When I was growing up almost every missions conference, we would sing the song, "Be a Missionary Every Day." Now I will have to admit that this song has some problems especially since it openly says that the task is "up to you" and not God but it does accomplish one thing is that it urges us as believers to share our faith and to think about the foreign masses.
Missions in traditional churches has always centered on sending a couple/family beyond the borders of the U.S. to some foreign, maybe even exotic, country to share their Christian faith with the unbelieving. But the Bible is also full of things like taking care of orphans and widows by feeding stomachs and healing illnesses. This is why the Hope Foundation takes a holistic view of missions. We want to plant churches that help the communities where they are planted.
I think those who are not called as full time missionaries need to realize that they are not exempt from God's commission to tell the world about Jesus. I remember reading a story about WW2 that said that the "front lines depend on the supply lines." Without supplies from home, the war is lost.
All missionaries need you to pray for them. Prayer is where we get our personal strength and even the power of the Holy Spirit on our ministries. Missionaries are not sin-proof and need to know that someone is praying and holding us accountable to holiness and the ministry.
David Hosaflook wrote it like this: "It's [Missions is] not complicated: if you're not sent, you send. You send by paying and praying for the mission."
As a mission organization, we need your help and that does mean "money" in many instances but as Paul said in Philippians 4 we want spiritual fruit to abound for your account. This is not just my ministry ... it is our ministry. We need to think and understand what real mission partnership is all about...eternal investment.
Let's work together...let's invest together...let's see people come to know Christ together!!
Friday, December 18, 2015
WHAT WILL IT COST ME?
Rachel Stuart Watt - Missionary to Africa 1885-1914
Jesus said a simple phrase to the men that were to become His disciples, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” In answer to this call the men left all that they had and immediately followed Christ. I wonder if they understood what it meant to fully answer that call. You see most of them died for their faith.
I ask myself many times “Would you really die for your faith?” I would like to think that I would. The call “Follow Me” really means to give one’s life totally and fully to God for His service.
In the early 1900's, Rachel Stuart Watt wrote a book covering the years 1885-1914 when she and her husband were pioneer missionaries to Tanzania and Kenya. I want to quote from that book. Rachel and her husband have just left Zanzibar and barely entered the interior of Tanzania when these events happened.
“In passing through the country of Useguha, we found it necessary to pitch our tent close by a small lake; and there our little son got an attack of dysentery and fever…we hastened on in our endeavor to reach higher ground. We arrived at a place called Semagombe, where we encamped for the night…His cot [her son] was beside my bed in the tent, and I lay down beside him, moistening his lips occasionally with the muddy water, which we had, with some difficulty obtained. I knew that he was in great pain…he seemed to fall into a state of perfect rest…I too very soon became unconscious in sleep. About an hour afterwards when I awoke at 2 am I thought it strange that all was so still. Reaching out my hand over the little cot, I was terrified to find how cold was the body of my dear little son…He was already unconscious and in a few minutes his spirit passed away to the God who gave it…we were surrounded by superstitious natives who would not have a white man buried in their country fearing it might bring a plague…the death of our child was not known to them…My husband emptied one of our iron cases, and with a heavy aching heart I lined it with a linen sheet, and in it we laid the earthly remains of our precious child. We…selected a place…to dig a grave. Some time after the sun had sunk below the horizon, in the darkness of the on-coming night, the body of our little one was carried into the forest and deposited underneath the shelter of a large euphorbia tree…we had to bury our dead in the jungle.”
Then the next chapter begins…”After leaving Semagombe…”
I have to believe that there was much more to the story that could have been told. I would love to be able to talk to Rachel about the emotions that were flowing through her body as she secretly buried her son in the forest jungle knowing she would probably never return to that place again. I want to ask her how did you just go on with your ministry?
I often wonder if I would have just turned around and went back to Zanzibar and boarded a ship for England. I think I might have said “This is just too hard!”
Lisa and I went to Kenya to tell people about the love of God. Along the way God helped us to see that we needed to do good with our hands as well as our voices so the Hope Foundation was born. Let me describe our journey with Rachel’s words “We had some very difficult marches. The track which we had been following was somewhat overgrown…sometimes the bush or forest was so dense that the rays of the sun were excluded…After several days, we came to a beautiful river called Mtowamawe…our porters seemed to revel to their hearts’ content. They drank of it, bathed in it…we enjoyed very much the enchanting scenery…we saw a herd of giraffe…Lions and leopards were more numerous…”
Some days we have struggled but most days we have thrived in the challenges that God has set before us.
“Don’t give up” is our battle cry!
I ask myself many times “Would you really die for your faith?” I would like to think that I would. The call “Follow Me” really means to give one’s life totally and fully to God for His service.
In the early 1900's, Rachel Stuart Watt wrote a book covering the years 1885-1914 when she and her husband were pioneer missionaries to Tanzania and Kenya. I want to quote from that book. Rachel and her husband have just left Zanzibar and barely entered the interior of Tanzania when these events happened.
