Sunday – 24 – The Never Ending Day!

I waited to record the events of this day for ample time to describe it. For those of you who are fans of the TV show, 24, you will identify with this account, for if you are like most of us, by the last few episodes of the season you are so ready for the day to end! That’s how we felt on Sunday as we were to leave Nairobi to fly to Burundi. The following events occurred between 5:00 AM Sunday and 5:00 AM Monday.

We got news Friday that the flight attendants for Kenya Air had gone on strike, asking for 130% increase (not bad if you can get it!). This brought all flights to an instant halt. We attempted to get any information on our flight for Sunday, but no one state side or in Nairobi seemed to know what was going on or be willing to give out any information. We were told to just show up at the airport as planned, so at 5:00 AM we made our way to the airport for our 7:30 morning flight (getting us to Bujumbura in time for church; it’s just a bit over a 1 hour flight). There wasn’t too much of a line outside as we got there, but that swelled quickly. Since flights had ceased for two days, there were thousands of people stranded, waiting on flights to resume whenever the strike was settled. Apparently no one had been put in hotels, etc……just waiting. No one is allowed in the building without confirmation of a ticket, so no one was inside, leaving the throngs to wait outside on sidewalks in the cold. Yes, I said cold; this is their winter. Picture thousands of tired, angry, frustrated travelers, many toting babies and little ones, frantic to hear if they were going to get to fly out, travelers from all over the world, many not speaking English or Swahili. And so we joined the swelling crowd to stand…and wait….and wait. We got word that the strike had been settled; they agreed on 20% over 2 years, a far cry from demands which would have bankrupted the airline, so now it was a matter of contacting flight crews and getting them back to the airport to see if any flights were a go. From then on it was mayhem! No one knew what was happening; there appeared to be no contingency plan. One minute we were told yes, there would be a flight….sometime, then no, it would be cancelled. This bounced back and forth for hours; we’re still outside in the cold, little access to food, water, and two bathrooms accessible outside…..for thousands. We crouched on the sidewalk, propped up by our stacks of luggage. About 10:00 AM the incredible young people in our group pulled out the guitar and drums and began a time of praise and worship! As they led us to take our focus off our circumstances and turn toward the Lord, we had the most amazing church service ever! People began to stop, join us, sing along or just stand with us. One policeman said he wished he wasn’t on duty so that he could dance and sing with us! A young South African woman moved toward us and began singing in a beautiful voice. She had worked with YWAM and joyfully joined in. Some of the few people who had made it inside motioned to us through the glass walls that they were thankful for the music and to please continue. The local Nairobi TV station had a cameraman out filming the situation. He motioned to one of our gals, Melanie, and proceeded to interview her. I guess he was disappointed; apparently he was looking for disgruntled/angry travelers, and Melanie was saying that she was focusing on praising rather than complaining. But when the music rose up, he moved toward our group and filmed a good bit, which made it on the evening news!!! Judy Mbugua, our Africa director, saw it on the news……we were singing Mambo Sawa Sawa, a Swahili praise song! What a noticeable change in the crowd….and in us as well. This continued for about two hours when we got word that our flight was a “go” and we needed to get to the front door to enter. Thus the challenged began.

Convinced that they would force their way into the terminal and determined that they would indeed fly out that day and would stand their ground until they did, hundreds were crammed against the only entrance to the terminal; no one would budge. I spoke with a policeman, telling them that our flight had been called and that we had to get through the door. He motioned us to come ahead, but that was easier said than done. No one was willing to relinquish “their spot.” We stood as patiently as possible as groups pushed their way through, only to be turned away and unable to go against the flow away from the door. The airline workers stuck with overseeing this operation were given an impossible task, apparently weren’t getting any reliable information and at a loss how to proceed. A riot could have easily erupted.

At long last, we worked our way (having to employ elbowing our way through those who simply refused to budge an inch to give space to pull umpteen suitcases through) and after TWELVE HOURS we were inside the door. Thus begins the security checks and getting into endless lines to get to the ticket counters.

Again…..mass humanity crowding the counters. There are no such things as lines pretty much outside North America and some of Europe. People were pushing, shoving others aside, with a few outbursts here and there; we waited. After about SEVEN HOURS, we were finally at the front of a line to get to the counter. An airline worker then announced that they were moving us to another line….and at the end of one to boot!! Beyond disbelief, we drug ourselves to the far end of the counters. A guy behind the desk shouted out “Anyone going to Entebbe?” and there was an instant mass rush through ropes supposedly to direct the lines. It was a miracle no one was trampled to death, only for the guy to yell that there was no flight: I guess he was just wondering who was wanting to go there!!!! That was a tense moment.

After TEN HOURS of working our way through these lines, we finally got bags checked and received boarding passes, proceeding through more security checks and finally to the gate.

We were to have left at 7:30 AM Sunday morning; it was now about 4:00 AM Monday morning. What a journey!! At last, we boarded the plane and arrived in Bujumbura about 5:00 AM. Surprisingly, there was barely another soul at the airport, save poor Peace, our Burundi director. She had already made several runs to the airport, trying to find out our status and if we were going to be able to come. She had been so concerned, had everyone praying for us, and finally, we were in Burundi!!!

