May We Spur One Another On...

I was thinking yesterday on the flight over (lots of time to think) that this is the first trip I've made to Kenya by myself. I mean, I've flown over by myself and met teams here in Nairobi but this is my first solo trip. And then I started thinking of all the people who have played a role leading to this specific time, this specific trip, and PROJECT 82. Wow....... Sometimes when we are in reflection mode, all of the sudden, we can see with such clarity that the path we are on is not as new as we might think.... and that, actually, we've been traveling it for quite a while. Which leads me to consider how far back I can go and still see the connection? Which in turn leads me to think about all the providential relationships along the way. So just for fun, I've listed a few key phrases below as reminders of those who have walked this journey with me.

Costa Rica Women's Retreat... "So, do you know anything about makeup? Ever been on a mission trip?" "Did you know this was supposed to be a closed class to pilot the Beth Moore curriculum? I don't know how it wound it up in the bulletin and you're the only one that showed up." "Ash I can't go on a mission trip this year so you take this scholarship and use it to go to Africa." "There is a boy and his father outside to be interviewed. The boy needs heart surgery in order to live but his father does not have the money." "What was that about adding a 4th bathroom to the house?" "Your name came up in discussions about filling the Missions Director Role. Would you be interested in coming in to talk to us?" "You are such a blessing to this ministry.... really? because I'm pretty sure I don't know what I'm doing. I think you just have the gift of encouragement." "So tell me your story again.... you are how old and retired? And you want to buy a company.... why?" "We'd like you to join the GO team and deliver leader training to pastors in Kenya.... no really, I'm serious." "So, you ARE buying that company but you are still willing to take on the lay leader role for missions?" "You want me to meet Kurt who with what bridge.... and what are they doing in Kenya?" "Michael was really Paul and he met with Lanny that week... Seriously?" "What time are we meeting for breakfast and did you say your daughter woke you up at 2am to show you a powerpoint on safety in Africa?" "Wi mwega, ohoro waku? .... Amosi ..... Habari aku" "Did you say she was attacked by a buffalo?" "They want us to name the baby..... really? Okay, how about Carl?" "You want to live there???" "Did you just suggest that I start a new ministry and why do you look serious?" "Can you say 2 healings in one night!" "Thursday night community group.... absolutely!" "Sure I can meet for coffee.... have we been here for 3 hours?" "I get it now and for all of this to mean something.... things have to change."

Yes, absolutely...... Things have to change. I am going to church in Nairobi today. Worshipping together with Kenyan friends lifting our voices in different languages but with the same adoration and complete abandon is one of the greatest pleasures I have ever experienced. I can hardly wait!

Tomorrow we drive to the Lakipia District. And we go seeking the God of this City, the King of these people, the Lord of this nation because..... greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done.... in this city!

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Heb 10:24

A Forgotten Place

I've spent some time in several different communities in the Lakipia District over the past few years. I remember my first visit in November of 2007 like it was yesterday. I was not prepared for what I found when I arrived. While I'd served in other rural areas of Kenya, as well as in other developing countries in the world, I had not seen the level of need and suffering that existed here. It is this area that God used to burden my soul so deeply that I knew He was preparing me for something..... I just didn't know it was Project 82.

A few weeks ago, Josphine Kendi (Community and Projects Coordinator on the ground in Kenya), visited a village that Project 82 was invited to consider working in. Josphine is quite familiar with parts of the Lakipia District having lived there for several years and ministering to the elderly when she could. Still, this village was different...... this is an excerpt from the report I received from Josphine after visiting Lekiji that day.

"I don't know where to start or end. I went to lekiji today and am without words. First, we ride a rough road for about one hour and what I see are elephants, giraffes, baboons....and a few people walking. I almost thought no one really lived here but wait untill we get to the village.

We are met by the chief and a few people and hungry children. The look in their faces show no hope. Everyone was eager to hear what we had to say and so we told them why we had come and immediately one of the villagers volunteers to show us around the village and he went into every detail. He took us to several houses (some of them almost falling in). All these houses are where most of the orphans live. One house had 9 kids and the eldest brother is the one who takes care of them. You will not believe the small house they all live in. Most of the people there die of AIDS. One of the old women there was complaining and she did not want to talk to me because she says so many people have come, taken pictures but done nothing about her problems. I did not promise anything though. It has taken my heart and I hurt for these people. I asked them to pray so that God will open doors for them.

Oh, on my way back I saw a truck fom the city council distributing clean drinking water to the communities and I asked them if they would get to Lekiji but they said no. So you can tell no one really thinks of this community. Also, in the matatu I was riding in there was one woman being taken to hospital for delivery, she did not make it so we stopped and I helped the other lady who was taking her to hospital. She gave birth to a dead baby. This really broke my heart. Pray for this very young lady."

I travel to Kenya on Friday the 28th and Josphine and I will be going back to Lekiji. We are praying for God to make His vision clear for Project 82. Please pray for these people and that God will make clear the path to helping them.

Because the time is NOW...

Psalm 82:3-4 says this...

Defend the weak and fatherless;
maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed;
rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

So who are they? Where do they live? What does maintaining their rights look like and how do we rescue people in need? In a world where 26,575 children die each day of largely preventable causes related to their poverty, defending them can seem so overwhelming that we cannot even fathom where to start. How can we possibly rescue mothers in developing countries that must choose between watching their children die from lack of water or watching them die from disease born from the only water available to them. There are 15 million orphans today as a result of AIDS; 2 million people will die this year and 2.5 million more will be newly infected. Deliver them from the hand of the wicked? It's overwhelming....

PROJECT 82 - KENYA invites you to join us as we seek to know and love the faces behind these statistics in one area of the world.... Kenya. Our mission is simple. It is to obey what God has commanded of us in Psalm 82 and throughout the scriptures. Statistics can be overwhelming and it's easy to have an emotional reaction to a statistic one day and forget all about it the next. It is much more difficult to take a statistic and make it become real to you..... but we invite you to do just that. Make it personal! Build a relationship with one orphan.... one widow....... one family........ one community in Kenya with PROJECT 82.