Teaching - Talking - Timing...Teleios/Grace Africa 2007
Day 7…God’s Timing Is Perfect
Dinner time proved to be a great opportunity for frank discussions and loud laughter.
Mike's topic of discussion on Friday led to a great deal of dialogue and many questions.
Mitchell shared some personal experiences that gave deep impact to his message on 'Crisis Ministry.'
Friday, the second day of teaching at Mukuria, was a cloudy, misty, and cold day—jackets required. Some of our team made the radical decision this morning to have no eggs or omelets after almost a week of them—Oops, some of the wives were not supposed to know that.
After our usual short 45-minute thrill ride to Mukuria, the conference began. Mike reviewed models of how churches are structured with strengths and weaknesses. Then, he moved into common threats to pastoral ministry. The pastors responded with a great deal of dialogue, as well as a great number of questions. We have discovered that one sentence can lead to a 20-minute discussion.
Tea breaks have become a great time of fellowship. The team agrees with Mitchell—“I’m beginning to enjoy Chai (tea, milk and sugar mix).” Matt is still convinced that he can win some Kenyans over to ice-cold tea. We have moved from gathering together ourselves to talking with our Kenyan brothers and sisters about many things. The Grace Team was fascinated with the “kitchen” skills of the cooks – using two pots to prepare tea at 10:30 a.m., lunch at 1 p.m., and tea at 4 p.m. How can they cook so much rice in those pots and not scorch it? How can the beans not stick to the pot? Is that cheese? (No, carrots). Oh, to have a bottle of hot sauce for the beans!
Mitchell taught on Crisis Ministry. His “brief teaching” was followed by many questions. Having Bernard with us is a great asset to the teaching. He understands us and the pastors, so he can translate not just words but ideas for the church leaders. Mitchell shared some great personal experiences that gave real impact to the teaching.
Floyd “preached” on the biblical basis of mission (or so the team says). He was able to overcome the misbehavior in the back of the room during his teaching to bring home the point.
We have really enjoyed our evening times of talking while we waited on dinner. These frank discussions of partnership and loud laughter have been a highlight of the trip. The openness and real friendship between the Team and Bernard is now very evident.
Mitchell has discovered that a Kenyan guitarist at the Blue Post Hotel Disco Night can play the same five chords over and over for hours…did I mention that the guitar was out of tune!
As a part of Disco Night, we witnessed a dance team dressed in leopard-like skins. And you’ll never believe who we heard singing at Disco Night - Hank Williams! That’s right, not Hank Jr., but the original Hank blessed our evening as we headed to bed.
At 5:30 a.m., the disco closed. Mitchell reconsidered his thoughts on the guitarist – “he’s the man” – as he played from about 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. when Hank was not singing.
The Team was fascinated with the cooking styles of the kitchen staff.
Over the week, 'Tea Time' evolved into a genuine opportunity to share.
Dinner time proved to be a great opportunity for frank discussions and loud laughter.
Mike's topic of discussion on Friday led to a great deal of dialogue and many questions.
Mitchell shared some personal experiences that gave deep impact to his message on 'Crisis Ministry.'
Friday, the second day of teaching at Mukuria, was a cloudy, misty, and cold day—jackets required. Some of our team made the radical decision this morning to have no eggs or omelets after almost a week of them—Oops, some of the wives were not supposed to know that.
After our usual short 45-minute thrill ride to Mukuria, the conference began. Mike reviewed models of how churches are structured with strengths and weaknesses. Then, he moved into common threats to pastoral ministry. The pastors responded with a great deal of dialogue, as well as a great number of questions. We have discovered that one sentence can lead to a 20-minute discussion.
Tea breaks have become a great time of fellowship. The team agrees with Mitchell—“I’m beginning to enjoy Chai (tea, milk and sugar mix).” Matt is still convinced that he can win some Kenyans over to ice-cold tea. We have moved from gathering together ourselves to talking with our Kenyan brothers and sisters about many things. The Grace Team was fascinated with the “kitchen” skills of the cooks – using two pots to prepare tea at 10:30 a.m., lunch at 1 p.m., and tea at 4 p.m. How can they cook so much rice in those pots and not scorch it? How can the beans not stick to the pot? Is that cheese? (No, carrots). Oh, to have a bottle of hot sauce for the beans!
Mitchell taught on Crisis Ministry. His “brief teaching” was followed by many questions. Having Bernard with us is a great asset to the teaching. He understands us and the pastors, so he can translate not just words but ideas for the church leaders. Mitchell shared some great personal experiences that gave real impact to the teaching.
Floyd “preached” on the biblical basis of mission (or so the team says). He was able to overcome the misbehavior in the back of the room during his teaching to bring home the point.
We have really enjoyed our evening times of talking while we waited on dinner. These frank discussions of partnership and loud laughter have been a highlight of the trip. The openness and real friendship between the Team and Bernard is now very evident.
Mitchell has discovered that a Kenyan guitarist at the Blue Post Hotel Disco Night can play the same five chords over and over for hours…did I mention that the guitar was out of tune!
As a part of Disco Night, we witnessed a dance team dressed in leopard-like skins. And you’ll never believe who we heard singing at Disco Night - Hank Williams! That’s right, not Hank Jr., but the original Hank blessed our evening as we headed to bed.
At 5:30 a.m., the disco closed. Mitchell reconsidered his thoughts on the guitarist – “he’s the man” – as he played from about 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. when Hank was not singing.
The Team was fascinated with the cooking styles of the kitchen staff.
Over the week, 'Tea Time' evolved into a genuine opportunity to share.
Labels: Teleios / Grace Partnership
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