Remaining Answers

Uhuru Park, Nairobi, October 2008

Bridge near my house at Matunda, on way to Soy Sambu
November 2008

Tailoring/sewing class graduation, Soy Sambu
with the area assistant chief and Alice (one of the students)
November 2008

With Charles, Agnes, Popino (Pope), Anderson (Adu), Duane, Zach
Matunda, November 2008

Above Menengai Crater, December 2008

3) "What’s it like to live in a foreign country?"

One of Myles Munroe’s definitions for the word PASSION is: "Something you’re willing to do at the expense of your own comfort". Living in a different culture is not easy. It takes the grace of God.

Some areas that are difficult for me:

Food in Kenya can be rather bland and monotonous, as well as rather strange:

• Ugali – staple food: tasteless, made of boiled corn flour and water
• Tilapia – a fish served whole (eyes and all)
• chicken – served as a stew or soup… often with the head and the feet
• live termites – eaten raw, right out of the ground (wings and all)

Diseases: malaria, typhoid, typhus, amoebic dysentery, worms, shigella food poisoning – I’ve had them all!

Worship music and flow of church services – The music in most churches doesn’t sit well with me; it's hard to enter into worship. It's hard to follow the preaching. In many rural churches, the men and women sit on different sides.

Social interactions – Kenyans are very formal in their greetings; shaking hands is almost mandatory. One should ask permission before leaving someone’s house.

Thought process – Kenyans’ reasons and ways of doing things can be very different than mine. I often ask God to help me understand how Kenyans think!

Colonial mindset - Unfortunately there is a prevailing mindset that whites are superior. I actually fight this stereotype every day I'm in Kenya.

Language barriers - Although Kenyans do speak English, often we can struggle to really understand one another.

People constantly stare at me, simply because I have white skin.

In many ways, I live like the Kenyans I minister to. I ride public transportation (matatus). I ride a bike. I walk in the mud and slosh through the puddles. These facts alone help me relate better to those God has connected me with.

At my house in Matunda (made of mud with a grass thatch roof):

• I get water out of a well.
• I squat to use a pit latrine.
• I use a kerosene cooker and lantern (the closest electricity is 3 miles away).
• I take “splash” baths out of a basin of cold water.

I’ve slept on the floor (with cockroaches crawling all over me) and on an uncomfortable, homemade grass mattress.

4) "Is it safe to be in Kenya?"

I believe the “safest” place to be in the whole wide world is in the center of God’s will.

“Paul never knew where the next blow would come from. Every day he risked his life for the cause of God. The roads weren’t safe. The rivers weren’t safe. The cities weren’t safe. The wilderness wasn’t safe. The sea wasn’t safe. Safety was a mirage. It didn’t exist for the apostle Paul. He had two choices: waste his life or live with risk. He never knew what the day would hold. But the Calvary road beckoned. And he risked his life every day."

John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life

5) "Do I miss my kids and grandkids?"

The answer is “YES, I do miss them!” I miss my family and my friends very much when I'm in Kenya. In spite of that, I strongly believe Kenya is where the Lord wants me.

"Where does Jesus Christ figure in when we have a concern about our natural relationships? Most of us will desert Him with this excuse – 'Yes, Lord, I heard You call me, but my family needs me and I have my own interests. I just can’t go any further' (Luke 9:57-62). 'Then,' Jesus says, 'you cannot be My disciple.' (Luke 14:26-33). True surrender will always go beyond natural devotion. If we will only give up, God will surrender Himself to embrace all those around us and will meet their needs, which were created by our surrender. Beware of stopping anywhere short of total surrender to God."

-Oswald Chambers

My "Personal Calling Statement"

Nairobi, at the gate of the compound where I live,
with our watchman - Tom (behind my left shoulder)- and his Maasai friends
December 2008

Mt. Longonot peak, December 2008

Shimba Hills, a village on the south coast of Kenya
December 2008

Shimba Hills, with a boda boda driver, December 2008

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, December 2008

Purpose Statement

God created me unique and loves me! I exist to know, love, and please Him!

My Mission Statement

My mission is to meet the needs of those around me in practical and pragmatic ways – to serve, build, counsel, and support.

My Core Values

• God’s Presence – Walking moment-by-moment in God’s presence along with spontaneous worship is crucial.
• Uniqueness – Joyfully embracing and exhaling my God-given personality encourages others to do the same and brings God pleasure.
• Purpose Driven – By pro-actively focusing on my God-given assignment I will have an in-built compass for all my decisions.
• Reckless Abandon – In viewing my life as an adventure with the Lord, I am always ready to go where He sends me, learn something new, and risk stepping out of my comfort zone.
• Iron-Sharpening Friendships – I intentionally seek out, maintain, and value long-term relationships that go deep and are fun-loving.
• Servant Leadership – The times I esteem others as better than myself are when I am most like Jesus.
• Reflective Contemplation – Frequent times of quiet solitude energize me and enable me to adequately hear God’s still small voice.
• Reliable Integrity – My actions must match my words and people must find me reliable. I desire integrity of my soul and God expects nothing less.

