Exchanging Hope

A Picture A Day - Tatalon and Manila

2012-01-25T22:33:00.000-08:00

[So I stole this idea from my friends Katie and Mandy back in Chicago (thanks girls), but I think it will be a good way to help you see Manila during my time here!]

1/20/12 - Quezon Avenue - One of the main roads that goes past my community and through Quezon City here in Metro Manila. Took this picture from a walkway over the road on my first day in Manila!

1/21/12 - My room! Maybe 8'x5' but very spacious compared to the way most people live here in Tatalon. The family I am living with has 5 children, aged 2, 13, 14, 16, and 17. Four boys, Gabriel, Patrick, Jason, and Daniel, and one girl, Abigale. They gave me Abigale's room for now, but just finished turning one of their closets into a room for her. The three older boys sleep in another room, and then my parents, Sonny and Grace, and Gabriel sleep in the living room/kitchen. I love my place and my family. Praise God for providing me a place to stay!

1/22/12 - Tatalon sign. More pictures to come, but for now you just get to see the sign ;) It is a humble community, though one of the largest in Quezon City, with about 30,000 people. Tatalon is one of the 39 barangays (local communities) in Quezon City, one of 17 municipalities of the Manila metropolitan region. QC has about 2.4 million of metro-Manila's 11 million. Most of Tatalon is either poor or extremely poor. In fact, Tatalon is one of the poorest communities in the Manila region. Most people live in slum-like dwellings and are not owners of the land. Many live in areas that are regularly flooded. (http://base.d-p-h.info/en/fiches/dph/fiche-dph-7207.html) Again, more pictures to come!

1/23/12 - My new brother Gabriel! He is two and a lot of fun to be around! He especially likes to play with his toy animals, any kind of ball, look at pop-up books, watch the computer or tv, try and grab my cell phone, and play with toy cars! He is great with people and very friendly. He and I are learning tagalog together :)

1/24/12 - Yakimix with Joe and the ARC Manila staff. Joe is a businessman and owner of A Runners Circle LA and Manila. I met him during my time in Manila, and he has connected me with his store and team here in Manila! It looks like I'll be running a race for them in August in Cebu and potentially many more before then. Running has been difficult this week with orienting myself with the community, but there are a few parks nearby and a few tracks too. Looking forward to continuing this partnership with Joe and ARC Manila. BTW - this Yakimix is at the Mall of Asia, one of the largest malls in Asia! It is huge. Can't hardly describe the malls here - at least 2-3 times the size of most malls in the US. Didn't have my camera this time, but should have pictures of the malls eventually. You wouldn't believe it!

Prayer Requests as I Go

2012-01-12T22:43:00.000-08:00

God is good. Thank you for your prayers up to this point. I leave in less than a week, heading out of Chicago next Tuesday, January 17th, and hoping to get into Manila on Friday, January 20th. The director of MMP (Mission Ministries Philippines) has already found a host family for me and ministry sight. Praise God. Here are a few prayer requests that you can be lifting up when you get a chance or as you're going about your day.

- Pray for safe travels and that God might provide me with opportunities even as I travel to minister to those I meet in the airport, on the plane, or in the cities I'll be having layovers in (Chicago, LA, Honolulu, Guam).

- Pray for my host family and church, that God would help them prepare for having another person in their home and congregation starting next week. Pray for their hearts and patience to receive me and mine to be humble, appreciative, and have the spirit of a learner and a servant.

- Pray that I might get a right spirit and attitude as I start language school soon after arriving in Manila. Pray that I might be able to stay focused, be diligent, and learn how to forgive myself all the many times I mess up.

- Pray that I might be able to establish a good routine soon after arriving. I will still need to find an internship sight for economic development, possibly connect with the running store, start language school, begin work with the church I'll be partnered with, etc., so this may take some time. Pray that through all of this, I might continue to seek the Lord in prayer and devotion, and love other as He loves me.

- Pray for our team: Katie, Brandon, Lindsey, and myself. That we might learn to bear with each other in our weaknesses and encourage each other in our strengths.

Thanks for your support and prayers!

Prayer: For Workers and Unity

2012-01-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

The following are segments from a chapter called "The Battle for the Gateway Cities," out of the book Praying for the 100 Gateway Cities of the 10/40 Window, written by Viv Grigg, the director of the Urban Leadership Foundation [http://www.urbanleaders.org/home/] as well as the MA in Transformational Urban Leadership [http://matul.org/] that I began this past fall.

I appreciate these thoughts on prayer as we (1) pray for workers and (2) pray for the unity of the churches in the 100 cities mentioned in the book, and other cities around the world (including those in US)! I have been encouraged and blessed beyond description by friends and family over the past few weeks, and had three churches say a sending prayer over me before leaving for the Philippines in a week (New City Church, LA; Holy Trinity Church, Chicago; Cherry Hills Baptist Church, Springfield, IL). I'm more certain now than ever that God has called each of us to different roles in the body (some to plug into established churches and others to go and plant new ones), and that we all have a role to play! I am truly filled with joy as I continue to surrender to what God has in store each and every day.

...

   In our world today there are nearly 500 cities of over one million people, and more than 220 of these could be classified as unevangelized. Billions of people have careened down rural roads into multiplying concrete highways to be emptied into the city and its slums. Almost all population increase now and in coming decades will be urban and urban migrant, as rural population growth remains static. The majority of these people will live in slums and squatter areas. The penetration of the cities and these urban poor communities define the target of missions for the twenty-first century. The future of missions is urban, especially among the poor.
   Given the contexts of massive urbanization, globalization, and impoverishment of city populations, what is our goal in praying for cities? Let's look to the Master to find the answers. First, he came preaching the kingdom of God. Preaching, teaching, healing, and delivering were his primary activities. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 9:37-38, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." We are to pray for laborers for the harvest who can do the same. Second, in Luke 4:18 Jesus declared that the focus of his mission and ours is to preach good news to the poor and enter into their poverty, for that was the model of him who now intercedes for us.

Cities and Spiritual Power

   Centers of tremendous power reside in the 10/40 window (between 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator). The city of Kolkata (Calcutta) is the servant of Kali (the Hindu goddess of death and destruction) and the center of Brahmanic Hinduism. Varanasi is one of India's holiest Hindu strongholds. Lhasa has mysterious Buddhist powers. Bangkok is the "city of angels." In regular daily ceremonies, every portion of its land is dedicated to the spirits, for whom small houses are constructed. Toward Mecca, one-fifth of the world's population prays daily.
   Penetrating these cities will be hard, persecution will be intense, and workers may face death. We must recognize the powers centered in the Gateway Cities, powers that control entire countries and regions, seeking to extend their influence over the whole earth. As more of the world's population moves into cities, we will face spiritual opposition at higher levels of intensity. In some cities, the depravity of man creates grotesque structures that enable the spiritual powers to wreak greater levels of destruction. Therefore, our task of reaching and transforming the cities will be increasingly difficult.

Strategic Points for Intercession

   Through the proclamation of the gospel, the kingdom impacts the very structures of cities. Colossians 1:1-20 tells us that Christ is above all things and in control of the structures of the universe. He holds cities together. With that in mind, here are some strategic points for intercession.

1. God has plans for the cities. For each city God has a purpose and a battle plan. It is our task to discern this plan and then to walk with God in obedience. Listening to God and others, developing unity, and having the right timing are crucial factors. Every step in finding God's plan is the working of the Spirit as we walk with him. Every city is different. Every battle is different. We must seek God's guidance.

2. Spiritual unity is key to spiritual warfare. Linking believers around a common goal is a central element of reaching a city. This must be birthed by the Holy Spirit. The spiritual unity of believers is key to our spiritual power and effectiveness (see Acts 4:32-35). The Holy Spirit may not work significantly in a situation where he is grieved because of our disunity.

3. Brokenness and reconciliation are essential. If unity among believers in a city is not present, the first step is for them to come together in prayer and teaching until there is mutual brokenness followed by reconciliation. By confessing their sins to one another, believers can begin to work together to transform their city.

4. Prayer movements promote unity. Prayer births visions of what God can do in the city and builds mutual trust and relationship. It is a common denominator around which many diverse Christian groups can work in unison. Citywide prayer, prayer walks, prayer marches, neighborhood prayer strategies, and concerts of prayer are some of the components of prayer movements.

5. Confession and humility free us from worldly powers. Many sins prevent effective intercession, and some, such as greed, stand out. Jesus taught that unless the grain of wheat dies, it does not bear fruit (John 12:24). By choosing to suffer with and befriend the poor, we are released from worldly powers of greed. This produces the character of the Spirit in us, enabling an outflow of his power and authority.

Finishing the Mission

   The battle for the unreached peoples of the world will largely be fought in the cities. The resources to reach the cities with the message of the kingdom of God are available. The potential workers are available. Presence among the poor, proclamation of the good news, and continual prayer remain the keys to transform the lives of millions of people living in cities around the world, especially the Gateway Cities of the 10/40 window.

(p. 23-26)

1000 Miles

2011-12-30T00:22:00.000-08:00

1000 miles

(Reflection following the summer of my senior year of high school)

1000 miles and 1000 cans. I am defined by what others considerpunishment and the removal from their comfort zone. Through running 1000 miles in one summer and collecting 1000cans for the homeless of our community I have become more developed in mycharacter, leadership, and astuteness. The miles of pounding the pavement has stretched my mind to realize whatlife is. Life and running competeto be one of the best analogies ever presented.

Running is more than a sport, it’san adventure. Running is a way toexpress oneself, a chance to create a masterpiece. Running is a way to be unique in a monotone world. It’s stepping outside the box and doingsomething that 1200 other students would call crazy. It’s living a different lifestyle. Having respect for ones body by getting it in shape, keepingit in shape, and staying healthy. Running creates disciplined bodies but in the same effect disciplinedminds. Minds that can think beyondwhat’s natural, beyond what some consider punishment. Running shows the runner how capable their body really isand can take the body as far as the mind will let it. Running improves one’s heart rate and teaches us to learnthe appreciation of food and sleep. Running has pushed me far beyond what I would have ever thought I coulddo or achieve and shown me that life and living is all about having fun. It’s about using what God has given usand using it to it’s full potential. There is no equipment involved, just pure heart and desire andguts. Running is aboutspirit. Knowing who one is and whythey are. Learning that the spiritis everywhere and is proved by everything created. What other sport can you know the feeling of freshly laidpavement, the beauty of fresh fall leaves, and trails that never seem to havean end. In what other sport canyou smell ten different things in thirty minutes whether from the barn or freshexhaust. Running is about growingand learning, learning things you can’t learn anywhere else, and growingstronger in mind, body, and spirit every time you step on the line. It’s about more than winning or losing,trophies or fame, but about becoming someone, someone who will know how tolead, know how to respect, and learn how to improve those around them. It’s not about the individual, but aboutthe team. And through teamexperiences the individual improves. It’s a process, a process that teaches us that the only day that mattersis today.

Conclusion and Bibliography (ST: Part IV)

2011-12-29T23:54:00.000-08:00

WhileI feel like I have only scraped the surface of this worldwide industry oftrafficking men, women, and children for sexual exploitation, I have none theless become exposed to some of the issues. I have been encouraged and provoked by a few ministers andministries who are getting their hands dirty by going to the places that Jesuswould be and is. While they areradical expressions of the Kingdom of God and the Good News of Jesus, they arealso simple and concrete. May theLord bless me and those believers I work with on a regular basis to find waysto engage in this dark abyss. I’llend with listing some of the ways one article encouraged Christians to getinvolved with the fight.

•Educate your church members. Materials are available at www.ashaforum.org/church.htmand at www.eica.org/dcs/commercial_sexual_exploitation.html.

•Organize a group of people who can provide practical help for victims orpotential victims.

•Support Christian organizations that fight sex trafficking.

•Report suspected abuse to the Trafficking in Persons and Worker ExploitationTask and Force at the U.S. Department of Justice (888.428.7581) and to the FBIfield office nearest you (find it at www.fbi.gov/contract/fo/fo.htm).

•Refer suspected victims to counselors recommended by the Initiative AgainstSexual Trafficking (703.519.5896) or by Shared Hope International (www.sharedhope.org).

•Write a congregational letter to your congressional representatives asking themto make a priority of combating sex trafficking.

•The Asha Forum, www.viva.org/asha, 425.775.4800

•International Justice Forum, www.ijm.org,705.519.5896

•The Salvation Army’s Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking, www.iast.net, 703.519.5896 ⁴⁴

¹ Wendy Murray Zoba,“The Hidden Slavery.” Christianity Today,November 2003:70.

²Ibid,71.

³Ibid.

⁴Ibid,70.

⁵Ibid, 70-71.

⁶Ibid.

⁷ Karen Long, “Sextrafficking runs rampant, expert says.” Christian Century, January2004:17.

⁸ Wendy Murray Zoba,“The Hidden Slavery.” Christianity Today,November 2003:70.

⁹ Dawn Herzog Jewell,“Light Rescue: The ‘business’ of helping the sexually exploited helpthemselves.” Christianity Today,January 2007:30.

¹⁰ Karen Long, “Sextrafficking runs rampant, expert says.” Christian Century, January2004:17.

¹¹ Wendy Murray Zoba,“The Hidden Slavery.” Christianity Today,November 2003:70-71.

¹² Sheryl HendersonBlunt, “Bondage Breaking: Bill boosts fight against sex and labor

trafficking.”

¹³ Dawn Herzog Jewell,“Light Rescue: The ‘business’ of helping the sexually exploited helpthemselves.” Christianity Today, January2007:30-31.

¹⁴Ibid.

¹⁵Ibid.

¹⁶ Karen Long, “Sextrafficking runs rampant, expert says.” Christian Century, January2004:17-18.

¹⁷ Dawn Herzog Jewell,“Light Rescue: The ‘business’ of helping the sexually

exploited help themselves.” Christianity Today, January 2007:31.

¹⁸Ibid, 30.

¹⁹ Wendy Murray Zoba,“The Hidden Slavery.” Christianity Today,November 2003:70.

²⁰Ibid, 72.

²¹Ibid, 74.

²²Ibid.

²³Ibid.

²⁴ Dawn Herzog Jewell,“Light Rescue: The ‘business’ of helping the sexually

exploited help themselves.” Christianity Today, January 2007:33

²⁵Ibid, 34.

²⁶ Wendy Murray Zoba,“The Hidden Slavery.” Christianity Today,November 2003:74.

²⁷ Dawn Herzog Jewell,“Light Rescue: The ‘business’ of helping the sexually

exploited help themselves.” Christianity Today, January 2007:33.

²⁸Ibid.

²⁹Ibid.

³⁰Ibid, 34.

³¹Ibid, 35.

³²Ibid, 36-37.

³³Ibid.

³⁴Ibid.

³⁵ Wendy Murray Zoba,“The Hidden Slavery.” Christianity Today,November 2003:72.

³⁶ Dawn Herzog Jewell,“Light Rescue: The ‘business’ of helping the sexually exploited helpthemselves.” Christianity Today,January 2007:30.

³⁷ Wendy Murray Zoba,“The Hidden Slavery.” Christianity Today,November 2003:72.

³⁸Ibid.

³⁹Ibid.

⁴⁰Ibid.

⁴¹Ibid, 73.

⁴² Mylinda Baits. http://www.internationalministries.com/places/costa_rica

⁴³ Ibid.

⁴⁴ Wendy Murray Zoba,“The Hidden Slavery.” Christianity Today,November 2003:73.

Bibliography

Baits, Mylinda. MylindaBaits. http://www.internationalministries.com/places/costa_rica

Blunt, Sheryl Henderson. “Bondage Breaking: Bill boostsfight against sex and labor

trafficking.”

Jewell, Dawn Herzog. “Light Rescue: The ‘business’ ofhelping the sexually exploited help

themselves.” Christianity Today, January 2007.

Long, Karen. “Sex trafficking runs rampant, expert says.” Christian Century,January 27, 2004.

Zoba, Wendy Murray. “The Hidden Slavery.” ChristianityToday, November 2003.

Recovery and Hope (ST: Part III)

2011-12-29T23:52:00.000-08:00

WhatI have found since looking into some research and spending time in San Jose,Costa Rica, is that though much of the church seems to be a lost cause when itcomes to the sex trade industry, there are still many churches and Christian organizationstrying to help out. The process ofhelping those in the industry escape is one that takes a lot of initiative andrequires lots of psychological and social support once they get out. Mark Crawford, one of the many who areworking through this process with a number of women, says that “the miracleoccurs when exploited women realize their inherent dignity and need forGod. He estimates a transitiontime of three to five years from life in prostitution to stable work elsewhere,while women grow in Christ and serve in a local church.” ²⁵

Anotherwoman who counsels women once caught up in prostitution says that “it is verydifficult for those engaged in prostitution to change their behavior overnight. In an odd and heartbreaking twist,” shesays, “some women don’t want to be rescued. They become conditioned to the degradation. Like battered women (who remain inabusive relationships with a partner who batters her, and often defends hisactions), women in prostitution often deny their abuse if provided with no meaningfulalternatives.” ²⁶

Business Ventures

But again, there are people tryingto help, to find ways around the hole Nouwen talks about in “the HiddenSlavery,” as mentioned above. Oneexample of a positive force in this industry, a couple that I have alreadyalluded to, is the Crawfords, a couple working in the sex trade industry inThailand. Because few Christianorganizations were reaching these women, the Crawfords pioneered their ownoutreach, Just Food Inc., representing “Justice and Food.” ²⁷

To piggyback on the popularity ofwestern-style cafes among the locals, the Crawfords designed a menu ofCalifornia cuisines at their restaurant and then trained former prostitutes andthose at-risk of entering the trade, to make the food, serve customers, and runthe kitchen. They were also able tolaunch a new venture that combined counseling and a vocational training programcalled Garden of Hope.²⁸

TheCrawfords anticipate that training for legitimate jobs in restaurants andhotels will fit with the women’s gifts. “These women are [already] in the service industry,” says Christa. “We need to redeem their skills.” With prostitution, “you’re pretendingyou want to be with. You have topresent a false image of yourself,” Mark says. The couple believe offering multiple training options willhelp the women and girls discover how God has gifted them and regain a sense ofself.” ²⁹

Anotheradvocate for these women in prostitution is Kerry Hilton, a man who, afterbeing stopped in his tracks at the sight of 6,000 women and girls in Kolkata,India prostituting themselves, moved his wife and three kids to those verystreets to minister amongst the women. Not knowing where to begin, Hilton decided that business was one way tohelp provide a way out for the women. “If business could get them into the sex industry,” he thought, “whycan’t business get them out – and help them find Jesus at the same time?” Soon after, a friend helped Hilton drawup a business plan.³⁰

Hiltonsays that he’s not simply rescuing women; the women are also transforming thecommunity. “They pray daily andmeet in prayer cells each Wednesday. Local pastors frequently lead devotions. The women return home to the same place they used to servecustomers.” Hilton says that theyare seeking a business takeover and that they want markets, not donations fromchurches and organizations. They’re seeking a freedom business takeover of the sex business,providing an alternative that frees the women from the bondage they’re in.³¹ These forms of micro-enterprise are oneway in which missionaries and ministry organizations are finding success inaddressing the problems of prostitution.