Looking back, we can laugh at the situation, though we weren’t exactly chuckling during those 24 hours. God does have a sense of humor; we recalled the teachings of the previous week at the camp which focused on persevering during troubling times as we looked at the life of Joseph. The memory verses took on a fresh, personal meaning:

Psalm 4:4: Be angry, but do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.

Isaiah 41:10: Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Joshua 1:9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Genesis 50:19: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

We had felt anger and frustration. God did take care of us and was with us. The strikers may have meant this for evil, but God used it for good by giving opportunity to have a worship service available to literally thousands outside the Nairobi airport, not an everyday occurrence.

And thus this never ending day came to a close! And now we can laugh about it.

Final thoughts from Diane

Saturday – Homeward Bound!

Having a night’s rest certainly does make the journey home more bearable. Now we just have a 10 hr. flight home, or at least to Houston. The descent into Houston evokes joy…..we are back in the USA! All bags have arrived (Yeah!). We hug our wonderful teammates from Lafayette who will have one more short flight to get home; how this team has bonded! The Houston group reunites with family and everyone is heading home. Our suitcases are full of dirty laundry, but we are so full with everything God has allowed us to see and experience. Our hearts are full of joy as well as sorrow for the trials our African family still endure. We’ve seen God at work in powerful, miraculous ways! We have bonded with our brothers and sisters in ways we could never have imagined, and we are grateful. And now we begin to digest it all! Processing will take time, and we know that the Lord has something special for each of us as to how He wants to use all this in our lives. Some of us will probably return to Kenya and Burundi; some may not be able to. Regardless, this has been a life changing experience that God will use in incredible ways both for our benefit and for the benefit of His Kingdom.

We encourage team members to come up with three descriptive words that will capture their experience. My three for this trip are:

Healing: We saw God bring deep inner healing to deep inner sounds, those of our African friends and in us as well.

Haunting: As we heard the testimonies of the people, began to feel their pain and anguish, we are haunted by the mental pictures formed in our minds.. We don’t want those images to fade, but to remind us of the work yet to be done.

Hopeful: God is at work in Kenya and Burundi! The Christians we worked with there are amazing; such self sacrifice! Hearing the testimonies of those who have come to the Lord are thrilling. Seeing the changed lives of those involved in our ministry projects energizes us to keep these ministries going and expanding so that many more may benefit. The transformation of the lives of the street guys and the women in the ministry projects confirm to us that God is very much in the miracle working mode…..even today.

Our sincere thanks to all of you who have supported this ministry outreach with your prayers and financial support. You are an integral part of the team; we couldn’t have done anything without you! Thank you!

Please continue to pray for our partners in Kenya and Burundi, Judy and Peace and all those who help them. Pray for the ministries reaching out to those living in the Kibera slum, rural villages, genocide widows and orphans and those living on the streets. All are loved by Jesus!

Pray about coming with us next time so that you can experience for yourself the joy of being on mission with the Lord; you will never be the same! We can safely say that everyone on this team has been changed….for eternity.

Final thoughts from Melanie

I always love when God grants me the opportunity to dive into a different country, a different culture, a different people group…to be able to watch and learn and enjoy. God has wired my heart to be missional in nature, missional in a cross-cultural sense. I always feel more alive and more myself in foreign cultures. Africa was certainly no disappointment. And this trip to Africa was definitely an opportunity to gain exposure to something different than I had ever worked with before.

Spending a week out in the villages reminded me of how much I enjoy the simple life, and how far removed I am from it in America. Seeing the women of the Masai and Chuka villages…seeing their perseverance and determination, their hard work ethic, and passion in worship, fueled and challenged me. Their lives are an inspiration…seeing those with so little still be so generous. Amazing!

Regarding the second week, a camp for teens out of the Kibera slum, I loved every minute of it. It was the chance to remind these kids that they are loved, are precious, are valuable…a chance to love on them when you wonder if they feel loved by anyone at home. To hear heart-breaking stories of rape, physical abuse, and hunger and still see the joy of life in these children’s eyes is amazing to me. More important than doing for them, was being with them. And I enjoyed being with them. I enjoyed winning them over after seeing initial walls of mistrust. How can you come to love someone so much after only a few days? Only through God. I was confronted by my own lack of trust in God, having to wrestle with the tension between having mercy and compassion and at the same time trusting in God’s sovereignty in the lives of these children. And I also felt challenged in my thinking regarding what would help these kids. Am I tempted to think that if I could fix their circumstances that it would improve their lives? Or do I really believe that it’s more of the Lord they really need and not just more stuff? I still wear the cheap rubber band of our team color we were each given at the camp as a reminder to pray for them. I know they are wearing theirs too. My heart feels forever connected to them.

The third leg of the trip was in Burundi. I loved the fire in the hearts of the women we spent time with, especially as we worshipped with them in song and dance. Seeing their bodies reflect the attitude of their hearts of worship was uplifting. It really was a time of celebration. If someone walked into a church service in America during it’s time of worship music, would they know we are celebrating? Would they be able to see outwardly what is going on inwardly? And I felt really privileged to get to know Peace (PACWA leader there). Hearing some of her story, seeing her obedience to return to Burundi upon God’s call, seeing her be a strong rock for these women, giving them leadership and guidance, selflessly giving her life away. This is a woman who is truly in love with the Lord and committed to Him. She is constantly emptying herself. It made me want to move there just to be a friend to her, someone who she could turn to, someone who can fill her when so many others in her life drain her. And I am challenged to know she clings to the Lord to fill her up.

