Archive for May, 2009

From Geoffrey to You! Calloused HANDS and Calloused HEARTS

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Saturday May 9, 2009

Calloused hands and calloused hearts

Corruption, manipulation, and taking advantage of others make up the life mantra of some of the business owners and employers of Masii that have bought into the idea of doing whatever it takes to get ahead. The taxi drivers here break the laws by cramming two or three times the legal limit of people into a small van and increasing the price at their discretion. I have numerous friends that are forced to work sixty-hour weeks with remunerations that don’t even meet their basic needs. I have a friend who has a beautiful four-month-old baby named David, I just found out that while his wife gave birth to David he had to work, he gets no sick leave or vacation time, he works everyday but Sundays. From what I understand, laws have been put into place but there is a severe lack of follow through. In America we have corrupt politicians, sometimes it seems to be a requirement to get the job, we have employers that take advantage of employees, we have people that are overworked and underpaid, but it seems as though we are given incentives and aid from the government in exponential rates in comparison to here in Masii.

One of the most overwhelming realities of this place is that these people have the most extreme work ethic I have ever witnessed, whether delivering water, building furniture, teaching, preaching, or running a store the people of Masii work, work and then work some more; their rough calloused hands open your eyes to the extremity of the work ethic that most of these seem to have built into their DNA. Sometimes you shake a hand and its like a rock. Our work is nothing in comparison to theirs. Because of this driving force, I think quite a few people have been able to climb up the social later and define the idea of “rags to riches.” The majority don’t seem to know what it means to be lazy, though there are the few that do.

The story of one friend really exhibits the severity of some of the mistreatment some employers inflict on their employees in some desperate attempt to gain more wealth. Her name is Cara and she is easily one of the most kind, benevolent and compassionate people you will ever be fortunate enough to cross paths with. She leads our worship and praise team, her voice sends goose bumps down my spine each week. She is one of the few that is willing to show up to church at 6 AM every Sunday morning to pray. She is on our leadership team and is a faithful in her tithing. The small group that she is involved with takes up offerings to help meet the specific needs of people in bad situations, and like clockwork, she always gives to those who have less than her. On Sundays and other days when William and I have been working all day, she comes to our home, after work ten or more hours herself, and spends an hour or two making us dinner. Cara has such a great heart and is such a wonderful person, which makes her job situation even more difficult to know about.

She works in a small gift shop over sixty hours a week for two thousands shillings a month, which is equal to twenty-five dollars. After her tithe and rent she is left with less than five dollars each week to buy food and water and basic needs, oh but don’t forget that she is always giving to other people who have less than her. Cara doesn’t eat every day. Cara doesn’t get any days off. Cara can’t afford her basic needs. I just found out that Cara now has to work Sundays as well, ten hours ever day of the week, seventy-hours a week, for a measly twenty-five dollars a month. If she continues with this job she wont be able to lead worship, serve in the church, or have a day to herself to enjoy life.

She the eldest of her siblings, meaning that the her whole family is looking to her to help support and cover their school fees and basic needs, but how can she do that when she can’t even afford to feed herself? She has no money saved up. Job opportunities are far and few between. She has an elaborate idea of starting her own business but she has no access to a loan to start this business. How much longer will Cara’s body allow her to work these many hours with so little rest and nourishment?

The pastor I work under was talking to me just the other day about a ministry that he was dreaming about starting. He wants to start a ministry to help different members of the church start small businesses and to get out of working environments that mistreat them and take advantage of them. I told myself that I wasn’t going to help anyone else financially until right before I left, but I am thinking of making an exception. A few people have given me money and told me to use it as I felt God lead me to. I have used this money to buy food and meet the basic needs of a few individuals and I am going to use part of it to stock up the food bank at the church, but I think Cara’s situation is another perfect opportunity to use the money. I seem to have problems every time I give a gift or buy food for someone, but you don’t have to worry this will be done anonymously so my safety wont be jeopardized. My idea was to give her the money as a loan, ask her to make payments back to the church and that money can then be used to help another person start a small business (I know of quite a few people that want to start their own business but lack the funds). It is something that I am going to need to work out the details with the pastor but if things work out it could really help a lot of people out in this community. This could also be the start of an incredible ministry.

