All is well! It's now Saturday afternoon in the Congo. The past two days I feel I have really gotten into the thick of where I believe God has been leading me to for this trip. Yesterday, I preached a sermon in front of a full house of doctors, nurses, patients, and other staff of HEAL. I spoke on Romans 12. The joy that happens when all parts of the body are united. I was relieved when the room abrupted in laughter after one of my jokes!
At the end, I felt the Lord came through and that the message was very well received. I was so thankful for the CPC team here that was incredibly supportive before, during and after. I have since had many Congolese people at the hospital approach and encourage me for what the message meant to them. Praise God for this. (Bwana asi fiwe)
Yesterday, I took some time at HEALing arts. This is a building located at the compounds of the hospital where women who are ill, awaiting surgery, or recovering can sew clothes and make crafts. They sell the goods and earn a profit that they live off. I bought my first African shirt! and a few other knick knacks to bring home.
This morning I preached again at the church. This time it was a smaller crowd (Fri, Sun, and Tuesdays are their big services). I spoke on Mark 5, when Jesus heals a sick girl. The girl tried everything just to touch Jesus' clothes, knowing if she could just do that she would be healed. Jesus tells her that it was her faith that healed her. The message was that the doctors and spiritual counselors offer the tangible touch where healing takes place, but that the healing happens through faith.
After the service, I went around with the chaplain pastor to many of the different wards here at the hospital. There were broken legs, burn victims, those with AIDS. Chelsie translated get well cards written by our 4th and 5th graders at home and also brought a special treat for the kids. After the visit, we sang a song and then I was able to pray out loud in each room. It amazed me the joy everyone had when we sang a song together. And an honor to be able to pray for them.
We are heading to the market now, as the hospital works a half day on Saturdays (other than ER of course).
Pray for:
The kids, we are teaching Sunday school tomorrow
The people I visited today in each ward of the hospital
Team unity
Chelsie has she flies back to her home in Beni, Congo tomorrow
Thanks!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Jambo from Congo!
After a long 30+ hours of traveling we arrived safely in Goma, DR Congo! It was difficult to imagine what things may be like here until arriving. Surprisingly, it seems to fit some of my imaginations despite being far different from Arusha. I am amazed by how a group of nine of us, with very unique and separate skill sets, can all arrive and immediately be plugged right into service. Our nurses have each jumped right into their respective specialties, and our doctors have already performed a number of surgeries. Yesterday, our general surgeon amputated a leg! Our IT specialist has already brought great joy to the hospital with basic accomplishments such as installing two printers. Steve has been busy filming interviews, and This morning Pastor Paul delivered a sermon in French. I have been preparing for two sermons (in English, thankfully) that I will give tomorrow morning (MN time = Thurs. @ 10:30 pm) and Saturday morning.
One of the neatest experiences so far has been reuniting with Chelsie Frank. Chelsie is a friend of mine from the Univ. of Minn. days. She has been on staff with CPC as our 'Congo liaison' for two years and is just starting her third year. She is fluent in Swahili and fully in her element and running in her area of ministry. We spent today, and will continue spending time with the kids here at Heal Africa. With Chelsie able to translate i feel i am able to communicate with the kids much more easily than before. Today the kids at the school within the hospital all received letter written by the 4th and 5th graders at CPC. They were so happy that they wrote back! We also gave them puzzles that were made by kids back home,which they absolutely loved.
Please be in prayer:
Thankful for a safe arrival, a wonderful experience so far, total health for everyone on the team so far, and thankful for a wonderfully warm welcome from the people at Heal.
Asking for continued strength, wisdom among our medical team, and for God's presence during the next two mornings that i will be speaking at the church.
Lots of love,
Andrew
One of the neatest experiences so far has been reuniting with Chelsie Frank. Chelsie is a friend of mine from the Univ. of Minn. days. She has been on staff with CPC as our 'Congo liaison' for two years and is just starting her third year. She is fluent in Swahili and fully in her element and running in her area of ministry. We spent today, and will continue spending time with the kids here at Heal Africa. With Chelsie able to translate i feel i am able to communicate with the kids much more easily than before. Today the kids at the school within the hospital all received letter written by the 4th and 5th graders at CPC. They were so happy that they wrote back! We also gave them puzzles that were made by kids back home,which they absolutely loved.
Please be in prayer:
Thankful for a safe arrival, a wonderful experience so far, total health for everyone on the team so far, and thankful for a wonderfully warm welcome from the people at Heal.
Asking for continued strength, wisdom among our medical team, and for God's presence during the next two mornings that i will be speaking at the church.
Lots of love,
Andrew
Monday, March 15, 2010
This is Africa
It’s unbelievable how you blink and the time has passed; you turn around and it’s time to say good bye. Today we closed our time in Tanzania. I’ll have another post shortly on that. However, as I reflect on my time here, I have a few observations about Africa for you.
As a team we were always quick to call out our ‘This is Africa’ moments. TIA…
- If you get on public transport and the words ‘maximum occupancy’ do not apply… then you’re in Africa.
- If you have no concept of margin when a car goes flying past and nearly takes your left arm along with it… then you’re in Africa
- If you have ever begun to ask your friend to pay you back the 250 shillings for their bus fare before remembering that it’s only 19 cents… then you’re in Africa
- If you don’t think twice about asking a complete stranger to give you a ride on their motorcycle… then you’re in Africa
- If you start to name the goats in your back yard based off the different noises they make… then you’re in Africa
- If you still aren’t sure if it’s a actually a goat or maybe a sheep… then you’re in Africa
- If the cost in bargaining starts at $70 and eventually gets settled for $5… then you’re in Africa
- If you have to reply to someone, “No I haven’t met Obama yet”… then you’re in Africa.
- If you didn’t have any idea that the cat was pregnant… then you’re in Africa
- If you’ve gone to bed at 8 PM because the power went out… then you’re in Africa
- If you ask someone where you can watch the Super Bowl and they respond “you want a bowl of soup?”… then you’re in Africa
- When you put duct tape on your feet at night to try to remove the dirt embedded within… then you’re in Africa
- If you’ve sang ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ at Karaoke and nobody else has heard it before… then you’re in Africa
- When you play a five hole mini golf course on poured concrete… then you’re in Africa
- If you’ll gladly buy a newspaper because ‘it’s only a few days old’… then you’re in Africa
- And if Minnesota is ‘about halfway between New York and Los Angeles’… then you’re in Africa
Just a peek at what life is like here, now you know that This is Africa: TIA. expect some deeper thoughts shortly!
As a team we were always quick to call out our ‘This is Africa’ moments. TIA…
- If you get on public transport and the words ‘maximum occupancy’ do not apply… then you’re in Africa.
- If you have no concept of margin when a car goes flying past and nearly takes your left arm along with it… then you’re in Africa
- If you have ever begun to ask your friend to pay you back the 250 shillings for their bus fare before remembering that it’s only 19 cents… then you’re in Africa
- If you don’t think twice about asking a complete stranger to give you a ride on their motorcycle… then you’re in Africa
- If you start to name the goats in your back yard based off the different noises they make… then you’re in Africa
- If you still aren’t sure if it’s a actually a goat or maybe a sheep… then you’re in Africa
- If the cost in bargaining starts at $70 and eventually gets settled for $5… then you’re in Africa
- If you have to reply to someone, “No I haven’t met Obama yet”… then you’re in Africa.
- If you didn’t have any idea that the cat was pregnant… then you’re in Africa
- If you’ve gone to bed at 8 PM because the power went out… then you’re in Africa
- If you ask someone where you can watch the Super Bowl and they respond “you want a bowl of soup?”… then you’re in Africa
- When you put duct tape on your feet at night to try to remove the dirt embedded within… then you’re in Africa
- If you’ve sang ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ at Karaoke and nobody else has heard it before… then you’re in Africa
- When you play a five hole mini golf course on poured concrete… then you’re in Africa
- If you’ll gladly buy a newspaper because ‘it’s only a few days old’… then you’re in Africa
- And if Minnesota is ‘about halfway between New York and Los Angeles’… then you’re in Africa
Just a peek at what life is like here, now you know that This is Africa: TIA. expect some deeper thoughts shortly!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Closing Time - March 8 Update
It’s hard to believe there is such a short amount of time left here in Arusha! There is a lot to report, and I am sure to leave things out but I wish to post the big events as of late so you can stay up to speed and if you are willing pray for the last bit of the trip.
