During a previous blog, I briefly mentioned the Gospel message. I just wanted to take this time to explain it in a deeper way. I never want to rush through the unbelievable news the Bible has for all of us. And I have no idea who is reading this blog, but I felt compelled to share this with you this week. If you do not have a personal relationship with the living God, then I plead with you to take the time to read this. Also, as a believer, I have been reading about how important it is for us to remind ourselves of the Gospel on a frequent basis. As Christians, it is the reason why we live and have the hope to live eternally.
First of all, when I say the word “Gospel,” I mean the Good News that the Bible preaches to us, and it really is incredible news. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Everyone who has ever lived or who will ever live is a sinner. We all have sinned. If we are being honest with ourselves, we should all recall a time in our lives when we either lied, cheated, stole, or did something of that nature. We all fall short of God’s glory. The Bible also tells us in Romans 6:23 that there is a penalty for our sin. It declares, “For the wages of sin is death.” Because God is a just, perfect, and holy God, he cannot allow any sin to enter heaven. Since each one of us has sinned and the penalty of that sin is death, our state seems to be hopeless. The death the Bible speaks of is a spiritual death. If we die without Christ, our sin sends us to hell where we spend eternity separated from God in a real and horrible place.
I know that is a harsh truth, but here is where the Gospel or Good News enters. Let me write the entire verse in Romans 6: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” Since we have sin in our lives, we needed someone to come and pay the penalty for our sins if we had any hope of knowing God or spending eternity with Him. I mentioned before that God is holy and just, but praise the Lord that He is also filled with grace, mercy, and love. Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, paid the penalty for our sins. God, in His limitless love, sent Jesus to come and live a perfect life without sinning even once. Jesus lived a life as fully God and fully man. He then died a gruesome death by being crucified on a cross. God accepted His Son’s death as the perfect atonement or forgiveness for anyone who would believe in Jesus’s name. His death justifies us before God and makes us at peace with God.
Christ’s death on the cross gives Christians forgiveness of sins. However, God did not stop there. After three days of Jesus being dead in the tomb, God raised or resurrected Him from the dead. He raised Christ up to heaven where He now sits on His throne forever. While Jesus’s death gives us the forgiveness of sins, His resurrection shows us that He overcame death and offers anyone who follows Him to have eternal life in heaven forever. How amazing is that? I can’t express with words the love God has for all of mankind. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus wants to rescue us from our sin and give us eternal life!
So, how can we know God? How can we have Jesus Christ living in us? How can we be saved? How can we have eternal life with God in heaven? The Bible answers that better than any man can. We read in John 3:16 that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The Bible says in Romans 10 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10 also says that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Jesus said in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” Acts 3:19 calls us to “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” Repentance is realizing and admitting you are a sinner and turning from your sin to Christ Jesus. It is forsaking your sin and asking God to save you from it.
I know that I just wrote a bunch of verses. Let’s summarize and make sure we understand how we can be saved from our sin and know God personally, experiencing eternal life with Him that starts now and continues in heaven throughout all eternity. Jesus said in John 6:37, “The one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out.” I want to first say that there are no magic words that can save you. There is not one perfect prayer that God will hear. Look at what the Word says. We must simply admit that we are sinners, turn from that sin with a genuine heart, confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that His death alone can forgive us of our sins, and ask Christ to save us and take control of our lives. He will not cast us out if we do that. It does not have to be prayed in any particular order, said in some religious fashion, or spoken with any particular volume. No act of man can save us. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Just cry out to Jesus and tell Him you want to be rescued from your sin, that you need Jesus’s forgiveness, that you believe He is the true Son of God and was raised from the dead, and that you want Him to live inside of you. He will not reject those who come to Him with a genuine and repentant heart. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!!
Again, I have no way of knowing exactly who reads this. But I have prayed that God would take His Gospel message and penetrate someone’s heart with it. I cannot force anyone to believe in Jesus Christ. I can only say that He lives in me. I cannot with words or by debate reason someone into coming to Jesus to save them. I can only testify to His power inside of me. He has changed my life and has rescued me from sin forever! He is the only hope that I have! I cannot imagine being alone in a foreign land without Jesus Christ living in me. I cannot imagine living in America and living the rest of my life without the love of Christ in my heart. Please do not delay. If God is leading you to be saved, please ask Jesus to save you today! We are not guaranteed tomorrow. I do not want to mislead anyone. Becoming a follower of Christ does not promise us that our lives will suddenly get easier. In fact, a lot of times we will face more trials because of our faith. But Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” Having Jesus in our life may not make our circumstances easier, but He promises to be there living in us and giving us abundant life. He will be there for us no matter the circumstances. Again, I ask that if you know you need Christ in your life, please settle the matter today and invite Him into your life!
Feel free to email me at Rowdyreptile50@earthlink.net with any questions. I would love to talk to you about it. I wanted to make this as clear as possible, but I know I am human and am imperfect. I take God’s Word very seriously, and I pray that the truth was communicated accurately. Also, I want to encourage you to talk to several people in your life who you believe to be following Christ. Talk to a Christian that you respect. If you go to a church that preaches the Bible, talk to your pastor. But most importantly, read the Word of God and talk to God! He alone can save you!
Monday, October 20, 2008
The End is Here...
