I drank two cokes yesterday, that is double the usual....and caffeine actually works on me. When I was 20, I could not get enough. I probably drank six a day. Now I drink two cokes and I wake up at 4am.
So i got up and looked up the passages in Titus about teaching younger women to love their husbands and children and to be busy at home. Yeah, maybe some women don't like busy at home...I know I used to feel positively crushed by staying at home. I wanted to GO and DO and BE....and this week? Ha! I want to stay home in my room and only venture out through computing. The long trip to Mississippi wore me out. Perhaps I was still creeping after the long LONG flights home with the endless layovers and longing for that elusive rested energetic vitality.
Staying home has been difficult for me. Penelope and Oliver have somehow made a difference and I'm thankful for it! but even when I stay home contentedly, I feel pressured to go out and do something important so i am not wasting my life but redeeming the time. A life is such a precious gift, strength is such a precious gift. when I am really listless, God has a chance to whisper to me. He can get through to me when I am satiated from my endless intercessions and declarations and petitions--and just worn out.
He speaks beautiful things. and He corrects me. and I listen. and I love Him.
Better is one day in His courts than thousands elsewhere.
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
All of my fountains are in you!
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my life and my portion forever.
Hallelujah!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Hey
Today I was working on the Trinity website. I was trying to post on the current opportunities page. I wanted to say something about how the computer lab is in progress and donate. of course, more needs to be said than that, so I asked Steve what I should write. He was irritated with me---"You don't just write on a website like conversation."Oh.
yeah.
i guess that's right.
geesh.
i just want to COMMUNICATE! but it is true that you have to consider the audience.
okay, okay.
so I'm blogging to get out my "personal message" style.
I just like to talk!
and at least when I'm on here, I know I'm not interrupting anyone. No one has to listen here. It is all by choice.
alright, so anyway (conversation style here) .....this is a picture of Emily, our preschool teacher. It was Emily's initial vision that got the school started. Bishop Titus (they call him Bishop since he is a head pastor over several pastors) sponsors the school. He provides the school room. Through Trinity Global Development donations, we purchased 100 preschool sized chairs and made 6 tables and three cabinets.
We still need school improvements. The roof was repaired somewhat, although more needs to be done. The partitions are next but when baby T. J. died, the efforts at improvements went on hold. They'll begin soon.
Today is my 26th anniversary! I want a big party. Last year we had to skip party preparations because Steve's father was dying of cancer. He found out in September 2007 and began treatment. But by January 2008, it was evident that the cancer was spreading. He continued treatment but it was not successful. Steve spent most of the Spring trying to drive back and forth to see his father. He was able to spend some time caring for him. All of the siblings were involved. It was not a time for parties. His father passed onto Jesus on May 14th and so on our anniversary, we went to Florida and took little Penelope, but it was a dismal trip. Steve was dealing with plenty of emotion.
So this year, our anniversary is here, but maybe God planned it so that I could make it a fund raising party instead. I should say, maybe I want to have a fundraiser for my anniversary. I'd love to have a big dinner and encourage people to give. So instead of calling it my anniversary party and then tackily asking for donations, I'll make it plain that for my anniversary, Steve is letting me have a fundraising dinner.
I want to bless our brothers and sisters in Kenya---AND increase the Kingdom of God by lifting up Jesus and bringing in the sheaves! I enjoyed getting to know so many people and there are just people you connect with--that you want to bless--that you want to stay in contact with---get to know more and more over time.
we want long term relationships there. we want to establish a work of God and friendships that last. we have Kenyan family now. It is good.
and I'm sure there will be struggles and there will be a honeymoon period and there will be disappointments---but may it be like a strong marriage---built on commitment! even through the pain. even through disappointments because that is when the joy shines through. How thankful I am that I've stayed with Steve. How many times I was ready to quit and God persuaded me or blocked me. and now I bear the fruit of love, joy and peace! what a friend I have in steve. sometimes I want no other (of course, there are other times when he drives me crazy, but it is often just our personalities in conflict.)
i need to buy a book on Amazon. a book about doing community development rather than giving aid to the poor. help them help themselves. the give a man a fish vs. fisherman thing.
blessings!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Home from Kenya
Oh God is good. I've just returned home and now I've gotten the house back in order. I've paid my bills and washed the clothes and posted a few pictures on facebook. I'm so thankful. We had a wonderful time in Kenya with our friends. How amazing to go back and see them so soon. Anita and I were just beside ourselves. God is so good! and how fun for Anita and I to be on the other side of the world together talking about Jesus after being friends for over 20 years. cool.
i need to make a report. i hesitate to even do it. once I've told people about it, it will just fade in their memory like an old story. Old news. yesterdays news. but it is happening NOW. The work of God is going on NOW and it continues!
