The Imagine Network

Day Two reflections: Angela S. and Mark A.

Today was a real blessing.  Thank you all for your continued prayers.  Three different teams went out in the morning and made home visits with families in the slum areas around Nairobi.  Our goal was to encourage them and pray with them.  Their struggles are many: no money/possible eviction (ex: no $ to pay rent @ $26 a month), no food to eat, no jobs available, homes not big enough, women physically abused by their husbands, death of loved ones to AIDS, and being infected with HIV.  Most of the families we visited struggled with at least 3 if not more of the above issues.  These are only the vocalized ones. I continually asked God to give me the strength to endure the visits.  My heart was deeply overwhelmed.  We shared God's Word, offered them encouragement, and we prayed for them.  They really enjoyed having their pictures taken, so we did that as well.  In one home a man accepted Christ. 
 
I was blessed beyond measure today and know deep in my heart I am changed and will not return home the same...we are only on the 1st day of our outreach. 
 
In the afternoon, Kim and I met with the women's ministry group from last year from Pastor Benson's church.  I was given the chance to share what has been happening in my life since my last visit to Kenya.  It was a difficult time, but God reassured me and sustained me.  Kim also shared her testimony with the ladies.  God really used her today.  She was so obedient to the Lord and His Will for her concerning the women.  I was blessed to experience it with her.
 
Tomorrow we have more visits to make.  Kim and I will also have a time of fellowship and prayer with the women over knitting.  Part of the team is leaving for Kitale.  We will meet up with them in Kitale next Tuesday.  Your prayers are greatly appreciated.  God is using you and answering your prayers.  Thank you for taking this journey with me and the team.  I will do my best to keep you updated as often as possible.  The internet connection isn't so great.  I'm definitely glad to have it to share with you even though it is slow.

 

HIS,
 
Angela

---

Today started off a little slow, with the weariness of the night before still lingering, but we soon realized that God had a big day in store for us. As we slowly pulled into the slum area of Kibera and down a muddy road, we all saw that even our poorest in the States have more than this. The sheer magnitude of what we saw hit most of the team members the hardest. Shack after shack lined the road on either side, and a strong smell of petroleum and garbage ran in the stream alongside the road. We all immediately talked of how God was humbling us, little did we know he was not finished with us yet. Several of the GARA (Ezekiel Kaduki's AIDS ministry) leaders came to our van and warmly greeted us and lead us along a small and winding pathway, twisting and turning before hitting a small shed church. Inside the church, were around 35 people praying and singing. We were soon swept up in hugs and cheers as we began to sing and listen to the Kenyan worship. Several of us spoke on various things, and Marcus finished us up with a powerful message, which several of the Kenyans later said, “lead us to feel the love”. There was so much joy, so much praise, that it struck me that here were God's children praising his name when they do not know where the next meal will come from. What awesome faith  they taught me to trust  in Jehovah Jireh, God the provider, no matter the circumstance, no matter the cost.

                We soon divided into two groups that would switch when finished, one staying to discuss various issues with the people, the other to visit homes of many of the church members in the slum. I can only truly speak for the group I worked with, but I praise God for allowing me to experience one of the most interactive and spiritually deep discussions of my life. Focusing on basing our answers on biblical truth, we dived into questions ranging from HIV/Aids to one question from a woman who asked, “I got HIV and then I was saved and they told me God forgave my sins, why have I not been healed?” Discussion branched off from there to questions of free will vs. God’s will and common sense vs. total faith. I love God for giving us this awesome and exciting  opportunity to share with the Kenyans and discuss the “deep sea” aspects of our spiritual life.

                The Home visits were the heart wrenching part for me. After God had thrown us into the deep sea intellectually, he began to pull on our hearts as we walked the streets and saw the day to day life our brothers and sisters in Christ go through. It struck me that I was never asked for money, not once, even though I knew they desperately needed financial support. Instead all I was asked of was “prayer support.” Kenyans truly know the power of prayer, the power I think we as Americans forget. As I walked back to the van, holding the hand of a small 3 year old girl, God showed me just a glimpse of his heart. It was a paradoxical heart, one that was broken for his people, his children that live on less than 2 dollars a day, most starving or dying of disease; and at the same time however, I saw a glad and joyful heart of God that was praised by his people in times of desperate hardship. The awesome faith in the midst of crisis must be a joyous and beautiful smelling offering to the Lord. I pray that is something I can take back with me to the states, a Kenyan heart.