Well, the end is here. I am actually heading out on the 14th instead of the 15th, so I can fly with the Sports Plus medical team to Nairobi. Cheryl, Dr. Mark, Eileen, Arlene, Denise, and Terry have become instant friends to me. I love you six fantastic people! This week has absolutely flown by, and I must say that I now have a much greater respect for people who take part in medical mission trips. The mobile health clinics that the team did this week opened my eyes to a lot of how widespread poverty and sickness is here in Kenya. The team allowed me to come along for the ride during the week and asked if I could help with crowd control. I figured this meant I would be sitting around watching them do their work. What I didn’t know is that when free health care is offered around villages where people are sick and have very little money, chaos ensues. It wasn’t complete chaos, but it was organized chaos. Trying to tell people who speak Swahili to line up in one line and wait their turn was nearly impossible. I can’t tell you how many people came up to me telling me how sick they were and how they needed to be moved up to the front of the line. People would do anything to skip people who had been waiting for hours. There are definitely some traumatic images from the clinics that are going to be in my mind for a long time. I think of the girl that is completely deaf and blind that came to one of the clinics with her father. They were basically told there was nothing that the doctor could do for them. I can’t imagine how the doctor and nurses must have felt telling people there was nothing they could do to fix them. It is awful to think that some of the patients who came to the clinics will not be alive at the end of this year. However, it was so exciting to see how many sick people they did help. Sports Plus did an incredible job. They impacted this community and surrounding villages in a huge way. I will never forget this week of mobile health clinics.
It is amazing how my tears have changed over time throughout this experience. I left with tears of sadness over leaving my family for 4.5 months. I got here, and there were tears caused by the beauty of the children and my instant love for them. I have experienced tears of homesickness. But now, I am soon going to experience tears of sadness over leaving these kids. I cannot believe how fast this has gone. I laugh at how homesick I was during certain times. When you get to the end of an incredible experience, you look back and wonder why things were ever as difficult as they were made to be. I have absolutely fallen in love with these kids. I have tried to be their brother or father figure, if only for a couple of months. Whenever I am with them, they express their love for me. They love touching and hugging me, and I love them in return. I don’t want to leave kids like James, Fesa, Toba, etc. I want to bring them back to America in my suitcases. It is an understatement to say that I have joy in my heart because of the relationships I have established with the children during my time here. I will never forget these kids, and I hope they will never forget me. Even more than that, I pray that they will never forget the Lord. That is by far the most important thing to me. I pray that my love for them has transcended the language barrier and has expressed God’s love for them. I hope they all experience salvation, and I pray that they would all know God.
As I have written in many of my past blogs, God has taught me lesson after lesson in the last couple of months. The main thing that I have learned through this trip is that God truly is all that I need. Nothing on this earth can satisfy me like He can. For the first time in my life, I was brought to a place where I could no longer rely on myself. I had to rely on the Lord alone. God allowed me to experience loneliness and homesickness so that I could cry out to Him for deliverance and satisfaction. He broke me of my attempts at self-sufficiency. He has been my source of life, my deliverance, and my best friend. There have been times where I have felt all alone, but there have also been times where I was certain that I was communing with the living God. I experienced fellowship with the Lord after difficult times of despair. I pray that I will remember when I get home that He is more than enough for me. I cannot forget that lesson. The other huge lesson that I wanted to reiterate is how happy people can be while having so little in terms of material possessions. In our culture, I get sucked into the trap of wanting or needing more things. I know that Christ has to be my everything, and He has to be the center of my life. Storing up treasures on earth would be completely foolish, when I know all that lasts is what was done to advance God’s Kingdom and bring Him glory. I see so many people here with joy in their heart but no money in their pockets. I want to learn to be content no matter the situation, for godliness with contentment is great gain. I hope this lesson sticks when I get back home and am surrounded by things, things, and more things. What else matters in life besides Him? I want to honestly believe that with all of my heart. I can’t say I always live like I believe that fact.
Wow, I love these children more than I can write on here. I am so sad to leave them, and I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone. I left Daytona Beach on August 1st, and here we are halfway through October. These children have had a profound impact on my life. Our goodbyes today absolutely broke my heart. I pray that some of my stories from here have encouraged you in your walk with the Lord or have created a desire in you to come serve in Kenya! I love you guys, and I thank you for praying and making this an unforgettable experience!
My next stop is Zambia for a brief safari with the wonderful Potter family. Then it is back to Nairobi for the second part of the mission trip. I will continue to need your prayers, and I am so grateful for them! Please keep them coming! I love you!
Stay tuned to the blog for the next part of my trip…
It is amazing how my tears have changed over time throughout this experience. I left with tears of sadness over leaving my family for 4.5 months. I got here, and there were tears caused by the beauty of the children and my instant love for them. I have experienced tears of homesickness. But now, I am soon going to experience tears of sadness over leaving these kids. I cannot believe how fast this has gone. I laugh at how homesick I was during certain times. When you get to the end of an incredible experience, you look back and wonder why things were ever as difficult as they were made to be. I have absolutely fallen in love with these kids. I have tried to be their brother or father figure, if only for a couple of months. Whenever I am with them, they express their love for me. They love touching and hugging me, and I love them in return. I don’t want to leave kids like James, Fesa, Toba, etc. I want to bring them back to America in my suitcases. It is an understatement to say that I have joy in my heart because of the relationships I have established with the children during my time here. I will never forget these kids, and I hope they will never forget me. Even more than that, I pray that they will never forget the Lord. That is by far the most important thing to me. I pray that my love for them has transcended the language barrier and has expressed God’s love for them. I hope they all experience salvation, and I pray that they would all know God.
