Only Servants Ministries is having a powerful impact in the lives of young boys who have been living in the streets of Kawangware, Kenya.  Kawangware is a slum area of Nairobi and has a poplulation of 600,000.  Only Servants is providing a safe haven for the boys Monday through Friday during the day.  The boys are being fed, receiving an education, taught about God, and most importantly- being loved.

Name:     Brian.     My name is really Hald. But my grandfather started calling me Brian in 2003.   So that is the name I use.

Age: 15   (March 23, 1995)

Favorite Food:   chips and sausage; chicken

Favorite Soda:   Sprite

Where do you stay:   I stay with Pastor Deo.   Before I lived with him, I stayed on the street. I ran around at night afraid to sleep. Police would beat me.

Do you sleep on the street:  No- I sleep at Pastor Deo’s now. There are 10 people who stay at his house. But before, I lived on the street for about a month. I would run away from home to the streets, then go back home. Run away, and then go back home. After awhile, I stayed on the streets for good. I had to leave school because I didn’t have school fees. I used to go to Skyland school.

How long did you stay in the street: about 1 month

Why did you leave home:   My father used to beat me.  He used a wire to hit me.  He didn’t drink; he just called himself “spastic.”  He had a bad temper and did not treat me well.

Do you have family:  Yes.  My mother died.  My mother’s sister is the woman I thought of as my mother. But there is another woman- Lucy- who is like my mother (? There is some confusion about this).  I have a brother.  He lives on the street, too. He is 17.

Do you see your family: I see my brother in the streets. I see my dad sometimes. When I do, I hide myself from him.

Have you ever/ do you still use glue? When: I took glue for one day, morning to night.  I felt like I should die.  I didn’t think I had a reason to live.  But I knew the effects of glue, and I knew it was bad for me.  Pastor Deo told me I made a good choice when I decided I didn’t want to use glue.  I know God has a purpose for me.

What do you eat on Saturday/ Sunday: With Deo’s family.

If you could have ANYTHING you wanted right now, what would it be:  Education, so I can help other street boys.  And storybooks for the school.  I like to learn all day long.  Even when I go home, I continue to read and study.  And I can say for myself, I am fine.  But it is hard for the other boys- to go back to the streets.  I want a home for them too, and a family for them to live with.

Brian speaks the best English of anyone and has spent the least amount of time on the streets.  His background is confusing but seems to be very happy living with Pastor Deo.  He is a total charmer thinking he can charm his way out of anything.  His love language has to be physical touch- a hug being one of the best gifts to give him.  He realizes that he has better living conditions than the other boys and is concerned about their needs and well being.  He loves soccer and is great at it.  Brian has a very generous heart.     Lindy Thompson ~ Only Servants

The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.    Remember in John 11…

Lazarus was dead and had been in the tomb for four days when Jesus went to his tomb with his sisters and others…

³⁸Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹“Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

⁴⁰Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”

⁴¹So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

⁴³When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.  Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

From this, I understand that when He brings us from death to life (spiritually) he wants us to remove our grave-clothes and then go on with our lives.   When I was brought from the dead and to life in 2002, I was saved and loved.  It was done!  However, I was still wearing my grave-clothes.  It didn’t take me long to figure that out.  However, as uncomfortable and confining as grave-clothes are, there is comfort in wearing our familiar grave-clothes.  It is Christ that makes us uncomfortable in our grave clothes.  No one else can successfully do that.  However, even after Christ makes us uncomfortable in our grave clothes, we continue to resist taking them off.  Why?

It is painful to go through your  past and re-think about, re-see and re-feel what is back there.  However, I believe most of us are willing to undergo some pain in order to be free of it.  No, I don’t think that pain is the main obstacle for us.