“In passing through the country of Useguha, we found it necessary to pitch our tent close by a small lake; and there our little son got an attack of dysentery and fever…we hastened on in our endeavor to reach higher ground. We arrived at a place called Semagombe, where we encamped for the night…His cot [her son] was beside my bed in the tent, and I lay down beside him, moistening his lips occasionally with the muddy water, which we had, with some difficulty obtained. I knew that he was in great pain…he seemed to fall into a state of perfect rest…I too very soon became unconscious in sleep. About an hour afterwards when I awoke at 2 am I thought it strange that all was so still. Reaching out my hand over the little cot, I was terrified to find how cold was the body of my dear little son…He was already unconscious and in a few minutes his spirit passed away to the God who gave it…we were surrounded by superstitious natives who would not have a white man buried in their country fearing it might bring a plague…the death of our child was not known to them…My husband emptied one of our iron cases, and with a heavy aching heart I lined it with a linen sheet, and in it we laid the earthly remains of our precious child. We…selected a place…to dig a grave. Some time after the sun had sunk below the horizon, in the darkness of the on-coming night, the body of our little one was carried into the forest and deposited underneath the shelter of a large euphorbia tree…we had to bury our dead in the jungle.”
Then the next chapter begins…”After leaving Semagombe…”
I have to believe that there was much more to the story that could have been told. I would love to be able to talk to Rachel about the emotions that were flowing through her body as she secretly buried her son in the forest jungle knowing she would probably never return to that place again. I want to ask her how did you just go on with your ministry?
I often wonder if I would have just turned around and went back to Zanzibar and boarded a ship for England. I think I might have said “This is just too hard!”
Lisa and I went to Kenya to tell people about the love of God. Along the way God helped us to see that we needed to do good with our hands as well as our voices so the Hope Foundation was born. Let me describe our journey with Rachel’s words “We had some very difficult marches. The track which we had been following was somewhat overgrown…sometimes the bush or forest was so dense that the rays of the sun were excluded…After several days, we came to a beautiful river called Mtowamawe…our porters seemed to revel to their hearts’ content. They drank of it, bathed in it…we enjoyed very much the enchanting scenery…we saw a herd of giraffe…Lions and leopards were more numerous…”
Some days we have struggled but most days we have thrived in the challenges that God has set before us.
“Don’t give up” is our battle cry!
MEETING PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS
"Where are you?" is a question that God asked in Genesis 3:9 to Adam and Eve. He wasn't asking them because he didn't know physically where they were...he knew they were hid in the garden. He was asking because the intimate fellowship between God and his creation had been broken due to disobedience. A change had taken place in paradise.
When early foreigners came to Kenya they were amazed at the beauty of the geographical features and abundant wildlife. They wondered at the "uncivilized" ways of the native people who wore little clothes and had strange practices. Some wanted to change the people and make them "respectable". Others wanted to leave the people and the places as they found them in what seemed like a paradise.
Today Kenya is not what it once was as forests have disappeared and small railway stops have now become mega-cities of millions. It is still beautiful and I, for one, am still amazed by its wildlife and people. But poverty is the norm today as more and more people flock from upcountry to the city to make a life for themselves, and drought and flood cause shortage in food and water. We can also see areas where there is spiritual poverty. I usually express this spiritual poverty like this "We are a people who are more afraid of the devil then we are of God." We trembled at the thought of a demon or witch doctor's curse but think nothing of breaking one of the ten commandments of God.
The Hope Foundation wishes to help people out of their physical poverty by providing fresh drinking water, food, medicine and education both to adults and children. But beyond that and most importantly, our greatest desire is to help people to overcome their spiritual poverty by providing the living water, the bread of life, the balm of Gilead and the study of God's Word.
By meeting both of these needs, I believe that we are following the guidelines given to us by Jesus Christ to save the lost and help the poor. God is still asking "Where are you?" to us. He wants to have an intimate relationship. with his creation. Are you one of his children? Will you help us to reach people and help them out of physical and spiritual poverty?
Working together we can do good and hopefully not harm our beautiful Kenyan way of life.
When early foreigners came to Kenya they were amazed at the beauty of the geographical features and abundant wildlife. They wondered at the "uncivilized" ways of the native people who wore little clothes and had strange practices. Some wanted to change the people and make them "respectable". Others wanted to leave the people and the places as they found them in what seemed like a paradise.
Today Kenya is not what it once was as forests have disappeared and small railway stops have now become mega-cities of millions. It is still beautiful and I, for one, am still amazed by its wildlife and people. But poverty is the norm today as more and more people flock from upcountry to the city to make a life for themselves, and drought and flood cause shortage in food and water. We can also see areas where there is spiritual poverty. I usually express this spiritual poverty like this "We are a people who are more afraid of the devil then we are of God." We trembled at the thought of a demon or witch doctor's curse but think nothing of breaking one of the ten commandments of God.
The Hope Foundation wishes to help people out of their physical poverty by providing fresh drinking water, food, medicine and education both to adults and children. But beyond that and most importantly, our greatest desire is to help people to overcome their spiritual poverty by providing the living water, the bread of life, the balm of Gilead and the study of God's Word.
