Rescue is coming

(actually written friday, a new post will soon come)
Hopefully, where you have heard this phrase before was on a beautiful collision, A Collision. (David Crowder Band, if you don’t have it, but it on itunes it today)

Crowder's voice has been one of utmost comfort. He plays often in this household and I love it. He was the first voice I heard when I awoke my first morning and his name appeared on Jean’s shirt yesterday and Andrew's today.

No need to worry about me. I’m not at the lowest point where I see nowhere but up, but the song fits well with the theme of this entry.

My entry into the country hasn’t been what I expected, but still indeed beautiful. It is a much different entrance into any mission trip that I’ve done before. For example I’ve never started a mission trip without seeing an American for 3 days. That doesn’t sound long, but when’s the last time you went more than one day without seeing an American? It is different. My longing to speak to my family has wearied me. I’ve been blessed to have such loving parents. We are still so close that even at a college I talk to them everyday. That absence is also different.. My Skype doesn’t seem to work at Edward’s church and my American cell phone doesn’t call out or send text messages. It does receive text messages though, so if any of you ever get bored...

Along with the jetlag… I think when your body knows you’ll only be in a place for a week it says to the body to shut up and deal with it. That second flight was brutal. Whew it got long. A London stop will indeed happen on the flyback. So my weary body has emo’ed me up and brought along a little homesickness.

The excitement still only seeps in. Again when you are with a group and only have a short amount of time in a place, its like God injects you something that adrenalizes you through the few weeks. I still haven’t grasped the concept that I am in Kenya. That very well could change tomorrow though(Saturday, I write this Friday night and send it...?). So it has made for not a bad entrance, still a good one, but a different experience.

My friend Sarah visited me right before I left and her prophetic words have given me much hope and encouragement.

Those words: Process. Journey. Story. They have constantly reminded me that I have 3 months to experience the highs, the lows, the struggles, and the victories. Rescue is coming in this story. For my ignorance and apathy for the poor and the oppressed. Rescue is coming for the hundreds of thousand living with HIV just living blocks away from me with your prayers. Rescue is coming for us all.



Today I think was the first transition into this new chapter and was also a day where I saw His wondrous grace.
I went with Edward today to a college where he was teaching Chaplains at schools around the nation how to do just that, Chaplain. I’ve met Edwards’s staff but haven’t really had a chance to connect with them. These teachers I think were the first people that I truly found connection and friendship with. Kuruiki in particular was such a funny man. It is a 2 week course so the mornings are 2 hours and the afternoons 3. After the first session, which was very good, it was time for lunch. An immense amount of tire came upon me for it was 5 a.m where you are, my latest time to go to sleep. With this came that emotion. I began to do something that I rarely do and don’t know how to handle when I do: worry. I tasted the first bitter taste of homesickness with my rice and beef, for the 4th meal in a row. Then I remembered I was here for 3 months...thats uhhh like 90 days, like a whole semester. Hmm...longer than I anticipated. I did somthing that I’ve stopped doing as my life as become more and more comfortable in the U.S.: I did on the spot prayer. I asked for guidance, selflessness, and deliverance from this inner sorrow. I then remembered the words of Rob Bell and the reminder from Christopher Mack, my mentor-Our God is a God who hears the cry of the oppressed. He heard the cry of the Hebrew people and delivered them from Egypt. Rescue came for the Hebrew tribe. Not that I was suffering anything like that but this small bit of worry bound me.

I did believe I was being selfish praying for such small things while I was amongst such great evils. I sometimes hesitate to pray for small things for I fear that I am being selfish. I think that there are bigger things going on in this world, this country, and this world than my small problem. No problem is a small problem though to God.

After continuous prayer it wasn’t 5 minutes when I met a teacher and student of this class that quickly told me that her daughter now lived in Frisco, the suburb of Dallas...What a coincidence, maybe? After speaking about her daughter and her one trip to the states, I questioned how and how often she communicated with her daughter. She told me she can’t ever get a call out of her Kenyan cellphone (same problem that I had) but her daughter could buy a 1 hour calling card for 5 dollars. Her daughter always calls her and the connection works fine.
Wow, answered prayer, great relief, now feeling comfortable within 5 minutes.

Yawwwnn...I’m still kinda tired though at that point. I walked back for the second session of class with my new friends comforted yet still exhausted. I attempted to stay awake for the first five minutes but my eyelids got heavier than the rhinos. My friends also noticed this and urged me that it would be fine to go to sleep in class. I quickly agreed. After half an ounce of drool accumulated in my palm, or pillow at this moment, I got another nudge in the side. Half asleep, I was told to follow another friend, who led me out of the classroom and into a building where he said we were going to his “cubicle.”

He opened a door and gave me the key to what was his dorm room for the length of the time he was schooling at the college. And what a soft bed I soon discovered! A bed worthy of 2 and half hours of good sleep. I woke up very refreshed, temporarily and still to this point, free of jetlag. The worry had been lifted and the rest of the day was very enjoyable. Rescue is coming. Rescue came.

And concerning that prayer for small things struggle, as I started to clothes my eyes when I slept on my new friends bed I noticed a note that he had taped up above his desk so he could see it everyday. It read, “Greetings Child, This is God. I am going to take care of you today and all your problems. You just don’t get in the way.”
While I do believe that we are commissioned to be the living breathing Gospel and help conquer problems and such catastrophes such as AIDS, this was an instance where I just needed to trust God. And he spoke to me in many ways through the Kenyans on this day.

Tomorrow I may get that week missionary opening experience. We picked up four great people from Chicago(also a gift from God to aid my minor homesickness) tonight at the airport and will take a tour of Nairobi tomorrow. Up to this point, I’ve just kind of tagged along with people as they let me transition into Kenya. It should be a glorious day.

The process is emerging. Every good story is a struggle to get into. I do believe though that first chapter is being scripted now as you read this. Pray for this. I would very grateful.

I will begin working at City Harvest next week and will get an idea of what the next few months look like. Continue your prayers, your emails, and your support.

For rescue is coming

-benjamiah