4-4-10B poorGod

4-4-10
Sun easter
Uh…sometime during church

Why didn’t people ask Jesus for money? Or wealth? Why did beggars and the desperately destitute approach Him without ceremony? Could it be because Jesus was poor?
When you have extra, it is awfully hard to talk about Christ to those who lack. How does it feel for a man with no coat to hear Christ’s words taught by a man with 2 coats? How did it feel for a man with no coat to hear Christ’s words spoken by Christ, who had no home?

4-4-10A shower

4-4-10
Sun (Easter)
8:35

1 Cor 15 is cool to read around Easter.
So… god reminded me of something the other day. At the place I stay here, there are fire-heated outdoor shower. One chillyish morning I woke up and looked outside my door. There was smoke coming over the top of the shower stalls, so I knew that the workers were heating the water. But, I knew to wait ~ ten minutes until the smoke died down, because by then the water should be hot and the coals would be glowing. After the smoke stopped, I got ready and headed over to the shower. As I walked over, I heard the familiar spurting and spattering of watter that comes from the steam pressure release tube over the shower’s tin roof. This is the best and surest sign that the water is ready. So, I got undressed and turned on the water and eiee it was so cold! I went around back to check the fire, and found only cold ashes there. I found that the smoke had been coming from the neighbor’s compound, and the spattering watter was from the wet leaves of the trees above, spattering watter on the tin roof when the wind blew. I still took a shower, but I hade a very cold morning (I just realized that “water” only has 1 “t”)
so…the same is true of people. You can see them doing good things or acting in a good way, and see evidences of who they are (like seeing the smoke over the shower), and you can heart them saying good things and right things and hear evidences of who they are (like hearing spattering on the tin roof), but all the right sounds and sights will never make hot water. It only makes a difference if the smoke and spattering are coming form the Fire (in the heart) itself.
……….why can’t God teach me stuff from warm showers?

4-3-10 photoofamountain

4-3-10
Sa
23:02

Writing about some of the people and experiences over here is like taking a picture of a mountain top view: it doesn’t do any just to the real thing.
I can talk about the mom who is HIV positive whose husband left her because she is HIV positive. She made it known that she was positive so that she could get special treatment to prevent her children from being born with HIV. Now, her former husband is living promiscuously in town, and she is raising 2 beautiful children by herself in Tuwani slum. The children are free of HIV. The mom wants to inform and encourage other HIV women to make good decisions. When you look into her eyes, you see a rare bravery.
Silvanus is a young boy. Last week, he went home to find that his family had moved without telling him. His parents had already left him, and he was living with his grandparents now, but they didn’t think they could keep taking care of him, so they didn’t invite him along when they moved. Silvanus lives with a deep understanding of rejection and little understanding of Love, home, and acceptance. I gave him a ride on my shoulders at the school, and you would have thought he had just been chosen king or something. He was so happy. For a little while, he forgot that no one in his family wants him. We are searching for a good home for him
An orphanage/foster home for 15ish kids had run out of food for a few days. I gave them some few chapatti and stew and $2.63 for more food. That night, a young girl named Brenda borrowed someone’s cell phone to call me to thank me for feeding her. How do you even describe what it feels like to receive that call. It seems so unjust that I should be thanked so much for doing so little.
We are visiting the homes of the kids @ Neema school in Tuwani slum. They are so thankful for us coming into their mud, 1 room apartments that they have offered us gifts of chickens, milk, and sugarcane. Some of them have gotten together to take a collection for us to thank us for helping their children (last we heard, they had collected up to $1.32). It is a greater gift than all the kings of the world could ever compile.

4-2-10 goodmorningamerica

4-2-10
Fr
13:55

I had a really good morning thismorning. I went to Daniel’s compound and we read and talked about the Bible and other stuff. We confessed sin and prayed for eachother. I think that going home (america) this time will be a whole lot different than other times.
Jesus lives in Tuwani slum, but He also has an apartment in providence. It will be really good to hang out at His place when I get back. Today is good Friday.

3-30-10 idealistblasingleness

3-30-10
Tu
23:03

Man, I can be really insensitive. My mind gets so caught up in idealist truths that I forget that just because something is true doesn’t mean that it isn’t heartbreaking or frightening. Pastor Peter received a death threat for him and his family last night. Job has also been threatened. Children are rejected by all of their family and extended relatives. children are deprived food by evil men. Others simply have no one to give them dinner (or lunch or breakfast). Wives are abandoned by husbands. Sons and daughters are abandoned by fathers.
I realize too, how much easier it is to be single than married. I want to be married. There have been times that I have felt very lonely. I don’t feel lonely now,but I find myself acting lonely (tempted to flirt with girls who I am not even romantically interested in, etc…). I struggle with lust too. I’m really frustrated by it and I am praying against it. I wish God would instantly take away the struggle, but I am praying and fighting against it. Anyway, it is so much easier to be single than married. For instance, I have nothing in life or death to fear. The worst someone can do to me is torture, humiliate, and kill me, and then I get to spend the rest of eternity enjoying the best place that God ever made (that I know of) (to make an incomplete understatement). Not bad eh?

3-29-10 divide

3-29-10
Mo
21:44

-Divide in me the things that are from You from the things that are from me. Divide my desire for adventure from my desire to follow You anywhere. Divide my lack of consideration fro personal safety from the fearlessness that comes from knowing You and Your Love. Divide my trust in You from my pride. Divide my irresponsibility from my reckless abandon of myself to You. Divide the desires that You put in my heart from my natural desires. Divide my self pity from my broken heart from You. Divide my thoughts from Your thoughts. My ways from Your ways. Divide my Faith from my foolishness and lazyness. Divide my heart with Your double edged sword. -

3-28-10 ahh...

3-28-10
Su
21:49

Ahh…I’ll write in the morning.