Interconnected, partners, better together

When I was a Divisional Youth Secretary some years ago, one of my staff members asked me a question one day that went something like this: ‘if we are meant to be prayerful and reflective as Christians, isn’t it better for us all to become monks instead of living in the hustle and bustle of each other’s lives?’ I don’t remember all of my responses to him, but it was something like this. I believe God created us to live interdependently. While solitude and prayer is so important for us, it does not take the place of connecting with others.  God designed us to be in community where we draw strength from each other and be ‘each other’s keeper’ to the extent we can. God didn’t intend for us to live as an island onto ourselves but to be helpful and supportive - within our families, to our neighbours, and even or perhaps especially to the stranger.

I have seen the value of interconnectedness and partnerships so often since serving in Kenya.  Our territory is the recipient of many resources through various projects and donations.  So much is accomplished when we work together. Over the past three and a half years, many people (some of you on this mailing list) have shared your resources so that others could benefit. Some of my blogs have captured what your generosity has accomplished.  Since the beginning of 2020, the kind donations we received have helped people pay hospital bills, re-build a home that was demolished, buy furniture for an officer’s quarters, and now recently support our church leaders who are struggling to get their salaries since worship services are not permitted. We have also used your kind support to buy masks and our walking group distributed them throughout our neighbourhood.  This week, you will help us buy food for a children’s orphanage.   Sharing what we have with each other is not just a nice thing our mothers taught us to do, it ought to be a lifelong natural instinct for all of us.

Morris and I have been inspired many times with the resilience and hard work of Kenyan people and with a little extra help, many good things happen!  A year ago, during one of our visits to Turkana (the hottest and most desert-like area in our territory), we were quite impressed by an officer couple – Lieutenants Benson and Pauline Mamisu.  They were appointed to Kanan corps in December 2017 to find very little there. A one-room rented living space was their quarters and no church building due to a land dispute which had chased many people away. (Some of you may remember me writing about this before).  What captivated us was the commitment of this young couple to remain in the area and slowly they have begun to rebuild the corps – both relationally with the people and structurally.  With the support of the locals, they have constructed a small church building with iron sheets. One of their dreams, when we were there, was to construct a concrete floor to replace the dirt floor. Over the past year, the locals have tried their best to secure the materials needed to complete the project. It has been a tiring process and they have become discouraged because they just did not have enough money or resources.  The few members gave what they could but it fell short of what was needed. Recently Morris and I found some money that could assist them. We didn’t think the extra funds were enough but when we transferred the money, within two weeks the people finished their floor project! They were so thrilled!  When the pandemic restrictions are lifted they have a better place to invite people to come and worship.  Interconnected, partnerships, better together!

I recently posted on my Facebook page a great story about a water tank.  When Morris and I were in Newfoundland last year for Christmas, the Triton/Brighton Corps did a free-will offering at a Christmas music program to support the work of The Salvation Army where we are serving. When we received the money, we gave it to the Kisombe corps to buy a water tank, which they did. This is another very remote area that is poor and dry.  It was quite exciting to feel their enthusiasm while we were in the process of transferring the funds. As soon as they heard about the gift, the corps members immediately started to do their part in preparing the ground and building the base for the water tank.  This reservoir would not only support the church members, but many people in the community would now access clean water much easier. Prior to having the tank, so many of them would have to walk for miles during the dry season to get water.  The result of this small project, plus the fervour of the people getting involved and the gratitude the Salvationists expressed, confirmed for me the value of how sharing resources and helping one another reflects God’s design for us so well. It’s really just a great way to live!

The account of this water tank is even more profound during the Covid-19 outbreak. Over and over, the message of how critical handwashing is to curb this pandemic has gone viral. Handwashing has become the latest education urgency and PR priority. For people who have regular access to clean water, this should not be an issue, but what about the millions in the world who do not. The community of Kisombe is just one example of places where people may not have clean water readily available to them.  This leaves them compromised in trying to attack something like coronavirus.

