A Blessing For A Dear Friend

“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25

I have been refreshed this week. In the middle of confusion I was given a place of refuge, a place of rest. Last week I was in a crisis of sorts. All my best-laid plans were crushed. I was in Africa with no set place to live, no one to visit and no idea what to do next, yet I was not alone. God came close to me. He changed my plan to create his own adventure for my life. So, that is how I left Kenya and came to Uganda. When I arrived in Uganda, I was tired, weary and desperate for a friend. As soon as I got a hold of a phone, I called Veronica Nandutu.

Veronica is an amazing woman who has served God faithfully with World Vision for the last several years. She loves the poor, the sick and the lonely. I am amazed at her generosity of spirit and at her loving kindness. This week I have seen Veronica shower me with the same tender care she lavishes on the least and the lost. As soon as I called, Veronica came immediately to pick me up and bring me to her home. As soon as I entered her car, I felt my whole body relax and I was suddenly exhausted. Have you ever forced yourself to be strong when things get stressful-- gripping God’s promises tightly in your hand? Then when you come into the presence of a friend you finally allow yourself to collapse and feel the intensity of your confusion. Here I had come to Africa to love those who are hurting and now I suddenly found myself in a position to need the very love I had come to give.

Veronica’s home is simple but peaceful and loving. The presence of the Lord is in that place in a powerful way. It washes over you as you enter. To make me more comfortable, she moved herself out of her own bedroom into a side room so that we could stay together forcing her brother into the other room. She hired carpenters to come and put up new mosquito netting so that I would be safe from malaria. She heated water for me to bathe in.

Veronica has helped me know what is safe to eat here. Last night she purchased a cooked fish. I mean the whole fish complete with the bones, eyes and mouth. I was not sure I could eat it as it seemed to be staring at me. With much laughter, she removed the head and gave me the meat from the belly of the fish. I have to say it was quite good. She constantly watches out for me making sure I am well fed.

At some expense, she hired a security guard to watch our compound, as a muzungu in her neighborhood can draw unwanted attention. I was overwhelmed at her care and concern for my safety. I was also suddenly aware that my presence, my skin color, my nationality creates issues for her that she wouldn’t have if I wasn’t there. It makes me wonder if my presence helps or hurts? One thing I know though is that she is loving me as Jesus would and it makes my heart soar. So, I want to publicly bless my dear sister in Christ for her loving kindness. I pray that she will be refreshed as she has refreshed me. Will you all join me in praying a blessing over her life? Pray that God will refresh her spirit with his love, that he will continue to provide for her daily needs, that he will give her a future and a hope! My dear sister, I love you and I appreciate you! Thank you for showing me Jesus!

Update:

I have spent a better part of this week getting aquainted with the programs at Corner Stone, a ministry here in Kampala that serves and rehabilitates street children. I have visited two orphan homes and am starting to build relationships with the girls. Please pray that I will be wise and loving in cultivating these relationships. I have also been to see there Leadership Academy for girls. I was incredibly moved by the intelligence, poise and joy these girls possessed. They had been given new lives and showed me a tangible example of being born again. I will spend the rest of the next two weeks meeting former street children whose lives have been incredibly changed. I can’t even yet put into words the impact this ministry is having. I will also see more of their projects. I start tutoring the children that have just come off the street next week. Keep praying for me that I will be loving and build strong relationships!

Much love,

A Day Like No Other

Update on my upturned life:

My friend James has had so many challenges in the last week. The books we donated are being held in Mombasa port, his nephew’s death and the pain of that, and problems with his US immigration. Due to those immigration problems, James left for the US on Wednesday. So, the Lord has once again changed my plans. I woke up Thursday morning and went into town to the Kenyan Airways counter. I changed my airline ticket and will now be flying to Uganda on Friday. I then went to the Ugandan embassy to check if my visa was still okay as it had the May 5th date on it. To the grace of God I got that worked out. Then it took me a better part of two hours to find a phone that worked so I could call Corner Stone to tell them that I was coming two weeks early. Did anyone see Blood Diamond---TIA!! I will update everyone once I get settled in Uganda. I am definitely on a journey of lifetime, but that is okay, I know the one who is scripting this journey and he is faithful!! Please keep praying for me!

