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‘Ignore the inner unction of the Spirit at your peril’
Have you ever been leaving the house and ‘felt’ you should take an umbrella with you even though the sky is clear and the weather forecast has predicted a dry day, and then it starts raining in the afternoon and you say ‘thank God I took my umbrella with me?’
Or have you ever been getting ready for bed and heard someone/something prompting inside you saying, ‘go downstairs and check the kitchen light is off’ and you think, ‘I’m sure I turned it off’, but you go to make sure anyway and find that, indeed it is still on?
Or have you ever been driving to work and for seemingly no reason decided to take a different road from your daily route and then discovered later on the traffic news that there was a major accident and hold up on the road you avoided?
Or have thoughts of a friend ever randomly dropped into your mind making you feel uneasy and so you call them, only to find out that they are in trouble of some sort and in need of your help?
Well, whether you have experienced any of the above scenarios or not, you need to know that it is not a coincidence, not fate and not just your mind conjuring things up. It is the Spirit of God speaking to you in a still small voice that is barely recognisable – which is why we ignore it on more occasions than we pay attention to it. I want to share a small testimony with you that took place the other day, to demonstrate the deliverance and joy of obeying the inner unctions of the Holy Spirit, and the detriment of not doing so.
The incident occurred in one of the national hospitals where my husband and I had gone to pray for a friend’s mother who had been admitted with paralysis. It was lunch-time visiting hours and the hospital was crowded with friends and family coming to visit sick patients. Only one lift was working, so the lobby area was congested with people pressing in to get into the next lift. After about five minutes of being pushed around, my husband and I decided to take the stairs and walk up to the 8th floor where our friend’s mother was. On arrival at the ward I reached to the outer pocket of my bag to get my phone and check her bed number, when to my horror I saw that the pocket was already half open and that my wallet was missing. I immediately knew that it had been stolen during the commotion downstairs on the ground floor. Anger, frustration and then despair overcame me as I started to recall the four credit cards (2 Kenyan and 2 British) and driving license that were in my wallet. I felt stressed just thinking how I would manage to cancel the cards and then have to wait for new ones, especially the British ones and my driving license.
Thankfully my husband snapped me out of my worry and we made a short declaration that the convict would just discard the wallet somewhere where we could find it, with all the cards left intact. After about an hour of praying for our friend’s mother we went back downstairs and discussed how we would find the wallet. My husband ‘felt’ we should check in the dustbins and so although I thought it was a futile exercise, I agreed. Another question was where to start when there were so many bins around? We trusted God to guide us and started searching. We looked in one bin - no nothing, then another bin – again not there. We noticed people around us looking at us very strangely, but continued anyway. The third bin had a pizza box lying over the top of the rubbish so we moved it to one side, and there lying in the trash was my wallet. I couldn’t believe it. I checked inside, and in exact accord with what we had prayed for, the cash was gone, but all the cards were there. God had delivered me from a potentially stressful and incredibly inconveniencing situation, just by a little inner unction. In addition, there were many bins around, but by responding to God’s prompting, we went in the right direction
So, God does speak and He is speaking to us all the time every day. This is just one situation to prove that. Think how many times you have probably unnecessarily suffered from a bad incident, because you ignored the prompting of God’s Spirit telling you what to do, passing it off as ‘silly thoughts’ or a ‘ridiculous idea’. Don’t make that mistake again. Listen to and obey the promptings of God within you.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
'Confusion'
‘Confusion’
There are many ways of viewing today’s society; one can say it is uncivilised, another can say it is immoral, while yet another can say it is plain evil. But I have come to regard society as simply confused. A short journey into the centre of Nairobi conspicuously confirms this judgment.
You are waiting at the bus stage for a matatu and one driving at break-neck pace comes to a hasty stop as it sees you. The driver honks his horn and the conductor jumps out beckoning you with fervent urgency to get in. You peer inside to see if there is space, but there are no free seats. Where does the conductor expect you to sit? He must be confused.
As you are waiting for another bus, you buy a newspaper from a street seller. With just one quick glance at the paper you already know what has been going on in the nation. Written in bold capital letters, the headline declares that another corruption scandal has been uncovered in the government. High-ranking officials have been accused of embezzling billions of shillings given by the World Bank and bilateral donors for free primary education in Kenya. Do the government ministers not understand that the money was given to educate the people, not for their own personal consumption? They must be confused.
While finally aboard a matatu going to town, you look out of the window to observe the environment and people flying past you. It is not a pleasant site. The street is lined with garbage; heaps of plastic bags, bottles and unrecognisable items of waste. Even as you are taking in the detestable scene, you observe a mother walking along with her child, who is drinking juice. The child finishes the drink and passes the carton to his mother, who promptly chucks it in the gutter. Does she realise that the ditch is not a dustbin? She must be confused.
A kilometre further down the road and another unpleasant sight confronts you. Two men are standing with their backs to the road facing a hedge. Before you can look away, you see a shot of yellow fluid gush into the undergrowth. Is there an invisible sign there saying ‘public toilet’? Not just one man, but two are disturbingly confused.
