Last night Patty and I watched a movie we had brought from America.  It was called “About Schmidt”  It stars Jack Nicholson as an aging retired insurance actuary who finds little meaning in his retirement years despite crossing America in his Winnebago in search of past memories.  During the movie he writes letters to a sponsored child in Tanzania.  By the conclusion of the movie he feels more meaning in his relationship with Ndugu than he does anyone in his family or among his friends. 

The movie is a bit depressing.  Schmidt comes to realize that his life means nothing and that he has made no difference.  At one point in the movie he says, “What difference did my life make?  After I’m gone, it will be as if I never existed.”  In the final scene Schmidt opens a letter from Ndugu.  Ndugu has painted him a picture with Schmidt holding Ndugu’s hand.  He sobs as the movie fades to black.

It can be easy to feel insignificant in Africa…whether you are a national or a missionary.  Life at times can seem of little value.  With so much poverty and so much death all around you, you can begin to wonder whether your life is worth anything.  In fact, it is a part of the culture to laugh at death and suffering.  Frequently we have observed people laughing at the misfortune of others.  This may be a way of minimizing the emotional impact of so much difficulty and keeping it at arms length from the heart.

While Patty and I feel very much called to this work, we too are effected by the circumstances of discouragement around us.  Just this past week our vehicle was broken into and a number of items we had planned to give to friends was stolen.  It was a depressing day.  But after reflecting on the words:  “who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,” we remember that God runs the world, not the thugs and thieves.  (We took some consolation in the fact that all the CD’s stolen were Christian and perhaps the thief needed to hear them more than we)

We know that our presence here at Agape is part of God’s purpose, not just for us but for these boys as well.  We were reminded of that on our first Sunday back at Agape.  After a rousing church service in which all the musical instruments left behind as a gift by the team from Living Water in Elk Grove were in full use, we spent the afternoon handing out our Christmas gifts to the boys along with their new school uniforms.  While we wish our gift could have been more substantial, it is vital that we don’t show preferential treatment to one over another.  As the Mom and Dad to 106, we can’t show partiality or it discourages the others.  And even though the gift was small, it brought a smile to every boy as they waited patiently for them all to be distributed.  Patty had each of them hold their unopened present until all had received them.  The anticipation was almost more than some of them could endure.  But we all know that pleasurable experiences are only enhanced by anticipation.  On that day, we fulfilled our purpose by encouraging each of our boys with a small gift.  We too were encouraged as we watched our boys exit the gathering with a smile because they had a new school uniform.  Sometimes it takes so very little in our eyes to brighten the day for these boys.  What we see as little, they see as much.  By the way, that is exactly how the Lord accomplishes his purpose in our life.  He uses the little things in the eyes of man to accomplish great things.  A hug, a smile, a greeting, a small gift all communicates love, care, sincerity and concern.  In a relational culture like Kenya, God works wonders in hearts through these small things.

On the next Monday, school was set to begin for our Standard 1-8 boys.  It was quite a day as all of them lined up for “parade” before the opening of the school.  Dressed smartly in their royal blue shirts and dark shorts, they raised the Kenyan flag, sang the national anthem, and listened to encouragement from teacher Christine as she read from the Bible.  Then each and every teacher addressed the assembly.  All had words of encouragement for the boys for the year to come. 

We are in the process of enrolling our graduates from 8^th grade in the city schools. And to insure their success, we have implanted a study hall in the evening.  Each evening will find all 14 of our high school boys in a structured and supervised study hall from 8:00-10:15. 

On a staff level we are beginning morning devotion and prayer on Tues., Wed., and Thurs.  We will be using the popular book “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren.  I’m really excited about introducing this book to our teachers as a positive way to start the day.

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to preach to in our church at Agape.  John Mwalo, our houseparent and pastor is engaged to be married on Jan. 25 and has asked me to take over the church during this time of preparation for his wedding.  We explored Luke 15 and the “The Prodigal Son” this past Sunday as part of a series of messages on “Change and the Human Heart”. 

There were a few interesting experiences this past week as well.  This morning we awoke without any water in our reservoir at our home.    We have a large tank in our attic that holds our water supply.  Since the city water pressure is so low, all compounds need to have a pump to fill these tanks in order to obtain the needed pressure.  This morning we discovered that our pump was broken and we are without any water.  It makes for an interesting life when even the basic necessities of life are not always dependable.  Patience in these circumstances is not only a virtue but a necessity. 

On the lighter side, Saturday we cleaned our pond and replaced the water.  The next morning I discovered that our catfish (now grown in excess of 18 in) had jumped out of the pond and flopped his way around the compound.  I found him flopping in the dirt a good 50 feet from the pond.  When I returned him to the pond, he swam away as if he had only been out for a morning stroll.

And one last experience that was of great encouragement to me.  During the message on Sunday morning, I noticed that our guard, Mehesu, had come from his post to listen to the message outside the window.  I could see him nodding his head as I spoke of how the Lord works change in our heart, often by removing those things that inhibit change.  It wasn’t until the prodigal lost all his money, his friends and all his dignity that he finally “came to his senses.”  We don’t always associate the loss of money, friends and dignity as the path to positive change in our life.  But sometimes, because our heart has become attached excessively to these things, we are unwilling to consider the direction of our self-serving path.  Many of our boys and staff have frequently experienced these kinds of losses.  It is important that they see that the Lord was working to redirect them along the path of purpose, even and especially when times were very hard.

Dan & Patty

Prayer list

1. Pray for our high school boys, especially those entering their first year.  We have 14 boys now in high school.

2. Pray for John Mwalo who is to wed on the 25^th

3. Pray for Blake Gibbs, the COO of Agape in the US whose mother is ill

4. Thanksgiving for each of the churches who are sending ongoing support for us this year: Our Saviour’s Lutheran, Patterson, Living Water Lutheran, Elk Grove, and St. Peter’s Lutheran, Elk Grove and for the many individuals who are standing with us in this work

5. Pray for a quick resolution of some legal issues in acquiring additional land in Kisumu for Agape.