Sort-of Anniversary

C. S. Lewis died on November 22 that year.  I mourned when I heard about it.  I had just been introduced to his writings in October, and I had read almost everything already.  But that isn't my story today…this one comes almost a month later...

As of tonight, Darlene and I have known one another for 50 years - that's sort-of an anniversary.  After this much time, I have no memory of much that has happened.  All that I remember is golden and bright.  Am I naive still, or has our time together been as wonderful as I remember?  I do remember clearly how we met.

I had a blind date on the campus of Abilene Christian College (yes, it was that long ago!).  It was snowing lightly; it seemed to be a romantic December evening.  We threw a few snowballs, the four of us, and my friend and I went back to Zellner Dorm with the girls.  I didn't feel really good about how it went (no, it wasn't Darlene).  I admit it was cold, but she certainly didn't warm to me.  I found out later that she went back to the dorm and told her roommate what a boring date she had.  Well, not just boring, this guy had a weird sense of humor and he wasn't good-looking and….  Her roommate sat and listened to all she had to say.  Ah…failure…my old friend.

Then the roommate went down the hall, found the other girl who had been out on this double-date and said, "Get me a date with that guy my roommate went out with."  Later she was to say, "I knew what my roommate was looking for in a guy, and my roommate and I were very different, so…."

So…my next blind date was with Darlene - Tuesday, December 17, 1963 - 50 years ago today.  When my friend came by my room in the old wooden dorm where i lived (The Barracks), I said, "What do you mean, a date?  Don't you remember what happened last week?  I need to study.  Why would I want another blind date with someone you recommend?"  But he was persuasive.    We went walking - I wasn't expecting much by this time - went over to Templeton's Pharmacy and had a coke, spent time talking with one another and the same couple as before.  We knew the same joke, and we found out our parents lived only about 20 miles apart in Oklahoma.  At 10:00 pm we went over to the steps of the Administration building for the Tuesday night devo.

I went back to my room thinking, "I'd marry that girl."  The next day was Christmas break.  I was in the cafeteria, sitting at a table for eight with six of my friends, an empty seat beside me.  How did that happen?  I looked up and saw Darlene coming through the line with her tray of food.  I got her attention and invited her to come and sit with us.  We enjoyed lunch…then Darlene said she needed to go.  I offered to bus her tray and she started to walk out. I came back by the table to said goodbye, and her friend from the dorm reached across to shake my hand (what?), and when I pulled my hand back, there was a piece of paper in it.  I hurried out and caught up with Darlene and walked with her to Zellner.  Just before I said goodbye I said, "Can I come see you during holiday?"  And she said, "yes," and inside I said "Yes! I am going to marry her."

I walked away a happy boy.  I reached in my pocket and took out the paper.  It was a map showing how to get to Darlene's parents' home in Duncan, Oklahoma.  That really made my day.  It was months later, after we were married, that I found out that Darlene drew the map.

I'm still a happy boy.

We Appreciate our Guards

Last evening Darlene and I took John Wambu and the property guards at Kamulu out to dinner.  We went to Tuskys, which is a grocery store nearby.  They also have a cafeteria type bar with food to go or to eat on site.  They have several tables out front with plastic chairs of various makes.  We think some of our guards had never been "out to eat" before.  Some are from maasai land and all are country folk.

We told them to order whatever they wanted.  John ordered first, getting two pieces of fried chicken. I asked him if he were getting any vegetables, so he ordered two sausages as well.  When the guards saw that goat meat was cooking on the rotisserie, they were delighted.  Emmanuel told me that "Men eat goat. Mamas eat chicken."  Of course I had ordered a piece of chicken.  They ordered goat and used up all the goat that was cooking.  They also got rice and french fries and sausages.  We prayed together and sat down to eat.  I told them, "Darlene and I are leaving soon, so this is your Christmas dinner with us."  They all ate heartily, and Emmanuel was the best eater.

I went back in and ordered pieces of chocolate cake and a bucket of ice cream.  Darlene had made chai (hot tea cooked with  milk) for us all.  They even had food to take away to eat later that night or today.

Francis Mbuvi told us when he saw that he was reminded of the old days when Darlene and I would take the young people at Eastleigh out and tell them they could order whatever they wanted.  The guards were so delighted, he said, and they couldn't stop talking about it.

It feels really good to be able to offer something to the men who keep us well protected at Kamulu.  So...honor to Emmanuel, Robert, Chalo, Leonard and the other one whose name I can't remember.

