It's been an encouraging week in ministry. Three things happened that I've never witnessed before. They all happened at College Ministry events here in Mombasa. For the last 18 months or so, working with college students at Fellowship Baptist Church has been my primary job. It's a lot of fun, especially when the sort of things happen that I'm about to share with you...
First, rewind to Tuesday night. I write a Bible Study for our Tuesday night meeting, and lately we have had an attendance of about 20 students. We're learning how the Gospel can be applied practically in our day-to-day lives, and for the last couple weeks, we've been talking about forgiveness. Last week we discussed how God forgives us. This week we talked about how we need to forgive others. We asked questions like, "What if God forgave us the way we forgive each other?" The answer: That would be bad. So we thought of people in our lives that we need to forgive, and imagined what it would look like if we offered that person radical forgiveness as God asks us to. One of the students actually walked out of the study because, and I quote, he was "too convicted" to stay. He knew it was right, but, much like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men, he couldn't handle the truth. That's a first! I'm sad for this student, but glad the study is hitting so close to home.
Second, move ahead to Wednesday night. We were all up in Dennis and Allison's apartment where Dennis was teaching on leadership principles. He asked the students to share one practical way their life has been changed this semester through College Ministry. Ben was there, a young guy who had been on my mind all semester because I knew he didn't own a Bible. None of us had any spare Bibles to give away, but I kept thinking that we ought to buy him one. Just goes to show how ignorant I am. Ben raised his hand and said, "The most practical way my life has changed this semester is my priorities. If you had told me four months ago that I would spend my own money to buy this (he waved a brand-new Bible up in the air), I would have laughed in your face!" He bought his own Bible! I know it was a big sacrifice for him, so it will be special to him - more special than anything I could have given.
Third, fast-forward to Friday morning. I have Swahili tutoring with Jackie once a week. Jackie is a pharmacy student and College Ministry leader. This week my assignment was to teach her a Bible lesson in Swahili. I talked to her about Mary and Martha, and about the sin of worry. As it turns out, she didn't know that worry is actually a sin. I got to teach her a lesson about worry vs. trusting God (in Swahili!), and she had one of those light-bulb moments that make all this missionary stuff worthwhile. It was my first Swahili light-bulb moment!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Wait for it...
I'm back from a great weekend on Mombasa's South Coast, the place our team will be moving to sometime in the next few months. On Friday I taught in Swahili, which I haven't done very much, and it was fun! A friend was bringing a program called "True Love Waits" to a community school in a village near her home, and she asked me to come along. The program targets young kids in upper elementary school and teaches them the benefits of abstinence and purity until marriage. The program has had great results in other African nations in stemming the spread of HIV. It is based on Biblical principles, but because of its important message, even schools that are predominantly Muslim (like the one we went to on Friday) welcome it.
The school is also a neat place. The community got together and erected the buildings with their own hands. They also help the poorer children in their area pay for uniforms so they can come to class. I was surprised to learn that many kids don't go to school because they can't afford the uniforms! This community is really taking care of it's own, and I'm so glad I got to visit. I'll post pictures soon!
I also spent time with a couple families from our new church, and enjoyed getting to know some new people and hearing their stories. It's fun to think about these small beginnings, and wonder who will become my close friends in the months and years to come.
My other task this weekend was house-hunting. Friday was a torrential day, but my friend Melissa slopped around in the rain with me looking at apartments and houses that I might rent. We found a few places that may work for me, though there is often more to a place than meets the eye. The biggest "invisible issues" that are common problems in Diani are the fresh water supply, security, and shifty neighbors. Diani is a unique place with a lot of different dynamics - lots of tourists on one side, bringing with them a variety of benefits and problems, and on the other side is a very distinct group of indigenous people, the Muslim Digo tribe, who I am just beginning to learn about.
I haven't made any decisions yet about where I will live. All I can do is choose based on the things I know, and trust God for the rest. I am praying that I'll make a wise choice!
The school is also a neat place. The community got together and erected the buildings with their own hands. They also help the poorer children in their area pay for uniforms so they can come to class. I was surprised to learn that many kids don't go to school because they can't afford the uniforms! This community is really taking care of it's own, and I'm so glad I got to visit. I'll post pictures soon!
