Surprised by Love

Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook may have noticed that I posted a relationship change last week.  Several of you responded with great surprise.  However, none of you are more surprised than me.

If you have been watching me over the past three years since Bob's death, you would have seen a number of postings relating to being content with being single and growing into the idea of Jesus as my husband.  One such posting had to do with why I still wore my wedding ring (and Bob's welded to it), posted here written in September 2011.  The other was much more recent, at the three year anniversary of Bob's death, as I acknowledged that for the past year, I had been working toward seeing Jesus as my husband, and had witnessed a number of responses from Him in that light.  That post can be seen here.

I truly believed that I would be single for the rest of my life - not out of resignation...not because I believed God "called" me to that...not even because I happen to live in Africa and having a relationship would be complicated.  I believed that I could be content and happy being single, fulfilling my calling while being single-minded and purposed.  The year 2012 was a significant year for me as I began to move out from under the cloud of grief and began to think through who Renita is.  Having gotten married at the young age of 21, to a man 14 years my senior, who happened to have strong opinions about things (no surprise to those of you who knew Bob!), I had a lot of figuring out to do of what I liked and who I am.  I had to look at many things again:  what type of food I like, what type of clothes I liked, since I bought a home during 2012 - what type of home furnishings I liked...and so on.  For the first 21 years of my life, I had my parents voice in my head.  The next 20 years had Bob's voice in my head.  Now it was just Renita.

I made many changes in 2012 - deciding to change organizations from Partners Worldwide to International Christian Ministries; changing from West Africa to East Africa; buying a house; and redefining myself.  In November I had a dream where I believed God revealed to me the reason for why Bob died the way he did - without any earthly explanation.  That seemed to be the final piece toward real peace that I needed to let go of the agony of Bob's death. 

As of February 2013, I told a few close friends that I was happier than I had been in years - even prior to Bob's death.  I had reached a deep level of joy, peace and contentment.  It felt great!  It is true that I struggled with loneliness in Kitale - being in a new country without knowing anyone.  But it was not a deep loneliness.  I knew it was just situational and would pass as I got to know people in Kenya.

However, with long evenings, no TV, and no one around in the house where I stay, I started checking in more regularly on Facebook to see what family and friends were up to.  I even began to develop some courage to post something every now and then.  These posting were always met with responses by people I knew and loved, so there was good reinforcement to check back.  I began to post some responses to posts here and there - not much, but a few times.  Enter Michael Thomson.

Michael is a member of my church - someone that I have known for some time, though not well at all; just as an acquaintance. He knew Bob better than he knew me - in fact he wrote a poem about Bob after his death.  I posted it on the blog shortly after Bob died - you can see it here.

In February of this year, Michael posted something on Facebook to which I responded.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  We began to communicate back and forth.  Once a week.  Then every few days.  Then every day.  I found myself experiencing feelings that I thought I wouldn't feel again. I was surprised, to say the least.  Michael was surprised as well.  Neither of us was looking to get into a relationship.  Both of us had committed to God to live into the life situation that we find ourselves in, learning to be content.  We certainly didn't expect this friendship, even as it developed, to turn into a relationship.  I was happy and content with Jesus as my husband.  My response to Jesus was, "Really?  I was committed to serving you as a single woman for the rest of my life.  I was content.  Now the 'cat is out of the bag' and I'm suddenly feeling alive again in ways that had been dead for years.  How do I get the cat back in the bag?"  I was no longer feeling content.  And I wasn't sure what to do about it.

Sharing this on the blog feels vulnerable.  But the truth is that this blog has witnessed my life over the past eight years - from Liberia, to Ghana, through the death of Bob and the ensuing grieving process, then to Kenya.  While sharing this feels vulnerable, it is no more vulnerable than what I have shared in the past.  Many of you have been faithful readers of the blog for many years, and I have appreciated your company on this journey thus far.  I feel it is only right to share this as well.

The tipping point for me where something switched from viewing Michael as potentially more than a friend came in an exchange in the beginning of April.  We were having a rather serious dialogue about friendship, Myers-Briggs types, and how we relate to people.  I've decided to share an excerpt of that exchange.

April 7
Renita Reed

People have perceptions of me based on what I do - and I'm just a normal person also trying to figure out how to make it - how to survive - some days doing it well, other days, not so much. I think at Madison Square Church, I've forgotten how to be real - and I wish I could get back to being real again.  I think when you wear this title of "missionary" and then "widow", it starts to take over who you are - and you start living into people's perception, even if it is only in your mind.