This week’s communication from the International Social Justice Commission is aligning The Salvation Army’s call to prayer (“cryforjustice”) with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #6 – Clean Water and Sanitation.   I was reminded again how the lack of access to clean water and sanitation has far-reaching health consequences. And of course, the places where this happens are severely affected in so many other ways by poverty. Millions rely on compromised sources of water such as unprotected wells and springs. Climate change and pollution have placed major stress on water sources, leaving so many without access to this basic human need.

As we continue to pray for justice for women and girls this year, the issue of water plays a prominent role in the injustice so many females battle. Lack of water adversely affects many of their lives.  In most places around the world where households do not have easy access to water, it will be the women and girls who walk long distances for water collection.  I have seen it here in Kenya many times.  In doing so, they can put themselves at risk of violence and girls end up losing time from school. When family members get sick because of contaminated water, it is the women who bear the burden of health care. And during childbirth, a lack of clean water and sanitation can be the difference between the life and death of both the mother and the baby.  (Thank you to the ISJC for drawing this to our attention so that we might continue to pray over this and find more ways to ‘act justly’ wherever possible).  Water is critical to our survival and it has so many ripple effects – no pun intended.  No wonder Jesus said that being his follower includes offering even a cup of cold water in His name.  


Let me conclude by saying THANK YOU to all who are “partners in mission” in small ways and big ways. Always keep yourself alert to the opportunities you have to share, connect, and engage with others – those close and far away. Let’s continue to make this world the place God intended it to be. We are better together!

Below:  Preparing the base for the water tank in Kisombe

Water tank arrives!

Installing

Divisional Commander and Crops Officer

Name Plate

Fresh water available for church and community!! 

  

Kanan Corps - Dirt floor before project 

Working together! 

Final touches of floor paint! 

A new - rock solid - foundation for the church! 

Lieutenants Benson and Pauline - committed servants of God

Oh, how I love Jesus ...

April 10, 2020

Oh how I love Jesus …

It’s Good Friday and there is stillness in the air.  In the silence of early morning, a fresh unwrapping of Jesus trek to the Cross gripped my soul.  All based on one chapter of Scripture – Matthew 27 – and one song. The immensity of Jesus’ human experience has rolled over me like new depths of a mighty ocean. I don’t know how I will ever capture the thoughts and feelings in my mind and heart but I must try.

Betrayal 

Funny how you can read something a hundred times and then suddenly it is brand new.  That’s how my reading of Matthew 27 began today.  I got startled in verse 3. “When Judas who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse.”  Have I not read those words before? So what was this fresh dawning, this ray of light parting the curtains in my window?   I could not shake the agony I suddenly thought Judas felt as I pondered those three words “seized with remorse.” When Judas saw Jesus being unjustly condemned, the act of his treason appears to rivet his soul.  “How could I have done this? What grief have I caused the One who washed the dirt from between my toes? Utter contempt clings to the fibres of my being like an unmovable bandaid glued to my skin.  I have betrayed innocent blood with an act of petty greed. I will never forgive myself for the deliberate and deceitful treachery of my callous actions. I can live with myself no more…”

Is there any human sore which takes longer to heal than the rawness of open-wounded betrayal? How could Judas live with this infidelity? He couldn’t.  With the desperation of regret filling every cell of his being, Judas takes his life. Is it possible he knew no other way to respond to the sting of guilt than to ensure he would never again cause pain to the One who loved him desperately? Was this an act of repentance?  If so, would he not have received mercy?

Betrayal is brutal.  It was the agony I saw in Susan’s eyes (not her real name) many years ago when she came to our office a few weeks after a joyous 25^th wedding anniversary celebration to tell us that her husband was leaving her. “I just don’t love you anymore” was what he said. Betrayal was what she felt.  

