From Geoffrey to you; Clinging

Wednesday July 1, 2009

Clinging

In times of despair, pain and destitution we tend to cling onto something. When the storms hit some of us grab on to our faith and don’t let go, some turn to relationships and seek the comfort of others, some turn to solitary environments and some of us turn to our addictions. Previously I mentioned how catastrophic this drought is and how everyone has been effected in one-way or another by its ramifications. In a community in which the majority looks to their farms for their food and income, a drought is disastrous. With no fields to look to, no herds to tend to and very little money to be made countless men can be found from sun up till far past the sun sets in Kosovo drinking away the little money they have been able to acquire. This local brew is deadly.

Instead of using the little money to better their families or in a more productive way they throw it away on getting drunk as often as their finances will allow them. Why? Why do they do it? Well we asked them. Stress seems to be a big factor, and understandably so. It seems like anyone in that situation would be stressed, imagine being a father and not being able to provide the most basic and essential need for your wife and children, stress is understandable. Idleness seems to be another big reason for spending their days in Kosovo. There is only so much that someone can do with a farm without rain or crops, after a while you run out of chores to do on a farm, they say that they have nothing better to do. I don’t know if I would agree with that, but I do understand that this drought has given them a lot of free time. Some have desperately attempted to attain acceptance and find that they can’t get it anywhere but in Kosovo where you are welcomed with arms wide open regardless of how much money you have as long as you have a cup of the local brew in your hand.

Today we made our regular visit to Kosovo. We were met with a two familiar faces and it wasn’t long before a nice sized group joined us. We made our rounds of visiting, praying, preaching and simply talking with the Kosovo fellows. William and I had smiles painted on our faces and the fellas’ had a cup clenched in their hands. A few times they offered some to William and I ha ha. We ended up getting probably over twenty Kosovo regulars interested in starting a small Kosovo church. We have been going there every week and are now well known and liked, by most people not everyone yet. The men there trust us and are very thankful of our going out of the way to see them. We are starting our new Kosovo church next Wednesday morning. I wish you could have heard the enthusiasm and zeal of these men as they tossed around the different ideas they had about starting this ministry. They have been mocked, laughed at, judged, condemned and ridiculed and now they have an opportunity to move past all of that. I think that the reason they are so adamant and excited about starting this ministry is because they wont be judged, instead they will be helped (we are going to be working on a rehabilitation program for some of the addicts that want help).

I am excited because these guys are getting an opportunity to cling onto something else, something of value and worth instead of this life draining addiction.

Thanks,

Geoffrey

Prayer Requests:
Janet’s continual recovery (she seems to be doing quite well so far)
Mama Carro went to the hospital today for the delivery of her baby. Pray that the procedure goes well.
Stacy’s wheelchair… it has been over five weeks since it was supposed to get here. We were told that it will be here on Friday, let’s hope it will actually get here

Randoms:
I heard about a guy who was murdered a few months ago. He was a witchdoctor and apparently someone blamed him for the drought and murdered him.
I heard that it is illegal to spit in Nairobi.

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