Myanmar Cries Out

Well...just when I had settled back into life in the OC...a round of golf with Kyle...a trip to Disneyland with Connie and our grandson, Luke, hanging out with Caroline and her BIOLA buds, and celebrating the birth of Erin and Jake's newest baby girl, Harper Lane Rutenbar...up comes this crisis...here's what we know:

*feared dead in Cyclone Nargis...100,000
*feared homeless...1 million and growing
*utter crop devastation
*virtually no clean water
*severely delayed response to attempts by the international relief community to help The Myanmar (formerly Burma) government is extremmely hostile to ANYTHING that looks American or Christian ...including relief supplies.

Here please read this appeal for prayer from a Myanmar pastor we are meeting with tonight in Thailand. We do not use his name because it would endanger his work and the life of his family.

Our team of Don Thompson, Don Herr, Chris Sharon, and me is in Taipei, headed for Tailand and praying that tomorrow we will be able to get into Myanmar...not as relief workers or missionaries, but as 'eco-tourists'..I've been called alot of things, but never 'eco'-anything.

Dear brothers and sisters,
A week has already passed. Tens of thousands are still helpless in a hopeless situation. Time is running out. People are dying of diseases and starvation. It seems our prayers are unanswered. Those who pray and those who help are frustrated. But as I watch the news, read the news and listen to the news I thank God for the answers He has given although everything does not happen according to our wish and our timing. Let us praise the Lord who is sovereign, who has all the power to do everything he wants to do, who is merciful and compassionate,….
Let us confess our own sins and the sin of our authorities and our people as our own(Dan 9:4-19)
Let us thank God the Lord that
* Our authorities accept the international aid although it seems very slow.
* Burmese people all over the world are considering coming back to Myanmar to assist the relief work which no foreign aid workers are allowed to come into to do. Some are already back with the resources, skills and headed to the affected area.(I feel like many Nehemiahs coming back)
* Myanmar Christians and churches are doing the relief work with the limited resources they have. I am sure the believers of other faith are doing the same.
* The NGOs and UN organizations are doing their very best to help the victims.

Let us keep on praying to the God of mercy on this Global day of Prayer on Pentecostal Sunday when hundreds of millions of Christians lift up their prayers to
* break the power of Satan on Myanmar and the authorities who are very superstitious and make every single decision for the affair of our country from the advice of astrologers and fortune tellers. Let us resist the power of Satan, break the strongholds he has been taking in the lives of the authorities and the people. Let us deliver them from all evil in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
* to soften the hearts of authorities to fasten the relief, inviting and allowing the citizens to assist the overwhelming task and allow the international aid workers to involve in the relief work, to help and open the ways for those who provide resources and aid from outside Myanmar
*to comfort those who lost everything may be reached by the aid He has already provided.
* to strengthen and protect those who are helping the victims. The relief work may not be hindered by any resistance of the authorities and the weather (UN Weather Agency forecasts heavy rain in Burma next week)
*to send back thousands of Myanmar people who have heart and skills to join in the relief work when international workers are prohibited to enter into the country.
* to empower and give wisdom to the Christian leaders in Myanmar in one accord to cooperate strongly and humbly as they come together to give servant leadership to assist the needy.
*help us to pray according to His will that His Kingdom may come and His Will be Done through this tragedy.

When we work we work,when we pray God works(Hudson Taylor)

Myanmar Cyclone Relief

Dear PEACE RELIEF and missions team members,

I'm hopping on a plane in a few hours with Don Herr, Don Thompson, and Chris Sharon to assess the scope of the Burmese cyclone crisis.

What we know so far...100,000 feared dead...1 million homeless...widespread waterborn disease outbreaks from rotting corpses being disposed of in local rivers...Myanmar is a very closed...very hostile military regime that hates all-things-Christian and all-things western, so we are going into Myanmar under cover...not as pastors or relief workers. We'll be reporting back in 9 days about what God shows us and what we believe our church response can and should be.

Please pray for our team, that the Lord gives us favor and insight and discernment. A number of you have asked if Saddleback folks can go and give...the answer is yes and yes. We'll return with partner churches (embedded and underground churches) we can work with, and a gameplan for the days ahead, just like the tsunami, Katrina and the recent Kenyan crisis.

You can give to RELIEF through the on-line giving site at Saddlebackfamily.com This is a gigantic OPEN DOOR for the Good News of God's Love to penetrate a closed culture with the Gospel.

PLEASE PRAY ...expectantly...for victory in the midst of chaos.

Pastor Steve Rutenbar

Ameni and Juliette Make a Big Decision

They are just 17 and 16 years old...
They are both orphans...
One is Muslim, the other has never believed in God
Their names are Ameni and Juliette...
Juliette has been to 4th grade...
Ameni has never been to any school...
They sell stuff in the back alleys of Kigale to get some food...
They sit in shopkeepers stores, while the owner runs errands or goes to the mosque
They are 2 of my favorite new friends...
like Jambi, and Andrew, and James Juma, and Nadia, and Sasha

I met Ameni and Juliette and her sister, Janet, while looking for wool blankets the other day, and I haven't been able to get them out of my mind since.

Something just connected, especially with this little Islamic girl, Ameni, who from behind her veil and prayer garb, kept asking who we were, and where we were from, and why we were in her country, and in her store, and why we wanted $1000 of blankets and cups and basins and fabric, and who was it for?
why, why, why...

Even though I invited them to come to the Samaritan's Purse Shoebox day...I never really believed they'd find out where it was and actually show up.

At a church clear across town...down a long dirt road...up a hill...behind an iron gate...
We had drivers and cell phones and we could barely find this place...but there they were...
Ameni, in her prayer veil, Juliette, and Janet.

Then all of a sudden, I started to get it...
God was moving in these girl's hearts...
They were leaning into everything we'd say...

Sunday morning, at church...Deliverance Church, with Pastors Joseph and Rose... I was walking up onto the stage to preach at the first of 2 services.
And there they were...
Julliette and Ameni, still in her Muslim garb.
Janet was caught up in feeding her other sister and ran late for the church service.

After the message, I turned the service over to Pastor Rose, to close in prayer.
We offered that if anyone wanted to begin walking a new journey wth Christ to come forward and pray. My heart almost jumped through my chest when I saw these girls, these new friends, get up out of their seats and walk to the front.

Marilyn Mohr and others greeted them as they approached the front of the church and they began to pray.

I watched as Ameni lowered her veil, wrapped it around her shoulder and began praying to Jesus Christ for the first time in her life. Juliette and others joined her in that prayer to confess their sins and failures and to place their faith in the Lord Jesus.

We have been around Ameni now about 5 more times...at the stadium...at the town center...at a coffee shop...and I have never since seen the Islamic veil...

Pastor Rose took me aside Sunday afternoon and said, "These girls really want to change their lives, Steve. They are sincere." She told me that she would do everything in her power to make sure the girls got in with good Christian girlfriends at their church. Rose said, "Orphans need love, I can assure you they will get that at our church."

Thank you to everyone who paused to pray for these girls to come to the Lord. I believe Janet will soon trust too, but it has to be her decision...not her sister's or friend's choice.

PRAYER WORKS

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...