Michael Thomson

As for Madison...and not being real....I hope what I am going to say is real and not just my tired mind grasping at thin air...but how be you drop the titles of "missionary" and "widow" for "person" and / or "disciple". How be...if you are asked either before the church or in the church hall to talk about your life as a missionary, you let that slide or answer with...I can tell you what I am doing ...let me tell you what is happening and why I have made / am making some choices. Ask them about their "mission" be they nurses or janitors. As for "widow." Yes...you will always be Bob's widow...but you are still Bob's friend....a sharer of some of Bob's memories and dreams. My point is...Bob is to you more than what makes you "widow." Perhaps even more importantly...and with NO diminutive intent towards Bob or what you had with Bob or what you have of Bob in your soul...but in Madison as in the world you are hardly only Bob's widow. You are Renita! You are Renita! You are Renita who has followed her own sense of where God was leading her into Africa after Bob...Renita who continues to care for and parent from afar and takes risks that make her friends quiver even if she doesn't. At Madison maybe because Bob was such the extrovert and a presence ... SOME may remember you mostly in his shadow. But I dare say, most or all would welcome Renita and her story since Bob in all its authenticity...I really do believe that. So....live into your own place...and not merely as an echo of Bob at Madison. I know you do that in Africa...its your story "in the wind" now...

To be honest, this exchange scared me.  In some ways, I heard Bob's voice in this or at least a voice of encouragement such that I hadn't heard in a long, long time.  It scared me enough to contact some near and dear friends for advice and wisdom.  After debating whether to walk away from this new friendship a number of times out of fear, I was encouraged to explore it as possibly a gift from God.  Toward the end of April we had concluded that this was indeed heading toward a relationship.  At that time we emailed our pastors, who know us both very well, letting them know of our friendship and our desire to go on a date upon my return to Grand Rapids.  Both pastors responded so positively and enthusiastically - it was actually surprising and also affirming. During the worship portion of a church service while I was in Thailand in the beginning of May, I suddenly felt that it was time to take off my wedding rings.  I wept to take off the rings that I had been wearing for 23 years, that connected me still to Bob, and that had been a source of security since his death.  But I also knew that it was time.  Bob had told me that if he died before me, he would want me to marry again (I had told him the same).  I know that his deep love for me manifested itself for twenty years in wanting me to be happy.  I also know that now being in a relationship with another person does not negate or erase the love that I have for Bob, nor his ongoing presence in my life and my heart.

And so, there it is.  Michael and I have no idea where this is leading but have had many, many hours of deep discussion and prayer over this.  I happen to work in Africa.  Michael happens to work as an editor for Eerdman's in Grand Rapids.  Neither of us see our callings changing in the short term.  So this has become an act of faith for both of us.  We have seen a number of instances where it seemed God was the matchmaker and His hand involved in this.  And so, we trust Him to work out the details of living and working 7500 miles apart. 

When we posted our relationship status change on Facebook last week, we had so many nice responses from friends and loved ones.  Michael posted this in response, and I thought I would end this blog with his thought:

Thank you to our friends for your encouraging words. This moment is beyond wonderful! Renita and I truly feel blessed that our grief has been overtaken by joy. Not to say that grief disappears. Loss is loss. Yet in time of grief, in this relationship, we've found friendship, respect, and understanding. In this surprising but welcome moment in our lives, we've seen a work of God in bringing us together.

For you romantics out there, if you would like to read the poem that Michael wrote about me at the end of April, you may read it here.  And as you think of it, feel free to keep us in your prayers!

Poverty and Solutions

This past Friday, I had the opportunity to attend a breakfast meeting where Dr. Brian Fikkert, author of When Helping Hurts (economist and professor at Covenant College) was the speaker.  This is a book I read shortly after it came out in 2009, and have since recommended to many, many people who want to get involved in working in Africa or working with the materially poor.  It was great to meet and hear someone who "speaks my language" as well as be in  a room of 75 people or more who also resonate with the message he presented.  One attendee told me that he "found himself on the edge of tears for most of the presentation - a sort of shame, mixed with longing."  Shame mixed with longing - what a great phrase.  That certainly resonates with me.

Are these children poor?

The message of Dr. Fikkert that morning (as well as in the book) is to help us redefine how we view poverty and ultimately our response to poverty or solutions to alleviate such.  He stated that North Americans tend to define poverty as material, whereas the poor define poverty in psycho-social terms (shame, hopelessness, fear).  He points out that material poverty is only a symptom of the real problem.  Bryant Myers's (author of Walking with the Poor) definition of poverty is,

“Poverty is the result of relationships that do not work, that are not just, that are not for life, that are not harmonious or enjoyable. Poverty is the absence of shalom in all its meanings.” 

It's interesting to think through the idea that poverty is a result of broken relationships - with God, self, others, and the rest of creation.

