The Spirit is Here… and this is a Waging War

Okay so let me begin by saying the last week has been a bit of a rollercoaster of sorts. I’ve been here a little over a month and I no longer feel like a volunteer… I am trying my best to become as Kenyan as possible… I eat with my hands, I’m learning the language, I’m even picking up Kenyan mannerisms like raising my eyebrows with a slight head nod for “yes” and clicking with my mouth as a response to something being said, etc. But the truth of the matter is: I’m not Kenyan and I am not a permanent resident here, so I find myself somewhere in the middle. It’s easy to come for a couple of weeks and love on the kids, make bricks, and experience another culture. But in a couple of weeks you are only seeing things as they are on the surface. You come, you love, you leave, not completely aware of what it’s like on a day in day out basis. That’s it! On the other hand you have long-term (career missionaries) who know they have years to invest. They first learn the language, develop some relationships, learn to get around in town, etc. Then after a while they begin to slowly implement a strategy to reach the people with the love of Christ. THIS CAN TAKE YEARS!!! But when you are serving long enough to see under the surface and take note of all the needs, but not long enough to really implement a plan of action, it can be a bit discouraging. That’s where I find myself today. Staring the under the surface “stuff” in the face and wanting to implement a plan that is relevant and sustainable among the people it’s meant to serve… not an easy task. But the Lord never promised us easy… quite the contrary! But he did promise to never leave or forsake us and today, at a low point he reminded my heart of the rich inheritance I have in Him. The following is a portion of my journal entry from today:

Faith is greater than gold… it’s so much easier to see when there is no physical gold. At home, I often looked at God in a way that my faith increased as he provided a job, education, home, car, and the list goes on. And He did provide all those things and they were good. But, more importantly he provided even when I didn’t see Him at work. This was usually when my faith increased, when I couldn’t plan or predict how he would come through. Well, here I look around and see all kinds of trials and spiritual warfare. Life is hard here and you can see it in the worn faces of the people. But, oh how rich they are in faith. They are accustomed to not “seeing” God, but oh how they love Him. This is a generalization of course and there are many here, just as anywhere, that live under the guise of God is love, yet they steal, lie, or cheat. This is where I find the greatest frustration. I ponder on the scripture that tells us to rid ourselves of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, slander, and envy and tap into the inheritance we have in Christ. As I am writing this a storm has come to Tumaini. The rain is beating down so hard on the tinroof that I cannot hear anything but the provision of God’s rain on the land. So I make this my prayer… Open the floodgates of heaven and let it rain. Lord let your Spirit rain down in a way that your voice is all we hear. What an amazing inheritance we have in Christ Jesus.

Later this very evening I had an opportunity to share in a worship service with the kids at the Children’s Home… we had a special prayer for a couple of kids who were having an especially hard time. It was completely impromptu on my part, I didn’t even have my Bible on me… which is rare, but God laid it on my heart to share with the kids what I’d been learning in my quiet time. How amazing it was to share with them the inheritance they have in Christ. In Kenya a male inherits land from his father. This is often his livelihood… his salvation if you will. It thrilled my heart to share with these kids whose lives are void of earthly inheritance that they have an inheritance worth more than gold, that earthly inheritances are meaningless and fade away but the faith we have in Christ assures us that we are HIS and HE IS OURS… forevermore. GLORY BE TO GOD! I wish there was some way to capture what the Lord did in my heart this night. It was as if Isaiah 61 came to life right in front of me…

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, [a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.