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From Geoffrey to you; I may be blind but I can see

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

Saturday May 23, 2009

I may be blind but I can see…

This past Tuesday was intense. I woke up at 3:15 in the morning in order to leave with a small group of sponsored Tumaini children and a woman from our church to an eye clinic light-years away. At 4 AM we ventured out to Kikoyu (spelling?.. ki-coo-you) and without traffic we arrived at 6:30 and didn’t get home until 8 PM. Every child and person had some sort of eye sight problem, some couldn’t see the board in class, others couldn’t read small print, one little boy said that there were little things in his eyes and kept on rubbing them (allergies) and the woman from our church, Janet, was completely blind.

I met Janet soon after my arrival here. She is a young mother of a B-E-A-UTIFUL baby girl named Annett. Being only 23, she was abandoned by her baby’s father and was left alone to provide for Annett. For a skilled dressmaker like Janet, this wasn’t much of a problem until she became blind six months ago. She went to the best eye clinics and hospitals she was able to but either got ineffective medication or was told that they weren’t capable of fixing the problem for her.

The eye clinic we went to is one of, if not the, best eye clinics in Kenya. After waterfalls of eye drops, multiple “hurry up and sit down” moments, thousands of prods, pokes and glimpses, and what seemed like never-ending list questions the doctors were able to give Janet a diagnosis that none of the other clinics nor hospitals were able to give her. Janet had glaucoma and had three times the normal amount of pressure hellishly built up in her eyes.

With inquisitiveness, eagerness, and suspense Janet asked the question any of us would likely ask, “Can you fix it?” Holding her hand and in the most sincere tone, the doctor said, “You will never be able to see again.” My heart broke. Tears filled her sick eyes, then they began to cascade down her cheeks, and soon they began to flood off the end of her nose and within seconds buried her face in her lap and wept.

The doctor informed us that if she had come this facility at the beginning they could have healed her. Even though she had gone to every doctor and eye clinic in the facility, even though she poured her money, time and resources into this problem none of it mattered because unaware she went to the wrong place. Can you imagine? You lose your eye sight and pour every resource you have into going anywhere you can for help and yet it was all futile; when you finally go to the right place your optic nerves are dead and you are told that you will never see again…. Can you imagine?

Just a year or two ahead of me, Janet had her whole life ahead of her and now spends the majority of her time in her home that is in shambles all because of this miserable disease. Never again will she be able to see the smile of her child. Never again will she gaze into the skies at night and admire the galaxies, planets, and stars above. Never again will she peer into the distance looking at everything and yet nothing, simply taking in all that is around. Never again will she be able to glance down at her daughter and give the grin of a mother that says I am proud and love you and stare into the eyes of her daughter to the point of getting lost in them. Never again will she be able to witness the vibrant and lively colors painted on the Kenya canvass.

If there were ever a situation in which I wished I could empty my pockets to take the pain away from a situation it was here and now. How much will it costs? No amount of money that I can pour into this situation will ever allow Janet to see again. I am seeing one of the most dreadful things, I want to use anything and everything I have to help, but any attempt is pointless and useless. The fear and sorrow of knowing you would never see again, the fact that she will need to be cared for and provided for, the fact that she will never be able to enjoy the things in life that we all take for granted all tore my apart tear me up inside. I can’t even begin to imagine what thoughts, uncertainties, doubts, pains, and distrust must be going through her mind. Being held captive in your home because you have no guide and lack the ability to travel throughout Masii and spending your days sleeping and listening to the radio because as of right now that is all you are able to do make up Janet’s daily life. Since that day she is constantly in my thoughts and prayers. I toss, I turn, and I stir throughout the night thinking and pondering what I can do… and there is nothing except pray.

This is one person that I so earnestly want with all of my being desire to help. If you could have been there this past Tuesday to hear those life crushing words, “you will never be able to see again,” and known how hard she tried to get healed you would understand the tears that I have shed for this woman. I know that life in Masii requires long hours and time-consuming tasks, for this reason I understand that though many people would like to spend their days with Janet they are unable to because of work and life. Because of this each day I have been going to her home. I sit with her and her daughter. Knowing that she used to love to read, I read for her (Chronicles of Narnia right now). I sit and talk with her, listen to her words, hear about her day, and pray with her. Maybe I can’t return her lost eyesight, but I can give her companionship for the next few months and try to show her the love and support I have been blessed with. Sometimes it seems like she is helping me more than I am helping her though.

Have you ever met someone and stood with your jaw hanging to the ground in amazement of their response to their situation? Have you ever been baffled by the amount of faith and hope that someone has had despite their current circumstances? I have. Despite what the doctors have said, the test claim and the build up pressure in her eyes profess, Janet proclaims that God is bigger than this situation and has plans for her life. Of course she desperately wants her eyesight again, but whether she is able to see or remains blind until the day she dies she knows that she can be used and that God is bigger than eyesight.

Jeremiah 29: 11-14
For I know the plans I have for you,” declarers the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”

If you have ever visited a church you have probably heard Jeremiah 29:11, it is a pretty popular verses just like John 3:16. The only problem that I have is that most people don’t write down the rest of it. Yes God has plans for our lives but there is so much more to it then that. There are going to be times when we struggle, times when we want to give up, times when we hurt and are suffering and are in pain there are going to be times in life when we go through a storm when we need more than a promise to keep us going. That is where the next part comes in. “Pray to me and I will listen to you,” the crazy thing is that when you are hurting and when you have pain the tears you shed and cries you wail don’t land on deaf ears. When you cry unto him and search with everything you have… you find him, and when you find him he brings you “back from captivity.” Captivity meaning a place in life when you are forced to constantly endure torment and anguish…. You find him and that pain and torment is gone. Not only does Janet realize that God has plans for her, but in this horrendous storm she has cried out to him and he heard her, she was held captive and was being tormented by her fears, doubts, pains, sorrows from the news the doctor gave her, but that pain is gone. She isn’t worried. She knows that God is going to get her through it. Why can’t I be like this?

Janet is blind but sees more than we do.

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Janet and her vision
Tumaini Medical center
Funds for different projects for Tumaini

Randoms:
I am sure I mentioned it before… in Kenya if you want to meet someone at one o’clock you have to tell them 11 o’clock.
My water is kept in big ten liter bottles and once I use up the water I have no need for the bottles and EVERYONE wants me bottles… kind of funny.
I have been eating the exact same thing for breakfast lunch and dinner each day… I have tried pretty much everything and found what I like…. Its basically rice and beans and maybe an orange… its good though
A good friend and his wife had a son about two months or so before I came here. I have been able to watch him grow and develop… It is so cool seeing him having more strength and being able to do more than he was able to before. Last night I was with them and thought that it was the coolest thing when he was able to touch his face…
I am going to miss my entourage of kids when I leave

WORD OF THE DAY
Tuanane Kesho (spelling?)
Two-oh-naw-nay kay-show
I will see you tomorrow

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From Geoffrey to you: Not in Vain

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Friday May 22, 2009

Not in vain

Does the AIDS epidemic ever seem like a black hole to you? It kind of seems like one of those issues that will never change. We feel empathy and pity for the children we know are suffering but so many fail to feel enough compassion for them to actually do something in response because any contribution seems futile. So many people see it as a lost cause and would rather put their money and resources towards a cause where there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it isn’t hopeless like the AIDS epidemic.

“We can do no great things, just small things with great love. It is not how much you do, but how much love you put into it.”
– Mother Theresa

The truth is that I am only going to be able to touch the lives of a few people and the same is true for you. Sure maybe you are going to take a trip to a third world country at some point and even if you stay for six months like myself, but the truth is that you are only going to be able to reach a few people, perhaps a dozen or a few hundred, but in comparison to the millions suffering that dozen or few hundred people are insignificant. An aphorism I have tried to intertwine into my daily life is “I am only one, but I am still one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do I ought to do. And what I ought to do by the grace of God I will do.” I know and understand that I wont be able to help each and every starving child in the world and organizations like Tumaini, World Vision, Feed the Children and World Hope all realize that as well, but is that any reason to not try? Though there are millions and millions in need, we need to remember that each one of those numbers represents a person and if I have the ability and resources to help even just one you can believe that I am going to do it. You never know the potential of the people you help and you never know in what ways your actions or words can act as a catalyst to empower them to impact their community, country, or world. I bet those who spoke into my life six years ago never imagined that their encouragement would empower me to start a homeless ministry and work as a missionary in Kenya, but they realized that even though I was just another statistic that I was a person and that I had potential. That is why you all volunteer, contribute and work towards those issues most dear to your heart, because you believe that somehow the pennies you contribute and the hours you put in will in one way or another touch someone’s life. I know that we are united in this heart.

