Message from the Founders

July 27, 2010

Have you ever had your heart broken?  I have. 

•    When my grandfather died when I was 12 – and my long anticipated trip to Disneyland was cancelled (I know – sad to say – I may have been more heartbroken over losing Disneyland). 
•    When my Dad left my Mom and me when I was 14. 
•    When my Dad died when I was 16. 
•    When my first love left me for another guy when I was 21.
•    When what I thought was my dream career ended when I was 38.

I could add to the list, but these have been the biggest heartbreaks in my life.   Every one of my life’s major heartbreaks had to do with relationships ending – even the relationship I had with my career.  One’s heart breaks when one’s heart is aligned or tied to someone or something else and that significant “other” person or thing goes away.

Allowing your heart to get involved in relationships is a great thing.  It’s wonderful to open yourself up to love – and thus to hurt – but it does mean that sometimes there is a high price.  If you open your heart, you run the risk of a broken heart.  It’s part of the price of love, of engaging your heart.

If you’re struggling with a broken heart, read and listen to these words:

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”  Psalm 34:18

Broken hearts often do lead to crushed spirits.

Are you feeling crushed right now due to a broken heart?  Hold on…..I mean HOLD ON…..to these words: 

THE LORD IS CLOSE AND HE SAVES.

God knows that our hearts will be broken and He knows that our spirits will be crushed.  But He came up with an answer to encourage and heal: Himself.  You are not alone.

Call out to God today if your heart has been broken and if your spirit has been crushed.  He is close and He will save you.

David




July 12, 2010

Yesterday, while driving, I encountered some construction and the large orange traffic cones impeded my ability to get into the left turn lane before the light turned green.  There was a car in front of me that was going to go straight through the light and had the driver just moved forward a few inches, I would have been able to maneuver past the traffic cone in order to get into the left-turn lane.

I kept inching closer and closer to the car in front of me hoping that the driver would get the message to move forward a little bit.  The driver wasn’t getting it.  Finally, in desperation, and not wanting to miss my green light for the left turn, I decided to try and squeeze between the traffic cone and the car in front of me.   I started out OK but then felt a bump and heard a loud scraping noise.  Horrified, I saw the driver of the other car – a young woman – whirl her head around with an expression (her mouth hanging open in disbelief) that screamed, “What the %*@!+#&a*?!”

I pulled up next to her, rolled down the passenger window, and said, “I’m sorry about that; do you want to pull over and take a look at it?”  She replied (nicely I might add), “Well, yes, I think so.”

We got through the light and landed in a nearby parking lot.  There was a small scrape on the rubber portion of her bumper and my front right hand fender was scraped up and looked a lot worse.  I asked her if she wanted to do anything about it and she said, “No, it’s just a small scrape – let’s not worry about it.”  I was relieved but also upset that I had messed my own car up in my attempt to be Speedy Gonzales and make that traffic light.

Rushing too fast to do anything can bring some pretty undesirable consequences.  Sometimes when we get ideas, we believe we must rush in order to make them happen.  We become afraid that somebody else will race us and beat us to the finish line. We impose artificial (and sometimes unrealistic) timelines that we believe we must meet. We have promised somebody that we will arrive at a certain time and when it seems likely we will be late, we desperately try to make up for lost time by accelerating to an unsafe speed. 

Think about slowing down.  Strongly consider whether or not your timeline is realistic and whether or not you are putting dangerous pressure on yourself (and those around you) that you just don’t need to.   When you want to get somewhere in a hurry, you often take unnecessary chances that end up marking you for good.
I’m going to think twice next time I’m tempted to race for the first green light.  I think that being patient – and being OK with making the second light – is well worth the extra minute or two that might just spare my fender.

Taking note that impatience can cause unnecessary scrapes,

David


July 7, 2010

Have you ever been hurt or punished or paid a price for doing what was right or for doing something good?  I have.  You probably have too.  The worst thing that can happen when you get hurt or punished for doing good is that it can cause you to not be so quick to get involved in doing something good in the future.  The hurt can cause you to make the decision to never extend yourself again.

I was thinking about the three brothers we took into our Village about 9 weeks ago.  I was very touched and grieved at the same time when I heard Ken, the oldest boy’s, story.

The boys’ mom and dad had separated and the boys were left in the custody of their father.  We learned that their father would leave home early in the morning and return late at night without leaving any food in the house for the boys.  When he was at home, he would often turn violent and abusive.

On one occasion, Ken, had decided he would try to prepare something for his dad and half-starved brothers to eat.  He wanted to do something nice for them all and in the process had forced a small pantry door open that had become stuck.   Enraged, his Dad punished him by heating a plastic container to the point of melting and then proceeded to drip fiery hot plastic on his hands and legs.  Ken fled for his safety and landed in the care of his teacher who took him to the hospital for treatment.  It became apparent to authorities who learned about the boys’ situation that their dad was also beating and abusing both Victor and Zadock.

Ken tried to do something nice and ended up getting burned for it – literally.  This story is true and unbelievably dramatic but the same kind of thing – people being hurt or punished for doing good – happens all the time the world over.  The most important part of every story like this, however, is not what happens in the moment of hurt, but what happens in the days, weeks, months, and years after an incident like this.
I recently heard someone speaking on kindness, and he told the story of Abraham Lincoln making a kind and positive remark in public about the rebellious Confederate  leadership, and a woman in the crowd shouted “Why are you saying that?!  Let’s kill them!”  Lincoln, un-phased, said (this is a paraphrase) “Ma’am, that’s exactly what kindness will do – it will kill them.  There is no better way to conquer your enemies than by being kind to them.”

When we have been terribly hurt – in the course of trying to do good – it can be difficult to forgive and extend kindness.  But it is possible.  It is possible when you invoke the help of our God, who is love.

Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

I know we’ll be doing a lot of listening with Ken so that he knows how much we love him and care for him.  I also know that at appropriate times, we will be talking to him about receiving his heavenly Father’s love so that with that love he can forgive his earthly dad.  We’ll be talking to Ken about becoming part of God’s family so that he can learn to love those who persecute him – including his own dad.

I don’t know what your story is, but the point at which painful hurt and damage occurred was never intended to be the end of anyone’s story.  No, the end is seeing those who hurt and persecuted you ultimately conquered by kindness and love that can only come from heaven.  It comes from heaven because it is the love that was authored through the pain and suffering on the cross by the One who Himself came from heaven - Jesus.  Call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved.

I’m excited for Ken to know that God is his REAL Father and that He is full of nothing but love for him.

David


June 28, 2010

In the past six months, my 82-year-old mother has battled with breast cancer and has had a mastectomy.  In the early diagnosis, it appeared that she had Stage 4 cancer, but after surgery and an inspection of her lymph nodes, the cancer had only reached Stage 2.  The lymph nodes were clear of cancer, and now, six months later, she is doing great and we have good reason to believe that she is cancer-free.

My mom’s cancer scare was yet another wake-up call to me to cherish the time that I have with her.  If her age isn’t enough of a reminder that her time here on earth might be short, then the cancer scare certainly was a reminder.  I really want to make the time with her count while I still have her here.

She came by yesterday afternoon, and we planted flowers together.  We then went to Home Depot, where we bought some gardening supplies and picked up a new propane tank for the barbeque.  The propane tank dispenser malfunctioned so I went it to find a salesperson to assist us.  When I went back out (the salesperson wouldn’t be out for a few minutes), my mom stood there with the new propane tank.  I said to her, “How did you get that?  What did you do?”  She said “I glanced around to make sure no one was looking and then I kicked it real hard and it released the tank.”  I laughed….my 82-year-old mom kicking propane dispensers and making them work.  It reminded me of the times she kicked me (figuratively) to get me working.

Time spent with people we love – and even with people we don’t exactly love – is so important no matter their age.  We never know how much time we have with someone.  Whether those we love are 18 or 80, we should make the commitment of time to be with them and invest in them because the time might be much shorter than any of us realize.  Don’t put it off.

Planting great memories while planting the flowers,

David



June 8, 2010

On April 7, 1865, just four days after Richmond, VA, the capitol of the Confederate South, fell, a now dejected white supremacist and pro-slavery supporter John Wilkes Booth lamented openly to his friend Samuel Knapp Chase, “What an excellent chance I had, if I wished, to kill the president on Inauguration Day!  I was on the stand, as close to him nearly as I am to you.”

On the night of April 11, 1865, Lincoln came out of the White House to give a speech to the roaring crowd that had gathered to celebrate the Civil War’s end.  In that speech, Lincoln said, “It is also unsatisfactory to some that the elective franchise is not given to the colored man.  I would myself prefer that it were conferred on the very intelligent, and on those who serve our cause as soldiers.”  In the crowd that night was John Wilkes Booth and the thought of giving the black man the right to vote made his blood boil.  Turning to his friend David Herold, he said, “That means that blacks will be citizens; now, by God, I’ll put him through.”  As he left the White House grounds that night toward Lafayette Square, he spoke to another friend, Lewis Powell, and said, “That is the last speech he will ever give.”

Had anyone taken seriously the ominous tones in John Wilkes Booths’ speech in the days and weeks leading up to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, it is possible that Lincoln’s tragic death might have been averted.

The Scripture says “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”  In other words, whatever is inside a man – whatever is down in his soul and whatever is coursing through his brain – will eventually come out in his speech.

Currently, there is something of a storm surrounding long-time presidential news correspondent, Helen Thomas.  In a spontaneous interview, videotaped by a Jewish rabbi, regarding the Turkish-launched flotilla headed for the Gaza strip that was intercepted by the Israeli military with deathly results, Thomas emphatically and colorfully stated that Jews should get out of Palestine.  She went on to say that Palestine is not their land and that they should “go home.”   The rabbi then asked her, “Where is home for the Israelis?”  Thomas replied, “Poland, Germany, the US or wherever they came from.”  In a moment, Ms. Thomas’ 50-year-long journalistic career began hanging in the balance for its life because she had dared to let come out of her mouth what was truly in her heart.  I have just learned that effective immediately, Ms. Thomas has retired because of the backlash over her remarks.

Stories like this make me want to stop and take stock of those things that come out of my own mouth.  Do I really understand the weight and importance of the words/ideas/themes that leave my mouth?  Do I take time to understand that my words are a reflection or a mirror of what I hold in my heart?

Take the time to be more aware of what comes out of your own mouth, as well as what comes out of other peoples’ mouths.  You’ll learn a lot about yourself and you’ll learn a lot about others.  If you’re brave enough – and care enough about others – to talk to them about the things they say that might not be so healthy and that provide a glimpse into their hearts, you might even be part of saving someone’s life.  Had someone been bold enough to challenge the toxicity of John Wilkes Booth’s heart and mind, we may have had one of the greatest leaders in US history around for many more years.

Learning that healthy words are a sign of healthy hearts,

David


June 2, 2010

I was encouraged a few days ago when I received an email from Kenya that informed me of what is nothing short of miraculous provision for our children in the Open Arms Village and in our feeding and street programs.

Recently, two of our three milking cows at the Village died, but through the generosity of a donor, we were able to buy a new cow.  The encouraging email told us that after giving birth last week, she is producing 31 liters of milk per day!  We are told that once she recuperates from calf-birth, she will be producing even more than that.  The other milk-producing cow we have gives between 14 and 18 liters per day, so with the one new cow, we’re still producing as much milk as we were getting when we had three cows.  We now have more than enough milk for the kids and office with an extra 10 liters per day to sell and generate some income.

