Two Seconds From Abundance

As most of you might know by now our church made a little trip to Kenya Africa in August 2007. We were headed to Cyprian’s village, Njuthine. When I say “little,” I mean we were only boots-on-the-ground for 74 hours. Our trip was cut short. God worked fast.

Now much has been made of our trip. The support and love our team has received is overwhelming and much appreciated. We thank each of you sincerely for all you have done for us. The body of Christ is an amazing thing. From our collective perspective we want to frame the story not found in the media. The story is not just the sum of chronological facts. It is much more.

Yes, we were held up at gunpoint by men who also had machetes and sticks. Yes, we were robbed of significant material possessions. Yes, it was an awful and terrifying experience. Yes, some of our group were injured. Yet, by the grace of God all of us survived. And, we are all doing well as we begin to settle into the new “normal” of our individual lives.

How can we begin to convey the number or even the texture of the “God” stories that have emanated from this experience?

We cannot. So, we merely attempt to give you a sense of the experience as can be told in written words.

From a “checklist” perspective, even though we were there for a short time, we were able to deliver everything we brought - the medical supplies, school supplies, stewardship curriculum and technical equipment to show the “Jesus” film. We distributed Bibles in the local language during a welcome celebration with elders representing over ten local churches. That one night was a magical night. Loretta recalls the magnificent peaceful sky. The pitch blackness set off what seemed to be millions of stars.

Since being home, we’ve struggled with the question of whether we did our “job.” At times, our discussion falls into the trap of merely looking at the completion of the list as the sole measure. While our actions might be seen as merely that of a courier of supplies, our trip’s primary objectives were in fact accomplished.

Those things we felt were left undone as we hurriedly departed, were accomplished by Cyprian and Fred. They stayed for several more days to work on the village irrigation project and continue our church’s relationship with the Njuthine people. In fact, Victor, the representative for Crown Financial Ministries who was with us, plans to return to teach pastors and lay leaders for three days.

Regardless of the broken agenda, to a person, none of us sees this trip as failed. Unbelievably we do not even see the event as tragic. Quite the contrary, we view this experience as a gift – a gift from God. Let me explain.

You see, prior to leaving for this amazing African journey, we each prayed, in our own way, that the Lord would reveal himself to us. That we would experience God on some grand level befitting of both the time and energy spent to prepare and the sheer distance we were going to travel. Let’s set aside the fact that this pre-trip human desire is theology slightly flawed. All of us would agree that God can reveal himself to you without ever having to leave your house. But, come on. We weren’t sitting at home. We were stepping out. Africa is a long way away. We desired a God moment.

Well, it never dawned on me that our individual mental pictures were so askew from God’s plan. Isn’t that sometimes the case? Our mountain top experience would come at the bottom of a ditch along a dusty deserted road in the middle of nowhere Africa. The Lord works in mysterious way.

In the ditch, I recall thinking that the “story” value of this experience would be huge. The attention that would come to this region due to our experience could be leveraged to bring great resources to a very poor area. I envisioned telling the story to friends and family as encouragement for the work of the Lord. Mentally, I was stopped in my tracks. What if I wasn’t able to tell the story? Wow! This was a tough realization. A realization each of us had to come to grips with on our own while huddled in the ditch.

Instantly, a peace (which truly transcended all understanding given the circumstances) came over me. I realized at that moment the purpose of my life – that one singular purpose that each of us, believer or non-believer, seeks throughout the course of life. The purpose of my life was going to be my death. In my death, God would do more than I might be able to do in the next 50 years. Oddly, I was very satisfied and fulfilled. God’s plan… not mine!

At this point, our captors had everything. They had stolen our cell phones, cameras and cash. We had nothing left. Striped of everything of worldly value we had but one last precious thing, our lives. In a wonderful turn of events, God did the unexpected, he robbed the robbers. They would not be able to take our lives that night. Our lives had already been taken. God gave each of us the strength and the desire to surrender our lives to Him right there in the ditch. In the obedience of doing so he has transformed each of us.