Adoniram Judson was the first Western Mission in Myanmar (Burma) about two hundred years ago. He went to Myanmar to translate the bible and hoped that somehow he would be able to touch the lives of the citizens of Burma and share the gospel with them. There were no Christians at this point and time; Buddhism and Animism were the only known religions. He translated the bible into their language and tried to introduce as many as he could to the Christian faith. It took two years before he even had an opportunity to witness to someone, then it took six years before he saw his first convert. He had buried two of his sons. During the civil war he was taken prisoner and hung by his feet ever night. Later on two more of his children died. His wife got sick and died. He was clinically depressed after the death of his loved ones. He eventually remarried and then tragically buried two more children followed by the burial of his second wife. When he reached the mid-fifties he developed tuberculosis and died. At the time of his death there were less than a dozen converts.

I would consider this situation a black hole wouldn’t you? It seemed more like a failed attempt than a success. Was it really worth it? If he could do it all over again do you think he would do it again? If you were in his shoes would you have left or stayed? I wonder what all of his friends and family back at home were saying and how insane they reckoned he was to continue his work with so few results.

I think that he continued to press on and work towards what he believed in because he realized that whether he was able to help a dozen or a million that it was worth it. Those dozen that he helped were just as important as any other amount of people. He realized that those dozen weren’t just statistics, but that they were breathing and living people. He had no idea what the potential of each of those people possessed, but figured they deserved a fair chance like us all. I don’t feel that those hours he spent slaving away towards translating bibles and preaching were in vain. Today over six million Christians reside in Myanmar and each one of them can trace their faith back to Judson.

My reason for telling you this story is to give you encouragement. I know most of you do philanthropic work and have dreams of helping others. Whether your front is the AIDS epidemic, homelessness, underprivileged children, at risk youth, orphans in Mexico or whatever field your interests may lay know that they aren’t black holes and that in every dark tunnel there is a light at the end of it. The hours you have spent slaving away towards your goals, dreams and areas of need, they aren’t in vain. Whether you reach a dozen people or six million, you have touched lives, made a difference, and you never know the potential of those people.

Though many believe that we have poured millions and billions of dollars into the black hole of AIDS and have seen little to no effect I would have to beg to disagree.

Like the story of the Good Samaritan, many people have seen this epidemic and walked past, but a plethora of people have taken a stand and decided to contribute. Antiretroviral Drugs (ARVs) are the drugs that extend the lives of those with AIDS. In 2002 a year’s supply could cost as much as ten thousands dollars. In 2003 a coalition of activists persuaded four manufacturers to make them available to developing countries for under a hundred and fifty dollars each year. In 2002 only one perfect of those who needed ARVs had them, today over twenty-eight-percent of those in need are getting them. The infection rate in Uganda has reduced from thirty percent to ten percent. Two-thirds has cut the AIDS prevalence among pregnant mothers visiting Uganda’s prenatal clinics. In Rwanda the percentage of its population infected with AIDS have been reduced from twenty one percent to three percent, unfortunately that was partially due to the genocide. There have been immense reductions in the spreading of AIDS and the provisions for those living with the disease. Programs through our government have been developed and put into place. Companies have taken a stand and made a coalition for the RED campaign. Celebrities and Americans have joined forces in the One Campaign. Churches have rallies and take special offerings. People put on benefit concerts, shows, and campaigns. The hearts of so many have been touched by this cause and have decided to take a stand to work towards the end of AIDS. The dollars you have contributed and hours you have spent volunteering weren’t for nothing they are making a difference and lives have been changed and saved through your efforts. Even though we have seen a light at the end of the tunnel that doesn’t mean that our fight is over.

To this day many people are still suffering and onlookers continue to walk past without hesitation. Malaria still kills over 3,000 children each day and remains to be the number one killer of children under the age of five in Africa. Two million children die each year because of lack of access to vaccines. Ninety-percent of the Lords Resistance Army is made of young children that have been abducted from their homes. In Zambia the life expectancy is thirty-eight. Malnutrition causes more than fifty five percent of child deaths in our world and yet the earth can produce enough food for every person to take in two thousand seven hundred and twenty calories per day. Thirty percent of the world lacks clean water. Twenty percent of the world lives off of one percent of the world’s total income. Twenty-percent of Rwandan children die before the age of five and over seventy percent of the country is illiterate. AIDS has orphaned Fifteen million children. Twenty eight million people have died from AIDS and forty-two million people are living with AIDS right now.

May God bless you for the hearts of compassion you have for those suffering throughout the world. I encourage you to keep on keeping on in whatever front you have decided to fight. If you have yet to find something worth fighting for or a cause near and dear to your heart, join Tumaini and change a life.

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Carro’s Recovery
Janet, the blind girl, that the medication will work and help her to see again
The Medical Clinic
Funds for the different projects for Tumaini

Randoms:
Carro had a tube implanted into her head that goes down to her stomach. It drains any fluids into her stomach. I think they call it a shunt or something like that. Well my dad helped work on that device with the doctor that invented it many years ago. His name is listed in the books for helping to make it.
It looks like I am going to be able to make a trip to Mombassa before it leave. From what I hear, it is a tropical paradise. I have a few friends I am hopefully going to go there with and there are a few different relatives they have that live there… so it will be an almost free trip… woot woot
I bought a jar of mayonnaise… it doesn’t say to refrigerate after opening, but I seem to recall that you are supposed to. So I am waiting for a special occasion to crack open that bad boy and to make as many things as I can with it because I don’t have a fridge to put it in.
Each time I flush the toilet I notice there is a bunch of oil in there… I dunno if I have been eating too much oil or it there is something in the water
Last night I put on my mosquito net and apparently I trapped a mosquito in there with me.. not a smart thing to do
Apparently mosquitoes with malaria only bite about thirty minutes before dusk… random
Everyone is amazed by my ipod, my friends tell me that I have the funniest devices that they have ever seen
The way they pronounce words and spell words seem completely different

WORD OF THE DAY
Omena (not sure if that is how you spell it)
Oh-men-uh
It is this nasty type of food made from little fish that look like sardines

They should call it omana (oh man uh) because whenever I hear that people are eating that I normally say OH MAN!

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From Genesis – Please help me understand

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Hi Everyone!
I wanted to bring something up that has come to my mind and I can’t stop thinking about. This weekend at HANDS for Hope we had a couple attend that have been coming for several sundays now. They eat and stay for the service and really seem to take in everything that is said during my sermon. This Sunday they asked if they could talk to me after the service. When talking to them by the car that they currently call thier “home” they started spilling out thier story and needs to me. This husband and wife had a home and jobs. They were evicted from thier house when the bank forclosed and he lost his job. They are in thier car and doing the best they can. They always have smiles on thier faces and great personalities. I noticed the back window of thier car was broken out and asked what happened. The other night someone came up to the car screamed some racial slurs at them and threw a brick through the window. They are just trying to survive right now but can not seem to stop the attacks against thier lives. They want to get into a shelter, living in the car is very hard on them and they need somewhere to sleep. They have tried several shelters and everyone is either full or they don’t take “couples” I don’t get it!!!! These two are married, they are a family! God talks about how important families are and we are a nation of “family values” right? Not from where I am sitting!!! In a city with a slogan like “Times change, values don’t” I see this as just a set of words for a few hard hearted and detached polititions to hide behind. I feel like the city council all the way up to the presidency stand behind half hearted slogans and sayings that have been adapted yet do nothing to make these words reality. If we are a nation that wants to strengther families why don’t we offer housing and shelter for a husband and wife that want to stay together and help them get back on thier feet? No instead we tell them that if they will seperate we can get them into shelters seperatly, in other words “as long as you let us tear your family apart we will help you, otherwise your on your own, sorry about that” YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!! ARGH I am frustrated with the answers I am gitting while making phone calls and trying to place this couple. Our money says “one nation under God” and look who wrote the Declartation of Independance yet our President says the United States is not a Christian Country? I don’t understand….. Lakewood says “cities change values don’t” yet make it very clear that religious organizations, homeless shelters and basically any public assistance programs are not welcome in “thier” city, after all they don’t have a homeless problem. (I think the 70-100 homeless people we feed every sunday morning could argue with that). And back to the shelters, what does a man and women or a singe women with no children and also no drug or alcohol addiction do? Where do they go when they end up on the street? I cant get them into a shelter unless they are addicted to something, completly crazy or willing to seperate and go without each other (and become addicted to something). My prayer; God help me be the change that this city needs, help me bring hope to those that have none and help them find that hope in you. Help HANDS build shelters for all types of people. Bring the volunteers with the hearts, move the city coucils to action, bring us the land and bring us the funds, guide us, bless us and help us be your hands and your feet in our city. Help our country go back to the basics, the values it was founded on and seek you again. Change me and bring me to action so that I can, in turn change those around me.