I have not posted this yet, so I will add to my ever-changing story, by telling everyone that I am now in Uganda staying at Corner Stone. It is a very simple hostel and I am not sure I can live 35 days here, but I know I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

When I finally got to Corner Stone, it was getting dark and I wanted to start making dinner, so I said good bye to Simon’s friends. The kitchen is communal which is new for me. All night I heard the security coming in for tea. Anyway, back to my dinner experience. First I tried to turn on the lights—they didn’t work. The security guard told me that there was some electrical problem with those lights, so I turned on the lights in the neighboring room and used my flashlight. Then I got out the ingredients and began to look for cooking pots, pans and utensils. The cupboards were bare. There was nothing. I mean nothing except for a fork, two butter knives, 6 mugs and 6 plates. All the dishes had little bugs crawling on them, so I chose to hold my sandwich and eat a banana. Then I went to bed. I just lay there wondering how I was going to live here for 35 days until Simon came back. I am hoping to stay with Veronica, a World Vision friend, if I can. I know how American this sounds to be thrown by this evening experience, but I guess we all have our breaking points.

Much to my great surprise and delight, I got a hold of Veronica and she came to pick me up at Corner Stone. In fact I was walking along the road in Kampala when I heard a man say, “Hey Baby.” Startled, I turned around to see Jon Good and Veronica! I was so shocked but so excited. Jon was there with a team from Church of the Open Door. I got to see Steve Hanson too. What a treat! Then Veronica took me to her home where I will live with her until Simon returns. What an incredible hostess!! Johnson came over and had lunch with us yesterday. I am so proud of him!! It was an all around good day!

Today I will meet with Corner Stone to find out what I will be doing while I am here. I had a fabulous time at the World Vision chapel this morning I am trying to get settled, but it seems this journey is about change not about settling. I do love Uganda though. It is a tropical paradise and the Corner Stone staff was been incredibly welcoming and helpful. More to come later.

Please read on….here is a fabulous story of one of the students CPC supports at Daystar.


A Day Like No Other

A couple of nights ago I was sitting quietly in the main room of my town house at Daystar enjoying the African night sounds—the soft buzz of mosquitoes, the sharp squawk of a passing bird, the wind blowing softly through the palm trees. It was beautifully peaceful. It was a good place to be alone. Suddenly, a loud ringing coming from the front door startled me. As I stood up to answer the buzzer, I remembered that in Africa one is never alone for long. When I opened the door, Damena Yiima greeted me. He had a broad smile that seemed to glow in the dark and eyes that sparkled. I quickly invited him to join me for some Kenyan tea.

Damena came from Ethiopia with his wife and children four years ago to study at Daystar University. He has now completed his coursework and will graduate in June. He had come to see me because I represent the church that has made his dream of a college education possible. Christ Presbyterian Church sponsored Damena during his time at Daystar. It was an incredibly wise investment. It was so thrilling to sit across from this passionate follower of Jesus who is now equipped to go back to Ethiopia and create new social, financial and spiritual development.

Damena excitedly explained the programs he had developed and visioned for his community in Ethiopia. He is passionate about helping the poor in his country. He has spent the last 4 years studying and analyzing different ways to create positive change in his home country. He has dreamed of the day when every Ethiopian will know the power and love and Jesus. He has dreamed of the day when the hungry of his community will be fed, when the lonely will be comforted, when each family will have an adequate shelter. His eyes seem to blaze with emotion when he talks about his beloved homeland. Like I said, it is a wise investment.

As we sipped our tea and our conversation came to a close, Damena asked if I would grant him one more request. He asked if he could host me for lunch the next day. Without hesitation, I said that I would be delighted.

He arrived the next day in the early afternoon and set off for his home on the other end of Nairobi. We took public transportation, which was an experience of epic proportions. The buses and mutatu’s (small vans that should have long since be put out to the junkyard) drive very fast, very reckless and could just as easily run you over. The moment we got near the bus stop, my heart started beating and my hands started sweating. Damea just quietly reached over and told me to hold his hand. In his quiet gentle way, he told me not to worry because God had us in his hand. He would navigate a safe journey for us. This was all the reassurance I needed. My heart settled and I felt my body relax.

The bus weaved in and out of traffic. It was crowded with very little personal space, but Damena continually looked in my eyes and repeated his earlier encouragement. After transferring to an older mutatu and realizing that I was indeed the only westerner in this part of town, we reached our final destination. As I exited the mutatu, I stepped through the floorboards of the van. It was bizarre to see my foot dangling down towards the street through the floorboard. Then we walked for a while towards a supermarket down the street. As we approached the market, Damena explained that it was his son, Kidus, birthday today. He wanted to check the price of a small cake. The cake would be the only present this little 6 year old would receive that day. As we approached the bakery, I noticed that the cakes were not cheap. It is a luxury item, not a necessity. At that moment, I heard that little whisper buy the cake. I smiled and thought how wonderful it is to be able to do something loving for someone else. I asked if I could give a gift to his family and buy the birthday cake. After some protesting, he agreed. We even had the bakery write Happy 6th Birthday Kidus. Then we got some birthday candles. We both couldn’t wait to see his little face all covered in frosting.