Remainder of My "Personal Calling Statement"

Narok, with Sudanese guys from my church, January 2009

Matunda, with Agnes, Charles, Agnes' sewing teacher, and my friend Emily
January 2009

Kayole (Nairobi) with George and Linet and family, and friends from the US
March 2009

Nairobi, with others at an Easter outreach event sponsored by my church
April 2009

Matunda, with Wycliff (my boda boda driver)
April 2009

My Vision Statement

My aim in life is to fulfill my purpose to my generation (Acts 13:36).

My motivating passion is to affect change in individual’s lives. God has equipped me to do this effectively through:

• One-on-one relationships with an intentional goal of mentoring in tangible and practical ways. By investing my time and energy with certain people, I am leaving a lasting impact on my generation. Currently I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to eat, sleep, and play in close proximity with Kenyans in both rural and urban settings.
• A second way I impact others is through the gift of writing. Anecdotal story-telling, intertwined with thought-provoking reflections, broadens my influence even further.

As a result of people sharing my life and reading my stories, they will be:

• Challenged to think “outside the box”
• Inspired to chase their own God-given destiny
• Encouraged to celebrate their uniqueness

Likewise their weak knees will be strengthened (Isaiah 35:3)

They will receive a word that sustains them in their weariness (Isaiah 50:4)

Ultimately this will have a ripple effect to thousands of others.

Finishing Well

Effective ministry flows out of who we are and our relationship with the Lord. I am a human being, not a human doing! My doing must flow out of my being first and foremost! Mark 3:14 says, "And He ordained twelve, that they should BE with Him.... and that He might send them out to preach."

Focused leaders:

· Are intentional about their personal growth and development

· Live in alignment with God’s calling on their life

· Have the courage to live before an audience of One rather than seek the approval of many

· Are committed to expanding the Kingdom

Statistics show that only 30% of leaders finish their lives well. Finishing well is defined as: still in love with the Lord, still in love with Scripture, legacy is still intact, they are still growing and learning, and they are increasing in ministry effectiveness.

I aim to finish well.

Fun Days with Cadence

Mothers' Day, on the way home from church

having fun at home

May 3rd, Cadence was publically dedicated to the Lord

Mothers' Day at Central Park

Some More of Cadence

at the playground of the (huge, but very nice)
apartment complex where they live

the next two were taken on Mothers' Day,
on our way home from church

The last two were taken on the subway,
on our way to "Little Italy"

Bleak News from Kenya

Hunger pangs are likely to bite harder as weather experts predict low crop yields due to poor rains this season.

Uncertainty has gripped farmers in the country, who are grappling with an irregular rainfall pattern, even as several million people continue to face starvation.

Meteorological Services director, Joseph Mukabana, recently announced that the end of rains in most parts of the country between the second and third weeks of May would spell doom to farmers.

In the North Rift region, which is the country’s grain basket, farmers have abandoned planting for fear of losses. “We are likely to experience low harvests this season due to the ongoing sporadic rainfall,” said Joshua Kosgei, a maize farmer in Uasin Gishu.

In other areas in the country, crops have begun withering due to lack of rain. An agricultural official, Joseph Lang’at, said the erratic rains have resulted in low germination of maize planted in February and March.

“Although the government has intervened by supplying us with the subsidized fertilizer, unfavorable weather conditions might result in low yields this year,” said Anna Cheptoo of Ziwa in Uasin Gishu.

“Irrigation demands improved technology, which translates into additional costs,” said James Kaino of Tot Division in Marakwet District.


Kenya’s poor will slide further into poverty as the year progresses due to the soaring food prices and the negative impact of the global economic crisis impact on their incomes. This follows a warning by leading international organizations that by the end of 2009 one in of every six people in the world will become a chronically hungry person.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization, estimates that an additional 55 to 90 million people will be trapped in extreme poverty this year due to the worldwide recession. The numbers, the Global Monitoring Report 2009: A Development Emergency (GMR) says, will come from developing countries with more than half of all emerging countries expected to experience a rise in the number of their extreme poor in the year.

“This proportion is likely to be higher among low-income countries and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Kenya is in both categories, being a low-income country in Sub-Saharan Africa. But its situation is aggravated by the high increase in food prices that averaged 30 per cent in 2008, and that has kept trend in the first four months of 2009.

The result has been an increase in the pace at which Nairobi’s lower income group is sliding towards becoming chronically hungry people. According to analysis by the Central Bank of Kenya, the main cause of high inflation remains food prices with the only hope for a reversal of this trend being adequate rainfall.


NOTE - I got this information and two photos from the website of one of Kenya's newspapers (The Nation).

Some Typical Scenes in Kenya

NOTE - I got the photos on this post and the following 2 posts from a friend of mine, Michelle Penner. She took them when she was in Kenya in April.