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From Geoffrey to you: Let me take my foot out of my mouth! Aids the gay mans curse part II

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Thursday may 21, 2009

Let me take my foot out of my mouth… AIDS: The Gay Mans Curse Part II

I got a few interesting responses to yesterday’s posting. One of them really opened my eyes to the fact that I need to apologize to you guys. The response read: “I am tired of hearing Americans don’t do enough. I guess I am just tired of getting slammed by both Christians and non-Christians to the point that I want to label myself “other” so I am not condemned by both sides.” This person gives their time and resources to worthy causes. I know your hearts and I know the support you have show for me as I have ventured not only to Africa, but through my journeys and works throughout America for the past few years of my life. I have served hand in hand and bumped elbows on the front lines with most of you at one point or another. I have also witnessed the overwhelming generosity and compassion that you feel towards others not only in your charitable giving but in your day to day lives. I do, in fact, realize that in one way or another I am preaching to the choir and asking people to take a stand who have not only taken a stand prior to my trip but have taken prisoners and covered ground. I apologize if that was how you felt after reading my last message.

I realize that many of you spend your time, money, and talents giving back to those who have nothing. In writing these messages my intention isn’t to keep on sucking dry the generous wells that have already given above and beyond. My intention is to prod those sitting in the pews on Sunday morning that are merely taking up space and warming a pew into putting their faith into action. Based on what I have read in the bible and learned in my short life, I believe that God doesn’t need complacent follows who’s world revolves around them, I believe God has called us to get out of the pews and to reach out to the have-nots and nothings. I couldn’t agree more with that response.

I did really well in school. Not to toot my own horn, toot toot, but I graduated high school with above a 4.0 grade point average. I may have excelled in my studies but I can almost assure you that most of my instructors would have preferred to not have me in their class. The instructor would take a topic and explain it for an hour even though I got it after the first five minutes. It was torture for me to hear someone rant on about something I already know. I am sure that those of you who tithe know what I am talking about whenever your church does a sermon on money.

I have met some of the most incredible and outstanding givers in my life. I have met people who have dedicated their lives towards a good cause. I have met people that have invested everything they had into a cause they believed in. I have served with people who were financially burdened but were still willing to contribute towards a cause. I have met people who have served food to the homeless even though that required them to wake up before the butt crack of dawn and drive over an hour every Sunday morning in order to be on time. I have met people who spend their Friday nights working with drug addicts. I have met people who literally got a credit card just to help others financially. I have met people who have taken their shoes off and given them to homeless people. God has blessed me with relationships with people who are the definition of benevolence, people who inspire me and open my eyes to areas in my life that need changing. The sad thing is that they are the few.

If you are reading my words and find yourself saying, “I am tired of hearing Americans don’t do enough. I guess I am just tired of getting slammed by both Christians and non-Christians to the point that I want to label myself “other” so I am not condemned by both sides.” That is because you have given and given and given and get tired of people telling you to give. It is because you consider others better than yourself and are moved enough to give. May God bless you. Based on my experience in the six different churches I have spent time serving in, 5% of the people always seem to do 95% of the work. The church is supported through volunteer work, finances, and resources by a very low percentage of the congregation. I have surrounded myself by benevolent givers and people that I strive to be like, so I realize that you excel in giving and caring for other people. The reason I wrote my last message was because only 3% of Evangelical Christians are willing to contribute anything towards children orphaned by AIDS.

3% are doing the work that the entire church should be doing. 3% are giving their time, resources, and money towards this cause. 3% are carrying the burden that every member of every church in America should be carrying. It reminds me of when I was in high school working on a group project. Many people slacked off and didn’t fulfill their duties and I ended up picking up the slack. Likewise, 3% of those proudly professing to be followers of Christ are picking up the slack and putting in the extra hours.

I know most of you are tired of hearing people talk about starving children in Africa. Tired of feeling immense guilt to the point of giving more money in addition to your generous donations. I know so many of you are tired of seeing the commercials late at night and the pictures at the check out stand in the super market, because you already give and contribute. All I have to say is God bless you and your willingness to give to a cause like this, people like you are truly making a difference and I am sorry that you have to hear the lecture from the teacher for an hour even though you got it after the first five minutes. I understand your annoyance with people like me constantly talking about how Christians and people aren’t doing enough, but I hope you understand why philanthropic workers throughout the world are incessantly asking for help.

Do any of you love someone? Is there anyone that you would give anything to protect? A child? Parent? Or Friend? Is there anyone that you would, without hesitation, lay down your life in order to save? Now imagine that your child, parent, friend and loved one are suffering. Imagine that they are deprived of food, education, medical treatment. Imagine that they are kidnapped, raped by an HIV positive man. Imagine they are forced into sexual slavery. Imagine they are beaten and forced to kill innocent children. What would you say if that were your loved one? If you watched your love one suffer, be beaten, abused, molested, taken advantage of and wither away day by day. What if there was nothing you could about it, what if you have given every penny and ounce of time you had left but you could do nothing about it. What if your neighbor had more than enough to end the suffering and to give your loved one the tools to resources to get out of the situation? Would you ask them for help? What if they ignored you? Would you ask them again? How many times would you ask? How much would you try to open their eyes to the fact that your loved one is dying a slow and painful death and they can help?

Over the past three months these people have touched my heart and I can honestly say that I love them. As I see some of the hardships that my new friends are facing, I try with everything I have to help end their suffering. I have only been here for three months and yet I have this overwhelming amount of love and compassion and immeasurable amounts of aspiration to help. I can now understand why the men and women who have dedicated their entire lives to helping AIDS orphans in Kenya, or children warriors in Uganda, or rape victims in Rwanda use everything they have to try to help them; they love them. The reason they run the late night commercials, the reason they have jars at the end of the check out stand in grocery stores, the reason that I rant on about how we need to help is because the people they love and I love are unjustly suffering and we hold in our hands the power to end it and to make a difference. What measures would you take in order to help the person you love the most? Now you understand why people talk so much about giving towards the AIDS epidemic, because the people they love most in life are suffering and, alone, there is nothing they can do about it.

The reason that I wrote my last message was because the people I love are suffering unjustly and alone I can do nothing and without resources Tumaini can do nothing about it but in the hands of my home land lay the tools and resources to touch change the gloomy future of them. I want to tell you about some of the responses I have gotten when trying to attain the resources to make this trip.

I had people tell me I shouldn’t go because it is pointless. Some people said that AIDS is God’s wrath on homosexuals. Others said that Africa has nothing to do with me and it is their problem not mine. Many people didn’t see the point in my coming here. The response I received in coming to Africa is very similar to the response of many people in regards to my running a homeless ministry. It is their fault that they are in that situation. I am wasting my time. There are too many people to make a difference. They want to be homeless. They are lazy. There is a stigma and negative connotation when AIDS or homelessness is mentioned in a conversation. The reason why this stigma occurs and why I received such “encouraging” responses, is because many Americans have calloused and numb hearts.

We have seen so many photos to half clothes starving children that they have lost their impact. We have heard so many statistics that we have forgotten that behind each number is a living breathing person. We have seen so many Oprah specials that we figure someone else is fixing the problem. Our hearts have grown cold, hardened, calloused and numb towards this epidemic. I will continue to write and push people to take action, not to guilt the benevolent into giving more, but to somehow break past the cold heart that has become hard, calloused and numb over time and reveal the heart of compassion we were born with. I am going to continue to push forward because in our hands are the tools and resources to ease the unjust suffering of those whom I love and care for.

