Monday, December 15, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Goodbye Singapore - We Love You
Hi everybody! This is our last night in Singapore. We had such an awesome time that we are sad to leave. By far, the best thing was spending one whole month with little Mikaela. She's the sweetest little girl in the world. We will miss her. Carm and Jeju made us feel so welcome. Thanks so much you guys. We love you.
The weather here was great. It was a bit hot, but I won't complain, knowing what just hit Calgary!
Last night was Christmas for us! Judy (the best nanny in the world) made a turkey with stuffing and mashed potatoes and corn...mmmmmmm. Of course we are fasting, so we only had a few pieces of turkey. With gravy. After dinner we opened presents by the plant. Our friend Teresa came and spent the evening with us. We had the Christmas tablecloth out and the carols playing. It actually felt like Christmas! We had a great night. Happy early birthday Jesus! I am glad that we get to celebrate 3 Christmases this time: yesterday's, the one on December 25th (which I still think is the real one), and the one on January 7th. Pretty sweet!
These boots were made for walking. Everyday we walked about 5-8 hours around Singapore. We got pretty good at finding our way around town. We took lots of photos, which I will post on Facebook after doing a slideshow for the mission. Everyone in the mission is on Facebook, so if I post the pics now, my slideshow will be "so yesterday".
Dad and Mike Lee, I miss you guys. I've told some knee-slapping jokes here, but no one laughs. For example, yesterday at dinner, Judy was saying that she ships a lot the Spam meat back to her family in the Philippines because they love it and it isn't available there. So I says, "So I guess your family will have a lot of spam in their mailbox." HHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHA HAHAHAH AHHAHAHAHAHA HHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!! That's GOLD!
Anyhoozers, it's time to go back to the mission for the second part of our journey. We fly out tomorrow morning. We have done our quiet time almost everyday here in Singapore, though it has been tougher because of all the distractions. I am glad that quiet time no longer feels like a duty to me. It feels like a necessity. I truly believe God is waiting for me everyday. He wants to spend time with me and He waits patiently for me. When I don't show up, He is sad, but comes again the next day, hoping to see me. What a mystery - that the most High waits for the most low.
I learned more about fasting during my time here. I always used to say that fasting without praying is useless and even dangerous because it is only a physical thing, not a spiritual thing. I have learned that that is true in the theological sense, as in, that's what you would read in a textbook. In reality, I have learned that true fasting REQUIRES praying. As in, you NEED to pray because you are actually hurting and nothing else can help you. I have begun to shy away from the "substitution fast", where you just substitute meat and dairy with fish and soy. I used to think that was fasting, but now I realize that it was just annoying. I never hurt. I never suffered. I never prayed.
I thought about Jesus' 40-day fast in the desert before he started His ministry. He could have helped Himself but He didn't. He could have delivered Himself from the pain, but He didn't. He prayed. Why? Because since He had chosen to give up food and drink, what else on this Earth could possibly help Him? NOTHING! NOT ONE THING. Only His Heavenly Father could sustain Him. I mean seriously, 40 days with no food or water? I considered what would have happened if Jesus had delivered Himself instead, as in, if He used His own power to quench His thirst and satisfy His hunger and restore His strength. At the end of the 40 days, His Father would have looked at Him and said, sarcastically, "Way to go son, I'm really proud of you." Why? Because Jesus didn't do anything! He was hungry and He took care of it. He was tired and He took care of it. He didn't suffer and He didn't rely on His Father for anything. He just spent 40 annoying days in the desert doing nothing extraordinary. He might as well have materialized an oasis with palm trees and a buffet table! If that sounds weird to you, consider this. Let's say I'm doing the substitution fast. When I get hungry or tired, I go eat some fish or koshari or beans or tamaya or whatever. After 40 days of doing that, guess what God will say to me? Yep, you guessed it! Why? Because when I was hungry, I took care of it. When I was tired, I took care of it. I delivered myself from "suffering".
The fast is not intended to be an annoyance. It is a tool to allow us to hurt a little bit to remind us how vulnerable we really are. Take away food and drink for a few extra hours and we get weak and cranky and we feel like calling for an ambulance. You want to eat, but there is still 1 more hour left until eating time. What do you do? You will realize that no material thing, no person, nothing on this Earth can help you. It is at this moment that you will remember Him. And that, my friends, is the point.
It wasn't until I changed my attitude toward fasting that I found it spiritually rewarding. For years I have done the substitution fast and have gotten nothing out of it. It felt like an old-school tradition that I was upholding because the Church recommended it. But doing something just to uphold a tradition is meaningless. There is a spirit behind the tradition that you must embrace. Otherwise you will become bitter. Trust me, I know.
What it my point? I really urge you to fast with a purpose. To want to know God through your fast. To want to see Him. To know Him. Fast because you want a deeper relationship with Him. Because you want Him to change you to be like Christ. Because you want the love of Jesus poured into your heart so that you become the person God wants you to be. Fast Because You Love Him.
Try going without food or drink until a certain time of the day, say 10:00am. Every subsequent week, go one more hour. The Church does not recommend you fast past 3:00pm and I think that's a fine recommendation, not that my opinion matters. When you start to feel the pain, remember Him. Tell Him you Love Him. Tell Him you are weak. Tell Him you know He can and will sustain you. And He will. At the end, you will be different. He will smile upon you and you will shine.
God Bless,
JC
The weather here was great. It was a bit hot, but I won't complain, knowing what just hit Calgary!
Last night was Christmas for us! Judy (the best nanny in the world) made a turkey with stuffing and mashed potatoes and corn...mmmmmmm. Of course we are fasting, so we only had a few pieces of turkey. With gravy. After dinner we opened presents by the plant. Our friend Teresa came and spent the evening with us. We had the Christmas tablecloth out and the carols playing. It actually felt like Christmas! We had a great night. Happy early birthday Jesus! I am glad that we get to celebrate 3 Christmases this time: yesterday's, the one on December 25th (which I still think is the real one), and the one on January 7th. Pretty sweet!
These boots were made for walking. Everyday we walked about 5-8 hours around Singapore. We got pretty good at finding our way around town. We took lots of photos, which I will post on Facebook after doing a slideshow for the mission. Everyone in the mission is on Facebook, so if I post the pics now, my slideshow will be "so yesterday".
Dad and Mike Lee, I miss you guys. I've told some knee-slapping jokes here, but no one laughs. For example, yesterday at dinner, Judy was saying that she ships a lot the Spam meat back to her family in the Philippines because they love it and it isn't available there. So I says, "So I guess your family will have a lot of spam in their mailbox." HHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHA HAHAHAH AHHAHAHAHAHA HHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHAHAHA WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!! That's GOLD!
Anyhoozers, it's time to go back to the mission for the second part of our journey. We fly out tomorrow morning. We have done our quiet time almost everyday here in Singapore, though it has been tougher because of all the distractions. I am glad that quiet time no longer feels like a duty to me. It feels like a necessity. I truly believe God is waiting for me everyday. He wants to spend time with me and He waits patiently for me. When I don't show up, He is sad, but comes again the next day, hoping to see me. What a mystery - that the most High waits for the most low.
I learned more about fasting during my time here. I always used to say that fasting without praying is useless and even dangerous because it is only a physical thing, not a spiritual thing. I have learned that that is true in the theological sense, as in, that's what you would read in a textbook. In reality, I have learned that true fasting REQUIRES praying. As in, you NEED to pray because you are actually hurting and nothing else can help you. I have begun to shy away from the "substitution fast", where you just substitute meat and dairy with fish and soy. I used to think that was fasting, but now I realize that it was just annoying. I never hurt. I never suffered. I never prayed.
I thought about Jesus' 40-day fast in the desert before he started His ministry. He could have helped Himself but He didn't. He could have delivered Himself from the pain, but He didn't. He prayed. Why? Because since He had chosen to give up food and drink, what else on this Earth could possibly help Him? NOTHING! NOT ONE THING. Only His Heavenly Father could sustain Him. I mean seriously, 40 days with no food or water? I considered what would have happened if Jesus had delivered Himself instead, as in, if He used His own power to quench His thirst and satisfy His hunger and restore His strength. At the end of the 40 days, His Father would have looked at Him and said, sarcastically, "Way to go son, I'm really proud of you." Why? Because Jesus didn't do anything! He was hungry and He took care of it. He was tired and He took care of it. He didn't suffer and He didn't rely on His Father for anything. He just spent 40 annoying days in the desert doing nothing extraordinary. He might as well have materialized an oasis with palm trees and a buffet table! If that sounds weird to you, consider this. Let's say I'm doing the substitution fast. When I get hungry or tired, I go eat some fish or koshari or beans or tamaya or whatever. After 40 days of doing that, guess what God will say to me? Yep, you guessed it! Why? Because when I was hungry, I took care of it. When I was tired, I took care of it. I delivered myself from "suffering".
The fast is not intended to be an annoyance. It is a tool to allow us to hurt a little bit to remind us how vulnerable we really are. Take away food and drink for a few extra hours and we get weak and cranky and we feel like calling for an ambulance. You want to eat, but there is still 1 more hour left until eating time. What do you do? You will realize that no material thing, no person, nothing on this Earth can help you. It is at this moment that you will remember Him. And that, my friends, is the point.
It wasn't until I changed my attitude toward fasting that I found it spiritually rewarding. For years I have done the substitution fast and have gotten nothing out of it. It felt like an old-school tradition that I was upholding because the Church recommended it. But doing something just to uphold a tradition is meaningless. There is a spirit behind the tradition that you must embrace. Otherwise you will become bitter. Trust me, I know.
What it my point? I really urge you to fast with a purpose. To want to know God through your fast. To want to see Him. To know Him. Fast because you want a deeper relationship with Him. Because you want Him to change you to be like Christ. Because you want the love of Jesus poured into your heart so that you become the person God wants you to be. Fast Because You Love Him.
Try going without food or drink until a certain time of the day, say 10:00am. Every subsequent week, go one more hour. The Church does not recommend you fast past 3:00pm and I think that's a fine recommendation, not that my opinion matters. When you start to feel the pain, remember Him. Tell Him you Love Him. Tell Him you are weak. Tell Him you know He can and will sustain you. And He will. At the end, you will be different. He will smile upon you and you will shine.
God Bless,
JC
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
We're in Singapore!
Hey everyone! We have arrived safely in Singapore! It is so nice to see my brother and sister again. Little Mikaela is so big! She walks and says baby things and smiles and laughs all the time! It took her less than a minute to warm up to us. She is a sweetheart.
Today we played with her all morning, then walked to the Takashimaya mega mall, which is exactly what the Bishop would call 'ze worlled' (his way of saying 'the world', which he calls all the wordly pleasures). It's the first time since we left Canada that we've seen a mall, so we were a little overwhelmed, especially since Singapore is an expensive place, where stores like Hugo Boss abound. The Bishop always makes fun of us by saying that 'we love ze world'......and man is he right!!! We both wanted to buy all these sweet new clothes, even though we would be unable to wear them until we got back to Canada. We had to slam on the brakes and agree to not buy anything on day one, and just to have a looky, and we gave each other a budget so as to not go crazy. Sadly, the iphone is more than that budget. I did see, however, on the Emirates flight to Dubai, something called Power2Go by Philips, which is a little device that stores up to 60 hours of charge for a laptop or any other mobile device. This would be sweet for mission work, as we do not always have electricity, and I need to charge my iPod :)
Oh yeah, Christine is apparently getting wiser, not through any fault of her own. Yes, this came as a shock to me too :) She's been having a bit of tooth pain, so we went to go see the dentist at the mission, and, you guessed it......widsom teeth! Thankfully, God has kept the pain to a minimum and there is space for them to grow out, so no removal of teeth is necessary.
God really took care of us on the flight to Singapore. We didn't book though a travel agent or website because we managed to save a lot of money by booking individual flights directly from the airline's websites. So the first flight was from Nairobi to Mumbai on Emirates airlines - that was sweet. The next flight was from Mumbai to Singapore on Singapore airlines, but the problem was that we had to get our bags in Mumbai and re-check them in onto Singapore airlines. In order to get our bags, we had to go through immigration and get a visa, but India does not issue visas at the airport, but rather expects you to have a visa already. So, we told a man at the help counter our situation, and he said to have a seat and someone will come and help you. We sat for a minute and doubted the man. Then we said a prayer and told God that we trusted in His Holy Name and asked Him to take care of His two children. Just then, a young man approached us and asked us to follow him. He asked us have a seat in this other room, while he went to get our bags from the airplane and check them in for us on the Singapore flight! And if that wasn't enough, he then took our passports and got our boarding passes for us! We sat patiently for an hour and a half, and when he returned, everything was done and we walked to the gate and that was that. We didn't do anything. God did everything. We were really thankful for His help, especially because we were so tired by then and had no idea what to do. What a loving God we have. God, we love you so much and we will stand up for you, defend you, and be witnesses for you where ever we go, just as you do the same for us. Thank you for caring.
JC
Today we played with her all morning, then walked to the Takashimaya mega mall, which is exactly what the Bishop would call 'ze worlled' (his way of saying 'the world', which he calls all the wordly pleasures). It's the first time since we left Canada that we've seen a mall, so we were a little overwhelmed, especially since Singapore is an expensive place, where stores like Hugo Boss abound. The Bishop always makes fun of us by saying that 'we love ze world'......and man is he right!!! We both wanted to buy all these sweet new clothes, even though we would be unable to wear them until we got back to Canada. We had to slam on the brakes and agree to not buy anything on day one, and just to have a looky, and we gave each other a budget so as to not go crazy. Sadly, the iphone is more than that budget. I did see, however, on the Emirates flight to Dubai, something called Power2Go by Philips, which is a little device that stores up to 60 hours of charge for a laptop or any other mobile device. This would be sweet for mission work, as we do not always have electricity, and I need to charge my iPod :)
Oh yeah, Christine is apparently getting wiser, not through any fault of her own. Yes, this came as a shock to me too :) She's been having a bit of tooth pain, so we went to go see the dentist at the mission, and, you guessed it......widsom teeth! Thankfully, God has kept the pain to a minimum and there is space for them to grow out, so no removal of teeth is necessary.
God really took care of us on the flight to Singapore. We didn't book though a travel agent or website because we managed to save a lot of money by booking individual flights directly from the airline's websites. So the first flight was from Nairobi to Mumbai on Emirates airlines - that was sweet. The next flight was from Mumbai to Singapore on Singapore airlines, but the problem was that we had to get our bags in Mumbai and re-check them in onto Singapore airlines. In order to get our bags, we had to go through immigration and get a visa, but India does not issue visas at the airport, but rather expects you to have a visa already. So, we told a man at the help counter our situation, and he said to have a seat and someone will come and help you. We sat for a minute and doubted the man. Then we said a prayer and told God that we trusted in His Holy Name and asked Him to take care of His two children. Just then, a young man approached us and asked us to follow him. He asked us have a seat in this other room, while he went to get our bags from the airplane and check them in for us on the Singapore flight! And if that wasn't enough, he then took our passports and got our boarding passes for us! We sat patiently for an hour and a half, and when he returned, everything was done and we walked to the gate and that was that. We didn't do anything. God did everything. We were really thankful for His help, especially because we were so tired by then and had no idea what to do. What a loving God we have. God, we love you so much and we will stand up for you, defend you, and be witnesses for you where ever we go, just as you do the same for us. Thank you for caring.
JC
Monday, November 3, 2008
Update - Nov 4
Christine:
Hey guys,
sorry we haven't blogged in a while! we really don't have too much to share these days. Juan is unfortunately sick again but it's nothing serious, it's just a stomach flu. The interesting thing is our friends Mikey, Mina, Sherry and Sherine are also sick. How did they get it you ask? well ALLEDGEDLY, I cooked my famous fish on Saturday night and ALLEDGEDLY, that fish may have been bad and ALLEDGEDLY, I single-handedly took out half the missionary team...ALLEDGEDLY!!!!! ok, but serisouly I'm not sure if my fish had anything to do with all of them getting sick all at once but I do feel pretty bad. Juan is feeling better today than he was yesterday though so don't worry about us.
Otherwise things are going well here. Still going on visitations during the week and we're starting to make friends at the houses we visit. Some of them even starting coming to church on Sunday. It's encouraging to see!
We have some vacation booked for later on this month which we're very excited about! Tomorrow, we will be going to Mombasa which is a little tourist-y city on the coast of Kenya. All-inclusive BABYYY!!! Then we come back on November 10th and a week late on November 17th, we're flying to Singapore to visit Carm, Jeju and Mikaela. We can't wait to see you guys again!
Juan:
Do you guys remember the blog about me in Congo? Well Congo was a spiritually "high" experience for me, and the Bishop warned me that after a spiritually high experience, the devil comes at you hard and you may experience spiritual low. Well it happened to me, and it was aweful. For almost a month, I could not feel God's prescence. Despite all efforts (praying, quiet time, fasting, reading my Bible), I couldn't get out of the spiritual drought. I felt like a walking dead person, a zombie, just surviving day by day. I remember that my buddy Rick Warren wrote in his book 'The Purpose Driven Life', that no matter how much you feel or don't feel God's prescence, it will never change the fact the He accepted to be beaten and whipped and NAILED to a cross and die. That is what kept me going. That is why I kept praying and reading my Bible. About a week ago, God delivered me from my drought. It happened as I took communion and it was AWESOME! I was so relieved to know that it was over. God and I are back on track baby!
