Reflections on Kenya

What an incredible privilege it has been to experience Kenya! As I prepared for this trip I was focused on how to be useful to the people with whom I would be partnering with in ministry. Thanks to some expert coaching and hours of intense practice, I was satisfied with the improvement I made and how many songs I was able to memorize. This hard work would bear much fruit in the ample opportunities to lead worship and share songs. When I heard children and teenagers singing “Ain’t Nobody Love me Like Jesus!” or lifting their voices to the Lord in so many other songs, I marveled at what He was doing in the lives of these kids. There was excellent teaching and opportunities to build relationships as well as experience the unity and camaraderie of hundreds of other young Kenyans. His presence in the camp changed many lives!

As amazing as witnessing all of this was, I believe even more important was what the Lord was teaching me. When my suitcase didn’t show up for the first four days I faced the truth I was more materialistic than I ever imagined. When there was no one to talk to and I was alone He whispered gently how much He was enjoying the fellowship with me. Each time I transitioned into a new situation, He provided things I didn’t even anticipate I’d need. From sound equipment to the kindness of strangers, I was reminded of who is in control and who lights our path Eighteen days away from my beloved brought an awareness of needing to improve my appreciation for the blessing she is in my life. Planning details and making preparations was a challenging stretch for me. I learned persistence can overcome using the excuse, “I’m not gifted in that area.”

I am so grateful for the wonderful friends and family who have supported me in this endeavor. Bonnie’s unwavering encouragement to go to the ends of the earth…… Lauren and Caroline’s patient tutoring on making a blog….. Eric Simpson showing me there are techniques to singing….. Matt Cheezum’s time to help me nail down guitar rhythms to new songs…. Don Richter for suggesting the possibility and his insight on preparing to go…. Pastor Ken Monomo and Jan Ryder who stepped out in faith and allowed me to partner in their ministries ….. to all of you for your countless and powerful prayers, notes of encouragement, and financial support. What a testimony to the body of Christ functioning as one.

God is working in Kenya! There are many dedicated brothers and sisters on the front lines of difficult circumstances. The Great Commission is for all of us. Where is he calling you? It is my prayer the new year will reveal to all of us where we are to shine our light and share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Would you kiss a giraffe?

Never in my wildest dream did I think it was even possible to kiss a giraffe....but there it is for the world to see! I visited three places today.


The orphan elephant park where they spend lots of money and time to make it possible for these elephants to make it back to the wild. The giraffe park was very cool .... you could feed them or kiss them....and i could not pass up the chance to say I did it. The last place was the safari walk zoo.

Here if you know the right people .... and reward them properly you can actually pet a cheetah... Couldn't pass that up either.

I am heading to the airport shortly and am looking forward to returning home! I'll have one last entry with my reflections. Thanks for all your prayers while I was here.

The concerts at Mamlaka Hill Church

Mamlaka Hill Church is in downtown Nairobi. A few years ago they were bursting at the seams....even with four services. They split the church into four and three of the groups moved to strategic parts of the city to start new churches. All of them are doing well. There were about 100 kids at each service ....they were ready to sing and we had a marvelous time! The teachers were glad to have the morning off ....although they were there and were just as enthusiastic as the kids.
After I finished the last concert at 2:00 ..... they set up for the teacher appreciation luncheon. The kids are actually promoted in January in the kenyan system. We had some wonderful African food .... I've given up on pronouncing or rememerbering the names.... and had some lively conversation about children's ministry. It was an exhausting morning but I am so thankful to have had this opportunity.


Tomorow... I visit the giraffe museum and the orphaned elephant zooo...plus a museum and shopping..... should be some great photos from that. My plane leaves shortly after Midnight on Monday .....overnight to Zurich ....then to Washington ..... and I should be in Charlotte by 7:00 on Tuesday. Please pray for smooth travel and connections!