We are always more than willing to point the finger and blame someone else for suffering and refuse to help. Not once can I ever recall Jesus asking someone how they became ill, blind, crippled or mute he simply used the power he had been entrusted with and healed them. If children are suffering because of a corrupt government, homosexuality, drug addiction or if it was from their own doing does it really even matter? I would think that what matters more is the fact that we can help but don’t. Remember the story of Lazarus from the bible? We know what happened to the rich man who had the power and resources to help but refused. Instead of making an excuse, those who can help and have refused to so far should step up.

I heard in a sermon by Mike Erie that we can potentially end world poverty. The U.N. estimates that about 86 billion U.S. dollars would provide water, medical attention, food and sanitation to the poorest of the poor in our world. If every Christian in the U.S. tithed ten percent (the amount the bible commands us to give) there would be an extra 87 billion U.S. dollars working towards the kingdom of God. The reason I wrote my last message and will continue to urge Christians to give isn’t to further burden the 3%, but is to be a catalyst to the remaining 97%… not to be cliché, but if everyone did their part this world would literally be a better place.

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Carro’s recovery, she seems to be doing well
A good friend named Janet is blind, but there is a tiny chance that she may get some of her eye sight back
Medical Clinic, getting the word out and doing the last finishing touches
Funds for a generator
One more week until Stacy gets her wheelchair, pray it all goes well

Randoms:
I have two friends that love to argue about nothing. Today the girl was asking the guy for ten shillings which is like fifteen cents. He had already given her twenty five shillings and said he wouldn’t give her anymore. She started yelling at him and told him that Satan would burn him in hell. She said God would ask him why he didn’t give her ten shillings and then send him to hell. Then they both started trying to persuade me about how they were right and the other was wrong… I almost peed my pants from laughing so much
I ran today for the first time since I came here… I think I ran for about ten minutes up this hill and then I got the worst shin splints ever… they are still throbbing… I did feel like Forest Gump though
I set up my laptop to play a movie for my friend and left for a while… when I was gone he had hit a button and closed it on accident…. He just looked at me and told me he didn’t know what he had done
Apparently there are bull fights in Kenya.
My friend told me that when he was a kid him and his friends used to run up and smack the bull on the butt for fun… he did it one time and got rammed by the bull
Sometimes this whole not being able to speak Swahili thing gets old… everyday there is some sort of communication error somewhere
I went to a mansion yesterday…. You could fit five of my houses in it
You know how gasoline looks? How it has really crazy looking colors that change. I saw birds that have those colors…
There is a crazy woman in town that comes up to me everyday asking for money. Everyday she says something different…it cracks me up
Today was a sad day… ran out of M&Ms

WORD OF THE DAY
Kabulalu
Cuh-boo-luh-loo
Bottle cap… the kids here try to get me to say it cause I say it funny

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From Geoffrey to you; Aids, the gay mans curse right? WRONG

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Wednesday May 21, 2009

AIDS the gay mans curse… right? WRONG!

I remember in ninth grade at the awards ceremony for the Junior ROTC at Mayfair high school. As the highly decorated and honored Vietnam veteran read off my name for my new ribbon, my mom leaped from her chair and started hooting and hollering “THAT’S MY BOY!” Overtime I found that the proud bellowing cries of my mother was one the easiest ways to get a massive amount of blood to rush to my cheeks and for me to bury my face in my hands out of embarrassment. Nothing brings out embarrassment in a child’s life like a proud parent. I feel the same way about overzealous and condemning Christians that claim that AIDS is God’s punishment for homosexuals and spend their free time holding up signs and denouncing and condemning the two worst sinners in their eyes; homosexuals and those who have gotten an abortion. Nothing gets a massive amount of blood to rush to my cheeks and forces me to bury my face in my hands in sheer embarrassment then when they open their trap and rant on about how God hates these people. They represent Christ in such a way that makes me not want to follow him if he is the type of God that their actions represent him as. The sad truth is that I have unfortunately heard Christians claim that AIDS is God’s wrath on homosexuals time and time again. Nothing opens up my eyes to the ignorance and misrepresentation of my faith by some people like these arrogant and egotistical people. I guess it is the American Christian way to put the blame on someone else. It is their fault and not mine, right?

I guess we can blame those dang homosexuals for the 1,000 people who die each week in Northern Uganda from AIDS, malaria and starvation. I guess it is also their fault that in Uganda AIDS has orphaned one million children. It is the fault of homosexuals that the Lords Resistance Army, where young female children are raped and forced into sexual slavery causing them to contract this disease, has abducted over twenty five thousand children. I guess we can also blame homosexuals for the 500,000 Tutsi women that were systematically raped by men who knew they were HIV positive during the tragic Rwandan genocide. Once again let’s point the finger at that homosexuals for the two million children that have been orphaned by AIDS living in Kenya. Apparently it is their fault that the millions upon millions of people have died from this disease and for the millions who still have it. If it wasn’t for those homosexuals AIDS never would have been sent down by God, right? WRONG!

Though these statistics make a pretty strong argument against the homosexuals, this little voice in my head is telling me that instead of pointing the finger and blaming others for this disease we should be blaming ourselves. Instead of putting the responsibility on a certain group and being the stereotypical Christians we should do our part. If someone were dying in my arms and I had the power to save them, how cruel would it be for me to allow them to die a slow and painful death? If I have the ability to end the suffering of someone and to give someone hope, how cruel is it for me to deprive them of it?

A woman named Kitty Genovese was brutally attacked as she returned to her home late one night. She cried out for help and fought with every ounce of strength she had for thirty minutes. Thirty-eight people watched this woman fight for her life and heard her cries for help, but not one of them was willing to even called the police. Kitty died as thirty-eight people watched.

It amazes me that these thirty-eight people watched and did nothing, all they had to do was dial three numbers and this woman’s life would have been saved. All they had to do was start yelling to stop or throw something to get the attackers attention, but they didn’t. Instead they returned to their television shows and beds and lived life as if nothing were happening at all. They all had the power to help, but not one lifted a finger. I wish I could hear their excuses, “I thought someone else had called the police,” or, “it isn’t my fault, it was someone else’s responsibility.”

How tragic was 9/11? What was the response of the nation? People were outraged! Tears were shed. Hearts broke as families were torn apart. It truly was a tragic day, a day that we shall never forget. This was one of the biggest and most horrendous things to happen to our country and it impacted every American citizen in one way or another. How would you respond if I told you that in one day five fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes filled with American citizens would crash? Think of the lives that would be impacted and families torn apart. What if it were twenty fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes in one day? What if it were twenty Boeing 747 airplanes filled with American children, and they crashed each day for an entire month, meaning that 600 planes crashed, what would your reaction be? What if I told you that every day for an entire year twenty Boeing 747 airplanes completely filled with American citizens were crashed, leaving three million people dead, what would your reaction be? What if I told you that we had the ability to stop it but we did nothing at all, would you be outraged? Three million young and innocent American children, women, men, grandparents would all be dead… how tragic. Wouldn’t you want our government to do something? Wouldn’t you want action and someone to step up and stop this tragedy? What if you knew it was happening would you try to do anything to stop it? How would you respond if everyone said, “it isn’t my responsibility,” and waited for someone else to step up to the plate and take action in this matter. What if I told you that this year a total of three million people would died from AIDS. This staggering number is compared to twenty fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes crashing every single day for a year. Why does our reaction change when we go from American citizens to African?

I was pretty shocked when I first heard about Kitty Genovese. I was outraged that so many people watched and did nothing at all, so many people had the ability to help but didn’t. I think about what they are going to say to God on judgment day and whether or not they are going to point the finger at someone else. The sad reality of the situation is that they had the power to help and to save a life and they didn’t. I am sure that if any of them could go back and relive the situation they all would, but there is no rewind button on life. The sad reality of AIDS is that we have been given the ability to make a difference, but we don’t. Do you realize that if each church in America sponsored forty-two AIDS orphans that every child would be taken care of? If we found forty-two people in each church to contribute less than a dollar per day, the AIDS epidemic would be significantly impacted. Unfortunately we look past the young sex slaves, rape victims and children born with this disease and blame the homosexuals. Instead of using those resources that God has given us we put the blame on someone else and assume it is someone else’s responsibility.

