The Lord God has put his Spirit in me,
because the Lord has appointed me to tell the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort those whose hearts are broken,
to tell the captives they are free,
and to tell the prisoners they are released.
He has sent me to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness
and the time when our God will punish evil people.
He has sent me to comfort all those who are sad
and to help the sorrowing people of Jerusalem....
The Lord makes me very happy;
all that I am rejoices in my God.
He has covered me with clothes of salvation
and wrapped me with a coat of goodness,
like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding,
like a bride dressed in jewels.
The earth causes plants to grow,
and a garden causes the seeds planted in it to grow.
In the same way the Lord God will make goodness & praise
come from all the nations.
~~Isaiah 61
This video moved me... Why hasn't God called me to work with 'unreached' people...people unreached by his Word?! There are millions still out there that haven't heard, & don't have hope in his love, grace, & mercy. Then it dawned on me...the people He has called me to work with in Kenya are unreached by medical care. They are my unreached people. God knows what he's doing...
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This may seem like a mean-spirited comment, but I assure you I intend it only in most respectful manner -- as someone who also cares deeply about the plight of people living in difficult circumstances. As someone who cares about Kenya, and has lived and worked there and in other developing countries for some time, I would respectfully ask you to consider the possibility that if you miss the subtext (literally) in your blog heading, which is in English, what that might mean when you are confronted by a people who have a completely different language, culture and context than your own. Much of the language you use is about the problems of Kenya and how you will solve them. Indeed the scripture you quote was quoted by Jesus to announce the fact that he was the Messiah. Please consider carefully the fact that developing countries, including Kenya, are saturated with too many white Westerners who think they can 'save Africa.' I believe what is often more helpful is a person who will humbly listen, be open and help the local people solve their own problems with their own resources and knowledge. (The reason why I found your blog is picking up one of your leaflets while on vacation in New Harmony).
ReplyDeleteMichael~ I appreciate you checking out my brochure. I hope you had a good trip to New Harmony! I don't think your comments were mean-spirited, but I was a bit upset by them because a lot of what you suggested are things we are going to do. I know all of the problems of Kenya, let alone Africa, will never be completely fixed. The Bible tells us that there will always be people that are starving, thirsty, hurting... But I want to do what ever I can during my time here on Earth to let people know that they are loved and that there is hope in Christ, while trying to relieve some of that suffering. AfricaHope works with the locals to find out what they view as their problems (listening), and works with them to solve those problems using local and sustainable means. I'll be spending the first 6 months to a year of my first term in Kenya doing language learning and enculturating. God gave me a heart for the Maasai and Kenya, and the relationships we build are probably more imporatant than the projects we do. I encourage you to reread my blog or look at my information again knowing all of that. I'm interested in the work you've done, and the other countries you've done work in. Feel free to email me sometime.
ReplyDeleteKatie