Asante Sana

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Cara and her job situation
My safety
Dr. Stanley’s travels
Funds for a generator
The work of the medical center Tumaini just completed
My family we had a death in the family and my aunt had a stroke

RANDOMS:
Masii isn’t very big. My old house is literally a quarter mile from the hotel I am staying at. All of my friends have started to tell me how much they miss me and how sad they are that I wont be seeing them anymore… what? Huh? Literally I see all of them everyday still and if they want to come see me it takes them three minutes to walk to my hotel. I think it’s REALLY funny.
I LOVE peanut butter and jelly. Even though the peanut butter taste and looks different, even though the jelly is WAY different then what I am used to, and even though the bread is sometimes REALLY stale… I now eat PB and J a few times a day… oh how I love it!!! This is going to get me through the next four months… I’m also buying a stove and going to be eating at the hotel whenever PB and J can’t satisfy me… ha ha ha I don’t think PB and J could ever not satisfy my hunger…
I just bought a DVD with all of Eddie Murffy’s stuff and The Gods Must Be Crazy! I am stoked… and it was only like two bucks! And has about twenty movies on it… SWEET!
I think I get more visitors now then I did at Williams… ever twenty minutes someone comes by lol…
Most of my friends keep on coming by because they think I am bored when I am here by myself. He has no one to talk to and nothing to do… poor Geoffrey lol. I funny thing is that I ALWAYS have stuff to do, watching movies, reading books, typing emails, writing letters, editing pictures, making houses out of cards… lol. I try to tell them that I am fine and am completely okay, but they everyone is still so worried.
A few friends told me how much they miss me… even though I had seen them the previous few days ha ha
The people here definitely have a way of making you feel special and loved. It is nice to know that they are so concerned and worried about me. My friends treat me good : )
In my shower, YES I SAID SHOWER I HAVE ONE NOW, there is a knob that kind of sticks out and I keep on bumping my head into it… it really hurts
Someone is playing “cry me a river” by Justin Timberlake… of all the songs to make it out here it had to be that one huh?

WORD OF THE DAY
Tafhathali kucheza inje
Taa – faa – dolly coo-chez – uh in-jay
PLEASE play outside… I use this one when I am swarmed with little kids

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From Geoffrey, pray for Carro

Saturday, May 9th, 2009

Tomorrow afternoon Carro, the girl with the swollen head, is going to be taken to the hospital to have the water drained from her head. PLEASE pray for her safety and the success of this operation. If everything goes well she should be able to learn how to walk. Please pray for her and her family over the next few days.

Thanks

Geoffrey

And an extra thank you to those people who provided the funds for this operation. Praise God for their generosity

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From Geoffrey to You! The rich amongst the Poor

Friday, May 8th, 2009

Praise report. My fever seems to have gone away

Friday May 8, 2009

The rich amongst the poor

Most of the messages I have written so far and the commercials you see
late at night all depict the idea that everyone in Africa is starving
and everyone in Africa is HIV positive, I don’t want you to think that
is all there is here. 60% of this nation is unemployed. There are
hundreds of people who die each day from AIDS. Not everyone gets to
eat each day, an estimated 800 million people wont eat today. Many
single mothers are forced into prostitution. Many people are behind
on rent. We gave out a soda to every child at the camp and some
children wont get another until the next camp but some will get soda
on a regular basis. Not everyone eats three times a day or even every
day, but some do. Many people are only able to afford dried corn and
beans to eat. Many people lack running water and electricity. Many
people wear rags with holes. Many people don’t wear shoes or are
wearing shoes that don’t fit or are broken. Many people are
overworked and underpaid. Many people die of starvation and
malnutrition. Diseases that are wiped out in America are still found
in Kenya. There is starvation, there is poverty, and there is a lot
of hurt and pain in this place but not everyone is suffering. Not
everyone lacks basic sanitation, school fees and food. Not everyone
makes less than a dollar per day. I have written a lot about the
suffering and struggle that many people face on a daily basis here I
think because I was overwhelmed by what I saw, but I don’t want you to
think that is all there is here. I want to let you know that there is
more than that. The rich exist in this place and a middle class does
exist. Today I want to write to you about someone who has been able
to build up a treasure in heaven as well as a treasure here on earth.

There was an instant connection between an elderly woman named Ester
and myself right off the bat. It took only a few days before she
decided to call me her adopted son. This woman is the definition of
success. Her husband passed a few years back, but that hasn’t
hindered the success of her business in the slightest. She owns a
small shop as well as a small apartment complex. “Hard work” seems to
be built into this woman’s DNA; she works generally from 6AM till 9PM
each day but Sundays. She has one of the nicest estates I have seen
in Masii, it is HUGE and has many crops and many rooms. If her lovely
home, business or apartments didn’t do a good job painting a picture
of her success her katumbi sure does (her tummy). Esther makes enough
and owns enough to be considered very wealthy in these parts, I don’t
understand how that is possible with her giving away so much.