I can't remember right now how much we had in donations. We have at least four people whose donations will come through their company's matching funds. We're willing to wait for it!
We purchased 100 children's chairs for the school. Your dollars at work! We purchased six tables and either two or three cabinets for books. We officially agreed on the salaries for the two current teachers. They are advertising for new teachers with certification in early childhood education. We may keep these two teachers on as aides and we have a cook hired, too.
We spoke with the architect about building plans for the computer lab and library. Eventually we'd like to have it be two stories with a carpentry school and a tailoring school on the bottom and the computer lab and library on the top. For now, we'll build a one story building with a foundation capable of expansion to two stories. The land was purchased with money we sent in January before we had Trinity up and running.
We hired three people for the computer lab. One main guy is already a computer teacher who knows programming languages. he's also going to be our administrator. We left a computer with him. Another guy got a computer and he's going to be training so that he can also teach others. then we have a librarian ready to begin once the library is there. We may be able to get the building up, but it may be some time before it is filled with books! books are hard to ship, very expensive.
We also spoke with a local clinic and found out their needs. We went to a hospital and spoke with a doctor there. We purchased VERY low cost government dispersed mosquito nets at 65 cents a piece rather than the five dollars they would cost at the grocery store. He let us purchase quinine from him to send to the local clinic. Mom got one big bottle of 1000 and we bought one bottle of 1000. each bottle has 2000 doses for children.
malaria is a terrible killer. pregnant and nursing mothers and infants are particularly susceptible. AIDS kills slowly, malaria is frequent and quick. The doctor said that prevention is the key and the nets have significantly reduced the number of cases they treat daily.
We brought the donated aspirin and tylenol, and feminine products to the clinic. Mom brought a stethescope and a blood pressure cuff, a merck manual, exam gloves and alcohol wipes. They were so thankful and grateful. Talk about a pleasure to give! wow! it just makes you want to go find more to give.
and the need is so great, it is only a drop in the bucket.
but if everyone gives a drop, the bucket could runneth over!
and so I pray that we will continue to get the message out and that God will encourage others to join us in sharing with the poorest of poor.
Anita and I really enjoyed going around to the churches. The people are so welcoming. they are so blessed to have the novelty of visitors come into their lives. they are so friendly and cheerful even in their poverty. They know they are suffering, but they really look to the Lord for provision and relief and healing and encouragement. It is such a blessing to be around them.
The camera helps make easy friends. they love their picture taken. i wish I could hand them a finished photo! i will send photos for some, but it would cost a fortune to make them all and the money is better spent elsewhere.
Little Paul had been in the hospital when my mother made the visit there. Titus and Rose prayed for Paul. A few days later, we headed up the road to Margaret's house to pray for little Paul. He was out of the hospital but he was still hot with fever. We purchased that Quinine and were glad to send him some medication.
Another boy named Paul attends the school. He is 7 or 8 but he's not been to school and cannot afford to go. both of his parents died in a car accident and his pre-teen brother was left to raise the family. There is no way they will be able to pay for the uniforms or the books or the daily meal that are required in order to attend free public school. But Paul is learning English and Swahili at our preschool and he gets a free meal each day. Let's hope he's a whiz at computers because we do not have an elementary school yet and it would be a shame for him to only have a preschool education.
