I must confess this was the most grueling day of our trip…and the one where I really had to walk in God’s strength and none of my own. Before we started our trip, David K. has asked if I would deliver God’s Word and a message of encouragement at two churches on Sunday. This was the hardest part of preparation for this trip, far worse than getting shots and far worse than travelling for 24 hours half-way around the world.
How do I preach a sermon (I’ve never preached before)? How do I preach to people I don’t know? In a culture I know little about? And frankly, to people I share very little in common? For the two weeks leading up to the trip, I had studied Scriptures in Mark, Romans and Hebrews looking for a message, but one never appeared. I had lots of notes, but nothing to say.
So last night, after turning in early around 9, I spent a sleepless night praying to God and asking for a message He would have me share with His children in Kenya.
While I never heard the voice of God, two things led me to John 15. First, when we were at AMPATH yesterday, one of the farmers talked about grafting scions (branches) to root stock (vines) to create better and stronger plants. Second, at dinner Saturday night, David K. shared with us his personal call to ministry and quoted from John 15:15, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” So with that small whisper from God, I spent the rest of the night studying and preparing a message to share from John 15.
We worshiped Sunday morning at a new church that meets at the Kisumu YMCA. Although there were only 40 people in attendance, there was plenty of Spirit flowing. There were times of unbridled and uncoordinated praise and worship by the people, a far cry from the well-rehearsed and well-controlled service I am used to back home in Indiana. The Yamaha keyboard and the Peavey amp were the extent of the electronics...no big screens, no Powerpoints…it was loud, it was raw, and it was real.
After church, we picked up Craig Hanson at the Kisumu Airport and we made our 2-1/2 hour trip to Kager village. It was so cool to finally see the village God had planted in our hearts one year ago. Reflecting on John 15, it was as if God had finally grafted his new branches from Indianapolis, USA to the old vine He has had growing for centuries in Kager, Kenya.
That night, under the hum of a diesel generator and four fluorescent lights, the church had come together at the Kager Vision Centre to welcome us to their village and to ask us to share the Word of God with them. From 8:30 to 10:30 pm, we worshiped in Luo (the native language of Kager) and they accommodated us with an occasional song in English.
Just as in the morning service, I shared a message from John 15 with the help of a translating preacher (which I am sure they helped fill in the gaps in my message). I felt the Spirit’s power as I shared God’s Word with His people of Kager, amazed that God had allowed me to travel half-way around the world to share His love with these people.
I was awestruck by universality and relevance of God’s message to all men, regardless of the tongue we speak, the continent we live in, or the community we call home. In John 15:14-16, Jesus says, “You are my friends if you do what I command…You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” I shared with my Christian brothers and sisters that we had to come to their village because we had felt God’s choosing and call in our lives. God gives all men two choices: to choose God and to choose good. It was our prayer that in the coming days, we could become their friends and help find ways we could help the village of Kager bear new fruit – fruit that would last for them and their children.
It’s truly humbling to know God has called us to do His work in His village called Kager, and even more exciting to live in and learn more about Kager and to make new friends.
In Him,
Ned
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