One of the things I feel like God has been teaching me on this trip (among many things) is that all along, from the very first visit I made here to Kenya so many years ago and even before that, God had a plan and it is much bigger and more beautiful than anything I could have ever dreamed up on my own. He gave me the opportunity to form a bond with the people of this area, develop a love and a burden for the women in desperate situations, and play a small part in helping to bring about change, restoration, and hope in their lives.
Yesterday, I had a meeting with some key people in Masii. We were able to take part in a conversation that begins to flesh out this vision for bringing hope to the hopeless, especially the women who are most broken and desperate.
As it turns out, Mary, one of the ladies that I first met here in Masii on my first visit, has been carrying the same burden and around the same time that I felt God stirring in me to move forward, she was even experiencing the same. Mary is a very savvy business woman and she now owns and operates the newest and largest hotel and restaurant in town. I remember her as the first person to be the cook for our Vision Trip teams when we came here. At that time, she owned a very small restaurant in town. To see her now, it is clear that her good business sense has paid off handsomely. Come to find out, it is this same Mary who has been feeling broken hearted for the poorest of the poor in her community—the street kids, the outcast women, the prostitutes. She has out of her own resources been helping to feed and clothe and encourage these same people, and has been praying and looking for ways to involve others to participate and bring hope and healing to “the least of these.”
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Thursday, April 28, 2011
Relationships 101
There are many reasons why we choose to call these visits a “Vision” Trip as opposed to a “Mission” Trip; the primary difference being that while we may be on a ‘mission’ so to speak, i.e., there are tasks we hope to complete while we are here, it is more important that we form strong, healthy relationships with our ministry partners here in Kenya and help friends back home catch the vision for the work being done.
For the task-oriented, highly efficient, go-go-go Western mindset, being in Kenya can be incredibly challenging, frustrating, or even discouraging. We want to come in and fix the problems quickly, get the job done, and move on… but that just isn’t the African way. It isn’t about the programs, it isn’t about the organization, and it isn’t even about the many different things that have been accomplished. This trip- in fact, this whole ministry- is all about relationships.
How we relate to each other, to our partners here and abroad, the communities we seek to serve and even how we relate to God… all of these relationships shape and impact our effectiveness in ministry. Certainly as men and women of faith, our primary relationship must be to God—if that one is broken or in need of attention, every other relationship will suffer in varying degrees. [Side note: I do not claim to be anything but a work in progress, and certainly struggle in some areas more than others…as anyone who knows me can attest to; but I am also covered in grace, and only hope I can extend the same to those around me.]
Because our small team of 3 is here at the same time as another Vision Trip team of 5, we are splitting the work and they are taking the majority of the home visits while we provide updated information on the kids at camp. I am grateful for that opportunity and just really glad that we could serve this way. Normally, I spend much of my time here on home visits, which has always been my favorite part of the trip. Something about connecting with the families on their home turf, learning first hand of their needs, praying with them and helping in some small yet significant way is very grounding for me personally. We did get to visit each of our sponsored kids’ homes yesterday, and it was remarkable!
Spending the last few days at the camp, I have been able to spend some time reconnecting with the staff here in Masii and am constantly amazed by the amount of work they do, day in and day out. Even a relatively simple task such as getting updates from the kids that we can send to their sponsors is a monumental undertaking—and has the potential to be very frustrating. But it has also proven to be a wonderful chance to see each and every child who is here this week, greet them, love on them, play with them, and marvel at how much they have grown—sometimes marvel that they are alive, even thriving, knowing how desperate their situations were prior to Tumaini. In the process I have also had the joy of sharing tea and working alongside my Kenyan brothers and sisters, as well as the friends I traveled with from the US. I have felt less like a tour guide on this trip, and instead have felt truly like a partner. It’s awesome. I have laughed a lot, and have slept well knowing that the day was well spent.
Last night we all had the chance to join in on a local cell group (small group Bible study held in someone’s home) and it was perfect. It was truly heaven on earth! One of the ladies, Maureen, shared with us how much it means to them to have visitors from the US come and spend time here in Masii, how much they love us and pray for us. She told us how blessed they feel that we care for them, and how much it hurts when we go back home. I was deeply touched to hear this, and I know that all too soon I will have to say goodbye again, and it’s just going to suck—for me and for them. But I can also cherish the fact that we are crying because the relationships formed here are real, that hearts are being touched, and that lives are being changed. What’s not to love about that?
For the task-oriented, highly efficient, go-go-go Western mindset, being in Kenya can be incredibly challenging, frustrating, or even discouraging. We want to come in and fix the problems quickly, get the job done, and move on… but that just isn’t the African way. It isn’t about the programs, it isn’t about the organization, and it isn’t even about the many different things that have been accomplished. This trip- in fact, this whole ministry- is all about relationships.
How we relate to each other, to our partners here and abroad, the communities we seek to serve and even how we relate to God… all of these relationships shape and impact our effectiveness in ministry. Certainly as men and women of faith, our primary relationship must be to God—if that one is broken or in need of attention, every other relationship will suffer in varying degrees. [Side note: I do not claim to be anything but a work in progress, and certainly struggle in some areas more than others…as anyone who knows me can attest to; but I am also covered in grace, and only hope I can extend the same to those around me.]
