Nairobi - Day 5 (Light in a very Dark Place)

Each day I write to you, I feel like I have run out of words to explain to you what we have seen since we have been here.  Today I feel more like that than ever.  However, we made the suggestion to the leadership team at GCF to “Trust Us” and let us buy some water and juice (200) and give them away freely to the people of Kayole. 

Without any hesitation, they agreed.  We went to the store, spent 2000 Kenya Shillings and loaded up the van.  We drove to a busy “intersection” that was more like a crowded dump with people everywhere.  We got out of the van opened up the back and showed people the love of Christ in a practical way.  This concept was brand new to the people of Kayole and to our partners at GCF. 

So….I don’t want to fail with words so I thought I would just show you the pics.  Again (and I know I say this everyday), I have never experienced anything like this before in my life.  Tears turned to laughter, anger to joy, hopelessness to hope, rejection to acceptance,  and…how do you say it….LOVE WINS.

Besides Carrie almost getting mobbed in the back of the van, and a kid on inhalants taking our whole team for a journey through rapid fire talk and “say it, don’t spray it” mantras, we had a blast and so did the team from GCF.

We are on our way to Homa Bay in Eastern Kenya tomorrow and would love your prayers as we travel.  I will be blogless for a couple of days, but please don’t stop looking.  You never know when the next story will find its way across the pond.

I love all of you.  Thanks again for all you do and who you are.

Nairobi – Day 4 (Taking it to the Streets)

This day would be one of the most challenging for our eyes to see.   Yesterday, we spent the day around Great Commission Fellowship and got to spend plenty of time with the kids that are part of the school.   We knew however, in order to gain a better perspective of the crisis in Kayole (the village that GCF serves), we would need to go beyond the gates of the church and school into the streets.  Kayole houses ½ a million people in a 1 mile radius.  For comparison, there are 190,000 people living in the most crowded part of Cincinnati in a one mile radius.

WE WEREN’T PREPARED TO SEE THE THINGS WE SAW AND EXPERIENCED…

The day started with an impromtu dance with the baby class at GCF.  This was unadulterated childhood at its best as they came out and did several African school children classics.  We began the day with giant smiles on our faces and it’s a good thing because the rest of the day brought us the reality of daily life in Kayole.

We set out on foot from the school and soon found ourselves in buildings and houses that would be considered the worst slums in America.  Children were everywhere because the public school teacher in Nairobi are on strike.  All I can say is “there were children EVERYWHERE!” 

The housing can be anywhere from 1 to 4 stories tall where a mom and 3 kids might live in a room that is literally the size of a walk in closet in a house in America.  It was about 8X8.  Each floor of the complex had about 20 housing units and all of them shared a 2 toilet bathroom that was appalling and again the smell can’t be explained…the closest I can get is when your drains get clogged up and you have to use a snake (magnify that smell by 20 and that is everyday life in Kayole).

The contrast between the refuge of Great Commission Fellowship and the rest of Kayole’ is night and day.  The kids inside are happy, excited about learning, and their future.  The children in the streets of Kayole are fighting hunger everyday, going to the bathroom in the streets and letting it run through the open air, uncovered sewage system toward the Nairobi River.  This sewage ditch is usually rendered ineffective because it is littered with trash from the lack of sanitation in the city.  As a result, you have, basically, a dump being constructed as people survive.   The work set before Great Commission is HUGE.  The leadership and the people here are saints and they truly love what the world would call the unlovable. 

For the first time in my life, I see true AGAPE Love in the hearts of the leadership and teachers at GCF for a community that looks impossible to help because of the sheer number of poor people in the area.

They don’t see it that way though…they have dreams of being a lighthouse, a refuge, an oasis to this community.  Never do I see them doubt whether or not they could change this community from the inside out.  The level of respect that the community has for Pastor Peter, Joel, Justin, and of course Pastor Denis is something to be witnessed.  Because of their efforts, they have won over this community.   If you take this kind of proven leadership to the next level and resource it, you will truly see a “City on a Hill” in the midst of the worst poverty in the world.  They are helping me see their vision of True Religion.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this, to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.   James 1:27

I could go on writing about this, but I am truly shaken from this day.  THIS IS NOT OK!!!  NOONE SHOULD LIVE LIKE THIS!

