Pastor Rick Kicks off 40 Days of Purpose in Rwanda

OK...they are calling this the kickoff event for 40 Days of Purpose for Rwanda.
...if that's the case, Rick Warren just kicked a 70 yard field goal right through the uprights.

I was at the Anaheim Stadium 25th Anniversary event and it was cool, but this was a pretty awesome day.

Let me go back a day, first...

On Saturday, we discovered that the whole country of Rwanda has these periodic National Cleanup Days, where NO ONE can travel on the roads...everyone has to be busy beautifying the country and involved in cleanup activities

Really a great idea...like a big secular sabbath, but rather than rest, you scrub your community.

I just wish someone would clue me in on these awesome ideas..I'd have brought a brillo pad and some ajax...

But this really threw a wrench in our plans...going to meet more churches, schools and children's centers.

What we ended up doing was FAR better than anything I could have planned...we set out in 4 vans and attempted to drive through 10 police roadblocks to the National Stadium. What we told the police was that we were headed for a cleanup on a national project...
It worked !!!!

We got to this huge stadium and just went down on the track and prayed...it's been raining A LOT we just simply asked the Lord to look kindly on this event and for us to follow His Plans for the day. Then we fanned out all over the stadium and PRAYED

Over every seat in the stadium
Over the guests that would be coming
Over the security for the day
Over President Kigame, who would be attending
Over Bishop Kolini, the Anglican Archbishop, overseeing the day
Over Pastor Rick
Over all the details that go into preparing for 30,000 people they expected

I just chose a place in the 'endzone' where I stood in the tunnel entrance and could see the whole stadium before me and prayed for 45 minutes straight...all of us did the same...Then we fanned out and actually did some work projects with the stadium team preparing the venue.
After church at Deliverance Church and about 7 more PD churches the next morning ..we all went to the event. It felt like EVERY church in Rwanda was there...people arriving by foot, taxi, bus, and moto-bota-bota...photo of that coming.

*The Presidents speech was terrific.
*The Bishops prayer was inspiring, but
*Rick's talk was historic.

Sitting there in the grandstands, with a backdrop of thousands of ebony-black faces, I tried to take myself back to 1982 at Laguna Hills High School, in the Little Theater, with Kay Warren playing the piano and Rick preaching about how every believer is a minister...

And for that moment... I felt as though I was really involved in reaching beyond myself.

And that's a cool feeling.

LOVE IN A SHOEBOX

The looks on their faces...
The anticipation of getting a gift...
The hugs of appreciation...
The squeals of joy when they open their boxes...
The dancing...
The singing...

There is NOTHING in the world like a distribution day for Operation Christmas Child...a program that Saddleback Church partners with Samaritan's Purse around the world.

Packing the boxes is a lot of fun..
Collecting them at church is fun and fulfilling...
Sorting and sending them at the processing center is awe-inspiring...
But giving these little kids around the world a Christmas gift ( even in April...Christmas is anytime you get a gift in Christ's name) from the families of our church is the BEST.

We have had 2 huge OCC distributions here in Rwanda...one at a church...one at a church-run school... We've given out close to a thousand of these shoebox gifts to every kind of kid. We sang songs and played games..went in classrooms and shared our stories of Christ in our lives...and talked with the kids about THE GREATEST GIFT ANYONE EVER GAVE...God's gift to us, His Son, Jesus Christ...and Christ's gift of His life for us.
Pictures don't tell it all, but here's a few.

All 3 orphan girls from the street showed up at the distribution...they are listening !!

RWANDA, MARCH 2008

The Rwanda PEACE team from Saddleback has arrived has and we're staying for a few days at the Presb. Guest House and the Beautiful Iris Hotel across the street. There are 30 1/2 of us...the half????...Mikey Stephens ...5 years old...missions giant...more on this cool kid later.

Spent the day before the team got here with Ron Neufeld and Floyd Mohr buying wool refugee blankets and wash basins and plastic cups and 'lessos'...fabric from Tanzania that can be used as clothing wraps or space dividers in the refugee tents.

We will be going to Kibuye Refugee Camp close to the Congo border in a few days...after Pastor Rick launches his Nationwide 40 Days of Purpose Campaign at the Kigale Stadium on Sunday...what an event that's going to be...singing and African cultural dancing and worship...sounds to me like the Praise Venue in TENT 3 at Saddleback.

Met 3 delightful girls in a back alley fabric shop in Kigali ...
Janet,17
her sis, Julliette, 16
their Islamic friend, Ameni, 17

Couldn't really understand a single word at first , but over an hour we bought $1000 of relief supplies, invited them to Kingdom Christian School for a distribution of Samaritan's Purse Gifts, and a gospel presentation, and invited them to the National Stadium Event on Sunday.
All 3 girls, orphans from AIDS and the Genocide...came to the Sam Purse Shoebox event and helped us give out boxes to 400 schoolkids, 70% of which are orphans. I AM COUNTING ON ANYONE READING THIS BLOG TO STOP RIGHT NOW AND PRAY FOR THESE 3 GIRLS TO TRUST CHRIST OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. I am trusting the Lord for their salvation...I just know it will happen.

Send me a word of encouragement...please...
I've been in freezing Ukraine, burning Kenya, and now drenched Rwanda.

Our team is all healthy and working great together.

LAST DAYS IN UKRAINE

I was really amazed at Kay Warren and her HIV/AIDS INITIATIVE team's hard work and outreach over the past few days...The Churches of Ukraine, from Orthodox to Baptist to Evangelical to Catholic to Charismatic were all so appreciative for Kay 'rolling up her sleeves' and facing the problems as they really are. Each day Kay and her team shared the message of how the church...the body of Christ in Ukraine...can and should be the vanguard in the fight against AIDS. Kay shared with hundreds of church leaders what every congregation can do individually and teaming with other churches and organizations through her C.H.U.R.C.H. strategy.

Some of my memories of Ukraine...

*Kay speaking to 5 different large audiences on Sunday...from 8am to 10 pm
*The train ride from Kiev to Mariopol with the whole team and Vlad
*Visiting the drug and rehab centers that are run by Church of Good Changes
*The 'Children's Pilgrim Republic' a church-based orphan-care outreach that addresses the entire spectrum of street kid care issues, from church family adoption to temporary group homes to vocational training to entry level assessment and placement of abandoned and abused and orphaned street kids.

*The worship service on the final night with Christians from around Mariupol
*The SWEET prayer time where the Saddleback Team and Church of Good Changes leaders prayed for person after person who came forward to lay their issues before the Lord.
*The HIV hospital in Kiev
*New Life Church in Kiev and Pastor Anatoly's gracious and welcoming team.

VLAD IS THE MAN!!!!!

I've had the incredible privilege to be friends with Vlad Kannashan, from New Life Church, in Kiev, Ukraine, for 15 years now and I can't even come close to explaining this:
*Worship Leader
*Evangelist
*Encourager
*Song Writer

5 of my FAVORITE VLAD MOMENTS
#1 Riding the train from Kiev to Harkov...
Vlad is listening to James Taylor sing "The Water Is Wide" and Vlad says, "This man, James Taylor, he makes my heart bleed!"
#2 Underground the city of Kiev in the Arsonalna Metro station, speaking to a drug addict..."Mr. Narco-man, you can destroy your head, and your body, but God's love for you, you cannot break this."
#3 In Trabuco Canyon, California. Vlad took a tent and a jug of water and hiked up Saddleback Mountain to speak with God for the weekend. 60 MPH gusts of Santa Ana winds blew all weekend and Vlad comes off the mountain on Monday looking like he had been spent 72 hours in a wind tunnel. Vlad says, "Steve, I just screamed out to God and all these days, He screamed back at me."
#4 At Kyle's Santa Margarita vs Servite football game...(during one of the huddles in the 3rd quarter) "These boys who pray every time before they run and throw ball...they are Christians, yes?"
#5 Witnessing to 3 Mexican guys at a bus stop at Los Alisos and Santa Margarita Pkwy (he refused to ride in my car because it cut him off from 'peoples' Vlad says," Mr, Mexicoman, This bench is perfect place for you and me to pray God for you to repent." (30 minutes la ter the guys was praying with Vlad to trust Christ.)