After a short walk, we entered a locked gate where several families had single room concrete homes. Damena’s home is a 6’ by 6’ room with two beds, two small tables and a stool. They cook over a fire out side the home and wash behind the home in a tub. It is no bigger than a backyard shed. As I approached the house the two boys came running out to greet their father. He hugged them and they smiled just a big as he did. His beautiful wife greeted me with a hug inviting me into the home where their 3 year old was napping on one of the beds. I sat down inches away from this little sleeping angel. Their daughter had just been discharged from the hospital. She had been playing near a pot of boiling water and been badly burned. They were grateful that she was alive and slowly recovering.

Immediately a large bowl was put before us. It contained a thin doughy bread that is covered with spicy goat meat and potatoes. It was a traditional Ethiopian dish. After we blessed our meal, we all put our hands in the bowl tearing the bread and scooping up the meat and potatoes. It tasted very good, but on a couple of occasions I think steam must have come out of my ears. It was SPICY! Towards the end of this communal meal, I thought about unity. Eating like this seemed like an experiential way to tangibly know unity—being together as one—sharing food with each other equally. There was tremendous beauty in that moment. As I was laughing, sharing and eating, Damena brought out the most special part of the meal—the meaty goat bone. He proudly told me I could eat it all. Oh boy! I bravely began to suck the meat off the bone while the whole family watched laughing. They loved seeing this muzungu suck goat meat off the bone. Actually, it was quite good.

After this exquisite meal, the time came for the cake. Damena unwrapped the cake and called Kidus to read what it said. The boy’s eyes lit up and he began to giggle. It was such a beautiful sound. Then we sang happy birthday and he made several attempts to blow out the candles. Then we cut the cake and everyone laughed as frosting seemed to get everywhere. It was on Kidus’ shoulder, his mouth, his hair, his knees, and his fingers. He was swimming in it. Damena had his daughter on his lap and was feeding her cake and then kissing her getting frosting all over his face. Then they would all laugh. It was the sound of pure joy!

All too soon, the time came for me to head back to that quiet town house in Daystar. We walked back to the bus; we walked through the city and finally caught a muatatu to Daystar. We relived the afternoon’s highlights. I was so grateful that he allowed me into his home, into his life, into his family. My heart felt so full. As we parted, I gave Damena some money that had been gifted to me and told him that God wanted to bless him with it. We both were overjoyed. I was delighted to be the messenger of God’s blessings and he was delighted to receive what God had for him. Unity. God’s children were sharing. We were giving each other what we had to offer. We both gave and we both received. We were unified and it was indeed beautiful.

Life Happens When You Are Busy Making Plans

My African journey has begun I came with a well thought out plan. I checked and double-checked my itinerary. All my contacts were ready to host me, take me from one destination to the next, provide places for me to visit and people for me to love. To my American mind everything seemed perfect. In fact I was inwardly congratulating myself for a job well done. However somewhere between Amsterdam and Nairobi, God designed a different plan for me.

When I arrived in Nairobi, I was exhausted, but excited. I couldn’t wait to step out into the warm night air and hear the sound of Swahili being shouted out in the bus park. As I walked out of the crowded airport, I took a deep breath and enjoyed the warm night air. I looked and looked for the Daystar sign signaling my airport pick up. I wandered through the crowd and saw no such sign, so I decided to stay put. I parked myself in front of the airport baggage claim and waited and waited and waited.

After an hour and a half, I began to get a little nervous. These best laid plans were beginning to unravel. I called a missionary couple who live here in Nairobi to get some advice. It was getting close to 10pm, dark and I was the only blond lady in sight. He told me to get a taxi and to give them the address for Daystar, but to definitely not wait around. In times of stress I often cry, maybe because I am a girl or maybe out of habit. However, I held all my tears in walked over to the taxi service ordered my taxi and was on my way. I wondered what happened to the ride that I had so carefully planned out. As I rode in that taxi I heard a small whisper tell me to trust. I told Jesus that I needed him and he said, ‘I am already here.”

