Spiritual Observations from Tuesday

Tuesday's meeting was really awesome. We met so many people from so many different backgrounds, and they were in sync with what we were teaching.

I'm going to test your African geography. Today in the meeting I met a 32 year old woman from Nairobi, Jemmima Waithera, who is a missionary to Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. We met another woman, Rahab, who is a missionary from Kenya to Namibia, Botswana, and Angola.

In talking with Jemmima, she was saying how open people in those other countries are to the gospel. I asked her to compare with Kenya, and she said Kenya is pretty much a Christian culture now so people respond well to street preaching and crusades. But in these other countries, mostly Muslim, they respond to the gospel message of love which Islam does not offer. So most of her witnessing occurs in relationship with people, similar to U.S., rather than mass crusades. She would appreciate you agreeing in prayer with me that the Lord provides her a husband who has the same heart for the gospel as she does and they can work in partnership reaching these countries for Christ.

Kenya appears to be running 1990 technology in a 1910 infrastructure, but there is a contentment among the general population. In Kenya, 1 out of 8 people have HIV and 3 out of 5 are related closely to someone with HIV. But abortion is still against the law here, and in fact a member of parliment has stated that it will never be legal in Kenya because life begins at conception. So there is still great value placed on human life. Could that be why the harvest is ripe here?

And I am ashamed of the trash that our entertainment industry is polluting the world with. Yesterday at the airport we were waiting for our ride and Tyra Banks was on TV with a girl who pumps her own stomach, a girl who eats toilet paper, and a girl who eats her own feces. Contrast this to the culture in Kenya where Bible study is still part of their public school curriculum, praise music is playing for entertainment at the Hotel Sirikwa in Eldoret, there are about one hundred Christian radio stations in Nairobi, and here is their National Anthem:

O God of all creation
Bless this our land and nation
Justice be our shield and defender
May we dwell in unity
Peace and liberty
Plenty be found within our borders.

Let one and all arise
With hearts both strong and true
Service be our earnest endeavour
And our homeland of Kenya
Heritage of splendour
Firm may we stand to defend.

Let all with one accord
In common bond united
Build this our nation together
And the glory of Kenya
The fruit of our labour
Fill every heart with thanksgiving.

This country has not removed God from its environment, and even in the midst of extreme poverty the Lord is healing and blessing visibly.