Oh, Kenya!

It's just hard to believe.  Hard to believe we've been back from Kenya for a little more than a week now.  It seems like we were just there, yet in some ways it seems like a long time ago.  Guess that's the way these experiences usually play themselves out in our lives.  And yet, even though Kenya may seem a million miles away at times, there are memories and lessons we gathered there that will be close to our hearts as long as we draw breath.

We learned about trust in God and finding our satisfaction in his grace, regardless of what we have or don't have.  About the ways he takes care of us, even in the hardest of struggles.  About showing hospitality and warmth to strangers who come and stay awhile.  And about taking care of each other, because that's the one debt we owe on a daily basis.

We had the chance to serve in ways that may have been outside our comfort zones, and we discovered that it wasn't as tough as we thought it was going to be.  We learned to work outside our cultural parameters, stretching in new ways and finding newly appropriate methods for sharing the love and message of God.  And we even picked up some new vocabulary terms, some in Kiswahili and some in Kikamba- just ask Samaki (aka Jeremy) how to say "fish!"

As much as anything else, we saw firsthand the impact and power of a ministry like Tumaini.  Children and families with little or no hope have found a new outlook and future for themselves.  They have a reason to persevere, and reason to hope again.  And we get to continue to be a part of it all.  

You need to know that $35 monthly sponsors a Kenyan AIDS orphan.  This provides the bulk of educational and material needs for a child, and makes a more promising tomorrow a reality.  You may not be able to change the world, but you can change the world of one family for about a dollar a day.  Would you consider becoming a sponsor, if you haven't done so already?  Find out more at www.tumainiinternational.org.  

Here are some pictures of one the greatest trips we've ever taken!

Daktari Ron with local dental license

Sharing with hooch-makers in "Kosovo"

Oh, those lazy kings!

Louise, Wambua, & the home we'll rebuild

The 3 Preaching Amigos- Josh, William, & Mike

The boys in Nairobi- Bill, Daktari Ron & Josh

Watching the elephants was a sacred experience!

Delivering food to a Tumaini family

"Fast Mary" beating the local boy!

Our Kenyan Home Stretch

It's happened again.  Just like in other trips, the finish line has snuck up on us and we're looking at completing our experience almost as quickly as we began.


We wrapped up our work in Masii on Friday and said our good-byes. That was a tough one. One little street girl, Vicky, grabbed Josh's fingers and refused to let go.  I thought I heard his heart break in that moment.  And when other kids were waving and cheering as we pulled out, Vicky held her head in her hands and refused to look. We felt much the same.


After spending that night in Nairobi, we caught a flight to Maasai Mara in the southwest part of Kenya, for a couple of days of real safari. And I can tell you that this experience is unparalleled with anything I've ever done. We've gotten up close and personal with lions, cheetahs, hippos, elephants, giraffes, buffalo and zebra, to name a few. But you know, as overwhelming as this has been, processing and wrapping our hearts and minds around what we experienced in Nairobi and Masii is an even greater challenge for us.


We debriefed again last night about what we've been through and agreed that God provided so much in such a short period of time that we haven't been able to sort it all out yet.  But we did agree that Tumaini is doing a great job of not only providing AIDS orphan sponsorship, but of hope for the future as well.  That the Kenyan people need the love of God in a real way, and are very open to receiving it.  That Tumaini's use of holistic ministry is key to presenting the gospel to east Africa in a way that makes sense. And that we want to keep ridin' the Tumaini bus as it rolls on down this road.


Thanks to all of you who have given, prayed, encouraged and followed this team in any way the last few weeks.  You are part of this experience and we appreciate your place in our lives.  We still have some miles to go before we touch down at LAX Tuesday afternoon at 12:40, so keep praying for us. That we'll have the chance to share with one more person about God's love and hope for them.  That we'll learn just one more lesson.  That we'll hear God's voice one more time.


And that maybe we'll see just one more lion.

Of Celebration, Goats, and Tooth in Advertising

Wow! What a blast! That seems to be the general consensus of the team as we hit this full week of ministry at full speed. First was our time with the Masii Christian Chapel Sunday morning (into afternoon!).  Being part of a time of corporate worship in another culture can be nothing short of amazing, and our experience was no exception. The warmth, the energy, the power and the excitement of worship and praise left us wanting more. Josh Chavez preached a powerful message (with the translating help of brother Stanley) and we immersed ourselves in Kenyan culture for a few hours. It's something we'll hold onto for a long, long time.

