Border to Border

Kurtis, a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend (who has now been upgraded to a friend) was here for about a week and a half.  He's been in Africa for the past three months, in Ethopia, Sudan and Kenya, via a couple of missions trips, visiting family, and meeting and becoming apart of the Rapha House.  So last Monday, we decided to take the day off, rent some motorcycles and go for a ride.  We started heading south, first to visit his sister who works at YWAM.  We hit the road again, for an unknown destination.  After about and hour and a half, we stopped to check our gas.  I pulled out my phone, and realized that I had a new text message welcoming me to Tanzania.  Tanzania!  Holy Crap!  Had we really gone that far?  How far was Tanzania from Mombasa?  (Stupid metric system -  I had no idea how far we had really gone, even though it was about 75 kilometers.)  So we asked our friend on the side of the road, and was told it was only 12 more kilometers to the border.  We were pretty stoked to be able to go to another country (or at least see the border since I didn't have my passport with me).  So we went to the border, saw the Tanzanian flag, and then headed back to Mombasa.

Border to border.  This phrase is used quite a bit by the boys in the house.  They use it to mean they've been all over the country.  They've seen most parts of Kenya, traveling from one city to the next because they're wanted, or because of "friends" or because they're tired of that city.  For whatever reason they from city to city, they eventually ended up here in Mombasa, and in the Rapha House.  They've seen and experienced so much during their time on the streets.  Experiences that I can't even imagine.  Abuse.  Drugs.  Prison.  Police.  Sex.  Violence.  Loneliness.  Homelessness.  Starvation.  When they say they've been 'border to border', some say it with such pride because they've been all over the country.  Sure I would probably take pride in that as well, but along with their traveling comes lots of baggage.  Unfortunately most of their traveling is due to necessity instead of pleasure.

Our hope here at the Rapha House is that these boys will one day experience the Kingdom of Heaven.  That they would experience the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven, like they have experienced the fullness here in Kenya.  The one place where there is never any baggage, or anything to chase you away, but has everything you could ever need.  Several of the boys are coming closer and closer each day.  They've made a conscious decision to change their life.  They're not necessarily at the point of salvation, but they've seen the wrong in their old lifestyle of drugs and lies and sin, and have a desire to leave all of that behind.  Some more than others are slowly realizing that there's more to life than the next high, or the next girl.  As appealing as Satan makes that to them, and even to me, it only leaves us wanting more.  Step by step, these boys are slowly coming out of the darkness.  It's a slow process.  Much slower than I had ever expected, but the Lord has been faithful.  And as I've been here for almost 4 months, I look back at the beginning and see change in all of the boys.  Two in particular - Mario and Allan.

Prayer:
 - Mario and Allan - they've decided to leave behind their former life to live a more moral life.  They've heard that just doing good doesn't mean their a Christian, but only through complete faith and trust in Jesus will they true become saved.  And they still haven't taken the step of faith, but they're taking steps in the right direction.  Pray specifically for their salvation.  And also that they would be able to continue in the right direction, despite temptation and ridicule by the other boys in the house.
 - my attitude - I know we're told that we would suffer for the sake of Christ, but sometimes I feel like I can't take anymore.  Day after day of verbal (and sometimes physical) abuse is wearing.  When Jesus tells us to give up our burdens and to take His yolk, because it's light - well that's what I've been trying to do.  Sometimes it's hard, to even give up all these burdens the boys put on me, because I'm trying to prove to myself that I can handle it.  Stupid way to think eh?  But because of so, sometimes I have a poor attitude towards the boys.
 - safety - we're traveling to Nairobi this week for Thanksgiving w/ some missionaries we've never met (some relatives of Carly and Whitney).  Now we all know what happened last time in Nairobi, so prayers for safety and relaxation as we're gonna be gone for a few days.

i know, i'm lazy.

so i haven't written anything in long time.  sorry for those who check the blog every day hoping for a life changing post (which i know is all of you!).  i've been busy.  honestly though, if you ask me what i've been busy with, i wouldn't be able to tell you.  days seem like weeks, and weeks seem like months.  the week, i hit my 3 month mark - halfway through.  not sure what to think about that.  part of me is truly sad, because 3 months doesn't seem like much longer.  although the first three months have seemed a lot longer.  another part of me is super excited because there are days when i long for the conveniences of home.

anyways, here's a little blog post that i wrote for another blog (it was my week, so i was forced to do so).  so check it out.

http://raphahouseofprayer.blogspot.com

i'm no good at these titles.

things have been fairly busy here in at the rapha house.  sometimes i don't even know what day it - the days here can seem like weeks.  the Canadians finally left.  you can read a bit about our last hooray with the canadians at http://raphahouseofprayer.blogspot.com/2009/10/brandon-lee.html.

about a week ago, one of the boys, Farah called me upstairs before to talk with him.  "i have something of yours, but you can't ask any questions".  i started to wonder what he could have of mine, since my door is locked, and i know what i let them borrow.  so he dug deep into his cargo pocket, and pulled out my American cellphone.  first off, i could care less if i lost this (although Laci might have some sentimental value to her old phone).  but needless to say, i was extremely baffled.  my phone was inside my suitcase, under my bed, inside my locked room.  how would one even find that?  and if one did get into my room, why didn't they take more "expensive" items, like my laptop or ipod?  he was super ashamed to give it back to me.  after a few questions, i was able to get a some answers out of him.  all the boys inside the house knew he had the phone.  all the boys in the house suggested to sell the phone.  even at that statement, i was baffled - just shows that their trust takes such a long time to earn, and the friendship we have is only at face value.  actually earlier that same day, i went with Farah into town to run some errands, and he left me when we were done.  he went to Simon, one of our friends and also a drug dealer in the streets, to help him sell the phone.  when Simon found out he had stolen the phone from me, he encouraged him to return the phone.  man, i was blown away once again.  7 boys in the house, who've we poured into day in and day out turned their back on me in a matter of seconds, whereas this guy on the streets, who we see maybe once or twice a week, who deals drugs to anybody and everybody, has more of a conscience and moral standards than i would have ever expected.  when we were in the middle of talking, Farah started to tear up, and eventually ended up crying over his actions.  he seemed truly remorseful for what he did, and even admitted to voices inside of his head, telling him what to do.  Farah in particular has a huge spiritual battle going on inside of him.  he's done this type of deal (committing something, and then confessing w/ such remorse) several times to Carly and Valerie, but to much of our disappointment, it continues to happen time and time again.  he can't seem to shake what's inside of him, and i think mainly because he truly enjoys the life that he's living.  there are days where it seem he wants to get rid of the evil spirit inside of him, but most days, he enjoys living life in the world.  he enjoys the pleasures of satan, and deals with the consequences.

