Remembering Mom

Merry Christmas to all our friends and enemies!  It's Christmas 2012, and I'm thinking about Jesus, and remembering the last Christmas I spent with my mother.  We were visiting the family in Oklahoma, while we lived in Redwood City, CA, and I was taking Mom back and forth to Wichita Falls for cancer treatments in 1978.  Our next visit was in early 1979 when she lay dying.  That was 33 years ago, and I was thinking about Jesus living about 33 years.  And here I have been granted 69+, a great gift of life.  

Here is a picture of the "Ross women," which includes my Mom with her hands on me.  Wow! I got guns for Christmas - those are the last ones I owned, so gun control doesn't have much to do with me.  Also pictured are her mother and grandmother - that was the last time I saw my great grandmother. 

You never forget having been loved by a mother.  That is one of the reasons street ministry means so much to us.  We have been loved by mothers, and so many kids miss that.  

Small Drama at Our House

So much for us all to pray for -- elementary schools, high schools, street children, war zones, patriotic soldiers, troubled marriages -- but still...add me to your list if you like.  A new experience for me yesterday -- I woke up as usual at 6:30, shot myself up with insulin, went over and helped the grandkids make breakfast.  While they were eating, I was standing next to the kitchen counter.  The next thing I knew I was sitting in a chair and paramedics surrounded me.  I could answer all their questions - what day is it?  what is your name?  who is the president of Guinea? (no, they didn't ask that!) what were you just doing?  They had me rigged up with sensors.

I didn't know what had happened.  The kids tell me they found me on my hands and knees, they ran to get Shosho (that's Darlene - grandma - in Kikuyu) and Mom and a phone to call 911 (Darlene says the kids were just great -- they knew exactly what to do!) and a chair for me.  My hands were trembling, my body was stiff, my face was pale, I was unresponsive, and I was trying to tie my shoelace!!  They thought I had a stroke.  One of the kids came over to me and kissed me, and they say I said, "I love you."  I'm glad I can still say the right thing even when I don't know I am.

I told the EMT guys that I thought it was likely low blood sugar.  So they tested me and got 30!  Then they said they couldn't understand how I could be sitting up talking to them with a 30.  Darlene got juice and bread with peanut butter and jelly - the only problem is she didn't take time to toast the bread! I recovered quickly and refused to go to the hospital; I had to sign that I was refusing them.  By the time they left the blood sugar was 90.

So I'm fine.  The only scary part is that this could happen without any warning.  I never even felt the blood sugar lowering.  So now I have to check my blood sugar before taking the insulin - or eat something at the same time I shoot up.  And I am shifting to the evening for the shot.  So..if I am ever eating dinner with you, please ask me if I have remembered my insulin.  Other than that, the doctor says to keep up everything the same, but to eat several meals a day -- sounds good -- little meals, she says (Oh! Okay!).

Losing Mentors

Our personal TIMELINES see transitions that affect us deeply.  I am getting close to 70 years old, so now I experience the loss of mentors.  Most of us have several mentors in life -- leadership mentors, intellectual mentors, relationship  mentors - many other kinds.

I have had several intellectual/spiritual mentors, beginning with my grandmother (Zula Thrississis Wills Coulston - how's that for a name?), a high school English teacher, a University of Oklahoma German teacher, and Dr. Abraham Malherbe, who taught at Abilene Christian University 1963-69 (I really shouldn't leave out how much Tony Ash, Everett Ferguson and Tom Olbricht and others meant to me as well!!).  By God's grace I was there from 1963 to 1968 - how's that for timing?

I took every course that Dr. Malherbe taught, and I may have learned more from him than from anyone but grandmother.  And my reason for mentioning him today is that I just today learned that he died back in September.  I remember how I felt in 1963 when I found out that C. S. Lewis had died.  I felt that same sense of loss starting deep in my body and coming up to my heart, finally making me feel light-headed.  At the same time I felt a great sense of peace and joy.  So much in my life benefited from the teaching of Dr. Malherbe.  Those exegesis courses that we all feared and loved were so great.  In the same semester in 1963 I had New Testament survey under Malherbe, Old Testament survey under Ferguson, Life of Jesus under Tony and Introductory Greek under J. W. Roberts.  The most intellectually stimulating and spiritually moving period of my life, with the exception of that first year doing street ministry in Nairobi.

In Christ we honor only the living, so I honor Dr. Malherbe, and I long for the day when I might listen to him again.  I think I still have things to learn.