It seems like most Christians believe that the two worst sins are homosexuality and getting an abortion. Whenever I see someone holding up a sign with one hand and a blow horn in the other, words of hatred towards these two groups of people are always being vomited from their mouths. It is just like us Christians to put our entire focus on an issue mentioned six times in the bible and completely over look the issue mentioned over 2,100 times. It amazes me how we claim these are the two worst sins, when in actuality I would think that us disobeying the 2,100 commandments to meet the needs of others would be a little more offensive to God, but what do I know I am just a rambling mzungu in Kenya…

I am told over 2,100 times that I need to help widows, orphans and those in bad situations. Over 2,100 times I am told to not just say I am a Christian but to put my money where my mouth is and to use what I have been given to meet the needs of others. Over 2,100 times I am told that if there is someone in need and I have the ability to help I must or else the love of God isn’t in me. Over 2,100 times I am commanded to use what I have been entrusted with to meet the needs of others. Over 2,100 times I am told that if I am a true believer and see someone in Christ then I will help meet his or her physical needs. God makes his point loud and clear over 2,100 times, but I guess these are the parts that we over look. I guess it was just a mistake; he really meant to write stuff about homosexuality and abortions 2,100 times. Why is it that I always see people condemning gays and those who have gotten abortions, but not once have I seen someone holding up a sign confronting those people who are standing on the sidelines with the ability to help but don’t?

When I look at the AIDS epidemic I realize that I can respond in one of two ways. I can knock the dust off of my feet in its general direction, point the finger on the gays, and claim that the responsibility is of other people, meaning I can react like a stereotypical Christian OR I can do the Christ-like thing. I can see the millions upon millions of people suffering because of this disease and look at it as one of the greatest opportunities of the Christian faith to put their money where their mouth is and prove their faith in God through their actions. I can be like Christ and care less about how someone becomes sick and focus my attention on healing him or her instead of condemning him or her. I can take what has been entrusted to me and use it in a God-honoring way. I can love someone as much as I love myself. Instead of putting on my Christian front instead of people I can read the 2,100 different bible verses and obey them. We have enough of the stereotypical Christians, let’s be the real thing.

I have SOO much more to say about this and figure it is going to take another blog or two, so I am going to stop here for today… I ranted on long enough

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Funds for a Generator
Tumaini Medical Center, we are still dotting our “I”s and crossing our “T”s and finishing up the final touches
Betty is having bad medical problems, we visited her today

RANDOMS:
I love how little kids eat. I was sitting next to this three year old as she ate a cookie-like thing. She grabbed a handful and tried to eat it, half made it into her mouth an the other half made it onto her face. Her hands were covered in saliva which also ended up on her cheeks, nose and forehead.
We went to the biggest house in Masii… they have grass.. not savannah grass but like U.S. grass, it was pretty cool. They also had the only play ground I had seen since I came here.
Ndengu is INCREDIBLE
A man committed suicide on Saturday
I bought baked beans the other day in town… they are beans and tomato sauce… they look nasty
I saw an advertisement for soft ice cream machines… it reminded me of my other half… frozen yogurt I can’t wait to each ten pounds of it from yogurt land

WORD OF THE DAY
Mungu Anakupenda
Moon-goo ana-coo-pen-duh
GOD LOVES YOU

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From Geoffrey to you– Dream Big Dreams

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Tuesday May 20, 2009

Dream big dreams… PLEASE REPLY TO THIS EMAIL

I spent the last thirteen hours in a van taking a group of people to an eye clinic practically light years away. Though the distance was vast and the roads unbearable at times, today was a blessed day. As I sat with these AIDS orphans for the entire day, I asked a simple and yet profound set of questions, “What are your dreams? What do you want to become?”

One wanted to be an accountant, God bless those types of people cause the good lord knows I couldn’t sit and look at numbers all day : ) Another replied that she wanted to work within the medical field to help those who are sick. One more boy added in the fact that he wanted to become a doctor despite the years of education required. Here is a small group of children who at one point had no hope of even attaining a basic education and yet now they are dreaming big dreams and reaching for the stars. Despite the difficulties and dilemmas life throws their way as a corollary of the loss of one or both of their parents, these children have hopes, aspirations, and dreams. The past doesn’t imprison their ability to dream and have hopes of achieving great things in life. I think they have something that the cruel “realities” of life have robbed us of through the bumps, bruises and wounds inflicted by the sheer brutalities life holds. Many of us stopped dreaming big dreams years ago. Whether I am in Kenya or the U.S. I love hearing the responses from children to that question because they don’t put God in a box or limit their dreams. We do though.

A little over two years ago I was spending a large portion of my time working as the apprentice of a youth pastor near Inglewood. The leaders of this youth ministry, including myself, set out for a one-day leadership retreat. We gathered around in a circle, attempted to write down our “God sized dreams” and explain our personal dreams to the group. If money was no option, if obstacles were no more, if it didn’t matter what people said or thought, if the impossible was made into the possible, what would your God sized dream be. I wrote down two things, to work with the homeless and to work with AIDS orphans in Africa.

Here I am a little over two years later and I helped create an origination working with the homeless and am serving AIDS orphans in Kenya. I guess my “big” dreams weren’t big enough. I think that is our problem, we don’t dream, when I ask people what their “God sized dream” is most people say that they want to get married or buy a house, which is all fine and dandy and all, but your dream is the dream that millions of people are living, let’s dream bigger. What happened to reaching for the stars? We are reaching for things an inch off the ground that a toddler can easily get his hands on.

I feel like it is time for me to go back to the old drawing board and rethink my God sized dream, I need to dream bigger and give God room to work and be God. After hearing the dreams of these children today as well as throughout my trip, the little flame of hope has been rekindled in my heart and I find myself dreaming in a childlike fashion. I look past the obstacles, difficulties and improbability of it all and return to the uncomplicated hope that seems to be entrenched in the heart of every child….This is a brief overview of what my aspirations for my next chapter of life are.

I really enjoy working with the homeless, I was el presidente of H.A.N.D.S. and was the pastor of our Sunday morning breakfast for about two years. Embedded in those two years were some of the most staggering and miraculous experiences of my life; watching drugs addicts throw their drugs away, holding fully grown men and women as they wept, and being privileged enough to baptize some. Though these experiences were life altering, I want more of them and plan on continuing my work with the homeless, if it is God’s will. I want to do more though, don’t get me wrong feeding them, dispensing clothing, cutting hair, washing feet and ministering are incredible but besides the ministering all of the others seem like a band aid on a broken arm or a temporary fix for a life-long problem.

I want to attempt to repair what is broken and help to not only fill their stomachs for a day but assist in rehabilitating them back into society in a way in which they are able to provide for themselves instead of begging for food. I dream of developing a transitional home in which we give them employment for one year, pay for their rent, food, and also put them into a year long trade school. After the course of one year they will have saved up a nice chunk of change to move out, will have a year of work experience, will have a skill and will have an actual shot at life instead of just being kicked to the curb once they get sober.

This is going to cost a GREAT deal of money right? Where the heck will that money come from? I’m glad you asked. I want to open a small coffee shop, called Holy Grounds, where 100% of the profits go towards the funding of this home. The employees will be those who are going through the program. Every hour that they work they will get paid but wont get it until they leave the program, that way they have a years worth of salary to be used towards moving into an apartment and starting their life over again. The rest of the money from the coffee shop will go towards paying for their schooling, rent, food and other expenses that life brings up. Additionally I have a few designs for T-shirts that I want to get printed. I want each shirt to be sold for $30; $5 for the production, $15 towards sponsoring an AIDS orphan in Kenya for two weeks, and $10 towards feeding a homeless person for two weeks here in America. Ideally word would get out about this coffee shop, a place where your money isn’t making the rich richer and just going into the pockets of an entrepreneur, but the money that you would already be spending will be saving and transforming lives one cup at a time.

This is my dream and what I am going to be working towards when I am finished with my mission trip. This is my God sized dream. This is something I desire and aspire to see launched. I figure I can aim and reach for the stars and miss or aim for the gutter and hit every time. Personally, I would prefer aiming for the stars.

My question for you today is what are your dreams? What is your God sized dream? If there was one thing you could do, despite financial cost or improbability, what would it be?
If you are looking back on your life and find yourself saying, “I haven’t really done anything great and don’t have any extraordinary dreams,” that is fine today is a new day and tomorrow marks a new chapter in your life. The past is the past and there is no changing it, but tomorrow is a new day, what are your dreams despite the past?