You are now approaching the city centre and eagerly anticipating your arrival, so that you can escape all this confusion, when a matatu blaring loud music with lights flashing comes into your spectrum of vision. Your life flashes before your eyes. The matatu driver has impatiently given up waiting in the traffic jam and has decided to drive down the wrong side of the road against the oncoming traffic. Does he have no sense? Does he not comprehend the danger of such a manoeuvre? No, he’s just confused.
Do you agree with me now? Society is simply confused.
There are many ways of viewing today’s society; one can say it is uncivilised, another can say it is immoral, while yet another can say it is plain evil. But I have come to regard society as simply confused. A short journey into the centre of Nairobi conspicuously confirms this judgment.
You are waiting at the bus stage for a matatu and one driving at break-neck pace comes to a hasty stop as it sees you. The driver honks his horn and the conductor jumps out beckoning you with fervent urgency to get in. You peer inside to see if there is space, but there are no free seats. Where does the conductor expect you to sit? He must be confused.
As you are waiting for another bus, you buy a newspaper from a street seller. With just one quick glance at the paper you already know what has been going on in the nation. Written in bold capital letters, the headline declares that another corruption scandal has been uncovered in the government. High-ranking officials have been accused of embezzling billions of shillings given by the World Bank and bilateral donors for free primary education in Kenya. Do the government ministers not understand that the money was given to educate the people, not for their own personal consumption? They must be confused.
While finally aboard a matatu going to town, you look out of the window to observe the environment and people flying past you. It is not a pleasant site. The street is lined with garbage; heaps of plastic bags, bottles and unrecognisable items of waste. Even as you are taking in the detestable scene, you observe a mother walking along with her child, who is drinking juice. The child finishes the drink and passes the carton to his mother, who promptly chucks it in the gutter. Does she realise that the ditch is not a dustbin? She must be confused.
A kilometre further down the road and another unpleasant sight confronts you. Two men are standing with their backs to the road facing a hedge. Before you can look away, you see a shot of yellow fluid gush into the undergrowth. Is there an invisible sign there saying ‘public toilet’? Not just one man, but two are disturbingly confused.
You are now approaching the city centre and eagerly anticipating your arrival, so that you can escape all this confusion, when a matatu blaring loud music with lights flashing comes into your spectrum of vision. Your life flashes before your eyes. The matatu driver has impatiently given up waiting in the traffic jam and has decided to drive down the wrong side of the road against the oncoming traffic. Does he have no sense? Does he not comprehend the danger of such a manoeuvre? No, he’s just confused.
Do you agree with me now? Society is simply confused.
Friday, July 1, 2011
OASIS KINDERGARTEN
“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the living water and be satisfied”
Introduction -
Maisha Trust is in the process of fulfilling its first objective of building a centre in Kibera slum, Kenya from which activities in accord with achieving the Trust’s goals can operate. The first of these is the establishment and running of a pre-primary school, to provide the poorest of the poor with quality education.
Eradicating poverty -
Poverty is a daily reality for the inhabitants of Kibera that not only condemns them to a life of lack, hunger and despair, but also constrains them from breaking out of that environment and fulfilling their potential in life. One of the keys to breaking out of this hopeless situation is education, but unfortunately it is still not accessible to the poorest of the poor. Although primary school is now provided for free by the Government of Kenya, pre-primary school is still not. As a consequence, those unable to afford pre-primary school start primary education aged 6 or 7 years with no basic language, literacy or numerical skills, while their contemporaries have already acquired a sound foundation in these areas, putting them at a severe disadvantage. Maisha Trust is committed to eradicating this injustice, as we believe that all children are a precious gift from God regardless of where they were born or what community they are raised in.
Nurturing holistically –
Furthermore, the importance of investing in the life of a child can never be overstated, since the way a child is nurtured determines who they will grow up to be. The bible says, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it’ (Pro 22:6). In other words, the truths and values that a child is taught at an early age serve as a solid foundation for life, keeping them on the right path long past their days in school. Notwithstanding, for nurturing to be successful it must be holistic, addressing the entirety of a child’s being. Therefore, the pupils must be developed physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Only then will they be able to fulfil their potential and enjoy an abundant life. This is God’s will for every person on earth, as Jesus Christ died to save and restore our souls and bodies as well as our spirits; ‘I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it to the full’ (John 10:10).
Creating an Oasis –
In keeping with this vision of imparting life to the poor and oppressed, the new school is called “Oasis Kindergarten”. An oasis is an isolated pool of water supporting rich vegetation and providing a habitat for animals and human beings to survive in the middle of a desert environment. It is also typologically used to represent a place that gives relief from troubling or chaotic situations. Hence, in the context of Kibera; a slum of severe deprivation, hopelessness and misery, Oasis Kindergarten will be a source of life in the midst of a landscape of scarcity.
Producing Physical Life -
Firstly, physical life will be manifested in a myriad of ways. The school will be an unprecedented site of natural vegetation in the slum. Palm trees and fruit trees will line the perimeter of the compound, the open space will be carpeted with green grass and a water fountain flowing down a rock feature into a small fish pond will be exhibited at the front entrance. In addition, it will pioneer environmental sustainability through rainwater harvesting for collecting water, solar power to provide electricity, biogas for cooking, raising chickens and rabbits and growing a vegetable garden on the roof to provide fresh food. In this way, the school will be able to be relatively self-sufficient, more cost-effective and help conserve the environment.