Overall, I’m still trying to process all that we saw and did on this trip. God really used it to refuel me. It was a gift of so many of the things that I enjoy…simple life, the outdoors, adventure, new experiences, relinquishing Americanisms, interacting with new people, teaching, etc… He used it to affirm my gifts and what He has made me for. He used it to show me more of myself. He used it to show me more of Him, and to help me see Him in new ways. He used it to show me changes I want to make in my life here because of things I saw there. He connected my heart to a different part of the world. He used it to increase my burden for the world, molding my heart to be more like His, a heart that longs to see people from every tongue, tribe, and nation worshiping Him. And this trip has left my heart in a state of greater determination to be used by God to bring this about.

Final thoughts from Stacy

I have met people who in spite of their seemingly insurmountable problems and horrific past, not to mention an uncertain future, have joy that is beyond anything I have ever witnessed and a faith that can truly move mountains. Their attitude is pretty much, yes, I have had horrible things happen to me and life is a day to day struggle but that's OK because I have Jesus, He will provide all I need. This was humbling for me because I tend to keep him in a small box and take him out only when I really need him. I went to encourage them but instead they encouraged me. I have learned that as long as I keep my eyes focused on Him there is nothing in this world that can steal my joy or assurance of the love he has for me. I have fallen in love with Africa and its beautiful people. He has touched me and I will never be the same. Praise God for that!

Final thoughts from Mary L

The three words that sum up the two weeks I spent in Africa on the recent Global Action trip to Africa are challenging, heartbreaking and life-giving.

I thought I was prepared for the culture shock plus jet lag but found myself feeling depressed, confused, overwhelmed, angry, impatient, and just plain exhausted the first couple of days in country. Remembering that this was fairly normal helped, but I still felt unsettled and out of control. “This is hard, Jesus, I’m not sure I can do this”, I prayed. He said, “I know…you can’t…but I can. Relax and rest in Me, trust me with yourself. I’m with you.” The challenge the next two weeks was a moment by moment opportunity to take Him at His word. Spending that first Sunday in Judy Mbugua’s church and later her home began the first week with a focus on the reality of the hymn we heard called How Beautiful is the Body of Christ.

Yet God…how He showed up in HUGE ways, time after time. Oh my!! Watching the kids warm up and just enjoy having the freedom to play, laugh, eat when they were hungry, sleep in safety when they were tired, and experience Jesus loving them in countless ways during the camp week blessed me beyond words. Hearing their stories broke my heart, but also testified to the power of God to overcome the evil one. I received a note from one of the girls, writing words of encouragement to me after our group time in which I’d shared struggles in my own life. She asked to speak with me alone. During that time, she told me a story she’d not ever shared with anyone of rape at the age of six and female genital mutilation at age eight. Despite living in pain, she has a deep faith in God and dreams of becoming all that Jesus created her to be. She is fourteen years old, living in Kibera slum, yet trusting Jesus in ways that put me to shame. I am so grateful that God allowed our journeys to intersect now and for eternity.

Being in Burundi brought many more tragic stories from the 50+ PACWA (Pan African Christian Women’s Alliance) widows and orphans of the 1993 genocide that we met with. Their lives continue to be so difficult, most living in constant “survival mode”, but their faith and joy in the Lord was contagious and life-giving to me. It was my privilege to share with them for two mornings from a counselor’s perspective on the reality that Jesus loves them and wants them to give Him access to their past wounds/trauma so that He can heal them and set them free from the captivity of their shame. In many ways, I was speaking to the choir because so many of them have a deep, abiding experience of Jesus loving and caring for them. Meeting Peace, hearing her story, observing her great love and advocacy for these women caused me to praise God for the huge sacrifices she consistently makes in His service. Others like Pastor Alban and his heart for the men of Burundi also brought praise and thanksgiving. Being a small part of God’s ongoing work in Africa for those two weeks increased my faith, my appreciation, and my love for my God. I am in awe of Him. He can and He did!

Final thoughts from Brandi

The past two weeks have been amazing. The teams of people that God has put together have helped me grow in my faith. But most of all, the people of Kenya and Burundi have shown me what an incredible God we serve. First, I totally underestimated the power of Satan. My mind cannot wrap itself around the idea of any human being doing the things we heard of. With that being said, there is only one God who can bring us that much joy from that much pain and suffering. I have not experienced what some of those men and women and children have experienced. I can't say that I would have reacted and forgiven the way they have. I would hope and pray to God that I would if it were to happen. But, it really shows how the power of God overcomes the power of Satan. God really is a WINNER and Satan really is a LOSER!! (Haha)

I've also learned that Americans have so much stuff...everything we want, everything we need and yet, we still have feelings of hate, depression, hopelessness, envy, jealousy, etc. The people that have nothing, eat nothing, wear the same outfit day after day, hardly sleep, get beaten and raped...they have the most amazing joy and hope I have ever seen. They only have God to rely on which produces a faith that can withstand anything. That is more than enough for any aethist, buddhist, muslim, or any religion to see that there has to be a God and only one God.

