"Eve! Why are you wearing the environment?"

Tara and I have just returned from our prison ministry with Pastor Julius and I was reflecting on our travels and ministry over the last few days. I kept thinking of all the people we had seen and of all the beautiful scenery in Kenya and the one thing that kept popping up in my mind was a statement Julius made. See we were discussing my sermon during the prison service. And we were discussing what had happened there in the garden with Adam and Eve, especially where it says "both of their eyes were opened." Julius was contemplating what would have happened if Eve's eyes were opened before Adams eyes were opened. Eve would have recognized her nakedness and put on her fig leaf and Adam, not knowing nakedness yet, would have screamed "Eve! Why are you wearing the environment?".....but you have to say it in Julius's accent....a heavy Kenyan British accent where every syllable is pronounced proper....."Eve!Why are you wearing the environment?"......and when you say it you have to burst out laughing because that is what we all did....burst out laughing!

But I have been thinking about that comment...about that thought. Why were both of their eyes opened at the same time. Upon further discussion, Julius made the comment that if Eve's eyes were opened and Adams were not, perhaps Adam would have noticed the change in Eve....the shame...the guilt....the fear...and Adam probably would have not eaten the fruit. He would have thought the fruit made Eve crazy because "now she's wearing the environment."
Anyway, just some forbidden food for thought.

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Rejoice in the Lord!

A story from Joram retold by Joel

This story was told by Joram during a devotion service at YWAM Athi River, Kenya. Here is my attempt to re-tell the story.

There were these two Africans. One was a Christian and the other was not. They both got a job at the saw mill. They were very happy. One day one of the guys got his finger cut off. The Christian told him to "rejoice in the Lord!" and he responded, "how can I rejoice in the Lord? I just lost my finger!" The Christian said, "you must rejoice in the Lord no matter what. For the Lord makes all things good, so I say rejoice in the Lord!"

A few months went by and they had saved enough money to travel and visit family. They decided to travel together. However, they had to travel through the bush. While traveling through the bush they ran out of water. They had not brought enough and it was very hot. They came upon a well but had no way to draw the water. They decided to take turns and lower each other into the well to drink. The Christian lowered the other into the well and he drank. Then the Christian was lowered into the well and he drank but when it was time to be brought out of the well the other said "remember that time I lost my finger and you told me to rejoice in the Lord no matter what? Now I am telling you to rejoice", and with that he left him in the well and continued on his journey.

While he was traveling through the bush he came upon some nomadic bush people, the people that make human sacrifices to their gods. They captured him. They tied him to their alter as a sacrifice. But when they noticed he was missing a finger they said "we cannot sacrifice this to our gods. Our sacrifice must be whole and this man is not whole. He is missing a finger." So they let him go.

As he was running from the nomadic people he realized that because he had lost a finger he did not lose his life. He began to rejoice. he also thought about the Christian in the well. He thought that if he had not left him in the well and they had been traveling together they would have sacrificed him because he was whole.

He ran back to the well and lifted the Christian out and shouted "YOU MUST REJOICE IN THE LORD!"

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Just two stories I thought would share some of the humor and the fellowship that Tara and I are experiencing here in Kenya. It is a blessing to be in God's will.

So, I think Eve's response to Adams question of "why are you wearing the environment?" should have been..."rejoice in the Lord! For the Lord makes all things good!"....yes indeed, rejoice in the Lord no matter your circumstance.

Giraffe! Why are you wearing the environment?

Rejoice in the Lord!.....no matter what

Blessings,
Joel and Tara

Mazungu in a Matatu. (Translation: white man in a mini van)

Just go ahead and GET IN THE BUS!

Outside the bus

Last week I got to travel from Machakos, Kenya to Nakuru, Kabarnet and Tambach, Kenya. All travel was done by local public transportation which means I rode in a matatu, rode in a tuk-tuk, rode on a motorcycle and did a lot of walking.

Inside the bus

It was very exciting to visit with Pastor Julius and minister in the prisons with him, because that is specifically what the Lord has called me here for (41 inmates now know Jesus and are being discipled!!), but it was also just as exciting getting in the bus with all the Kenyans and seeing how they travel in their own country. I mean that really got me out of my comfort zone, especially the two young boys that practically sat in my lap for 2-1/2 hours from Nairobi to Nakuru and stared at me because I was the one and only mazungu they had ever seen.....but they were great and did not cry, praise God!