The Wedding

Like most everything else ...weddings are VERY different here. In Kenya the husband must pay a dowry to the father in law. Negotiations were still going on at 11:00 which was the time the wedding was supposed to start. The father locked the bride in her room and left because he wanted a more money. Finally a settlement was reached and the wedding began at 2:00. Fortunately we had an inside contact so we waited at home until the drama passed.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen entered dancing....met each other half way up the aisle...then proceeded to the front. After the processional of the bride ....the pastor asked if there was anyone who had any reason why these two should not be married... He waited for what seemed like a long minute ....then he asked again. Then the pastor asked the bride and groom if they had changed their mind ....did they want to continue? They both agreed it was a good idea to proceed.

Next the band broke into some jammin' African rhythms and we were all on our feet dancing.... everyone had their arms up and and were pushing their hands forward .... this was extending a blessing to the new couple... it was very cool! The congregation erupted in applause after each gave their vows... more applause when rings were exchanged. We heard a good sermon ...then a big moment in Kenyan weddings....the signing of the marriage certificate. The bride opened the coat of her husband and placed the certificate in his inside pocket! The pastor announced the new couple and then it was out to the yard for the reception. The pictures show one of the gifts brought to the wedding.. furniture on top of the car.... the food in the car was for the reception ....some of the wedding party and the line for the food.



Tomorrow I will be doing all three services of the children's church .... please pray for those!

John

The Safari

Nothing can prepare you for the vastness of one of God’s most marvelous creations… the African plains. As we landed four different times on compressed gravel runways ….I was thinking …this is nothing likeWild Kingdom ….even on our first color TV! There are no words in my vocabulary to describe the stunning beauty of the land or the awesome thrill of huge herds of animals on the run.
Our guide /driver Tony ….and no he was not Italian …..made this magnificent experience even better. His knowledge of the habitat and animals….. his skill in maneuvering the Landrover (we were doing some serious four wheeling!!)…. and amazing ability to spot the animals … and his wonderful sense of humor took our trips to the next level. My personal favorites were the hippos.
The Lodge where I stayed accommodated us in first class style. It was impossible to imagine a tropical paradise out in the middle of nowhere. We were pampered by gracious hospitality. I lost count of all the new African dishes I tried and could not pronounce What a privilege it was for me have a few days of R & R. I thank my precious wife for the incredible gift to her thrill seeking husband.
Tomorrow … Saturday … I will attend a Kenyan wedding …. Then Sunday I have three concerts so pray for a strong voice…. And quick connections with the kids!
John

Life in Eldoret, Welcome to Nairobi

After a tough farewell to Pastor Ken, I boarded my plane for Nairobi. I set next to a Kenyan gentlemen named Allan and we started to talk. He was curious why I was in Kenya. After I told him he shared some things his church was doing. The 45 minutes passed quickly and as we were walking in he stayed with me to make sure my luggage was there...I have to admit it was a beautiful sight on that conveyor belt. Then he walked out with me to make sure my ride was there. Since the airport screen indicated our flight had not yet arrived my taxi driver....Sammy... was still in his car. When we saw there was no one with a sign with my name..... Allan pulled out his cell phone and said....don't worry my friend we'll get you home if I have to take you myself. I had the phone numbers I needed and we were able to connect. Turns out Sammy was 10 feet away. Another reminder of of God's provision and perfect timing.

If I thought Eldoret traffic was insane .... I was about to enter some more near death experiences at much faster speeds..... You may compare this to the dodge em's at an amusement park.... without the contact.

My hosts for the next two days are Mark and Annmarie Dye. We spent the evening getting to know each other and I heard some amazing stories of their life out in the Kenyan desert with tribal people. The dedication and committment of the folks I have met continues to inspire me!

Today we visited Roslynn academy.... a Christian school with about 500 students from 42 countries. I talked to some teachers, met some students and had a tour. We also visited a mall and had a lunch at an outdoor food court ....a tropical paradise. We are having dinner with some teachers at Rosslyn tonight so I am looking forward to learning about the educational issues of Kenya.

Tomorrow I leave on my Safari... I doubt I will be able to post anything there but hope to have some great photos for you when I return on Friday.