On a lighter note, there was the free termite meal night. I was not there, but mom and anita were awakened by people crawling around their house and it spooked them. they finally got up to find out what was going on. people had come to the place where there was electric lighting. After the rains, the termites had come in swarms. to the kenyans, this was manna from heaven! they were out collecting them and sticking them in cups and jars to take home and cook. for the hungry, they can be eaten alive as a sweet snack. Our friends gladly demonstated. UGH! even little children pick them up and snack on them cheerfully.
and then there was the day that Anita received the amazing luxury gift of a rooster. She was blessed. She knew what a sacrifice this was for Godwin and Mildred. Mildred was pregnant when we were there in December and we gave her baby supplies because she had nothing. Godwin had been a muslim who came to Jesus and his family rejected him and cut him off. He had nothing.
But the baby died in her womb and she delivered a stillborn. We were so grieved. Anita and I were talking on the phone when she got the email. We cried and prayed for young little Mildred.
so it was with great joy that we saw she was doing well. Anita accepted the gift graciously. She and mom headed to bed early that night. About 10pm, someone peeked into the room......was she ready to get up to eat dinner? ......no thank you, she was already asleep.
when she got up in the morning, she saw the boys eating the night's leftovers. it was rooster. and not any rooster, but her gift rooster! Gone, eaten. and they enjoyed him. Oh well, you can't exactly take him home, right? mom wishes she'd have gotten a picture of that bone on the plate. evidence that mr. rooster did indeed exist. but he passed into obscurity instead.
then there was my food poisoning. should I make a story out of that? ha ha! it was very public. everyone told me wherever i went afterwards that they were praying for my sickness. hooray! but I am glad they prayed. all through my misery, i continally thanked God telling Him, It is worth it. I am glad to be here. this is nothing. it will pass.
and it did.
and I'm fine.
i lost 10 pounds and then gained it right back, darn it.
slim for three days.
oh i guess there are more important things.
we did get to go around to several churches and preach the good news and rejoice with our brothers and sisters. We got to worship with them, which is always fun. especially at Joseph's church ---and I heard that Thomas Boya's church is very lively---but I was not able to make that one. We went to Sony's church, Boniface's church, Geoffrey's church at pastor cosmos' house, Stanley's church, Joseph's church, Thomas' church, I'm sure I'm missing some. We visited the high school, an elementary school, 2 hospitals and a clinic.
oh man, at one hospital there was a 19 year old named Japeth. Japeth was in hideous shape. We laid hands on him in prayer. he looked like a late stage AIDS patient but he wasn't. He had seizures and epilepsy and other things like maybe TB or something. He was all drawn up and skinny. He barely seemed coherent and was clearly in great pain.
His father used to care for him, but his father died a year ago. since then he'd been basically left to himself. The doctor, a very good man who runs the hospital in a rural area plus a clinic in kakamega and is a pastor, too---He made house calls in the area and found this boy uncared for. He demanded that the family bring him in for surgery. his bedsores were like giant holes the size of oranges eating into his hip. they brought him in a green old wheelbarrow that rested outside of his door. The pain that must have caused him! Japeth is often on my mind and I hate to consider how he suffers every minute. How he has suffered this last year! and he is just one of many who are unseen suffering in a world without treatment! But this doctor will care for him. He was going to take him into surgery that same day to remove the dead areas and put the boy on the path to healing.
there was so much fun there, though, too. i loved meeting Melab, wife of pastor Steve, mother to baby Anita, named after Anita when she came in December. Melab is a beautiful smart woman who sings and plays the drum for worship. She has a beautiful happy fat baby, which is so good to see when many babies are NOT fat. it is rare.
Steve asked Pastor Steve to stand next to his wife and get close to her. bishop titus is encouraging local pastors to love their wives as christ loves the church and to be affectionate with her. So pastor Steve sort of lays hands on his wife. My steve says, Hey, you look like you are PRAYING for her, get closer, so Pastor steve just takes a step closer but leaves his hands there on her neck. THIS CRACKS ME UP EVERY TIME I SEE IT!!! IT IS SO LOVELY AND DORKY!! He was trying.
They are a great couple, great people. one of my favorites. I look forward to getting to know them more and more.
okay, nap time. a little quick snooze so I can serve my hubby when he comes home from his first day at the office. he was sick from a cold he caught in kenya and suffered on the plane trip home. we got home at 1am on saturday morning and then went to garson's baylor graduation in waco first thing on saturday morning and did not get home until 7:30pm!!! so we crashed and then Steve slept most of sunday and the night too, and now he's had to go into work.
i've worked these past days, too, getting everything back in order, house restocked, bills paid, laundry washed, ....and so I'll get a little snooze to perk back up again.
