Losing your Life

"Whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it." (Mark 8:35b)
I was reading the biography of Henry Martyn again -- this young man truly lost his life (as the world would see it) for the sake of the Gospel. He had a brilliant academic career ahead of him -- he was made a fellow in Cambridge at the age of 19 after excelling in mathematics and winning the coveted post of "Senior Wrangler" for the year. He also had a great gift for languages -- during the course of his life, he learned at least 10 different languages (from what I've been able to find) -- Latin, Greek, Hebrew, French, Portuguese, Bengali, Hindustani, Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit. But he gave up his promising future, left behind his family and friends and the woman he loved, and at the age of 25 he set out for India as a missionary. He was already suffering from tuberculosis at this point, and the disease was exacerbated by the harsh conditions and climate of the land to which he went. But he counted all these things as loss so that he might gain Christ, and serve Christ.
Just after he arrived in India, as he surveyed the work of other missionaries around him while he was still waiting for an official appointment, he wrote in his journal -- "I feel pressed in spirit to do something for God. Everybody is diligent, but I am idle . . . I have hitherto lived to little purpose, more like a clod than a servant of God; now let me burn out for God." Some debate whether the idea of "burning out for God" is not simply used as an excuse for being presumptuous and careless with your life, but I cannot help but feel that if more of us had this true desire in our hearts and put it into practice in our lives, we would see much more being done for God in our generation. We are too caught up in our comforts, in our relationships, in our own desires and ambitions. Martyn said, "Let me forget the world, and be swallowed up in a desire to glorify God."
Martyn did burn out for God. He died at the age of 31. But in the few short years that he spent in India and Persia, God accomplished so much through him! He preached the Gospel to many lost souls, opened several schools, and translated the New Testament into Hindustani, Persian, and Arabic.
I am 29. What have I done with my life thus far? More importantly, has the Lord done anything through me? Or have I been so caught up with my own plans and ambitions -- even "spiritual" ones! -- that I have been of no use? "I have hitherto lived to little purpose . . ."
Let me leave you with not the words of a man or about a man -- even such a man as Martyn -- but the words of Christ. "I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." (John 9:4)
"The brightest life on earth was one of loss;
The noblest head was wreathed with sharpest thorn.
Has He not consecrated pain -- the Cross?
What higher crown can Christian brows adorn?
Be we content to follow on the road
Which men count failure, but which leads to God!"

Keep Praying!

You'll all be relieved to hear that I'm still alive. I've just been pretty bad at communicating with anyone for the past few weeks (Some of you who have sent me emails in the last month or two will say that it's been a lot longer than that!)

So what's happening in Kenya? I've been mostly immersed in the school this past term -- I'm there at least 5 days a week, sometimes more. It's been very busy, but I'm really enjoying it! The term finishes at the end of March -- exams start at the end of this week so pray for the kids as they are working very hard at the moment! Pray for those who aren't saved -- I had asked you to pray for one young man a while ago -- the one from a Muslim background. I've talked to him a bit since that; but like many of the kids here, he seems more concerned about his family problems and other issues in his life than his soul. Now many of them do have big problems at home, and I'm not depreciating those, but human nature tends to concentrate on the issues in time rather than eternity.

There's another boy who's been much on my heart -- he is probably 18 or 19 and comes from a Christian home. He's made a profession (actually he tells me multiple professions) in the past, but he says now he knows he's not saved. He has been in some trouble recently, and I think this has made him start thinking seriously about his condition. He says he knows he needs to be saved, and he is going to get saved some day soon, but he's just not ready yet! He says he's trying to change and do better -- but of course I had to tell him that he'll never be able to change himself. He needs the Lord to give him a new heart and make him a new creature. Please pray that the Spirit of God will convict him and show him his sin. For all his concern and trouble of heart, it is of course his love of sin that is holding him back from seeking God.

Here are a few of the kids I'm working with!

Kazi Nyingi! (Much Work)

There's not much different here at the minute, but I thought I would just post a note to say hi, and keep praying! I've moved into Margaret's house while she's moved down to Kitale to Noreen's house, so the last week has been busy with all the "flitting", as they say somewhere in Ulster! Kathy is back safely and is working on getting into her routine again. She has taken over all the music lessons again (which is a relief both to me AND to the students, I dare say!), and she's also going to be taking computer classes at the school. She's asked me to continue helping with the school choir so we'll be working together on that. I'm very happy with this arrangement, because I didn't really know what I was doing (having had NO experience of leading a choir) but I was really enjoying it! Maybe in this case ignorance was bliss, and I enjoyed it BECAUSE I didn't know what I was doing. But whatever the reason, I'm glad I can still help.

I was speaking to a lady after church yesterday who was concerned about her soul -- please pray that the Lord will truly give her understanding about the way of salvation.

Luke and Tim are settling in well -- here's a photo of the two of them; it may help some of you to put faces to the names.