Mark and I got up at 6:oo am and watched the Panters beat the Bucs.... I'm not sure they call it Tuesday Morning Football here....but that is when I saw it.

Hope all is well with your Holiday preparations!

John

At the Church and on the Radio

Picture this .....incredible African rythyms ....colorful Sunday ethnic garb ....some of the most heartfelt praise and worship I've ever experienced.... and you are in the International Vision Center (IVC) the church who sponsored the camp. I was well received and they even liked my jokes about thinking I was about to die in the traffic ...and my attempts at bargaining with the merchants. They were so enthusiastic in the participation and I had a blast sharing our music!

The sermon was given by a woman who primarily ministers to village churches ... She was teasing the congregation about their embassy life style .... and invited everyone to come visit her in the bush. She gave one of the best sermons I've ever heard... She was insightful and incredibly funny ... speaking on the 10 lepers who were healed but only one coming back to thank Jesus. What a blessing she was.

After the second service we headed for the radio station. The interview was a lot of fun and I played some live music as well. The interviewer asked some great questions. I'm sure the 17 people listening were impressed. I did some promo lines for them and it took several takes to get those right.

After that I was dropped off with my new friends Marcia and Kathy for the weekly missionary gathering. It was at the home of a man who works with Wythecliff Bible translators.... they shared the story of how it took 12 years to complete their latest translation of an African tribe's language ... It was amazing. We sang some songs and we did silent night each language represented sang a another verse...German... Danish ... it was so powerful. I was in awe of the work these folks are doing here ...from training teachers to taking in orphans ... what a privilege to experience such humble and exciting servanthood!

Then I met up with Pastor Ken and his wife Stella ... He is the incredible youth Pastor at IVC who was the master of ceremonies ...so to speak ...at the camp this week.....and took He and his wife out for Chinese Food... I wanted to thank them for taking such good care of me. We were able to evaluate the camp and just thank the Lord for the 20 kids who made decisions to follow Jesus!

I head to Nairobi today .... and more adventures...

John

It's hard to believe six days have flown by so quickly. I have been blessed to make so many new friends. The pastors who came in to speak to the kids were effective communicators bringing humor and insight into the issues African teenagers face. The younger children ....this age range was aroung 6 to 11 years old... were taught by Kathy Watson who was incredible with her teaching, music and ventriliquism. Her website is www.freedomhmin.org... It turns out Bonnie and I met her in Nashville about 8 years ago ... when we set up a booth at the Children's pators convention. She dedicates much of her time traveling around Kenya putting on workshops for Kenyan Sunday school teachers. I did music with both groups ...sometimes separately ....sometimes corporately .... there was a schedule ....but this is Africa...where you must remain flexible ... and Gumby could be the nickname of the week.

Today in the final meeting the kids were given the opportunity to describe how the camp has impacted their life. This went on for an hour or so and there were some powerful testimonies.....and an encouragement to all of us who were the leaders. My role was to conclude the ceremonies with some music .... so I started with Welcome to the Hood .....a song I wrote about Angels welcoming someone into heaven With Rainey and Ann ...the two wonderful Kenyan teenager singers who worked with me all week ....(first picture)... I reminded the kids by accepting Jesus as our Savior we get to spend eternity with him and by laying down our lives to serve him ....there are reawards! Next we sang Mercy is Falling .... this mercy and grace is the only reason that salvation is possible... then we ended with Jesus Loves me ..... the reason He came for us! If you know Sprout'N Shout music then you know wee were doing some serious jammin'! The enthusiasm of the worship has lifted my spirit... it was a privilege to be here and experience all of this.

Tomorrow ....Sunday .... I am on the Eldoret Christian radio staion called 97.1 Fish radio. I'll be interviewed and will play some songs .....I plan having some fun there! So pray that God will grant me wisdom and my words will be His words!

On Monday I head for Nairobi ..... I will be seeing some of the work some missionairies are doing there and will be doing some music in some of those places....plus taking a few days for a safari. Whatever my role may be I know the Lord will be there .... so as they say here ....Hakuna Matata ... or no problem!