MatsTunehag, a senior associate for Business as Mission (BAM) says that “a businessapproach to ministry requires market analysis – examining the local market andbeyond, identifying competitors, and allocating capital – which requiresinvolving people with business experience.” Tunehag defines BAM as “business with a kingdom perspective,where God transforms people and their communities spiritually, socially, andeconomically.” “Business is not just about getting people a job and income,” hesays. “It’s a vital instrument inthe transformation process.” ³²

Tunehagwants to supplement the charity model. “We’re thinking that if we’re going to do something, we must raise moneyand give it away, by providing medical help or working in a shelter orsomething.” But preventing trafficking and prostitution depends on sustainablejobs and income, so business opportunities are key.³³

“IfGod has called you to business, where should you do it?” Tunehag says “Ask[yourself] ‘Where could I have the most impact for the kingdom, especially forthe least, the lost, and the lowliest?” ³⁴

Media and Academia

Another approach to ministering tothe women and girls in thesex trade industry has come in the way of exposing the issue to those who tryand ignore it. Lisa Thompson, wholeads the Salvation Army’s Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking, works withover 30 ministries, social agencies, denominational groups, and missionorganizations that attack the problem. Together, she has provoked these organizations to write letters tolegislatures, at conferences, and universities to try and create trouble forthose who feed or abet this scourge.³⁵

Thompson says that media attentionon sex trafficking has “captured people’s hearts and [their] desire to helpthose perceived as poor, ‘innocent’ victims – those trapped in brothels, heldat gunpoint, or locked in somebody’s basement.” ³⁶

Somealso work in the academy to raise awareness of the issue. One such person is Donna Hughes, aprofessor of women’s studies at the University of Rhode Island. Through articles in academic journals,television appearances, and opeds she rallies Christians and women’s groups tounite in this moral battle. Whatmotivates Hughes to fight is the global movement to legalize prostitution, to“clean it up,” she says. “Prostitution, so goes the line of thought, “empowers the women who “choose”the vocation.” ³⁷ Inthe Netherlands, Germany, and Austrailia prostitution is already legal, andother nations are considering whether or not to follow suit. “Advocates argue that even prostitutescan possess dignity, but Hughes counters that dignity cannot arise from anindustry that misuses and molests women.” ³⁸

Hughesbelieves that “cleaning up” prostitution and removing legal constraintsactually “propels the sex trafficking industry.” ³⁹ The Netherlands is case in point.

“The sex industry there is abillion-dollar business that accounts for 5 percent of the economy, an increaseof 25 percent in 10 years. Womenin the industry come from 32 different countries, signaling a “predatorydependence on foreign women to meet the demand for flesh in Dutch brothels,” toquote from a letter to Pope John Paul II, which Hughes signed. The government has a vested interest“in maintaining the transnational flow of women and children for commercialsexual exploitation” because the financial stakes are so high.” ⁴⁰

Thoughit seems like a losing battle, a senior advisor on trafficking in The Office ofGlobal Affairs at the U.S. Department of State claims there has been moreprogress in the last three years than the last twenty. Because of those working at combatingcomplacency in the academic and public spheres, laws are changing andgovernments are getting more involved. One such law is the Trafficking Victims’ Protection Act, which becamelaw in October 2000 in the United States. The law “gives organizations and law enforcement tools to go aftertraffickers,” and targets not just pimps but the entire sex traffickingnetwork: recruiters, buyers, sellers, harborers, guards, and transporters ofwomen and children. “They can andwill be charged, prosecuted, and convicted under this new law. It sends astrong message to traffickers. Thelaw is the model for all other laws around the world.⁴¹

Workin Costa Rica

TheCrawfords, Hilton, Tunehag, Thompson, and Hughes are only a few of the humblesaints working at redeeming the sex trade industry. During my trip to Costa Rica last year, I spent a few dayswith two others, Gary and Mylinda Baits, who are working with ministries intheir country who are involved in this type of Kingdom work. They, like those mentioned above, areamong a growing number of Christians worldwide working to live out the love ofJesus by reaching out to sexually exploited people.

Listenas Mylinda describes some of the work she has been involved with in Costa Rica:

“A week after Pam left Costa Rica, I joined with 90 other leaders from allover Latin America to learn, listen and create new ways to reach out inministry to victims of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking atthe ICAP Conference focused on Making Connections in order to Break the Chainsof Human Slavery. 10 of those leaders came from the Baptist churches of CostaRica, women in ministry that I've been privileged to mentor, encourage andlearn from over the last eight years of serving as an IM missionary. Myfriend and IM colleague, Lauran Bethell, who began paying attention to theseissues years ago, was one of the keynote speakers. Though the issues ofexploitation have been affecting Costa Rican life for many years, some churchesare just now starting to pay attention to the needs of those victimized bythem. The road is long and we often do not know where it will take us,but we do know that God is moving and if we pay attention, we'll see Godworking in amazing and life-giving ways in our churches and communities.” ⁴²

When I visited the Baits, as I described in more detail in the journalentry at the beginning of this paper, I had the chance to see with my own eyesthe sex industry in action. I alsohad the chance to talk with the Baits about how they have been addressing theissue along with others in Costa Rica. Again, these thoughts and more were in that first journal entry.

While the trip made me more aware of the sex trade industry in Costa Rica,as well as the industry on a world scale, it also made me raise questions aboutthe industries presence here in the United States. Mylinda describes this line of thought of connecting theindustry in Costa Rica with ours here in the US with the following newsletterentry to her supporters in the US.

“Real life in Costa Rica includes many of the same challenges present inthe US: unemployment, crime, drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, illegalimmigration, labor exploitation, and racial intolerance to name just a few. Though many aren't proud of it, sexual tourism, commercial sexualexploitation and human trafficking are also part of the Costa Rican reality.But before we get too smug, we need to admit that they are a very real part ofthe US reality as well. Reality hit home when we saw so many of the sexualtourists in the upscale red-light district known as "Gringo Gulch"who looked as if they could be one's cousin, brother or spouse. It isoften when we travel a distance that we learn the most about what is closest tous.

For many on the trip, growthhappened once they left their comfort zones and survived. They were stretchedto go to places they'd only heard of or read about before. Though manyred-light districts and "seedy" areas exist in US cities and towns,these good church folk don't often frequent them. Together with a groupof good Costa Rican church folk, they braved this uncharted territory together,hands held by those with whom they couldn't even hold a conversation. Growth happened in the intense grieving of innocence lost and God-givendignity defiled as we witnessed slavery in the form of entertainment. Growthhappened as well when we shared life and lunch at the RahabFoundation with 15 women, many of whom are still active in the sex trade.We learned their names, heard their stories and began to see them not as"prostitutes" but as people precious and loved, daughters of God.

Whether you live in Latin America, Asia, Africa orMontana, God is moving in your midst, you'll see it if you pay attention. Thankyou for paying attention to God's call on your life to live generously andthoughtfully. We are encouraged and built up because of you.” ⁴³

My experience in Costa Rica touched me in a way that I couldn’t have beenhad I just read about the sex trade industry in a book or an article. In more ways than one it brought thearticles and books to life. It hasalso made me more aware of the sex tourism and trafficking industry here inChicago. One friend of minementioned the other day that he is trying to work for CAASE (Chicago AllianceAgainst Sexual Exploitation), a chicago based organization working at curbingsexual exploitation on a local and state wide level. Through creating laws and creatve solutions, they believechanges can happen.

Sex Trade Industry (ST: Part II)

2011-12-29T23:46:00.000-08:00

In an article by Wendy Zoba called the “Hidden Slavery,” shemakes a parallel between sex trafficking and Henry Nouwen’s book The Inner Voice of Love. She says Nouwen describes a “deepabyss” in every human heart. It isimpossible to fill, he says, because the needs are inexhaustible. “You have to work around it so thatgradually the abyss closes.” ²

It is similarly impossible to fillthe abyss that is sex trafficking. The drives that fuel it – both greed and sexual desire – areinsatiable. Still, local championshave arisen to work around that abyss. “In concert, from various fronts and on differing levels here areabroad, they are working around the abyss.” ³

Zobacaptures the sex trafficking industry well, recognizing both the drive (greedand sexual desire) and those working at bringing hope amongst the brokenness.The following is some research describing the sex trade industry – somedefinitions, numbers, causes, responses to the industry, and then some peoplewho are trying to intercede for the women.

SomeDefinitions

Wendy Zoba, in the same articlementioned above, describes sex trafficking as “buying and selling human beings(usually women and children) – and recruiting, transporting, transferring, andharboring them – for sexual exploitation.” She says that the industry is illegal in most countries andviolates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), which asserts that“everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person,” and that “noone shall be held in slavery or servitude [or]…be submitted to torture.” ⁴

Zoba distinguishes countries thatparticipate in this sex trafficking industry as either sending, transit, or receivingcountries (some countries do all three). “Sending” countries supply women and children. These sending countries are most often in regions likeAfrica, Asia, and the Arab world where the greatest population growthoccurs. Because of the populationgrowth, rapid social and economic change brings about worsened poverty thatwidens the gap between the rich and poor. The women and children who are without jobs and in dire need of workbecome easy prey to the trafficking industry.⁵

“Transit” countries then –countries like Canada, Mexico, and other Latin American countries – are placeswhere traffickers can more easily slip the trafficked illegally into“receiving” countries like the United States or Europe. Which leads to these “receiving”countries. According to one reportby the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, receiving countries (U.S., Germany,Italy, Netherlands, and Japan) are typically developed nations that can chargea higher price for the services.⁶

Numbers

According to Karen Long, in herarticle on sex trafficking, there are somewhere between 700,000 and 2 millionwomen and girls taken beyond their national borders and forced into prostitutioneach year.⁷ The highernumber, 2 million is confirmed by Wendy Zoba in regards to those enslaved inthe international sex market (as opposed to the general slave labor market).⁸ Included in this number, according toUNICEF, one million of these are children that are being channeled into theindustry starting as young as six years old.⁹

Beyond the numbers, two facts inparticular burden my heart regarding the sex trade industry. The first is how much is paid for thesewomen; then how much involvement the United States has in the industry. “In Asia, pimps buy girls for about$300; virgins cost $3,000 to $5,000. Asian girls delivered to the U.S. retail for about $20,000.” ¹⁰

The estimated number of women and childrentrafficked across the U.S. border each year is 45,000 to 50,000 and the numberof those traded in the domestic, intrastate trafficking networks is 300,000 toone million ever year (the reason for lack of specific numbers results from thefluidity and secrecy of the trade network). These numbers are estimated by the Center for Missing and ExploitedChildren.¹¹ The largestnumbers of foreign nationals trafficked into the United States come from EastAsia and the Pacific, Latin America, and Europe.¹²

Causes

While we will get into some of themisconceptions later on, particularly on the part of the church, it isimportant to note some of the causes of prostitution from more of asociological perspective. ThoughChristians tend to split prostituting women into two categories - the goodprostitutes and the bad prostitutes; the good ones being victims of forcedprostitution and the bad ones voluntary prostitutes and whores – the problem isthat these are stereotypes and not the reality.¹³

In fact, despite the women on thestreet corners appearance to be acting freely, these women are in fact bound byinvisible chains that keep them there: poverty, a lack of education, early druguse, a parent in prostitution, childhood sexual abuse, and the abusive tacticsof traffickers and pimps.¹⁴ “In a survey of prostituted women in nine countries including Thailand,the United States, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey, nearly nine out of tensaid they longed to escape.” ¹⁵

In Thailand, a popular destinationfor Western sex tourists, one woman said she has met women who contemplatesuicide daily and who live in permanent gynecological pain. “Such girls and women are akin toprisoners of war, she said. Theyare duped, coerced, beaten, raped, drugged, intimidated and kept inisolation. Unlike illegal drugs,women can be sold again and again.” ¹⁶

Though personal choice may be partof the whole process of prostitution, there is so much more going on behind thescenes. Often the very money thatkeeps pimps and traffickers going provides the same reason the womenparticipate in the industry. According to Jewell, families of prostituting women often demand 50 to100 percent of their daughter’s income. “The need for money leads (some) women into the sex industry. They stay in prostitution because otheravailable jobs pay significantly less.” ¹⁷

Whenone couple, the Crawfords who will be discussed later on, began advocatingthrough the International Justice Mission for underage girls in forcedprostitution, they noticed women over 18 who were “voluntarily” prostitutingthemselves. They lacked otherviable options for supporting themselves and their families. Many women told Mark that they choseprostitution, but, he says, “When you ask them what their choices were, they hadonly one choice.” This is why manyrefer to them as “prostituted women” – to highlight the forced nature of theirwork.” ¹⁸

TheChurches Response

Prostitution and the sex tradeindustry is a vastly misunderstood crime. Many people tend to perceive prostitutes as willing participants in the“trade,” and some gatekeepers of public morality – such as corrupt local police– often fail to defend, let alone rescue, the victimized women andchildren. In this sense, accordingto Wendy Zoba in ‘The Hidden Slavery,’ “trafficked people are thus twicediscarded.” ¹⁹

Lisa Thompson from the SalvationArmy, who leads the church’s Initiative Against Sexual Trafficking, says thefollowing,

“The historical approach has been topenalize the women as wanton creatures who love sex and

want easy money,” shesays. “But prostitution is notabout the women. It is buying andselling

human flesh that enables men to have their stable of women for sexwithout consequences. If

you’reserious about stopping sex trafficking, then you’ve got to be serious about thesex

industry in general and all its disgusting multifarious forms. Lack of political will in

communitiesblinds them to what is going on in the ‘gentlemen’s club’ on the corner. It is a

blight on communities and thebreeding ground for other criminal activity. It is time for law

enforcement, prosecutors, and churches tospend time and resources to combat it.” ²⁰

The trouble is, most churches andChristians also misunderstand the sex trade industry. Many people who have worked hard at combating the industryand rescuing the women involved, have run into much resistance among Christianswho fail to face this issue honestly and boldly. One of those people, Erickson, says that “it is due in largepart to the lack of knowledge about how sexual exploitation works and what isat stake. In every church thereare husbands addicted to pornography, a child who may be being seduced, or awoman who was once trapped in prostitution. But they can’t talk about it in church. So they keep it inside as a darksecret.” ²¹

Whatthe church must first understand, and then bring into the light is that the sextrade “is hiding in plain sight, in massage parlors you pass in shoppingcenters, in escort services advertised in your Yellow pages.” ²² Then, the church needs to understandthat the prostitute is not the enemy. She is a victim.²³

InThailand, where one couple has started a café that provides jobs and an avenuefor the prostituted women to get out, they have faced this type of oppositionby the church. According to thecouple, some Thai Christians “refused to patronize a business tainted by thestigma of prostitution,” and many churches have been hesitant to get involvedin any way. “By associating withprostitutes, you’re lowering your status,” Mark says. “It’s like working with lepers. Are you going to infect yourself if you’re associating withthese people?” ²⁴

Sex Trafficking and Costa Rica (ST: Part I)

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Another paper from an independent study in San Jose, Costa Rica. Enjoy!

Sex Trafficking
Dr. Robert Price
September 24, 2009

(Intro)

“There aremore slaves alive today than all the people stolen from Africa,” notes KevinBales in his book Disposable People (Univ.of California Press, 2000).
Forces of modernization have accelerated the resurgence ofthis “new slavery,” as Bales calls it. The dramatic increase in world population, tripling since 1945 (fromabout 2 to 6 billion), has overwhelmed some developing countries. Rampant unemployment andunderemployment give rise to masses of desperate people, producing what Balescalls “a glut of potential slaves.” ¹

__________________________________________

Whenyou hear the word “prostitute,’ what usually goes through your head? If you asked me what I thought over ayear ago, I would have described a woman dressed in a short skirt and tiny top,wearing heals and a lot of makeup, standing on the corner of a street in anurban area. I would have thoughtabout the places in cities like Las Vegas or Amsterdam where nearly everywhereyou turn there is a woman willing to go to bed with you for a price. And more importantly, I would havecarried the typical stereotype that ‘prostitutes’ do what they do because theywant to, or because they know it is better money than other jobs.

Inthe same thought, if you asked me what the Bible had to say about prostitutes,I would have told you that it’s view is the same – that prostitution is bad andthat those seen doing it in the Bible (especially the old testament), did it ontheir own free will (though I would have recognized Jesus’ act at forgiving onein the New Testament).

Butduring the last year and a half, much has changed with my perception and understandingof ‘prostitutes.’ During thespring of 2008 I had the chance to travel to picturesque Costa Rica with twofriends for some site seeing and missions. After vacationing at the beach for a few days and visiting avolcano, I spent about a week being intentional with spending time withmissionaries who showed me the side of Costa Rica that tourists don’t usuallysee. I was able to visit a fewchurches and even help build one church that was erecting a new worshipspace.

Amongstthese experience, there was one that sticks with me vividly. Two of the missionaries I spent timewith had been praying for opportunities to get involved with Costa Rica’s sextrafficking industry. What Idiscovered would forever change my perception of prostitution, and help meunderstand that more often than not they are the victim and not theperpetrator. The following are afew journal entries regarding my experience in San Jose. Following these entries, I will furtherexplore this industry and look at ways the church is providing hope to thosewithout it.

__________________________________________

Journal Entry
April 12, 2008
16:57 CST

Today has been anothergood day so far, and though it would have been good to be in La Fortuna withMichael and Sebastian, I have been able to continue building transformationalrelationships with the Gonzalez family as well as get in some running andsite-seeing – and tonight get a tour of the red light district from the Baits.

“Lord, have mercy onme, a sinner.” If ever I amtempted again to look at girls in any other way than as a child of God, ever ina way that belittles them as simply an object, so help me God. And help the men who participate in sextourism. I have tonightexperienced an extreme of women being used and abused as objects that shouldmake me never able to justify looking at a girl lustfully again.

            Alright,so beyond personal conviction and accountability, tonight was another greatexperience for learning about urban ministry – and going to another place Jesuswould be were he in Costa Rica (He is!). Gary and Mylinda (another missionary couple I have been spending sometime with) picked me up from the Gonzalez’ house and took me to the red-lightdistrict (called Gringo Gulch) in downtown San Jose. A street I had walked down just over a week ago withSebastian and Michael, was now littered with casinos and hotel restaurant/barsopen for legal prostitution or “sex tourism.”

After driving aroundand parking, we walked over to a restaurant in a hotel where, once inside, wewere out of place by only ordering a coke. Everyone in the bar/restaurant was either a waitress/bartender, security guard, “John” trying to pick up a girl for the night (mostlyold white American or European men in their 50’s or 60’s), or a prostitute waiting around until a manapproached them (looking ‘bored’ as Mylinda said). It was a crazy encounter with darkness, one I don’t thinksociology or participant observation (even if not taking the girl back to theroom) could ever be enough (not that it ever is, but here it is hard to observeand never do anything about – like homelessness or drug addiction). From what Gary and Mylinda said, themen will buy the women a drink, they’ll talk a little bit, and then the manwill take the girl back to their room to have sex. This is only one of many ways the two can match up – othersbeing ordering them to be sent to one’s hotel room or getting it included in avacation package with fishing or site seeing. Mylinda kept saying these men could be an uncle from theStates or a man sitting next to us in the pew on Sunday morning. We talked about different methods ofencountering the darkness with the light of Christ and what follows are some ofthose methods:

• having a number of older Tico ladiessit in the restaurant and pray or talk with
the men
• have a number of Christian men comein at once to talk truth into the women’s
lives (this because the only men thewomen encounter are ‘sleeze bags,’ though redeemable ‘sleeze bags’ at that),and I would add having these men’s wives praying outside on the block andwaiting for their husbands to direct the women to their wives to talk furtheror set up a meeting time for the next day to have lunch, do some shopping, orget their nails done – with an end result inviting the women to be a part ofthe church community to which the Christian couple is a part
• wearing shirts that say “sex tourismis slavery” or “she is a person, not a
prostitute” whilewalking around the block praying and holding candles
• finding a way to create a public ormedia response and movement or momentum
like Civil Rights andSlavery movements
• getting Costa Ricans involved; anyassortment or combination of the above.

But then after talkingwith Gary he came back to saying he wasn’t sure what to do but knew he didn’twant to just sit doing nothing, either leave or do something. So we prayed for a while, each takingour turn with our heads bowed and hands on each others in the middle of thetable – I know Jesus was present with us tonight, but I also know what certaindisciples must have felt like eating at the house of tax collectors andsinners, or letting a prostitute wash Jesus’ feet, or going amongst theSamaritans and other “uncomfortable” or “untouchables” places Jesus took them. I do pray that something may come outof the Baits’ hearts for the men and women caught in this industry and thatJesus may be present in bringing transformation to the areas and industry. “Come, Lord Jesus, Come!”

Windows into the Kingdom...(KoG: Part IV)

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To conclude I want to re-emphasizethe importance of global exposures for the pastor in training to practiceministry in the United States. Ina recent movie called “Fools Gold” (actually a movie I watched on the planereturning to the United States) there was a line from one of the actors abouthow hunting for treasure off the coast of Florida sure beats reading about itin a book somewhere in Chicago; and things are not that much different whenlearning about the global church. While some knowledge is needed when going about the practice ofministry, it is the experiences you face while in the field that bring you intune with the nature of God and His people in the world.

