Touching the Important in Bible Study

I love it when something brings my heart back to what is important.  I am teaching a Sunday morning Bible class, currently on Ephesians, and we are in chapter 5.  So I prepared a worksheet on Ephesians 5:19-33, a passage where the relationship of husband and wife is compared to that of Christ and the church.  I took a look at the Greek text as well as several English and Swahili translations, and it always amazes me how much the translations lose by using logical and meaning-filled words instead of staying with the graphic and image-producing Biblical language.

  Just one small example -- the language used to describe Christians' relationship to one another and that of wife to husband.  The Biblical image is that of arranging things where they belong, putting that which is highly regarded in the prominent place.  It's like stacking papers, putting the most important document on top.  Or like God's creation, where he puts everything in order in the universe and sets one of his creatures on top. Or like putting fruits and vegetables in a bowl, where you put the tomatoes on top so they won't get mashed.  We do that for one another, and wives do that for their husbands.  That is so much richer than "submit" or the Swahili "stahi" (which almost no one uses in normal speech).  And it puts wives in charge of their relationship, where they ought to be, since marriage is a voluntary involvement.  

  My study led me to 1 Peter 3:1-8, where I found what I think is the most wonderful statement of the marriage relationship.  Peter, who traveled with his wife on his mission journeys, says that a husband is to treat his wife with HONOR as she shares with him in the inheritance of LIFE!  That is just great!  Another rich graphic image is that he says to treat her as the "weaker vessel."  We often dislike both of those words -- "Am I weak?", she asks as she arm wrestles him into submission.  "Am I just a vessel, like a tool?"  But if we see his image as he states it, it is rich and good.  Husband and wife are both vessels, and she is the fragile beauty.  It's like having a stainless steel kettle for heating water on one hand and a slender glass tea steeper on the other, or a pottery plate up beside the fine china.  Which one do you take most care with, which one do you protect most, which one do you cherish and put in a special place?  That is the task of the husband, to make a place for the beauty he has found and won with love. 

  And so I went into the kitchen and found Darlene and hugged her for a long time and told her I have remembered why I love her so much.  

musings from Darlene

I'm reading Charles' blog (over coffee at Java), and I ask him, "Can I write something on your blog? He's so gracious, he even gives me half of his latte also!  A few days ago I was remembering that when I was in jr. hi, I delighted in finding games and having the teens over to our house.  I even went to the library to find games, and I loved it.  Here I am, many many years later, finding new games and leading teens in fun, and I love it still!  Like Charles told the students and Team yesterday, God can give you your heart's desire, even in small things.

It's so good to be back, to sit in Laurent's living room and hear him say, "This is the right thing.  I like it here so much.  This is where I started, and I want to teach other kids they can succeed."  He and Eliza have jumped in and are busy helping in the ministry with joy.  And now we have a Pepperdine group here to teach baking, build ovens, and share skills.  The girls were ecstatic when Shannon arrived -- she'll probably not have a minute to herself!

It's also good to sit in Millie and Jackton's living room and hold that precious baby.  He can hold up his head and his eyes follow a toy and follow his mama walking around.  I'm so thankful!  And Jackton shared with us how he felt when he first saw Kehl, but he has seen this is a true blessing from God.  They are finding others in the community with special kids and they are drawing even closer to God.  And Kehl is a delight; he and Jeremy are passed around by the students. The students love babies and they are learning nurturing and loving.  

I love babies too!  Our ministry team has changed -- now we have toddlers and babies of Team members, and two Team members are seriously in love... (Robin and Irene A).  We miss our family back in the States, but God gives joy here too.

Thank you for loving this street ministry.  Kids really are changing and the Team loves them and give themselves away for this ministry.  When we first started in street ministry, Charles and I asked God to lead us to people who would love street kids.  And He has!  It's amazing -- we have found wonderful friends in the USA and here as well.  

As the kids say in chapel, "My encouragement today is to" ----  Ask God for your heart's desire in serving.  He will provide!

The Reality of Who We Are

Every day brings a new adventure and a new twist in life.  We are struggling with regaining control of a piece of land that belongs to Made in the Streets but has been invaded.  The people, who call themselves the "Kamulu Residents Committee" and pretend to look out for the welfare of the whole community, but who are really a small group of men who gained the help of a politician for what they wanted, have built a building on our property with government money and bought a pickup and added to their houses.  

And the American Embassy has refused to help us in this issue.  They made one suggestion at the beginning, but have recently told us they don't want to do any more.  We had hoped for some influence from them, but we are little fish and don't matter much in the world.  I really mean that.  While I know that God loves me fully and I rejoice in His guidance and power and love, I know that what I am trying to do is small in the eyes of most of the world.  I am grateful that many of you who read my blog like me and believe that what we do for street kids is important.  

But we should not live with illusions.  When we talk with middle-class or more wealthy Kenyans and they ask what we are doing in Kenya, we talk about the street kids.  And they almost always respond with something like, "Can they really learn?"  or "The police really should round them up and put them in remand somewhere." or something like that.  Back home even unbelievers will say "That's nice" when they hear of street ministry.  

I am grateful that followers of Jesus count street kids as important as they are and believe that to raise them up to a new life is a really good thing!  I have found street ministry and the care of these homeless kids to be the fulfillment of my life, to be what I was born for, to be what God has always intended for me.  So it does not matter what people think who do not value these kids, nor does it matter whether anyone thinks we or what we do is important or not.  What matters is that these kids come to know God and have a new life.  