We continue to spend a significant amount of time at the school as well as around town meeting with people and visiting other schools. The last week or so will be similar, loving the kids as much as we can but also trying to put as many pieces to the puzzle together as possible before we say our goodbyes.
We have had meetings as of late with an organization called Imara Ministries. Imara is Swahili for ‘strong and firm’, and we have been connected there through the Vineyard church we have been attending here in Arusha. They have 5 school projects around the greater Arusha area, none of which are close to town. Through them we have gotten tremendous insight as to the process for starting a Christ centered school in Tanzania and to talked them a great deal about the situation with the Tuamken children.
We visited one of the Imara projects out near Moshi, about an hour and a half East of Arusha. We plan to make a trip to Peace House Africa this weekend. All of these experiences visiting schools are great for so many reasons. It provides a deeper understanding of what well run schools look like in Tanzania. It gives us the opportunity to ask all kinds of questions and learn. It also helps us get the word out about our orphans and to try to open some doors as God leads.
The kids received their new uniforms last week! It was truly astounding. Most of them had never received anything before that was brand new. They danced around showing off their new clothes all morning. Each uniform was tailored specifically for them, and had their name on it. Everything fit perfectly and it was one of the most heartwarming moments of the trip. Can you imagine having virtually zero possessions, and then receiving something brand new with your name on it? It also made them all equal (many did not have a school uniform altogether), and gave the school a noticeable sense of pride. They were finally unified as the Tuamkeni School.
Last week we took one of our children to the hospital after she was complaining of a stomach ache and had a fever. One of the teachers feared in was Malaria, which it in fact was. After a lot of prayer and some medications, Irene has her energy back and is feeling much better. She has been in school the past few days.
If you read my last post you heard a little bit about Carlous and Bahati’s story. We were so moved by it we decided to take the two of them out for a fun afternoon. We took them mini golfing (a very interesting idea in Africa), and then out for lunch. The whole time they had the biggest two smiles on their faces. At lunch they gazed around the restaurant in awe most of the time they were there. We knew without asking they had never been out to eat before, and a malt from McMoody’s was a giant surprise! We ended the day by taking them to the market to get shoes and backpacks. I think we were as blessed by the day as they were.
We hope to meet with Young Life of Arusha this week to discuss as much as possible about the future of the school. They have had a bit of involvement in the past but it has been difficult to get in touch with them.
Our last day with the kids will be special. We are going to a field nearby for an ‘Olympics Day’ followed by ice cream!
Please continue to pray for the kids, and for some of the last meetings with these organizations and the administration of the school. Please pray for the family we are staying with, the Lima’s. Please pray for safety the rest of the time in Arusha as well as on the journey home!
Thanks for reading!
-Andrew
We continue to spend a significant amount of time at the school as well as around town meeting with people and visiting other schools. The last week or so will be similar, loving the kids as much as we can but also trying to put as many pieces to the puzzle together as possible before we say our goodbyes.
We have had meetings as of late with an organization called Imara Ministries. Imara is Swahili for ‘strong and firm’, and we have been connected there through the Vineyard church we have been attending here in Arusha. They have 5 school projects around the greater Arusha area, none of which are close to town. Through them we have gotten tremendous insight as to the process for starting a Christ centered school in Tanzania and to talked them a great deal about the situation with the Tuamken children.
We visited one of the Imara projects out near Moshi, about an hour and a half East of Arusha. We plan to make a trip to Peace House Africa this weekend. All of these experiences visiting schools are great for so many reasons. It provides a deeper understanding of what well run schools look like in Tanzania. It gives us the opportunity to ask all kinds of questions and learn. It also helps us get the word out about our orphans and to try to open some doors as God leads.
The kids received their new uniforms last week! It was truly astounding. Most of them had never received anything before that was brand new. They danced around showing off their new clothes all morning. Each uniform was tailored specifically for them, and had their name on it. Everything fit perfectly and it was one of the most heartwarming moments of the trip. Can you imagine having virtually zero possessions, and then receiving something brand new with your name on it? It also made them all equal (many did not have a school uniform altogether), and gave the school a noticeable sense of pride. They were finally unified as the Tuamkeni School.
Last week we took one of our children to the hospital after she was complaining of a stomach ache and had a fever. One of the teachers feared in was Malaria, which it in fact was. After a lot of prayer and some medications, Irene has her energy back and is feeling much better. She has been in school the past few days.
If you read my last post you heard a little bit about Carlous and Bahati’s story. We were so moved by it we decided to take the two of them out for a fun afternoon. We took them mini golfing (a very interesting idea in Africa), and then out for lunch. The whole time they had the biggest two smiles on their faces. At lunch they gazed around the restaurant in awe most of the time they were there. We knew without asking they had never been out to eat before, and a malt from McMoody’s was a giant surprise! We ended the day by taking them to the market to get shoes and backpacks. I think we were as blessed by the day as they were.
We hope to meet with Young Life of Arusha this week to discuss as much as possible about the future of the school. They have had a bit of involvement in the past but it has been difficult to get in touch with them.
Our last day with the kids will be special. We are going to a field nearby for an ‘Olympics Day’ followed by ice cream!
Please continue to pray for the kids, and for some of the last meetings with these organizations and the administration of the school. Please pray for the family we are staying with, the Lima’s. Please pray for safety the rest of the time in Arusha as well as on the journey home!
Thanks for reading!
-Andrew
Friday, February 26, 2010
Laugh Think and Cry
Jim Valvano is the guy you might be able to identify from old highlight reels as that basketball coach running around the court hysterically enthusiastic after a last second shot won his N.C. State team an improbable Final Four Championship. He has always been one of those people I’ve looked up to without ever actually meeting. Mr. Valvano strikes me as a guy who looked at a day and assumed anything could happen. Even after cancer took his life in the 1990’s ‘The Jimmy V Foundation” is still working to find a cure for the dreaded disease.
He had such a philosophy to him. In an acceptance speech at the ESPY awards shortly before his death he asked the question, “How do you get from where you are to where you want to be?”
His proposition: An enthusiasm for life.
In Ecclesiastes chapter 3 it talks about how ‘there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.’ If you’ve been to a memorial service you’ve heard it; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, etc.
Mr. Valvano knew that his days were numbered. “Time is very precious to me, I don’t have a lot of it left” he insisted during his speech. Perhaps the combination of ambition and urgency was why he believed that each and every day deserved changes of our emotional seasons in order to feel fully alive. He says...
“There are three things you should do every day of your life;
#1 Laugh – We should laugh everyday
#2 Think – We should spend some time in thought, everyday
#3 Cry – Let your emotions be moved to tears, they can be happiness or sorrow
Think about it, if you do all three of those in a day… that’s a heck of a day!” (See the whole speech here)
Laugh, Think, and Cry. This reminds me of a time years ago when I went with my family to visit my sick Granny in the nursing home for what was inevitably the final time. I remember saying goodbye to Granny and then tearing up as I watched my father say goodbye to his grandmother. In the midst of our mourning, another nursing home resident escaped her bed and nonchalantly (and now famously) walked past eating a slice of blueberry pie. This elderly woman, whom was easily pushing 90 years old, audibly broke wind for at least 10 seconds as she walked past us. Our tears of sorrow were instantly replaced by tears from an uncontrollable laughter. To this day I hold this event as proof that God thinks farts are funny, too.
Life’s a hypocrite if you can’t live the way it moves you.
Awhile back I made a list of things I wanted to always be true of me. It is part of an ongoing effort to be committed to the way life moves me; and to be congruent to who I believe I am. I often fall short of this, but I know I’ve at least given it some thought. After all, self knowledge provides the means for intentional living.