Christine lost her bag a couple of weeks ago. She was really bummed because in it were her Bible, some confidential mission stuff, and most importantly, a picture of me. Mostly though, she was upset about losing her Bible because it had all of her personal notes in it. It was lost for a few days, and here in Kenya, if you don't keep and eye on your stuff, it might just find it's way into someone else's hands. So this one day we had a liturgy and I prayed to St. George (who is well known for finding lost things) and Christine prayed to Baba Kyrollos to please go find her bag and bring it back. And wouldn't you know it....after that liturgy, she went upstairs to the Bishop's room and there it was, nicely propped up, sitting on a chair. She was so happy! Thank you St. George and Baba Kyrollos.
The missionary team prays often for the God to take the devil away from this place. It is a guarantee that where ever Jesus is at work, so is the devil. Well, the devil has gotten a bit creative. We received a letter from Revenue Canada stating that our last tax return has been re-examined and we owe them $7000. If that weren't enough, apparently our credit rating has been red-flagged (whatever that means). Christine and I got worried last night, but realized that it's just the devil trying to take away our peace. So immediately we prayed and asked God to take care of the situation for us, to bless my dad (who is helping us out), to bless the government people dealing with it, and to maintain our peace. On a personal note, money and credit ratings and whatever are not as important as they used to be. We both woke up this morning at peace, thanks to our Father.
I learned a really good lesson last weekend. After Sunday liturgy, the servants get together and talk about all the services. We had a problem that morning. Our Church (and our hospital) caters to the poor, so since our members do not have money to take the bus, we have our own bus that picks them up and takes them home. That morning, we had to take 215 people home, but the bus only holds about 200 (and it is PACKED). So we discussed it at the servant's meeting. We brainstormed about how to solve the problem. Each threw out an idea. We discussed it for almost half an hour and didn't come up with a good solution in the end. After the meeting, Christine and I went home and I realized something that made me feel sad and ashamed: At the beginning of the servants meeting, we prayed and asked God to please be with us in the meeting, but NOT ONE OF US asked Him for help with the 'bus problem'! God comes to the meeting, sits among us, and then we forget about Him for the rest of the meeting!!! I think that what we should have done is say to God, "God, we have 215 members that need a ride, but our bus only holds 200, please take care of it." I also think that if we had the faith of a mustard seed, we would have turned to Him first. In retrospect, I am glad to have learned that lesson. I believe God wants us to turn to Him first, and I'm making a huge effort to do so, both with little things and big things.
Juan & Christine:
MCDN, we love you!!! This is your official pity shout-out! :) Don't forget about the mission website!
Thanks to Bossa and Ginger, who rebuked us for not blogging in so long. We know you guys care :)
JC
Hey guys,
sorry we haven't blogged in a while! we really don't have too much to share these days. Juan is unfortunately sick again but it's nothing serious, it's just a stomach flu. The interesting thing is our friends Mikey, Mina, Sherry and Sherine are also sick. How did they get it you ask? well ALLEDGEDLY, I cooked my famous fish on Saturday night and ALLEDGEDLY, that fish may have been bad and ALLEDGEDLY, I single-handedly took out half the missionary team...ALLEDGEDLY!!!!! ok, but serisouly I'm not sure if my fish had anything to do with all of them getting sick all at once but I do feel pretty bad. Juan is feeling better today than he was yesterday though so don't worry about us.
Otherwise things are going well here. Still going on visitations during the week and we're starting to make friends at the houses we visit. Some of them even starting coming to church on Sunday. It's encouraging to see!
We have some vacation booked for later on this month which we're very excited about! Tomorrow, we will be going to Mombasa which is a little tourist-y city on the coast of Kenya. All-inclusive BABYYY!!! Then we come back on November 10th and a week late on November 17th, we're flying to Singapore to visit Carm, Jeju and Mikaela. We can't wait to see you guys again!
Juan:
Do you guys remember the blog about me in Congo? Well Congo was a spiritually "high" experience for me, and the Bishop warned me that after a spiritually high experience, the devil comes at you hard and you may experience spiritual low. Well it happened to me, and it was aweful. For almost a month, I could not feel God's prescence. Despite all efforts (praying, quiet time, fasting, reading my Bible), I couldn't get out of the spiritual drought. I felt like a walking dead person, a zombie, just surviving day by day. I remember that my buddy Rick Warren wrote in his book 'The Purpose Driven Life', that no matter how much you feel or don't feel God's prescence, it will never change the fact the He accepted to be beaten and whipped and NAILED to a cross and die. That is what kept me going. That is why I kept praying and reading my Bible. About a week ago, God delivered me from my drought. It happened as I took communion and it was AWESOME! I was so relieved to know that it was over. God and I are back on track baby!
Christine lost her bag a couple of weeks ago. She was really bummed because in it were her Bible, some confidential mission stuff, and most importantly, a picture of me. Mostly though, she was upset about losing her Bible because it had all of her personal notes in it. It was lost for a few days, and here in Kenya, if you don't keep and eye on your stuff, it might just find it's way into someone else's hands. So this one day we had a liturgy and I prayed to St. George (who is well known for finding lost things) and Christine prayed to Baba Kyrollos to please go find her bag and bring it back. And wouldn't you know it....after that liturgy, she went upstairs to the Bishop's room and there it was, nicely propped up, sitting on a chair. She was so happy! Thank you St. George and Baba Kyrollos.
The missionary team prays often for the God to take the devil away from this place. It is a guarantee that where ever Jesus is at work, so is the devil. Well, the devil has gotten a bit creative. We received a letter from Revenue Canada stating that our last tax return has been re-examined and we owe them $7000. If that weren't enough, apparently our credit rating has been red-flagged (whatever that means). Christine and I got worried last night, but realized that it's just the devil trying to take away our peace. So immediately we prayed and asked God to take care of the situation for us, to bless my dad (who is helping us out), to bless the government people dealing with it, and to maintain our peace. On a personal note, money and credit ratings and whatever are not as important as they used to be. We both woke up this morning at peace, thanks to our Father.
I learned a really good lesson last weekend. After Sunday liturgy, the servants get together and talk about all the services. We had a problem that morning. Our Church (and our hospital) caters to the poor, so since our members do not have money to take the bus, we have our own bus that picks them up and takes them home. That morning, we had to take 215 people home, but the bus only holds about 200 (and it is PACKED). So we discussed it at the servant's meeting. We brainstormed about how to solve the problem. Each threw out an idea. We discussed it for almost half an hour and didn't come up with a good solution in the end. After the meeting, Christine and I went home and I realized something that made me feel sad and ashamed: At the beginning of the servants meeting, we prayed and asked God to please be with us in the meeting, but NOT ONE OF US asked Him for help with the 'bus problem'! God comes to the meeting, sits among us, and then we forget about Him for the rest of the meeting!!! I think that what we should have done is say to God, "God, we have 215 members that need a ride, but our bus only holds 200, please take care of it." I also think that if we had the faith of a mustard seed, we would have turned to Him first. In retrospect, I am glad to have learned that lesson. I believe God wants us to turn to Him first, and I'm making a huge effort to do so, both with little things and big things.
Juan & Christine:
MCDN, we love you!!! This is your official pity shout-out! :) Don't forget about the mission website!
Thanks to Bossa and Ginger, who rebuked us for not blogging in so long. We know you guys care :)
JC
Friday, October 10, 2008
Our Flat
This is our flat! Click on the image to see the full size. It's pretty sweet as you can see. The kitchen area is behind that counter you see in the middle. On the right side of the kitchen, you'll see our little stove and our propane tank. A little to the right of that is the sink. The door to the right is the bathroom. The next door is our bedroom (you can see our sweet mosquito net), then finally is our spare bedroom for when you come visit!
Pictures!
I've posted pictures of the Community Cleanup on Facebook :)
I've posted pictures of the Baby Elephant Visit on Facebook :)
I've posted pictures of the Market Preaching on Facebook :)
I've posted pictures of the Baby Elephant Visit on Facebook :)
I've posted pictures of the Market Preaching on Facebook :)
Prayer Requests?
A few people have asked us to pray for them. I thought there might be a bunch of people who would like the mission to pray for them. Send us a comment with just your name, or include a bit of detail if you like (eg Please pray for my health - Janet). I will gather all the prayer requests and gather all the missionaries to pray about them.
Can somebody tell Abouna Aghathon to check his stminayouth email? I sent him an email but he has not responded.
We'd like to give a few shout outs:
Carm, Jeju & Mikaela, we can't wait to see you guys! Give Mocushla a big hug and kiss for me on her birthday. I can't believe she's already 1!
Mom and dad, I miss you guys so much. I can't wait to see you again.
Bossa, thank you for diligently reading and commenting on the blog :) You are our biggest fan! And don't worry, Tina was the one taking all the pictures because she was too scared to touch the elephants.
Mamma & Daddy & George, love you guys and miss you so much! mama, don't worry too hard...or else there won't be anytime for you to send the recipes, just kidding :)
Miryam, thank you for reading the blog. I think you're the only one from Church that reads it :) Tell the other youth to get off their seats and read it too! Say hi to the gang. I miss them all a lot.
Manny, it was nice to chat with you the yesterday. I miss you dearly little bro. Please go with Nashi to Spanish mass on Sundays, ok?
Prab & Shawn, we miss you guys so much! Prab, I got your text and I'm sorry for not replying, it's been so busy! We will pray for you and for Taco Del Mar to be successful. Make sure you save us one or two tacos for when we come, I've totally been craving one ever since I got your text :)
Arezou, I haven't heard from you in a while! send me an email about you-know-what, you-know-when at the you-know-where (j/k) But seriously, I miss you so much, keep us updated!!
Laura Fam, if you're reading this, keep us updated on your plans and if you're coming! We're are all very excited here!
Tia, if you're reading this, please let Alicia know that we've distributed the stickers and kids stuff she gave us and they love here! It really makes them happy to play with things like that because some of them have never had or seen them before. Thank you!! We also love you and miss you and Jim and Abuela and Alex a lot, please pass on the message to them.
Winn & Ginger, thank you for all the help with the banking stuff. You guys rock! I love you and miss you and can't wait to see you guys again. Say hi to Vinny and Geoff and his family.
My TCPL boys, let me know what's new! How is that dang SCADA system? Say hi to Brian for me, he probably never reads this blog, that little whippersnapper :)
Juan & Christine
Can somebody tell Abouna Aghathon to check his stminayouth email? I sent him an email but he has not responded.
We'd like to give a few shout outs:
Carm, Jeju & Mikaela, we can't wait to see you guys! Give Mocushla a big hug and kiss for me on her birthday. I can't believe she's already 1!
Mom and dad, I miss you guys so much. I can't wait to see you again.
Bossa, thank you for diligently reading and commenting on the blog :) You are our biggest fan! And don't worry, Tina was the one taking all the pictures because she was too scared to touch the elephants.
Mamma & Daddy & George, love you guys and miss you so much! mama, don't worry too hard...or else there won't be anytime for you to send the recipes, just kidding :)
Miryam, thank you for reading the blog. I think you're the only one from Church that reads it :) Tell the other youth to get off their seats and read it too! Say hi to the gang. I miss them all a lot.
Manny, it was nice to chat with you the yesterday. I miss you dearly little bro. Please go with Nashi to Spanish mass on Sundays, ok?
Prab & Shawn, we miss you guys so much! Prab, I got your text and I'm sorry for not replying, it's been so busy! We will pray for you and for Taco Del Mar to be successful. Make sure you save us one or two tacos for when we come, I've totally been craving one ever since I got your text :)
Arezou, I haven't heard from you in a while! send me an email about you-know-what, you-know-when at the you-know-where (j/k) But seriously, I miss you so much, keep us updated!!
Laura Fam, if you're reading this, keep us updated on your plans and if you're coming! We're are all very excited here!
Tia, if you're reading this, please let Alicia know that we've distributed the stickers and kids stuff she gave us and they love here! It really makes them happy to play with things like that because some of them have never had or seen them before. Thank you!! We also love you and miss you and Jim and Abuela and Alex a lot, please pass on the message to them.
Winn & Ginger, thank you for all the help with the banking stuff. You guys rock! I love you and miss you and can't wait to see you guys again. Say hi to Vinny and Geoff and his family.
My TCPL boys, let me know what's new! How is that dang SCADA system? Say hi to Brian for me, he probably never reads this blog, that little whippersnapper :)
Juan & Christine
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Update - Oct 5
Hi everybody! I just managed to get an internet connection, so this will be a quick, spontaneous blog. Juan is back from Congo! Juan had an awesome time traveling with the Bishop. Juan likes to talk in the third person :) Congo was all about spiritual renewal and God was DEFINITELY with us. Miracles happened! It was awesome to see God at work with my own eyes. One night, a mosquito got trapped inside my mosquito net and I wanted to kill myself! But it was otherwise a great trip.
Traveling with the Bishop was great. His pockets are full of gifts for everyone. He has chocolate bars, crosses, rings, bracelets, etc. He sweet talks everybody and puts smiles on their faces. The Congo airport is chaos. It looks like an old bus station, and it's scary if you aren't familiar with it. There are no signs to tell you where to go, and no one speaks English, and you have to bribe everyone to get through. When the security boss saw the Bishop, he walked up to him and threw his arms around him and was so happy to see him. He allowed us to skip the line up to get our passports stamped and did all the passport work for us while we went to go get our bags. It was smoooooth as butter. While in Congo, the Bishop was trying to get his flight changed to return one day early. He asked me if I wanted to change my ticket as well or travel on my own. I told him I would rather travel with him. He told me that I might have to come back on my own because the early flight was already overbooked. I thought to myself 'Oh man, I am going to have to go through the Congo airport on my own!' I stressed out and secretly wished to not have to go without him. It occurred to me that this was a reflection of true spiritual life: Once you have walked holding the hand of God....once you have relied on Him completely and experienced His comfort and care, you dread going anywhere without Him, to the point that, if He's not going, you don't want to go either.
Our missionary team is now in a small village called Maseno, completing the documentary. The filmmakers are extremely nice people and they are not afraid to go to the poor areas with us. We have become good friends in a really short time. Christine shared something nice with me yesterday. All these amazing people we are meeting (the missionaries, the Bishop, the priests, the filmmakers, the mission staff), we would have never met any of them if it were not for Jesus. He is the one that we all know, and we have met each other through knowing Him.
Jenny has caught malaria and typhoid and was feeling really awful, but is thankfully now starting to recover.
Ok guys, get ready for this one. I am excited to share some good news. No, we are not pregnant. There is a young married couple here from the US called Mike and Sherry, whom we absolutely love. Sherry has really bad asthma and allergies and the combination makes it really tough for her to breathe, let alone be active. She uses her inhaler almost hourly. It's tough to witness and it breaks Mike's heart to see his beloved wife in this condition. He asked us to pray for Sherry. Without telling each other, Christine and I decided to fast and pray for Sherry, but when we saw that the other one started skipping meals, we knew what they were up to! We had recently studied the book of Esther, and she fasted and prayed for 3 days and God answered her prayers, so we thought we follow her example. So together we fasted and prayed. We decided not to eat or drink anything at all for 3 days. Our prayers intensified during the fast. I thought that I would be starved, but God really supported us. We asked God to focus His attention on us, to let His gaze rest on us, so that our prayers would be loud and clear to Him. We also taped two pieces of the shroud of Baba Kyrillos (our former Pope who was well known for doing miracles) to her lungs as well as anointing her with Honout (spices used to cover the relics of Saints) from Bishop Bishoy (one of our former Bishops who carried an old, helpless man up a mountain, and the old man turned out to be Jesus, and Jesus told him his body would never decay and it never has - it's still in Egypt and in tact - google this for more info). After 3 days, Sherry was feeling a better, but was not yet completely healed. I felt that God was sending us a message. He was telling us to be careful not to think that there is a guaranteed formula for accessing His power. So I fasted and prayed one more day. GOD GRANTED OUR PRAYERS! Sherry has been healed!!!!! She hasn't had to use her inhaler in a couple of weeks! She now walks to the grocery store and back (a one hour trip)! I remember the day Mike ran to our building and said 'God is good! Whatever you guys did worked! Thank you, I know you suffered for Sherry'. I was brought to tears. The fact that our mighty, awesome God listened to, accepted and answered our prayers is overwhelming. I want everyone to know that God's power is within our reach if only we ask for it with faith and love. He is truly listening and yearns for us to depend on Him only.
