Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 131

Two More Weeks

At the last meeting with the Bells, Jen told us that in the weeks prior to departing, many things could go wrong. For past participants, it was as if Satan worked to get them to second-guess themselves and the mission trip entirely.
My cousin, my sister-in-law, and my father-in-law were all having medical problems. What if something happened to one of my loved ones while I was gone? I had spent so little time with Nick the past two years since he had graduated from high school. How fair was it that I was taking off with Val and leaving him home? How fair was it that my husband had traveled very little? (From “A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven”)
Just as happened a few weeks before my first trip to Kenya in 2006, all kinds of stuff is going on in my life. I had my mom into the ER one night last week. Nothing super-serious, but at her age and with her medical problems, she seems to be walking a very thin between okay and crisis. 
We had Dino the Wonder Dog into the vet on Friday. I think he has a tick-borne illness. On Wednesday, he suddenly went lame, was lethargic and lost gusto in eating. The vet started him on antibiotics and he seems to be doing a lot better already, but what if he takes a turn? He just can’t tell us where his pain is or how bad it is.
The bursitis is back in my right hip. It’s not bad if I keep moving around, but if I sit for more than a few minutes, it locks right up on me. Two sets of eight-hour plane rides will really work wonders for that. Not.
In two weeks, I will be getting on that plane, whether I am ready or not. I know that the good Lord will take care of my family (which includes my dog!) while I am gone and that He will be with me in Kenya as well. But that niggling fear and doubt still creeps in.

Dear Heavenly Father, be with me in the coming weeks as I prepare for this trip to Africa. Be with my family while I am gone. And Lord, God, if it be Your will, please keep me out of pain while I am there. Please allow me to follow Your wishes and do good for the people I meet in Kenya. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Never Go Hungry

“ They will never again be hungry or thirsty;    they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne    will be their Shepherd.He will lead them to springs of life-giving water.    And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”(Revelation 7:16-17 New Living Translation) 
One day last week I had to go to the lab for my routine fasting blood work. Because I sometimes think I would leave my head somewhere if it weren’t attached, I stuck this note up on the cupboard where I keep my cereal bowl. I could so see myself getting halfway through my morning Cheerios before I remembered that I was supposed to fast for twelve hours.
I remembered though and didn’t even get close enough to that cupboard to read my note. How blessed I am to always have cereal in my cupboard, milk in my refrigerator. My freezer is full and it has been a very long time since I had to skip a meal because I didn’t have any food in the house.
I take so much for granted.

Lord, God, thank you for blessing me so greatly. Thank you for the food I have to eat, the clothes I have to wear and the house I have to live in. You have blessed me beyond measure. Lead me, Lord, guide me, so that I may help those who are living without these things. And Lord, God, grant me the courage and strength to carry out this work in Kenya next month. Amen. 

Flashback Friday - 9/11

Our entire world had changed on September 11, 2001. Living in the relative safety of northern Wisconsin, things like terrorist attacks were a distant tragedy to me until that day. I prayed for the victims and the survivors and all of the affected families. I cried that evening when I drove into our yard after work and saw that Nick and Val had lowered our flag to half-mast. I called my friend in Minnesota just to hear her voice. My brother-in-law had been in Washington that morning on his way to the Pentagon. My prayers included a tearful thank-you that God had kept my loved ones out of harm’s way. Five years after that, I felt safe in Africa. Except for the quilt-fetching incident in the slums, I was confident nothing bad would personally happen to me or the team. While we were in Kenya, however, just days before we were to leave, fourteen suspected terrorists were arrested in the London airport. With the liquids they planned to carry onto their planes, they hoped to construct bombs. Security worldwide went on high alert.

It was a final leap of faith. People with different morals, a different religion, and a different code of living could declare their own personal war on Europeans and Americans and Christians worldwide. They could threaten us and, unfortunately, kill some of us, but that didn’t mean I had to live in fear. My God was going to take care of me and my loved ones and the entire HEART team. Our plane would touch down in Appleton, Wisconsin, and I would walk off with nothing but the clothes on my back and God’s love in my heart.
This is an excerpt from my first book, “A Time for Every Purpose Under Heaven”. As I prepare for my third trip to Kenya, I never fail to be amazed by God’s plan for us all. Horrible things happen in this world, and this side of heaven, we will never be able to understand why. But God will never leave us or forsake us. 

