6th Update

Yesterday God taught me a great lesson. You can hear a person’s story but until you go see the story you really never know, you can never really understand. I also was reminded again about just going where you feel God is leading you. Sunday night Njokie and I left Nairobi with the Reach-a-Million worship team to go with them to Mombasa. Many people go to Mobasa because of the beaches, we went to take Justus and David to see their families. I had been told by Sammy (lead for the team) that they came from very poor families in Mombasa. And I had been told both families were struggling. The team felt that if we are ministering to many we need to also help our own team members Some of you may remember the story of David. When we returned in January on the Peace Bus Bishop David asked us to present in the Nairobi church. We drove in from the last IDP on Sunday morning. If you remember I didn’t know Sammy before he went with us on the Peace Bus. He was one of the 30 people Bishop had sent to go on the trip to Eldoret visiting the IDPs. Sammy asked me if he could sing when we did the presentation in the Nairobi church. I didn’t even know Sammy could sing. And he ask me if he could have someone join him. Praise God I said yes. Sammy called this young man named David who took a bus all night from Mobasa arriving early Sunday waiting for us. At the appointed time, Sammy went to the keyboard and David took the mic and sang a song that worshipped in a way God came down from heaven. The Bishop was touched when he noticed David didn’t have shoes – he was too poor even to own a pair of shoes. Sammy and David wrote a song that evening called “Pray for Peace for Kenya” and the next day he and David recorded it. Many of you have heard the song. When Partners for Care launched Reach-a-Million and we joined sports evangelism under SN the worship team added another young man from Mombasa – Justus. Like David Justus doesn’t just sing – he worships with a voice that is so powerful again you are witnessing God come down to join the worship. I have learned the greatest joy and what brings the greatest pain is to listen to a person’s story. I had been listening as David told me he was the 12th born and how poor his mother was and that his father was sick and how concerned he was for his family. I listened to Justus tell how his three older brothers died after in a Muslim area he decided to follow Christ. He told me his mother was a brewer, and an alcoholic and she and his three younger siblings were being evicted from their house. His father had left the family. His mother had no phone for him to communicate with her and Justus was relying on the good will of neighbours to tell him how his family was. He was very concerned for his mother and his younger brother and two younger sisters. Only God knew why when He told me we must go to Mombasa to try and help these two young men’s families. One of the many things I love about the people of Kenya is how they love their mums. Everyone I know here in Kenya loves their mums so much. And because so much of the older generation is poor the younger people work to help support their mums. It seems in our culture moms are giving to their children – here the younger people are working to give money to their mums. What support we are able to give to the worship team they send to their mums. I see that they will do without places to live themselves, new clothes, even food so they can send money to their mums. They make sacrafices for their mums. It also seems they are not ok unless they know their mums are ok. First we went to David’s home. We followed all the cultural traditions of this area. His mother is a believer but his father is not. His father is very old, ill and has a second wife. They wanted the guys to slaughter a goat It is a great honor to be given a goat. While that part was hard for Njokie and I we didn’t interfere with tradition. They then roasted the goat for our meal later that night. They prepared chapati and tea for us. When you sit to eat the family doesn’t join you – David served as the family representative. After you eat the family is brought in for introductions and at that time you can talk. David’s mother, through interpretation, told us how with David gone to Nairobi the whole village missed him. The voice of David was now silent in their village. She told him and us how she missed him so very much. He was the one son who helped her the most. He was her last born and she loved him so. You could feel how David was struggling to hear that and see the pain of his mum.

Justus then gave his only pair of shoes to his brother who had no shoes. The rest of the team joined us to celebrate the new beginning for Justus’ family. Justice gave his sister his phone so he could communicate with them. Justus asked the children if they had school uniforms. They have one they share. One wears the top and one wears the bottom. It was so clear that these two young men that God has gifted with a talent to sing and write songs were the best these mums had in a village so poor. Justus wrote the song Remember Me in the house where his mum had just accepted Christ. The team is committed to grow as a music group that can impact others for the kingdom. They are committed to Reach-a-Million with the message of the gospel and HIV prevention to help create a HIV-free generation. Praise God for the blessing of understanding these two young men’s story. In kibera slum the day before Bishop David preached the story of the Isralites when God saw their suffering, heard their cries and came down. Here in a small villagge in Mombasa, Kenya God saw their suffering, heard their cries and came down. Blessed to watch kenyans care and reach others for Christ, Connie

Sent via Cingular Xpress Mail with Blackberry