If you are looking back on your life and find yourself saying, “I have done so many incredible and life altering things,” great, what is in your next chapter? What is the journey you are taking on next?

I want to hear your God sized dreams, and if you don’t believe in God I want to hear your dreams and aspirations in life. Too many times has the response to this question been an awkward silence or cliché answer. I am requesting that if you are reading these words, mom, dad, sisters, cousins, aunts, friends, grandparents, strangers, reply to this message and tell me what your dreams are. If it money didn’t matter, if time was irrelevant, and if obstacles were of no concern what are your dreams? I actually want you to reply to this and tell me. It seems like as our age progresses our dreams stop, but that inhibits our lives.

Too many of us don’t dream. I don’t think that AIDS, starvation and disease are the most tragic death of our day and age. I think that the continual demise and eventual death of hope and dreaming is the most tragic. My wheels may be turning, but without direction and a vision I am going nowhere. I may be working a job just to pay the bills, and wake up each morning out of routine, but I am just going through the motions of life if I don’t dream. You may have air in your lungs, but without dreams, you aren’t really living.

What are your dreams?

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Carro and her recovery
Tomorrow I get to read for a blind woman… we found out today that she will never be able to see again and she is only 23 years old. I am going to try to show her some love and get some friends to help me in supporting her. Just keep her in prayer, she was really heartbroken when she heard the news about her sight.

Randoms:
I get to organize a youth convention in August, I am STOKED!!!
Some of the food here is a little too rich for me… I think it is a good thing that I am living alone now… I probably would have driven William out of the house : )
I ate a pretty raunchy hamburger today…. It had carrots on it… weird huh?
Kenyans make the best mango juice
I am listening to “wrapped up in you” by Garth Brooks, I cant wait till I get married and get to “woo” my wife with this song.
When we were driving home we saw three giraffes just kicking it right by the road. We were about ten feet away from them. Really crazy to see them in their natural habitat
I read the book “Children of Hope” today… INCREDIBLE

Question:
Does anyone have the series or any of the books from the chronicles of narnia? A friend sent me the first book and I read it and loved it, now I want the rest of them and my parents are going to try to get another package to me… if you have any of the books from that series can I borrow them?

Anyone want to buy me a tattoo for my birthday when I get home?… figured it was worth a try…. Haha

WORD OF THE DAY

Mkate – mmmm –caw-tay
Bread… I eat like half a loaf a day

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From Geoffrey to you; Soak it all in!

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Sunday May 17, 2009

Soak it all up

I write this as I sit outside Parkcrest Hall, the building that Tumaini built that we use for our church service, while welcoming our guests to our service. The beginning of the church service is nearing. The members of the worships team are warming their vocal chords with angelic Swahili hymns. I have young children piling on top of me with their eyes fixated on this computer screen, though they haven’t the slightest clue as to what I am writing. Occasionally one of these children works up the backbone to do what the inquisitive look on their faces tells me they desperately want to do. With eyes wide open, they inquiringly, ever so slightly, use the very tip of their finger to prudently stroke the keyboard or slide it across the smooth computer screen and eagerly wait for my response. I normally scare them or chase them, which only seems to make them want to come back and touch more things on the computer.

Herds of children are flocking, meandering, and galloping towards their, eagerly awaited, Sunday school. On any given Sunday we can have anywhere between forty and seventy children encircle the Sunday school teachers and soak up the homily. They play games, sing songs, dance dances, learn rhymes and find the whole ordeal irresistible. These children generally wake up and walk themselves to this place of worship; it is of their own want to be here. Children wake up early, wash their faces, iron their clothes and allow their little feet to carry them to their Sunday school lesson because the instructors have been able to create a worthwhile and enjoyable environment where these children are able to freely learn and be loved.

Sunday school just ended, as did the first church service. I am sitting outside, once again, welcoming guests, entering their names into the register and making sure that no more children fall into manholes or sewage (we don’t want a repeat of last weeks incident). With the peaceful, soothing, beatific words being sung by our choir reaching my ears I just sit here and smile. I look at the different children running, laughing and playing in our field of grass and smile. I look at this building, which is one of the most aesthetic and functional ones in Masii, and smile. I look at the clean and newly finished medical building and think about the hundreds of lives that will be helped through it and smile. I look at the children who get chased off and told not to play near the church and laugh and then smile. I look at the Tumaini van and its model and make that seems to be out of the 70s and smile. I look all of the men and women that are sitting in the church service, lifting their hands, dancing, and praying and smile. I look at a mother trying to hold one of her children as she cries, she is trying to hand her a piece of orange but the little girl just throws it on the ground and pouts and then I smile. I look at the buildings Tumaini has built, the lives they have changed and the souls saved through this organization and I smile. I am simply amazed.

Do you ever have one of those days when a grin is painted on your face and it seems as though nothing would ever be able to take it away. Have you ever been so filled with joy, wonder and amazement that no matter what people said or did to you that day no amount misfortune could ruin it. That is how I feel right now, not even cloud nine I am on cloud thirty. When I thought that I couldn’t feel anymore at peace and as if I was maxed out with joy I looked at the gate and up came Carro with her mother pushing her.

The surgery was a complete success, she arrived back in Masii last night, and the water was removed from her head. No longer will Carro have the unbearable pressure in her head, she now has a tube that flushes any water from her brain to her stomach, so there will never be a build up of water in her brain. We are told that with physical therapy she will be able to walk on her own and wont even need the wheelchair. If you could have seen Carro after the surgery as her illuminating grin shined for all of our congregation as she made her way to our chapel, you would understand this sensational jubilation that I experienced. She was bouncing off the walls and had the biggest smile on her face. We normally have the pastors and leaders stand in a line and have them shake each persons hand as they exit the building, today we had Carro shaking everyone’s hands. She was laughing, dancing and shaking more hands then she had ever before. If you only could have seen this childlike awe… words cannot express it.

I looked around this facility and just smiled. I can’t believe the hundreds of lives that have been transformed. The hundreds of children who are able to go to school and eat each day because of Tumaini. People like Carro, who have been blessed in such a way that their lives will never be the same. The dozens of volunteers and workers that have invested their hearts into this organization. This whole ordeal started with someone just wanting to help a few AIDS orphans, then it grew into a slightly bigger dream, and now it seems like Tumaini has more dreams and goals then they have paper to write them down but they are coming true. It started as such a small dream and look at it now. This organization and this trip has encouraged me to dream small dreams, medium sized dreams, big dreams, impossible dreams… it has encouraged me to simply dream. When we dream big dreams and dream of the impossible we give God room to work.

Dream and dream some more and when you have nothing left to dream about then dream even bigger and even more unrealistically… give God some room to work in your life.

Asante Sana

Mwendwa the friendly mzungu

PRAYER REQUSTS:
Carro recovery… though it seems like she is fine
We are taking a nearly blind woman to the eye clinic on Tuesday, I get to wake up at like 3 AM to go, but we are hoping that something may be able to be done to give her the ability of sight again. She has cataracts.
Our medical facility

RANDOMS:
People tell jokes in Swahili and everyone is laughing and rolling on the ground from it… I ask what the joke was and normally it something that is completely over my head and doesn’t even seem funny
I learned how to make Chipati yesterday… it is basically a Kenyan tortilla but taste magical, probably from the tons of oil you put in each one… it takes forever to make but taste great
Seamstresses use those old fashioned sewing machines here. The ones that aren’t electric. The ones that you have to pump your foot to get it working. I started to learn how to use one and am told that I am going to make myself a shirt by the time I leave
The wine we use for communion is HORRIBLE. I have never tasted jack daniels but I imagine it is similar to this. The portion is one part wine and two parts water and I still gag when I take it. It tastes like it has been fermenting for centuries… I normally just take it once in the first serviceand don’t go into the service until right after the communion… ha ha
I saw a few cool things as I stood by the door of our church and greeted people:
1. a kid stuck in a tire
2. A girl pick her nose and eat her boogers…. Boogers taste good to children even in kenya… natures candy
3. Carro’s little sister was trying to take off her sweater and had it stuck on her head for a good five minutes… it was really funny watching her struggle to get it off
I sat and talked with two girls about 21 years old or so for about a hour. We talked about the differences in dating and relationships and culture in Kenya versus America… wow is all I have to say…
I gave the two of them some M&Ms and they looked at me shocked. They told me that good chocolate like this would cost them like $40 in Nairobi… really? Wow? And they said they had never had them before.. so that means you guys should send me some M&Ms and Reeses so everyone can eat them, including me : )
People always give me food… I was thinking that I was going to lose weight on this trip but I think I am going to gain some…
Do you ever wish you could break dance? I often do… man it would be so cool!