Laugh – One of my commitments is to not take myself too seriously. Our group has not been short of laughs on this trip. Mama, bless her heart, continues to lecture us before EVERY departure from her home “Andrew, I think I teach you once before but… If African man come, you run EXPRESS!!” I know it’s not funny to joke about safety, but if you can imagine a big African Mama doing an impression of ‘express running’ you will most likely laugh as well.
Think – How important it is to process what’s happening in our lives! I feel like I could pay off the national debt if I had a dollar for every time I ‘started journaling’. The problem is that we tend to look for ways to keep busy so that we can avoid thinking. So part of my commitment to being a lifelong learner is making sacrifices in order to spend some time in thought. I’m terrible at this. It always feels like such a chore at first, but once you get going then it’s always worth it. “The prudent give thought to their steps” (Proverbs 14:15).
The other part is a commitment to always having an opinion, but always being open to the fact that I might be wrong. The only way to have an opinion on something is to have given it some thought. You have to allot a time of pondering in order to determine that the Hokey Pokey isn’t actually what it’s all about. Just be open to others when they ultimately convince you that it is.
Cry – So I’ve been dubbed the sensitive one on the trip. Really? Even with girls here? I can surely thank BLo (my wonderful mother) for passing this attribute down. But if you think it’s not manly to cry then look up John 11:35, shortest verse in the Bible folks.
All things aside, there is an unmatched liberation in crying that makes you feel completely and fully alive. Our soul longs for it. Our soul’s very intention is for our heart to break for what breaks God’s. It’s why we are to mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice. “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy” (Proverbs 126:5). Tears of sorrow AND tears of joy, a time to laugh AND a time to cry.
This week was a time to cry. This week we sat down with the overseers of the orphanage and one by one listened to the individual stories and circumstances of the Tuamken Orphans. They are sad and painful stories. Stories that you want to be aware of but at the same time wish to never hear. Over and over we lost the fight against tears as we wrote down the lives of the kids we love.
Bahati was born without one of his hands. When his father saw this he wanted nothing to do with him. Bahati is now 7 years old and hasn’t seen either of his parents since birth. He lives on his own in a shack with another Tuamken student, Carlous, who is 8 years old. A neighbor watches over them, but because she can only earn $35 per year by washing clothes she cannot afford to feed them. The meal Carlous and Bahati eat at school has to hold them over until the next school day. We’re uncertain what they eat on the weekends.
Maiko lives in neglect with his widowed mother who refuses to pay attention to him. Somewhat recently Maiko’s younger brother died from drowning in a pond. The brother’s death is attributed to the mother never watching or caring for them.
Witness and Happiness are twins. Their father worked as a security guard by night in an effort to make ends meet. He lost his life last year when thieves broke in on his watch and killed him.
Janet and her entire family are infected with HIV. Her father died from AIDS long ago leaving her mother widowed. We went to visit their home this week. Nobody came to the door. After neighbor boys let us in we found Janet’s mother and younger sister terribly ill and laying in bed. They were too frail to cook or eat, and asked us to pray. We knew God was listening.
Our kids, none older than 9 years, have experienced sickness, neglect, alcoholism, abandonment, drug addictions, prostitution, and murder. I’m convinced Jesus is the answer to all of these problems, and I’m awed by the joy and hope each of them has despite their circumstances.
Since the beginning James 1:27 has been our inspiration. “Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this, to look after orphans and widows in there distress and to keep from being polluted by the world.” After hearing the stories of our children it has become increasingly clear to me why God has us here.
“A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance” (Eccles. 3:4). There most definitely is a time for everything. This is to the God who laughs with us, to He who guides our thoughts, and to the same God who also cries with us.
This is to the God who is bigger than time itself, to Him be the glory!
I hope reading this has caused you laugh. I hope this caused you to think. And I hope this caused you to cry. Even more so, I hope that your life causes you these three everyday…
…to laugh uncontrollably,
…to think without borders,
… and to cry in sorrow and in joy.
I truly hope when your head hits the pillow at the end of each day you’ll say, ‘this was a heck of a day’.
He had such a philosophy to him. In an acceptance speech at the ESPY awards shortly before his death he asked the question, “How do you get from where you are to where you want to be?”
His proposition: An enthusiasm for life.
In Ecclesiastes chapter 3 it talks about how ‘there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.’ If you’ve been to a memorial service you’ve heard it; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, etc.
Mr. Valvano knew that his days were numbered. “Time is very precious to me, I don’t have a lot of it left” he insisted during his speech. Perhaps the combination of ambition and urgency was why he believed that each and every day deserved changes of our emotional seasons in order to feel fully alive. He says...
“There are three things you should do every day of your life;
#1 Laugh – We should laugh everyday
#2 Think – We should spend some time in thought, everyday
#3 Cry – Let your emotions be moved to tears, they can be happiness or sorrow
Think about it, if you do all three of those in a day… that’s a heck of a day!” (See the whole speech here)
Laugh, Think, and Cry. This reminds me of a time years ago when I went with my family to visit my sick Granny in the nursing home for what was inevitably the final time. I remember saying goodbye to Granny and then tearing up as I watched my father say goodbye to his grandmother. In the midst of our mourning, another nursing home resident escaped her bed and nonchalantly (and now famously) walked past eating a slice of blueberry pie. This elderly woman, whom was easily pushing 90 years old, audibly broke wind for at least 10 seconds as she walked past us. Our tears of sorrow were instantly replaced by tears from an uncontrollable laughter. To this day I hold this event as proof that God thinks farts are funny, too.
Life’s a hypocrite if you can’t live the way it moves you.
Awhile back I made a list of things I wanted to always be true of me. It is part of an ongoing effort to be committed to the way life moves me; and to be congruent to who I believe I am. I often fall short of this, but I know I’ve at least given it some thought. After all, self knowledge provides the means for intentional living.
Laugh – One of my commitments is to not take myself too seriously. Our group has not been short of laughs on this trip. Mama, bless her heart, continues to lecture us before EVERY departure from her home “Andrew, I think I teach you once before but… If African man come, you run EXPRESS!!” I know it’s not funny to joke about safety, but if you can imagine a big African Mama doing an impression of ‘express running’ you will most likely laugh as well.
Think – How important it is to process what’s happening in our lives! I feel like I could pay off the national debt if I had a dollar for every time I ‘started journaling’. The problem is that we tend to look for ways to keep busy so that we can avoid thinking. So part of my commitment to being a lifelong learner is making sacrifices in order to spend some time in thought. I’m terrible at this. It always feels like such a chore at first, but once you get going then it’s always worth it. “The prudent give thought to their steps” (Proverbs 14:15).
The other part is a commitment to always having an opinion, but always being open to the fact that I might be wrong. The only way to have an opinion on something is to have given it some thought. You have to allot a time of pondering in order to determine that the Hokey Pokey isn’t actually what it’s all about. Just be open to others when they ultimately convince you that it is.
Cry – So I’ve been dubbed the sensitive one on the trip. Really? Even with girls here? I can surely thank BLo (my wonderful mother) for passing this attribute down. But if you think it’s not manly to cry then look up John 11:35, shortest verse in the Bible folks.
All things aside, there is an unmatched liberation in crying that makes you feel completely and fully alive. Our soul longs for it. Our soul’s very intention is for our heart to break for what breaks God’s. It’s why we are to mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice. “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy” (Proverbs 126:5). Tears of sorrow AND tears of joy, a time to laugh AND a time to cry.
This week was a time to cry. This week we sat down with the overseers of the orphanage and one by one listened to the individual stories and circumstances of the Tuamken Orphans. They are sad and painful stories. Stories that you want to be aware of but at the same time wish to never hear. Over and over we lost the fight against tears as we wrote down the lives of the kids we love.
Bahati was born without one of his hands. When his father saw this he wanted nothing to do with him. Bahati is now 7 years old and hasn’t seen either of his parents since birth. He lives on his own in a shack with another Tuamken student, Carlous, who is 8 years old. A neighbor watches over them, but because she can only earn $35 per year by washing clothes she cannot afford to feed them. The meal Carlous and Bahati eat at school has to hold them over until the next school day. We’re uncertain what they eat on the weekends.
