july 4 PM --9pm for me, about 1pm for you

July 4th PM
More dead people today. This time on the side of the road. Shot. By police man. We were in the little pick up truck. Elder Raphael was driving, Pastor Stanley in the middle, me on the USA driving side without a steering wheel. We came up on a collection of cars and people in the road. It looked like there had been an accident. Titus’ car was off the road! We pulled over to verify his condition. There was a man laying in the road. He was face down. He wasn’t moving. We realized he was dead. There was a police man there with a big long gun. Titus appeared and we called out to him. He was okay. It was robbers. Three men had robbed a businessman in Kakamega. The police had given chase. The robbers shot at the police men, but the police stopped them and shot them all dead. Three men dead. Two in the ditch and one on the road. It was raining hard. It was cold. Many people were standing around. I had come out into the road to meet Titus so he ushered me back and wanted me to get in the car. Once we knew he was alright I started to get in. Stanley just wanted to go take a look at the man laying there shot dead. He was curious. I laughed—typical American! Rubbernecker! But it was good to know the police were fine. I was sad for the robbers. No more chances for Jesus. They spent their last moments in a crime, too. What a horrible way to end a life. What have they lived for? What have they accomplished? What is their legacy? How will they be remembered? We had just come from a dead man. He died this morning or recently. Pastor Stanley had gone to pray for him last night and he lay there on his bed moaning in pain. Now he was gone. He had been a man of wisdom. This man had two wives. I only saw one and she was young. She had a young son on her lap. Very young, almost a baby. Later another boy came up to meet me. He was another son of the man. Maybe he was eight years old. Hard to say. I met one of the orphan children today. His name was Silas. He looked about 10 to 12. He was 15. Obviously he has not eaten enough. The other child, Trophosar, was a girl ( I thought that child was going to be a boy. She’s pretty.) She said she did not have enough food. Oh man, hurts to hear it.
We went to offer prayers for this family. They had the man on a bed. They had stuffed his nose, mouth, and ears with cotton to keep body fluids from draining openly. The floor was wet inside which kind of grossed me out since I know when we die we lose our sphincter control and out spills the fluids. He was covered nicely with a sheet, but his head exposed. He had small bunches of flowers laid around him. It was so sad looking. Someone had laid those there because they love him. The main family members just sat in chairs around the room. Pastor Stanley said a prayer and then asked me to comfort the family. I spoke for a few minutes and used my Swahili and Luhya. I went around and shook each hand. Some really enjoy me coming and those broke into a smile. Even the wife appreciated it, though. I came back to her again before going out and prayed over the son in her lap. She made a weak smile.
We went out of the house. There were so many men everywhere in chairs outside. There were many thin trees in this little cluster of huts/homes and the dirt was so soft from the rains but in mounds, as if it was ready for planting. Thankfully, there was small plants growing here and there so you did not step in mud but onto these little plants, sort of like if someone had dumped a bunch of planting soil all over the yard but then scattered some green leaves around so you could walk on the fresh damp dirt which was so plump from water. Pastor Stanley took me over to the men. So many older men. He asked me to say some words. Oh my goodness. Little woman me to the men? They are Mzee, the elders. And there were some younger men, too. Ranging from age 20 to well over 65. Well, I told them whatever Jesus sort of told me. I wasn’t at all prepared. I asked them to consider the example of the man who died. He was known for wisdom. To share their wisdom with the younger. I told the younger to listen to the older. They have so much. I told them all that we need their strength. God gives them all (men) strength to protect the women, children and the weak. I told them to live for Jesus and have a life worth remembering. But also to love each other for strengths and forgive weakness. NOT condone it, no. Correct it! But accept one another in love. I said some other stuff, too. I just even write some of it because I know Jesus was helping me because I was kind of like, Hey! Sounds great! I hope it sounds great to them. And there I was with all these men listening respectfully and knowing I was respecting them deeply. Standing there in Kenya. Yeah. Weird.
I started the morning at the Golf Hotel and Titus picked me up after praying for people at the hospital. Then we went to the post office. ANITA’S PACKAGE SENT ON MARCH 23RD WAS THERE! Well, we’ll use it to sign Frank’s papers and get the NGO on our own. Lawyer is still at large. He meets them tomorrow ==or so he said! No one at police station to take Titus’ statement so we went to ATM. It had not been 24 hours and so the machine would not let me withdraw. FINE, AFRICA! You will not wear me down. I can handle everything through Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.