Tara and I have been very fortunate to have met so many missionaries here at the YWAM Base. Some of the missionaries are in training and have just begun their journeys and some have been missionaries for many years with a lot of experience and a lot of great stories. One of the missionaries with a ton of wisdom is Connie Taylor. Connie and her husband are starting up a YWAM base in Cambridge, UK. She brought her DTS team here to Kenya on their outreach mission. We got to hear her speak a few weeks ago. She was very encouraging. She talked about potatoes. She grew up in the states and she knew all about potatoes, especially couch potatoes. People that just sit on the couch like potatoes and watch the world go by on their TV. Couch potatoes don't really do much but they sure like to watch much. Connie also said she knew a lot about pew potatoes. Pew potatoes sit on the pew, much like couch potatoes, and watch all the things going on in the church. Pew potatoes don't really do much but just like couch potatoes they sure like to watch much.

I listened to what Connie was saying. I had been a potato for most of my life. Mainly a couch potato but when I went to church I was a pew potato. I heard Connie's words of encouragement a few days before I left for my trip to the prisons. While I was sitting in the matatu surrounded by people staring at me, I couldn't help but think how grateful I am to be inside the bus and not outside the bus. If I was outside the bus I would just be another pew potato watching people inside the bus. I could feel God's blessing upon my life...I mean I could feel the joy and love and grace and peace.....and blessings....I could feel it...not just hear about it. I was experiencing it for myself, because I was inside the bus and not outside the bus.

So, just go ahead and get in the bus. Get off the couch, get off the pew and get in the bus. Whatever God has been telling you to do...do it! Go do it now....no matter how uncomfortable or uneasy...no matter what others will say or think....no matter even if they will stare at you as if you are the one and only mazungu they have ever seen. GET IN THE BUS!

Blessings to you,
Joel and Tara

Joseph And The Amazing Blessing

Tara and I received an amazing blessing a few days ago. We were privileged to be invited to attend a memorial service for a young man who had been killed because of his conversion from Islam to Christianity. I believe the correct term for that is Muslim Background Believer or MBB. What a blessing to hear the testimonies of his life from people that were so touched by his faith and service to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The service was held in secret and was protected by several members of security which only reminded me of how serious the situation is to see the spiritual warfare manifested here in our lives so intensely.
The pastor that spoke at the funeral said a few things that really stuck with me. I cannot recall the pastors name or who he was quoting but he said "evil exists within a society only when good people do nothing". He then asked us if we were good people?.....were we good Christians?....He then challenged us to go and do something good for the Kingdom. And I am doing the same.....I am challenging you to go and do something good, not for yourself...to make you feel good, but for the Kingdom of God. Go and be blessed.

