I can remember on several occasions, as a family, we did
what most people in
Ohio do in the
winter; we traveled to
Florida
for a couple of weeks to remind us what it was like to be warm.
We did this several times over the course of
my childhood and it was always a good time.
However, the only thing that I vividly remember about all of those trips
was my parents always at some point saying, “Yeah,
Florida
is nice, but I wouldn’t want to live here.”
I share that seemingly awkward point with you in hopes that you would
catch a glimpse of how I feel at times in my absence of
Kenya.
The Lord has broken me for this
place.
How my parents felt about
Florida,
is exactly how I feel about the
U.S.
Please, understand this, I love
United
States, and am very thankful for all of my
friends and family, but it is just not home for me.
It does not feel, smell, taste, or even look
like home to me.
I feel like I have been
on vacation for over a year now.
I am
forced to sit back and eagerly anticipate the journey home.
Kenya
is my home.
The Slums of Kibera are my
home.
Living in the middle of poverty in
a house that only sometimes has running water, that is my home.
I feel like I have been so spoiled here in
Ohio
because I have clean drinkable water, a flushing toilet, a wide variety of
foods, and even hot showers.
Anyone
would be more than happy to have all of this abundance, but not me.
I want less!!!
I find that everything I used to cling to; I
now want to give away.
Everything that
meant something to me now is abandoned.
I tend to lean towards the idea of, “If it doesn’t fit in a suitcase; I
guess I don’t need it.”
Maybe a quick
diagnosis of this type of behavior would plain and simply be; ”
I am wrecked.”
What does it mean to be
wrecked?
I think for me, it means that
there is no way of going back to the old way of life even if I wanted too.
It means that I lose sleep at night because I
cannot stop thinking about
Kenya,
or that I have to force myself out of bed to even go to work in the mornings
because I get so frustrated that I am not in
Kenya.
The Lord has placed this call upon my life
and it is irrevocable.
It consumes and permeates
every aspect of my being.
By this point, most of you are
thinking that this guy needs some serious help.
You are exactly right, but maybe a little bit different kind of
help.
I need people to step out and step
forward to partner with me in my call to
Kenya.
Unfortunately, I lack the necessary funds to
return to
Kenya
and answer the call that the Lord has placed upon my life.
I need a dozen people to step forward and commit
to supporting this ministry at $100 a month for the next year.
On the other hand, if I had twenty-four
people supporting me $50 a month for a year then I can return to
Kenya.
My goal is to return to
Kenya
in September of 2007.
In order to
fulfill this I need to meet my monthly goal of $1577 in July and in August so
that I can be released to go in September.
At the absolute worse case scenario,
I HAVE TO BE IN
KENYA
BY JANUARY OR THE PROGRAM SHUTS DOWN.
The
First Year Missionary program that I am a part of requires there to be a male
leader to receive and disciple the male students that are a part of the program
and also for safety and security reasons.
If there is no male leader, than they cannot send male students, which
means that they cannot send female students either. In other words, the program
shuts down.
Please pray and ask the Lord how he would like you to respond to
this.
I also ask that you remember me in
your prayers specifically with this challenge of support raising.
I trust and believe fully that the Lord will provide
for me and that I will make it back to
Kenya.
However, I also believe that the Lord wants
to use some of you to provide for my needs.
Thanks again for your faithfulness.