Dr. Fikkert made the interesting suggestion that Republicans tend to view poverty in terms of individual brokenness ("that person is just lazy" or "pull yourself up by your own bootstraps"); Democrats tend to define poverty in terms of broken systems (economic, political, social environmental).  While I'm sure that these are generalizations that have many exceptions, there is a ring of truth to it, and BOTH individuals and systems need to be addressed.

Is this a poor church?

He went on to suggest that in order to come up with solutions to poverty, we need to look closely at the four foundations of community where we find our primary relationships, which are God, self, others, and the rest of creation.  He then contrasts how the wealthy (which he defined as mainstream America for this example) are viewed in terms of these four concepts, as well as those in poverty.  For the view of God, the wealthy tend toward Nihilism, or the denial of God's existence.  For the view of self, there is a poverty of being, where the wealthy tend toward having a god-complex in that they are not dependent or needy of anyone, but can be anything and handle all things on their own.  For the poor, the view of self is caught up in a marred identity of being"less than".  For the view of others, there is a poverty of community, where the wealthy tend towards being workaholics and the poor tend toward a predator/prey mentality, in which the poor tend to be the prey for the wealthy.  Fikkert points out that being a workaholic is the opposite sin to being lazy - however, society tends to reward the former and penalize the latter.  The last relationship is toward the rest of creation, or the poverty of stewardship.  The wealthy tend toward being self-centered, where the poor tend to have a zero sum approach, believing that the pie of wealth is only so big, and they just aren't going to get a piece. 

Dr. Fikkert then challenged us by saying that until we view ourselves as poor (because we are involved in broken relationships), we will only hurt ourselves and others if we try to address poverty from any other mindset.  In his mind the formula for harm towards the materially poor AND non-poor is this:

Material definition of poverty + god-complex of the non-poor + inferiority complex of the materially poor = Harm to materially poor and non-poor.

Is this business owner poor?

He gave the example of the well-meaning church that gives out turkeys to the materially poor each Thanksgiving and toys to the children of the materially poor each Christmas. After doing this for several years, the church members begin to think about how little they have seen changed since starting this gifting.  The same people are still poor.  There are no changes.  And they begin to think that the church is doing so much - what are these people doing?  Sitting back and waiting for gifts?  And an attitude may begin to develop.  Meanwhile, the materially poor find themselves feeling humiliated for not being able to provide food or toys for their children.  Men are leaving through the back door while the well-meaning church members come through the front to deliver gifts that the parents are not able to provide - inferiority complexes begin to develop.  The materially poor begin to depend or rely on the church to take care of some of these needs, self-esteem in terms of ability may begin to suffer, and dependency may begin to develop.

What is the point of all this for me and my work?  The first step toward poverty alleviation, according to Dr. Fikkert, is repentance.  This is an unusual statement - we don't tend to start there in terms of addressing poverty.  If poverty is primarily about broken relationships, then poverty alleviation needs to focus on the reconciliation of those relationships.  The first step in reconciliation is the need for repentance of the sin of superiority by the materially non-poor as well as repentance of the disproportionate emphasis on the material understanding of the world.

Much of my work involves addressing the materially poor.  And much of my work is often hand in hand with those who are the materially non-poor in doing this work.  The tension of how to address poverty is one that is near and dear to my heart.  I have definitely developed some opinions about what works and doesn't.  As I work on my MBA in Sustainable Development, I am looking closely at economic matters as it relates to poverty alleviation and the role of aid to Africa over the years.   This week I will be writing a paper on whether or not the idea of "Africa Rising" and becoming an economic power in twenty years is a legitimate claim.

This concept matters.  It matters a lot.  We must think this through, process it, and not rush into help without considering whether we will be hurting instead of helping.  And we must remember that it is not only the poor who may be hurt in the attempt to help, but the non-poor as well.  It does not mean that we freeze and give up.  No.  We are called upon to strive to find workable solutions that reflect the reconciling heart of Christ.

Summer Blog Schedule

As you know, since Bob's death I have been writing the blog pretty regularly on a weekly basis.  Both he and I viewed this as a journal of sorts for staying in touch with family and friends as we embarked on this adventure of being "Reeds in the Wind."  When I am back in the US, and among family and friends, the need to journal decreases somewhat, as do the interesting stories and pictures - no offense to my US family and friends :-). 

The work, however, does continue and seems to be picking up some interesting nuances which I am still processing, so I will continue to blog but will probably do so every other week instead of every week.

So just this brief message today, along with this delightful picture that Ron Irvine posted on Facebook.  It made me smile.