Maiko lives in neglect with his widowed mother who refuses to pay attention to him. Somewhat recently Maiko’s younger brother died from drowning in a pond. The brother’s death is attributed to the mother never watching or caring for them.
Witness and Happiness are twins. Their father worked as a security guard by night in an effort to make ends meet. He lost his life last year when thieves broke in on his watch and killed him.
Janet and her entire family are infected with HIV. Her father died from AIDS long ago leaving her mother widowed. We went to visit their home this week. Nobody came to the door. After neighbor boys let us in we found Janet’s mother and younger sister terribly ill and laying in bed. They were too frail to cook or eat, and asked us to pray. We knew God was listening.
Our kids, none older than 9 years, have experienced sickness, neglect, alcoholism, abandonment, drug addictions, prostitution, and murder. I’m convinced Jesus is the answer to all of these problems, and I’m awed by the joy and hope each of them has despite their circumstances.
Since the beginning James 1:27 has been our inspiration. “Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this, to look after orphans and widows in there distress and to keep from being polluted by the world.” After hearing the stories of our children it has become increasingly clear to me why God has us here.
“A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance” (Eccles. 3:4). There most definitely is a time for everything. This is to the God who laughs with us, to He who guides our thoughts, and to the same God who also cries with us.
This is to the God who is bigger than time itself, to Him be the glory!
I hope reading this has caused you laugh. I hope this caused you to think. And I hope this caused you to cry. Even more so, I hope that your life causes you these three everyday…
…to laugh uncontrollably,
…to think without borders,
… and to cry in sorrow and in joy.
I truly hope when your head hits the pillow at the end of each day you’ll say, ‘this was a heck of a day’.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Feb. 23 - A Day Worth Writing About
Well, we continue to defy the laws of Africa by managing to stay extremely busy in such a relaxed and calm culture. We continue to uncover more of the story of the orphans and the deeper we dig the deeper we see how desperate this community is to be loved and supported.
At the front end of the trip we had been mainly focusing on the immediate needs of the school (food, supplies, clothes, furnishings etc). Last Wednesday the new desks arrived, and what a joy to see them in their brand new individual seats! The uniforms are scheduled to be finished by the end of the week and MAN it will be good to get them new clothes. Our only remaining task is to tie up some loose ends with getting the sweaters. We have found a few shops that carry the Tuamken colors and are just negotiating price.
This week has seemingly marked an unofficial transition of focus. We are now very much consumed in working out the future of the orphan’s school. We are excited as we can already sense God is presenting some of the puzzle pieces and showing us how to put them together. However, in the midst of planning for the future, a scary situation began to surface as the calendar continues to approach April 9th. The 9th is the day our rent for the building is finished. This week the owner of the building, Mr. Sonyari, made clear that we would not be able to extend our rent. Now, a little history:
The orphans are currently occupying a small home in the village that has been turned into the school. The rooms are not sufficient size for classrooms, but, it works. Perhaps the biggest drawback is the complete lack of space to run and play. After a history of being bounced around for not being able to afford rent, this is the Orphan’s School’s 4th building. The building is currently up for sale and has been for awhile now. Mr. Sonyari does not like renting the building as he believes it makes it harder to sell. Before meeting him the owner was described to me as a very angry man who will always put up a fight. One of the other volunteers was in a huge argument with this man in the past. Every time they try to negotiate for rent it was an ugly scene. It seemed as though all odds pointed against being able to rent this building any longer past April 9th. This would mean they would have to move AGAIN, which is a much bigger problem than it seems. When the school moves, not all the kids tend to move with it. It’s also very hard on the kids and also VERY difficult to find a place that is even remotely safe. You also run the risk of not finding a new facility and losing the kids entirely.
On Monday , the overseers of the orphanage called a meeting and frantically tried to make a plan for April 9th and beyond. We all agreed the next day Jenna and I would go with the overseers of the orphans to beg for more time. We all went to bed concerned and eager, and asked our church here and others to pray for generosity and compassion in the owner.
Tuesday came, and we called the owner to let him know we were coming. He was very angry on the phone. Mathew, the head overseer of the school, told Jenna and I to prepare for an ugly argument. We got in a taxi and prayed to God. Upon arriving the owner did not look us in the eyes and as Mathew began to translate through us to Swahili, Mr. Sonyari just drew in the sand. As Mathew spoke to him Jenna and I continued to pray. Slowly but steadily you could see goodness enter his face. After only a short time and without the slightest argument we had an agreement to pay rent through July! Not only that but so long as the building remains unsold the kids may continue to occupy for the foreseeable future! The craziest was that by the end we were all laughing together, and high fiving. High fives are probably not culturally correct after signing an agreement but we were excited. After that Mathew turned to Jenna and I and with the straightest most convinced face said “God heard your prayers”.
What a difference this victory was for the school. Everyone’s mood and spirits were brighter for the rest of the school day. When we returned to the school, the other volunteers were astonished at the news. Even the most reserved volunteer was running around singing when he heard. Praise God.
Outside of staying busy with the school we are trying to balance with a share of fun too. This week we saw Invictus. The movie was only OK but we had the pretty unique opportunity of going to a movie theatre in Africa, and seeing the movie with the Tanzanian Rugby Team! Really a cool experience. This weekend is the Kilimanjaro Marathon in Moshi. We are planning to head out there as a last Hurrah for Adam before he leaves for the Congo. He will be doing the half marathon whereas the 5K fun run seems more up my alley.
I’ll make one last promise to get better at posting more consistently. Hopefully this one I can fulfill.
I would love to hear from you, so feel free to contact me at Andrew@lavego.org
-Andrew
At the front end of the trip we had been mainly focusing on the immediate needs of the school (food, supplies, clothes, furnishings etc). Last Wednesday the new desks arrived, and what a joy to see them in their brand new individual seats! The uniforms are scheduled to be finished by the end of the week and MAN it will be good to get them new clothes. Our only remaining task is to tie up some loose ends with getting the sweaters. We have found a few shops that carry the Tuamken colors and are just negotiating price.
This week has seemingly marked an unofficial transition of focus. We are now very much consumed in working out the future of the orphan’s school. We are excited as we can already sense God is presenting some of the puzzle pieces and showing us how to put them together. However, in the midst of planning for the future, a scary situation began to surface as the calendar continues to approach April 9th. The 9th is the day our rent for the building is finished. This week the owner of the building, Mr. Sonyari, made clear that we would not be able to extend our rent. Now, a little history:
The orphans are currently occupying a small home in the village that has been turned into the school. The rooms are not sufficient size for classrooms, but, it works. Perhaps the biggest drawback is the complete lack of space to run and play. After a history of being bounced around for not being able to afford rent, this is the Orphan’s School’s 4th building. The building is currently up for sale and has been for awhile now. Mr. Sonyari does not like renting the building as he believes it makes it harder to sell. Before meeting him the owner was described to me as a very angry man who will always put up a fight. One of the other volunteers was in a huge argument with this man in the past. Every time they try to negotiate for rent it was an ugly scene. It seemed as though all odds pointed against being able to rent this building any longer past April 9th. This would mean they would have to move AGAIN, which is a much bigger problem than it seems. When the school moves, not all the kids tend to move with it. It’s also very hard on the kids and also VERY difficult to find a place that is even remotely safe. You also run the risk of not finding a new facility and losing the kids entirely.
On Monday , the overseers of the orphanage called a meeting and frantically tried to make a plan for April 9th and beyond. We all agreed the next day Jenna and I would go with the overseers of the orphans to beg for more time. We all went to bed concerned and eager, and asked our church here and others to pray for generosity and compassion in the owner.
