I don’t know if everyone has the same
tendency to be a bit reflective on New Years Day, or whether it’s a sign of my
personality / age / something else, but I certainly find myself doing a bit of
a look back and forward at this point.
From many perspectives it’s been quite a
busy year to say the least, and that includes the CRED perspective. There have
been the expected number of unexpected (if you see what I mean), but the
reassuring thing throughout all of those times is that they aren’t unexpected
to God, and in retrospect we can see how He has been preparing the way to
absorb those changes as well as possible.
So, for the team that initially were hoping
to go to India but had to switch to Uganda for logistics reasons quite early
on, it meant that not only were they not in India at the time of some cyclones,
but it also meant that they were in Uganda at the right time to able to help a
little Acholi lad who was suffering from sickle cell anaemia and needed
hospital treatment that his family couldn’t afford, but the team could when
they clubbed together. A beautiful opportunity for one of our teams to respond
to an immediate need from the prompting of their hearts, and in so doing
unwittingly be involved in a profound time of responding to God’s nudging –
something that many of them reflected on in different ways afterwards.
Another team also had to switch locations,
this time very last minute, from Kenya to Uganda. It was Al-Shabab’s Nairobi
antics that caused the switch, and whilst it was pretty full on at the time,
everything went well, and we ended up still being able to bless the Kenyan
partner with resources when we stopped over at Nairobi airport, as well as
being able to start a new project of providing numeracy and literacy to the
Acholi non-schooled children. A double blessing of God’s works emanating from
potential disruption by Al-Shabab; and definite proof that good will always
prevail in the end J
On the partner front, we’ve also started
building good relationships with new partners in Malawi, Bulgaria and Mexico
and have teams lined up to go out and get involved with the Malawi and Bulgaria
work in the next 12 months.
And of course we continue to work with our
other partners, all wonderful and inspirational and doing amazing work in
extremely challenging surroundings. The challenges come in many forms –
financial, climatic, religious fanaticism, government policies…..but one thing
I am reminded time and again in liaising with the partners is just how
important it is to cover everything time and time again in prayer. Their faith,
and persevering pursuit of God’s will, even when the chips are really down…
well it makes my lack of spiritual discipline very evident and certainly
prompts a renewed effort, albeit not always for long at a time I’m ashamed to
say!
One of the wonderful things about CRED
trips, apart from the partners and projects that we go to, are the
transformations that we see in the young people who take part. And this year
has been no different. I can think of one lad who used to average a detention a
week before the trip, but since getting his perspective on life and his role in
it reviewed, he has not been in detention once – and he’s been back for 5
months. Another participant is now pursuing family-centred social work as a
career, due to the great sense of fulfillment she got through participating in
the trip. Another is pursuing a career as a GP rather than a surgeon as she has
realised she wants to ‘treat the person as a whole not just as a problem to be
solved with a knife’. And many others have had other life-impacting experiences
that they are working out in various ways.
The exposure of the young people to God’s
Kingdom work is something else very special, and again we have seen examples of
previously un-churched young people getting a feel for God in their lives for
the first time, as well as others who do have some level of faith growing to
love Him more, and to recognize His call on their lives. Some amazing
conversations around all this have been had, and it’s an honour to be part of
it, and of raising up the next generation in this way.
I could go on about many other bits of the
CRED year but I’ll save you that! Instead I’ll close this first blog of 2015
with 3 snapshots of why 2014 was so special for me:
- . In Addis in July on the Women At Risk trip, there was a special celebration event at the end of the week for all the children and their mothers. Three of the mums who came to the event were ones whose homes I had visited the previous year, and each of them came up to me with smiles and hugs and welcomed me like a long-lost friend: I felt so humbled, and it reinforced for me how important these trips and relationships are for the children and families on the projects.
- . In Uganda in October I had the chance to teach 6 ladies how to write their names – something they had never been able to previously do. As a result they said that they feel like real people again. A very powerful moment and from that has been birthed an adult literacy class for these 6 ladies, and some of their illiterate friends, that will be run by a local Acholi lady who is studying education at University. All it needed was a bit of seedcorn money and encouragement to take it forward – and now that they have that the classes have begun and some of the older ladies will soon be much more empowered than they previously were.
- . In Uganda in November I sat and listened to the story of John Njendahayo – as he told it, sitting in the village of the tea plantation where he grew up. It is a real rags to riches story although he will never make it to riches as he keeps giving everything away and living simply so that he can ensure others may live. John’s story was a reminder of all the stories of our partners, and of how selfless and faith-filled they live their lives. Stories full of lessons for us all to take away, be challenged by, and be transformed by.
May 2015 be a very special year for us all,
and may we each have, and grasp, opportunities to live out God’s calling on our
lives. May we each have people around us to inspire, challenge and help us grow
closer to doing things the way Jesus would do them, and may we be that person
to others.
Love and prayers to you all.
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