A special note to our brothers and sisters: Get ready, because He is coming into your lives. We are praying constantly for Jesus to make Himself present in your lives, for Him to throw His arms around you and never let go. Now you know for a fact that He listens to our prayers when they are made out of love. Don't be afraid. Having Him next to you is a huge relief - finally there is someone out there who cares deeply for you and loves you and yearns to help you. Be prepared. Your lives are about to change. We guarantee it :)
One more thing. Mike and Sherry told me that if I could perform a miracle, they would name their baby after me! Sherry is due in December and I think they are really going to name him Juan! Imagine, an Egyptian named Juan! I love it :)
Juan and Christine
Traveling with the Bishop was great. His pockets are full of gifts for everyone. He has chocolate bars, crosses, rings, bracelets, etc. He sweet talks everybody and puts smiles on their faces. The Congo airport is chaos. It looks like an old bus station, and it's scary if you aren't familiar with it. There are no signs to tell you where to go, and no one speaks English, and you have to bribe everyone to get through. When the security boss saw the Bishop, he walked up to him and threw his arms around him and was so happy to see him. He allowed us to skip the line up to get our passports stamped and did all the passport work for us while we went to go get our bags. It was smoooooth as butter. While in Congo, the Bishop was trying to get his flight changed to return one day early. He asked me if I wanted to change my ticket as well or travel on my own. I told him I would rather travel with him. He told me that I might have to come back on my own because the early flight was already overbooked. I thought to myself 'Oh man, I am going to have to go through the Congo airport on my own!' I stressed out and secretly wished to not have to go without him. It occurred to me that this was a reflection of true spiritual life: Once you have walked holding the hand of God....once you have relied on Him completely and experienced His comfort and care, you dread going anywhere without Him, to the point that, if He's not going, you don't want to go either.
Our missionary team is now in a small village called Maseno, completing the documentary. The filmmakers are extremely nice people and they are not afraid to go to the poor areas with us. We have become good friends in a really short time. Christine shared something nice with me yesterday. All these amazing people we are meeting (the missionaries, the Bishop, the priests, the filmmakers, the mission staff), we would have never met any of them if it were not for Jesus. He is the one that we all know, and we have met each other through knowing Him.
Jenny has caught malaria and typhoid and was feeling really awful, but is thankfully now starting to recover.
Ok guys, get ready for this one. I am excited to share some good news. No, we are not pregnant. There is a young married couple here from the US called Mike and Sherry, whom we absolutely love. Sherry has really bad asthma and allergies and the combination makes it really tough for her to breathe, let alone be active. She uses her inhaler almost hourly. It's tough to witness and it breaks Mike's heart to see his beloved wife in this condition. He asked us to pray for Sherry. Without telling each other, Christine and I decided to fast and pray for Sherry, but when we saw that the other one started skipping meals, we knew what they were up to! We had recently studied the book of Esther, and she fasted and prayed for 3 days and God answered her prayers, so we thought we follow her example. So together we fasted and prayed. We decided not to eat or drink anything at all for 3 days. Our prayers intensified during the fast. I thought that I would be starved, but God really supported us. We asked God to focus His attention on us, to let His gaze rest on us, so that our prayers would be loud and clear to Him. We also taped two pieces of the shroud of Baba Kyrillos (our former Pope who was well known for doing miracles) to her lungs as well as anointing her with Honout (spices used to cover the relics of Saints) from Bishop Bishoy (one of our former Bishops who carried an old, helpless man up a mountain, and the old man turned out to be Jesus, and Jesus told him his body would never decay and it never has - it's still in Egypt and in tact - google this for more info). After 3 days, Sherry was feeling a better, but was not yet completely healed. I felt that God was sending us a message. He was telling us to be careful not to think that there is a guaranteed formula for accessing His power. So I fasted and prayed one more day. GOD GRANTED OUR PRAYERS! Sherry has been healed!!!!! She hasn't had to use her inhaler in a couple of weeks! She now walks to the grocery store and back (a one hour trip)! I remember the day Mike ran to our building and said 'God is good! Whatever you guys did worked! Thank you, I know you suffered for Sherry'. I was brought to tears. The fact that our mighty, awesome God listened to, accepted and answered our prayers is overwhelming. I want everyone to know that God's power is within our reach if only we ask for it with faith and love. He is truly listening and yearns for us to depend on Him only.
A special note to our brothers and sisters: Get ready, because He is coming into your lives. We are praying constantly for Jesus to make Himself present in your lives, for Him to throw His arms around you and never let go. Now you know for a fact that He listens to our prayers when they are made out of love. Don't be afraid. Having Him next to you is a huge relief - finally there is someone out there who cares deeply for you and loves you and yearns to help you. Be prepared. Your lives are about to change. We guarantee it :)
One more thing. Mike and Sherry told me that if I could perform a miracle, they would name their baby after me! Sherry is due in December and I think they are really going to name him Juan! Imagine, an Egyptian named Juan! I love it :)
Juan and Christine
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Update - Sep 25
Hi all. First of all, I have been sleeping like a baby. Normally, this would be good news, except that I have been sleeping in Church, at prayer meetings, at a visitation, even at a funeral! I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a minor case of Typhoid. They started me on medication (7 days ago) and I feel back to normal now.
On Saturday, I am going to the Democratic Republic of Congo for a few days with the Bishop to visit our mission there. I wish Christine was coming with me, but the South African Broadcasting Company is coming to do a documentary on the mission and Christine wants to be on tv! Kidding, she is coordinating the show.
We participated in a cleanup of one of the slum areas that we visit called Lenana. When we got there in the morning, hardly any of the community members were there to help. We prayed for God to send us an army. Within an hour we had almost one hundred people helping us out! It was awesome! Expect pictures on Facebook soon. You’ll get to see the areas we visit.
Zara (Selina's sister) came to visit us and took us to see and play with baby elephants! It was so cool! I also got to touch a rhino! I was in heaven! Expect pictures on Facebook soon :)
The Bishop invited us to an overnight prayer session at this paradise retreat center called Brackenhurst. This was a first for us. We prayed all through the night for God to reveal his vision of the future of the mission to us. It was really nice, but we didn’t last very long. I think we only made it until 1:30am. Still, it was a great learning for us on how to hear God’s voice.
Incredibly, 2 landowners have donated land to the Church for new hospitals and Churches! This is totally exciting, as we get to be a part of the making of a new mission. It’s neat to see God at work On October 4th, we’re doing a medical campaign to one of the new lands.
Spiritually, things are getting way better here in the mission in Nairobi. We have gotten into a rhythm where we have quiet time in the mornings, sharing at 8:15am, then a mix of prayer meetings and Bible studies and song nights. Quiet time is beginning to feel like a necessity. We miss God when we don’t have our quiet time.
We are both praying constantly for our brothers and sisters. We pray that God touches your lives and showers you with His love. We dream of the day when we can get together to talk about our Father.
We had planned to go to Singapore shortly before Christmas, but the flight is really costly, so it might not happen. We long to visit Carm and Jeju and especially little Mocushla. Donations will be accepted.
Please comment on the blog and let us know how you are doing. God Bless.
On Saturday, I am going to the Democratic Republic of Congo for a few days with the Bishop to visit our mission there. I wish Christine was coming with me, but the South African Broadcasting Company is coming to do a documentary on the mission and Christine wants to be on tv! Kidding, she is coordinating the show.
We participated in a cleanup of one of the slum areas that we visit called Lenana. When we got there in the morning, hardly any of the community members were there to help. We prayed for God to send us an army. Within an hour we had almost one hundred people helping us out! It was awesome! Expect pictures on Facebook soon. You’ll get to see the areas we visit.
Zara (Selina's sister) came to visit us and took us to see and play with baby elephants! It was so cool! I also got to touch a rhino! I was in heaven! Expect pictures on Facebook soon :)
The Bishop invited us to an overnight prayer session at this paradise retreat center called Brackenhurst. This was a first for us. We prayed all through the night for God to reveal his vision of the future of the mission to us. It was really nice, but we didn’t last very long. I think we only made it until 1:30am. Still, it was a great learning for us on how to hear God’s voice.
Incredibly, 2 landowners have donated land to the Church for new hospitals and Churches! This is totally exciting, as we get to be a part of the making of a new mission. It’s neat to see God at work On October 4th, we’re doing a medical campaign to one of the new lands.
Spiritually, things are getting way better here in the mission in Nairobi. We have gotten into a rhythm where we have quiet time in the mornings, sharing at 8:15am, then a mix of prayer meetings and Bible studies and song nights. Quiet time is beginning to feel like a necessity. We miss God when we don’t have our quiet time.
We are both praying constantly for our brothers and sisters. We pray that God touches your lives and showers you with His love. We dream of the day when we can get together to talk about our Father.
We had planned to go to Singapore shortly before Christmas, but the flight is really costly, so it might not happen. We long to visit Carm and Jeju and especially little Mocushla. Donations will be accepted.
Please comment on the blog and let us know how you are doing. God Bless.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
More Pictures - Updated!
I've posted pictures of the Maseno, Kenya on Facebook :)
And I've posted pictures of the Musoma, Tanzania on Facebook :)
And I've posted pictures of the Musoma, Tanzania on Facebook :)
Update - Sept 10
We splurged. Hello comfortable missionary life! Hahaha. Man, I’ve been waking up every night to kill the annoying mosquitoes that buzz around our ears. It’s impossible to sleep. So we bought a mosquito net! Also, the bed sheets we have are about 30 years old and have never seen detergent, so we bought new sheets! Woo-hoo! Now we don’t dread going to bed and we sleep like babies. We also bought a nice set of cutlery to enhance our eating experience. We hung a picture on the wall as well. We are out of control!!! It’s interesting that these trivial things mean so much to us now. I’ve considered buying a water cooler and filling it with Coke.
The priest here in Nairobi is called Father Moses, I’ve written about him before. He has been here for about 10 years. 3 weeks ago, we were informed that God has called him to revive a Church in Long Island, New York. This has been really difficult for the Kenyans because he really is a father to them. At one of the good-bye dinners, each one of the youth stood up and told the story about how Father Moses found them in a hopeless state years ago, took them under his wing, taught them about our Father, and helped them to go to school and clean up their lives. Each one of them cried during their story telling. It will also be hard on Abouna’s family, who will remain here until the kids are finished the school year. God is really blessing the Church in New York by sending them Father Moses. Christine and I promised to visit him.
As a temporary measure, we have been sent a modern day Saint called Father Tadros Malaty. This man is a legend in the Church and has written many beautiful books. He has been here for a week and it has been such a pleasure and honour to listen to his teachings. He is the most loving man. He makes me think of St. Paul – all of his teachings and answers are centered around love. We are studying the book of Romans with him. Last Saturday, all the servants had a retreat, where he said something really sweet. He said that one day, he looked up at God and asked, ‘Why did you make all of this? Why did you create the world? Why did you create me? Weren’t you happy with the multitude of Angels and Archangels and the Cherubim and the Seraphim and the Incorporeal Creatures and all the other Heavenly Creatures?’ He asked us to imagine, from the point of view of the Heavenly Creatures, the day God began creating the world. How intrigued must they have been to see God creating this whole new world? They witnessed Him creating soil and birds and animals and trees and water and sky and stars. Surely they must have thought, ‘What is He doing? Are we going to go live there?’ And after watching Him create all these things, they saw Him create Adam. Father Tadros said that all of the Heavenly Creatures must have thought Adam was the MOST IMPORTANT AND HONORABLE AND SPECIAL creature ever because God had created the world and everything in it JUST FOR HIM. Take a minute to think about that.
Father Tadros wants us all to know that we are deeply loved by God. He warns against belittling ourselves. He asked us ‘Who is the happiest man on earth?’ He said that WE should be that man. We know our Father and we know that He loves us and that He is waiting for us to join Him and that He has a place prepared for us in His own house! Father Tadros speaks of the ‘end of days’ as if it were tomorrow and he looks forward to it with such sweet confidence, as if he knows he has fought the good fight. Wow! It is a blessing to know this man.
A girl named Jenny has joined us here in the mission (for approx. 1 year). She is from Chicago and is a spiritual giant. We are all having prayer meetings every night with the Bishop. It is obvious from his prayers that he believes that something major is coming. Never before has such an army of servants assembled in Nairobi. Usually, servants go straight to Maseno. He feels that God is building a great army here for a great purpose. We are constantly praying for God to reveal His plan to us. I can’t help but feel that I am a part of something special. Please pray for our mission, right now. Don’t wait to pray for us.
A special message to my little brother and big sister:
I miss you guys.
I love you guys so much.
I think about you every single day.
You are constantly in my prayers.
Please open you hearts to the sweetness of Christ.
He loves you guys so much more than you could ever imagine.
He is knocking at your door.
Let Him in.
God Bless,
Juan
The priest here in Nairobi is called Father Moses, I’ve written about him before. He has been here for about 10 years. 3 weeks ago, we were informed that God has called him to revive a Church in Long Island, New York. This has been really difficult for the Kenyans because he really is a father to them. At one of the good-bye dinners, each one of the youth stood up and told the story about how Father Moses found them in a hopeless state years ago, took them under his wing, taught them about our Father, and helped them to go to school and clean up their lives. Each one of them cried during their story telling. It will also be hard on Abouna’s family, who will remain here until the kids are finished the school year. God is really blessing the Church in New York by sending them Father Moses. Christine and I promised to visit him.
As a temporary measure, we have been sent a modern day Saint called Father Tadros Malaty. This man is a legend in the Church and has written many beautiful books. He has been here for a week and it has been such a pleasure and honour to listen to his teachings. He is the most loving man. He makes me think of St. Paul – all of his teachings and answers are centered around love. We are studying the book of Romans with him. Last Saturday, all the servants had a retreat, where he said something really sweet. He said that one day, he looked up at God and asked, ‘Why did you make all of this? Why did you create the world? Why did you create me? Weren’t you happy with the multitude of Angels and Archangels and the Cherubim and the Seraphim and the Incorporeal Creatures and all the other Heavenly Creatures?’ He asked us to imagine, from the point of view of the Heavenly Creatures, the day God began creating the world. How intrigued must they have been to see God creating this whole new world? They witnessed Him creating soil and birds and animals and trees and water and sky and stars. Surely they must have thought, ‘What is He doing? Are we going to go live there?’ And after watching Him create all these things, they saw Him create Adam. Father Tadros said that all of the Heavenly Creatures must have thought Adam was the MOST IMPORTANT AND HONORABLE AND SPECIAL creature ever because God had created the world and everything in it JUST FOR HIM. Take a minute to think about that.
Father Tadros wants us all to know that we are deeply loved by God. He warns against belittling ourselves. He asked us ‘Who is the happiest man on earth?’ He said that WE should be that man. We know our Father and we know that He loves us and that He is waiting for us to join Him and that He has a place prepared for us in His own house! Father Tadros speaks of the ‘end of days’ as if it were tomorrow and he looks forward to it with such sweet confidence, as if he knows he has fought the good fight. Wow! It is a blessing to know this man.
A girl named Jenny has joined us here in the mission (for approx. 1 year). She is from Chicago and is a spiritual giant. We are all having prayer meetings every night with the Bishop. It is obvious from his prayers that he believes that something major is coming. Never before has such an army of servants assembled in Nairobi. Usually, servants go straight to Maseno. He feels that God is building a great army here for a great purpose. We are constantly praying for God to reveal His plan to us. I can’t help but feel that I am a part of something special. Please pray for our mission, right now. Don’t wait to pray for us.
A special message to my little brother and big sister:
I miss you guys.
I love you guys so much.
I think about you every single day.
You are constantly in my prayers.
Please open you hearts to the sweetness of Christ.
He loves you guys so much more than you could ever imagine.
He is knocking at your door.
Let Him in.
God Bless,
Juan
Friday, September 5, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Update - Aug 30
Sorry for not blogging in a while! We got back from Tanzania 6 days ago. Tanzania is a conundrum. It is the least comfortable place to live (rodents, reptiles, scary guard dogs, mosquitoes, ants, bats etc) and the Tanzanians can be tough for the doctors to deal with. There are no ‘servants’ there. There are only 3 guys that work there, Michael (accounts), Fady (doctor) and Waseem (pharmacist), and the workload is so much that they don’t have time or energy for spiritual stuff like Bible studies or prayer meetings. And to top it all off, hardly any servants are sent to Tanzania, so the fellas a lonely. It takes a special person to survive there, and these three guys have been hand-chosen by God for this mission. They are the sweetest bunch of guys I have ever met. Each one of them is sweet as sugar and I am really glad we got to know them well. From day one, we would all have breakfast and lunch together. At night, we would have a prayer meeting with Bible study and songs, followed by dinner. We behaved as one unit and this helped our spiritual uplifting. After 5 days, we all formed a tight bond, and we were very sad to leave Tanzania because of them. Guys, if you are reading this, please know that you are loved by us and by God and that we will see you again, and I hope you are maintaining the prayer meetings :)
The priest there is a young Kenyan priest called Father Joshua. He is one year older than me and became a priest at around the time I became a deacon (~2.5y ago). He is an extremely sweet man and has this heavenly smile. He is the brother of one of the IT guys here in Nairobi. He is so cool – he doesn’t have a car, so he rides a bike around town! It was the first time I have ever seen a priest, in the black robe, riding a bike. Like the boys, I think God chose him specifically to serve there. He is the only priest in Tanzania and he has the charm needed in order to develop a relationship with the people.
During one of the prayer meetings, Abouna said the sweetest thing. He was talking about marriage. He said that even though it sounded silly, he truly believed that the wife was made from the rib of the husband. He looked at Christine and me and said that we were so perfectly matched, that the only explanation is that God took one of my ribs and made her.