God is good, all the time, in all ways, Amen!
i need to make a report. i hesitate to even do it. once I've told people about it, it will just fade in their memory like an old story. Old news. yesterdays news. but it is happening NOW. The work of God is going on NOW and it continues!
I can't remember right now how much we had in donations. We have at least four people whose donations will come through their company's matching funds. We're willing to wait for it!
We purchased 100 children's chairs for the school. Your dollars at work! We purchased six tables and either two or three cabinets for books. We officially agreed on the salaries for the two current teachers. They are advertising for new teachers with certification in early childhood education. We may keep these two teachers on as aides and we have a cook hired, too.
We spoke with the architect about building plans for the computer lab and library. Eventually we'd like to have it be two stories with a carpentry school and a tailoring school on the bottom and the computer lab and library on the top. For now, we'll build a one story building with a foundation capable of expansion to two stories. The land was purchased with money we sent in January before we had Trinity up and running.
We hired three people for the computer lab. One main guy is already a computer teacher who knows programming languages. he's also going to be our administrator. We left a computer with him. Another guy got a computer and he's going to be training so that he can also teach others. then we have a librarian ready to begin once the library is there. We may be able to get the building up, but it may be some time before it is filled with books! books are hard to ship, very expensive.
We also spoke with a local clinic and found out their needs. We went to a hospital and spoke with a doctor there. We purchased VERY low cost government dispersed mosquito nets at 65 cents a piece rather than the five dollars they would cost at the grocery store. He let us purchase quinine from him to send to the local clinic. Mom got one big bottle of 1000 and we bought one bottle of 1000. each bottle has 2000 doses for children.
malaria is a terrible killer. pregnant and nursing mothers and infants are particularly susceptible. AIDS kills slowly, malaria is frequent and quick. The doctor said that prevention is the key and the nets have significantly reduced the number of cases they treat daily.
We brought the donated aspirin and tylenol, and feminine products to the clinic. Mom brought a stethescope and a blood pressure cuff, a merck manual, exam gloves and alcohol wipes. They were so thankful and grateful. Talk about a pleasure to give! wow! it just makes you want to go find more to give.
and the need is so great, it is only a drop in the bucket.
but if everyone gives a drop, the bucket could runneth over!
and so I pray that we will continue to get the message out and that God will encourage others to join us in sharing with the poorest of poor.
Anita and I really enjoyed going around to the churches. The people are so welcoming. they are so blessed to have the novelty of visitors come into their lives. they are so friendly and cheerful even in their poverty. They know they are suffering, but they really look to the Lord for provision and relief and healing and encouragement. It is such a blessing to be around them.
The camera helps make easy friends. they love their picture taken. i wish I could hand them a finished photo! i will send photos for some, but it would cost a fortune to make them all and the money is better spent elsewhere.
Little Paul had been in the hospital when my mother made the visit there. Titus and Rose prayed for Paul. A few days later, we headed up the road to Margaret's house to pray for little Paul. He was out of the hospital but he was still hot with fever. We purchased that Quinine and were glad to send him some medication.
Another boy named Paul attends the school. He is 7 or 8 but he's not been to school and cannot afford to go. both of his parents died in a car accident and his pre-teen brother was left to raise the family. There is no way they will be able to pay for the uniforms or the books or the daily meal that are required in order to attend free public school. But Paul is learning English and Swahili at our preschool and he gets a free meal each day. Let's hope he's a whiz at computers because we do not have an elementary school yet and it would be a shame for him to only have a preschool education.
On a lighter note, there was the free termite meal night. I was not there, but mom and anita were awakened by people crawling around their house and it spooked them. they finally got up to find out what was going on. people had come to the place where there was electric lighting. After the rains, the termites had come in swarms. to the kenyans, this was manna from heaven! they were out collecting them and sticking them in cups and jars to take home and cook. for the hungry, they can be eaten alive as a sweet snack. Our friends gladly demonstated. UGH! even little children pick them up and snack on them cheerfully.
and then there was the day that Anita received the amazing luxury gift of a rooster. She was blessed. She knew what a sacrifice this was for Godwin and Mildred. Mildred was pregnant when we were there in December and we gave her baby supplies because she had nothing. Godwin had been a muslim who came to Jesus and his family rejected him and cut him off. He had nothing.
