Friday, July 30
Karibu Kenya!
Nimefika Kenya! (I've arrived in Kenya). It feels good and a bit surreal to be back. The roads are much better. The traffic is worse. The hawkers (street sellers) are still out and about, though this time they're selling even crazier stuff (like blow-up pool tools of Tellatubbies!)... I'm connecting with friends and trying to see and visit as many people as possible. Sammy Mutua is graciously hosting me. I'm here until Aug 8th, and am flying out to Kitale in Western Kenya mid-week next week to help with the building of an orphanage. Right now I'm back in my old office at CWS; I'll keep you updated as best I can, though I'm not sure when and how I'll have internet!
Nyumbani
Driving in Kenya
I'm driving through Nairobi with my friend Sammy. Traffic is as bad as ever but the roads are paved quite nicely. Still, Sam says, "If you miss a bump, you're not in Kenya." I noticed we were running on empty so i asked Sam if we need gas. He said no, Kenyans keep the tank close to empty so in case the car is stolen the thieves can't go far.
Sam then related a story of a guy who was carjacked and put in the boot (trunk). He then kicked out his tail lights, not so the police would stop the car, but so he could stick his arm out and get people's attention. He had to go through several roadside checkpoints before the police flattened the tires. The car rolled several times but the man was OK.
"This is why you should fix up your boot," Sam says, laughing, "in case you find yourself there with no water, food or blanket!". This is the Kenyan way: take something serious and joke about it, because what else can you do?
Sent from my iPhone
Sam then related a story of a guy who was carjacked and put in the boot (trunk). He then kicked out his tail lights, not so the police would stop the car, but so he could stick his arm out and get people's attention. He had to go through several roadside checkpoints before the police flattened the tires. The car rolled several times but the man was OK.
"This is why you should fix up your boot," Sam says, laughing, "in case you find yourself there with no water, food or blanket!". This is the Kenyan way: take something serious and joke about it, because what else can you do?
Sent from my iPhone
Early Birthday
Wednesday, July 28
Primus v. Turbo King
As long as I remain undecided, there's room for both!
Tuesday, July 27
By the Grace of God
Driving back to Kigali from Goma, I talked with our Rwandan driver, Deo. Apparently we were driving through his home region. I asked him if any of his family still lived in the area, since he now lives in Kigali. He said no, going on to say his father and all six of his siblings were murdered during the genocide. After a moment of silence, I asked him how he had survived. He replied, "By the grace of God."
The people who came to kill his family also attacked him, taking a swipe at his head. "This one, he is dead," they said, leaving him to die with the rest of his family. I didn't get the details of how he survived since then, but for 4 years the government and militia fought each other back and forth through his home region. Deo didn't feel safe until 1998, four years after the genocide, when the gov't troops finally pushed the militias back into Congo.
Deo now has a wife and three kids: two girls ages 6 and 3, and a 2 year old boy. He keeps his hair cut very short, as a large scar atop his head keeps hair from growing. He's a careful driver, vary gracious and a wonderful person. I feel blessed to have met him and heard a small portion of his story.
I always thought the phrase "There but for the grace of God go I" still retained some sense of personal choice, some blessing bestowed on us that we were given by God. Deo's story reminds me that I could have been born anywhere, that his story could be my story, that all of those living can say, "By the grace of God, here I am."
Sent from my iPhone
The people who came to kill his family also attacked him, taking a swipe at his head. "This one, he is dead," they said, leaving him to die with the rest of his family. I didn't get the details of how he survived since then, but for 4 years the government and militia fought each other back and forth through his home region. Deo didn't feel safe until 1998, four years after the genocide, when the gov't troops finally pushed the militias back into Congo.
Deo now has a wife and three kids: two girls ages 6 and 3, and a 2 year old boy. He keeps his hair cut very short, as a large scar atop his head keeps hair from growing. He's a careful driver, vary gracious and a wonderful person. I feel blessed to have met him and heard a small portion of his story.