I think the issue is two-fold and are “wrapped up” in one:

~Every time we unwrap a layer, we feel a little more free but we find another layer underneath. It is scary to think about what the next layer we uncover will be.  I have unwrapped several layers already.  And each time, I found another layer of grave clothes underneath.  After all, there is more than one layer over the dead.    I started looking at my lack of self-esteem and found big marriage issues.  While working through that layer, I found the layer of childhood sexual abuse.  While unwrapping that layer, I found a layer of  physical, emotional and verbal abuse at the hands of my mother.  As I process that I found a layer of abandonment issues.

That is where the real fear comes in.  Yes, we are worried that, as we get deeper in the grave-clothes, the issues are harder to uncover and deal with.  They are buried deeper and hurt more to uncover them.  We yearn for when we unwrap the layer and there aren’t any more layers under there —  except,  we know that when all the layers are unwrapped, we will be standing there stark naked!  As freeing as that is, it is also very vulnerable.  So,

~ As each layer is unwrapped, we never know what is going to be exposed, another difficult and perhaps very vulnerable layer or a part of our naked body or complete nudity!

However, remember the story of the prodigal son.  What happened when he returned to his father?  Luke 15:  20b-24   says…

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.  “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.^[b]‘ “But the father said to his servants,

‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Like the father and prodigal son, when we come to our Heavenly Father, he will wrap us in the best of robes so he will not leave us naked.    For this reason, I no longer worry about what will be exposed as I unwrap my grave-clothes but look forward to the complete freedom of walking without grave-clothes.    After all, when I came to Father in 2002, he wrapped me in a beautiful royal robe.

Anyone who has not yet been able to let go of their grave-clothes may just need help seeing that Father has wrapped them in a beautiful new robe already!

Points to be aware of:

• The Holy Spirit gives the desire to shed the grave clothes.
• There is a feeling of fear of the unknown and extreme vulnerability.
• Feel the honor if they ask for or allow you to help them unwrap
• Don’t force the issue.  Be patient.
• Reassure them that they are loved and covered by God!  After all, He already knows.

This article was written by Freddy Chakhachiro.  Freddy is one of the most valiant Christians I know.  She is an inspiration to everyone who knows her.  She faithfully proclaims the faithfulness of her Lord and Savior.    

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”   Isaiah 61:10 (ESV)

I asked Heather and Emma Bruce to help me pray over him so we all laid hands on him and began to pray.  He immediately got better, ran off to play and never said another word about it.

On the way home I asked him what we needed to tell Jesus for fixing his breathing.  He said to tell him thank you and so we did.  Then he said “what did God use to fix it momma?” So I told him God used his power to fix it.  He then said:

“Wow, I can’t believe He used his power that quick on me!”

I’ve been thinking about that – how true that statement is.  Sometimes I have a hard time believing God would use his power “that quick” – whether it be for healing, provision, relationships, whatever the case may be.  Sometimes our prayers don’t get answered as quickly, and other times they do, but may we always believe that our Great God can use His power in any way he see’s fit and that yes, it can even come “that quick”!

Amber Ward

Be blessed!

Paula

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.“  Philippians 4:13 (NASB)

Click on the link  He is My Defense to enjoy listening to Marty Goetz sing about the Lord – our defense.

Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about.

This is Mama on Mother’s Day,surrounded by her eight children, six weeks before she died. We were celebrating her day in the nursing home. Mama had suffered numerous strokes and had just been diagnosed with cancer. Her health had rapidly declined, pain had set in, and the goal was to keep her comfortable. She had times of clarity but often she was confused. My role in Mama’s life had morphed from daughter, to care giver, to mother figure.

One afternoon I walked into her room and she was sitting up in bed chewing on the cord to the nurse’s call button. She looked like a toddler teething. Having had five toddlers I realized that her teeth must be hurting. I gently lifted her lip and shuddered. Her tooth had rotted. Mama needed a dentist ASAP.

