Dear Cherished Interested’s, December 12th, 2023
Sometimes it feels like I am in a spiritual intensive care
ward. Surrounded by people, many of whom
are already serving as Pastors because of call first, who have been given this
opportunity to attend theological training.
The deep real kindness and inclusion in important things that we have in
common.
And then.. There is the language issue. Being lost is just the way it needs to
be. The least amount of academic stress
and the whole community is back in Swahili managing things. A few are always trying to keep me included
but. So, faith that somehow I can work my
way through each unexpected dumped truckload of requirements that appear into a
workload that should be manageable.
Should be but for never quite understanding enough. Enough whining from me. I already have Hilda’s permission to flunk
though so many are trying to help.
Mchungaji Daktari Justin Mungure just came and took us a few
kilometers away to near Makumira Secondary School. To a church where the students from that Secondary
school, located just behind the University, walk to on some Sundays. There we loaded a table as directed by
Mchungaji Ombeni. That table is now on
the porch awaiting cleaning and moving into the house for our use.
We are getting treated here like we are their own
missionaries.
I had made a desk from trunks, bed slats, refrigerator box
and bedsheet but that will be going away tomorrow, I think, and the table will
take its place looking out onto the shady side of the house from the living room
/ dining room. That alone saves us
millions of shillings, while also getting the bed slats back available for the
bed.
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We had two major things today. A presentation on Pastoral counseling for the
whole freshman class, many hundreds. I
was selected by my theology classmates to be the primary presenter just a
couple days ago. This done in Swahili by
the group. Me being informed after the
decision was hashed out and made, while I was clue-less-ly sitting there blown
away by the rapid crosstalk.
I was a hard case while presenting to a group of young
people about heartbreak surrounding relationships, failed relationships. My fellow Wachungaji and Wachungaji in
training acting out culturally appropriate heartbreak and loss as part of the
presentation was initially seen as humorous to the greater class. I shut that down hard. Telling them that heartbreak is serious and
absolutely nothing to laugh about.
I taught from Genesis 1:27 asking the whole room to consider
that perhaps the ability to feel heartbreak was also part of being made in God’s
image. That God felt heartbreak in the
Garden, during the flood, at the tower of Babel, at Sodom and Gomorrah. I stopped before challenging them to think of
Pharaohs army being drowned during the flight from Egypt.
Sophies choice is faced by God every moment. God has to separate his children
sometimes. God lives heartbreak. They were thinking then.
The presentation grew in unexpected ways and was
amazing. One of my classmates presented
as suicidal and with a plan to commit suicide.
No, I did not know about that either until this very morning. That was taken as a special opportunity to
teach. He was gathered to me in a culturally
appropriate way for where we are. And he was kept there while I explained to the
Assembly Hall of hundreds why if we find someone considering suicide and
already having plan that nothing else matters, not grades, not food, not
anything. We are to not leave them alone
while we get help.
The format was that of a small short service for youth,
centered around their questions and requests for help. Drama ensued.
Hilarity was squelched. We then had
a blessed time of deep teaching in an amazingly few minutes.
Also in Swahili, me being informed after, my classmates had
chosen “What a friend we have in Jesus” for me to sing the first stanza of
during movement of presenters. Somehow,
that piece flowed into ending prayer acknowledging our Islamic siblings and any
Jewish siblings well enough that as I was leaving later the Islamic women students
on campus who had been present not only made eye contact with this big hairy
barbarian, but beamed at me.
Spontaneously, our entire theology class bubbled up on stage
near the end so I was able to tell all those hundreds to remember these
faces. We all care and you can come to
any and all of us. Even the grumpy ones
came up and were beaming, nearly all with wet eyes. We did well.
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Then.. There was a
test. Immediately after for another
required course for all freshman. I do
not know.
I wrote across the top of the empty paper: Genesis 1,
Leviticus 19, Deuteronomy 6, Mathew 22, Romans 13. Then started to answer the two parts of the
one question selected at random filling both sides of a blank lined sheet of
paper.
That instructor likes to single me out at every opportunity
while lecturing about Development Studies.
I am not certain whether he is a Marxist. He loves to lecture in Swahili and make my
fellow theologians scramble to translate into my ear. Yes, a piece of work.
Every part of my answers was bolstered by those scriptures. He deserves to get to know me. He deserves to know whose children deserve
development and why. I’m not trying to
pick a fight. I think.
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Pray for my brain.
Pray for my information gathering style as it is like being blindfolded
and spun twice each minute.
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Yes please … Keep praying for those we have lost to their
self-righteousness.. those we have lost
to their lying and now hiding.. Love
doesn’t stop but trust does..
Forgiveness we can give but it is best if it is asked for ..
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Relationships here on the ground in addition to my
imperfections and mistakes are being used to try to drive us away from our
striving. Each day is a sincere
struggle. Hopefully that means we’re on
the right track. Please pray for those
around us. Please pray for the local
faces which fearlessly now smile and greet us as we walk.
Please keep crumpling us up and throwing us at God. That is where we need to be. God will sort us out.
One day at a time.
Just like how you each live. Just
one day at a time.
Thank you, each of you.
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What to Pray for:
Our armed forces families, our leadership, our people, whole
world round, all of Gods kids -
All the tough and blessing expressed above –
The love of folks –
Whatever is on your hearts and minds for us –
For our children and grand-children who miss us..
For Makumira Secondary School looking to share stories and
partner in some way with a foreign school, Great leaders, teachers, students,
programs, strong backs, minds, and hearts –
For our health to stay ahead of whatever is before us –
For those who have braved the donate button to discover
Kajun Crofton, our daughter who helps getting each one of your donations to us and
every blogpost to where you can read it -
For each and every one of you –
Each and every one of your prayers, your precious
conversations with God –
Prayers, Your Prayer, Even your groaning prayers makes all
the difference..
Vern W
May life be as Music to your Heart – May Music be as Heart to your Life –
May Heart be as Life to your Music