Our quiet resolve for Him was nothing short of miraculous. No one was crying out or shouting. You could hear the low whisper of prayers amidst the chaos. He repaid our obedience. Just as the bedlam began to wane, an eerie anticipation of “What is next?” enveloped us. Inexplicably at that moment, we were free to go. Over the next couple of minutes as we rushed to climb into the one operable van, we saw what had caused our captors to flee – the head lights of an all white delivery van.

During debrief, several of our team revealed that they had prayed for a car to come down that road. It never dawned on me to pray for that. It was too improbable. No one in that area owns a car. It was late. No one would be traveling on that dark rutted out road. When does God ever answer your prayer exactly as you ask for it on your requested timeframe? When does he ever answer this prayer: “Dear God, please give me a red bike on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.” He heard our plea. He delivered the van for us.

In many ways he spoke directly to us that night. My interpretation is that he said, “Tonight I will not demand your life. Knowing you would surrender it to me is all I need to know. Get up. Dust yourself off. And, let’s get to work.” God saved us.

Many have asked “How has this changed you? “What have you learned?” There are many answers to these questions.

Our old concept of security is shattered. We now have dual citizenship: first as an American in a fairly insulated environment and second as a citizen of the rest of the world that deals daily with the threat of some sort of violence not dissimilar to our incident. Resting in the knowledge that we ultimately are part of a heavenly citizenry makes all the difference.

The safest place on earth is in the palm of God’s hand. Prior to this event that phrase has only registered as a cliché. Yet, if he can save us from the dire circumstances of that night, he can save us from anything. He is in control.

Making disciples of Jesus Christ is not just a mission statement. It is a battle cry. When you suit up to take the field for God, Satan pays attention. Spiritual warfare exists. This could have happened anywhere – East Africa or West Dallas. As we “go” we will go wisely in order to win the day.

Our event should not discourage missions. It should encourage it. God is at work in and around us. Seek Him. Learn better his will. Join Him as called regardless of the location.

God saved us. Twice. Through the death of His Son he has provided for our eternal salvation. As if that grace was not sufficient, He reached down that night and plucked us from certain tragedy. Our physical rescue further anchors our faith in eternal salvation. They are one in the same.

There is life after near death. God has given each of us a gift. What each of us does with that might be our life’s journey for as many weeks, months and years we have left on earth. For me I have only just begun to tug at the ribbon of the bow of my gift. Asking God to guide me daily on how to proceed, will be my challenge. He will direct my steps.

So, what is the moral of the story? It is simple. Love your neighbor as you love yourself (regardless of the circumstances). Our Good Samaritan came that night as we found refuge at our hotel. The owners were Arab Muslims. They knew our trip’s purpose. Yet, their outreach to us as “fellow brothers and sisters” has left its imprint and forever changed our hearts. Likewise, early the next morning a group of Njuthine villagers, upon hearing the news, walked over 10 kilometers to be with us. We are the same. We are one. In Him we have one body.

Grace and peace,

Robin Pou
The Kenya II team
Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Dallas, Texas

Through his affiliation with The Mind of a Champion (www.themindofachampion.com), Robin delivers his message of encouragement through his presentations “Fearless Leadership” & “Fearless Living.” Because he is called to speak to a variety of audiences, Robin’s speaking style is versatile and resonates with church audiences, discipleship groups, business organizations and corporations alike. For more information on Robin, please contact Angela Bruckner at angela@themindofachampion.com or 214.707.7098.

Comments

[timothymc]

As a Pres. minister about to take a team of 11 to Kenya in two weeks, thanks for your story and for your service--and I pray God keeps us from anything like it!!

Is the rest of the story reported anywhere?

Timothy

[Ron Rice]

I'm sorry I don't know anything about your armed robbery, but we have a critical rule in Nigeria where I work: NEVER DRIVE AT NIGHT! Armed robbers are notorious for blockading the road in a lonely place at night and stopping all vehicles and robbing them. I'm sure this rule applies or should apply in many African countries.
So Timothy, when you take your group to Kenya, NEVER drive in the dark, except perhaps on well-populated streets in the city. It will be inconvenient, but it could spare you a lot of grief.