I am very excited as I write. One week from today I will be boarding a plane to return to the orphanage in Kenya. God continues to stretch and grow me from the lessons that I learned from my first journey to Kenya. (read below) Soon after our return, a few of our team members from the summer began to conjure up a new plan to spend Christmas with our new Kenyan friends. We have asked churches and individuals to help us be able to give each child and adult a present for Christmas. That is exactly what we are going to do. We are carrying totes full of presents, toys, toiletries, candy, etc.
Our team is so excited to celebrate the birth of our Savior with 59 new believers who will celebrate Christmas with a whole new perspective this year. We will spend time discipling Christians there while also building relationships so that we may share Christ with others. We will have a VBS/Daycamp beginning December 31-January 5. The week before we will celebrate Christmas and help the orphanage with some odds and ends jobs.
Please pray for this team. There will be 13 of us in all (eight of us are returnees from this past summer's project). Pray that God would use our team to bring Himself glory among the nations. Pray that our hearts would be changed because of our time in Africa. If you would like to be added to the prayer list, please contact me: sbfentress1@yahoo.com.
Once again, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
12 December 2007
Merry Christmas!
Isn't it just like God to set the stage for the coming of the Savior of the Universe precisely the the way that He did? He definitely has a track record of using unexpected, undeserving, unworthy participants to fulfill His will in the most unusual ways. Just look at the genealogy of Christ ... talk about some skeletons in a family tree! We have murderers, adulterers, liars, cheaters, and thieves, to name a few . Some were guilty of all of the above! God uses imperfect people to carry out His perfect plan of redemption.
The story He wrote is certainly not the one I would have written. I would have made the King of the Jews come from a logical, royal family. He would have been born in the Rome Hospital or a nice hotel, at the VERY least. There would have been billboards announcing his birth years in advance. You know the billboards that say, "My son is coming to save you . - - God." Everyone would have immediately believed in Christ if I were the author of this story.
Instead we have a lineage of criminals, an average teenage virgin for a mother, a barn, a feeding trough, angels, shepherds, and skeptics. Is this really the best that you can do, God? One consistent lesson that God has been teaching me throughout the last several years is that the story that He wants to write for our lives is VERY rarely the life that we would choose for ourselves. The logical, simple path is RARELY God's best for our lives. Oftentimes, the path that makes the most sense is not God's plan either. The story that He has written about Christ 's entrance into the world is perfectly flawless .
The story He wrote is certainly not the one I would have written. I would have made the King of the Jews come from a logical, royal family. He would have been born in the Rome Hospital or a nice hotel, at the VERY least. There would have been billboards announcing his birth years in advance. You know the billboards that say, "My son is coming to save you . - - God." Everyone would have immediately believed in Christ if I were the author of this story.
Instead we have a lineage of criminals, an average teenage virgin for a mother, a barn, a feeding trough, angels, shepherds, and skeptics. Is this really the best that you can do, God? One consistent lesson that God has been teaching me throughout the last several years is that the story that He wants to write for our lives is VERY rarely the life that we would choose for ourselves. The logical, simple path is RARELY God's best for our lives. Oftentimes, the path that makes the most sense is not God's plan either. The story that He has written about Christ 's entrance into the world is perfectly flawless .
Thankfully, today, God still uses imperfect people to carry out his perfect plan of redemption. One of the greatest joys of the Christian walk happens when we surrender our life to the story that God wants to write for us....even if it doesn't always make sense to us.
21 September 2007
So, it has been awhile since I have written on here. My apologies. It is not because God has not continued to show me new things, though. I actually have lots to share. The last few weeks, Casting Crown's new song, "Somewhere in the Middle" has really spoken to me. God really uses music to challenge me in my walk with him. Check it out -
"Somewhere In The Middle"
Casting Crowns, The Altar and the Door
Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle
Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle
Wow. Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control. I think this line should be added to the American Christian's creed. (there is no such thing, in case you were wondering) Isn't this our typical cry, though? God, I want to serve you whole heartedly as long as it is comfortable and convenient for me to do so. Oh yeah, and as long as you clue me in on what the plan is. One more thing, I need to think it is a good plan, too.