Pass on the Blessing

I am sitting in the back yard at a picnic table under the water tower out of the sun.  I can hear some of our Made in the Streets Team members and students outside the walls.  They are working in the soil, planting their own gardens.  Our house sits on the corner of an acre that we bought back in 1994 when the prices were cheap, comparatively speaking.  This year we decided to let Victor (our agriculture teacher and farm manager) divide up the acre into plots for each Team member and student who wants to grow vegetables, make a little money and supply MITS with food.  We told them they could grow it on the halves -- keep half for themselves and give MITS half what they grow.  17 of them signed up, and they have been working when they have free time.  We feel really good about being able to help each one of them have a place to work and grow food.  So many people have helped us in our lives -- how great to "pass on the blessing."

Thinking about what brings me happiness, most of you know
it turned out to be the "desire of my heart" to help street kids
to find a new life.  In two weeks these young boys who have
been sleeping on the streets will come out to Kamulu to
live with us.  Talk about passing on the blessings!  That's
Moses in the middle, one of our Eastleigh Team members.

And speaking of my heart's desires, soon after we moved out
to Kamulu, I wanted to start an orchard.  Some friends in Kentucky
and Tennessee helped us get funds for it.  It has taken more than
 four years, but this year we have mango trees with lots of fruit,
and the orange, macadamia, avocado, marring and mulberry trees
are also doing very well.  It gives us lots of blessings that we
can pass on to our students and to kids still sleeping on the streets.

Wow!  Life is good!

Happy Days in London and Oxford

On the way back to Nairobi, Darlene and I stopped off for a few days to visit friends in both London and Oxford and to see a little of England.  We had a delightful time with friends who treat us as if we are important!!  God is good to give us happy experiences of His world.

Darlene's joy was getting to eat scones
with clotted cream - and drink cappuccino.

This caption was on a bench dedicated to Madeline
Collins in Oxford University Park. Charles
likes it!

Charles got to see some more old Roman ruins,
in the heart of London!

Standing under a willow tree in Oxford University
Park was like being in a Monet painting.

Add caption

70 FOR ME

I remember a good friend in California named Fred and the day he was 70 years old.  He and I were working on something at the church building in Redwood City, and he told me how bad he felt that he couldn't do any more all that he used to do.  He had aches and pains, not as much strength and he had heart trouble.  It hurt him to do less.

I decided then that I would do my best to prepare myself for 70, not realizing how quickly it would arrive, and how much I would still want to do.  I hit that wall last month.  And what a wonderful birthday I had.  First I celebrated with two of the grandchildren, whose birthday is near mine.  Then Darlene and I returned to Kenya by way of Croatia, seeing old friends Tom and Sandra Sibley and visiting the church in Zagreb, as well as touring the coast with the Sibleys.  On my birthday I was privileged to preach twice, something I seldom do anymore.  And I bought my own birthday cake and shared it with the church (I can't eat it since I'm a diabetic, but they enjoyed).  And birthday lunch was a great sirloin steak at the Vinidor in Zagreb -- a nice place.  So...it's not bad being 70.

We are getting ready for The Story Project Seminar at Kamulu -- 50 representatives from 50 congregations in Kenya -- in which we will give a copy of The Story and about 450 pages of materials we have used in classes, sermons and small groups this year as we have gone through The Story.  Various MITS Team members and church leaders will present on how they have used The Story.  So Darlene and I have been getting rooms ready -- beds, mattresses, bedding and so on -- for the seminar.  We have been working to get new "MITS Visitor" quarters ready also for next year.  We put 5 bunk beds together yesterday, painted cabinets, and moved furniture around.

And now Darlene's birthday has come!  Of course she is much younger than I.

I am slowing down some.  It's a little hard for me to bend down enough to put on my socks and shoes.  I have to stretch a little, then put my foot up on a chair and push down!! And I leave some things to Jackton and Robin and Francis and Joel and Moses and other MITS Team members.  And they are glad to help me out.  How wonderful to work with a Team of servant-minded people who love me!

I told the kids in chapel today that it is a wonderful thing to learn the song "Jesus loves me" and to know all your life that it is really true, that the love of Jesus is really for me, and that all of life is a gift from Him, and that his gifts are great treasures.

It's not so bad being 70.

Day 4 in DC

On Day 4 we traveled by train to Mount Vernon to see the home and farm of George Washington.
"Putting a hand to the plow" has been an important faith theme for us.  This plow reminds me of an old plow
on my Grandfather's farm.  Of course it was no longer used even when I was a kid; Grandad had a John Deere.

The farm is huge, so a rest stop along the way was important.