Tuesday came, and we called the owner to let him know we were coming. He was very angry on the phone. Mathew, the head overseer of the school, told Jenna and I to prepare for an ugly argument. We got in a taxi and prayed to God. Upon arriving the owner did not look us in the eyes and as Mathew began to translate through us to Swahili, Mr. Sonyari just drew in the sand. As Mathew spoke to him Jenna and I continued to pray. Slowly but steadily you could see goodness enter his face. After only a short time and without the slightest argument we had an agreement to pay rent through July! Not only that but so long as the building remains unsold the kids may continue to occupy for the foreseeable future! The craziest was that by the end we were all laughing together, and high fiving. High fives are probably not culturally correct after signing an agreement but we were excited. After that Mathew turned to Jenna and I and with the straightest most convinced face said “God heard your prayers”.
What a difference this victory was for the school. Everyone’s mood and spirits were brighter for the rest of the school day. When we returned to the school, the other volunteers were astonished at the news. Even the most reserved volunteer was running around singing when he heard. Praise God.
Outside of staying busy with the school we are trying to balance with a share of fun too. This week we saw Invictus. The movie was only OK but we had the pretty unique opportunity of going to a movie theatre in Africa, and seeing the movie with the Tanzanian Rugby Team! Really a cool experience. This weekend is the Kilimanjaro Marathon in Moshi. We are planning to head out there as a last Hurrah for Adam before he leaves for the Congo. He will be doing the half marathon whereas the 5K fun run seems more up my alley.
I’ll make one last promise to get better at posting more consistently. Hopefully this one I can fulfill.
I would love to hear from you, so feel free to contact me at Andrew@lavego.org
-Andrew
Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Gratitude in our Attitudes
Really? Does the Bible really want us to be thankful in ALL circumstances? That’s a pretty hefty request in a world of earthquakes, AIDS orphans, and so many other overwhelming situations. We’ll never understand the reason for hurt, yet so often we falsely convince ourselves the only way to heal our attitude is by putting God at fault for the pain we are experiencing. We question God why pain exists in our own life. We allow our attitude to be a reflection of our circumstances rather than the free gift of His grace.
This past week my attitude has been everything except zealous. I haven’t really been a downer, I’ve just sort of been floating there, moving but not fully alive. I thought that perhaps I had become overwhelmed by the circumstances of some of the children at the orphanage. This week one of my kids tried to give me 50 shillings. It’s the equivalent of about 4 cents, and I could tell it was all he had. At that moment I think my heart broke in yet another piece. Too bad my attitude was more self-absorbed than anything, otherwise I would likely be wearing the same joyful smile those kids bring to school with them each and every day.
This morning I examined myself internally in an effort to sort out my apathetic and bogus attitude. I woke up this morning with the bright idea to rate myself on the fruits of the spirit. Seriously, my idea was to bring each of the fruits of the spirit before Jesus in prayer and ask him to rate me from 1 to 10. So I got a cup of tea, turned on some music and took out my journal. Hah! How natural and ignorant is it to sit there and feel like God just wants to judge us. I closed my eyes and deeply asked “Jesus how am I doing?” I literally expected He would proceed to point out all of my character flaws. After a few minutes of getting nothing back, I finally saw His face kindly put it this way:
“Beloved you are perfect for God! I have made you perfect and set you free!”
WOW, had I really allowed my scorecard of life to take president over mercy and grace? Had I really set such an expectation of my behavior and allowed it to control my attitude? When we let ourselves live under the legalism of the Torah rather than the freedom of the Bible our attitudes are nothing but miserable!
I’m not saying God doesn’t want to strengthen and sanctify our character. But today I was reminded that it’s not about what we do or don’t do, it’s about living freely because Jesus’ deep desire for our life is to live freely with the SAME Holy Spirit that was within Him. As we do that our capacity to love others increases infinitely. In Brennan Manning’s book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, he explains that “the way we see other people is usually the way we see ourselves”. Meaning, if we are constantly judging ourselves and grading our own scorecards in life then we will inevitably judge and accuse others rather than acknowledge that they too are not under the law but offered grace.
We have so many scorecards the world tells us to add and compare with each other:
- Our Bank Accounts
- Our Health
- Our Looks
- Our Relationships with Family
- Our Relationships with Others
- Our Careers
- Our Intelligence
- Our Attitude
Luckily, we never have to add and compare them so long as we fully accept the grace of Jesus.
One of my favorite speakers, Graham Cooke, puts it this way:
“When your present, your future, your health, your destiny, and your life all depend totally on the God who works for weak, twisted, and deceitful people… then you simply have to be the happiest people on the face of the earth.”
Take some time today to identify which of your scorecards are taking president over the mercy and grace of our Heavenly Father. Remember that joy lies in trusting God, not in understanding Him.
My economics degree tells me the secret to happiness is when marginal cost equals marginal benefit. Let me save you the four years of theory and plainly say that gratitude is the secret to happiness. Once you burn those scorecards, then it becomes possible to truly give thanks in all circumstances and the gratitude in your attitude will surely set you free!
This past week my attitude has been everything except zealous. I haven’t really been a downer, I’ve just sort of been floating there, moving but not fully alive. I thought that perhaps I had become overwhelmed by the circumstances of some of the children at the orphanage. This week one of my kids tried to give me 50 shillings. It’s the equivalent of about 4 cents, and I could tell it was all he had. At that moment I think my heart broke in yet another piece. Too bad my attitude was more self-absorbed than anything, otherwise I would likely be wearing the same joyful smile those kids bring to school with them each and every day.
This morning I examined myself internally in an effort to sort out my apathetic and bogus attitude. I woke up this morning with the bright idea to rate myself on the fruits of the spirit. Seriously, my idea was to bring each of the fruits of the spirit before Jesus in prayer and ask him to rate me from 1 to 10. So I got a cup of tea, turned on some music and took out my journal. Hah! How natural and ignorant is it to sit there and feel like God just wants to judge us. I closed my eyes and deeply asked “Jesus how am I doing?” I literally expected He would proceed to point out all of my character flaws. After a few minutes of getting nothing back, I finally saw His face kindly put it this way:
“Beloved you are perfect for God! I have made you perfect and set you free!”
WOW, had I really allowed my scorecard of life to take president over mercy and grace? Had I really set such an expectation of my behavior and allowed it to control my attitude? When we let ourselves live under the legalism of the Torah rather than the freedom of the Bible our attitudes are nothing but miserable!
I’m not saying God doesn’t want to strengthen and sanctify our character. But today I was reminded that it’s not about what we do or don’t do, it’s about living freely because Jesus’ deep desire for our life is to live freely with the SAME Holy Spirit that was within Him. As we do that our capacity to love others increases infinitely. In Brennan Manning’s book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, he explains that “the way we see other people is usually the way we see ourselves”. Meaning, if we are constantly judging ourselves and grading our own scorecards in life then we will inevitably judge and accuse others rather than acknowledge that they too are not under the law but offered grace.
We have so many scorecards the world tells us to add and compare with each other:
- Our Bank Accounts
- Our Health
- Our Looks
- Our Relationships with Family
- Our Relationships with Others
- Our Careers
- Our Intelligence
- Our Attitude
Luckily, we never have to add and compare them so long as we fully accept the grace of Jesus.
One of my favorite speakers, Graham Cooke, puts it this way:
“When your present, your future, your health, your destiny, and your life all depend totally on the God who works for weak, twisted, and deceitful people… then you simply have to be the happiest people on the face of the earth.”
Take some time today to identify which of your scorecards are taking president over the mercy and grace of our Heavenly Father. Remember that joy lies in trusting God, not in understanding Him.
My economics degree tells me the secret to happiness is when marginal cost equals marginal benefit. Let me save you the four years of theory and plainly say that gratitude is the secret to happiness. Once you burn those scorecards, then it becomes possible to truly give thanks in all circumstances and the gratitude in your attitude will surely set you free!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Feb. 12th Update!
So I know I haven't been as up to date on postings as I wish, a better effort coming next week! Here is a quicky to keep you posted on all that's going on.
This week we have spent a lot of time with the kids! We kicked off the week by driving around Africa in a jam packed car of us Muzungus and the other half Africans looking for land for the future school. The plots we saw were horribly expensive, and very very far away from where the kids are now. The four of us all agreed we didn't feel any sort of peace or possibility with any of the plots. However, we were thrilled for the unique experience to survey the land and were happy to get the ball rolling for the long term at Tuamken.