When I got to Daystar, the guard graciously let me in and let me sit on the ground by the security office and wait under a street lamp. It took about 20 minutes but I was found to be legitimate and shown to the guesthouse. A few minutes later the woman who was supposed to pick me up at the airport arrived at the house. When she saw me she looked surprised and said, “You are Kari?” I assured her I was. She thought she was picking up Kari Krankala and had searched the airport for her while I was searching for her.

Little did I know that this little hiccup was not the last of God’s newly designed plan. I spent a few days at the Athi River Daystar campus encouraging the students my church supports. It was a glorious time. These orphaned students are graduating and planning to use their talents to serve other orphans. I came back on Thursday filled with incredible awe at what God had done in the lives of these students and ready move to the next phase of my plan. However, upon arriving back in Nairobi I discovered that my ride to Kiisi where my friend James was waiting for me could not come and pick me up due to a sudden death in the family. In an instant my world changed. As it stands now I will not be leaving until the end of this week—a full week after I originally had planned to leave.

What I am learning is that God knows so much better than I do where I should be and what I should be doing. In the days that I have been here in Nairobi, I have prayed with a woman who is being beaten by her husband. I have cried and held a widow who is longing for God to rescue her from her poverty. I have met a Masai warrior who first loved Jesus due to an old Billy Graham book left in his village. He then told his whole clan about Jesus and now they are evangelizing the Masai community. I prayed with a Sudanese man who is studying here at Daystar and will the minister of Education in southern Sudan. He told me how he ran on foot from those that would kill him hiding as a boy deep in the bush. Jesus came to him one night under an Acasia tree and told him that he would be protected and kept from harm. He now has spent the rest of his life serving the God who protected him from the rebels who sought to kill him. I have spent more time with Debora. Encouraging her to keep loving Jesus and trusting that the one who holds her in the palm of his hand will one day fulfill her longing for education.

As it stands now, I will be leaving Nairobi on Friday for James’ village of Ogembo. Originally, I was going there to catalog all the 20’ container of books that we sent over for Masifew Academy. However those books are tied up in customs for two more weeks, so God must have another reason for me to be there. Perhaps it will be to comfort James’ family who just lost their nephew or to love orphans. I really don’t know, but I don’t feel like crying about it. I am learning to really trust that God’ s plan is better.

I get up each morning, get dressed and wonder what God’s a plan will hold for me today. I welcome interruptions. I stop what I’m doing every time someone stops by and am present in that moment. I don’t know what I will be doing tomorrow, next week or even when I finish writing this piece, but I do know that God will be here just in front of me helping me take the next step.

PS. The picture is of the Sudanese man I mentioned.

The Right Place At The Right Time

When you find yourself in the right place at the right time, the moment seems special, supernatural and beyond explanation. You know it is different from all the ordinary moments of life. It is a moment of time that reminds us that is very much alive and passionately in love with us. As I write this I am in the middle of experiencing the right place at the right time and all I can say is that Jesus is beautiful.

It was my plan to leave the Athi River Daystar campus on Thursday afternoon and then leave right away on Friday morning for Kiisi to visit with my friend James. However, God had other plans for me.

When I arrived back in Nairobi I spent Thursday night at the guest townhouse with Bette and Tom Wanous, two veteran missionaries who have spent a better part of their lives here in Kenya. As I walked through the door, they were entertaining an old friend of theirs named Solomon. Solomon had pepper gray hair and a warm inviting tone to his voice. As we all talked, I loved hearing his beautiful soft Kenyan accent. He has been out of work for 5 years which has been difficult for him. Although, he is quick to remind us that God is good and he will continue to serve him whether he is paid or not. I know that place of faith where your heart is deeply disappointed, yet your longing to serve Jesus still burns within you.

He had just returned from visiting some relatives out in the eastern part of Kenya where the minibus he was riding on was hijacked. As the hijakers approached the bus, Solomon saw two western missionaries shot dead by the side of the road. His 14 year old daughter was sitting behind him and he said that he started intensely praying, as he knew there was nothing he could do to protect her. The thieves took everything they had, but noticed that the minibus had very little gas, so they decided to take the white missionaries car instead. It was a terrifying experience, but God spared their lives. After telling us about his close call with death, he opened the Bible and read Psalm 119. He reminded us of God’s protection, love and might. It gave a whole new meaning to the strong hand of God. It seemed fitting then to pray for this beautiful man. I closed my eyes and asked the Lord to bless this man with a job, to hold him close—to protect him always. This prayer had power just as my father said it would. My dad told me that God had impressed on him that as I loved others and prayed for them that God would inhabit those prayers. God was so close, I could almost feel him next to me. It was the right place at the right time.

