“A life of total abandonment and commitment to Christ”. This was in a way the one statement message which was shared by a missionary to Kenya in our church yesterday. Pastor Christine shared several testimonies but all of them were tied back to the title and her one statement (I emphasized on the one statement thing as that was the only statement that got etched in my heart and mind).

In my notes too was just the title, scripture verse and two statements…one as above and the other….God doesn’t need our talent but our commitment. I didn’t keep track of how long she spoke but that was all I managed to take down between crying and trying to hold back tears each time she share and start on a testimony…and each one so heart wrenching of such unspeakable evil acts. I am amazed at how she could continue sharing and yet remained so contained (maybe I am a crying baby lady) but I firmly believe God had prepared her so.

With what she and her husband went through, it is no surprise when she told God that she ‘resign from her calling’ (and Ps Christine candidly mention if there is such a thing as that!). She felt that she couldn’t continue anymore and this is the testimony which left her so discouraged….

….there was this beautiful 15 year old girl who was staying in the street home (which houses 800 orphaned children) started by Pastor Tony and Pastor Christine. This girl was blessed with a natural talent in singing and dance….perfect pitch and timing (with no formal training)….she was a worship leader in the church which was started by them too. A time came for her (I will call her Helen) to visit her relatives. 3 days after Helen left, Ps Christine received news that she had passed away from malaria. The relatives demanded quite a hefty sum of money from the street home to bury Helen….of course the home couldn’t afford and finally got permission from Helen’s relatives (when they knew that they aren’t getting any money from the street home) to bring her body back to be buried in the church ground. Upon collecting Helen’s body from the morgue, truth was revealed that Helen actually died from infection of being circumcised. That left Ps Christine so torn, how can she go on running the home with so many young girls staying there and knowing they are bound to face this torture at certain age…..so she told God she resign.

Having said that Ps Christine continued with her other ministries.

In Kenya, when you have visitors to your home, it is expected of the host to serve coffee or tea with sugar (Africans love sugar). One day Ps Christine was expecting some visitors and forgot to replenish the beverages on her way back. Being tired and all, grudgingly she was about to leave the house again when she noticed some plastic bags thrown over her gate (people usually leave bags of used clothes and any usable items at their gate for the homes that they run). She took the bags in and going through the stuff, right at the bottom of one of the bags was a bottle of coffee, tea and sugar. She stood crying in the kitchen holding the bottles in her hands.

Ps Christine knew then God was telling her that He provided without her asking. All God wants is her poured out life (2 Tim4:6 was the verse God gave her and for some time she just didn’t know what God was trying to tell her though she read it over and over)….now she understood. No matter how she feel, a life of total abandonment is what He wants and He will provide the strength. She just need to commit her life in totality to Him….she withdrew her ‘resignation’ from God and the street home.

Other testimonies (summarized):

The Breastless Women….. During the fightings, women were raped, some got impregnated and to avoid them nursing the babies when born, these women’s breasts are cut off. Thus unable to nurse the babies, the babies eventually die. These women scarred physical and emotionally for life, need to be reached and know that there is a God who loves them. How?….when all they see are evil doings and hopelessness.

The Charred Youths….. Some children are kidnapped at an age as young as nine or ten. They are then fed drugs to get them high and dependent on these substances. The motive of this? Train these kids to commit crimes, heinous crimes. How can a child of such a tender age perform such task unless he was high and ruled by drugs…..Years later when they are freed, they appear expressionless and emotionless. They are horrendous to look at and there is the hollowness in their eyes. Their souls charred and destroyed by all kinds of brutality they were forced to commit….they are known as the charred youth. They need to know there is a God who loves them and forgives.

The Armless Women (I can’t remember the term that Ps Christine used, I was concentrating on fighting backs tears but to no avail)….. Women were forced to kill their own children….if they aren’t able to or won’t (which parent can?) their arms will be chopped off. Many were forced to witnessed the killing of their child and then still have their arm chopped off, when they can never kill their own. No children and no arms…..what is being alive to them? These women need to know there is a God who loves them and had not forsaken them.

All the above encouraged Ps Christine to continue pouring out her life depending on God no matter how painful and torn apart it is for her because He had quipped her and will continue to equip her.

What about us?…..I am reminded of Leon’s post – ‘I know nothing, I know nothing’. …..People need the Lord…..They need to know there is hope….hope from God through us.

Ps Tony and Ps Christine are continually challenged in their ministries in Kenya and outside Kenya and God continued to show them His works….one of which was when a boy under the care of their street home was miraculously healed from full blown aids.

The above is penned down in my own words as how I remembered or forgotten between tears and tissues.