We also received word that the Kenya Revenue Authority has recently confiscated tons of sugar from some thieves and just donated ten 50kg bags to us.  We are part of what is called the Children’s Forum in Eldoret – a monthly meeting where the organizations who work with children in the area come together to network and share.   Rachel mentioned our windfall of sugar at the forum meeting and afterward, gave two bags away to other orphanages who were completely out of sugar and didn’t have the money to buy more.  With the sugar we have left, we will be able to support our own food programs for a number of months.  Rachel writes, “Isn’t God good that He provides for us in our time of need?!”

The local dairy, Brookside, has periodically – and sporadically - given us donations of their leftover or almost expired milk and yogurt.  These past two weeks, however, we have received four donations from them totaling thousands of containers of milk and yogurt.  We have had more than enough for the street kids, the feeding program and our kids at the village.  It has been such a treat for all of the children.

As I reflect on the blessing of these donations, I am reminded of a story in the old testament (I Kings 17:7-9) when Elijah ran out of food to eat.  It says in this passage that God commanded a widow to supply Elijah with food.  She obeyed God’s directives and Elijah’s hunger was satisfied.

I believe that God still commands and orders things in this world.  I have no doubts that He commanded His servants to supply Open Arms with food.  I am confident He will continue to do so as long as we are ready and willing to give to others when we become aware of their needs.

Are you hungry?  Are there things you desire but don’t know where to turn to find the supply?  God knows what you need.  He’ll command the resources you need to be sent in your direction.  He’ll also get you right where you need to be in order to receive His blessings.

David


May 24, 2010

The other day as I was out running errands but saw all around me broken, bruised, and hurting people.  I know this might sound terrible, but it seemed that everywhere I went I saw the walking dead.   I don’t know about you, but I know the walking dead when I see them:  a blank expression with hollowness and emptiness in their eyes in spite of life and activity all around them.

As I went about my day doing routine, ordinary things like driving, eating in a restaurant, shopping, going to the post office, etc.  I saw all kinds of hurting people:

•Those who were visibly ill – mentally and physically

•The overweight who were suffering the physical repercussions

•One man who appeared to have been beaten up or in a serious accident

•A young man who physically looked like he’d had a rough life but whose car when I saw it – beat up and accident prone - was a reflection to me of the blows he’s suffered

•People who were “up and out” – reflecting a degree of material prosperity but with no apparent depth of character or conscience

You might think that it is awful of me to write about or describe people in this way.  However, even in this world of political correctness, I cannot, and will not, refrain from calling things as I see them.   Not in a mean-spirited attitude of criticism just to be critical – but rather in a spirit of discernment for the sake of lifting people up in prayer or in speaking with them of the life that God has intended for them.   One of the biggest problems in our world today is that we don’t call darkness out for what it is – destructive.

Genesis 1:1 is fascinating to me because in the very first verse of the Bible, in the story of creation, it says: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

Even today, there are people who are formless and empty (their spirits or “inner people” have not been formed) and over whom there is darkness.  The good news is that the Spirit of God is very close to them and is hovering nearby.  The Spirit of God wants to bring shape to their inner person and fullness to their empty spirits by infusing them with His Spirit.  When the Spirit of God comes in, His light permeates the darkness in a person’s soul. 

“Through Him (Jesus) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it….For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” - John 1:3-5; 3:16-21

Are you physically alive, but inside – in your emotions and spirit – feel dead?  God is hovering near and wants to form you and fill you.  He wants to bring His light into your darkness.  Just ask Him – Jesus, who is the Light of the world – to come into your world, your life, and He’ll do it if you ask Him to.  He’ll bring shape to your life and He’ll fill all the empty places.   Just decide that you want to live by God’s truth and you’ll begin your journey into the Light (Jesus).  Believe me, when you begin living by the truth and entering the light of Jesus, everyone around you will take notice and see a difference.

Believing for the broken, the bruised, and the lifeless to be shaped and filled by Jesus, the Light,

David


May 18, 2010

Getting electricity to our Open Arms Village has been quite a challenge.  We first applied for power more than two years ago, paid a deposit, and then waited.  And waited.  And waited.

We had a friend introduce us to our local Member of Parliament, and we introduced her to our Village and explained our need for power.  We were told she could help us.  And we waited.  And waited.  And waited.

This same friend began traveling to Nairobi and met with Kenya Power several times.  We were told that our application had been moved to the top of the list – all without paying any bribes.  And we waited.  And waited.  And waited.

Finally in March our construction project manager introduced me to the new chief engineer for Kenya Power in the Eldoret area.  I explained our two-year-long dilemma with him.  He listened patiently and after he had heard me out he replied, “You will have power by June.”  I found it hard to believe.

The day after we met with him, I received word from our staff in the Village that a survey crew from Kenya power had been out at the Village.  My heart was buoyed by this news.  And then I waited.  And waited some more.

About three weeks ago, I received word that power poles had been delivered and dropped along the road leading to our Village.  About a week ago, I received word that the poles were going up.  Yesterday I was sent a brief video showing a Kenya power crew hoisting one of the poles into place.  It would seem that our wait for power is just about over.

If you’re anything like me, then you don’t like to wait for much of anything.   Waiting can be so difficult.  Along the way it was tempting to just throw money at the problem in order to make the process move along.  We could have taken things into our own hands and made it happen.  But we decided to wait.  I am so glad we did.
I am reminded of chapter 7 in the book of Micah.  In this narrative, Micah is miserable because the good things that he needs to have happen are seemingly delayed forever.  He likens it to being in a vineyard at harvest time but can’t find any grapes to satisfy his desire.  He talks about being surrounded by officials who are constantly looking for bribes in order to make things happen.   He finishes this part of his lament in verse 7 by saying, “But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior;  my God will hear me.”

I can say that when it has come to getting power at the Open Arms Village, we made the wise decision to wait for God and to not take things into our own hands.  We prayed a lot, took action with integrity where we could – and then waited.  We plugged into God and now He has come through and we will finally be able to plug into power.