John

A visit to the Market

Shopping in the markets of Eldoret was an experience I'm unlikely to forget soon. There is so much pushing and yelling .... and of course you must bargain for everything ... you must insist on the Kenyan price not the mzungu (whiteman)price. It is pronounced (moo zun goo). It is NOT a racist term. Believe me when I tell you I do not blend into the crowd.... and everyone can see the mzunga coming. The missionaries here love bargaining....I do NOT. I was invited to dinner by Kathy .... the woman who is working with me at the camp.... and her roommate Marcia ...who is Dean of a college here. I offered to buy the ingredients for the meal ....and was able to experience the market. These wonderful ladies ....who are two of my new heroes .... do amazing work here in Eldoret. I hope after my 60th birthday I have the spirit of adventure of these two. They prepared a wonderful Mexican dinner ....even made fresh tortillas .... and had a rubarb cobbler ....along with the icecream I purchased ....Then I settled in for an evening of incredible stories and pictures. Life out in the bush... being adopted into tribes and way to many others to tell here. On Sunday night I will be going to another weekly event for the missionaries ....they use this like a small group ...for encouragement prayer and accountability. They've asked me to bring my guitar so that will be fun as well.

The kids at the camp have really bonded as a group. There is so much kindness towards on another. Just when I thought the singing couldn't get much better ...they took it up another notch. For those of you who know my music....the favorites here are Pharaoh (big surprise there) Ain't Nobody ... I'm a new Creation .. Jesus Loves me ... the favorite worship tunes are ... Tradin' my sorrows (sorry MD) and Lord I Lift Your Name on High ....and of course one of my personal favorites ....Some May Trust in Horses. I've recorded many of the songs on my MP3 player... the quality is surprisingly good. I hope to put a little slide show together with their singing in the background ....but that will have to wait til I return.

There is a sadness starting to come over the camp due to the fact some kids do not want to return home. For many this camp is like a 5 star hotel compared to where they live. So ....pray for the campers to have strength to leave. I must confess it is absolutely heartwrenching to know they have to return to the enviroments I've witnessed here.

Tomorrow is our last day ...and then Sunday I will be speaking and performing at the church who hosted the camp. These services tend to be on the lengthy side and I understand the enthusiasm level is high. One minor disadvantage of my luggage arriving is that I no longer have an excuse not to wear the $5 sportcoat I purchased at Goodwill. You can be certain that a some Kenyan citizen will be blessed shortly after the service is over.

Thanks for your continued prayers!

John

Life in the Camp

My presentation to the teenagers went very well today! After observing several of the speakers .... I had an idea of what they were used to .... and then decided to risk being a little different...or in other words ....being me. I spoke on the acronym LIP ....which stands for God Loves you (the L) He is In Control (the I) He has a Plan (the P) I told the kids to imagine God's lip pressed against their ear saying....I love you ...I'm in control...I have a plan for your life... I was able to work in several of my favorite stories and skits and share the experience of Joseph which is an amazing example of LIP. Bonnie and I used this as the curriculum for our MGM progam at Lakeside. These kids are used to a British system of education which is ... sit down listen and take notes.... my style is more engaging.... music, skits, short discussions with your neighbors. Based on what I observed they were getting the message ...and having a marvelous time as well... the actors in the skits were wonderful and had their campmates in stiches!

I went directly from there to a 40 minute singalong with the younger group ... and I have to say I have never heard more boistrous singing from a group of kids. They absolutely love the song "I've got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart...on the chorus of that song it says, now I'm so happy .... (I know some of you are humming it now) there is no doubt by the smiles on their faces and the entusiasm in their voices ....they truly are happy .... even in the midst of tougher circumstances than you can imagine. The Lord has challenged me this week to remember that if we are not careful .... material possesions can dull our spiritual senses and make us less dependent on Him. I'm wondering if I lived in such desperate poverty if I could sing the song with the same joy I was hearing it this morning.

I've posted some pictures of life in the camp ...some of the food...the way they wash clothes and dishes and a picture of some participants discussing one of my questions.