                Overall, today was a day that God pulled us in and used us in mind, body, and soul. Being truly in use by God is exhausting work, but we are all excited for whatever he has in store for us tomorrow. I thank you for your prayers and praise God for all he is doing in Kenya.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Mark  

Day Two - "Wow"

The only way to sum up today was “Wow”. During my scripture reading this morning, God gave me Psalm 23 for the team today. I thought “God, that is a real bummer verse for the breakfast team meeting”, “Do you have anything better?” The answer was “ok if you need something else, here is John 9 regarding the man who was born blind”.  What a great combination, I am with you and what you see today will glorify God. This was what I had. 

 

When I sat down, the rest of the team had not arrived and the hostess asked what I was reading and proceeded to read Psalms 23 and John 9 out loud in the restaurant. I explained that was the message I had for today as all of us were going to either Mathare or Kibera [two huge slums] and that they may feel they were in fact walking through the valley of the shadow death. But it was key that we not judge, but rather look for God.

 

She said “she didn’t much care for church since all they want is money”. I explained that for me church was so much more and the opportunity to worship and grow close to God. She said “she really liked what I believed”, thanked me and returned to work.  No sooner than she left, Lindsay showed up followed by Jessica and Suheily. I told them of the verses and Jessica beamed telling me that was the verse God gave her last night.

 

We all had breakfast and our morning sharing time with the verses shared with all. I did not know what was to happen today, but I knew it would be big. The teams split with the Mattaw team going to Kibera and the Health & Youth teams to Mathare. I cannot report on what happened in Kibera yet, but will tell you about our visit to Mathare.

 

All of the people we saw were HIV positive and all in severe poverty. I want to tell you about the ones I met. If I have never walked in the valley of the shadow of death, I have now!

 

Connie (real names NOT used): HIV positive, recovering from TB, has 6 children and 3 grandchildren. She takes care of all of them. She is not able to work due to her health

 

Carol: HIV positive, husband is alcoholic and takes all the money to drink and then returns expecting food. She is overwhelmed and has thought of suicide. She has two living children (one who has HIV), one who recently died and is again pregnant.

 

Emma and Thomas: both HIV positive and not working due to the massive unemployment in Kenya. In the midst of hunger and pain, Thomas accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior this morning. What a glorious time. (So John 9) and

 

Jody: caring for a 2 year old. The mother died last month and dad is either dead or gone.

 

God was there, in the pain, the tears, the starvation, the dirt, the smell and poverty. The last or perhaps the first place to find God. We were so blessed. We had been able to purchase some food (flour, cooking fat, sugar) plus soap. Each home was invited to come to Benson’s church and pick up a bag. You have never seen such joy and it is thanks to Christ through Calvary.

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent brainstorming with Hope AIDS Mission International (H.A.M.I.) about strengthening their ministry to these families while Kim and Angela had a meeting with the church women. Expect other emails and photos to follow.

 

Blessed beyond belief,

 

Charles R. "Bob" Smith

Executive Director

Valley AIDS Council, Inc

Kenya team reports in - from Bob Smith

Day One:

 

 

Today (Wednesday) was a slow day to allow for the team to adjust and get some rest. We had breakfast, orientation and them some shopping at Nakumatt (for water, snacks and tummy medication) and them a team lunch at Java House. As always, Benson, Jared and Ezekial have been a great help. This afternoon, a few folks went on a short van tour of Nairobi and others of us have been at the hotel and working electronics, planning and sermon preparation. Marcus will be preaching at the youth rally and at Benson’s church.

 

Overall, no problems. Some of the team has attempted to call home with limited success. We have been using email instead. The attitude is light and spirits are high. Tomorrow the team will split. HIV team will be with HAMI and the others with GARA. I request you be in prayer during our time in the slums.

 

I will be anxious to visit with them after their visits. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

 

2009 team is up and running!

Or ... down and sleeping more like it!  The group arrived safe but a bit worn after a delay in departure from Amsterdam due to a change in aircraft.  I don't know about you, but I am always glad when they change aircraft as opposed to having flown in one that they considered changing! 

They are now all settling in at the Heron Court Hotel in Nairobi into a comfortable bed and possibly even with a nice shower!  They reported no troubles, which means no one got sick on the flight we think.  