The next morning I spoke with James and due to a recent death in his family, I would not be able to travel to Kiisi until Tuesday at the earliest. I was not expecting to stay here in Nairobi for 5 more days, so I walked over to the Daystar Visitors office right away to ask if I could stay in the town house. Coretta was thrilled that I was extending my stay and even set up an account for me to eat at the college cafeteria. I wondered how I would fill my days, as I didn’t really have anything planned.

I went over to the college cafeteria for lunch and sat at a table by myself. As I ate I watched the students come in laughing with friends, talking intently about important ideas, and rushing out to get to their next class. It was then that Majok entered the cafeteria and to my great delight he came and sat down next to me. Majok is from southern Sudan and is now pursuing his Masters in Education. He escaped by foot at a very young age from Sudan into Kenya when the fighting was at its worst and lived in a refugee camp. As he was literally running from the rebels, he said that they Lord came to him and told him that he would be safe and to not be afraid. This experience was so powerful that he decided then and there to spend the rest of his life serving Jesus. Up to that point he had never been told about Jesus. It was God who revealed himself to him. He is now finishing his degree and going back to southern Sudan to be the Minister of Education. He is passionate about educating the children of Sudan, creating peace and telling others about a God who will come to you even as you are running from murderers. My jaw dropped to the floor and I felt tears well up in my eyes. God is bigger than I thought he was. I was in the right place at the right time.

When I left lunch with Majok, I wandered back to Coretta’s office hoping to find something to do. Coretta was not in, but there was a woman sitting in the waiting area. I sat down across from her and we began to talk. Her name was Pamela, she was 36 and had four children. I asked her why she had come to see Coretta. Pamela then explained that Coretta often helped her when she was desperate. I looked at her sympathetically but said nothing. There was silence for a moment. Then she said quietly, my husband beats me and the abuse is very bad. He won’t give me any money and he scares me. Our eyes met and we stared intensely at each other. “I’m sorry” was all I could say. She went on to describe the abuse she endures, her fear for her children, her inability to feed her children, her poor health. She now has migraines, high blood pressure and stomach ulcers. Before the worst of the abuse, she finished 3 years of a 4 year degree at Daystar. Now her husband is unwilling to finish paying for her degree which leaves her unable to find a job suitable for supporting her four children. She is desperate to find a sponsor to pay for her last year at school, so that she can become financially independent. She has tried to call the police and has a case pending in court, but there is no one yet who is able to protect her. I could feel the intense pain of this woman. My heart began to ache for her. She then talked about how she had become a Christian and that she knew God would rescue her, but then she asked me how long will it take him to rescue me? How do you answer a heart’s cry like that? What words can you say to encourage a heart that has been abused? All I could remember was my sister’s story of rescue. I did tell her how my sister was rescued from the pit by Jesus himself. She asked me to tell her story again, as it gave her comfort to know that God would come into the most vile of places and rescue his beloved. I told her that she was Jesus’s bride, his beloved. That he held her in the palm of his hand. We talked for 3 hours and finally I asked her if I could hold her and pray for her. She melted into my arms. As I held her I prayed that God would show his immense love for her in tangible ways this week, that he would rescue her soon from this violence, that a sponsor would be found to help her finish school. I prayed for her children, for her health, and I recited scriptures that talk about how deeply God loves women and how fiercely he will protect them. It was a holy moment—too holy even to reflect in words on a page. All I could think was---God has to be big enough to stop the violence and redeem this woman. God called me here to love and I realized in that moment that my ministry had begun. I was in the right place at the right time.

Coretta arrived back at her office and Pamela went in to see her. As I sat in the waiting area another woman named Grace came walking through the door. She was older and looked as if life had been hard. She was somewhat hunched over and was blind in one eye. She sat down next to me to wait for Coretta. We easily started a conversation and she was pleasant and warm. I asked her the same question I asked Pamela, Why are you seeing Coretta today? She told me that her daughter had finished two years at Daystar, but was now unable to finish due to financial difficulties. Then she burst into tears. I leaned close to her and rubbed her arm as she cried. She then apologized and I said that there was no need. I then asked her to please share her story with me.