Abouna has this old-school IBM laptop. I used to have one of these when I first went on-call at TransCanada. It is a big, heavy laptop and it runs Windows 95. He asked me to take a look at his laptop because every time he played music on it, the music would skip. He asked me if it had anything to do with memory. So I spent a few hours trying to increase the performance of this beast, only to eventually discover that the music skipping was due to a scratched-up cd! I am so smart, S M R T! I cleaned the cd with my shirt and saved the day! You know, I couldn’t even find ‘task manager’ in Windows 95 – did it exist back then?
The visitations in Tanzania have been my favourite so far. The people are very welcoming and there are lots of sweet children. The children are always happy to see muzungus (fobs). They are a bit shy at first and all it takes to get them to interact with us is for us to do something silly. I tried to make this one bunch of kids laugh by talking to this duck that was hanging around. I said to the duck, ‘habari’, which means ‘how are you’, and the duck turned around and took a dump! The kids loved it. Whenever we would walk by a bunch of kids, they would all start yelling ‘muzungu’. Eventually, I started calling every kid a muzungu. I would say ‘habari muzungu!’ to every kid, and they would just stand there, stunned and confused – it was payback baby!
On the last night in Tanzania, we had movie night. Abouna brought his kids and we all watched ‘Evan Almighty’ which is a comedy about Noah’s Ark. Ironically, part way through the movie, this monster rain storm began and took out the power to the complex. At first it was fun to see all the rain, but after half an hour of sitting in the dark, we got worried and started singing worship songs (mostly for the kids ;) During the singing, the power came back! Abouna said that God was waiting for His invitation to movie night :) Christine made this awesome chocolate cake with strawberry filling. That night was the last night of St. Mary’s fast, so we didn’t eat until midnight, and then we feasted on cake and ice-cream and coke! It was soooo good. I just want to add something cool I learned about fasting. One of the reasons we fast is to attract God’s attention. Abouna Elisha in Maseno put it best. He was talking about Easter time when all Christians fast. He said that when this happens, God looks down on the world and sees that things are not normal. He tells Archangel Micheal to go see that is going on. He tells Archangel Gabriel to go see why we are not eating. He tells angels to go take care of his children. He says this and that and points here and there. Heaven is shaken. This is what happens when you attract the attention of God.
Before we left, we talked to Abouna and encouraged him to start a spiritual schedule with the fellas. They are spiritually starving and really really need it. He thanked us for the advice and said he would be willing to do it. I hope it has already begun.
Tanzania exposed us to many creatures. If you don’t already know, Christine is deathly afraid of all insects, rodents and reptiles, but her perspective totally changed after Tanzania. Now when she sees a cockroach, she doesn’t freak out. She says that after living with rats, insects ain’t no thing but a chicken wing. I am grateful for this.
We are back in Nairobi now. We shared our experiences with the other servants and we have started to have ‘sharing time’ each morning, where we share what we got out of quiet time. This has totally motivated all of us to do quiet time and it’s been a great way to start each day. I think that Nairobi is as much spiritual warfare as Tanzania. In Nairobi, the amount of administration work we do takes us away from spiritual activities and we have to fight for it. The devil is clever and will use anything at his disposal to separate us from God. I discovered something interesting in Tanzania: When we were in Canada, the devil used ‘comfort’ to drive us away from God, and in Africa he is using ‘discomfort’ to do the same thing. Let us all be wise to his wiles and put on the full armour of God to protect ourselves. Let us ask God for spiritual laser eye surgery, that we may continually see everything through the eyes of God and not through the eyes of the world. Finally, let us ask God to Christify us (I came up with that word), that we may be imitators of God, that we may act like Him, sound like Him, look like Him, walk like Him and love like Him.
God Bless.
The priest there is a young Kenyan priest called Father Joshua. He is one year older than me and became a priest at around the time I became a deacon (~2.5y ago). He is an extremely sweet man and has this heavenly smile. He is the brother of one of the IT guys here in Nairobi. He is so cool – he doesn’t have a car, so he rides a bike around town! It was the first time I have ever seen a priest, in the black robe, riding a bike. Like the boys, I think God chose him specifically to serve there. He is the only priest in Tanzania and he has the charm needed in order to develop a relationship with the people.
During one of the prayer meetings, Abouna said the sweetest thing. He was talking about marriage. He said that even though it sounded silly, he truly believed that the wife was made from the rib of the husband. He looked at Christine and me and said that we were so perfectly matched, that the only explanation is that God took one of my ribs and made her.
Abouna has this old-school IBM laptop. I used to have one of these when I first went on-call at TransCanada. It is a big, heavy laptop and it runs Windows 95. He asked me to take a look at his laptop because every time he played music on it, the music would skip. He asked me if it had anything to do with memory. So I spent a few hours trying to increase the performance of this beast, only to eventually discover that the music skipping was due to a scratched-up cd! I am so smart, S M R T! I cleaned the cd with my shirt and saved the day! You know, I couldn’t even find ‘task manager’ in Windows 95 – did it exist back then?
The visitations in Tanzania have been my favourite so far. The people are very welcoming and there are lots of sweet children. The children are always happy to see muzungus (fobs). They are a bit shy at first and all it takes to get them to interact with us is for us to do something silly. I tried to make this one bunch of kids laugh by talking to this duck that was hanging around. I said to the duck, ‘habari’, which means ‘how are you’, and the duck turned around and took a dump! The kids loved it. Whenever we would walk by a bunch of kids, they would all start yelling ‘muzungu’. Eventually, I started calling every kid a muzungu. I would say ‘habari muzungu!’ to every kid, and they would just stand there, stunned and confused – it was payback baby!
On the last night in Tanzania, we had movie night. Abouna brought his kids and we all watched ‘Evan Almighty’ which is a comedy about Noah’s Ark. Ironically, part way through the movie, this monster rain storm began and took out the power to the complex. At first it was fun to see all the rain, but after half an hour of sitting in the dark, we got worried and started singing worship songs (mostly for the kids ;) During the singing, the power came back! Abouna said that God was waiting for His invitation to movie night :) Christine made this awesome chocolate cake with strawberry filling. That night was the last night of St. Mary’s fast, so we didn’t eat until midnight, and then we feasted on cake and ice-cream and coke! It was soooo good. I just want to add something cool I learned about fasting. One of the reasons we fast is to attract God’s attention. Abouna Elisha in Maseno put it best. He was talking about Easter time when all Christians fast. He said that when this happens, God looks down on the world and sees that things are not normal. He tells Archangel Micheal to go see that is going on. He tells Archangel Gabriel to go see why we are not eating. He tells angels to go take care of his children. He says this and that and points here and there. Heaven is shaken. This is what happens when you attract the attention of God.
Before we left, we talked to Abouna and encouraged him to start a spiritual schedule with the fellas. They are spiritually starving and really really need it. He thanked us for the advice and said he would be willing to do it. I hope it has already begun.
Tanzania exposed us to many creatures. If you don’t already know, Christine is deathly afraid of all insects, rodents and reptiles, but her perspective totally changed after Tanzania. Now when she sees a cockroach, she doesn’t freak out. She says that after living with rats, insects ain’t no thing but a chicken wing. I am grateful for this.
We are back in Nairobi now. We shared our experiences with the other servants and we have started to have ‘sharing time’ each morning, where we share what we got out of quiet time. This has totally motivated all of us to do quiet time and it’s been a great way to start each day. I think that Nairobi is as much spiritual warfare as Tanzania. In Nairobi, the amount of administration work we do takes us away from spiritual activities and we have to fight for it. The devil is clever and will use anything at his disposal to separate us from God. I discovered something interesting in Tanzania: When we were in Canada, the devil used ‘comfort’ to drive us away from God, and in Africa he is using ‘discomfort’ to do the same thing. Let us all be wise to his wiles and put on the full armour of God to protect ourselves. Let us ask God for spiritual laser eye surgery, that we may continually see everything through the eyes of God and not through the eyes of the world. Finally, let us ask God to Christify us (I came up with that word), that we may be imitators of God, that we may act like Him, sound like Him, look like Him, walk like Him and love like Him.
God Bless.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Update - Aug 22
Aug 16
We've been in Maseno, Kenya for a week, and it's been great. This is a small village, so visitations are done during the day. Most people are farmers and are happy to take time during the day to share with us. There is a spiritual structure here that doesn't exist in the compound in Nairobi. Here, there is quiet time every morning from 6:30 to 7:30, then we all come together in the Chapel to discuss what we got out of quiet time, and to praise our Father and to pray. Then we eat, then we do visitations. Then there is another quiet time in the evening and we all come together again at 7:30pm to share and do a Bible study with Abouna. We just finished the book of Esther, which was very cool. I had never read it before - check it out. It shows that God can change any situation and that the faith of just one person can save many. Today was a particularly fun. In the morning (at 6:00am) we climbed up the mountain that is just outside the compound. The view is beautiful from the top of the mountain, especially at sunrise. Then we came back to play games with the orphans who come visit us every week, then we went to visit the street kids – to feed them physically and spiritually. Then all the servants went to Lake Victoria (the source of the Nile) to have a nice dinner. We saw the sunset there, and again the view was spectacular. We were unfortunately late for Bible study, so we prayed in the car for Abouna not to be mad, and he wasn’t J I took a bunch of photos today that I’ll post on Facebook when I get back to Nairobi because there is no Internet here.
We have become good friends with the servants in Maseno. There are 4 girls here from Egypt and they are so nice. Each one of them is so sweet in their own way. I am glad we got to know them. The doctors and pharmacists here are a fun bunch as well.
On Monday, we are going to Tanzania, where we’ll stay for about 5 days, then it’s back to Nairobi. I’d love to take the spiritual structure from Maseno and start it in Nairobi. Nairobi needs it desperately, because currently, it’s very hospital-focused.
A new guy arrived today in Maseno. His name is Shibu, and he’s Indian Orthodox, from the same place where my brother Jeju is from! Imagine that! He seems like a cool guy.
It’s been really nice to have so much time to dedicate to my Father. I keep asking Him to change me. I am still quite lazy and I need His help and your prayers. There are dark parts of me that I continually ask Him to get rid of. It shames me incredibly when I ask Him to be my janitor L Can you imagine that? It’s like asking God to get down on his hands and knees and clean my dirty floor. I cry when I ask Him to do this for me, but the crazy thing is that He Is Willing to do this! What kind of love is this? I don’t understand it, but I am grateful for it. More than anything, I need to change into a good soldier for His army so I can fight the good fight. Please Father, hear and accept my prayers.
Aug 20
Tanzania has been more ‘interesting’ than Kenya so far. We had some adventures. First of all, getting across the border was a learning experience. At the Kenyan border, you have to give a ‘leaving the country’ form and leave your car’s log book (it’s like the registration) there so that you can’t sell your can in Tanzania. Thanks to God, things went pretty smoothly. One of the only glitches was that the car insurance had expired, so we had to purchase some. Also, some bribes helped.
So Christine, Nevine and myself are staying in the same building. We share a kitchen and bathroom. This morning, we were supposed to go have quiet time at the lake at 6:00am. Nevine woke up early to make tea. She knocked on our door to wake us up, but we kept on sleeping. Then, not a minute later, we heard a loud scream coming from the kitchen and we jumped out of bed to go help. There was a rat in the kitchen! Nevine and Christine ‘hid’ in the hallway and sent me in to get rid of the rat, as if I had any clue how to do that. Nevine told Christine that rats hate noise, so they began banging on door and walls and stomping their feet. I went to the kitchen and got a broom and started banging on things to see where it was. I managed to scare it into running towards the door, but it hid behind some boxes near the door. Then I came up with a genius plan. I used a couple of long benches turned on their side as walls to guide it out the door after I was going to scare it out from behind the boxes. So I put the benches into position, used the broom to scare it, and the little bugger ran in between the two benches, past me, and straight into the hallway where Christine and Nevine were! As you can imagine, their noise making turned into loud, continuous screaming. I ran to help, but by the time I got there, the rat had crawled under a door to another room, and we used a blanket to seal the bottom of the door so it couldn’t come back. That was my first rat encounter. I found him to be a most worthy adversary.
After that encounter, we went and had quiet time by the lake. There was a tour group there, and the group had Canadians! They were from Lethbridge and Vancouver. It was nice to chat with them. The lake is beautiful. There was a multitude of bird species at the shore.
The compound here has a Chapel where we had a Bible study last night. We could hear lots of high-pitched sounds. We thought they were rats, but it turns out there is a bunch of bats that live in the ceiling, and the floor of the Chapel near the Altar was covered in bat droppings. I had a good chuckle at this because just the day before I was asking God to clean the dirty floor of my heart and I told Him that I would gladly clean the floor of His house, so of course I volunteered to clean the Chapel (and yes I volunteered Christine too). We spent the afternoon cleaning up the Chapel. We swept up all the droppings, took all the carpets outside and gave them a good beating, mopped the floor and then put the carpets back. It was SO symbolic – We have a bunch of crap in our hearts that we need God to clean.
We went on house visitations at 4:00pm to a nearby part of the village. God totally spoke through us and I was really proud of Christine. She spoke with insight and authority. Usually she is shy and doesn’t want to share the Word of God, but today she really impressed me. As we were walking back to the compound, we were both saying that we ask God to help us deliver His words, and He does! We just sit there, mouth open, thinking ‘DUH, what am I going to say next?’, and then beautiful and meaningful words come out. And we don’t remember half the things that come out of our mouths. It’s very cool.
God Bless.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Off to Tanzania!
We're going to visit our mission in Tanzania! Our friend Nevine has to go take care of business there so we're tagging along :) The plan is to leave tomorrow, stay a couple days in our other mission in another city in Kenya called Maseno, and then go to to Tanzania. Both places are said to be extremely beautiful. We'll be out of the big city and into the small villages, so this will be new for us. Today we went to the store to buy mosquito nets and repellent and such. The pharmacy here gave us malaria medicine.
The mission is hosting a soccer tournament for all the areas in town. Yesterday was the first day and the turnout was huge. The games take place every weekend in August. Having all the people gathered together gives us the opportunity to let them know that their Heavenly Father is with them and no matter how bleak things may seem, He has a wonderful plan for each of them. The day was hot. My neck is really sunburnt ;) How ironic that I had to come to Kenya to become a redneck (somebody tell Rick, he'll be proud) :) We met a muzungu (white) family that has been doing missions here for 20 years! The beginning of their story was much like ours. They raised 3 children here and love it. They said that they had many questions/worries about raising children here, but God has provided everything for them.
I met a hispanic couple here in compound! Woo-hoo! It was nice to hear my name pronounced properly :) Julio and Angelica have been here for 9 years....preaching the word of God to muslims! Whoah, what courage! Julio has studied the koran and has a very gentle approach. He told me that only 2% of missionaries teach muslims, so he felt that they were neglected and has dedicated his life to this particular cause. Father Moses is letting him use one of the rooms in our compound for his teaching. He is also teaching wood-working to the poor so Father Moses let him have our spare lumber. What a nice guy :)
Today's mass was really nice. The choir went on a singing rampage! They sang with so much love and will. Everyone was dancing, including the deacons and Father Moses! It was just awesome. I recorded it on camera of course.
Marc & Claudine, how are you and the little ones? I pray that you are well and staying strong in God.
Mom and dad, make a comment or two or three. I love hearing from you :)
That's all for now. God Bless.
The mission is hosting a soccer tournament for all the areas in town. Yesterday was the first day and the turnout was huge. The games take place every weekend in August. Having all the people gathered together gives us the opportunity to let them know that their Heavenly Father is with them and no matter how bleak things may seem, He has a wonderful plan for each of them. The day was hot. My neck is really sunburnt ;) How ironic that I had to come to Kenya to become a redneck (somebody tell Rick, he'll be proud) :) We met a muzungu (white) family that has been doing missions here for 20 years! The beginning of their story was much like ours. They raised 3 children here and love it. They said that they had many questions/worries about raising children here, but God has provided everything for them.
I met a hispanic couple here in compound! Woo-hoo! It was nice to hear my name pronounced properly :) Julio and Angelica have been here for 9 years....preaching the word of God to muslims! Whoah, what courage! Julio has studied the koran and has a very gentle approach. He told me that only 2% of missionaries teach muslims, so he felt that they were neglected and has dedicated his life to this particular cause. Father Moses is letting him use one of the rooms in our compound for his teaching. He is also teaching wood-working to the poor so Father Moses let him have our spare lumber. What a nice guy :)
Today's mass was really nice. The choir went on a singing rampage! They sang with so much love and will. Everyone was dancing, including the deacons and Father Moses! It was just awesome. I recorded it on camera of course.
Marc & Claudine, how are you and the little ones? I pray that you are well and staying strong in God.
Mom and dad, make a comment or two or three. I love hearing from you :)
That's all for now. God Bless.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Update - Aug 6 - Part II
Juan:
I just wanted to share with you something I read that really made go 'Wow'. It is the story of one of the Coptic Saints named Philopater Mercurius, aka Abu Safein.
He was the leader of an army. Before one particular battle, the Angel of God appeared to him and gave him a sword and told him he would have victory with it, and he did, and from then on he became a believer. Unfortunately, his king, who was his friend, hated Christians. So when the king was unable to get to worship idols, he had him tortured severly and repeatedly. Each torture he endured with faith. Every night, he would be imprisoned, and the Angel of God would come and heal his wounds. When the king saw that Mercurius would not yield and that he was miraculously healed every night, he sentenced him to death, because many were becoming believers because of Mercurius. Mercurius said to the king that he had power over his body, but not over his soul. So the story goes...