WORD OF THE DAY
Tumechelewa (two-may-chay-lay-wuh)
We are late… something everyone has embraced here

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From Geoffrey to You; Green and Lush is a Plus

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

Saturday May 16, 2009

Green and lush is a plus

I spent all of Thursday on the backside of a motorcycle with my dear friend Jackson. We ventured up some of the steepest hills imaginable and scaled up a mountain on this bike. We forced our way through rivers. We passed through small cities and towns. This bike took us to what seemed like the edge of the world and back. With nothing but beautiful countryside to our left and right, rough terrain ahead, and the wind howling past our ears we were free to explore the beauty of this world.

I had traveled along this road before, just not as extensively. My previous ride opened my eyes to the extreme famine and hunger as a ramification throughout this country. I saw river beds completely dry with young children digging holes in some attempt to find water. I saw hundreds of shambas (farms) where no crop or vegetation could be found, keep in my that there should be a plethora of food for the harvest right about now. I saw brittle old woman and young children carrying jugs of water on their heads or hanging them on their backs. The climate was dry, arid and miserable and that seemed to match the optimism of some of the people I met. There was an profusion of suffering and affliction because of this drought, the morale and spirits of some of the people I crossed paths with were low. Faith in God for some seemed to deplete as famine flourished. This was my last trip which was over a month ago.

Since my last visit God has sent down the rains in selected areas. Masii is as dry as ever, but it seemed like Masii was one of the few in the area that was lacking rain. As we soared down the road and up the dirt paths my eyes were opened to how incredibly magnificent and truly amazing the lush green wildlife Kenya has to offer. Vegetation was beginning to soar to the sky in the shambas. The most vibrant shades of green enticed my eyes as I gazed upon the splendor of Africa. The contrast between the seemingly effervescent red earth and the lively colors of the foliage was outstanding. My eyes have seen some of the most aesthetic sights any set of human eyes have ever experienced.

I think one of the most comforting spectacles was the fact that we crossed a few rivers and not river beds. Dry patches of sand where people dug holes to find water, now had vigorous rivers gushing saturate that once desiccated sand. Young herdsmen could be seen watering their animals. Families were able to fill their water jugs without a quandary. These rivers of dirty murky water seemed more like gifts from God and rivers of gold than anything else. A smile was fixated on my face as we zipped, zoomed and sped our way over mountains and across rivers.

I can’t even express the view from atop the mountain. Farmers had carved stairs into the deep red earth to level out their farms, it looked like a stairway to heaven from my view.

Our mission for the day was to deliever checks for school fees for Tumaini children. We traveled the furthest distance to visit the school and pay the fees for just one child. Imagine traveling nearly nine hours for just one person whom you had never even met. This was a young girl in her last year of high school. She is the pride and joy of Tumaini, her grades in school are brilliant. She is university material and, by far, is going places in life. I heard the tragic story of her being orphaned and was flabbergasted that she is where she is today. If it weren’t for Tumaini she never would have gotten the opportunities she has. If it wasn’t for someone traveling nine hours every few months to pay her school fees she never would have gone to school. We sat there and told her how far we had traveled and the fact that we did it because she was so important to not only us but to God.

This trip opened my eyes to the mighty power of God, as it was not only displayed in thriving plant life, but also in the life of this young woman. It never ceases to amaze me what a group of people united in heart can accomplish, look at Tumaini and the lives they have impacted and differences they have made. Wow… all I can say is Wow.

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Speaking tomorrow
Stacy’s wheelchair
Funds for Tumaini Projects
Functioning of the medical center

Randoms:
I paid a guy twenty five cents to iron my clothes… he came at the perfect time because I don’t have an iron
The first small business I am looking at helping start is a dry cleaners… it would be the only one in Masii, which is cool cause everyone here has clothes they need to have dry cleaned
In the package from my friend Tovah I got M&Ms… all I can say is that went I am chomping on those bad boys I am at peace… if you want to be cool send me M&Ms or Reese’s : )
I started reading the Chronicles of Narnia and finished half of it this morning… good book even if you have seen the movie
I also got sent a few magazines… did you know they have projectors that can fit in your pocket!! Also I read in Men’s Health about Matthew Mchonahay and he basically travels the country in a RV
I have been bitten enough times by mosquitoes to last the lives of fifteen men

WORD OF THE DAY
Githeri (not sure on the spelling)
Ga-there-ree
It is a Kenyan dish of basically beans and corn. Nothing gives you more gas than this!!

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From Geoffrey to you: Here for a Reason

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Friday May 15, 2009

Here for a reason

Yet again, I was advantaged enough to get another opportunity to ride in a matatu today; not just once, but twice. In case you forgot what a matatu is, it is the public means of transportation here in Kenya. Imagine a small van, appearing to be stuck in the 70s, with over twenty people jammed in it. Personal space is a privilege not a right when it comes to riding in the matatu. I was fortunate enough to only be wedged in between a few people, my old roommate William wasn’t as fortunate. The matatu’s make frequent stops so the workers sit or stand near the door, William was ill fortuned enough to sit near the door. He became good friends with the two workers who sat on his lap. After a long and sardine-like drive we arrived in Machakos, the biggest city near Masii.

I dread taking the public transportation and avoid taking it by all means unless absolutely necessary. The only reason that I was willing to suck it up and befriend those twenty five other people in that van was to get a wheelchair for Stacy. Stacy is my old neighbor. She is four years old and is physically handicapped. Apparently she wasn’t delivered fast enough and she began to suffocate during her birth which left her somewhat limited physically. The major cause for her further immobilization was caused by malaria when she was six months old. She isn’t able to walk or hold things with her hands. Her eyes are permanently crossed and she lacks the ability to articulate words. She isn’t able to play outside and travel is difficult because she must be carried the entire time; Stacy has yet to truly venture far from home. Life’s journey for Stacy has revolved around spending the entirety of each day strapped into a small wooden chair just outside her home. She sits alone lacking companionship as the other children run and cause a ruckus. She can’t go to school. She can’t make friends. She doesn’t have an opportunity to move throughout Masii to see new faces and learn new things. Playtime for Stacy involves a cloth hanging in front of her face that she musters up her strength to grab. These physical handicaps have robbed this child of friendships, experiences and have crippled ambitions. Up until this day, these limitations have condemned her life to revolve around sitting off to the side alone only to wake up the next day and sit some more.

William and I met Stacy and her mother at the hospital in Machakos this afternoon. They travel here in the dreaded Matatu each and every Friday for physical therapy and check ups. This must be a difficult task. I have no space or room in the matatu and I am a grown man, what must it be like to have a child to protect and care for? The distance from the home to the bus stop is easily over a half mile and the distance from the bus stop in Machakos to the hospital is probably near a mile. Imagine being a woman in your forties traveling that distance each Friday with a fifty pound disabled child on your back in a sometimes swelteringly hot climate. As we met with the physician and moved from one building to the next William offered to carry Stacy and had difficulty, I can’t even begin to imagine how exigent this voyage is for Joyce each week.

The prayers cried unto God and the tears that dampened the earth from Joyce have reached God. Of all of the locations in the world to take me, I was brought here. Of all the neighbors to have, I had Stacy. Of the billions of people on this planet my life has crossed paths with Stacy and Joyce. Of all the friends a guy could be blessed with I have been given some of the most generous and benevolent people to walk through life with, when I first posted a message about Stacy’s situation I had an overwhelming amount of people who were ready and willing to share in the expense of the wheelchair. Do you ever feel like you are a certain place and time for a certain reason? That is how I feel right now. I feel like God brought me here to do many works and had already worked out the kinks in the system for me to not only meet Stacy but to link all of you with Stacy; giving Stacy a wheelchair as an end result.