But the baby died in her womb and she delivered a stillborn. We were so grieved. Anita and I were talking on the phone when she got the email. We cried and prayed for young little Mildred.
so it was with great joy that we saw she was doing well. Anita accepted the gift graciously. She and mom headed to bed early that night. About 10pm, someone peeked into the room......was she ready to get up to eat dinner? ......no thank you, she was already asleep.
when she got up in the morning, she saw the boys eating the night's leftovers. it was rooster. and not any rooster, but her gift rooster! Gone, eaten. and they enjoyed him. Oh well, you can't exactly take him home, right? mom wishes she'd have gotten a picture of that bone on the plate. evidence that mr. rooster did indeed exist. but he passed into obscurity instead.
then there was my food poisoning. should I make a story out of that? ha ha! it was very public. everyone told me wherever i went afterwards that they were praying for my sickness. hooray! but I am glad they prayed. all through my misery, i continally thanked God telling Him, It is worth it. I am glad to be here. this is nothing. it will pass.
and it did.
and I'm fine.
i lost 10 pounds and then gained it right back, darn it.
slim for three days.
oh i guess there are more important things.
we did get to go around to several churches and preach the good news and rejoice with our brothers and sisters. We got to worship with them, which is always fun. especially at Joseph's church ---and I heard that Thomas Boya's church is very lively---but I was not able to make that one. We went to Sony's church, Boniface's church, Geoffrey's church at pastor cosmos' house, Stanley's church, Joseph's church, Thomas' church, I'm sure I'm missing some. We visited the high school, an elementary school, 2 hospitals and a clinic.
oh man, at one hospital there was a 19 year old named Japeth. Japeth was in hideous shape. We laid hands on him in prayer. he looked like a late stage AIDS patient but he wasn't. He had seizures and epilepsy and other things like maybe TB or something. He was all drawn up and skinny. He barely seemed coherent and was clearly in great pain.
His father used to care for him, but his father died a year ago. since then he'd been basically left to himself. The doctor, a very good man who runs the hospital in a rural area plus a clinic in kakamega and is a pastor, too---He made house calls in the area and found this boy uncared for. He demanded that the family bring him in for surgery. his bedsores were like giant holes the size of oranges eating into his hip. they brought him in a green old wheelbarrow that rested outside of his door. The pain that must have caused him! Japeth is often on my mind and I hate to consider how he suffers every minute. How he has suffered this last year! and he is just one of many who are unseen suffering in a world without treatment! But this doctor will care for him. He was going to take him into surgery that same day to remove the dead areas and put the boy on the path to healing.
there was so much fun there, though, too. i loved meeting Melab, wife of pastor Steve, mother to baby Anita, named after Anita when she came in December. Melab is a beautiful smart woman who sings and plays the drum for worship. She has a beautiful happy fat baby, which is so good to see when many babies are NOT fat. it is rare.
Steve asked Pastor Steve to stand next to his wife and get close to her. bishop titus is encouraging local pastors to love their wives as christ loves the church and to be affectionate with her. So pastor Steve sort of lays hands on his wife. My steve says, Hey, you look like you are PRAYING for her, get closer, so Pastor steve just takes a step closer but leaves his hands there on her neck. THIS CRACKS ME UP EVERY TIME I SEE IT!!! IT IS SO LOVELY AND DORKY!! He was trying.
They are a great couple, great people. one of my favorites. I look forward to getting to know them more and more.
okay, nap time. a little quick snooze so I can serve my hubby when he comes home from his first day at the office. he was sick from a cold he caught in kenya and suffered on the plane trip home. we got home at 1am on saturday morning and then went to garson's baylor graduation in waco first thing on saturday morning and did not get home until 7:30pm!!! so we crashed and then Steve slept most of sunday and the night too, and now he's had to go into work.
i've worked these past days, too, getting everything back in order, house restocked, bills paid, laundry washed, ....and so I'll get a little snooze to perk back up again.
God is good, all the time, in all ways, Amen!
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