After the service we had a meal and a time of fellowship. I met a man in his early twenties. I will call him Joesph. I was walking out of the building and saw Joseph a few feet away. He looked just like the Somali pirate from the movie "Captain Phillips". I mean exactly like him. I even asked him if he knew Captain Phillips? He replied that he had not heard of that man. Anyway, Joseph had my attention and we began talking. He told me he lived in Nairobi and was a Kenyan. He had grown up close to the Somali/Kenyan border. (There is a tribe called Somali, so someone can be Somali and not live in Somalia which was the case for Joseph. He is Somali with Kenyan citizenship, which is actually very common).
I asked Joseph how he became a Christian and Joseph began telling me one of the most amazing stories. Joseph grew up muslim. His family is muslim. His whole community/village is muslim. One day a missionary showed up in the neighborhood and started playing soccer with Joseph and some of his friends. After a few months the missionary asked them to come to his home for coffee and tea. They started hanging out and visiting with him. Then one day the missionary asked Joseph if he knew who Jesus was. Joseph replied that he knew Jesus as 'the prophet who did not sin', which is common in the muslim belief. The missionary gave Joseph a small new testament to read at his own leisure. No pressure just take a look. Joseph said this began his conversion. He read about Jesus and how Jesus loved everyone and how God loved him. Joseph began to see the difference of Islam and Christianity. He saw hatred and violence and then he saw love and forgiveness. Joseph said the biggest impact that effected him was to see how the Christians did not retaliate when their churches were burned. They forgave and built another one.
So after several months Joseph and his friends, about 10 of them, approached the missionary and said they wanted to follow Jesus! I can't imagine how that missionary felt....or how Jesus felt....or the angels in heaven...but I do know it must have been some big party as the rejoicing began!
The missionary arranged for them to travel to a church near the Ethiopian border. They spent a few days in praise and worship and then Joseph and his friends where baptized!!!! Praise God!
Upon arriving back to their village, Joseph and his friends were confronted. Several people in the village had heard about the baptism and were waiting for them to return. They threw rocks and insults at Joseph and his friends. Joseph's father threatened to kill him. One of his friends was beaten so badly that the missionary had to fly him to a hospital in Europe for treatment. Joseph and a few of his friends fled to Nairobi. He worships secretly at an underground church for Christians of Somali descent or (MBB). Joseph is constantly in fear for his life.
Through all of this Joseph spoke with such joy to know Jesus. His faith and love for the Lord Jesus Christ was so strong. He said all has been worth it to know Jesus. Jesus is his shield, his joy and his comfort.
What a blessing to meet such a strong person. I got to pray with Joseph. I can't wait to see my friend again.
.
I ask you again, go and do something good for the Kingdom..........

Blessings,
Joel and Tara

ps...and to think sometimes our biggest worry is paying taxes......Happy Tax Day!
    

He loves me like no other

Tim, Brian, Joel, Morton
Waypoint Graduation 01-25-2009

March 3, 2008.....
for 6 years to the date.....
for 2,190 days.....
for 312 weeks, I have been sober minded and living a life focused on Christ!

March 3, 2008 my dad took me for an interview at Waypoint Center in Dahlonega, GA. I was at the end of my rope. I had been involved with drugs and alcohol most of my life and I had enough. I was ready for a change. I needed a change. I had lost everything I had. My job, my family, my life, my dignity. Lying, cheating, stealing...divorce, debt, jail...it had all consumed me. I was broken...and worst of all, I did not know how to stay sober.
I sat through the interview. I thought to myself "how am I going to do this for 12 months? I'll stay for 30 days and see how it goes but 12 months is impossible." However, what I found was something I had been looking for my whole life. Through all the confrontation and through all the guidelines and structure I found truth! I was finally finding out just how much God loved me and I came to a place in my heart where I had a strong desire to repent and turn from my old ways, my old habits, my destruction and chaos. I had a desire to finally step into the calling, the destiny, the life God had planned for me and rest in His eternal love, experience His mercy and feel His amazing grace and walk in salvation.
Joel 2:12 says "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, with mourning." God wanted all of my heart and I had a mess to hand over to Him. Through all of my fear and my shame and my guilt and all the emotions that are attached, God met me there! He had been there all along but I was too busy wrapped up in my self to see Him. I fasted from myself and from the world. I would definitely say no TV and no cell phone or internet for a year is fasting! (although I did not know it at the time). And I wept...I wept for the pain I had caused others and the pain I had caused myself and the pain I had caused God. I mourned for the old life that I was in the process of leaving behind. I mourned for all the dreams and aspirations I had had...all the expectations that I could never meet. I handed my heart, my life over to God. And being who He is...He gave me a new life!
Joel 2:25,26 says "I will restore to the years the locust ate....you will eat in plenty and be satisfied." I stayed for the full 12 months and graduated. I also stayed another year for the SLT program. Waypoint had given me a safe place to fast and mourn and weep and now God was restoring my life. God was replacing all my pain and all my woundedness and all my shortcomings with....Himself. Through His word and through His son Jesus Christ I had life restored back to me and all I had to do was surrender and hand it all over to Him. So today I just want to praise His name. I want to shout from the rooftops what He has done for me! He took a broken messed up kid and changed his life. Today I celebrate six years of my journey with Jesus. My journey with God....my journey of restoration and recovery and my journey of finding the one and only thing that can truly satisfy my soul.....my relationship with my creator who loves me like no other.

