"You Aren't Yet a Man Until You Kill..."

A Cherished Picture of Mt. Kilimanjaro

Most of you know me well enough to know that typically, I wouldn't be invited as the speaker with the majority of people being affiliated with the "Pentecostal" Fellowship of Kilimanjaro.  Not that I don't believe in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit but Pentecostal as we typically use it would not be one of the descriptive words in my resume:)  God has a great sense of humor and grace and has the ability and deep desire to see unity amongst those who follow Jesus.  In the sense of unity I was right in my wheelhouse and felt the deep need to encourage, teach on and call everyone to unity.  It was an amazing two days, the culmination coming when the head bishops (overseers) in the fellowship were talking with us about returning to teach for three days to 800 pastors at one of their gatherings.  I was humbled and touched deeply as all these pastors had secretly donated a few schillings to buy me a gift...a framed picture of Mt. Kilimanjaro which I will hang with pride in my office.  I assured them that the "small gift of appreciation" (their words) was actually a "huge gift" and one that would be cherished.  God is good, faithful and wants His truth taught around the world. 

Going to Miss Amariah and Ezriel

Tanzania is still known for its witch doctors and pagan practices which often overflow into the church much like the Jews used to demand that gentile Christians be circumcised.  I spoke a lot about Jesus+ and that any work or object added onto the Gospel for salvation was against the free gift of grace.  Jannekah was looking at my pictures and noticed an Albino woman in them.  She said that was very unusual to see in Tanzania as most of the Albino people had moved to Kenya or surrounding countries because witch doctors would kill them and use their body parts for their voodoo healing practices....ugh!

On our way home about an hour into the 7 hr drive the van starting making an awful noise and we realized the supposedly brand new differential that was replaced last week was not operating properly.  Mind you we were in the middle of a "Serengeti" type area with Masai villages all around on a very remote road and darkness was less than an hour away.  We made it to the border town at 7PM, got to the Kenyan side and then found a mechanic to look at it.  While they were taking it apart and showing us that indeed it was not a new part but a used part we were given last week, the sound of the local mosque was being broadcast over loud speakers so the whole town could hear the Imam speaking his nightly message.

This part of Kenya has a lot of mosques even though only 10% of the pop. is Muslim.  The Imam was literally screaming out his message in Swahili.  Martin told me that for the last 20 minutes he had been telling the followers that "you are not yet a man until you kill someone who stands against Islam".  I asked him if he was just messing with me and he assured me that that was the theme. When the final prayers and chanting were finished I told Martin that I had better sit in the van with the tinted windows after a message like that was given.  He laughed...I got in the van!   

Martin's 30th Bday at Carnivore

Ray did a fine job limping the van to Nairobi and we crawled into bed around 1:30AM for the best night sleep yet.  Today was packing, relaxing and then treated Martin and Janne to lunch at Carnivore Restaurant in celebration of Martin's 30th Bday coming Oct 9th.  

It's interesting how God reminded us constantly on this trip that there was warfare going on and that our message was being hindered whenever possible.  Thanks for your prayers as the message was able to be told on a broader and larger sense than we had imagined and Jesus once again wins not only the war but also these little battles along our journey. I am just a few hours from leaving Nairobi tonight (Thurs.) at 10:30 for the long trip home.  I am tired yet very refreshed, ready to see my family and my church family, both whom I love and appreciate dearly.  

Jannekah & Martin - Leaving a Legacy In Kenya

I plan on one more post with reflections from the trip once I have a few moments to let it flow onto the computer screen.  For all who have been following this journey remember that we are not called to do everything in this life, but we are each called to do something, whether it be locally, nationally or internationally. It doesn't have to be posted on a blog, heck, no one may even know about it which is probably even better.  Make those days, weeks, month and years count.  Leave a legacy!

A Final Memory of Public Transport - Kenya Style