I have learned that getting a wheelchair in Kenya isn’t an easy task; everyone gives you the run around. I have been trying to get one for over a month now but kept on reaching dead ends. God granted me favor and opened a door for purchasing one for Stacy. This wheelchair isn’t a regular one, it is modified for Stacy’s size and disability, it is made for rough terrain, an upgrade will be affordable for Stacy’s family through this company and it will be here within two weeks. The obstacles I have hurdled over in order to get this wheelchair are nothing in comparison to the difference it is going to make in Stacy’s life. One thing that has the potential to change Stacy’s life is this wheelchair. The freedom to move about Masii or travel throughout Kenya is at her discretion. Schooling is an option, in fact, Joyce now plans on enrolling Stacy in school. Stacy is going to be able to meet other children and have a social life. Tragic events may have crippled her body, but they aren’t enough to imprison her for life. Stacy will be able to move. Stacy will be able to dream. Stacy will be able to live.

As we sat in the physicians office Joyce supported Stacy with her leg and Stacy stood, granted it was assisted standing but she stood nonetheless. She started to giggle and laugh. Rambles and slurs expelled from her mouth. I sat there looking at a small crippled girl who never would have been given a shot at life. This is a person who most people would overlook, underestimate and disassociate themselves from. Most people probably think that because she isn’t able to speak she has nothing to say and that she is practically a vegetable. As I gazed upon her smile, heard her childish giggles and slurs I felt something… peace in my heart. Encouragement. Inspiration. Joy. I just couldn’t believe that God brought me thousands of miles from my home, to a city most of the world has never heard of, to sit in a small office with a few “no one’s” from a city that is the size of a speck of sand on the earth… God brought me here to be inspired, learned and taught… which after today, I can say I have been.

This moment of sitting in this office with Stacy while filling out the paperwork for the wheelchair probably sounds pretty dumb and like I am rambling on. I guess it is one of those moments that you just would have to be there. It sounds small and insignificant, but this is something I am going to remember for the rest of my life. I know, without a doubt in my mind, that God used me today… and I stand in awe that He was able to.

For those of you who contributed towards this wheelchair THANK YOU! I know I had MANY people who were willing to help out with the costs but I didn’t need that much money, but THANK YOU for your willingness to help out. Just know that you made a difference in someone’s life.

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
I ordered the wheel chair for Stacy but it will take two weeks to get here, please pray just for the whole ordeal
I am speaking again on Sunday, the last two weeks have gone GREAT pray that God continues to speak through me
Funds for the different projects for Tumaini
The medical center

Randoms:
I bought water from Machakos today cause it is cheaper there… I had to haul twenty liters of water around with me… it sucked, but I have water so I am happy
My toilet only flushes half way, it normally takes a few flushes for a completely new batch of water to be in there
I know I already mentioned it but I am going to repeat it… Kenyans get cold easily. Imagine having twenty plus people in a small van, it gets hot right? So I crack open the window and have a bunch of people complaining that they are cold. I was DRENCHED in sweat… lol
Everyone tells me to take them with me when I come back home.. so I guess I am going to cram a few Kenyans into my luggage
As I was riding back to Masii a friend came on board and sat next to me. She talked to me the entire time but I didn’t understand or hear what she was saying. I basically just nodded my head the whole time… : )
I think that my stomach is going t be like a rock when I get home and I will be able to eat at grade “Z” restaurants…. Our health codes seem to be different than the ones here
I found cereal today… it has Arabic writing but it taste pretty decent. I used to eat cereal breakfast, lunch and dinner every opportunity I had. Ask my mom. We always used to go through cereal like crazy!
When I come home it will be one year since I cut my hair
As I wrote this I saw a GIANT cockroach, the kind you see on the National Geographic Channel. I tried to find it and kill it but it ran off. Now it is buried in my clothes… which is real comforting to know.

Word of the Day
Kuja mara moja
Coo-juh mmmair-uh moe-juh
Come here NOW!! That is what they say when you are in trouble

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From Geoffrey to You; Pancakes and High School Drop Outs

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Thursday May 14, 2009

Pancakes and high school drop outs

Today was repugnantly long. I spent over eight hours on the back of a motor cycle literally climbing up a mountain and going to the other side, which left me with a sore butt. I have mastered the John Wayne walk, the one that makes you look like you have been riding a horse all day.

As I returned home from the long days journey I scurried up three flights stairs with my John Wayne walk to grab my bible and rushed over to a bible study I was leading twenty minutes later. Lacking the opportunity to rest, I made my way to the small group only to find myself being one of the only people there actually early; like every Kenyan event, the bible study started late and lasted twice as long as it was supposed to. As we closed out in prayer I almost fell asleep from exhaustion, walking like John Wayne tuckers me out. We stopped at Esther’s shop to take tea on the way to my home, I really wanted to ditch the tea and go home to snooze. I painfully plopped down in a chair as her son began to pour us our tea and pancakes, apparently I had it wrong all these years and we are supposed to eat pancakes with tea not crumpets. As I dunked my pancake into my tea I noticed Esther’s nephew sitting alone in the corner with his head hanging so low I thought he was going to bump it on the ground. I didn’t take long for me to find out why he was by himself and why his head was sunken so low.

James had a rough childhood to say the least. His parents aren’t able to provide for his basic needs so his benevolent aunt Esther cares for him. She has opened her home to him, provides him with food and clothing as well as covering his school fees. Most children in this situation forget about school and try to contribute towards the family until later on in life if money becomes available; I know a few people who weren’t able to start high school until they were twenty years old. Esther is a godsend for James and he has been given opportunities that millions upon millions of children will never get. The fact that he is able to go to school makes him richer than many children in Masii and throughout the world. The fact that he is able to eat each day and wear a different pair of clothing each day, makes him rich in the eyes of so many. This young man held his head so low because he had an overwhelming abundance of shame. This tenth grader ran away from his home, dropped out of school, started seeing prostitutes and fell into a rough crowd. He threw away the opportunity to go to school for free and to actually make something of himself, he gave up everything for sex and wild living. He threw away those opportunities that his neighbors can only dream of… and for what? A few nights of partying and a few different hookers that may have STD’s.

I believe in generational curses, the idea that addictions and unhealthy problems can be inherited from parents. Abuse passes from father to son to grandson. Alcoholism and drug addiction are handed down from one generation to the next. Unfaithfulness to a spouse or financial burdens seem to be inherited by children and then passed to the next generation. I have come across countless cases of people who follow in their parents footsteps in a negative way and I still can’t seem to fathom it.

How is it that someone can grow up watching their parents suffer and copy them? How can you watch your parents throw their lives away and then do the same thing? How can you watch your mother prostitute her body, contract AIDS, and die at a young age alone and poor and grow up and start hooking? How can you watch your father overdose and then live a life of drug addiction? You would think that we would learn from our parents mistakes, but we don’t.

I sat and talked to James. I tried to tell him that he doesn’t have to follow his parents footsteps and that their fate doesn’t have to be his. I told him about the fact that he had an opportunity to make something of himself and to stop his families curse. He doesn’t have to get AIDS and die at a young age. He doesn’t have to drop out of school and work dead-end jobs for the rest of his life. He doesn’t have to live a life of poverty. He doesn’t have to be put in a situation where he isn’t able to provide for his children and pass them off to family who can. He doesn’t have to throw his life away… he can make something of himself. Tears streamed down his face. He said he wanted to change… we will find soon enough.

I just don’t get why we do this.

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
I am going to the city to buy the wheel chair for Stacy. I have been having some difficulties buying it…
Funds for different projects for Tumaini
Carro’s recovery

Randoms:
You can get an oil change on a motor cycle for two dollars
When you are on a motor cycle and it starts to rain the rain drops feel like little needles
I almost pooped my pants today from holding it in ha ha ha
Everyone seems to know who Arnold Schwarzenegger is
I went into an office today that had been made out of a water tower
We were going over prayer requests tonight and a little boy farted really loud… we all started cracking up
This last week I have gotten two packages and a letter. My mom sent me some rad stuff and my friend Tovah sent me candy, magazines and PEANUT BUTTER…. I don’t think she realized how much I absolutely love peanut butter… PB and J for life!
I also got a deck of cards in the care package…. I mentioned them the other day and I was told they are illegal. I am trying to think if I should bust out my duck shaped children’s playing cards and break the law… ha ha
I went to spit today and totally spit on myself
I think I found the number one worst toilet today…. After this experience I decided to take enough immodium to plug me up for the rest of the trip

Word of the Day
Kabolalu (not sure about the spelling on this one)
Cuh-boo-la-lou
Bottle cap… this is a fun one to say. All of the children always run up to me and tell me to say it cause I say it really funny.

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