You Know You're in Kenya When...

9-22

You know you’re in Kenya when…

-you’re white skin is the minority… actually come to think of it, the same can be said for Fremont. As a matter of fact. You know you’re in Fremont when…

-the best place to eat after 10pm is In n’ Out

-the excitement for the month is the countdown to Whole Foods opening

-Charlie Chaplin and Kristi Yamaguchi are the center of conversation about famous people you’re connected to.

-the above conversation turns sour when you find out Charlie Chaplin was here for only 3 months and then moved to LA

-Resonate church is the best place to be on a Sunday

-you want to go out at night and see the goings on of the nightlife but end up sitting at home watching Shark Tank on tv cuz there’s nowhere to go

-you see the Scooby Doo guy hanging out on Mowry and Fremont Blvd

9-23

            Finally getting on a regular sleeping schedule. Slept til 7 this morning. Still stupid tired though.

            We’ve been reading “My Utmost For His Highest” by Oswald Chambers and talking about it while eating breakfast. It’s super good reading that makes you look at the Gospel (Good News) in a different way. It gets you thinking. I’ve read it before, a couple times (almost), and it has really helped me to look at the way I view God and myself. Here is a good example. He says, “ ‘You call me (Jesus) Teacher and Lord…’ –but is he? Teacher, Master, and Lord have little place in our vocabulary. We prefer the words Savior, Sanctifier, and Healer. The only word that truly describes the experience of being mastered is love, and we know little about love as God reveals it in his Word.” Now if you’re not Christian, you may not have any idea what I’m talking about or care less. However, if you identify yourself as a Christian these words may hit a note in your life. We like the mooshy gooshy stuff (the latter) cuz it’s nicer and makes us feel good. It also means nothing on our part but admitting that we’re not naturally great people (which is true). On the other hand, the former (Teacher, Master, Lord) requires that we submit ourselves under the rule of another. In this case it is God himself. The American culture sees submission as something negative. It sees it as being weaker than another, and in a sense it is. But when one submits himself to another who has nothing but purity in himself, wow! That is an amazing thing. The person submitted to rules over the person who has submitted with love, sacrifice, justice, and so much more. I would gladly submit myself under that kind of authority. And in submitting, we acknowledge that his way is far better, and that I let go of trying to control myself; the ego has gone. Just one little thought.

            Finally hit the streets of downtown Nakuru. We went over to get the pictures developed of the kids to put in their files. The Nakuru Children’s Trust, which is what has been developed out of the change with Rohi and all that, is a pretty big deal. It’s kinda like a social worker trying to keep track of 300+ kids. By the way, if you’re interested in sponsoring a kid, let me know. There are over 20 kids who don’t have sponsors. I’ll put you in contact with Linda. Anyways, the chance of getting hit by a car goes up about 200%. I saw my street craft guys, Sammy, David, and a few others. Super great seeing them. David invited me to go play volleyball with him sometime at the fields. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to do that. Went shopping to get some stuff for a former student who recently had a baby and her grandmother. There are so many tough decisions that must be made on how, or if we should, be continuing to financially support these students after they graduate. There comes a point when they must fly for themselves and stop asking for handouts. At what point does helping hurt. I recently read a book called When Helping Hurts. If you ever plan on doing “missionary” type stuff, you should definitely read this book.

            Went to Daniel Kamotho’s home for dinner. His wife, Elizabeth, made a fantastic dinner of chapatti, green grams, cabbage, mukimo, and a stew type stuff. And finished it off with watermelon and bananas. So good. We sat around talking and watching the news about the terrorist stuff going on in Nairobi. Kamotho’s two children are so cute. Esther is 4 yrs old and Oliver is 1 ½ yrs old.

            Rain, and lots of it every afternoon/ evening.