The Jesus Movie

I have purchased solar audio players with the God Story in Swahili and a DVD of The Jesus Movie in Swahili.

Trinity Global Development facility

It is very exciting getting news about the building progress. How many buildings do you use regularly in your life?

How many times do we take good buildings for granted?

But we are bringing a good building to the Kakamega area. A missionary friend tells me, "Oh they love buildings!" and so do we. I never think about it, but what if I didn't have all these nice buildings in my life? I would wish we had something substantial and clean.

The foundation has been poured as we head into the month of April. We have wired more funds to begin the walls. We are praying daily for the computers to be donated, for the medical equipment shipping costs to be donated, and for our programmers to get up to speed in Java and C sharp so that we can begin the For Profit that will fund the community development. It will be the locals supplying their own community with relief! They are very motivated.

I was speaking to another missionary the other night. She, too, has read Walking with the Poor. She asked me if I had read, When Helping Hurts. She described someone who thought they were doing a good work and had to pull out because it was undermining the life of the locals. I suppose she was asserting that there is a problem with passivity when you come in and "rescue" the poor.

She either said or implied that people were passive. I assured her that our friends are anything but passive. That is why we got involved! They are already working on changing the community on their own. We are just joining them and adding to their efforts.

We have listened to what they wanted to see improve. Bishop Titus said definitely his dream was to have a library. What he really wanted was the computer lab. Later, he said with the change in the local medical clinic, he wanted to see the medical clinic come to his area. The people have asked for wells. And now they'd like to see some support for the orphans and widows.

In the meantime, they are working on improving agricultural yields and income by changing from sugar cane to corn. They have gotten a community tractor and they also rent it out to the area so that they earn income. The church growth has been phenomenal and is difficult for them to keep up with. In remote areas, they are planting many new churches. They are teaching the people the good news of the gospel and promoting a biblical culture above the traditional culture. Whereas a woman formerly had to marry her brother in law when her husband died, she now has freedom to remain single. A man who has many wives is told to take no more. Young men are told to marry one wife and to remain faithful to her. Men are to love their wives and treat them kindly. Women are to respect their husbands and affirm them. Great change has come! Many of the Christians have taken in orphans, even though they struggle. They resist putting the children in orphanages and strive to keep them in families. The churches try to aid widows who care for orphans. Oh they are anything but passive in Western Kenya. They are serving and loving God.

Obviously, all is not utopia. We are still on this side of heaven. Family members are killed so that someone can gain their land. A boy was killed for eating a farmer's sugar cane. A child dies because no one knows CPR. Children die of Malaria from lack of treatment--a bed net costing 1.50 can reduce malaria 100%. A house worker steals the furniture from the home. But changes have come and the quality of life continues to improve. People are eager to work, thankful for work, eager for education, thankful for education--this is not a passive people. God is at work in their lives and He is active and powerful. It is very evident.

hmmnn

"Telling people that Christ died to forgive their sin can be hard to understand if people do not know which God you are talking about or understand the idea of sin." Bryant Myers: Walking with the Poor.

I get frustrated with Christians using churchspeak because I was once a non-Christian and could not understand the verbage. Grace, to me, was a prayer for dinner. Sin? Well, I didn't really have a concept of sin. Gospel? I really did not know what this word meant. And Kingdom or Kingdom of God was just as foreign.

Sharing with others has to include the idea of who God really IS. Words that are basic, even childlike, can promote understanding. Every concept should be explained, not given a word name. Every Christian word is so pregnant with meaning for us. When you've studied the Bible and heard preaching and teaching for years, it becomes a different language--a loved, shared language filled with joy and peace. The scriptures bring associations and connections into your spirit and soul that lift you to awareness of Our Great God.

But when you don't know Him, they are crazy words. Forgiveness is easy enough to understand, but non-Christians and even Christians now promote forgiveness as something beneficial to the forgiver! They've forgotten the point. They make it about themselves. No, forgiveness loves the other even when that other is unworthy of love--because we, too, have grieved God with our rebellion to Him, yet He has forgiven us through the sacrifice of Jesus.

What you do hear about is Love. God is love. "God loves you. You just need to know how much God loves you." But the great commission continues with, "Teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you." and then we know the greatest commandments are, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and Love your neighbor as yourself." But who is taught to obey?

If my children danced around all the time because they were so happy I loved them and they praised me for it--but they would not do a thing I said and they were mean to their sisters and brothers---what is that to me? It is not worth much. That kind of love is worthless. They would be enjoying the FEELING of loving me, but not loving me at all and not loving their siblings.

The commandments, Love God and Love Others, are to be taken seriously. Okay, so God loves you so much, then show your love for Him by obedience to Him and service to others.

Worship done right

It is awesome to praise the Lord in Kenya! Here we are at Pastor Steve's church as a train of praise is coming through. I am in my element!

It's the song of the redeemed rising from the African Plain. It's the song of the forgiven, drowning out the Amazon rain. The song of Asian believers, filled with God's holy fire. It's every tribe, every tongue, every nation, a love song borne of a grateful choir. It's all God's people singing Glory Glory Hallelujah He Reigns!

and now my beloved sister, Julie Xiao Franklin has given her life to Jesus! and my dear friend Medine is coming with me to Kenya! and I'm taking Cindy's son, Doug ---and maybe Daniel, too--to Kenya. and I am filled with the wonder of God's love and His amazing transformational power. and He gives us the ability to endure this life, to overcome, to live victoriously! How amazing are His tender mercies which are new every morning. Come Lord Jesus!

Speaking about Trinity Global Development

Praise you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth. I am so grateful to have an opportunity to share about Trinity Global Development with Mothers of Preschoolers at First Baptist Church in Round Rock on Monday! I get 10 minutes. What can I say in 10 minutes! I could take an hour. Stephanie needs to be succinct. and organized.

One problem is that when I think of the work God is doing in Kenya, a thousand images rush into my mind and words spill out onto my tongue and I catch them before I just say......OH! My! because I find it hard to find the starting place.

Do I start at the beginning? that is so boring

and then to me, the beginning could be all the way back when I was only a Christian for one year and God calls me to the mission field during a time I was reading Goforth of China, George Mueller, and Youth Aflame. (just one year into Jesus and having revival already!)

Or do I just go to how God was showing me a time of repentance during an Austin Stone leadership summit in 2008. They walked us through repentance as a group and individually and it was so powerful. God showed me that I wanted to be a missionary to be the elite of Christians. I tried to deny it, but obviously, God is not wrong. I was so grieved. and I was glad I had only been allowed to go on one little mission trip so far.

But then after that, Kenya came! and so I am so thankful He prepared my heart. Not that my heart is good. But I am thankful I am in this with eyes wide open. and I am going and reaching with love. and how graciously that love has been received! it is like going to a place as a rock star. superstar! it is fun and I appreciate my sisters and brothers there. They walk through an entirely different world than I do. They have different strengths and weaknesses. I can't wait to spend eight weeks with them this summer and engage our souls. I can't assume we'll connect on all levels but I can stumble through the process lovingly and being loved. I think you have to stay connected so you get to the deeper parts of relationship. where it gets uncomfortable.