Saturday, March 21, 2015

Meet Norah

In mid January of this year the person who stayed in my house when I traveled for the past three years left for the States. Uh-oh! Though I’d kept my ears open knowing this day might come, I suddenly needed to get very serious about replacing that caretaker. Several posts on various Facebook groups continued to result in no luck, and the recent break ins didn’t help.

Even knowing that the Lord’s timing is perfect and that he is most certainly in control, I began to release peace in lieu of anxiety…until one day. As I walked through the doors of the church just a few weeks ago, Norah the cheerful greeter, whom I met in a Bible study group a few years back, whispered into my ear, "I want to come live with you." Um…say what?

I proceeded to take my seat and lean over to friend Jennifer to ask if she happened to mention my need to Norah or to Pr Zeddie. Her negative response led me to explain what just happened and we both were showered with goose bumps. We agreed it must be one of those creepy things you couldn’t orchestrate yourself – a God thing.

And so, I’d like to introduce you to Norah. Norah is the newest part of all that is my life. I am incredibly thankful for this faithful, servant-oriented woman of God who is sharp, kind, and sweet. We will be staying together in my home and she will care for all of its needs (safety, upkeep, administration) so that I am free to travel without worry. Norah comes into my life with all of her own needs too and so I’m glad the Lord brought her into my story.


Please welcome Norah to my story and watch for her name to pop up every now and then. Pray for her, encourage her, and love her just like you do me.
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Vineyard School of Ministry

Those of you who know me well won’t be surprised to learn how important intellectual stimulation is to me as an individual. But have you thought about how important ongoing learning ought to be to ministry leaders too? It’s easy to feel intellectually isolated in developing countries, and to focus on serving others and not on replenishing yourself.

That’s why I’m excited about the opportunity to press into the Word alongside East Africans at Vineyard School of Ministry (VSM) in Nairobi. I’ve been in conversation with the important leaders in my life and we all agree that this program is God-shaped ideal for several reasons.




Vineyard Affiliation
The VSM program is affiliated with the Vineyard Association of Churches (both Vineyard USA and Vineyard International), and the Vineyard Institute. Learn more about what it means to have a Vineyard flavor here.




Like-minded Missions
The VSM and Surprised by Hope missions are like-minded in that 1) VSM is committed to empowering East Africans to proclaim and demonstrate the kingdom of God as missional agents, and 2) SbH is dedicated to seeing East Africans become positive influencers in their community, in their country, and in the body of Christ. The majority of those we serve are pastors or church leaders who are trying to serve their communities.

African Context
The VSM program delivers its teaching from a uniquely African contextual lens and is for leaders who wish to express their faith in a distinctly African style. Being submerged in the African perspective will certainly improve my understanding of the source of some of the rather peculiar (to Westerners) thinking as well as prepare me to address unbiblical theologies as I minister here.

Daystar University Collaboration
Daystar University is one of the largest Christian liberal arts universities in Africa and is committed to offering Christian education to the church and the world. This collaboration means jointly working to set performance standards, monitor and evaluate students, supervise and approve instructors, and approve exams and final grades. Better yet, the collaboration means the school will have degree of rigor from which I will benefit.


Schedule Ideality
The VSM program meets for two consecutive weeks during the three primary school holidays – April, August, and December, which means I will focus on school when in school and ministry the remaining weeks. I won’t be dividing my attention with too strenuous a workload therefore exposing the ministry to suffering.



Our first week of class begins April 3 and will address Father God & His Family: Systematic Theology I. Our second week of class begins April 10 and will address Church Planting. After that, I return to full time ministry until the first two weeks in August. Your prayers and encouragement are appreciated as I begin this new endeavor in a new town with new people under a new system of education. 

Let's see what the Lord will do with Surprised by Hope through our obedience.
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Windows from Loduk and Church on Fire

Many of you read my recent post “Plink…and the Window Swung Open” about one successful break in and one attempted break in at my home in Uganda. Both occurred within two months of one another. One church and one ministry made one BIG difference by responding immediately to the problem (once I finally spoke it aloud). I tend to suffer in silence thinking “I am supposed to figure this out myself,” but what happened next was proof positive that the Lord created us to be in community for a reason…a very good reason.

Church on Fire and Loduk Development Initiative both said, “We’ve got you covered.” They both recognized what I wanted to ignore, that my safety (or simply having a good night sleep, a night without fear) is part of being successful in ministry. I know so many people face far worse safety risks than I do, and so I am humbled and grateful for their care for me.

Many thanks to Bob at Loduk – a ministry operating out of Karamoja, Uganda whose primary purpose is to support nonprofits through drilling water wells, aiding with construction projects, and supplying/installing solar systems – and who simply said, “We’re on our way.” We brainstormed possible solutions and when we landed, Bob sent Bryce to follow through. And many thanks to Bryce who came with an incredibly humble heart, tolerated my perfectionism, and managed to choke down my food.


Many thanks to the Church on Fire family who joined together to provide the funds needed to bring safety to my home and peace to my mind. Take a look at what your generosity did.