As I have written in many of my past blogs, God has taught me lesson after lesson in the last couple of months. The main thing that I have learned through this trip is that God truly is all that I need. Nothing on this earth can satisfy me like He can. For the first time in my life, I was brought to a place where I could no longer rely on myself. I had to rely on the Lord alone. God allowed me to experience loneliness and homesickness so that I could cry out to Him for deliverance and satisfaction. He broke me of my attempts at self-sufficiency. He has been my source of life, my deliverance, and my best friend. There have been times where I have felt all alone, but there have also been times where I was certain that I was communing with the living God. I experienced fellowship with the Lord after difficult times of despair. I pray that I will remember when I get home that He is more than enough for me. I cannot forget that lesson. The other huge lesson that I wanted to reiterate is how happy people can be while having so little in terms of material possessions. In our culture, I get sucked into the trap of wanting or needing more things. I know that Christ has to be my everything, and He has to be the center of my life. Storing up treasures on earth would be completely foolish, when I know all that lasts is what was done to advance God’s Kingdom and bring Him glory. I see so many people here with joy in their heart but no money in their pockets. I want to learn to be content no matter the situation, for godliness with contentment is great gain. I hope this lesson sticks when I get back home and am surrounded by things, things, and more things. What else matters in life besides Him? I want to honestly believe that with all of my heart. I can’t say I always live like I believe that fact.
Wow, I love these children more than I can write on here. I am so sad to leave them, and I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone. I left Daytona Beach on August 1st, and here we are halfway through October. These children have had a profound impact on my life. Our goodbyes today absolutely broke my heart. I pray that some of my stories from here have encouraged you in your walk with the Lord or have created a desire in you to come serve in Kenya! I love you guys, and I thank you for praying and making this an unforgettable experience!
My next stop is Zambia for a brief safari with the wonderful Potter family. Then it is back to Nairobi for the second part of the mission trip. I will continue to need your prayers, and I am so grateful for them! Please keep them coming! I love you!
Stay tuned to the blog for the next part of my trip…
Monday, October 13, 2008
Looking for fun? Head for the Hills...
The birthday bash was what I most wanted to communicate to you about the last couple of weeks. So, I will just quickly give you an idea of what else has been going on here lately. I just wanted to hit a few high points. Again, I love you all and appreciate your prayers more than ever. I can’t say that enough. The need for prayer never fades. Thank you so much!
As time is winding down here, I have gone from being sad about being away from home to sad over having to leave this place shortly. The biggest thrill for me, and I think for the students as well, was the three-hour hike I went on with the older children up to the top of a mini-mountain (what most people would call a “hill,” but I want to be dramatic). Earlier in the week, we had the older children bring sugar cane with them to school so they could eat it at the top of the mountain. For your information, sugar cane looks just like a stick, but if you peel back the outer shell, it is filled with sweet nectar that tastes like—you guessed it—sugar. I was laughed at for a solid ten minutes after my attempt to eat it. It is extremely hard on your teeth to eat, but it does taste very good. Anyways, we marched from the school all the way to the top of the hill while we sang, danced, and joked around. I know I always talk about the views I see in Kenya, but this view was spectacular. We sat at the top, ate sugar cane, and took class pictures. It was so much fun for all of us and quite a relief, considering I had been promising to take them for weeks. The next day, Hesbon, Karlee, and I took the orphans up to a smaller hill where we read them a story and gave them sweets. If you want to plan something fun around here, make sure it includes a hill. It’s instant fun.
The following is a random paragraph about all that I have been doing at school lately. I have been coloring with Class 1 (ages 5- 7). I have been playing Jeopardy with Class 4 (ages 10-12). By the way, any game that I play, I almost always offer a sweet to the winner. It ensures the children will pay attention. A game that Karlee taught me has been a huge success with the older classes. She calls it “Pacman.” You may have played it in school growing up, but you must remember that I was homeschooled. My games included going outside to play basketball or attempting to sneak upstairs to watch Sportscenter. But enough about me. Pacman includes having the children all stand up and spread out as much as they can so they can’t reach out and touch someone. I would yell out a basic math problem, and the first child to answer it would get to take a step in any direction so they could touch someone. If you touched someone, that person had to go sit down. The last person standing was the champion. I have also been coaching and playing a lot of soccer (which they call “football”) and basketball. Basketball has been embraced by the girls in a huge way. They never get to play soccer with the boys, so they play basketball any chance they get. I wanted the boys to love it as well, and they have enjoyed it, but it seems like it will be a bigger sport for the girls. As long as it gives someone an opportunity to have fun that is usually excluded from soccer, I am happy. It has definitely served its purpose.
I have been to Kakamega twice in the past week. I have told you about it before, but to remind you, it is the closest of what we would call a city to where we live. It is about thirty minutes away. Not a lot happened on my trips to Kakamega. I went to pick up birthday packages from my mom and dad and from Emily Bowman. Thanks to all three of you. They were amazing. I just wanted to describe the way we always get to Kakamega. I think I have mentioned them before, but we ride on vehicles known as “mutatus.” They are vans that should hold about ten people, but they will literally squeeze 20-25 people in one mutatu. The conductor will sometimes be hanging out the door as we are driving. The mutatu will go about 50-60 mph on a road filled with potholes, weaving around them and other mutatus driving straight at us. On our most recent trip, my mutatu had about four chickens on it flapping around and making lots of noise. If all of this sounds embellished, just ask Emily or someone else who has been here. It is an experience that is almost impossible to imagine until you experience it. It is frightening, uncomfortable, and one of the best things I have experienced here. You have to ride a mutatu in your life.