MY SURRENDER - I had never really thought of it in these terms. Things are implied with these two simple words. Ownership is implied. There is the idea that not everyone's surrender is the same. My surrender is unique. There is a process to finding your surrender. Through this process, is where you develop the most important thing in your life - an everyday, consistent relationship with God.
One thing that God has continually reminded me of since my return from Kenya is that my lack of self discipline has often been the biggest obstacle to me finding my point of surrender. From the small things to the huge things, this is a common thread that God wants to change in me. Right now, I am having to rely on HIS strength, HIS power, and even HIS self discipline. From not biting my nails, to eating healthy, to working out at the gym, to setting a consistent block of time to spend with Him every day - slowly, but surely He is changing my heart.
"Somewhere In The Middle"
Casting Crowns, The Altar and the Door
Somewhere between the hot and the cold
Somewhere between the new and the old
Somewhere between who I am and who I used to be
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Somewhere between the wrong and the right
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
Somewhere between who I was and who You're making me
Somewhere in the middle, You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Fearless warriors in a picket fence, reckless abandon wrapped in common sense
Deep water faith in the shallow end and we are caught in the middle
With eyes wide open to the differences, the God we want and the God who is
But will we trade our dreams for His or are we caught in the middle
Are we caught in the middle
Somewhere between my heart and my hands
Somewhere between my faith and my plans
Somewhere between the safety of the boat and the crashing waves
Somewhere between a whisper and a roar
Somewhere between the altar and the door
Somewhere between contented peace and always wanting more
Somewhere in the middle You'll find me
Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control
Lord, I feel You in this place and I know You're by my side
Loving me even on these nights when I'm caught in the middle
Wow. Just how close can I get, Lord, to my surrender without losing all control. I think this line should be added to the American Christian's creed. (there is no such thing, in case you were wondering) Isn't this our typical cry, though? God, I want to serve you whole heartedly as long as it is comfortable and convenient for me to do so. Oh yeah, and as long as you clue me in on what the plan is. One more thing, I need to think it is a good plan, too.
MY SURRENDER - I had never really thought of it in these terms. Things are implied with these two simple words. Ownership is implied. There is the idea that not everyone's surrender is the same. My surrender is unique. There is a process to finding your surrender. Through this process, is where you develop the most important thing in your life - an everyday, consistent relationship with God.
One thing that God has continually reminded me of since my return from Kenya is that my lack of self discipline has often been the biggest obstacle to me finding my point of surrender. From the small things to the huge things, this is a common thread that God wants to change in me. Right now, I am having to rely on HIS strength, HIS power, and even HIS self discipline. From not biting my nails, to eating healthy, to working out at the gym, to setting a consistent block of time to spend with Him every day - slowly, but surely He is changing my heart.
The truth is you CANNOT find your surrender without losing control. The word surrender means that you relinquish control. Wave your white flag. A friend once told me to just let God write my story because He would write a better story than anything that I could ever write on my own. He doesn't need my input on the plan, contrary to popular belief. I am heading to the gym to work on my self discipline. :)
20 August 2007
Sara Groves says it best -
I love Sara Groves! Here is a shout out to her in case you are not familiar. So many of her songs challenge and encourage my walk with the Lord. Check her out on I-tunes if you are unfamiliar. She has a song that hit me like a ton of bricks one night in Kenya. It is called, "All I Need," and it is on her album, The Other Side of Something. Here are the lyrics:
Newly married, new apartment
All our furniture was saved from the dump.
Yes, sir. Maybe we can afford a trash can next month.
All I need is a seat for 2 and my love for you.
New baby, new life
We will teach him to speak French.
We've got no money, so we'll make it all ourselves.
I'll make the curtains, and you make the shelves.
All I need is a power saw and a new sewing machine.
Love....and a sewing machine.
I need - this house needs a little something.
That bare mantle doesn't look so good.
Someone told me of a man who makes animals from drift wood.
All I need is your monthly bonus for a wooden walrus.
I need - the Smith's are coming over, this house needs some renovation.
Just a wall or two, just a little room, and a few decorations.
All I need is a sectional and a satellite TV, darkwood cabinets that were custom built for me.
A painting by that guy who paints with his feet. That's all I need.
The song concludes with a random list of things that people say that they "need."