Knowing where the true source of power lies,

David



May 11, 2010

My wife, Rachel, and I have been blessed with the privilege of caring for Belle, a 9-month-old girl who Open Arms rescued from the streets of Eldoret, Kenya. I was babysitting Belle this last weekend while Rachel went to Seattle to visit her brother before she goes back to Kenya for the rest of the year.   I haven’t ever had Belle to myself for that long a period of time, so I wasn’t totally sure what I was in for but we ended up having a terrific time.

In my humble opinion, my wife has spoiled Belle just a bit because she holds her almost all the time.  As a result, Belle doesn’t like being put down and often cries when you attempt to do so.  However, there’s nothing like a guy to watch a baby for a weekend.  Rest assured, I wasn’t about to carry her around all weekend and because of that, an exciting thing happened.

Because Belle hasn’t been left on her own much to “self-soothe” and entertain herself on her own, she hadn’t yet learned to crawl.  That is, until this weekend.

Early on in the weekend, I would put Belle down on her blanket on the floor at the farthest distance from me.  I would sit on the couch at the opposite end of her blanket and I would start reading the paper.  Predictably, when we first started this exercise, Belle would sit or lay on the blanket and just cry.  I was happy to let her do so as I was able to largely tune her out.  When she learned (quite quickly, I must say) that I wasn’t going to respond by rescuing her from the horrible floor, she began to resign herself to the fact that she would have to entertain herself with the few toys that I had placed down around her on the blanket.  I was actually able to concentrate on other things because I wasn’t holding her the entire time and she wasn’t crying.

Soon, Belle began getting the hang of pushing herself up on her hands and then bringing her knees up under her.  Gaining the coordination was a lot of work for her and you could see and hear the frustration in her face and in her cry when her arms and legs weren’t exactly doing what she wanted them to do.  However, as each hour ticked by over the two days we were together, I saw coordination coming and she actually began making progress with her primitive crawling technique.

Around noon on Sunday, I had put her down and I began reading the Sunday paper.  After about 10 or 15 minutes of reading, I suddenly felt some tiny fingers grab my socked foot as Belle had made her way from one end of her blanket over to the opposite end where I sat.  I was so excited that she had made her way over to me that I started clapping and cheering for her.  She smiled a very large smile and I scooped her up and continued to heap praise on her for actually being mobile.  I then put her back down at the far end of the blanket and we started the whole process over.  Again, about 15 minutes later I would feel the tiny fingers on my toes and I would start my cheerleading all over again.

During this entire learning process, Belle would alternate between emotions of frustration, anger, disappointment (when I would take her back to the beginning to start the process all over again), happiness and excitement.  She was so happy when I would clap and cheer the moment she would reach me.

We all go through a wide range of emotions when we are stretched beyond what we think is our ability to learn something new.  New things can be challenging on so many levels and we all react differently to various aspects of new challenges.  Like Belle learning to crawl, we might experience tiredness (emotionally and physically), frustration when we aren’t gifted or feel we lack the skills to accomplish a certain task, anger when we don’t get our way, euphoria when we actually succeed and someone we love and respect makes note of our accomplishments, and great joy that we are actually making progress and beginning to master something that we didn’t think was possible.

Belle didn’t like being stretched this last weekend.  I don’t like being stretched.  That being said, when I am stretched and I discover that I can reach farther than I thought I could, there is a tremendous sense of accomplishment and a healthy dose of positive affirmation that increases self-worth.

Do you have someone in your life who is spurring you on to bigger and better things, to reach father and go places?  You’d better have someone like that.  If you don’t, you might get so used to being carried by others that you don’t ever learn that you can do things on your own.  Just ask Belle.  She’s not so scared to be on her own now.   She’s growing up – just like she’s supposed to. 

David


April 14, 2010

As I work to oversee the building of the Open Arms Village in Kenya, I am constantly reminded how deep the waters I’m treading really are.  I truly do find that I’m “in over my head” with respect to the fact that I’m not a professional contractor, I have never developed a piece of property before, and I’m working in a completely foreign culture whose laws and regulations and governance is completely different than what I am familiar with.

There are many times along the way that the weight of a specific situation or problem begins to press down upon me to where I don’t know how I will continue.  Thankfully, wonderful and skilled people from different disciplines have come alongside me and have brought their gifts and expertise to bear upon what to me is this massive work. 
Just recently, one of these weighty situations began pressing down on me when I had the thought to call my friend Anton, who is our British-based architect and project manager.  I called Anton, spoke to him about my problem, and he immediately took the difficulty upon himself and told me not to worry about it and reassured me that he would take care of it.  Immediately, because I know Anton and because I know his expertise and the fact that he does what he tells me he is going to do, I felt the weight lift off my shoulders.

For me, in this situation, Anton became the personification of God Himself.  Psalm 55:22 says:  “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.“  Anton’s presence in my life and his willingness and ability to take things off my shoulders which would otherwise weigh me down – so much so that I might become “depressed” – is an incredible picture to me of what God tells us to do throughout our lives by giving Him our cares and trusting Him to sustain us and keep us going.

I hope you have a friend like Anton in your life.  Even better, I hope you have a friend like Jesus to carry you through the difficult times.  He knows how tough it can get in life and He never intended for you to go it alone.

Throwing my cares back on God so that my steps remain light,

David


March 29, 2010

I was in England last week and had the privilege of speaking to the Lakes Gospel Choir at their final rehearsal of the season.  I felt that my topic was to be “Your Life is Not Your Own.”  The general theme of my talk was that God has created us to be “dependent” beings throughout our lives – dependent on each other and dependent on God.

I noted how interesting it is that our lives begin in dependency because as infants we must rely on someone outside of ourselves to provide our most basic needs and at the end of our lives, we often become dependent once again on those outside of us to provide for our basic needs.  It’s fascinating to me that somewhere in the middle of our lives we foolishly think we can do life all on our own.