God as Conductor

Have you ever had an experience that suddenly shed light on something that you already thought you understood?  This light helps you understand in a much deeper way?  Much of my spiritual life has been like that.  Almost every time I go on a silent retreat, something is revealed to me that I thought I knew, only to discover I didn't know it all; or to be more accurate, my brain knew the concept but my heart had remained in the dark.  It often remains very private - between God and I - not because it is private in nature, but because it is very difficult to explain, especially if it is a well-known term or concept, like forgiveness, grace, God being our Father,and other like terms. 

So I thought I would share one of the concepts in my own "weak way" (as a Liberia pastor and friend used to put it).  I know others have described this particular concept similarly before so I'm not claiming anything profound; just a truth that suddenly impacted me, especially in light of my work - a concept that I probably should have gotten years ago.

There is a worship song that refers to us playing for an Audience of One.  It is a term that I have heard referenced in various contexts over the years.  It has been used to make sure that we are not seeking to please an audience of people, but to keep our eyes and attention focused on pleasing only God.  This phrase runs through my brain periodically as I work against seeking the praise and approval of man.

However, as I reflected on 2 Corinthians 5:9, "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it,"  it struck me that the term is incorrect, even though I appreciate the concept.  Audience is much to passive of a role for God.  It assigns Him the role described by many as the "watch-maker," a God who is sitting back and not involved.  Additionally, it gives me too much power, implying that I am alone on the stage, performing only for Him, without my performance having an impact on others.  He is not my primary audience and I am not a lone performer.

Rather, He is my conductor and I am only one person of many, many people in the orchestra.  My role is still important because if I decided to become impatient and start playing before the conductor indicates, it will not go over well.  If I decide the conductor is playing the piece too slow or too fast, and want to set my own pace, the music becomes noise.  If I want to rest or play my own notes or in any way do my own thing, it screws up what could be a very beautiful piece of music.  In the end, it makes God look bad as well as the rest of the orchestra.

And the audience will be turned off and probably won't want to listen again.

It is so important that I keep my eyes focused on the Conductor.  If I take my eyes off, I will very quickly be able to miss my cue and screw things up.

The work that I am doing in Kenya is unique.  For many people, Business as Mission is not a familiar concept.  Marketplace Ministries in churches is not something that can be easily found, as far as I am aware.  I have not yet found others who have developed a strategy for reclaiming the redeemed Marketplace at a city-wide or even national basis.  There can be a sense of being alone on a stage, striving to play for an Audience of One.  But it is important that I remember that I am not alone on a stage, performing; rather I am part of a greater orchestra that is operating worldwide to bring the Kingdom of God to earth.  I need to pay very close attention to the Conductor - He knows the music that may be new to me.  I need to sense His rhythm, His movement, His cues to other members or sections of the orchestra; I need to rest when the Conductor calls for it, to wait for His section to join in. 

What a great comfort to be part of a larger orchestra and to be able to have full trust in the Conductor.  My role is to keep my eyes focused on Him.

Hebrews 12:2 says,  "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..."

Amen!

I am happy to be back in Grand Rapids, amongst family, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ.  I thank God for traveling mercies, as well as the chance to connect with many other players in this grand orchestra in North America!

3rd Commissioning...and Going Home

Commissioning Prayer

Yesterday, Sunday, June 2, found us in the third commissioning service with 44 business graduates at the Friends (Quakers) Church of Kitale.  This was the site of the pilot project, and these business owners received the full 36 hour training, as well as other components of Marketplace Ministry.  I have to say that I have never had a class work as hard as this one at getting all their homework assignments in and requesting review and make-up classes.  It was such a great class and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know many of them.  There are a number of strong business owners in the group and I believe they will do well with the new knowledge they have obtained.  They also have deeply grasped the idea of being Marketplace Ministers and have spent the last month praying for their business neighbors.  We continue to hear exciting stories of how the Holy Spirit is working through those prayers.

Kitale Friends Graduating Class

With the last of the trainings and services behind me, I will now be returning to Grand Rapids to spend the summer with my children, meet friends and family again, and work on a number of things relating to ICM and the ongoing work in Kenya.  Last night (Sunday), I boarded a bus for Nairobi and drove through the night in order to make my flight to Grand Rapids on Monday evening.  I will arrive home on Tuesday evening.  I have arranged with ICM to work from Michigan during the summer when my children are home from college.  They have been out of Calvin for about two weeks now and I look forward to joining them again.  I will return to Kenya at the beginning of September.

There are a few tasks before me this summer.  I need to do some serious fundraising as my funds for this ministry are very, very low, such that I am unsure of receiving my salary in June and have not been reimbursed for about two months of ministry expenses..  There is a lot of interest in this work and the impact that it is having, and that needs to translate into financial support as well to allow it to go forward.  So I will spend time speaking to churches and individuals who may have interest in this work to see if they are willing to join it.  This is not my favorite thing to do, but a necessary component, which keeps me cognizant of how the body of Christ works together.