On the Washington farm were slave quarters, a poignant reminder of the fact that people make mistakes.
And it is always a mistake to believe that we have the right to rule the lives of others.  Especially when it is
for our own good and not theirs!

Near the Washington Mall is the memorial to law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty.
These are as fresh as yesterday and many years back.  Thank you, Lord, for those who
believe they can make the world better by risking their lives for what is right.

At the transport museum we saw lots of very interesting things, including about 100 feet of US Route 66,
which we had traveled a month ago with the granddaughters on our Trans-Western Tour.
This picture of an Oklahoma oil field truck brought back memories too, as my Grandad
was a truck driver in his early years in Oklahoma, before he became a farmer.
He died at 99 years 10 months in May 1994 and is a joy to remember.  

Day 3 in DC

On Day 3 we visited the Capitol building - it was a better tour than we expected.  Ronald Reagen's statue has a piece of the Berlin Wall at the base.  And the sound in the old chamber is really great.  

We walked from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.  That is a good bit of exercise!
Then we went by the Vietnam War Memorial.
That night someone threw green at Lincoln but only hit the pedestal.

We played "Night at the Museum" at the Air and Space Museum and marveled at the accomplishments
of Amelia Earhart

Amelia danced with the Degas sculpture in the movie. 

And the dinosaur ran all over the museum chasing bones for Larry.
This was lots of fun since we watched the movies with the granddaughters.

We also scoped out the International Spy Museum for the grandkids, whom we hope to bring to DC some day.  Here the Strategist tries to find the enemy camp on the GPS.  

A trip is not complete without some of the local wildlife. Since we have lived in Kenya, we are very conscious
of live animals.  This squirrel made his home on the Washington Mall.  

D.C. Day Two in Pics

Almost everything I do and almost every conversation I have makes me think about street kids and Made in the Streets and the Team we work with in Nairobi and the many friends in the USA who help in so many ways in the ministry.  And that's true of being in Washington, D.C.

When I sit on a city street drinking coffee with Darlene,
I remember those times when Francis Mbuvi or John Wambu
will come by the house in Kamulu and talk over the ministry,
the land, the buildings, the students...

In the movie Night at the Museum, this big guy from
the Museum of Natural History
usually says "Dum-Dum". And I think about
all the mistakes I have made in ministry,
and how much God has blessed the work anyway.

When we sit down for lunch, we pray
for the Team and the kids and the visitors.
Darlene is sitting in the National
Sculpture Garden, where we went after
viewing the great art at the
National Gallery of Art.
That's a Mediterranean salad
and a small pepperoni pizza.
Outside there was a mouse running around
scaring the big sanitation workers!
And some good modern sculptures
too, especially a
two-sided house that looked real
and more real as you walk around it!
We loved the Impressionist art and the
Rodin sculptures in the museum.

Speaking of that art we love, this
"Girl with a Watering Can" by
Auguste Renior is one of our
favorites.  Many years ago
when my mother was still alive,
I gave her a copy of this.  It's
a great reminder of family love.

This smaller version of "The
Thinker" by Rodin (the big one
is in Paris at his old house) is a
great reminder of what I want to
do for the street kids, and for my
grandkids -- to teach them to THINK
and to think well and strategically
and of good things.

This is the only painting
by Leonardo Da Vinci that
is in the Western Hemisphere.    
I think of the great debt we owe
scientists and thinkers, and I dream
that one of mine will do great things
through trust in God.

Day Two: Washington DC

Happy Day!  Our daughter and husband have given us a trip to DC -- all because they are so grateful that we have "helped them with the kids."  What do they think grandparents do?  Still...it's our good!

So...here we are, sitting in the Pavilion Cafe at the National Sculpture Gardens having an excellent pizza and a Mediterranean salad, watching the fountain among the green trees.  Sitting outside a bit later finishing a refill of iced tea, we had our excitement for the day.  Two guys came along in blue shirts with trash barrels and a trash pickup tool.  We saw them jump back and look down under a table.  Another one came with a small broomstick and beat at the table.  Then the two men jumped backward as a mouse raced across the sidewalk.  The third guy broke his broom without really trying to hit the mouse.  He said he saw "Mickey" in his mind's eye and just couldn't do it.  It looked like they were all afraid of the mouse, who got away in the bushes.

Earlier we toured the National Archives saw the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and felt good about being Americans, living under law and justice, even if it isn't always perfect.  We also toured the FBI building, going through their museum with one of the agents.  Great experience!  Proud to have people like that looking out for our rights.