from all of this, i've realized that my relationships with the boys, as well as i think they may be, i can't let my guard down with them for one second.  they may be doing "well", trying to turn their life around, but seriously, until they have the Holy Spirit inside of them, truly helping them, they still fall back to their previous ways of life.  it sucks that i can't trust these boys, that our relationships still have penetrated their souls.  but only God can move inside them and change their lives.  we're just here to be used by God.  we're just here to show these boys the unfailing love of God.

on a good note, it's been raining here off and on for the past few days.  thank the Lord for some rain.  kenya - they're in a drought.

so some prayer requests -
 - allan update - just pray for him.
 - everything we're doing here, everything we do for the guys, everything goes back to love. 
 - continual strength in the Lord - there are bouts of discouragement within leadership - we so badly want to give these boys the gift of life, give them the promised land the Lord has set aside for them, but they so badly want to continue wondering the desert, settling for mediocrity

love love love

all you need is love - the all so familiar beatles song.  it's so true, yet so hard.  i thought i had love down.  i thought i could love people, regardless of who they are.  working with the street boys has helped to show me that love is more than just a one time thing, more than helping someone cross the street, more than something i choose to do.  it's definitely something that comes from the Lord - definitely something that i cannot do on my own.


when i arrived back to Mombasa with the three Canadians (Jesse and Curtis surprised me with another Kurtis), i was so ready to get back to the house, and hit the ground running.  i was definitely sleep deprived from the overnight bus ride.  with so much going on everyday, it's sometimes hard to keep up even on a full night's sleep.  but i think with a combination of lack of sleep and not enough time spent with the Lord, and my heart not being in it as fully as i thought, i was completely out of the loop for a few days.  during meals i had nothing to share.  during the evenings, our most one-on-one time w/ the boys, i had no desire to engage in any type of conversation.  any little thing they would do, not even to me, i would harbor a bit of bitterness towards them.  when they would talk to me, i would snap back at them a quick response thus ending the conversation.  i had absolutely no desire to be around them, despite my whole reason for being here.


i quickly realized that the love that i have for these boys is definitely not something that i can do on my own.  i cannot love them with my own strength like i thought.  i thought that maybe i would need a little boost from God to give me that extra love since i've never worked with such a people group.  but definitely not.  i to be completely filled with His love day in and day out.  and i can sense when i have no more love to hand out to these boys.

more recently, as i wanted to post this sometime last week, we've had even more visitors.  Valerie's dentist - Dr. Harty - and two other ladies, visited for a total of 30 hours.  we were a little bummed that their visit was so short, but the Lord proved to be in charge of the time they spent here.  from 5:30 with our breakfast devos, they were on the go, making the most of their time spent here.  during the day, they were involved with our prayer meetings, and also helped Whitney out with her outreach to young street boys.  during dinner, Dr. Harty and Kurtis shared some power testimonies that got the boys thinking quite a bit.  the Lord definitely had His presence in this house that whole day, and i know that the boys felt something different.  after testimonies, several of them joined us for prayer, and said they felt a sense of peace within the room.  i mean, come on, if you walk into a room, and are hit with a wall of peace, you know that somethings going on.

allan update -
allan has been doing well.  he doesn't seem to have the same eagerness about the Lord that he had a week ago.  but he hasn't slipped back into his old habits again.  i think that the Lord is still working in his heart.

also, samuel and mohamed.  both have shown extreme interest in changing their lives, but still haven't made a commitment.  so if you could keep these three boys in your prayers, we all would appreciate it.

ps - you should check out http://raphahouseofprayer.blogspot.com

Naurobi - a mugging, some crocodile, and Naftali

what a huge roller coaster ride.  it started off not so good, and ended so good.  first off, taking a night bus from mombasa to nairobi isn't the most exciting adventure.  the ride is usually about 7 hours, from about 10:00 pm to about 5:00 am.  and about a quarter of the road is unpaved.  with buses barely passing each other, holding on for dear life, the occasional scent of sweat, it's hard to sleep.  but the day before i leave, i try to get myself pretty sleep deprived, so that i'm pretty tired on the ride.  this trip, we did arrive in nairobi at 5:00 am.  i slept on the bus for an hour, until they told me i had to leave.  so i grabbed by duffel bag and my backpack and headed out towards the buses in town to get to where i was staying.  i was walking for two minutes when i heard the words "mazungu" (meaning white person, although i'm not white...), and next thing i knew, i was being strangled from behind.  i felt a hand shuffling through each pocket, and can't remember what happened next.  i assume i passed out for a few minutes, and when i came to, what had happened seemed like a dream.  i laid on the ground for a few minutes, trying to gather my thoughts and put together the pieces.  i had all my clothes on, i couldn't see a darn thing, and was lying down on my back on concrete.  then i realized that it wasn't a dream, but i was actually just mugged.  i turned on my hands and knees, and searched for my glasses.  luckily i found them, in tact.  as i was searching, a gracious man picked up a pen the thieves left, and handed it to me.  bless him.  i stuck the pen in my pocket, and quickly went back to the bus stage (or station) to hail a taxi to my destination.  God definitely was protecting me.  the muggers took my phone and my duffel bag, containing only clothes and gifts for my Compassion child.  thankfully, my backpack they decided to leave alone, which contained my passport, money, ya know the important stuff.  also they didn't physically try and hurt me, only to restrain me to take my stuff.  which was also another huge blessing, because i'm sure from the arm around my neck that they could have done some serious damage to me.