I spoke of how sometimes our human familial relationships can skew our concept of God. We are sometimes forced to be independent because the hurt in our own family is too much to bear and we sever ties in order to protect ourselves.  I related the story of Paul Young, who, because of his own family problems, said that his first 50 years of life was spent “peeling the face of his father off the face of God.”

A couple of days after speaking to the choir, I received an email from a woman named Di who was there that night.  She wrote (in part):

“I just wanted to share something with you that happened on Monday night at choir.
I brought along a friend that we as a family are supporting with prayer and friendship at the moment…… she has had a particularly rotten life. She was abused by her step father from the age of 4 years old. She was gang raped several years ago on her way back from work one night and due to circumstances, she became heavily involved in drug and alcohol abuse.

She was feeling very low on Monday, so I invited her along to the choir practice with me as she has just finished eight months of rehab and needs lots of love. David spoke right into her heart and so much of what he said made a huge impact on her. Especially as a few months ago, she said to me "Di, how do you love God as a father when your own experience of a father is one of abuse?"

I told her that only God could deal with her feelings and he would help her to love him as a Father. When David spoke about Paul Young saying he spent 50 years trying to peel the face of his father off the face of God, my friend started weeping and has not stopped since.  God is doing a miraculous work in her……..He spoke to her in a way that only God can!!!!”

We are reminded in the Bible that God is not a man.  We are told that even if our father and mother reject us, the Lord will receive us. 

Jeremiah prayed (in Jer. 10:23), “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.”

Where do you really struggle to see God for who HE is?  Has a skewed and poisonous perception of Him caused you to separate yourself from Him and forced you to try and live life alone – without His help?  Pray and ask God to peel off the false perceptions and to remove the poisonous toxins.  Read the Bible and find out how dissimilar God is to the worst qualities you see in the lives of others – qualities that make God look a lot like the people who have hurt and disappointed you. 

God IS love; when that sinks in, you’ll want to get to know Him all over again.

David


March 23, 2010

“They went backward and not forward.”

During our staff meeting yesterday – here in Eldoret, Kenya – we had a discussion about some of the challenges they face in their community and culture in being able to consistently be people of integrity and honesty.

When asked what some of the specific challenges are, one of our staff replied, “Corruption.”  She then went on to explain that it is difficult to get anywhere in her country without paying bribes.  As an example, she cited the situation where a set of parents wants to get their child in private school.  When they go to inquire about getting their child admitted, the enrollment person says, “Well, I believe there might be a place here for your child.  It will require a 20,000 shilling (equivalent to $267) deposit.  If you can pay this deposit, I’m sure we’ll be able to find a place for your child here at our school.”

When stopped for a minor traffic infraction, the police offer to settle the matter for a few hundred shillings.  If you don’t settle, chances are good that you’ll be arrested and thrown into jail – you may remain there for weeks or months.  Most people decide it’s just far easier and simpler to pay.

The staff acknowledged that they believe paying bribes is wrong, but it is so ingrained in their culture that almost everyone does it.  And the cycle of corruption continues.

Another pressure is that of telling lies.  “White” lies, they called them.  One staff member said, “For example, if I work in a place and I see a co-worker do something bad against the employer or the company, rather than report that person, my relationship with him or her is so important that not only do I not report them, but if asked, I will lie and say they didn’t do it.”

Now we all know that these problems of integrity and honesty are not unique to Kenya.  They happen in the United States and in every country of the world because lack of morality is a problem with the human heart.

The prophet Jeremiah spoke to God’s people, Judah and Israel, several thousand years ago, saying: “Walk in all the ways I (God) command you that it may go well with you.  But they did not listen or pay attention; instead they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.  They went backward and not forward.”

It’s easy to give in to peer and cultural pressure to act and live a certain way.  But all too often, that “way” is completely contrary to what God has instructed, and there are consequences to giving in to ways of living that are contrary to what is outlined in the Scriptures.  By “going with the flow,” it may feel like you’re moving forward when in actuality that stream is carrying you backward.

Desiring the courage and strength to make choices that keep me moving forward,

David


March 16, 2010

As happens somewhat regularly here in Kenya, I had some exciting and unexpected news this week.  I’m not sure it’s welcome news at this point, but I’ll find out soon.

One of my coworkers casually mentioned that a dam is being built farther down the Kipkaren River from the Open Arms Village.  Incredulous, I said, “Excuse me?”  “Yes, there is a small dam being built down the river from here.”  I couldn’t believe it.  Part of my shock came from the fact that not too far upstream from the Village is a dam and reservoir already.  As I asked around the community, most people were aware of the development, but no one was consulted.  In the US or the UK there would have been better communication with the community and the assurance that thorough environmental impact studies had been done.

I found myself getting worked up and anxious all week not knowing whether there would be any potential negative impact on our Village.  I think it’s far enough down the river from where we’re located, but I don’t know.  I’ve started to investigate the project to make sure that environmental studies were carried out and that the process has been handled legally.

This week’s events have been another reminder to me to not be anxious and unnecessarily stirred up about things and, at the same time, trust that God will indeed work all things together for good as we stay committed to him, love him, and stay true to carrying out his purposes for our lives.

Have you received any surprising or unexpected news recently?  Are you worked up about a situation?  Is there an unexpected dam being built that you weren’t aware of? 

If we don’t turn things over to God in prayer, we will remain anxious about them, and they will begin to block the flow of God’s power and blessing in the situation.  It can be difficult to let go, give things up, and turn them over to God, but it’s necessary to do so in order that the weight of those things – like a 100-ton dam – don’t weigh us down, depress us, and cause untold damage.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  - Philippians 4:6-7

I don’t know what will happen with the dam here in Kenya, but I can trust that God will take care of the situation.  Who knows?  Even though I’ve been anxious because I immediately see the dam (or the glass) as half empty and assume it’s going to have a negative impact, I might also thank God one day for that dam.  For all I know, a drought might be coming, and that dam might just continue to water the crops that will feed the children in our Village.

