Appleseed Travel Journal

— "I Prayed and Asked God Where to Go"

During disciple-making movement trainings Roger oftentimes chooses a random person to ask questions about themselves and their work. Typically, this is someone he knows very little about, so he has no idea what or how successful they might be in their efforts to share Jesus Christ with others. The other day he chose five different people. Here’s just one of their stories:

Rebecca

“I have a passion to go to new places and share God with others. I learned from the Bible for myself what it says and because of what I know about God, it’s Him who made me want to tell others. So, I pray to God and ask Him where to go and what to do. Now I have started five house churches with God’s help.”

Roger asked, “What is the most recent group you have started?”

“Two weeks ago, I prayed and asked God where to go. The Holy Spirit gave me direction so I walked for one hour to somewhere I didn’t know anyone. When I got to that place there was another visitor from outside (of the community) who joined me and invited me to go with her to her relative’s house. That relative told me about a neighbor where there was a child who was sick and asked me to go there. We sat for so long in that house and then I said, ‘Let’s stand and pray for this sick child,’ so we did. I also shared some things from my life and from the Word of God. I told that lady that I had to go but I would come back tomorrow. I went back the next day and the child had become healed. That was two weeks ago and now I have seen those people four times since that first meeting. Now we have three more people in the first house and two more in the second house. We do Discovery Bible Study together.”

Story after story, person after person willing to listen, willing to go, willing to share their hearts and lives and resources with others. It’s always exciting and inspiring to be with humble people with a passion for God and for people.

Rebecca is the gal in the center

— Lady from Kisii

This mother of three has a story, not unlike many women who live in rural Africa. Hers, however personal, looks pretty much like so many others: a mom living on her own trying to survive as well as care for her children. Meeting the family’s basic physical needs is a daily challenge. Needs like a roof over their heads, simple food to eat, clothes to wear, and shoes to wear. Extras might mean paying school fees so their children can attend school or much needed medical care when malaria strikes. Over the top extras would be things like mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, a jiko and charcoal for cooking, buying enough food for two days instead of just one.

Elizabeth and her kids used to live near her elderly parents in the town of Kisii. Generally, older people in the African culture are very much respected and often sought out for their wisdom from living a long life. But, when a community is suffering, perhaps from the extreme hardships of poverty, a poor crop or maybe fighting amongst neighbors, elderly people can be blamed for what’s going on. This is especially true if the older person is known or rumored to be heavily involved in witchcraft. The belief is either they have been cursed and thereby bringing curses on the community or they themselves are so involved with demonic powers that they are bringing down many problems to the people. This is what happened with Elizabeth’s parents. Their village was suffering from sickness and poverty; the parents were blamed, so they and Elizabeth were chased away from entire area. Psychologically tortured and suffering immeasurable emotional stress, alone with her children, Elizabeth walked from village to village looking for somewhere to stay with her kids. She finally found refuge in a duplex type house with two rooms in the village of Bikeke.

Elizabeth knew no one when she got there, but heard there was a school nearby where they might allow her kids to come for free for an education. Strapping on her youngest, Elizabeth and the two older children walked to Liberty School and talked with the Head Teacher. Already severely impacted by so many children suffering similar plights of poverty and not being able to attend school, the teacher didn’t see how he could admit two more, but the Director and the staff of Liberty School are there for one reason: their love and desire to help just such children who have no other answer. And so, now two more are there…attending school, receiving food and medical care, love and support. A scared mom, alone, not trusting anyone has found a community who loves and cares about her and her children. Her own children are now teaching her how to read and write.

It’s a start, a small beginning, maybe even an insurmountable uphill battle, but for Elizabeth who is very used to living only one day at a time, she now has days that are more than she ever imagined or hoped could happen. Liberty School continues to impact people, real people, real problems, giving them what no one else can, Hope.

— Nicolas – Part 2

The last time I wrote about Nicolas he was in really bad shape. After nine long, tumultuous years, his wife who had been very sick passed away last year. During her illness, all resources – financial and emotional – had been exhausted. Nicolas’s time had been divided between the hospital, a long distance away, and trying to care for his five children at home. With little money, landlords had evicted the family repeatedly. Having mud walls even if they seeped water from the rains, a slatted bed with no mattress or blanket or mosquito netting for the Dad and children to sleep on together was a step up from finding refuge under bushes or overhangs. Often the children who were taking care of the smaller children had to be left alone to survive with little or no food for two or three days. Nicolas, clothed in rags, with absolutely nothing, had factually told us his story without complaining, whining, or expectation. He had stood tall with an inner strength and peace and told us, “I am somebody. I am known by God. For us, we expect suffering in this world, but we know that with God there is peace and there is hope.”