1.  We added horizontal bar spacers to reduce the space thieves might find small enough to send their child-sized explorers through. Please pray for those small children, being ignorant of the wickedness of their actions, and for their abusers.


Before

After\

2.  We added a "lip" to the outside window to cover the seam between the window and frame, thus preventing thieves from releasing the handle to open the window.

Notice the bubbly weld spots, you can't really see the lip well.

3.  We added "loops" on each window and frame so that a padlock would secure the window closed from the inside.




The challenge, of course, is keeping 16 sets of keys and locks paired.

I trust the Lord to guide and protect me and in that he provided a community of people at Loduk and Church on Fire as his hands and feet. I cannot possibly express my gratitude except to say thank you for responding to his prompting. Thank you that every sound outside my window doesn't raise goose bumps, bring my heart to full speed, and keep me that way all night long.

In everything, I praise the Lord for you.

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Sunday, March 1, 2015

Plink...and the Window Swung Open

In the early morning hours of December 29, just days after the Christmas gift-giving holiday, I received a phone call while sleeping in my Malindi vacation bed. Thieves had entered my Uganda house, through a formerly locked window, only a short time before. Covering the face of my friend, who was keeping the house in my absence, with a rag soaked in chloroform, they proceeded to steal all his electronics and a few of my household items before departing through the front door.

The shoe print of a child could be seen on the frame of the window, the only means by which to enter and access the door keys though which the group of adult men entered. A small child! Were the windows left unlocked? We never even open those windows, there are others but not those because they receive direct sunlight and so remain locked and covered to keep the heat at bay. But how? To this day there are so many questions and the only thing to do is accept that sometimes we never receive the answers we so desire.

My mind raced with thoughts of ideas for strengthening security, and even as I await the box sent from the US containing a few of those tools…

At about 12:30 am the morning of February 26, I woke from a dream which was filled with the sound of rattling windows, like in beach houses during stormy nights. I lie silently listening and hearing nothing, arose and searched the house – a simple endeavor given its two rooms – and returned to my bed though sleepless. For the next three hours I occupied my mind with various thoughts and finally began to doze. And then…plink!

Eyes wide open, I searched for the source of the sound and the source of the now cool breeze passing over my legs. Not moving an inch, in the space of about three seconds I saw the window swing open. The sound of that plink was the brace falling against the window frame. And with an effort to focus my eyes in the dark, I saw the shadow of a man-boy looking in at me perhaps wondering if I heard the sound and wondering how I would respond. What could I do? Inside those three seconds I realized that as soon as I moved he would be gone. Could I catch him? Did I want to catch him? Would he enter through the narrow bars or run? Had others already entered? Do I have a weapon?

Perhaps I should have called out in the name of Jesus, but instead in an aggressive manner I raced from the bed and ran four steps toward the window screaming “get out, get out, get out” over and over again. In the black of night I could only assume the people who blended into the darkness so well fled…and I prayed it was so as I opened my screen to pull the window closed again imagining them pulling my wrists and somehow trapping me.
The adrenaline pumped through my body, far more than necessary for that tiny span of time. Who should I call? Who can come? Who can help? My only option was to call my parents way far away, knowing that the worry and helplessness they would endure was unfair. I discovered that my voice had gone. For three days my voice left me, apparently my screaming was more intense than I realized.

The aftermath of the first successful break in and the second attempted break in has really left a mark. I trust the Lord to protect me and at the same time I know the enemy is allowed to reign in the hearts of unbelievers. I’ve done my best to improve security, but as I wait for that box from the US and for the other security plans to come together, I find distress.

I lay in my bed with my eyes and ears more alert than a watchdog. Every rattle, every plink, every footstep, every voice must be thieves plotting to enter. I turn on the lights, but what if I can’t see them coming in the dark? I play movies, but what if I can’t hear them and get the frying pan ready for a swing? I lose Facebook Scrabble game after game with my mother, who patiently listens to my fears.

And finally dawn comes and I boldly step out of bed hoping all in the house is as it had been the night before. Work begins around 4:00 am and I take only a short nap in the heat of the afternoon hours. With daylight comes a renewed determination to experience the next night as normal. But when darkness falls, the fear returns.

Missionaries living in foreign countries, particularly developing countries, face so many trials. Yet somehow many of us feel it’s most appropriate to keep quiet about them because we ought to count it all joy, right? I’ve struggle with the decision to share for some time, obviously, and decided that it’s important for you to know the truth. Why? Because we are in this together. We are partners in the work of the Lord spiritually, financially, prayerfully, and relationally. We cannot effectively continue to serve him without all the information. And so here it is…all the information. Continue serving him, please, with your ongoing intercessory prayers.

I know the Lord is my greatest peace; however, please join me in praying that truth into my head. Pray that the Lord would cover this house with his protection and that would-be intruders would bass by with blind eyes. Pray that the planned security measures would be implemented soon, that they would be more than enough, and that a sense of safety inside my sanctuary would return.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” 1 Peter 5:10.

Amen.
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