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Updates
From the Field: Kenya # 43: July 2, 2009 |
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| Dear Friends, Time sometimes seems to move slowly, but when you look back, you wonder where it all has gone. I am sorry for taking so long to send another newsletter. It shocked me to see that I haven't sent one since May! I hope you are all enjoying the summer. We are now in winter and I am feeling the need for a sweater. Pictures are very important to me. I display the images of my friends and family all over my home. It is interesting to me that if you put a picture in a new frame, it can totally change the way the picture looks. I have been working on "reframing" in my ministry lately. When the pressure is on, it is easy for me to be judgmental or short sighted about a situation. However, seeing something in a different light sometimes changes the whole image. Solomon is a young man that we support in university. He came to see me the other day, and as we were discussing his classes, I felt lead to ask him to tell me his whole story. I knew that he came through the Thika Parking Boys Centre (a home for street boys that was closed and is now Karibu Centre), but little else. He told me that a Salvation Army officer found him on the street when he was 9 years old. His mother had abandoned him and he didn't know who his father was. This officer brought him to the Parking Boys home. He was too young to be admitted, so the officer lied about his age so Solomon could get the help he needed. This changed his life. He told me how hard it was to be with boys from the street who were 3-9 years older than him. He was beat up and teased a lot. However, he always felt loved by the officers there who transitioned him into school where he excelled. Solomon then told me that those officers left and a new couple came. This couple had a rule: the boys were to learn and memorize scripture. If they failed their assignment for the week, they had to do the gardening on the property. That seemed a little harsh to me, but Solomon said that he met God while memorizing that scripture. He was saved and never turned back. He finished secondary school well and is now studying for a diploma in IT. His mother found him last year, but she is dying of AIDS. Solomon has found that he has 6 younger brothers and sisters. Since his mother is dying, Solomon uses some of his sponsorship money to help support the family. I asked him if I could share his story and he said, "I think people should hear my testimony. It is a testimony of what God can do. I cannot believe where I was and where I am now. He has brought me so far". The last grades he gave me showed 5 A's and 1 B. I beamed like a proud parent as I showed it around the office. Framing his situation with his story totally changes the way I look at him. I admit I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Solomon, but now I am amazed by him. I am overwhelmed at what he has accomplished and what he has overcome. Last weekend, I travelled to Makueni District for a review with a team from Territorial Headquarters. We had a nice time with the officers on Saturday, and then I was sent to a corps on Sunday to preach. The District Commander informed me that I would be serving a duel purpose, since the corps was connected to a SA sponsored primary school. As we drove 10 km down a dirt road, I observed the dead grass and red dust in the fields, emaciated cows eating the dead grass, and dry riverbeds. When we got to the corps, the very enthusiastic Sargent in Charge started telling me about the drought and the desperation of the people in the community. Each new person I met told me the same thing and asked me to help. The Salvation Army actually drilled a borehole (a kind of well) a couple of years ago, but the area was so dry they could not get water. In the worship service, the Head Teacher, Corps Sargent Major, and top student made speeches about the same and claimed in faith that they knew I would aid in some way. My helplessness turned into irritation. What could I do to help a whole community with draught and starvation?!? Why were they putting all the pressure on me to do something?!? Then, I prayed. God told me to reframe the situation. I thought about what it must be like to have no water or food. Then, I thought about the little bit of hope they would feel at having a visitor from THQ and one who happened to be from the USA, the land of plenty. I couldn't blame them for hoping. I can't solve their problem, but there is nothing wrong with hope. Hope keeps people going. So, I am learning to reframe. I am learning to remove my judgement and find a way to look at things positively. It's not easy, but hopefully I will keep trying. The verses that have touched me this week are:
"In their misery they cried out to the Lord, and he saved them from their troubles. He brought them out of their gloom and darkness and broke their chains. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love and for the miracles he does for people" - Psalm 107: 13-15 Love, Armida Armida
LaMarr |
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