Prayer Request

I wanted to ask you all to pray for a young man in one of my CRE classes. He's 16 years old (in Kenyan Form 2), and I noticed him right from the start of the term because of his willingness to answer questions, ability to think things through -- and his obvious knowledge of the Scriptures when he does answer. Some of the kids are quite shy about answering, and some don't seem to have much Bible knowledge, but this boy stood out to me. I was actually thinking that maybe he was a pastor's kid or that at least he had grown up in a sound Christian family!
I got a chance to talk to him a couple of days ago and was really surprised when he told me that he had been raised as a Muslim until he was 10 yrs old. His father is Muslim, and his mother Christian (nominally at least); his parents divorced when he was 10 and his mother has taken him to a Pentecostal church since that. When I asked him how he knew so much about the Bible, he said he's read it several times. I then asked him if he knew that there was a difference between converting to Christianity nominally and converting in your heart. He said, yes, he knows the difference but he hasn't "done it yet". He said hopefully he will be saved soon. I talked to him a little more before some other kids came in. Please pray for him! Pray that I'll get another opportunity to talk to him soon, and that most of all, the Word of God that he has obviously been reading will pierce his heart and draw him to Christ.

Changeovers in Kenya

Hi all,

Please continue to keep the work here in prayer. These few weeks have been ones of movement and transition for the missionaries. Dave DiCanio returned from Liberia in the middle of January, Noreen McAfee is flying out from Nairobi today on her way home for furlough, and Kathy Walker will be returning next week from her furlough. So I will be handing back the music lessons and some other responsibilities to Kathy while I continue to teach Christian Religious Education in the Academy, take devotions with the secondary students, etc. I'm not sure what other changes will take place in my "job description" :-) but just please pray that I'll have wisdom and help from God in whatever I'm asked to do.

Margaret will be assuming a lot of the responsibility for the running and administration at the Academy while Noreen's away. Please remember her as she has this added burden.

Two young men from Lisburn congregation have joined us as well -- Luke Campbell and Timothy Patterson. They are taking a year out from university and are going to be helping at the Academy for a few months. Pray that they'll get acclimatised soon and that their time here will be a blessing to them and the young people they're working with.

Mom and Dad enjoyed their trip and are now safely home again! It was so good to have them here. Below is a photo of them with all the missionaries who are here at the moment -- the only one missing is Kathy.

Visitors in Kapenguria

Mom and Dad have arrived safely -- they are spending a couple of weeks here in Kenya to visit me and also to see the work. It's really good to have them here! I went up to Nairobi to pick them up last week, and on the way back we spent a day and night at Lake Nakuru Safari Park. It was brilliant! We saw all kinds of animals -- zebra, gazelle, water buck, water buffalo, baboons, giraffe, rhino, warthog, a hyena, various types of birds, and even lions! We had gone out at 6:30am (as soon as we could see) to try to find the lions, but sadly found nothing. But at midday, when we were on our way out of the park -- there were three lions right by the side of the road! One was sleeping in a tree, and the other two just lying there looking bored. It seems to be pretty rare to see them -- word must have been spreading all over the park because all these vehicles full of tourists started pulling up. They looked so docile and peaceful lying there -- even cute -- that it was hard to remember that they are wild animals! They do have pretty strict rules in the park -- you're not allowed to get out of your car except at a couple viewpoints. I got yelled at by the rangers a couple of times -- well, our poor driver got yelled at actually. The rear windows in our car only went down halfway, which was really annoying, so at one point I went around back and sat in the boot (it's a station wagon) and left the tailgate open so I could take pictures. They didn't like that. Then the second time, I was still in the car officially cause my feet were standing on the back seat, while I leaned out the window and took pictures of the giraffe over the roof of the car. But they still weren't happy! But I did get some good pictures!

We're back in Kapenguria now of course, and school is in full swing. I had my first CRE (Christian Religious Education) class this morning -- it went ok I think even though I didn't really know what I was doing. This class is with Form II, and we're studying the Life of Christ. Dad preached on Sunday in the school service at Lityei, and then in the local church next door. The people seemed to enjoy the ministry -- I heard some comments from some of the students especially to that effect. A couple men stayed after the church service to speak to the pastors - pray that a true work of grace will be done in their hearts.

Pray for the new school year

Just wanted to ask you to remember the BCFC Academy as the new school year begins (in Kenya it runs from January to December, with three terms). Classes resume next week so pray for the teachers and students. I'm one of the teachers! (shock) I'm teaching a couple of CRE classes (Christian Religious Education) in the secondary school -- the students will be equivalent to Form 4&5. I'm looking forward to it but a bit apprehensive as well, so keep me in prayer. Then I will be helping with the school choir until Miss Kathy Walker returns from furlough, as well as continuing the piano/keyboard lessons I have been giving.

Miss Noreen McAfee (the school headmistress) will be going on furlough in February so pray for her as she travels, and for the school in her abscence -- that everything will continue to run smoothly.

This past week, all the former pupils have been trickling back into school, and parents and prospective students have been lining the hallway outside Noreen's office to try to get places in classes. The children have to take a placement exam and have an interview (along with their parents), and then places are allocated. To give you an idea of the volume of children wanting to come to the school, 29 kids applied for a place in one of the classes, 10 passed the placement exam -- and there were only two places in the class! Even though signs are put up outside saying that there are no places left in a certain class, parents still come in and plead that their child would be admitted. Parents have been known to leave the office, having just been told that there are no places in the particular class that they're wanting, and go outside and join the back of the queue again -- only to be told the same thing a couple of hours later. So Noreen's had a long week! We are thankful, of course, that places in the school are in high demand!