I also spent time with a couple families from our new church, and enjoyed getting to know some new people and hearing their stories. It's fun to think about these small beginnings, and wonder who will become my close friends in the months and years to come.
My other task this weekend was house-hunting. Friday was a torrential day, but my friend Melissa slopped around in the rain with me looking at apartments and houses that I might rent. We found a few places that may work for me, though there is often more to a place than meets the eye. The biggest "invisible issues" that are common problems in Diani are the fresh water supply, security, and shifty neighbors. Diani is a unique place with a lot of different dynamics - lots of tourists on one side, bringing with them a variety of benefits and problems, and on the other side is a very distinct group of indigenous people, the Muslim Digo tribe, who I am just beginning to learn about.
I haven't made any decisions yet about where I will live. All I can do is choose based on the things I know, and trust God for the rest. I am praying that I'll make a wise choice!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Driving Dangers
I've already explained that driving is dangerous here - especially during the rainy season! Not only are there potholes of absurd proportions, there are also many things to dodge: fallen branches, livestock, pedestrians, wooden carts, matatus (Kenyan public transportation), tuk tuks (imagine a taxi on three wheels powered by a lawnmower engine, and you've got a tuk tuk), speed bumps, lawless intersections, and a host of student drivers from Mombasa's many driving schools. Schools with names like Unik, Rocky, and AA Driving School. Incidentally, the only school that doesn't promise a guaranteed "pass" (for that, read "we don't care if you can drive, just cough up the cash") is AA.
The other day I was on the road with two friends. We were returning home after getting a bite to eat, and we rounded a bend to see a matatu just ahead of us, picking up a passenger on the side of the road.
Matatus are decrepit, boxy vans that seat 15 people and drive in circuits picking up passengers. For 20 shillings you can get through town in a matatu. It's not just a bus - it's a cultural experience! The most popular ones are painted black or orange, decked out in black-lights and neon, with booming music so loud you hear them before you see them. Part roller coaster, part disco, part extreme sport; once you've ridden a matatu, you'll never forget it.
There are more matatus than monkeys in Mombasa, so I'm used to dodging them as I drive. However, on this day, as this particular matatu pulled back out into the road, we noticed the conductor struggling to shut the big sliding door on the side. Before we knew what was happening the door fell off it's top hinge and the van began dragging the door along the road beside it! Sparks were flying, the matatu was swerving, and I ducked down a side-street just in time to see the door completely detach itself from the van, do a flip, and skid to a halt in the middle of the road. We were almost flattened by a runaway car door! And the strangest thing about it was: no one was even phased. Just another day here in Mombasa...
A typical matatu waiting for passengers
When in motion, matatus look like this!
The other day I was on the road with two friends. We were returning home after getting a bite to eat, and we rounded a bend to see a matatu just ahead of us, picking up a passenger on the side of the road.
Matatus are decrepit, boxy vans that seat 15 people and drive in circuits picking up passengers. For 20 shillings you can get through town in a matatu. It's not just a bus - it's a cultural experience! The most popular ones are painted black or orange, decked out in black-lights and neon, with booming music so loud you hear them before you see them. Part roller coaster, part disco, part extreme sport; once you've ridden a matatu, you'll never forget it.
There are more matatus than monkeys in Mombasa, so I'm used to dodging them as I drive. However, on this day, as this particular matatu pulled back out into the road, we noticed the conductor struggling to shut the big sliding door on the side. Before we knew what was happening the door fell off it's top hinge and the van began dragging the door along the road beside it! Sparks were flying, the matatu was swerving, and I ducked down a side-street just in time to see the door completely detach itself from the van, do a flip, and skid to a halt in the middle of the road. We were almost flattened by a runaway car door! And the strangest thing about it was: no one was even phased. Just another day here in Mombasa...
A typical matatu waiting for passengers
When in motion, matatus look like this!Thursday, May 15, 2008
Ann!
About two weeks ago I hired a new girl to help me around the house. Since 2006 the Omondi's and I have shared one worker named Ruth, but now that their family is growing they need Ruth full-time.
It may sound pretty posh to have a house-helper, but it's a big part of the culture here. Even people who live in the slums often pay someone a few shillings to wash, sweep, cook, or do some of the million chores that Americans simply buy machines for.