later that evening, I met up with the two canadians, Jesse and Curtis, and their buddy Kurtis.  we decided to head out to dinner.  i suggested Carnivore, a brazilian steakhouse well known for their exotic meat.  they had been their earlier that week, and suggested another place called Pampa Grill.  i agreed.  turns out, it was another lesser known brazilian steakhouse, cheaper and fancier than Carnivore.  chicken wings, beef hump and ribs, upper and lower beef, pork ribs, pork, lamb leg, fish, turkey.  all delicious meat.  but we were most excited about the two wild game they had their - camel and crocodile!  camel was pretty tender and a bit gamey.  crocodile tasted a lot like fish, just a bit tougher.  it was altogether lovely.  after seriously stuffing our faces until we could handle no more, we decided to go ice skating - i know, who knew they would have ice skating in kenya!  i actually didn't go because i have some pretty bad sores on my feet, but i used my professional photography skills to capture some sweet images.

monday, morning was declared a national holiday in Kenya because of Ramadan just a week prior.  but since i had arranged this date several months in advance, we decided to go for the Compassion visit.  i made it up to the center where Naftali, my kid who's 7, usually comes for his weekly programs on saturday.  there, we were able to meet for the first time.  it was so cool to see him, and then also to meet his younger brother, older sister, and mother.  we were sitting around a table having a nice little chit chat.  they were trying to compare me to the picture i had sent them earlier.  and they said they would not have recognized me walking down the street from the picture.  i like to think i look the same from two years ago.  we headed to their house, to see where they live.  the graciously invited me inside, and we presented each other with gifts - they got me a pretty fetch bracelet.  and i helped them out with some food.  we were able to play some football with his friends outside his house.  together we headed back to the center.  the center provided two baby avacado tress for Naftali and i to plant.  so together we planted them both.  (and each saturday when Naftali comes to the center, it's his responsibility to water them, so hopefully this will be a lasting memory for him.)  and then we had some lunch together, a real treat, with meat and soda.  and then some more time to hang out together playing soccer.  it truly was a blessing for me to be able to meet who i'm supporting, and for his family to meet me.  i definitely enjoyed seeing his family and where he lives, and just spending time with him.  although the language barrier was a pretty big disappointment, we were still able to enjoy each other's company and the international sport of football.

so now i'm back in mombasa, at the daily grind.  jesse and curtis are here with me, and we're all excited to see how God will be able to use this time, and all these people for His glory in the lives of the boys.  i think that satan will try and attack the boys during this time because the presence of God will be so strong in this house.  so please pray for us the next week.  pray that we will be able to stand firm against satan, and to be able to shine light into the lives of the boys.  that we would not go weary during this fight, but yet continue to rely on daily strength from the Lord.

(ps - if you haven't already, check out carly's latest post at http://raphahouseofprayer.blogspot.com)

me, naftali and my bracelet

me and naftali with his family

me and naftali planting our tree

salvation - part 3

since the showing of "the cross and the switchblade", our nightly Bible study for the boys has been mainly about salvation - trying to expose these boys to the Holy Spirit. so much head knowledge from these boys. they can spit out answers, even better than me sometimes, but only because it's all rote memorization from school. usually during these Bible studies, most of them are sitting doing their own thing - sleeping, twiddling their thumbs, gazing off into who knows what. Allan Smith (he liked the last name Smith) is one of the boys trying to pay attention. there's seriously a battle within him, trying to win his soul. you can tell each night, as he listens eagerly. just last night, after Bible study, he went straight to bed because he had a lot on his mind. he's expressed some of his temptations and his desire to "do good" to me. he has a desire to read more of the Bible, and even called me today during class to write an explanation of a verse for him. the Holy Spirit is definitely working in his life, but as of yet, he has failed to accept the Holy Spirit in his life. he can tell you that people need to accept the Holy Spirit in order for salvation, but that has not sunk into his heart yet.

Allan Smith

more good news is that I'm headed to Nairobi this weekend to see my sponsor child. that's not really the best news. here it is - i'm headed back next tuesday with the two canadians, Curtis and Jessie, that visited us earlier. they've finished their work in the Congo, and have a desire to help out at the house during their last two weeks in Africa. what a huge blessing. with Allan's spiritual struggle, and our huge desire for all the boys salvation, God's timing of allowing them to join us could not be any better. even up to this day, the boys still talk about the activities and teachings we did while Curtis and Jessie was first here. so we're praying that their extended time with us will have a huge impact on the boys and us as well.

God's laid it on my heart recently to learn more about His righteousness. not only that, but about my righteousness. how i can become more righteous in my life. how i can display God's righteousness to the boys in the house. it's something i've never really studied before, so we'll see how God will open doors, and give me wisdom on the subject.

prayer:
- Allan - that the Holy Spirit would continue to touch his life, and remove him from the darkness
- Curtis and Jessie - that they would bring a strong Godly presence into the house and the lives of the boys
- that I would seek after God's righteousness and learn how to become righteous like him - either through His word, relationships, sermons, whatever it takes.

salvation part 2

so actually, the other night, we presented salvation to the boys.  we read a testimony from the book "the cross and the switchblade", by david wilkerson.  the testimony was of nicky cruz, who was a former gang member in NYC.  a lot of his testimony and experiences in life resonate with the boys in the house.  we talked about how the Holy Spirit can come into a person's life, and totally change a person's life; remove struggles and temptation; perform miracles that people could not even imagine.  we held an open invitation for the boys to come and receive the Holy Spirit, but only if they truly desired to change.  only if they truly desired to give up everything to follow God.  it was disheartening to know that none of the boys even had a little desire to truly change.  none of them wanted the transformation that nicky cruz experienced.  it was their first exposure to salvation.  it was their first time hearing about the Holy Spirit becoming apart of them and changing their lives.

