GRACE BAPTIST CHAPEL
Albuquerque, New Mexico

A slice of life from Kenya East Africa

Wow! The short rains have come. Short because it only last a month or two, but not short in the amount of time it rains daily. This week it has rained almost all day, every day. Please pray for the people here and their crops. Many of them did not get a good crop during the normal planting season due to less rain than usually. As I drive out to the villages, I have seen many of them planting. I pray they are blessed with a good crop. Of course the rain is a blessing, but it also causes difficulty.

We had planned a cinema in Sanguaya this weekend, but the roads out there are impassible right now due to the rain. Also one of our preachers is having a serious problem with his roof due to the heavy rain.

This makes me think of one if not the toughest thing I have faced since I have been here. We are constantly being faced with need. All around us there are very real and legitimate needs. People are hungry, not well clothed, have housing problems, but there are issues that cause us to struggle with the right thing to do. 1. We did not come to Kenya as humanitarian missionaries. If we start doing these types of things it could easily capture all our time and resources. 2. There are too many of them and not enough of us. We do not use mission’s money for these things because it is not our ministry. So when we help we do so from our personal funds. If I made an honest effort to help with the request I get on a weekly basis, I could not do it financially. 3. You fear setting a precedent. If I do this for one person (especially the ones we are close to), will it be thought that I will do it for everybody? So here I am, and for $200 dollars I can replace this preacher’s roof. I have the money to do so in my bank account. What is the right thing to do? I know it may seem simple, but it is not as easy as it looks to make these decisions. Please help us pray for wisdom. Since we could not get out to any of the village churches we decided to stay in town and go to a church that was started by some independent Baptist we know. The services there are all in English and much like we are used to at home. It was refreshing to have a chance to worship in a very familiar setting. When we go out to the villages there is so much we still do not understand. We are totally lost during most of the singing and preaching (if I am not preaching, and even then a little), only catching enough words to perhaps stay in the context. It is very hard, but is easing with each passing week. Soon it will make more sense, but until then we do the best we can.