I always thought the phrase "There but for the grace of God go I" still retained some sense of personal choice, some blessing bestowed on us that we were given by God. Deo's story reminds me that I could have been born anywhere, that his story could be my story, that all of those living can say, "By the grace of God, here I am."
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, July 26
Praying
To read more about the Goma Experience, please visit the Goma Team's Blog.'
This morning, like all Monday mornings, I joined the pastoral team to spread out and pray for various persons throughout the hospital. I think these have been my first pastoral visits in a hospital setting - ever. Quite a place to start!
I went around the orthopedics rooms with three other pastors, and when I spoke one of them translated. I've been able to speak a little Swahili, but even English words are hard to muster when facing so much suffering. Many persons were in casts and a few had lost limbs. Some were full of life, even when they couldn't move, and a few had that 1,000 yard stare. We spent the time praying for them, offering words of encouragement and greeting them with a handshake and blessing.
Experiences like these are most humbling. I feel like I can't DO anything. Yet it's precisely this realization that I can't do anything that is transformative, that reminds me of our dependence on the power and grace of God. We are all connected to each other and to God's Spirit, but sometimes during our independent streaks we forget this.
May you be reminded of your dependence on God and others today. May this realization not cause you worry or anxiety. And may your soul find a peace deeper than your understanding.
This morning, like all Monday mornings, I joined the pastoral team to spread out and pray for various persons throughout the hospital. I think these have been my first pastoral visits in a hospital setting - ever. Quite a place to start!
I went around the orthopedics rooms with three other pastors, and when I spoke one of them translated. I've been able to speak a little Swahili, but even English words are hard to muster when facing so much suffering. Many persons were in casts and a few had lost limbs. Some were full of life, even when they couldn't move, and a few had that 1,000 yard stare. We spent the time praying for them, offering words of encouragement and greeting them with a handshake and blessing.
Experiences like these are most humbling. I feel like I can't DO anything. Yet it's precisely this realization that I can't do anything that is transformative, that reminds me of our dependence on the power and grace of God. We are all connected to each other and to God's Spirit, but sometimes during our independent streaks we forget this.
May you be reminded of your dependence on God and others today. May this realization not cause you worry or anxiety. And may your soul find a peace deeper than your understanding.
Sunday, July 25
Preaching
To read more about the Goma Experience, please visit the Goma Team's Blog.'
It's so amazing to be among a different place and a different people, and yet still there is so much in common!
I had the opportunity to preach and teach the other day at a training of community leaders who are a part of the Nehemiah Commmittees organized by HEAL Africa. These committees often function as the sole or one of few community governance organizations. They help resolve disputes in the community, organize microfinance opportunities, distribute school fees for needy children, and more. It was an honor to meet them and be with them for 2 days in Monrovia, about 1.5 hours from Goma around the lake and just over the border with South Kivu Province.
I shared with them some of my thoughts on Nehemiah; the efforts and sacrifices he went through to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem after the Babylon exile. He listened to the cry of his people, prayed to God, asked for resources, and then inspired the entire community to chip into the rebuilding process. I encouraged them to do the same, working together with other people in the community when the burden was too great for them alone.
The next day I preached on "Practicing Resurrection." The focus was on Acts 14, where the story begins with Paul telling a lame person to stand up in the name of Jesus, and at the end of the story Paul himself struggles to stand up after being stoned. I acted the story out, myself getting on the ground and causing much amazement from the crowd, who are very careful to keep their clothes clean (esp. in a professional setting).
Today, Sunday, I preached on Matthew 11:28-30, on the invitation of Jesus to all who have worked until exhaustion, to translate literally from the Greek. The message was similar: The world is an overwhelming place. Sometimes we pray for others, sometimes we ourselves need prayer. In all that we do, let us practice resurrection, relying on the Spirit of Christ to uplift of spirits, minds and bodies.