I love all of you… thank you for your prayers and support while we are here.  Please know that when I get back, we have some work to do.

Nairobi Day 3 - Monday (At the School)

I am sitting in my bed, in a hostel in Nairobi, under my Mosquito net. In the dark…trying to figure out how to put words to this day.  As our trip continues, I find that each day shows me glimpses of God that I have never known.  As non-manly as this sounds, I cried at least twice today (once was a slight knot in the throat and a bit teary, if that increases the man factor at all).  Today was all about the kids.  We started our day at 9:00 am when Martin (our driver) picked us up from the hostel and took us to Great Commission Academy to tour the school and to see the land that we (VWS) purchased last year. 

We were able to go into the classrooms with every grade from the “baby class” as they call it all the way up to the 6^th grade class.  The school currently enrolls about 160 students.  As we went into the classrooms, I was overwhelmed by these children, the things they knew, their joy for learning, their pride in their accomplishments, and quite frankly the Spirit of God living in them.

In the baby class, the teacher was showing pictures of cookware and utensils on a poorly constructed chalkboard and having the student state what each shape was.   When they did well, the whole class sang a song and celebrated their accomplishent.  As one little girl got to the shape of a knife, Ryan clearly couldn’t stand the anticipation, so he shouted out in a loud, “KNIFE”  to which the teacher looked at him and told him to “let the student answer.”  Haaaa….busted! 

After the class visits with each grade level, we were given a tour.  The classrooms were overcrowded and in very poor condition.  Most of them get very hot when its hot and cold when its cold due to the fact that they are made out of wood and tin.  We also got to see the bathrooms that we paid for sitting there still needing a roof and interior finishing.  They were still inoperable so that they school of 160 students is still using 2 toilets.

Two very sweet ladies cooked the food and drinks for “tea time” and the kids came in one by one and took their food back to their classrooms.

After seeing the needs for expanded space, insulated classrooms, toilet constructions completion, painting, a scholarship program for kids who can’t pay school fees, and a place for the teachers to have a break once in a while (they work very hard with these kids and they love them deeply),  I was overwhelmed and knew that this could be fixed easily.

We were then wisked away to the church “auditorium” really an open air assembly area where each grade performed a song from their music class for us as their “special guests.”  We heard songs about how much Jesus loves them and who they are in Jesus.  We also heard songs that were used to teach them about HIV/AIDS and a song entitled “Diseases.”  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, but it makes sense when you stop and remember that many of these children have lost their parents to AIDS…many of them recently.

The day ended with a meal amongst Pastor Peter, Pastor Jo-el, Martin, Ryan, Ric and myself.  We sat and dreamed about the “City on a Hill” that God is building through GCF and VWS.  We talked about what they needed, what we needed, and how with each others help, we would be a light to the world through our ministries. 

I LOVE THIS PLACE…AND I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!  It is really as simple as that.  God is here!

Tomorrow, we interview the staff, conduct a water outreach in the heart of the community that surrounds the school, and hang out with families in the neighborhood.  Man…can it get any better than this? 

I am such a rich man who can see more clearly each day what the “Kingdom of God” looks like. 

Nairobi - Sunday

Today was a good day.  Today is Sunday and Sunday is church day. There are Pentecostal churches everywhere.  Our drive toward Great Commission Fellowship Church in the center of Nairobi was very eye opening.  After our first day of being wisked around the city by our driver Martin, this week, we saw what the majority of Nairobi is like.

After getting stopped by a herd of cattle crossing the road in one of the busiest intersection in the city, we made our way past the poorest of the poor in a slum called Mathera.  This is the second largest slum in Kenya.  Only second to the world famous Kibera slums (largest in the world).  There was a very sobering effect on all of us along the way.

We arrived at GCF church/school at 9:30 where we met the leaders of the church and got a chance to talk and get to know them.  The worship part of the service lasted from 10:00 to 11:30, during which time some of the children came to the stage and danced before God with a Spirit that I have never seen before.  They are soooo beautiful (inside and out) and their Spirit is one of joy and gladness in the midst of some of the worst poverty i have ever seen.  After their dance, I was asked to teach (some would say preach...but you all know that I am not a preacha).  I want the entire Leadership team at VWS to know that I finished in 33 minutes (in case you were wondering).  I had a translator standing on stage with me to translate everything I said into swahili (spelling?).  In case your wondering, I taught on LOVE WINS.  