Vlad is definitely the MAN.

A Praise Report and a Prayer Request

*PRAISE God that Sister Freda is featured as the front page story this week on Giving Children Hope's website at http://www.gchope.org/ because the $2M in pharmaceuticals should ship soon!

*Please Pray that the meds arrive safely in Kenya and that Pastor Steve and Don Thompson are able to get them through customs without any problems. (GCH director told me that it is getting more difficult to get meds into Kenya , so much so that one client changed the country since they would not be able to clear customs.) Let’s all pray these medicines into Kenya so they arrive and can be a blessing to Sister Freda and the great work she does as the hands and feet of God.


^^Thanks Tasha (Kenya PEACE trip Feb. 2007) for this incredible opportunity to stay on our knees for Kenya and see God do miraculous things!!

Pastor Ghenady from Mariupol, Ukraine

I had the most fun-filled and inspiring trip to Mariupol (map above) with Kay Warren

and her HIV/AIDS Initiative team to visit Pastor Ghenady from The Church of Good Changes.

Love that name for at least 3 reasons...

#1 the word CHURCH...I am discovering that the church of Jesus Christ, the community of simple, committed followers of Christ have a staggering capability to influence, to encourage, and to evangelize a neighborhood or a city.
#2 the word GOOD.... there is just SO much brokenness and darkness and just plain BAD in the world today that the Good News is a beacon that hurting people are drawn to.
#3 the word CHANGE... people will attend church for a while called:

The Church of Good MUSIC
or The Church of Good PREACHING
or The Church of Good FEELINGS ...

but the only thing that will sustain a person through a lifetime is CHANGE...pure and real CHANGE.
changes
I don't have to tell you about the needs for change in MY life....you've got your own changes to deal with.

Ghenady is a change agent...using his actions and his words and his influence to his fight the drugs and death and destruction in his city of Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine.
And his parishioners are 'the changed'.
+from alcohol
+from drugs
+from despair
+from abuse
+from sure death

Ghenady's church family is modeling how a single church can care for folks that most communities view as hopeless causes.These folks aren't some fringe group that meets in the basement of Ghenady's church on Friday nights and talks about their screwed up lives . The screwed up people ARE the church.

This church cares for the homeless because THEY were homeless.
This church cares for the sick because THEY were sick.
This church cares for the dying because THEY were as close to death as folks could be...
And then Jesus changed them...

Pastor Steve's Night at the Sauna

Every snowy and freezing country has it's own social coping method for dealing with their sub-zero world. But for my friends in Ukraine, a night at the SAUNA is both a warming event and a time to interact with your friends.

My 10 Easy Steps to Sauna Heaven....

#1 This is a GUYS ONLY event....step 2 will help you understand.
#2 Take off all your clothes and wrap up in a sheet.
#3 Heat the sauna to about 500 degrees ...whatever the heat is where skin peels off your frame.
#4 Jump in the Dneiper River...woooooooaaaaahhhhhhh.
#5 Call your cardiologist.
#6 Enter the sauna and sit on the top row...the 3rd ring of Dante's Inferno.
#7 Call your Psychiatrist.
#8 Lie down and be beaten by birch and eucalyptus leaf whips called a 'veenic'...this needs alot of explanation that I don't have time for here, but somewhere between total agony and strange ecstacy, this bizarre practice exists.
#9 Dive back into the freezing Dneiper River....nnnnnoooooooo!!!!!!!!
#10 Call your Urologist.

On the Road Again...

I know this blog is titled Pastor Steve's KENYA Relief...but I don't think I should create a DIFFERENT blog for every place I go. 'Pastor Steve's Crazy Cambodian Campaign', 'Big Daddy's Oaxacan Adventure', or 'Comrade Steve's Soviet Journeys'...it's all a bit much...let's just meet HERE and you can see where I am from day to day.

Speaking of today... I woke up this morning with a thought that has become all too familiar... 'Where the heck am I this morning?' I looked out my window and saw the Livobareshno Metro station and the Dneiper River...for some of you that's a big clue...for others, no clue at all. I'm on the Left Bank in KIEV, UKRAINE. It is still winter, but the sun was out yesterday and the city is absolutely beautiful. Kay Warren and members of her family and AIDS/HIV Initiative will be here tomorrow for 4 whirlwind days of ministry in Ukraine. Kay will be speaking at Pastor Anatoly Koluzhney's New Life Church for 3 Sunday Services... (Pastor Anatoly was the first Soviet era pastor to receive Rick Warren's 'PD Church Health Award')...following the services Kay will address a women's conference for 800 Christian leaders from around Kiev and visiting the home of one of the AIDS families at New Life. We'll be meeting on Monday with Christian leaders from the Orthodox, Baptist, Pentecostal and Evangelical communities and discussing their church's approach to the AIDS crisis in Ukraine. If you read Russian you'll love this press release about Kay's visit... http://news.invictory.org/issue16707.html

On Monday night we go by train (photos coming) to the city of Mariopol, Ukraine on the coast of the Azure Sea. We will be meeting with Pasor Ghenady and his congregation Church of Good Changes (one of the great names in church history!) Ghenady is a real champion of orphans and street kids outreach and Kay will be visiting his church's ministries to the drug addicted kids Mariopol. In Kenya the street kids turn to glue and 'changa' (street brew)...in Mariopol they shoot Tramadol and heroin... I'm talking about 10-year-old orphans and runaways. Tramadol is a super strong pain reliever like morphine or oxycontin, but on the mean streets a young boy or girl can easily get high for a few cents or a sexual 'favor'. The results are tragic and widespread...addiction to Tramadol is quick, for many kids it is IMMEDIATE, on their first high. And coming off the drug is a nightmare of pain, sweat, tremors and vomiting. No one...absolutely no one cares for these street kids, but their drug dealers and the Lord Himself. Take a look at a few of the street kids that have come under the care of Pastor Ghenady's 'Pilgrim' homes.

I LOVE getting your comments while I'm on the road, so if you have a moment, click on 'comments', log in and send a word. Megan weeds out whackos and bill collectors.

I know this blog is titled Pastor Steve's KENYA Relief...but I don't think I should create a DIFFERENT blog for every place I go. 'Pastor Steve's Crazy Cambodian Campaign', 'Big Daddy's Oaxacan Adventure', or 'Comrade Steve's Soviet Journeys'...it's all a bit much...let's just meet HERE and you can see where I am from day to day.