The children themselves will be fed a balanced diet of sufficient quantity and nutritional quality of food every day; they will be given plenty of time to run around outside and play on the grass, in the sandpit or use the swings and slide, to exercise their bodies; and a nurse will carry out regular health check-ups on the students and treat any sickness or disease. Thus, the pupils will grow up healthy and strong physically.
Developing Soulical Life -
Secondly, soulical (intellectual and emotional) life will be cultivated through the provision of quality education by trained teachers and the use of a specialised curriculum of international standards. The staff will exhibit a motherly nature, demonstrating love, patience and gentleness with the children, so that a warm, homely environment is created that imparts joy and hope rather than suffering and despair. In this way it will be the exact opposite of what they might be experiencing in their home environment.
Imparting Spiritual Life -
As a result of all the above, the children will taste and see the Kingdom of God, which the bible describes as a Kingdom of ‘righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit’ (Romans 14:17). Hence, the good news of salvation through Christ Jesus will not only be taught to them, but also tangibly experienced by them. This means that even if they are too young to understand the gospel, they will know Jesus and desire to have Him in their lives. Since the bible says that ‘Whoever has the Son has life’ (1 John 5:11-12), the pupils will therefore receive spiritual life.
Instilling a sense of Purpose -
We believe that God not only created every person on the earth to enjoy a relationship with Him, but also to fulfil a specific purpose that He has designed for each individual. The younger one can discover their God-given assignment, the more focused and meaningful their life will be. Thus, Oasis Kindergarten will teach the children this truth and implement programmes to help them identify their gifts and talents, which are all given by God to enable them to accomplish their purpose. Since these gifts and talents are initially resident in potential form, the school will encourage and assist the students in developing them. This will give the pupils are head-start in life, propelling them forward to realise their potential and fulfil their God-given purpose.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
ZANZIBAR
A warm breeze gently blew against us carrying the fresh scent of the sea. It may have been dark outside, but without a doubt we knew we had arrived in Zanzibar. We climbed down the steps from the plane and walked with excitement to the terminal building – possibly the smallest and most basic airport on earth! Within 5 minutes we had our visas and luggage, and found the tour operator we had booked with waiting patiently for us. It quickly became apparent to us that one should not judge Zanzibar by its airport! The vehicle was new, spacious and air-conditioned, the roads smooth and the driving superb. In fact, that was just our first taste of the excellence of the tourist industry in Zanzibar.
After an atmospheric dinner by lamplight at the Forodhani Gardens – an open-air fish market where a full range of delicious seafood is barbequed according to your taste – we were taken to our first night’s accommodation at Mtoni Marine Centre. Friendly hotel staff greeted us and ushered us through the green jungle of coconut trees and other tropical plants to our room. A beautiful scent wafted towards us from the large four-poster bed, where we found fresh flowers artistically placed to decorate the white linen bed sheet – typical of this island of paradise off the coast of Tanzania.
We woke early with enthused anticipation to see Zanzibar in the daylight and most importantly, to explore the underwater world. Following a lavish breakfast at the beach-front, the tour operator arrived punctually to drive us to One Ocean Diving Centre.
There was some confusion with the booking, but by the grace of God it ended up working to our advantage as we got an instructor to ourselves. We first watched an introductory video highlighting the potential dangers of diving and explaining the techniques to employ in order to ensure a pleasantly memorable scuba diving experience. Then, we were kitted up with wetsuits, flippers, masks and oxygen tanks, and led out to the boat moored on the beach.
The sea was blue and crystal clear, but quite choppy as the wooden fishing boat powered across the waves. Our destination was a coral reef off one of the small outer-lying islands called Bawi, which is a few kilometres from the largest main island, Unguja (the other is called Pemba). The boat stopped, anchored and we tentatively put on the diving equipment. I almost fell-over backwards as I stood up, due to the weight of the oxygen tank on my back! I slowly and cautiously waddled in my flippers to the side of the boat with Tom holding my hand to support me. Our instructor was already in the water and shouted up for me to just step out and jump into the sea. One, two, three, I counted under my breath and jumped. As I emerged to the surface I saw a big splash as Tom jumped in, after which our instructor helped us check our regulators for breathing from the tank. He then deflated our life jackets and we sank down under the surface of the water. As we submerged further we could see the sea floor clearly, which was adorned with exquisite coral and exotic fish. They were so vibrantly coloured and varied in shape and size that we had plenty to capture our attention during the 45 minute dive. However, initially we found equalising difficult and felt great pain in our ears, but after a few attempts we mastered the technique and were able to enjoy the experience. Once back on the boat we were served a delicious lunch of local delicacies and fresh fruit to reenergise us for another underwater exploration (but just snorkelling).