Allowing God to stop the floods of anxiety,

David Gallagher


March 8, 2010

Surrender.  That can be a really difficult word depending on which side you’re on.  If you’re the one barking that order to another human being, then it can feel pretty good because it is some indication that you happen to be on the winning side.  You feel powerful, strong, and in control.

If you’re on the other side of surrender, and you’re the one that has to throw your hands up and maybe fall on your knees and bow your face to the ground, then that’s another story.  That can be a lot more difficult.

When I came into a relationship with God through Christ, I not only had to learn how to surrender, but I also learned that I had to practice it – continually.  As mortal men and women, we try to gain control of things and then try to desperately maintain that control because control brings a sense of security to our otherwise fragile existence.  I have found that I practice surrender by remembering that it is OK to NOT be in control.  I practice reminding myself that I am no more or less a man when I’m not in control.  We tend to think that those who surrender are weak (sometimes they are if they surrender for the wrong reasons), but I would postulate that most often they are the strongest people you’ll ever meet. 

I actually believe now that those who know when and how to surrender for the right reasons are probably the strongest – and healthiest – people in the world.

There is a church in another state that one of our board members and I have been “courting” for more than two years now.  Our desire is that we might become a mission partner with this church.  Every time we visit this state (two to three times per year), we make an appointment with one of the associate pastors who we have formed a friendship with and try to further the relationship.  Recently, this pastor was reassigned and no longer has the influence with the key decision makers in the church that he once had.  We have been trying to contact the key decision makers directly, but to no avail.

My friend, Bria,n has taken this task of forming a partnership with this church very seriously.  It has become a personal mission and he is like a dog on a bone.  I just laugh now and tell him to surrender.  I can tell he doesn’t want to.  He is upset because he doesn’t feel it is right for this church to simply shun us and ignore us.  But that’s what they’re doing, and we can’t do anything about it.

When I’m not in control – as hard as I try to be – I have to remind myself to “Trust in the Lord with all my heart and not lean to my own understanding.”  I must remember to acknowledge God in all my ways knowing that He has promised to direct my paths (Proverbs 3:5,6).

So, don’t be afraid to fall on the “losing” side of surrender.  Throw your hands up, fall on your knees, and bow low.  God is an expert at promoting those who humble themselves before Him.

Doing my best to surrender,

David



March 1, 2010

Sometimes a dead end can lead to a divine appointment.

None of us like to have our respective journeys interrupted by blockades or walls or anything that remotely poses a threat to our intended destination.  We are oh so quick to assume that our intended destination was the right one or that our well mapped-out route in getting there was the definitely the highest and best.

I was on a flight a few days ago and although my destination (the lavatory) wasn’t exactly the most noble, for me it was very important.  The risks and threats of humiliation and embarrassment were staggering if I didn’t get there in time.

I got out of my seat and just as I neared the door to the bathroom the flight attendants pushed a serving cart across my path and said, “Oh, sorry, you just missed getting into the bathroom.  The pilot is taking a break and we can’t let anyone up here right now.  However, you can go to the back and use the toilet back there.”

Bummer.  A dead end.  I thought to myself, “Drats!  Just a few seconds earlier and I would have made it.  My journey wouldn’t have been interrupted and I wouldn’t have been sent on a detour.”  I hate detours.  They take time.  They can be bumpy.  They can be confusing.  OK, they can be downright irritating.

I went to the next bathroom where there was one other person already waiting and I glanced over to see the flight attendant who had been serving me sitting on her jump seat.  She saw me and asked, “What were you reading in the Bible?”  I had been having my devotional time when I first boarded the plane and she had seen me reading.  We spoke for a few minutes and she asked me what I did – whether or not I was in ministry.

I began to tell her about Open Arms and our work in Africa.  I then pulled out a picture of Belle – one of the children who had been on the streets of Eldoret – and she began to weep.  She started crying and turned her back toward the aisle so that others wouldn’t see her crying.  We ended up talking for about 30 minutes and she was desperate to make her life count for the Lord and she told me that she has always dreamed of going to Africa.

Dead ends aren’t enjoyable, but they do sometimes play an important part of God directing our journeys.  In the Bible, in Acts 16, it says concerning Paul and his traveling companions, “When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.  So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.”

Don’t be too quick to get irritated or upset by dead ends.  God may be redirecting you so that you can have a divine appointment.

Appreciating that some dead ends actually result in life beginnings,

David



February 22, 2010

I won’t ever forget the day that little baby Belle came to us from off the streets of Eldoret, Kenya, at only one month old.  The District Children’s Officer (DCO) had talked her mother into giving Belle up as the streets are no place for a newborn baby.  We got the phone call and 90 minutes later, we had baby Belle in our home.  As our other two staff members in the house were already caring for two other babies that we had taken in, Rachel looked at me and asked, “Can we take care of this baby?  There isn’t anyone else to do it.”  She was right – there wasn’t anyone else to do it, so we instantly became Mommy and Daddy.

When Belle came to us, her little face was broken out in small bumps, her clothes were filthy, and she smelled pretty bad.  She had glue bottles shoved up inside each of her pant legs where her mother had hidden her stash of glue hoping that the DCO wouldn’t find it.  The first thing we did was to strip Belle’s clothes off and prepare a warm bath.  The water was quite dirty when we finished bathing her.  For many days afterward, we washed dirt from her ears. 

The second night we had her, she began her withdrawals from the addiction to alcohol and glue.  Like clockwork, for eight to 10 hours per day (4 or 5 hours in the morning and 4 or 5 hours in the evening) for almost three months, Belle went through withdrawals.  She had the shakes, the sweats, convulsions, and inconsolable crying.  All we could was hold her and try to reassure her that she was going to be OK.  It was terrible to watch as we felt completely helpless.  If we could have instantly taken her pain away, we would have both gladly done so in a moment.