On a typical day, Ann will take a hand-brush and get on her knees to sweep the rug (no vacuum), use a rag to wash the tile and concrete floors (no mop), wash the dishes (no dishwasher) that have piled up after a day of making everything from scratch (no 'Hamburger Helper'), wash the towels and sheets by hand (I have a washing machine, but she's not used to using one and prefers to do it by hand), hangs them on the veranda (no dryer), purifies the drinking water (no Brita fliters), and wipes the dust off everything that has drifted in the open windows (no air conditioning).
Ann has worked really hard, and I am really glad to have her help. She is a timid girl who hasn't escaped life's troubles. Her father died when she was in the 3rd grade, and she had to drop out of school because her family couldn't afford to send her anymore. She has three older sisters and two younger brothers, both of whom she is helping to send to school with part of her wages. She loves the Lord and sings in her church choir. I'll try to get a picture of her so you can see what she looks like.
Something that has been very helpful to me is that, because of her lack of schooling, Ann doesn't speak any English. Finally I have someone who is a part of my daily life who needs to communicate in Swahili! I've been trying to tough it out and use our conversations as practice sessions. I'm not sure what she thinks of my Swahili - she smiles a lot when I talk...
It may sound pretty posh to have a house-helper, but it's a big part of the culture here. Even people who live in the slums often pay someone a few shillings to wash, sweep, cook, or do some of the million chores that Americans simply buy machines for.
On a typical day, Ann will take a hand-brush and get on her knees to sweep the rug (no vacuum), use a rag to wash the tile and concrete floors (no mop), wash the dishes (no dishwasher) that have piled up after a day of making everything from scratch (no 'Hamburger Helper'), wash the towels and sheets by hand (I have a washing machine, but she's not used to using one and prefers to do it by hand), hangs them on the veranda (no dryer), purifies the drinking water (no Brita fliters), and wipes the dust off everything that has drifted in the open windows (no air conditioning).
Ann has worked really hard, and I am really glad to have her help. She is a timid girl who hasn't escaped life's troubles. Her father died when she was in the 3rd grade, and she had to drop out of school because her family couldn't afford to send her anymore. She has three older sisters and two younger brothers, both of whom she is helping to send to school with part of her wages. She loves the Lord and sings in her church choir. I'll try to get a picture of her so you can see what she looks like.
Something that has been very helpful to me is that, because of her lack of schooling, Ann doesn't speak any English. Finally I have someone who is a part of my daily life who needs to communicate in Swahili! I've been trying to tough it out and use our conversations as practice sessions. I'm not sure what she thinks of my Swahili - she smiles a lot when I talk...
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Word of Life
Last Sunday was a big day for our team. Dennis officially became the pastor of Word of Life Church in Diani, about an hour south of Mombasa.
The first family! Dennis, Allison, and Anjela
The church is in a beautiful location, right off the beach in a hall with makuti (a thatch roof).
It's even pretty on a rainy day!
The service went really well, and afterward the whole church had lunch together. After that Allison and I took Anjela to the beach to put her toes in the Indian Ocean. She loved it!
Anjela with her Auntie Nelly
Anjela's first dip in the ocean!
Mama Allison and Auntie Jill!
The first family! Dennis, Allison, and Anjela
It's even pretty on a rainy day!
Anjela with her Auntie Nelly
Anjela's first dip in the ocean!
Mama Allison and Auntie Jill!Saturday, May 3, 2008
What could it mean?
Today the Omondi's and I met together with Pastor Elly and his wife Amina. Elly works with us training leaders in a village south of Mombasa. To get to the place we were meeting, we had to take a ferry. In front of us on the boat was an unusual car we'd never seen before. I wish I'd gotten a picture of it! But the funniest thing about it was the methali, or proverb, adhered to the rear bumper (making a statement with your car is cool here - sticking catchy sayings on your bumper or side panel is very hip!). It said, "UNALIA NA KIBOKO BADO". I read it slowly, trying to figure out what it said.
'How strange. Surely,' I thought, 'I've misunderstood.' Finally I asked Dennis, my team leader who is a native of Mombasa, "Hey, Dennis, does that really say, 'YOU ARE STILL CRYING WITH THE HIPPOPOTAMUS'?"
He looked at the car and laughed. "I hadn't thought of it like that!" he replied. "It does say that. But it also says, 'YOU ARE CRYING AND THE WHIP HAS NOT YET COME'."