Speaking of today... I woke up this morning with a thought that has become all too familiar... 'Where the heck am I this morning?' I looked out my window and saw the Livobareshno Metro station and the Dneiper River...for some of you that's a big clue...for others, no clue at all. I'm on the Left Bank in KIEV, UKRAINE. It is still winter, but the sun was out yesterday and the city is absolutely beautiful. Kay Warren and members of her family and AIDS/HIV Initiative will be here tomorrow for 4 whirlwind days of ministry in Ukraine. Kay will be speaking at Pastor Anatoly Koluzhney's New Life Church for 3 Sunday Services... (Pastor Anatoly was the first Soviet era pastor to receive Rick Warren's 'PD Church Health Award')...following the services Kay will address a women's conference for 800 Christian leaders from around Kiev and visiting the home of one of the AIDS families at New Life. We'll be meeting on Monday with Christian leaders from the Orthodox, Baptist, Pentecostal and Evangelical communities and discussing their church's approach to the AIDS crisis in Ukraine. If you read Russian you'll love this press release about Kay's visit... http://news.invictory.org/issue16707.html



On Monday night we go by train (photos coming) to the city of Mariopol, Ukraine on the coast of the Sea of Azov. We will be meeting with Pasor Ghenady and his congregation Church of Good Changes (one of the great names in church history!) Ghenady is a real champion of orphans and street kids outreach and Kay will be visiting his church's ministries to the drug addicted kids Mariopol. In Kenya the street kids turn to glue and 'changa' (street brew)...in Mariopol they shoot Tramadol and heroin... I'm talking about 10 year old orphans and runaways. Tramadol is super strong pain reliever like morphine or oxycontin, but on the mean streets a young boy or girl can easily get high for a few cents or a sexual 'favor'. The results are tragic and widespread...addiction to Tramadol is quick, for many kids it is IMMEDIATE, on their first high. And coming off the drug is a nightmare of pain, sweat, tremors and vomiting. No one...absolutely no one cares for these street kids, but their drug dealers and the Lord Himself.Take a look at a few of the street kids that have come under the care of Pastor Ghenady's 'Pilgrim' homes. (Megan...please insert a few street kid photos here)I LOVE getting your comments while I'm on the road, so if you have a moment, click on 'comments', log in and sned a word. Megan weeds out whacko's and bill collectors.

Great News about Mobile Medical Clinic Vehicle

Without any formal word going out, folks from our Kenya Missions teams have been praying about helping Sister Freda take her clinics to the refugee camps in the Kitale area, which presently are housing 80,000 + IDP (internally displaced persons…refugees…)


Since the posting of the ‘Why we hold Mobile Medical Clinics” on youtube and this site, over $30,000 USD has come in to Saddleback for this project and we soon have teams going with Freda to serve at the camps in Endebess, Cherengani Hills, Kiminini, and Showgrounds.
One cool family…who hasn’t even been to Kenya, gave a gift that sent me to my knees.

Amazing…keep tuned in …I’ll report to you from Kitale and Nairobi next week. I will be in Kiev and Mariopol , Ukraine next week and will blog from there…(and maybe throw some cool Russian words in for effect) But right now I’m kind of blown away by the generosity of our church community and our Kenya PEACE advocates.


This picture is actually Stonic’s awesome 1996 Land Cruiser and Jim Dobbs photo-shopped the red cross and other affects…but the real deal will look something in between ‘Pimp My Ride’ and ER.

ANSWERED PRAYER!!!

Kenya's rival leaders sign a power-sharing deal mediated by Kofi Annan to end the country's post-election crisis. Hallelujah!

Click the link below to read the full story!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7268903.stm

Why We Hold Mobile Medical Clinics

Why We Hold Mobile Medical Clinics:

#1 Because many people FEAR the hospital, because of bad past experiences and tribal traditions.

#2 Because so many folks are TOO SICK to make it to a formal clinic or District Hospital .

#3 Because I don’t know of ANY way to more clearly reinforce for our teams the ‘face’ of disease and illness.

#4 Because the very DISTANCE of travel to many hospitals makes it almost impossible for the sick.

#5 Because the COSTS for treatment are very often what keep village folks from seeking treatment.

#6 Because a little effort and a few resources go a very long way.

#7 Because Jesus Christ cared about people’s heart and BODY and soul.

#8 Because we are following the Lord’s example and His command. (Matt 22:39)

#9 Because it’s the RIGHT thing to do. (Titus 3:1b) ‘Always be ready to do whatever is good.’

#10 Because Sister Freda does them, and frankly, ANYTHING she does…I want to be a part of.

Why I go to Kitale

Roadblocks

Jeff Frum took this photo one day on the road from El Doret and it reminded me of a camp song we used to sing…

‘So high….you can’t get over it…
So low …you can’t get under it …
So wide…you can’t get around it…
Oh, rock-a-my-soul’

Ever had one of those roadblocks in your life?
Not every roadblock is made of rocks and fallen telephone poles.
Some roadblocks are financial….anybody out there stuck at one?
Some roadblocks are physical…your spirit wants to do things that your body just rebels against.
Some roadblocks are self-imposed…we sabotage our own pathway by terrible decisions.

Some days, all I can do is sit on the very roadblock that is hindering my walk and say, “OK Lord, you’ve got my attention…now what exactly do you want me to do?”

I had absolutely NO idea, at the moment of this photo, as we were stuck as stuck could be…that a group was right behind us, that was going to literally pick up our Land Cruiser and place it on the other side of this barrier. I was looking at the barrier, Not the Divine answer.

In that micro-moment between despair and submission, the Truth of James 1:2 screams.

‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete.”

I’ve got quite a few more roadblocks ahead of me before I can deal with the real meaning of those words…'mature and complete'.

I invite you to take a moment and post a comment about roadblocks…whatever they look like.

An Encouraging Word

I’ve asked Megan to post the following letter that Juliet Jones, a member of Saddleback, recently wrote her friends, colleagues and family. Juliet is Kenyan American. Born and raised in Nairobi , then attended university in the US where she has become a US citizen. She and her mom, Mary, went with our mission team to Kitale in 2005. Her heart breaks for her homeland, but she REFUSES to fall into despair.

I’m posting this letter from Juliet to challenge my friends to seek God’s advice on how THEY can be advocates for the displaced of Kenya.

Your conclusions are yours to make.

Steve

*******************************************

Dear Friends,

Some of you may know me and to some, my name isn’t familiar. Therefore, let me introduce myself. My name is Juliet Githieya Jones, a Kenyan, born and raised in Kenya and currently residing in the US. Because I grew up in Kenya, the recent images on TV, the newspapers, and the internet have been so troubling. Being so far away, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and feel as though there’s nothing I can do, but I know in my heart that’s not right. There are simple things one can do to be an advocate for Peace in Kenya.
· I’m not a politician
· I’m not a community leader
· I’m not wealthy
· I don’t have the ability to travel back & forth, but…
· I am a believer of Jesus Christ
· I can pray
· I can communicate with my friends and family in Kenya
· I can do small, but important acts of kindness, to encourage my brothers & sisters in Kenya.

I am aware that some of you receiving this message may not be familiar with what I’m talking about. In a nutshell, the December 27th 2007, Kenyan Presidential elections that we prayed would go well, and provide just the right leader, erupted in violence when the results were announced. This violence turned village against village, men against men, and, tribe against tribe. Probably, the saddest was the 50 people burned alive in an Assemblies of God Church, in Eldoret. If you would like to read about these events, here are some websites that I found useful: http://www.eastandard.net/; http://www.nationmedia.com/; http://www.bbc.co.uk/; and http://www.cnn.com/.
This is not the Kenya I know! These are not the peace loving people I remember. This is not the future of our Nation! I realize that I am just one person, but one person’s voice and action can make a difference. I want to share my action with you, not to tell you what to do but to encourage you to act in whatever way God leads you. Here’s my personal game plan:
1. I’m doubling up on time spent in prayer. As a divorced mom of 2, my prayer life starts @ 5:45 AM. I need to spend time alone with God begging him for his wisdom and direction. Because I believe in God, I also believe there’s a spiritual dimension to any conflict. If we fail to ask for God’s solution, we may miss the most important part of the equation.
“For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding”. Proverbs 2: 6 (NLT)

“If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent you asking. But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind”. James 1:5-6 (NLT)

