Making new friends, reconnecting with old friends...and moving!

July was an exciting month of making new friends, reconnecting with old friends and moving!

With most of our church and ministry activities across town, when Joanna and I had the opportunity to move and save the 2 + hour's it was taking to commute one way, we didn't hesitate to say "yes"! Packing and logistics didn't take long. 

The move was done in one day and very soon we were receiving guest!

While our new apartment provides more space and is closer to our various ministry activities, most importantly it serves as a place to build relationship.

"Friendship takes time. There's simply no substitute for the expenditure of large amounts of time in the making of friends. You can't always be accomplishing something, especially friend-making, in the time spent. Considerable time needs to be spent without any other agenda than to spend time together."

- Mike Flynn, Making Disciples

"True bonding of a missionary and another people doesn't take place at first sight. Becoming bi-cultural takes years. Jesus envisioned discipleship as a lifetime of building into the lives of others. The work of missions takes weeks, months, and years - an entire lifetime."

- Forget the Pith Helmet, various authors

Two such friendships that developed during my time with the CML Ministry, were with Tilly and Collins. Meeting them both at the beginning of their High School years, our friendship grew as they participated in our Discipleship program and stayed with us at home during Holidays.What a joy it was to reconnect with them recently and hear how they have been doing since graduating! Like many of the young people I mentored and discipled while living upcountry, these two became part of my large extended family.

  Tilly is currently on break from the college she is attending in Eldoret and staying with her Aunt in Nairobi. We had a wonderful visit and she told me about how she is active in the Christian Union at school and continues learning more about how to disciple others and share the Gospel.

Collins, who worked as the clerk at the CML Academy for some time, is now working at a Primary school in his home area and trying to raise money to join MOI Teachers College in Northern Kenya.

While visiting Nairobi, Collins also stopped by to visit Joanna and me. He brought Dennish, another former student, and we had a wonderful afternoon of cards and fellowship. Food is an important part of fellowship in Kenya so we enjoyed a good meal between games of Hand & Foot and discussing an upcoming ministry event that Collins will be helping with. It was a good day!

New friendships are also developing through involvement at Life Community Church and 

the ladies Life Group which meets on Tues. nights. 

Below, the ladies are all smiles as we gather for a time of reading God's word, worshipping and encouraging one another! What a blessing getting to know these ladies, and being able to host the meetings at our new apartment! 

July was a month of building relationship foundations in our ministry.

At church we even had a series of messages on "Understanding";  Understanding yourself, Understanding others and Understanding relationship. 

Below Pastor Twyla Brickman was teaching about how "Understanding Others" includes recognizing and understanding the different personality traits that God has given each person. Each personality has certain strengths and weaknesses and can complement or conflict with others.

To help us "understand" one another even better as we serve God together in the Body, we will explore these differences further during a DISC Workshop on August the 25th.

"I think what our world is desperately in need of is lovers. Lovers are people who are building deep, genuine relationships with fellow strugglers along the way, and who actually know the faces of the people behind the issues they are concerned about.

Lovers are people who have fallen desperately in love with God and with suffering people, and who allow those relationships to disturb and transform them."

- quote from Shane Claiborne, author of "Irresistible Revolution"

A valuable ministry connection with Dr. Larry L. Niemeyer's Harvest Impact  Ministries resulted in the purchase of some long sought Discipleship materials. Added to the great materials we have been receiving through Dr. Les & Twyla Brickman/Strategic Cell Ministries we now have a great tool kit from which to work as we start our discipling ministry.

A small but powerful book, "Discipling: A Kingdom Priority" by Dr. Larry L. Niemeyer, is one of my favorite books on discipling and addresses issues I have encounter in the Kenyan culture. Having lived in Kenya since 1967 the author identifies 13 principles for effective Biblical discipling;

I was also able to meet with Maurice Odhiambo the founder of Manna Ministries and visit two schools that his ministry provides meals for in the Kibera slum. This connection was facilitate by Pastor Jim & Peggy Price from Heritage Fellowship in Jefferson City, TN in the US.  I look forward to meeting with Maurice again and learning more about the work he is doing with the children in the slum.