Let us thank the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It was through His loving-kindness that we were born again to a new life
and have a hope that never dies.
1 Peter 1:3a
Because they bring disgrace upon a family and their community, it is still legal in Kenya to kill a baby born of incest. One community is now debating whether a four-day old baby should be allowed to live, and in Kakamega, newborns that are the product of incest are either abandoned on the doorstep of a local children's home or just disappear. They never have a chance. It's all very sad.
Recently, I was called down from my office to meet two young boys who were being treated for chiggers by one of our officers. Before I got there, I was warned that their toes had been eaten away, and so I tried to prepare myself for what I would see. It wasn't enough. All that was left of their feet was masses of damaged flesh. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was looking into their eyes. The boys didn't speak. They just stared back at me, expressionless. They'd lost all hope.
After doing what we could to treat their wounds, we got the boys some shoes and trousers, and then we invited them to join "Martha's Boys," our new program for the street kids of Kakamega. It's not much, and we run it on a shoestring. But the boys keep coming. Later, as I walked backed to our building, I prayed, "Lord, how can we treat all these young boys, and then just turn them back over to the streets?" Blinking back the tears, I prayed for a miracle. I prayed for a facility where we could care for them properly.
Ken and I recently visited Turkana, which is by far the most isolated command in our Territory. We arrived at District Headquarters to the sight of over 100 students from the Army's school in Lokitaung, all of whom were smartly dressed in their school uniforms, waiting for a ride to the school. I was told that, because the Army doesn't have its own vehicle, the school will hire buses to take them on the eight-hour journey. You can image my surprise when a cattle truck pulled up a few minutes later and the students started climbing on. They were going to stand shoulder to shoulder in the back of that truck for the entire journey, which would traverse some of the most brutal desert conditions in Kenya. And they were looking forward to it. One of the officers said to me, "The students are happy because they're the lucky ones. They get to study."
Before we left Turkana, Ken and I were asked to plant trees to commemorate our visit. "We have planted several trees here before," I thought, "and they always die." But I went ahead anyway and did what I was asked, and it was then that the Lord reminded me of a quote:
After doing what we could to treat their wounds, we got the boys some shoes and trousers, and then we invited them to join "Martha's Boys," our new program for the street kids of Kakamega. It's not much, and we run it on a shoestring. But the boys keep coming. Later, as I walked backed to our building, I prayed, "Lord, how can we treat all these young boys, and then just turn them back over to the streets?" Blinking back the tears, I prayed for a miracle. I prayed for a facility where we could care for them properly.
Ken and I recently visited Turkana, which is by far the most isolated command in our Territory. We arrived at District Headquarters to the sight of over 100 students from the Army's school in Lokitaung, all of whom were smartly dressed in their school uniforms, waiting for a ride to the school. I was told that, because the Army doesn't have its own vehicle, the school will hire buses to take them on the eight-hour journey. You can image my surprise when a cattle truck pulled up a few minutes later and the students started climbing on. They were going to stand shoulder to shoulder in the back of that truck for the entire journey, which would traverse some of the most brutal desert conditions in Kenya. And they were looking forward to it. One of the officers said to me, "The students are happy because they're the lucky ones. They get to study."
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| Arriving for Worship at the Lokichoggio Corps |
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| Ken and his bodyguards (note the guns!) visiting the new Kasarani Outpost |
Before we left Turkana, Ken and I were asked to plant trees to commemorate our visit. "We have planted several trees here before," I thought, "and they always die." But I went ahead anyway and did what I was asked, and it was then that the Lord reminded me of a quote:
“Love is hope when reason despairs.” – Jack Hyles
We weren't planting trees, really. We were planting hope. When everything around us seems bleak, it is hope that keeps us going. It's what convinces us that things will change and that miracles still happen. So yes, I'll plant a seed of hope. Because if I can do that much, God will take care of the rest.
