The group of visitors left this morning – had to say goodbye last night. They’re driving up to Nairobi – stopping at a safari park on the way, and then flying home on Saturday. Pray that the Lord will keep the burden of Kenya fresh on their minds and hearts.
Now it’s time to get down to work. And it is getting rather busy here! I had my first class in the Bible College this morning – I’m teaching a class on Church Music. Here’s the course description from the catalogue -- “This course discusses Church music in both its biblical and historical context, detailing the history of some of today’s most popular hymns, and the use of drums and dance in public worship.” There are four students in the college at the moment – one is full-time and in his final year, and the other three are part-time. Two of them are pastoring churches as they study. I was REALLY nervous this morning (actually feeling sick!), but by the end of the class I was rather enjoying it. This class will usually be on a Monday morning.
Tomorrow morning, I’m taking my first class at the Christian school – it’s teaching a Bible class to 12 year olds. So we’ll see how that goes! I’ll also, Lord willing, be teaching piano to 5 teachers and helpers at the school each Friday, as well as 5 or 6 others on Wednesday and Saturday.
We’re travelling down to Mumias on Saturday, just for the day. It’s about 3 hours away, where Gillian Gillespie lives and works. The missionaries all get together once a month for a day of prayer, alternating between Mumias and up in this area. Kathy is leaving for furlough in the States tomorrow morning, and Dave is leaving on Saturday. He’s going to be ordained at the Ministers’ Week of Prayer in the USA at the beginning of October. Pray for them both as they travel and as they have a short time at home with family and friends. Pray for me too – I’m staying in Kathy’s house, and not only will I be housekeeping for myself for the first time in my life, but I’ll be housekeeping in Kenya! There are a few differences here, like remembering to soak your vegetables in sterilizing fluid before eating, boiling and filtering your drinking and cooking water, making the chai (Kenyan tea) for the watchman each night, washing clothes by hand, trying not to get attacked by our own watchdog (2 dogs are very friendly, but the third really has taken a dislike to me, especially after dark. Apparently I walk too fast! Imagine that!). I’m sure I’ll make some mistakes, but I’ll learn a lot!
Just a quote in closing from a book I’ve been reading recently (thanks, Richard). It’s a great book, and I’d recommend it to you all. It’s called This One Thing by Amy Carmichael, and is the life story of Thomas Walker of Tinnevelly (he was the mission leader in India under whom Amy worked).
“Christ said, ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ Let us be content with nothing less than that in our churches: eternal life, and life more abundant.
There may be zeal for Christianity, without there being spiritual life. There may be liberality in giving, and yet no life. There may be church-going, and lyric-singing, and street-preaching, and all the time no life. Let us confess it on our knees before the living God – we have been too much occupied with outward organization and missionary routine; we have not sought for our Indian brethren, as we should, a Spirit of life form God; we have not loved them, wept over them, *wrestled in prayer for them as we ought to have done. Lord, we blame ourselves today. We are verily guilty, we missionaries, before Thee in this thing. Our strength has often been expended over the externals of our work, and we have failed to attain, in any adequate degree, the main object of our mission, that immortal souls might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. From this time help us all to make a fresh start. And O Spirit of life, breathe upon our congregations.
*(“We have not wrestled in prayer for them”; by that word he did not mean what is sometimes called “wrestling with God.” What he did mean was a wrestle with all that hindered prayer.)
From "Spiritual Life in the Indian Church", a paper prepared for the missionary Conference of 1902 by Thomas Walker .
Now it’s time to get down to work. And it is getting rather busy here! I had my first class in the Bible College this morning – I’m teaching a class on Church Music. Here’s the course description from the catalogue -- “This course discusses Church music in both its biblical and historical context, detailing the history of some of today’s most popular hymns, and the use of drums and dance in public worship.” There are four students in the college at the moment – one is full-time and in his final year, and the other three are part-time. Two of them are pastoring churches as they study. I was REALLY nervous this morning (actually feeling sick!), but by the end of the class I was rather enjoying it. This class will usually be on a Monday morning.
Tomorrow morning, I’m taking my first class at the Christian school – it’s teaching a Bible class to 12 year olds. So we’ll see how that goes! I’ll also, Lord willing, be teaching piano to 5 teachers and helpers at the school each Friday, as well as 5 or 6 others on Wednesday and Saturday.
We’re travelling down to Mumias on Saturday, just for the day. It’s about 3 hours away, where Gillian Gillespie lives and works. The missionaries all get together once a month for a day of prayer, alternating between Mumias and up in this area. Kathy is leaving for furlough in the States tomorrow morning, and Dave is leaving on Saturday. He’s going to be ordained at the Ministers’ Week of Prayer in the USA at the beginning of October. Pray for them both as they travel and as they have a short time at home with family and friends. Pray for me too – I’m staying in Kathy’s house, and not only will I be housekeeping for myself for the first time in my life, but I’ll be housekeeping in Kenya! There are a few differences here, like remembering to soak your vegetables in sterilizing fluid before eating, boiling and filtering your drinking and cooking water, making the chai (Kenyan tea) for the watchman each night, washing clothes by hand, trying not to get attacked by our own watchdog (2 dogs are very friendly, but the third really has taken a dislike to me, especially after dark. Apparently I walk too fast! Imagine that!). I’m sure I’ll make some mistakes, but I’ll learn a lot!
Just a quote in closing from a book I’ve been reading recently (thanks, Richard). It’s a great book, and I’d recommend it to you all. It’s called This One Thing by Amy Carmichael, and is the life story of Thomas Walker of Tinnevelly (he was the mission leader in India under whom Amy worked).
“Christ said, ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ Let us be content with nothing less than that in our churches: eternal life, and life more abundant.
There may be zeal for Christianity, without there being spiritual life. There may be liberality in giving, and yet no life. There may be church-going, and lyric-singing, and street-preaching, and all the time no life. Let us confess it on our knees before the living God – we have been too much occupied with outward organization and missionary routine; we have not sought for our Indian brethren, as we should, a Spirit of life form God; we have not loved them, wept over them, *wrestled in prayer for them as we ought to have done. Lord, we blame ourselves today. We are verily guilty, we missionaries, before Thee in this thing. Our strength has often been expended over the externals of our work, and we have failed to attain, in any adequate degree, the main object of our mission, that immortal souls might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. From this time help us all to make a fresh start. And O Spirit of life, breathe upon our congregations.
*(“We have not wrestled in prayer for them”; by that word he did not mean what is sometimes called “wrestling with God.” What he did mean was a wrestle with all that hindered prayer.)
From "Spiritual Life in the Indian Church", a paper prepared for the missionary Conference of 1902 by Thomas Walker .
who are all the people in the picture? who's the one in the brazil top?
ReplyDeleteit's the whole group that was over, plus gillian gillespie (missionary) -- she's in the dark glasses, standing kinda sideways in the front. plus a random kid that Mr. Park is holding -- don't know who that was. the guy in the Brazil shirt is Glenn Graham.
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