An additional number to add to the contact list is (011 254) 713-957-737.  Remeber Kenya is 8 hours ahead of our time.  Marcus will have that cell in his possession and later it will be the one used by the BSM girls, Jessica and Suheily, staying at Mattaw an extra two weeks.

Ok, we'll do our best to keep you posted!  Feel free to send us updates you may hear from team members directly. 

Fixin' to...

Well, this is the day.  The Chan family, last remnant of 2008 summer teams, departs in a few hours for Houston via London.  And I think Texas is startin' to feel closer, cause I find myself saying  things like "We're fixin' to go home", "We're fixin' to miss y'all", "We'd like a botana for 4 with all the fixin's"!  You get the picture.

These 10 weeks have been filled with tremendous pleasure and purpose.  We have felt so "alive" all this time and amazingly things have gone very smoothly.  We are so grateful to all of you who participated in coming, sharing, praying, giving, and simply cheer-leading!  Everything you all contributed has added up to leaving a great mark on the people of Kenya, on our partnerships, and on the future of this beautiful place.      

Speaking of future, the Kenyan government has come up with "Vision 2030" where by that time, they hope for Kenya to be a top-tier nation in business, education, culture, etc.  While development may help make that happen, our friends and I truly believe the key to transformation will come through a profound change in worldview, where the Biblical worldview begins to influence everything.  After all, what good is a healthy economy if it comes through deceit, injustice, oppression, greed, etc?  A healthy economy devoid of Biblical ethics and practice will simply produce a dissatisfied elite minority class and a tortured non-elite majority.  However, if "Vision 2030" is a historical possibility, then I believe the God of history wants to make that happen HIS way.  Here's what's really cool:  In 2030, the strength of this nation will be those who are youth and children today, and that's who we are training up to be the leaders of Kenya tomorrow!

So, this is the end of one chapter, but I can't wait to turn the page and see what's next in this great story.  God is moving in McAllen, in Keller, in San Angelo, and everywhere in between.  God is shaping history to reach His designed end, and we are chosen NOW to live in this incredible time in history.  Why?  Do you know your role for today?  Wherever you are, your ultimate call is to live to extend the glory of God till it fills the whole earth.

We have a new website where we will be posting upcoming events, trips, updates on how projects are continuing in Kenya, and Network expansions.  I also plan to keep this blog going occasionally.  Visit www.theimaginenetwork.org in a couple of weeks to see what's coming next!

Again I am so thankful for each of you and our partnership in changing the world. 

David, for Kristi, Anna, Elisa, and Andrew   

       

Kitale team update

Dear friends,

For those of you in South Texas, we hope all of you are well.  We watched news and emails as best as we could with slow-speed internet in Kitale, but our prayers and thoughts were with you during Hurricane Dolly. 

We had a whilrwind week in Kitale, and arrived back in Nairobi safely today!  Let me try to summarize the week, and then over the weekend will try to put some of the many great pictures: 

* Friday we arrived and prayer-walked on the Mattaw property.  We prayed for the homes to finish being built, for the children who will come in, for the parents to model excellence, for the land to yield abundant fruit, and for the community around them to be blessed by the ministry of Mattaw.  We were also privileged to spend some time with the Watoto (Uganda) media crew who were filming our progress at Mattaw for the upcoming Partner's Conference in Uganda, September 24-28.

* Saturday half the team visited Lemoru and had an awesome time distributing new shoes and visiting the children that so many of us were so touched by in 2006.  Kimberly's influence on that group of kids is still evident today!  The other half worked at the Mattaw property - improving the drive-way path, tilling the garden, and painting the home-school room.

* Sunday was simply a huge privilege:  We met in the morning at the first house (Penda = love) for the first "Home fellowship" at Mattaw.  It was awesome to know that the church was being "birthed" there that day.  Two sets of house parents shared, Kimberly shared her call and vision, Bud spoke about the holistic purpose of Mattaw to raise future leaders who will disciple the nation, and Benson brought a great challenge for each of us to find our Scripture that describes our personal call (all out of Isaiah 61 - you have to read it to catch the understanding of Mattaw, the Hebrew word for "planting" or "garden").  That afternoon, we visited the surrounding village and made many contacts inviting children and parents to the week's events, praying for families, and performing a few interventions.  We will ask those who met Mary (and basically saved her life!) to write a little about her tomorrow.

