These are rough days in Kenya.  Water is scarce.  Food supply is dropping with prices rising.  Last night I was up at 3 am pumping water from one tank into another just because that’s when the water came and we’re down to 12 hours a week rationing.  We’re not suffering though, and we know that we’re not suffering because we know those who are.
The Swanepoels, our dear friends and mentors here, mentioned to us that they were concerned about the starving they see endured by pastors and evangelists up in Northern Kenya.  Take for example this one evangelist and his family in a tiny desert town, not much more than some wooden shacks in the sand.  The Swanepoels pass by that town on their way home -to their own place in the desert.  They stop in when they can and try to support the evangelist.
Swanepoels described him as an enduring determined man, and his wife and small daughter as resourceful and caring.  But thin.  So thin, gathering wild berries and leaves for a meal.  Poverty is hard to ignore when it speaks through sunken cheeks and loose clothing.  Liisa listened to the Swanepoel’s story, not sure if we have met this evangelist or not, and felt the Chance.
A chance to taste giving, for those of us on a constant diet of receiving, can taste uniquely spicy. But giving only has this sort of flavor when it has been stirred up by Him -maybe because every good gift comes from Him as the Father in Heaven.  But simply giving wasn’t enough-  Liisa wanted the kids to do it.  She was burdened for the children to get a share in the joy that came with the Chance to help.  To care.  To pray.  To wait and be ready to see…
So Liisa told the kids the story and gave them just a little time to go through their toys and pick out ones to sell at the next missionary sale that was coming up.  They collected a few things and off they went.  Two of our four had in their instruments in tow -Jon a trumpet and Collin a trombone- and their music scores, and their friend Drew -another 6th grader with a trumpet.  Not for sale.
Liisa manned a cardtable with old toys for sale.  It was so little she couldn’t help remembering the boy with the 5 loaves and 2 fish.  It was so little she wondered if she’d end up with ten dollars to send to the evangelist.
Those three boys played all the songs they could think of behind a basket growing full with money and a sign saying that the proceeds would go to a starving pastor in the North.  Between being willing to let go of toys and offer up their music, the children collected half a months’ salary for that evangelist plus a whole lot of food.  We sent it up with the next airplane headed that direction. The kids, having taken that chance, are all the richer.
-Ted