And I am certain that the end result of the land problem will be good for us, whether we win or lose.  It isn't winning that is important, but what our lives become, what we are.  So let us be glad for today and rejoice in it. 

peace and joy, charles

Pure Agape

Speaking of communication, there is nothing like the close and small, especially with the small ones in my life.  Before we left the USA to return to Nairobi, we had a couple of days with the granddaughters.  And they took us to the airport, but we stopped off at Starbucks before checking in.  The girls had hot chocolate, we gave them a Polly Pocket Cowboy and Corral present, and they sat and played while we talked to the daughter and the son-by-marriage.  Now and then one of them would come over for a hug and a little talk.  And we did the "kissing hand" and the "I love you to the moon and back" -- or to Pluto, or outside the universe, or whatever exceeds the last thing we said.  

The youngest one told Darlene that she would think of her Shosho whenever she sees the color gray, a reference to our current hair color.  One of the girls told me she would look at the stars and think of me.

Since we left the youngest one has decided that her birthday party should be tomorrow, since we are coming back for her party, that way we would be back.  

This kind of communication is at the heart of life.  

Pure Angst

The modern world has its new anxieties.  One of the chief is finding myself without a cell phone in hand.  In all the months in the USA, I had instant access to everyone I wanted to talk to.  I haven't had one since getting back to Nairobi -- but NO COMPLAINTS.  I am working to live my life without complaining.  But back to cell phones - before we left Nairobi, we went to the phone company and asked them to set our plan so that our phones would no be deactivated even though they were unused for several months.  They agreed and entered it into the computer.  But...of course both our phones were deactivated.  So we drove into the city and went to the office, waited in line, then found out that their system for reactivating lines is out of commission for a while.  The technician took a friend's phone number, wrote down the deactivated numbers, and promised to call and let us know whether the lines were still available.  But...of course no call.  Now it's the weekend, and we have to wait until at least Monday before we can go back and try again.

  I'm trying to living without complaining...when I conquer this, I will need to work on NO ANXIETY!  Over the years we work on our anxieties and are able to overcome them with God's help.  And then new anxieties appear, prompted by the very things we love most about the modern world.  "Cast all your cares on Jesus" is one of the standards by which we live, but every new thing in our lives brings a new challenge to our life of peace.  

  At least I had the internet chip in a phone and could do email and access the world that way.  It doesn't work with Skype for phone calls, but it works for communication.  Isn't it amazing how used we have become to instant communications with everyone?  The internet and the cell phone have become wonderful tools for missionaries, and we value them highly.  

  Still, the most important task as a missionary is to share the life of Christ with others, to train and encourage others to serve the mission.  The cell phone and the internet can aid that, but cannot replace the personal touch.  So, living without complaining and living without anxiety are more important than having technology working the way we want it.  The conclusion is that, since living without anxiety is more important than getting a working cell phone, I must turn loose of anxiety about not having a cell phone in my hand. 

  How's that for logic?  Now to make it so...

Back at Made in the Streets

Darlene and I arrived in Nairobi this week.  As always, there is much to do, and yet if we did nothing, this ministry would be a blessing.  We have visited with the kids, and they seem very happy, a good sign that our Team is doing good work.  We have 13 really industrious kids now who are on the Fast Track program -- they will take the 8th grade exit exams in December -- and they still keep up their chores, their skills training, farm work and life in the church.  These are kids who have had very little formal education, and we give them our basic literacy course, then set them on a study course to prepare for one year for the exams.  

  It has been very dry in Kamulu area for the whole year, but we have crops growing, thanks to our drip line irrigation system and the well.  The new equipment that came in the container - thank you, everyone - is working well: the tractor, the woodworking equipment and the sewing machines.  

  Our students are wearing uniforms with pride, and the sewing factory continues to develop, with two good contracts for uniforms.  In years to come, this will develop as a strong force in the ministry.  We have a new auto mechanics' teacher, who is working on probation for now.  Joel Njue and Irene Akinyi continue University studies in Business and Counseling, respectively.  

                                                                                       

 Take a look at the blog produced by the Team for the prize-giving day!  Great uplift for the students.  That blog is www.made-in-the-streets.blogspot.com   Moses Okoth (our technology guy and computer teacher) tells us that Alex Atemai is brilliant. His sponsors in Cedar Rapids, IA, and Mount Vernon, IA, will be happy to know that!

May you be as happy as I am when you look at your co-workers and those whom you teach!

The Children of Passover

Our family has been doing a Seder Passover service with family and friends for many years.  Over the years Darlene has developed an enjoyable, concise and meaningful Seder based on the joy we have in Jesus the Christ.  Now our grandchildren are part of the event, along with other families with children.  We had a great time this year with 10 adults and 13 girls. 

We sing the song "dayenu" (it would have been enough) and invite anyone to share what God has done in our lives "that would have been enough" if that were all that God had ever done for us.  One of our 6-year-olds raised her hand to say "if God had only given me faith," then later raised her hand again to say "if God only gave us the Holy Spirit."  We sang the "dayenu" after each person and enjoyed it much.  

After everyone had gone home, I walked home with the grandchildren and our daughter.  I held this granddaughter's hand and walked along talking about the stars and Orion and the moon.  Then she began to talk theology, all about Jesus and what God has done and how he made California and it was for us and about God's love and Jesus dying to help us.  She chattered all the way home.  There are few things finer in the world than listening to a grandchild get her theology straight.  I complimented her on the wisdom of saying that "faith is enough" and she said, "of course (I am your granddaughter)" -- and went on to talk some more about how smart God is.