Aswas developed in the paper, it is through the world around us, looking within,and interacting with others that we are able to peer (as through a window) intothe mysterious nature of the Kingdom of God. While we may know about God through reading books andhearing lectures, we may not truly know God until we encounter him throughthese means – and we can then reflect upon our findings through ourinteractions with the local church (and possibly most effectively the housechurch). I’ll conclude with a thetoast that started this whole line of thought, made on Sunday, June 8^th,2008 in Khoni, Georgia:

“A toast (#15-20 for the night if Iremember right) – the five of us seminary students have read a number of booksthis last year during seminary, including 1000+ pages for this class. Thereality, however, is that it is the stories and testimonies, like the people inKhoni that make the biggest impact on our faith as well as equip us the mostfor ministering to a congregation back in the US. Gamajolst!”

House Churches in Georgia (KoG: Part III)

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Priorto concluding, I’d like to spend some time reflecting on similarities anddifferences between the house church movement in the United States and thehouse churches we visited while in Georgia. Being a member at a church in the States that advocates forthe more intimate settings house churches provide, I paid close attention tohow these congregations functioned in Georgia.

Thefirst main difference I noticed between our context in America and theirs inEastern Europe was simply the reason or motive for meeting in houses. In the United States the movementtoward more intimate settings has been almost a direct response to themega-church movement, or even an expression out of the mega-churchmovement.

A number of studies haverecently come out showing how, though drawing a large crowd and even largenumber of non-Christians, mega churches often fail to further believers alongon their spiritual journey. Inresponse, a number of these church have opted to develop strong small groupministries that will meet in homes or out in public. Others have chosen to leave the mega-church behind and starthouse churches that can be reproduced and allow for more intimate settings forspiritual growth.

Asfor the house churches in the Republic of Georgia, this response to largerchurches was just not the case. Infact, the majority of these churches I would say are not meeting at homessimply by choice, but rather because they have no other option. We learned, especially during our timeat the church in Khoni, that the Baptist believers in Georgia are an oppressedpeople. Because they are aminority religious group, and because the Orthodox Church (the State Church)fears the Baptist influences from the West (which according to the Soviet Erawas the breeding ground of the Anti-Christ), the Baptist churches often facepersecution in terms of finding places to meet. The believers in Khoni described to us that if they triedrenting out a theatre or other building to do a revival meeting in town, theywould almost always get turned down. Though the business owner would love the business, if they rented thefacility out to a Baptist group, they would run the risk of being shut down orfired by the Orthodox State Church. Not only is this the case with buildings, but it is also often the casewith the believers finding jobs in the nearby towns.

Thoughthis differing motive for meeting in homes exists, I would almost argue thatthe Georgian church is in a better position amidst persecution than we inAmerica are amidst freedom. Notthat freedom is not to be appreciated, but throughout history it has been thechurch under persecution that has both grown the fastest and been the most authenticexpression of the Christian faith. This was the case in the early church in Acts as well as the undergroundchurch in China. While it seemedthe Georgian Baptist/ Protestant church, though strengthened, remained stagnantin terms of growth during the Soviet Era, since it has received “limited”freedom it has seen tremendous growth. And as we experienced while in Georgia, much of this growth has comefrom house churches.

Twocharacteristics in particular stuck out to me about the house churches inGeorgia, characteristics I hope to incorporate into my own church practiceshere in the States. The first ofthose was the effectiveness of community. After lunch during one of the days we were on the west coast of Georgia,we had the chance to play soccer with residents of a local mountain villagenear one of the home churches we stayed at for a few days. Through interacting with the youthbefore and after the game, we later discovered that we were able to make animpact on them spiritually by stimulating conversation between them and membersof the local church. It was thevery nature of the house church being located in the heart of the village thatallowed for this chance of evangelism.

Anotheropportunity these house churches had in regards to effectiveness of community wastheir flexibility and hospitality amongst each other and outsiders. The refugee community we worshiped withmeets daily in their homes for prayer, Scripture reading, and song, and theother two house churches we met with changed the day they got together so thatwe too had a chance to worship with them when we visited them. They were also much more willing to putus up in their homes because of the closeness of their community and fellowshipthat they experience on a weekly basis (or at least they didn’t have to go throughthe church office to make all this happen).

Asecond characteristic that I may have taken the most from the whole trip wastheir frequent participation in the Lord’s Supper. While we were in Georgia, I think we had communion at leastthe number of days we were there (ten) if not more. Recently the house church group that I meet with every otherweek in the United States has been reading through Acts. I couldn’t help but notice a verse fromActs 2 that supports and emphasizes this need to practice communion in homesregularly, as well as show generosity in fellowship: “They worshiped togetherat the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared theirmeals with great joy and generosity.” (Acts 2:46) By doing this the church is able to always remember Christ’sblood spilled for us on the cross, as well as recognize that now we, beingfilled and sent out with the Holy Spirit, are a living representation ofChrist’s body.

Despite the language barrier thatwe faced most of the trip with our brothers and sisters in Christ there inGeorgia, when it came to communion, we all knew its meaning and significance asit connected us from across the world together as one in the Body of Christ. And though already experiencing apathyfrom the American church in doing communion more often, I hope to encourage anychurch Body I am a part of from here on out to reconsider the common practicein the States of only doing it once a month.

Baptist Worship, Georgia Style (KoG: Part II)

2011-12-29T23:26:00.000-08:00

It is actually somewhat incredible to think about how manyopportunities we had to experience worship during our time in Georgia. Though we were only in the country fortwo separate Sunday’s, we got to participate in worship amongst seven or moredifferent communities and seven or more different contexts. Because of this, it will not bepossible to make blanket statements about Georgian worship styles, but ratherdescribe a number of them separately and then find commonalities between each. It is through this sort of multipleexpressions of worship that I think Georgian Baptists, and possibly the Orthodoxtradition in general understands God – as a mystery that cannot be qualified orquantified. Bishop Kallistos Ware,in his book The Orthodox Waydescribes our faith as a journey upon which the mystery of God is often “wellknown to the smallest child, and incomprehensible to the most brillianttheologian.” (Ware 12) This paradox describing how God oftenteaches us supports the advantages of experiencing God in the field rather thanthe classroom, and is why we often draw closer to God through encountering himthrough people and expressions of the local church than through gaining‘knowledge’ from the latest journal article or up and coming theologian.

While God is definitely a mystery that canrarely be grasped, Bishop Ware does provide us with three ‘pointers’ that canlead us to experiencing the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The first pointer that Ware talks aboutis the world around us. The way the Georgian Baptist churchcaptured this pointer was in fact one of my greatest appreciations of theirworship. On the last Sunday wewere in Georgia we had the chance to experience Pentecost Sunday at theCathedral Baptist Church in Tbilisi, the country’s capital city. The very nature of using the churchcalendar adds some sort of structure out of the chaotic world in which welive. It provides a frame work outof which the church can celebrate events essential to the Christian church(Easter, Christmas, and Pentecost) so to remain focused on the main thing (thelife, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord).

Beyond the church calendar, theCathedral Baptist church also pointed the congregation to God through multiplesenses. Often churches in Americaonly use sound (through the word andsong) and sometimes taste (throughcommunion once a month) to draw the congregant into worship. At this church in Tbilisi however, theservices included smell throughincense and grass scattered across the church floor, sight through a liturgical dance, icons, and symbolic gifts duringthe ordaining of bishops, and soundthrough a reading of scripture in multiple languages at the same time tosymbolize Pentecost – this in addition to the two we depend on in America.

As for something to take back tothe church in America, I would agree with something Neville Callam, the GeneralSecretary of the Baptist World Alliance, said during an exclusive meeting withhim on one of the last days. Hesaid that we as the church in America need to put more emphasis on thoughtful,crafted worship for all the senses. We have become too dependent on the written and spoken word in ourworship, which only limits how we can experience God. Though likely providing leadership in a more pastoral rolein the future, I hope to work together with the worship leader at whatevercongregation I find myself a part, encouraging these sorts of thoughtfulexpressions of worship.

A second ‘pointer’ that Ware talksabout in his book is finding God withinourselves. We best experiencedthis form of worship through services held in Malcaz’s private chapel where weinteracted with the Daily Office of the Order of St. Francis Assisi. As for a tool that helps the believerto really look introspectively at their spirit, I’m not sure I have experienceda better method than the Daily Office we used.

Participating in this form ofworship a handful of times during our time in Georgia, it was the setting andtiming that allowed the words to really take root. We met in a room that could hold no more than twenty people,each of us lined up in a semicircle on the wall that was focused on an altarwith incense, a Bible, the elements for communion, and a beautifully ‘written’ Frescoof Christ on his throne hovering over the altar. As for the timing, we joined together to worship in thechapel both early in the morning and late at night (okay, so not that early orlate) to both ready ourselves for the day ahead and reflect on the day that hadpast. The best experience howeverwas worshiping in the chapel prior to going to worship at the Baptist Cathedralin downtown Tbilisi. I have notbeen more prepared to worship with a larger body than following this chapel serviceand fellowship afterwards. Andfrom what we were told, this provides a great context for the leaders of theCathedral to prepare themselves for leading worship as well as have a time theycan look introspectively at their lives readying them to pour out into thecongregation later that morning.

And yet, as much as the setting andtiming created fertile soil for the Word to be planted in our hearts and minds,it was the Word itself that made the greatest impact on me. Using the Daily Office of St. Francis,along with the common lectionary as a guide, a different person each time tookus through scripture, prayers, and reflections in a beautifully orchestratedsequence. Each of the readings,rather than being read by a sole person, were divided among those present sothat everyone had a chance to participate in the service. The worship then was concluded byreading a supplemental packet for communion, and together partaking of thebread and the wine.

While at first I was surprised anduncertain (though excited because of my growing appreciation of St. Francis) asto how or why Malcaz used the readings of St. Francis (I thought prior to thetrip that the Order of St. Francis was unique to the Catholic church), I wasencouraged to find out that he is a part of the Third Order of the St. Francisnetwork associated with the Anglican Church. While studying at Oxford he has connected with the Anglicanchurch in England and has begun to incorporate the worship expressions of St.Francis with those styles of both the Orthodox church and Baptist church influencein Georgia. As for my own use ofboth these worship practices and worship texts that have been introduced to me,I desire to connect with the Anglican Third Order of St. Francis in Chicago andpossibly find the Daily Office readings to use for personal and more intimateworship setting here in the states.

A final “pointer” to guide our Wayof faith amidst the mystery of God is our relationshipwith other human persons. Thebest way I saw this lived out in the Baptist Church in Georgia was throughtheir three commitments after receiving freedom from their Russianoppressors. The first commitment wasto building the church out of Georgian soil. To do so, they have done lots of work at reclaiming theirpast, going all the way back to the first successful evangelist of Georgia, St.Nino. They have integrated the St.Nino cross into their own decorations, making it a core part of their identityand flag. A group of women havealso joined together to make up an Order of St. Nino, women called ‘sisters’who spend their days making rounds to visit the poor and elderly who are tosick and senile to leave their apartments.

Another part of their history theyhave reclaimed is the piety of the Order of the New Desert Brothers, as well asintegrating many of the paintings found on the walls of the desert caves intotheir weekly worship. Included inthe practices of the Desert Brothers are frequent pilgrimages or hikes to thesedesert caves for reflection and silence. As for the paintings on the walls in the caves, we saw these images‘written’ on Frescos and Icons in the churches and buildings of the GeorgianBaptist church. Both the serviceof the sisters and piety of the brothers sets this expression of the Body apartfrom many protestant churches in the rest of the world. It is something we need to learn from,and something I hope in incorporate into my own spiritual journey and churchesI help lead in the future. Whilethe brothers piety has more to do with introspective aspects of worship (as describedin the first ‘pointer’), the service of the sisters is essential in how we asfollowers of the Way interact with other human persons.

A second commitment made by theBaptist church was to reclaim orthodoxy. To do this, they have maintained common religious language and symbolismwith the Georgian Orthodox church, as well as emphasized their ministries tothe poor, in order to prove to be a stronger witness to their orthodox brothersand sisters. When Malcaz wasdescribing this tremendous testimony of contextual worship he said somethinglike the following:

“When asked by the Orthodox churchabout icons, we tell them we have more; when

asked about liturgy, we say ours ismore developed and thought out; when asked about

leadership structures of bishopsand deacons, we just ordained three new bishops; but

what sets us apart from ourOrthodox brothers and sisters is our social responsibility – we

serve more and give more to thosein need. The State Church can giveno reason before God of persecuting us or putting us on account beforeGod.”

Much like Paul’s plea to the church in Galatians, him being“far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors,”(Galatians 1:14) the Baptist church can say the same about their incorporationof orthodox traditions among the Orthodox believers. This also gives them much more of a voice among thepolitical and religious realm, because though a minority, ears in Georgia perkup when they hear the title “bishop.” But again, it is their continual love and service to the poor, a keypart of the early church (which Orthodoxy holds in such high esteem), thatmakes them in a sense more orthodox than the majority religious faith – andmore of a Christian witness to non-believers in Georgia.

Thefinal commitment of the Georgian Baptist church, also connected with thispointer of relationships with other human persons, is to be knowledgeable andactive in developing relationships with their Muslim neighbors. We had a great opportunity to see thisin action by going to a local Mosque in Batumi, a city in western Georgia, andmeeting with some of the leadership at that religious facility. Often the church (especially in theStates) has either backed down from these opportunities with Muslims or screwedit up by showing hatred and condemnation rather than love and servitude. Here however, the believers worktogether with their Muslim neighbors to fight economic and religiousinjustices, bringing peace and shalom to the cities neighborhoods.

Asto these three commitments made by the church of Georgia, the church in theUnited States should also consider similar commitments carefully. As for what I personally will take outof these expressions of the church, I hope to seriously consider adding asimilar order of sisters like those of St. Nino, as well as building betterbridges with those of Muslim faith and other faiths. By doing this, the churches I serve at will betterunderstand God through serving others, and better worship God thoroughrealizing how we too have been served by the Body of Christ.

Windows into the Kingdom of God: How Global Exposures Strengthen Local Ministry Practice (KoG: Part I)

2011-12-29T23:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a paper I wrote during seminary regarding traveling abroad and the Republic of Georgia. One of my better reflections if I had to say :) I am posting these and some from my trip to Costa Rica in preparation for my next venture to the Philippines. It is good sometimes to look back and see where we've been in order to help us figure out where we are going. I will break it into a few parts to make it easier to read.

Windows into the Kingdom of God: How Global Exposures Strengthen Local Ministry Practice (Intro)
July 15, 2008
Professor: Dr. John Sundquist
ME 512 ExperiencingWorld Christianity: Study andTravel the Republic of Georgia

According to Eastern Orthodoxexpressions of Christianity, icons, or “written” art work portraying Biblicalpassages and truths, are Windows intoHeaven that bring the Christ-follower deeper into the spiritual realm. According to Elizabeth Zelensky andLela Gilbert, “because Christ, the second member of the Holy Trinity, took onhuman flesh, the material realm has been elevated to the same level ofimportance as the spiritual realm.” (Zelensky 23) Though atfirst uncertain and simply uneducated about such expressions of worship, aftertaking a ten day trip to the Republic of Georgia where we daily experiencedthis sort of veneration through icons, I can say that my spirit was in factstrengthened by iconography in worship.

Evenmore than this one exposure to the international body of Christ however, I feltthat my encounter with the Baptist Church in Georgia as a whole was in fact a Window into the Kingdom of God that Iwould not have experienced were it simply done in a classroom in Lombard,Illinois. And the same explanationas the icons can hold true: it is because Christ, through leaving the spiritualrealm and becoming flesh, took on a local expression of faith that we can gaininsights from other regions of the world to further our understanding of theKingdom of God.

Ifirst realized the advantage of experiencing global Christianity through beingin the field as opposed to sitting in the classroom while sitting around thetable in a town called Honig on the western side of the Republic ofGeorgia. As we listened to thestories of men and women who had lost all they had (some of them even theirlives) after being displaced from their home region of Abkazia to this refugeevillage in Khoni, I realized I’d never be able to experience the emotional andphysical ramifications of their story through simply reading a book. And I’d never be able to capture thespiritual zeal they had for the Lord despite hardship by reading a book either;they met every day in homes throughout the village and showed more hospitalityrelative to what they had than I may ever experience in my life. I made a toast that night to this newinsight while sitting around the table as their hospitality filled my stomach,mind, and spirit, and I write this paper now as a toast to the insights and toolsI gained from my ten day immersion in the Republic of Georgia.

Awhile back I read a book titled God’sGlobal Mosaic, which described various aspects of God and the church thatare expressed in six or seven different regions of the world. I have had the chance to travel to anumber of these regions, experiencing the celebratory spirit of Latin America,the perseverance of the church in Africa, and the grandeur of the church inEurope. It was in Georgia however thatI was able to experience the mysterious nature of God in Christ. More specifically, I was stimulated(“aha” moments if you will) by the unique blends of Georgian Baptist worship,as well as the way they do church, particularly dealing with the house churchmovement where much of their growth has come from. It makes most sense to first describe what it was weexperienced and then share how I hope these experiences can apply to my owncontext back here in the states.

Kenya Thoughts

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Apologies to those who received all of these Kenya thoughts from my trip back in 2007 in their inbox. Just consolidating blogs, and putting these posts into my Exchanging Hope Blog. Will probably continue to update this blog with other thoughts over the past few years. Will also use this for my new adventures in Manila over the next few years.

Kenya Thoughts, July 29-30, 2007

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Before finishing the journaling of my trip I want to tie in some lyrics from a song (and hope to do it with two other songs later). The lyrics are as follows:

"how could I, stand here with you, and not be moved by you...will you tell me, how could it be, any better than this."

I experienced the truth of these lines in many ways these past three weeks: (1) standing in and walking through Kibera slums and wanting to get involved in God's work to the people and community there; (2) standing and looking out over the rim of the Great Rift Valley, being speechless, and yet wanting to worship God as Creator; (3) sitting in devotionals reading the Word and wanting to know Jesus as the Word and the Truth; (4) worshiping at a Catholic church in the Kodogocho slums and wanting to worship and know God with the kind of joy the Africans had in the American church; and (5) having two young girls looking up at me with their arms stretched wanting to be swung around by their hands (and seeing Jesus in their faces) and wanting to play with and love on children all day long. It goes without saying that standing with Jesus draws a movement of many natures; the danger is twofold - (1) not standing with Jesus and (2) not moving.

Lord help me to do both!

Sunday, July 29th: Church, Kivuli, Annita

On Sunday we were able to go to another Catholic church, the one George (the manager of Shalom House) goes to which is located on the other side of Nairobi in a slum called Kodogocho. The church was called Saint Daniels, named after St. Daniel Camboni, the saint who started the Camboni brothers to which Father Kizito is a part of. The church experience was great and my thoughts on the service will be described later in an entry on sermon notes. After church we went by Kivuli one last time where I gave my pictures to Kenny, the boy's mentor, guardian, and case manager. Then, after lunch at Shalom House we went back to Annita (the home for girls who were once street children/orphans) for a last time where I had a blast playing more soccer, playing on the playground, taking Polaroid pictures (though 80 of them were in the donations bag that never came I still had 25 which the girls loved), climbing more trees to get balls down, swinging Teresia and Dorcas around, and staying away from all the girls getting their nails done (I strongly dislike the smell) though complimenting them on the way they looked.

Sunday night we ate pizza again at the Italian Restaurant. I also shaved Sunday, preparing for my journey and arrival back to the States the following day.

Monday, July 30th: Tone La Maji; Departure

Because I am out of room in my journal notebook, I will make this entry short. After packing in the morning and watching some sweet documentaries on poverty made by our guides, we went back to Tone La Maji for a last time before driving to the airport. There I shot and shagged goal shots on the sweet soccer field, juggled the soccer ball with three others (including my friend Paul) on the side of a hill by the dining hall, ate chipote and beans with the boys in the dining hall, and learned that I look like John China, a famous professional wrestler the kids watch on their t.v. in their t.v. room - not what I'd prefer to be known as but I hear he is well respected and very successful.

