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

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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