We went to the church compound. I unpacked all my stuff. Agnes came over and I had her give me a good strong shake—GOOD JOB AGNES! She did a great job shaking firm! She got me the key to the office so I could get my bible. I began preparing my message. I was hoping Jackson would come and I would let him preach, but he did not show up by 11:10, so I went onto the Ituti church.
It was a good time there. I preached on Phil 4:13 and I told my cockroach story with screaming included. It was a hit. Then I preached again on Matthew 20, Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” –this has been a powerful message. It was powerful again. I gave two messages and it took over two hours but we broke the sessions with singing and praying. Then afterwards, I took a photo of everyone and we took the two orphan boys to eat with us. They held my hand and we walked across the trail and up into the little grouping of homes. How precious. God bless them. They are so darn cute.
We ate a while. Turns out Pastor Wycliffe is not married. He wants to marry his wife, who has had their fourth boy. But he doesn’t have cows and the parents are not permitting the marriage without the cows—at least 2. Cows cost a minimum of 80,000 shillings or at least $100 dollars. I told him that the Bible says he should not be an elder in the church. I am sympathetic to his situation and his culture—but that is the Word we are teaching. He didn’t know what to say. I’m kind of serious about Jesus. But I was extremely loving. Since I am not his elder, this is a church matter, but I am his sister and I love him. I want him to obey the commands of Jesus. All of them. And I want him to insist that I obey the commands as well.
Oh I’m tired. Just thinking of that wore me out. One of the boys is getting a spanking here. We have to remember that discipline is good for us all. We ALL need someone telling us the correct way. Praise the Lord that He doesn’t leave us as we are---and I pray I conform to His Will quickly—and receive blessings. What a day. What a day in Kenya. I do love this place. The bumpy roads. The little baby lambs in the road. SO PRECIOUS! Even the baby goats. The little chicks. The cats here and there. I love them. The people, the children, the landscape. The green. Ahh the green. The rain. The stars. So many stars. So beautiful. So beautiful. The friends. The language. The laughter. It’s in m blood. It’s in my brain. It’s in my spirit. I am such an outsider, but I belong here. I am so out of place but I am so positioned perfectly. I am awkward but loving. I just feel like I get to be myself. I can pray all the time—and it is appropriate! I can love all the time and it is right. You just are a little weird when you go around loving everyone in the USA. Until finally, you just decide to hold back. Definitely not allowed to pray everywhere. But everyone who knows me knows I pray anyway. But not as much as here! And here, someone sometimes BEATS me! I love that!! Oh I love it! I love to live Jesus all day long. I love to talk Jesus all day long. I love to say, Bwana Asifiwe (praise the Lord!) all day long—and people love it and say AMEN. Or I love saying God bless you (I say this all the time in U.S.) and people just so quickly bless me back. In the USA, people are not always sure what the appropriate response to “God bless you” might be. (it can be “and you” or “thank you”) I love teaching the students. I love preaching the word. I love meeting the little children. I love being out in the green world. I love the people all walking everywhere ( I liked that in Evanston, too, and down by U.T.) I’m tired but happy. It was a good Sunday. I wish I could get some preaching, but I am the preacher when I go out. Here, you REALLY have to be ready in season and out of season—but thankfully, I am. At any time I might be asked to pray or speak. It is amazing that I can do it—and then it is not surprising at all.
It was good to be in the car with Raphael and Stanley—good English speakers. And Raphael really encouraged me to learn more Swahili and Luhya. I do know so much. My new name is Ashisinde (ASH-uh-SIN-duh) which is something like a name for the women of the Shibuli community. It’s my African name.
I love you all. I’m glad I have you to talk to. I’m sorry I complain so much. I love Jesus. I want heaven to come and the world to be perfect. I want everyone to love Jesus—including me—MORE. Instead Jesus tells ME to love others and forgive others and love the unlovely. And so I shall. God bless you. Mungu Akubariki Wewe (to a group--- Mungu Awabariki.)