Sometimes I wonder if my own theological or worldview is coming across to strongly. I desire to be a vessel of God's Spirit, being filled with the grace and truth of the gospel. Yet sometimes I become self-conscious and wonder if it's my own good news that I'm sharing, and not God's. Once again I turn in prayer to God, that my words and actions be a reflection of God's love and not just my own thoughts and perceptions.
It's so amazing to be among a different place and a different people, and yet still there is so much in common!
I had the opportunity to preach and teach the other day at a training of community leaders who are a part of the Nehemiah Commmittees organized by HEAL Africa. These committees often function as the sole or one of few community governance organizations. They help resolve disputes in the community, organize microfinance opportunities, distribute school fees for needy children, and more. It was an honor to meet them and be with them for 2 days in Monrovia, about 1.5 hours from Goma around the lake and just over the border with South Kivu Province.
I shared with them some of my thoughts on Nehemiah; the efforts and sacrifices he went through to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem after the Babylon exile. He listened to the cry of his people, prayed to God, asked for resources, and then inspired the entire community to chip into the rebuilding process. I encouraged them to do the same, working together with other people in the community when the burden was too great for them alone.
The next day I preached on "Practicing Resurrection." The focus was on Acts 14, where the story begins with Paul telling a lame person to stand up in the name of Jesus, and at the end of the story Paul himself struggles to stand up after being stoned. I acted the story out, myself getting on the ground and causing much amazement from the crowd, who are very careful to keep their clothes clean (esp. in a professional setting).
Today, Sunday, I preached on Matthew 11:28-30, on the invitation of Jesus to all who have worked until exhaustion, to translate literally from the Greek. The message was similar: The world is an overwhelming place. Sometimes we pray for others, sometimes we ourselves need prayer. In all that we do, let us practice resurrection, relying on the Spirit of Christ to uplift of spirits, minds and bodies.
Sometimes I wonder if my own theological or worldview is coming across to strongly. I desire to be a vessel of God's Spirit, being filled with the grace and truth of the gospel. Yet sometimes I become self-conscious and wonder if it's my own good news that I'm sharing, and not God's. Once again I turn in prayer to God, that my words and actions be a reflection of God's love and not just my own thoughts and perceptions.
Tuesday, July 20
Arrived in Goma... A New Beginning
To read more about the Goma Experience, please visit the Goma Team's Blog.'
We've made it! After 5 days of traveling, we're on the ground in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We're working at HEAL Africa in various capacities: we've got a water engineer on the team, a lawyer for human rights, several pastors, an accountant, a language school director, a teacher and a public health and policy person who specializes in rural areas! Oh, and then there's me, who will be 'consulting' with the media department about writing stories on the various projects and persons assisted by HEAL Africa.
Being back in Africa is both wonderfully familiar and somehow new and exciting. Of course I've never been to Rwanda or the DRC, so there's newness there for sure. But then there's the familiar smells, the dust on the horrifically bumpy roads (although Rwanda's roads rival that of South Africa's and our own!), the African people carrying all sorts of odds and ends, and the beautiful children shouting "Mzungu!" as we drive by (takes a little getting used to, but really is a sign of endearment).
I've been feeling quite tired lately, due of course to the long travel time, but also in trying to catch as many words as possible in Kiswahili and French, and then trying to form my own sentences! There's also been a flood of memories from my past experience in Kenya as I interpret my surroundings, and at the same time I'm trying hard to let this experience stand on its own - not a difficult thing to do. For instance, in Kenya I was hosting teams from the US from time to time. I find myself falling back into this role with the Goma Team, when in fact I'm actually part of the team! So even as I'm in charge of the money, receipts and water, supporting the team in many ways, I'm also very much a part of it. I hope that I will continue to fully integrate into the team dynamic, and not build any invisible barriers to other team members or the group as a whole.
