How 'Bout Some Mustard With That?

It's been four weeks today since we returned from our Vision Trip to Kenya.  We spent a great week with the kids at the Bethel Children's Centre.  My companion on this trip, Pete, was overwhelmed at the faith of the workers at the Centre as well as the faith of the kids.  And, even though I've witnessed it before, so was I.   My original goal for this trip was to try to come up with a plan to take the prototype of Bethel and "franchise" it to other areas in Kenya.  The problem is that it is very difficult to find people who are willing to lay down their lives and raise five dozen children like Andrew, Agnes and Lillian are doing.  I didn't find  the answer I was looking for.   But God, ever faithful, provided an answer.  In Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus said:  “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”  Well, if you want mustard plants, you need mustard seeds.  And mustard seeds come from mustard plants.  So if you get more mustard plants, you'll have more mustard seeds...  I have seen faith in God growing like a mustard plant in the lives of the children at the Bethel Children's Centre.  I have met Hiram, a high school boy, who leads a Bible study at his high school, which has now expanded to dozens of other high schools in Kenya.  I have met Caroline, a natural leader who has a heart for "the least of these."  She wants to be a lawyer to defend the rights of people in Kenya whose land and possessions have been illegally (and immorally) taken from them.  I have met Emmah, an eighth-grade girl who has a heart for children; well, let's just say she has the biggest, most love-filled heart I have seen.  She wants to be a doctor so she can help sick kids.  Here, in this little community, outside the notice of the world, amazing things are happening.  Mustard plants are growing.  And, they are planting other seeds.  Make no mistake.  These children are going to change the world.  They are going to have an impact no matter what we do because their God is big.  Their God is Ever Faithful. And they know they can do all things through Him.  But God, in His loving graciousness, has opened the door and invited us to be a part of His plan!  He has invited us to tend His garden, to sow some mustard seeds. 


God is allowing us to help provide tools for these kids, because the lack of education and training in Kenya will hinder a child's future, just like it can in the US.  
  
High school is not free in Kenya.  Most high schools are boarding schools, and the cost is prohibitive, especially for an orphan with no financial resources.  But, the American dollar goes a long way in Kenya.  The cost of sending a child to high school is surprisingly low.  On average, it costs about $1,000 US dollars to cover tuition, books, room and board for a child to go to high school, or less than $3 a day.  

For the cost of a magazine or a latte, we can truly make a difference in the world - one child at a time.  We can see mustard seeds sprout and grow in the desert.  Because of this Great God and His plan, we will see these children grow and take up the cause of Christ.   Maybe they will be the ones to care for other orphaned children in Kenya.  Very soon Huruma will be inviting you to join with us in the adventure of educating these kids.  Trust me.  You are going to want to get in on the ground floor of this trip.  The elevator is only going one way.  You won't want to miss it!

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