A dear sister in Christ, Teresa, had this dress sewn for me - I was spoiled with gifts by the students.

I am also happy to announce that I have been appointed as a partner missionary with the Christian Reformed World Missions.  I will attend their orientation in July and will begin working more closely with them.  This is also helpful in terms of support, as many of my supporters are Christian Reformed and like being able to give through the CRCNA.  There is a lot of synergy between CRWM and the work of ICM.

I also started working on my Masters in Business Administration in Sustainable Development and have been taking classes, with lots of readings and paper writing.  I hope to work hard in these classes this summer, and gain more knowledge and education to apply to the development work that I have already been doing.

Selina's maize farm...can't argue with the view!

Additionally, there is work to be done on the trainings that I have created, with opportunities to get them online for a wider range of access.  There will be some traveling this summer, but nothing outside of North America.

One event I'm looking forward to is Dr. Walker (founder and head of ICM USA) and Rev. Stephen Mairori (International Director of ICM, Kenya Country Director of ICM) will be coming to Grand Rapids to speak at Madison Square Church on Sunday, August 4 during the evening service and then having a chance to share about our work with ICM after the service with dessert.  Hope you will be able to join us!

2nd Commissioning and an Animal Orphanage

ATS Dean of Theology, Alfred Rutto, giving certificates.

House of Hope Marketplace Ministers

Yesterday we were able to have our second commissioning service, at the House of Hope Church in Kitale.  The pastor is Dorcas Kibathi, the only female pastor that I have had in my classes yet.  I have attached a brief video of their worship time - Pastor Kibathi is in the front, dancing, in the blue.  She has a pretty amazing life story and it is a blessing to watch her love her church.  This is a small church, located in a very poor section of Kitale, with mostly micro-business persons and hawkers (people who walk the streets selling their wares).  We commissioned eighteen persons and gave sixteen certificates from the business training.  This was the more challenging group of the three for me, as the literacy rate was very low, as was the ability to speak English.  I was unsure that there had been much impact until I heard the testimonies as well as heard the pastor tell of the difference it was making and the questions that she has been fielding, showing that there was a thought process going on behind the scenes.  One woman said that she had just been playing with the business up until now - not recognizing God as the owner and having a purpose for the business.  She has now recognized Him as owner, and is taking her role as manager much more seriously, setting up boundaries to protect the business.  Last week, a couple of young men who hawk brought a couple of their friends to Church, and they gave their lives to Christ that day.  Marketplace Ministers walking the streets of Kitale.  Praise God!


A little of the joyful celebration at the House of Hope service.

L to R:  Joy, Ray, Pastor Ashivaga, Abigail

On Saturday, I had an opportunity to go to a nearby Animal Orphanage with Pastor Ashivaga from the Friends Church, along with three of his children (Abigail, Joy, and Ray).  It was a very nice environment with lots of scenes set up from the Bible and statues everywhere.  The goal of the orphanage is to take in animals with genetic defects and give them a safe refuge.  Typically, animals born with some sort of genetic defect were seen as curses and this Kenyan man wanted to change that mindset and set up this orphanage.  There were two schools visiting when we were there (on a Saturday) so it seems to get good traffic.  But it was not an easy place to visit.  Seeing these animals with these significant defects struggling to live and survive was difficult.  It made me wonder about the humanity of it, while all the while appreciating the intention of the place. I will share a few pictures from that place.  It's not a place I will probably visit again too quickly.  But the kids had a great time and enjoyed the playground.

A Week of Blessings

This has been a very busy week...but a week of blessings indeed.

Let me start however by picking up on a picture from last week - the mystery picture.  Thanks to all of you who made guesses!  The most popular guess by far was some sort of animal dung to be used for burning.  One person did come up with the right answer but confessed that she had consulted a Kenyan to find out, so that didn't count.

The picture is of sugar molasses, which people can eat in small amounts or it can be used for animal feed.  Some people put it in their tea.  To be honest, I have not sampled the one I bought.  What was surprising to me was that these were not covered in flies or ants...there were some bees that had made holes and were inside...but sugar molasses out in the open air, no plastic to protect...hmmm. 

