the gospel

All because of Love

During the season of Easter we often stop to reflect, at least in some way, what it means. It comes every year. Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, Easter. Then we keep on trudging on. Or do we? Does anything change? Do we grow in some way each time it comes around? Do we catch a new glimpse of God’s glory and His truth? This year I don’t want to be the same. Our family might not have a Pinterest perfect Easter, with amazing crafts to display and a fabulous 5-course dinner to feast on, but if we walk into the Monday after Easter changed in some way by the love of our Savior then I consider that a victory.

Three things I’ve been thinking about that are changing me in this season. Maybe they will resonate with you too. Christ’s presence, His power, and His love.

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b

The infamous passage from Matthew 28 deemed the Great Commission ends with this amazing promise. Jesus didn’t just command that we go into all the world to make disciples, teaching & sharing with those around us about the great truth of the gospel. He promised to be with us. This comforts me so much right now because God is revealing a lot of opportunities that I may not have seen a few years ago. Opportunities that I may have run from or ignored. But now I see that He wants me to run to them. There is no way I can do that on my own. Whether in our own home or with a crowd of people I’ve never met, nothing I do or say can truly have an impact for Christ unless He is with me. And with all the hard things in life, I could not survive without knowing He will never leave me. He is the constant. He is ever present.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…” Ephesians 3:20

His power. I am counting on His power. In the past few years it has hit me more and more how powerful God is. I tell my kids often, “God raised Jesus from the dead…that’s the most miraculous, amazing power you could ever imagine! And that power lives inside of us as believers!” Do I always live like that is true? No. Do I always walk in that hope? Not always. But oh, how I want to! There are many situations I am praying about right now that I just can’t see much hope in with my human eyes. But God’s power is real. It is Resurrection power. He can do anything. He is able. His will be done.

“Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” 1 Cor. 10:24

Last, but definitely not least, is His love. Love is what motivates everything God does. The greatest command He calls us to is to love Him–because He first loved us–and to love our neighbor. When he went to the cross, Jesus did not seek his own good. He did not command legions of angels to save him, but he could have. Instead he humbled himself completely. Because of love, He sacrificed everything. He loved, and loves, though we do not love in return. This Good Friday I am reminded again of the depravity of my own heart. I tend toward sin & selfishness. I am so prone to wander. Christ did not die on the cross to give me a happy, comfortable life, but to save me from the pit of hell, which I know might sound harsh but that’s the reality of where I’d be headed if I were to go my own way. And if He forgives me that completely, shouldn’t I seek to forgive others and put their good above my own? I fail daily, but I come back to His presence and power, because there’s not a chance I can love well on my own. He is love.

Lord, have mercy. Allow us to see your Resurrection power this Easter, your constant presence with us, and your amazing Love that saves and surrounds. Praise the Lord. He died for me, and for you. And He is Risen!

Posted: March 30, 2018
Under: hope, refining, the gospel
By: Emily

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Hope

“She’s my Favorite Daughter…”

If you are like me, those words probably make you a little uncomfortable. You’re not supposed to feel that way, and if you do, you are definitely not supposed to say it. Sitting across from an older Kenyan gentleman, I shifted uneasily in my seat. Maybe it was the cultural divide; perhaps it was simply a challenge of translation; or maybe he meant exactly what I heard the translator say… I couldn’t be sure at that moment. The meaning the words carried were intensely clear, though. The young teenage girl lying in the ICU bed beside us was immeasurably important to her father, more important than his own life. The comment was not the only reason I felt uncomfortable, though. I was fumbling with my words, trying to tell him that there was very little we could do for his daughter. She suffered from a condition called rheumatic heart disease, and it appeared that her disease had progressed beyond the point where we could help. She was going to die. The best we could hope for was to temporarily stabilize her and ease her discomfort, and even that would be very expensive. Despite the dramatically reduced costs in a mission hospital, ICU care can be financially devastating when you make less than 500 shillings ($5) per day. It soon became clear that he understood her extremely poor prognosis and the cost. He chose hope. I couldn’t blame him. Even as I desperately tried to block the thought from entering my mind, I could still see the faces of my own precious children lying on the hospital bed beside me. I didn’t understand at that moment, though, how deep his hope went.

