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.