2. I am not going to get caught up in exchanges of angry words, finger pointing, and tribalism. Because I happen to be from the Kikuyu tribe, which is at the center of this controversy, it would be easy for me to get caught up in all the ugliness. But, the fact of the matter is, the forces of tribalism could destroy our great nation of Kenya, if left to their own devices. So, I am through identifying myself by my tribe – I AM A KENYAN and I am encouraging my friends and fellow countrymen/women from any of the approximately 42 tribes that make up the Kenyan population to join me in this quest to stop identifying people by tribes, and begin identifying ourselves as Kenyan brothers & sisters, and as people. I am not, by any means, asking you to abandon your culture or heritage, we all should be proud of those attributes. I am however, asking that we refrain from using our tribes as weapons against each other. We ought to strive towards living in unity, harmony & peace.
“How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers live together in harmony!”! Psalm 133:1 (NLT)

“We must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. And the most important clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful”. Colossians 3: 13-15 (NLT)

3. I am going to begin baby steps to help with relief efforts in Kenya. The Red Cross has stated that there are over 500 dead and 250,000 displaced people from Mt. Elgon to the coast of Mombasa - from Pokot to the Mara, and this breaks my heart! If I had a million dollars, I would give it to provide relief for our hurting brothers and sisters back home, but I don’t. As I stated earlier, I am a divorced, single parent of two with a recent career change and at the current time, working towards attaining a permanent fulltime job. What I do know, however, is that I don’t have to wait until I’m wealthy to do my part. Jesus blessed the poor woman in the temple who gave what she had. I am part of a group, called “Reaching Beyond Ourselves” a non profit organization. This group is trying, in simple ways, to help turn around issues like poverty, ravaging diseases and broken relationships. This year, Reaching Beyond Ourselves has been involved in various projects in rural Kenyan communities such as:
· Clean water projects
· HIV/AIDS education
· Micro enterprise projects
· Relief work during the tribal clashes in Mt. Elgon area

I have decided that one of the ways to get the best “bang-for-my-bucks” is to invest in relief kits for the displaced people of Kenya. A simple gift of $45.00 provides a displaced family with 2 tarps, 4 blankets, 2 cooking pots, 4 plates, 4 spoons, 2 cooking/serving spoons, kitchen knife, water container, mosquito net, multipurpose soap, salt, plastic wash basin, 2 lesos (multiuse cloth), and a sewing kit. Reaching Beyond Ourselves is distributing these kits through the local church network in Kenya to these people who have been left absolutely destitute.

“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” Proverbs 3:27-28 (NLT)

“But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help – how can God’s love be in that person? 1 John 3:17 (NLT)

Saddleback Church members can give to these relief kits through an established “Kenya Relief” fund that is also fully tax deductable and in BOTH cases 100% of any gift will go directly to the relief kits and their distribution through local church networks.

Send Saddleback Checks to:

Don Thompson Coordinator of Kenya Relief Saddleback Church

1 Saddleback Pkwy Lake Forest, CA. 92630

And please note ‘Kenya Relief’ on the memo line.

I am writing you, not as a fundraiser, but as an awareness raiser. My conclusions don’t have to be your conclusions. But, I am challenging you to do what you can to help bring peace, security, safety and stability back to our wonderful nation of Kenya. PRAY, RAISE AWARENESS, and GIVE what you can. If you would like to give through Reaching Beyond Ourselves, you can send a check for any amount to:

Reaching Beyond Ourselves
21961 Calatrava
Mission Viejo, Ca. 92692

Since Reaching Beyond Ourselves is a 501c 3 charitable organization recognized by the US, your gifts are entirely tax deductible. I welcome any comments or suggestions…anything that would help to alleviate this human suffering. Thank you for your time and God bless you all.

Serving Him,

Juliet Githieya Jones

31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy # A284 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688 Nyakiega22@yahoo.com

speechless

There's always that ONE kid...

There's absolutely no explaining why one kid in particular catches your eye...and your heart...but it always seems to happen.

It's not that he is the smallest or the skinniest or the saddest...It's not that she is the prettiest or the smartest or the one with the sweetest smile.

Only God knows how the face of a Kenyan street kid can etch it's image so deeply into my mind and my life... but here I am, back home in the OC, at 3 in the morning, looking at this little boy's face just as clearly as if he was sitting here in front of me.

But the truth is...he's not here.He's still in a refugee camp in Cherengany.

I'm sleeping in my Dove Canyon home...he's sleeping under a tarp.
I have my wife by my side...he's surrounded by 7 other kids who have no idea who he is.
I have sheets and pillows and blankets...he stays warm by curling up close to the nearest child.
I have the love of my family and friends...he has no one to love him or to tuck him in or to kiss him goodnight.
If I'm thirsty, I simply get a drink of water...he has to wait in line for hours to get a cup of dirty well water.
I have a restroom to privately use when I need it...he shares one of the five public latrines with 22,000 people.
I can't even remember the last time I was really hungry...hunger is his constant shadow.
I stayed with him for a couple days...he may be there for months.

It's not the nights where I sit and see his face so clearly, in my memory, that bothers me. It's the thought that in a few months I will try as hard as I can to conjure up the memory of that face...but it will be lost...Replaced by an image on ESPN or a commercial on TV or a new titanium golf club...or my busy schedule.Even though I'll be back at the camp in a few weeks, chances are, I may never be able to find him...I don't even know his name.

But I know Someone who does...and He never forgets...

Stonic and Steve

Email from Sister Freda

Dear Megan,

Greetings from Kitale Kenya. Thank you for your letter and all the prayers for me, my people and my country as a whole. It is wonderful to learn that you are there for us in every way.

Well Megan as you already know, Pastor Steve has now left briefly for California after visiting Ruanda.

Megan the refugee camps are now swelling with many people arriving daily.There are more than six camps with in reach of the Hospital so I can help them.Fresh eruptions of arson, killings, rape and other atrocities continue.

Conditions in the camps are appalling.Sanitation is very poor due to limited water supply and congestion.There is rape in the camps.therefore the risk is a high of HIV infection and other venereal diseases,and so we are dealing with depression in the victims.

The food ration is inadequate and many women and children do not have a balanced diet as they only eat what is offered,the other day I took some bananas to the children and up to three were sharing one banana,they have learnt to wait patiently for the little that is offered,no fighting or jostling for food I feel so sorry for them that I shed tears.This being the dry season and all the grass has dried up the camps are very dusty making it a fertile breeding ground for jiggers,and most people in the camps have no foot wear and their feet are now jigger infected you can see little children walking as if they are crippled due to the jiggers in their toes.

Today as I was doing a regular clinic at one of the camps,I came across several cases of malaria due to lack of mosquito nets,also malnutrition eye infections diarrhea diseases lung infections depression to mention but a few.

Talking to a few of the refugees none of them want to return to their homes as they have lost everything they owned.One of them an old man of 85 was milking his cow when the enemy struck and he was told to leave or die,as he walked a few meters away he looked back and saw his house and maize store burning and the enemy walking away with the old mans one cow.

Children mothers and fathers are separated and all around what we see is hopelessness.The day Pst.Steve left,another church was burnt near Eldoret and many people lost their lives as they fled others suffered severe injuries from arrow wounds the arrows cant be pulled out as they are barbed,which means in some cases major operations but in all cases a operation.

Yesterday we held another clinic by a Church refugee sanctuary here there are more than six hundred men women and children and their only shelter is the Church no beddings no clothes no food,Megan just pray that we get enough money to save my people,our people.

So long and God bless,

Sister Freda.

Oasis of Hope & Geoffrey's Email

Please be sure to visit www.myspace.com/oasisofhope and web.mac.com/oasisofhope. Lydia, Geoffrey and all of the people at O.O.H. are amazing servants of our Lord. God bless them richly for the compassion that overflows from their hearts. Brothers and sisters I urge you to remain steadfast in your prayers for this incredible organization that reaches out to the forgotten ones of Kitale, Kenya. Support them in any way you can!