Have a stimulating day,

charles

Wednesday's Good

It's great to be alive on Wednesday!  Chapel at 9 AM -- on Wednesday the MITS students do their own chapel while I have a session of encouragement and advice with the Team.  I talked to them about our December schedule with the property - we're getting the new computer rooms ready, and we are re-finishing the Learning Center courtyard, so we all have to stay out of the Learning Center for 9 days.  I also presented a proposal for MITS Policy on how we deal with parental (or other relatives of our kids) requests.  We have to be very careful about having anyone take a student off our property without one of our Team.  Too many bad things can and do happen.  We had an incident recently where a mother, even in the presence of one of our Team, started beating on her daughter, as sweet a girl as you could want in your family!  So we apologized to the girl today and started writing new policies.

 Today after chapel, Darlene and I spent an hour and a half with all the students - we have 81 now - while the Team met with the Pepperdine graduate students in social entrepreneurship who are visiting.  We made ornaments, had 3 of our "wild at heart" boys set up a Christmas tree, had 3 or our "captivating" girls put the bling on, then had all the students put on their ornaments.

Here are two of the guys putting theirs on the tree.  Afterwards we sang holiday songs, some in Swahili.  We have one to the tune of "Deck the Halls" and "Joy to the World" has been translated into Swahili (Furaha kwa Ulimwengu).

We also said goodbye to Shaley Craycraft and Kristin Pizalate, Aggies for Christ interns who have been with us for several months.  They did video of various kids saying goodbye and greeting their families and AFC.

The kids then sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to the interns.

I Preached Today

For 21 years in Redwood City, California, I preached almost every Sunday and Sunday evening.  I think I preached 1,995 sermons.  I thoroughly enjoyed preaching - sermon preparation was an opportunity to be creative, to burn with the need to communicate something of great importance to people's lives, to draw people to Jesus, to teach grace.

For the past 20 years in Nairobi I have preached very little - a few sermons at the congregation in Eastleigh while I was Director of the computer and electronics college, a few sermons at various churches we visited among the villages in Kenya, a few sermons in Nairobi congregations.  I found myself wanting the young men I know and love to have opportunity to preach, opportunity to grow and be creative and teach grace.

For the past 9 years at Kamulu Francis Mbuvi has been the preacher.  We work together - each week I prepare notes on the passage we use and share them with him, then I teach the Sunday morning class on the same passage.

This week Francis said that since today was to be our last Sunday for a while, as we will go back to a Texas Christmas, he wanted me to preach.  So of course I said "Yes!"

This year we have taught and preached through the book of Acts, a chapter a Sunday.  Now we are following that up with studies of Paul's companions.  We covered Timothy and Titus, and today's person is Epaphras.  I thoroughly enjoyed both teaching and preaching about him.  I reminded them that there is no one in Kamulu named Epaphras, and I asked if anyone had ever known a person with that name.  Maybe there is no one in the world today named Epaphras, not that I would know all however many billion we are now.   I looked at all the passages about Epaphras (Philemon 23-24, Colossians 1:5-10 and Colossians 4:12-14) and found many good lessons for us.