That was two years ago. Today when Nicolas heard we were in the village, he insisted that we stop by his place. Here’s what we found:

Nicolas was grinning, a proud, happy, and grateful Dad, exuding gratitude for the very clean and respectable home we were sitting in. He couldn’t wait to tell us all the things that have changed in his life:

  • Each of the children are now attending Liberty School, where they receive food every day, an education, and a community of love and support.
  • The family now lives in a rented two-bedroom, waterproof concrete apartment in the village market center.
  • Now Nicolas can pay for a place to sleep, food to eat, and shoes to wear.
  • Nicolas who is a pastor is working. He receives a steady income from Liberty School where the Director John Wanyonyi excitedly shared with us that he is a big support to him by helping to care for and visit families. He’s also taken over the responsibility of the spiritual formation of the students.
  • Life is very different from the first time we met Nicolas. He has purpose, stability, and extreme gratitude for all that has been done for him. He talked openly and honestly about the extreme hardships all of them have been through, especially emotionally, from the long sickness and death of his wife and the children losing their mom. Full of gratitude he told us, “From the last time you saw us, you can see now that the children are able to smile.”

Shyly, he added on about the time the Director had come to visit him in the evening when it was dark. John asked him, “Why are you sitting in darkness?” Nicolas was confused. It was evening and it was dark. John stepped into the room and flipped on the light switch and the single bulb hanging from the ceiling instantly lit up the 8’x 8’ room. They had been living there for some time but never knew the tiny white plaque just inside the wooden front door on the wall had any purpose at all. To have a home, one with electricity not only gives Nicolas and his family the ability to see at night, but emotionally it lifts them to a life of self-worth and dreams for the future they never imagined possible. One tiny lightbulb lights up their world at night; Jesus, the Light of the World, lights up their world and their future!

Before:

And after:

— Weekend in Nairobi

We’ve been hanging out in Nairobi adjusting to the 10-hour time difference between home (California) and here, as well as the climate (high of 60 at home and high of 90 here) for the past few days. Rainy season hasn’t come yet, so it’s hot, dusty and windy. Everything has a layer of red dirt film on it, cars, trees, buildings, even inside the house. People are testy as they either wait in hot cars in heavy traffic or walk long distances in hot weather. Water is being rationed throughout the city and everyone hopes that by April 1 the long rainy season will begin.

But, as always, this crazy, busy city never ceases to impress. Here are just a few of the things we’ve seen:

plunger holding window open
I guess this is one way to let the fresh air in!
clean water truck
Water is being bought and transported from boreholes outside of Nairobi to the wealthier homes where their water tanks are being replenished. (The water on the street is a broken sewage line.)
flowers
It’s shocking to me what I see growing in hard red clay along the roadside with little, if any water. Perhaps my potted plants at home growing in store bought soil and fed routinely with Miracle-Gro are being way over nurtured. ;)
We found these teenage boys in the park. They explained to me that they were making a high tower out of spaghetti noodles, masking tape and “Cheetos” just for fun. They’re using a discarded liquor bottle to adhere precut strips of tape to.
ferris wheel
Saturday and Sunday are family days in Nairobi. You can always find lots of people hanging out in Uhuru park and for those who can afford it, rides for their children. Check out the guy manually operating the ferris wheel. The owner negotiated a very good price for me to bring all of my children and grandchildren and friends to come use it, even on a day other than Saturday or Sunday. Any takers?
Check out these kids practicing. There’s a very short guy who is standing in the middle of them passionately directing them.
And, lastly, on our way home, we couldn’t help but be impressed by this guy’s courage and ingenuity in getting where he needed to go.

— The Gift

Sometimes, when Brooks and I are asked what we do, the simplest thing to say is that ‘We are missionaries.’

However, when we say that, you can often see the wheels in their brains turn as they are thinking, “Oh, so you go to foreign places in order to convert people from their religion or belief to yours.”

And then we want to say, “No, that is really not it!”

The truth is, we have no desire to convert anyone from one religion to another. The reason is that all religions—including many of the ways that Christianity is practiced—are all based on the same premise: what must we do to please or appease God or the gods so that we will then be blessed or have good fortune or obtain peace/joy/happiness. Thus, all religions and superstitions around the world have one thing in common: man trying to be good enough or right enough or dutiful enough or pious enough or achieve awareness/enlightenment enough.

In stark contrast is the Gospel (the Good News) of Jesus Christ. Arguably (from my perspective) not a religion at all but a profound and powerful gift that is so magnanimous it can only be received and never earned. A gift. A free gift. From God to people whom He deeply loves. The difference? God has initiated and acted in history, by sending His own Son, in order to give gifts that we, in turn, freely receive. Jesus did not come to get people to subscribe to a religious system but to receive what He gives… “I have come to give…” “For God so loved… that He gave…”

In fact, this Good News would be better described as an array of gifts beyond imagination initiated by God to us:

  • Forgiveness
  • Healing for our broken conditions
  • Life
  • Eternal life
  • Indwelling presence (Holy Spirit freely filling us)
  • Relationship with God
  • Freedom from forces of darkness and/or oppression
  • Peace, Joy
  • Ability to be loved and to love

This “gift” turns all religion on its head because it declares that:

On our own, humankind is irretrievably broken and the solution to this brokenness cannot be humanly solved or earned. But God Himself, via the cross, has done so. The gift is given. The gift can be received. The gift is sufficient!

So, we, you and I, in turn become Gift-Givers. Gift-Bearers. How can we not be? How can we not want to be?

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