She said that when she first was married her husband beat her and her life was very hard. However, a couple years later they both learned about Jesus and it changed both of them dramatically. Her husband stopped hitting her and became a new person. He eventually became a pastor and lead many people to know Jesus. Their life was so good and God seemed to bless them in many ways. In 2000, her husband became very ill and was bedridden in the hospital for two years before he died. To clear all his medical bills, they sold all their household items and her daughter dropped out of school. His care bankrupted them. They were left with virtually nothing. She went to her husband’s family for help, but they refused her. It was a painful rejection and she wept as she related the story to me. Grace makes the equivalent of $28 per month which is not enough to take care of her four children, pay the rent or even have enough food. Still she believes that God takes care of widows, so she waits for the Lord to meet her needs.

When her daughter first went to Daystar, Grace took a loan of about $300 from the Kenyan government. It was not enough to pay the tuition, but she pleaded with the admissions office to let her daughter come. She told the admission counselor that she depended on Jesus and that he would come up with the rest. The admission counselor let her daughter start classes, but only for a short time as the rest of the tuition had to be paid. Grace prayed and fasted. At 3 am the Lord woke Grace up and told her that $1,000 would be coming from the US. Three days later a bishop from their church came to her with $1,000 from an anonymous donor from the US. It was an absolute miracle. However, the money eventually ran out and she cannot take any more loans from the Kenyan Government. Now her daughter cannot go back to school. Currently her daughter is volunteering with an organization that helps vulnerable and orphaned children in Kinyago, a slum of Nairobi. Grace loves her children and wants them to realize their dreams. She wants to be able to feed them and clothe them. She misses her husband. Here is a mother who loves her children and can not give them what they need.

When I asked her if I could pray for her, she immediately said, “please, please.” We stood up and held each other. She held me so tight I could barely breathe. She seemed to be hanging on to me for dear life and maybe she was. I prayed that God would remind her again of his faithfulness to the widows that he loves so much. I asked the Lord to hold his beloved bride when she mourns for her husband. I asked for sponsors for her children to attend school. I felt her tears run down my face. I quietly kept reciting scripture of God’s love for widows and the poor. She kept saying, “I love you, Jesus.” When we finished, she thanked me and said, “surely God has meant for you to be here today as my encourager.” Emotion felt like it would come pouring out if I opened my mouth, so I just smiled and nodded. Then she said, “My dear, please tell me your need so I can pray for you.” I thought for a moment and then said, “Please pray that I love people well while I am here and that I remember God’s faithfulness.” She held me very close and began to pray for me and the most interesting thing happened. I heard her say, “God please send a good Godly man for this woman. Send her a husband that loves you and will love her. Remind her that husbands are a gift from you and that she can trust a man. God give her this deep desire of her heart. She yearns for it and you are preparing her for this man who will love her.” I cried. I never told her anything about myself, let alone the inmost desire of my heart. She said the Holy Spirit put those words in her mouth. So here was this privileged white woman in the middle of Kenya clinging to a widow and hearing her pray for my most private desires. Here was another holy moment full of the tangible presence of God. Again I was in the right place at the right time.

So here begins my journey. I told all of you that I wanted to come to Africa and learn to love well—like Jesus loves and to serve the least, the lost and the left out. Today that became a reality. God has changed my plans and I am not sure if I will even be in Kiisi by Tuesday, but God does. One thing is sure no matter where I am, I will be in the right place at the right time.



MST: I know CPC will be ready to sponsor more students at Daystar, as these two graduate. I recommended that we look at Debora. Now I would ask that you also consider either Pamela Khafafa # 03-0485 or Linda Omanya #04-0554 (Grace’s daughter)

Hope Deferred Makes The Heart Sick

Hope deferred makes the heart sick. The wise writer of this proverb had certainly experienced the pain of longing for something that forever seemed out of his reach. He must have intimately known the pain of hard work towards a goal that is never actualized. Dreaming of one day knowing the joy of experiencing what you hope for and then finally able to leave the deep disappointment of that intense longing behind you. The writer’s hope seemed fragile. One day his determination seemed all encompassing and the next day it seemed to flicker like an ember in a fire long gone out. It is in those times that the heart feels sick--weak—unworthy—depressed.

My Kenyan friend *Debora knows deeply the pain of longing and hoping for something that forever seems out of reach. I recently met her on the campus of Daystar University. She had come to help host my visit although she was no longer an active student. She longs to be educated and to use her knowledge to serve her people. It is a longing that resides deep in her soul. We spent the last few days together spending our time exchanging stories, laughing at my attempts to speak Swahili, and talking about the God we both love. (*Debora is in the picture on the right and is wearing a yellow shirt.)