...arriving at the spot of execution, the Saint asked to be left for a while to pray. While praying, a great light shone and HE SAW THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, in glory together with His archangels and angels, in front of Him. The Lord Jesus, with sweet gentless, addressed him saying:
"Peace be to you, my beloved Mercurius.
Your prayers and pleadings have ascended before me as good incense.
Come and rest with me in my Kingdom, for you have struggled well and kept your faith and finished your course.
Come now to receive the crown of glory which has been appointed to you.
You were sincere and testified to My Name before kings and princes regardless of sufferings.
I will let your name be known in every part of the world and great miracles will be performed in Churches that bear your name.
Whoever writes down the story of your testimony and suffering, I will write his name in the book of eternal life.
He who prepares your body for burial on earth, I will give him a celestial body on the day of judgement.
Whoever builds a Church dedicated to your name, I will make him abide in the Heavenly new Jeruslaem. I will let Michael the archangel be a keeper forever over the Churches that bear your name and keeper over all who come to it on the day of your commemoration to listen to the story of your suffering and take your blessings. I tell you Mercurius, I will endow on them mercy and forgiveness and accept your pleas for them. And he who makes offerings (bread, wine, incense or candles) on the day of your commemoration, I will forgive him for all his sins.
Whoever cares to make a feast for the poor on the day of your commemoration, I will make him deserve to attend in my heavenly feast.
I will save whoever calls me in your name from all his suffering.
To every barren woman who asks me in your name, I will give children and to every woman in labour of birth who asks me in your name, I will relieve her quickly.
Whoever gives your name for his child, I will bless, keep and preserve him all the days of his life on earth."
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First, it's amazing that he saw Jesus! Then to hear Him call him His beloved!! Then, to hear Jesus PRAISE him!? Oh man. Wow. Can you imagine Jesus praising your name like that?
I just wanted to share with you something I read that really made go 'Wow'. It is the story of one of the Coptic Saints named Philopater Mercurius, aka Abu Safein.
He was the leader of an army. Before one particular battle, the Angel of God appeared to him and gave him a sword and told him he would have victory with it, and he did, and from then on he became a believer. Unfortunately, his king, who was his friend, hated Christians. So when the king was unable to get to worship idols, he had him tortured severly and repeatedly. Each torture he endured with faith. Every night, he would be imprisoned, and the Angel of God would come and heal his wounds. When the king saw that Mercurius would not yield and that he was miraculously healed every night, he sentenced him to death, because many were becoming believers because of Mercurius. Mercurius said to the king that he had power over his body, but not over his soul. So the story goes...
...arriving at the spot of execution, the Saint asked to be left for a while to pray. While praying, a great light shone and HE SAW THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, in glory together with His archangels and angels, in front of Him. The Lord Jesus, with sweet gentless, addressed him saying:
"Peace be to you, my beloved Mercurius.
Your prayers and pleadings have ascended before me as good incense.
Come and rest with me in my Kingdom, for you have struggled well and kept your faith and finished your course.
Come now to receive the crown of glory which has been appointed to you.
You were sincere and testified to My Name before kings and princes regardless of sufferings.
I will let your name be known in every part of the world and great miracles will be performed in Churches that bear your name.
Whoever writes down the story of your testimony and suffering, I will write his name in the book of eternal life.
He who prepares your body for burial on earth, I will give him a celestial body on the day of judgement.
Whoever builds a Church dedicated to your name, I will make him abide in the Heavenly new Jeruslaem. I will let Michael the archangel be a keeper forever over the Churches that bear your name and keeper over all who come to it on the day of your commemoration to listen to the story of your suffering and take your blessings. I tell you Mercurius, I will endow on them mercy and forgiveness and accept your pleas for them. And he who makes offerings (bread, wine, incense or candles) on the day of your commemoration, I will forgive him for all his sins.
Whoever cares to make a feast for the poor on the day of your commemoration, I will make him deserve to attend in my heavenly feast.
I will save whoever calls me in your name from all his suffering.
To every barren woman who asks me in your name, I will give children and to every woman in labour of birth who asks me in your name, I will relieve her quickly.
Whoever gives your name for his child, I will bless, keep and preserve him all the days of his life on earth."
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First, it's amazing that he saw Jesus! Then to hear Him call him His beloved!! Then, to hear Jesus PRAISE him!? Oh man. Wow. Can you imagine Jesus praising your name like that?
Update - Aug 6
Juan:
Hi all! Things are getting so much better here. I had this idea in my head that all the servants shared most of their time together – eating, praying, movies, games, Bible study, etc. But this is not the way it is unfortunately. I expressed to the group that we need to start thinking of each other as family and doing things together. Apparently all the servants are feeling this way, so we’ve started it by having dinner at each one’s house 3 or 4 times a week. Also, we’re going to start movie nights on Sundays. The Bishop wants us to start dreaming of new ideas so as to not let the mission go stale. We brainstormed a couple days ago and here’s what we’ve come up with so far:
· Make a slideshow of the children and show it to the children once a month – it’s always fun to see yourself on the big screen
· Visit the sick that are in our hospitals here in the compound – actually I did this today and LOVED it. I did some magic tricks and some robot which made them laugh. Also, I told them I’d be back everyday and read them some stories from the Bible or just listen to them or play them some guitar. They seemed so happy to have a visitor.
· Make a ‘welcome to the world basket’ for every baby born in our hospital
· Make daytime visitations to the slums and spend time with the street kids who aren’t in school and don’t have a job – currently all our visitations are after 5 because we wait for people to come home from work
· Have washings daily for the poor – wash their hands, feet and face
· Once a month, give clean socks and underwear to the street kids
We went to visit Lenana on Monday. I have become friends with one of the boys there. His name is Joseph. He is 25 years old and a super nice guy. He came over to our house last Thursday and taught us some Swahili Christian songs. He even gave me a picture of himself so I would always remember him. By the way, these Kenyans really know how to sing. I mean SING, with all their hearts and voices and hands. It moves me. The Church comes alive when it’s time to sing.
Christine and I went to the grocery store near to us called Uchumi. Along the way, a poor man asked us to buy him a few things at Uchumi. His name is Wilfred. He came with us and wanted to load up with all the goodies, but we had to control him. It was a bit unsettling because he seemed to want to take advantage of us, but in the end, all was fine and I gave him a hug and he went on his way.
We had a really nice Bible study today with Abouna Moses. He spoke about those who honor Christ with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. He was referring to anything we do for God. For example, if we are in Church and we’re saying responses like ‘Lord have mercy’, but in the back of our minds we’re thinking what we’re going to eat for lunch, this is bad. Another example was communion. In the Orhtodox Church, you have to attend the Bible reading in order to receive communion. He said he really doesn’t like it when someone says to him ‘I missed the Bible reading today, but can I have communion?’ because that says to him that they don’t understand communion – they only know the rules. He said to us that if we really believe that if we make it to Church in time for the Bible reading, then we are ready to receive Christ, then we are the next generation of pharisees. Why? Because we are abusing the traditions, turning them into black and white rules, and removing the spirituality out of them. Let us all be careful not to do anything Holy without having our hearts prepared. He said that the goal of doing anything Holy is to MEET GOD. You can do all the prayers, all the quiet time, all the Church, all the communion, but if you don’t MEET GOD, it’s pointless. I asked him how we meet God. He gave an example. He said that when Christine and I were first getting to know each other, and we had a date, would I not prepare for it? Dress nice, some cologne, comb my hair, maybe even a shower, you know, look hot. He gave another example – say you had to be at the embassy tomorrow at 6:00am to renew your visa, you would probably get up at 4:30am to get ready to go. Why? Because you NEED it. He encouraged us all to prepare our hearts before we receive anything Holy. The Bishop said something similar a couple days ago in our servants meeting. He said that if we, as servants, don’t seek God and pray and read our Bible all week, then please don’t teach Sunday school or share at visitations. He warns us not to merely blab the word God, but to sing it so that others believe that you believe what you are saying. He also spoke about us being weak, which we are, but he said that only a fool would look at the little he has and believe it. We always have to put the little we have before God, offer it to Him, and he will complement it, and make it great.
Bobby, thx for commenting bud. I was glad to hear from you. I can’t believe the JDC is still up. Mike, let me know if I have to start up the BFMC again :) Thanks for writing guys. Mike, thanks for liking my stable joke – no one likes that one. I don’t know why – it’s GOLD!
Miryam, thanks for reading our blog! I can’t believe you read the whole thing – it’s getting pretty long. Congrats on being the first Church member to comment on the blog – you rock sister. Please keep us in your prayers. How are the youth doing? How is Rebecca? Give her a kiss for us.
Carm, have you given any thought to Zanzibar?
Bossa, thank you for all your comments and for reading our blog. You’re our most loyal customer. Miss u lots.
Nadine! thanks for reading and commenting and liking my jokes. You have a terrific sense of humor :) Congrats on the engagement! That's awesome! How did he propose? Mexico is the way to go! Please keep us in your prayers :)
God bless you all.
Hi all! Things are getting so much better here. I had this idea in my head that all the servants shared most of their time together – eating, praying, movies, games, Bible study, etc. But this is not the way it is unfortunately. I expressed to the group that we need to start thinking of each other as family and doing things together. Apparently all the servants are feeling this way, so we’ve started it by having dinner at each one’s house 3 or 4 times a week. Also, we’re going to start movie nights on Sundays. The Bishop wants us to start dreaming of new ideas so as to not let the mission go stale. We brainstormed a couple days ago and here’s what we’ve come up with so far:
· Make a slideshow of the children and show it to the children once a month – it’s always fun to see yourself on the big screen
· Visit the sick that are in our hospitals here in the compound – actually I did this today and LOVED it. I did some magic tricks and some robot which made them laugh. Also, I told them I’d be back everyday and read them some stories from the Bible or just listen to them or play them some guitar. They seemed so happy to have a visitor.
· Make a ‘welcome to the world basket’ for every baby born in our hospital
· Make daytime visitations to the slums and spend time with the street kids who aren’t in school and don’t have a job – currently all our visitations are after 5 because we wait for people to come home from work
· Have washings daily for the poor – wash their hands, feet and face
· Once a month, give clean socks and underwear to the street kids
We went to visit Lenana on Monday. I have become friends with one of the boys there. His name is Joseph. He is 25 years old and a super nice guy. He came over to our house last Thursday and taught us some Swahili Christian songs. He even gave me a picture of himself so I would always remember him. By the way, these Kenyans really know how to sing. I mean SING, with all their hearts and voices and hands. It moves me. The Church comes alive when it’s time to sing.
Christine and I went to the grocery store near to us called Uchumi. Along the way, a poor man asked us to buy him a few things at Uchumi. His name is Wilfred. He came with us and wanted to load up with all the goodies, but we had to control him. It was a bit unsettling because he seemed to want to take advantage of us, but in the end, all was fine and I gave him a hug and he went on his way.
We had a really nice Bible study today with Abouna Moses. He spoke about those who honor Christ with their lips, but their hearts are far from him. He was referring to anything we do for God. For example, if we are in Church and we’re saying responses like ‘Lord have mercy’, but in the back of our minds we’re thinking what we’re going to eat for lunch, this is bad. Another example was communion. In the Orhtodox Church, you have to attend the Bible reading in order to receive communion. He said he really doesn’t like it when someone says to him ‘I missed the Bible reading today, but can I have communion?’ because that says to him that they don’t understand communion – they only know the rules. He said to us that if we really believe that if we make it to Church in time for the Bible reading, then we are ready to receive Christ, then we are the next generation of pharisees. Why? Because we are abusing the traditions, turning them into black and white rules, and removing the spirituality out of them. Let us all be careful not to do anything Holy without having our hearts prepared. He said that the goal of doing anything Holy is to MEET GOD. You can do all the prayers, all the quiet time, all the Church, all the communion, but if you don’t MEET GOD, it’s pointless. I asked him how we meet God. He gave an example. He said that when Christine and I were first getting to know each other, and we had a date, would I not prepare for it? Dress nice, some cologne, comb my hair, maybe even a shower, you know, look hot. He gave another example – say you had to be at the embassy tomorrow at 6:00am to renew your visa, you would probably get up at 4:30am to get ready to go. Why? Because you NEED it. He encouraged us all to prepare our hearts before we receive anything Holy. The Bishop said something similar a couple days ago in our servants meeting. He said that if we, as servants, don’t seek God and pray and read our Bible all week, then please don’t teach Sunday school or share at visitations. He warns us not to merely blab the word God, but to sing it so that others believe that you believe what you are saying. He also spoke about us being weak, which we are, but he said that only a fool would look at the little he has and believe it. We always have to put the little we have before God, offer it to Him, and he will complement it, and make it great.
Bobby, thx for commenting bud. I was glad to hear from you. I can’t believe the JDC is still up. Mike, let me know if I have to start up the BFMC again :) Thanks for writing guys. Mike, thanks for liking my stable joke – no one likes that one. I don’t know why – it’s GOLD!
Miryam, thanks for reading our blog! I can’t believe you read the whole thing – it’s getting pretty long. Congrats on being the first Church member to comment on the blog – you rock sister. Please keep us in your prayers. How are the youth doing? How is Rebecca? Give her a kiss for us.
Carm, have you given any thought to Zanzibar?
Bossa, thank you for all your comments and for reading our blog. You’re our most loyal customer. Miss u lots.
Nadine! thanks for reading and commenting and liking my jokes. You have a terrific sense of humor :) Congrats on the engagement! That's awesome! How did he propose? Mexico is the way to go! Please keep us in your prayers :)
God bless you all.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Update - Aug 2
Aug 2
Juan:
Hi everyone! Sorry for not blogging for a while! Ok, lots to share. First, remember that project that the Bishop thought that Christine and I would be perfect for? Well we went to go see the other compound. It's a 2 minute drive from this compound and it's really cute and small. I have drawn a Visio schematic of it. Sorry for not uploading pictures to Facebook. Our internet connection is really really slow and unstable. How unstable is it Juan? It's SO UNSTABLE.......you couldn't put a horse in it!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh yeah! I still got it baby! Currently, the compound is being rented to a company that houses refugees, but the contract is ending within the next few months, so we're making preparations to make it a center for street kids and stuff. I am actually quite excited about the project. I thought I'd be more afraid.
With God's help, we have had success with the IT improvements. I discovered what was slowing down the Linux server and fixed it. We tested all the network switches, replaced a buggy patch panel and reclipped one of the main network wires. It's been fun learning about network stuff. I have been assigned to oversee the IT department and enforce standards. I spend the mornings at IT and the rest of the day doing service, so it's a nice balance. The IT guys are cool.
Yesterday, at 4am, we had an awesome private mass with the Bishop. It wasn't really private, but since no one wanted to wake up that early, only 7 people showed up, so it seemed private. It was so cool. It was really quiet and we used only 3 or 4 candles for light. Truth be told, I didn't want to wake up that early, but Christine really wanted to go, and I'm so glad she pulled me out of bed becuase it was the most beautiful mass I've ever been to. When he gave the sermon, we all sat together on floor and listened. Bishop Paul is so sweet. Despite his high position in the Church, he loves to laugh tease every one of us. Sometimes I find myself forgetting he's a Bishop and poking fun at him and asking him to give me high-fives. The other servants are a-Paul-ed by my behaviour :) Anyways, later on that day, he said he really liked having me at the early morning liturgy, especially my snoring (he was joking of course).
Our friends Tamer and Sherry had their baby last night! Woo-hoo! Her name is Angelina. She's super cute. We had real scare this morning though. At about 3am, Sherry went into emergency surgery due to post-delivery complications. She lost about 3 litres of blood. All of the servants (who were awake) gave blood to save her. During her surgery, Sherry said that she could SEE Pope Kyrolos (our former Pope who is a Saint) beside her bed. She also felt the hand of Christ opening up her throat when she couldn't breathe. Amazing. She is doing well today.
I am struggling getting up early enough for quiet time. I only manage to do it once a week :( I had quiet time this morning and admitted to my Heavenly Father that I am not good at quiet time. In fact I told him I think I might be the worst at it. Then I told him that seeing as how it is written "whoever is first shall be last and whoever is last shall be first", then it stands to reason that "whoever is worst shall be best", right Father? I think He got a good chuckle out of that :)
I made a really good friend here. His name is Peter and he's a lot like me (so sad, I know). He was in Nigeria for 3 weeks, and just got back here 3 days ago, and is leaving tonight :( He is from Chicago and says he is having trouble deciding whether to serve here or in the US. I hope he comes back.
The two Kenyan servants, David and Brian, and I have become really good friends. I love those two crazy kids.
Yesterday, we went to the slums to visit our friend Beatrice and her two kids. I took a matatu (bus) for the first time. It was cool. It cost 20 shillings (about 30 Canadian cents). The matatu is a busted up minivan with a mega sound system. The driver was blasting hip-hop music. We brought food for Beatrice and her 3 kids. When we got to her house, she was not there and the youngest one was crying. We tried to console him, but he only stopped crying when I offered him a cookie. The visitation was nice. I showed one of them a 'disappearing coin' magic trick. He quickly figured out the trick and then stole my coin. I guess he showed me a 'disappearing coin' trick :) At the end of the visitation, we all said a prayer for Beatrice and her family. I was the last to pray. During my prayer, Peter started snoring aloud. I tried hard to control my laughter, but couldn't, so I just said Amen, and then everyone burst into laughter. It was hilarious. We woke Peter up and he was so embarrased. But the Lord works in mysterious ways - this was the first time we had ever seen Beatrice laugh out loud.