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When I first heard that Steve was coming to Kenya , the first thing I thought was, Steve is becoming crazier! But NO, Steve is not crazy as you think too, he is just responding to the call he received many years ago. He has been coming to Kenya every year this time and nothing was going to stop him from doing the same this year. Coming to Kenya when every other person was struggling to get a seat on the next plane out of Kenya made me feel how much Steve loves Kenya...he loves us.

As I told you, I thought Steve was crazy when he decided to come to Kitale but NO, he became more crazy when he said to me “………Geoffrey, we are going to spend the night tomorrow at the Cherangany refugee camp…..” Well, at that moment, I thought about where the camp is situated and its risk as I had visited sometime that same week. This is the same refugee camp that was invaded by armed gangs and stole hundreds of cattle and disappeared in the neighboring forest besides the camp being at the police station. I was thinking all this things but there was no way I was going to convince Steve otherwise. So I said “…..it's okay Steve.” So that night when they were at the refugee camp, I spoke to him and he seemed okay despite the flare that went over the camp. I just prayed that nothing bad would happen there.

There is so much that I can say about Steve’s trip now that he is ‘safe’ in ‘ RWANDA ’. But I just want to send so many thanks to this great man of God. He has surely proved that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. God bless you Pastor Steve. I also want to send my many thanks to Dan Hamer. Not many would have loved to do what you did, with all those road blocks from Eldoret. Bravo too to Jeff, his first time in Kenya but went through hell. Hi Jeff, it is not always like that here, Kenya had just lost its mind a little, please come back again when things are cool!

And to all those prayer warriors from Saddleback and all over the world, thanks for your continued prayers. Those are the real prayers of the righteous, God bless you abundantly. Thanks again to all those who kept in touch with Steve and us, thanks Lydia, thanks Megan for the incredible job, thanks Juliet and many thanks to all. You are all heroes and heroines through Christ Jesus, keep up the good job.

Back to Steve, you know we just parted unceremoniously, after that urgent call, you left Kitale in hurry and we had a schedule the same day, otherwise, I am glad that you are safe and healthy and we can do that another day.

In Christ,
Geoffrey- Oasis of Hope.

Email!

Hey...just forwarding on an email I received....


Hey Megan,
I bet You are doing well.
We Visited Kachibore Refugee Camp where 20,000 people are left with no homes, house burnt to ashes, animals taken and innocent daughters raped. Steve and I spent the night at the camp. How can a Muzungu{White}Sleep in a refugee camp? They shook their heads with disbelief. Late in the night some came and discovered that a Saddleback Church Representative really was sharing with them the pain and loss in the cold.
Long live Saddleback, God Bless Steve.
Love,
James Juma Wanyonyi
Long time Saddleback Friend in Conflicted Kenya

From Rwanda

Stonic---Allen

Folks, oh how my heart was overwhelmed with joy when I heard the amazing news (detailed below by Steve) of the way our Lord provided safety for Allen and Stonic! Let us forge ahead, fervent in prayer and steadfast in hope in our Lord as our hearts cry out to Emmanuel for Kenya.


-Megan


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I was sitting on my flight from Nairobi to Kigali, Rwanda and thinking...."How messed-up are things in the world when I'm fleeing from murderous tribal clashes and escaping to the safety of...RWANDA."

When I get back home, I'll look the definition of IRONIC and it may just list this scenario.

I'm sitting in my room now, in Rwanda, SAFE but definitely NOT SOUND, trying my hardest to sort through the events of the last few days...and where God has led and how He has answered prayers.

GOOD NEWS...no GREAT NEWS...

Stonic and Allen patched together another pass at a back road passage to Eldoret and MADE IT SAFELY. They were allowed on a transport plane to Nairobi, filled with terrified families, but made it back to their wives after 2 days of 'riding out the storm' at our compound in Kitale. A 90 minute drive under normal conditions turned into 6 hours of roadblocks and side journeys.

THANK YOU ALL FOR PRAYING FOR THESE GUYS....

Each of these faces and voices have flashed before me in the most dramatic last few days, and then suddenly I'm sitting here at 3 am trying to make sense of all we've been through.



Sister Freda
Geoffrey from Oasis of Hope
James
Juma
Ben and Christine
The kids of Tumaini < Tumaini
Moses and Margaret
Butaki
Jason
Andrews mom, in the ditch (some things just never change)
Baby Moses
Patricia Sawa
Stephen Mairori
Peter
Lilac
Jacinta
Charles and Thomas...and Joseph
The inmates at Kitale prison
The kids from Mercy
And many, many more...



Pity Jeff Blum, who Dan Hamer brought to observe the plight of two GLUE BOYS, Charles and Thomas. This was Jeff's 1st mission to Africa and a few times, when we were surrounded by angry mobs with bows and rocks and machetes, I wondered if Jeff would venture out of the OC EVER AGAIN. Jeff is a champ. When Dan Hamer called from Nairobi last week and asked, " uhm, Steve, is it really safe to go to Kitale right now?" I didn't honestly know how God would get us through to Jeff and him, but I knew Dan wanted in the worst way to see his kids.
Stonic was unbelievable at every turn and crisis.



I had intended for this blog to be a couple paragraphs whenever I could splice together a message to Megan, and she has turned out to be such a blessing to me (and all of you).
Thanks Megan, I know how much you wanted to be here and how much effort and time this took in the midst of your last semester of your senior year of journalism school...I owe you big time...



In the next couple days I'm going to link a YOU TUBE entry to this blog so you can see some of the places the Lord has taken me in the past few day..And we'll all get together and pray for the future of Kenya....God save her...



" to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power, ...to Him be GLORY" Ephesians 3:20



Now I'm going to try and sleep for the first time in a few days.





-Steve

A Message from Dan Hamer

Since I am assuming that Steve has filled in everyone on this crazy trip I won't go into detail on that. Suffice it to say that when Steve says "Don't worry, Stonic and I just drove on the road between Eldoret and Kitale this morning and there's no problem", he is a LIAR!!!. Choosing to visit Kenya in the middle of a revolution is probably not the best time to visit but God has shown up in unimaginable ways. Despite the chaos, God has used our visit to encourage our ministry partners who are facing a very difficult time ahead. Please continue to pray for them.

What I did want to talk about is the miracle of being at the house which a group of "changed lives". As I looked around the room on Tuesday night at Steve's house in Kitale I saw example after example of the transforming power of Christ. Under Steve's leadership Saddleback's ministry in Kenya has been a part of each of these stories. There was Juma who left a hopeless life on the streets of Kitale to become a fine young Christian man after receiving a chance when a team from Saddleback took him to Tumaini. There was James who was always around on Saddleback trips since he was a very young boy. Dawn and DJ Shuster gave him a chance in life and he now has a good job as a prison guard and cares for his brothers and sisters and their children. There was Leloc who was a little neighbor girl who lived next to Tumaini but the infectious nature of the Christian life helped her cross over the fence to find Christ. She is now a beautiful sixteen year old who hopes to become a doctor. Charles and Thomas were there. Many of you know them as the little boys in "Glue Boys" who appeared to have no hope when their mother died during the filming. God had different plans and now they are amazing little boys with a bright future thanks to caring Christians that are determined to make sure they do not fall between the cracks. There was Geoffrey who is transforming the street children of Kitale thanks to his work with Lydia Monroe and others at Saddleback. There was Jacinta who cares for 22 children at the Purpose Driven Academy and treats each of them as a child of God. And others were there with an equally amazing witness to the power of relationships with a person that eventually led to a relationship with Christ.

Each with a story. Each with a transformed life thanks in large part to Steve and his ministry in Kenya that so many of us have been blessed to be a part of. When we are praying for the political situation in Kenya, we should never forget to praise God for the changed lives and the mission ahead to have an even greater impact in the days and years ahead.

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!