After the service was over we had the chance to meet with the members of the church in their Sunday bests on the dirt playground outside of the auditorium and school offices.  The kids were all over us (especially Carrie as you can see in the photo).  This only sparked our excitement for Monday when we would meet them in their classrooms as we toured CGF's modest and run down facilities.

Afterward, Pastor Peter, Pastor Joel, Pastor George, and Ms. Mary and Ms. Vera took us to an American like Mall (very close to American embassy and housing).  The food was great, the company even better as we got to know the hearts of the men and women who work so hard to change the fortune of the children living in the streets around them.  I feel like they are part of Vineyard Westside and God has sent us to learn how to care for our brothers and sisters, but more importantly to learn how to Act Justly, Love Mercy and Walk Humbly in the ways that they understand far better than us.

On our way home, we drove by the Mathera slums and looked at a distance at the worlds worst poverty known to man.  Families with no clean water, nothing to eat...the best word is "nothing."  Pastor Peter told me that he lived in the Kibera slum for 6 years.  We were not allowed to go in the slums because of the safety risks, so we drove by slowly and eerily while we watched the sea of tin roofs go on for what seemed like forever.  Garbage covering every inch of the ground, and the indescribable smell that can't be explained in words.  You really have to be here to know what I am talking about.  The poorest of the poor reside here.

At the end of this day, I am a different man.  I came here looking for the Kingdom of God and found it in the eyes of the poor.  Great commission Fellowship is teaching me how to look like Jesus in a world starving for hope.  These people are hope peddlers, seed throwers, and fire starters...and they love unconditionally.

After my teaching, Pastor Peter got up and recapped my message encouraging the congregation to be better tippers in restaurants and to preach the gospel by their actions and generosity rather than with words all the time.   Then to my shock, he warned them against complacency, apathy and religion and told them to start showing Africa what God is like by the way they live their lives.

I was in awe...Jesus lives Here.  I am convinced more than ever, that this trip is much more about what God is teaching us versus what we are doing for our Brothers and Sisters in Kenya.  I am truly humbled to be here.  

In Nairobi - Day 1

Today we met the Great Commission Fellowship Team at 10:00 AM ready for a tour of the Metropolitan area of Nairobi.  This would be a fascinating day as we saw the business, education, retail, finance, and general good vibe of the Nairobi cityscape.  Mostly, we saw the good side of the city and were actually blown away by the diversity of people, the influence of both West and East culture, and the overall kindness and peacefulness of the people that we met.  This was a great way to start the trip and get ourselves acclimated to our surroundings without too much pressure to meet too many people, adjust to jet lag, and remember our names at the same time.

I have to say however, that what we saw was probably not reflective of the majority of Nairobi or Kenya for that matter. This was a day where Nairobi (as a whole) looked like most other international cities that I have been to, but I have a feeling the days that will follow will show an entirely different picture.

On a lighter note, I think Pastor Atandi (Peter) somehow found out about my longing to see a giraffe.  So we took a bit of a short cut and went to the Giraffe Park in Nairobi (still hope to see one in the wild, but this was pretty cool.  They are beautiful animals and as you'll see, Betty (thats her name kissed me, however, she took a great liking to Ric and decided to french kiss him).  I have to say...I am going to have a lot of fun with this photo at church when we get back.

Already, we have fallen in love with the Great Commission Fellowship Leadership and felt a very kindred Spirit with them.  They have hearts of Gold and they deeply care for the people of their city.  They are doing God's work here at a level that many of us in the west would throw our hands up at and walk away because it is too daunting of a task.  

Just having glimpses of the poor in Nairobi has started to shake me.  I realize more than ever that this trip is about what we can learn from Pastor Peter, Pastor George, and Pastor Joel...about what it means to take the teachings of Jesus seriously and live out a day to day walk that loves "the least of these".  The Bible tells us that God lives amongst the poor.  And if we are with them...then God is with us.

I am in search of Jesus here...and I can already tell you that he is here.  We feel Him in a very surreal way.  It hasn't quite sunk in yet that a white kid from Cincinnati is in the heart of the African continent experiencing God on levels I have never experienced Him before.  Other than marrying the girl of my dreams and having 4 incredible kids, I'm not sure what could ever compare with this.  But...who knows what tomorrow will bring?