On a mission
By Ruth Schenk | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Southeast Senior Minister Dave Stone will never forget standing in Mathare, one the world’s largest slums, during a mission trip to Kenya this summer. A maze of tiny
tin shanties propped one against the other stretched as far as he could see.
Mathare is home to some 800,000 people, who live in about 3 square miles. Images are stark. More than 70,000 of the residents are children.
He expected to see poverty and despair, but what he saw was little children laughing and playing as he walked through the narrow maze of paths.
He saw young women carrying babies on their backs, and many selling fruits and vegetables from small squares of cloth on the ground.
What Stone saw is representative of what he would like each person in the Southeast congregation to experience.
His vision is for every member of Southeast to go on a short-term mission trip.
“Whether it is someone who is young, has a family or someone who has discretionary time as they retire, everyone needs to go on a mission trip,” he said. “They may
go to Wayside Christian Mission in Louisville, to a church plant in New York or Maryland, to Dominican Republic or Haiti. God will work through all of them. And I love
to see parents and children serving together.
It teaches that faith is real, and it takes the spotlight off them to serve others. It is one of the healthiest things a parent can do with their kids.”
Dr. Florence Muindi, Southeast’s partner in Africa, knew that once Stone saw the conditions in Mathare, he would want to give away every dollar he brought with him.
Before Stone went to Mathare, Muindi talked with his mission team, with his family, Oldham Campus Pastor Kurt Sauder and his family and Mission Ministry leader
Charlie Vittitow and his family.
“When Americans pass out money, it sets up an unhealthy pattern,” Muindi told the group. “If that is all we do, Kenyan nationals become dependent on people. That’s
not good. We want them to be dependent on God.”
In the Life in Abundance model of ministry, local churches are empowered to meet needs in their own community. It is working in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Egypt
as nationals serve Africa’s poorest communities in new ways.
The team followed Muindi to the homes of two single moms. Both have AIDS, but they were not despondent. Both believe in Jesus, and their medical and spiritual
needs are met through Christians in the local church. One sells small fish in the local market while the other makes French fries to sell along the road.
“Those women have a real sense of self-worth,” Stone said. “Their work gives them value, and their faith gives them strength. They care for their families, as the local
church reaches out to support and care for them. That model works. They are not dependent on Americans to provide for their needs. They look to God.”
Stone talked with people as he walked through the slum and played with children.
“Most of these people have nothing, but I never saw a sense of discontent,” Stone said. “They had a lot of joy—especially the Christians. In every church we visited the
joy was overwhelming.”
Stone said it is impossible to go on a mission trip and not be radically changed.
Being in Kenya created a new sense of gratitude.
“My dream is that in America we will realize how wealthy we are, that we can learn from believers in other countries who have learned the secret of being content in
everything, in plenty or want,” he said. “As Americans, we may say we are not wealthy, but someone on welfare in the U.S. has more than 95 percent of the people in
any developing nation. When we realize how God has blessed us, we will be more generous with mission organizations. I encourage people to find one for which
their heart beats and share with those needs and people.”
Another takeaway was prayer.
“Kenyan Christians are prayer warriors. They pray for one another, for us and for the nations,” Stone said. “In fact, they pray for everything. As a family, we learned a lot
about praying without ceasing, and that continues. Now prayer is a first response in our house rather than just a perfunctory habit.”
After landing in Louisville, Stone, his wife, Beth, son, Sam and daughter Sadie, carried in their suitcases, then circled up in the living room, held hands and prayed for the next 10 to 15 minutes.
Stone’s vision for the direction of Southeast was affirmed in a meeting with Pastor Simon Mbevi, who met with the team for 30 minutes. As Mbevi explained the three
things for which he was praying, it was exactly the same three things Stone and leaders of Southeast had unveiled to Southeast six months before: That Southeast
will be a praying church, equipping godly men to lead and growing in the area of discipleship.
“It was like God sent me to Kenya to confirm and validate the mission, vision and strategies back here at Southeast,” Stone said.