What is life without Love??

We have had an amazing week. Busy...but amazing.
I just want to share with you one experience that Rob and I had on Sunday. Two days ago.

We woke up and got ready for church with the usual breakfast set out on the table for us: Warming, delicious Chai and toast with peanut butter and strawberry jam. So good. Then after our bucket showers we each slipped into our dress clothes and tried to make our beards look respectable for the morning service out in the gazebo of our beautifully manicured yard. This gazebo is probably 20 feet by 12...barely enough room to fit our 12 plastic chairs, a keyboard, three large speakers and the offering table into. BUT, somehow all of these things were placed where they were wanted. This church is just beginning. It is about a month old and we are under the blessing of the local bishop in the Word of Faith Denomination.
So as Rob and I were trying to talk about the morning and what the day would look like, we practically had to shout to one another in the house just to compete with the blaring noise coming from the three speakers-amplifying the distinctly Kenyan style of keyboard led worship at church. With the vocalists words being distorted by technology trying to keep up to the demand for 'more' sounds, were couldn't help but feel that maybe the Family Worship Center was not going to be much different from the other services that we had attended. It seems as if the speakers and keys which were the first purchase for this budding congregation may have been a little premature and we struggled to discern whether there was actually a need for them?

After trying to get out of my own North American predisposition, I asked God to take away my personal difficulties in dealing with the noise. A noise that literally pierces your eardrums and likely does much damage to those who were in its path of destruction- All of us!
We were dismissed to teach the children during the time when the sermon was delivered by a visitor from Kisumu. It was literally so loud that we had such a difficult time hearing the kids squeek out their questions about David and Goliath because of the preaching which was 50m from the garage. After our time had finished, I went back and joined the main church for the remainder of the man's message about the church being the body. (1 Cor 12:12) The same passage Rob and I had discussed teaching on if we were called on that day. I was excited to hear where he was coming from. The first thing that came to mind was: IT says one BODY-many parts....one CHURCH!! Not one denomination-many congregation. The denominational lines that divide the church in Kenya need to come down- just as the wall in Germany did 20 plus years ago. Let us stand as one church brothers and sisters! All throughout this nation...all throughout this world.
After the message came times of prayer-times of singing. Loud, excited singing. And my eyes were drawn to the material presented in the next chapter of 1 Corinthians. What does he write about? Love!! Without love we are nothing but a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. May we not forget what our main purpose as the church and as Christians is: to LOVE!
The rains started to fall...and a man came into the yard seeking refuge from the downpour. PERFECT...this is an amazing chance to show this man love and welcome him in to our family center of worship. TO be the body. Instead...he was not acknowledged, recognized or welcomed. Not in a loving way either....actually, something worse happened. Another man got up and after a word with Pastor, he grabbed the microphone and said: Today we are to have a prayer of faith. I thought 'Sweet...whats a prayer of faith?' And I quickly found out.... He laid his hand on this newcomers forehead and began to pray for him. This man literally looked like a lamb about to become slaughtered. He was so jumpy and nervous for what was about to take place. I was sitting in the back row and as the man and pastor prayed for this man to be brought into the kingdom of God-something was not sitting right inside of me. At first I got excited...Was this service of prayer going to usher another believer into the kingdom? But then I thought...is this what being welcomed into the kingdom looks like? Where is the love? What if this man is already born again? and we are repeating a prayer that he maybe has received already? It ended...I felt sick and was called into the house for lunch. I was anxious to go back outside and talk to this man after food...but what I found was so discouraging. He was gone. Pastor said he left right after the rains had let up.... I pray that he was invited to stay and join us for lunch. I pray that pastor talked to him about what in the world just happened to him. I pray that what I was a part of didn't do more damage to this individual than good. I pray that somehow God can take our efforts and well intentioned prayers and SOMEHOW use it for His Glory. God forgive us for acting out of LOVE.
Forgive me for my insensitivity. Remove it from my heart and fill us up to overflowing with your LOVE! Continue to give us eyes to see and the ability to bless. Lord we need your Help.
We desperately need your love which you so freely-amazingly give!
Thank-you LORD. Buena Asifewe!