Money Talks

Recent pics unrelated to this blog post:
1. Beautiful sunrise out the back door of AMCC.
2. A pic of Mt. Kenya, zoomed in from about 100 miles away.
3. Nick lookin good in a suit that he recently bought for himself.
4. Me in my new suit. They're pretty cheap here, we got 'em custom fitted. However, since the style here is different I had to get mine changed afterwards anyway. Oh culture.
5. Kids throwing a party after receiving some spices in the mail this week. They'll run out soon because there are 41 of us, but we're stoked to have them!!!

Here's ths post about money. Please pray for wisdom for all of us, and unity, and for the Lord's provision!

Since I last wrote more tension has come with money. Here in Kenya (as in America) money can bring a lot of tension. Most of the problems here have to do with culture, not John or Nick or I individually. The last 200 years of Kenyan history have led most Kenyans to believe that if they become friends with a white person then that person will take care of all of their financial needs. This is because it's largely what has happened. In more recent history there have been important strides taken to dispell this belief, but mostly among whites, they haven't really made a dent in the general Kenyan belief that the white man means money, smells like money, is made of money, and has an unending supply of money at his or her disposal.
Because of this, John was thinking that when Nick and I came we'd be able to help (and by help I mean completely take care of) AMCC's financial needs. Helping him understand that we're here to build relationship and help with physical daily taks, but NOT to give money has been a difficult task, but not as difficult as convincing the community! We've had a few honest and important conversations about this subject that we all agreed were really healthy. It's awkward and honestly difficult, but this is very much what Nick and I believe that we were called here to muddle through, and we're encouraged with how they have gone and everyone's good attitudes. Time will tell how well these really went, and if the things we've said have really sunk deep.
The hardest part of it for John and Nancy is that they have been volunteering at AMCC for two years now without pay. But it's been their ONLY job. They don't have part time jobs, and certainly didn't have a lot of money saved up before they began. They have gotten to live at AMCC, and eat what the kids eat, but they received no outside compensation for their work. Meaning that they don't have a way to pay for their own medical expenses, or the $3 fare to go see their families, or go to a restaurant, or give to one of their own friends/family members who are in need.
Culturally, this is even more difficult than in the states, because here children are expected to be providing for their parents after they leave the house. Not everything, but they should at least be bringing SOMETHING home whenever they come. And they should visit about once a month, more if they can. Since John and teacher Nancy don't have gifts to bring with them, it has created a lot of tension in their families, who don't understand that they feeled called to this and don't receive pay for it. It's doubly hard on John because male-breadwinner-ness is the assumed and strongly held belief here. It is difficult on his relationship with his wife and children for him to not come bringing things with him (a 40 lb bag of rice, and 3 pineapples, maybe 5 lbs of flour... total about $10 worth of stuff). Since he can't bring, it's culturally better for him to just not come. This grates at my soul and frankly infuriates me. I believe very much that John has been doing lots of work, work which should be paid, and work which he believes he has been called to by God. But it's not an easily understood thing (not in the states, and way more so in Kenya), so the tension continues. John's wife also works, and she and her kids are fed with the money that she earns. I don't know how Nancy's parents are doing.
Two years is a reeeeeally long time to not have income, and John and Nancy both know that they could burn out. In the conversation that we had with them, I just hate the tension in it. I don't feel that I am supposed to supply their salaries, nor could I even if I wanted to because I couldn't sustain it, but I believe strongly that they should be paid for their work. This is the current largest tension which we have. So add salaries onto the list of needs at AMCC. The suggested number is $100 a month for each of them. Blows my mind.

So we still need prayer for the fund-raiser, and will officially run out of food around this Thursday. Plus our rent was due three days ago, and our fire-wood will run out tomorrow. The local gov't has said that they'll give us 10 bags of maize, and we're supposed to get a large tree cut down and given to us this week, and we'll be having a meeting with out board to figure out what to do about rent, but none of these things have a definite date of arrival, especially because we're in Kenya/Africa/the 2/3's world. Please pray that the Lord will provide. There are probably other things that are about to run out that I don't even know about. So pray for those too (gas for our lamp at night, kerosene for lanterns, etc...).
Nick and I are bracing ourselves to go without food for a time; pray for unity for all of us, and for the Lord to surprise us all.