A Sacramental Weekend

I knew when I left Nairobi Friday afternoon that it was going to be a good weekend: the sun was shining, the traffic was light, and the matatu music was loud. Nicole and I traveled up to Gatundu to join some of the teachers from Icaciri Sec School for 3 kgs of nyama choma (roasted meat) and a night of fun. The meat-eating festivities were quickly followed by a rousing game of Go Fish and a great deal of dancing both to Kikuyu music and Michael Jackson. Saturday morning I woke early to the sound of a persistent rooster and went to have chai with the kitchen staff members. Afterwards, I was able to spend some time with the Form 4 students who are preparing to leave school when they finish their exams on Tuesday. The students at Icaciri have taught me much about how to dance, laugh, speak Kiswahili, walk with style, talk about boys, and share my faith, so I was immensely thankful for the chance to sit and share this special time with them. The morning was as full of laughter and dancing as the previous night.
At around 1 pm, it was off to Banana with some new friends for a wedding reception. Now, I had never met the bride or groom before, but upon our arrival, we were immediately whisked to the front of the venue and given seats among the members of the wedding party. So much for trying to blend into the crowd. During a series of very long speeches, Nicole and I decided to spend some time with the many children gathered around and asked if they wanted to learn a dance. They enthusiastically agreed, so we all practiced doing the Chicken Dance together - I am still laughing at the image in my mind.
Sunday was another early morning, as I headed to Kiambu to preach in the English worship service at Kangoya PCEA. I must admit that I was more than “a bit” nervous, since this was my first time preaching in Kenya, and I doubted whether I had anything relevant to say. As I looked out at the congregation during the Scripture readings, a strange thing happened, one of those moments of revelation: I realized again that preaching is not about what I say; it is about what the Spirit says in and through me. I was nervous because no one in the sanctuary looked like me or sounded like me, but as we stood to sing a hymn, it became clear that we are connected to one another. We all share this gift of life, and we all rely on God’s gracious love. It is a humbling gift to stand and proclaim the Word of God, to speak the good news of our faith, and I pray that I never lose that feeling of nervousness. Later in the service, we celebrated Communion, the physical manifestation of God’s life-affirming grace, and I was glad to be at the Table with the men and women of Kiambu. I thought over the entire weekend and the many sacred, sacramental moments I had experienced: over a plate of nyama choma, walking barefoot in the grass, taking hot chai in the cold morning, holding the hand of a child, and sharing a hug, a story, a laugh. The weekend was filled with ordinary occurrences, yet it was infused with the sacredness that comes when we share ourselves with one another.
I ended Sunday night by eating chapati pizzas in the kitchen with my roommates and watching a bootleg version of High School Musical 3. What could be better?

Lights Please!!

Beginning on Sunday evening around 6:30 pm, the power went out all over Kenya: Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Kericho, all of the urban centers were thrown into darkness. This is apparently due to a "technical" problem at the Aggreko power station. By Monday morning most of the power was back on and work resumed as usual... until 11:00 am when the power went down again and remained off until late Monday night. Now it is Tuesday morning, the power was on at 6:00 am but has currently gone out 3 times since I arrived at work around 9:00. Each time it remains out long enough to shut down everything in the office.

Some of you are probably surprised that this annoys me. I am not very particular about time management or efficiency. I would rather have a good conversation than finish a report. I have learned as much from long car rides, walks any and everyhwere, and late night discussions as I have in any classroom. I believe that sitting with someone can offer more healing than trying to solve their problems. Pretty much, I like to just "be" whether with friends and family, a cup of chai, a good book, or a patch of grass.

However, yesterday when I had a report to finish, a sermon to write, meetings to attend, and emails to answer, I was not so content to just "be" all day long. I grew tired of listening to stories and wanted to get back to work. Haha. Apparently God (aka Kenya Power and Lighting) had other plans, and they seem to include disrupting today as well. As I sit and type now, I am thankful for this reminder that my life is not defined by my schedule or my to do list. I do not really believe that God causes power outages, but I do believe that I can learn something from my reaction to them.

St.Andrews Womens Guild

This is a video from the worship service for Fellowship of the Least Coin. I have been trying to upload it for over two weeks, and it finally worked! The St.Andrew's Womens Guild performed a Kikuyu folk song based on the story of Esther. Even if you can't understand the words, enjoy the music and energy of the song!

Intercessory Prayer

One: Creating, Redeeming, and Sustaining God, you are known by many names and peoples. We appeal to you now, on behalf of ourselves and the communities we represent:

One: God of the North, South, East, and West, for a world divided along lines of race, ethnicity, class, and religion;
Many: Lord, hear our prayer.

One: Pain-bearer, for women and girls around the world who are told they are useless and unworthy;
Many: Lord, hear our prayer.

One: Footwasher, for boys and men around the world who are told they must dominate and abuse those they love;
Many: Lord, hear our prayer.

One: Author of Wisdom, for children who are denied access to education and opportunity;
Many: Lord, hear our prayer.

One: Earth-maker, for the good creation that we have exploited and contaminated,
Many: Lord, hear our prayer.

One: Fountain of Living Water, for those who struggle to survive not knowing where they will find food or clean water;
Many: Lord, hear our prayer.

One: Proclaimer of Good News, for the media that portrays women as sex objects and men as criminals,
Many: Lord, hear our prayer.

One: Life Giver, for communities and individuals who seek relationships of dominance instead of mutuality;
Many: Lord, hear our prayer.

