"Be doers of the Word..."
Jesus says a lot about doing. To come and hear (or read) may take some time. But to set ourselves to put the words of life into action takes more. More than just diligence or desire, though both those are needed. But without love and humility we will get off track and lose out on the relationship. After all, we are called to be "workers together with Him." There are plenty out doing things in Jesus' name. How many of them does Jesus acknowledge as His workers? (Matthew 7:21-23)
I'm musing on God's way of getting things done. The establishing of the Bible Center in Makindu, for example, has had many stops and starts in the past two years. A lot of time and money... and time and money... and to our way of thinking, it just isn't very efficient and inspiring. But that's not the whole picture.
The building project is just the tip of the iceberg of what God is doing, because He is investing in the unseen things, which are eternal. Patience. Faith. Love. Can we measure all that's been accomplished through these many months? Can we count the souls and the spiritual riches invested in?
Here is the second drainage pit, lined with stones just in time so that the spring rains didn't erode the walls. Praise the Lord for the grace to plod and get one more necessity taken care of! The outhouses will be built above them as soon as metal concrete-reinforcing bars become available, so more waiting is needed here...
Meanwhile, there is plenty to keep busy with. The dirt taken from the pits is being hauled in these wagons to neutralize soil in the garden, so tomatoes can be grown.
There is no waste in God's time schedule. When we are willing to do His bidding, that is. This week brother Lawrence has been called back to the coast to be a support to those in Malindi. To encourage and pray and "be about the Father's business."
There are a lot of hidden aspects in serving the Lord. Little places to fill. Little jobs that need doing. Am I available and ready to do what God wants done, right now?
We are impatient people. We like to get what we want when we want it. Waiting seems to be something to get "over with." But God is teaching me that there is more. There is much to gain when we wait.
Those in Makindu waited for the Bible Center to get finished. But delays increase appreciation. "Makindu congregation is so grateful to have a place of shelter as they worship and study the word of God," brother Lawrence reports.
More waiting is needed for windows, doors, and toilets. More waiting before the dream of a trade school can become reality. But the Master of the work is worth waiting on. "The costs are too much for us," the brother says, "but what is impossible for the Lord? What He has done for us so far was unimaginable when we came here. Praise the Lord."
They waited on Him for rain... for crops to grow.
Now they wait for the harvest of maize in another month. Expectation grows as they wait. Photo: An elderly sister with several of the orphans in their care.
They waited for food to be stocked in the stores again - for enough money to buy some. Even these most basic necessities become precious as we wait. When we don't lack, we don't know realize the greatness of our blessings. "Meals after service in this time of famine are a great help to the congregation. We are so grateful to God for food is now available locally at a cheaper rate, as some is now being harvested."
Yes, God has designed waiting. He has more in the mind than the end result. Delays change our perspective. Our desire may diminish - or increase. Intervening events affect us. We are tested and proved. Where are we turning for answers, for fulfillment? On whom are we waiting?
"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." Psalm 62:5
Do I value what God is able to accomplish - enough to wait on Him?
Brother Lawrence reports that several iron sheets have now been added to the Center building this week.
"This is the farthest we are able to go with the roofing, given the resources the Lord had put on our hands," he says. "The Dear Lord has been so gracious as to get us this far. We are now able to use the part of the building that is roofed without having to bake in the sun or getting wet as we used to do before. Praise the Lord.
"The progress has been slow. but the blessings we have received as we have worked on have been many and wonderful. We plan to fix the iron sheets bit by bit as we get the funds, but we need the Lord's intervention so that the timber will not warp as it gets dried up by the sun. All the same, God has been so good to us. Glory, glory to His name."
The roof trusses are now in place, but there continues to be delay for lack of some needed supplies. Please support this effort in prayer. The rains began on Friday, so another roofless meeting might have a rather different effect this weekend. Brother Lawrence asks prayer that they would not get wet in services.
So often we don't appreciate blessings until we are in need of them. We don't recognize the benefits of good health and plenty until we are afflicted or in want. And we don't realize how much we need a shadow until we sit in the baking sun.
After several months of preparation, the congregation in Makindu is looking forward to having a roof over their heads. Brother Lawrence reports, "As this, hopefully, is our last day in the hot Savannah sun, we are all so grateful to the Lord." 
The children were the first to gather for the meeting yesterday.
A little shade is better than none...
...and in the Lord there is always reason to rejoice.
Several of the sisters had special songs to share.