                                             

When she was a teenager, the abuse of alcohol in Diane’s home (not her real name) left her struggling with self-worth. One Friday night, the innocent ruse of friends playing a trick on her caused her to spiral further down as the bite of frivolous deception crushed her already bruised sense of esteem. Fun was what they meant. Betrayal was what she felt.  

None of us are immune to the possibility of betrayal. We lie. We cheat. We deceive. I confess my own human faults and turn to Christ’s invitation to repent and be forgiven. On the road to the Cross, Jesus would bear myriad forms of betrayal – the scattering of those to whom he had invested his life and love, the mockery of bystanders, and the fraud of an inept legal system.  As the weight of the wooden beam marked his wounded body, Jesus bore the disloyalty of those around him and that of the entire human race.

Injustice

He was innocent and falsely accused. The guilty was set free by the tide of public opinion. “Which of the two do you want me to release to you,” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. “What shall I do with Jesus?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” In a moment of leadership exasperation, Pilate conceded and, seemingly, washed his hands of the virus of prejudice.  “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” And with that, he released Barabbas and had Jesus flogged.

The moments that followed were inhumane and unfair. The cruel torture of physical abuse as Jesus was stripped and beaten was pitiless. The mockery of donning a ‘royal robe’, the anguish of razor-sharp thorns piercing his skull, and the ridiculing haunts of “Hail, king of the Jews!” exposed the worst of humanity’s ability to torment another.  The spitting and striking with his own stick again and again - it barely seems possible that someone would survive such immense mistreatment.  Yet, he did and others have too. Survivors of genocide, the Holocaust, and war prison camps leave us spellbound with stories of outliving similar vicious and heartless exploits of atrocious injustice. While these actions are among the most evil and extreme forms of discrimination, there are countless other injustices every day which are often accepted, overlooked or even considered normal.   

I am so drawn to Jesus, not only for his untamable and unmatched love but for his willingness to bear the fullness of every possible earthly experience.  Our Lord was truly and properly human and divine. He lived humanity at its best and saw it at its worst.  My faith in Christ is fortified as I ponder the invitation to follow One who “took on flesh and moved into our neighbourhood” (John 1:14, The Message), even when He knew what that meant.

As Jesus bears the bigotry of his undeserved suffering, he embodies the unwarranted treatment of all people whose vulnerability leaves them unprotected simply because of their gender, race, social status, or personal identity.  As people suffer perpetual forms of humanitarian drought – economic hardship, unequal access to health and education, domestic violence, and the unfair distribution of global wealth and resources – I am convinced that not only is Jesus still aware of this, He calls us to remain engaged in his battle of good over evil.  I celebrate the places and people where this happens and long to see it visible more and more.

Faith and love

In the events of Jesus’ crucifixion, there were moments of incredible frankness between the Son and the Father that depict a relationship of unusual honesty and unshakeable trust. On the night before the crucifixion, Jesus retreats to a familiar garden (Matthew 26). He confronts his Father almost like an angry or, if nothing else, a deeply tormented son who in truest human form pleads with his daddy to find another way to accomplish his plan.  The anxiety is real.  His sweat became like drops of blood.  Despite multiple attempts to be consoled by his companions, he bears the anguish alone as he cries “Is there another way?”

More brutal honesty would be heard again during the hours he hung on the cross. When darkness wrapped itself around Golgatha like a seamless cloak with nails piercing Jesus’ hands and feet as blood oozed from his body, in a mega loud voice Jesus screams “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!?” This isolated moment of felt separation between Jesus and the Father is almost unbearable.  He had shared eternal intimacy and inseparable unity with the Father. He had leaned into His Father’s presence regularly.   Even those who mocked him declared “He trusts in God.” Physical and emotional proximity surely is what we need most in our toughest moments. Haven’t our hearts been broken over the past few weeks when we have seen people dying alone?

