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.