Lord willing, the roof will be completed this week. "Timber for roofing this house has now arrived," Lawrence reports. "Praise the Lord."
"The trusses being made. Glory to God for all His goodness. This day has been awaited for so long. Thank you, Lord..."
"A few of the congregation were available to help in the work," Lawrence reports. "but it goes on with the two expert carpenters available."
Here are the bricks ready to add to the gable side of the roof.
"The view of the building from a distance. The drainage now needs urgent attention and is our next target," he says.
Praise the Lord that He knows what we need, and how to supply it in Himself. He is certainly "a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat..." (Isaiah 25:4)
Jesus said, "A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid" and so we see that the light of God shed abroad in our lives draws the seeking souls all around. Brother Lawrence reports: "Here at Makindu, we have many attending the services now. We are using the building even thought it is not yet roofed. God is dealing with hearts in such a way that we are sitting so many hours answering questions. Several have been coming from the other areas around Makindu. Please, pray for us to always walk in, and be led by, the Spirit as we try to feed the hungry souls." Several of the ministers that had attended the August meeting report on how the Lord has inspired and dealt with them. Praise God for His faithfulness!
The timber for roofing the center is now ready and they hope to be fixing the trusses this week. Extra time is needed to brush chemicals on the wood to prevent termite and weevil problems. They are praying that the Lord would enable them to finish before the rains, which are due in late October. Also, they have been advised to enlarge the drainage pits, which will cost extra time and money. But the vision for the work continues to unfold as God leads and blesses the labors. There is no cause to doubt His resources to carry on His work, both in the spiritual and temporal realms. May we crown Him Lord and King to "do as He will with us to advance His Kingdom," as the dear brother says.
Psalm 48 describes it well: "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of His holiness. Let mount Zion rejoice... because of Thy judgments. Walk about Zion, and go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark you well her bulwarks, consider her palaces; that you may tell it to the generation following. For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death." (v. 1, 11-14)
The work of God is always beyond our resources or abilities. Though the Makindu ministry has been strengthened and encouraged through the recent meetings, there continues to be physical hindrances. After traveling to the Mount Kenya region for some God-appointed visits at the beginning of this month, brother Lawrence states: "we were grounded with exhaustion." He and his wife suffer from head and backaches with such trips, he explains. "I believe it is fatigue that goes with old age. These things slow me somewhat. So I have a backlog of work now. Please,
pray for us to be blessed with a vehicle. It would ease up matters a
lot."
They were greatly encouraged that funds were provided for roofing the Bible Center, and plans were made to start last week. "However, the people we had given the order for timber did not deliver," he says. "So we had to give others the order and we are expecting the timber any
time now. We have had to pay a lot more than we wanted to, which has
eroded the funds we had for the iron roofing sheets. But we are hoping to
make up for this in adding the iron sheets slowly, bit by bit, on the
timber."
The desire for people to receive spiritual light and to live to glorify God is the burden of his heart. "I know it will come, for we have began seeing God moving in wonderful
ways," he writes. "Please, please, pray on. The true church of God, where God is
given the right of glory, ownership and rule is just beginning to shine
forth in this area amidst the denominational organizations which have
influenced the lives of the people. It will take time for the inbred
habits to be cleaned out of the lives of the saints and for them to lift
God always."
The counsel of Psalm 118:8-9 is true: "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes." It is better. It will end up right. Let us look beyond people and circumstances and places and things to the Author and Finisher of our faith. He alone is worthy of our confidence. Amen.
After losing the use of the rented facility at the beginning of the month, the Lord has provided enough for the work to go on. At this time the urgent need is for the new Center building, which is being built on the property purchased earlier this summer. Here is a brief update on the ministry and work in Makindu, received yesterday:
It has been a real busy time since mid last week. We have had to make visits to the homes of the orphans and reorganize our work schedule so that we can be able to minister to them in their places of residence. We are doing it on foot and bicycles, and sometimes we have to get home late. Then we are competing with time to get the new building we have planned to put up ready before the end of this month when the rains are expected to start. It will be a very low cost building made mostly with cheap volcanic stones with soil as cement. The collecting of the stone is also a very strenuous job, but we are getting a wonderful blessing from the work. All in all, it has been a blessing to get out of the rented building. It is more satisfying to expect our own building. Glory to God.
Let us keep these dear ones in our prayers. It is a privilege to take part in this labor of love, knowing the poor and needy are on the Lord's heart, for "Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly." (Psalm 138:6)