* Monday morning we worked on the property - planting the garden, more painting on the school rooms, more road work, etc.  That afternoon we were not sure what to expect for the 3:00 pm children's outreach and parent's health & family workshop.  We started out with a group of about 25 kids, when a few minutes into it, an entire primary school showed up!  Parents also trickled in to hear talks on common diseases from Dr. Steve Havener and a Biblical parenting challenge from Jim Dempsey of FBC Keller.   The sessions were very well received and people promised to bring others the next day!  It was the first time the community had been invited onto the Mattaw property, and they asked many good questions about the project, while being very supportive.

* Tuesday was more of the same in the morning with the exception of one group getting to go visit an abandoned baby center with about 30 babies.  That of course, was priceless.  The team took a few clothes that had been sent over, which perfectly fit 3 new tiny baby boys (thanks Hattonators!)  The Mattaw crew did more of the same on the property, and the afternoon saw another great turn-out despite the heavy downpour that hit us. 

* Wednesday was just a topsy-turvy day which included yours truly passing out for a couple of minutes after ... I am embarrassed to say, having a car door slammed on my fingers.  Funny thing happens when the blood rushes and adrenaline flows and as soon as it starts to calm down, lights out!  Weirdest sensation of my life. Anyway, that delayed the crew going to the Mattaw property, but the crew that visited a women's support group also had an interesting time.  After having a nice time hearing about the work these women do to try to support their families, a riot nearly broke out when they argued over who would get to sell their hand-made jewelry to our team.  It was apparently a tense moment, but Kimberly did a great job getting the group calmly out of there.  The reality of the devastation that hit these women and their families during the post-election violence really came out there, as the frustration of hunger, increased poverty, and traumatic pain has added up to summarize the lives of many of those women today.  It was a reality check for us.  Kenya is still healing, and many are still suffering in silence.

Wednesday afternoon we concluded the children's outreach with another great turn-out.  The Keller group headed out to Nairobi to catch their flight back to the US and left a void in our midst - they were a wonderful partnership and we hope to see more of each other down the road. 

* Thursday morning we prepared to leave Kitale, making one last visit at a small hospital that ministers to people in a very caring Christian environment.  Mary, who was brought there after Sunday's village visits, was doing as well as could be.  We parted ways with Bud and Kimberly and drove to Nakuru, half way to Nairobi.

* Today, Friday, a few of us took a game drive around Lake Nakuru national park and saw a vast array of wildlife God created.  It was a cool morning, so lots of animals were about, including a rare sighting of a hyena.  The majesty of that place reminded me of the creative diversity and stunning beauty of God's creation.  Heidi had a different kind of spiritual moment as she shared with a group of Kenyan "Moms in Touch" group.  They were so encouraged by her time with them and she was amazed to hear their stories of how prayer has helped bring reconciliation to their communities. 

So now, we are back in Karen, (Nairobi area), and it feels like home!  But we know we are packing up and heading out in less than a week, and that thought is both exciting and exhausting as there is much work to do to wrap things up and set things in motion for the future.  But we would not trade this for all the tea in Kenya - and believe me, there is a lot of it!

Let me sign this off by saying this:  Mattaw was an amazing experience and the Kitale team did a superb job!  You can sense the Hope springing from that place, and we met several children that are being screened and recommended for Mattaw homes already, just days from being ready to be taken in - but there is only one home finished.  We left that project with it practically screaming at us "please finish me!" so that these children can be rescued, brought into loving Christ-centered homes, and start their discipling journey to be kingdom-influencers for the soul of Africa.  Only 8 will fit in the first home, and yet the roofs are up for the next four.  Who will partner with us to build homes 2, 3, 4, and 5 so that 32 more children can be selected and brought in?  A foundation costs only $500; the outer walls cost only $1,000; plumbing, water tanks, and solar panels for 2 homes is only $3400.  When I see these amounts, and the reality of what is about to happen on that property, I can't help but urge us to pull together to see these homes finished by December!  The year that started in Kenya with unusual violence and terror can end literally with a "planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor" (Isa. 61:3).  I know this is not normal on this blog, but the urgency of finishing up this project and its bursting potential compel me to ask that if any of you want to help build this place, send anything you can to: 

The Imagine Network

C/O Calvary Baptist Church

1600 Harvey Dr.

McAllen, TX  78501

memo:  Mattaw

Blessings to you - for the fame of Jesus and the hope of the world!      

In Kitale!