This coming Monday we will be exploring possibilities within the village where they are at now. We walked the kids home from school yesterday and all agreed there HAS to be something feasible within the community they are in now. We saw all kinds of open plots, as well as buildings that were half built but never finished. It seems much more feasible to acquire one of these half built buildings and develop it to the Tanzanian standards for a schoolhouse.
We are discussing the option of having a child sponsorship program with our kids. We met with the area director at Compassion International yesterday to at least get more ideas. We have also meet some friends through the church we are going to, that either run NGO's or are missionaries that focus on education. Still under the assumption that God will align the stars.
One of the highlights of the week was individually measuring the kids for their new uniforms. The old one's are SO tattered and worn. You could see in their eyes that the very rarely get that kind of individual attention. Jenna was there to give each student a sucker after being measured up. What a special moment.
We also put in the payment for the desks, and they are currently being constructed. Once we get those (about another week), we plan to turn some of the old wooden desks into bookshelves. We will build a mini library for the kids, as well as have a few bookshelves for the teachers to store their school supplies!
Aside from things with the project, I am reflecting a lot on have a like minded attitude of Christ. Frankly, I haven't been the best at that this week, and I'm trying to figure out why. Look for a post soon, maybe it will be great or maybe it will totally suck, but maybe together we can figure out how to have a Christ like attitude.
Love you and miss you all! Nakupenda Sana!
Andrew
This week we have spent a lot of time with the kids! We kicked off the week by driving around Africa in a jam packed car of us Muzungus and the other half Africans looking for land for the future school. The plots we saw were horribly expensive, and very very far away from where the kids are now. The four of us all agreed we didn't feel any sort of peace or possibility with any of the plots. However, we were thrilled for the unique experience to survey the land and were happy to get the ball rolling for the long term at Tuamken.
This coming Monday we will be exploring possibilities within the village where they are at now. We walked the kids home from school yesterday and all agreed there HAS to be something feasible within the community they are in now. We saw all kinds of open plots, as well as buildings that were half built but never finished. It seems much more feasible to acquire one of these half built buildings and develop it to the Tanzanian standards for a schoolhouse.
We are discussing the option of having a child sponsorship program with our kids. We met with the area director at Compassion International yesterday to at least get more ideas. We have also meet some friends through the church we are going to, that either run NGO's or are missionaries that focus on education. Still under the assumption that God will align the stars.
One of the highlights of the week was individually measuring the kids for their new uniforms. The old one's are SO tattered and worn. You could see in their eyes that the very rarely get that kind of individual attention. Jenna was there to give each student a sucker after being measured up. What a special moment.
We also put in the payment for the desks, and they are currently being constructed. Once we get those (about another week), we plan to turn some of the old wooden desks into bookshelves. We will build a mini library for the kids, as well as have a few bookshelves for the teachers to store their school supplies!
Aside from things with the project, I am reflecting a lot on have a like minded attitude of Christ. Frankly, I haven't been the best at that this week, and I'm trying to figure out why. Look for a post soon, maybe it will be great or maybe it will totally suck, but maybe together we can figure out how to have a Christ like attitude.
Love you and miss you all! Nakupenda Sana!
Andrew
Friday, February 5, 2010
Update Feb. 5
Just real quick before I forget, you can see team updates for the Tuamken Orphans Project here. I have decided to include in this blog quick notes about personal experiences, even if they are not my thoughts.
If you know me you know I am a pretty high-capacity person who likes to have multiple things going on at once (too bad I’m a pretty weak mult-tasker). I also have lofty expectations, which is definitely a double edged sword. What I mean to say is, despite a few moments when I don’t feel productive… when I reflect on the first couple of days I am blown away by the progress, connections, and guidance from God.
To sum things up, we have connected with the administration on so many levels. We have discovered there needs and desires for the future without swaying their thoughts. This is important because typically, Africans will say the answer they know you want to hear even if it isn’t what they truly think. So I feel we have a good understanding of their unbiased dreams and we will see how we can play into those.
The meals donated by Feed My Starving Children arrived safely! This was expressed as their most urgent and important need, that the kids would have a healthy meal each day. The cook and administrator were nearly in tears when we explained what it was.
We toured a nearby school yesterday to look at the desks they had, and get a quote on prices. Today we are going to meet the Fundi (boss) of a business that makes desks and see what can happen there. We are also in the process of measuring the kids for new uniforms. Today we are getting a sample uniform from a shop within the village, and a price quote. This is great because we can also support the community by buying them right within the village versus from within the city.
Next week we are scouting out plots of land. Without getting ahead of ourselves we want to know what’s out there and begin to determine the feasibility of the long term need. The community dreams of a school that would expand on what they have now, which is pre-primary and standard 1 and 2 (same as preschool through 2nd grade back home). They hope some day for it to be a full primary school through standard 7 (7th grade).
We had lengthy conversations with the orphanage about both sustainability and spirituality. We are on the same page for both. They are hoping for land in which they can farm on. This would allow them to raise their own crops to feed the children, and sell the extras to help support the school. We got as detailed as putting in a chicken coupe to harvest eggs, etc. According to what the administration says, land seems to be the absolute most urgent need. Apparently even more important than new desks. Allegedly this is because land near Arusha is scarce and hard to get, as time goes on there will only be less of it and the price will go up.
I will post price ranges as we learn next week, we are taking it one step at a time and understand that just because the administration thinks the land is the first step… we know we must still do our homework. Be assured we will do all we can to uncover the most God led step to take here.
I was much encouraged by the spiritual goals of the school. I trust it is authentic as I didn’t lead with my opinion but asked first to hear theirs. Their spiritual goals are for it to be a Christian, bible believing school. Mathew (the head of the school) invited me to freely pray with the children and even teach bible stories. I could tell he was genuine, and I don’t think he was just bluffing. They want to be a school that welcomes in muslim orphans, but accepts them with the anticipation that they will be born again. It sounds great to me, but again we are still early on and a lot is yet to be proven.
The last thing to mention is, that for the short term tangible needs (uniforms, desks, school supplies etc.) we are setting up a ‘match’ concept. We are asking the community to make crafts to help fundraise for the needs of the school. We will sell them to organizations that have expressed genuine interest, or else take them home and sell them to you! We plan to pay the fair market value for the crafts, then match that amount with a donation. We will take all that money and use it to fund the needs. The purpose of this is to create pride within the community, the whole point of this is to ‘assist them in supporting themselves’. This way we avoid it being a direct handout and avoid setting up a crutch that they get used to leaning on.
Well. I hope this doesn’t feel like rambling, just a lot going on at once. Please, I welcome your input and suggestions. Feel free to e-mail me thoughts or opinions at Andrew@lavego.org and I assure you my team and I will take them into consideration.
Enough for now, I hope all is well!
Love,
Andrew
If you know me you know I am a pretty high-capacity person who likes to have multiple things going on at once (too bad I’m a pretty weak mult-tasker). I also have lofty expectations, which is definitely a double edged sword. What I mean to say is, despite a few moments when I don’t feel productive… when I reflect on the first couple of days I am blown away by the progress, connections, and guidance from God.
To sum things up, we have connected with the administration on so many levels. We have discovered there needs and desires for the future without swaying their thoughts. This is important because typically, Africans will say the answer they know you want to hear even if it isn’t what they truly think. So I feel we have a good understanding of their unbiased dreams and we will see how we can play into those.
The meals donated by Feed My Starving Children arrived safely! This was expressed as their most urgent and important need, that the kids would have a healthy meal each day. The cook and administrator were nearly in tears when we explained what it was.
We toured a nearby school yesterday to look at the desks they had, and get a quote on prices. Today we are going to meet the Fundi (boss) of a business that makes desks and see what can happen there. We are also in the process of measuring the kids for new uniforms. Today we are getting a sample uniform from a shop within the village, and a price quote. This is great because we can also support the community by buying them right within the village versus from within the city.