I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying His voice, and cleaving to Him; for that means life to you.-Deuteronomy 30:19,20

33 days....till we leave for Kenya!
Praise Jesus!

AUDACIA

Tara and I arrived in Costa Rica last night and were blessed to see Jonathan and Maggie, jonandmaggie.org. We got to attend a youth bible study with them and see their ministry in action. It was really awesome to see so many youth all from different backgrounds praising God and digging deeper into His word and experiencing His covenant community. 60 YOUTH PRAISING GOD! AMEN!!!!!

Our time in Honduras with HOI was truly amazing what a blessing it is for God to bring two cultures together to work and praise Him. As I was doing my devotion the Lord led me to several verses in Acts that I would like to share. Starting with Acts 4: 29-30, Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. It is God's hand that is stretched out through the staff of HOI that touches the mission teams hearts and draws us deeper and closer to Him and I pray that it is God's hand that is stretched out through us that touches the hearts of the people in Honduras. When God stretches out His hand many great things are done in the name of Jesus! Lives are changed and we experience His great love for us.

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Many cultures come together at the HOI's Rancho el Paraiso...people of Honduras, people from America, people from Nicaragua (and that 1 guy from Young Life, Tegucigalpa :-) We all come together to spread the gospel to others and to pray as one that we may speak with boldness. And God answers! The Agalta Valley, Olancho, Honduras has been shaken! It is filled with the Holy Spirit and the word of God is spoken with boldness. The mission teams, the staff at the ranch, their
actions speak boldly, their lives speak boldly of God and His great love for us all.

Acts 4:32-33 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. We are of many cultures but we are in accord with one heart and one soul sharing all that we have to give glory to God. We come together to help each other grow closer to God. Allowing Him to stretch out His hand  through us and minister to others. HOI does this in many ways...by construction projects, by medical clinics, by vet clinics, by providing education through the schools and by prayer visitations to the "shut-ins" throughout the valley...HOI is addressing all the needs of the community, but the most important of all is that HOI speaks boldly that Jesus Christ was obediant and that Jesus Christ died on the cross and Jesus Christ was resurrected three days later and through Jesus Christ God gives grace to us all and is bringing us back into relationship with God Himself, ourselves, each other and the rest of His creation!!!!! 

Gracias y que Dios los bendiga

Gracia y paz~ Joel and Tara

learning together

working together

singing and praising God together

King and kingdom

Mission trip to Honduras/Costa Rica is just a few days away, Jan 25

In our preparation for the upcoming trip to Honduras our team has been asked to read "When Helping Hurts" by Corbett and Fikkert. It has really changed my perspective on missions and I highly recommend reading it.

In the beginning of the book I read something that has really stuck with me. It actually has kept me really focused on what I am doing. I mean it has hit me in a deep place and really made me stop and think about what I am doing. What I read was "many...long for the peace, justice, and righteousness of the kingdom, but they do not want to bend their knee to the King Himself." As Tara and I are preparing spiritually for our mission trip we are really examining our motives. We do not want to lose sight of the King. Jesus came to set up His kingdom on earth, I mean He came to really turn this place upside down and all around. He taught the truth, the way and the life.....and the kingdom He was/is setting up is full of peace and righteousness and justice...for all not just a few. And we all want this kingdom. We all desire to have the needs of the poor met. We do not want any children to starve or for anyone to be homeless or to continue suffering in their addiction, we want to give to the needy and poor the downtrodden, the destitute. That is the kingdom that He came to set up. But...but we cannot loose focus of the KING! However, if we focus only on the King and lose sight of the kingdom then what are we accomplishing...injustices continue in the community. We must have a healthy perspective of both. We cannot "seek the King without the kingdom" just as we cannot "seek the kingdom without the King." 

Please pray for us. That our mission is both focused on the King and His kingdom.    

Prayer Requests:

• Trip to Honduras Jan 25-Feb 1, (we will be visiting the village of La Florista in the Oloncho valley with Honduras Outreach)
• Trip to Costa Rica Feb 1-8, (visiting Tara's missionary cousin's Jonathan and Maggie and celebrating their newborn baby)  
• Continued support for MACCO School in Nairobi
• Upcoming trip to Kenya in April

God Bless,
Joel and Tara