Day 3

ELCK Project Director Supervising Kirk's Carpentry Skills
As noted below, the joy of this community was effervescent -- truly life coming from death. We were all caught up in it like a song you can't help but sing!

"Harambee" observed. What happens when a widow with Aids, four kids living in a 15' x 9' hut meets the Christian community? "Pulling together" is the answer and the translation of "Harambee."

The journey today was another 2 hour exercise in narrow margins with bikes, bumps that jar, small towns with piles of goods stacked in front of glassy-eyed farmers hoping for today's schilling. We knew we were getting closer when the pavement disappeared, only to be replaced by mud, rocks and puddles posing as a road.

We knew we arrived when we saw 40 children, orphans, students, HIV positive women and Deaconess Eunita stand and raise a song to God as we slowly pulled forward. We knew that Jesus had moved to a new location (was he following us?) when their song moved us to joy -- deep, welling up, almost surreal joy as we absorbed their song in this sanctuary under a tree, the tropical sun blazing on the equator in Kenya.

The dancing of worship ended, we walked 100 yards on a footpath that provided spectacular overlook of the Kenyan country and background of mountains that set the perfect view of a new house for the new widow, double the size the original home!

The construction crew? The Lutheran community of HIV positive men and women who had gathered in this field. The cooking pot was on, the branches were being trimmed, (our version of 2x4’s) to form the roof trusses and the support for the mud (our wall board).

But song interrupted the work as we approached. We saw deep eyes full of life (not death). We heard songs with clapping as we stood by the the victorious shell of a house in yet another sanctuary of field, sky and red dirt. We were celebrating “humbrai” -- pulling together. Yes, Kirk adroitly handled the hammer and nail, and yes Elizabeth took dozens of strokes to drive a crooked nail, but, no, the “harambee”, the pulling together was of the Spirit.

We had come to help, but even more importantly, we had come to know, to share, to participate in the victory of community. Where there was death, life was newly discovered. Where there was isolation there were cooking pots full of shared food equipping labors of love.

Where we thought we had found the ends of the earth, Jesus just smiled a knowing smile! He was here, there in his own sanctuary he had called into existence, with his own people he had suffered for, with his own people that loved, with his community to be gathered before the throne from every nation, tribe and race! People with AIDS, orphans and widows -- the least of these -- before the throne somewhere South of Kisumu in communion -- pulling together.

We were moved. We were blessed. We were altered. In Christ, we were one.

In His Service, Karl, Kirk and Elizabeth