Kenya Thoughts, July 23-26, 2007

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Monday, July 23rd

Monday marked the two-thirds mark, a transition of the sorts and a week before going back home. The transition was for many reasons. Though experiencing a few new things in the last week, we mostly just went back to some of the same projects we had seen in the first two weeks. Another reason for the transition was that one of our group members, Josh went to the airport and left to go back to the States for work. From here on out, our group role call would be "nine in line" instead of "ten ahead." (not sure why - it was just said once and it stuck). This loss definitely changed the dynamics of the group - in my opinion making it more intimate because Josh was probably the least known and most independent of the group - but even still it was hard to see him go because he was really starting to open up and his humor was a great asset to the group, helping keep the mode lighter when needed. The last reason Monday was a transition is that Dan finally got his bag, which meant he didn't have to wear the same three outfits all the time and those of us that he borrowed from got to borrow some clean clothes from him.

As for the days activities, our time consisted of returning to Kibera Slums as well as back to the Kivuli Center. Oddly enough, cameras seemed to be a central themed of the day - both for good and bad. Though having two guides from Shalom House, the first hour of our time in Kibera (the second largest slum in Africa, having nearly 1 million people - mostly living on less than a dollar a day) was spent without residents from Kibera itself. On top of this, our two guides had brought their high-tech video camera equipment to shoot footage (1 hour) for a documentary; in addition some of our group members got too picture happy when they should have been more careful. Not hearing it myself, I guess a few members of our group and the guides got a strict yelling at by a few residents at an electronics "shop" along one of the dirt "roads" in the slums. The guides told us that they (both of whom were Kenyan but middle class) were the ones being yelled at (not us) and that if the residents knew the reason for shooting the footage (for showing people in the States to help out the Kibera Slums Community Development Program) they would not have been so angry - even still, some of our group members were really shaken up by the experience realizing that we were at fault for not respecting the dignity of the residents, and didn't fully settle down until we connected again with members from the community development program and were much better accepted by the Kibera residents - even though we still occasionally received comments from some of the adults. In spite of all this, we were able to walk to a few more of the KISCODEP initiatives including a sewing shop, a second Chemist show, and Teresa's shop again (also being able to meet her husband Huntington). This was a great chance to further our relationships with the community members and talk through what it would look like for us to help them out (providing the financial support to become a NGO (non-governmental organization) as well as provide them with some mother boards from more updated computers. While waiting for the community members to show up I was able to sit with our guides at a small "cafe" in the slums at which I played with a cute little girl (doing some magic tricks) and drank a 25cent bottle of coke! It was quite possibly the cheapest, best tasting, and most appreciated coke I have had in my life. I could also see myself sitting there some day as a resident, missionary, and friend to people of the slum - working with the Church there to help transform the area. And crazy as it sounds, I didn't feel scared of danger at all - actually I felt more comfortable than I often do in the suburbs of Chicago - its just that the danger in the slums is physical (not "real" danger) and the danger in the burbs is spiritual.

Following our second experience in the slums, we went back for lunch at Shalom House and then back to Kivuli Center (one of the Koinonia Projects closer to where we were staying). It was here that the camera took on a redemptive role. I'm really not sure what it is about the camera, but the kids love it. Spending most of our time in the small courtyard outside the kids' dormitory, the kids were able to get their hands on a few of our cameras - Dorthy, Lori, and I's. The rest you can try to picture, but no matter how hard you try, you can't. There is just something about Kenyan kids coming from living in the streets and slums taking pictures of their brothers - other street children. It is through this lens that kids were able to regain dignity - that they would be trusted with and even have the opportunity to take pictures with a digital camera, not to mention that they have people caring about them and wanting to have pictures of them. In this we learned that it is multiple short term and long term visitors from outside visitors that give dignity back to these once homeless, orphaned, and glue sniffing boys. What's more is that on our final visit to Kivuli (coming on the following Sunday afternoon) I was able to upload the pictures the boys took (as well as all my other pictures from my trip) to one of the computers in Kivuli so that the boys have a chance to see their work - again giving a redemptive role to the camera (I got the idea to do this during Monday's visit when a few kids were looking through the window from the courtyard into the case managers office where each of the boys' picture was being displayed one by one on the screen saver on the computer - how cool, I thought, would it be if the pictures they took were also flashing through on the computers screen saver). Beyond pictures (and without one in my hands) it was great just getting to know some of the same and new kids more and playing with them - one cool opportunity I had was to help one of the younger kids, Eric, get a nail out of his shoe (made of recycled tires) with two wooden sticks. God can use anything to help fix things that are broken - even cameras, sticks, and little kids with big smiles!

Tuesday, July 24: Lake Nakuru

On Tuesday our group left early for lake Nakuru, the "flamingo capital of the world." This title proved to be nothing but true as there were literally hundreds of thousands if not a million flamingos lining the outside and parts of the inside of the lake - a large lake that took us looking from the top of a fairly large mountain to see it all. Just expecting to see some flamingos and pelicans (they told us we would see pelicans too), I and the group were definitely in for a surprise after our three hour bus ride to the lake when we also saw Rhinos, Zebras, Baboons, Buffalo, Gazelle, Impalas, Giraffes, a Hyena, and many other African-unique animals. The Rhinos was the coolest of these animals because we didn't see any while on safari, but probably was not as amazing as the flamingos. It is one thing to see a colorful bird or even a peacock - definitely pieces of God's creation; but to see a sea of pink covering the lake like the flamingos did (painted on a background of dark blues and greens) was beautiful - and to be honest, kind of funny too. The trip was definitely worth the three hour bus rides there and back and was captured by some amazing pictures of God's creation.

Wednesday, July 25th: Free-Day

Before this trip, the longest I have ever been on a missions trip was 10 days, and the longest I have ever traveled outside of the country was two-weeks. This considered, I was not expecting the feeling of restlessness that came during the last week. On top of being in a different country and culture for the time we were, because of the way the trip was set up we were traveling to different places and projects every day. It got to the point, first noticed on this Wednesday, that I appreciated having a break from spending time with kids and traveling. Every time we'd get to a project it seemed as if I had unlimited energy to hang out and interact with the kids. They just have a way with transferring their abundance of energy onto you - Jesus also provides the extra needed energy through the kids. But Jesus also gives energy from rest outside of spending time doing ministry or being ministered too - for our group, that came through having a day, Wednesday, to relax and catch a last wind before finishing our trip. This came as an unexpected blessing being that our next four days would be filled with emotional experiences and tiring traveling. The reason for the "free day" was that we couldn't get through to the AIDS orphanage we wanted to help at until that day, so the intended visit got moved to the next day and the day was left open. To pass the time, many of us took naps, journaled, updated blogs and e-mail, and even through the Frisbee around or kicked the soccer ball (I've been practicing my ball juggling skills). In the afternoon we also all took a trip to the downtown market, a market that contains many commission-driven "hounds" (for lack of better words). If you were ever feeling alone during a visit to Nairobi, the market is a place for immediate adoption into a large family and the most shallow "love" I have ever felt. In other words, we were nothing but dollar signs to the nearly 100 shop (all with about the same things) owners, people who'd say "brother/sister...come and look in here...touching and looking is free." While it was cool to see some amazing paintings, carvings, and jewelry, it took every bit of coldness and stubbornness I had (which is not a lot) to walk out with only the two things I went in looking for - a flag for myself and sweet gift for my sister. Needless to say, tourism is the highest form of National income from what I understand. It was a good day of rest finished with an interesting discussion that night during our devotional time.

I'm not sure how we got to it (maybe because I and Becca sensed a lack of gospel focus), but the conversation came around right to the message of the cross - the raw and real message that the Apostle Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, that of Christ's death for our sins, his burial, and his Resurrection. I have definitely been challenged by Rick and Desiree that the message (and belief) is empty without love and works to back it up (we were studying James 2:14-26 on faith and deeds when this discussion came up); this is a good thing. But in doing so, there has been a very "grayed" gospel being presented - to the point that they said Gandhi and other religious people who serve the poor were going to Heaven even though not believing in Christ as their Savior. Not that we are the ones to decide this, but the Bible is very clear/ black and white - no salvation outside of knowing Christ as Lord and Savior. Surprisingly one of our members said they were not a Christian in regards to the gospel message (it needed to all make sense before they believed it), and with this the case as well as one of our members being a fairly new Christian, I and Becca made sure the gospel was presented again clearly. Though no salvation prayers were prayed, I think the Bible's message that salvation is black and white came through (John 3:18); and though I feel some were offended by the conversation and method in lew of not hearing the warm and loving message of the gospel that comes from talking about the poor, I feel the darkness was exposed, light shined through, and a rich and real love was presented; and I pray that in time it may bring each member closer to our Savior - again, it is still unsettling but maybe that is a good thing.

Thursday, July 26th: AIDS Orphanage

Thursday brought what was to be maybe one of the most emotionally challenging yet rewarding days of our trip. We were able to visit an AIDS orphanage called NYUMBANI for AIDS orphans aged 6 months through late teens. The place itself was a great environment and area for any kid to grow up. The 100+ kids were split into 5-10 houses and families of 10-15 kids each, represented by 5-10 small houses situated in a rectangle around a nice playground and grassy null for "football" or jump-rope. There was also an area behind one of the buildings (in the back of the plot) with a garden, some other apartments for volunteers, and a basketball court. In addition, near the entrance was a small catholic church and housing area for nuns (a few of them worked at the house along with leaders from the community).

The hard part was accepting or thinking about the situation the kids were in - not only that they were orphaned but also that they had an incurable and lifelong virus that would most likely cut their lives short. In Africa, it seems that AIDS is much like the leprosy of Jesus' day, often causing families to disown their own children and giving the infected a stigma of an outcast. While this knowledge makes it more beautiful to see the love the ladies and workers are showing to make a life of hope possible for the kids, it is also something that can cause your own heart to rib right open and pour out compassion and love. In order to really love these kids, you cannot let any of the reality of the situation get in the way - you must see them as kids that need human love like all other kids - and that's what we were able to do...just love on them. My favorite times there included kicking the soccer ball with one of the older and more athletic boys, getting to know and take a picture with two other Paul's from the orphanage (one older and one younger), pushing a little girl on a two wheel bike, jumping rope with some of the girls, showing some of the kids where I live on a map (and having them show me where they live), holding a 6 month old baby - who may or may not be HIV positive, watching the kids sing songs to us, and trying to find Dorothy at the end when she had got sucked into a house with some of the kids.

At the home I read a poster on AIDS that said the number of cases has seen large growth over the last ten years, and the urgency to help even more apparent. These facts help me understand the attempts to find a cure, and fight the root (unprotected, premarital, and unfaithful intercourse) in addition to just fighting the symptoms (like NYUMBANI). I will definitely keep all these kids, those fighting for a solution, and the church whose responsibility it is to watch after orphans like these, in my prayers.

After the orphanage we had a late lunch and got ready for our three day trip to Mombasa.

Kenya Thoughts, July 26-28, 2007

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Thursday, July 26 - Saturday, July 28:

While I will come back to Monday-Wednesday later, here is the last blog I will write before going back to the States. The rest will be updates as soon as I get a chance when I get back.

Mombasa! Pirates Beach! Camel Rides!

It has been said that through enduring the journey, the destination is made even sweeter. Well, that was the case with us after driving through the night on Africa's version of a charter bus, accompanied by a flat tire in the middle of the night, only to arrive at one of the most fun and beautiful destinations of our trip - the Indian Ocean!

We arrived around 6:00am to our beach side "resort," actually a guest house called Maristellas fro the Catholic Order that Father Kizito and Shallom House are connected to. Upon arrival we walked up and down the beach while the sun was rising over the ocean, this to pass time while our rooms were being made (another couple was leaving the same morning we arrived). After getting back to our house the five of us students took a nap (4-6 hours long) while the other four went into the city to buy tickets for the return bus ride and to visit Fort Jesus, a historic Fort connected with the Turks and Portuguese that is in the shape of Jesus.

Those who went into the city said (adding to what we noticed coming into town that morning) that Mombasa is much different from Nairobi, having a large Muslim population making it much more diverse than the very Christians Nairobi. Then after I woke up around 2 in the afternoon, our group got a small lunch (cereal with milk! and PB&J!) and then took a cab a few miles down the road to the public beach - Pirates Cove!

The beach was great. Getting there during high tide, we were able to swim in the cool but manageable water and soak up the 70 degree sun (we looked and saw that it is going to be in the 90s in Chicago - but for us 70 was warm). This felt great after being in the cooler "winter" of Nairobi where there is only an hour or two of sun every day and it would often get into the 50s in the morning and at night. We were also able to take a camel ride for $1.50 (100 shillings) and a glass bottom boat/snorkeling tour for $3.00! The camel ride was sweet and though I only saw the tail of a small fish while snorkeling (much different from my last snorkeling experience in the Bahamas), This Is Africa, and besides, we were able to sit on the top of the boat which was great. The other negatives were that I got a huge headache from swallowing 3 gulps of salt water (bad snorkeling equipment) and Amy (a girl from our group) got a decent size cut on her leg from the coral. After the boat ride we just hung out on the beach, throwing the Frisbee around, drinking Coke and Fanta, and eating chips and ice cream. It was cool too when the tide went down and the water line went way down, making the beach much larger.

After the beach we took a Mutatu back to the guest house (the Mutatu, a 15 passenger van, was what seemed to be "pimp my ride Kenya," as it had purple lights flashing at our feet and sweet interior seating and padding on the walls and roof) to get dinner. The two house caretakers made us dinner- fish and delicious spaghetti, and we had bought and made guacamole and bought ice cream for a desert. Then for the best part of the day - worship! Sitting in a circle on our deck overlooking the ocean, we sang nearly every song in our song book (containing 28 songs) and finished by doing a popcorn prayer with the waves crashing in the background. God was truly present in our worship.

The next morning we all woke up early to catch the sunrise for the second morning in a row and then packed/ate breakfast/showered before getting into cabs that took us to the bus stop. The bus ride back seemed much longer and bumpier than the way there, probably because most of us did not sleep much on the way back to Nairobi. On returning to Nairobi around 7:00pm, we had dinner and then went to bed early so to rise early the next day for church.

Kenya Thoughts, July 22, 2007

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Sunday, July 22nd:

A day with the boys at Tone La Maji.

We began our day attending the Swahili service and part of the English (though mostly Swahili) service at the Catholic Church next door. We often hear the choir practicing during the week and after wandering over last week to talk with some of the youth who were practicing a dance, decided to check it out. The first service was packed and much more what I expected an African church service to be than last weeks trip to Nairobi Chapel. The youth (younger youth) had a large role in the service, dancing down the isle numerous times during the service. It was great to see how many people were involved in the service and how joyful everyone was towards worship. I'm sure God was pleased with their hearts and approach to worship.

Following church/mass we drove back into the countryside to spend the afternoon at Tone La Maji, one of the Kononia projects started by Michael and Father Kizito. Having only visited for a short time earlier in our trip, this trip provided more time for us to get to know the boys.

The boy I connected with, and whose story I will tell in conjunction with the story of Tone La Maji (meaning "Drop of Water"), is Kevin. Kevin is an 11 year old boy who, like most boys at the home, could not be fully supported by his parents in the slums (he has two brothers and two sisters). It was this lack of family support and love that makes him and the other boys connect immediately to strangers and visitors, always wanting to hold hands and stay close by their new friends. Kevin loved "football" (soccer) and one day wants to do it professionally. Upon arriving we were immediately introduced to Kevin's soccer skills (he is only 11 and yet amazing at juggling a soccer ball). The cool thing about going to the home on the weekend rather than during the week is that we have more time time to spend with the boys (they don't get back from school until 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon on weekdays), and the weekend is when the soccer tournaments are. This particular Sunday there was a tournament for the 17-and-under team from Tone La Maji. The home has 60 boys and four soccer teams - divided into U-17 and U-14 for the talented and soccer-knowledgeable boys, and U-13 and U-12 for the boys who are less skillful and knowledgeable.

After spending some time with the boys, and for me with Kevin at their dormitory area, we all headed up to the ground (what the boys call the soccer field) to watch a match between Tone La Maji's U-17 team and a team from a town down the road. The game was played on the most beautiful, scenic, and soccer worthy field I have ever seen in my life (I have watched and played soccer my whole life and have never seen anything like this). As for the field itself, instead of chalk or painted lines, the lines were simply dug out of the dirt - all the appropriate measurements, and the goal posts were nothing more than three thick sticks placed together in the appropriate dimensions - these with no nets and yet as sturdy as medal posts. The ground was mostly dirt with some patches of grass and did have four orange cones, one at each corner as visual markings. As for the officials, it was the coach of Tone La Maji (a volunteer from the Republic of Congo) and coordinator of the tournament, that refereed both afternoon games (there was one game before it) and the funniest thing was that the line judge was a kid with a stick that had a pair of red soccer shorts tied to it that served as the flag. As for the players, they had surprisingly nice jersey tops (probably donated by outside donors) and though most had shin guards, socks, and shoes, there were some from every team that simply played barefoot. The goalie uniforms were not as official as they were long sleeve shirts and pants that were simply a part of the boys wardrobe. Needless to say, these uniforms and the field allowed for a fun and competitive game of soccer.

Adding the the makeup of the game itself was the scenery and the fans. The field was set out on a very large flat area next to a road, surrounded on one side by large mountains and the other by a green and forest-filled river valley. In addition, as its fan base, Tone La Maji had the remaining 45 boys who were not on the U-17 team, the ten from our group plus three guides, and the full time volunteers at the home. It was a community endeavor. And while the older boys played the game, we got to hang out with and interact with the younger boys - me with Kevin and some of his friends. One thing that every boy and girl we have interacted with loves is our cameras. Once they figure the cameras out they love taking pictures and videos of themselves, them and us together, and their friends. Kevin and his friends particularly liked taking videos of themselves rapping (in Swahili so I didn't know what they were saying). They were also totally into their "brothers" who were playing the game. Both halves Kevin and I sat on the side of the opposing teams goalie, to be at the forefront of any goal scored by Tone La Maji. When a goal was scored (only one by Tone La Maji) the fans would all join the team members in running hysterically to the corner cone and do a little dance while screaming and yelling. I did get a video of this which captures it the best I could.

As for Kevin, he, like Esau is someone I would like to sponsor and keep in touch with if the opportunity presented itself (if I haven't said it already, they have sponsorship of $30 a month available in Germany and Italy, but not yet in America). Being cold at the soccer game, I gave Kevin my long sleeve shirt, but had to take it back before we left because we are not allowed to give things to the children (for two reasons - 1) that if we give to one kid the others will then ask for things or be upset, 2) that we want the house and administrators themselves to give the kids our presents so the kids look highly upon their home and "parents" rather than become dependent or hopeful toward outsiders). The one main need Kevin has is football shoes because he has the same shoes for school, home, and soccer. Maybe I'll have a chance to help while here or after going back home.

Following the football game we had tea and cookies with the boys in their dining hall which turned into a minor dance party and time to exchange thank-yous and gifts between us and them (we gave the boys 8 soccer balls to share amongst themselves).

After Tone La Maji (and a hard yet fun departure - hard because we were attached to the kids; fun because it was night and our group had our own little dance party on our bus while leaving) we went back to Shalom House and had a second entertaining show from the local African drum and dance group. We were supposed to have a drug and dance lesson following the show but during the show 15 Italians (also staying at Shalom) came in so there were to many people for a lesson.

Kenya Thoughts, July 20-21, 2007

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Karibu (Welcome)!

While I am still a little behind with my journaling, here are a few more installments from my trip. We are leaving tonight for Mombasa - a city on the coast of Kenya - for two days so I won't be able to give updates for a few days, but you can look forward to some more thoughts from Kenya soon. The end of our trip is soon and coming, and I am looking forward to coming home to see family and friends.

Friday, July 20th:

On Friday we spent the day visiting World Relief and their projects in Nairobi. 7 of the 10 of our team members are involved with World Relief in the States, doing relocation of refugees, so it seemed appropriate to visit the organization in Kenya.

Interestingly enough, World Relief Kenya had little to do with refugees and a lot to do with those suffering from HIV/AIDS. For part of our visit we split into three small groups and visited a number of individuals around Nairobi with HIV/AIDS. My group, Becca, Dorothy, and I visited a 12 year old girl named Esther.