Since this nursing home didn’t have a dentist and her dentist of forty years was out of town, I called my dentist – who also happens to be a great friend – and asked if he could help us. Greg is a wonderful dentist, a godly man, and full of compassion. He graciously consented to come to the nursing home around 7:00 to extract the tooth. The catch was that he would be on his way to a softball game and would need to come dressed in his uniform. His daughter would be with him so that she could hand him the instruments. My job was to help hold Mama’s mouth open. I was so relieved that Mama would be out of pain (at least from her tooth) that I didn’t care how he was dressed or who helped.

Oh, but Mama cared.

Picture this: Mama is lying in a nursing home bed, in pain because of her tooth. In walks a very tall man clad in a softball uniform. By his side is his eleven year old assistant. He looks like he should have a chaw of tobacco and shouting something like, “Good eye! Good eye!” Instead of donning a ball mitt he proceeds to put on surgical gloves. He gently addresses Mama and asks if he can look at her tooth. Mama’s eyes become round saucers but she nods her head. While I’m assuring her that Dr. Hughes is an excellent dentist, softball guy begins to lay out his dental equipment and a pixie of a girl slips on her own surgical gloves. When Greg pulls out the hypodermic needle poor Mama just couldn’t take it any more. She starts to hyperventilate. Her eyes search for understanding; looking first at the ball player then at the little assistant and finally at me. “Nancy!”, she pants, “I need a DENTIST!”

No matter what I said, Mama’s mind could not wrap itself around the truth that Greg was Dr. Hughes, dentist extraordinaire. He just didn’t look the part. In her mind some guy had walked in off the ball field with a little girl in tow and had the nerve to pull her tooth. And to top it all off, I had allowed it to happen. She was mad – AT ME.

I guess I’m not much different from Mama. For instance, I recognize how “un-Christlike” I can be. Many times I’ve closed my eyes and lifted my face toward heaven to sing -

“To be like Jesus
To be like Jesus
All I ask- to be like Him
All through life’s journey
From earth to glory
All I ask- to be like Him.”

Really? Because when the Lord hears my cry and sends me into the refining fire I’m looking for the fire extinguisher rather than letting the fire extract the rotten dross of selfishness, conditional love, unrighteous anger, and pride. When I’m asking the Lord to teach me to trust Him it comes in strange wrappings: rebellious children, illness, rocky relationships, financial problems…. It’s hard to recognize these trials as God’s instruments, fashioned by Him, to do exactly what I’d asked, to make me more like His Son.

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” I Peter 4:12-13 (KJV)

For consider your calling, brothers (sisters): not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.   I Corinthians 1:26 (ESV)

 According to the world’s standards, the above verse describes me. Wise? Professional women consider my career choice of being a housewife and full-time mom to be an unwise, dull-minded way of life. Powerful? Chauffeuring children, swishing toilets, cooking– hopefully not at the same time – is hardly a position of power. Noble birth? My heritage comes from a lowly band of Scottish pirates. Now that I’m menopausal I’ve stooped to an even lower low by calling my sister and telling her that I know why some animals eat their young. Am I the only one out there who, after washing and folding the same pair of underwear so many times it could compete for a Swiss cheese look alike, wonders if the perceived movers and shakers in the modern world could be right!

OH MY!
Is she about to vomit?
How much of
THAT
have you
cleaned up
over the years?????

I see you smiling. You know what I mean. But, now that I am well on my way to an empty nest I wouldn’t trade those m a n y l o n g y e a r s – 27 and who’s counting – for all of the gold in Fort Knox. I have a treasure chest of memories that I love to pull out and pour over. My “fab five” now range from ages 15 to 27. When they aren’t making me want to pull my hair out they are so downright funny that they can make me forget why I got so aggravated with them in the first place. We laugh together, a lot. And when I step back and see who they are as adults, not perfect like their mother of course, but full of promise, I’m amazed that the Lord has let me be a part of who they are becoming. I have four children who are devoted to the Lord and the fifth one will be. Amen! I can’t take any credit; it’s all been God’s grace and mercy. I bless His name that He…

…chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 (ESV) NHJ