The Squatty Potty

Today I am going to discuss the various features of the squatty potty. This may seem odd to you, but it was a special piece of equipment for us in Kenya.


 
According to Wikipedia:

 
A squat toilet (also known as an Eastern, French, Turkish, Iranian, Indian or Natural-Position toilet) is a toilet used by squatting, rather than sitting. There are several types of squat toilets, but they all consist essentially of a hole in the ground. The only exception is a "pedestal" squat toilet, which is the same height as a standard flush toilet. It is also possible to squat over standard Western pedestal toilets, but this requires extra care as they are not specifically designed for squatting.

 
 These can be difficult to get used to but just imagine how difficult it is when there is no electricity! It is the middle of the night you stumble into the bathroom, flashlight in hand, get in the correct crouching position maneuver yourself to get the right aim, hold up your pant legs, and pray that all is well.  This can be an interesting balancing act for girls.

 
 





Next to the potty usually is a large bucket of water that is used to help wash down anything that needs to go and clean up any unfortunate misses.

 






I imagine you are wondering why I bring up these potties? I think that everything can be a teachable moment. So here goes.

  • Without the light of Christ we are lost and often will miss the mark! He lights our paths and shows us the way!
  • Without the washing of our sins we are in a deep trouble. It is the refreshing of the Holy Spirit that gives us the power and strength to work effectively.

 May you appreciate the joy of using your American toilet! If you ever have the privilege of using a squatty potty, don’t be wimpy, go for it!

 
Father, I know this is a silly post talking about toilets. Thank you for always teaching me even in the most interesting places! Jann

 

Waiting, waiting, waiting!


Waiting!

It seemed that all over Kenya people were waiting. Our trip started with lots of waiting in airports and in the airplanes. Throughout our trip we were in periods of waiting. Waiting for things to begin or to finish, Waiting to go somewhere or to arrive somewhere, Waiting for the generator to start and waiting for the last moment that we would have light, Waiting for coffee or chai, Waiting to see what God would do in every situation.

It is something that we as Americans have a difficult time with!
When we arrived in Kenya one of the pastors told us to leave our watches behind because now we were on Africa time! He wasn't kidding. Things happened as they needed to, not when we scheduled them to. Our waiting was going to be a lesson that we would not soon forget.


God was whispering that he was in control and that I didn't need to be. He had this covered!
I hope I am not the only one who struggles with this!

 Everywhere you looked in Kenya, people were waiting. Waiting for the bus, for their children, for the sun to go down, for food, friends and healing. There were some that were waiting for the touch of the Holy Spirit. There is a deep hunger and thirst for the touch of Jesus in Kenya.

 

While we were walking down a path in the village children who were playing by their mud houses saw us coming from afar and began yelling, "wazungu" (white people), as if they had been waiting for our arrival. Each time this happened they came running to us. They were waiting to shake our hands, to examine our skin, to play with us. We were the ones that they had waited for. Talk about pressure! They giggled as we tried to greet them in their language.

I talked in the previous blog about church services being 4 hours long. There is an expectation that God will meet them in the service and that they are to wait for Him. To wait upon Him. They expect it and are blessed in their waiting on Him.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary.

 Father, I don't want to forget this waiting lesson. I know that you have a plan that you will carry out. Strengthen us as we wait for you. Jann

Open the eyes of my heart!

How long is your church service? Usually ours is an hour and half plus the Sunday school hour. In Kenya theirs goes for 4 or 5 hours! There is praise and worship, teaching of the Word, testimonies, and that is just the first two hours! The excitement that Kenyan Christians have in Worship is expressed through song and dance and sincere praises and cries to God. Most of the time you will hear (Bwana asifiwe) (Praise the Lord) in which everyone replies “Amen”.



As a christian I know that demons are real, that spiritual warfare is real, that satan prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Even though I know this and pray against this, I have never really seen this in action. Certainly not in my local church, Scripture tells us several things regarding demons.