Today three worked on peoples' teeth while the rest of us loaded supplies and visited some of the kids sponsored by KACC and Parkcrest churches. It took all day to visit six homes- and we should have had my jeep for the roads errr, trails we took to get to our destinations. We met the families (usually grandparents) of these children, caregivers who have stepped up in the wake of the deaths of the kids' parents due to AIDS. And we saw happy, thriving environments where the challenges of raising a second generation has been offset by the joy of seeing God's hand working among them.


A couple of today's gems:
- Mary Flores made such a great impression on one of our visitations that she was bargained for by the family.  They decided they would give 36 goats in trade to have her remain with them! We told Mary that she should be honored, as this is a great deal to give on her behalf! A couple of our guys were pretty hungry in the moment, and the prospect of fresh goat meat (and lots of it) sounded good, but they decided it was still too little for the lone woman on our team!


- Daktari Ron Jurgensen (our dentist) was examining a woman who wanted two teeth pulled. As he looked into her mouth he immediately saw that there were actually three, side-by-side, that needed to come out. His translator, Esther, tried to tell that to the patient, but she insisted on only two. Ron, in his great compassion for relieving pain and problem, suggested to Esther that they go ahead and pull the three and tell her that they got the two...to which the patient said in clear English, I said I only wanted two pulled!  Ouch! Forgot that she just might understand English, and got busted big time! So two were pulled, if a bit sheepishly!


Thanks for prayers and support.  Much is happening, and much is yet to happen.  Pray that we hear God's voice and sense His direction as we serve these wonderful people. Right now, we feel like some of the most fortunate people in the world...and indeed we are.

Run and Fun

So much to tell you and so little space! Let me catch you up a bit:

After Sunday's service at Ann St. we loaded up a bus and hit the road for Eidsvold, a small, rural and largely indigenous community about 6 hours from Brisbane in the bush. We've been making the trek to this town since 2005, and Ann St. continues to visit throughout the year. Our goal is to connect in significant ways with people (especially youth) through our Christian Centre there. Although we have no congregation presently in Eidsvold, our arrival signals that there will be activity for a few days! Kids and adults we've come to know begin to come over and they bring friends.

One of my (Mike) highlights was teaching about 25 kids some songs for a Tuesday evening program put on for their folks. It was simple. really. I taught them "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High" and "Father, I Adore You." Nothing new for us, but apparently new for them. They not only learned those songs and asked to sing them again and again, but recalled what they had learned last year ("I Like Bananas") and taught that to me!

Tuesday evening we hosted a community bbq (no shrimp, but plenty of sausage!) and then our program. The kids did a great job and Edgar shared his testimony with the crowd. He gave an invitation for people to give their lives to Christ, and at least three responded! The time of sharing afterward and the days that followed was also full of opportunity and openness.

Leaving Eidsvold was tough on Thursday (it always is) because friendships had been formed and strengthened, and some were just now opening their lives to some of our team. We will continue to grow those relationships while we are apart, believing God will use what we offer to do more than we could imagine.

Today (Friday) was our experience with NAIDOC- National Aboriginal and Islander Day Of Celebration. It is a time of recognition for indigenous Australia, as they remember and rejoice in their heritage. We spent the day at a downtown park, along with many hundreds of people. The festive air and chances to learn more about this integral part of Aussie culture were exciting for us and we reveled in rubbing shoulders with such wonderful folks. And tonite we traveled the downtown part of the Brisbane River of the City Cat transport boat. It's a beautiful (and cold!) run up and down the heart of the city- a can't miss kind of thing.

Tomorrow Ann St. hosts a regular event, "Big Day Out." We will pack up a group and head to a local rain forest for a bit of a bushwalk, lunch and time together. In the past they have taken upwards of 50 to such experiences, but this time we have about 100 signed up! Should be exciting figuring out how to make transport and logistics work, but it's a great challenge!

We thank you for your prayers and concern for us. We are all doing well and are daily growing in our love and appreciation of this culture and people. We see God's imprint all over the place, even though society is more secular than ours in almost every way. Those with whom we talk are open, friendly and often interested in talking about spiritual matters. There are great challenges, to be sure, but great potential as well. And that's where we can be used! Please continue to pray as we finish well this weekend. I will speak Sunday morning- ask God to make His power and message understood in a fresh way, and that people will respond to His prompting. Thanks!

Pictures...