This woman sends food to my house what seems like each day. She takes
orphans into her home and pays their schools fees and provides for
them. I think she has about eight people living in her home right
now. She doesn’t rent out all of her apartments, she allows certain
people to stay there free of charge to help them get onto their feet.
Anytime I go into her shop she either buys me food or water, I leave
her shop with my arms loaded with groceries. She has a relative who
is HIV positive whom she provides for while providing for relatives
that have been orphaned. She donates the little free time she has
towards working on the church leadership and singing in the choir.
During this famine people come begging at her shop and they leave with
something to satisfy them. Any child that meanders into her shop
always strolls out with a piece of candy or a sweet. This woman gives
and then she gives some more, and when she doesn’t have anything left
to give she gives even more. I stop by her shop nearly every day. We
sit and talk for hours her, the grandchildren and myself.

My mom and I always seem to laugh incessantly at the most random
things. When I was growing up we could just look at each other and
burst at the seams with laughter. Esther is the same way as my mom.
I like to tell jokes to her and her family; we are rolling on the
ground with our sides pounding from the inside out. She instantly
took me under her wing and has made this trip a lot easier to cope
with.

Don’t get me wrong, the poor do exist, in fact I would say that a
majority of people here are financially challenged, but not everyone
falls into the category of starving, AIDS positive, orphaned and
malnourished child.

Asante Sana

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Safety
Funds for a generator
My cold…. I feel a lot better than I did yesterday but I’m still not 100%
Stanley’s travels as he goes home today

Randoms:
Being able to shower and go to the bathroom in a toilet are INCREDIBLE
My American friends gave me all of their toiletries and I now have
enough immodium to plug me up for a year… this stuff is your best
friend out here
If you buy a soda you get charged for the soda and extra if you take
the glass bottle – yeah they still use glass bottles
Everyone seems to be worried about me cooking. Literally each person
who knows about me living by myself has been VERY concerned and
worried… I guess cooking rice with a few tomatoes is harder than it
looks lol. The funny thing is that I cooked all the time when I
stayed with my other roommate. They are insisting that I eat at the
hotel, which I think I am going to do, I just hope I don’t get sick
each time
I found out that you aren’t able to carry around folded laundry in public

WORD OF THE DAY
Lywele yako ni mzuri – your hair looks nice
Lee –wellaye ya-co knee Missouri

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From Geoffrey to you: Dr. Stanley

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

Wednesday May 6,2009

Dr. Stanley

First and foremost I want to give a praise report. The drought this past year for Kenya has been pretty severe from what I have heard. The prices for food has gone up, water prices have increased which means that the basic needs became more and more difficult to attain. It has been raining every few days, and Californians have no idea what rain is. My living room flooded a little last week! I have been able to see a HUGE difference since I have been here. At one point the price for filtered water was twenty dollars for those five-gallon water jugs that are used for the water coolers and regular water quadrupled when our well broke. I have about thirty liters of water stashed in my room and it cost me about six dollars. The terrain is becoming green and luscious. The fruits and vegetables that are sold in the market place aren’t shriveled anymore, we have papaya the size of watermelons instead of baseball sized ones. God has heard the cry of his people and the rains have begun.

I met Dr. Stanley Mutunga a few years ago and before I came here my information on him was quite limited. Nothing but good reports about him were brought to my attention and I had a couple of nice discussions with him but I never really got to know him. All I knew was that he founded Tumaini International and tricked me by giving me some Kenyan food called Andazi (I think you spell it that way) and told me it was giraffe meat.

It wasn’t until I came all the way to Kenya that I was able to see how big of an impact he has made in the lives of so many people and how incredible of a person he is. Within days I began to understand that Stanley is far from being your average Joe. In the town of Masii it seems like almost everyone knows Stanley or has heard of him, nothing but praises and fond memories come from their mouths. “I used to teach with Stanley,” “I was his student,” or it seems like everyone says “I have known Stanley for ten years!” I can walk through Masii and mention someone’s name and I am sure a few people will know them, but Stanley’s reputation and popularity is outstanding.

I have been fortunate enough to hear small pieces of his story growing up and was blessed enough to have a sit down with him to hear more. His story BLEW me away, I can’t even explain to you how encouraged and inspired I am by what God has done in his life and through him. He is the epitome of perseverance and being humble in my eyes. I would love to write out the different things I have learned about him but my words wouldn’t do him the slightest bit of justice, besides I don’t want to ruin it for you because he is writing a book and will hopefully be able to include his biography or part of it within it. God used him in such a powerful way one night as he spoke during the youth camp. He looked hundreds of underprivileged children in the eye. Some of these children were absolutely poor, others maybe had food in their stomachs but had emotional wounds and I think that almost everyone there, including myself, held a pretty low self-image which has a crippling effect.

Stanley was the perfect speaker for these children because he was there, and instead of being just another statistic he took the initiative and God gave him the strength to overcome. When I hear about what God has done in his life, even without starting Tumaini, I am forced onto my knees in awe and adoration of how incredible God is and what God can do in someone’s life. The words spoken through Stanley left us all encouraged and equipped with a new thinking mentality that through God the impossible is possible (which we all “know” but few of us really “know”). I doubt that anyone left that facility thinking that the mistakes of yesterday or today would ever shatter their future.