He appointed twelve—designating them apostles]—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons. Mark 3:14-15

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." Mark 16:15-18


Several times in a service when the invitation to accept Christ was given someone or multiple people would fall to the ground and begin screaming, crying and flailing around. Now in my American, Evangelical background I have never seen this before and the first time I was, let’s say. “skeptical”. On one occasion a teenage boy was literally slithering and contorting his body in such a way that it was obvious that he could not have done this on his own. The church however knew exactly what to do and everyone moved forward to praise God and pray for him. The Americans instinctively moved away at first. As we joined in and moved towards this child and then as a body we prayed and prayed and prayed. After the service we found out that this boy had epilepsy as a child and had charms placed on his body. The culture of intertwining witchcraft and daily life was now at war with his desire to follow Christ.


The next time it happened was after Kevin and I preached a message about God’s name “EL Roi” The God who sees me.

I was touched by how God sees them. These are men and women who have been struggling to live.  They have been hurting and longing for a savior.  Many have lost more than we can ever imagine.  The message that God sees them and that they are known by Him is so timely. The Spirit's presence was sweet and It was a precious time.

Many people came forward to receive Christ. It was a miraculous time of having the Corinth team lay hands on people and pray for them. Interestingly the language we spoke did not matter. God knew what these brothers and sisters needed and we were there to minister in Jesus name. As we were praying several people again fell to the ground. This time our team knew what to do. We just kept praying and praising. Later we learned that one of the women had been involved in witchcraft in her home.


Now I understand this passage.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.  ICorinthians 10:22
For some people this experience may seem scary, out of our ordinary way of worshipping. All I know is that we were sent to help set the captives free and be the hands and feet of Jesus. In the culture of Kenya there are many who are held in deep bondage. I praise God that my eyes have been opened to see how prayer and praise can thwart the schemes of the evil one.

Bwana asifiwe! Praise God!

God has plans!

Our plans are not God’s plans!
When we had been discussing our time on Mfangano Island we knew several things.


• We were going to minister at a youth conference of around 300 high school students.
• The students were mostly from the island but some were from other areas.
• Most would be Christians.
• The team would be teaching four sessions.
• There would be small group times that we could participate in.


It is important to me be prepared and then have flexibility in my preparation. I had designed four lessons that would be student friendly, interactive and I thought inspiring. There were places within the messages for object lessons, testimonies and activities.


I think I even patted myself on my back and said, “Well done”. I was prepared!


Prepared until we were told on Sunday afternoon that they wanted us to teach 6 lessons and that the focus of the conference was on purity. Can you hear my heart beating really fast? Can you see the anxiousness that I began to feel? All of the lessons would need to be revamped to include the details of purity and take into consideration that they should somehow build on each other! Yikes!

After dinner the team came together and prayed again. “Please Lord direct and lead us as we plan for tomorrow." As we began to discuss and write these hour long messages the generator went out! Now we were writing with the aid of lanterns. Let’s just say that it was pushing me and the team to trust God with every word, every activity, and every moment!

I am so grateful that the team didn’t throw me into the water that night. I was very directive (bossy) in the planning stages. My need to control came rushing out! The team was amazing! In spite of my bossiness, each of them stepped up and volunteered to teach, share testimonies and lead activities for 300 high school students even though they have never done this before!



The next morning as we entered the auditorium we could feel the excitement! Kenyan’s know how to worship! We loved every moment of it.



The messages and teaching time were fun and creative. We were pleasantly surprised that they were understanding us. The British English that they speak is slightly different in pronunciation than our English. At one point they translated our English into English.


I stood to speak about the Holy Spirit filling every part of us and was directed by the Spirit to talk about Christ wanting to make His home in us. As I looked out at these young people who are struggling.


Struggling because they have no parents, have experienced great losses and possible abuses. Struggling because they are trying to be pure and live a life of purity.