We use that term so flippantly. Even tonight at dinner, I told my roommate that I needed another crescent roll. Really? Is that a genuine need of mine? Just to piggyback on my soapbox of entitlement.....have you stopped to taken inventory of what you truly need in life? Do you have genuine areas of need in your life where God has chosen not to provide? We don't have the freedom to interchange God providing our needs versus our wants. We often try to justify our "needs" to ourselves and others. It makes us feel better, I think.
There were a few times in Kenya where I felt hunger pains. Not because there wasn't plenty of food, but more mental hunger pains. You know, I "needed" some ice cream. Heck, drop the cream, I would have taken just ICE! One night as I began to journal, this Sara Groves song came on. What we truly need is really so minimal. Especially in America. It is hard for us to even think about what our genuine NEEDS are. A roof over our heads? Even that looks different to me now. Would a metal roof on top of a mud house meet my needs? It certainly works for some people. It's as if we start this life with the attitude of "all we need is love" just like the song. However before long we are in need of wooden walruses and paintings by a paralyzed man.
I was laughing with a team mate of mine as we were in a market in Nairobi on the last day of our journey. Several of us were frantically perusing the market for last minute souvenirs. I colllect trinkets from many of my mission's journeys. I found these perfect bookends carved into the shape of an elephant. I had let her listen to the Sara Groves song the night before. I laughed as I told her that all I needed were some wooden elephant book ends for my house. I only paid a few dollars for them, and they look really good on my bookshelf. There I go, justifying my needs..... :)
Newly married, new apartment
All our furniture was saved from the dump.
Yes, sir. Maybe we can afford a trash can next month.
All I need is a seat for 2 and my love for you.
New baby, new life
We will teach him to speak French.
We've got no money, so we'll make it all ourselves.
I'll make the curtains, and you make the shelves.
All I need is a power saw and a new sewing machine.
Love....and a sewing machine.
I need - this house needs a little something.
That bare mantle doesn't look so good.
Someone told me of a man who makes animals from drift wood.
All I need is your monthly bonus for a wooden walrus.
I need - the Smith's are coming over, this house needs some renovation.
Just a wall or two, just a little room, and a few decorations.
All I need is a sectional and a satellite TV, darkwood cabinets that were custom built for me.
A painting by that guy who paints with his feet. That's all I need.
The song concludes with a random list of things that people say that they "need."
We use that term so flippantly. Even tonight at dinner, I told my roommate that I needed another crescent roll. Really? Is that a genuine need of mine? Just to piggyback on my soapbox of entitlement.....have you stopped to taken inventory of what you truly need in life? Do you have genuine areas of need in your life where God has chosen not to provide? We don't have the freedom to interchange God providing our needs versus our wants. We often try to justify our "needs" to ourselves and others. It makes us feel better, I think.
There were a few times in Kenya where I felt hunger pains. Not because there wasn't plenty of food, but more mental hunger pains. You know, I "needed" some ice cream. Heck, drop the cream, I would have taken just ICE! One night as I began to journal, this Sara Groves song came on. What we truly need is really so minimal. Especially in America. It is hard for us to even think about what our genuine NEEDS are. A roof over our heads? Even that looks different to me now. Would a metal roof on top of a mud house meet my needs? It certainly works for some people. It's as if we start this life with the attitude of "all we need is love" just like the song. However before long we are in need of wooden walruses and paintings by a paralyzed man.
I was laughing with a team mate of mine as we were in a market in Nairobi on the last day of our journey. Several of us were frantically perusing the market for last minute souvenirs. I colllect trinkets from many of my mission's journeys. I found these perfect bookends carved into the shape of an elephant. I had let her listen to the Sara Groves song the night before. I laughed as I told her that all I needed were some wooden elephant book ends for my house. I only paid a few dollars for them, and they look really good on my bookshelf. There I go, justifying my needs..... :)
19 August 2007
Ayub
This cutie was just one of the children who stole my heart in Kenya. His name is Ayub (Job). I am going to sponsor his nutrition, education, and uniforms for only $20 per month. If you are interested in how you can help a child in this way, please let me know.
Entitlement
en·ti·tle – verb (used with object), -tled, -tling.