When we had our “one on one” and throughout the length of his stay I was able to hear more about how Tumaini begun. The intention was never to grow as big as it did, change as many lives as it has, or become as successful as it is. Apparently him and his family originally wanted to help out maybe five or ten children that had been orphaned by AIDS, but like all great ideas word got out and people wanted to get involved. Here we are a few years down the road with almost a thousand children who have been assisted, a medical facility has just opened, a church has been built and the lives of hundreds that have been touched by playing a part in this. It seems like incredible ministries, organizations and movements all start by someone taking initiative. Instead of talking and planning out details and coming up with a ten year plan these associations begin by someone taking action. Stanley started by helping a few people and look at the ramifications.

If anyone can gloat or brag about “how much they have accomplished” it would be Stanley, but his humility is something I strive for. In all things, whether words or deeds, he gives God the glory; not by his strength but God’s. His actions and words away from the crowds are what I want I am working towards.

I have a new name to add to my list of heros

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
My family: my grandma died a few days ago and my aunt had a stroke and isn’t in the best of condition right now. It is a little tough being so far away.
The medical facility
My speaking on Sunday
The funds for a generator
The travels of the group from America
I just started feeling sick a few hours ago. It is either a cold or the flu… I’m not sure what the difference between the two is.

Randoms:
Instead of saying that someone looks nice you say “you look smart”
I saw a herd of wildebeests running by the side of the road
Apparently you can’t carry your washed and folded clothes outside. I’m not too sure about it. I had some shirts and jeans in my arms that had just dried and I was carrying them to the hotel. I got stopped by some friends and they were appalled.
My friend watches Mexican soap operas
I never knew that black women wore weaves… I always thought that hair was real… until everyone’s hair started to change dramatically every couple of weeks. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was fooled, some of the Americans thought the SAME thing. We were driving around in Nairobi and saying “real” or “fake” to each woman that walked by.
Everyone is amazed that I know how to cook… when people found out about my moving into the hotel they were worried about what I was going to eat. “You cook?” seemed to be everyone’s response.
One of my favorite things to do is hide behind a corner and jump out and scare my friends.

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From Geoffrey to You — Safari fun and carnivorious adventure

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

Tuesday May 5, 2009

I know this past week the youth camp kind of hindered my sending out emails and the last few days I haven’t been able to send many out as well because of hanging with the other white folks. I wanted to give you all a recap of what the past few days have been like.

We went to this place called Wyunu (something like that) and it is the prime place to buy those infamous Kenya wood carvings. We pulled up late in the afternoon and were simply amazed. There were dozens of men chopping, sawing, chiseling and creating the most astounding things out of wood. These guys were taking giant blocks of wood and turning them into the most detailed and gorgeous animals, masks, and creations imaginable. These guys spent hours upon hours on these creations. I was baffled to say the least. One of the Americans took a picture of a guy carving and he charged him money after he had taken the picture, hilarious!

I preached Sunday at church and then we headed to Nairobi and stayed in this place that is a five star hotel in comparison to where I have been living. It is called “Heart” and is run by this little old woman named Vicky, who has one of the most peaceful and gentle souls. It is actually an organization that does incredible things, I wont give you many details cause I am going to save them for a different blog. This place was GREAT! I got to use a toilet and take a shower. I ate some American food… Thank you Jesus!

For dinner we blessed the staff of the Carnivore with our presence. This place was just what I needed. Imagine a place where you have every kind of meat imaginable and can eat as much as you want. Servers are walking around with swords gouging slabs of chicken, beef, ostrich, meat balls, sausage and constantly fill and refill your plate. You can imagine how much I enjoyed this place after not really eating much meat in about two months. I think that my stomach shrunk since I have been here though because I ate a lot less than I would have when I lived in the states. It was one guys birthday so we had cake.. never eat Kenyan cake… just say “No.”

Yesterday I went on a safari in Nakuru. We saw everything!!! Thousands upon thousands of flamingos were within inches of us. Volchures crept along a river. We saw hyenas rolling around in the mud. We crossed paths with literally DOZENS of zebras and DOZENS of water buffalo. Eagles. Monkeys (with blue private parts). We fed baboons cough drops and Pringles. We saw a baboon with a baby that was only a few hours old. We saw antelope and gazelles, or maybe just gazelles they kind of look the same right? Giraffes are simply INCREDIBLE, we also saw a bunch of them near the airport as we dropped off the Americans. I think one of the coolest things was the fact that we got charged by a rhino. We were just about done with our trip and were going through pretty thick bushes. We didn’t see anything interesting and then all of a sudden this GIANT rhino started to charge at our van and stopped within a foot or two. It was literally the size of the van. HOW COOL!!! We were within feet and sometimes inches when we saw all of these animals, and they were all in their natural element.