More updates to come! So far my schedule looks like I'll be around today and tomorrow working with the media department, then Thursday and Friday I will be in a rural place a few hours away for a pastoral training of local police (!), then back again on Saturday to go to a futbol/soccer game with some local street youth that are receiving training through CAMME, a partner of HEAL Africa.
Blessings!
We've made it! After 5 days of traveling, we're on the ground in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We're working at HEAL Africa in various capacities: we've got a water engineer on the team, a lawyer for human rights, several pastors, an accountant, a language school director, a teacher and a public health and policy person who specializes in rural areas! Oh, and then there's me, who will be 'consulting' with the media department about writing stories on the various projects and persons assisted by HEAL Africa.
Being back in Africa is both wonderfully familiar and somehow new and exciting. Of course I've never been to Rwanda or the DRC, so there's newness there for sure. But then there's the familiar smells, the dust on the horrifically bumpy roads (although Rwanda's roads rival that of South Africa's and our own!), the African people carrying all sorts of odds and ends, and the beautiful children shouting "Mzungu!" as we drive by (takes a little getting used to, but really is a sign of endearment).
I've been feeling quite tired lately, due of course to the long travel time, but also in trying to catch as many words as possible in Kiswahili and French, and then trying to form my own sentences! There's also been a flood of memories from my past experience in Kenya as I interpret my surroundings, and at the same time I'm trying hard to let this experience stand on its own - not a difficult thing to do. For instance, in Kenya I was hosting teams from the US from time to time. I find myself falling back into this role with the Goma Team, when in fact I'm actually part of the team! So even as I'm in charge of the money, receipts and water, supporting the team in many ways, I'm also very much a part of it. I hope that I will continue to fully integrate into the team dynamic, and not build any invisible barriers to other team members or the group as a whole.
More updates to come! So far my schedule looks like I'll be around today and tomorrow working with the media department, then Thursday and Friday I will be in a rural place a few hours away for a pastoral training of local police (!), then back again on Saturday to go to a futbol/soccer game with some local street youth that are receiving training through CAMME, a partner of HEAL Africa.
Blessings!
Thursday, July 15
Delayed
We arrived at SFO at 6:30am only to leave at 6:30pm due to a mechanical problem. They finally just got us a new plane! As one of my teammates remarked, this is good training for us to get on African time! We'll end up spending a night in Chicago, a night on the plane and a night in Brussels before finally arriving in Kigali 48 hrs later than planned. All's well that ends well... But it's not over yet!
Tuesday, July 13
Returning to Africa!
I'm going back to Africa this month, and couldn't be more excited. I will be joining a missions team from my church, First Pres Berkeley, as they partner with H.E.A.L. Africa, a hospital that aids those who have suffered so much these past years during the conflict in the Congo. We will also be in Rwanda for a few days. Visit our blog for more updates about the group's experience.
I will also spend 12 extra days in Kenya, visiting friends, colleagues and my host family. I'm looking forward to this blessed time of reunion and reconnection.
Schedule:
July 14th: Depart Bay area
July 15th-17th: Kigali, Rwanda
July 17th-28th: Goma, DRC
July 28th-29th: Kigali, Rwanda
July 29th-Aug 8th: Nairobi, Kenya (with a possible trip to Kitale 2nd-5th)
Aug 8th-9th: Return to Bay Area
I will also spend 12 extra days in Kenya, visiting friends, colleagues and my host family. I'm looking forward to this blessed time of reunion and reconnection.
Schedule:
July 14th: Depart Bay area
July 15th-17th: Kigali, Rwanda
July 17th-28th: Goma, DRC
July 28th-29th: Kigali, Rwanda
July 29th-Aug 8th: Nairobi, Kenya (with a possible trip to Kitale 2nd-5th)
Aug 8th-9th: Return to Bay Area
Homestays in East Africa
My good friend David Wakogy has begun coordinating homestays in East Africa - check his website out!
http://www.eastafricanhomestay.com/
UPDATE: Links are now working!
http://www.eastafricanhomestay.com/
UPDATE: Links are now working!
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