Incentives

Faithfulness brings blessings.  That is true whether you are standing on the banks of the Jordan ready to enter the promised land, a dock worker in Oakland, California, a coal miner in Pennsylvania, a pastor in Wheaton, Ill, a school teacher in Kansas City or a missionary in Africa.  When we are faithful, blessings follow.  Those blessings may be material and as specific as the Lord promises to the descendants of Jacob.  The blessings may also bring contentment.  When you have worked faithfully throughout the day there is a peace that comes as you walk in the door of your home at night.  The blessings may also include a conscience free from guilt and blame.

Faithfulness is one of the many goals we have for our former street boys at Agape.  In Kenya, there is an unwritten cultural flaw in the hearts of most of its citizens.  It is written in bold on the hearts of street children.  It is a characteristic Patty and I see and experience almost every day.  It is the antithesis of faithfulness.  It is DEPENDENCE.  Kenyans have learned over the years that Westerners often would rather give a five dollars rather than five minutes to assist them.  That tendency motivates dependency.  And unchecked, dependency leads to poverty, laziness, lack of initiative and a whole host of negative traits.  This characteristic is a real challenge for us in the hearts of our boys.  Consider that their very existence on the street was based on their ability to extract a few coins from the passing “mazungu.”  “Give me five shillings” is an expression I hear every single day from a street boy in town.  Working on the heart of a child to give up dependency and be faithful with the talents God has given them is a big part of the social work of Agape.  And as it is something that is opposed by children even in the most comfortable of environments in the good ‘old US of A, imagine the challenge in the heart of a dependant poor culture like Kenya!  And all of us know as well that when you are working in the arena of the heart, it is two steps forward, one step back.

One of the ways I have tried to stimulate a desire for faithfulness is to put a carrot in front of selected boys in the older grades.  In a small way, I am trying to do the same for five of our boys.  They are making the transition from a culture of dependency to faithfulness.  So in exchange for their faithfulness in the classroom, I am promising them something they need and want. Each boy has a signed contract with me based on his ability and past performance.  The motivational carrot is different with each one. And each contract also has levels of performance goals and increasing rewards.  From a pair of socks to a radio to a uniform top of the LA Lakers, each boy has his eye on a prize.  Each day we have a conversation about motivation and faithfulness, class attendance and study hall as well as their past infractions from the day before. 

In the case of one boy named Bennard, there is an extra special blessing waiting for him.  When Paul Bahn was here filming the music video for Agape and ThreeFour:One, Paul and Bennard struck a deal.  If Bennard remained faithful in school, Paul would find a Manchester United (THE soccer team from England for those of you who don’t follow the real “football”)  uniform top for him and send it with the next team.  That uniform is now hanging on my bulletin board in my office.  Each day Bennard comes in to point out the unique features of this “original” uniform. (Most are fakes in Kenya)  I remember the day the uniform arrived and I pinned it to the board.  After Bennard saw it, he went running around the compound yelling at the top of his lungs, “I’M GOING TO SCHOOL!  I’M GOING TO SCHOOL!”  Paul, you done good! (but Arsenal are still the champs)

Then last Sunday we had the pleasure of presenting a new watch to one of our secondary school students—Steven—who had been honored (paraded) at his school for his academic high marks.  He is definitely the leader among the high school boys.  This handsome junior has demonstrated faithfulness so we took advantage and made a positive example of him.  We made the presentation during our regular church service last Sunday.  He beamed as he received his new Casio.  I’m sure there were a few in the congregation who gave some quiet consideration to their own effort.

When visitors come to Agape, we ask them to consider this daily struggle we have in motivating faithfulness and leaving dependency as character traits.  That is the reason we respectfully ask our visitors not to just give things to the boys.  A well intentioned gift does more than just say “You love me,” it also can say, “white people will give me things so I don’t have to work hard and be faithful in school.” 

There is a current opportunity for someone to be involved in providing an incentive to these five boys and several others who are very involved and passionate about basketball.  I am in the process of trying to secure two Laker (apologies to the Sacramento Kings) shorts and uniform tops for two boys as their incentive for meeting their top goals at the end of this term (end of July).  If you would like to donate one or more of these articles and write an encouraging note on this theme of faithfulness and the blessings that come to those who are faithful, it would be very much appreciated.  Just drop them off at the Agape office on Tully (ask for Jennifer).  There is a team set to depart the last week of July for Kisumu.

Also we are in the process of expanding our basketball court.  St. Peter’s in Elk Grove put up a small court last summer and we are looking to expand the court, paint lines, put up a nice pole and backboard and cement a larger area for games.  The cost estimates for this are around $350.  It might be a nice project for a church, small group or club.  We’d be happy to make sure you get connected with the boys involved so you can encourage them to be faithful as well.  In fact a few encouraging letters from the donors would be wonderful to read at the dedication of this new court.  Just call Jennifer at the Agape office if you would like to assist. One more item that is needed to make this court complete is a regulation rim and basketballs.  The rim is a bit heavy to ship and would be perfect for that extra suitcase of the visitors in July.  Again, call Jennifer if you want to help.  God bless each of you.  Thank you for encouraging us in this work.

God bless

Dan and Patty

Prayer requests

1. Pray for the current teams who are in transition currently.  Team #1 is working on the farm and team #2 is about to depart for Kenya

2. Pray for a response to the needs expressed above: uniforms, basketball rim, basketballs and the funding for a new expanded court.

3. Praise God for Steven’s hard work and his wonderful attitude about school

4. Praise for the five boys who are working hard on their contracts.  Pray others see how their performance rises and are encouraged to also take this challenge.

5. Intercession and comfort for teacher Winifred who suffered the intrusion of thieves into her home yesterday.  They took everything of value.