EMAIL I RECEIVED:

Megan, Steve wants to pass on an urgent prayer request for Stonic and Allen. The three of us flew out safely but Stonic and Allen, trying to get back to their families in Nairobi, had to drive. They got most of the way to Eldoret when the second MP (Member of Parliament) was assassinated in Eldoret. Their safety was immediately at risk with mobs burning trucks just ahead of them on the road. They had to turn back to Kitale. For Stonic to turn back it must have been bad.Pray that Stonic will have wisdom on the timing and discernment on the route to get back to his family.

A Broken Heart

AGAIN, JEFF FRUM:


After Stonic literally climbed over the biggest roadblock yet, a telephone pole fortfied with boulders in his amazing "Indiana Jones" like Land Cruiser, Steve asked Dan and me if we could just stop by the Kachibora Refugee Camp.We ended up spending a couple of hours walking through this surreal scene of extreme poverty. It didn't take long to attract every child in camp to our side. The three funny Muzungu's lead hundreds of kids in singing and dancing. It was a privilege to provide a brief moment of escape for these innocent victims.We were told by the Red Cross there were over 6,000 children in this camp that were separated from there families in the chaos. 6,000 new orphans!What amazed me was the pure joy in these children's eyes. They couldn't stop touching us. Dan and I were walking with twenty kids each clinging to us and I said to him that this place just can't exist on this planet. How can this happen? No human being, created in God's image, should ever have to live in conditions like Kachibora. Yet, God was working to redeem lives in the midst of all this suffering. My life cannot be the same after seeing what I've seen.

Perspective from the backseat

THE FOLLOWING IS A MESSAGE FROM JEFF FRUM:

This is my first trip to Kenya so my anticipation of adventure was high. Especially traveling with two veterans, Dan Hamer and Steve Rutenbar. I never could've prepared myself for our journey on the backroads from Eldoret to Kitale. Steve warned us there were roadblocks the entire 50 mile stretch so as a good rookie would do in the back seat - I had my camera ready. Five minutes into our journey we slowed to drive over downed powerlines and around fires set to block the road. Stonic, our driver, a fearless Masai warrior, contined to navigate this dangerous stretch. I looked out to the left and saw a mob running toward our car upset that we passed their obstacles. I thought - this would be great picture - after I snapped the photo Steve yelled back at me, "Put the camera away!". I'm thinking I could've used that information a few minutes ago!The mob completely surrounded our car and began climbing onto the vehicle. I looked at Dan and wondered if this was it. Dan with his dry humor asked Steve, "Was it like this when you came this morning?". We began wondering if we had offended Steve in any way because it sure seemed like he was trying to get us killed! All joking aside, God intervened through the amazing courage of Stonic and through the compassion of Steve as they talked us through more than a dozen roadside confrontations. I saw angry men carrying machettes, bows and arrows, wood planks with nail spikes, and rocks charging our truck for three hours.In a strange way it is such a blessing to get out of Orange County where my pace of life often prevents me from seeing God at work. He is doing miracles in the hearts of Kenyans - I was a witness of that today!

Exit Strategy

I first heard the term 'exit strategy' in a missions class at Wheaton Grad School, and I'm very sure it had nothing to do with what we went through today.

Since the killing of the MP in Nairobi(go to http://allafrica.com/stories/200801290995.html to read a story about it), and the subsequent tear gassing of his home and mourning family, there has been an incredible step up in anger across the country, even in otherwise calm and pastoral areas like Kitale. Harmon Parker, the founder of Bridging the Gap, called me with a message from his friends in intel at the US Embassy and the UN. He said the Kitale area could be next area to explode and the Embassy is asking Everyone get to safe ground because ALL roadways will be closed down in the next days.
Angry mobs between ElDoret and Kitale have taken over the highway and

search every car one lorry for Kikuyus.

Moi's Bridge has been completely torn down, making it impossible to pass the way we traditionally do.

The area of MATUNDA is in complete chaos, no vehicle is able to pass...roadblocks of steel and telephone poles and boulders are all across the road today the community of Soy...where there is always a little market going on is just crazy...people are lashing out...saying they want justice, but being incited by the boldest in the change drinking crowds.

We got together with Butaki and Stephen Mairori, and found out there was an airlift out of the airstrip by Sister Freda's. Some of you guys who flew to Kakuma Camp by Sudan, remember this strip...it's basically just a cornfield with a weathervane. As much as we didn't want to go in this way, ...we had 30 minutes to decide ...Stonic told us, "Steve, get on this flight...it will be the only way back to Nairobi for a long time."

So we quickly prayed for and said goodby to Ayub, Mary, James, Juma, Jason, Lilac, Freddy and Sylvester, all of whom have been riding out the storm on our compound, and headed to the airstrip.

Stonic talked with the pilot of the turboprop and Dan Hamer, Jeff Frum and me on the flight...Nathan Chesang, the board chairman of ICM and director of Circle of Light, a partnership with the COORS family, pulled up with his son Allen and prayed for us. Then...before we could even reflect on the last few days...we were in the air and heading for El Doret.

El Doret Airport was quite a scene...Military EVERYWHERE. Marksmen carrying machine guns and rifles.... hundreds of soldiers being moved onto and off Airforce transport planes. We're pretty sure they are headed for Kitale to fortify things there. Each soldier , steely eyed, with the look of combat ahead .Let me tell you this is not the city we have ministered in over the last 10 years...it's absolutely Dodge City..Hamer and Frum and I watched from under an acacia tree, sucked down an Orange Fanta (mmmm) and tried to picture what lay ahead.

From the air... fires and smoke all around...well that's for another message....

Thanks for your prayers and encouraging comments.

Sister Freda

Hey Folks!
No, it's not Steve this time, but rather, me, Megan Affleck. Thanks so much for checking the blog daily and for your ardent pleading before the Lord's throne. Below is a copy of the e-mail I received the other day from Sister Freda. Her insights paint a poignant scene that breaks my heart, but encourages my fervent prayers to the Lord.

In Him,
Megan
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Dear Megan,

Greetings from Kitale , Kenya . The once peaceful country has now become war torn.

Today, as Pastor Steve Rutenbar and I headed towards Kachibora Refugee Camp 35 Kilometres East of Kitale Town on the foothills of Cheragani Hills, we saw many abandoned homes; these houses were burnt by arsonists after announcement of Presidential election results. As one woman described to us is that the grass thatched houses were set on fire, while the stone houses, petrol was used to set the houses on fire. There are other refugee camps, on Kitale Show ground, which is a Kilometre from the town centre, Wamuini Refugee Camp which is 5 Kilometres West of Kitale Town and Endebess Refugee Camp which is 15 Kilometres North West of Kitale Town.


We arrived at Kachibora Refugee camp; we saw rows of very small tents, which housed family members of up to 7. Entering the tents we saw dusty and flea infested floors, there were no blankets or anything to cover the floor, most houses had little or no earthly belongings. We met mothers and sick children. In the camp there were cows and calves tethered securely on the posts at the side of the camp.

The women made make shifts Kitchen that were composed of three stones and what was used as firewood was maize stalks which emit a lot of smoke and burn very fast to cook the very little food they have been supplied with. Other women were washing clothes with filthy water.

Many women and children were lined up for the precious commodity of water which was brought by Red Cross tanker. This water was not enough for over 20,000 people living in the camp. Men were sitting in small groups discussing and pondering what next.

Talking to some people we learn that on the night of 30th December 2007 immediately after result of the Kenyan elections following the dispute of elections hell broke loose all that did not belong the tribe that is indigenous that region were driven away by the arsonists who razed their houses, and killing some of them.

So day and night, women, children and men walked miles to get to the nearest police station which was many miles away to seek help. Help come several days late as the roads, everywhere was blocked, women and children had run through the night. One woman who was then seven months pregnant , with a toddler on her chest and another on back with two younger ones on her side, she ran non stop to the centre only to have a miscarriage a few days later. Another one who is 56 year old widow with her nine children left their home after their house was torched and all her sheep and goats perished. She was glad that she was alive with her children. She ran and thanked God for her miracle of life.