tonight, we're planning on watching the movie "the cross and the switchblade" based off the book.  we're coming at them with another opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit to move powerfully through similar situations.  the book is about david wilkerson and how he started off as a country preacher in PA and felt called by God to minister to gangs in NYC.  a revival started within the gangs of NYC.  and we're hoping this movie will allow the Holy Spirit to move in the lives of our boys here at the Rapha House.

so our biggest prayer request right now is for the salvation of the boys.  not that i didn't realize before, but we definitely need the Holy Spirit to move in them for anything to happen.  our work is in vain if we're not moving along side of Him.  we all feel that we need to step up the level of maturity within the house, and that next step is salvation of the boys.

salvation

the salvation of these boys is still non existent.  after having been off the streets for 9 months and in a house of the Lord, with constant teachings and head knowledge of the Bible, they still revert back to money or drugs or worldly things to satisfy their problems.  there are days where things are going well, and days, well, i just want to leave.  these boys totally remind me of Israel, constantly getting the blessing of God, and constantly turning their back on Him.  God pulling them out of hard situations, but Israel turning to thank their idols.  God revealing Himself in so many ways, but Israel not acknowledging. i know God has me here for a reason, but frustration sets in when sometimes it seems like our work here is in vain.  i know it's not, but honestly, it seems like God wants these boys to follow Him - so why not snap a finger and make it happen?  why not give us our desire to change these boys lives?  obviously, none of this is part of His plan at the moment.  obviously He wants us to "struggle" through our current situation for specific reasons.

if i could leave you with one prayer request - it would be that us leaders here (carly, valerie, whitney, pastor salito, sondra, and myself) would align our work here in Mombasa with God's plan.  that we would continue to trust that God has these boys lives in His hands, and that our work here is not in vain.  that despite our human flaws, we would be able to continue seeing and loving these boys as sons of God.

new blog

ok. so i don't have a new blog. but the girls here in Mombasa do. it's http://raphahouseofprayer.blogspot.com. for those of you who have followed carly and valerie in the past (via http://cerakmorrellupdate.blogspot.com), this new one should be much better. they are going to try and update weekly about happenings, personal stories, praises, whatever is on their heart. although i maybe a guest poster on that blog, i will still continue to remain true to my one and only blog.

work and play

it isn't all fun and games here in mombasa. sometimes i actually have to do work.

Enock, Allan, Mohamed, Samuel
So Tuesday was the first day of school.


Mohamed had a new bag given to him for school. There were some surprises left for him in the bag by the previous female owner.

back to school, back to school, to show my dad that i'm not a fool

so school starts tomorrow for all but two guys. it's funny, because all of these guys are in level 8 (basically 8th grade), and are much bigger than their fellow peers. sometimes their school friends come over, and to see them interact is pretty funny. one would never imagine them to be friends. amazingly, the guys in the house have accepted the fact that their much older, and aren't too troubled by it. one starts his last term of his second to last year of schooling (their in 3 terms a year). next week, and the other, we're working on getting into an art school. i'm so excited for this. not only for them to continue in their education, but also for a break, a more structured schedule, and the discipline they'll be getting in school (not that i want them to get into trouble, but being disciplined at school helps with their discipline at home). i'm ready for more "alone" time w/ the leaders and in prayer. the most excellent thing about them being in school, is that it's basically all day - 6 am they leave the house; 6ish they come home. so the whole morning/afternoon is "free". whitney and i are planning on building some relationships w/ the younger boys in the streets, and having them over to the house once or twice a week to get them off the streets for an afternoon, while loving them. other than that, i'm not sure what all i have planned during the school days. maybe some arrested development. maybe some event planning. maybe chillin with the neighbors. maybe some ministry organization. whatever's going i'm, i think that it'll be very different, and less chaotic than my first month here.

zaora

this is zaora. our cook's daughter. i think i'm in love.

get to know...

here's a couple of canadians who visited. they posted a video of the guys in the house introducing themselves.

http://curtisandjesse.blogspot.com/2009/08/boys-from-rapha-house.html

safari

Enock and Me

'safari' in swahili means journey (not the band). And boy, have I been on a safari this past week.

I literally went on a safari with a with two of my friends here, Derek and Melissa. We went to Masai Mara, a wildlife park in Kenya, that's an extension of the Serengeti Desert in Tanzania. It's the best park to go on a safari in Kenya hands down! And even at this time, it's even more amazing because the zebras and wildebeests are migrating together, so the park is filled with both of them. We were able to see 4 of the Big 5 - which is a named dubbed by hunters to the 5 hardest animals to hunt - elephant, cheetah, rhino, hippo and buffalo. Our tour guide Fred took us around the 700 square mile park, and we were able to see all but the rhino. To see these animals in their natural surroundings and not in captivity was incredible. 10 feet, 5 feet, we were almost close enough to touch God's creation in the wild. We were able to see the in their natural surrounds grazing, preying, eating, chillin. A lion and a lioness were taking a snooze in the grass 10 feet away from our car. 3 cheetahs were on the prey, stalking gazelles, having to maneuver around our car we were so close. A lion laying tired next to his kill is much different than seeing a lion in a zoo eat torn up meat given to him. Staring at buffalo hoping they'll move and not ram us is much different than watching them lazily stand around in captivity.