On Wednesday and Thursday, from 8 pm - 12:30 am, we were privileged to join a training by the Marketplace Chaplains USA.  This is an organization that I came in contact through fellow Madison Square Church member, JoAnn Swart.  They have over 2500 Chaplains in four countries that are sent into various businesses to work with the employees.  I was able to attend their training in January and have remained in contact with them since then.  This is an option of Marketplace Ministry that I have presented to the pastors in my classes - to reach out to businesses in their areas that may not be engaged with their church - for encouragement and prayer.  The pastors that were invited to attend this training were those who indicated interest in this ministry for their own church.  From right to left, Pastor Leonard Ashivaga, Pastor Alfred Kibiaru, Pastor Manasseh Lumwagi, and Pastor John Matui.  It was a late couple of nights for us, but a very good discussion about the potential for this ministry in Kenya.

On Saturday, I traveled to Mosoriot, about 2.5 hours from Kitale, on the other side of Eldoret.  I went with a pastor from my second class, Pastor Stephen Barchok, to the Community Baptist Church.  We had a training for 54 business people, addressing Business as Mission and then spending some time on Basic Business Principles.  It was a good day, made better by an energetic and engaging group.  They would like me to come back in September and begin a full training with them, making Mosoriot one of the twelve cities we hope to impact.  Additionally, a pastor traveled to this training from Kericho, Kenya, about five hours away.  Interestingly, I have never heard of this city before, but in three days, I heard about it three times from different people.  So, I may go there in September as well for some exploration.  September seems to be getting pretty busy already!

Pastor Stephen Barchok on the left of me - everyone drinking Chai.

They gathered outside in a big circle and I had to around and greet everyone.  They then "dressed" me in some Kenyan dress and gifts, which was fun. 

On Sunday, May 19, 2013, the Marketplace Minister Commissioning was held in Butere Miracle Center Marketplace.  This is the first of three commissioning services in a row in different churches.  While I have taken part of many such services over the years, this is the first time that we did it from within the Church.  It was a holy and beautiful service.  I will tell the story in the pictures below.

The Pastor led the responsive reading, with portions for the congregants and other portions for the Marketplace Ministers.

The sixty Marketplace Ministers Commisioned, making their commitment with the support of the Church.

Each person was anointed with oil, being told, as Jesus said, "Go...in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."  Many wept as they were anointed.  Being affirmed in their calling is a powerful thing.

We then offered communion to the Marketplace Ministers.  I am serving with "Mama Bishop."  The person we are serving is Moses, an amazing worship leader who has ministered to me, and is the owner of a small provision shop.

Those who met the requirements were given a certificate - forty businesses in total.

Testimonies of the impact of the Business Training on their businesses, by five members, selected by the class.

I had the privilege of bringing the Word at both of the morning services. 

I like this picture - I was giving the certificate to the Pastor of the church, Rev. Samson Ibrahim Makokha.  We have enjoyed working with each other and have become friends.  This picture captures the warmth of welcome that I receive when I arrive in Butere.  I call Butere my second home in Kenya...and the Butere Miracle Center my first church in Kenya. 

The group picture - a fun and happy group.

Marketplace Ministers Commissioning

Some of the ICM/ATS team

This past week has been a busy week, with catching up after a two week absence from Kenya, as well as with the graduations at the Africa Theological Seminary.  Unfortunately, I missed the graduations, due to travel as well as trainings in other cities, but it has been nice to have the ICM USA team around Kitale.  We have shared meals, conversations, processed challenges, and gotten to know each other better.  One of the great things that ICM has been able to do is to give out motorcycles each year at the graduation.  Someone donated 30 motorcycles again this year, and current students and alumni are able to apply for one of these motorcycles.  They received hundreds of applications, and I'm so happy that three of the pastors with whom I am working were given a motorcycle!  I know that their work in the Marketplace Ministry was one of the factors that allowed for them to be a recipient, so I am grateful as well.  This will greatly aid them in moving about to visit with the business owners in their church, and encourage this ministry to move forward.

Motorcycles given away at graduation.  They were all dedicated to the two ATS students who lost their lives in ministry this past year.

Mary, and her prayer partner, Sheryl

Sheryl Giesbrecht, the Executive Director of ICM USA, is also visiting and sharing my room.  Sheryl is a widow as well - she lost her husband in a motorcycle accident just six months before Bob died.  So we have a lot to talk about when we are together as we share and process our loss, as well as our recovery.  Sheryl is also one of the prayer partners for two of the businesses in my Kitale class.  She went to visit them with me and pray for them in person, which was a great blessing. 

Next week Sunday begins the first of three Sundays in a row where we will be commissioning Marketplace Ministers in three different churches.  For the first time in my experience, this will take place in the church, during the worship services.  This is the main reason for my transfer to ICM - to be able to send out Marketplace Ministers with the support and accountability structure from the church.  The Church now will have the opportunity for partnership between pulpit pastors and marketplace ministers to impact the Marketplace for Christ.  Those who accept this calling will be held accountable by the church, as any minister would be, and will be encouraged, discipled, mentored, and prayed for by the church.  This is an exciting time!  Marketplace Ministers have been taught the principles of Business as Mission, and are encouraged to have a quadruple bottom line:  economic, spiritual, social, and environmental. They have also gone through the Basic Business Training, covering Ethics, Book-keeping, Marketing, Pricing, Cost Analysis, and a host of other topics.

