My favorite two speakers were Gary Hamel (Professor London School of Economics) and Harvey Carey (Founder and Senior Pastor Citadel of Faith Covenant Church). Gary challenged the various orthodoxies of church i.e. why isn’t church a discussion as opposed to a lecture, hierarchy as the major inhibitor of the impact of church etc.  Harvey described church as going out and spreading the word of God and not a function of our resources or abilities but more about our availability to do God’s will. The reason why these two speakers captured me is because they affirmed ideas I had been playing with on how I should set up my men’s ministry that will revolutionize how we do church in this country and bring a revival to this country (watch this space…).

Friday was a special day for me as I went to minister to my friends who I had grown up with and even though they didn’t give their life’s to Christ a seed was planted. I was also able to be a blessing to my cousins by taking for them gifts and being in position to we spend time together. God wasn’t done with me and in the course of the evening I came across my former barber and as we were talking he asked what I was up to which I explained and as w spoke I felt this compelling feeling to ask him if he knew about God and if he wanted to know Him and right there and then he said yes and I lead him to Christ. Praise be to God almighty!!

Saturday saw the launch of a music album of one of the former interns. Barely two months later after internship Nique launched his album narrating his life story from where he was before to where he is now.  He has purposed to live His life for Christ and music is his tool. I would describe the concert as electrifying and what amazed me was that he has begun his quest to live out His purpose barely two months later and has achieved great things.

Sunday we had an excellent service as at the crossroads class (transition class to teenage). Given many of the students were sitting for KCPE we decided to have them anointed and have a party there after. The children’s pastor came and anointed each one of them and there after we indulged in cake, food and music. The amazing thing was that the music was playing from a car and what a sight it was for those who walked by to see a car parked inside a tent and children dancing all around.

I had the opportunity to take foodstuffs to two families that had been orphaned as a result of a tragic road accident as the parents returned to Nairobi from a funeral. Mavuno has a benevolent fund that caters for the needs of those in the neighboring Mitumba slums.  Six children were left orphaned and were left in the care of neighbors and one younger than a year. This really opened my eyes to the plight of those living in that neighborhood as I got to enter into their homes and see their living conditions. There are many needs that are facing us as a nation that we need to address so please open your heart to those in need.    

Every  last week of the month  we have three day prayer sessions running every hour of the day dubbed 24/7. During 24/7 I lead two big group sessions at the top of every hour on Thursday. It was the scariest thing I have ever had to do as I had to lead strangers in my eyes in prayer considering I myself had gone in for prayer and not to lead the sessions. It was a bit awkward in the beginning as I was nervous but God took over and it went well all to His glory. 

This week was the last week to the start of the new month meaning that we were to hit the roads giving out fliers inviting motorists to come to church for the new month long sermon series. As I left the house there was a bit of a pour and I thought maybe today we will not be giving out fliers but purposed to go any way. When I got to the middle of section of Langata road starting from the entrance to Langata it was dry with no rain and I thought well okay looks like I will be giving out fliers today for sure. When I got to Mbagathi road round about at the bottom of Langata road I was met by heavy downpour and knew for sure that we won’t be able to give out fliers today but to my surprise upon getting to Nyayo stadium round about it was dry with a very light drizzle. I knew at this point God was telling me something or testing me. When I got to the meeting destination I found my colleagues hurdled in a car and urged them to get out and we hit the roads…  God cleared the skies and brought out light streams of sunshine.

Also this week marked the end of the fundays where we had about 100 children giving their lives to Christ, 5 being Muslim. We had an awesome time and the kids had a grander time.

• I now live by the mantra that it’s “I who prepares the horse for battle but its God who wins the war” and with that I have found rest in everything I do. This has given me rest as for even when things are going amok I can confidently say that I have done my part and the rest is God’s.
• Also another key application in my life is that everything I do, I do not for myself but Christ. Given any tasks that are brought my way I do them as I am doing them for Christ and not anyone else which also brings peace and excellence in everything thus brushing away any feelings of unfairness and heartache.