So, being home is kind of bitter sweet. I have found that I am blessed more than anything. I have an amazing family. I have a roof over my head. I have food to eat. I have more than one pair of clothes. I have a great job. I have a decent income. I have nothing to complain about. I thank GOD for blessing me. At the same time, I wish I had the faith those people had. I felt so at home and whole being amongst those people and our fabulous team. Being home, I feel like something is missing, like it's not home. I feel like the same routine of "get up, go to work, come home, got to sleep" is pointless. That's not God's purpose. I'm still trying to figure out where God wants me but, I definitely know it's NOT doing real estate the rest of my life. God has a bigger plan for me. I'm just waiting on him. While I am waiting, I will continue to serve him the best I can.

Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday – Farewell, Africa

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/BurundiStreetBoysMeetingWed2009

Wednesday afternoon the guys had their last group visit with the boys’ group. These young men have embraced our guys completely; they don’t know the love of an earthly father, community, or outpouring of caring and have soaked it up.

Today our guys presented a Bible to each of the boys and were overwhelmed by their response. They said they had never heard such Amens and praise! They received them as prized possessions, treasures, which it is. Most of the guys said this was the highlight of their time in Burundi.

Our gals set aside the afternoon to spend some special time with Peace. As is common, those who constantly pour themselves out to others often have no one ministering to them. Peace shared her heart with us; what a privilege to gather around her and pray for her needs and the desires of her heart! What a precious sister she is!

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It’s hard to believe it’s our last night in Burundi, in Africa. So much has been compacted into these past weeks! We met with the prayer group that meets every Thursday night. Again, passionate prayer and praise. As several shared their testimonies and prayer requests, covering everything from physical, emotional healing to needing a toilet for her family, we prayed, hugged, and enjoyed one last fellowship with our sisters.

Peace and Emmanuel invited our team to their home for dinner. As we enjoyed this sweet time together, it was hard to say good-bye, but it was time to pack up our bags and head to the airport for a late night flight. We flew from Bujumbura to Kigali, Rwanda where we picked up other passengers. Then finally to Nairobi. What a completely different situation from last Sunday! The halls were nearly deserted. It was a while before other flights began to trickle in, and finally we were off to Amsterdam.

We’re overnighting near the airport tonight and will be on the home stretch in the morning. We’re all pretty exhausted physically, but so full spiritually! It will take quite a while to process everything we’ve experienced; each of us has been impacted greatly, and we have seen God work in extraordinary ways. As Peace reminded us, as much as ministries in poverty stricken countries such as Burundi need money, what they really desire more than anything is relationship. Time after time the people in Kenya and Burundi have thanked us over and over for just “being” with them and long for us to return…..again, the power of presence! What life lessons we’ve learned here; how much more we long to share with them as family.

Wednesday – Healing in our innermost being

Today was the conclusion of the counseling seminar. As the women returned, it was evident that they had absorbed so much from yesterday. One woman shared that she didn’t sleep all night, praying and thinking about what she had learned. A number of the women shared about their own wounds, probably for the first time publically. Unbelievable wounds! One woman described how her husband and six of her children were killed right in front of her during the 1993 genocide. The attackers stacked up the bodies of the children and drove a sword like weapon through their bodies. Others shared of rape, beatings, starvation, deep, unimaginable wounds that they were bringing to the surface for His healing. Mary then led the group in healing prayer, how to create a “safe place” with God in quiet and solitude, which we did to the best of our ability with the constant barrage of outside noises. In spite of the distractions, the Holy Spirit filled the room. Outside the hustle of life continued; inside, there was peace. Trish and the rest of the team shared a wonderful collection of promises to all believers called Father’s Love Letter. What truth that we all need to store in our hearts! To close each one of our team prayed individually with each of the women, a sweet, intimate time to bless them and intercede for them. As we closed in prayer, we all recognized we had shared a truly blessed time, both the team and the Burundi women. A special bond forms quickly between people whose hearts are knit together by His Spirit; such has been the case here. Relationship isn’t measured in terms of chronological time; it is measured by the depth of spirit connection, which can occur in a moment or develop in hours or days. Though we have spent a short time here in our way of thinking, God has done a work that could take a lifetime, if it were not for His Spirit and power.

More from Tuesday – We are family

I wasn’t able to post everything from the past two days, so will add on a bit today. After the wonderful counseling time in the morning, the men from our group spent the afternoon with the young street guys, whose numbers swelled to 70. The reports about these young men are humbling and convicting! Despite having nothing, they are so hungry to mature in their faith; they so desire to be able to work, read, mature, yet they are still on the streets. And can they ever sing and dance and praise the Lord! Our guys have really connected with these young men and are praying about how they can be helped.