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for the continued support and encouragement from all of you.  We truly feel and appreciate your prayers, words, and love.  Angela, the supplies arrived well and have been distributed accordingly.  Christie, thanks for the extra goodies!  Bobby, knowing you read and pray with every post is super encouraging, and your thoughts from the Word are so valuable!  And to all the rest of you who quietly read and faithfully pray, we are deeply grateful.

It has been a very full week, but praise God everything is going so well!  The Kitale teams from FBC Keller and Calvary McAllen arrived well, on-time, and in good spirits.  Only Marybel arrived a little sick, but she has recovered and is helping out in the kitchen like she lives here!  Thursday was the first day the entire team was all together and we had a very good time of orientation in the morning followed by preparations in the afternoon and fellowship with Kenyan friends through the evening.  The bonding that is occuring between Kenya and Texas is beautiful to watch.

Friday morning we boarded a very early charter from Nairobi to Kitale - it was a smooth, short flight, with the exception of Kristi's bag which ended up, SOMEHOW, going the opposite direction and turned up in Daadab Refugee Camp near Somalia! (The backpack must be very humanitarian!) Thankfully someone was kind enough to call our number and tell us - she thought she had lost many valuables.  Hopefully the bag can make it here soon.

Yesterday we also met with 3 media crew people from Watoto who performed interviews and filmed the progress of the Mattaw Children's village.  While we are so glad to have come this far, we are motivated now more than ever to get the walls up for the next 4 homes and start filling them up with our "seeds" - boys and girls created by God, broken by evil, but ready to be redeemed and restored into "oaks of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:3). 

Today, Saturday, half the group will return where we started: A visit to the Lemoru Children's home where we first met "momma Kim".  They will take new shoes which the 49 children there desperately need and spend some time visiting and loving on them.  Even though it is an "institutionally" run home, the ties are still strong between them and the Huffman's and it is great to see how Kim and Bud have not simply moved on, but continue to love them from a distance.  The other half of the group will go "get dirty" at the Mattaw site - helping paint the first house and starting a vegetable garden!  The 7-acres of land has been so blessed with natural resources that the potential for self-sustenance is tremendous, not to mention the vision that Mattaw can be a resource to bless the surrounding village.  Pray for wisdom as we prepare the ground and for a bountiful harvest year after year.

Sunday we will have a small worship service at Mattaw - the first one!  Then we will visit the surrounding village and hope to be able to minister to them, learning where the area is spiritually, and inviting children to the Bible club that will begin Monday and parents to a Biblical parenting workshop.  Pray for the Spirit to have a strong impact through us. 

We are excited about partnering with the folks from Keller and are eager to see how the Network will grow across Texas.  We don't pretend to think Imagine is the best thing since sliced bread, nor better than other mission organizations, but we do believe Imagine can provide a niche for mobilizing partnerships on focused, shared vision.  More on that to come.

Thanks again for all your comments, emails, etc.  Continue to intercede for the great work here in Kitale, for the Huffman family, and the opening of Mattaw as soon as possible!

for the fame of Jesus,

David 

the week that was ... and will be

Jambo everyone.  Welcome back.  Thank you all who have been reading and for those of you who dare to put a comment - it is always very encouraging and great to read from you all. 

It seems the days are stretching now in between posts.  I don't think we are getting busier necessarily, maybe I'm just getting pickier.  So, in the interest of everyone's time, here are just a few highligts from the week that just passed, and a look at the great week ahead:

The week that was:

- Scott Harder returned to Minnesota Monday night after his extended stay in Kenya.  He literally went all over the country and experienced quite a bit.  Our kids especially miss him!  We pray this experience will make him a better doctor someday - he'll definitely be a great one! 

- Pamela has done a great job meeting with students from Rift Valley Academy and helping their parents learn more about their kids.  I didn't realize how many hours go into each student she meets with, like scoring tests, interpreting, writing results, etc.  She is really giving a tremendous service over here, "pro bono". 

- Tiffany Weiland, RGV Young Life director, arrived here Thursday for a week's stay.  She is a terrific young lady and a pleasure to have around.  She is meeting several of our ministry partners and hopefully getting a good feel for Kenyan life and culture.  She is a great "first timer" because she asks the Kenyans many questions, showing genuine interest in them and their way of life.  Tiffany has been given great influence over many students back in the Valley and we are blessed to have her there.