Just like the safari in Masai Mara, I've also been on a journey getting to know these boys. Each and every day I'm faced with challenges to get to know them on a deeper level. I think I've loosened up to them a lot, and they've seen that in me, and have in turn started to loosen up to me. Several of them have confided in me about their daily activities, about their past, about their lives in general. It feels great to be accepted by these boys, when I'm sure they feel just the same to be accepted by us. I was even invited by one of the boys, Enock, to where he grew up - his aunt's house in Nakuru - about a 9 hour bus from Mombasa. So immediately after my safari in Masai Mara, I made the trek to Nakuru to meet his aunt. Only by the grace of God, did I make it to Nakuru safely without any troubles. 2006 was the last time Enock had any contact with any of his family. So for 3 years, his family only imagined the worse, and thought Enock was dead. So after much excitement and disbelief, they finally accepted the fact that Enock was alive and well in Mombasa. Another blessing was that his mother was randomly visiting his aunt during Enock's visit. So he was able to see his mother, of whom he wasn't sure where she was. To catch a little glimpse of Enock's past, to hear a bit more of his history, to see where he grew up - I feel so blessed to be apart of this. I've entered a new journey in my relationship with Enock that hopefully will allow him to see that I truly care and love him for who he is. That is my wish with all the boys in the house. That it doesn't matter where they came from, what they've done, how they got here, but only who they are and the decisions they make now.

I've only just begun my safari into the lives of each of these boys, some further along than others. But hopefully, with the grace of God, they'll open their hearts and minds and allow me to enter their world, a world which they have let nobody into.

prayers:

first and foremost - The safari I've been with each boy. Hopefully they will continue to see me for who I am, and that in turn they will allow me to see them for who they really are. Specifically here are the names of each of the boys (in order of who i feel i have the strongest relationship with):
- Enock
- Farah
- Allan
- Mario
- John
- Samuel
- Muhammed

wisdom - Understanding how to deal with and handle these boys and situations that I encounter. Every day I'm faced with little things, such as them asking for money, or more clothes, or more "stuff". They maybe happy with such things if I give it to them, but really it's something deeper that they want and need.

love - I always thought I knew how to love people. Come to find out, that's not true at all. Love is all these guys want, and they are constantly testing my dedication to loving them. I'm realizing what sacrificial love is, and it's hard. Prayer that I'll just continue to unconditionally love these boys, and that I will be constantly overflowed with love.

chicken killing

my friend who soon died.



his blood.

go karts w/ the guys

identity

So the missions team is gone (but we actually have two extra Canadians till the weekend), and things have quieted down a little bit. We’ve been allowing the boys in the house to have some free time, to relax from the craziness of last week. But Thursday, we started a 3-day mini-series on identity for the boys of the house. This came about because there are 4 male muzungu’s (white person) here (me, Derek and two of his friends). We talked about our identity in God, and how we should be MOG (men of God), like King David (1 Chronicles 11). This entails having integrity and self-control, being a man after God’s own heart, turning the other check…etc. But we also talked about how David was not a perfect man either, and how he lied, committed adultery, and even murdered. But the fact that David repented (Psalm 51) and was truly sorry for his actions, he was forgiven by Jehovah Rapha (the Lord Healer). The Rapha boys seemed truly interested, as I’m sure they’ve all been in situations where they’ve encountered sin such as David (or even worse), and still have not been completely forgiven of it. We also talked about male/female relationships – how to treat them, and how to keep sexually pure. Most of them have been sexually abused and active, so I think it’s important for them to know that the Bible is serious about sexual purity, and that fooling around before marriage, or what has happened to them previously is not acceptable. And even just this morning, we talked about responsibility – the responsibility we have because we are MOG, and how we need to take responsibility for the actions we commit.

The Rapha boys have had their identity in such Satanic situations for a lot of their lives, and so for us to help them change has been such a challenge. Some days, even some minutes, they can be your best friend, laughing and joking, but one small action or response can trigger something in their heart, allowing Satan to take a hold and control them. Therefore lashing out in anger at us leaders or each other. The boys are fighting hard to turn their identity towards Christ, but Satan has such a stronghold on their lives, it’s hard for them to be free in Christ. In the past few days, I’ve seen Satan control and use these boys for his glory. I’ve witnessed my first knife fight, trying to restrain the victim who’s probably 100lbs more than me. Thankfully nobody was seriously injured. I’ve “strolled” through the slum-ish village in pitch dark (with the help of some of the other boys) to help bring back one of them who wanted to leave the house. I’ve seen (or so I’ve been told) one of the boys possessed. Not to scare or brag about what I’ve encountered, but to inform you that this battle of rehabilitating street kids is definitely more than just meeting physical needs. These boys have been in places and apart of situations that many Americans could never imagine themselves in; places that are inviting to Satan and his powers. Not all things have been bad. You can definitely see glimpses of Christ shining through their lives, and how they treat each other. The joy of sitting down with them and talking about their lives, and to see how much they’ve learned and been changed within the past 9 months (since they’ve been living at this house) is so incredible. The boys have their identity torn between Satan and God. So our prayer is to point them in the right direction so their full identity could be solid in Christ. They have tons of knowledge about Christ. They know the Bible so well. All around the house are scriptures or uplifting sayings, which they all can quote. But all this knowledge is useless, unless they put it into action. So that’s what we’re trying to do now – show them that they need to act out their thoughts, so their identity can be grounded in Christ, so that they can become Men of God.

Prayer:

- wisdom – I’ve been humbled so many times, when the boys call me out on things I’ve done wrong to them. They see more than I think. So wisdom in living my life. Also the spiritual battle is so evident here, and so I’ve encountered situations in which I don’t know how to handle. Often times the boys will come to me with their minor problems, which can turn into a huge situation if not handled correctly because it’s not really a minor problem – there’s an underlying spiritual battle that’s going on.
- strength/rest, love, patience – as before, these are things that I thought I had a handle on, but living here has stretched me further than ever. I’ve never felt so physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained as I have in the past few weeks. 
- adjusting to Kenyan time – everything is 15, 30 or an hour late. I knew I was structured at home, but didn’t realize how dependent I was on structure and organization. So I get really frustrated when things don’t happen when they should. Instead I need to accept and understand that this isn’t America, and this is how things happen around here.

empty

Man, so I’ve only been here for a week, and it feels like months! I got here in the afternoon on Thursday, the 30th. A missions team from Gaylord, MI arrived the next morning. And since that time, we’ve been “catering to” the missions team. There’s been so much going on, I just unpacked my bags two days ago! Don’t get me wrong, I glad that they’re here, but it would have been great to have a bit more time to adjust to the culture and such. (Thank God that I adjusted to the time quickly. My first night, I didn’t go to sleep until 11 PM that evening, and ever since then, I’ve been on Kenyan time.)