Because our small team of 3 is here at the same time as another Vision Trip team of 5, we are splitting the work and they are taking the majority of the home visits while we provide updated information on the kids at camp. I am grateful for that opportunity and just really glad that we could serve this way. Normally, I spend much of my time here on home visits, which has always been my favorite part of the trip. Something about connecting with the families on their home turf, learning first hand of their needs, praying with them and helping in some small yet significant way is very grounding for me personally. We did get to visit each of our sponsored kids’ homes yesterday, and it was remarkable!
Spending the last few days at the camp, I have been able to spend some time reconnecting with the staff here in Masii and am constantly amazed by the amount of work they do, day in and day out. Even a relatively simple task such as getting updates from the kids that we can send to their sponsors is a monumental undertaking—and has the potential to be very frustrating. But it has also proven to be a wonderful chance to see each and every child who is here this week, greet them, love on them, play with them, and marvel at how much they have grown—sometimes marvel that they are alive, even thriving, knowing how desperate their situations were prior to Tumaini. In the process I have also had the joy of sharing tea and working alongside my Kenyan brothers and sisters, as well as the friends I traveled with from the US. I have felt less like a tour guide on this trip, and instead have felt truly like a partner. It’s awesome. I have laughed a lot, and have slept well knowing that the day was well spent.
Last night we all had the chance to join in on a local cell group (small group Bible study held in someone’s home) and it was perfect. It was truly heaven on earth! One of the ladies, Maureen, shared with us how much it means to them to have visitors from the US come and spend time here in Masii, how much they love us and pray for us. She told us how blessed they feel that we care for them, and how much it hurts when we go back home. I was deeply touched to hear this, and I know that all too soon I will have to say goodbye again, and it’s just going to suck—for me and for them. But I can also cherish the fact that we are crying because the relationships formed here are real, that hearts are being touched, and that lives are being changed. What’s not to love about that?
Pause: Pray: Go
It’s hard to believe it’s only Day 4 in Kenya. It’s just Monday, after all! Granted, there were two days of travel including one l-o-n-g layover in Amsterdam that make it feel like I’ve been away from home forever. The combination of jet lag, lack of sleep, and being thrust into a new group of people does have an impact on what I’ve come to know as “normal.” Add to that being unplugged from hockey (IT’S THE PLAYOFFS!), my BlackBerry, Facebook, Twitter… it’s just weird.
It feels like in many ways, life as I know it has been paused.
Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
And so, I pause.
I pause because sometimes stepping back from “normal” is the only way to see how much I’ve been missing. I like to think of it as God’s way of inviting me to review, reevaluate, and maybe reset the trajectory of my life.
I’ve been taking this same mission trip for many years, and even though many things are the same (i.e., typical tourist days, rural church service, camp, home visits, etc.) it’s always different, always a unique experience. No matter how many times I go to camp and see hundreds of beautiful, precious, funny and amazing kids, it is always wonderful to spend even just a little bit of time with them. It reminds me to be truly grateful for all that I have and all that I have seen and done, every experience and learning opportunity. No matter how many home visits I go on, how many times I hear the same silly jokes about Idi Amin and the Queen of England, or ride together on impossible roads, or hear little kids yell out “MZUNGU!” (“WHITE PERSON!”) while giggling and waving frantically, or share a lovingly prepared meal with men and women who are built of stronger stuff and greater faith than me, I am challenged, amazed, overwhelmed and blessed. It challenges me to love people more fully and authentically, even and especially those who think differently than me. I find that the muscles of faith and humility that I have allowed to atrophy are almost instantly revived, and my prayer life receives the kick-start it has so desperately needed. I pray, and ask God to take my life and create in me a clean heart and a good spirit. I want my eyes open, my heart broken, and my life to be a pleasant offering of goodness and peace.
Tomorrow, I will get to go and see my “son” and spend some time visiting with him and his mother at their home. I am so excited, and I can’t wait to give them a little something. Until then, though, I remain on pause. I see already that there is a LOT of work yet to do in me.
It feels like in many ways, life as I know it has been paused.
Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.
And so, I pause.
I pause because sometimes stepping back from “normal” is the only way to see how much I’ve been missing. I like to think of it as God’s way of inviting me to review, reevaluate, and maybe reset the trajectory of my life.
I’ve been taking this same mission trip for many years, and even though many things are the same (i.e., typical tourist days, rural church service, camp, home visits, etc.) it’s always different, always a unique experience. No matter how many times I go to camp and see hundreds of beautiful, precious, funny and amazing kids, it is always wonderful to spend even just a little bit of time with them. It reminds me to be truly grateful for all that I have and all that I have seen and done, every experience and learning opportunity. No matter how many home visits I go on, how many times I hear the same silly jokes about Idi Amin and the Queen of England, or ride together on impossible roads, or hear little kids yell out “MZUNGU!” (“WHITE PERSON!”) while giggling and waving frantically, or share a lovingly prepared meal with men and women who are built of stronger stuff and greater faith than me, I am challenged, amazed, overwhelmed and blessed. It challenges me to love people more fully and authentically, even and especially those who think differently than me. I find that the muscles of faith and humility that I have allowed to atrophy are almost instantly revived, and my prayer life receives the kick-start it has so desperately needed. I pray, and ask God to take my life and create in me a clean heart and a good spirit. I want my eyes open, my heart broken, and my life to be a pleasant offering of goodness and peace.
Tomorrow, I will get to go and see my “son” and spend some time visiting with him and his mother at their home. I am so excited, and I can’t wait to give them a little something. Until then, though, I remain on pause. I see already that there is a LOT of work yet to do in me.
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