- Thursday night's meeting was smaller - just Pastor Benson, Pastor Jared, Sam Are, and us.  But it was amazing!  We moved into Part 2 of the "common grace" God has blessed all humanity with:  Seeds.  (Part 1 was the internal gift of being made in God's image).  It was a "holy moment" to hear Sam Are speak of the bountiful natural treasures found all over Africa, particularly in Kenya.  Kenya has truly been blessed, and is rich in "seeds" - resources that if tapped adequately, could sustain Africa and bless the world.  It was an eye-opening, jaw-dropping discussion.  Then Sam prayed for us, for Calvary, for our family and ministries - and it was as if we had drawn a few miles closer to the splendor of heaven.  He had taken us there in prayer!

- Saturday we visited a breakfast for Christian professionals that Sam's ministry held for the first time, in order to raise awareness and mobilize more believers into cross-cultural missions.  It was awesome to hear the reports of what Christ's Mission to the Unreached has been doing all over Kenya and on how little they have been doing it.  People truly give their LIVES here, literally, for Kingdom causes.  Salary and benefits are not usually on the agenda when people discuss with Sam about missions opportunities.  They simply invite you to join what GOD is doing, and allow the "other things" to be added onto them.  A guest speaker from the Navigators Ministry shared on giving, and it was some of the best Scripture on giving I had ever heard. 

- Today, Sunday, I had the privilege of bringing the message of Psalm 103 to Pastor Moses and Lucy's church, Global Worship Center.  Pamela shared with several women after service on a topic she was due to share at the Conference in June.  Then we were invited to an excellent dinner at Pastor Benson and Janet's house.  It was great to just be in their home and fellowship.  Of course we thought we'd never get there, as traffic after 5:00 pm on a Sunday is surprisingly ridiculous!  What makes it more frustrating, is people start to make new lanes, even into on-coming traffic, which of course simply makes the "clog" at the front even more clogged!  Eventually, police showed up and gave one driver a ticket, stopping that mess.  At least we had worked up an appetite!

The week ahead:

This is a big week.  The three coming in from FBC Keller arrive Monday night and Tuesday night.  Tuesday-Wednesday Tiffany will go to Kitale to be shown Mattaw and help out some.  Wednesday night the big team of 10 arrives from McAllen.  After orientation Thursday, we board a charter flight to Kitale Friday to help at Mattaw for about 6 days.  All is looking good, but surely some hiccups will occur, so we'll be watching for those.  Kim Huffman is the Mattaw director and she is just getting over Malaria, but now baby Elisha has it, so please lift them up in prayer. 

Global Worship Center will be asking us to promote an "adopt a missionary" program where we try to raise supporters for some of their essential staff for a limited time (around 2 years), after which time Global will take full responsibility over them.  We're going to pilot that program and see how it goes.

We are also excited to begin the water survey in Masailand this week.  We pray that a good, accessible, abundant water source will be found that will become a means to help Maasai villages to improve their way of life and to tranform their worldview into believing God for all things.

It is going to be a hectic next couple of weeks.  After the teams leave, we will have 2 days to wrap things up here - nowhere near enough, but we will be ready to be home anyway.  So we ask for wisdom and effectiveness, and for preserving individual and family sanity!  And we are beginning to ask also:  What's next here - for the Imagine network?  For us? 

We hope all of you are well.      

The fifth benefit

How would you finish this statement?  God's ways are always _________?  A few words that come to my mind are:

Unexpected.  Deep.  Better.  Challenging!  Character-building.  True, as in "sure things". 

I came across Psalm 103 last week and shared a few verses from it at the Christ's Mission to the Unreached staff retreat last Thursday.  I mentioned I would blog on that separately, so here it is:

Psalm 103 is a rich Psalm full of God's mercy and compassion, containing that verse we love to quote when we are the ones on the receiving end, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love....  He does not treat us as our sins deserve..."!  And I, for one, am grateful!

But the part that stood out this time was in verses 2-5.  It starts, (2) "Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits -- " and we see here that David is going to list some of these benefits.  Yet interestingly, he seems to be listing them with an intentional order.   Follow along:

(3) "who forgives all your sins" -- as we read earlier, (from verses 8-10), this is a constant theme of this Psalm, but in addition to the fact that we are forgiven is the fact that this comes FIRST.  Without a "born again" experience where the old nature is handed over and we are now ruled by the Spirit, no other "benefit" could follow.  Think about this.  How important is your conversion, your experiencing total and eternal forgiveness of sins?  Nothing else can happen until this takes place.  Sure, "common grace" rains on all humanity, but David is speaking of something more than what everyone is blessed with - like rain or breath.  There are particular benefits which only come to those who have crossed over from death to Life.  He adds on to these particular "benefits":

"and heals all your diseases," -- not only does God forgive our sins, but He begins the healing process from the wounds and scars that sin has left in our lives.  It would be nice enough to be forgiven, but God's commitment to you and I is that He will not rest until we are also healed inwardly from the effects of sin.  And rumor has it, an eternal physical perfection is also in the making....

