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.

Poetry about the Streets

Watcher I

I am a watcher I

Have a place to observe the sky

Watcher I see mighty hand

Lightly touch waiting land

Waiting they who have none

Squinting at equatorial sun

Then to sleep on the street

Where pain and despair meet

Watcher I their daily pain

Dirt pads where they have lain

Time was when I did not see

Those born to misery

Watcher I edging near

Close to see the smallest tear

Observing a divine plan

To make of ragged boy full man

Watcher I take delight

In finding new sight

Days spent not seeing

Are days with no true being

Watcher I see young men giving

Day after day of their living

Sacrificing heavenly seats

For those Made in the Streets

I wrote this poem in September 1996 when we were only serving young men sleeping on the streets, and 9 young Kenyan men were working together with Darlene and me. It is well to gain understanding, to see the lowest of the low, and to take part in the plan of Jesus to dramatically alter their lives and transform their hopes. Boys and girls who sleep on the streets of Nairobi have no reason to think that anyone loves them. It is delight to see them respond so happily to affection and care.

Hear My Cry

Last night was a great experience with grandchildren. It was the grandparents' job to close out the day - trampoline jumping, swimming, a shower, dinner, finishing reading "The Last Battle" by C. S. Lewis with them, a snack, brush teeth, jump into bed. Time for a story - so I told them a story about their mother when she was a little girl even younger than they are.

And this is my story: "She was young, and she loved her grandparents - you know, Granny and Grandpa. We were in California and they were in Oklahoma, and that's a long way. We had friends who were going to Wichita, Kansas, in an airplane, so we let her fly with them. That was her first time in an airplane. And Granny and Grandpa drove from Oklahoma to Kansas and met her when she got off the plane. They drove back to Oklahoma, and I bet they stopped for ice cream along the way. They had a good time - did you know your Mom loved to catch grasshoppers? She caught a big jarful with her great grandfather on that trip; he's my daddy's daddy. (One of the kids said, "She wouldn't do that now.") But in those days she loved grasshoppers and frogs and all things that moved.

When the visit was over, Granny and Grandpa took her to Oklahoma City to catch a plane and return home. She was to fly alone - well, not all alone - the flight attendants take good care of kids who fly. When they got to the airport, and the luggage was on the plane, and the people were getting on, a man called the airport and said there was a bomb on the plane. So they hurriedly got everyone off and took off all the luggage. They did a careful search of everything.

Your Mom called me from the airport and told me she was scared. I was really glad that I know something of the Bible -- you will want to learn all you can of the Bible, and where everything is, so you can use it for good. I asked her to get her Bible out of her carry-on -- she always carried her Bible places with her - and open it to Psalm 61. Then I read the words of the first few verses and sang the song that goes with it: 'Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer. From the ends of the earth I cry unto you. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I, that is higher than I."

I told her to keep those words in her mind and to pray - to ask God to be with her and help her heart to be encouraged. And she did. And she came home. So please keep these words in your mind when you have trouble."

One of the kids said, "Did they find the bomb?" "No," I said, "there wasn't one. They searched every place, then allowed the plane to fly. But it was still scary, and a real adventure. Sometimes there is no real problem when we think there is, but either way, we put our trust in God."

The grandparents then sang the song several times to the grandchildren as they went to sleep. Softly they met the night. We looked down at them for a few minutes, asking that they be spared the troubles of the world, but asking even more that they be given strength and courage and undying hope in God's great love.

Daughter of my Daughter

August 2011 has been a highlight month for me. August 1964 was the month that Darlene and I gave our lives to one another. August 1995 was the month that street ministry in Nairobi became a passion in my life.

A few months back, one of my granddaughters asked me to study the Bible with her. So in August I studied a number of passages of the Bible with all the grandchildren. Our studies were Discovery Bible Studies. That means we studied as a group, that I wanted them to draw their own conclusions from the Bible, and that we focused on "what it says," "what it means," and "so what?"

The passages were all from 5 to 10 verses - some on who Christ is, some on faith and some on baptism. I gave each of them a notebook, a ruler and a pencil. We wrote the Bible reference at the top of the page, then we made 3 columns on the sheet. On the left hand side, we wrote out part of the passage, whatever they together said was the most important part of the passage. Then we talked about what the passage means - sometimes we talked about the meaning verse by verse, sometimes the passage as a whole. Then we wrote down what we concluded about what it means. In the 3rd column we wrote "so what?" and I had them talk about what we could do to obey the passage. We wrote those things down. We did 12 studies together.

I had to be patient and work slowly with them, since they are young. One of them did not know how to spell the words, so writing it out was laborious. But it was worth the time and effort.

Last week one of the girls said, "I'm ready. I want to be baptized Sunday. I have to do it."

Saturday night we had dinner together at our house. We brought out the pottery from our wedding shower and cooked steak and chicken and taquitos. We had wild rice and green beans. And ice cream for dessert. And we gave the girl planning to be baptized a little book called "God Thinks You're Wonderful" She loved it. First she read what we wrote in the front, smiled and said thank you. Then she read some pages to us, delighted with what it said to her. Then her mother gave her a journal and encouraged her to keep a spiritual journey book. She treasured that too.

She wrote out what she wanted to say to the church at the baptism on Sunday, but when the time came, she said, "Just ask me questions." So I asked her, "Do you believe Jesus is God's Son?" and "Do you believe that Jesus died for us?"and "Do you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead?" and "Do you say that Jesus is Lord?" To all these she said "yes."

Then I told the church about the studies we had done. I said that I have baptized many people, and this one has the same joy as all the rest. Well, maybe a little more joy.

And I reminded her that her grandmother was baptized at 8 years old, that her mother was baptized at 9, and that she has models of women who stay with Jesus all their lives, so she can do it too. Then I said, "By the mercies of God, you will now receive the baptismal wash in the name of God your Father, in the name of Jesus your Lord, and in the name of the Spirit who guides you. And all your life you will live in the promise of forgiveness and having the Holy Spirit with you. Amen."

And helping her under the water was a most weighty thrill, a joy without parallel. I have felt warm all day, and it has nothing to do with Texas at 105 degrees. And she has been smiling all day.