• Philemon 23 tells us that Epaphras was in prison with Paul and he sent greetings to his home church.  But he did not send the message "Get me out of here" or "Get me a good lawyer"  or "Get some money and buy my way out of here."  He just sent greetings -- a man who accepted life as God gave it to him, who was willing to sit in prison with Paul for the sake of Christ.  
• Colossians 1:5-10 tells us that it was Epaphras who taught grace to the Colossians.  I asked everyone to "turn to a neighbor and tell him/her who taught you grace."  That was a good reminder to us to give thanks to God.  
• Colossians 1:5-10 is also Paul's prayer for the Colossians.  I asked them if they would like to have a better prayer life.  And I said, "If so, then read Colossians."  There is more about prayer in Colossians than almost any other Biblical writing.  Paul prays for them, then he prays again in chapter 1.  He tells them to give thanks to God.  He tells them to sing thanksgiving to God.  He reminds them again to always be thankful. 
• In Paul's prayer he reminds them that their trust in God and their love of God's people has come about through the hope they experienced in hearing the Good News.  And this hope means there is something kept safe in heaven for them.  I told them I would now meddle in their affairs.  Because every parent, and every person who plans to become a parent, has a responsibility in Christ to KEEP SOMETHING SAFE for others.  Paul writes that it is not children who save up for their parents, but parents who save up for their children.  So I warned them - if you want to be in Christ and please Christ, then plan to save up for your children, so they have something when they leave home.  I told them, "I know we are in Kenya."  And in Kenya there is the belief that if I have given birth, if I have raised children, if I have given a home to them, THEN, when they get a job, I can retire (I got a laugh out of that).  But if we ground out lives in the Word, then every week after a child is born, we put a little bit aside for them, just as Paul encouraged believers to put a little aside every Sunday for famine relief.  
• Then in Colossians 4:12-14 Paul tells us about Epaphras' prayer.  He prays for them, and the word used of his prayers is "like a wrestler" - Epaphras agonizes, he puts all his strength and energy into prayer, he sweats for them in his spirit.  I said "You may know about those Sumo wrestlers in Japan with the big bellies, bigger than traffic policeman (I got a really big laugh out of that one) - they rush at one another with great energy to push the other one out.  Why?  Because they want to win. And Epaphras wanted to win, with all his being. And he wanted the Colossians to win.  
• What does he pray for?  That they might "stand firm" (Joel led that Swahili song during worship).  That they might be absolutely, totally, fully assured in Christ (I mentioned that this is a very long word in Greek -- 16 letters - and it means he wanted them to know "bila shaka" (without doubt) that Christ is real and Lord and worth dying for and all they would ever need for life itself.  Then he prays that they will be completely obedient to God (I used the Good News translation -- amazing how different many of the translations are on this verse, as each tries to communicate the exact meaning of the passage).  

I closed the sermon with "Let Epaphras teach you how to pray...Let Epaphras teach you how to spread grace around...Let Epaphras teach you how to love."

The young man (Alex Atema) who shared at the time of the giving (Swahili: sadaka) wanted to talk about how life is always a "Good Day". He was speaking Swahili but said "Good Day".  The other young man translating into English (Edward Muhea) put the rest in English but said "siku nzuri" just as smooth as you please.  Alex talked about trying to get a bus to come to Kamulu after a week's schooling at Nairobi Great Commission School. There has been a strike by "matatu" (small bus) drivers and only a few were operating (at risk). He started to step on and they said, "150 shillings" (he had 70 with him for the trip), so he stepped back off and returned to school. But he said it was still "siku nzuri" because that is what God always gives us.  And we should count every day GOOD because we have that day.

A thoroughly wonderful day at Kamulu!  It rained during class and still there were 23.  And the building was almost full for the assembly.  And Joel led "O Little Town of Bethlehem."  He says he is getting us ready for a wonderful end of the year.

peace and joy, charles

Learning from Technology

We learn from many sources -- something I love is learning from OBJECT LESSONS - finding things in nature and life that we can hang a spiritual lesson on -- kind of like Jesus with mustard seeds and weeds in the field, or Paul with athletic and horticultural thoughts.  Almost every day I make a short chapel talk - we begin with songs, then a student leads prayer, then another student shares a spiritual thought, usually ending with "and so I encourage you..."  Francis Mbuvi then turns to me and says, "Kulu, do you have anything?"

I use a lot of object lessons and I try to be very practical and use short words and act it out, to keep the kids with me.  Here's my sharing today --

"Two weeks ago when half of you were on the trip to the Indian Ocean coast, the ones of us left in Kamulu had a hard time.  The week you were here and the others were gone was really smooth, wasn't it?  (and they said YES).  But the first week was difficult.  We tried to watch a movie every morning after chapel that would help us understand the ideas from the books "Wild at Heart" and "Captivating." But every day the bulb on the projector would overheat and go off.  We would start it back and it would go off again. We finally gave up on movies!

I thought about it and decided to check the electricity.  So I asked Officer (he's a local electrician who does electrical work for us) to check it out with his meter.  When he checked the voltage, it was 198 volts.  Is that enough?  (I think I heard a yes or two, but most people said NO!).  How many volts do we need?  (several said 240!, which is correct).

So Officer traced the wires back to the boys' property where our electric line begins.  He found, underground, that someone with a jembe (that's a hoe) had dug down and broken one of the wires.  Now there are 3 wires (our kids know almost nothing about things like this) - one of them is "live", another "grounds" the power and the other is a wire that has to be there for the circuit to be complete -- we call it neutral.  It was the neutral that was broken. With a broken neutral you can still get something done.  The motor would run, even the bulb would light, but it would get hot.  That is what happens when there are not enough volts.