The 7 boys in the Rapha House (Samuel, Enoch, Mohammed, Mario, John, Allen, and Farah) – I feel like they are family already. They have quickly accepted me into their household, with me moving in and Carly and Valerie moving out of the house, just one day after I arrive. With some words of caution from Car/Val, and even seeing it first hand, these boys are literally going to be a handful (which maybe a bit of an understatement). Even Rachel (the Irish who wishes she were American) thinks that I have been given too much responsibility too quickly. All I can do is rely on God for strength and endurance. These boys demand constant attention. But yet, when it comes down to it, they all have such sweet souls, and are quite funny. One example is the other night, one of the boys John was pretty sad all evening. After the Americans (missions team) left our house, he was downstairs in the prayer room. I asked him if he needed anything and he snapped at me, and told me no. 10 minutes passed before I talked to him again, and I asked if I could pray with Him. There he poured out his heart before both God and me about his concern of Mario (who was sick w/ dysentery), and also for his American team he was placed into for ministry this week. My heart sank and his was mourning over his friend who was in the hospital for treatment. These boys are just like you and me. They can look tough on the outside, but on the inside, they are just as soft and have a desire of love, just like any one of us.

All this week I’ve been constantly praying for strength to make it through the day. Strength to continue doing physical work around the house, but also mental and spiritual strength to pour into these boys, and to build up their character in all aspects. I feel as if each day, I’m so drained from talking, enjoying others, loving, encouraging, organizing, and the list goes on, that there’s no way I can do this all on my own. I think I’m starting to understand this whole process of being filled with love – being constantly filled with love because I’m pouring it out. Once the missions team leaves tomorrow, things will become a little (just a little) less chaotic.

I was reading James on the plane and here’s what he says in 1:27 – Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” What an appropriate verse for the beginning of that book.

The Lord has definitely blessed me so far, and the time the group from MI has spent here. I’ve seen multiple miracles of healing (both physical and spiritual) within and outside of our group. I’ve seen such incredible leadership given both by the boys in the house, and the group from MI. I’ve seen great growth desire in people’s walks with God. I’ve seen relationships being built, all in the name of Jesus. The Lord has also given me enough strength to get through each day, as well as an overflow of love for His people here in Mombasa. An Indian family who invited all of us over to their house for an authentic Indian meal also blessed our group yesterday.

Some prayer:

• Rapha boys – these boys have so many deeply rooted issues, and hurts and struggles that I can’t even begin to imagine. They’ve lived on the streets with a life of drugs, starvation, sexual promiscuity, no family/love, things we don’t think about because we are so blessed. These boys need constant loving and caring. Although they’re fairly well adjusted to “normal society” (i.e. – living in a house, eating 3 meals a day, having rules, going to school…), they still are tempted and haunted all the time by their past.
• continual overflow of strength, love and patience– loving on these boys is so difficult. As Jesus wants to give us the gift of life, only if we surrender, we also want to show these boys love, only if they let us. Sometimes it’s hard to accept something that you have never seen or don’t understand. Just the patience and strength to love and love and love.
• Momboxini – this is the main slum in Mombasa, where most of the boys in Rapha house come from this slum, and it’s an extremely evil place. Yesterday, when we were there, Satan took over, and fights broke out, and a mini-riot was going on – over food. Thank God nobody in our team was hurt.
• Guidance/direction and wisom – Car/Val are giving me a lot of responsibility in this house, mainly because I’m a guy, leading a house of guys. So direction on where the Lord wants me to bring these boys, and how to challenge them in their faith. Direction on where Car/Val want this house to go, and what they want to do w/ their ministry in Momboxini and other places in Mombasa. Wisdom on how to deal w/ deeply rooted issues each boy possess, and how to handle situations that I’ve never encountered.

waiting...

so here i am sitting in the charlotte douglas international airport.  the reality of it all is setting in.  i'm still in a daze i think.  i've been super busy the past month and a half with packing and moving, spending time w/ friends, family and laci, vacationing in williamsburg, splitting my time in NC between Charlotte and High Point.  there hasn't been much breathing room for me, so hopefully the 30-some hour travel time will give me some time to reflect on this new adventure, and prepare myself (as much as i can) for what's about to happen.  i'll be waiting here at the charlotte airport.  then i've got an 8-hour layover in newark, only to jump onto two 8-hour flights.  waiting.  patience.  i have a feeling that i'm going to be doing this alot during my time in kenya.  hurry up - to only wait.

patience is one of those things i struggle with.  externally, i may seem to have it together.  internally, i get angry quickly (frustrated even quicker).  hopefully God will use all this time to teach me some patience, and more reliance on Him through the tough times and the easy times as well.

prayer

as my time here in the states dwindles down, there's still so much for me to process and prepare for as i leave for kenya.  here are a few things you can be praying for during my time in mombasa.  (these are more general prayer requests.  hopefully when i get down there, and spend some time w/ the boys, i'll have more specifics on what you can pray for)

• God's protection, both physically and spiritually - that the attacks of Satan will be thwarted, not only for me, but for the orphanage (Rapha House of Prayer - which means Healing House of Prayer)
• God's patience and strength and boldness as I encounter a culture that is inundated with all sorts of religion - from Islam, to apathy, to making their own
• I will be able to step into my role, not only as a "big brother", but also as an administrator/organizer smoothly and without any hesitation from my part
• I will constantly be renewed and filled with joy from spending time in the Word

one week.

one week from today i will be headed off to mombasa for the next six months of my life.  it's a bittersweet feeling that i have.  

on one hand, i'm excited to:

