Watering Dry Ground

January 24 – 30, 2010

Our ride ends and the walking begins into the slums of Kawangware. First we enter an area of food preparation. A skinned pig hangs at the corner. The area is dense with the heavy smoke from the charcoal grills and wood fires. There are racks of cow hooves cooking on the open fire. Cow intestines and other parts sizzle while cooking on a grill. A little further in the mounds of garbage begin to claim the road. The sack boys and animals paw through the garbage. It is Sunday and many have lost their way.

Pastor Chris is away today and I've been left in charge. The church is full and 9 new people have joined us because of door to door visitation. There is a spirit of joy that fills the hearts of the people as they begin to sing and dance. With Bibles in hand they eagerly wait for a passage and verse to be spoken. It is like watering dry ground. They long for more.

As we are walking out of the slums we walk by a man shoveling dirt. He starts hollering in Swahili and I turn around to see what is wrong. I see a man wildly swinging his arms in the air. His face was full of anger and he is looking at me. I quickly ask someone to tell me what he is saying. He is yelling "I don't want to be saved! I don't want to be saved! I don't want to be saved!"

Another area that I like to walk is on the other side of Nairobi. There are many street boys and girls that stay near the Nairobi River. We meet one such boy that has been on the streets since he was very young. He is now in his late teens. He greets Pastor Joseph with a big smile. The streets kids all love Pastor Joseph and his wife, Gladys. They have worked here for nine years now.

My heart rejoices as I hear how God is working amongst some of the most feared. The head leader of this group has accepted the Lord into his heart. He is the boss, the leader for all of Kenya. When he was released from prison he walked into a church and announced he wanted Jesus in his heart. He then came back into church with over a hundred of his followers. He announced that they had been serving the god of one tribe but now they would serve the God of the universe! Over 300 members of this group have now been water baptized. My heart is bursting with joy at what God is doing here among those that many pass by.

I see changes as I walk the river area. The river now flows as the city officials have reclaimed the river. They have removed the garbage that clogged the river way. The earth on both banks of the river is free of debris. Trees are being planted to hold the soil in place. They came in with machines to demolish some of the buildings build beside the river. These buildings housed many of the street children. It was time for a lot of them to move on. Pastor Joseph's church was in that area that the city is reclaiming. He prepared himself as he knew that soon his church would be rubble. The day came. The machines came. The work to clean up the area beside the river began. Sheet metal buildings were pushed over one by one. Then it was time for the church. With a big smile on his face Pastor Joseph tells me how the church was surrounded by street boys. They worked together, picked the church up off the ground and moved it to safe territory! They are hungry for more of God's word. There are times that Pastor Joseph hasn't had the food to share with them. As badly as he feels about these times he is told "Come whether there is food or not. We want to learn more." Pastor Joseph knows opposition very well. Some have tried to stop the preaching. Again the street boys will stand up for him. They have surrounded him and warned that no one should ever touch him. There is a hunger here for the word of God. There is newness of life sprouting up through a barren land.

Richard Roberts is holding a healing crusade here in Nairobi. Under a huge tent 1000's of pastor's and leaders gathered today for a conference. The tent was overflowing and many were standing around the outside edges. We were sitting in the middle section of the tent when unexpectedly we were escorted to the front. We were given a seat three rows from the speaker! It was a great time of worship and teaching. Before leaving he anointed each one of us with oil. Many of the top officials of Kenya have asked for him to visit and pray for them. Tomorrow he will meet with the President of Kenya.

1 Corinthians 3:7

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

They Come Running

January 18 -23, 2010

The days are filled with going house to house throughout the slums of Kawangware. Leaving the winter behind I remind myself not to complain of the heat that beats down. It is dry, dusty and the smells continue to take over the land.

Typhoid has disabled one man and we are asked to visit and pray. Many others need prayer for a job to bring food into their homes. A woman is taken to the hospital to give birth. The doctor cuts the umbilical in the wrong plus. Now a 3 month old baby suffers with an abnormal belly button and intestines have got caught within.

As we leave the slums in the evening we are packed into a matatu for the ride home. It is a common mode of travel here in Africa. Traffic jams the roads as many are leaving the city of Nairobi at the finish of the day. Many a driver will leave the lane of safe travel and travel on the side of the road or make another land down the middle. Our driver decided to save time and began his route down the middle of the road. He was dodging in and out trying to make headway. Moments like these always put you in the mode of prayerJ Very suddenly the dodging in and out came to an end. A police man stepped from the stopped traffic into the path of the matatu! We were pulled to the side. Everyone had to exit the matatu and find another ride. The driver was arrested.