Because...the volts are the power, the electric current.  But you can't have electric power without RESISTANCE, and those are AMPS.  Motors are resistant to starting up, kind of like some of us don't want to get up in the mornings - we are resistant!  And bulbs are resistant; left alone, they would stay dark with no light.  Voltage and resistance work together -- but if the voltage is low, the resistance rises -- and that makes heat.  So the bulb turns itself off.

That's a bit like us.  We need to be wired correctly.  We all need 3 wires to work right.  And our wires are all made of LOVE -- love is what makes the world go round, what makes life worth living, what makes us get up in the morning full of joy.  The three wires we need are 1) the love of God, 2) the love of the church and 3) our own love.  If we will open ourselves to God, if we will trust Jesus, if we will accept the love of God, then power flows in us -- we are LIVE!  Without God's love, all good things will die.  But we need more -- we need the love of brothers and sisters, family love in the church.  Without the church in our lives, without the love of fellow believers, we are not GROUNDED.  With the church's love we have a place to be, a place to stand firm.  But even that is not enough for the world to go round - we need our own love.  First we love ourselves, then we love the people close by, then we love the brothers and sisters, then we learn to love the world.  Getting wired up right makes everything work right.

And whatever you think of that, from now on we will sit right here and watch movies!!

Charles

Communication!!

You think you're a great communicator -- well, not really, because I had rather just stay in the background.  But I did learn the local language, and most people here speak mine.  And I went to school...forever...so I should be able.  But...

I have reached the point where my doctor said, "Charles, your pancreas has retired.  It is finished. So...it's time for insulin."  I looked at him doubtfully, and his P.A. said, "You'll have so much more energy" (very energetically).  I looked at her doubtfully, so she said it again.  He claimed it's not as bad as it used to be, and said he would give me some samples to get started. He sweetened the pot by offering me a little gizmo that attaches to an iPhone and it reads your blood sugar and records all the tests on the iPhone, and the iPhone dances when the blood sugar is below 100.  Well...who can resist technology?  So I took it all home.

So now I shoot myself once a day, in the stomach.  And he's right.  It isn't as bad as I expected it to be.  I just put an alcohol swab on my skin, stick a needle on the pen, crank it up and stick it in and push.  Hardly hurts.

But I came to Kenya without my alcohol swabs.  So I decided to look for some in Nairobi.  I went to Quickmart because it is close to home.   I went up to a counter where they sell a variety of products, near the cosmetics and medicines.  I asked the young lady, "Do you have alcohol swabs?"  She didn't know, obviously, because she looked at me without comprehension. So I tried to describe it.  Wouldn't you know they are called "alcohol pads" here, but I only found that out later.  When I repeated myself, she heard the word "alcohol," so she pointed to the other side of the store.  I walked over to the other side, and as I drew nearer I felt sure there was some mistake.  But I went up to the counter, and I could see bottles of beer, whiskey and other clear liquids.  I told this young lady, "I have probably been sent to the wrong place, but do you have any medicinal alcohol."  She also looked at me without comprehension, so I once again tried to explain and describe.  She finally heard the word "medicine," and she said, "No, we have nothing like that here."

So...I decided to go and look at an area of the store where they have things called "spirits," which is different from the one with all the bottles you drink.  I found white spirits, and methylated spirits, and then I spied a little bottle with clear liquid and written on it was "surgical spirits."  Hah...victory!

Communication isn't always easy when you are in another culture, but it is always fun!!

Mortals Making a Difference

"Death is swallowed up by life," Paul writes in the New Testament.  But before that, life is swallowed up by death.  We face our mortality, our quick venture into the world, like grass that fades in the hot sun.  It is what Paul writes that makes the follower of Christ face mortality unafraid, for Christ is risen, and he is the first one of many who will follow.

Still, I hit 69 years a few weeks ago.  Jesus was killed at about 33, my Mom took her last breath at 57, and many of my friends have been swallowed up.  So it creates a certain amount of anxiety.  That anxiety is really the strong desire to make my life count, to do something in Jesus' name that is wonderful and good and lasting and approved by the Father.

This week Darlene had her birthday, number --- well, she was really young when we got married.  And it made me think all over again about the course of my life.  I tried to think back on times where I might have some bragging rights, but I can't find any.  The really good things that were done were all initiated, empowered and completed by God.  I was a willing participant, but no credit can be issued to me. Still, if we get something done that God wants done, it makes life worth living.