Esther lives in a fairly nice house with her grandmother, younger sister, and older sister. Her mom died of HIV in 2000 and she later discovered that she also had the infection. We learned that earlier in the week she had gone in for 56 shots (doing this once a month) as part of her treatment. We also learned that she is too weak to even walk 1.5 miles to and from school every day, so for the last two weeks she has not been able to go to school (she is in the 4th grade). Their hope is that she can go to a boarding school for HIV positive children where she can get the treatment, care, and education she needs. Apart from her infection, Esther is an amazing girl. She has a beautiful smile (even though she is very shy) and she loves what other kids in Kenya love - football, drawing, church, Sunday school, her family, and animals - hens, goats, and cows. She wants to go to beauty school some day and be a hair dresser like her older sister. I will pray for Esther and the 500 other men and women with this terrible disease connected with World Relief in Kenya, a disease that is terrorizing Africa (6,500 people die every day in Africa from AIDS; 150,000 every month - this equal to the number of people that died in the Tsunami).

After these visits we had tea and Mandazi at the HIV testing office, and headed to the offices of Youth For Christ Kenya. Here we met and learned a lot about a group of ten 18-24 year-olds who have traveled to over 90 secondary schools (high schools) teaching abstinence, character education, and faithfulness in marriage as a way to prevent HIV/AIDS and unplanned pregnancy. This group being partnered with World Relief (and thus our visit), YFC also sends evangelism teams and Discipleship teams all over Kenya to preach the good news of Jesus Christ. May the Lord Bless their work.

Saturday, July 21st:

On Saturday we sat in on two 2 hour sessions on Peace and Development Talks in Africa. They were lectures from two adults connected with Peace Point, an organization connected with Shalom House. One of the speakers was a guy named Michael who was one of the founders of Shalom House and the Koinonia Projects along with Father Kizito back in the mid 1990's. It was great to hear (and take notes - if anyone is interested in these just let me know) an African perspective on the conflicts and solutions to those conflicts (political, social, and religious) going on in Africa. There has been a lot of fall out since the colonizing of Africa, and things are very complicated; the church has a huge role and opportunity that it can either improve or add to the current problems. The lectures were encouraging in that many churches and individuals have been active in bringing peace, justice, and equality to the people here.

Following the lectures we walked (our first time walking in the slums directly next to Shalom House) to a football (soccer) game that one of our guides places on though he did not play in this game. It was one of two professional soccer teams in Nairobi that often travels around Africa and Europe to play games. The team we were cheering for lost but it was a great way to spend a Saturday evening just sitting as a group watching a game. The weather was also perfect for the occasion.

Kenya Thoughts, July 15-16, 2007

2011-12-27T18:28:00.000-08:00

Since Anita House and another Koinonia House for Streetboys that same night (it was a short visit - beautiful countryside/ river side location but I will write more about it after our next visit) we have been very busy and without a chance to write or send e-mails. In order to catch up on our time here in Kenya, I will write summaries of each day since the 14th of July.

Sunday, July 15th:

On Sunday we attended Nairobi Chapel for church, attempted to go to an orphanage called Happy Life (we ended up going to a gospel benefit concert for the kids - a little awkward to be honest), and then after dinner got a live performance from an amazing local drum and dance group.

The church was definitely a challenging experience. Supposedly one of the fastest growing churches in Africa (and currently going through a huge relocation process to a tent - yes tent - that holds around 3,500 people) the church reminded me of my church back home that also recently went through a relocation process. While walking to the church (about a mile down the road from where we are staying) one of the guides Newton told me that this was a rich persons church (and Mizungu - white persons), noticable by the fact that there were so many cars parked outside the church (most of the cities residents don't have cars but instead walk and take public transportation - even bicycles are to expensive for most of them). So though the church is similar to mine back home (the only way to get to mine is by car), in the context of our visits to the slums and homes for street children this last week, it hurt to see a church that was negatively considered the rich person's church. After entering the tent (a big one, yet smaller than the one they are moving to on September 2nd) things only got more challenging to process. In the bulletin there was a flyer for a golf outing fundraiser for the new church (again only the very rich people know how to or even play golf), and had little mention of any service organizations or projects to the poor. The service and songs were very Americanized with big screens and American songs, and the sermon, though based around faith the God answers prayer, was very materialistic in nature and on the verge of a prosperity gospel. While I trust and pray that God works through this local body of believers, the experience challenged me to challenge myself and the rest of the body of Christ (now and while a pastor) to be more sensitive to and active with the poor and needy.

Monday, July 16th:

Monday was a day of even new experiences. We spent the day visiting an organization that served refugees all over the city of Nairobi. Included in this visit was their headquarters where a man named Father Eugene oversees training courses in hairdressing, beauty, and information technology, a bread shop, a thrift store for refugees, and a restaurant run by refugees. In the morning, after arriving, Father Eugene took us to an apartment complex for about 8 refugee families, and in the afternoon we went to a place where they make prosthetics and crutches for war torn and diseased persons.

Kenya Thoughts, July 17-19, 2007

2011-12-27T18:27:00.000-08:00

Safari! Tuesday was the first of a three day journey to the western part of Kenya called Masai Mara. While the focus of our trip is obviously the community and church projects in Nairobi, it would have been hard to come to Kenya and not see the wildlife, landscape, and tribal people that make Kenya and Africa so unique. Tuesday afternoon, after driving 6 hours on the bumpiest and yet most scenic road I have ever been on, we went on a short game run at the National Park (1500 square kilometers) and then found our campsite (tents that believe it or not had a toilet and shower in them). On Wednesday we did an all day game run starting at 6:30am followed by a campfire with smores! and traditional Masai dancers and storytelling. Then on Thursday we did another morning game run, visited a Masai village, and traveled 6 hours back to Nairobi and Shalom House on the same bumpy road.

The animals were great! We were able to see zebras, elephants, giraffes, aarons, buffalo, hippos, baboons, gazelle, vultures, lions, jackels, and much more! It was Wednesday morning when we saw 10 lions (mostly female - they are the ones who do the hunting) eating a zebra they had killed earlier that morning. Because they were so occupied with their breakfast, our bus along with 10-15 others were able to get within 10 feet of the lions. The coolest part was went one of the few male lions, in order to protect the others, slowely approached our bus when Lori left the door open too long to take a picture. There was no danger for us but we got some sweet pictures.

The other amazing experience on our Safari was learning about and interacting with the Masai. One in particular was named Amos. His story is similar to all the others. Amos lives in the village as one of the many male warriors (meaning he was already circumcised between age 13-20). The village has around 75 members living in 15 huts made of cow dung and situated in a circle surrounded by a fence made of sticks to keep animals out. They own around 175 cattle that all stay in their camp at night. Their diet consists of milk, blood, and meat - the milk coming straight from the cows every morning (sometimes even directly into their mouths - it is better this way), the blood from the cows necks (poked once every 2 weeks), and the meat from goats and cows. Instead of money, the number of cows show how wealthy a person or a family is. Also, the chief often has 5 or more wives and rotates living in a different hut every night, and is able to get more wives by having more cows. Amos' friend Patrick told me that they practice Catholicism (probably coming from the the missionaries running their schools) and the Kenyan government requires one child from each family to go to primary school. The Masai are also nomadic. They will not live in one place for more than 10 years and the men often take the herds miles away during the day to find good grass for the cattle to graze on - always returning by sun down. The women stay back with the children and make the huts as well as make jewelry. In addition to all this, traditional Masai dancing is common, they showed us how to make fire with two types of wood, and they supposedly are very healthy, never having to go to the hospital.

This whole journey took place in the Rift Valley, a BEAUTIFUL valley surrounded by mountains that stretch from somewhere in Tanzania all the way up into Egypt. This is the place both scientists and theologians agree on as being the beginning of humans, and provided sites that were both breathtaking and left our group speachless. No camera or words could ever come close to describing the landscape. God knew what he was doing in creating Adam and Eve in this place!

Kenya Thoughts, July 16, 2007

2011-12-27T18:25:00.000-08:00

Following a long, challenging, and spirit-filled day at Mother Teresa and Kivuli, the next day took us to two other Koinonia projects for street children. Following suit with William, Humphry, and Essau, the Annita House (a home for 40 street-girls located in rural Kenya outside of Nairobi) introduced me to Gracia and Esther. For the sake of time, I will stick with describing Esther. Both girls were great (Gracia loved it when I spun her around by her arms or held her upside down over my shoulder) my encounter with Esther was one of grace and mercy. First for mercy - not getting what I deserved.

During our time at Annita House we got to help make Chipotie ( a type of bread looking like a thin tortilla soft-shell), tour their facilities, and just play. Some of the play activities included jump rope, football (soccer), playing with beach balls we blew up, dancing, and swinging. One particular time I was pushing two girls on the swings - Esther and another girl. The other girl being quite an experienced swinger, Esther was not as coordinated (at the time I was unsure why). In pushing them, I pushed Esther to0 high and she fell, hitting her back and head fairly hard on the ground. Though trying to be a comfort myself, it too 10 minutes of Dorothy (one of the girls in our group) holding her before she calmed down. The hardest thing other than her crying was the sad and quite stares of the other girls (just 4 out of the 40) around when it happened. And to make the situation worse, I found out later that this 8 year old girl Esther was mostly blind and very limited in her seeing abilities. (This became very clear after finding out while watching her play and interact with us and the other girls). Deserving to not be allowed to play with the girls anymore, the only punishment I got was guilt and a tough (but loving) response from Dorothy. Even one of the staff from Shalom house, in talking with him later, told me that for the girls falling off the swing was like falling off a bike - it is part of the learning process. Though not agreeing with him fully, even he did not give me the shame and punishment I deserved.

But while the mercy was undeserved, the grace - receiving what I didn't deserve - was even better. Looking for a way to make up with Esther, I decided to be her beach ball partner after we helped blow them up for the girls. This was an amazing experience while I watched her catch it on faith that I would throw it to her arms and watch her retrieve the ball based off the sound of where it hit the ground. Needless to say I think she liked me after all and I grew to love who God created her to be, and appreciate the grace of getting to continue to play and interact with her and the other girls - even after my foolish mistake.

Outside of these games I got to make a fool out of myself dancing (if you have seen me dance you understand), climb two trees (one a thorny tree) to retrieve balls that were stuck, plant flowers with the group, see the youngest girl (3 and a half) pee on the dirt while planting flowers (she did not have diapers), and eat some wonderful food the girls had made. All in all it was a great experience and I hope we can go back before the trip is over.

Kenya Thoughts, July 13, 2007

2011-12-27T18:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was a day of rest; and a day of surprises.

Not because it was planned that way but because as Leonardo Decaprio says in the movie Blood Diamond: "This Is Africa." In the morning Rick and Desiree spent 4 hours at 3 different banks trying to take money out of their credit card - this allowed the rest of us to sleep in until 10:00am! Desiree said that it was not until George (the manager of Shalom House - much like Paul in Hotel Rwanda) saw a friend at the third bank who was able to write a note saying he knew Desiree and Rick for 10 years that any bank would trust giving them such a large sum of money. But again, This Is Africa, and things work a little differently around here.

The next complication came after lunch (as well as spending some time at the internet cafe - about $1 an hour) when our desired plans fell through. We wanted to spend a day and a half at a place called Happy Life, an orphanage that another student from North Central worked at for a few months. The problem was that even though we finally heard back from the orphanage, we had no directions to the place (there are no addresses around here, only street names). So we went with plan B which took us on a Safari Walk at a National Park in Nairobi which was the African version of a zoo. On the walk we were able to see both normal and albino zebras, wildabeasts, buffaloes, ostriches, monkeys, impallas, wart hogs (yes Katie, pumas), cheetas, a rhino (weighing 2 tons - as much as a car!), orks (one with only one horn - at first I thought it was a real unicorn), crocodiles, hippos, and a beautiful river valley running up into the National Park. The one disappointment was that the Lion was hiding in the woods, but on a positive note we had a guide taking us around (unlike an American zoo) and tell us about all the animals. We finished our time there with a soda at the restaurant.

Though the day did not remedy any deep discussions during our devotional, we still managed to talk for a few hours into the night. While the night before warranted a discussion of Matthew 6 and what we can do as individuals to help those in need, last nights conversation revolved around the church and its role in helping those in need as told by Paul in 2 Corinthians 8. It was a very encouraging conversation, realizing that both individual and community transformation can occur when Christ's body (the church) is both working together in unity and persistently fighting the inequality of resources amongst local churches in the greater body. A statistic was quoted that if every Christian in America alone gave 10% of their salary (tithe) an extra 120 billion dollars could be raised and it would only take 80 billion to rid of poverty. That is also assuming that churches gave at least 66% of that extra tithe money to the poor (most churches don't even give 10% outside their church to the poor). While the numbers sound great, the only way any of this is possible is for the American church to first see their place in the global church and for small steps to be taken both individually and as the church to tithe to the church/poor. Amidst all this great conversation I really wanted to spend some quality time at the end in prayer, but the prayer was keep short and my heart unsettled. It may have been better to keep it light because today was a very full and intense day spiritually.

After devotions two surprises awaited us in our Block B, 3rd Floor, Room Two living quarters. The key was locked in the room for the second time this week (though last time we found the maintenance who had a spare key, this time was at 11:30pm so we had to pick the lock with one of Dan's credit cards. The second surprise (not a pleasant one at that) was that somehow our code on the safe in our room (having all our passports and money) got changed accidentally so we couldn't get into the safe. Today we discovered that it isn't a huge problem (*we have got in since writing this) to get it open but our prayer is that it was our mistake when reentering the code to close it rather than someone trying to break in.

Finally, I'd like to describe two of the members from our group. The first is Lori, a 40 year old kindergarten teacher that lives in Aurora and teachers in the Western Suburbs. She has an amazing spirit and really has a servant's heart. Yesterday she even took the time to do some of our laundry. She has been on other missions trips before to Haiti and goes to CCC for church with Rick and Desiree. We learned from the conversation last night that she just started going to church again five years ago (this coming after 17 years of not going since growing up in a catholic church) and really cherishes her renewed relationship with the Lord. Though still being hesitant to pray in public, she always has something good to say and is an amazing Christ-like figure with all the children we have come in contact with on the trip.

The second group member I'll briefly talk about is Josh. Josh is 27 years old and is Dan and Rick Guzman's step-brother (son of their step-mom's previous marriage). He lives in Chicago and works in the theatrical arena, performing in plays and "anything he can find." He really has a pretty quiet and non-expressive personality, but often breaks out a joke or hilarious comment that keeps us on our toes. He's also got a low voice and the most chest hair I have ever seen. Because he lives in the theater world and the people he associates with he does not consider himself a religious person and I from what I know Christian. But he is so open to it - and displays God's love with every African we meet - especially the children who tend to cling to him because he is so tall and white. I am stoked that he was able to join us on our trip and despite only being with us for two of the three weeks, I hope I can get to know him more and pray this trip may change his life.

Until later, enjoy what you have in America, and keep praying for me and the group when you get a chance. Thanks and God Bless.

Kenya Thoughts, July 12, 2007

2011-12-27T18:22:00.000-08:00

We went to the Kibera slums yesterday. After a three hour conversation/ devotional last night we still came up confused on the question of what we could do. Yes, some great ideas were thrown out, strategies from other Christian advocates for the poor and other books we have read, but the question still lingered. It wasn't until I got back to my room though that I realized we can do nothing with our own strength and mind power. The only hope is God working through us, despite us, or waiting so that His glory may be even more in the future.

I know this sounds without hope, but it is really where all the hope lies, and not until we understand this can anything, or has anything been done.

I definitely know God used our group yesterday. We took a four hour tour of the slums yesterday, a place not much bigger than Central Park in New York City but with a population of 800,000 to 1 million people. We toured with a native run community development organization called KISCODEP (Kibera Slums Community Development Program), a program providing internet literacy courses (on two very old commuters) as well as gives micro-loans of around $30-80 to families in Kibera to start small businesses. Some of the businesses we visited included a jewelry making business (making necklasses and bracelets out of cow bones), a laundry business, a pharmacy, and two schools. These were scattered all over the Kibera area. These business men and women make up a 100 person community working together to improve their lives and their kids lives for the future. It was their pressence with us in this place (about 10 of them came with us all through the community) that allowed us to have the experience we did. Because we were with these people everyone befriended us - including the children who would all say "How are you?" over and over and then proceed to run up to us and shake our hands. The many pictures we got cannot come close to describing the experience we had. These people, people living on less than $1 a day for the whole family (that is if they had a family - some were orphans) exibited more joy, more love, and more devotion to God than I may have ever seen in my life.

As has become a daily endevor so far, I'd like to share the stories of two people I met in Kibera. The first was a lady named Teresa. Teresa is 28 years old and has grown up in Kibera her whole life. She has a husband and a 5 year old daughter named Anne. Teresa works at a pharmacy in the slums that has been financed from the micro-loans. She has an amazing spirit and her generosity led her to buy both me and Lori (another lady on our trip) a necklass from the shop financed by the community development program. Also, after asking to keep the pictures of my parents and siblings, she gave both Lori and I some pictures of her and her family. Again, such great generosity and love. On the back of one of the pictures it said some of her hobbies included Bible study, singing in the choir (our friendship started after I complimented her on a solo she sang during one of two songs the ladies sung us on arriving), netball, listening to gospel music, and helping in the community. I hope our friendship can continue.

Another individual that I spent less time with but was touched just as much by was an eight year old child named Ester. She was one of the twelve children form the first school we visited that met in a room not much bigger than my room back home at my parents house. The walls were paper over mud and the floor mud with only a small tarp over it where the kids sat and a few benches where we all sat. After introducing ourselves, Dan and Rick got their guitars out and we began asking if the children knew any songs. With the ABC's written on the chalk board, Kate aked if they knew the ABC song. Responding different from what we expected, the teacher sent one child, we would find out later named Esther, to the board to recite her ABC's - and she did it flawlessly. The remainder of our time there (singing other songs and looking at jewelry the class has made), Esther went back and forth to the chalkboard (when sitting on the floor next to Kate - or on my knee later) and wrote down each letter in upper and lower case followed by a word starting with that letter. As Lori, a kindergarten teacher from our group, said, this little girl was like a sponge and had a passion for learning. Before leaving (this coming after the kids received their daily porage) we were able to pray for the school and the teacher (by this time the area pastor, Pastor Ken, came in and prayed with us - he would later commend and encourage me after I told him I was training to be a pastor) and I got to hold Esther's hand. While holding her hand I looked into her beautiful face and saw her smile over and over - a face I took to be Jesus' smiling down over us as we prayed in that "poor" yet very "rich" area.

The last thought I'd like to note about our experience yesterday was part of the prayer the Pastor prayed prior to leaving the slums. His prayer was one of forgiveness for the theifs and evil people in the slums that so often give it it's image and cause fear from outsiders, protection over us from these people while we were in Nairobi and on our trip, and awareness that there are people in that community that are striving for a better Kibera and that love the Lord and visitors with their heart, mind, and souls. I know after visiting that their suffering only brings them closer to the crucified Christ and their hope a real hope that will be fullfilled in Christ's second coming, but is also fulfilled now in their joy and relationship with Him and with each other. May our prayer for America be the same as theirs for Kibera, and our love for God and others the same and as real as well. Come Lord Jesus Come!

Kenya Thoughts, July 10, 2007

2011-12-27T18:20:00.001-08:00

Today I was able to see God in three forms - Nature, A Priest, and Worship.

We were able to learn about and see 8 young orphaned elephants, an animal that is very smart and is actually a pretty playful animal. God was made real through the elephant. We were also able to go to a giraffe house where we got to pet, feed, and even kiss (a little wierd I know) a giraffe. This is an amazing animal, possibly one of my personal favorites (and one that God put a lot of thought and detail into). The ones we interacted with were one of three types in Kenya and were distinguished by their white stockings- not having patches or color below their knees. It was also funny that two of them (with whom I got my picture with) were named Betty and Laura. Again, an amazing animal, and one in which God was made real through. Finally, we went to a colonial style home (Karen Blixen home - author of Out of Africa) and there saw one of the most amazing flowers I have ever seen. It had three different flowers in one and looked like a boquet of flowers that God beautifully placed together. God was made real through these flowers.

The second way I saw God today was through the priest who started Shalom House, a man originally from Italy of great faith and Godly character, having been in Africa for the last 30 years. His expertise and knowledge of wholistic community development, and I mean development rather than betterment, was unmatched and spectacular. And what's more is that I could see Jesus' face in his, hear Jesus' voice in his, and sense Jesus' love for the people here in his. I'm not sure anything else in the world could compel him to do what he has done except the grace, power, and love of God himself. He was a great example of Christ and a saint with a humble heart (and white beard). God, and his Son Jesus, were made real through this man.

