Leaving Thursday...

The past weeks have been very, very full. God's blessed me with 57 people who've drawn alongside to "go with" me to Kenya. I suppose some of you know I raise my hand - say "yes" - for a variety of reasons - with the obvious one being God just asked. I'm not always good at saying "yes" to Him. A malady most of us suffer - Mother Theresa is a good example of probably saying "yes" every single time. But - I ain't Mother Theresa. Phil. 1:6 applies...!!

We leave Thursday - 5pm'ish flight - fly through Schiphol (shkeep-ohl) in Amsterdam arriving a little after 8am. We hang out in the city where Rembrandt lived out the latter years of his life. At 10am on Friday, we leave for Nairobi - and arrive at 7:40pm there. That is around 12 noon or therebouts here in Atlanta. We'll be a bit tired...

The past few weeks have been fascinating. Some good - some clearly with the "accuser" working me and some others over pretty good. But Christ remains... In the middle of the past weeks, we were introduced to another group - born out of Kenya - that is working side-by-side with 410 Bridge and some with Northpoint - called Global Outreach Ministry. (http://www.goaweb.org/). Through circumstances and arrangements only God could orchestrate - Troy Johnson of GOA found us at a Sunday team meeting and brought to us the founder of GOA - Bishop David Thagana and one of his pastors - Phyllis. Phyllis is the pastor of Tumaini orphanage in Karima, Kenya - in the Kinangop Region. She is also the Sr. Pastor at the church there. She and her husband are mother and father to - as of this blog post - 87 children.

Her story - I was able to capture it on digital video - as I hope to do with many others when in Kenya. Her story - and the story of how this orphanage came to be - are very moving and very powerful. Hmmm - what a surprise. When Jesus gets in the middle of something, there appears to be nothing but power. His. Take a look at this brief segment of her telling how this orphanage came into being...

A little boy - he refused. He refused to stand apart from the love of Christ. The world had stripped him of nearly every element of possessions - those things that could stand in the way of what becomes a demand - when all else is gone and fades away - the demand that we know true Love. Each one of us wants it - each one of us seeks it. It seems so illusive in our lives though - but this one boy demanded. And you know the story by now...

We'll spend time (Sat/Sun) with the children of the Havilla orphanage. This is the orphanage that has produced the Daraja Children's Choir we saw last year at Northpoint - take a look at the video. I'm very excited to meet the people at Havilla who have given their hearts and lives to listen to the voice of God - see His vision for His fatherless children and how they will touch lives for the cause of Christ.

We'll then head to Ngaamba ("gahm-bah") where we'll help the people of that town continue to develop their water supply. Hard work I imagine - we'll all need leather gloves for this part...

Pray for our team - open hearts to allow God to trash the "stuff" that so fills us - that we can see with His eyes - we allow our arms and hands to be His - that we'll accept and know that our simple "touch" with the love of Christ may be all that He intends. All plans and "projects" be ordained as He needs and we will be as Christ - we will have the attitude that was in Him - to empty ourselves of our "American prerogative" and be made in the likeness of Christ - humbling our selves by becoming obedient - obedient to the point of the death of our "self" and seek to be only that which He needs. Right now. Right there.

Thank you again for standing beside me - and Christ in this endeavor.

In His grip with you - Clay