There was still a lump between me and my colleague and when the JD was passed officially my way from my colleague to me I received it head down but remembered am not doing it for man but Christ changing my attitude and approach. Amazingly when I got down to doing my new JD I didn’t get to actually do it as I received a volunteer who wanted to take it up and has committed every Sunday to do it on my behalf. This is amazing as you commit your battles and tasks to God He will fight them for you and lift you up. I also made amends with my colleague and our relationship was restored.

Finally last week on Friday morning I went to Mitumba slums to an informal primary school called Chamrec to be with the children and see how they are faring.  The school is in a dire state and in need of many facilities and services. My heart went out to the standard eight students as exams were round the corner and in an address to them I asked them what their needs were. They were in need of revision papers which they did not have and I offered to buy for them. This week I dragged my brother to come with me to visit Chamrec as I presented the revision booklets to the children and he was also moved that he offered to give three days of his week for the next two weeks to revise with the children. It was awesome as he was giving half of his two week holiday for the sake of these students. I also promised a Kes 5,000 cash reward for any of the children that hit 400 marks and above as motivational gift and was really moved by the glitter of determination that was in their eyes.       

My soul has found rest and the joy of the Lord is my portion………

Pastor M spread the love this week for sure by inviting the interns to his house for lunch where we got to bond as he opened himself to us and also giving us an opportunity to know him. It was pretty cool as I got to ask him all the questions I had always wanted to ask, except one…mmhhh!!

After a late night at Pastor M’s fundays were here again and with signs of rain boy didn’t I wish it rained!! At some point I was about to cancel for I was not in my element and felt as though I was not ready to face the day. After repenting I told God I will prepare for the day and made all the necessary preparations for the Funday. God was faithful and He held back the clouds and we had our biggest turn out of 240kids all in all. It was a long day though and was really tired.

Come night for some strange reason I didn’t sleep well and woke up really tired. Sunday was here and I was not at my best. As the morning progressed the morning took a twist for the worst. One of my colleagues wanted me to take up what I felt was part of their job description (JD). At this point I am thinking who do they think they are, first not ask me but shove part of their JD down my throat and for me am at that point of fire sparks. I was able to control myself and confronted them in private. I was able to keep my cool throughout the conversation but waa!! was I boiling. As the confrontation went on I almost lost my cool as it got heated but kept myself together and brought the conversation to a cool landing. Apologies were exchanged and took up the JD that was passed to me but a lump was left between us.

A throbbing head ache was what I had for the rest of the day. The afternoon was to end with a visit to Industrial area prison to donate beds and mattresses which were bought with proceeds from Spread the love festival. Please appreciate my lack of enthusiasm for this noble venture given the day I had. I really didn’t want to go but given it was compulsory as it was a work function I reluctantly obliged.  The shows were excellent, Kanji rocked and the shows were electrifying. Thankfully also the speeches were short and it was time to leave. As the presentation came to an end gospel sensation MOG walked in and some of the inmates recognized them not as artistes but as friends. Given the enthusiasm of the inmates MOG were given the last slot to perform. After performing two songs the group started ministering to the inmates as they were people they knew. The referred to them by name and narrated how they were like them in their past but through God’s grace they were in a different place now. As they were ministering to the inmates I was fighting my tears….I can’t break down now I thought!! I managed my tears to what is called balancing tears as I was taught by a little girl during the fundays… (Upon further research I found out that many other people broke down and it wasn’t just me) that said they did an altar call and I would say about 30 inmates gave their lives to Christ. That made it worth the trip at the end of it all and was glad I went to witness God be glorified in awesome way. I still had my headache but was at peace and went home to rest.

Time was proving to be of the essence in all my other activities, book reports, weekly reports and monthly reports were all due. I was starting to realize the fluidity of work at Mavuno requires planning to the “T”. The pressure was on and the cracks were evident, I hadn’t realized how much of a Kenyan I was when it came to time i.e. “last minute’ was the order of the day. This resulted in missed deadlines and work pressures building up given many pressing deadlines.

 “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein”. H. Jackson Brown

Saturday is here and its Funday…I had a few logistic issues given limited manpower, delayed starts and unforeseen ground hiccups.  All in all we had 200 children attending the fundays and a grand time they had indeed. We had bouncing castles, live music, face painting and games in all four locations but wasn’t I happy to come to the end of the day. It was a big first for me and a pilot for the next three weekends to come.

