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The List
Years ago I learned in a business seminar to "do the thing you dread the most/hate the worst the first thing in your day...and your day will improve from that point on!"
Not sure if that advice is Biblical, but practically, it has served me as well as any lesson I have learned in life.
The first day in Kenya is a waste (as far as ministry is concerned). It is usually 1 A.M. or later when I get to bed my arrival night. The next morning my brain fog is only surpassed by the cramps and body pains from the torture tube (airplane).
So, on my first day in Kenya, I sleep until wake. I have a great breakfast (brunch?) on the hotel outdoor patio (sunshine, morning breeze and landscaping filled with tropical flowers). I jump start my high mileage, aging body with my last legal drug (caffeine, provided by bold African coffee). And then...I head out into the traffic jam to change money, top up my Kenyan cell phone with minutes and take care of any Nairobi business needed.
The traffic in Nairobi is of the devil!
17 years ago the trip to the "money changers" took 45 minutes. Last year it was 2 hours. This morning: 4 hours and 15 minutes.
But....I got a great exchange rate (more bang for our buck) and had four hours to minister to George, my driver. He needed the time. I needed to minister. A match made in heaven.
Imagine your livelihood was based on tourism and one day your business just closed for a year.
George has been a faithful friend, servant and partner. I truly believe the most important local team member for short term ministry trips is your driver(s). You literally put your schedule, comfort, and often your life in their hands. It is not just travel safety and navigation, but more their street savvy in knowing how to get to where you need to go with the least possible danger. George is the best drover I have ever had anywhere in the world. We talked Covid, American politics, Kenyan politics, and...faith.
George is the age of my oldest son. Today, I talked to him like he was my son.
The "jam" was not my choice, but I have learned that often I don't have the correct itinerary for what God thinks is most important on any given ministry day.
After changing money, I had George meet me in the shopping mall. George is using an I-Phone 6 with a busted screen that was given to him years ago by one of our U.S. mission teams. We (you, our partners) upgraded George today. His phone is his most important business tool. Without it, he doesn't need his next most important tool--a trustworthy, road-ready vehicle. So, after the counseling session/sermon in the jam...you helped me turn George's frown upside down!
Time and money well spent.
My body is refreshing. A few hours of sunshine today, some good food, low stress, administrative details taken care of, and a full night of sleep ahead.
I should wake with the sun, raring to head to the "Miracle in Mathare." What God is doing through Pastor Kennedy and his staff at the school and feeding station in the Mathare slum can only be explained by God. I can't wait for my time with the staff tomorrow.
The video crew will meet us there as we begin to document the work God is doing on this trip. I hope to produce a series of 2 minute video clips that our partnering churches can use to inform their people and emphasize for our partnering churches what God is doing in His work here in Kenya.
As one friend and supporter texted me this morning: time to go to work!
Your prayers = our fuel.
By grace, your brother,
Mike Curry
Eph. 6:19-20
By grace, your brother,
MIke Curry
Founder/President Light Ministires, Inc.
Eph. 6:19-20
By grace, your brother,
Mike Curry
Eph. 6:19-20
www.mikecurry.com
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