Manny, thanks for commenting on the blog. I miss you bro. Your comment was funny. Sorry to hear about your trip being cancelled. Nashi is learning to drive, on the beemer? That sounds about as foolish as learning how to drive standard on a brand new car (haha). Say hi to Nashi.
Shawn, how is the Subaru? How is the CEHM system doing?
Can someone from St Mina Church comment on the blog? I'd like to know how you all are.
Carm, the weather is getting better. We don't need anything except your prayers. How is my little Mocushla doing? Say hi to Jeju. Want to take a trip to Zanzibar? We'll need to get out of Kenya in October or January.
My TransCanada crew:how are you? How is the SCADA system? I hope the new hires are making the job easier. Anything new and/or exciting? Bobby, why haven't you commented on the blog? I thought we was tight yo :) Cynthia, thanks for reading the blog and thinking about us :) Rick, any NEW jokes? I need some for the kids. If you read the blog, please make a comment, even to say hi - it means more than you know.
Mom and Dad. I was showing my friends pictures of our trip to Nanaimo. They thought Nanaimo was beautiful. I miss you. Please comment on the blog and tell me how you are doing.
Tia, how are you doing? I haven't heard from you in a while. Please let me know how you are. How is abuela? Say hi to Jim.
Alex, I'll try to post some pictures. The trouble is that it isn't easy to take pictures of the slums because the people are very sensitive to their condition, and I'll probably get my camera stolen. How are you doing?
Uncle Said, thanks for the blond joke. According to your comment, you probably won't read this, so I am typing in vain.
That's all for now. Take care of each other. God Bless.
Juan:
Hi everyone! Sorry for not blogging for a while! Ok, lots to share. First, remember that project that the Bishop thought that Christine and I would be perfect for? Well we went to go see the other compound. It's a 2 minute drive from this compound and it's really cute and small. I have drawn a Visio schematic of it. Sorry for not uploading pictures to Facebook. Our internet connection is really really slow and unstable. How unstable is it Juan? It's SO UNSTABLE.......you couldn't put a horse in it!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh yeah! I still got it baby! Currently, the compound is being rented to a company that houses refugees, but the contract is ending within the next few months, so we're making preparations to make it a center for street kids and stuff. I am actually quite excited about the project. I thought I'd be more afraid.
With God's help, we have had success with the IT improvements. I discovered what was slowing down the Linux server and fixed it. We tested all the network switches, replaced a buggy patch panel and reclipped one of the main network wires. It's been fun learning about network stuff. I have been assigned to oversee the IT department and enforce standards. I spend the mornings at IT and the rest of the day doing service, so it's a nice balance. The IT guys are cool.
Yesterday, at 4am, we had an awesome private mass with the Bishop. It wasn't really private, but since no one wanted to wake up that early, only 7 people showed up, so it seemed private. It was so cool. It was really quiet and we used only 3 or 4 candles for light. Truth be told, I didn't want to wake up that early, but Christine really wanted to go, and I'm so glad she pulled me out of bed becuase it was the most beautiful mass I've ever been to. When he gave the sermon, we all sat together on floor and listened. Bishop Paul is so sweet. Despite his high position in the Church, he loves to laugh tease every one of us. Sometimes I find myself forgetting he's a Bishop and poking fun at him and asking him to give me high-fives. The other servants are a-Paul-ed by my behaviour :) Anyways, later on that day, he said he really liked having me at the early morning liturgy, especially my snoring (he was joking of course).
Our friends Tamer and Sherry had their baby last night! Woo-hoo! Her name is Angelina. She's super cute. We had real scare this morning though. At about 3am, Sherry went into emergency surgery due to post-delivery complications. She lost about 3 litres of blood. All of the servants (who were awake) gave blood to save her. During her surgery, Sherry said that she could SEE Pope Kyrolos (our former Pope who is a Saint) beside her bed. She also felt the hand of Christ opening up her throat when she couldn't breathe. Amazing. She is doing well today.
I am struggling getting up early enough for quiet time. I only manage to do it once a week :( I had quiet time this morning and admitted to my Heavenly Father that I am not good at quiet time. In fact I told him I think I might be the worst at it. Then I told him that seeing as how it is written "whoever is first shall be last and whoever is last shall be first", then it stands to reason that "whoever is worst shall be best", right Father? I think He got a good chuckle out of that :)
I made a really good friend here. His name is Peter and he's a lot like me (so sad, I know). He was in Nigeria for 3 weeks, and just got back here 3 days ago, and is leaving tonight :( He is from Chicago and says he is having trouble deciding whether to serve here or in the US. I hope he comes back.
The two Kenyan servants, David and Brian, and I have become really good friends. I love those two crazy kids.
Yesterday, we went to the slums to visit our friend Beatrice and her two kids. I took a matatu (bus) for the first time. It was cool. It cost 20 shillings (about 30 Canadian cents). The matatu is a busted up minivan with a mega sound system. The driver was blasting hip-hop music. We brought food for Beatrice and her 3 kids. When we got to her house, she was not there and the youngest one was crying. We tried to console him, but he only stopped crying when I offered him a cookie. The visitation was nice. I showed one of them a 'disappearing coin' magic trick. He quickly figured out the trick and then stole my coin. I guess he showed me a 'disappearing coin' trick :) At the end of the visitation, we all said a prayer for Beatrice and her family. I was the last to pray. During my prayer, Peter started snoring aloud. I tried hard to control my laughter, but couldn't, so I just said Amen, and then everyone burst into laughter. It was hilarious. We woke Peter up and he was so embarrased. But the Lord works in mysterious ways - this was the first time we had ever seen Beatrice laugh out loud.
Manny, thanks for commenting on the blog. I miss you bro. Your comment was funny. Sorry to hear about your trip being cancelled. Nashi is learning to drive, on the beemer? That sounds about as foolish as learning how to drive standard on a brand new car (haha). Say hi to Nashi.
Shawn, how is the Subaru? How is the CEHM system doing?
Can someone from St Mina Church comment on the blog? I'd like to know how you all are.
Carm, the weather is getting better. We don't need anything except your prayers. How is my little Mocushla doing? Say hi to Jeju. Want to take a trip to Zanzibar? We'll need to get out of Kenya in October or January.
My TransCanada crew:how are you? How is the SCADA system? I hope the new hires are making the job easier. Anything new and/or exciting? Bobby, why haven't you commented on the blog? I thought we was tight yo :) Cynthia, thanks for reading the blog and thinking about us :) Rick, any NEW jokes? I need some for the kids. If you read the blog, please make a comment, even to say hi - it means more than you know.
Mom and Dad. I was showing my friends pictures of our trip to Nanaimo. They thought Nanaimo was beautiful. I miss you. Please comment on the blog and tell me how you are doing.
Tia, how are you doing? I haven't heard from you in a while. Please let me know how you are. How is abuela? Say hi to Jim.
Alex, I'll try to post some pictures. The trouble is that it isn't easy to take pictures of the slums because the people are very sensitive to their condition, and I'll probably get my camera stolen. How are you doing?
Uncle Said, thanks for the blond joke. According to your comment, you probably won't read this, so I am typing in vain.
That's all for now. Take care of each other. God Bless.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Update - July 29
july 27
juan:
Most of the servants went on a retreat this Friday and Saturday. We couldn't go because we are helping to resolve network/internet lag issues, which is fun stuff. This entire week has been focused computer stuff because John is going back to Egypt on Monday. We have set up a mail server for the compound, which they are excited about because up till now, a lot of things have been done by word of mouth. We have been going to bed quite late and even keeping some of the kenyans here late, which I have been told is not cool :)
Today, as we were all hanging out together, one of our servants fainted. Apparently, she suffers from hypertension and has contracted typhoid as well. Immediately all of the servants ran to her aid. The doctors and pharmacists tended to her, checking her blood pressure and taking blood samples to the lab. The bishop and Abouna, together with all the servants spent the evening with her, joking around and making sure she felt loved. It was awesome to see how the servant family takes care of its own.
Quiet time was nice today. I am reading Ephesians, from start to finish, and it is Beautiful.
Dad, thank you for calling me today. You don't know how much it meant to me. It was so nice to hear your voice. I am glad you and mom are doing well. Say hi to Sue and Grant. I was telling dad that I think Christine and I are the worst servants that ever lived. I have told this to Abouna many times. He said that he always waits a couple of months for a new servant to adjust and Wake Up, and after that, serving will be the will of the person, not a set of tasks. We both really need God to change us. This is what we pray for the most. Please pray for us for this reason. More than our own safety, we need to change, to be like Christ. This is what matters most.
One thing that scares me is the corrput police check stops. At night, there are these police check stops where the police pull you over, especially if you are a muzungu (white or foreigner), and make up any reason for you to give them money. They all have machine guns. It is very unsettling, but it seems you get used to it.
Last night, our friends Tamer and Sherry took us out to eat Indian food for dinner. It was really good. We ate chicken in special masala and garlic naan.....mmmmmmmm.
Vinny, thanks for the Linux tips. They helped me out.
Carm, we have a mailing address: Ngong Road, Between Kindaruma Lane & Rose Avenue. P.O. Box 21570, Nairobi. We heard there can be customs issues with mail, so don't send me an envelope full of cash :) Give Mocushla and Jeju a kiss for Christine and me.
Manny, did you get the beemer yet? Could you be a dove and comment on the blog or send me an email? I love you bro.
I saw pictures on Facebook of the Calgary youth with MarClaudine and the kids. It was nice to see you guys. How are you doing? If any of you guys read the blog, please write us a comment :)
I'll post pictures on Facebook soon. We don't go to bed until around midnight everyday, so I'm just too tired, but I'll find time.
Lastly, please know that God is taking care of us here. I pray that you are all doing well. God Bless.
July 28
Christine:
We have had some very interesting couple of days at the mission lately. Yesterday morning, we went to Mass and I had communion and it was just awesome! The bishop didn't attend the mass because he went with a kenyan priest to go visit and bless a bunch of coptic churches outside Nairobi. After communion, Juan went to help with some more IT stuff and I went with our new friend Neveen to her apartment to make us some breakfast. We made some very tasty eggs and sausages - my first since we left Canada! After breakfast, we started watching an old arabic movie on the computer at which time Lydia also joined us. It was alot of fun to hang out with the girls and watch a movies. While watching the movie, Lydia got a phone call from the bishop telling her to go make pasta because he's bringing a goat with him for everyone to eat!! My first thoughts were....A GOAT?? A LIVE GOAT???? and indeed it was! So we met up with Mickey and Sherry and we all started cooking a big tub of pasta for about 30 people. We later found out that the bishop (sayedna as we call him in arabic) apparently was given a goat as a present from one of the churches he visited. But knowing that one goat won't be enough for everyone at the compound, he drove around for another hour or two going from one shephard to the next asking if they can buy another goat. God as always was with him and they managed to return to the compound, 2 hours late, with 2 goats and a chicken...all alive and kicking! The goats were just trasported in the trunck of the van...one of the servants that went with sayedna got very acquainted with them. Anyways, once they arrived, all the boys took the goats to the back and killed them. Magdy, thank God, knew how to butcher and skin the goat so he was managing the entire procedure...I asked him how he learned to do that but he just laughed...I figured it's probably best if I don't know so I didn't ask any more questions. By then, it was already the evening so we decided that we'd save the goats for the next day so we went for dinner. While at dinner, Tante Mona (she's awesome!) came to ask who wanted to help her clean the goats after they were skinned. THANK GOD me and Juan got out of it or else I think we would be puking for the next week. She managed to capture 2 guys from LA to go help her (and I mean capture!). So today, we went to prayer meeting and then to dinner. At the end of prayer meeting, sayedna finished talking and then he said "Yalla, lets go eat goats!" So we all flock to the Center where we have dinner and they bring out 3 different types of goat; barbequed, in a tomato sauce and the third in a garic sauce. They also made fata (an egyptian dish). It was pretty good, it tasted like beef! And that's the end of our famous goat story.
Also, today we went on visitations to Lanana. It was the best visitation I've had yet. We went to get people from their houses but they didn't really want us to go in to their homes and they just said they're busy now but they'll come later. Lucy said that most of these ladies don't have a job and need the money for their children so they sell liquor out of their homes (which is why they didn't want us to go in). Anyways, she didn't think they were coming.
So we gathered in an open area on the grass with the few that came and started singing. It was awesome! everyone was so in to their singing and a guy came and started dancing in the middle which made more and more people want to come.
The children started moving towards the music and laughter so by the time we were done, we were all standing, clapping, dancing and singing our hearts out. Even though it was all in Swahili, I'm starting to pick up some stuff so I sang a little too. I loved it. There were at least 30 people there listening with us to the word of God. Lucy shared today and people started giving testimonials afterwards. It was really great, I can't wait till next week when we go to Lanana again.
juan:
Most of the servants went on a retreat this Friday and Saturday. We couldn't go because we are helping to resolve network/internet lag issues, which is fun stuff. This entire week has been focused computer stuff because John is going back to Egypt on Monday. We have set up a mail server for the compound, which they are excited about because up till now, a lot of things have been done by word of mouth. We have been going to bed quite late and even keeping some of the kenyans here late, which I have been told is not cool :)
Today, as we were all hanging out together, one of our servants fainted. Apparently, she suffers from hypertension and has contracted typhoid as well. Immediately all of the servants ran to her aid. The doctors and pharmacists tended to her, checking her blood pressure and taking blood samples to the lab. The bishop and Abouna, together with all the servants spent the evening with her, joking around and making sure she felt loved. It was awesome to see how the servant family takes care of its own.
Quiet time was nice today. I am reading Ephesians, from start to finish, and it is Beautiful.
Dad, thank you for calling me today. You don't know how much it meant to me. It was so nice to hear your voice. I am glad you and mom are doing well. Say hi to Sue and Grant. I was telling dad that I think Christine and I are the worst servants that ever lived. I have told this to Abouna many times. He said that he always waits a couple of months for a new servant to adjust and Wake Up, and after that, serving will be the will of the person, not a set of tasks. We both really need God to change us. This is what we pray for the most. Please pray for us for this reason. More than our own safety, we need to change, to be like Christ. This is what matters most.
One thing that scares me is the corrput police check stops. At night, there are these police check stops where the police pull you over, especially if you are a muzungu (white or foreigner), and make up any reason for you to give them money. They all have machine guns. It is very unsettling, but it seems you get used to it.
Last night, our friends Tamer and Sherry took us out to eat Indian food for dinner. It was really good. We ate chicken in special masala and garlic naan.....mmmmmmmm.
Vinny, thanks for the Linux tips. They helped me out.
Carm, we have a mailing address: Ngong Road, Between Kindaruma Lane & Rose Avenue. P.O. Box 21570, Nairobi. We heard there can be customs issues with mail, so don't send me an envelope full of cash :) Give Mocushla and Jeju a kiss for Christine and me.
Manny, did you get the beemer yet? Could you be a dove and comment on the blog or send me an email? I love you bro.
I saw pictures on Facebook of the Calgary youth with MarClaudine and the kids. It was nice to see you guys. How are you doing? If any of you guys read the blog, please write us a comment :)
I'll post pictures on Facebook soon. We don't go to bed until around midnight everyday, so I'm just too tired, but I'll find time.
Lastly, please know that God is taking care of us here. I pray that you are all doing well. God Bless.
July 28
Christine:
We have had some very interesting couple of days at the mission lately. Yesterday morning, we went to Mass and I had communion and it was just awesome! The bishop didn't attend the mass because he went with a kenyan priest to go visit and bless a bunch of coptic churches outside Nairobi. After communion, Juan went to help with some more IT stuff and I went with our new friend Neveen to her apartment to make us some breakfast. We made some very tasty eggs and sausages - my first since we left Canada! After breakfast, we started watching an old arabic movie on the computer at which time Lydia also joined us. It was alot of fun to hang out with the girls and watch a movies. While watching the movie, Lydia got a phone call from the bishop telling her to go make pasta because he's bringing a goat with him for everyone to eat!! My first thoughts were....A GOAT?? A LIVE GOAT???? and indeed it was! So we met up with Mickey and Sherry and we all started cooking a big tub of pasta for about 30 people. We later found out that the bishop (sayedna as we call him in arabic) apparently was given a goat as a present from one of the churches he visited. But knowing that one goat won't be enough for everyone at the compound, he drove around for another hour or two going from one shephard to the next asking if they can buy another goat. God as always was with him and they managed to return to the compound, 2 hours late, with 2 goats and a chicken...all alive and kicking! The goats were just trasported in the trunck of the van...one of the servants that went with sayedna got very acquainted with them. Anyways, once they arrived, all the boys took the goats to the back and killed them. Magdy, thank God, knew how to butcher and skin the goat so he was managing the entire procedure...I asked him how he learned to do that but he just laughed...I figured it's probably best if I don't know so I didn't ask any more questions. By then, it was already the evening so we decided that we'd save the goats for the next day so we went for dinner. While at dinner, Tante Mona (she's awesome!) came to ask who wanted to help her clean the goats after they were skinned. THANK GOD me and Juan got out of it or else I think we would be puking for the next week. She managed to capture 2 guys from LA to go help her (and I mean capture!). So today, we went to prayer meeting and then to dinner. At the end of prayer meeting, sayedna finished talking and then he said "Yalla, lets go eat goats!" So we all flock to the Center where we have dinner and they bring out 3 different types of goat; barbequed, in a tomato sauce and the third in a garic sauce. They also made fata (an egyptian dish). It was pretty good, it tasted like beef! And that's the end of our famous goat story.