I read now and then about people who are making a difference, and their stories inspire me.  There is the man in China who lives near the big bridge over the Yangtze River.  Over the years many Chinese have committed suicide from that bridge.  This man rides his motorbike over the bridge in his time off from work and talks people out of jumping - he says he has kept 235 from jumping so far.  That is a "front-line" task.

We have a greater goal - to keep people from going to their deaths by way of drunkenness or drug use, or theft or lying or greed or sexual impurity or jealousness - to get people to turn to Christ and follow him, obedient to his will.

Paul Ochieng is a friend who lives in Mombasa.  He has moved into the Soweto slums there, in a heavily Muslim population, and wants to love and lead them to Jesus.  He understands how to do it and follows the guidelines of the Church Planting Movement or Disciple Making Movement.  Last month he was in Juba, South Sudan, together with Peter Ladu, teaching and encouraging people there, and they had a very successful series of meetings.  Enough people making a difference like this can change the world.  He preaches for a very small church as well, and he is in need of support.

The Team of MITS is also on the front line.  There is a certain amount of risk in working on the streets where there are so many young people sleeping in the alleyways and up against walls and wherever they can find a place there they are not run away.  There is drug use and anger with violence.  And the Team keeps going, making a difference.  I am glad to have a small part in their ministry.  We often say that we hope to gain heaven by hanging on the coattails of street kids, for God loves them.

I know he loves me too.  And that is the real reason I want to make a difference.  I want to love others as he has loved me.  I'd love for people to think that would be a fitting line for my tombstone, which brings us back to mortality.  Let's remember to bow the knee and confess that the risen Lord is our Lord.

The picture is of a large group of street youth gathered at our Eastleigh Center, where they are loved by the Team.  Making a difference.

Interview with Death

   Death:  Have you seen my latest work, Charles?
   Charles: Watching you work is not my great interest.
   Death: I thought you like me. You think about me enough.
   Charles:  True, but....
   Death: And you know I am necessary to the world.
   Charles: But....
   Death: And we will meet face to face one day.
   Charles: Of course, but....
   Death:  I plan to be quick and gentle with you.
   Charles: That I would appreciate.  What I don't appreciate is the pain and loss some of my friends must endure, and the pain of families left behind.
   Death: I'm not promising quick and gentle, of course.
   Charles:  Don't tell me....
   Death: What's bothering you?
   Charles:  Charles and Jack and Bryce and Connor...the recent ones...it's painful for us.
   Death: You know they served well.
   Charles:  True, but....
   Death:  I take no one lightly; my work is serious.  There must be a season of harvest.
   Charles: I worked in harvest - the grain is cut, and dies.
   Death:  But it feeds life.
   Charles: True, but....
   Death:  You've read Paul.  "Unless it dies, it cannot rise."
   Charles: Thanks for reminding me of hope.  It still hurts.
   Death:  I know.

Good is where you find it

I went gold mining in the Sierra Mts in California with a friend several times. When we first went, I asked him, "where will we find gold?" he said, "gold is where you find it." It is a little more complicated than that, but still true.
We have discovered in Kenya that "water is where you find it." We wanted a source of water at Kamulu and heard there was only shallow water, and not much. But Kilimanjaro is only 120 miles away, we thought - there must be water. So we drilled, and at 304 feet, we were gifted with lots of water.
Now we have land for Made in the Streets on a small mountain just east of Nairobi. And they say there is no water, and it looks like they might be right! But....John Wambu was walking on the property, followed by a hyena, and he saw where hyena had worn a path. He followed it and...a spring! Now we have dug about 25 feet down and the water has risen to the top of our hole. Note the pic. So...I wonder if the Kilimanjaro water rises up here...?

Didn't God make a great world?

God's Great Plans

We had planned a trip back to Nairobi now, but plans change. And God gives new opportunities. the Team in Kenya does this ministry very well. We are truly proud of them and their work with street kids. Let me share how very good God is to us. I cannot fathom why He should love me as much as He obviously does, but I am glad. Since we were not going back now, we decided on the spur of the moment to go to California. I have a bad tooth anyway and a dentist I love in San Jose. Zoo we decided that in 8 days we would visit the Malibu, Conejo and Campbell Churches. So... First the dentist said "Sure we can fit you in - Friday the 21st. Then the Malibu Church said "we'll pick you up at the airport. And would you help lead communion service Sunday?" When I contacted the Conejo Church about visiting on Tuesday and Wednesday, they said "We're going on a church camping those days. Join us." We would have no camping things with us, but one of them said, "our kids are leaving Tuesday morning. We'll leave the tent set up for you" then someone at Malibu said, "We'll loan you a car." When I contacted the Campbell Church, they said, "You can preach for us Sunday morning. Want to stay with us?" What can you do when God is that good about working out a schedule - not to mention how kind His people are? You just do all you can do to serve Him well. And you rest assured that God blesses street ministry.