We took the group of Americans from Pathway Church to the airport a few hours ago. They are such amazing people. I can’t explain how incredible their hearts are. I was getting a little lonely and they completely reenergized my batteries. I feel pumped and ready to go because God blessed me with them. We laughed and shed a few tears. Sometime REALLY funny is a video we looked up because one of the guys told us about it. If you go onto youtube and type in “bottle rocket butt” you will get one of the FUNNIEST videos. I know it is a bit inappropriate and a little crude but we watched it a few times, us missionaries, and were crying from laughing so hard. If you don’t laugh at really idiotic things I don’t recommend watching the video, if you have a sense of humor like me check it out and you wont go wrong.

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Travels for my new American friends
More rain… we are doing MUCH better but are still lacking the rain
Finances for a generator
My safety
Our medical staff and that everything goes well as it opens

Randoms:
Stanley Mutunga is BY FAR one of the most incredible Christian men I have ever met. He is the one God chose to start this organization. I’ll have to tell you more about him in a later blog.
I guess that if you have a green light or a red light they both mean go when you are driving in Kenya.
The lane lines are more like suggestions here.
FUNNY STORY: The first night I came here I went to a hotel to eat dinner with the guys who picked me up. Now I know that the plumbing in Mexico is really bad and you cant flush the toilet paper, I assumed the same for this place. When I went to the bathroom there was a trash can right next to the toilet so I put all of my used toilet paper in it, thinking that I couldn’t flush it because of bad plumbing. I was wrong. You can flush toilet paper. I feel really bad for the guy who had to take out the trash. I was reminded of that because I am staying in that same hotel tonight.

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From Geoffrey to You — One Life Changed, just the beginning

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Monday May 4, 2009

First and foremost I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to freak you guys out about where I am staying. I haven’t been stabbed or anything like that. I am just not living in a very safe place and because of that we want to take as many precautions as possible. Ill give you more details later, but as an overall this famine is really hurting a lot of people financially and seeing as how they all think I am a millionaire the best thing is for me to be in the most secure place to make sure I don’t get robbed or get out of any kind of danger.

PLEASE don’t freak out, keep me in prayer because I’m not in the safest place in the world, but understand that I am fine.

Anywho…

I want to write to you about Carro, the girl with the swollen head, my mom said it is called hydrocephalous meaning that a build up of water is around her head. This excess fluid has crippled her body and stunted her growth; she is eight years old with a body the of a three year old and lacks the ability to walk. Transporting Carro is quite the task, her mother has to heave her fifty pound body onto her back and carries her by foot to their destination, which can be miles, through rain and extreme heat, her mother is getting old and carrying Carro is an heavy strain on her body.

If being crippled and lacking proper resources for her needs isn’t bad enough, Carro lives with her mother and her two younger sisters in a room the size of a closet; they are the epitome of poverty. If you venture into their home the grotesque smell of decay and rot floods your nostrils, probably from the mold-covered, soiled and decaying mattress on the floor that they all share. A broken bench, if you can call it that, is pressed against the wall. A grimy old sheet laden with rips and tears is strung across this incredulously small room, in some futile attempt to separate the bedroom and living area; but that doesn’t do much good in eight-foot by eight-foot room. Mama Carro, Zipphorah, uses every ounce of energy in her body to provide for her small family, but with this famine she isn’t able to buy enough food for them to neither eat each day, or pay bills on time, nor send her children to school. This woman was married and had six beautiful children but because of Carro’s condition, I am told that the father took the three other children and left. This stay at home mom was abruptly thrown into the work field without any skills or specialization in any trade and had three other mouths to feed. Lacking family to turn to, without access to a proper job, and as a last resort she turned to prostitution. When I put myself in her shoes, having my children crying, dressed in rags, and going DAYS without food I can understand why some mothers turn to prostitution.

The tides have turned as of right now. Mama Carro has an entire year of rent covered, which cost about sixty bucks. When we told her that news about her rent you would have thought we wrote her a check for a million dollars, it was an answer to prayer and a Godsend. This past Friday night Carro was given a wheelchair. No longer would this aging and broken-down mother have to strain and pain just to move Carro around. Instead of sitting and crawling on the ground all day, this little girl is free to venture around and see what Masii has in store for her. She normally spends all day sitting in the dirt in front of a shop, playing quietly and peacefully to herself, and now she is free to move about. Mama Carro shed a few tears when the news was broken to her about how she wasn’t going to have to carry Carro around anymore. Carro NEEDS to have the fluid around her brain drained, the pressure from it is what’s crippling her. After this surgery she should be able to walk and should grow at a normal rate. This procedure costs roughly four hundred dollars to perform and so far we had only raised about fifty. The group of Americans that came this past week donated the rest of the needed money for the operation. Mama Carro’s life was turned upside down when she was told about the operation. This woman went from being the trash of Masii, the lowlife, the prostitute, the woman that everyone talked about and that was only good for one thing… she went from that to being loved and cared about more than she had ever experienced before.