• I put a lot of emphasis on the planning and little time on execution (mental procrastination tactic I felt);
• I am very resistant to change; and
• My way is the best way.

I finally picked up myself and started putting it together. The magnitude and intensity of the planning had gone up four notches all with a looming one week deadline. Walalala!!

Another part of my life that took a U turn is my pride. Friday morning between 6.30am and 7.00am we hit Mombasa road to give fliers to motorists inviting them to come to church for our money series. As I was giving the fliers I came across my friends, classmates who could not understand why I was out giving fliers and what connection I have with the church. I also came across rude motorists who rolled up their windows as I approached to give them the flier and those who sneered and turned away. Much respect to those guys who issue fliers on the roads or supermarkets and I definitely have a new found respect for them and will take up any flier given to me. I think this was humility 101.

 This week was on the roads towards Elementaita in search for a venue for our crossroads camp. (Crossroads is the transitional class to teenage at Mavuno). As was driving past Naivasha there is this stretch of road that has mature trees that have been there for time memorial and my mind went on a tangent for a bit….. I guess I was trying to rationalize why we cut trees and came up with this somewhat irrational conclusion but you decide!! I think as humans we don’t like seeing anything towering above us if it’s not by our own creation. At this point you are wondering what am going on about but think about it how we are cleaning out our natural environment to pave way for our own creations e.g. clearing trees to make room for housing, factories, schools etc. damming lakes and rivers to store water to generate electricity, but without consideration of the consequences it has on the other ecosystems down the river that depend on the same water?? All in all where ever this imaginary thought train takes you take time to appreciate God’s creation as our country is beautiful and has a lot to offer. Bill Bright in his book ‘God, discover his character’ said something very profound, that  God did not create the world for us to sustain but through His presence its sustained and a good is example is in the story of Fiji in the DVD ‘let the sea resound’.

Thanks be to God as my journey came to a safe landing and wherever your travels may take you don’t forget to set your GPRS for the heavens.

The word divine spilled throughout the whole week as God sent people my way to assist me in my tasks. Maybe I could start by confessing that I have never organized a fun day (This is one of the tasks that I have been set out to do as an intern for Green house the children’s ministry of Mavuno church. I guess when they call the internship program discovery, it’s actually discovery to the letter).  The amazing thing about the fun days is that it’s not one weekend event but four weekends in a row. But God is gracious and has brought people my way who have helped with the communication and the media. In addition to those he had already sent the next day I literally bumped into a media personality and upon discussing further how we can partner with each other he mentions that they are actually looking for a children’s ministry to partner with and the word I was looking for in my mind was…………Divine!! These are the times that one realizes the true meaning of the statement “that it’s not by might but by spirit”.

On another note the word divine works both ways i.e. good or bad. At the end of the week I was to have a meeting with a head teacher of one of the local schools to see how best to partner with the school for an outreach event. As I walked into His office he looked distressed and was in the process of pouring himself a cup of tea which he passed on to me as I sat down. He went on to serve himself another cup and immediately wanting to break the awkward silence I decided to introduce myself and why am there. He quickly silenced me and advised me we shall get to the introductions. Sensing something seriously amiss I decide to ask if there’s something bothering him and he points to his table.  On the table lay a number of rolls of cannabis that had been confiscated from a student. He had been dealing with the drug issue the whole morning and hadn’t come to a conclusion on the matter. At this point sensing his conflict I asked if we could pray on the matter and lead him to prayer. I believe the biggest conflict he was facing was that of a parent perspective versus a legal perspective. That said he went show me a notice of from the CID of three students who are currently under investigation for murder. Our meeting had taken a tangent but his next words affirmed to me that our meeting was divine; he said “you are not in the wrong place but in the right place”. We tried to get back to the reason for the meeting and in walks the student counselor followed by the assistant chief. I sat in for a part of the conversation and was asked to wait in the reception area for the rest of the meeting bringing an end to our meeting. Our students have lost direction and as I shared my ordeal with one of the pastor’s he told me how the other day he witnessed students from the same school mob a matatu tout. Our students have gone amok and the situation is dire. We need to take charge from the nucleus called the family or else we will lose our future generations.