Goodbye and Hello

Darlene and I, along with Jackton Omondi, Joel Njue, Victor Otieno and Robin Ndunda (all Team members at MITS) went to the Eastleigh Church at KCITI to say "goodbye" to Berkeley Hackett. Berkeley was one of the key people in getting KCITI and the Eastleigh Church off the ground.  He and Charlotte raised much of the funds for KCITI in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s.  After my four years as Director of KCITI, Berkeley continued as Director until Lydia Wanjiku was appointed in 2010.

It was sobering to say goodbye to someone less than 2 years older than I am, and someone with whom I worked so closely.  I mentioned in the previous post that Berkeley is the one who invited us to move to Nairobi.  There is another really helpful thing he did for me.  When it came time for Made in the Streets to leave the KCITI campus, due to overcrowding -- the industrial training was growing, the street ministry was growing and the church had a Sunday school of about 350 -- Berkeley was willing for us to stay on campus until MITS got its own building to work out of.  So he let us stay for more than 3 years after I resigned as Director and began full-time street ministry.  That was a great gift.  There was pressure on him to have us leave quicker, but he quietly let us stay much longer than some wanted.  By the time we moved out in March 1999, we already had a contract to buy a building and friends in the USA had already committed the purchase funds.  All that made saying goodbye a moment both for sadness and gratitude.

We met Charlotte for a short time.  She is doing well, confident of Berkeley's relationship to God and the happy life he now has, at home with the Lord.

And a wonderful thing about a funeral is the people you get to see!  There must have been at least 50 former students in the computer and electronics program from when I was Director. And we saw more than 30 of the youth group we led from 1992 to 1996.  And lots of the kids from the Sunday school who are all grown up now.  Plus several former staff members at KCITI who have moved on to other jobs.  Sammy Gitau was there -- he is the first street kid we ever met, and the one who brought so many more to us, including Francis Mbuvi, our MITS Administrator.  Sammy is now working in several slums in Nairobi as a community development person.  He has gone from living on the streets in 1992 to having his Master's Degree in Community Service and he has begun work on a doctorate.  What a Treasure!!!

Here is a picture of Sammy hugging Darlene.  

And we saw some of the women whom Tony Mauldin helped go to the USA to play college basketball.  There were 2 sisters, Maureen and Mercy, so I was asked to perform Maureen's wedding in June, after which she and her husband will go back to Texas.  And another former teacher at KCITI sent us a resume as she is looking for work.  I saw several people who have become preachers; I am really pleased about those guys.

Another special thing was that we sat behind a girl who was working for Good News Publishing International, who were asked to video the funeral.  She had on a black T-shirt with "Crew" on the back.  It was our own Anastacia Njoki, who completed our program in 2009, got an internship with GNPI, then a full-time job.  We have some really good kids who come through MITS.

So...a day to treasure!

Sorrow with Memories

I have felt sad for the last couple of days.  And I have been filled with memories of our early years in Nairobi.  John Wambu, who handles all our property matters and construction, went to Eastleigh Monday to do emergency repairs on our Center there.  The rains - and it is raining as I write this - have been great this year, but that means leaks and damage to buildings that were put up in 1937 (like our Eastleigh Center - we have a title that was granted by King George III).  While there he talked to an old friend whom I hired as a guard when I was Principal at KCITI.  Then John called me to tell me that Berkeley Hackett has died.  I felt great pain at the loss, especially of a friend who is only 3 years older than I am.  And I thought of the loss that many churches will feel, and especially the Eastleigh Church and the staff at KCITI (Kenya Christian Industrial Training Institute was the dream of missionaries in Kenya, and especially of Berkeley, who wanted to see a school and a church that would serve many Kenyans. The end result was the brainchild of Bill Stevens and Bob West of California, who gave computers and electronic equipment and came up with the initial scheme for courses).  The Hacketts came to Kenya in 1970 and committed themselves for the duration.

