digging with a bucket Cornel found him unconscious, but alive. The man was rushed to the hospital where he was apparently found to be fine. I drove up on the accident about this time, and Cornel related the whole story to me in the nonchalant manner of a person who sees this kind of thing every day.
As Americans, we definitely DON'T see this kind of thing every day! I am still trying to understand why a person would ride in the enclosed cargo compartment of a truck filled with manure - does that sound like a good idea to anyone? How can we even start to imagine what it felt like for the truck to crash and for the man to find himself completely buried in the stuff?? This is just one example of the things that I don't think I'll ever understand about this crazy country. Every day brings something new and exciting!
Just outside our house the road takes a sharp, downward turn. This curve is the sight of many accidents, especially with the combination of human, donkey, motorcycle, car, and truck traffic that routinely careens around the turn at top speed. Yesterday, Cornel was riding on a motorcycle taxi in this very curve when he watched the big cargo truck in front of him swerve to avoid a donkey cart, then flip over on it's side, skidding to a halt blocking most of the road. Cornel jumped off the motorcycle and ran to open the door to the cab of the truck, helping the three ocupants out onto the ground. He quickly learned, though, that there was another man in the enclosed cargo area of the truck, so all four of them went back to try and open the door. After struggling with the big metal door for a little bit, it finally opened to reveal a full cargo of fresh, wet cow manure. The passenger was entirely BURIED in the manure, and after a bit of digging with a bucket Cornel found him unconscious, but alive. The man was rushed to the hospital where he was apparently found to be fine. I drove up on the accident about this time, and Cornel related the whole story to me in the nonchalant manner of a person who sees this kind of thing every day.
As Americans, we definitely DON'T see this kind of thing every day! I am still trying to understand why a person would ride in the enclosed cargo compartment of a truck filled with manure - does that sound like a good idea to anyone? How can we even start to imagine what it felt like for the truck to crash and for the man to find himself completely buried in the stuff?? This is just one example of the things that I don't think I'll ever understand about this crazy country. Every day brings something new and exciting!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
From one "home" to another
I'm writing this during my layover in the Amsterdam airport, which, though it leaves me in the surreal dream-world that comes along with long flights and giant time changes, provides as good a time as any to reflect a bit on the last month and look forward to the next few months. I am so thankful for the past few weeks that I was able to spend in the US. Having time to relax and catch up with the family and friends that I love so much was both an incredible refresher and a great encouragement to continue the work I am doing in Kenya with all of my heart. I got to enjoy more than my fair share of all the food that makes America great - barbecue, sweet tea, Bojangles fried chicken, McDonald's cheeseburgers, and some of the best home-cooked Christmas meals the world has ever seen - which leaves me feeling a little bit bigger than when I arrive and holding on to a new appreciation for the overwhelming amount of varieties and choices we have in America when it comes to food. I also managed to attend a college football game (Go Heels!), an NBA game (Go Cavs!), and a college basketball game (Go Dores!), which will hopefully hold me over on live sports for the next few months. Over the course of the last four weeks I spent time in 5 different states and reconnected with friends - from high school, college, and otherwise - and family, both immediate and distant. It was a very strange feeling to be in the US for "vacation," but all of these experiences gave me an understanding of America in a whole new light.
One of the biggest things that struck me about America, coming off of four months in Kenya, is the organization and order that comes along with just about everything. From roads and airports, to grocery stores and restaurants, to education and goverment, it seems like everything is accompanied by a plan and a schedule - not so in Kenya! In most instances this organization is great, and it makes things run smoothly and efficiently, but it can also have a mind-numbing effect on people. It seems that in America it is possible to live life almost without thinking sometimes, and I actually started to miss the unpredictability of Kenya at times. I was also struck (as many people are) with the "big-ness" of the US. Yes, the people and the cars are big, but it also amazed me how big the number of choices for food, clothes, or entertainment are. It struck me how big the expectations are for young people, how big the demands on each person's time are, and how big both the number and size of transactions and purchases are for a normal person. All of this big-ness results in a daily life that is much more complex, in many ways, and I found myself missing the simplicity of the Kenyan life when this became overwhelming.
I never thought I would say this, but in looking forward to returning to Kenya I feel that I am returning to a sense of normalcy. There is a regularity to my daily life in Limuru that I am excited to return to, and the purpose that comes along with the work I get to do every day with CARE for AIDS is calling strongly to my heart. As hard as it is right now to leave behind the people that mean so much to me in the States, I have a lot of joy in the expectancy of what God is going to do through me and through CFA in the coming months. I would love all of you to really join me in prayer for the next four months, until I return to the US again. In that time we are hoping to open several new CFA centers, as well as to really get our new region up and running in Kisumu. We will host several Vision Trips for Americans to experience and understand CFA's work in Kenya, and we will continue seeking out new partnerships with hospitals, clinics, government organizations, and other NGO's. In some ways it feels that my work over the past few months has been an effort to lay a strong foundation upon which to grow and expand, and I am so excited to see and experience that growth as it happens throughout this year!
Thank you for your continued prayers for both me and for CARE for AIDS! It was so encouraging to hear from people over the holidays who are reading this blog and praying for me, and I always appreciate hearing from all of you anything that is on your mind. I'm coming into the New Year with a renewed commitment to blogging more often, so stay tuned!
One of the biggest things that struck me about America, coming off of four months in Kenya, is the organization and order that comes along with just about everything. From roads and airports, to grocery stores and restaurants, to education and goverment, it seems like everything is accompanied by a plan and a schedule - not so in Kenya! In most instances this organization is great, and it makes things run smoothly and efficiently, but it can also have a mind-numbing effect on people. It seems that in America it is possible to live life almost without thinking sometimes, and I actually started to miss the unpredictability of Kenya at times. I was also struck (as many people are) with the "big-ness" of the US. Yes, the people and the cars are big, but it also amazed me how big the number of choices for food, clothes, or entertainment are. It struck me how big the expectations are for young people, how big the demands on each person's time are, and how big both the number and size of transactions and purchases are for a normal person. All of this big-ness results in a daily life that is much more complex, in many ways, and I found myself missing the simplicity of the Kenyan life when this became overwhelming.
I never thought I would say this, but in looking forward to returning to Kenya I feel that I am returning to a sense of normalcy. There is a regularity to my daily life in Limuru that I am excited to return to, and the purpose that comes along with the work I get to do every day with CARE for AIDS is calling strongly to my heart. As hard as it is right now to leave behind the people that mean so much to me in the States, I have a lot of joy in the expectancy of what God is going to do through me and through CFA in the coming months. I would love all of you to really join me in prayer for the next four months, until I return to the US again. In that time we are hoping to open several new CFA centers, as well as to really get our new region up and running in Kisumu. We will host several Vision Trips for Americans to experience and understand CFA's work in Kenya, and we will continue seeking out new partnerships with hospitals, clinics, government organizations, and other NGO's. In some ways it feels that my work over the past few months has been an effort to lay a strong foundation upon which to grow and expand, and I am so excited to see and experience that growth as it happens throughout this year!
Thank you for your continued prayers for both me and for CARE for AIDS! It was so encouraging to hear from people over the holidays who are reading this blog and praying for me, and I always appreciate hearing from all of you anything that is on your mind. I'm coming into the New Year with a renewed commitment to blogging more often, so stay tuned!
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