Finally, I saw God and sensed his Spirit through our worship tonight. The songs (7-8 of them) were a delight I'm sure to God's ears due to great guitarists (Rick and Dan Guzman), young voices, and hearts seeking God's face. The conversation and scripture reading was very representative of our La Spiaza group at Wheaton First Baptist and drew out many revelations of Christ from Romans 12. The prayer was also God honnoring and I'm excited to see where our devotions go in the next three weeks (and pray they may bring God glory, transform our hearts, renew our minds, change our lives, and spur us on to good works in Christ Jesus - as well as bring salvation to Josh (a non-Christian on our trip).

Before closing with the priest's story, I want to mention the connection I made while driving thorugh the rich gated communities of Karen today (and our projected plans tomorrow) to the parable in the gospels of Lazarus and the rich man in his own gated house - though realizing I will probably come back to this later in the week I must note Dan's comment that we live at home on the side of the rich man.

Let me now tell what I remember of the Priest's story. Growing up in Italy, he moved to Kenya 30 years ago, initially working with two other priests in a rural community in Kenya. He told how important the first 3 years were because most city and slum dwellers relate to or find identity in their rural tribal roots and families.

He then found himself in a very poor area (again in a smaller town) that was beyond the semitary at the edge of town where he was alone. Here he opened his home (not done when with the two priests) which provided a great connection to the community and outlet for ministry to the poor (calling his project Koinonia Project and inviting 8-10 Africans to live in community with him like Mother Teresa did).

Some time after that he was called, agaist his will, to the slums of Nairobi. Since then he has helped found 5 homes for street children (Koinonia Projects) housing 260 children, two schools in central Sudan, the Shalom House, and other social entrepreneurship initiatives. He was again a true disciple of Jesus Christ and living example of Jesus himself (definitely offering his body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to the Lord - Rom 12:1).

Kenya Thoughts, July 9, 2007

2011-12-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

After two days of travel (from O'hare to Heathrow, London and then Heathrow to Nairobi, Kenya) we finally made it to the Shalom House where we will be stationed for the next three weeks. Dan Guzman and I are both missing a bag (me my donations bag and he his clothes bag), but we are not that worried and are trusting that God will take care of everything. I'm just glad everybody else's stuff came in ok.

I think the best way to journal the next couple of weeks will be to tell people's stories that I meet. Today I met David. David is employed by Shalom House and from what I understand will be taking us around the next couple of weeks.

He had a yellow Track and Field jacket on when we first saw him at the airport so I was able to connect right away. David is 26 years old and is originally from Tanzania (the country south of Kenya). His sister (16), Aunt, and Grandmother still live in Tanzania but his parents passed away in an auto accident a while back. Though not a runner like his shirt says, he is a futbol (soccer) player, and a good one from what it sounds like (plays offensive midfielder). He is on a team from Nairobi that travels all over Africa and Europe and on the drive from the airport he pointed out the stadium in Nairobi that he plays most of his games in. David did not have the money to go to University (because of his parents sudden death) but he wants to one day be self-employed with his own touring business. He'd also like to go to the States sometime but it is really hard to get a Visa. I told him about my family, my girlfriend, and my plans to be a pastor, and he told me that if I ever came back after becoming a pastor that I had to come find him and preach to him. I hope that our lives may be able to minister to each other (and Jesus through us) the next couple weeks.

I saw Jesus today standing on a street corner on the way to Shalom House from the airport. Just a child, ragged and worn, starring into my eyes as we drove by. I hope to find Jesus in many places during my time here and maybe, just maybe be able to be Jesus to others too. May the Lord bless and keep us during our stay here. And may the eyes of my heart be opened wide!

Kenya Pictures 2007, Part 2

2011-12-27T18:15:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, July 25th: Trip to Lake Nakuru

Wednesday, July 26th: Trip to City Center

(Me and our guide Peter shaking hands - the USA bracelet was given to our group by another guide David as a gift - his friend makes them)

Thursday, July 27th: AIDS Orphanage

(This is a picture of Paul, Paul, and Paul - two friends that I got to know while at the AIDS Orphanage)

Kenya Pictures 2007, Part 1

2011-12-27T18:14:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures from our trip so far. Because picture taking is limited in the slums and homes for street children, I must get them from those who took them, so they will be up sometime later when I get a chance. I hope you enjoy these now though.

This is a mural from the Kenya Youth For Christ organization building, an organization that in partnership with World Vision has sent groups of 18-24 year olds into over 90 high schools in Kenya to talk about abstinence and character development in order to prevent HIV and unplanned pregnancy. It was a great experience.

These are zebras from the Safari we went on. We also saw lions, giraffes, elephants, buffalo, hippos, jackels, baboons, gazelle, and many other types of animals. The lions (10 of them were) all eating a zebra like this one, pictures that I will put up later when I get access to them.

This is a kid from the Masai Village in Western Kenya that captured my heart. He had flies all over his face and raw skin under his nose from them residing on him so much. The Masai had an amazing culture and this kid will surely grow up into a great warrior.

This is a typical Masai hut made out of cow dung and sticks (very stable) with some of the older women sitting around outside it. This particular village had 75 people and 175 cattle.

These are some of the Masai women performing a dance for our group after entering the village. The girls from our group later joined them for the end of their dance.

Me, Patrick (the Masai guy), and a lions neck that Patrick had killed and wore as a trophy of his accomplishment - the most highly regarded accomplishment in the Masai culture.

This was one of the dances the Masai men performed for us before entering their village. The Masai take turns jumping and whoever jumps the highest gets the most women - I later tried my luck at this too - though was not as strong in the calf region.

At one of the Koinonia projects, they have a wood shop where men like this carve out beautiful carvings that they sell at fair trade shops. The carving on the left is an example of what this man had done.

This is me with my two new friends Victor and Newton (our guides from Shalom House) and my new authentic African shirt. The picture was taken at a organization that makes prosthetics for men, women, and children that lost limbs through war, disease, or lack of medicine.

This is me feeding Betty and Laura - not my mom and sister but two Giraffes from the Giraffe house we visited earlier in the trip. These are an amazing animal!

Alright, I know this is disgusting, but an amazing site none the less. This was taken of a young elephant at a home for orphaned elephants that one day will be put back in the wild but were separated from their parents due to poaching for their parents tusks and ivory. If you can avoid buying ivory, please do, as it endangers elephants like these.

From Chicago to LA to Manila

2011-12-26T23:28:00.001-08:00

Kamusta (How are you? or Hello in Tagalog). I amexcited to tell you about a new opportunity that God has placed in front of me.Sometimes taking a step of faith is scary, but in Mark 13:30, the Bible tellsus that “the gospel must be preached to all nations.” After a long summer ofdiscerning how I can continue to live this out, I have decided to follow a callto a two year missions internship starting this January to the slum communitiesin Manila, Philippines. I will be working alongside Mission MinistriesPhilippines and Asian Theological Seminary and already have been offered a parttime job at a running store there in Manila!

If I were to compare my training with that of amedical doctor, I feel like I have been through medical school (seminary) andmy first year of residency (job at Chicago Hope Academy and internship at HolyTrinity Church), and am embarking upon my next two years of residency inanother area within the urban ministry field. This opportunity in thePhilippines will provide me with opportunities in the future to work in globalcities on an international scale.

In Manila, I will be partnering with Mission MinistriesPhilippines http://www.mmphilippines.org/. They specialize in church planting,starting schools, youth mobilization, spiritual formation, and communitydevelopment/organizing in the numerous slums in Manila. Based on an articlefrom 2003 there are slums scattered over more than 500 communities throughoutmetro Manila. Slums are defined as buildings or areas that are deteriorated,hazardous, unsanitary, or lacking in standard conveniences. These are alsodefined as the squalid, crowded or unsanitary conditions under which peoplelive, irrespective of the physical state of the building or area. MMP has beenable to plant over twenty churches in some of the poorest slums in Manila,provide livelihood programs for numerous families in those churches and communities,and provide solid Biblical and contextual training for pastors in partnershipwith Asian Theological Seminary.

In addition to working with MMP, I will also begin a Doctorate ofMinistry Program (DMIN) through Asian Theological Seminary in partnership withBakke Graduate University and Azusa Pacific University. This will provide mewith further training, particularly in the area of transformational urbanleadership. Both MMP and the Seminary are excited to have me join them as Icontinue my journey in ministry. Another exciting connection has developed witha running store in Manila. Here I may get some part time work and makeconnections with the middle and upper class Filipinos through the sport ofrunning (which hopefully will spill into the lives of the urban poor as well!).

Less than 1 Month until Departure!

2011-12-26T23:10:00.001-08:00

It is less than one month from when I'll be leaving for Manila! I've finished up classes in LA, moved out of my place in Koreatown, and am back in Illinois for a short break before heading out. The ticket is bought, my visa and passport ready, my support is coming in, and I've just got some small details to finish up before being ready to leave.

Before going further, I want to say a big THANK YOU to all those who have already taken the step of faith to support me on this journey.

While the support goes beyond financial provision, I recognize the sacrifice it is to write a check or make a promise to support me monthly while I'm in the Philippines. So to those who have supported financially, THANK YOU. To those who are not able to provide financial support, I also want to THANK YOU for your prayers, encouragement, and support. I have created a Prayer Support group on Facebook where you can follow my prayer requests and pray for me while I'm in Manila. I've also got prayer magnets that I'll be sending out in the mail, so if you're not on my list to receive one, let me or my sister know, and I'll be happy to send you one. Any Scripture or encouragement you can send while I'm over seas will be great too. I'll do my best to keep you all up to date with new developments and even with what the Lord has been teaching me.

Speaking about what God has been teaching me, here are ten paradigm shifts that I experienced over the last few months in class. My professor, Viv Grigg, said that beyond the grades and papers and assignments, it is these paradigm shifts that provide the greatest growth in education, especially when lived out and shared with others. I will be trying to write blogs about each one separately, but hopefully this gives you a little idea into what I've been learning and will continue to learn...

Paradigm Shifts (Fall 2011, MATUL, Azusa Pacific University)

1. Kingdom of God and Salvation - The gospel is good news about the Kingdom of God, not just salvation, which is entry into the Kingdom.

2. Oral vs Literate Cultures - The majority of the worlds population lives in oral cultures, not literate cultures. Because of this, we must learn to tell stories and listen to others stories as a means of preaching (rather than 3 point sermons) and evangelism.

3. Holistic Discipleship - When we talk of discipleship, we usually think in terms of spiritual discipleship. Yet, much of Jesus' teaching was also about economics, social, and justice issues, as was much of the rest of Scripture. While the spiritual must be primary, we can, and must also teach economic and social discipleship, with both the rich and poor alike.

4. Holistic Evangelism (Justice, Spiritual, Economic/Environmental, Psycho-Social) - Like the above paradigm shift, we can use these other areas of life to evangelize, particularly with those who reject spiritual matters. The goal would be eventual conversion, but the process of getting there must not be limited to the spiritual.

5. Doing Evangelism to the maximum, doing Justice to the maximum - While there has typically been a dichotomy between Evangelism and Justice, there has been a recent uprising around the world in the church to do both to the max!

6. Gospel different to the rich and the poor alike - The gospel, though rooted in Christ's life, death, and resurrection, has different implications to the rich and poor. To the rich, it is a call to either sell all you have, sell half, or at least live simply so that others may simply live. To the poor, the gospel requires one to give up addictions, feelings of hopelessness, and believe in a God who is a liberator, compassionate, caring, and love.

7. Faces, not Numbers - At a conference on being a "sticky church," a pastor of a mega church said that rather than counting numbers they count faces and names. That way, they can do a better job at keeping people from leaving out the back door, and can work at developing and loving the people who come in, rather than just always looking for new people to fill their pews and having a rotating door.

8. Grow and Serve Groups - A church I was part of, New City Church LA, launched new small groups this fall that they called "Grow and Serve Groups." These groups were holistic in that they spent an hour studying the Scriptures together and praying, then an hour going out and serving the community. This provides a great action/reflection model for churches and small groups that I hope would catch on!

9. God’s Curriculum (Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly With Our God) - A missionary, pastor, and professor from India told us that he teaches his students and congregants that as a Christian, our curriculum is to Do Justice, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with our God. We can't just choose one or two, but all are called to all three. Thus, churches must be places that can train, encourage, and equip people for these three things.

10. Missions Goes from the Powerless to the Powerful - All throughout history and the Scriptures, movements have come through the Spirit of God working through the powerless to the powerful. The gospel, even as proclaimed by Jesus in Luke 4, is to preach the good news "to the poor," a line we often leave out but was central to Jesus' mission (in the same way that it was God's in the Old Testament). So too, the church must take the gospel to the poor and powerless, which will always then find its way to the powerful as well.

Until next time...Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Surrender, Braveheart, and the Kingdom

2011-12-14T01:40:00.000-08:00

I've wanted to write about the topic of surrender and sacrifice for a while now, and what better time than now, in the solitude of my room, on the eve of my commissioning service to move to the squatter communities of Manila, Philippines.

In January I'll be joining hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters in the Lord who have gone before me and currently stand in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the power and authority given to them by the promised Holy Spirit who became accessible to all people and nations at the Pentecost, shortly after the death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord and King. They go to proclaim victory in the land, and set the captives free!

"Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore my beloved brothers, , be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:54-58

The victory has been won! The freedom has been won for the whole world - rich and poor, weak and strong, Jew and Gentile, slave and free. And yet the battle rages on, as my friend so passionately reminded me the other night. It rages on in the rising death rates from poverty and oppression. It rages on in the form of slavery and injustice, both of which are greater today than they have ever been throughout history. And in the great disparity between the haves and the have nots. Not to mention the wars and rumors of wars, the whoring out of our earth's resources, and the blatant neglect of peace and justice due to the greed, selfishness, and exploitation by the people in power (and admittedly ourselves so often) who have "much to lose," though not nearly as much as the lives of the common people who's blood continues to be spilled, who's children wail and cry, and who's dignities are stripped and beaten. How long, O world, will we remain silent? How long, O church, will you wait before joining forces, each and every one of you, to bring justice to our land? And to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (as in Luke 4), instituting justice and salvation across the land.

We have been given a mission from our King...a call to preach the good news of the Kingdom to all the nations of the earth! And to a large extent we have been faithful in carrying out that mission, though often floundering and committing atrocities too disturbing to talk about along the way, as did the Israelites who were to be a blessing to the nations yet failed more often than they succeeded. (Because of this, we, especially as the church in the West, must go in humility, apologizing as we go for our sins, yet trying to make right both the wrongs brought about by the sins of the church and the sins of the world. But not apologizing or ashamed of the gospel of Jesus which, in its unadulterated form, IS good news to the poor and oppressed, slaves and persecuted, and sinful and repentant, though a message requiring great sacrifice in the lives of the rich and poor alike (the rich giving up or turning over their possessions (and luxurious lifestyles) to the church for redistribution, and the poor giving up their addictions and vices).

I wish it were not so...that is, this battle still raging on. I wish the restoration would have come with the first coming of Christ, like the disciples and people thought. Though the victory has been won, and the price for the forgiveness of sin and freedom from eternal death paid in full, our earthly bodies and this earth still remain under the curse of the first sin, our land still groans out in eager expectation, and our nations still cry out for peace and restitution and deliverance. So we await the second coming, the judgment, and the return of our King, with whom will come a New Heaven and a New Earth, the old heavens and old earth passing away, and the New without crying or suffering. One does not have to look far to see that the signs of this second coming seem to be upon us more and more every day, as well as the destruction of much of this earth.

So where do we stand? And how? Are we steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord? Knowing that our labor is not in vain? Or are we simply hoping in our spiritual salvation, forgetting that this was a mere invitation into the Kingdom of God on earth as it is heaven, and to be co-laborers with the Lord and the Spirit and the Father to reconcile all things back to Himself. No, we must not rejoice in the fact that the demons submit to us, but that our names are written in the book of life. But if our names are written in the book of life, and if we have been baptized with a baptism of repentance and the Spirit, which I believe many of us have experienced, whether when we first believed or somewhere along the way (others maybe not yet), then we WOULD recognize that even the demons submit to us! That we don't any longer have to be enslaved by the things of this world or our flesh, the appeal of riches or the curses of addiction. We don't have to live enslaved to the desires of our flesh, but can be freed to live in the joys and freedom of the Spirit of God living in and through us and pouring into the lives of others. And we can partner with Christ in working toward freeing other people, systems, and nations from these same sinful behaviors and cravings...rather than fueling the fire which rages out of control.

Again, where and how do you stand? On the side of peace and justice? Or war and destruction? On your security or an unyielding surrender to risk your lives on behalf of the poor, the lost, and the least. Standing on the sidelines is not an option. You're either in, or you're out. We mustn't wait any longer!

This is a call for martyrs in the faith. Yes, martyr's. Those willing to take up their cross and follow Him. To lose their life to gain it. To give up all to gain the whole world! It is not a call to become a martyr for martyrdom sake - so as to attain a greater reward in heaven - that has been attempted in our church history and come to no avail. But it is a call to be martyr's for the sake of the Name, so that at the Name of Jesus ever knee will bow from every nation, tribe, and tongue. Everyone who is a Christian MUST take up this call. Everyone!

For some, it will be a call to the front lines, the first order if you will (not because it is better than the others, but on the forefront of missions and ministry, where the Kingdoms collide the most and the cost is the greatest). It is a call to the places around the world (even in our own country) where the gospel is yet to penetrate, or if it has, in a minimum capacity at great cost. It is no longer a call simply for those of us in the US to go to the other parts of the world, but rather a call that the nations have heard and are heeding, to which those in the US can continue to join with and even invite others to join us here. This call is to those who will sell all they have and give to the poor, and go follow Him. To this I am being called for the next two years at least. Yet MANY more are needed. (If interested, check out Servant Partners, Servants for Asia's Poor, Word Made Flesh, or MATUL).

There is a second call to those who have attempted this full on invasion of enemy territory, but are unable to remain due to health, family, or other reasons. These will work and pray and equip/heal on the fringes and boardering areas of those difficult battle fields, often working on teams and in prayer circles with those on the front lines. These might sell half of what they have, and sacrifice their own lands or towns to more directly support those on the inside.

Finally, there must be those that continue to occupy the homelands of plenty (both spiritually and materially), yet recognizing the devil's strategies to keep this abundance of resources (again spiritually and materially) from ever reaching the front lines, where supplies are needed most. (Despite the downturn in the economy, financial resources must continue to be distributed to those working tirelessly around the world, even at the expense of bigger buildings and bigger programs in places of plenty; there must also be an increase in the prayers of the church for these areas of exorbitant spiritual and material and political need around the world, again, even at the expense of prayers for anything above our daily bread here in the West - trust me, the Lord will continue to provide for our daily needs - you won't be found wanting nor is it a call to absolute poverty - just to absolute simplicity and to justice.)

All three of these calls are needed, and just as important, and I feel sitting on the bleachers or stradling the bar (see this video from Francis Chan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA_uwWPE6lQ), is not an option. Yes, ministry to the rich is needed, and may be the toughest and least responsive calling. But so is a call to the poor, one that has been seldom preached from the pulpits of US churches, yet must be! While we in the West, most of us being in the 10% materially, are spending most of our spare time sitting back, relaxing, and taking life easy (sports games, bars, TV dinners, vacations, shopping sprees) the rest of the world suffers from poverty, disease, wars, natural disasters, etc. And more than simply because we don't care and don't act. Often times our decisions of how we bank, shop, eat, etc. have direct influence on the suffering, wars, and oppressions of the rest of the world. We must stand on the side of Justice! The standard is Christ, to which we will never fully arrive, but through sanctification we can move closer. (a sanctification that comes through our receiving His love and grace and being transformed from the inside out and sometimes even outside in) The "have nots" are showing us up, forging more ground, winning more souls, and bringing more justice than we will ever accomplish at this rate. The great thing is that we CAN and are INVITED to join this battle daily - wherever we are at and from whatever starting point. To fight on behalf of the King who has already won the war! And to fight as victors now and stand as victors in the end.

So again, where do you stand?

