My Shame AND My Challenge

We had just arrived at the church for the day and I headed upstairs to stash away my backpack. To get to the stairs I passed by some women, on their hands and knees next to a bucket of water, using hand brooms to wash the cement floor. As I arrived on the second floor I peeked into Teacher Grace's classroom and saw her there, wiping down the table and sweeping the floor underneath it. She headed to a room across the hall where there was a bucket of water and a hand broom and she started washing the uneven floor. Later on that day when we got ready to tell a story to the kids and do a craft, we laid out mats and made the kids remove their shoes before sitting on the mats.

I spent the ride home that day reflecting on the impression God put on my heart the moment I witnessed Teacher Grace cleaning that morning.


I will admit my very first thought when I saw Grace cleaning the dirt was, "Why bother?" And my guess is a lot of you would have thought the same thing. The place is overall dirty. It is tempting to look at it and not really care. But I started to take notice of the care they put into it. There are trashcans in most rooms. They make the kids wash their hands in a bucket after recess. I already mentioned the mats the kids have to sit on shoeless. Every morning the church was buzzing in activity, most of it spent cleaning to prepare for the day.


As I witnessed the stewardship of Teacher Grace I became very ashamed of myself. Not one of those beat-myself-up shames but the kind that moves you to action. I thought briefly of my home that is so clearly a gift from God. I thought of my stewardship in regards to it and I was put to shame. My lack of care in my home or my "stuff" reflects a lack of gratitude to God, a lack of pride, and a lack of honor.


I really took some time to examine this realization. There were a lot of layers to this impression. The first layer was the most obvious, they have pride in their church and an outward showing of that pride comes through in their care for it. The second layer was that I witnessed a proper response to God's provision through their stewardship. As the impression deepened it became much more personal. As I hit the third layer I was hit by what we were doing there. This wasn't us coming in to "save" anyone, this mission was about coming in to serve alongside of brothers and sisters in the Body. This became so clear because here I was, half a world away from home, being taught a valuable lesson by them! THEY taught me, not the other way around. The fourth layer coincided with a surface layer, I did not display a proper response to God's provision in my own life. I wasn't honoring God with how I took care of my home or my "stuff". And at the core was a deep desire to change. I spent the time needed to repent and then I determined my action. My heart is to properly respond to what God provides and gifts me with.


I managed to hang on to this lesson for a few months, but I have noticed that the busier I have gotten the harder the lesson is to keep in my grasp. I looked around my home two weeks ago and gritted my teeth in determination. It did not reflect a grateful heart, it wasn't honoring to God's provision. I made it right and the lesson stares me in the face every day now. It challenges me to honor God daily with everything I have.

My shame has become my challenge. O God may I honor you in my response.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some dishes that need to be done...

Sanctuary of Hope

Just a year ago they were living in 8x8 structures that served as home. Some of them had a grandparent caring for them, others had a parent who was absent and left them to fend for themselves. They were filthy, hungry, uneducated. But little did they know that they had a group of people praying for them. And little did they know that hope was floating their way.

At the same time some of them were rummaging for food or seeking warmth two people were asking God to show them the 10 that needed it right now. When I think about picking ten out of the hundreds of kids that presented themselves daily I do not envy Pastor and Mama Karau. But they persisted in prayer and carefully choose those God shone a spotlight on.And one by one each was chosen and brought out of the world they had been born into. They were introduced to a different world, one which will offer them hope, one that offers a chance to get education and make a difference in someone else's life.

The day David left the slum of Mathare Valley and arrived at Sanctuary of Hope he was dirty, his stomach was bloated and his eyes were vacant. And he is under five years old. For a couple of years he had been finding food on his own and taking care of himself. His mother would sedate him with an alcohol of sorts when he was a baby and then leave him alone. David didn't know there was a different way. But then God shone a spotlight on him and he was rescued. Now he has a family that God put together. His eyes shine and he looks healthy. He is beginning to come out of the shell he has lived in since birth.

(David at his home in Mathare Valley Slum the day he left)

(David during playtime at SoH)

Sanctuary of Hope (SoH) is a ministry of Hope's Promise. Not only is the ministry committed to providing care for kids in Africa and Vietnam but they also assist with adoption here in the United States. Pastor and Mama Karau became involved with them and it became a natural connection for our church as well. We all share the same heart and vision for these kids.

On our second full day in Kenya we attended church in the morning and played with these 10 kids all afternoon. It was a precious time. When we pulled up to the house in our van they swarmed. All the kids do, they love visitors. They lined up and one by one recited their name, their gender, and a bible verse or something like that. We cried. To think of how far these kids have come in less than a year, to see what the hope of God does in the life of his kids.

They are energetic and well behaved. They love Mama and Papa and their other caregivers. To look at them today you would never know that they have already lived another kind of life. This is their second chance, this is the new life God promises for those who call on him.

There is another kind of orphanage in the area and it has about 500 kids. On a visit there with a couple of our team members Papa was asked if he thought he could do that. He said yes and upped the number to a thousand with a softened look in his eye.

(Mama and the kids playing with the parachute)

(Papa with the youngest, Ava)

(Mama hugging on David and John)

(Janet)

(Geoffrey)

(Big Stacey - she's the oldest of two Stacey's in the house!)

Pastor and Mama Karau with "their" kids.

10 kids who God drew out of Mathare Valley for the sake of his kingdom work!

They all live together in a large house along with a cook, a part time teacher, and a caregiver! It has become one big family. Each child is sponsored, much like the kids through Compassion International. The adjustments are still happening. The kids are still trying to understand this completely different way of life. When Janet is asked if she wants to go back to Mathare Valley she says no, she has started to understand the hope life offers.

Just recently the owner of the house decided to sell it. The thought of putting these kids through another move and the energy that it would require to move a household of 14 moved people to prayer, specifically those at Hope's Promise. In Kenya when you want to purchase a home you have to immediately put 10% down on the cost of the home and then the remainder is due in full 3-4 months later! The 10% had already been raised. So now the goal is to secure the remainder of the money so the house can legally belong to Sanctuary of Hope and Hope's Promise. The monies needed for this purchase is $100,000 (USA). Will you please pray with us? That is a large amount of money but our God is bigger than any amount due! If you are praying and the Lord prompts you to donate to this cause please contact Melissa Lemke at Hope's Promise by clicking here. We are trusting God to raise this money by the due date in March.

On our last day with the kids I watched them blowing bubbles and wearing these red ant hats Sara had made for them; I heard their laughter ringing throughout the courtyard and I couldn't help but praise God for his hope. His sanctuary of hope shines brightly in Kenya!