By meeting both of these needs, I believe that we are following the guidelines given to us by Jesus Christ to save the lost and help the poor. God is still asking "Where are you?" to us. He wants to have an intimate relationship. with his creation. Are you one of his children? Will you help us to reach people and help them out of physical and spiritual poverty?
Working together we can do good and hopefully not harm our beautiful Kenyan way of life.
GOD IS ABLE . . . AND A LIVE CHICKEN TOO!
Pastor Jared works in a little village called Ziyaralufa. I don't expect you to know how to say that or even where it is located. It is not on a map.
With just a guide and a driver, I set out for this unmapped land. Both assured me they knew the way. I enjoyed the familiar one hour drive up the coast to Kilifi town. Then we turned west toward the national animal reserve that locals call "the forest". We went inside the reserve and ended up in wild Kenya. This small haven untouched by man except for the dirt road leading into the dense woods where forest elephants still lurk in the shadows. I once again enjoyed this thirty minute drive through old Africa still full of mystery and adventure.
We left the protected boundary and entered humanity again with scattered houses, shops, buses, vans, and motorbikes. And people...we found people out here in this place separated from the business of Kilifi by the great forest. We traveled into a village center and turned onto a road that was really a large bumpy path with the bushes scraping the sides of our car.
After another thirty minutes, my guide said, "There's the pastor standing by the road." Pastor Jared had been waiting in the sun. I don't know how long he stood there but he was happy to see us. He entered the car and grasped my hand, not letting go and instructing our driver to turn right onto a smaller pathway that lead to his church. He would not let go of my hand and it was ok. I am an American male and yes I was uncomfortable but I have been around long enough to know he was just showing his happiness in my presence. I thought I wonder if he thinks if I let go then Pastor Bobby will be gone...like in a dream.
I got out of the car to the sound of people singing inside a mud church with only half a metal roof. Pastor Jared lead me into his church with it's make shift benches and three wooden chairs placed in front for the visitors. I sat and they prayed for me...yes, for me. As each person in the church introduced themselves to me. My mind thought "where are we?" My answer was "in a village that no American knows about, among people no American prays for by name." They asked me to speak to them.
CONNECTION IS KEY
Today, I was struck about the importance of connection. Sometimes as Americans we rush through life and forget about making real and personal connections with people. Here in Kenya, connection is so important. Yes if someone is in need you can send them money, or call them on the phone, but what really makes a great impact is to go and see them. To arrive at their home even for a short visit is treated as a great honor bestowed upon their family.
We have groups that come to visit Kenya each year. Every American visitor and sponsor leaves touch by one thing or another. I am sure they go back and tell stories about their trip, but eventually most will get back into their routine of life and Kenya becomes a wonderful memory. But our Kenyan children remember these visits fondly and look forward to seeing the faces of their sponsors.
Mwanajuma came up to Lisa as she does every time we return from the states and asked, "How is Christy? Is she coming this year to see me?" Of course, Lisa wasn't sure but she said, "Christy had a baby. Do you want to see a picture?" She did and they spent time looking at photos and enjoying stories about the wonderful connection Christy had made with Mwanajuma. Yesterday, I received a Facebook message from Christy for this little girl. It will please her so much when I give it to her.
These little ones in our schools will not forget you. They pray for their sponsors. They try to connect with someone visiting from the U.S. In a real and personal way. They don't want to be forgotten.
if you connected with one of our children or even a teacher or staff, you can send them an email by way of hopefoundationke@gmail.com. We will make sure they know you have not forgotten them and then the Love of God can blossom ever so sweetly!
We have groups that come to visit Kenya each year. Every American visitor and sponsor leaves touch by one thing or another. I am sure they go back and tell stories about their trip, but eventually most will get back into their routine of life and Kenya becomes a wonderful memory. But our Kenyan children remember these visits fondly and look forward to seeing the faces of their sponsors.
Mwanajuma came up to Lisa as she does every time we return from the states and asked, "How is Christy? Is she coming this year to see me?" Of course, Lisa wasn't sure but she said, "Christy had a baby. Do you want to see a picture?" She did and they spent time looking at photos and enjoying stories about the wonderful connection Christy had made with Mwanajuma. Yesterday, I received a Facebook message from Christy for this little girl. It will please her so much when I give it to her.
These little ones in our schools will not forget you. They pray for their sponsors. They try to connect with someone visiting from the U.S. In a real and personal way. They don't want to be forgotten.
if you connected with one of our children or even a teacher or staff, you can send them an email by way of hopefoundationke@gmail.com. We will make sure they know you have not forgotten them and then the Love of God can blossom ever so sweetly!
CAN YOU HELP?
Everyday in Kenya, children die from malnutrition or preventable diseases. Most don't even get one meal a day. For $30 per month, you can change the life of a child forever by providing food and education. Click here to find out how.
WELCOME TO THE HOPE FOUNDATION OF KENYA'S BLOG
We want to welcome you to this blog site for The Hope Foundation of Kenya. We will be posting exciting information, pictures and videos about all the projects of the Hope Foundation and children involved in our programs. Come back and visit often to keep informed about all that is going on.
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