Another man who was a senior pastor was ordered out of his residence and shot dead. All his cattle were stolen. Policemen and other government officials have been killed in these tribal clashes.

Hunger, disease, devastation is felt all through the camp. Women, children, and men sleep on the bare ground. They have nothing to cover, no clothes to wear, no shoes, no medication as the medicines are scarce, and those on Anti retroviral have no medicine and this will affect their health in that they will have to start their doses all over again when the it is available. There was one woman who asked for a bible.


Pastor Steve is preparing to stay in the camp praying for these people and giving them moral support. Please Megan pray for him.


God’s blessings!


Sister Freda.

Kachibora Refugee Camp

Hi Everyone!

I know a few of you have been wondering if I'm safe...you watch the news reports coming out of Kenya and wonder just how safe I am. Well, don't worry. I'm perfectly safe.

Last night I spent the night at the Kachibora refugee camp with 22,000 displaced people. They were so appreciative of our coming. We brought blankets, Swahili bibles, and the most popular item we brought was, believe it or not, feminine sanitary pads! The women were jumping up and down screaming and doing their ever-so-distinctive "yell." Many of you know the sound I am talking about...it's a cross between a yell and whistle of sorts and they do it while singing and apparently, when they are very excited. Anyways, the people at this camp had fled their homes with nothing. Absolutely nothing. Some even left without their children. They are sleeping in tents provided by the Red Cross, which are nothing more than tarps slung over wooden stakes. Sleeping on the red Kenyan dirt, these refugees fall asleep not to the sound of the stillness of the night, but rather, the incessant chewing of termites overhead threatening the stability of their makeshift shelter. They have been there for a month and honestly, they just want to go back. But, go back where? Many of their homes have been burned. The road ahead is shrouded by the unknown...barriers both seen and unseen.

I preached a message on Luke 5 and the men who brought Jesus their paralyzed friend. I spoke of their four defining attributes: persistence, cooperation, unselfish love and faith. The men were persistent in trying to get to Jesus...so much so that they climbed up on the roof to get to Him. They worked together being that there was no way they could do it alone. When everyone is in it for themselves, the group as a whole suffers tremendously. This point truly resonated with the people. The men were unselfishly loving because they could have brought their own problems, diseases, etc. but instead they brought their friend to Jesus. And, certainly, these were men of faith. If they had no faith in Jesus, they would have looked like total fools going through all of the trouble to reach Him not knowing if He could really help them. No, they had faith and the bible says Jesus saw their faith and forgave them and healed the paralyzed man.

That night, 100 people knelt down on the cold, rain-soaked Kenyan earth and accepted Christ. I can't even begin to describe the scene...just a sea of white tents. It looked almost like a civil war encampment. Quite an amazing experience. We gave Pastor Mwange, the camp chaplain, a copy of the Purpose Driven Life and a Swahili bible and he did a dance of joy. { Ok, so now it's Megan Affleck here...Last night on the phone, Steve told me a story that I am going to share with you whether he thinks I should let this out or not haha I am just kidding. He told me I could include it on the blog so, here it goes: It was just after dinner and the dirt was now mud from the rain that had belted down on the camp. They had been playing with all the children, muddy and tired I assume, but happy to have had some fun amidst the circumstances. Laughter had turned into silent anticipation for the imminent message. Steve was now up on high ground preaching the message I detailed a paragraph ago when all of a sudden a flare goes off in the sky. Picture it if you will...600 people immediately hit the floor and were lying frozen, face first and not about to move an inch. People were screaming and running around. Steve had no idea what the flare meant. Turns out, a flare is a sign of an imminent attack! Thank you Jesus, our Precious Lord and Savior, for being a fence for Pastor Steve and all of those people in the camp that night. }

We are now on our way to go pick up Dan Hamer...Stonic is taking us through the back roads. Also, thank you guys so much for all the comments. I love reading them and they are a real blessing!

Instant Refugee Camp

Many of you have traveled with me through the years up to the Kakuma refugee camp in northwest Kenya where 100,000 Sudanese and Somali citizens are living in limbo. Picture Kakuma in Kitale. There are at least 50,000 displaced people at two sites...Cherengany hills about 20 minutes out of Kitale and Endebess. Over the last two days James, Juma, Jeffrey and I have given out wool blankets to thousands of folks stuck in these encampments. No where to go, no homes to return to and most people are separated from their family and friends. During the day they roam through the encampments looking for relatives or any familiar faces. At night, they huddle under tarps provided by the Red Cross and lay in the dirt and mud waiting for the light and the warmth of the next day. When I call this place "camp," don't get me wrong...this is NOT Hume Lake or Forest Home. This is a "Grapes of Wrath" type scene with people just trying to get by the best they can until things stabilize here. I met with the pastor who is in charge of the spiritual life of the 20,000+ people at this Cherengany camp. As you can guess, he's a bit overwhelmed by the task of caring for all of these people with virtually no resources. The people are not starving, but have to wait 4 hours for water and it's nasty water at that. They get a little bit of maize flour to make up some ugali and some beans and that's it. No one is starving but no one is well-fed either...it's survival mode. It's impossible to send the photos because they take an hour to upload, but I'll bring home photos of the camp life.
But here's the basics:

• People sleeping in the dirt.


• Four+ families to a tiny tent.


• At least 6,000 children separated from their parents. Tiny kids wandering through the camp crying out for their mommy and daddy. Their parents just ran to spare their own lives but left their kids behind.

I wish Dean was here with me today to help organize a soccer game in the field next to the camp. 6,000 kids...3,000 on each team. There's a sight for you...just choosing teams is a day long event. Tonight I've been invited to preach a message around a bonfire we're going to build...a message of reconciliation and hope. So, please pray for me...I'm digging deep.

Psalm 27:1 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Eldoret to Kitale

Through the years at Saddleback I've had the opportunity to see people in circumstances of distress. Beslan, Russia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Oaxaca, Mexico, New Orleans during Katrina, but I've never seen such heartbreaking circumstances as what I've seen in the last 2 days. I was able to catch a flight from Nairobi...that's the good news. The only place I could fly to was Eldoret...that's the bad news. Stonic and Allan drove Stonic's Landcruiser through the night. The route he took I'll never really understand, but he was stopped at least 50 times by gangs looking for fleeing Kikuyu. Stonic met me at 10a.m. on Saturday morning at the Eldoret airstrip and we proceeded northwest toward Kitale. All along the journey there were Kikuyu shops and kiosks that had been completely destroyed or burned to the ground. The sheet metal roofs, the steel doors and windows just ripped out and nothing left but ruble. We saw maybe 200 of these businesses. At one point, we were stopped by a group of men who wanted to know what I was doing and I asked where the Assemblies of God church that was burned was located. The leader of the gang asked, "Do you want to go there?" And Stonic and I both said at the same time, "Why not?" So, this gang leader got in our van and escorted us backwoods to the church that had become the symbolic "ground zero" for these tribal clashes. It is disputed in the press, and even among tribal elders, just how many people died. But, the number really is not important. Two tribal elders escorted me to the site and the 1st thing that caught my eye was the burned-out wheelchair of a grandmother who was trapped inside the church by the murderous gang outside. What happened that day was a disgusting standoff between an angry mob bent on revenge over the election results and fear-filled villagers inside the church unwilling to come out and face the mob that had now grown to over 1,000 people. Whether they chose to face death by flame as some say, or they were forced by the rioters to stay in the church may never be resolved. But, between 35-50 people died that day in Eldoret. We also went by a Baptist church about 500 yards away that had been torn from its foundation and burned. The village elders took us to 5 homes that were also looted, destroyed and burned. I did get some photos that I will share with you when I get home. The village was completely eerie in that everything was abandoned. No children, no possessions, no cattle, nothing. Everyone has fled to a refugee camp to avoid episodes like what happened here. I wish I had something perfect to say here, but honestly, I'm just tired and aghast and trying to filter through exactly what I've seen today. There is no way in a million years I would have made it to Kitale without Stonic and Allan. STONIC IS THE MAN! We've always known that but today we saw it. He just faces down people and plays his Maasai card very well.