• go help out car and val with their orphanage
• meet the young men in their house, as they're excited to meet me as well
• travel the world and experience other cultures
• see how God is planning to use me during my time there, not only to minister and to encourage, but also to learn and grow in my relationship w/ Christ
• be building relationships that will have a lasting impact
  
• not "working"

on the other hand, i'm nervous about:

• leading and being a role model for the young men living in the house (car and val are continually letting me know more and more roles they see me fitting into!)
• seeing how God is going to use and grow me during my time there and afterwards
• my future afterwards (although God has definitely been showing me His faithfulness and letting me know that my future is definitely in His hands)
• my relationship with Laci (it'll be a challenging 6 months of perseverance and patience)
• the hot weather (as i'm not the biggest fan of it)
• mosquitoes - i hate those cheeky buggers
• no motorcycle!

address

If you get the urge to send me something, say a package or a nice letter, you can do it here:

Iris Ministries
C/O Brandon Wong
P.O. Box 87307
Mombasa, Kenya
Postal Code 80100
Africa

hungry

today i drove the moving truck back to north carolina from indianapolis.  it was a pretty long a grueling task, but nonetheless, i made it back safely, with all my things in tact thankfully.  along the way, i listened to my ipod mostly - some arcade fire, band of horses, the ting tings - and i also threw in a talk by Heidi Baker.  the talk was entitled 'blinded'.  she started her talk off at the beginning of her ministry, and how she healed several blind women (amazingly enough w/ her same nickname of 'mama ida').  and then she went into how through her ministry people are hungry - physically yes, but also spiritually.  people everywhere have this desire, whether they want to admit it or not, a desire to know more about "the unknown" - about God, and His creation, how we got here...all those questions that science tries, but fails to answer.  people are hungry to know that something, someone out there cares for them.  people are hungry to know that there's more to life than sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.  people are hungry to know that there's more to life than squeaking by each week, not such if they'll be able to make their next payment.  people are hungry to kow that there's to live for than collecting stuff.

what are you hungry for?

last day of work

yesterday was my last day of work.  a very bittersweet day.  i will definitely miss working at The Revere Group, but am excited that my focus is starting to turn towards getting ready for Kenya.  a week left in the Windy City (not refering to the Korean Reggae band Windy City).  within the next week, i need to pack up my whole house, and hopefully have some time to enjoy the summer in the City with Laci.

as for preparation, i met up with Tom Smillie the other week (a fellow Taylor University '07 alum) who works at Tyndale Publishers.  he graciously donated some Bibles and reading materials for both the kids we'll be working with, and also for us (Carly, Valerie and Rachel). 

identity

at church on sunday - we talked about identity - our identity in the workplace, with our family, with our friends, in Christ.  there are so many different identities in our lifestyle.  some are good, some are bad.  but if we are to have our identity in Christ, we need to loose all other identities.

these kids that i'll be ministering to in Mombasa, have their identities in the wrong place.  people tell them they're nothing.  people treat them subhumanely.  they are prone to sexual activities.  they have addiction to drugs.  they steal to survive.  these kids have so many different identities.  most of these identities have their hearts in the wrong place.  carly and valerie have realized this, and have housed these boys in hopes to dig down deep in their hearts to help uproot years of malicious identity to instill in them their true identity in Christ.  i will be doing the same, as i go to love on these boys, and show them what it's like for a young man to have his identity in Christ.

also my church commissioned me.  great to know that i have the support (both prayer and financial) from a church here in chicago, that i may never come back to (hopefully the Lord will allow me to at least visit chicago and New Life.).

kenya preparation

so my time in gaylord mi was spent in preparation for my upcoming trip.  although it wasn't exactly what i was expecting, it definitely was a great time for me.  i was able to minister and meet those who were going on the short terms missions trip.  i also got to know better Whitney Cerak and Sandra Sepulvada, who are going to be there for a more "medium-term" stint.

the preparation entailed for us was a little bit of cultural preparation and do's and don't's, but mostly it was spiritual and mental preparation.  we learned a lot about Islam, and their culture.  we also talked alot about getting our hearts inline with God, and allowing Him to work through us while we are there to minister to everyone we meet.

there's still a lot of processing that needs to be done on my side.  so hopefully it'll come out soon.

gaylord mi

sunday, i'm heading up to gaylord, mi to visit with carly and valerie. carly is from gaylord, and they are sending a team from her home church to kenya roughly the same time i'll be there. so all of next week, carly and valerie are doing a "training session" for the team, to prepare them for what they will be experiencing in kenya. they graciously are allowing me to participate in this training session although i'm not an official member of their team. i hope that during this time, i'll be able to have most, if not all of my questions answered about what's going to happen while i'm there, some more specifics about my role down there, how things operate on a day-to-day basis...etc. it will also be nice to have some face time and plenty of time to spend with carly and valerie, as opposed to our infrequent email conversations, and even more infrequent phone talks since they've been back in the US.

i pray that this training will go smoothly, and that the Lord start (if He hasn't already) preparing us physically, emotionally, and spiritually for our upcoming trip.

