“How do you know that they are telling you the truth?”
“Does
the food really cost that much?”
“Are you sure that the school fees are as they say they are?”
“How can you be certain the situation is how they are telling you?”
I am constantly asked these types of questions by people who
are questioning my involvement with the Log Church and Orphanage in Kisii. I
must admit that it sometimes becomes a bit frustrating, because of course I am
not there in person. I cannot go to the market with the people. I cannot be at
the schools when they
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| Photos are from the Christmas celebration and meal at the Log Church |
pay the bill.
We live in a dangerous world: Hackers and Scammers. Cheats
and Con-men.
It all becomes more difficult in these days of the 21st
century and global communication.
There are evil people in the world who will try any means to take what is not theirs. These evil ones we try to confront: Verification and Corroboration.
But there is also other factors involved in the work of God. There is a point where one must listen also to the Holy Spirit. When God is involved, there is Faith, and there is Belief in what He is saying.
This difficulty in verification of what is happening in remote places may seem like a new phenomenon to us, but it has actually always been this way. The Apostle Paul
also had to deal with a similar problem of not being present with the people
even in the very 1st century.
“Some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are
quarrels among you,” he wrote to the church in Corinth.
“It has actually been reported to me that there is sexual immorality among you.”
“I hear that when you come together that divisions exist among you.”
Paul was not in Corinth to verify this. He had only been
there some years earlier. He had heard of the news there only by word-of-mouth.
Some years after this, probably when Paul was in the prison
in Rome, he also wrote this to the Colossians, “For I want you to know how much
I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met
me face to face... For although I am absent from you in body, I am present with
you in spirit, and I delight to see your orderly condition and firm faith in
Christ.”
I somewhat feel the frustration that Paul must have felt. I
am sure that there were many things had been reported to him concerning the
churches that he had begun. How was he to know what was actually true? He was
not there. He could not see these things with his own eyes.
Nor am I in Kisii when I am told how much the food is
costing—but I have been there before to see, and I know that the heavy rains
have prevented many vegetables and other crops from being harvested, if they
were planted at all.
I am not at the schools to know what the fees are, but I
have looked at the on-line Kenya newspaper articles to see some of the costs at
various schools (ours are less expensive than most).
From the very beginning of my involvement with the church and
orphanage, I have tried to verify what was told to me at every step. You have
to go way back on this blog site to November 7 of 2017 to read what I think was
my first entry about the work in Kenya. At that point, I was about to embark on
a trip to see for myself what was happening there and what the true situation
was.
But it is long before that when I was first shown this need—more
than year before that time. From the very beginning, I had a sense that this
was a work that God was giving to me.
But I was not sure at first, and frankly,
I did not want to be sure. I was tired of overseas work and I did not want to get
involved. I wanted to stay home and I looked for any excuse to not be involved.
For an entire year, I fought against God’s leading.
“No,” I told God. “I did my bit overseas and I just want to
retire.”
But God did not let me rest.
After a year of that spiritual struggle, I finally told Vivian, “I have to
go to Kenya. I cannot continue my life and pretend that God is not calling me
to this task. I at least need to check it out.”
In the years since that time, almost every decision that I
have made has been a combination of faith in God's leading and trust in the people, coupled with verification
as much as I could. But it is not cheap to go to Kenya. I cannot simply go
whenever I have a question. Besides that, there is the fact that I really am not looking to
make another trip.
I like my farm. I like to stay home.
But despite the questions that I am very often asked by
people who
have doubts, I will continue with this work as long as the Lord
directs me. I have come to have great confidence in Pastor Joel and the Log
Church leadership there. As far as I know, they have always been 100%
straightforward with me, and they are doing a work that no one else seems to
want to do in that area.
Am I sometimes still plagued with doubts? I still
sometimes wonder about things. But until I see that I have been misled, I
cannot stop being part of this work. If pressed by naysayers, I probably cannot
clear up every doubt that some may have—but I will do my best.
But this work also has great rewards. I myself am growing in
my faith as I see how God is meeting what appear to be impossible needs in the
lives of the orphans. This is not being done by great fund-raising campaigns or
emotional appeals. It is only being done by God quietly speaking to the ears of
his people to be involved.
Besides this, the Log Church Kenya is growing as many more
people in the area are coming to know the Lord. One of the pastors now has also
been working in a new area where they have begun another church—a second Log
Church of Kenya. They now have about 450 people who attend the two churches.
I hope to write about that soon.
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If you would like to help the children of the Log Church Orphanage of Kisii, Kenya, you may make your check out to "The Log Church" and write "Orphans" on the memo line.
Send it to:
The Log Church
PO Box 68
Tripoli, Wisconsin 54564
Every nickel given in this way will be used for only aid for the orphans. It will be used for purchasing food, clothing, schooling, and other necessities of living. Nothing is held back or diverted for any other purpose
Greetings from Kenya
Churches and orphanage, we are praying for you each day, we are humbled for the
regular help we receive from you all through pastor Donald and Vivian. Thanks
from the children and church leadership Kenya church. Thanks for your prayers
which has made us reach this far.
Yes we cannot say that we have met all the needs of the
children as some days they sleep without taking food and they stay out of
school for not having paid school fees. But all in this hardship and struggle
God has used all with your resources to support once again receive the thanks
from the leaders.
Thanks for the help you sent =$800 which made us able to
feed the children last week as from Wednesday through Sunday. Below is the
breakdown of what we bought. 
We are humbled for this help, kindly
keep praying for the church and orphanage, we trust God will provide for school
fees and food. God bless you all, see pictures attached. Thanks.
We are humbled for this help, kindly
keep praying for the church and orphanage, we trust God will provide for school
fees and food. God bless you all, see pictures attached. Thanks.