Mixed Messages

Everywhere I turn there are signs of hope...and signs of lingering anger.

Today I read in the Daily Nation www.nationmedia.com the headline HOPE AT LAST.
There was a full page picture of Kofi Annan applauding a handshake agreement between Kibake and Odinga. GREAT NEWS.

By 6 am news spread about a massacre overnight in Nakuru...we've ALL been to Nakuru ...we've led PDL conferences there...Katie Edwards did a PD youth congress there...Well, right now no one...not a truck, not a bota bota is moving through Nakuru. There were 200 homes burned overnight. The Daily Nation reports 51 deaths as of right now with scattered gunfire as it returns to a "relative calm."

Good News...Bad News

I prefer the good...what's the alternative?

Prov 3:5&6

A Friend's Sorrow

You would recognize Christofus in a moment, from his engaging and friendly smile, from his royal red Safari Park uniform, but mostly you'd remember his sheer size...he's 6'9" and can lift a 50 lb.suitcase like it's a pillow.

So when I saw tears in Cristofus' eyes and pain in his voice, I knew something wasn't right.

"They killed her..... the mob took my little niece and they chopped her," he said, still in disbelief. "Now she lays in the morgue and we cannot even take her to Kakamega to bury her properly. The mob on the road will not let us pass...the pangas (machetes) are drawn. Pastor Steve, my little niece is gone."

What turns neighbor against neighbor, so frighteningly fast, in this land that has been a model of peace and harmony? What has turned Kenya inside-out in the days since the disputed elections?

The answers are complex...born out of tribal rivalries and historic grudges, and fanned by politics and poverty.

In the next week I'll be asking myself that question a thousand times...why here? why now?
I'll also be asking the Lord, "How do people get back on track?"

The shirt I grabbed from my duffle this morning is the one many of us wore in Katrina 2 years ago.
On the back are the words that have become a motto to us in PEACE RELIEF, "We're not here to SOLVE...We're here to SERVE."

LORD...in the process of serving our broken friends like Cristofus, help us come to grips with your words, "Love God and love your neighbor".

When your neighbor has a drawn panga...it's not so simple.

Attention Prayer Warriors

Ok, all you prayer warriors out there...here's a few requests that could keep you on your knees for a few days...Please ask the Lord to work his perfect will in these issues over the next days.

1) Many of you know that we've had a container of medical equipment and supplies for Sister Freda's Cottage Hospital and shoes for the prisoners at Kitale Prison being held up in Mombasa customs for quite some time...we and our Kenyan partners have not been willing to take part in the proposed 'quick fix' approach of paying off the right person. Corruption, even in the name of doing good, is still corruption. Well, the short version is that with all the chaos of the last weeks since the elections...Mombasa Port is impossibly backed up and officials are trying to clear all they can immediately.It appears they are now willing to back away from their previous position and let us get the container out of the port and over to Kitale...still a ton of issues, like safe, secure transport, but that's where you guys come in...
Please pray for a miracle on this...that the stuff get's cleared and that we are able to get it safely through El Doret, which is presently like Dodge City...and through to Kitale.


2)Matt and Misha McGill are in mid-stream of the adoption process for Baby Moses (pictured above), a child abandoned to die near Freda's place. Ask Dan and Kathleen about all the red tape that comes with Kenya adoption and they can fill your evening with intrigue-filled stories...short version...the paperwork appears to be done...things are very close to resolution...I'm meeting with the attorney in the next couple days, but ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN...wacky stuff just crops here...so, again..even if you don't know exactly WHAT to pray for. Ask the Lord Himself to guide this to a successful conclusion and to get Moses home with Mat, Misha, Max, Mark, and Morgan. Anyone lacking wisdom? Re-Read James 1.

3) I have to make a decision in the next few hours of which way I'm going to Kitale...Each has their own unique challenges, which I won't go into here. But please pray for God-given discernment for which path to take...road or by plane onto the Kitale airstrip.The pilot is having second thoughts about the flight, but we had a good conversation moments ago and I think he is willing to try it tomorrow, if the Kofi Annon/Raila Odinga/Pres. Kibaki summit doesn't explode tonight. Stonic says he has a 'back roads' route that can get us to Kitaleno problem...but I'd just soon avoid the 13 hours of road trip adventure...my kidneys are still bleeding from our last trip to Norok. Please pray.

I've spoken with almost everyone in Kitale and everyone is safe. 5 folks were murdered yesterday in Endebess, if you remeber the team where Mike and Michele Robison met LUCY for the first time...that's Endebess...where Katie and Allison and others painted murals on the walls of the school for handicapped kids.

Gotta go but will have more tomorrow...looking forward to seeing how God answers YOUR prayers. (Don't you love how I so subtly I shifted the responsibility!!)
Steve

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." NIV

Traveling to Kenya

January 22, 2008

I'm at the internet cafe at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, mentally scrolling through the faces and memories of folks that I hope to see in the next few days in Kenya.

Stonic Koipah...my trusted friend and travel companion for 10 years...Stonic assures me he has a way to get us to Kitale while avoiding the troubles on the El Doret Highway.
Sister Freda Robinson (pictured)...and her Cottage Hospital...after a 3 week communication'blackout' I was finally able to hear Freda's sweet voice a few days ago...She and Richard are safe, but supplies and food are in short supply.
The inmates and staff at Kitale Prison, where a clean water project is close to completion...I'll be interested to see how Celebrate Recovery in coming along on the 'Yard'. Jana O'Guin's efforts have been tireless.
Stephen and Roselyn Mairori, and all the ICM family...the seminary in Mt. Elgon may be able to reopen in the next month...God has miraculously spared the campus, even though homes and churches just yards away were burned to the ground.
Patricia Sawa and her HIV/AIDS center 'Discover to Recover' Patricia was trapped in Kisumu for a week or so while she was speaking at an AIDS conference and clashes broke out that shut down all travel...two of the children from her Kitale center have gone missing in the Nakuru area...they were travelling with only a weeks supply of anti-retrovirals and it has now been a month since they were swept up in the chaos in Nakuru.

The entire church family of Deliverance Church, Kitale...Moses, Margaret and family and the 450 children of Purpose Driven Academy...
Geoffrey (pictured below) and the street kids at Oasis of Hope...the latest report from Lydia Monroe is that all the kids are safe and accounted for...even the ones who were stuck up in Lodwar, by the Sudan border.
Jacenta and the Mercy Home kids who rode out the recent storm of chaos and insecurity on our compound...

and so many others...James, Sammy, Juma, Jason, Peter, Ayub, Mary, Andrew...and Jambi.


Psalm 133:1
"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together unity !"

How good , indeed...please Lord, bring peace and reconciliation to your children in Kenya. May a leader emerge in the next days, who is willing to set aside self-interest and set Kenya back on the road to safety and prosperity. Show us, Lord, how we can follow your will and way and be an encouraging presence in the lives of our Kenyan friends.

Lord, please bless and keep these friends safe and secure.

Travel

Hey folks-

Today is travel day! Pastor Steve is currently on his way to Kenya. As many of you have experienced firsthand, it is a very long journey. Please pray for his safety and traveling mercies. Also, let's pray for divinely appointed seating arrangements...that God would allow the opportunity for Steve to share God's word with a fellow passenger!