Thank you for your continued prayers for unity. Any culture gap there was has been reduce to a crack ... I have remained healthy and so far would not be able to audition for any Pepto Bismol commercials...and am thankful!

John

Kids are kids!

The kids here in Kenya aren't any different than kids in America.... when they get together at a camp they don't get enough sleep and it was evident today as I peered into their tired little faces.... these teenagers were a little sulky....so my work was cut out for me.... But after a verse or two of my Hip Hop tune Under my feet we had the place rockin'

A missionary who lives here in Eldoret came today and she is an amazing ventriloquist...There are many of the kids who think her turtle can talk....and not just the young ones! I am looking forward to working with her the next few days.

My role switches somewhat tomorrow since | am one of the featured speakers. I have had the benefit of hearing the other speakers so I have an idea of what is appropriate and what is not ....The speak very frankly with these kids ...so I will do it as well.

Good news on the luggage front ....I now have it....I may never take clean underwear and deodorant for granted again....

So....please pray for wisdom as I share some thoughts we these kids... I know God will reveal clearly which stories I am to share. Also pray for rest for the kids!

John

Mingle Mingle Mingle and dodging cow patties

For those of you who know how to play Mingle Mingle Mingle you know its a great mixer game with handshakes and then a mad dash to get a certain number of people in your group and then on a knee. Since they had times scheduled for games I volunteered to introduce a few new ones. However .... I have never led this activity in a field full of cow patties..... you see ....this camp is being held at a private school who is not in session. The school owns 5 cows for milking purposes and they freely roam the campus to graze..... Didn't matter though .... I now know Mingle Mingle Mingle is loved universally.

It is amazing how many worship songs these kids already know ....and love. It sure has made my job a lot easier. There are two lovely and talented young ladies who lead the Kenyan songs and they will be helping me ....we had a great rehearsal and they are quick studies on learning the echo parts ....not to mention the incredible harmony they add.

A local pastor from eldoret spoke today and since I've taught leadership and directed leadership camps I feel qualified to recognize a motivator. This pastor had those teenagers undivided attention ....as well as mine .... for over an hour ....trust me when I tell you that is no simple task .... He will be back for round two tomorrow ..... and I can't wait.

Good news on the luggage front ..... it will arrive tonight and I will pick it up tomorrow. At this point I'm just glad they found it.

Those of you who know me well....especially my Lakeside friends.... understand my love of corn on the cob... so there was no way I could pass up the opportunity you see in the picture.... however there should be laws enforcing jail sentences on people who turn an ear of corn into what I tasted ... luckily my cab driver was more than happy to finish every kernel.

Prayer request are as follows ..... continued uniting of hearts and minds. These teenagers and kids are serious about experiencing all God has to offer. My voice is a little tired from several worship sessions today.... so pray that it will hold up!


I hope all is well back in the USA!

John

First Day

After a good night's restI believe I'm adjusted to the time difference. The roosters next door made sure we were up early. Pastor Ken took me to town so I could withdraw money .... my first debit card exchange was a success...then to the travel agency to pay for my in country flight to Eldoret. We then visited prayer mountain where pastor Ken's church is building a facility any church can use for whatever they need. It is a work in progress and they are building it as the funds become available.

We then went to the camp and I was introduced to the kids. They love songs on all levels ....From "whose side" to Lord I Lift Your Name on High" These kids are ready to worship and what a privilege it is to lead them. The Kenyan praise team is fantastic as well and I enjoyed the African groove even though I did not understand the words!

A new taxi driver brought me home and the adventures continue. Since nothing is lit up and there are even more pedestrians .....the excitement level was turned up a few notches. If Jeff Gordon were here he would want this guy's autograph.

My luggage is still not here...the airlines called and said tomorrow (makes me think of a song from a movie I used to watch with my girls)I know some of you are breaking into song right now.

Four days without certain amenities can send your olfactory nerve into hyper speed ...but then again no one here seems to notice.

The camp has started out fantastic! Please pray for continued unity and for the teachers who will speaking on character and destiny.

I'll post again soon!

John