1. to give (a person or thing) a title, right, or claim to something; furnish with grounds for laying claim: His executive position entitled him to certain courtesies rarely accorded others.
Americans are plagued with the attitude of entitlement. We believe that there are certain things that we simply deserve. In fact, the culture in which we live even encourages this mentality. The more educated we are, the more money we should make. The more money we make, the more stuff we should have. If we stand in line, then we deserve to be waited on in that order. When our car breaks down, then it is often time for us to get a new one. We deserve at least one vacation every year. When we do a good deed, then we deserve some recognition for it. So many of our ill feelings stem from this attitude of entitlement.
I have been traveling overseas with Americans for 8 and 1/2 years. One common way I challenge my team members is getting them to look at their current attitudes, priorities, and perspectives. American culture had tainted all three of these for those of us who are striving to grow in a relationship with Christ. The truth is, we don't deserve anything more than what God has already done for us. The truth is, most of the time, we elevate ourselves and our preferences higher than God intends for us to. The truth is, very rarely should we be the first thing that we think of.
The attitude of entitlement is not from God. Christ died for our sins, and if God never chose to bless us in ANY other way, then has He not already done way more than we deserve? We are not entitled to anything else. How different would our day to day life be if we were truly content with what God has already done for us. If we could truly serve him without reservation - trusting that He was going to take care of the details. What would we worry about if we didn't think we deserved anything from anybody?
It's at least worth taking into consideration.
1. to give (a person or thing) a title, right, or claim to something; furnish with grounds for laying claim: His executive position entitled him to certain courtesies rarely accorded others.
Americans are plagued with the attitude of entitlement. We believe that there are certain things that we simply deserve. In fact, the culture in which we live even encourages this mentality. The more educated we are, the more money we should make. The more money we make, the more stuff we should have. If we stand in line, then we deserve to be waited on in that order. When our car breaks down, then it is often time for us to get a new one. We deserve at least one vacation every year. When we do a good deed, then we deserve some recognition for it. So many of our ill feelings stem from this attitude of entitlement.
I have been traveling overseas with Americans for 8 and 1/2 years. One common way I challenge my team members is getting them to look at their current attitudes, priorities, and perspectives. American culture had tainted all three of these for those of us who are striving to grow in a relationship with Christ. The truth is, we don't deserve anything more than what God has already done for us. The truth is, most of the time, we elevate ourselves and our preferences higher than God intends for us to. The truth is, very rarely should we be the first thing that we think of.
The attitude of entitlement is not from God. Christ died for our sins, and if God never chose to bless us in ANY other way, then has He not already done way more than we deserve? We are not entitled to anything else. How different would our day to day life be if we were truly content with what God has already done for us. If we could truly serve him without reservation - trusting that He was going to take care of the details. What would we worry about if we didn't think we deserved anything from anybody?
It's at least worth taking into consideration.
16 August 2007
Kenya Thoughts 2
We are so spoiled in America! It has become second nature to us so much so, that most of us don't even realize the conveniences that we take for granted on a daily basis. We wake up to a musical alarm, get out of our nice beds with as many blankets and pillows as we want. We turn on as many lights as we want. We usually have all of the hot water that we want. We go to the fridge and get what we want to eat. We get ready, put on nice clothes, get in our cars, and drive to a job that most of the time we have chosen. We are so used to having things the way we want them, when we want them. Any delay in that process frustrates us. If for no other reason, I think every American should experience "third world living" at least once in their life. We could definitely learn a thing or two.
Eighty percent of the world lives in substandard housing, seventy percent of the world is illiterate, and sixty percent of the world suffer from malnutrition. It is hard for Americans to keep these statistics in the front of their minds. Our team in Kenya came face to face with these realities on a daily basis.
The village where we stayed, Malava, has only had electricity for one year. None of the people that we worked with in the orphanage or the school had electricity in their homes. Our team did have electricity. Some of us had running water (only cold) in our homes, but some of us had to draw water out of a well each day. We had two propane tank burners for cooking and heating water for baths. We slept under mosquito nets each night. The toilets in our houses had to be flushed out manually by pouring pitchers of water in the toilet. We had it made compared to our new friends. Rose lives in a three room mud hut. She cooks and heats water over an open fire each day. She has no electricity, and her toilet is an outhouse 200 feet away from her house. If I had been Rose, I probably would have let the team stay in my house while I stayed in the house with electricity and running water. This idea probably never crossed Rose's mind.