Also, today we went on visitations to Lanana. It was the best visitation I've had yet. We went to get people from their houses but they didn't really want us to go in to their homes and they just said they're busy now but they'll come later. Lucy said that most of these ladies don't have a job and need the money for their children so they sell liquor out of their homes (which is why they didn't want us to go in). Anyways, she didn't think they were coming.
So we gathered in an open area on the grass with the few that came and started singing. It was awesome! everyone was so in to their singing and a guy came and started dancing in the middle which made more and more people want to come.
The children started moving towards the music and laughter so by the time we were done, we were all standing, clapping, dancing and singing our hearts out. Even though it was all in Swahili, I'm starting to pick up some stuff so I sang a little too. I loved it. There were at least 30 people there listening with us to the word of God. Lucy shared today and people started giving testimonials afterwards. It was really great, I can't wait till next week when we go to Lanana again.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Update - July 23
july 23
juan:
Hi guys, get ready for a geeky blog entry! The past few days have been very busy. The Bishop got word that I know the UNIX O/S and appointed me the 'LINUX EXPERT', which is a laugh. They are running Linux Fidora 9, because hey, it's free. The hospital keeps most of its records manually on spreadsheets (a real pain). A couple of years ago, they contracted a local software company to create a hosptial administration system for them, but it is not in production due to bugs and also due to a needed linux upgrade. Needless to say, everyone has been waiting for this to go into production, but the expertise here is limited. So last night, the software company, the IT team, as well as a Godsend named John from Egypt and Christine and myself were upgrading linux and installing the new version of the software. It was challenging, but it was fun and we all learned a lot. We were up until 3am and successfully completed the job. We rock! John is very skilled at building networks, so he is going to teach us and help us improve the existing network because it's crazy slow. He is also going to setup an Exchange email server so that the compound can have internal mail, another much needed tool. I can't wait to learn all these new things. Geek alert!
Their linux system is quite neat. There is one server, and everyone has these 'thin clients' which are the size of a typical router and are nothing more that mouse, keyboard and monitor ports to interface with the linux terminal server. So everyone shares the server. I've heard a lot of complaints that the system is slow. I have been monitoring the system and have found processes that typically take 100% of the CPU and remain indefinitely. I have written some scripts to manage this and hope to find or turn on some kind of system monitoring tools. The IT team doesn't know linux very well. They have struggled to support it. Hopefully I can teach them a few things to help them out.
On the missionary side of things, we are getting more and more comfortable here. I am beginning to enjoy the visitations more and more. I like yapping about my beloved friend Jesus. Quiet time is a struggle. I still find I'm half asleep during it, but I expect it to get better. The cooks here are amazing. Every meal is delicious.
One of the guys has found out that I brought an international driver's license. I had no real intention of using it. He wants me to start to drive, which scares me a lot because the traffic here is crazy, there are no rules, you have to be a bit aggressive (which I'm not), you drive on the other side of the car and on the other side of the road. I expressed my cowardice and hope they don't make me do it. The reason they want me to get comfortable driving is that they recently lost a driver (how irresponsible) and need a replacement. This is for driving the group to do
visitations. We'll see. I have a real gift for avoiding work :)
Vinny, your comment was hilarious bro! It made my day. You have a heart of gold my friend.
Winn, we don't have our own internet connection, so skype is difficult. Best to keep our converstations in email or blog form. We thought we would have internet, but we don't. We have to walk to a nearby internet cafe or use one of the computers in the lab. Thanks for your comment bud. Keep them coming :)
We really appreciate your blog comments. Please continue to write them. We miss you all. Keep us in your prayers, as we keep you in ours.
Please pray for a lady name Beatrice, who is struggling to feed herself and her children. God Bless.
juan:
Hi guys, get ready for a geeky blog entry! The past few days have been very busy. The Bishop got word that I know the UNIX O/S and appointed me the 'LINUX EXPERT', which is a laugh. They are running Linux Fidora 9, because hey, it's free. The hospital keeps most of its records manually on spreadsheets (a real pain). A couple of years ago, they contracted a local software company to create a hosptial administration system for them, but it is not in production due to bugs and also due to a needed linux upgrade. Needless to say, everyone has been waiting for this to go into production, but the expertise here is limited. So last night, the software company, the IT team, as well as a Godsend named John from Egypt and Christine and myself were upgrading linux and installing the new version of the software. It was challenging, but it was fun and we all learned a lot. We were up until 3am and successfully completed the job. We rock! John is very skilled at building networks, so he is going to teach us and help us improve the existing network because it's crazy slow. He is also going to setup an Exchange email server so that the compound can have internal mail, another much needed tool. I can't wait to learn all these new things. Geek alert!
Their linux system is quite neat. There is one server, and everyone has these 'thin clients' which are the size of a typical router and are nothing more that mouse, keyboard and monitor ports to interface with the linux terminal server. So everyone shares the server. I've heard a lot of complaints that the system is slow. I have been monitoring the system and have found processes that typically take 100% of the CPU and remain indefinitely. I have written some scripts to manage this and hope to find or turn on some kind of system monitoring tools. The IT team doesn't know linux very well. They have struggled to support it. Hopefully I can teach them a few things to help them out.
On the missionary side of things, we are getting more and more comfortable here. I am beginning to enjoy the visitations more and more. I like yapping about my beloved friend Jesus. Quiet time is a struggle. I still find I'm half asleep during it, but I expect it to get better. The cooks here are amazing. Every meal is delicious.
One of the guys has found out that I brought an international driver's license. I had no real intention of using it. He wants me to start to drive, which scares me a lot because the traffic here is crazy, there are no rules, you have to be a bit aggressive (which I'm not), you drive on the other side of the car and on the other side of the road. I expressed my cowardice and hope they don't make me do it. The reason they want me to get comfortable driving is that they recently lost a driver (how irresponsible) and need a replacement. This is for driving the group to do
visitations. We'll see. I have a real gift for avoiding work :)
Vinny, your comment was hilarious bro! It made my day. You have a heart of gold my friend.
Winn, we don't have our own internet connection, so skype is difficult. Best to keep our converstations in email or blog form. We thought we would have internet, but we don't. We have to walk to a nearby internet cafe or use one of the computers in the lab. Thanks for your comment bud. Keep them coming :)
We really appreciate your blog comments. Please continue to write them. We miss you all. Keep us in your prayers, as we keep you in ours.
Please pray for a lady name Beatrice, who is struggling to feed herself and her children. God Bless.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Update - July 20
juan:
Mom and dad, thank you for the phone call. Even though it was hard to hear each other's voices, I felt your love. I love you both so much and miss you and can't wait to see you again. To comment on a blog entry, click on the comment link below the blog entry.
Carm, thank you for posting pictures of Mocushla :) She is adoreable. Please show her a picture of us everyday so she doesn't forget us:) Jeju, I miss you bro.
Manny and Nashi, how are you? Please comment on this blog and let me know how you are. I love you and miss you both :)
Tia, thank you for your concern. We are fine and God is protecting us. How are you? Give Jim a hug for us please.
Alex, how are you buddy? I can't believe grandma hit me with a chicken bone! How is your job? May God protect you, as you are doing His work.
Abuelita, como estas? Espero que todo esta bien. Nosotros tambien estamos bien. Dios nos esta protejendo. Te amo mucho, mi querida abuelita.
Mike Lee, I miss you bro. Thanks for commenting on the blog. I can't believe you're getting paid $100K at work to read our blog :)
Bobby, how are you? say hi to Tammy. I miss you also, you are dear to me. Please write us a comment :)
My beloved oriental family Winger, Vinny, Geoff, Glorious and Brianna. I hope that all is well you guys. I will miss the camping trip this year. Can someone please moon Geoff in my abscense? Christine asks you to eat lots of bacon :)
Mina Rostom, thank you for your prayers :) We will keep you in ours.
Today we had mass in the morning and after that we went with some of the doctors and pharmacists to a bbq at a place called Paradise Lost. It's a nice place with a lake and waterfalls and some cool caves. There are also camels walking around freely and some ostriches that are in an enclosure. The gang brought 10 KG of meat - pork, goat and lamb, of which I thought goat was the best, and it was my first time trying it. We were stuffed by the end. I didn't think it was humanly possible to eat so much food, but these Egyptians are opening my eyes to new levels of glutony. By the end, some of the guys were so full that they behaved as if they were intoxicated, mumbling and stumbling. We had a great time.
A guy named Ramy had a new baby boy, Martin, so we had a celebration for him.
In the late evening, we all met with the bishop. He was very passionate about not becoming a stagnant mission. He sees that we have become al little too comfortable in our activities and he wants us to be a ever-changing mission. Currently, the mission in Nairobi is mostly a medical mission, with a handful of servants like us reaching out to the people. He wants now for us to reach the prostitues and the homeless and the street kids and the drug addicts. Actually, it's quite funny. I don't know if you know, but Christine and I got rid of all our stuff in Canada BEFORE we contacted the mission. Once we were ready, we then contacted the bishop and told him that we were on our way! We didn't ask if he needed us, we more or less invited ourselves! He was saying that when he heard this, he was like, 'Oh no, what am I going to do with these two?!'. So he prayed a lot about us, asking God what to do. God kept telling him that he should use us to start a new service in a new building that tends to the needy - prostitues, homeless etc (ahem, MC, interested to come help us?). He said that somehow he knew that we were very loving people and that we would be well suited for this purpose. He said that when he looks at us, he sees Christine as the loving mother and me as the funny father, and this is what is needed to love people. He says that these people want to feel loved. So Christine and I will pray very hard about this, as it is both exciting and scary. He also said that even though he was worried about what he would do with us, he really liked the fact that we came here of our own will and didn't have to be asked. He says he knows a lot of servants that he thinks would be great additions to the mission, but he has to beg and plead with them to come, and this is not the way it should be. Doing the work of God should be in our hearts, and we should be voluntarily ready at any time.
So please pray for us, as we know we are the most useless and lazy missionaries that ever lived. Even today, when we were at the bbq, we were supposed to be at some youth meetings! We are the worst and we need God to change us.
We tried quiet time this morning for the first time. Christine really liked it. I have to admit I was sleepy and kept falling asleep during it, but it will get better with time. For those who are interested, here is the guide to successful quiet time with God, of which the goal is to meet Him.
It's important to note that it's not an appointment you set up with Him. Instead, it is an appointment He has set up, and you show up to it. He longs to be with you and talk to you and for you to know Him. Wake up a half hour earlier to start your day with Him.
Mom and dad, thank you for the phone call. Even though it was hard to hear each other's voices, I felt your love. I love you both so much and miss you and can't wait to see you again. To comment on a blog entry, click on the comment link below the blog entry.
Carm, thank you for posting pictures of Mocushla :) She is adoreable. Please show her a picture of us everyday so she doesn't forget us:) Jeju, I miss you bro.
Manny and Nashi, how are you? Please comment on this blog and let me know how you are. I love you and miss you both :)
Tia, thank you for your concern. We are fine and God is protecting us. How are you? Give Jim a hug for us please.
Alex, how are you buddy? I can't believe grandma hit me with a chicken bone! How is your job? May God protect you, as you are doing His work.
Abuelita, como estas? Espero que todo esta bien. Nosotros tambien estamos bien. Dios nos esta protejendo. Te amo mucho, mi querida abuelita.
Mike Lee, I miss you bro. Thanks for commenting on the blog. I can't believe you're getting paid $100K at work to read our blog :)
Bobby, how are you? say hi to Tammy. I miss you also, you are dear to me. Please write us a comment :)
My beloved oriental family Winger, Vinny, Geoff, Glorious and Brianna. I hope that all is well you guys. I will miss the camping trip this year. Can someone please moon Geoff in my abscense? Christine asks you to eat lots of bacon :)
Mina Rostom, thank you for your prayers :) We will keep you in ours.
Today we had mass in the morning and after that we went with some of the doctors and pharmacists to a bbq at a place called Paradise Lost. It's a nice place with a lake and waterfalls and some cool caves. There are also camels walking around freely and some ostriches that are in an enclosure. The gang brought 10 KG of meat - pork, goat and lamb, of which I thought goat was the best, and it was my first time trying it. We were stuffed by the end. I didn't think it was humanly possible to eat so much food, but these Egyptians are opening my eyes to new levels of glutony. By the end, some of the guys were so full that they behaved as if they were intoxicated, mumbling and stumbling. We had a great time.
A guy named Ramy had a new baby boy, Martin, so we had a celebration for him.
In the late evening, we all met with the bishop. He was very passionate about not becoming a stagnant mission. He sees that we have become al little too comfortable in our activities and he wants us to be a ever-changing mission. Currently, the mission in Nairobi is mostly a medical mission, with a handful of servants like us reaching out to the people. He wants now for us to reach the prostitues and the homeless and the street kids and the drug addicts. Actually, it's quite funny. I don't know if you know, but Christine and I got rid of all our stuff in Canada BEFORE we contacted the mission. Once we were ready, we then contacted the bishop and told him that we were on our way! We didn't ask if he needed us, we more or less invited ourselves! He was saying that when he heard this, he was like, 'Oh no, what am I going to do with these two?!'. So he prayed a lot about us, asking God what to do. God kept telling him that he should use us to start a new service in a new building that tends to the needy - prostitues, homeless etc (ahem, MC, interested to come help us?). He said that somehow he knew that we were very loving people and that we would be well suited for this purpose. He said that when he looks at us, he sees Christine as the loving mother and me as the funny father, and this is what is needed to love people. He says that these people want to feel loved. So Christine and I will pray very hard about this, as it is both exciting and scary. He also said that even though he was worried about what he would do with us, he really liked the fact that we came here of our own will and didn't have to be asked. He says he knows a lot of servants that he thinks would be great additions to the mission, but he has to beg and plead with them to come, and this is not the way it should be. Doing the work of God should be in our hearts, and we should be voluntarily ready at any time.
So please pray for us, as we know we are the most useless and lazy missionaries that ever lived. Even today, when we were at the bbq, we were supposed to be at some youth meetings! We are the worst and we need God to change us.
We tried quiet time this morning for the first time. Christine really liked it. I have to admit I was sleepy and kept falling asleep during it, but it will get better with time. For those who are interested, here is the guide to successful quiet time with God, of which the goal is to meet Him.
It's important to note that it's not an appointment you set up with Him. Instead, it is an appointment He has set up, and you show up to it. He longs to be with you and talk to you and for you to know Him. Wake up a half hour earlier to start your day with Him.
1. Clear your mind of everything. This is difficult, as we all have lots on our mind. This takes about 3 minutes.
2. Thank Him. He has given you much, even His own Spirit and even His own life.
3. Praise Him. He is all that matters and all that is good.
4. Confess to Him. Recognize that you need His help and ask Him to change you.
5. Ask Him. Whatever you need, He can supply. 'Ask and it shall be given to you' Luke 11:9
6. Clear your mind again.
7. Read the Bible. Follow a quiet time guide or just pick any book out of the Bible and read it from beginning to end, not necessarily in one day of course! Ask God: 'What are you trying to tell me?'. Meet Him in that passage.
Christine:
I just wanted to say that we miss everyone very much, please keep your news coming, we love hearing all about you guys back home.
Mom and Dad, I miss you guys lots, hope you have a good trip back to Calgary and make sure to call us when you get there...hope the jetlag doesn't cause too many problems :) Also don't forget about Cirque de Soliel, let me know how you like it.
George, I hope you're liking Toronto and your new condo. Miss you lots and can't wait till you come visit us here.
Irene, thank you for your phone calls. It's great to hear from you, keep doing them :)
Adel, we miss you and Hako lots already. Can't wait to see you again...hopefully when the weather isn't as hot :)
Menreet and Tante Soso, hope you guys are having TONS of fun in Sharm. I know you guys will go back with awesome tans. we got one from just a few days and we're already peeling.
Jonny, I don't know if you're reading this but Happy Birthday! Hope you had a great day and remember, you're one year wiser now :)
Prab and Shawn, miss you guys TONS! I hope work is going well for both of you guys and make sure you tell us if and when you're going to India. I really want you to go so we can see each other sooner than April. Take care of each other!
Arezou, I miss you so much. I hope everything is going well. Make sure to say hi to your parents, Arash and Sarah. We need to catch up very soon!