I wanted to let you know that the new Sports Plus team just arrived. The team is made up of one doctor, three nurses, a husband of one of the nurses, and the president of Sports Plus. They have been a blessing so far. We picked them up Sunday, October 5th from the Kisumu Airport. It should have taken us two hours to get there, but we spent about an hour of it going to the police station. I guess our mutatu did not meet regulations—whatever that means. Apparently it’s illegal to operate one with mirrors and windows missing. But the team has definitely been great. I have spent some time with them, and they are so encouraging and friendly. I will be spending the next few days doing mobile health clinics with them. I am not sure what help I can offer, but we will see! I am excited!
I also want to add something to the blog in which I discussed feelings in Christianity. I want to clarify my statements. I absolutely believe that we CAN experience God’s presence, and I believe that God has been very near to me during much of my time here. But I am simply saying that is not always the case. I am not sure if I made that clear or not, but I am hoping to do that now. Paul, David, and others in the Bible talk about their experiences and encounters with the Lord. David spoke on several occasions about being satisfied by God alone. Paul considered everything else as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ. They experienced God’s presence and comfort on so many occasions. But if you read the Psalms, you will also see that David suffered deep times of despair in which God felt so far away. As I wrote in a previous blog, David even pleaded with God that His presence would not leave him. That is all I am saying. I have sensed God’s fullness here, but there have been times where He has felt distant. It is during those times that I have trusted that God is near and living in me, even when I don’t feel it. I have been put in the position where I am forced to lean on the solid Rock of Jesus Christ and accept that He is sufficient for me. As my amazing friend Kevin wrote me, “He is enough—remember—He is enough.”
I have been learning that I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. I have always heard that, but it is becoming more real to me now. I don’t have to try and live the Christian life or try and feel God. The Bible tells me to abide in Christ. That has been one big theme in my life recently. When I wake up, I don’t have to fret and worry about all that I have to do that day (although I still do worry too much). I remind myself that I am a new creation, and it is now Christ that lives in me. I no longer live. Fully understanding that truth will enable me to simply rest in Christ—to let Him do the living. I must allow the Holy Spirit to live through me. If I could wholly grasp that fact, I can only imagine the dynamic life of Christ I could experience flowing out of me. My prayer for us all is to come to the point in our lives when we relinquish control of our lives, rest in Him, and let Him live through us. I want to quit striving and trying to earn God’s favor or attempt to serve Him on my own power. Christ lives through me now. The old Matt Seitz should be and is dead. Now, if I can only get out of the way and allow Christ to move in me and through me.
Thanks again for all of your comments on here. I finally got to read some of them. I love you guys so much. So many of you have sent me emails and told me that you were praying for me daily. I am humbled by this whole thing. This is incredible. God is moving. Please continue to pray, and I will see you all soon!
As time is winding down here, I have gone from being sad about being away from home to sad over having to leave this place shortly. The biggest thrill for me, and I think for the students as well, was the three-hour hike I went on with the older children up to the top of a mini-mountain (what most people would call a “hill,” but I want to be dramatic). Earlier in the week, we had the older children bring sugar cane with them to school so they could eat it at the top of the mountain. For your information, sugar cane looks just like a stick, but if you peel back the outer shell, it is filled with sweet nectar that tastes like—you guessed it—sugar. I was laughed at for a solid ten minutes after my attempt to eat it. It is extremely hard on your teeth to eat, but it does taste very good. Anyways, we marched from the school all the way to the top of the hill while we sang, danced, and joked around. I know I always talk about the views I see in Kenya, but this view was spectacular. We sat at the top, ate sugar cane, and took class pictures. It was so much fun for all of us and quite a relief, considering I had been promising to take them for weeks. The next day, Hesbon, Karlee, and I took the orphans up to a smaller hill where we read them a story and gave them sweets. If you want to plan something fun around here, make sure it includes a hill. It’s instant fun.
The following is a random paragraph about all that I have been doing at school lately. I have been coloring with Class 1 (ages 5- 7). I have been playing Jeopardy with Class 4 (ages 10-12). By the way, any game that I play, I almost always offer a sweet to the winner. It ensures the children will pay attention. A game that Karlee taught me has been a huge success with the older classes. She calls it “Pacman.” You may have played it in school growing up, but you must remember that I was homeschooled. My games included going outside to play basketball or attempting to sneak upstairs to watch Sportscenter. But enough about me. Pacman includes having the children all stand up and spread out as much as they can so they can’t reach out and touch someone. I would yell out a basic math problem, and the first child to answer it would get to take a step in any direction so they could touch someone. If you touched someone, that person had to go sit down. The last person standing was the champion. I have also been coaching and playing a lot of soccer (which they call “football”) and basketball. Basketball has been embraced by the girls in a huge way. They never get to play soccer with the boys, so they play basketball any chance they get. I wanted the boys to love it as well, and they have enjoyed it, but it seems like it will be a bigger sport for the girls. As long as it gives someone an opportunity to have fun that is usually excluded from soccer, I am happy. It has definitely served its purpose.
I have been to Kakamega twice in the past week. I have told you about it before, but to remind you, it is the closest of what we would call a city to where we live. It is about thirty minutes away. Not a lot happened on my trips to Kakamega. I went to pick up birthday packages from my mom and dad and from Emily Bowman. Thanks to all three of you. They were amazing. I just wanted to describe the way we always get to Kakamega. I think I have mentioned them before, but we ride on vehicles known as “mutatus.” They are vans that should hold about ten people, but they will literally squeeze 20-25 people in one mutatu. The conductor will sometimes be hanging out the door as we are driving. The mutatu will go about 50-60 mph on a road filled with potholes, weaving around them and other mutatus driving straight at us. On our most recent trip, my mutatu had about four chickens on it flapping around and making lots of noise. If all of this sounds embellished, just ask Emily or someone else who has been here. It is an experience that is almost impossible to imagine until you experience it. It is frightening, uncomfortable, and one of the best things I have experienced here. You have to ride a mutatu in your life.