I looked again, and sure enough, it says that too! Swahili is all about context. One word can have 20 different meanings! Just a comical reminder that communication is hard work - even when we think we've communicated clearly, the message may get 'lost in translation'. The lesson I learned today: if something doesn't seem quite right, always clarify!
'How strange. Surely,' I thought, 'I've misunderstood.' Finally I asked Dennis, my team leader who is a native of Mombasa, "Hey, Dennis, does that really say, 'YOU ARE STILL CRYING WITH THE HIPPOPOTAMUS'?"
He looked at the car and laughed. "I hadn't thought of it like that!" he replied. "It does say that. But it also says, 'YOU ARE CRYING AND THE WHIP HAS NOT YET COME'."
I looked again, and sure enough, it says that too! Swahili is all about context. One word can have 20 different meanings! Just a comical reminder that communication is hard work - even when we think we've communicated clearly, the message may get 'lost in translation'. The lesson I learned today: if something doesn't seem quite right, always clarify!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Food, Friends, and Fspiders
The rainy season brings a lot of bugs to Mombasa. Weird, African bugs. For instance, at this moment in my pantry are hiding an unknown number of black, jumpy spiders about the size of a raisin. I've killed three already today. By African standards, they aren't that bad. They are smaller than a loaf of bread, they aren't interested in killing me, they don't carry a deadly disease, and they aren't really hairy. They are only spooky because of how fast they move. They are a bit unpredictable. I suppose they also feel that way about me. We're learning to coexist.
I had reason to spend some time in my pantry today. My dear friend Jacinta and her husband James came for dinner! I have been meeting with Jacinta for discipleship for over a year now. In fact, her husband sent her to Mombasa just so that she might be discipled. You see, James has a job that takes him to the Sudan nine months of the year. So while he is away, he wants Jacinta to grow in her spiritual life (doesn't he sound like a great husband?!), and Jacinta wants that too. Since James was discipled by my team leader Dennis, he entrusted Jacinta to me in his absence.
She really has grown, and we've been through a lot of life's ups and downs together. James just came back to Kenya for a month, so I was thrilled to spend the evening with them! I made lasagna (it was easy because I had everything already prepared from last time), and we shared some great conversation. It's so nice to have friends you can talk to past "How'dya like this weather," and "Man, how about Kenyan politics?!"
We are praying for several things for James and Jacinta. First, we pray that they will stay faithful to the things they have learned, even among a corrupt generation. (see Psalm 73 for a recap of our conversation on this issue...) Second, we are praying that God will make it clear to James what he needs to do about his job. It's hard on both of them to have him gone so much. And third, we are praying that they will start a family soon! Jacinta has had some ongoing trouble with her health in this area, but they have a deep desire to start a family, and they know anything is possible for God!
Jacinta!
James!
Lasagna! (It's becoming famous now!)
The dishes... an unfortunate by-product of a tasty meal!
I had reason to spend some time in my pantry today. My dear friend Jacinta and her husband James came for dinner! I have been meeting with Jacinta for discipleship for over a year now. In fact, her husband sent her to Mombasa just so that she might be discipled. You see, James has a job that takes him to the Sudan nine months of the year. So while he is away, he wants Jacinta to grow in her spiritual life (doesn't he sound like a great husband?!), and Jacinta wants that too. Since James was discipled by my team leader Dennis, he entrusted Jacinta to me in his absence.
She really has grown, and we've been through a lot of life's ups and downs together. James just came back to Kenya for a month, so I was thrilled to spend the evening with them! I made lasagna (it was easy because I had everything already prepared from last time), and we shared some great conversation. It's so nice to have friends you can talk to past "How'dya like this weather," and "Man, how about Kenyan politics?!"
We are praying for several things for James and Jacinta. First, we pray that they will stay faithful to the things they have learned, even among a corrupt generation. (see Psalm 73 for a recap of our conversation on this issue...) Second, we are praying that God will make it clear to James what he needs to do about his job. It's hard on both of them to have him gone so much. And third, we are praying that they will start a family soon! Jacinta has had some ongoing trouble with her health in this area, but they have a deep desire to start a family, and they know anything is possible for God!
Jacinta!
James!
Lasagna! (It's becoming famous now!)
The dishes... an unfortunate by-product of a tasty meal!
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