Due to the day’s exertion, sleepiness overcame us as we travelled across Zanzibar to the other side of the island (only a 45 minute drive), but as soon as we arrived at our next destination we instantly livened up. The beauty and majesty of Uroa Bay Beach Resort overwhelmed us. Delightful thatched cottages separated by neat pathways lined with trees and lanterns stretched before us. After being served our welcome drink of orange juice in a champagne glass at reception we were shown to our room/cottage and were informed that we were the only guests, as it was low season. That was yet another example of God’s extravagant love and abundant favour towards us. We had a large exquisitely designed swimming pool and private beach all to ourselves! Furthermore, the restaurant served us food at whatever time we requested, even out of their usual hours, and allowed us to choose our own set menus according to the different combination of dishes we fancied. In fact, the service in every area was first class. The staff were exceptionally professional, amiable and quick to meet our every request. If anything, they were too good to us...
On one night we were given a ‘honeymoon special’ on the house, which turned out to be a banquet big enough to feed the entire restuarant staff. The hotel resort is run by Italians and we had observed that they enjoy eating, but had not appreciated quite how much they eat. We were first served a modest portion of cold prawns on a bed of salad, then a large bowl of crab soup with bread rolls, then a huge dish of lobster and pasta, then generous plates of chips, mixed vegetables and salads. By this time we were definitely full and more than satisfied with the vast quantity and superb quality of food. We thought a stroll along the beach in the moonlight was a good idea to help our bodies digest, so were just about to leave the table when a waiter came and brought a gigantic platter of fresh seafood to our table. Slightly confused we courteously told the waiter that there must be a mistake, because we had not ordered it, but the waiter insisted it was for us and called the manager to explain that it was part of the ‘honeymoon special’. We were not sure what to do, but since we did not want to offend their liberality, we decided to eat as much of it as we could and politely asked the waiter to keep the rest for lunch the following day. Tom and I were laughing together at the hilarious incident, while also breathing a sigh of relief that it was finally over...when a vast salver of fresh tropical fruit and two portions of rich chocolate cake were brought to us! Bursting at the seams, we had a few mouthfuls of dessert and then ran out of the restaurant before they could make us eat anything else! All in all, it was the perfect environment for our honeymoon; quiet, relaxing, beautiful and quixotic. Four days did not feel like long enough in that place of paradise. We wished we could have relocated there for the rest of the year!
Our last two nights were spent at Tembo Hotel in Stone Town, the capital of Zanzibar. To break up the journey we stopped for a Spice Tour, which was fascinating. The Zanzibar archipelago is also known as the Spice Islands, as it is one of the centres of the world spice trade. Interestingly, none of the spices are indigenous, but rather were all transplanted to Zanzibar by Arab and European colonialists during the 19th century. A local expert guided us through the dense green forest plantation, pointing out numerous trees and plants along the way. Each produced a particular herb, spice or tropical fruit, but what was most interesting was his explanation of their unique growth patterns and multifaceted uses. It brought to light for us the wonder of God’s creation and his manifold wisdom in designing the natural world, such that every need of mankind can be met. If we could only be better at connecting to the mind of God, there would surely be no physical or mental infirmity afflicting humans today, because the preventative and remedial cure for everything already exists in the physical environment.
I think God must find it entertaining watching man ‘discover’ and ‘invent’ ways of advancing the level of civilisation on the earth. For instance, during our subsequent Stone Town Tour we were shown the ‘House of Wonders’, which was a ceremonial palace built in the late 19th century for the 2nd Sultan of Zanzibar. Its name was coined to typify the pioneering works of modernity it exhibited, such as electricity and an elevator. Ironically, it is now one of the least developed buildings on the island, yet it is proudly still referred to as the ‘House of Wonders’ by the people. In general, Stone Town has a strong colonial character, with the markedly contrasting architecture and infrastructure of the middle-Eastern and Western parts of the world.
Notwithstanding, the Western influence is now less conspicuous, as 95% of Zanzibar’s population are Muslim. Indeed, there are only two churches in Stone Town, compared to over 50 mosques. The strict laws, civic order and discipline of Islam are reflected in the town in a very conspicuous manner, to the extent that crime is almost non-existent. For example, we tried to buy some coconut from a stall on the street that displayed an array of fruit, but the owner was not there so we could not. We were told he had gone to the mosque to pray and that it was completely normal to leave your shop unattended, as no-one would think to steal anything. I wish people had that much fear of a deity or God in Kenya!
In closing, Tom and I were blessed with a honeymoon that was truly divine. We tasted the paradise of heaven and cannot thank our heavenly Father enough for His extravagant love towards us. Our prayer now is that we would learn to appropriate and continuously walk in the blessings of God’s Kingdom in our everyday lives, such that life on earth becomes synonymous to heaven.
After an atmospheric dinner by lamplight at the Forodhani Gardens – an open-air fish market where a full range of delicious seafood is barbequed according to your taste – we were taken to our first night’s accommodation at Mtoni Marine Centre. Friendly hotel staff greeted us and ushered us through the green jungle of coconut trees and other tropical plants to our room. A beautiful scent wafted towards us from the large four-poster bed, where we found fresh flowers artistically placed to decorate the white linen bed sheet – typical of this island of paradise off the coast of Tanzania.
We woke early with enthused anticipation to see Zanzibar in the daylight and most importantly, to explore the underwater world. Following a lavish breakfast at the beach-front, the tour operator arrived punctually to drive us to One Ocean Diving Centre.