I preached about money yesterday at church. I talked about a few different aspects of it, but something I said really took me off guard, yeah I know how can something you say take you off guard? How can you surprise yourself by what you say? I guess I was just talking and it came out of my mouth… I dunno. Anyways, it was something that I said as I read from Malachi.

Malachi 3:9-10 “Will a man rob God, yet you rob me? But you ask, “How do we rob you?” “in tithes and offerings. You are under a curse the whole nation of you, because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house”

I have heard the argument, if God is so great why does he let children die in Africa? Why are people starving and malnourished? Why are people suffering so much throughout the world? I don’t think it is God’s will for these people to starve to death and that isn’t how he designed it to be. There are over 2,200 references in the bible talking about money and how we need to use the resources we have been entrusted with to help others in need and to be faithful to God in our tithes and offerings. It talks about one of the first churches in Acts, which is the perfect example of the relationship that should take place between the church and believers. It said that whenever there was need people gave and were charitable in their giving, some sold properties and laid the money at the alter of the church, and because of this it says that there was NO NEEDY AMONG THEM. “Bring the whole tithe into my house so that there may be food in my house,” that food we bring into the house

God has given us the resource. He has given us the command, 2,200 of them. He has made it perfectly clear what our responsibility is dealing with finances and yet we continue to ignore that part of the bible. We say God take my life it is yours, I will pray, I will fast, I will go to church, you can have EVERYTHING but don’t touch my money that is mine. Only three percent of Christians faithfully give to the church. With only three percent giving to the church there is no food in God’s house, there are no resources to provide for those in need. We didn’t used to have welfare, the church met the needs of the people. When we are obedient in our giving our society looks like the church in Acts, where there are no needy among us. On the flip side, when we are disobedient we end up with a continent like Africa. My disobedience in my giving affects other people. If I was faithful, if everyone was faithful, the needs of others would be met. It isn’t Gods will that people starve and die each day, but God has given us free will and the opportunity to either honor him and follow his commands or do our own thing. According to the U.N. it would cost about eight six billion dollars to theoretically end world poverty. If every Christian in the U.S. faithfully gave their ten percent there would be an extra eighty seven billion dollars in the church. Is God the reason that people are starving and dying, or is it ours?

I didn’t write this to give you guys a guilt trip, I just wanted to express this “ouch” that I was feeling. I have been tithing faithfully for years but this is something that I never thought about before; my disobedience causes others to suffer and die. “you are under a curse the entire nation of you,” I can’t think of a worse curse than starvation and prevalent disease like here in Kenya. “Because you are robbing me,” because faithful givers are few and far between.

I’m not asking you for money or any donations today. I told this story about Carro and her family because it shows what life can be like when people give faithfully and it was a HUGE encouragement for me as well as a rude awakening. This entire families life was changed and transformed because a few people were obedient. This was just one family because of a few, imagine what society as a whole would look like if everyone was. In Masii people are dying and suffering like no other and, like most churches, a few people do the bulk of the work and are the only ones who tithe. I can’t tell you what it was like speaking in front of a large group of people and to give them this reality check. This church has never talked about money before. Never has it been mentioned in a sermon, they just take an offering. I have been given such an incredible opportunity to deliver these messages and hope the rest of them went as good as this one did. I had TONS of people come up to me and applauding the presentation, praise be to God it was Him not me. I hope that this message was an encouragement to you, it really inspired me to continue to be faithful in my giving. I hope it made you think about your tithes and offerings in a different way, if you are religious. I also hope it showed you what type of difference can be made in the life of someone when we are faithful. We can become like that church in Acts.

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Speaking next week
My travels the next few days
Funds for a generator for Tumaini
This week they are opening the medical center for Tumaini, it is going to cut down costs dramatically, pray for the staff and that all goes well
Pray for my move into the hotel I am moving in Wednesday… bachelor pad woot woot

Randoms:
I went on a safari today… we got charged at by a rhino.
You can buy ostrich meatballs here
Apparently being fat is a good thing here… they used to tell them American women they were fat as a compliment, they learned pretty fast not to do that tonight.
I ate STEAK tonight… SOOO good
Each time I go to buy something at a market people look at my skin and try to charge me like twenty times the price. I look at them and tell them “I have been living in Kenya for two months, don’t think I’m dumb just because of my skin color.” Then they lower the price and then we haggle with each other. It normally ends with me saying “I’m not dumb. I’ll buy it for _____ shillings or else I am walking away.” Then they lower their head in shame and say… …ok…. I still give em a good deal, I just don’t let them take advantage of me like they do everyone else.

