Sunday, July 31, 2016

We're safely in Qatar.

Well, we're done the longest leg of our journey, having arrived in Doha, Qatar, at 5:15 am local time after an uneventful flight. All are in good spirits but tired, as it's now 11:15 pm to our bodies. Our connecting flight to Nairobi doesn't leave till 9:00, so we have a chance to get a little rest in the airport before the final 5-hour flight. 

Saturday, July 30, 2016

And we're off!


Well, we're on our way. We made it through the check-in process and are getting aboard our Boeing 777-200LR/F.  If you look closely, you'll see all of us waving to you out the last window!  No, not really, but this is the type of plane we're on. 

If you are really into it and want to follow along live on our flight, you can view real-time progress at 
http://flight aware.com/live/flight/QTR728.  
This is our actual plane, home for the next 12 +/- hours! 

That last picture is specifically for George's mom!


Friday, July 29, 2016

Final Countdown

Where does the time go? It seems like we were just in the planning phase of this trip and now we leave in less than 36 hours! Our team of 31 is made up of 20 from Bethlehem United Methodist Church in Thornton Pa and 11 from Hope Community Church in Norwood Pa. Some of us are veterans for whom this trip will be our fourth trip (8), two are going for their third trip in four years, twelve are going for their second time and ten will be making their first trip. We are a diverse group from 14 to 67.  We have been meeting monthly since January and weekly since the end of June, and we have come together as a great team! I'm sure there is apprehension for some but a lot of excitement for all! Personally, I'm pumped! It will be so good to get back to this beautiful country and to see the wonderful friends the Lord has put in our path. It is a blessing to be able to return each year to renew those relationships in person. We had our last team meeting last night and were finally able to get a team photo with 27 of the 31. 

As we have done previous years, we will be working with the ministry of Start With One Kenya. This ministry is run by their founders, Bill and Chat Coble, and they and their Kenyan team have been doing an amazing work in Kenya. They are very familiar with the challenges of working in a third world country and are very perceptive in determining where limited resources can be used to do the most good to raise the standard of living of the Kenyan people. If you're not familiar with this ministry, you can find out more information at their webpage: www.startwithonekenya.org. I can assure you that any donation made to this ministry will be used responsibly to help the Kenyan people. 

This year's trip will be similar to our previous trips, with a mixture of construction work, hygiene training, a water filter distribution to 1000 people in Lanet in one day (!) and whatever else needs to be done at the time. The key to a successful trip is flexibility! The first full day, we will help minister in a program for children in the Deep Sea Slum in Nairobi (you may want to google it to get an appreciation for it!) and the balance of our time we will be based in Nakuru. Our construction work will center around the Gituamba IDP Community about an hour's drive from Nakuru.  We previously worked there in 2014 constructing school classrooms in an old barn, and we will now be pouring the concrete floor for a dining hall for the school of 540 kids. We will also probably be working on construction of a church for the community. 

Many of you reading this are probably familiar with the history behind our annual trips or have at least seen some of my previous blog posts, but I'm sure some are completely new to the topic.  So I'd like to give a little history if I may.  Bethlehem United Methodist Church has always had a strong emphasis on missions, but most of it was directed toward local ministries. For several years, we also extended a little further and did construction relief work in Mississippi after Hurricanr Katrina and in New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy. But our focus was stateside, where it is "safe".  But the Lord doesn't call us to be "safe".  He just calls us to follow Him. Our Executive Pastor, Tom Wolff, felt the Lord was calling us to step out in faith and go where He called, and He led us on a path to get involved in Kenya.  I have to admit that I didn't feel that calling.  My wife, Andi, was excited when Tom first proposed the trip for 2013, but I had no interest. But I held an ace! Tom told us we would need to raise $90000 to pay for our airfare and on-the-ground expenses, and I "knew" that was never going to happen! We are a small church with limited resources, so I figured I was safe to get on board because we wouldn't be able to go anyway! Boy, was I wrong! God's economy isn't man's economy, and he can move resources from where they are to where they need to be! Not only did we raise the $90000 but raised an additional $26000! After prayer, we felt the Lord telling us that those funds were donated to be used that year, not to be saved toward the next year's trip.  We were able to purchase text books for a school of 1200 students who had no books (!), purchase lots of water filters to provide clean water for people who had nothing but disease-laden water, and to hire some Kenyans to work alongside us in construction and be able to earn some much-needed money.  

Throughout this whole process, it didn't take me long to realize that the Lord had great plans for this mission, and I better get on board.  I have been on fire for Kenya ever since! I get excited and look forward to this trip ever year. It is great to see the progress that is happening and to renew relationships with friends. It is also a ance for me to re-center my priorities and to focus on how the Lord has blessed me so abundantly. It is humbling. 

I need to take a few minutes and explain why I go. I don't want to preach, and if the Lord needed a preacher, there are infinitely more qualified people He'd pick besides me. But I need to explain my motivation for going on this trip. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I need to tell the truth. I'm fine if you want to stop reading now and pick up with the next blog, which will probably be sent from the plane enroute to Qatar, our first stop on our nearly 19000 mile round trip! If you choose to read on and are put off by what I say, I'll apologize in advance. But I need to share why I go.  There are some people who say: "oh, you're so good" or "you're doing such a good thing". But I'm not good! I'm just a sinner saved by grace, and what I do I do out of gratitude for a God who, through Christ and His sacrifice on the cross, saved me. Nothing I ever do could qualify me for a place in Heaven other than accepting the free gift He gave me! And it's out of gratitude for that that I want to do things to serve Him. And He has given me another amazing gift in the blessing of being called to serve in Kenya! 

Okay, enough of my sermon! That's all.  Now, I ask if you would, remember our team over the next two weeks and keep us in your prayers. When we're on this trip, we can always sense the prayer support we have, and we know we are only able to accomplish what we do because of that and through the Lord's grace!