There was some confusion with the booking, but by the grace of God it ended up working to our advantage as we got an instructor to ourselves. We first watched an introductory video highlighting the potential dangers of diving and explaining the techniques to employ in order to ensure a pleasantly memorable scuba diving experience. Then, we were kitted up with wetsuits, flippers, masks and oxygen tanks, and led out to the boat moored on the beach.
The sea was blue and crystal clear, but quite choppy as the wooden fishing boat powered across the waves. Our destination was a coral reef off one of the small outer-lying islands called Bawi, which is a few kilometres from the largest main island, Unguja (the other is called Pemba). The boat stopped, anchored and we tentatively put on the diving equipment. I almost fell-over backwards as I stood up, due to the weight of the oxygen tank on my back! I slowly and cautiously waddled in my flippers to the side of the boat with Tom holding my hand to support me. Our instructor was already in the water and shouted up for me to just step out and jump into the sea. One, two, three, I counted under my breath and jumped. As I emerged to the surface I saw a big splash as Tom jumped in, after which our instructor helped us check our regulators for breathing from the tank. He then deflated our life jackets and we sank down under the surface of the water. As we submerged further we could see the sea floor clearly, which was adorned with exquisite coral and exotic fish. They were so vibrantly coloured and varied in shape and size that we had plenty to capture our attention during the 45 minute dive. However, initially we found equalising difficult and felt great pain in our ears, but after a few attempts we mastered the technique and were able to enjoy the experience. Once back on the boat we were served a delicious lunch of local delicacies and fresh fruit to reenergise us for another underwater exploration (but just snorkelling).
Due to the day’s exertion, sleepiness overcame us as we travelled across Zanzibar to the other side of the island (only a 45 minute drive), but as soon as we arrived at our next destination we instantly livened up. The beauty and majesty of Uroa Bay Beach Resort overwhelmed us. Delightful thatched cottages separated by neat pathways lined with trees and lanterns stretched before us. After being served our welcome drink of orange juice in a champagne glass at reception we were shown to our room/cottage and were informed that we were the only guests, as it was low season. That was yet another example of God’s extravagant love and abundant favour towards us. We had a large exquisitely designed swimming pool and private beach all to ourselves! Furthermore, the restaurant served us food at whatever time we requested, even out of their usual hours, and allowed us to choose our own set menus according to the different combination of dishes we fancied. In fact, the service in every area was first class. The staff were exceptionally professional, amiable and quick to meet our every request. If anything, they were too good to us...
On one night we were given a ‘honeymoon special’ on the house, which turned out to be a banquet big enough to feed the entire restuarant staff. The hotel resort is run by Italians and we had observed that they enjoy eating, but had not appreciated quite how much they eat. We were first served a modest portion of cold prawns on a bed of salad, then a large bowl of crab soup with bread rolls, then a huge dish of lobster and pasta, then generous plates of chips, mixed vegetables and salads. By this time we were definitely full and more than satisfied with the vast quantity and superb quality of food. We thought a stroll along the beach in the moonlight was a good idea to help our bodies digest, so were just about to leave the table when a waiter came and brought a gigantic platter of fresh seafood to our table. Slightly confused we courteously told the waiter that there must be a mistake, because we had not ordered it, but the waiter insisted it was for us and called the manager to explain that it was part of the ‘honeymoon special’. We were not sure what to do, but since we did not want to offend their liberality, we decided to eat as much of it as we could and politely asked the waiter to keep the rest for lunch the following day. Tom and I were laughing together at the hilarious incident, while also breathing a sigh of relief that it was finally over...when a vast salver of fresh tropical fruit and two portions of rich chocolate cake were brought to us! Bursting at the seams, we had a few mouthfuls of dessert and then ran out of the restaurant before they could make us eat anything else! All in all, it was the perfect environment for our honeymoon; quiet, relaxing, beautiful and quixotic. Four days did not feel like long enough in that place of paradise. We wished we could have relocated there for the rest of the year!
Our last two nights were spent at Tembo Hotel in Stone Town, the capital of Zanzibar. To break up the journey we stopped for a Spice Tour, which was fascinating. The Zanzibar archipelago is also known as the Spice Islands, as it is one of the centres of the world spice trade. Interestingly, none of the spices are indigenous, but rather were all transplanted to Zanzibar by Arab and European colonialists during the 19th century. A local expert guided us through the dense green forest plantation, pointing out numerous trees and plants along the way. Each produced a particular herb, spice or tropical fruit, but what was most interesting was his explanation of their unique growth patterns and multifaceted uses. It brought to light for us the wonder of God’s creation and his manifold wisdom in designing the natural world, such that every need of mankind can be met. If we could only be better at connecting to the mind of God, there would surely be no physical or mental infirmity afflicting humans today, because the preventative and remedial cure for everything already exists in the physical environment.
I think God must find it entertaining watching man ‘discover’ and ‘invent’ ways of advancing the level of civilisation on the earth. For instance, during our subsequent Stone Town Tour we were shown the ‘House of Wonders’, which was a ceremonial palace built in the late 19th century for the 2nd Sultan of Zanzibar. Its name was coined to typify the pioneering works of modernity it exhibited, such as electricity and an elevator. Ironically, it is now one of the least developed buildings on the island, yet it is proudly still referred to as the ‘House of Wonders’ by the people. In general, Stone Town has a strong colonial character, with the markedly contrasting architecture and infrastructure of the middle-Eastern and Western parts of the world.
