“I call with all my heart, answer me, O Lord, and I will obey your decrees. I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statues. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.”
After a while, you get into the routine of things. Jumping from one thing to the next and you lose sight of the importance of each day and each person you encounter. It is hard when you don’t see progress and everything appears stagnant. You try to teach certain principles and people resort back to their old habits. There may be temporary change, but nothing transforming- nothing lasting. This is the hardest stage in ministry- not seeing the fruit of your work. My students continue to perform poorly on their quizzes and fail to complete their homework. There is still theft occurring at Light and Power and a lack of respect for what we are trying to accomplish. Despite the frustrations you may have though, you continue to persevere because you know that your work is not vain. There is a greater reward, a reward that comes to those who remain patient and faithful. I am currently in this waiting period- waiting for God to renew the Spirit of those we work alongside, awaken the hearts of those we teach, and strengthen me in my weakness.
A current weakness I have been battling for the past three months are terrible headaches. After seeking out the help of a doctor and physical therapist, I discovered I am dealing with tension headaches. I have tried to cut back from things that seem to bring on the headaches. My role at Light and Power is more behind the scenes now. I still assist them in their accounting, but have left the marketing and client relations with the boys. I have come to realize that Light and Power is a difficult ministry for me to serve at because of the male/female dynamic. I am surrounded by 12 men, who don’t like receiving direction from a female. However, I have found other ways to spend time with them. This past weekend we took them to the Nigeria vs. Kenya soccer game. It was a great outing and a brief escape from the harsh realities of life in Gatina slum. I was one of two people in the group cheering for Nigeria and thankfully no one had the desire to riot against me, since Nigeria did win the game. We also recently coordinated a soccer match between Akiba School and the Light and Power guys. They still allow me to play with them and we look forward to organizing games in the future. Bag business at the Centre has been slow lately, but we hang on to the promises of the Lord and know that we must remain faithful to the work he has called us to do.
This month, I was able to spend time with people from an organization called Starfish. It is amazing how God brings together people with similar passions. Starfish helps support students in Kenya to attend Secondary School. Secondary school is not free and it is a constant struggle for most parents to pay school fees. Starfish takes those students who are extremely bright (and needy) and gives them an opportunity to continue to pursue their studies. I participated in a Habitat for Humanity Project with them. It was nice to be away from the city for a few days and back in the rural parts of Kenya without electricity and running water. During the course of helping to build a home, I learned a bit of masonry work and now know what it is like to fetch water from the river followed by a hike uphill. All in all, I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know their students and some of the Board members. During the rest of my time here, I will be helping their field officer with reporting finances to their stateside Board.
Probably one of the most exciting things this past month was participating in the National Prayer Breakfast. The National Prayer Breakfast is hosted by Members of Parliament that meet regularly to pray for their nation. Sam and Lynn Owen (friends from The Falls Church that have lived in Kenya for 20+ years) are very involved in ministering to the leadership in Kenya and this event opened my eyes to the importance of reaching out to politicians, businessmen, and other people holding influential positions. The theme was character in leadership and we had the opportunity to hear from the VP of Kenya and Wangari Maathai. It was a wonderful experience to be among people from all over Africa, joining together to pray for integrity and stability. As we were recently blessed with a vehicle, we were able to serve a group of Ugandans by driving them to/from the weekend long events. The weekend taught me that serving can be the simplest thing- letting someone stay at your house or offering a ride to someone in need.
I am off to the orphanage in Mombasa this weekend. Friday is a National Holiday, so I will have 3 solid days to spend with the lovely girls there. I pray it will be a time to relax and soak up the daily joy found in the children.
Thanks for reading about what I have been up to this month. I continue to feel so blessed by having people back home praying for me. Let me know what is happening in your life when you get the chance.
Love, Anne
DOWNLOAD AS PDF: UPDATE 7
No comments:
Post a Comment