3 questions

this past weekend, i was up in grand rapids michigan for a wedding. sunday, austin bennett and i met up with an old taylor friend. he took us mars hill for church. ed dobson was speaking, and he had three questions for us:

do you know Jesus?
are you following Jesus?
do you live in a Jesus community?

very basic questions for those of us who are Christians. and as i spend my time in Kenya, I'll be using this "basic outline" of questions on how I'm going to deal w/ the people I encounter.

shots

i hate shots. but this morning, i've made an appointment to get a consult, and to get shots. man, the process to get my shot record has been long and annoying. i had to deal with my county health department back in NC. so after several weeks of faxing to the wrong number, sitting on the phone for minutes (just doesn't have the same effect as 'hours'), being transferred to multiple departments, voicemails...i finally got my shot records. and FYI - guildford county health department doesn't consolidate your shot records from the various locations unless you go in there for a visit.

hopefully i don't have to get too many holes in my arm, well not just for the physical side of it, but also for the financial side.

job or lack there of

so i've been a little worried about telling my company, The Revere Group that i'm planning on leaving my career (which in turn means leaving them) for my new endeavour. i wasn't too sure what to expect from them. i'm currently working on a project, so i thought they had to keep me around at least long enough to train the next guy on what i was doing.

i actually have two bosses - one for my department, one for my project. so last week, i talked to the head honcho of my deparment, and told him of my departure. to my amazement, he was very supportive my me leaving the company to "do something good for this world". what a blessing. now that was off my chest, but still left telling my project manager. i was a bit more afraid of how he would react. so this week, my head honcho boss and myself had a phone conference with my project manager. i was a bit nervous going into the meeting. at first, it seemed like he blew us off, seeing how he didn't answer his phone, nor call us back until 30 minutes after our scheduled meeting. nonetheless, we got a hold of him, and to my surprise, he was even more supportive of my department boss. he told me how he thinks this is a very noble thing for me to leave my job/career, to help those less fortunate.

and my company is going to keep me as an employee, but just as an "inactive" employee. therefore i could come back to Revere, without much hassle.

man, so God has blessed me once again. He has shown that there is nothing to worry because this He has all of this under control.

on a separate note - i emailed carly and valerie about a friend who was interested in coming down and working w/ us. and here's the email reply back from carly:

"And, about your friend, that is great! But right now we wont be opening up any more opportunites for other people to come. We have had a number of people ask to come, but have not felt the Lord say yes. We did feel that for you, and that was a stretch for us even because we are just still in baby state"

man, talk about confirmation. i just felt really affirmed about my decision of going to Africa. of all the other people that have inquired, some whom i'm sure are more qualified than i am, the Lord gave them a peace of mind about me and my situation, and has opened many doors for me to go down there. what a great feeling.

today i got my first round of financial updates from my finances lady. and one week after having sent out my support letters, money has found it's way to my donation box. this is exciting. God is faithful. i know He will continue to spur others on to donate towards the work i'll be doing for Him in Kenya.

just a little warning

just a word of warning to those who maybe following me.  although i maybe an IT guy, one who enjoys computers and the world of technology, i'm definitely not a blogger.  i don't express my feelings well in real life, let alone on a blog, so this whole blog scene is new and weird for me.

so here are some rules for my blog:

• the frequency (or regularity) of my posts maybe few and far between
  
• interesting material is not a must - i'll be talking about what i'm going through, what i'm learning, what i observe as i spend my time in Mombasa.  this will be my online "journal" which i'm gladly sharing with you.  so bare with me
  
• feedback is much appreciated.  even little words (of encouragement hopefully), such as "thanks" or "hi" or "this sucked".  if it's feedback i don't agree with, i'll be sure to blog you and your IP address from ever viewing my blog again.

i guess that's really it.  

Support Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

For the past two years, I have been living and working in Chicago as a software consultant with The Revere Group. Until recently, I thought I would be staying here indefinitely, but God had other plans for me. At the end of July, I am heading off to Mombasa, Kenya where the Lord is calling me for 6 months. I have three friends, Carly, Valerie and Rachel, who are currently ministering to the locals via an orphanage. With the help of local Pastor Miambo, they started this orphanage last summer hoping they would have a lasting impact on the streets of Mombasa and the surrounding area. They have felt that this is an excellent opportunity, not only to preach the Word of God into the lives of those around them, but also to model the teachings of Christ thorough their daily lifestyle of family living. Most of the orphans, or 'chokora', meaning 'garbage' in Swahili, are from the streets of Mombasa, and are a part of the 250,000-300,000 street kids in Kenya, 30,000 of which are in Mombasa.
During my time in Mombasa, I will be helping out their ministry in several ways:
• role-model - I will be providing a Christ-like male figure in the lives of the orphans. Most of them do not know what it is like to live in a family setting, nor do they have positive male influences on a day-to-day basis. I hope that through my interactions with them and the manner in which I conduct myself will be an example of what it is like to be a man of God.
• street ministry - Another addition to their team, Whitney, will be coming down around the same time as me. Whitney will be rekindling their street ministry, as most of their focus has turned to providing for their orphans. Whitney's role will be to befriend, and share the love of God with those on the street. Eventually Pastor Miambo wants to start a Sunday church service for all those on the street who want to participate. I will be helping Whitney during the days, when most of the orphans are in school.
• administration - I will be helping them organize their current setup, as well as helping out with their day-to-day activities of running and maintaining an orphanage.

There are two ways in which you can assist me:

• prayer - The power of prayer is so amazing. This whole trip definitely would not have made it thus far without much prayer from myself and others around me. So I ask that you pray for my preparation on all levels - mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically - as I know I will be faced with many challenges prior to and during my trip. Also, pray that I will continually seek God, amidst the day-to-day experiences I will have while there. Pray also that I will be able to follow God's guidance for me while there, and that the hearts of the street kids I come into contact with will be softened towards the Gospel.
• financially - I understand current financial times are tough, but I would ask that you prayerfully consider supporting me, through a monthly donation or a onetime gift. I cannot financially support myself while I am there, and look to you for help. I need $10,000 for my six month stay. I am partnering with Community Bible Church in High Point, North Carolina, who will handle all of my finances while I am away. So any contributions are tax-deductible (bonus!). You can make checks out to "Community Bible Church" with "Kenya" in the memo (please do not write my name anywhere on the check). You can use the enclosed envelope for any gifts you would like to send. As a personal goal, I would like to have all the funds raised before I leave on July 28.

Thank you for your prayers and support as I prepare for this trip. I would be more than happy to talk to you more about my upcoming trip if you so desire. My goal is to keep you updated on my trip prior and during my stay. Please let me know if you would like to receive updates via email.

With many thanks and love,



Brandon Wong
brandon.s.wong@gmail.com
http://thoughtsfrommombasa.blogspot.com