And the National Gallery of Art was a thrill -- all those Impressionist artists -- Monet and Manet and Pissarro and Renior.  Many years ago when my Mom was still alive, I bought her a copy of Renior's "girl with a water can."  Today we saw the original!  And his "Dancer."  And one of Monet's lily garden paintings from Giverny and several of his paintings of the Waterloo Bridge at different times of day.

The Air and Space Museum is also inspiring!  Makes me want our government to put greater emphasis on space travel and for industry to get deeply involved in reaching the stars.  I remember doing a study of the Saturn rocket in ROTC at Oklahoma University back in 1961. I remember setting our one-week old daughter down in front of an old Sylvania TV the day Armstrong took that one great step for mankind.  We love the Wright brothers displays and all the rest of it, especially seeing that one small piece of Sputnik that is still in existence.

This morning we had breakfast buffet at the hotel and enjoyed talking to one another over a second cup of coffee.  It has to be a mile walking underground in the Crystal City shops to the metro station.  Last night there was only one thing open in the shops when we returned to the hotel - a Subway - so it was a sandwich for dinner.  When we went to the metro to get our Senior Smartrip cards, the man down at the trains said we couldn't get them there.  We needed to go up into the shops -- "when you get to the top, go right, then right, then left and right again, and you're there."  So we went up into the shops, but that didn't sound good enough to us, so we asked a man at an information desk about it.  I thought he said "comptuer shop," so he emphasized "commmmmuuuttter shop" - "go up there, turn right, then turn left at Starbucks (Starbucks!!!) and right at Smoothie Joes -- to the commmuuuttterr shop".  We actually found it.  Perks to being seniors!!

We watched "Night at the Museum" again before we came, and yesterday we went through the Natural History Museum.  Great to see the dinosaur and the squid and the "Dum-Dum" guy (Darlene took a picture of me in front of it).  It not only feels good to be an American; it feels good to be a child of the God who made all of the things that are -- what incredible variety of dinosaurs existed on the earth!  And it is incredible to see how many forms of quartz there are.  The Hope diamond was pretty good too.

Another thing we did was walk all the way down the Mall to the Lincoln Memorial...and back.  It was worth it -- to look at the memorial and wonder who the finest president of the US has been and to think that many good men (and some day women) have held that post.  And on the way back we walked along the Vietnam Memorial Wall and read the names and thought about all the young men and women (and some older ones too) who have died in war.  Sobering...but sometimes the war has to be fought. We are proud of people who stand up to wrong.  Makes us want to stand up for something eternal and good and true.

So...be good, be true....charles

Train Up Your Kids

Every parent who is thoughtful and caring wants to train the kids.  Politeness...taking care of themselves...watching out for danger...using their words...how to read...how to work...how to express feelings...  We have all manner of things we want to train the kids to do and say and feel and be.

And it varies from place to place.  What some parents in Kenya must train their kids to do is different from the American situation.

Many Kenya parents must teach their kids WHAT TO DO WHEN THE ELEPHANT COMES and WHAT TO DO WHEN THE LION COMES.  Because you do different things for elephants and lions. Nairobi city parents don't worry about that, but up in Nanyuki area!  And around Narok and other places!  The elephant wants to eat the corn, and the lion might want to eat the goats.  So what does a ten-year-old kid do?  There is a plan, and some of our kids at Made in the Streets have had to deal with these circumstances.

Not to mention the elephants ("the masters") and the lions (predators) out on the streets where some spent 3 or 5 or 7 years as little kids before coming to MITS.

So...now and then please say a prayer for kids whose lives are far different from those kids you have raised.

A NEW JOY

  How good it is to go with God!  He brings joys every morning and peace every night.  And I have a new joy in my life.

  It is not easy to stay in touch with our students after they leave Kamulu and seek their own way in Nairobi, and it used to be really difficult.  But now we have Facebook, and our former students make good use of it.  There are several joys connected to this.

  And they do not tell us when they put the cat out, or how many cups of coffee they had today.  Instead, they write about LIFE, the good and the bad.  They pour out their troubles and they state their faith.

  For example, today one of our former students wrote that she doesn't understand herself. She wants to do the right thing, but she does the bad instead.  She feels terrible.  She asks, "has anyone else ever felt like that?"  And another former student responded, "It's all there in Romans 7:14-20.  Read that idea!"  So I responded that I was glad our students stay in touch with one another, and one of them wrote back, "That's our mentor Charles."

  That's my new joy!  That Caylah and Rehab and Shiko and Dennis and others tell us what they think and feel and believe.  And we pray for one another, and our lives are enriched.