Most of us in the West have forgotten, or never known, the devastating terror of rheumatic heart disease. We know we are supposed to take strep throat seriously, but we’re not sure why. Without a simple treatment with antibiotics, somewhere between 1 and 3 percent of people who have strep throat will develop rheumatic fever. Many who develop rheumatic fever will subsequently develop rheumatic heart disease, and without surgery, almost all of those will die. In my 10 years as a pediatrician in the US, I never saw a single case of rheumatic fever. In my 6 months in Kenya, I saw at least 10 children die, and many more suffering from the cruel clutches of this terrible disease. Thanks to the heroic efforts of a few surgeons and teams of specialists from the US, some of these kids are given new hope with lifesaving heart surgery. Many are too sick, beyond the point where surgery is an option. Every single one of these tragic stories is preventable.

A few hours after our first conversation, I again sat with this kind Kenyan man. This time, fighting back tears, I had to explain to him that his daughter had died. I didn’t know what to expect. I had seen this news crush the strongest and reduce them to a weeping pile on the floor. As I lamely said “I’m so sorry,” his response was shocking. With tears on his face, he looked at me and said, “Why are you sorry? You did everything you could.” He went on to explain the depth of his hope. He knew his precious child had trusted in the saving mercy of Jesus, the same Lord He had given his life to. Because of this unshakeable hope he could boldly say, in defiance of the tragedy, that he knew he would see her again. He could even rejoice that her earthly suffering had come to an end. She was in paradise with her Lord.

The testimony of this man’s faith shook me. It is rare that we catch a glimpse of the shining crown of glory our Lord places on His saints on this side of eternity. My prayer for this new year is that I can live out what I know to be true, what this humble man so vividly revealed. The lyrics of this song say it better than I even could:

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand.

I pray the same for all of you. If you don’t know that hope that we have in Christ, I would love to tell you more about it (please contact us!). If you would like to partner with us as we seek to share this hope with others and work to prevent the scourge of diseases like rheumatic heart disease from devastating other families in Kenya, please consider donating to our ministry.

“so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.” -1 Peter 4:2

Posted: January 1, 2018
Under: Africa, hospital, mission, the gospel
By: Tom

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He’s coming!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! As we look back and remember, we can be thankful for God’s faithfulness in all things. In our family, we can think of how He provided for us in so many tangible ways as we embarked on our journey to Kenya last January. He provided strength and patience, a bathroom when we needed one (just being real), food, reliable transportation, wisdom, and even rest and healing when we felt like we couldn’t go on.

As we look forward in hope, we think of how God will provide for us this next year. We don’t know exactly what the year will hold, but we are trusting Him to provide financially for us to get back to Kenya, to provide someone to rent our home for 2 years, and to provide the wisdom we need for each decision…and many other details.

I think of how we anticipated the coming of Christ every day in December. We anticipate Christmas every year, excited and looking forward to celebrating His coming. God was faithful in sending His Son to save the world. And now we live in hope because we know that God will continue to be faithful and true. He promises to send Jesus again. This time to heal all broken things, all the hurting and the pain, to make the world right again.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5

I used to be a little afraid to think about Christ’s second coming, but now I can’t wait! I praise the Lord that I no longer think of what we might “miss out on” if He comes back tomorrow, instead I think of the glory that will be. The HOPE that will be made manifest. All of us who believe in Him will rejoice like never before. The joy of Christmas will be nothing compared to that!

For now we continue to trust and hope in the One who came and is coming. He is faithful. He has work for us still to do here. He has plans to accomplish on this earth. His glory will be revealed, in and through our stubborn, wayward human souls. So in the hard moments, or on the gray days, I pray we can stand strong. There is always hope.

As you think of your end of the year gifts, we’d be honored if you would consider partnering with us financially & prayerfully as we raise support to get back to our ministry in Kenya. Thank you so much for your support thus far. We are truly humbled and grateful for God’s amazing provision.