Agnes and her "ground nut" (peanut) business.

Next Sunday will be the first Commissioning in Butere, with 70 Marketplace Ministers.  At this service, following the commissioning and prayer, we will be anointing each Marketplace Minister with oil, followed by celebrating communion with them.  Those who qualify will then receive their certificates (based on attendance and performance) and have a chance to share some of their thoughts with the church.  I will be sharing the Word at both of the services.  The following Sunday, May 26, will be the second Commissioning service with a church called House of Hope, in Kitale, with 22 Marketplace Ministers.  And the last service will be with the pilot project - the focal point of my work for the past two months - in the Friends (Quakers) Church, on June 2, with 50  Marketplace Ministers.  I am looking forward to these services and to see how God continues to use these business person to bless their communities, their churches, and the Kingdom of God.  Please pray with us for blessings on these new Marketplace Ministers as they seek to change the Marketplace in their cities and throughout the nation of Kenya.

Picture of the week:  What is this?  I saw this item in the Butere market this morning - it is something I have never seen before.  Each piece is about five inches tall, two inch diameter at the bottom, one inch at the top, and weighs close to two pounds.  Whoever guess correctly will be given a Kenyan gift when I return to the US!  Email me at renitar@icmusa.org if you want to guess.

Has Africa Outgrown Dependence on Aid?

I arrived safely back in Kitale on Sunday morning at 6 am, after a 36 hour travel time, and spent much of Sunday sleeping.  Due to this time shortage, I'm going to take this opportunity to pass on an article recently posted on the BBC, which is a very good read.  It shifts the way we think about Africa, and continues to lend credibility to the argument that in twenty years, Africa may become an economic world power.   This type of news about Africa still does not seem to get out much but it is a message that needs to be heard and considered moving forward.  We need to keep developing business leaders who view their business as a mission in this exciting time! 
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This article is taken from http://allafrica.com/stories/201301311471.html?viewall=1

Written by Wolfgang Fengler, the lead economist for the World Bank in Nairobi.
Source: World Bank Blog

Africa's emergence is the new consensus. For the second time in a just few months, a major international journal has run a cover illustrating newfound optimism about the continent.

After The Economist's mea culpa (correcting its previous assessment of a "hopeless continent"), TIME magazine just re-ran an earlier title: "Africa rising".  This is no fluke: Africa's economies are growing and the continent is much wealthier today than it ever was - even though, collectively, it remains the poorest on the planet.  Many African nations (22 to be precise) have already reached Middle Income Country (so called "MIC") status and more will do so by 2025.

Today, Africa includes a diverse "mix" of countries, ranging from the poorest in the world to the fastest growing; from war-torn countries to vibrant democracies; from oil-rich economies to ICT champions, and the list goes on.  This has important implications for the "aid architecture". Until now, Africa was at the center of global aid attention. But what if Africa continues to grow strongly and steadily?  What will be the role of international partners (often called "donors") in this new configuration? Is aid becoming obsolete?

I don't think so, rather the opposite! Many Africans still experience deep poverty. The challenge is so huge that ten years of moderately strong growth are just a down-payment in the fight against poverty.  Today, some 400 million Africans (roughly 40% of the total population) still live on US$ 1.25 a day or less. Newfound wealth means little to them if it is not equitably spread out.

Some countries are becoming richer, often as a result of oil discoveries, with very little changes in the lives of average citizens.

Fundamentally, if the poor remain neglected, a country's development outlook has not changed. What is new, however, is that some of these MICs no longer need aid money to fill development gaps.  In principle, they have enough internal resources. Yet they still need assistance in designing programs that help them spend their new resources efficiently, especially if they wish to target the poor. Aid programs, if designed well, can help do precisely this.

Kenya is a perfect illustration of this new aid reality. Today, Kenya's budget is roughly US$ 12 billion, about 30 percent of the country's economy.  This share is one of the highest in Africa, making the state the biggest player in the economy. Donors are small players in comparison even though the amount of aid recovered over the last ten years after a sharp decline in the 1990s.  Today, aid to Kenya is around US$ 1.5 billion (amounting to a little over 10 percent of total expenditures) of which only half is reflected in the budget.  Bilateral partners like the USA and China still prefer to implement their programs outside of government systems; likewise new players, especially NGOs, typically choose to execute their programs directly (rather than through the administration).