WORD OF THE DAY
Simba (like from the Lion King)
Lion

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From Geoffrey to you! Little Hands

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

Saturday May 2, 2009

Little hands

Last night we had our closing ceremonies for the camp. Each grade in school presented something. I saw some of the funniest skits imaginable and heard some of the most remarkable singing. We heard from board members from Tumaini and had motivational speaking from local political leaders. These children get the leftovers from the families raising them, they never get soda, so Tumaini purchased five hundred sodas and every child got one; a once in a year ordeal. The ceremony was supposed to be two or three hours American time, but that translated in twelve hours Kenyan time; eleven AM till eleven PM.

I planted myself in the front row and before I knew it my entourage of eight year olds surrounded me; some of the children I had been chasing and playing with all week. It was getting incredibly cold by Kenyan standards, about seventy degrees that is about as cold as it gets here. A cold breeze was gushing through the windows and sent chills down the spines of all of these children. With my arms around their shoulders and their heads nestled against my chest, I was the means to warmth for two small boys. One had his arms tucked into his torn short. The other boy was emphatically holding my hand.

These children had been dressed in the same rags all week. Dirt was smeared across their faces from the dried sweat they incurred throughout the day like any eight-year-old boy. I looked at the boy on my right, his shirt was covered in holes and was too small and he had grown out of his pants ages ago. As I looked down at these small boys and took in this situation I couldn’t help but shed a tear or two. I knew that the breakfast they received this morning would be the last meal for a few days. I knew that I was one of the only people in their life that cared enough to just wrap my arms around them to give them warmth. I knew that love wasn’t going to be heaped upon them in abundant amounts like it was this last week. The fact that the only soda they would drink this year was the one we gave them. I knew that when I see them again they would be dressed in the same clothing. I knew that this week wasn’t like heaven on earth, for these children it WAS and IS heaven on earth.

The boy holding my hand did it as if his life depended on it, I think because for him this was his whole world. He had been beaten, abused, mistreated, malnourished, mocked, teased, ridiculed, and thumped by life, and here I am fixating my attention and eyes on him. In his eyes I am the richest person in the world, the most successful, and like a celebrity in a way because of my skin color. Out of the hundreds upon hundreds of children at this camp I gave him my attention. The reason he held on so tight was because for once in his life he was told he was of worth, the attention and love I gave him told him that he had value.

With my arms wrapped tightly around these boys and as their hands clenched mine, they fell asleep. Their heads were safely pressed against my chest. Have you ever wanted a moment to last a lifetime? Have you ever had an endless amount of peace fill your heart to the point that you wished it never went away? Have you ever wanted time to stand still? I did. Neither a picture, nor a movie or any amount of words I will ever be able to type will ever justly explain this overwhelming amount of peace that filled my body. The feeling I got from holding these AIDS orphans in my arms as they slept is inconceivable the only thing that comes to mind is “sheer bliss,” and even that hardly scrapes the surface of how this moment felt. As I held these little grubby hands in mine and as I had their dirt-covered faces buried in my chest, I realized why I traveled ten-thousands miles; for moments like these.

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

PRAYER REQUESTS:
Travels of the children as they go home
My speaking for the next three weeks at church
My safety
Funds for a generator for Tumaini

RANDOMS:
Carro, the girl with the swollen head, got her wheelchair yesterday. She also is in need of a surgery to remove the water from her head, this will give her the ability to walk, it is pretty expensive and the group from America that came is paying for it!
In Kenya you talk differently. If a word starts with an “H” you don’t pronounce the “H.” Like Hot dog would be pronounced as Ot dog. If a word starts with a vowel you put an “H” in front of it. If you wanted eggs and ham for breakfast you would say heggs and am. Kind of funny
There is a girl at camp that calls me a trouble maker, I started to call her binga which means booger!
I am going on a safari Monday, I get to see lions and zebras woot woot

Word of the day

Binga – Bing-Uh

BOOGER!

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From Geoffrey to You! But Everyone Else Is Doing It

Friday, May 1st, 2009

Friday May 1, 2009

But everyone else is doing it…

If you haven’t heard AIDS is an epidemic here in Kenya, if you didn’t know that you must have spent the last twenty years underneath a rock, this isn’t any new information. We have heard the statistics, heard about the two million AIDS orphans in Kenya, we have seen the commercials late at night showing children with swollen bellies, and we may toss in a few coins in the “World Vision” jar at the grocery store. We know it is out there, but maybe you don’t realize why.