I wanted to let you know that the new Sports Plus team just arrived. The team is made up of one doctor, three nurses, a husband of one of the nurses, and the president of Sports Plus. They have been a blessing so far. We picked them up Sunday, October 5th from the Kisumu Airport. It should have taken us two hours to get there, but we spent about an hour of it going to the police station. I guess our mutatu did not meet regulations—whatever that means. Apparently it’s illegal to operate one with mirrors and windows missing. But the team has definitely been great. I have spent some time with them, and they are so encouraging and friendly. I will be spending the next few days doing mobile health clinics with them. I am not sure what help I can offer, but we will see! I am excited!
I also want to add something to the blog in which I discussed feelings in Christianity. I want to clarify my statements. I absolutely believe that we CAN experience God’s presence, and I believe that God has been very near to me during much of my time here. But I am simply saying that is not always the case. I am not sure if I made that clear or not, but I am hoping to do that now. Paul, David, and others in the Bible talk about their experiences and encounters with the Lord. David spoke on several occasions about being satisfied by God alone. Paul considered everything else as loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ. They experienced God’s presence and comfort on so many occasions. But if you read the Psalms, you will also see that David suffered deep times of despair in which God felt so far away. As I wrote in a previous blog, David even pleaded with God that His presence would not leave him. That is all I am saying. I have sensed God’s fullness here, but there have been times where He has felt distant. It is during those times that I have trusted that God is near and living in me, even when I don’t feel it. I have been put in the position where I am forced to lean on the solid Rock of Jesus Christ and accept that He is sufficient for me. As my amazing friend Kevin wrote me, “He is enough—remember—He is enough.”
I have been learning that I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. I have always heard that, but it is becoming more real to me now. I don’t have to try and live the Christian life or try and feel God. The Bible tells me to abide in Christ. That has been one big theme in my life recently. When I wake up, I don’t have to fret and worry about all that I have to do that day (although I still do worry too much). I remind myself that I am a new creation, and it is now Christ that lives in me. I no longer live. Fully understanding that truth will enable me to simply rest in Christ—to let Him do the living. I must allow the Holy Spirit to live through me. If I could wholly grasp that fact, I can only imagine the dynamic life of Christ I could experience flowing out of me. My prayer for us all is to come to the point in our lives when we relinquish control of our lives, rest in Him, and let Him live through us. I want to quit striving and trying to earn God’s favor or attempt to serve Him on my own power. Christ lives through me now. The old Matt Seitz should be and is dead. Now, if I can only get out of the way and allow Christ to move in me and through me.
Thanks again for all of your comments on here. I finally got to read some of them. I love you guys so much. So many of you have sent me emails and told me that you were praying for me daily. I am humbled by this whole thing. This is incredible. God is moving. Please continue to pray, and I will see you all soon!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
A Birthday to Remember...
I wanted to update you all on how the homesick and lonely birthday week turned out to be. It will definitely go down as a birthday that I will never forget. It is amazing how God has used your prayers to touch my life and help sustain me. After experiencing some of the more difficult moments emotionally on my trip, I was able to have a few incredible days after those low times. I wish that I had more control over my thoughts, but I guess I am just in a vulnerable state emotionally. I am very happy right now! Praise the Lord!
Anyways, it was definitely a birthday to remember. I turned 23 on September 23rd. I am really starting to feel old, and I don’t like it! I thought the day would be just like any other day here, but Rose, Hesbon, and Karlee had different ideas. As usual, I was “taking tea,” as they say, in the morning at around 7:00. All of a sudden the door opened, and Rose and Hesbon appeared. But they were not alone. They were joined by a huge birthday cake that said, “Happy Birthday” in huge letters. It was a vanilla cake with vanilla icing, and it absolutely made my day (even though I am a chocoholic). They walked in singing “Happy Birthday” to me. After singing the normal birthday song, they followed it up with the exact same tune but with different words. The second song was “You Look Like an Angel.” It is kind of like when we follow ours up with “How Old Are You Now?” I thought that was amazing. It really made me feel good. As I walked outside to go to class, Hesbon grabbed me and sang “Happy Birthday” to me again. He loves singing it, and he loved singing it to me all day. He is an awesome friend that I love very much.
I went to teach my math class shortly after that, and I as I walked in to the room, all of the children stood up and sang “Happy Birthday” to me as well. “Happy Birthday Dear Matt” was written in huge letters on the blackboard. When they were singing, I was nearly brought to tears. I experienced so many acts of kindness that morning. When I went into afternoon classes to play games or read stories to the kids, I was always serenaded by the beautiful children. That was so special to me. After school, Rose had to leave for a seminar that was out of town, so I went to the orphanage with Karlee to celebrate my birthday with the orphans. When I got there, all of them were shouting, “Teacher Matt, today is your happy birthday!” They like to say that. It’s never, “Today is your birthday.” It’s always, “Today is your happy birthday.” It is so sweet. I love it. Right before I left to take the boys to a big rock that looks over a huge piece of land, I was stopped by one of the girls. She had a card in her hand. Apparently Karlee had organized one big birthday card from the orphans. They all wrote “Happy Birthday Dear Matt” instead of “Happy Birthday Matt.” Everything about the day, from the “You Look Like an Angel” lyrics to the way they say, “It’s your happy birthday,” made me feel extremely loved and cared for at Tumaini. It was a really good feeling.