Next week we are scouting out plots of land. Without getting ahead of ourselves we want to know what’s out there and begin to determine the feasibility of the long term need. The community dreams of a school that would expand on what they have now, which is pre-primary and standard 1 and 2 (same as preschool through 2nd grade back home). They hope some day for it to be a full primary school through standard 7 (7th grade).
We had lengthy conversations with the orphanage about both sustainability and spirituality. We are on the same page for both. They are hoping for land in which they can farm on. This would allow them to raise their own crops to feed the children, and sell the extras to help support the school. We got as detailed as putting in a chicken coupe to harvest eggs, etc. According to what the administration says, land seems to be the absolute most urgent need. Apparently even more important than new desks. Allegedly this is because land near Arusha is scarce and hard to get, as time goes on there will only be less of it and the price will go up.
I will post price ranges as we learn next week, we are taking it one step at a time and understand that just because the administration thinks the land is the first step… we know we must still do our homework. Be assured we will do all we can to uncover the most God led step to take here.
I was much encouraged by the spiritual goals of the school. I trust it is authentic as I didn’t lead with my opinion but asked first to hear theirs. Their spiritual goals are for it to be a Christian, bible believing school. Mathew (the head of the school) invited me to freely pray with the children and even teach bible stories. I could tell he was genuine, and I don’t think he was just bluffing. They want to be a school that welcomes in muslim orphans, but accepts them with the anticipation that they will be born again. It sounds great to me, but again we are still early on and a lot is yet to be proven.
The last thing to mention is, that for the short term tangible needs (uniforms, desks, school supplies etc.) we are setting up a ‘match’ concept. We are asking the community to make crafts to help fundraise for the needs of the school. We will sell them to organizations that have expressed genuine interest, or else take them home and sell them to you! We plan to pay the fair market value for the crafts, then match that amount with a donation. We will take all that money and use it to fund the needs. The purpose of this is to create pride within the community, the whole point of this is to ‘assist them in supporting themselves’. This way we avoid it being a direct handout and avoid setting up a crutch that they get used to leaning on.
Well. I hope this doesn’t feel like rambling, just a lot going on at once. Please, I welcome your input and suggestions. Feel free to e-mail me thoughts or opinions at Andrew@lavego.org and I assure you my team and I will take them into consideration.
Enough for now, I hope all is well!
Love,
Andrew
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Update Feb. 2nd
We arrived safely yesterday afternoon in Arusha! After a long (7 hours), bumpy and horrendously hot bus ride from Nairobi Mama Joe was waiting for us with open arms on Kaunda road. She screamed when she saw me and ran out yelling “It’s true, Andrew is here! It’s really you!!” She was especially happy to see us because she checked the paper for the weather in Minneapolis, and was afraid our plane would crash because there was ice and snow.
It’s a unique situation. A year ago I lived a life I thought no one would every share with me beyond hearing my stories. Now, I am reliving the memories with 3 wonderful friends.
Pole Sana (much sympathies) for the gap between posts. It was difficult to affix internet access with free time while we were in Kenya. I want to share a swift update on the trip before getting into an experience I had at a local vineyard church in Nairobi, where I encountered Jesus in a very tangible way and also learned more deeply about a characteristic of our Messiah. (see next post)
God is as alive as ever. It’s so clear He has marked the path ahead of us. To me our week in Nairobi served many purposes. We learned all about the life of missionaries. We visited many schools and got to comprehend the culture of education as Africa, which is highlighted by their hope for the future, belief in the present, and desire for an opportunity. The four of us got to flat out have fun with each other, and build a foundation for a journey together that is sure to have its ups and downs.
We are taking this morning to get accustomed and oriented to the city, and to game plan for the rest of the week. We are also having lunch with Marcel, the current volunteer at the Tuamken school. We are so thankful for how everything has gone so far, and can’t wait to get busy!
Look for another post but the end of the week at the latest! Miss you all!
It’s a unique situation. A year ago I lived a life I thought no one would every share with me beyond hearing my stories. Now, I am reliving the memories with 3 wonderful friends.
Pole Sana (much sympathies) for the gap between posts. It was difficult to affix internet access with free time while we were in Kenya. I want to share a swift update on the trip before getting into an experience I had at a local vineyard church in Nairobi, where I encountered Jesus in a very tangible way and also learned more deeply about a characteristic of our Messiah. (see next post)
God is as alive as ever. It’s so clear He has marked the path ahead of us. To me our week in Nairobi served many purposes. We learned all about the life of missionaries. We visited many schools and got to comprehend the culture of education as Africa, which is highlighted by their hope for the future, belief in the present, and desire for an opportunity. The four of us got to flat out have fun with each other, and build a foundation for a journey together that is sure to have its ups and downs.
We are taking this morning to get accustomed and oriented to the city, and to game plan for the rest of the week. We are also having lunch with Marcel, the current volunteer at the Tuamken school. We are so thankful for how everything has gone so far, and can’t wait to get busy!
Look for another post but the end of the week at the latest! Miss you all!
What if God put YOU in Charge?
God is so big and mysterious. I love how no matter how long you have been a child of God you will still continue to uncover aspects of His character and nature.
If you can agree with me that God is all-powerful, then you can agree that if God wanted to He could say “Mountain, go over there”, and it would go. Because by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command (Heb. 11:3). If God commanded it we know it was His will, and we have faith in what we do not see. So for the seemingly impossible to occur two things must be present. It must be God’s will AND we must have the faith that He can do it.
Both before and during the trip, the concept of healing continues to surface in my life. With most of the spiritual gifts; healing, miracles, prophesy etc. you are now talking about God choosing us to perform the supernatural. Again, the same two components must exist. It must be God’s will and we must have faith that only He can do it. Only now when He uses us we must discern if it’s God’s will, having the faithfulness that he can do it, and now ALSO have the humility that we are nothing and God is everything.
This weekend I began to get a glimpse of Jesus’ humility. He is the most selfless person I know! Philippians chapter 2 tells us that while being in the very nature of God He made himself nothing. Think about that, God endowed His omniscient; all powerful and all loving nature to Jesus, and Jesus emptied Himself and gave it right back. He chose humanity over divinity in an act of love for His heavenly Father and He humbled himself.
‘Whatever you did to the least of these you did unto me’ starts to shine in an even deeper place.
When I try to fathom this I can’t help but wonder what would happen if God put me in charge?
What if God allowed all His goodness to pass before you? How would you handle the call if God appointed you to leadership and said “OK then, you can do all things and I will give you every bit of strength.” Imagine that, God literally enables you to do ANYTHING through His strength. How would you lead if God put you in charge?
And he DOES. It brings Him joy that we would seek His will, have faith that only He can do it, and have the humility to empty ourselves and become servants like Christ Jesus. It’s why in James we are called to ‘humble ourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:10)’. It seems crazy that God would choose to use us, but there are examples of this throughout the Bible of God calling us to live in His faithfulness in order to carry out the supernatural.
He used Moses to part the Red Sea. He promised, and willed that He would protect Moses’ people, and He did. The staff Moses was carrying was not a magical wand; it was symbolic of the faith of Moses. After the sea devoured the Egyptians Moses and the Israelites sang songs to the Lord in the humility that it was not Moses but God that saved them (Exodus 15).
The best worldly example I can come up with is a boy being born into royalty. This soon to be King is guaranteed power over all the land and the riches that go along with being king. Instead of stepping into power and reign he humbly washes the feet of the court jester. Talk about a radical Jesus, and the purest most humble form of servant.
On Sunday we worshiped at a vineyard church in Nairobi. I have found that when I eliminate the clutter of my American lifestyle I tend to encounter the Holy Spirit in very tangible ways. I encountered the authentic, compassionate love of the Holy Spirit in this small Vineyard surrounded by a bunch of singing Africans! The sermon was on healing, and the pastor connected the story of Jesus healing a woman in Mark 5 to the humility of Jesus in Philippians 2.