As I looked into their eyes I began to cry. You know what that is like when you are trying to bring an important message and all you can do is cry? I was crying because I wanted them to know that these words in John 15:7 were for them.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish,and it will be given you.


He wants them who have no home to make their home in Him. That he would never leave them. As I proclaimed these words I felt the love of Christ for them. The expressions on their faces told me that the Spirit had communicated a great love for them and that they were receiving it. Many stood to say that they wanted this. Praise God!


Even though I didn’t plan to say this, God knew the language and the message that they needed to hear. His ways were so much better than mine!


How do you respond when God's plans are different than yours?

Do you stop what you are doing and adjust to His plans or do you continue on in your own way?


Father, thank you that we can trust in your plans your ways and your wisdom. Holy Spirit thank you for giving us your guidance and power. Remind each day that your plans your better! Jann

Mfangano Island, Kenya



Come away with me to Mfangano Island, Kenya...


Approaching the shore of Lake Victoria in Mbito, Kenya was an amazing experience. There were 9 of us on the team and each of us had our own luggage and missions supply luggage. We were told that we would be going by boat but nothing could prepare me for what I was about to see. The boat is not something that you would see in a harbor in America. It could be more aptly described as a large wooden canoe with a motor.  How were we going to fit the luggage and ourselves into this boat? We walked down the wooden pier and were greeted by Calvin and Kevin who eagerly assisted us with the luggage. As I stepped into this boat, I sat down onto the rough wooden bench and looked about at the beautiful water and surrounding islands. The trip would take about 1 ½ hours. It ended up being a refreshing and pleasant ride. I have to admit that as I sat down and saw the water in the boat and the rough wood I had my doubts.
As we came closer to Mfangano Island there were many people washing clothes in the water. I began to take pictures but then realized that some were bathing. :) The terrain was dotted with mud huts and beautiful green plants. This is definitely different than the pictures that I had in my mind.
I was reminded that God was in control even though I was nervous.

Honestly I grew to love that boat and have no worries about riding in it again.




The boat would take us to the guest house of Gethsemane Garden Christian Center. It was beautiful and welcoming. We were greeted by Chef John, Mama and others as we departed from the boat. I felt as though I was stepping back into time. Everywhere I looked I saw new and exciting things. Large bunches of bananas hung from trees ready to be eaten. Birds of varied colors and sizes sang cheerily as we walked into the compound. AHHHHHHH, this is going to be a piece of cake, I thought to myself. We have beautiful surroundings, pleasant accommodations and great food!


I know that this sounds like a wonderful vacation story but, here comes the reality of the location we were at.
  • Mfangano Island is home to over 19,000 people of Suba and Luo descent and suffers one of the worst HIV/AIDS concentrations in the world.
  • Many children have one or no parents.
  • There is no electricity and no clean water.
  • The majority of income that is generated is from fishing.
  • Most people earn less than 1 dollar a day.
  • Spiritually, People in Kenya have a deep hunger for spiritual things and many believe in Jesus. However, Kenya has been infused with beliefs that are intertwined with witchcraft and sorcery.
The island is beautiful and inviting but there is so much more than meets the eye. There is much work to be done. As we met as a team to plan and pray we all knew that this was much bigger than any of us could have known.


Jesus wept over Jerusalem, I began praying and weeping over this island.

“Lord give me everything that is needed to minister in your name, translate my words Holy Spirit so that they may be effective to reach people in your name. May I be found faithful to make the most out of every opportunity.”

We went to bed that night full of anticipation and excitement and maybe just a little bit of nervousness.

Where is God breaking your heart?
Has he given you a deep longing to do something?

He will give you everything that you need to accomplish it if you will just trust Him to do it.

Father, thank you for breaking my heart and nudging me to follow your lead in Kenya.  help me to do this every day with the people that you place into my paths. remind me and empower me to make the most out of every opportunity.  Jann





 

Really Lord now?