(4) "who redeems your life from the pit," -- not only does God forgive our sins and heal us from the effects of sin, He then exercises His "buy back option" where He begins to redeem our lives.  To redeem us means He makes our lives count again.  He makes us His, not only in "title" but also in purpose, giving us the ability to walk in His path and giving us ambassadorship to represent His name.  This reminds me that the kingdom of God is present tense, not just a future reality to come.  This means God designs our lives to count for something Here and Now - He makes our lives worth living!  What a wonderful God!

But He does not stop even there!!  Verse four also continues adding ANOTHER benefit:  "and crowns you with love and compassion," -- Not only does God rescue us from eternal darkness, restores us, and redeems our lives with a greater meaning ... but He then adds on to that 'crowns' of blessing!  Can you picture the perfect gift, given to you when you thought you least deserved it, and just when you think your happiness is full and complete, another gift even more wondrous is added, then another, and then on top of that, a promise of constant life-blessing???  That's what I see going on here, as David has discovered and revealed the secret treasures of life in Christ.  So in addition to the first three "benefits", the Lord says, "Now, I crown you with these things:  Love and Compassion, and they will never leave you!"

So, you would think that is the apex of existence right?  I sure would!  All is well, I am forgiven, healed, redeemed, and now eternally blessed!   Woo hoo!  What an amazing way to go marching into eternity, having been bestowed upon with the greatest gifts of all by the very King of the Universe.

But wait, before I march in my joyous procession to the beat of Zephaniah 3:17 (where it says the Lord takes delight in me and sings and dances over me) ... there is one more "benefit"; one more key to a life fully blessed by the Lord:  The gift of fulfillment.

This one is a little more cryptic if you ask me, and rightly so.  On the surface it reads almost like a re-statement of the previous verse, (5) "who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."  Sounds like another way of saying we are crowned with blessing right?  Perhaps.  But I said that as I read this passage this time, I noticed something I had not seen before, which is that I noticed a pattern.  I began to see these "benefits" as one adding on top of the other, as with an escalating purpose and importance.  If that's the case, then what's with verse 5?  I mean, what could be better than being crowned with Love and Compassion for the rest of our lives?? 

I think the answer is vital to how we live from here on out:  As I read the whole panorama of Scripture I have been taught to see (in recent years) how every blessing God's children are given has dual purposes:  for us and for others.  Every single one.  That's another study altogether, but if you agree with me that we are "blessed to be a blessing", then and only then does it make sense that on top of the fourth benefit of being "crowned" with blessing upon blessing, we are then given the greatest privilege of all:  To live a FULLY SATISFIED life by joining in the purposes of our King. 

Most of you have probably experience something like that before:  You're tired, weary of serving, and you have one more thing you "have" to do for the Lord.  Then after you have done it, you are re-energized, you realize your attitude stunk and you repent of it, and then you thank God for not having allowed your flesh to rob you of the blessing!  That's what I see in verse 5.  We can revel in the blessings of our post-salvation experience, and we can even dangerously STAY in the state of "I am blessed" to the degree that we begin to "gorge ourselves" in our blessings.  Isn't that the dangerous deep end of prosperity?  That we may be in the waters so deep that we fear ever leaving them?

So to wrap this up, I believe the Lord's plans are so awesomely magnificent, so fascinatingly unexpected, so joyously profoundant (so much so that I am making up adverbs for it!) ... that on top of the greatest blessings WE think we could ever experience, He simply adds one more.  In the words of Jesus, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15) 

In addition to grace, healing, redemption, and blessing ... God invites us into the "fifth benefit" of participating in His global kingdom enterprise.  That is HIS business.  And that is what He has made known to us.  Do you know what God is doing in the world today?  What is His business agenda in our city, in our nation, and in the earth during our life span?  These are the questions we must ask if we are to walk in that fifth benefit.  Or, are we too self-occupied absorbing the fourth?      