The gals of our group went to visit with Sarah, a 32 year- old young woman who has been a part of the ministry here. She herself was an orphan, and God gave her a burden for orphaned children. She took her first orphan in when she was 18, a one year old. She now has 19!! We met the whole family, most of whom are teenagers. The oldest is a 22 year -old boy; the youngest is Sarah’s three year old daughter, Stacy. What a doll she is! Sarah shared her own story of rape and abuse, marriage to a Muslim who deserted her when she accepted the Lord, her love for these children and the struggles of feeding and providing for them. You wouldn’t know they often don’t eat by the smiles on their faces and songs of praise! They have their own angelic choir! The teenage girl who is the latest to join the family about a year ago shared her own tragic story and praised God for bringing her to this family. She repeated over and over again how grateful she is, that Sarah is the best mother in the world, and God has redeemed her and given her life!! Sarah’s prayer was for food, school fees so that the children can continue in school, and that they could add on a few small rooms for the children and have an indoor bathroom (the only bathroom they have is a latrine outside). We prayed, praised and hugged them all. When we got back into the bus and the driver attempted to start it up, it just coughed and sputtered. He rolled it backwards several times to jump start it; nothing. Here came the kids! They started helping the driver to roll it some more and then get behind the bus, along with our ladies, to push the bus up the hill to the road! As we reached the top, the engine finally fired……everyone cheered!

We are constantly struck by the humility, thankfulness, and kindness of the people here. We are continually being thanked for coming, just for being here with them; the power of presence….His Presence!

Tuesday – Healing in Brokenness

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Upon rising today, we realized that the electricity had gone off for most of the night, but we were grateful that we did have beds. Because the power was gone, they couldn’t prepare the normal breakfast, so we enjoyed coffee and break and went on our way for a counseling seminar, led by our team member, Mary Langford. Mary is a Christian counselor, and how the Lord prepared her to speak powerfully for Him here in Burundi!! She opened the session with this question: “Do you live each day knowing how much God loves you?” Though most of us would be quick to answer, “Yes,” if we are honest, we may not really experience His love in our hearts and daily experience. Mary shared four basic principles: God loves us with an everlasting love. We are all wounded people in some way, wounds that can keep us from experiencing God’s love. Jesus came to set us free! God wants to use each of us as a “wounded healer,” to experience His deep inner healing and then help others to be healed in the same way. As Mary shared from her own journey with the Lord, we could all identify with one another. As she began to peel away the layers of woundedness, she explained that wounds, trauma, are genuine losses that result in grief that must be mourned before it can heal. Healing can only come when the wound is opened up to the light of truth. Grieving is an essential part of healing; without it, we cannot heal. We can’t forgive others, and self-destructive bitterness is the result. We can’t but a quick bandaid or ointment on these wounds; they need the deep surgery that only God can provide. Mary shared about the reality of emotional anguish by walking us through what Jesus experienced in the garden of Gethsemane. Through His pain and suffering, Jesus won victory over sin and death; He provides victory! But we have to walk in this victory to have true freedom and not continue to live as prisoners to pain. So we started to unravel the process of how to grieve, which requires having “sanctuary time” alone with the Lord. Tomorrow Mary will present methods to work through grieving to find release, freedom, and realize deep healing that God so wants for each of us.

What a powerful time! These women, who have endured so much pain and suffering, hung on every word, but it was a message for all of us. We are praying and anticipating a mighty work of The Spirit tomorrow, knowing that God is at work in very special, personal ways. How grateful we are that He has brought us to Burundi! We’ll have more to share tomorrow, but please pray for the session tomorrow, the men’s fellowship with the young men, and for God to reveal Himself in deep, powerful ways, meeting each one at their point of need.

Monday – FINALLY! We’re in Burundi!!

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We haven’t been able to update the blog since we left for the airport in Nairobi to come to Burundi…….it’s a long story that I think John made reference to that I will expound on later, but AT LAST, we DID arrive in Bujumbura yesterday morning around 5:00 AM, 24 hours later than planned! After an exhausting ordeal at the Nairobi airport, we crashed as soon as possible upon arrival. We are staying at a new Christian conference center, the King’s Conference Center, built by a missionary working here to provide a safe place for retreats, seminars, Christian meetings, as well as a meeting place that can be rented, which will furnish funds to support ministry. They have done a nice job; it is a nice facility, and we are just so thankful to have a bed, water and food. We regrouped after lunch to go to the ministry project center that our ministry partner oversees to meet some of the women in training there. They are receiving training in sewing and hairdressing; with these skills, they will be able to support themselves and their families, as well as be discipled in their walk with the Lord.

Today was an introduction to those being ministered to here, the women in the project training and a group of young men that Pastor Alban is working with. The women on our team first went to the project center. As is the wonderful African custom, we were enthusiastically greeted with joyful praise!!

We got acquainted with the women, their teachers, saw what they are learning to do and had a sweet time together. Seeing the beautiful fabrics and clothing they are producing, our gals just had to have some items made for them, so measurements were taken and projects begun that they will have ready for Thursday; how is that for quick, custom made!

Meanwhile, the guys on the team went to meet the group of young men who live on the streets. Alban has reached out to these forgotten guys, shared Christ with them, and is meeting with them regularly to disciple them. They are hungry and eager to grow in the Lord, evidenced by how they, up until now, have shared four Bibles between 44 young men, soaking in every bit they can. They still live on the streets, have little or no schooling, eat little and can’t find work, but they are overflowing with joy in the Lord! After a great time of fellowship, we had a beautiful evening by the shores of Lake Tanyanika. Dining on the open porch of the restaurant, we rested in the breezes coming off the water, listened to the waves, walked in the sand, and had a wonderful time together as a team and with Peace (our ministry director), her husband, and some of her helpers. We were still recovering from Sunday, the “never ending day,” but were refreshed during our first day in Burundi and welcomed a good night’s sleep.