One: Sharer of Bread, for those who hoard the abundance you have created, impoverishing themselves and those around them;
Many: Lord, hear our prayer.

One: Prince of Peace, for the violence that destroys communities, ends life, defiles innocence, and sheds blood,
Many: Lord, hear our prayer.

One: Great Healer, for all of those who are tortured by militaries, poverty, disease, and pain,
Many: Lord, hear our prayer.

Many: Lord, all of creation groans for the redemption you have promised. Lord, come quickly and urgently into this world. Lord, come quickly. Lord, come. Amen.

Fellowship of the Least Coin

The Fellowship of the Least Coin is an organization that I had never heard of until recently when I attended a meeting to plan for their arrival in Nairobi. Later I was asked to help write the liturgy for their opening worship service, and I gladly agreed. As I have learned about this ecumenical women’s movement, I have been amazed at the power of faithful and persistent prayer when it is combined with acts of justice and mercy. The FLC began in 1956 with one woman's prayers for healing during a time of war, and it has grown into a network of thousands of women from various countries and denominations who commit themselves to pray for justice and reconciliation in the world. With each prayer, they set aside the ‘least coin’ of their currency as an offering. It is important that it be the 'least coin' so that women from any economic background are able to participate. These offerings are then sent to a central office and used to fund projects that provide emergency relief, empower women and children in marginalized communities, and support ecumenical solidarity throughout the world. Grant recipients can be found in communities on every continent including many here in Kenya.

Sunday at St.Andrew's PCEA, the International Committee for the Fellowship of the Least Coin gathered to celebrate their opening worship. This gathering brought together fifteen women from around the world as well as nearly five hundred (mostly) women from in and around Nairobi. We sang traditional hymns, danced to Kiswahili choruses of praise, prayed and laughed together, committed ourselves anew to work for justice and reconciliation, and honored five extraordinary Kenyan women who have committed their lives to empowering those around them. Rev Phyllis Byrd-Ochilo preached a powerful sermon based on the story of Elijah and the widow (1 Kings 17:7-16) calling all of us to recognize the miracles that are worked when we offer whatever we have to the service of God and one another. It was a beautiful time of worship and prayer as well as a reminder of the power we have as women of faith when we gather together.

Prayer Request: Drought

As many of you know, over the past few months Kenya has been experiencing a severe drought. In the most affected areas it has meant the loss of livestock (cows, camels, and goats) the loss of crops, and the loss of human life (both to starvation and cholera). Pastoralists are leaving their regions and travelling many kilometers to look for grazing land, even showing up along the roadways of the city.
For those of us in Nairobi, the drought has meant the rationing of water and electricity, and in many areas water is available only from Thurs-Sun. At first I did not understand why a drought would also mean rationing electricity, but soon came to learn that much of Kenya’s power is generated through hydroelectric plants. Therefore, the power is cut off on certain days as a conservation measure.
October normally begins the rainy seaston, and this weekend has brought the long needed rain to Central Province. Yet, even as the rainy season begins, I ask that you pray for the nation and people of Kenya as the effects of this drought continue to be felt in the months

A Wedding/ Bus Dedication/ Ordination Service

This weekend, I again made my way to Kiambu parish where my good friend Rev Martin Mwangi serves as pastor in order to “attend” a wedding on Saturday and the elder ordination service on Sunday.

On Saturday, we left Kiambu at around 6:00 am to travel the 3+ hours “up-country” to Nyahururu where Martin previously served as parish minister. On the way, we made a brief stop in Gilgil to dedicate and bless a new school bus for a local primary school. Once we arrived at our destination, we were warmly greeted by many of Martin’s former parishioners and taken into the vestry to meet with the current pastor. Of course, I assumed that after we had greeted one another, I would go find a seat with the congregation while they prepared for the service. I should have known that was not going to happen. Instead, I was given a part in the service right along with Martin and Rev Muhia, despite the fact that I had yet to meet the bride and groom! As I joined the procession of men and women headed to the front of the sanctuary, I had to smile to myself at the situation: I would be doing an English reading from Genesis in an otherwise completely Kikuyu service and giving a short introductory speech about myself and my work with the PCEA. Thanks be to God, I know enough Kikuyu from my time in Gatundu to say hello, praise God, and then introduce myself. These introductions are always received with much laughter by those gathered. Approximately 3 hours of speeches, prayers, songs, Bible readings, and sermons later the wedding was over, and we made our way to the reception. Afterwards, we visited Thompson’s Falls, a beautiful waterfall, with Martin’s two daughters, Abigail and Wangui. We finally arrived back home in Kiambu around 9:30 pm, so we could get some sleep and prepare for the ordination service the next day.
Sunday morning I prepared to take part in the English worship service, only to be told that the preacher had not arrived, would I fill in? I began to panic! Don’t worry, Martin assured me, your sermon only has to be 20-30 minutes. Luckily, just as the worship was beginning, she walked through the door, and I started breathing again. I gladly took one of the Bible readings and made another short “speech.” When the English service ended at 10:15, we prepared for the Kikuyu service and the ordination that would take place. Each choir from the 8 congregations offered a song to celebrate the day along with many other groups. It was a beautiful service: the new elders were called forward to take their vows, then their spouses joined them, and the forty old elders surrounded them in a time of prayer. The entire weekend was a witness to the work that God is doing in and through the church here and to the embodied belief that we do not simply attend worship but participate with our whole selves (even when we feel completely unprepared).