There are no guarantees in life that we won’t hurt or be in pain.  Sometimes our pain is the result of our own circumstances or our own choices, and then sometimes, like in Belle’s case, it is the result of someone else’s choices.  Either way, if you’re going to break out of the cycle of dysfunction and hurt, it is often going to require having to do so by experiencing some pain.

One thing I do know: in the same way that we chose to love a little girl that we didn’t even know and chose to hold her and embrace her through some very painful times, God does that for us.  Even as Belle was so young and immature to even know who we were, we still chose to love her and to cradle her toward health and healing.  I believe that even though we are sometimes so immature to recognize God’s presence in our lives, it doesn’t negate the fact that He is actually right there to hold us and to carry us through difficult and painful times. 

God is a father to the fatherless.  He is a shepherd to those who are lost.  He is a physician to those who are hurting.  He is a companion to those who are lonely.  Go ahead and thank Him for carrying you – even when you mistakenly thought you could walk on your own.  That’s what faith is all about.

David


February 8, 2010

I’ll never forget the first time I stepped off a plane and onto the continent of Africa.  It was January 2002 when I began what was a very long and surreal descent down a set of stairs and onto the tarmac at Jomo Kenyatta airport in Nairobi, Kenya.  I distinctly remembering thinking to myself, “Oh my, what have I done?!  I’m definitely not in Kansas anymore.”

Bearing Kansas in mind, I suppose I felt like Dorothy stepping out of her house and into Oz.  A completely different experience, obviously, but probably the same shock and wonder at stepping into a new world.  There’s no way to avoid it when you leave the familiar and immerse yourself into the unfamiliar.

I distinctly remember two people who have come on teams with Open Arms to Africa for whom the shock waves were significant.  Both left the comfort of their homes in the West and traveled to Africa to work with us.   The first one, Linda, was riding just behind me in the back of our van when I heard muffled sobs as we drove through the streets of Uganda.  I turned around and asked her, “Are you O.K.?”  She shook her head no and said through her tears, “I don’t know if I can do this.”  The impact of what she was seeing through the windows of the van just minutes after we had left the airport was overwhelming her.  I encouraged her that she could do it and that it would all make sense within about 24 hours as she rolled up her sleeves to help and pour out love to people like the ones she was seeing outside the van window.

Another traveler, Helen, was overcome with emotion several times as she would visit the Open Arms feeding program in the Kambi Teso slum and as she would work with some of the orphaned children in our Village.  I remember consoling her and encouraging her that she, too, could make a huge difference in the lives of the people she was serving even though she found the work a challenge to her own emotions.  The biggest source of her struggles was that she had so effectively insulated her own life back home and protected herself from the possibility of any discomfort or pain, that now by coming to Africa the floodgates of reality were crashing against her soul.

Comfort. Ease. Seclusion. Peace.  And the desired result from all this, our own happiness, is what keeps us safely tucked away from anything that might just rock our worlds.  From anything that might just unsettle our souls.  The pursuit of comfort, ease, seclusion, and peace is what we often want and strive for, but it isn’t what God wants for us.  The very things that He gave up by coming to us in the form of His son, Jesus, so that we could be helped and healed are the very things that He wants us to give up so that others can be helped and healed.  If God had decided to preserve His own comfort and well-being, we would have all been in big trouble.  He loved us too much to do that.  Linda and Helen, with the power of God’s Spirit inside them animating them, both gave up their comfort and peace – and it cost them dearly emotionally – so that they might extend love to others and make a difference in their lives.

Take a risk and give up your own comfort to help someone else.  Your life might suddenly turn from black-and-white into full color.

You’ll survive the tornado when you know Oz is on the other side,

David Gallagher



February 1, 2010

A couple of weeks ago, we received word that a 4-year-old girl named Mary had been identified by one of our partner organizations in Eldoret, Kenya, as an at-risk child due to malnourishment and serious illness.  Mary was living with an aunt who was providing little care or food and who didn’t believe in the medical treatment that Mary desperately needed.  This organization asked us if we could take Mary into our Open Arms Village.

We said we could take Mary, but when our partner went to get her, she wasn’t at home.  Her aunt wasn’t at home either, and we began to fear that Mary had been hidden so that she wouldn’t be taken. 

When our staff in the US was alerted, we began to pray.  We prayed that Mary would be found quickly and that her aunt would willingly allow us to take Mary in so that her life might be spared and so that she might have hope for a better future. 

Well, last week we got word that Mary had been located and that she was in the custody of Open Arms.  When we got her she was indeed severely malnourished (with a distended stomach), very sick, and had a severe case of jiggers (small parasites that burrow into one’s feet and lay eggs; the egg sacs grow and become very painful).  We learned that both her parents had died of AIDS.  The District Children's Office released her into our care and today Mary is living with Peter and Stella (her new parents) and the family of children in Upendo House at our Village.  

I am grateful that God answers prayer.  We are told in the Bible to ask Him for things in prayer and that He listens to and responds to our requests.

I believe God heard our prayers on Mary’s behalf and that He answered them.  God delights in caring for the weak and vulnerable, and I’m so glad that Open Arms can be a small part of bringing health and wholeness to a little girl who has been suffering.

Thank you for partnering with us to change Africa one life at a time.  There are many more Marys out there needing our help.  Thank you for partnering with us to touch as many as possible. 

We all have a name,

David


January 25, 2010

Several months ago, we put the metal roofs onto our first four children’s homes at the Open Arms Village.  In spite of the fact that they were brand new metal sheets, they were discolored in places and looked, well, shall we say, a bit “off.”  I didn’t think too much about it and nothing was said by our construction experts on the ground.