What our mission is about

Recent days have made me ask this question, focusing as we typically tend to do on immediate "results". Recent words have come piercing through with profound answers.  Like tires on a vehicle after some time, we need some mental realignments from time to time, and this is one of those:

What are we here for and what is our mission?

In a nutshell, we are here to serve and strengthen the Kenyan Church in their efforts to bring spiritual and cultural transformation to their country, so that in the end it will be a shining and powerful influence for all of East Africa, and to other parts of the earth.

That means we must be keen to the Spirit of God and what He is doing to "build His Church" here.  It means we must be ready to provide mentoring and discipleship, technical know-how, experience, inspiration, and material resources ... in order to help the Church here develop and grow to a greater maturity.  It means we must be willing to serve them so that THEY can be launched into their communities and region to bring the Gospel of the Kingdom.  And it means we must bring all of our gifts and talents - whether they be preaching and teaching, knitting, entrepreneurship, agriculture, education, health, etc. - and allow God to weave those gifts into a seamless stream of blessing and empowerment for the Kenyans, for the transformation of their country.  That's why we have several partnerships doing several different things, so that together they can fulfill the Imagine vision of "changing the world". 

The only way to stay on track with this grueling, long-term, challenge-filled, impossible-odds, costly mission is to keep the main thing in mind:  Our orders must be Biblically rooted, or else we will easily stray way off the mark.   

So, that begs the next question:  What are our Biblical roots?

For those of you who do not know yet, "Mattaw" is the name of the Children's Village we are starting in Kitale based on the Watoto model from Uganda.  The word Mattaw is a Hebrew word meaning "a planting" or "a garden", and it is found in Isaiah 61:3, "They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting (Mattaw) of the Lord for the display of His splendor."  Our vision is to see God "plant" for Himself a garden of boys and girls who will grow to be oaks of righteousness, who in the power of the Spirit and truth will bring transformation to this nation.  That is our hope and intention for the children Mattaw will raise up.

While Mattaw is only one (big) area of our Imagine Network plan, it is the anchor of our vision, and the best illustration of where we are rooted and what it will take.  It has been said, "If God wants to grow a squash, He takes 6 months.  But if He wants to grow an oak, He takes 60 years."  We all tend to want the strength and influence of an oak, but we want it to happen in the time it takes to grow a squash! But we must choose one path or the other, and the direction of each one's growth is determined by that choice.

Isaiah 61:11 goes on to say, "For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations."  Chew on this for a while....

See, God's heart has always been, and will always be (see Revelation 5:9 and 7:9), a timely and determined reaching for the nations!  His purpose has always been, and continues to be, for His people to "make disciples of all nations".  We have been so short-sighted in thinking that once the Gospel of salvation is preached, and people are saved, that the primary job has been finished!  That everything else that happens after that is just "bonus". 

But the reality of Jesus' teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven is radically different:  For one, it is radically "present tense", not just some future dream.  It is an "advancing" one, requiring "force" (Matthew 11) which is to mean, it requires intentionality and decisiveness, not some haphazard happening to us and our surroundings.  Jesus' teachings on the Kingdom of God are our primary foundation for intentionally, decisively, investing in our Kenyan partnerships so that they can produce fruit that will change the country, the region, and perhaps even the world.

And the "seed principle" (as in, the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed...) teaches us that transformation occurs one way only:  It starts with patient penetration - it must be "planted in the soil of the soul and of the culture".  It then expands for a total saturation - it must take root, taking over the ground, and deeply entrenched in the mind and practice of the culture.  Then it results in transformation, personal and cultural - like a giant tree giving shade to all that is around it. 

That is a description of God's plan for discipling individuals and nations.  Why else would Jesus have come 2,000 years ago instead of now, during our Media Revolution that would have broadcast his presence world-wide in a matter of minutes?  Because God is patient, and He would rather see the "soil" of our hearts and of our nations saturated with the presence of His kingdom, than win millions of "shallow converts" in an instant.  Maybe I am going too far in making that assumption, but God is in charge of history, and He chose to reveal Himself at a very strategic time, not too early nor too late.  And we must learn from His timing....             

Speaking of transformed nations, we rejoice in celebrating the 4th of July with you!  With as many struggles as our country faces, we still have deeply Biblical roots, and we are still a blessing to many nations.  May God strengthen our foundation so we can continue to help others!!!