men, women and children left to die and let's be honest, we're quite OK with it

meds delivered
One concern heading into Kenya was surrounded around the medications and medical supplies I was bringing over with me. Thankfully, after a good 5minute conversation with the Kenyan border guard, I was able to walk right into Kenya with no taxes or threats encountered. The guard, however, did appear to desire part of the cut but I willingly played dumb and lost no medication because of it. In this situation, making some badly timed jokes worked in my favour (I'm sure my beautiful fiance would heavily disagree that these jokes are ever warranted...) ;-)

i know i'm back in (rural) kenya
...when a long shower is timed at 30seconds
...when attempting to say something in the native language causes everyone in the room to laugh
...when you're no longer worried about bugs in your bed, but large spiders and lizards sleeping under your blankets(thankfully, no bites yet)
...when drinking 'milk' = warm water and white chunks of powder (goes great with stale bread)
...when for the first time in your life you made a small child cry by just looking at him (some tribes see very few white people)
...when starting an event at 10:00a.m. really means most people will start getting out of their bed at around 10:05a.m.
...when a trail of kids follow you around wanting to test out their English on you:
'how are you', they ask...'im fine', i respond
'how are you'...'im still fine'
'how are you'...'im good, how are you?'
'how are you'...'what is your name?'
'how are you'... the cycle continues, and it has yet to get old because when you give them the answer they seek -- "i'm fine" -- they giggle and giggle and giggle
...when the rolling hills and green forest makes you stand back and wonder if this is how the Garden of Eden looked like back in the day (sorry, internet not strong enough to upload the pictures)
 ...when you're wiping your eyes awake as a new day begins and your fiance is yawning her eyes  closed as her day is ending

sadly, i know i'm back in rural kenya
...when a man comes into the clinic with an arrow through his abdomen because of ongoing tribal wars
...when a woman dies from years of untreated HIV
...when a young girl loses her life due to maternal bleeding
...when seizures are seen because anticonvulsants cannot be afforded
...when we pray for protection, and it means more than just protecting our wealth
...when we sing before God for Him to change us from the inside out and then, openly sing a confession that we will surrender all to Him (our lives included), and we actually mean it
...when a bad day means we didn't have food on our plate, or a loved one to hold tightly
...when you hold orphans and children who have been long abandoned due to war or treatable sicknesses or neglect
...when children are left to die, literally tied to trees to be eaten by beasts of the forest because there is a lack of money or interest in them.  And quite honestly, I'm sure we're OK with this since most of us only see it on the TV screen. Afterall, it isn't OUR children and it certainly isn't us, so it's quite OK to continue in our ways...right?... like, it's OK to make sure the rich (North America) get richer while the poor starve physically and spiritually because they were born to a body that they were given by God with the Truth of God found in people that hoard possessions and live for themselves overseas (or in their backyards, as the poor are found everywhere. No, one day a year at a soap kitchen isn't enough, nor is filling a shoebox or two).

My question, when did Jesus ever put a higher price on our children over these children

or

when did He put a greater value on our lives over the lives of these men and women?

Please, show me the verse.

I am also asking these questions of myself. I am asking you to join me on a journey that I'm also traveling on. It isn't easy. Jesus promised it wouldn't be!!!

I know I'm back in rural Kenya 
...when husbands and their many wives exist every day with no idea of who Jesus is, while, 99.99% of North American Christians feel 'called' to 'serve' the West where Jesus is:
...known but cursed,
...song to but hardly worshipped,
...told He is loved; meanwhile the majority of His children and teachings are ignored,
...the provider of wealth, health and happiness and never challenges us to a sacrificial life,
...forgotten while His name is rarely carried to areas He is not known (I didn't say accepted, I said known...talking Jesus-talk twice a week with other 'believers' doesn't cut it, family).
we justify.
we justify.
and we justify some more.
we can justify slavery using the Bible if we wanted to, oh, we did that already. Surely, we can also justify our expensive ministries and 25churches in one town because of our 'different denominations'... aka we can't be united as one so we join other believers who won't disagree with us (as much)

I know I'm back in rural Kenya when I'm surrounded by a few Christians who cry out and realize that at some point, they were no longer called to 'wake up the church' they love, but to be the church.
 
pray
For those of you joining me in prayer, you are an invaluable partner to me. Knowing people all over are praying including classrooms full of students is great encouragement (go CBA!). Continue. Thank you.

-with love in my soul and a burning in my heart