I thought it was going to be very difficult to get through a birthday thousands of miles away from home, but it turned out to be a birthday bash that I will never forget. I love Tumaini!
Anyways, it was definitely a birthday to remember. I turned 23 on September 23rd. I am really starting to feel old, and I don’t like it! I thought the day would be just like any other day here, but Rose, Hesbon, and Karlee had different ideas. As usual, I was “taking tea,” as they say, in the morning at around 7:00. All of a sudden the door opened, and Rose and Hesbon appeared. But they were not alone. They were joined by a huge birthday cake that said, “Happy Birthday” in huge letters. It was a vanilla cake with vanilla icing, and it absolutely made my day (even though I am a chocoholic). They walked in singing “Happy Birthday” to me. After singing the normal birthday song, they followed it up with the exact same tune but with different words. The second song was “You Look Like an Angel.” It is kind of like when we follow ours up with “How Old Are You Now?” I thought that was amazing. It really made me feel good. As I walked outside to go to class, Hesbon grabbed me and sang “Happy Birthday” to me again. He loves singing it, and he loved singing it to me all day. He is an awesome friend that I love very much.
I went to teach my math class shortly after that, and I as I walked in to the room, all of the children stood up and sang “Happy Birthday” to me as well. “Happy Birthday Dear Matt” was written in huge letters on the blackboard. When they were singing, I was nearly brought to tears. I experienced so many acts of kindness that morning. When I went into afternoon classes to play games or read stories to the kids, I was always serenaded by the beautiful children. That was so special to me. After school, Rose had to leave for a seminar that was out of town, so I went to the orphanage with Karlee to celebrate my birthday with the orphans. When I got there, all of them were shouting, “Teacher Matt, today is your happy birthday!” They like to say that. It’s never, “Today is your birthday.” It’s always, “Today is your happy birthday.” It is so sweet. I love it. Right before I left to take the boys to a big rock that looks over a huge piece of land, I was stopped by one of the girls. She had a card in her hand. Apparently Karlee had organized one big birthday card from the orphans. They all wrote “Happy Birthday Dear Matt” instead of “Happy Birthday Matt.” Everything about the day, from the “You Look Like an Angel” lyrics to the way they say, “It’s your happy birthday,” made me feel extremely loved and cared for at Tumaini. It was a really good feeling.
I thought it was going to be very difficult to get through a birthday thousands of miles away from home, but it turned out to be a birthday bash that I will never forget. I love Tumaini!
Friday, October 10, 2008
A Day in the Life...
Well, I am pretty sure that I should have written this blog a long time ago, considering I am just about to leave Tumaini. I want to give a description of my day-to-day life during my stay here. It may seem boring to some of you, but I really want to create a visual the best that I possibly can.
Every morning I wake up at about 6:45 AM either to the sound of Rose praying, the cows groaning, or the chickens cackling. It is unlike any other way I have ever started my day. Sometimes, if I wake up later at around 7:30 AM, I will be loudly awakened by the sound of the children singing or laughing in the classrooms. School doesn’t officially start until about 8:20 AM, but all the students are instructed to get there early. Getting to school late will earn the children a minor caning. Oh the joys of corporal punishment. Anyways, I can hear them because the classrooms are literally twenty feet from my bedroom window. I would much rather wake up to the sound of innocent children enjoying life than to an alarm clock or cars honking their horns outside. I will always start my day by walking out to the outhouse that has a window looking out at the giant hill/mini-mountain in our “backyard.” That is all I will share about my daily outhouse experience. Be thankful.
Every Kenyan morning, with no exceptions whatsoever, involves “taking tea.” There has never been a morning where I have not taken tea. I am not a tea fan, but this tea has so much milk and sugar that I cannot get enough of it. It is delicious. I usually don’t get any food for breakfast. Every once in a while there will be some bread on the table. I have been living off of granola bars that were sent to me from America for breakfast. After taking tea, I will walk the ten seconds it takes to get to my classroom: class four. The morning classes always include English and Math. Each period of school is 35 minutes, and there will usually be three or four English and Math periods a day. I always start by going into the teachers’ office to collect the books for my lesson and say hello to the teachers. Teacher Baraza, Alex, and Headmaster Hudson have been three huge friends for me here. From 10:55 to 11:25 AM, we always have a tea break in the office. The children spend this time playing out on the field. I like to join them whenever possible, but the heat encourages me to stay inside whenever I can. In between tea time and lunch time I always use a couple of class periods to take the children out to play basketball. I can only describe those periods as madness. I have done my best to teach them the game, but they will always have their own version of Kenyan basketball. It makes me so happy to watch them play. You can’t help but smile thinking about it.
Lunch starts at 12:35 PM and goes until 2:00 PM. This is where I want to explain my diet here in Kenya. The staple food here in Kenya is ugali. It is their national food. Almost all of them literally eat it every day. This part is so hard to describe. I will show you pictures when I get home. I have received these descriptions from the people that I asked to help me describe it: ugali has the consistency of play-dough, it is grainy, it is like dry, white stuffing, and it is quite pasty. I liken it to dry, hard, grainy, pasty dumplings. I know that sounds delicious. I use a ton of seasoned salt on it. It is usually served with sukumawiki—a vegetable that is kind of like spinach. It can also be served with warm cabbage. Everything here is cooked in a lot of oil and cooking fat. The other meal we have during lunch is beans and maize. This is simply beans and corn, but the maize here is much tougher than our corn at home. I do not know anything about agriculture so I am not sure of the name, but the beans are just like the beans we would use in our chili. I like the beans and maize, but I still put seasoned salt all over them.
