Monday was a challenging day. Once again, we saw the inequities in Kenya law. Although not directly involved, people we know have been taken advantaged of because of ignorance, fear, and wrong beliefs. We watched as a family was taken advantage of again and required to pay twice what was needed because of the greed of the authorities. It was grievous!
Tuesday, we watched from a distance as we watched a family get taken advantage of simply because they “walks with a white man”. A relative of theirs was beaten and injured severely. The family demanded this family take the man to hospital. The family out of compassion agreed. The hospital required them to be the ones to pay the bill for the treatment of the injuries. And this morning, the injured passed away. The hospital did not have a mortuary, so they required the bill be paid and a hearse be hired to transport the body to mortuary. Since the mortuary was not affiliated with the hospital, they would not take the body without full payment of the preparation of the body for burial. And so the family was stuck in a town some distance from home. We stood in faith with them, and watched as God provided what was needed, only to find the mortuary would not receive the deceased without someone from the family giving their contact to them and claiming responsibility for the body, which they did not want to do. So now they wait, as the family argues and fights against going to take responsibility for their own father!
In addition, it is now the 2nd of the Month, and allowances are due – and we are short by some $1,200!! We KNOW God is faithful and has NEVER let us down. But we fight discouragement because of the circumstances. In addition to the need for allowances, we need to do some shopping for supplies for the clinic, and for our home and staff. We have debt that we are struggling to get paid off - $4,000 in ministry debt and around $10,000 in personal debt. We have been promised from two or three sources money to help us pay off our vehicle…but the money has not yet come. We are trying to start a new ministry but need desks and chairs for our offices to be effective.
I am not sharing these things because I am begging anyone for anything. It is my way of being transparent on what we face. We were really seeking God over these issues, when we felt the Lord saying it was HIS DESIRE to totally wipe the debt free, and we have a fresh start. Without adding extras, we needed $40,000 USD to do just that! My heart was overwhelmed. The largest offering we have ever received in this ministry at one time was $5,000! It looks totally impossible.
Then the Lord directed me to Romans 4:16-22, the story of Abraham. The scripture says, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, ‘I have made you a father of many nations’) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness’.”
Vs. 18-20 from the Mirror Bible says this: “Faith gave substance to hope when everything seemed hopeless; the words ‘So shall your seed be’ conceived in him the faith of fatherhood. 19Abraham’s faith would have been nullified if he were to take his own age and the deadness of Sarah’s womb into account. His hundred-year-old body and Sarah’s barren womb did not distract him in the least! He finally knew that no contribution from their side could possibly assist God in fulfilling his promise. 20While he had every reason to doubt the promise, he did not hesitate for a moment but instead empowered by faith confidence, he continued to communicate God’s opinion.” (Italics are mine.)
How powerful…Abraham realized he could do nothing to “help God” fulfill God’s promise! So he did not even give weight to the “apparent facts” of his age and the deadness of his wife’s womb! He continued to communicate (say with his mouth) God’s opinion – which was, “You shall be the father of nations!”
So, I have no idea how God will fulfill HIS promise – but I know HE is faithful! I know there is nothing I can do to help God fulfill that promise! But I will continue to communicate God’s opinion – it is finished! Thank you for standing in faith with us! It means so much to us!
Together, we really DO make the difference!