Sunday at Nairobi Airport all day Kenya Airlines on strike

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnacrews1/KenyaAirwaysStirkeOurTimeAtTheAirportWaiting

Well we headed off at 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning from the guest house made it to the airport in good time and only had about 30 people in front of us in line. 24 hours late we made it to Bujumbura Burundi which is only 1 hour and 30 minute flight.

Diane wants to write the details of this incredible day so will let her when she wakes up later. We arrived here this morning at 4 a.m. with the bright shinning face of Peace to greet us, she had already been to the airport earlier and went back home to sleep for an hour then pray the rest of the time. With Judy praying in Nairobi and Peace in Burundi there was no way that we would not make it here. God is good. Lots of lessons learned this week we thought they were for others but a lot was for all of us. Thank you Lord.

No big plans this morning just everyone sleeping in, right now it is abut 10:30 a.m. and I have not seen any of our 17 team members but that is ok they needed the rest. This afternoon we will start in to things. Please pray for us this week it is going to be a great time here.

More later, we hope that all of you are doing well everyone here is healthy just tired.

Saturday – Farewell, Kenya!

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Last night four more team members from Lafayette, LA arrived to join our group. Our UK friends returned to London yesterday at the close of camp, but we’re happy to have more friends join us for the next week in Burundi. Early this morning the team went to the Nairobi Game Preserve. You never know which animals you will see; you can’t control the animals or orchestrate how they are in the wild, but we were blessed this morning with sightings of lions, a rhino, zebras, giraffes, and a wide variety of the local wildlife. Magnificent! The rare beauty of Kenya is hard to equal anywhere in the world! What a joy to experience the majesty of God’s creation!

We then went to one of the ministry centers in Kibera to visit with some of the kids who were with us at camp and to see how the local believers are reaching out to the destitute children of Kibera. We met up with Pastor Evans who oversees the Sacred Ministry center (one of 5 such centers now ministering in Kibera). Their meeting place is very, very small, but they have as many as 200 kids meeting in this shanty. The place was packed when we arrived, welcoming us with their usual vibrant singing. We had a time with Pastor Evans, who shared with us his vision for outreach in this community. We then had a time with the kids; they recited the memory verses from camp (great to see that they really learn them!), then, of course, many praise songs. As we sat among the crowd holding children in our laps, we sang, bounced, and again, just loved on these kids. We are so thankful for the volunteers who work with these 400+ children every Saturday! As they had their snack of porridge, we wove our way through the red dirt roads to visit in several homes. It is really hard to describe the area and the homes, but since Kibera is the largest slum in the world (1 million people in 600 acres), you can imagine the conditions, especially with very little power, no running water, sanitation, and services that we take for granted. To reach some of the “homes,” you have to make your way through extremely narrow pathways, through mud huts with tin roofs that wind precariously through the area. It is hard to even see anything when you enter these 10 by 10 huts that may house 10-12 people. If it is this dark during the day, imagine what it is like at night with no power. One house was home to an older women who is raising her grandson because her daughter had died; this is common, for grandparents to assume responsibility for grandchildren and others orphaned by AIDS. Unsafe, sparcely furnished, with unsanitary conditions, these people are doing the best they can with what they have, which is pitifully little. It is sobering to see these conditions, to picture the smiling faces we have come to love this week existing in these situations. But this is the reality of Kibera. We’re so thankful for what God is doing here, that we have the opportunity to partner with them in a small way, and realize that we must continue to pray for these children, their families, ministries, that the Lord will reign over Kibera.

It seems like we enter another world as we leave Kibera and drive a short distance into the center of Nairobi, which is a bustling, busy capital city. After lunch, we spent some time “encouraging the local economy” by visiting some shops to buy local handicrafts and souvenirs. We ended at the City Market, which is quite an experience with hawkers beckoning you into their kiosks, always with “best deal for you” enticements. Of course, bartering is the rule, so it isn’t quick shopping; you work for your purchases. After everyone had their fill of bargaining and/or exhausted their shillings, we returned to the guesthouse for our last night in Kenya.

We discovered today that Kenya Air’s flight attendants have now gone on strike; many flights are cancelled or greatly delayed. Reports were that it was mass chaos at the airport, with many frustrated, angry passengers who were now missing connections. We’ve been trying to get a clearer picture of what to expect in the morning; we have a flight to Burundi at 7:40 AM, but we will need to leave at 4:30 and see what the situation is when we get to the airport. We’re praying that the Lord will make a way for us to get to Burundi!! It will probably be chaotic tomorrow, but we are trusting in God’s working in this situation, and that He will get us to Bujumbura! As we learned this week, despite circumstances, God IS with us, and He will work through strikes, airport gridlock and provide a way to connect us with our ministry partners waiting for us in Burundi.