Friends arrive from Masai Land that I have not seen since 2005. With them staying a few doors down from me it gave us time to catch up on news. It is a time of sharing how God has protected them. How he has blessed them to see their vision come to be. Their school to educated pastors will open next month. Along with their home & a place for guests the compound includes a kitchen, dorm and small library. Ken & Sandy Taylor have worked hard, even through some extreme challenges. Their dedication will bless many and the word of God will spread throughout the land.

On Wednesday we traveled into Ebby's plot and visited with those in the area. She has just moved into a new home. With great excitement she begins to cook sukumawiki and ugali for us. The first to visit are always prepared a meal. We are the first visitors into her home. We visit others close by. Many are confused because of wrong teaching. We are thankful that two young girls accepted the Lord.

The ground is dry and cracked but the rivers of human waste still flow. Children sit by the road with their sticks. They play in such rivers to pass the time. Pigs have escaped from their fencing. They cool their bodies in these dark rivers.

The school children sit under my care for a short time. One by one they recite their numbers. Their faces shine knowing that someone has noticed them.

The church guard and his wife prepare food for me to eat. While enjoying the coolness of their home he shares his treasures with me. From the corner of the small one room home he pulls a Bible we sent from America. Then a spiral note book that was given to him before I left. This note book is full of scripture notes now. He plans to pass it on to his children. The last thing is a course on leadership that was provided to a few last year. He has completed this course and is rejoicing. It has always been his prayer that he could one day learn. In his hands he holds the answer to his prayers.

Collins an orphan and once a street boy was rescued by the church. The church has cared for him making sure he has food and a place to sleep. The pastor oversees him like him own. Without the extra to give they have managed to see him get an education through 8^th grade. Here in Kenya if one is to continue on in education after 8^th grade he must pass a standard test. Collins took that test and scored very high. Now he prays and trusts that the Lord will send in the funds needed for him to stay in school.

I met Jackie on my very first visit to Kawangware in 2005. I was taken over a drainage brook and down an alley way into a small home. Jackie sat in the one chair beside the bed. She had just given birth to a little girl and there had been complications. Surgery was necessary for Jackie but they didn't have the funds. Jackie is a testimony of how God hears and answers prayer. She is active in the church, a wife & mother of two beautiful girls. She also helps teach the children at the church school in the slums. Just recently she started a little business outside her home area. She wakes up early before teaching and goes to the open market to buy some vegetables for her stand. Jackie was completely healed.

We pray for so many it is hard to remember all the names. When walking I am sometimes stopped and greeted. Remember me? You prayed for me. I am better! God is so goodJ

We met one woman yesterday that I didn't recognize. She was standing outside talking and smiling with friends. She didn't show any evidence of pain or of being sick. We had stopped to visit and pray for her the day before. She was a very thin woman. Her children were huddled around her chair as she held onto her chest in pain. She was weak, with a tight cough, and complaining that her lungs hurt. I viewed her as being very ill. I was amazed at how good she looked J

There are so many children here. The challenges they face are alarming but they are full of joy. The happy voices I hear trailing behind me makes me smile inside and out. They come running from all directions. I seem to collect them as I walk about. We have a little squabble now and then over who is going to hold my hand!

The week is almost over and we have come to the end of another day in the slums. The road ways are full of people. It is hot. We are thirsty and tired. From someone up ahead I hear "Welcome Home Pastor". Pastor Shuls from Kibera slums and Pastor Alfred from Kawangware slums have spotted a white woman in the crowd! One they recognize. It is so good to see them and all my friends here in Kenya once again J

"She Is Back!"

January 13^th 2010

The rush of packing and weighing suitcases came to an end mid day Wednesday the 13^th of January 2010. It was then a time of special hugs, those that are held within your heart for days on end. The long embraces, eyes holding tears of love, kisses, prayers and with the final shut of the door a journey half way around the world begins.

Over twenty fours later the blazing red hot African sun sets beneath the wings of the plane. How it warms the heart as it colors fill the vast sky line. How beautiful it is to behold. Soon darkness over takes the land only to be broken by lines and lines of bush fires below. The lack of rain has brought death and destruction to many.

With suitcases collected and customs behind I am on my way. Once outside the airport I quickly scan the crowded area. I am happy to see that my taxi has not been forgotten me! Here in the midst of many is one man holding a sign that says "Linda Gove". It is close to midnight when we arrive at the Hampton House. It has been a safe journey. With a thankful heart and a tired body I open the door to my place of rest. J

January 15^th – Friday

My window curtains are watched as many wait for my rising. With greetings and hugs from a few the word quickly spreads throughout the grounds that "Linda" is here. A rainy summer and winter months have made me "whiter". They also detect I have a few extra pounds on me! I am checked over, hugged, released and hugged again. The happy chatter, warm smiles and laughter light up my day.