The women in the village are supposed to be the primary workers in their home. The husbands are expected to earn an income and work outside the home. The ladies spend their day working diligently to survive that day. There really is not much you can do in preparation for the future. There is no refrigeration, so any cooking you do is for that day. Once you build a fire, it is only good for that day. Once you heat the water, it is only hot for that day. Once the sun goes down, there is very little work that can be done. These ladies work HARD each day, sleep well on mats in the floor, and get up again to work to survive the next day.
How different is this from our everyday mentality. We go to the grocery with intentions of the trip at least taking care of one week. Very little of the work we do is for survival. We either work to save up money for our future or we work to pay off debts from our past. We make thousands of dollars a month and it never seems like enough. These people make $30 a month and it seems like more than enough.
There is a joy and contentment that I found in Kenya that is unlike any that I have ever seen. In Nehemiah 8, he says, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." My new Kenyan friends know this verse in a way that I probably never will. We met widows who had an inexplainable joy. We met people who knew the Bible backwards and forwards. Their relationship with God is priority because they really don't have much else to make priority over that. They have very few distractions, and God makes Himself very evident to them.
Maybe these are some of the reasons that I want to go back.
Eighty percent of the world lives in substandard housing, seventy percent of the world is illiterate, and sixty percent of the world suffer from malnutrition. It is hard for Americans to keep these statistics in the front of their minds. Our team in Kenya came face to face with these realities on a daily basis.
The village where we stayed, Malava, has only had electricity for one year. None of the people that we worked with in the orphanage or the school had electricity in their homes. Our team did have electricity. Some of us had running water (only cold) in our homes, but some of us had to draw water out of a well each day. We had two propane tank burners for cooking and heating water for baths. We slept under mosquito nets each night. The toilets in our houses had to be flushed out manually by pouring pitchers of water in the toilet. We had it made compared to our new friends. Rose lives in a three room mud hut. She cooks and heats water over an open fire each day. She has no electricity, and her toilet is an outhouse 200 feet away from her house. If I had been Rose, I probably would have let the team stay in my house while I stayed in the house with electricity and running water. This idea probably never crossed Rose's mind.
The women in the village are supposed to be the primary workers in their home. The husbands are expected to earn an income and work outside the home. The ladies spend their day working diligently to survive that day. There really is not much you can do in preparation for the future. There is no refrigeration, so any cooking you do is for that day. Once you build a fire, it is only good for that day. Once you heat the water, it is only hot for that day. Once the sun goes down, there is very little work that can be done. These ladies work HARD each day, sleep well on mats in the floor, and get up again to work to survive the next day.
How different is this from our everyday mentality. We go to the grocery with intentions of the trip at least taking care of one week. Very little of the work we do is for survival. We either work to save up money for our future or we work to pay off debts from our past. We make thousands of dollars a month and it never seems like enough. These people make $30 a month and it seems like more than enough.
There is a joy and contentment that I found in Kenya that is unlike any that I have ever seen. In Nehemiah 8, he says, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." My new Kenyan friends know this verse in a way that I probably never will. We met widows who had an inexplainable joy. We met people who knew the Bible backwards and forwards. Their relationship with God is priority because they really don't have much else to make priority over that. They have very few distractions, and God makes Himself very evident to them.
Maybe these are some of the reasons that I want to go back.
15 August 2007
Kenya Thoughts 1
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27
Rose Bugusu has vision and passion that exceeds most any other person that I have ever met. She sensed God’s calling her to live out James 1:27 by taking care of orphans and widows in
In 2002, a friend asked Rose if she had ever heard of the internet, and she had not. The village has only had electricity for one year, and most of the houses still have no access to electricity or running water. This friend opened her eyes to the world wide web, and God began to instill a curiosity in Rose. She began to wonder, “How can I use this tool to let people know about what God is doing in Kakoi?” She began to surf the web, looking for Christian chat rooms and ministry websites. Thankfully, God allowed her to cross paths with SportsPlus. Rose and I began corresponding in the fall of 2006 about the possibility of partnering together on a short-term mission project.
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