So what needs to change in the way aid is being delivered? How can it be made not only relevant still but even more effective than in the past?

First, we need to acknowledge (and celebrate!) the demise of the old North-South paradigm. With Asia's emergence - and China's spectacular turnaround - former recipients of aid are now new donors.
The previous regime, with rich countries in the North supporting poor countries in the South through government-to-government and multilateral relationships, is changing rapidly. Today, relationships are much more complex and varied, and there is a host of new players on the pitch.

Second, aid will be increasingly about transferring knowledge rather than money. No matter how significantly some donors may scale-up their financial commitments, aid money will remain small compared to domestic resources in recipient countries. If current trends continue, most of today's stable low-income countries will reach MIC status by 2025.  Going forward "traditional aid" (of the brick-and-mortar type) will focus increasingly on emergencies and fragile states. In others, transferring know-how and skills will be the name of the game.

Third, innovation and support to country systems will drive the impact of future aid. By 2025, Africa will have a majority of MICs. But as countries climb up the income ladder, they will face new and more complex policy challenges.

In order not to stay stuck in the "Middle Income Trap", African countries will need to innovate, including in traditional sectors, such as education, health or transport.

The resources will be there but the challenge will be to make sure services are actually delivered and at good quality. In these countries, aid should move from building monuments (schools, clinics and roads) to improving the machine room (the systems through which education, health and transport are being provided).

Simply put: If we continue to equate aid with money only, then it will become obsolete in most countries over the next decade or two - except perhaps in fragile states.

However, if it is focused on transferring the knowledge countries need to catch up and compete with each other, it will remain indispensable.

BAM Congress, Chiang Mai, Thailand

The view of Chiang Mai from my hotel room.

The Business as Mission (BAM) Congress just ended on Sunday afternoon.  Three days with 525 BAM people from 41 nations.  It was a great experience. The Congress was more theoretical as it relates to BAM - best practices, lessons learned, impacts and assessments, research, advocacy, and like topics.  While there were many BAM business persons in attendance, there were also many people like myself, facilitating the growth of the BAM movement.  Immediately following the close of the BAM Congress began phase two, the Call2Business Trade Fair which will go until Tuesday. The Trade Fair will be more practical with more BAM business persons involved, sharing the challenges of operating a BAM business, networking, industry specific gatherings, and the like.

I was very disappointed by the small number of Africans present at the conference.  Part of reason was a logistical problem - registration for the conference was done online with credit cards, and many African nations do not yet use credit cards as it is a cash society.  But there also needs to be much more exposure in Africa to the BAM movement.  Since Africa is projected to become an economic world power in the next twenty years (with an annual growth rate projected at 6%, compared to 1.8% in the US), then we need to be equipping these leaders with Business as Mission principles and values.

These little vehicles are everywhere, along with the bicycles and carts.

I was not able to discover any other persons who are doing the work that I am doing in terms of engaging Church leadership in order to build up and affirm the calling of business members.  People continue to complain about how churches marginalize business persons, treating their work as less holy or viewing successful business persons as corrupt or greedy, yet no-one else seems to be addressing this, other than the International Christian Ministries.  The co-chair of the BAM Congress told me that I was pioneering this movement and they are eager to hear how it will go.  I still have to believe that there are others out there doing and maybe we don't know of them yet.  It would be great to have some company on this to talk through strategies and best practices.

Because the the large number of people from closed countries, we were not allowed to take pictures at the event, in order to protect those persons.  So I don't have pictures of the conference, but did take some pictures in Chiang Mai.

 Roxanne DeGraaf (Partners Worldwide staff, friend and former colleague) and I toured the old city of Chiang Mai.  It is home to over 300 temples - seemingly every 100 feet or so.  

Pretty amazing buildings.

 The inside of one of the temples.

One of the fun things we did one evening was to have a fish massage.  Yes.  A fish massage.  You sit for 15 or 30 minutes with your feet in these pools and the fish nibble at your feet.  It is supposed to make your feet very smooth!  I am here with Kent, from Colorado, and Vey, from California, both conference attendees as well.

 This is not something for the extremely ticklish person.  It feels like hundreds of little shocks going through your feet...or like your feet are falling asleep.  A couple of little shrieks got out of me...but it really was pretty cool.  I think this would catch on in the US!

Two of my favorite men, Lou Haveman (from Grand Rapids) and Daniel Jean-Louis (from Haiti).  Love these guys!

Because of flight issues, I will be in Chiang Mai until Friday, at which time I will then return to Kenya, arriving back in Kitale on Sunday.  Please join with me in prayer for the message of Business as Mission to spread throughout Africa!