1. Our mob at Eidsvold the day we left

2. Team at South Bank, downtown Brisbane

3. Tim and Edgar walking through South Bank

4. Gorgeous view from the City Cat

5. Aboard a cold boat at night!

Sharing What We've Seen

Today was a workday for us. We spent the better part of the morning cleaning an indigenous (aboriginal) Christian center in Logan (a part of Brisbane. After lunch, we threw boomerangs with Goma, an aboriginal pastor and leader from the area. Then we cleaned the yard of a young woman in the Ann Street church who is recently widowed. In all these events, we had opportunities to connect (and reconnect) with brothers and sisters who encouraged us, even as we sought to be an encouragement to them.

I want to share two video clips with you that will give you a taste of some of what we are doing here. The first is a short demonstration of shepherding skills using border collies; the second, our friend Goma showing us how to play the didgeridoo. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as we did being able to be here in person for them!

where in the world are we going?

As we approach the end of June (and the beginning of our summer), two Knott Avenue Global Outreach (GO!) Teams are making preparations for experiences in different parts of the world.

Our Australia Team will be in Brisbane June 27-July 12. We will partner again with our own Daun Slauson and the Ann Street Church of Christ, working with them as they reach those in their world. Team members (left to right) are Edgar Garcia, Mary Flores, Kyle Marsh, Brittany Hughey, Leslee Marvin and Mike Carman.

Our Montana Team (Larry and Joyce Clasen, Kelly and Judy Kappen, Carol Hall, Lorraine Dupray, Jim and Maureen Wilke and John and Connie Bergsto [not pictured]) will be in Kalispell, MT June 30- July 14, working at the Youth With a Mission (YWAM) base there. This training center is led by Jeff and Kristi Wilke from KACC, and the team will be busy with projects ranging from office help to building and construction needs.

Pray for these teams as they travel, serve, connect and pour themselves out because of the good news they've come to know. Pray for divine appointments with people who need the hope and encouragement that Jesus brings. Pray for team unity and a spirit of oneness. Pray for their families who will carry on here in their absence. And for lessons to be learned and lives changed, both among those who go and among those to whom they go.

Romans 10 tells us that those who bring good news have beautiful feet. How great to know that KACC has several with such gorgeous feet this summer! Check back here throughout the trips for updates and encouragement. And while you're at it, why not show off your own pretty feet? Wherever you find yourself, take the opportunity to deliver a message of hope, life and good news to those around you. After all, you don't have to get on an airplane to make a difference in this world!

Arizona Reflections

We've been back from the San Carlos Reservation a week now, and it probably takes that long (and longer) to assess lessons learned, positive take-aways, and future possibilities for us. I've been chewing on these thoughts throughout the week, and although there is much that remains difficult to wrap our hands around, there are some tangible products from our time with the Arizona Reservation Ministry, and the Apache people. Here are a few:

1. We took a team of 21, second largest in the eight years I've been at KACC. About half of the team was new to short-term missions and/or the San Carlos venue. We were able to introduce a new group of people to what God is doing (and wants us to do) in our own backyard. We made new and deeper connections with each other, and challenged our team to be the ambassadors for ARM as well as KACC GO! Teams upon our return;

2. We were able to further the work on two homes on the reservation, and our efforts mean that the homes will be ready for their occupants that much sooner. Sacrificial service will provide blessings for a few more people, and hopefully open them even more to Christ's message of hope;

3. We got to spend time with kids, loving on them and showing them that God loves them through our interaction with them. There are many walls of distrust built through years of conflict. We pray our time with these young ones will help break down some of those barriers and replace them with foundations of trust;

4. We connected with the ARM team and (hopefully!) were an encouragement to them. After all, groups like ours come and go, but these brothers and sisters live in the trenches, on the front lines of ministry in a desperate and difficult place. They can become discouraged and disenchanted, impacted deeply by the spiritual warfare in which they're engaged. One of our goals is to refresh them as they give themselves for the Kingdom. They've become our friends, and we theirs;

5. Our eyes and hearts have been opened, some for the first time, some a little more, to the needs and circumstances that exist- so close to our lives, and yet a world removed. We've been challenged, convicted, and shocked by what we've experienced, and now we're called to do something about it. It may look different for each of us, but one thing is certain- we cannot afford to be the same people that we were a couple of weeks ago. We know too much.

Thanks goes to each of you who, in some way, gave your support to those who did the legwork of this trip. We are a team together, some sending, some praying, some encouraging, some going. Your part, however big or small, was vital (perhaps more than you can ever know) and we are grateful. And so are a handful of people in eastern Arizona.

Our next trip to San Carlos will be April 23-26, 2009. Consider and pray about the possibility of joining us. And if you can't go in person, ask God how He might use you in a another way on this team. But in some way, plan to become part of a group seeking to make a world of difference among a people so close to- and yet so far from- us.