Friday- The Power of Presence and Prayer

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Last day of camp; it goes by so quickly! We had our final chapel, reviewing the life of Joseph, memory verses, and then a clear presentation of the gospel. The team has done a wonderful job of presenting dramas every day, leading Bible studies in their small groups, playing with the kids, counseling and praying with them, and just loving on them! Enormous impact on these teens! We closed chapel with an invitation to accept Jesus; quite a few indicated that they did indeed accept Jesus as their Savior; Praise the Lord! After our last small group times together, we had a closing time of prayer; the team prayed individually with every camper. Each one was prayed over, affirmed and blessed. A beautiful, intimate time of prayer. And then it was time to gather up bags, have lunch and wait for the buses. This is always an emotional time; there are tons of hugs, pleas for the team to come back, requests for prayer, loads of thanks, and bitter sweet moments with these kids. As they loaded their bus, there was joy as well as tears as we waved them off. As the team loaded up their bus, it was with mixed emotion. We’re sad to see them go; we’re glad that we came, knowing that it has made a difference. We’re humbled by how the Lord has allowed us to enter into the lives of these young people for this very special week to touch them with His love. As many of the teens shared what this week has meant to them, we heard remarks such as these:

“I learned what it means to know Jesus.” “I learned what it really means to forgive.” “I now feel that God really does love me and is with me.” “Thank you for caring for us, for coming so far to be with us.” “Thank you for giving us shelter and food this week as well as God’s Word.” “We will never forget you; you have changed my life.” There is no way this side of heaven to know what this week has meant to each one of these young people. But one thing we know; we will never be the same.

Thursday – Aslan is on the move

Today is the last full day of camp, and we completed our journey with Joseph from betrayal by his brothers to his reunion with them. Joseph’s life is a perfect example of perseverance, trusting God in all things, maintaining hope and realizing that what others/circumstances may mean for evil, God uses for good! What a life lesson for all of us! These young people have already experienced more grief and hardship than many do in a lifetime, and yet, as we learned yesterday in our group times, God IS sovereign; He IS good; He IS loving, and He IS accomplishing His purposes…..no matter how it looks or feels. Each day we have the opportunity to have special one-on-one times with these teens, each one with their own special story and needs. Endless opportunities to pray, encourage, console, and truly share one another’s burdens. We are so grateful for these divine encounters. Tonight we had a “first,” being able to show a movie in the chapel. When I asked their leader if the kids saw many movies, she said only bad ones, so it was exciting to be able to show “The Chronicles of Narnia” to them. You never know how they will respond to things, but they were certainly captured by the movie, laughing at the humorous moments, jolted out of their seats in the surprising ones. It kept their attention! We introduced the movie by telling that it was more than an adventure story, to look for the underlying meaning behind the story. These teens are rather reluctant to share openly; it doesn’t seem to be part of their culture, so only a few indicated that they realized that Aslan was Jesus. Friday we will focus on Jesus and what He has done and is doing for us, so we will be able to tie it all together. Even though some of us have seen this movie numerous times, it was a good reminder that Aslan is indeed on the move! We have seen Jesus moving throughout this week; He is moving in the lives of these young people; He is moving in us! Pray for our final day tomorrow as we zoom in on the gospel message. Though it has been shared in numerous ways daily, this will be a strong focus for our last times together. Pray for the message to be heard and understood; pray that we will clearly communicate Jesus. Pray that these young people, all of us, will be changed people when we leave this camp.

Wednesday – Welcome to the family!

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As warned, we didn’t have electricity for most of the day, but it didn’t dampen plans any. We do have a generator for chapel time, so that is a help; not that we couldn’t do without it, but it does make things easier. We continue with Joseph; now he’s Pharaoh’s right hand man, and tomorrow he’ll reunite with his brothers. The kids seem to be grasping the correlation of Joseph’s life and their own circumstances. We have a special praise today; 10 kids that we know of have accepted Christ!! One of the girls is Valentine. Today, while sitting on a bench with Helen, who loves to write music, the two of them started singing and sharing and in no time, Valentine had created a song of her own! She sang it tonight in our assembly; what an expression of His miracle working in this girl’s life!! It was truly a glory moment. We put out long banner paper today and let the kids paint murals of their own design. Such colors and creativity! Tonight was a time for each team to present a skit, song, dance, whatever they created as a team. This is always an interesting, fun time! We had some great tribal dancing and music, a skit, songs, a poem, and another original creation by Samantha and Josiah, a song they wrote just prior to the trip. Such talent!! The team is doing a fantastic job; we have so enjoyed being with our UK team members; we love their accents! The lights came on just in time for chapel tonight; God always provides! So we are thinking we’ll have power tomorrow. This seems to be the plight of many African countries right now: no rain, little power, and little water. How enormously blessed we are in the states! Even though we have been under water restrictions at home this summer, it is not a huge sacrifice not to be able to water your lawn. We still can bathe, have plenty of drinking water, etc. How precious water is! Even if the water supply is low here, they are getting a plentiful supply of The Living Water in this camp! Please continue to pray for the kids, local leaders, and the team. Pray for these new little brothers and sisters in Christ, that they will continue to grow strong and not grow weary.

Tuesday – The Lord is our power and strength!