Kenya trip day #2


What a beautiful morning it was a we walked across the street to the airport. After a great nights sleep the flight was eagerly awaited. We greeted the other passengers that we had spent 3 hours with on the tarmack yesterday. The new plain awaited us and we all took the same seats as the day before. Even the crew was the same. There was an air of excitement as we heard the engines turn on.

Early this morning I read the team devotional. The part that really struck me asked you to decide what you would give up for the sake of reaching others for Christ. I made my list and thought of Kenya. Little did I know God had plans this morning for this very area of my life.

I sat next to Florian, a lovely woman from Burundi. Yesterday we exchanged polite conversations and frustration over the plane delay. Today it was like meeting an old friend. In the middle of talking with her that same pleasant voice came on the speaker. My heart sank. "Really again! How can this be"? Another technical problem.

I heard the Spirit whisper to me, “make the most out of every opportunity”,
Your mission trip started long before arriving in Kenya. I looked at Florian and knew that I needed to have a conversation with her about God. She was open and honest about her on again off again attendance at church. I could tell that she did not have a personal relationship with Jesus and so I talked about mine. It was a joy to have this discussion with her. 40 minutes later the same pleasant voice came on and said that there was no oxygen in the cargo hold and that there was a dog in there. The plane would be delayed as they moved the dog out.
This time the Spirit asked me what I was willing to give up to reach people for Jesus? My time I sheepishly responded.
Just then the woman in front of me began to talk with me about her fear of flying and not waning to continue this flight. I was able to share with her about the many people praying for this flight and that when you have God there is nothing to worry about. I was so blessed with these two converstions. I could have missed them if I would have kept focusing on the delay.

God’s timing is perfect and he has a plan. I am trying to trust his plan and to know that He is able to accomplish whatever He wants.

Now the rest of the story.

About an hour before we were to land I felt the nudge of the spirit to ask Florian how I could pray for her.  This opened up a whole new conversation.  In the end I was able to give her a bible, share with her about God's plan of salvation and exchange email.  I felt inexpressable joy as Florian read the bible verses to me.  "Now I know how to read the bible for myself" she exclaimed.  "This is a great gift you have given me.

Pray for me and the team as we share with more people and make the most out of every opportunity.

Father, I am humbled at the thought of someone coming to know you because of a conversation that we have had.  Can I have more please?

For I know the plans I have for you!

Our first day of flying to Kenya began in Grand Rapids then Chicago and our last leg started in Brussels. We eagerly sat in our seats for this trip. We knew what was waiting for us in Kenya and we were so excited for all the God had planned. I fell asleep almost right away and awoke to a very pleasant voice on the speaker first in Dutch then French and finally English that told the passengers that there was a slight technical problem and that the plain would be delayed 35 minutes. “Okay”, I thought to myself and then quickly drifted back to sleep. An hour later I heard grumbles and moans coming throughout the plane as the same pleasant voice announced that there was an additional problem that would require another 20 minutes. Much later we were told that same pleasant voice told us that “all was well” and we would be leaving in ten minutes. Almost as quickly as that announcement came was the pilot expressing his condolences because the flight was going to be cancelled. I heard the Spirit whisper, “I know the plans I have for you. Trust me”.


This was an unexpected blessing in disguise. A week ago our itinerary changed for the Kenya trip. Everything was pushed back one day. We did not know it then but God was planning a special treat for us.

After disembarking from the plain we were given beautiful hotel accommodations and food. This meant that the team would have comfortable beds and showers.

We were in the beautiful historic city of Brussels and now had time to explore. The city had amazing buildings, shops, cathedrals and people from all over the world. Breathtaking! This would never have been possible if the plain had not been delayed.

God’s plans are always better than our own. As we start this adventure to Kenya may I listen to the gentle whipers of the Spirit and follow His lead.

Father,, thank you for giving us new plans and for leading us.
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