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.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
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.
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