The word “sex” is No-NO in this place. You don’t talk about sex. You don’t think about sex. You don’t joke about sex. You don’t ask questions about sex. You don’t take classes about sex. You don’t hear testimonies about sex. You don’t read books about sex. You don’t see movies with sex. Sex is taboo. The problem, however, is that everyone seems to be doing it. These high school students and college students, like anyone else their age, have hormones up to wazoo and don’t know what to do with them; so they have sex. The problem is that they haven’t been taught ANYTHING about sex or its dangers.

A common belief held by the children and the government is that if you wear a condom you wont get AIDS. The government actually promotes condom use for the prevention of AIDS, saying that it will keep you from getting AIDS, they buy about one hundred million condoms each year to give out. They think that if they are virgins they wont get pregnant. You can’t get an STD or pregnant if you aren’t an adult. The education level on the issue of sex is practically nothing and the little information that the government is feeding the youth is unreliable.

The risks of sex in Kenya are detrimental. If you contract the AIDS virus you are shunned by society. Friends and family will disassociate with you. Many people have AIDS but refuse to get tested because they don’t want to “know” they have AIDS due to fear of being a social outcast, meaning the continue to have sex and further the spreading of this disease while their bodies continue to waste away. It is a disease that causes you to die a slow and painful death completely alone, because your friends and family will have disbanded from you. Apparently guys in Kenya are worse than the guys in America; once a girl gets pregnant they get to stepping. As responsibility creeps around the corner the father of the baby is nowhere to be found. The sad thing is that this is the norm and is socially acceptable: the girl gets pregnant and the father leaves and doesn’t take care of the child. There are no laws about custody or child support, and if there are they are just like all of the other Kenyan Laws which lack any follow through. Most of the children I meet or hear about are raised solely by their mothers, which isn’t an easy life. If you get pregnant in high school, which SOOOO many girls here do, you get kicked out of the house and excommunicated from the family, meaning you are cut off financially so you lose your education and must start working to support this child. The problem is that there aren’t many jobs available for sixteen year old girls, except prostitution; which is also a BIG issue here in Masii. Knowing all of this, when the opportunity presented itself to preach on sex at this youth camp I jumped at the opportunity.

Imagine a small multi-purpose room that can fit about hundred people or so comfortably. Now cram a few hundred people into that room, so jam packed that people are wedged next to each other (We definitely don’t believe in fire codes in Kenya). The audience was composed of children about thirteen years old all the way up to mid-twenty year olds. I tried to start off by earning a few laughs and getting on their good side; I started off by preaching like a “Kenya” (which sounds like your stereotypical gospel preacher) and threw out candy. The children were hooting and hollering, it was great. I had earned their trust and the walls were down, I began to preach about sex with everything I had in me. I had this burden on my heart. Their lives literally depending on the words I was speaking. These lives would be forever impacted by these words, I was given an ability that hardly presents itself in Kenya and I had to make it stick or else they were doomed to face the same painful life and death of their parents.

As I departed from the podium you could have heard a pin drop. No one was asleep. No one was zoning off and suffering from space cadet syndrome. These people took in my words. The following days I was constantly approached by young girls and boys who were applauding the words that God had spoken through me and sharing how it changed their lives. Dozens of people would come up to me throughout the duration of the day asking if they were going to get to hear my speak again, that was their hope. I couldn’t believe how much they internalized this message, how incredible is that.

Knowing the issues here in Kenya revolving around sexual activity and hearing the different responses from these young adults, I can’t help but walk away from this situation feeling in my heart that God used me to change lives.

Bwana Asifiwe (Praise God)

Mwendwa

PRAYER REQUESTS:
For safety reasons I am going to be moving into a hotel, It is in a locked compound and has security which is MUCH safer than where I am staying now (and it also has a toilet instead of a hole in the ground!). Tumaini is going to try to negotiate a price for it. Pray that it is affordable and that it all works out.
My safety.
The funds for a generator for Tumaini
The travels of these children from the camp, they come from literally all across Kenya.
More Rain
My travels, I am going to be in Nairobi this next week and I am going on a safari with the group from America.

RANDOMS:
I got electrocuted yesterday… it hurt
Have you ever had hundreds of AIDS orphans swarm you each day and follow you everywhere? I have and must say it is the COOLEST thing ever.
These girls kept on calling me Mathatha (trouble maker) and so I started calling them Binga (booger) and I told everyone that they eat their boogers.
Whenever I get surrounded by kids I make a fart noise and point at one the kids telling everyone they farted. Everyone starts laughing and running away from the newly dubbed fart kid.
I got a new DVD the other day. It has all of the Lion Kings, Mulan, and a TON of Disney movies. I played the Lion King for all of the kids and they LOVED it. The funny thing is that a lot of the names and songs are Swahili.

Word of the day
Matata – MAA – Tah – Tah
Trouble maker

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