So here is Jesus again, living humanity. And as he does, his trust is not in vain. His faith is not futile so ours does not need to be either.  Hear the chords of love return in His perpetual offer of mercy that Luke captures: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”  Picture Jesus’ head bowed in calm surrender as his shout is replaced by a gentle whisper: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  And join the celebration with the word John seizes:  “Tetelestai!” – It is finished! Has there ever been such love and grace? 

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride. 

See from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were a present far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all. 

Amen

Covid-19: Isolation and Response

I’m not sure I have seen as much written, discussed, videoed, or posted about one subject in such a short time as I have about Covid-19. Understandably since this pandemic is so global in scope and personal in impact or as one person said: “it is both macro and micro”.  I hesitated to write anything since so much is already written.  I know my reflections will likely mirror many others but that’s okay, I think I will write anyway.

Over the past two weeks, Morris and I have joined the throngs in adhering to and promoting the coronavirus protocols given through Government and Public Health.  We understand the need for radical measures for everyone to join the fight in reducing the spread of Covid-19.  We are “our brother’s keeper”!  That’s all right – it can bring out the best in us – like musicians on balconies, city-wide applause for health workers, and random acts of kindness everywhere.

One question currently being asked is:  when in our lifetime has ‘isolation’ ever been so commonplace? When have so many people had to physically distance themselves from normal life, activity, and community for such an undetermined amount of time?  With a backward look at history, you will discover that this isn’t the first time but it has been a while. On a smaller scale, isolation has been common when a pre-mature baby is incubated or a sick person is quarantined to prevent a contagious infection. Also, people who have lived in vastly remote areas like the far north or the very rural or on an island have felt a sense of isolation.  Today though it is the vast scope and widespread of the isolation that seems so unusual. Millions around the world own a new commonality - separation. Its impact seems to be both unique AND generic.

Like you, the situations and people catching our attention most (in Kenya and around the world) are:

·       The vulnerable population – especially the elderly, homeless, sick, and poor

·       The thousands of small business owners (here include so many roadside market keepers) with drastic customer reduction or complete closure

·       Parents coping with working from home and managing children every day –  especially parents with children who have special needs or single parents or high-risk pregnant moms

·       Front line essential service workers – health care, first responders, and emergency workers

·       People with mental health problems

·       People living far from those they love

·       People mourning and unable to conduct proper funeral services

      And the countries where the virus has spread so rapidly. 

Like so many other places in the world, here in Kakamega we have quickly noticed the reduction in people traffic and public transportation, indicating so much change. As The Salvation Army, we are responding as best we can.  We have adjusted our street boys program to ensure they are cared for during this additional crisis in their lives. Morris is working with our Projects Dept. and IHQ to secure rapid response funds to assist local communities.  We are supporting our officers and employees who have migrated to setting up offices at home, ensuring they can effectively work remotely – sometimes it’s the simple things that need extra attention. We have increased the use of social media to bring messages of hope to the thousands of Salvationists who can no longer come together for Sunday worship – a connectivity that is so important to them – truly a loss right now.  We have been especially prayerful for those who are mourning. Last week, one of our young couples lost their only 8-month-old child. Yesterday one of our active officers passed away. While neither death was because the person had contracted Covid-19, death for any reason is always sad and more so now with the isolation restrictions. These families need extra portions of compassion and care.

Along with practical support, acknowledging and naming what is difficult is a helpful response in a time of accentuated stress. You can do this verbally with someone you trust or take time to write down (or type out or record) what you are feeling. We don’t need to be hesitant to lament. Human beings have real feelings and it is okay to declare that all of this change in our world feels uncomfortable, unsettling, frustrating or sad.  Some of you may have seen a great Harvard Business Review article called “The discomfort you’re feeling is grief” - such meaningful insights. I highly recommend it. On a lighter side, there are also fun things you can do while you are isolated at home. I received an article from a good friend of mine about how baking is such a great stress reliever! So true - I made bread and cinnamon rolls yesterday! The website is: delish.com and the article is called “Psychologists say baking can actually reduce your stress.” (If you take this up, try to add a little extra exercise too!)  Reviving what is simple and ordinary right now is really good medicine!

