Falling in Love with this Never-ending Joy

July 4-July 30

I have come to the conclusion that faith and joy go hand in hand. The more joy you experience the more faith seems to follow and vice versa.

            It was just a typical day of outreach in the border town of Busia Kenya. Cornel and I had finished our twenty million daily tasks early and we decided to pay a visit to the greatest kids in the world who also happen to be our street kids. We walked up and after hiding the paint thinner drenched rags they had been getting high on all day the boys ran into our arms and we squeezed them releasing the abundance fumes from the drugs into our cloths. We invited them to soccer the following Saturday and did our handshakes and made funny faces. Then God really put a boy on my heart, his name is Edwin. Edwin is 11 years old, covered with a skin disease and lice, and has no plans to go home anytime soon. Cornel and I took Edwin to the side of the boarder and we sat in a ditch if sewage (because that was the only place where we could get some privacy). We were followed by my favorite boy in the world Aruna Ogogo. Aruna is around 11 year old, his growth has been stunted by years of Drugs making him look a lot younger, he doesn’t know how old he is, he can’t count to ten, but he has a smile that will light up anybody’s world any day. It was in this gutter in the middle of nowhere Kenya with a couple of kids the world doesn’t even know exist that I experienced the most amazing, overwhelming, catastrophic, sensation of joy that I had every felt in my whole life. I had Aruna in my arms while talking to Edwin about how awesome he is and the answer hit me. It was not at a football game with 100,000 people, not at a church with the best worship band on the planet (though that’s awesome and highly recommended), not with the best looking women in the world, or best car, cloths, house, it was there in the simplicity of Gods excellence that I experienced what Jesus had been trying to tell me for years. Joy is simple. Simple doesn’t always mean easy. It took me selling everything I had, giving up my future in athletics, college, and any chance of a girlfriend I had to find joy like Jesus talks about all in the gospels. But the awesome thing was it didn’t stop there. Along with this overwhelming joy I was also ravished by overwhelming faith (Awesome). This divine faith in this God that has given me such joy left me in states of wonder that carried me through my days. We finished our talk with Edwin and Aruna and said by to the boys.

            To catch everyone up one the past couple of weeks of ministry and not leave anyone hanging. We had our meeting with the District Children’s Officers of Busia regarding the initiation of us begging the process to becoming a Faith Based Organization with the Kenyan Government. The meeting went absolutely amazing and we had so much favor. We talked and discussed the issue with the head honcho and he gave us great advice. Instead of becoming a Faith Based Organization which would take months and a trip to Nairobi to register first as a N.G.O he recommended us taking the path of becoming a Community Based Organization. The process would not be hard and we could work our way up to one day becoming a children’s home (Sounded easy until he handed us the paper work haha). First step form a committee, next write constitution. So we began right away. Luckily I listened in English enough in High school and did a couple of English classes in college so I had a pretty good mind set to what a constitution should look like. So for the past couple of weeks even up till now we have been getting everything in order covering every inch of what will be the foundations to this organization. Once we have installed the nitty-gritties it’s going to be fun watching Jesus blast us with his beams of joy, prosperity, and growth.

            I cannot talk about the past couple of weeks without displaying my gratitude for the Adventures in Missions team that has been working in Busia with the Church we had worked with previously. This team has been such a blessing for our ministry and they have literally been there for us every step of the way. They were able to poor into us so much but the best part about this team is the way they encouraged us unconditionally and relentlessly. I like to picture life as a colossal slip in slide and encouragement it the baby oil that makes that slip in slide even better. (Jesus

is the boogie board used to shred down it). Unfortunately for us but awesome for a lot of happy friends and family in the U.S/Canada this team returned home this week but because of their willingness and servants hearts a group of street children along with a small dusty town in east Africa will never be the same.  

We always made a joke that we as Christians travel to third world countries all across the globe thinking we are going to radically rock people’s worlds (which is very true) and then when we ourselves get radically rocked, it’s always an adventure. It’s pretty funny to think that God sends us places not as missionaries but to become missionaries to come back to places like America and awaken the thirsty lost soul’s trapped in complacency and obligation. This reminds me of another pretty cool heavy revy (Super Life Changing Revelation) I had when in a bible study with a couple of the girls in the group. We make jokes about Kenyan time and Mazungu time (white person time). Kenyans are always late, but what I have come to learn from Cornel (worlds latest person) it’s not because they are lazy or irresponsible it’s because the leave room to let Holy Spirit control their days and not a peace of technology on their wrist or  in their pocket. When you read the New Testament when Jesus was praying and getting personal time with daddy his boat left him. No big deal for Jesus he hops on the water with full faith that God is in control. I want to live life like that. Set aside all the daily obligations and set schedule and just live by the spirit and if your boat of daily responsibilities leaves you just have enough faith from the joy in your heart to simple walk on the water we call life. Thank you everyone for all of your support it truly is working and its such a blessing to be a part of!

 

For more information and pictures go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/331153680340551/

or friend request Cornel Ojwang / Haden Hallman on facebook.