Notwithstanding, the Western influence is now less conspicuous, as 95% of Zanzibar’s population are Muslim. Indeed, there are only two churches in Stone Town, compared to over 50 mosques. The strict laws, civic order and discipline of Islam are reflected in the town in a very conspicuous manner, to the extent that crime is almost non-existent. For example, we tried to buy some coconut from a stall on the street that displayed an array of fruit, but the owner was not there so we could not. We were told he had gone to the mosque to pray and that it was completely normal to leave your shop unattended, as no-one would think to steal anything. I wish people had that much fear of a deity or God in Kenya!
In closing, Tom and I were blessed with a honeymoon that was truly divine. We tasted the paradise of heaven and cannot thank our heavenly Father enough for His extravagant love towards us. Our prayer now is that we would learn to appropriate and continuously walk in the blessings of God’s Kingdom in our everyday lives, such that life on earth becomes synonymous to heaven.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
A ROYAL WEDDING
THE UNION OF TOM AND SARAH VOHYA
The countdown had begun – 100 days to go until the big day – and time to start planning it! With peaceful assurance that 3 months is ample time to plan a wedding (3 months is equivalent to 3 years in African timing!), we sat down together to pray and ask God to reveal the vision He had for our marriage union. We perceived the theme ‘Majestic in beauty and the glory of God’. The bible says in 1 Peter 2:9 that we are royal priests to God and that is a truth that God wanted us to internalise and then walk in throughout our lives. As kings serving under the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, our royalty is not only of a spiritual nature, but should also be visible in the natural. The glory of God, likewise, is a spiritual reality, but is made manifest on earth through God’s people. This is because the presence of God resides within us, as written in 1 Corinthians 3:16; “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” So, we believed God wanted to radiate His glory and majesty through us on our wedding day and impact all who came to celebrate with us. We thus sought to bring out a royal theme in the wedding, but not the royalty of the world; rather the divine majesty of the Kingdom of God.
This revelation inspired us to choose purple and gold as our theme colours, since purple represents royalty and gold signifies the glory of God. Hence, we planned for the marquees (it was a garden wedding) to be decorated in purple and gold draping, the dining tables to be dressed with purple overlays over white tablecloths and the chairs to be tied with gold bows. Of course, the flowers and bridal party attires were also chosen according to our theme colours to complete the picture of majestic in beauty. To symbolise us being carriers of God’s glory, we designed a wedding cake comprised of two golden vessels sitting on a base decorated to match the dining tables. In 2 Timothy 2:20-21, the bible talks of a house having different sorts of vessels, some of value for honourable purposes and some for mundane or ignoble use. It says that we should purify ourselves from lust and foolish talk so that we can be honourable vessels for God to use. That is what we seek to be, so that we can please God and fulfil the purpose He created us for.
Another central theme that we believe God told us to display in our wedding was the ‘unique blend’ of our Kenyan and British cultures. This goal helped us to think critically about the wedding traditions of our respective cultures and liberate us to discard those that are meaningless or ungodly. For example, the Kenyan custom of family members coming forward one-by-one to present their gifts to the couple in front of all the wedding guests (which we think is showing off), and the Western practice of throwing the bridal bouquet to be caught by a single lady who will be the next to get married (which is superstition). In fact, we ended up only retaining the most important and spiritually significant traditions, like exchanging the vows (which had been re-written for us) and wedding rings.
Furthermore, it motivated us to use our creative imagination to produce a unique wedding and pioneer new ways of doing things. For instance, the bridal party wore half African and half Western attires; a mixture of African and Western fabrics were used for the decoration of the tents and tables; sand from the Kenyan coast and shells from the British coast covered the cake table around the bottom of the cake stand (to represent the merging of two shores in the union of two lives); lunch was a mixed buffet of Kenyan food, such as beef pilau rice and chapati, and roast chicken and roast potatoes were served to give a taste of the British cuisine. For the music we achieved a fusion of African and Western genres by having a fantastic local jazz band, which played jazz music with an African tinge as well as indigenously-written English worship songs during the time of praise. The dancing was perhaps the most memorable though. Kenyan and British guests alike danced African style to the classic Kenyan songs and then took part in a British barn dance until everyone was exhausted. Judging by people’s animated remarks since the wedding I think the barn dance will go down in the history of our church! It was not only fun, but we were told by one guest after the wedding that it really ministered to her. She said it had been 7 years since she last danced with her husband, and dancing that day together sparked off fresh fire in their marriage.
In fact, by God’s grace the wedding went perfectly. It was very rewarding to see all the plans that Tom and I had made come to fruition. We had ambitiously taken upon ourselves the task of planning the entire wedding ourselves, down to every tiny detail, but we managed it and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was encouraging to discover that we work exceptionally well as a team and that when we combine our unique strengths, we can achieve our goal with relative ease. Nevertheless, it would not have been possible without the abundance of favour that God gave us and the many people who came on board to offer their help and expertise. We purposed from the beginning that we would produce a wedding of the standard of God’s Kingdom, but also that excellence does not necessarily mean expensive. Hence, we negotiated with every single service provider and got over half price for everything. Some things, such as the catering were even virtually free, as friends of ours who work in that particular field offered their services to us.