Learning from others through reading or listening to podcasts or seeing what others are posting on social media is a great way to discover how to manage this worrying interruption called the Covid-19 pandemic. No one person has all the answers but when you take the time to find some helpful pieces of advice or share ideas with friends or reach out to your virtual neighbours, your isolation can slowly be conquered and day by day you can overcome how paralyzed this pandemic is making you feel.

Above all, Morris and I encourage people in their faith.  In a Facebook post a few days ago I said faith is a twin companion to fear – it has been for centuries. It probably was in 1918 during the Spanish Flu pandemic, during the World Wars or more recently with the HINI or SARS epidemic or during 911.  No wonder God says ‘do not be afraid’ so many times in the Bible. He knew that fear would be a normal response in so many situations – personally and universally. I don’t believe God admonishes or condemns us for our fear – He knows how fragile we are, how we are made of dust (Psalm 103:14). Instead, God prompts our inner being to find hope by believing in Him. While we wait for this pandemic to pass and for the day of full restoration of our broken world, God gives us this beautiful gift of faith: faith in Him – our Creator and ultimate Sustainer, faith in others around us, and faith in ourselves.

I have personally been finding many statements of truth in the Christian Bible to strengthen my faith. I  leave you with one that has gripped my heart for many years - a friend of mine reminded me of it last week (thanks Joan!). It is Colossians 1:17 “The Lord is before all things and in Him, all things hold together!”

Take care, everyone. Stay safe. Pray often and keep in touch!

Love you all. 

Wanda & Morris

Apart of something bigger

As a leader, I have learned that great leaders (what Jim Collins refers to as Level 5 leaders) focus on what is bigger than themselves. They are sold out to the cause or mission they are a part of and they inspire other people to follow.  This can be true of church leaders and those who lead in other sectors.  Being part of ‘something bigger’ than yourself helps you digress from self-centeredness (a natural human tendency) and find real fulfillment in being part of what helps make a difference in the lives of others.  As Christians, that is certainly the example of Jesus! The season of Lent proves that for sure.

Being part of something bigger than yourself is not only for leaders.  It’s a great thing for anyone.  Last week I watched a video from General Brian Peddle calling The Salvation Army world to a year of urgent prayer about a critical worldwide issue – justice for women and girls. This call is part of the focus being taken by The Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission.   I was a little startled when I heard this statement:  ‘perhaps the greatest injustice of our age is that half of the world’s population begins their life at a disadvantage just because they are born female.’  For someone who grew up in the developed world, the idea of being ‘disadvantaged’ just because I was a girl had a limited impact.  But now that I have seen this truth up close and have tried to broaden my understanding of what is happening in many parts of the world, I cannot argue with the General’s words – alarming as they are.

On a truly global scale, across so many national boundaries, is the reality that women and girls have a much harder time owning their value and thriving as equal human beings despite the fact that God created both genders equally. His design has always been for full rights and freedom of every person, regardless of your gender at birth.  Even with incredible international efforts including new laws to protect women against gender-based violence, better access to health care and education opportunities, plus thousands of people uniting for years and years to dismantle so many forms of injustice against women and girls, there is still so much more to be done.

Included in the General’s call to prayer, ‘cryforjustice’, was new learning for me. The year 2020 marks the 25^th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women which happened in 1995 resulting in the Bejing Declaration and Platform for Action where 12 critical areas of concern for women and girls were identified and commitments made to actively address these issues. To be honest, I had never heard of this. I was intrigued to read about what has been done in the past 25 years and it dawned on me how every effort we make toward this cause (becoming actively involved in justice for women and girls) is part of “something bigger”!  If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a world to bring equal value and equal opportunity to the female child.