[I realize I have inadvertently talked of surrender, or at least the results of it in the Christian life and church, but the act act itself is much more painful and agonizing, bring high cost. Trust me. To die daily is not easy. Relationships must be forfeited. Habits broken. Goals given up. And this-worldly hopes shattered. I'm reminded of a quote in Braveheart where William Wallace says he dreams of having a wife (who died earlier in the movie), a family, and a home. But who said none of that would mean anything without freedom. How many of us (those who are single, without kids, and non-homeowners in particular - one or all three), are willing to sacrifice those things, even for a time, to fight for the freedom of others? We must. But it requires daily surrender to those basic and good desires, as well as the evil desires of our flesh - which we should also be putting to death daily. I have wept and mourned over the encouraged delay of relationships, the forfeiting of my love for running, and the post-poning of degrees and status, only to find that as we are going after giving these things up, He will at times bring some of these things back into our lives (as he has me with all three in a matter of weeks). Our main concern and passion and desire must be for the gospel, a gospel of salvation which results in the salving of people (spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, economically, politically, etc.), systems, and even countries, and when we do, all the other things will be given to us eventually as well - in this life or in the next.]

Finally, a word to pastors. It is NOT simply your job to care for the flock within your four walls. That, or the discipling of 10-12 should be your primary goal, as it was Jesus', but it must not be your only goal. You are to also be equipping your flock (including the 12), for works of ministry in the community and around the world. Train them (men and women alike) to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, shepherds, and deacons. The first five are pretty well understood here in the States (apart from maybe Apostle and Prophet - both lacking in leadership training and development; and evangelists being outsourced to para-church organizations). But the Deacon(ness) office must be re-understood here in the States. These must be trained not simply in church housekeeing functions, but also in community development, community organizing, etc., each church (my suggestion here) sending a delegation each year to the CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) conference to learn strategies in community development. This office of the deacon(ness) has also been outsourced to NGO's and para-church organizations (like World Vision, Compassion International, schools, government services, etc.), all of which are great and must not be neglected, but all of which should once again come back into their rightful place in the church, and whose leaders must be under the teaching and support of the churches elders. Pastors, let us stop getting fat and fattening the sheep of our pastures, but rather equipping our flock to feed the nations with all of our excess spiritual and material resources!

May the Lord add his blessing to these words, a reflection if you will on a semester studying under Dr. Viv Grigg in the Azusa Pacific University MA in Transformational Urban Leadership program, worshiping and fellowshipping at New City Church in LA with Pastor Kevin Haah, and learning from those on the streets here in LA.

Relational Refugees

2010-02-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

I read a book recently in a class in Pastoral Care called Relational Refugees that connects well with the idea of exchanging hope. Below is my reflection on the book...

This book by Edward P. Wimberly helped put to words the model and theology of ministry that I have been developing over the last few years. For the last three years I have been volunteering at a homeless shelter on Chicago’s west side. During that time, I have had the chance to meet many amazing individuals, and at the same time many individuals who fit well Wimberly’s description of a ‘relational refugee.’ For reasons of violence, bad parenting, job loss, drugs, or abuse (like are mentioned in the later chapters in the book) these men and women have found themselves in either short term or long term homelessness.

Throughout the last three years, I have been involved in many forms of ministry to the homeless. It has been as simple as passing out clothes or food, to now running a warming center café on Friday nights where the homeless, members from my church, and people from the community come together to interact and grow together in their relationships. I was called out about a year ago by one of our professors at Northern that one cannot minister effectively to the homeless, or really to ‘relational refugees,’ by themselves. It takes a community (or village as Wimberly calls it) to effectively transform the homeless into mature men and women of God who can function in society the way God intended them too (this goes for many who aren't homeless too - it is what discipleship is all about!).

Wimberly says on p. 34 that “In a strong relationship with a skilled mentor or mentors, relational refugees are drawn back into nurturing community and are enabled to develop a healthy sense of self in the context of others.” This, in addition to “help(ing) those who feel homeless find an emotional, relational, spiritual, and cognitive home” (I would add ‘home in the church,’ which is Christ’s body), is how pastoral care must happen.
I am currently thinking through what it would look like for our church to mentor three or four men from the shelter, and maybe two or three women, using this model that Wimberly suggests. Four years ago I developed a ministry idea called Hope Exchange that would help place homeless guests into churches for mentoring relationships like this. It would, in effect provide hope for the homeless and hope for those in the local congregations.

This last point is important not to miss, and could be another post in itself. As my friend reminds me frequently, we must not forget in all of this that these ‘relational refugees’ also have a lot to teach us in the church, and when successfully integrated back into the church and community can make great mentors themselves!

Intersection Cafe

2010-01-28T21:34:00.000-08:00

After being called out a few times now for not writing a blog here since last September, I figured it'd be worth an update at least.

The newest initiative I'm working on as it relates to exchanging hope in our community is something my church (Holy Trinity Church) has been hosting now for the last few weeks that we're calling Intersection Cafe. Intersection Cafe's goal is for the church community, neighborhood community, and guests of the Franciscan House nearby to interact/intersect for food, music, art, and relationship.

We're hoping that through the interactions and relationships built, an opportunity for transformed lives will take place. This is transformation in the lives of those in the church, those from the community, and those from the Franciscan House. Praise God that He has allowed us to begin this endevor, and pray that God may continue to bless it to further His Kingdom.

For now a tentative schedule, including the last two weeks, is as follows: (the cafe is open from 5:30-8:00pm on Friday nights, with the entertainment usually starting around 6:30pm - the location is 1211 S. Western Ave., suite 200, Chicago, IL)

Friday, 1/15 - Eric Schaeffer, Cellist & Elissa Metropolis, Pianist
Friday, 1/22 - MLK Poetry Slam
Friday, 1/29 - Worship Night (west side HTC worship band)
Friday, 2/5 - Art Night
Friday, 2/12 - Trivia Night
Friday, 2/19 - Wells Youth Gospel Choir
Friday, 2/26 - Worship Night
Friday, 3/5 - Poetry Slam
Friday, 3/12 - Concert
Friday, 3/19 - Worship Night
Friday, 3/26 - Fiesta and Salsa Dancing

If you're reading this and somewhere in Chicago, come check it out.

...the hour I was born 25 years ago...

2009-09-17T21:52:00.000-07:00

On this,
the hour I was born 25 years ago,
my heart breaks for the people on the streets.
My friends who spend their days at the library,
the park, the hospitals, ‘Sisters’ and other soup kitchens across Chicago,
and street corners where they weave in and our of the
cars so they can make some money for some food or a cigarette.

My heart breaks for my friend who though only 20 years old,
must sleep on the street this week because he lost his bed at the nearby
shelter,
all because he and a staff member exchanged some heated words on his
way out from our prayer group.
No 20 year old deserves to sleep on the street;
it wasn’t his fault he is paralyzed on half his body and
kicked out of the house by his mom when she chose her
boyfriend over her son.

And because of my friend who, though he has a place to stay during the week,
must fend for himself on the weekends,
often walking the city for 30 hours straight without getting sleep,
lest he, only 17, find a shelter that will take in a minor.

I want to have hope tonight, as I lay down my head before waking to go to church tomorrow.
The only hope I have found is a God who loved the world enough to send His only Son
to our streets as a homeless wanderer;
and a church that understands its mission of the whole gospel,
and hears the words from James 1:27 that says,

“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.”

Praise God that He not only loves us, but also those on the streets tonight. ‘Lord, use my next 25 years for your purposes and your kingdom; to look after the widows and the orphans in their distress and keep myself from being polluted by the world! Come, Lord Jesus, Come.’

Missional Community

2008-04-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

This summer, I am hoping to be apart of a new missional community on the west side of Chicago. As I said in my last post, I am done doing service in the city by myself. While I plan to stay connected to my church in the suburbs (which is actively involved in the city), as well as explore some congregations in the city, this is one way I hope to be connected to the Body of Christ while living in the city this summer and coming fall. The goal would be to begin gathering for Bible study and service in the summer and then move into a community living situation sometime in the late summer (having up to 10 people living on the same block in one or more apartments). As to what this gathering and living missional community could look like, I wrote down some goals I would hope the community could embrace:

- live sacrificially
- give sacrificially
- give permission to speak truth into one another’s life
- seek shalom of neighborhood b/w churches, ethnic groups, families, and across racial lines
- encourage one another to be kingdom people in our jobs
- spend time with the poor, oppressed, and homeless
- learn the needs of the community and find ways to help the community find ways to help the community care for those needs
- pray for one another
- be ready and willing to be hated and persecuted…and when it comes, praise God for it (be like Paul)
- strive to be shaped and formed like Christ
- learn how Jesus interacted with those around him
- help make the neighborhood more beautiful and friendly
- pray (prayer meetings in home for the neighborhood) – be lighthouse of prayer (connect with other lighthouses of prayer)
- encourage and celebrate community workers
- have celebrations for no reason at all
- have benevolence fund for neighbors in need
- do VBS in summer with local churches
- be a friend to immigrants
- be hospitable to visitors – have guest bedroom (go all out to make them feel welcomed and loved)
- collect shoes in summer and coats and boots in winter for homeless
- play sports with neighborhood kids and residents
- get to know police chief, doctors/hospital staff, etc.
- frequent local restaurants, shops, and convenient stores
- live simply; love a lot!
- bless, don’t curse
- give thanks

These are just a few ideas. I know there are many more, but just thinking about this gets me excited! May God add His blessing over this potential community and may all those involved be submissive to His purposes.

Justice in Community - Embodiment of Lent and Easter

2008-03-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

“I used to say ’My Savior,’ but now I say ‘Our Savior!’”

These simple words were spoken by one of the guests at the shelter tonight name Jesus who, through a number of phone calls he made at the desk I sit at as well as a conversation I had at him, I found out had just accepted Christ and was baptized over Easter! These words were a huge confirmation to me tonight to write this devotional response to close out the Lenten Devotionals – a fulfillment if you will – much like Jesus’ resurrection. It is a message I need for myself and I feel the church needs as a whole.

I have been serving at the shelter in a number of capacities for over a year now. I have broken through so many comfort areas of my life and shattered a number of stereotypes of the homeless. In fact, a number of the guests at the shelter are my friends now – how’s that for breaking down stereotypes. I am no greater than any of them, and in fact they have become my teachers and my encouragers. Guys like Dennis, Earl, Willie, Robert, Ramone, Jesus, Carmelo, Joe, Orlando, and Adejenka. And while they have been my mentors and teachers, serving me in a number of capacities, I too have been able to be a servant in teaching and sharing with them in a number of ways as well. I have given water to the thirsty, offered food to the hungry, clothed the naked, given shelter to the homeless, cared for the sick and cold, and befriended (nearly visited) the prisoner. If anyone has the right to boast about being a Mathew 25 sheep, I do, right? …Wrong!

A sheep is nothing by itself – it’s only chance at survival and purpose is as part of the flock and guarded by the Great Shepherd!

In all I have done, I can only boast in our Lord Jesus Christ, recognizing myself as a sinner who, were it not for the grace and love of Jesus, would myself still be a wretched man. But now I come to my point of revelation: Jesus died and rose again so that I may become grafted into His Body; so that I may experience eternal life in communion with the family of God! Out of all of my acts of good deeds to the poor, none of them matter apart from the Body of Christ. [The Last Supper, Great Commission, and Pentecost were all communal events] Throughout the last five weeks my whole notion of justice to the poor and oppressed has been shattered to pieces; it is to the extent that from this day on all my work at the shelter and among the poor must be done differently: AS AN EXTENSION OF AND EMBODIMENT OF THE BODY OF CHRIST!

The reality of this hit me a few weeks back when we were talking about justice as a function of the church in light of modern and postmodern assumptions (in a seminary class called “the church in postmodern society”). For the first half of lecture and discussion many people in the class was looking at me to respond to the professor’s questions, many recognizing that I have been serving at the shelter for some time now. What is funny (though I assure you it wasn’t funny at the time) is that though I have had numerous interactions and encounters with the poor (only one of them to which the interactions have been tied in with my current church), the majority of my time has been as a lone ranger, acting out justice in a modern function – the act of an individual, not of a corporate body of Christ. In fact, as my professor non-directly made me aware, I really had little understanding of how the church as a community, as a body, is to live out and embody the notion of justice. The sad fact is, I am not alone in my lack of understanding justice as a representation of Christ’s body. In fact, for 23 years now I have been going to churches where the worship, preaching, teaching, and encouragement has more often than not been to do acts of justice (to the poor and oppressed) as individuals. The question is often how are ‘you’ involved with the poor? If we are not involved, guilt follows; if we are involved, pride follows. What I have been learning though is that another alternative exists.

I realize this is a rather harsh critique on modern assumptions of justice. But hang with me.

The problem with seeing justice as acts done by individuals serving other individuals is that often the in the exchange of serving the other and being served, or even a friendship that is made, rarely has any connection into the body of Christ, or the local church, been accomplished. In my case, I can serve any number of the 400-500 men I have served in the last year, including the ones I have built stronger relationships with, but if I never help connect them with a local body of believers, have I really helped them in the holistic way that Christ would have? Not really.

But there is a second part of this alternative type of justice (the first being helping others through inviting them into the community of believers). If and when I invite these homeless patrons into a community of believers, what does that community look like? Is it one that is already taking care of the members in its own body? Not just spiritually, through a sermon or small group, but financially, socially, psychologically, and relationally. If it is not doing this already with its current members, it will struggle with being a community into which a homeless person will actually experience Jesus Christ himself. This act of justice might mean one of the members of the church would have to open up their home to take in the one without one, in order that the church congregation might live out Matthew 25 on their own turf, instead of “giving it away” as my professor would say to a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. [Even if these shelters are run by religious organizations, if the functions are kept separate from the functions of the local church, only providing physical needs, it is not capable of serving the men and women holistically like a community of believers, or Christ himself intends.]

I don’t regret or think poorly upon my last year of serving the homeless. Rather, I thank God for inviting me into the city to serve and be served by, love and be loved by, and teach and be taught by, the people Jesus himself came to serve, love, and teach 2000 years ago. My prayer, and I ask that your prayer should be this: (1) to encourage our churches to better understand this notion of justice both to our own congregation and those on the margins being invited in; (2) to invite our small groups or missional communities (for me, my discipleship mission community of 15 people) and others from our churches to begin building relationships with the homeless and marginalized (for me, to invite my church family to help at the FOA shelter); and (2) [this one specific to my situation] to start a discipleship mission community in the neighborhood where the shelter resides, hopefully starting a community living situation with some of those members by late summer or early fall.

May His Body (the Church) embody the function of justice Jesus intended – an inviting and transformational community for the poor, the marginalized, and the man or woman sitting next to us on Sunday morning. Amen.

Lent Devotional #3: Taize

2008-03-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

Last Friday night I went to a Taize church service, a type of service focused around prayer and repetitious song. It was beautiful. The sanctuary was beautiful and the people were beautiful. There were two parts during the service that I felt tied together perfectly in relation to Lent. The first part included everyone lighting a candle we had picked up upon entering, and after singing a song with the candle in our hands, putting them in clay pots of sand in the middle of the sanctuary to represent the light of Christ. Later in the service there was a time when the congregants were invited to come up to a wooden cross located a little ways off of all the lit candles, and as the bulletin said "lay your head on the cross to lift up your burdens and the burdens of suffering people all around the world." In expectation of the light of Christ, and yet in view of the cross, I realized something. I have always been told that we must see our lives through the lens of Christ. I realized, as I bowed at the cross facing the lights, that even though we are on this side of Jesus' death and resurrection, as faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we are called for a time to endure suffering as Jesus did in patient expectation of His glorious return. And yet, even in waiting for His return, we have already experienced His triumphant victory over death and His resurrection to His rightful throne next to His Father in Heaven.

This encouraged me greatly during a hard week at the homeless shelter. I volunteered two nights last week, and yet with a heavy and nearly hardened heart. Without getting into details, I was greatly disrespected by one of the shelter's administrators who I rarely see at the shelter, having their office a few miles up town. In being disrespected, I wanted to respond the way Jesus did to His perpetrators on His way to the cross when He asked them for which of His good deeds they were trying to kill him. We find a similar verse in 1 Peter 2:12 that says, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." And what is more, in James we are told "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James 1:2-3) Honestly, my experience last week was only one of many things in the last year that could have made me quit or back down. It has been through pushing through that I've developed perseverance. And joy. I'm encouraged this week by our savior's example, and I desire to know more of Him and His experiences leading up to the cross.

Lent Devotional #2: Crossing Boundaries

2008-02-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

Crossing Boundaries...

How often do we in the church go out of our way or cross over societal boundaries to minister to "others"? I have been learning recently that Jesus did it all the time!

One of the experiences I won't forget was showering during my stay at the shelter. Being a community shower with about 7 open shower stalls, and no hooks to put your clothes on when showering, I had to put all my clean clothes on the floor atop my just worn shirt in order to keep the clean ones from getting dirty. But in this process my clean, plain white t-shirt dropped on the ground, getting a wet dirt stain from the dirty floor. But being my only clean shirt left, that is what I had to put on after the shower; an experience not dissimilar to camping, but in this context, definitely a new boundary I had crossed.

As I continue to reflect upon my four day homeless experience at the Franciscan Outreach Association, I am drawn all the more to Jesus' boundary breaking activities which helped bring in the Kingdom of God. A big part of my experience over the last year at the shelter has been crossing boundaries into areas of greater discomfort and yet greater impact upon the shelter guests... as well as my life. My time at the shelter has gone from passing out sandwiches as a part-time volunteer, to filling full-time volunteer responsibilities including doing the long shift from 10:30pm-3:00am (here I pass out clothes, sign people in, monitor the dorm, build relationships with the guests, etc.), to interacting with the guests and volunteers outside of the shelter (bringing some of the guests back to my apartment or to my church, going to their church, taking them to a movie and lunch, attending their work-training graduation; and hanging out with the volunteers where they live, going on trips with them, etc.), to just recently living in the dorm with the guests.

This last one has made the biggest impact on me thus far. While serving in a volunteer position for a year, the guests were still to me homeless patrons, carrying with them the stereotypes and slack that many homeless men and women get. Even when I would spend time with the guests outside of the shelter, they were still the person who slept in the shelter, and me the one who slept in my apartment in the suburbs. But after sleeping in the same beds that they sleep in (even in the cots which are where the "marginalized" of the shelter guests sleep), for four days I was no longer on a level up, but rather at their same level. Now I realize, as my classmate reminded me the other day, that these men should not be looked at as "other" but rather as no different that you or me. But the reality is, whether we acknowledge it or not, these people are considered by our society to be the "outcasts." It was through sleeping and showering with these men that my classmate's comment rang true...THESE MEN AND WOMEN ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM YOU AND ME. Sure many are drug addicts, mentally handicapped, alcoholics, and jobless. But aren't many people living in houses in the city and the suburbs. In all reality, the majority of the men at the shelter have had or currently have jobs, don't stink, don't beg, have families (many even their own children and grandchildren), and like us were we to be in their shoes, just need a little love and encouragement to get them back on their feet.

It is amazing that after 2000 years of having the examples of Jesus' boundary breaking activities, that we as Christians still put up boundaries between us and people who are different from us...if it is not the "homeless," then maybe it is "homosexuals," "foreigners," "gang bangers," "prostitutes," or "sinners." Let us be reminded: These are the people Jesus said were entering the Kingdom of Heaven ahead of us! (Mt. 21:32) He has invited them to His Table and we say it is to "uncomfortable" or "dangerous" to invite them to ours. And what is more, Jesus didn't cross these boundaries just to cross them. Rather, He did so to set others free who had for so long been considered "unclean" or "untouchable" even by religious laws. Even Easter, and the dreadful Good Friday, recognizes and celebrates Jesus' final triumphant boundary breaking activity over death and sin - raising from the dead and providing the gift of eternal life!

I realize I am being forthright, though by no means am I saying I have it all right either. Even 4 days in a homeless shelter can't break 23 years of boundary making. I am simply saying that the precedent has been set. Jesus left his place of comfort and glory to interact with lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners...all this to show that no one is out of reach of the Grace of God. If we aren't out of His reach, then the 23,000 homeless people in Chicago tonight are not either. As His followers, and having received His grace, we are called to be like Him - to put on our white t-shirts and get a little dirty :)

Lent Devotional #1.5: Death and Resurrection

2008-02-22T13:31:00.000-08:00

As I was thinking about my first Lenten Devotional, I sensed a need to take the verse from 2 Corinthians 8:9 one step further, completing this amazing story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Whereas the last devotional focused more on Jesus’ life, here I will try and draw upon His death and resurrection.