Life has been difficult for Debora. Her father disowned the family while she was still quite young leaving her mother to care for her and her 3 siblings. Her father was an alcoholic and had no intention of caring for her or her siblings. It was a rejection that bruised her young heart.

Her mother sold local brew to others in the village to feed her children. This was not lucrative and Debora has been paying her own school fees since she has been six years old. She said that it was very hard, and by the end of her primary years she almost quit school altogether. It was just too much for a young girl. My mind could barely comprehend it all. I couldn’t even fathom myself as a six year old child working to earn enough money to put myself through school. Her only comment was that her deepest longing was to learn and become an accountant, so she spent her childhood working for her neighbors.

She scored very high marks on her primary school exam and was accepted to a nearby high school. It was an absolute thrill to begin to see her dream become a reality. However, she had no money to pay for her high school education, so in desperation she went to her father to beg for help. She told me that she spent days in prayer before approaching him and relied totally on God’s mercy, as that would be the only reason her father would help her. That desperate day she went to her father’s house and as only God can do, her father agreed to pay her tuition. It was a miracle she will remember for the rest of her life.

Mid-way through high school, her little brother died. It was a traumatic event for the whole family and pushed her father deeper into his depression and alcoholism. The help he was so miraculously providing ended soon after. To finish high school Debora worked at a local kiosk selling simple items and relied on her older sister for some assistance. By the grace of God and incredibly hard work, Debora finished high school. She scored well and longed to go to college and realize her dream of being an educated woman. Earning a college degree will give Debora a way out of poverty and give hope to her whole family. For her, college is the way out of poverty. It is her only chance.

In 2004, Debora applied to Daystar University and was accepted. Hope was alive again! A sponsor had come forward and offered to pay her tuition and her dream seemed so close she could almost touch it. She went to freshman orientation filled with renewed excitement. After this first blissful week, her sponsor told her that he could not pay her tuition. It was a devastating blow and she said that she cried for weeks. Then the next semester she applied for a loan from the government. They gave her a quarter of what she needed and she had to again go home and put her dream on hold.

Finally, the next semester she had been able to raise enough cash from friends to register for classes. She did not have enough money to pay rent or buy food for herself, so she took a night job in Nairobi an hour away from the campus. Sometimes she went to class all day and worked all night. It was exhausting, but it renewed her hope of achieving her dream. Sadly, all that work was not enough and at the end of the semester she was not able to pay her bill and again was sent home.

As if to add insult to injury, her mother contracted TB and needed constant care. Therefore the only family member working to care for Debora and her siblings was her oldest sister. She earned about $700 salary in which she pays rent, buys food for all of them, pays for the youngest brother to go to primary school and for the youngest sister to finish high school. Therefore this last semester, Debora did not even try to register again as she has no money and is barely surviving as it is.

Her heart is aching. She firmly told me that her only hope is a miracle of God. She has been meeting with the counselors at Daystar who are encouraging her with scriptures about God’s power and might. She is trying to hang on, but her heart just feels sick.

As I held her in my arms and prayed for her yesterday, I was reminded of God’s intense love for broken hearted people. The Psalmist reminds us that the Lord comes close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. As I called down God’s blessing on her life and pleaded for the Lord to raise up someone to alleviate her sick heart, tears welled up in my eyes as I felt her pain, her courage and the deep ache of a longing unfulfilled.

As we parted ways, she asked me to tell her story to whoever would listen. Hoping that God might raise up one person to meet her desperate need. Truly, hope deferred makes the heart sick, but hope restored helps us soar on wings like eagles. So who restores that hope? Are we waiting for God or is God waiting for us? If we are to be like Jesus should we not come close to the broken hearted? Should we not save those crushed in spirit? Be the very presence of God in their lives?

God is the great hope giver, but we are the ones who get to be God’s messengers of that great hope. Will you be that messenger? Will you give your resources so that Debora can know the God of hope?