On Friday, I was part of a monthly ladies’ Bible Study at our office. Together we were digging into some of the narratives of Jesus’ life and teaching. Inspired by Dean Pallant’s book “To be like Jesus!” we considered what it means to not just “do” like Jesus but to actually “be” like Jesus – to look beyond the actions of Christ to the heart of Christ. What truly propelled Jesus to respond to the crowds with empathy and kindness, to oppose cultural norms of inequality, to teach real Kingdom values, and to resist the ploy of Satan to be self-centered?  We discovered the heart of Jesus is compassion, commitment to truth, unconditional love, selflessness, and justice. We looked at the parable of the unjust judge and saw how the widow’s persistent cry for justice was finally answered.  It requires a lot of soul searching and a transformed mind to resemble Christ – but it is possible!

I am so grateful for all that is being done every day (big and small) by thousands of people who put their convictions into concrete action. More girls and women are now valued in the home, the workplace, the community, the political arena, and the church. From governments and NGO’s to advocacy groups, churches, and ordinary people, countless numbers of people (men and women) are part of this ‘something bigger’ so that this ‘greatest injustice of our age’ may be significantly reduced more and more.  Among many other ways we are taking action, The Salvation Army will have a voice at the Commission for the Status of Women hosted at the United Nations from March 09-20 and will hold parallel events with NGO’s and other stakeholders.

Here in the territory where I serve, three significant projects are happening concurrently which focus on justice for women and girls: an Anti-Human Trafficking project, a Women’s Economic Empowerment project called WORTH now expanding to several new areas, and the second phase of a Mother/Child Health Project.  There are also hundreds of small women’s groups in rural villages addressing real-life issues of women’s health care, social matters, community concerns, and family challenges, all with a faith-based strategy. These efforts help reduce unfair stigmas, increase knowledge, and empower women to find their voice and their place in their everyday lives. The Salvation Army is actively engaged across Kenya doing their part for this global cause.

Why does this matter to me? I have two adult daughters and one granddaughter who benefit every day from living in a place where they have untold opportunities to flourish and grow without much discrimination because of their gender. I treasure that! What I never want to forget is that every girl living on this planet is also someone’s daughter and granddaughter. They have every right to the same opportunities as Erica, Stephanie, and Anna-Lynne. I want to be – in some small way – a part of helping make that happen.

At the end of our ladies’ Bible study, we joined the General’s wave of prayer as 12 of us stood in a circle with clutched hands united in spirit to ‘cry for justice’. One of our ladies prayed so earnestly that her burden was almost palpable.  She prayed intensely for an end to child marriages, domestic violence, the challenges facing the girl child, and every form of oppression that females face.  We must pray – individually and corporately - AND we must try to find ways to support a cause that is bigger than we are.  As I search my heart and mind to discover how I can reimagine ways to be more actively involved, I encourage you to do the same – whatever your ‘something bigger than you’ is.

If this cause for justice for women and girls resonates with you, find out what’s happening around the world to close the gap of the inequality which exists between male and female people. (Check out: https://beijing20.unwomen.org/en/about and https://www.salvationarmy.org/isjc/2020-cry-for-justice). Be part of International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 08.

Where and if possible, advocate for equal rights for both genders – like fair wages without discrimination. Give females fair access to music groups, sports teams, or other spheres which are currently male-dominated.  Consider volunteering for something in your community that promotes the protection or empowering of women and girls.  Donate some time or money as your gift to the girls and women who need to know they are visible and valued. Or use other ideas that stir up inside you to resist our natural tendency to be self-focused by finding a cause for others that’s worth fighting for.

I recently asked a group of women leaders (officers) here in Kenya what it was that helped them become confident leaders in a culture that is prone to elevate men above women.  The responses included “a supportive partner who gave me the freedom to excel”.  As we pray for the injustice that is still so prevalent towards females, let’s also pray for more supportive partners to stand with them!

Thanks General Brian for calling us to prayer and for shedding a light on how to ‘be part of something bigger’!