- Africa’s wars in the 1990s were all very different in their specifics. But they shared a number of important characteristics. First, one of the main underlying causes of these wars was the weakness, the corruption, the high level of militarization, and in some cases the complete collapse, of the states involved. Secondly, they all involved multiple belligerents fighting for a multiplicity of often shifting economic and political motivations. Thirdly, they all had serious regional dimensions and regional implications. And fourthly they were all remarkable for the brutality of the tactics (ranging from mass murder and ethnic cleansing, to amputation, starvation, forced labour, rape and cannibalism) used by belligerents to secure their strategic objectives. – excerpts from Crime of War (War in Africa-the magazine).

Africa is a huge continent. What about the world?…..(let us live a poured out life as He equips us). We do have a lot to do……maybe start with our neighbor?

Leon says: Lord use me!

I was asked by blog owner if I could write something in his absence and as usual did not dare promise as I am a person of few words. So here I am making a grreaaaat effort. . .what can I write/share?. . . I was thinking through the happenings in my quiet life these few days and maybe will try share a little testimony. A testimony of how good our God is.

I often feel that testimonies must be impressive, must be huge as in WOW!!! . . . and I make this HUGE mistake often . . . my testimony not powerful enough to impact people’s life, so no need la, no need to testify or share. This is so silly of course because God does not need my help to promote His Greatness. He just need me to communicate to others how much He is alive in my life and leave the rest to Him.

Here goes the little testimony: I needed to drop by a pharmacy which i frequent and parking is impossible during the day unless i double parked which i would rather not. (I have something to share or educate about double parking, . . after this testimony ya!). As I was turning the corner I prayed, “Father please supply a parking space, thank You Father, Amen”. And Lo and Behold (this expression is one of my pastor’s favorite) I quickly thank God, there was a space just two shops away from the pharmacy entrance and since it’s a side lot so I needed to reverse park.

I engaged my gear to reverse and started moving slowly and suddenly. . .a car came round the corner and stuck its front into the space with the ‘backside’ of her car sticking out!! (obviously she could not park properly without reversing in). Of course I braked and stared at the lady who came out of her car looked at me and went straight into a sanitary shop. I could not believe my eyes nor could i believe that people (some more a lady wor) would do such a thing (am i too ignorant??), in fact I was shocked and stared at her until she disappeared into the shop. Its like the lady was telling me when she looked back, “you can stare all you want, i ain’t moving my car”.

I was indeed upset, but God is indeed good!!… He provided another space a little further in front and some more shaded one when a car pulled out. Those staying in Kota Kemuning know how tough it is getting a parking space during the office hours around the shop lots opposite the lake. God not only answered my prayer once, He did it TWICE!!! Thank You Father for your providence again and again.

Now the double parking thing. . .this happened in SS15 (Subang Jaya) shop lots area, the stretch between Maybank and Public Bank. I parked I think less than 10 minutes and found a car double parked when I needed to move off. So I did the usual, honking and looking at any one that would wave an apology, to my dismay no one appeared to claim the car. The shop personnel where my car was parked right in front, told me that I need to hold my horn down, but being the introvert I am, so malu and could not bring myself to do that so the normal honk honk honk continued (doing the honk honk thing already so embarassed la how to hold the horn down). I was stuck for about 40 minutes and it was sooooooooo hot in the afternoon and my blood was like beginning to boil though every few minutes I disappear into my car to cool down.

I cant remember what prompted me to look at the dashboard of the double parked car. . .there was a name card and i proceeded to dial the number. “Hello, is your car this and this and so on number?” “Yes, I blocking your car is it?, ok I am coming out now”, that was the response. A man appeared from Public Bank, just about 3 shop lots away from where I parked. I asked the car owner why didnt he come out when I honked for the last 40 minutes, without a word of apology he replied, “you should have called me earlier” (what happened to if you double parked you must be on the look out or be alert for anyone honking?).

I was like boiling mad and to this day I still do not know where my calmness came from (my guess it must be from my Father in Heaven) when I stood there and asked him, “you double parked. . . I honked. . . and I bodoh because I didnt know I was supposed to call you. . . from the name card you left on your dashboard . . . to kindly move your double parked car.” “So its my fault that I didnt know the present trend of double parking!” With that I got into my car and waited for him to move his DOUBLE PARKED car out of the way.

That incident was about a year ago, so fellow drivers if ever your car is blocked by a double parked car, please please take a look at the dashboard for a name card and number to call. Otherwise, you will be just like me, bodoh and get myself worked up and ended up being my fault too for not being trendy enough where double parking is concerned!!. . .as I mentioned that was about a year ago, now got new trend ah? Anyone . . . got or not?. . .educate us/me please.