If you want to help contact Stacy at Daystar University US home office at 952-928-2550 and ask to help sponsor Debora Akiso Omuyako, student number 05-0247

CPC Mission Stearing Team: Two of the students we are sponsoring are graduating this year, so if the budget allows us to pick new students, Please, please, please consider Debora. Also our two kids from Rakai are doing fantastic and will graduate next year. Dartiva is already planning on going back to Rakai this summer to do her community development internship with World Vision. She wants to use her degree to help other orphans and the poor in Uganda. It was so encouraging to hear all that God is doing!!
Daystar also just launched their HIV/AIDS policy. Students have been actively involved with I Choose Life, an AIDS awareness, prevention and after care group. Recently a group of students went into the slums of Nairobi to spend time with those infected with HIV. They handed out clothes, made food and ate with them and listened to their stories. It was moving to hear the students talk about how God had broken their heart for those with this disease.


I am leaving for Ogembo, a rural village in Western Kenya, in a couple of days. James built a school there for orphans and had a container of books shipped over for the school. I will be helping him catalog and organize the books. Please pray for James as his nephew, a 12 year old boy, died suddenly last week. It has been difficult for the family and they are still grieving this incredible loss. Please pray for me too as I enter into the loss of this boy with the family this week. I want to love and support them with the love of Jesus!

I may not be able to connect to the internet when I am out in Ogembo, so please be patient.

Much love,
Kari

Without Love I Am Nothing: A Grandfather’s Legacy

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” I Corinthians 13: 1-3

I have been loved. My grandfather died on Tuesday and my heart sank into a melancholy state. I miss him. My thoughts are filled with memories of how my grandfather loved well. He loved his wife through a dark valley, he loved his children deeply from the heart, he loved his workers at Montgomery Ward by creating justice for them, and he loved his fellow soldiers by earning 3 bronze stars for bravery. He loved his mother and took care of her until she died. As his grandchild, He loved me completely and unconditionally. He believed that I was a beautiful unique creature worthy of honor and respect. He lived his life in service to those he loved, so this week we remember him and his great capacity to love.

In remembering his capacity for love, I am reminded of God’s great love for me. Without knowing it my grandpa showed me how God loves sacrificially and deeply from the heart. Stirring within me are also memories of my own attempts to love others. How will I carry on my grandfather’s great capacity for love?

Over the years love has grown slowly in my selfish heart. It’s not that I am a grinch with a cold heart. In fact, I am no more selfish than the average person. I love those that love me—my family, my friends, strangers that show me kindness. It is just that Jesus keeps asking me to love deeper, to love strangers who aren’t kind, to love those I can’t stand, to love those that are uncomfortable to be around. To continue my grandfather’s legacy in my life will be allowing Jesus to create a deeper capacity to love others including the least, the left out and the unlovely. Taking a journey of love like this one scares me. Can I do it? Will I do it?

This last winter, I was hurrying through my local grocery store. I was tired. I had more errands to run and I wanted to get home. With a strong single-minded focus I sped my cart up and down the aisles filling up the cart with all my favorite foods. I even started dreaming of how good that chicken terryaki was going to taste. Somehow, I always choose the slowest checkout line. Today was no exception. I started to grow impatient and literally began to try to use mental telepathy to speed up the process. It didn’t work. Finally, it was my turn. My items were scanned. I paid what was due and began to quickly bag my groceries. As I quickly put the items in the paper sacks, a quiet whisper spoke inside of me. “See that lady. She needs help. Pay for her groceries.” I tried to shake the thought out by shaking my head slightly, but as I did it I looked up I saw her. This woman was awkward, a little too loud and someone others might not approach. I looked down and kept packing the bags. I wanted to get home. I had things to do. I had to be at church in two hours. Still this same compassionate whisper came, “See that lady. She is my beloved. Buy her groceries.” It was harder to shake this time. As I looked up I heard the clerk explain that her credit card had been denied. She looked frantic all of sudden—embarrassed—a state of panic on her face. When I looked at her suddenly, I felt a deep compassion for her—a brotherly love. I stopped what I was doing, rushed over to her, put my hand on her shoulder and asked if I could buy them for her. She sheepishly said yes and begged for my address so she could repay me. I told her that would not be necessary as this was an act of love on her behalf. We held each other in the grocery store and there was real love there.

Slowly, God is chipping away the selfish parts of my heart and increasing my capacity to love. God is showing me that nothing I do is worth anything if there is no love behind it. The true beauty of my moment with that awkward woman was not the money spent on the groceries, but the love and compassion that was created in between us in that moment.

This Sunday I am leaving for Africa instead of attending my grandfather’s funeral. This was his request of me before he died. At the end of his life of loving others, he told me to go out and love those who need it. So in honor of you, Grandpa, and because I desperately want to continue your legacy of love, I am following the author of love into the heart of Africa.