During lunch, I will almost always have some discussion with the teachers about America or Kenya. We like to compare and contrast different things about our countries. Towards the end of lunch, I will usually go out and run around with the children and give them high fives and play with them. They could give high fives all day long. In the afternoon hours, the classes are usually free for me to teach as I please. They are scheduled to be reading classes or creative classes, but while I am here they are games, coloring, or singing classes that often involve giving them sweets. This is the fun teaching time for me. School ends at 4:00 PM. The children assemble and listen to the teachers and headmaster for a while, and then they run home. Depending on whether it rains hard or not, I will either stay home for the evening or go to the orphanage. I love going to the orphanage. As I have said, I am very close to the orphans at this point in my trip. It will be very hard to say goodbye to them.
At the orphanage, I usually just go play and goof around with them. A lot of the time they have a chore to do like washing their clothes or fetching water, so I will just joke with them, tickle them, or lay in the grass with baby Doro on my lap. She loves to give kisses, hugs, and high fives. I usually stay two hours at the orphanage until they are served dinner at 6:00. Sometimes, as I have written, I stay the night at the orphanage. You have already read about those nights. I love the fifteen-minute walk home from the orphanage to Rose’s house. Many times the sun is setting, and you know how I love the Kenya sunsets. Everywhere I walk, I am approached by little children wanting to touch my hand or ask for money or a sweet. I must say their asking for money wears on me a little bit, but they are just so precious and are living in extreme poverty. I usually get home at about 6:30 or so. At the beginning of my time in Kenya, this is when I would take a shower. Taking a shower involves fetching water from the well, boiling it in the kitchen, and then going outside to shower in a little stall next to the outhouse. At the beginning of the trip, I showered almost every day. Let’s just say that I have become a lot more Kenyan during the last couple of months. The showers are not nearly as frequent now. Those who know me will not be surprised by this at all. One of the big problems is that it is so hard to do anything in the dark, and it gets really cold at night. I am trying to come up with as many excuses as I can.
Supper is usually served at around 7:30. We either eat ugali, rice, or plain spaghetti noodles as the main entrée served with sukumawiki, cabbage, or green grams. Green grams taste and appear very similar to peas. On special occasions we will get to eat chapati or meat. Chapati looks just like flatbread, but it is very oily and tough on my stomach. When we have chicken, the whole thing is cooked and served. I love it when the chicken head is starting right at me. For the first month, after supper we would just sit around the lanterns and play UNO, chat, and tell stories. The last month we have been using Rose’s solar power to watch TV. The 7:30 show is usually a Swahili comedy that I can never understand. The 8:00 show is always Pasion—a Spanish soap opera that is dubbed in English. It is hilarious, and it is one of the most corny television shows I have ever seen. We usually go to bed at 9:00 because the solar power shuts off, but every once in a while we will watch the Citizen News which is in English and usually offers some international news.
In preparing for bed, I always start by filling my water bottle with water so I can brush my teeth. I brush my teeth outside in the yard. It is usually really cold and clear at this time, and I love just standing outside and staring at the sky. I love praying during these brushing sessions. After I brush my teeth, I will always use the outhouse one last time and head to bed. I listen to music until I get tired, and then I go to sleep. I don’t know if it is all the water and tea I drink or what, but I almost always get up and go to the outhouse a couple of times a night. This is an ordeal because the door is so loud that anyone in the house can hear it. I think they are all used to it by now.
So, this is how I live here at Tumaini. Those are the normal days, but there are always changes in the schedule. There are days that I don’t teach, and I go into Kakamega to do some shopping or emailing. I just recently went to the town of Malava’s market on Friday where they sell all kinds of clothes and trinkets, and you have to bargain with them. As you know, Sundays are occupied by Sunday School, hanging out at the orphanage, and coming to the office to update the blog. When the children don’t have school, which is very rare, I will spend much of the day at the orphanage. Each day is filled with Hesbon time where we will pray, sing, and talk with each other. As you can see, a lot happens here. It is hard to put it all onto one blog, but I have done my best. I hope this helps paint a picture about what life is like here. This has been my life for the last two and a half months. It is not a bad way to live at all! I love it!
Every morning I wake up at about 6:45 AM either to the sound of Rose praying, the cows groaning, or the chickens cackling. It is unlike any other way I have ever started my day. Sometimes, if I wake up later at around 7:30 AM, I will be loudly awakened by the sound of the children singing or laughing in the classrooms. School doesn’t officially start until about 8:20 AM, but all the students are instructed to get there early. Getting to school late will earn the children a minor caning. Oh the joys of corporal punishment. Anyways, I can hear them because the classrooms are literally twenty feet from my bedroom window. I would much rather wake up to the sound of innocent children enjoying life than to an alarm clock or cars honking their horns outside. I will always start my day by walking out to the outhouse that has a window looking out at the giant hill/mini-mountain in our “backyard.” That is all I will share about my daily outhouse experience. Be thankful.
Every Kenyan morning, with no exceptions whatsoever, involves “taking tea.” There has never been a morning where I have not taken tea. I am not a tea fan, but this tea has so much milk and sugar that I cannot get enough of it. It is delicious. I usually don’t get any food for breakfast. Every once in a while there will be some bread on the table. I have been living off of granola bars that were sent to me from America for breakfast. After taking tea, I will walk the ten seconds it takes to get to my classroom: class four. The morning classes always include English and Math. Each period of school is 35 minutes, and there will usually be three or four English and Math periods a day. I always start by going into the teachers’ office to collect the books for my lesson and say hello to the teachers. Teacher Baraza, Alex, and Headmaster Hudson have been three huge friends for me here. From 10:55 to 11:25 AM, we always have a tea break in the office. The children spend this time playing out on the field. I like to join them whenever possible, but the heat encourages me to stay inside whenever I can. In between tea time and lunch time I always use a couple of class periods to take the children out to play basketball. I can only describe those periods as madness. I have done my best to teach them the game, but they will always have their own version of Kenyan basketball. It makes me so happy to watch them play. You can’t help but smile thinking about it.