While being welcomed here by so many friends, the Nairobi streets take to rioting over the deportation of an Abullah al-Faisal www.nation.co.ke/protest

January 16^th- Saturday

As I walk into Kawangware slums I am reminded oh so quickly of the despair and emptiness that latches on to so many. The smells, the ground soft with human fluids, the garbage that decorates the land have become a normal for each new morning here. Our eyes choose each step we take. We roam the earth looking for mounds of dry earth to step on. The paths are so familiar. Time has not changed one of them. Wild dogs sleep in the midst of the paths. The hot sun beats down on them pouring heat into their skeleton form. A cat moving along the path is quickly kicked out of the way by a troubled man. The needs are many here.

I'm taken to the church but the door is shut. I'm not permitted inside as the women are still cleaning. I can taste the dust as I hear the straw like hand brooms go back and forth. The door swings open and shut as buckets of water are carried inside. When they are satisfied I am permitted to enter. They have worked so hard to purchase tiles to complete their floor. I am amazed at the hard work and sacrifice that is so evident. The church floor is almost completely covered with handmade cement tiles.

The open air crusade is held close to the church is the slums. A banner flows in the wind above the small wooden stage. A generator is a must for the keyboard and microphones. Curiosity takes over as the white woman starts to speak. People gather here and there. The sides of the dusty street are lined with people. A rumble starts with a few men as a bar is close by. Happy children gather around me. So many of them I have taught. They dance and using old tin cans they keep beat with the music. What joy fills their hearts. It is a happy day "she is back".

The night air sets in oh so quickly but the day does not leave us defeated. One man raises his hand and steps forward to ask Jesus into his heart. He walks alone, he walks with a tender heart. Soon five others follow. They approach the stage with heads bowed. With the microphone at their mouth they ask the Lord to forgive them and to come into their heart. Their prayer filled the quietness as all listened.

The night is taking over and we step up our pace as we walk out of Kawangware. It does not take long for one to realize that the night here is full of evil. It is felt like a heavy blanket. It is seen in the eyes of those you walk by.

January 17^th Sunday

The benches sit out in the open sun as children quickly gather for a time together. I see so many smiles today J My name has not been forgotten! They have continued learning even while I was away. One by one they stand and recite scripture verses that they have memorized. They each share a song. They have grown inside and out! As I pull out a Bible Story book with "colored pictures" the excitement grows. No one moves as the pages are turned. A few giggles here and there express the joy they have in their hearts. They jump with joy as a picture to color is pulled from by back pack. The wooden benches now become a desk as they color while kneeling on the ground.

The church fills as the morning service starts. Three of those that accepted the Lord at the crusade join usJ Singing and dancing fills the metal sided building. Whistles join in with the keyboard to express their happiness. After the morning service gifts from America are given out. Children gather together as slippers made by my mom, Charlotte Towne, are given to each one. It is amazing to see God work even in the smallest detail. I had "exactly" the right number of slippers with me. The colorful slippers quickly found their way to many little feet. They will never forget the gift, the love, or my Mom! They love her and pray for her. Thank you Mom for all of your hard work J

Ties collected by Milton Assembly of God were also given out to the men. Each man will have a tie to wear to church. It is something many men desire but cannot afford. Many of the ties were quickly put on even without the button up shirt and collar. Thank you Milton Assembly of God for your caring hearts.

One lady with children accepted the Lord Jesus into her heart today. She then asked me to pray for a husband as she has children but no husband. I talked with her for a while and explained to her the importance of not rushing but to wait for the "right" man to marry. She is quiet, she is listening and then she says "Never mind the husband then, pray for a job for me!"

It is a day of celebration and lunch is cooked for me by the ladies of the church. I am served rice, chicken, and ugali. What an honor to be given such a welcome.

The afternoon is used to set up for the crusade. Nothing is left out from the service before as it develops legs and walks away J So each service of the crusade the men once again put the stage together and carry equipment and chairs to the location. The worship team starts in song. Women with alcohol flowing within dance to the music. A man sits and cries on the ground as he speaks of not seeing his children for 7 years. Many people here are caught, trapped without any hope. There are difficulties with the sound system and time slips by quickly. I don't want darkness to surround me so new plans are made. The pastor walks me out and returns to speak to the people in the night. There will be many.

Jan 18^th – Monday

My mind is being stretched as Swahili lessons started this morning. Two hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning I am tutored by a native Kenyan teacher named Helen. We did a review today to see what I had retained from the past lessons. I was so surprised and happy to see that once I pulled up that file from the back of my brain, Swahili started to flow again!