Immediately I was flooded with memories - of the breakfasts and lunches Darlene and I had with Berkeley and Charlotte, of the rapid growth of KCITI, of the occasional problems of staffing we had to deal with, of the Bible courses we wrote, of the development of an administrative structure for the school, and much more.

Darlene and I were very involved with teenagers and with Sunday school, and that led to street children coming to the building.  As we became more involved with them and an outreach program began, it became obvious to me that I could not do both things well. So I left the administration of KCITI and began full-time work with street kids.  Berkeley was gracious and allowed us to continue the street ministry on the campus for almost three years.  The street ministry grew and KCITI continued to grow, and finally it was not possible to have a college, a congregation and a street ministry together.  So we moved down the street. After that we did not see one another very much, even though we are in the same section of the city.  There is always plenty of work for a missionary.

I feel gratitude to Berkeley - especially for 2 things.  The first is that he and Charlotte are the ones who invited us to move to Nairobi to live.  I doubt we would have made the decision if they had not invited us.  And that has made all the difference to our lives, for I found my heart's desire in Nairobi, among the street kids.

The second is that he introduced me to Maureen Nduku.  She was in the ninth grade at the time, and the family did not have school fees.  One Sunday morning Berkeley and I walked in front of the church building (and chapel) and I met Maureen.  From then Darlene and I paid school fees.  She became a teacher in our evangelistic youth group, and she went on to be a teacher of street girls when that program started (she still goes to Eastleigh on Monday mornings to teach street girls).  And the day came when I did the wedding for Maureen and Francis Mbuvi, who is now our administrator at MITS. It was a little like marrying my own son and daughter!!  

Maureen has done great things for the Kingdom.  She oversees the Kenyan end of a large World Bible School program that John DeFore and others at Golf Course Road church in Midland, TX, support.  She oversees several orphanages which are supported by members at Golf Course.  And they also have feeding centers where poor grandmothers who care for grandchildren come for food.  Many evangelists look to Maureen for guidance.

I would not have met Maureen if Berkeley had not cared for her and wanted someone to pay her school fees.  Of course God is able to do what He wants in many ways, but in face he chose to work through Berkeley, and us and Maureen to accomplish a great work in Kenya.  So I am grateful.

Preaching in Eastleigh

Darlene and I visited in Eastleigh and went to church at the MITS Eastleigh Center.
They asked me to preach on Numbers 9.  Before I looked at it, I thought, "I am to preach from
Numbers!! To street guys whose attention span is really short!!" But when I looked at it, I knew
it was the right text.
It's one year after the Jews left Egypt.  And God wants them to CELEBRATE Passover. They are
out in the desert, some have whined about going back to Egypt.  They worry about food
and water and the future.  And He says, "CELEBRATE".   So they do.
But some are unclean.  They touched a dead body. They were off on a trip.
And the priests told them they couldn't do Passover since they were unclean.
So I talked to the youth about their own lives.  They are seen as unclean, and they really are
physically unclean.  And some have done wrong things.  And women in the time of their
month think they are unclean and usually do not take the Lord's Supper.  And some think they
are slaves of the streets just as Jews were slaves in Egypt.
So Moses went off to ask God what to do for the unclean ones.  And God said,
"Let them CELEBRATE."  God did not see the uncleanness.
God saw his people whom he loved.
I had 30 chapati with me that some of the girls at Kamulu cooked on Sunday morning.
And we cut them in half and gave each person half a chapati, and I invited all
of them to eat it in honor of Jesus Christ, who loves the unclean.  That
was the first part of the Lord's Supper.  It takes a while to eat half a chapati, so we
had lots of time to honor Jesus.
We had a good time together.  And near the end of worship, a group of
12 Swedish people showed up who were wandering around Eastleigh
visiting some Somalis.  They came in, wanting to learn about street kids and
street ministry.  So we had a chance to witness to our faith in the power
of Jesus to change lives.  All in all, a good day!  

Taking a Break

After hosting the National Youth Conference for churches of Christ - 4 days with 300 teens!
Darlene and I went on safari near Mount Kenya. Here is Darlene standing at the Equator
with zebras and a bird in the background.  

They have a new not-so-tame rhino at Sweetwaters (one time Darlene sat on the
back of the old one named Morani). This one is called Baraka, and he
will eat from your hand, but best to stay on the platform.  The ranger
did get in his compound to take our picture.