However, not everything was smooth and easy. The major challenge we faced was on the legal front. Since I am a foreigner in Kenya we had to be married under a different act of the law, which required the church to have a different marriage book. It was expensive, but the church willingly agreed to get it and so made the application. We thought all was well, only to find out 4 days before the wedding that the application had been rejected. On what grounds we are still not sure, as the Registrar had numerous excuses and stories. It became clear that they were after a bribe, which of course we were not going to give. To make the situation more complicated, we also had to apply for a special permit authorising us to use a public venue for the wedding instead of a church. The permit can be acquired in 7 days and we tried to apply several weeks before the wedding, but the hitch was that they would not accept our application without the serial number of the marriage book, which the church had been unable to get....so we ended up going to the marriage registrar offices nearly every day for the 10 days preceding the wedding, spending hours waiting, yet getting nowhere. It was incredibly frustrating and stressful, but we kept on trusting in God. We really learnt the power of thanksgiving prayer – thanking God in faith that you already have what you want, rather than pleading for it. The day before the wedding, at around 3pm we got the marriage book and by 5:10pm (the Registrar’s office usually closes before 5pm) we also had the special permit for the venue. It was a miracle.
After a sleepless night due to anticipation and excitement, I arose early to start the long ritual of beautification; showering, hair styling, make-up and finally dressing. I cannot describe how I felt. The whole day was simply a dream. I remember sitting in the car (a new Mercedes Benz compressor that we were lent for free) as we arrived at the wedding venue and thinking, ‘am I really getting married? Is this actually my wedding?’ There I was dressed in a stunning white dress with a tiara on my head and holding a big bouquet of beautiful lilies, but I could still hardly believe that I was the bride! I was filled with such mixed emotions of excitement, anticipation and nerves that I wasn’t really feeling anything. I got out of the car, my mother and best maid arranged the long train of my dress behind me and I tried to compose myself, waiting to hear Nimrod from Elgar’s Enigma Variations to signal that it was time for me to start walking down the aisle (a grass walkway lined with flower arrangements each side, since it was a garden wedding). My mother then whispered to me that Tom had called her at midnight to say he had something special planned for my entry...
I listened as Tom walked down his aisle to the song ‘It’s only Jesus’ (we had two aisles coming from opposite sides of the ground and meeting in the middle at the front, to represent how we are two individuals coming from different backgrounds and countries to become one being) and then true to it, I heard not Elgar, but something totally new. It began with orchestral strings and then Tom’s voice soared over the top singing a wonderful song composed especially for me. I was so overwhelmed my eyes started to water and I could hardly walk straight as I went down the aisle. As we reached the front, Tom was still pouring out his heart in song, so we just stood there in awe and listened. I have never felt so loved and special in all my life. Tom had always said he would make amends for his rather unromantic proposal (that’s another whole story!), but I never expected anything as wonderful as that. Am I allowed to boast that I have married one of the most romantic and exceptional men on earth?! Well, let me do so anyway, because I think it is true.
The countdown had begun – 100 days to go until the big day – and time to start planning it! With peaceful assurance that 3 months is ample time to plan a wedding (3 months is equivalent to 3 years in African timing!), we sat down together to pray and ask God to reveal the vision He had for our marriage union. We perceived the theme ‘Majestic in beauty and the glory of God’. The bible says in 1 Peter 2:9 that we are royal priests to God and that is a truth that God wanted us to internalise and then walk in throughout our lives. As kings serving under the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, our royalty is not only of a spiritual nature, but should also be visible in the natural. The glory of God, likewise, is a spiritual reality, but is made manifest on earth through God’s people. This is because the presence of God resides within us, as written in 1 Corinthians 3:16; “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” So, we believed God wanted to radiate His glory and majesty through us on our wedding day and impact all who came to celebrate with us. We thus sought to bring out a royal theme in the wedding, but not the royalty of the world; rather the divine majesty of the Kingdom of God.
This revelation inspired us to choose purple and gold as our theme colours, since purple represents royalty and gold signifies the glory of God. Hence, we planned for the marquees (it was a garden wedding) to be decorated in purple and gold draping, the dining tables to be dressed with purple overlays over white tablecloths and the chairs to be tied with gold bows. Of course, the flowers and bridal party attires were also chosen according to our theme colours to complete the picture of majestic in beauty. To symbolise us being carriers of God’s glory, we designed a wedding cake comprised of two golden vessels sitting on a base decorated to match the dining tables. In 2 Timothy 2:20-21, the bible talks of a house having different sorts of vessels, some of value for honourable purposes and some for mundane or ignoble use. It says that we should purify ourselves from lust and foolish talk so that we can be honourable vessels for God to use. That is what we seek to be, so that we can please God and fulfil the purpose He created us for.