Lunch starts at 12:35 PM and goes until 2:00 PM. This is where I want to explain my diet here in Kenya. The staple food here in Kenya is ugali. It is their national food. Almost all of them literally eat it every day. This part is so hard to describe. I will show you pictures when I get home. I have received these descriptions from the people that I asked to help me describe it: ugali has the consistency of play-dough, it is grainy, it is like dry, white stuffing, and it is quite pasty. I liken it to dry, hard, grainy, pasty dumplings. I know that sounds delicious. I use a ton of seasoned salt on it. It is usually served with sukumawiki—a vegetable that is kind of like spinach. It can also be served with warm cabbage. Everything here is cooked in a lot of oil and cooking fat. The other meal we have during lunch is beans and maize. This is simply beans and corn, but the maize here is much tougher than our corn at home. I do not know anything about agriculture so I am not sure of the name, but the beans are just like the beans we would use in our chili. I like the beans and maize, but I still put seasoned salt all over them.
During lunch, I will almost always have some discussion with the teachers about America or Kenya. We like to compare and contrast different things about our countries. Towards the end of lunch, I will usually go out and run around with the children and give them high fives and play with them. They could give high fives all day long. In the afternoon hours, the classes are usually free for me to teach as I please. They are scheduled to be reading classes or creative classes, but while I am here they are games, coloring, or singing classes that often involve giving them sweets. This is the fun teaching time for me. School ends at 4:00 PM. The children assemble and listen to the teachers and headmaster for a while, and then they run home. Depending on whether it rains hard or not, I will either stay home for the evening or go to the orphanage. I love going to the orphanage. As I have said, I am very close to the orphans at this point in my trip. It will be very hard to say goodbye to them.
At the orphanage, I usually just go play and goof around with them. A lot of the time they have a chore to do like washing their clothes or fetching water, so I will just joke with them, tickle them, or lay in the grass with baby Doro on my lap. She loves to give kisses, hugs, and high fives. I usually stay two hours at the orphanage until they are served dinner at 6:00. Sometimes, as I have written, I stay the night at the orphanage. You have already read about those nights. I love the fifteen-minute walk home from the orphanage to Rose’s house. Many times the sun is setting, and you know how I love the Kenya sunsets. Everywhere I walk, I am approached by little children wanting to touch my hand or ask for money or a sweet. I must say their asking for money wears on me a little bit, but they are just so precious and are living in extreme poverty. I usually get home at about 6:30 or so. At the beginning of my time in Kenya, this is when I would take a shower. Taking a shower involves fetching water from the well, boiling it in the kitchen, and then going outside to shower in a little stall next to the outhouse. At the beginning of the trip, I showered almost every day. Let’s just say that I have become a lot more Kenyan during the last couple of months. The showers are not nearly as frequent now. Those who know me will not be surprised by this at all. One of the big problems is that it is so hard to do anything in the dark, and it gets really cold at night. I am trying to come up with as many excuses as I can.
Supper is usually served at around 7:30. We either eat ugali, rice, or plain spaghetti noodles as the main entrée served with sukumawiki, cabbage, or green grams. Green grams taste and appear very similar to peas. On special occasions we will get to eat chapati or meat. Chapati looks just like flatbread, but it is very oily and tough on my stomach. When we have chicken, the whole thing is cooked and served. I love it when the chicken head is starting right at me. For the first month, after supper we would just sit around the lanterns and play UNO, chat, and tell stories. The last month we have been using Rose’s solar power to watch TV. The 7:30 show is usually a Swahili comedy that I can never understand. The 8:00 show is always Pasion—a Spanish soap opera that is dubbed in English. It is hilarious, and it is one of the most corny television shows I have ever seen. We usually go to bed at 9:00 because the solar power shuts off, but every once in a while we will watch the Citizen News which is in English and usually offers some international news.
In preparing for bed, I always start by filling my water bottle with water so I can brush my teeth. I brush my teeth outside in the yard. It is usually really cold and clear at this time, and I love just standing outside and staring at the sky. I love praying during these brushing sessions. After I brush my teeth, I will always use the outhouse one last time and head to bed. I listen to music until I get tired, and then I go to sleep. I don’t know if it is all the water and tea I drink or what, but I almost always get up and go to the outhouse a couple of times a night. This is an ordeal because the door is so loud that anyone in the house can hear it. I think they are all used to it by now.
So, this is how I live here at Tumaini. Those are the normal days, but there are always changes in the schedule. There are days that I don’t teach, and I go into Kakamega to do some shopping or emailing. I just recently went to the town of Malava’s market on Friday where they sell all kinds of clothes and trinkets, and you have to bargain with them. As you know, Sundays are occupied by Sunday School, hanging out at the orphanage, and coming to the office to update the blog. When the children don’t have school, which is very rare, I will spend much of the day at the orphanage. Each day is filled with Hesbon time where we will pray, sing, and talk with each other. As you can see, a lot happens here. It is hard to put it all onto one blog, but I have done my best. I hope this helps paint a picture about what life is like here. This has been my life for the last two and a half months. It is not a bad way to live at all! I love it!
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