About one week after these metal sheets had been put on, Chris, a close friend of mine from the UK, flew into Eldoret and visited our Village.  As it so happens, Chris is a roofing expert and had seen the roofs of our homes from the air as he was landing at the airport.  When he finally arrived at the Village and looked at the roofs, he commented to me that he was troubled by what he saw.  After closer inspection, he was convinced that our contractor had been sold sub-standard, faulty roofing sheets.

With Chris’s insistence and expert advice, we tore the metal sheets off our roofs and returned them to the supplier, who then showed them to the manufacturer.  The manufacturer didn’t come right out and admit that the sheets were sub-standard, but he also didn’t put up a fight when it came to our insistence that they give us a quality product.

Sometimes we need someone – especially an expert – who flies at a higher level than we do to look at our work and point out areas of concern that we might not even notice.  I’m convinced that if Chris hadn’t seen those roofs from the air and if his sharp expert eyes hadn’t noticed a problem, then we may have had rain pouring into our homes in a relatively short period of time.

Scripture says that the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth.  He is God’s Counselor for us and “teaches us all things.” Just like my friend Chris saw the situation on the ground from high up in the airplane, God’s Spirit sees things from a higher level than we do and catches things that we might miss.  If we pay attention to Him and take time to read His word and to listen to Him, He then brings these things to our attention because He knows that if they’re not remedied they might cause problems down the road.

Thankful for experts like Chris and Christ whose counsel keeps me from trouble,

David Gallagher



January 18, 2010

I had been staying in a hotel with friends for a few days last fall.  Early on in the stay, while in the hotel dining room for breakfast, I ordered eggs Benedictine (the fancy French way of saying “eggs benedict”).  I was fascinated when they came to me with whole English muffins under each egg.  I don’t know what it is with me, but I like my eggs benedict a bit more flat – like my pillows.  Not being used to having entire muffins under my eggs, I carefully removed them and cut them in half.  I then jacked the ham and eggs back up off my plate and carefully slid the muffin halves back under my Benedictine delight.

Well, I was at breakfast again the next morning with my friends, John and Rose, and I ordered eggs Benedictine once again.  When the very nice waiter took my order, I requested of him that I only have one-half of an English muffin under each egg.  He replied that they only come served with half an English muffin under each egg.  I laughed and said, “Well that’s how I’ve always had them, and that’s how I like them, but here in your restaurant the other morning they came with full muffins under each Benedictine mound.”  He then laughed and told me that they had simply served them incorrectly.

About 15 minutes later, here came my Benedictine delight and they appeared to be quite high again.  When I looked closely, I saw that they again had full English muffins under them.  I quickly pointed it out to the waiter and said, “See – your restaurant is serving them with whole muffins underneath!  Can I get this with just half an English muffin under each one?”  Now, I thought I was being quite nice about it and I thought that my tone of voice was friendly.  I’m sure I was also a bit excited to prove my point to the waiter that his restaurant indeed was serving eggs Benedictine with full English muffins underneath.  The waiter, seeing that what he had told me was not true, quickly removed my plate and whisked it away to the world where eggs Benedictine are created in order to do immediate surgery for an apparent birth defect.

No sooner had he left than my friend Rose looked at me and said, “David!  That was quite arrogant!  What you just did was awful.”  I looked back at her quite shocked and surprised because in my heart, I don’t think I’m an arrogant person and I certainly didn’t think what I did was awful.

We had a somewhat uncomfortable conversation – most uncomfortable for me – because I was being challenged on how I had spoken and how I had come across to the waiter.  I didn’t think I had spoken or behaved in a rude manner, but Rose thought I had.  So, we spent a few minutes talking through it.

The interesting dynamic in this situation is that Rose is British and I’m American.  We laugh all the time because Americans are more direct than many other people groups around the world and sometimes we are perceived as arrogant because we can be so direct.  Rose told me that had she been in my situation with those failed muffins, would have said nothing about it and would have simply cut them in half herself just like I had done on my first Benedictine day.  Rose acknowledged that there are times she needs to be more direct.

I think that in this situation my drive and desire to be “right” must have outweighed the demands for graciousness.  Again, I didn’t think or realize I wasn’t being gracious, but someone other than me looking on – a dear friend, no less – saw something that didn’t come over very well.  I knew – as uncomfortable as it was – that it was something I couldn’t ignore or dismiss, but that it was an observation coming from a dear friend (who loves and cares about me) that I needed to pay attention to. 

The Bible says in Proverbs 27: 6, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”

Do you have people in your life who will speak the truth to you – about YOU – even when it hurts?  I hope so.  The scripture here in Proverbs 27 is really saying that people who only kiss up to you and never talk with you about the hard stuff they see in you really aren’t your friends.  I know that the word “enemy” is a tough word, but if your friends aren’t in your life to help you improve – and improvement never comes without some pain – then are they really your friends?  And if they aren’t your friends, then what are they? 

Thankful for friends who are brave enough to get their files out when the Benedictine muffins cause me to get a bit too sharp,

David


January 11, 2010

I had just taken a shower and was getting dressed when our little toddler, Diana, who is 17 months old, walked into the bathroom.  Now, Diana’s favorite thing in all the world is to pull out Mommy Rachel’s tampons from the bottom cupboard and strew them all over the floor.  She just loves doing that.  She giggles and laughs as she throws them around the bathroom floor.  Of course Rachel and I think, “Yep, you’d better enjoy them now while you can because the day will come before we all know it that they’ll not be nearly as much fun.”

Anyway, on this particular day, as Diana headed for that cupboard, where, incidentally, I keep my deodorant, I said to her, “Diana, can you bring Daddy his deodorant?”  Now, at only 17 months, I didn’t really expect her to know what deodorant is, but to my shock and surprise, she pulled a small travel-size deodorant stick from the cupboard and toddled over and handed it to me.  I really was amazed. 

As amazed as I was, I had a thought flash through my mind.  The thought was, “Oh, this deodorant stick hasn