The last day of my homeless experience was a Sunday morning, and though like the other mornings I was kicked out at 6:30am, this particular morning I did not leave alone. I had invited one of the guests, a 53 year old African man from Nigeria to come out with me to my apartment in the suburbs and have a place to catch up on some sleep, take a shower, do his laundry, and eat a home cooked meal (though nothing like what my mom can make).

It was through my experience of living in the same dorm with this man for four days, along with the last year of volunteering on a weekly basis, that I was able to develop enough trust for him to come stay with me for a day. In addition to caring for his physical needs, I also invited my friend to church with me that Sunday morning, but he chose to stay at the apartment for two reasons. First off, he needed to sleep (only having gotten 3-4 hours of sleep the previous four nights), and he knew that he would have dosed off during church anyway. Secondly, though having spent a good part of his life in the church, including teaching a Sunday school class, he had recently been hurt by the church and had been struggling with his faith and trust in God’s people. But needless to say, he appreciated my invitation for him to come stay with me for a day, leaving much more refreshed and revitalized.

And now for the parallel. If I were to have stayed at the shelter, living as each of the others, then I would have in essence been neglecting to share the numerous material resources (shelter, shower, food, laundry) as well as spiritual resources (my church community and personal faith) with any of the men. And the same would have been true with Jesus had he just died and not risen to His rightful position in Heaven. You see, it was through His death and resurrection that He was able to effectively bring others into the Kingdom of God to share in His Glorious inheritance. The burden of sin was set free, and the way to the Father made clear. Though not attained on our own, we have been invited into and offered accordingly the invaluable gift of eternal life. When we see it like this, it is a truly remarkable story!

But what is the Church, and we as members of the Church, to take from this? I suggest that through my own experience and the experience of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we must continue to be called out of our lives of comfort and control into lives of service and sacrifice. In doing so, we will break down barriers and stereotypes (to be talked about in a later reflection) in order to join God in his work of inviting others into a relationship with Him. As a professor suggested in class today, quite in line with Jesus’ own ministry and parables, it is to those on the margins of society that we must take this invitation, and of those from whom the banquet guests will be!

May we be filled with His mission and His purpose during this Lenten season, and take some time to reflect once more upon this verse to which our focus has been given:

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."- 2 Corinthians 8:9

Lent Devotional #1: The Great Reversal

2008-02-21T23:10:00.000-08:00

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich."
- 2 Corinthians 8:9

Prior to laying on the cot the first night, I never understood the full significance of God sending His son Jesus into this world in the form of a man, dwelling among us as a lower-class citizen. You see, God, in all his glory left his throne room in Heaven to come live with us! He had it all - even the richest man in the world cannot come close to having a fraction of the riches God possesses in Heaven - and yet he became poor. He took up residence in a tiny town called Nazareth to experience the mess man had gotten himself into.

Laying in my bed, surrounded by 25 to 75 year old men, men who did not have a home and had to stay in temporary shelters to get out of the cold, I realized why Jesus did what He did.

You see, staying at the shelter as a guest put me at a level with the men that I didn't have as a volunteer who after serving go back to my bed in the suburbs. By stepping into their world, they told me things they wouldn't have told me otherwise, and they allowed me more of a chance to minister to them. Jesus did the same thing! By coming to earth in the form of man, He allowed us an opportunity to be in relationship with the God of the universe once again.

Then, as we read in the Bible, Jesus died a criminal's death, taking on our sins, and then raised from the dead, conquering death and sin once and for all...and all this so that we could become rich (in faith, hope, love, life, and humility; not wealth, privilege, and power)!

I'd like to pose some questions for us this season as we remember Jesus' death and resurrection:

How do we, in following the example Christ left us, leave our positions of wealth and privilege to minister to those who are less fortunate than us (both here and internationally)?

How are we doing with taking up our cross to follow Jesus' command to those wanting to be His disciples?

What about our churches? Do they look like places of sacrifice and service, or comfort and consumerism?

I want to encourage each of you in this next month leading up to Easter to follow the example of Christ and get uncomfortable for a change. That may be serving at the local soup kitchen or shelter, inviting a non-Christian friend or co-worker over for dinner, or tutoring at an inner city school. We have been called to follow Jesus to the very "least of society," and in doing so to experience and exhibit abundant life.

Be blessed and encouraged this Easter season!

a friend in jail

2008-01-10T18:58:00.000-08:00

So I had my first friend go to jail recently, and I didn't even know it. I wish I had known when it happended so I could have gone to visit him.

The friend I am talking about is a guy named Smokie who lives at the shelter, and sleeps in a bed near Willie and John Romani. I haven't been to the shelter in the last two weeks because of Christmas and New Years, so I haven't been in the loop as much at the shelter. But last night when I was working, everyone was excited to see Smokie because he hadn't been there for a while. After telling him I had been gone for two weeks too and asking where he had been, he told me he had been a "bad boy" (this is a 45 year old man) compared to my time with my family. Eventually he conceded and told another volunteer and I that he had been caught with a bag of weed and was put in prison for two weeks.

But before you judge him for getting caught with a bag of weed, (I've had my fair share of college friends who have done plenty of weed) you must realize he is my friend and is not much different from me and you. Not only has this experience at the shelter given me a new perspective of the homeless, but now is has begun to give me a new understanding of prisoners. And really, these are the people Jesus hung out with too.

"Beautiful Eyes"

2007-12-05T23:54:00.000-08:00

November 14, 2007

I would have expected a scar at least, if not a mark so bad that he could not see out of one eye; this of the always first through the door MC 24.

MC 24 is one of the homeless guests at the Franciscan House of Mary and Joseph, a homeless shelter on the near west side of Chicago. He is a moderately heavy set man, African American, and always wearing sunglasses. His presence demands utmost respect, especially from the volunteer working the morning shift when at 5:00am every morning he notions to us to open the garage so he can ride off on his bike with a flashing light on the front. The rumor among the volunteers and staff is that he was at one time a gang leader in Chicago, and because of that no one dares mess with him. While the standard procedure is to let the regulars in first (40 guys who have been at the shelter for more than 6 months and are able to be trusted), for some reason they (and the shelter staff) know to let MC 24 (24 for the bed # he sleeps in every night) in first. He goes straight in without getting food, does a few things in the bathroom, and then sits on the edge of his bed with his sunglasses still on until the lights go off. And if the lights are not off by 9:30pm like is procedure, he will be the first to let us know, allowing him to roll over, take off his sunglasses and go to sleep.

But when he looked at me (after flagging me down with his own flashlight), asking me for a skull cap and sox, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful his eyes and face were without the sunglasses. I’m not usually one to point out or comment on eyes, let alone describe a 60 year old man’s eyes as “beautiful,” but I don’t think I will every look at anyone’s eyes the same way again. God created MC with an attractive face; the world has imposed on him an image and reputation that has hidden that which God created. I wonder what other things have been hidden in MC because of his reputation and image. Like creativity, laughter, love, compassion, and genius. It’s apparent that he has some leadership skills because of the respect he has received from his work with the gang; but what if those skills were used to better society instead of tear it down. And what is more, who are we to say that the world didn’t tear him down first; what if the world had lifted him up instead.

I know most of this is speculation. I’m actually not sure if any of the full time volunteers have ever had a conversation with him; or Father Larry and many of the guests for that matter. I wonder what it would be like to be his case manager. I can say that there is a person under those shades though. A person, that is, created in God’s image, and a person created with God’s eyes!

A new authority

2007-09-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

Alright, so in reality, I realize more and more each day that God is the utmost Authority in the city of Chicago - just like in every other place in the world. But over the last two days I too have gained a new authority in the neighborhood that I didn't have before, both as a coach and as a volunteer.

As a Coach... If they didn't listen to me before (which they didn't), they are listening now. In the past few weeks I have been volunteering with the cross country team at Chicago Hope Academy. Though it has been low key and fairly frustrating trying to encourage some of the girls to run for longer than five minutes without walking, I have had a great time. There are seven girls on the team and five boys, though one of the boys and one of the girls are still in middle school, but running because their dad is the president of the school. While the girls show up nearly every day, the guys are less consistent because three of them play on the soccer team (and one of those on the football team too). But we make due with what we have to work with. I help the two head coaches, who are amazing with the kids and, like the other teachers at the school, are working more than an average teacher because the school is a start-up. Needless to say, they appreciate my help.

In my mind, today was a breakthrough for the guys. With the two coaches taking the girls out to do sprints and lifting (one of the coaches having a later committment that he had to take care of), I got to take the guys to the park for an interval workout. Though goofing off on the way over to the park, the boys began to listen after the first interval, and then all the way until we got back to the school after the cool down. With the guys all doing amazing in the workout, showing stamina and heart, I really hope they left today realizing their (and the schools) potential in cross country. I was so excited after getting back to the suburbs, that I typed up the results and some thoughts about the workout to give to the guys tomorrow.

As a Volunteer... I gained some credibility with the director at the shelter too. It was not easy. The director has never been a guy that I have seen eye to eye on, and I feel like he is often threatened by my initiative and desire to help. Wanting to make a go at my ideas that I mentioned in my previous blog, I e-mailed him a letter requesting to work part time at the shelter, and raise my own finances that would be distributed through donations to the shelter by friends and family. When I asked him today what he thought of it, he gave me a run around answer that the money couldn't work out, and didn't say much about the rest.

I didn't understand. Everything in the letter was to the benefit of the shelter, and I had done paid internships like that before with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. But after taking some time to pray and ponder about it during the workout with the team, I addressed him after getting back to the shelter a little more confidently. This encounter was more promising, as I was able to convince him into putting me on the schedule once a week to do long shift (as a volunteer) as well as allow me to come in when I could for opening. In this way, I will still be able to work on my initiatives, but for now make due with 5-10 hours working the mail room at my seminary this fall.

I will say that I left the day more encouraged than I entered it, and pray that God continues to open and shut doors as He wills, and that Jesus' name may continue to be lifted up in more places and more hearts on the west side of Chicago.

a Journalist, a Miracle, and a Mission

2007-09-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 13, 2007

I went back to the shelter tonight. But this time not as a full-time volunteer at the shelter and as an official volunteer coach of Chicago Hope's cross country team. Last Sunday was my last day of my three week committment to volunteering at the shelter full-time (taking night and morning shifts), but though I am not working any shifts, I am still going in to help with opening from 7:30pm-9:30pm every now and then. I am also helping volunteer with the cross country team at Hope Academy a couple times a week - including seeing their meet on the south side of Chicago on Tuesday night.

Tonight was a rather unsettling night at the shelter for many reasons.

First of all, there was a journalist from the Chicago Sun-Times that came in to observe the opening, with a specific goal of interviewing those who had to be turned away. The article is going to be a response from a previous Sun-Times article that mis-estimated the number of homeless in Chicago being only 24 people (about 20,000 people off). Though having good intentions, and being able to experience 6 women turned away (the most I have seen since volunteering at the shelter), there is no telling how the journalist will describe his experience - a few of the women turned away tonight were unappropriately complaining about the shelter to the journalist. Beyond this, there was a man being rude at the door during men's opening, trying to convince us to let him find a friend in the shelter who supposedly had his T.V. The problem was he did not know his "friends" name so we couldn't just let him in (we exhibit a considerable amount of trusts with the guests but at times must be a little more stern and cautious). I also had an unsettling conversation with a man named Robert who, according to his and "his websights" interpretation of the Bible, is one of a handful (literally not more than 5) of people considered righteous by the Lord in the whole world - saying that there was no hope for the other 200 men standing outside the shelter waiting to get in for the night. I pray that some day he may be released from the lie he is believing in and experience God's love to it's fullest. And I pray for further conversations I have with him. He is the second guest now that I have recieved some very distorted theology from - maybe I will pursue my idea of starting a Bible study amonst the guests (Alpha perhaps?).

Beyond being unsettled, I did have some encouraging conversations and experiences tonight. First of all, the conversation with Robert alowed me to share the gospel with Daniel (one of the shelter full-time volunteers), though I am going to have to follow it up sometime because I shared it as more of a story rather than a loving action. I was also able to give Ade a pair of shoes to replace his shoes with holes in them (which may be more of a blessing than I thought because it might raid tomorrow); get Keith some Advil from my car because he was feeling and sounding sick (probably because of the weather change); and bring the water out to the 12 guys waiting to get in; only 6 of them did get in. As for conversations, I got to talk with Cedric a little more today and suggest we go out for lunch and a movie sometime next week; I got to talk with Mary Beth (case manager) and Eric (supervisor) about Mary Beth's trip in a week to Germany to see some of the previous shelter volunteers; and best of all I got to have a conversation with Christian Sosa.

Talking with Christain and simply seeing him was the highlight of the night. He looked amazing! Christian is a guy I met a few weeks back, myself getting to be the guy who helped orient him to the shelter rules and system on his first night at the shelter. I guess he had stayed at other shelters in the past, but decided to try the Franciscan Outreach Association. When I first met him, he had scruffy and long head and facial hair, torn and dirty clothes that were to big for him (one lady even complained to us that he was walking around with no belt which made his pants keep falling down over his butt - I gave him my belt), shoes that were to big and giving him blisters, and few to no possessions. The first night he came late so I got him a sandwich from the kitchen that he devoured and I took care of getting him a towel, soap, and a toothbrush to clean up with. I also had to get him bandaids because his heels were bleading from the blisters caused by his shoes. Needless to say, he was the "least of these" that Jesus said when we serve we are serving Jesus himself. Following the first night Christian came consistantly for about a week, during which I bought him a hot dog (the last one!) and drink at the football game. Christian was also very shy, always walking with his head down and not liking to sit next to or talk with anyone. Again he was at the shelter for about a week. The last day I saw him before tonight was about two weeks ago, a night that I invited him to join Katie, Heidi, Dennis (two of which were also guests who recently have got their own places) to go to lunch and a movie the following day. But the next day he was not at the shelter when I went to pick him up for the movie; it was as if he just disappeared - I figured maybe had just gone to another shelter or something. That was then... but tonight... HE WAS A NEW MAN! He had his hair cut, his beard trimmed real nice, his clothes clean and new, his stature tall and proud, and his smile and voice strong. He even had good shoes. I couldn't believe it, having a great conversation with him and again inviting him to lunch and a movie (maybe with Cedric, Marvin, Ade, and Carmelo too). I found out from him and others that he had been in the hospital for the last two weeks, getting his heels worked on, and being put in the psych ward where I guess he had got some medicine and good counceling. Then when he got out he got a hair cut and some new clothes, and also knows what he wants to do for a job - reasearch! While I sound excited and am, I also have to realize things are hardly ever "permanent" on the streets, so I must take advantage of the chance to encourage him and keep him going in the direction he is going. And if he does not go to church or does not know the Lord, this would be a great time to point to God's love for his life, even what God has done in the last two weeks. I pray I may be available to God in this endevor but realize it is God who will take care of the details.

Something else I realized tonight is that I need some help with all the things I want to address at the shelter. I can't do it by myself. As of now, I would love to see the following: a prayer meeting with all the churches of the area immediately around the shelter/Hope Academy to pray for the neighborhood (maybe once a week); a Bible study, again possibly Alpha, with the guests who want to sign up (this would be once a week for 10 weeks with a retreat! on week 6 which would be great in many ways for the guests); programed activities like going to a ballgame, a museum, a movie, or even the zoo; an organization called Hope Exchange (the reason I am starting this blog); a tailgate cookout for the guests before the October 2nd Chicago Hope Academy home football game; a church at Chicago Hope Academy's chapel on Saturday nights (or Alpha course at first?); a Koinonia community with 5-10 young adults who want to live radical lives for Jesus Christ (this may be the exact help I am looking for - outside of maybe getting some donors); a softball league with the homeless people.

Needless to say, it was an exhilerating and again God-filled night. My prayer tonight will be for both my friends in the shelter and my friends outside of the shelter - and that Hope Exchange may be a bridge between the two. I also pray that God reveals 5-10 other radical Christians that will commit to living in community next year near the shelter. So be it; amen!

Football and the Homeless

2007-09-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 24, 2007

I met Moses today. After reading and putting Exodus 2:23-25 (where God hears the crys of the Israelites in bondage) in an e-mail today about the practical needs of the shelter, God showed up, conveying that He has also heard the cry of those in bondage in the city of Chicago.

Let me back up a second. I woke up this morning/afternoon at 1:00pm. This is coming after volunteering at both the soup kitchen and shelter from 4:30pm-3:00am the last towo nights. Upon waking up and eating breakfast I read an article in the Chicago Tribune about homelessness. Then after reading my Bible and taking a short nap, I heading out to the shelter around 4:30pm on my bike (they did not need help in the soup kitchen tonight). My goal was to make contact with some local churches around the shelter (Harrison and Sacramento) to see if they'd be willing to start a prayer meeting once a week for the neighborhood. Though locating four churches thanks to Cedric (one of the shelter guests) and Father Larry, it was in a much greater way that God showed up! I will relate this experience through a prayer to God Almighty - the orchestrator and friend of sinners and the oppressed.

"Lord, Creator and Sustainer, Reedemer and Friend, Orchestrator and Savior,
You are a friend of all those I have worked with the past couple nights at the shelter. And you want them to all be friends with you. You are a friend of Cedric, Christian, Melissa, Heidi, Charles, Dennis, Ezra, Charles, Mark, Matt, Carmelo, Ade, and all the others. You are a Savior to Cedric and Carmelo - and they are not afraid to share it. Thank you. And thank you for hearing the cry of the poor and the oppressed in Chicago. After tonight I know that you have the West side of Chicago, and all of Chicago for that matter, on your heart.

As you know, I rode my bike to the shelter tonight and a few blocks before saw some white people setting up a tent that said Chicago Hope on it. Curious as to what it was, and already going in for the purpose of learning about the neighborhood (you did that too - despite hearing from the other shelter volunteers that it was a dangerous neighborhood), I headed back to the tent/park after stopping in at the shelter. And then the fun began.

As you know, I started to talk with EJ, trying to see if he knew anything about what was going on (at that time there were guys in football jerseys practicing). In talking with him I realized he was one of the guys I had just helped sign up for the shelter that night. He told me there was going to be a football game and channel 7 was going to be there. Wanting to more I went over and talked with a white guy who was just standing around waitng to help out at the tent. He told me He was one of your children Lord, his name was Sam, and he was working with an organization called Alpha over by Chicago Hope, a new Christian High School that he said had opened up a couple years back down the street. Sam is from England and has been in America for the last 5 years (and even got excited when I mentioned Hillsong). Needless to say, Sam introduced me to Bob, the man who started the school and the SAME GUY that was interviewed at Willow Chicago one of the times I went in when Bill Hybols preached about Holy Discontent.

Lord, you went on to lead me to talking with Bob's daughter Tanner, his younger daughter Lacy, and one of his sons Luke. I also met his wife who told me we could coordinate handing out hot dogs and hamburgers to the neighborhood and homeless during the next home game (October 2nd). Lord please grant success to this endevor. Finally I talked with Hannah, the daughter of a man who took 12 of the guys from Chicago Hope's football team to Michigan in the summer. God, you also blessed me with having $15.00 in my pocket which went a long way in buying hotdogs/ hamburgers and drinks for seven homeless people including Ade, a guy from Nigeria, and Alisha, a young 5-10 year old girl (who was one of the other ladies I fed's daughter). Chicago Hope (a school of 120 students) won the game, defeating a school called Clemente (with 2500 kids) by the score of 19 to 6 - a David verse Goliath if you will. I couldn't help but see how much like Facing the Giants, Remember the Titans, and Second Chance the experience was - especially with a prayer over the loud speakers between both teams in the beginning of the game. I do lift up and request healing for the boy who was hurt at the end of the game too - be with him and heal him.

You are God! And You are Good! And You are Love! Thanks too for giving me a chance to get to know and love on the volunteers here at the Marquard, and may Your Will be done on earth (and in Chicago) as it is in Heaven - even here in Western Chicago! I love You Lord! And it is nights like these where I KNOW YOU ARE REAL, that you brought me here (to the shelter to volunteer) for a reason, and that you have your hand over my life. Amen!"