Everyone in Calgary, please pray for us and we miss you guys so much. we will remember you in our prayers and we really want to see you in Kenya one of these days!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Hi Everybody!
june 17
juan:
today we visited another slum called Kibera. these are supposed to be the worst slums in Kenya, but I found the people to be quite nice. There was one man who was carrying around a bottle of glue. They sniff glue to get high or to suppress their appetite. He wanted to be part of the sharing, but Abouna was firm and told him to give him the glue or else he could not join us. It was a bit scary because the man was quite large, but Abouna has no fear. In the end, the man could not part with his glue, but he still wanted to take part (I think mostly because there is a meal involved), and Abouna got up played the heavy and threw him out! Abouna............you so crazy. Abouna shared today, but next week it's my turn! I look forward to it :)
Abouna is a very gifted man. He has a unique charm that appeals to young and old. He is amazing.
Another wonderful thing about the Kenyans is how they love to sing and clap. They love to sing to God and clap their hands, as if they mean what they are saying. It's an awesome example for us.
june 18
juan:
There are two kenyan guys here, David and Brian, who are hilariuos. They've known each other for some years now and both play a key role in the service. They are servants like us, but don't live in the compound. They have to take two busses to get here, and yet they are here early every day and leave very late at night. they are fun to hang out with and we are beginning to be good friends. I told them I went to the store today and bought tea and coffee and would like them to come over to have some with me. They didn't seem too interested, until I told them I also bought cookies...their eyes lit up!
One of our lead servants, Lucy, has contracted typhoid so we'll pray for her. Another guy, Mina, got malaria, and he's just getting over it now, so we'll pray for him as well.
Bible study was awesome today. I love it when someone reads the Bible, but is able to extract the meaning out of every line. Christine and I tried it this evening, and it was awesome! EVERY LINE in that sweet book has so much wisdom. It's like, if God wanted to write down everything word for word, the Bible would be a huge set of books, so instead He made it 'from concentrate'.
We think about our family and friends back home all the time. We miss you all. THANK YOU to all who write comments on the blog!!! We really love reading your comments. It makes us feel like we are not so far away.
Mom and Dad, why have you not called me? To call here: +254 733 814 712
june 19:
juan:
Today was really cool. We did a 'Medical Camp'. This is where we load up the minivan with all sort of medical equipment and visit people, like a travelling hopsital. We had two doctors, a nurse, two pharmacists and 5 servants. The place we went to was high in the mountains and the roads were crazy - they reminded me of mountain biking trails - dirt roads with huge ruts and ditches. That little minivan has heart. It was bobbling back and forth and the kids were singing and I was praying :) While the doctors did their thing, the servants shared the Word of God. This was the first time I shared with such a large group - about 50. I prayed to God to help me. I told Him that I am lazy and useless and that it would be cool if I just opened my mouth and He did all the talking. Well, I think He was listening, because they seemed to enjoy it and asked me to keep going! That was lots of fun actually.
We met the bishop today. He is a really nice and cute old man. He says we will pray about where God wants us. He says he will send us to a place called Maseno, which is the other mission here that is less 'administration' and more serving. We are looking forward to this. The mission here in Nairobi has a need for IT people. They need a network put in place, so Vinny, if you are reading this, please tell me what to do! We are hoping not to be pulled in to the administrative stuff. The bishop says that our work here may be a combination of serving and admin stuff. What we care about most is that we grow spiritually. The bishop today told us about a 'shortcut' to get to know God. It's called Quiet Time. this is where every morning, you spend time alone with God, with the sole purpose of meeting Him every morning. We are quite lazy so we will pray to God to make us less lazy so we can do this.
We are getting more comfortable in our flat. our stove works well now. In general, the place is not as cold as before, so this has helped tremendously. For a while there, we were so uncomfortable that we were complaining a lot about it and didn't feel happy. Then we remembered all the miracles that God did for us to get us here and chuckled that all it took was a few uncomfortable days to forget that. But, we're back on track now.
Again, I thank you for putting comments on the blog. Please keep them coming. We love them. God Bless you all.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
What are we up to?
Monday july 14
juan:
it's cold. we are both wearing multiple layers. I am using the laptop to warm up. today we did something called Visitations for the first time. We visited a part of town called Lenana. This is where a small group of us go to the slums to share the Word of God. The boys go to one part of the slums to hang out with the local boys who don't have jobs. The girls go to another part of the slums where there are mostly single mothers. The slums are as I expected. Houses made of corrugated metal, dirt streets, garbage everywhere, goats and dogs walking around, and lots of people. Father Moses (aka Abouna) has been coming to this part of town for 6 months. There is a small following of about 25 boys and men. We found some rocks to sit on and then Abouna began sharing. He told a true story about a young boy who was swimming in a lake and was attacked by a crocodile. His mother ran to help him. The boy was caught in a tug of war between his mother and the croc. This story is a vivid example of how we are constantly being pulled by our Heavenly Father and by the devil. And just like the mother would never let her son go, our Father will never let us go either. No matter what, He will always have his hands reached out for us, and we have to be willing to accept his invitation. Abouna spoke about the biggest thing that stops us from accepting this invitation - FEAR. Fear of being judged by others as 'not cool' or as a coward, even though it actually takes great courage to accept His invitation.
At the end, we handed out sandwiches. Abouna also has this program where if the boys attend 4 times in a row, they get a t-shirt. On our way out, there is a lady that Abouna pays to make samosas for the little kids. There used to be a small amount of kids waiting in a line for the somosas, but now there are about 80. The somosa lady knows when Abouna will be there, and has all the somosas prepared. The kids all wait in 'line'. When Abouna gives the green light, the line turns into a mob, and we become shepherds, trying to keep the kids in line and from getting back in line once they've gotten their samosa.
When we got back to the compound, we had a prayer meeting, consisting of singing songs and praying. There is a guitar and a keyboard player and I played the drums - it was fun. Our flat was freezing when we got back, so we made some tea and went to bed.
Oh, we have hot water now! Also we have people fixing our windows that won't close. Last night, a mosquito must have gotten into my shorts at night because I woke up with about 15 bits on my thigh. They don't itch though. I can't wait for warmer weather.
Oh, and for a while there, we thought Christine might be pregnant, but it is not so. I was scared to have a baby right now, so I am relieved, but Christine was looking forward to it.
Truthfully, I kind of like it here and kind of don't, and this is expected seeing as how we've only been here a few days, and this life is the complete opposite of our old life. I don't feel like a stranger here, but I don't feel at home. The visitations intimidate me a bit, but I'm sure I'll get used to them because we'll be doing them 3 or 4 times a week. I wish Christine and I didn't have to split up during the visitations, but this is the way it happened today. Also, Abouna is great, I mean, wow. He is so charismatic, like a child, yet such a force for God. After only a couple of days, it is easy to see why he is so loved.
Christine:
YES! it's freezing. We came here thinking that it'll be so hot with Kenya being right on the Equator but July and August turned out to be their winter month so...for better or worse...we're here. I have been learning so much from spending time in Egypt and from the few days that we spent here. Yesterday, the girls went on visitations and i went along with them. We got to the houses and like Juan said, they were all tiny run down spaces. We went in to one of the houses and the lady that owned it (whom we all called Mama) welcomed us all in, including me. After a few minutes more and more girls started coming, young and old. The little room couldn't hold all the people that came. We started by singing songs, they were all in Swahili so I was just clapping and listening, they were beautiful. Then I was asked to talk and share something with everyone. Ofcourse I couldn't say no...but I started getting really stressed. Giving lectures and talking is not one of my strengths. So I did the only thing I could do, I prayed and asked God to guide me and let his words flow out of my mouth. I then found myself looking for a passage in the Bible about deeds vs. faith. I found it in Romans 2. We read the passage and I started talking about deeds vs. faith and what the fruits of the spirit are. God really really helped me but even so, I felt that these people should be giving me speeches not the other way around. They are so loving and are true Christians. I thank God for allowing me to be a part of that. We will be going on visitations tonight as well in a different part of town called Kawangware. I'm looking forward to that experience (but hopefully no one will ask me to talk again).
Being in Kenya has been really emotional for me. The first day or two we arrived, I felt EXTREMELY homesick. I just wanted to be with family and friends again in our nice warm condo in Canada, that's all I could think of. But with God's help, I'm tring to get used to this new place...and this very uncomfortable temperature. I am also so lucky to have Juan with me. I feel so strengthened by him, he gives me so much courage and love that I just don't care where I am as long as he's here. Without him, I could never have enough strength and courage to be here.
Tuesday July 15
Today was a busy day. At 9:00 we helped our friend Magdi to cleanup/arrange one of the storage rooms. It was in total disarray. The storage room had 4 smaller rooms: one for medical machines, one for medical supplies, one for medical waste, and of course, one for kids toys. After that, we rewarded ourselves with tea. Then we went for lunch. All the servants have lunch together everyday at 1:00. Then Abouna took us downtown. He had some business to take care of and we tagged along.
We visited a part of town called Kawangware. Today's visit was really nice. We visited a lady named Beatrice. She has 3 kids and they all live in a very small house made of wood and metal. Her husband recently left her for another woman. She asked us about forgiveness. We read to her from the Bible. My Bible has an awesome blurb about forgiveness. It says that forgiveness is choosing to live with unbalanced scales and letting God take care of things. In my experience, forgiveness is not easy. Sometimes we have to ask God for help in forgiving others. After visiting Beatrice, we went to another lady's house. After the chat, she served us chapatis and chai, but not before washing all of our hands! That's right, she wahsed our hands. And I learned after that they have to travel long distances to get water and carry it home, so this is nothing small. In Church, the deacons wash Abouna's hands in the same way. I was humbled by this.
Today was warmer than yesterday, which made the day more enjoyable. We spent the evening at Tamer and Sherry's. They are very nice and welcoming.
juan:
it's cold. we are both wearing multiple layers. I am using the laptop to warm up. today we did something called Visitations for the first time. We visited a part of town called Lenana. This is where a small group of us go to the slums to share the Word of God. The boys go to one part of the slums to hang out with the local boys who don't have jobs. The girls go to another part of the slums where there are mostly single mothers. The slums are as I expected. Houses made of corrugated metal, dirt streets, garbage everywhere, goats and dogs walking around, and lots of people. Father Moses (aka Abouna) has been coming to this part of town for 6 months. There is a small following of about 25 boys and men. We found some rocks to sit on and then Abouna began sharing. He told a true story about a young boy who was swimming in a lake and was attacked by a crocodile. His mother ran to help him. The boy was caught in a tug of war between his mother and the croc. This story is a vivid example of how we are constantly being pulled by our Heavenly Father and by the devil. And just like the mother would never let her son go, our Father will never let us go either. No matter what, He will always have his hands reached out for us, and we have to be willing to accept his invitation. Abouna spoke about the biggest thing that stops us from accepting this invitation - FEAR. Fear of being judged by others as 'not cool' or as a coward, even though it actually takes great courage to accept His invitation.
At the end, we handed out sandwiches. Abouna also has this program where if the boys attend 4 times in a row, they get a t-shirt. On our way out, there is a lady that Abouna pays to make samosas for the little kids. There used to be a small amount of kids waiting in a line for the somosas, but now there are about 80. The somosa lady knows when Abouna will be there, and has all the somosas prepared. The kids all wait in 'line'. When Abouna gives the green light, the line turns into a mob, and we become shepherds, trying to keep the kids in line and from getting back in line once they've gotten their samosa.
When we got back to the compound, we had a prayer meeting, consisting of singing songs and praying. There is a guitar and a keyboard player and I played the drums - it was fun. Our flat was freezing when we got back, so we made some tea and went to bed.
Oh, we have hot water now! Also we have people fixing our windows that won't close. Last night, a mosquito must have gotten into my shorts at night because I woke up with about 15 bits on my thigh. They don't itch though. I can't wait for warmer weather.
Oh, and for a while there, we thought Christine might be pregnant, but it is not so. I was scared to have a baby right now, so I am relieved, but Christine was looking forward to it.
Truthfully, I kind of like it here and kind of don't, and this is expected seeing as how we've only been here a few days, and this life is the complete opposite of our old life. I don't feel like a stranger here, but I don't feel at home. The visitations intimidate me a bit, but I'm sure I'll get used to them because we'll be doing them 3 or 4 times a week. I wish Christine and I didn't have to split up during the visitations, but this is the way it happened today. Also, Abouna is great, I mean, wow. He is so charismatic, like a child, yet such a force for God. After only a couple of days, it is easy to see why he is so loved.
Christine:
YES! it's freezing. We came here thinking that it'll be so hot with Kenya being right on the Equator but July and August turned out to be their winter month so...for better or worse...we're here. I have been learning so much from spending time in Egypt and from the few days that we spent here. Yesterday, the girls went on visitations and i went along with them. We got to the houses and like Juan said, they were all tiny run down spaces. We went in to one of the houses and the lady that owned it (whom we all called Mama) welcomed us all in, including me. After a few minutes more and more girls started coming, young and old. The little room couldn't hold all the people that came. We started by singing songs, they were all in Swahili so I was just clapping and listening, they were beautiful. Then I was asked to talk and share something with everyone. Ofcourse I couldn't say no...but I started getting really stressed. Giving lectures and talking is not one of my strengths. So I did the only thing I could do, I prayed and asked God to guide me and let his words flow out of my mouth. I then found myself looking for a passage in the Bible about deeds vs. faith. I found it in Romans 2. We read the passage and I started talking about deeds vs. faith and what the fruits of the spirit are. God really really helped me but even so, I felt that these people should be giving me speeches not the other way around. They are so loving and are true Christians. I thank God for allowing me to be a part of that. We will be going on visitations tonight as well in a different part of town called Kawangware. I'm looking forward to that experience (but hopefully no one will ask me to talk again).
Being in Kenya has been really emotional for me. The first day or two we arrived, I felt EXTREMELY homesick. I just wanted to be with family and friends again in our nice warm condo in Canada, that's all I could think of. But with God's help, I'm tring to get used to this new place...and this very uncomfortable temperature. I am also so lucky to have Juan with me. I feel so strengthened by him, he gives me so much courage and love that I just don't care where I am as long as he's here. Without him, I could never have enough strength and courage to be here.
Tuesday July 15
Today was a busy day. At 9:00 we helped our friend Magdi to cleanup/arrange one of the storage rooms. It was in total disarray. The storage room had 4 smaller rooms: one for medical machines, one for medical supplies, one for medical waste, and of course, one for kids toys. After that, we rewarded ourselves with tea. Then we went for lunch. All the servants have lunch together everyday at 1:00. Then Abouna took us downtown. He had some business to take care of and we tagged along.
We visited a part of town called Kawangware. Today's visit was really nice. We visited a lady named Beatrice. She has 3 kids and they all live in a very small house made of wood and metal. Her husband recently left her for another woman. She asked us about forgiveness. We read to her from the Bible. My Bible has an awesome blurb about forgiveness. It says that forgiveness is choosing to live with unbalanced scales and letting God take care of things. In my experience, forgiveness is not easy. Sometimes we have to ask God for help in forgiving others. After visiting Beatrice, we went to another lady's house. After the chat, she served us chapatis and chai, but not before washing all of our hands! That's right, she wahsed our hands. And I learned after that they have to travel long distances to get water and carry it home, so this is nothing small. In Church, the deacons wash Abouna's hands in the same way. I was humbled by this.
Today was warmer than yesterday, which made the day more enjoyable. We spent the evening at Tamer and Sherry's. They are very nice and welcoming.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
We have arrived in Nairobi!
We are now in the compound and met a whole bunch of sweet people today. We feel so welcomed here. Everyone has treated us like family - it's like we've been here a while. It is amazing to live among a family of servants. This morning we attended mass, then a Holy Families meeting for young couples, then a short Bible study with Father Moses. After that, our new friends Tamer and his wife and daughter took us to go eat Turkish food - YUM!
We have a phone number now: 733814712 I don't know how to dial it from outside Kenya, so you'll have to find out. Incoming calls are free for us, so feel free to call us anytime!
The weather is nice, around 20 degrees, however inside the buildings is a bit cooler, so we have to wear sweaters. Our 'flat' is sweeet. It's as big as our condo. it has a living room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms! Way more than we imagined. We don't have hot water yet, but I'm sure that will be fixed soon. Whoever set up our room was so sweet. They filled our fridge with veggies, milk, eggs, sausages and yogurt! And they also left us cereal, cookies, crakers, bananas, a big mango, 2 pineapples, coffee and hot chocolate! WOW! We are overwhelmed by the generosity of these people.
So far, we are really happy here. Bishop Paul comes in a couple of days, and that's when we'll figure out what we're going to be doing. Until then, we'll continue to pray and get used to our new home.
We have a phone number now: 733814712 I don't know how to dial it from outside Kenya, so you'll have to find out. Incoming calls are free for us, so feel free to call us anytime!
The weather is nice, around 20 degrees, however inside the buildings is a bit cooler, so we have to wear sweaters. Our 'flat' is sweeet. It's as big as our condo. it has a living room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms! Way more than we imagined. We don't have hot water yet, but I'm sure that will be fixed soon. Whoever set up our room was so sweet. They filled our fridge with veggies, milk, eggs, sausages and yogurt! And they also left us cereal, cookies, crakers, bananas, a big mango, 2 pineapples, coffee and hot chocolate! WOW! We are overwhelmed by the generosity of these people.
So far, we are really happy here. Bishop Paul comes in a couple of days, and that's when we'll figure out what we're going to be doing. Until then, we'll continue to pray and get used to our new home.
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