Our Journey to Kenya
In 80 days or less, Anna, the kids, and I will be moving to Nairobi, Kenya for a year. I will be working as a Legal Fellow with International Justice Mission, a Christian human rights agency. I can't talk too much about what I'll be doing, but you can see generally what IJM does by going to its website at www.ijm.org. It is a dream job; something I feel I've been training for and working towards for years, and I couldn't be more excited about it. However, the journey to get there has been, and will continue to be, very challenging. It is my intent to resurrect this blog in order to chronicle my and my family's process of getting to Kenya, as I believe it will be cathartic for me, and perhaps helpful for some of you out there that may some day go through a similar process.
May 23, 2009
Today, we are 80 days out from my son Caleb's first day of school as a first-grader in Kenya. That first day of school, August 12, is our goal to be settled in Nairobi. Why is that significant? Well, my year in Kenya with IJM is a volunteer position, which means I ain't getting paid. I knew this going in, obviously, and I am glad to do it, as the mission is an awesome one. But the fact is, we have to raise a significant sum of money in a short amount of time. Specifically, for our family of 5 to move over and live in Nairobi for a year, we have to raise nearly $65,000 (this includes a training week in DC, shots, visas, school for Caleb, living expenses, etc.). 80 days out, and we have raised $5,000 of our $65,000 goal (and I am SO thankful for those that have supported us!!!).
In the last 3 weeks, we have sent out 350 support letters to friends and family casting the vision for what I'll be doing and asking people to support and pray for us. Before we sent the letters out, I was confident: God had called us to this and He would provide. I had no doubt. Moreover, it is a compelling cause, no matter what your worldview or spirituality. So, we sent the letters, and I think I expected that the money would come flooding in. Well, reality has set in.
Every day, I would call Anna from the office to see if any response envelopes arrived in the mail. When none arrive, my heart sinks a little. When we got our first on-line giving update from IJM, and they showed only two donations, my heart sunk even more. I started to realize it takes more than just sending letters. And I was lost. I was in unknown territory. So, Anna and I called over some very wise and loving friends today for lunch. They have counseled many of our friends who are living overseas and have raised much more support than we are attempting to raise. It was a good time together and we gained some good ideas and perspective.
The bottom line for me, however, came after they left and I got online to get ready to write this and I felt prompted to go check out a daily devotional I used to read by an old dude named Oswald Chambers. Today's devotional was about trusting God for our daily needs, from a verse in Matthew 6:25 in the Bible. In other words, when I worry about my daily needs, I am not operating as a person who has faith in God, because God has promised to meet my daily needs. I must admit I have entered into worry and anxiety about this support raising for our daily needs for Africa. How can I profess to be a follower of Jesus and yet doubt him on something as basic as his love for me in providing in my time of need? This is hard, but this is the essence of faith: being sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see. I now have a choice: do I take Jesus at his word that he will provide for my daily needs (and that he will provide for the funds for us to go to Africa, provided I take my necessary steps, of course), or do I not, and cease to believe in this fundamental lesson he is givibng me a golden opportunity to learn. I choose the first, as difficult as it may be.
May 23, 2009
Today, we are 80 days out from my son Caleb's first day of school as a first-grader in Kenya. That first day of school, August 12, is our goal to be settled in Nairobi. Why is that significant? Well, my year in Kenya with IJM is a volunteer position, which means I ain't getting paid. I knew this going in, obviously, and I am glad to do it, as the mission is an awesome one. But the fact is, we have to raise a significant sum of money in a short amount of time. Specifically, for our family of 5 to move over and live in Nairobi for a year, we have to raise nearly $65,000 (this includes a training week in DC, shots, visas, school for Caleb, living expenses, etc.). 80 days out, and we have raised $5,000 of our $65,000 goal (and I am SO thankful for those that have supported us!!!).
In the last 3 weeks, we have sent out 350 support letters to friends and family casting the vision for what I'll be doing and asking people to support and pray for us. Before we sent the letters out, I was confident: God had called us to this and He would provide. I had no doubt. Moreover, it is a compelling cause, no matter what your worldview or spirituality. So, we sent the letters, and I think I expected that the money would come flooding in. Well, reality has set in.
Every day, I would call Anna from the office to see if any response envelopes arrived in the mail. When none arrive, my heart sinks a little. When we got our first on-line giving update from IJM, and they showed only two donations, my heart sunk even more. I started to realize it takes more than just sending letters. And I was lost. I was in unknown territory. So, Anna and I called over some very wise and loving friends today for lunch. They have counseled many of our friends who are living overseas and have raised much more support than we are attempting to raise. It was a good time together and we gained some good ideas and perspective.
The bottom line for me, however, came after they left and I got online to get ready to write this and I felt prompted to go check out a daily devotional I used to read by an old dude named Oswald Chambers. Today's devotional was about trusting God for our daily needs, from a verse in Matthew 6:25 in the Bible. In other words, when I worry about my daily needs, I am not operating as a person who has faith in God, because God has promised to meet my daily needs. I must admit I have entered into worry and anxiety about this support raising for our daily needs for Africa. How can I profess to be a follower of Jesus and yet doubt him on something as basic as his love for me in providing in my time of need? This is hard, but this is the essence of faith: being sure of what I hope for and certain of what I do not see. I now have a choice: do I take Jesus at his word that he will provide for my daily needs (and that he will provide for the funds for us to go to Africa, provided I take my necessary steps, of course), or do I not, and cease to believe in this fundamental lesson he is givibng me a golden opportunity to learn. I choose the first, as difficult as it may be.
posted by Lane | 3:03 PM
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