A few years ago we took all our students and Team to Mountain Rock Camp
near Mount Kenya. We visited the Ol Pejeta Preserve, and Sweetwaters Camp
gave us a free lunch (and our kids were so proper!!). After lunch, the kids
planted trees in the lawn near the Equator sign. This one was planted
by the boys.  

This is the tree the girls planted.  We were happy to stop by and see
that the trees are still growing.  And Made in the Streets is still growing
as well.  Several students left us recently and found jobs.  14 students took the
8th Grade Exit Exams (KCPE) in November, and one scored at the
median in the country.  And we are growing in those things that matter,
in the Spirit.  

Passover at MITS

Students dip finger in cup of thanksgiving to show the lessening of our joy because of the suffering of the Egyptians.

The Passover (seder) plate with bitter herbs and the bone and the Elijah cup.

Students prepare 200 chapati

for the meal

We have been preparing for two weeks for a Passover meal together with the Team and students. Brian Ochieng and several students started cooking at 2:00 in the afternoon for a 5:00 Passover. They made 200 chapati, our unleavened bread. And they cooked lentils, along with a meat and potatoes dish.

I was a little frustrated at the beginning, mostly because a fairly large number of students and Team came late!! I have such a fetish for keeping time! But it was a great experience - to share the history of Israel and God's love for his people, to listen to the kids read "the story" and to drink the cups of blessing, thanksgiving, redemption and acceptance.

And there was the Elijah Cup, the cup of hope. All Israel dreamed (and some still dream) that Elijah would return, and after him the Messiah. But we know, we know - Elijah has come!! And the Messiah after him, so that we have the redemption, the hidden matzoh has been revealed and all history has changed.

I asked the 5 youngest of our students to find the hidden matzoh -- Michel, one of our 13 year olds -- found it and received 200 shillings as I, the "father" of our family of faith, had to redeem the hidden matzoh, which we then ate, each of the 100 of us taking a small piece in honor and memory of Jesus.

Happy New Year

We've been saying "Happy New Year" to each other for several days now. And I've heard a few resolutions. But the transition to 2012 is not a great one, cause I don't feel great need for anything new.

I have more money and things than I deserve. 18 short-sleeved shirts and 2 pair of sports shoes and 4 pair of Levi's, a house and a car on 2 continents. What could I ask for?

I have as much work as I have time to do. I advise the Made in the Streets Team, do strategic planning for street ministry, plan and design construction for MITS. I'm also working on book number 2 about street kids, reporting to supporters, pleasing my wife, spending time with a daughter and grandkids, serving as liaison with the sponsoring church and board. That's enough at my age.

I have many friends who love me and who love those whom I love.

I have dear ones who made good decisions in 2011. A grandchild baptized into Jesus in August. At Christmas 3 street kids were baptized. Alex, one of our students in computer studies, enrolled in preacher training school. One of our newer girls, Lydia, decided to stay at MITS when a girl running away urged her to run. My wife decided to stay with me another year (I never assume...). So there is much to feel good about.

I have many books in my library I have not read, and at my age I can read some of them again. And I have 8 books recommended by friends.

I pray that 2012 will bring more of what we had in 2011.

More kids from the streets -- we had 46 new ones in 2011. We don't have enough beds for that many more in 2012, and we want each kid to have his/her own bed. But we can take some.

More visitors from the US Christians to MITS - coming with skills and encouragement.

More growth in spirit and skills for Team members. I pray for them to know their strengths and grow their strengths and use them for Jesus.

More Christians in US who love homeless and hopeless kids and who want to help us find these kids and redeem them and help them be responsible for their own lives - and for those Christians to give generously.

More time with friends who bless my life with affection and encouragement.

That will make a happy year!!

During the Holiday

I was walking to Starbucks with Darlene. It's 20 minutes. It was Dec 29, and I was thinking about Anna and Simeon, waiting in Jerusalem to meet Jesus. They were heralds of the new year, the new age of King Jesus. I like that woman. I was close to tears, unable to talk to Darlene about it, remembering another time I cried in the middle of a seminar over the absolute goodness of God. I like Anna. Her whole life was worth living for the moment she met Jesus. We have no idea what she may have suffered, what griefs she had, what joys. But this was the big moment, the moment she was living for. As Simeon says, "now I can die in peace." I like him too. And it is so for us. When we meet Jesus, life is made. We could die in peace. What is truly wonderful is that we get to keep on living, with Him, knowing him every day, walking to Starbucks with Jesus. And always the surprising work he has for us to do.