Building Up Others

It was a bit surreal to be propositioned by a prostitute as the sound of a Vineyard worship song floated out of the bar behind us. The pastor’s seminar last month met in the red-light district in a Mombasa suburb. We meet on the top floor of a hotel that competed with the vibrations emanating from two or three surrounding bars and their drunken patrons. We don’t know if the owner of the bar had any idea what he was playing, but it was the one and only worship song we heard from the tavern. During a break between sessions, Doug was standing outside the hotel when the woman struck up a conversation with him. It is a pity he didn’t immediately recall Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well.

We were spending time with the Vineyard leaders along the coast in an effort to build relationships and encourage them. Over the past year, their APC (Area Pastoral Coordinator) has committed a number of significant transgressions and has had to be removed from leadership. The resulting discouragement and disillusionment of the other leaders was to be expected. The focus of the seminar was on Creating Healthy Leaders. Since it is the Holy Spirit that creates healthy leaders we enjoyed significant ministry time praying for each other and bringing a measure of healing. Several leaders needed a reminder of their call to ministry and the strength to face the future.

It is not uncommon for us to be reminded of the diversity in the body of Christ while working here. The majority of leaders were black Kenyans, but we also had two white South Africans and a former Anglican priest from Britain. When the Holy Spirit shows up, none of our differences matter, we were one. Paul reminds the Corinthians that he has been commissioned to the work of “building you up rather than pulling you down”. We had a sense of building leaders up on this weekend and it was wonderfully satisfying.

This season we celebrate the “enfleshment of God”. The message that “God so loved the world” resonates in our hearts and causes us to look with compassion on the parts of the “world” surrounding us today while we also remember the other parts of the “world”, namely you, our friends and family, whom we especially miss this time of year. May your Christmas season be rich in Christ Jesus!

As the year draws to a close we want to thank you for your on-going prayers and continued support. It is great to have you participate in God’s kingdom building work here in Kenya.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8.9

More Than Survival

Most of us are abundantly aware that finances have the power to hijack our lives, particularly our spiritual lives. This point has be poignantly made to many this past year in the face of a worldwide economic crisis. Financial education and empowerment play critical roles in aiding God's people to become good stewards and givers. Recently, at Karen Vineyard Church's annual retreat, Sue co-taught a financial seminar. During the course, she shared her own story as well as ours together and we reflected afterward how incredibly and consistently faithful God has been with our finances.

Our efforts to assist others with their finances extends beyond the Karen Vineyard. We continue to work on building infrastructure for the proposed Financial Empowerment program for the Vineyard churches throughout Kenya. You might recall this is a program that will provide business training accompanied by micro loans.

Our pilot program conducted in the Ngong Vineyard was attended by 25 people, 15 of whom completed the course by writing their own business plan. Part of the course asked the students to write their stories. One student had to have the assistance of another student to write her story. A portion of her story read like this - "My name is Naipanoi. I am 34 years old and am a widow with seven children. Though I am not educated I've been trying to live my life positively, but most of my time is swallowed up by struggling to maintain. I find life very difficult. But I can make a difference if given a chance to learn. Right now I am trying to make beads and start a business. God bless you."

If we gave Naipanoi a handout, she would be back next week and the week after looking for assistance. African and Western sociologists and anthropologists have noted that much of the African attitude towards finances is one of survival mentality. Rarely is long term planning, building or investing considered. One theory is that the agricultural mentality of planting and reaping within a season lasting but a few months is still the prevailing approach for many in rural Africa. Regrettably, Kenya's recent financial history illustrates this point. After several years of drought, Kenya is finally getting rains. However, the lack of long term planning or preparation for such a hardship has cost the country millions in lost revenue not to mention people dying of starvation.

God has called us to help the least of these. So we put our hand to the plow with our African brothers and sisters seeking to empower people to live lives of abundance and not merely of survival.

Your care, concern, and contribution to this little part of God's Kingdom is deeply felt and appreciated.

serving God and His people,

Doug and Sue

Making Adjustments

Greetings one and all!
Ever since returning to Nairobi we have been unsuccessful in updating the wonderful website that had been created for us. For now, we will be using this blogspot, though not on a daily basis. We will notify you each time the blog is updated.

It was great to be with many of you in June. Being with you was like receiving one big hug. Since then, we have been delighted to have our youngest, Kelsey with us for a couple weeks in July, which motivated us to go on our first safari and see parts of the country we had not yet visited

We would be grateful for your prayers during this busy season.
Items to pray for:
*Tuesday, Oct.13th Doug meets with the accrediting committee of Daystar University regarding the possible collaboration between Daystar and the new Vineyard School of Ministry which Doug has initiated.

*Sue's evangelistic work in the Karen community

*Thursday, Oct.15th Doug meets with key players in the Business Training/Micro-Enterprise project. We are currently setting up what we hope will be a sustainable infrastructure.

* For Atara Brown, as she concludes her internship here, working primarily with a children's Head Start program (see picture above)

* Church Retreat, Sat-Mon, Oct.17-19 as we build community in a international church with many languages and cultures.

We miss all of you and are very encouraged by your "standing with us".
Doug and Sue