I encourage you to read the story by clicking here. We see from the story that the supernatural healing of this woman was a function of the discernment, faithfulness, and humility of Jesus. All three must be present for God to use us as a means to work miracles. It first must be a miracle God wants to work, and then we must trust that only He can do it. As we tryst we must completely empty ourselves to true servants and humbly give God the glory.
I think that is why Jesus tells us we can do greater things than He did. But only when we fully surrender to God’s glory and become nothing.
So, What if God puts you in charge?
To Him be the glory!
If you can agree with me that God is all-powerful, then you can agree that if God wanted to He could say “Mountain, go over there”, and it would go. Because by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command (Heb. 11:3). If God commanded it we know it was His will, and we have faith in what we do not see. So for the seemingly impossible to occur two things must be present. It must be God’s will AND we must have the faith that He can do it.
Both before and during the trip, the concept of healing continues to surface in my life. With most of the spiritual gifts; healing, miracles, prophesy etc. you are now talking about God choosing us to perform the supernatural. Again, the same two components must exist. It must be God’s will and we must have faith that only He can do it. Only now when He uses us we must discern if it’s God’s will, having the faithfulness that he can do it, and now ALSO have the humility that we are nothing and God is everything.
This weekend I began to get a glimpse of Jesus’ humility. He is the most selfless person I know! Philippians chapter 2 tells us that while being in the very nature of God He made himself nothing. Think about that, God endowed His omniscient; all powerful and all loving nature to Jesus, and Jesus emptied Himself and gave it right back. He chose humanity over divinity in an act of love for His heavenly Father and He humbled himself.
‘Whatever you did to the least of these you did unto me’ starts to shine in an even deeper place.
When I try to fathom this I can’t help but wonder what would happen if God put me in charge?
What if God allowed all His goodness to pass before you? How would you handle the call if God appointed you to leadership and said “OK then, you can do all things and I will give you every bit of strength.” Imagine that, God literally enables you to do ANYTHING through His strength. How would you lead if God put you in charge?
And he DOES. It brings Him joy that we would seek His will, have faith that only He can do it, and have the humility to empty ourselves and become servants like Christ Jesus. It’s why in James we are called to ‘humble ourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:10)’. It seems crazy that God would choose to use us, but there are examples of this throughout the Bible of God calling us to live in His faithfulness in order to carry out the supernatural.
He used Moses to part the Red Sea. He promised, and willed that He would protect Moses’ people, and He did. The staff Moses was carrying was not a magical wand; it was symbolic of the faith of Moses. After the sea devoured the Egyptians Moses and the Israelites sang songs to the Lord in the humility that it was not Moses but God that saved them (Exodus 15).
The best worldly example I can come up with is a boy being born into royalty. This soon to be King is guaranteed power over all the land and the riches that go along with being king. Instead of stepping into power and reign he humbly washes the feet of the court jester. Talk about a radical Jesus, and the purest most humble form of servant.
On Sunday we worshiped at a vineyard church in Nairobi. I have found that when I eliminate the clutter of my American lifestyle I tend to encounter the Holy Spirit in very tangible ways. I encountered the authentic, compassionate love of the Holy Spirit in this small Vineyard surrounded by a bunch of singing Africans! The sermon was on healing, and the pastor connected the story of Jesus healing a woman in Mark 5 to the humility of Jesus in Philippians 2.
I encourage you to read the story by clicking here. We see from the story that the supernatural healing of this woman was a function of the discernment, faithfulness, and humility of Jesus. All three must be present for God to use us as a means to work miracles. It first must be a miracle God wants to work, and then we must trust that only He can do it. As we tryst we must completely empty ourselves to true servants and humbly give God the glory.
I think that is why Jesus tells us we can do greater things than He did. But only when we fully surrender to God’s glory and become nothing.
So, What if God puts you in charge?
To Him be the glory!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Arrival!
Hey Everyone!
So arrives our team in Nairobi and the first blog post!
We had a close call on our connection in Chicago. We sprinted through O'Hare airport, they held the plane for us and we BARELY made it on board. From there it was smooth sailing.
After getting our visas and getting through customs OK, Greg Snell was there meeting us at the exit. The Snells are the most wonderful people. They took us in, stored our bags that we only need for Tanzania, and had our whole week planned out for us.
We are staying our first night in a dorm style housing on the campus where the Snell's do leadership training. It's gorgeous, brand new and everything. In the morning we are going into town to run errands, and then we will be out to their ministry site in the morning. What a great way to kick off the trip!
God Moments so far:
- Jann at the Minneapolis airport. Our bags were well over the 50 pound limit, but she pushed them through for free.
- Catching our 2nd flight, literally as time ran out. Then getting warmly welcomed on the plane by each having four seats to ourselves to lay across.
- The girls had an awesome conversation on that flight with one of the flight attendants who did orphanage work in Kenya for 15 years. Great insight and advice, totally a divine appointment.
- The Snell's and this AWESOME place to stay our first night. We will be back here Saturday and Sunday night after spending the rest of the week in Navaisha.
I wanted to get this out so everyone knows we are alive and well. Once we get more settled this will become more of a site for my personal thoughts, experiences, and learning points. The team and I will direct our day to day interactions and plans on our Lavego site. Once that is up and running I will post directions to view that site on the blog here.
We're in Africa! Alive and well.
- Andrew
So arrives our team in Nairobi and the first blog post!
We had a close call on our connection in Chicago. We sprinted through O'Hare airport, they held the plane for us and we BARELY made it on board. From there it was smooth sailing.
After getting our visas and getting through customs OK, Greg Snell was there meeting us at the exit. The Snells are the most wonderful people. They took us in, stored our bags that we only need for Tanzania, and had our whole week planned out for us.
We are staying our first night in a dorm style housing on the campus where the Snell's do leadership training. It's gorgeous, brand new and everything. In the morning we are going into town to run errands, and then we will be out to their ministry site in the morning. What a great way to kick off the trip!
God Moments so far:
- Jann at the Minneapolis airport. Our bags were well over the 50 pound limit, but she pushed them through for free.
- Catching our 2nd flight, literally as time ran out. Then getting warmly welcomed on the plane by each having four seats to ourselves to lay across.
- The girls had an awesome conversation on that flight with one of the flight attendants who did orphanage work in Kenya for 15 years. Great insight and advice, totally a divine appointment.
- The Snell's and this AWESOME place to stay our first night. We will be back here Saturday and Sunday night after spending the rest of the week in Navaisha.
I wanted to get this out so everyone knows we are alive and well. Once we get more settled this will become more of a site for my personal thoughts, experiences, and learning points. The team and I will direct our day to day interactions and plans on our Lavego site. Once that is up and running I will post directions to view that site on the blog here.
We're in Africa! Alive and well.
- Andrew
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Coming Soon!
Check back for Blog Posts about what our wonderful maker is up to in Africa
On Monday, January 25th my team and I will be sent to Nairobi, Kenya for one week. We will be working alongside Missionaries Deb and Greg Snell, at their ministry center. It is anticipated to be an eye opening kickoff with building projects, volunteering at schools, and adapting to the beautiful African world.
At the beginning of February, we will make our way down to Arusha, Tanzania to reunite with the Tuamken Orphans. We began an ongoing relationship with Tuamken roughly one year ago, and hope to come alongside this village and quietly help them obtain their short term and long term needs.
At this time please pray for every aspect of the word 'Embarking'
Check back often! I hope to share with you closely God's provision as we spend time with some of God's most poor, but hopeful children.
On Monday, January 25th my team and I will be sent to Nairobi, Kenya for one week. We will be working alongside Missionaries Deb and Greg Snell, at their ministry center. It is anticipated to be an eye opening kickoff with building projects, volunteering at schools, and adapting to the beautiful African world.
At the beginning of February, we will make our way down to Arusha, Tanzania to reunite with the Tuamken Orphans. We began an ongoing relationship with Tuamken roughly one year ago, and hope to come alongside this village and quietly help them obtain their short term and long term needs.
At this time please pray for every aspect of the word 'Embarking'
Check back often! I hope to share with you closely God's provision as we spend time with some of God's most poor, but hopeful children.
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