Another central theme that we believe God told us to display in our wedding was the ‘unique blend’ of our Kenyan and British cultures. This goal helped us to think critically about the wedding traditions of our respective cultures and liberate us to discard those that are meaningless or ungodly. For example, the Kenyan custom of family members coming forward one-by-one to present their gifts to the couple in front of all the wedding guests (which we think is showing off), and the Western practice of throwing the bridal bouquet to be caught by a single lady who will be the next to get married (which is superstition). In fact, we ended up only retaining the most important and spiritually significant traditions, like exchanging the vows (which had been re-written for us) and wedding rings.
Furthermore, it motivated us to use our creative imagination to produce a unique wedding and pioneer new ways of doing things. For instance, the bridal party wore half African and half Western attires; a mixture of African and Western fabrics were used for the decoration of the tents and tables; sand from the Kenyan coast and shells from the British coast covered the cake table around the bottom of the cake stand (to represent the merging of two shores in the union of two lives); lunch was a mixed buffet of Kenyan food, such as beef pilau rice and chapati, and roast chicken and roast potatoes were served to give a taste of the British cuisine. For the music we achieved a fusion of African and Western genres by having a fantastic local jazz band, which played jazz music with an African tinge as well as indigenously-written English worship songs during the time of praise. The dancing was perhaps the most memorable though. Kenyan and British guests alike danced African style to the classic Kenyan songs and then took part in a British barn dance until everyone was exhausted. Judging by people’s animated remarks since the wedding I think the barn dance will go down in the history of our church! It was not only fun, but we were told by one guest after the wedding that it really ministered to her. She said it had been 7 years since she last danced with her husband, and dancing that day together sparked off fresh fire in their marriage.
In fact, by God’s grace the wedding went perfectly. It was very rewarding to see all the plans that Tom and I had made come to fruition. We had ambitiously taken upon ourselves the task of planning the entire wedding ourselves, down to every tiny detail, but we managed it and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was encouraging to discover that we work exceptionally well as a team and that when we combine our unique strengths, we can achieve our goal with relative ease. Nevertheless, it would not have been possible without the abundance of favour that God gave us and the many people who came on board to offer their help and expertise. We purposed from the beginning that we would produce a wedding of the standard of God’s Kingdom, but also that excellence does not necessarily mean expensive. Hence, we negotiated with every single service provider and got over half price for everything. Some things, such as the catering were even virtually free, as friends of ours who work in that particular field offered their services to us.
However, not everything was smooth and easy. The major challenge we faced was on the legal front. Since I am a foreigner in Kenya we had to be married under a different act of the law, which required the church to have a different marriage book. It was expensive, but the church willingly agreed to get it and so made the application. We thought all was well, only to find out 4 days before the wedding that the application had been rejected. On what grounds we are still not sure, as the Registrar had numerous excuses and stories. It became clear that they were after a bribe, which of course we were not going to give. To make the situation more complicated, we also had to apply for a special permit authorising us to use a public venue for the wedding instead of a church. The permit can be acquired in 7 days and we tried to apply several weeks before the wedding, but the hitch was that they would not accept our application without the serial number of the marriage book, which the church had been unable to get....so we ended up going to the marriage registrar offices nearly every day for the 10 days preceding the wedding, spending hours waiting, yet getting nowhere. It was incredibly frustrating and stressful, but we kept on trusting in God. We really learnt the power of thanksgiving prayer – thanking God in faith that you already have what you want, rather than pleading for it. The day before the wedding, at around 3pm we got the marriage book and by 5:10pm (the Registrar’s office usually closes before 5pm) we also had the special permit for the venue. It was a miracle.
After a sleepless night due to anticipation and excitement, I arose early to start the long ritual of beautification; showering, hair styling, make-up and finally dressing. I cannot describe how I felt. The whole day was simply a dream. I remember sitting in the car (a new Mercedes Benz compressor that we were lent for free) as we arrived at the wedding venue and thinking, ‘am I really getting married? Is this actually my wedding?’ There I was dressed in a stunning white dress with a tiara on my head and holding a big bouquet of beautiful lilies, but I could still hardly believe that I was the bride! I was filled with such mixed emotions of excitement, anticipation and nerves that I wasn’t really feeling anything. I got out of the car, my mother and best maid arranged the long train of my dress behind me and I tried to compose myself, waiting to hear Nimrod from Elgar’s Enigma Variations to signal that it was time for me to start walking down the aisle (a grass walkway lined with flower arrangements each side, since it was a garden wedding). My mother then whispered to me that Tom had called her at midnight to say he had something special planned for my entry...
I listened as Tom walked down his aisle to the song ‘It’s only Jesus’ (we had two aisles coming from opposite sides of the ground and meeting in the middle at the front, to represent how we are two individuals coming from different backgrounds and countries to become one being) and then true to it, I heard not Elgar, but something totally new. It began with orchestral strings and then Tom’s voice soared over the top singing a wonderful song composed especially for me. I was so overwhelmed my eyes started to water and I could hardly walk straight as I went down the aisle. As we reached the front, Tom was still pouring out his heart in song, so we just stood there in awe and listened. I have never felt so loved and special in all my life. Tom had always said he would make amends for his rather unromantic proposal (that’s another whole story!), but I never expected anything as wonderful as that. Am I allowed to boast that I have married one of the most romantic and exceptional men on earth?! Well, let me do so anyway, because I think it is true.
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