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Power!! We had electricity today, but will not tomorrow, so we will have to update when we can after tonight due to mandatory rationing. We were thankful to have electricity today, and we had a great day starting with the continuing story of Joseph his experience in Potiphor’s house and in prison with the baker and cupbearer. It’s such a great study in dealing with hardships, and the kids seem to be getting the message. The worship continues to be lively, and tonight three of our UK team led the worship wonderfully! Great talent and energy! Today we began our special sessions with guys and gals meeting separately. These are always impacting times for the teens. Melanie is leading the sessions for the girls; our UK Chris with the boys. Today Melanie focused on having hope in God, what that means and how we can have it. If there is one thing these young people need it is hope!! So please continue to pray with us and for them that they will experience hope and encouragement this week that will continue long after camp is over.

Tomorrow we will continue our study of Joseph as he comes to power in Pharoah’s court. The small group Bible study times after morning chapel are wonderful times to connect with the teens, and they are feeling more secure in opening up and discussing scripture. Tonight some of us had the privilege of praying with one of the girls, Margaret, who said she had been feeling badly, unable to eat, was frightened and wanted prayer. It seems that her single mom hasn’t been able to pay the rent. Apparently the landowner sent someone to put a “curse” on them, especially on her, and she had been experiencing all sorts of pains and issues. As some of the local workers and our team gathered around her, we prayed for deliverence from the enemy’s attacks on her and her family. Kenyan Chris (we have to differentiate since we have one from UK and one from here) shared many scriptures about our position in Christ, the power of God to protect and deliver, and that indeed, He is greater! After a powerful time of prayer, Margaret went into the dining hall and ate! She had been afraid to eat before, so this was encouraging. This is just an example of the kinds of trials faced here.

We will update you as soon as possible when we have power again, but know that your prayers are being felt; we are confident that God is at work, and we are trusting Him to work miraculously in the lives of these teens and their mentors, as well as each of us.

Sunday - Monday Karibou!

Karibou!! Welcome (in Swahili) to our adventure in Kenya! The country is experiencing great problems with electrical power shortages due to the drought conditions, so we have not had access to internet to update everyone, but we are here and having some adventures!

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We arrived Saturday night and got settled into the guesthouse for some much needed rest. Sunday we got to worship at the NPC Karen church with our ministry partner and host, Judy Mbugua. It’s always a wonderful time of worship!! The California team who led the younger children’s camp last week shared a worship song during the worship, and then our own Samantha, accompanied by brother Josiah, sang a song she wrote especially for this trip. What blessings!! Then we had an “intimate” lunch at the Mbugua’s house for the CA team, UK group and US team, plus ministry partners, pastors, and some of our precious Masai women who came for the occasion. Close to 100 people, but there was plenty of food, and it was a great time of fellowship. Our combined UK and US team, now united as the “international team,” boarded the bus with ALL the luggage to go to the Pan African Christian University campus where we are holding the teen camp. It was then that we were made aware that there was a problem with the electricity, that it is being rationed, and that we would have to really practice “being flexible.”

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We got up early to set up everything for the campers, but their bus didn’t show up for some time, so things got off to a later start, but eventually they did arrive. Everyone was registered, assigned to their color groups, found their rooms, and at last camp was on. We began with chapel, with the wonderfully exuberant Kenyan music led by a local worship leader and several of the local counselors. Our group started the study on the life of Joseph, which will be our study for the week. They did a great job of presenting the early life of Joseph up until his being sold into slavery. After our chapel times, we break up into small groups for more Bible study and discussion. It is always a joy to see groups of young people with their leaders, stretched out under trees, on the lawn, Bibles open, sharing and praying together. After some free time to play soccer, jump rope and just enjoy being outdoors, we discovered that there was no power. We were able to work in a couple of classrooms for a short while; as we headed to the dining room for dinner, it was beginning to get dark, but we pressed on. At last, the lights flickered on and we were able to see what we were eating. But it proved to be a brief moment of light. It was now time for our night chapel and very dark. We managed our way down to the chapel; they had told us there would be a generator, so we made our way. But no power. It’s interesting to have 90 teens/leaders left outside in just the shadows of the moon and stars! We prayed, thanked God for allowing us to be here, with or without power, and starting worshiping. In a few minutes, after gazing at the stars, we saw the lights reappear in the chapel, so we were able to move inside for the rest of our worship time. As our time ended and it was time to head to the dorms, we saw that there was no power in the dormitories. Now this would be challenging! Nothing left to do but grope through the darkness to the dorms. Shortly, there was light! It was a Genesis moment; praise the Lord for His provision! The first night is always hectic, getting everyone settled, acquainted with how to use the toilets and showers, etc. But here we are at the end of the first day of camp. Everyone is pretty tired, stretched, and truly ready for some sleep. We have a generator in our quarters that supplies a dim light, so I feel like I’m typing by candlelight, but we know God is in control, He has a purpose for everything, and certainly He has initiated the camp with learning opportunities. Please do continue to pray for these teens and workers from Kibera, that their hearts will be touched deeply, that God’s purposes for them will be fulfilled, that we will be willing, effective vessels for Him, for health and safety for all, and that we can continue to be truly flexible and adapt to each challenge.

Sunday Lunch at Judy's

The L.A. team enjoying time at Judy's house for lunch on Sunday

We always enjoy having the Masai ladies around to lead us in worship, singing and dancing.