"It Will Work Out"

I just found out the other day, while reading someone else’s blog, that Wayne Dyer had passed away on August 29. I really didn’t know that much about him, except that he was quite the self-help guru, writing more than 20 books and lecturing across the country, teaching that each person can become what they want. The only thing that limits us is our own negative thinking. Or something like that. I only own one of his books and I have never read it. Yikes.
I guess some of his quotes I found on-line say it better.
“If you believe it will work out, you’ll see opportunities. If you believe it won’t you will see obstacles.”
“With everything that has happened to you, you can feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.”
"Stop acting as if life is a rehearsal. Live this day as if it were your last. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed.”
"Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.”
"When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself."
"When the choice is to be right or to be kind, always make the choice that brings peace."
“You may have convinced yourself that giving is impossible because you have too little for yourself. If you are not generous when it is difficult, you will not be generous when it is easy. Generosity is a function of the heart, not the wallet." (Which would probably be my favorite quote right now. Yes, I am still looking for donations towards my trip to Kenya in four weeks, but as the first quote says, “It will work out”.)

Have a great week and find the good in everything.  Along the wall outside of the volunteer house where I will be staying while in Kenya. 

What does Labor Day Mean to You?

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38 New King James Version
Labor Day is tomorrow, which to most people is seen as the day heralding the end of summer. The creation of Labor Day was however meant to pay yearly tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of The United States. The big city unions of the late 1800’s wanted their workers to be recognized and began to host rallies in support of their members. Eventually the government caught on, and in 1896, President Grover Cleveland declared the first Monday in September to became the national holiday known as Labor Day.
Even in Jesus time, however, the importance of the worker was stressed. I think that now, more than ever, men and women need to answer the call to work for the Lord. Does that mean giving up all that you currently own to become a missionary overseas? Maybe, but probably not. Does it mean that you need to go back to school and enter the seminary? Maybe, but perhaps not. Does it mean you should offer to teach Sunday School, become an usher during your worship services, serve on one of your church boards? Yes, it does. It definitely does. Does it mean you should work at your local soup kitchen, tutor low-income kids, volunteer at a clothing drive? Yes, it sure does.  
Your job is not only to work 40 hours a week to bring in a pay check. Your job is to bring people to the Kingdom of God. How’s that working for you?

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing me to live in a country where I can earn an income to support my family. Help me to use those wages to also support Your Family. Help me to help others give their time and talents to You and Your Children as well. Amen. A parade in support of the Red Cross in a Nairobi neighborhood the last day I was there in 2013.

Because Every Baby is Perfect

There was a chair in the room, more a loveseat than a chair (I supposed that was for if a couple were there), a table, and a telephone. Next to the telephone was a box of tissues. This was definitely a “bad news” room. A bad news room! I supposed all hospitals had to have rooms like this - a “delicate situation” room, a “knowing nothing else to do with these people” room.
So begins Yvonne Joye’s second book, “Ten Fingers and Ten Toes”. This second memoir, about yet another extremely trying time in the author’s life, again tells it like it is with honesty, reality and the kind of odd sense of humor I can relate to. Yvonne had me crying one minute and laughing the next. Maybe some things we think and do aren’t appropriate, but don’t we all do them and think them?
In the midst of job changes and a house remodel, Yvonne and her husband decide it is time to have a fourth child. When they find out that this baby will be born with severe birth defects, there is nothing to do but push forward and deal with the outcome. Which the family does marvelously, not perfectly, though, because who in this world is perfect?
I love Yvonne’s style of writing. Though she is from Ireland and certain spellings and grammar aren’t what I’m used to here in America, it was just one more thing that endeared her to me. Between this book and her first one about her battle with breast cancer, if you ever want to read stories which will hit home, read these. 

Why do I do what I do in Kenya?

I've been asked this a lot. And I thought that I answered it here once before. Maybe I have hedged around the question but have avoided it because I am afraid that I won't come across the right way. I will sound like a crotchety crab instead of a diplomatic representative of volunteerism.

So why do I do this? Why do I spend so much of my time and money helping out people living in Kenya in poverty? See? Then I don't know what to tell you because it is beyond my scope to imagine why someone wouldn't want to jump in a plane, fly 12,000 miles, live in questionable surroundings without reliable water or electricity, eat bland meals, and be surrounded by dirt and poverty.


What I really want to do is ask you the question. Why haven't you traveled to a third world country to see how three-quarters of the world's population lives?

Here's why.

Because I can't afford it. How much do you spend a week on eating out for lunch? How much do you spend on soda from the vending machine? How much do you spend on your cable bill? Or light bill? Or fuel for the gas-guzzling SUV you have to have?

Because it's not safe. Have you see the news? Is it safe here in America to go to the mall or your kid's school or the movie theater? Or a military base? Bad stuff happens everywhere. EVERYWHERE. We cannot live in a bubble, live in fear. We have to go out and live, whether in our own hometowns or across the world.

Because we have poverty in this country too. That's true. So, then that means you are doing something about that, right? Good for you. Oh, or no, you're not helping out here at home either? Yes, there is poverty everywhere too. So do something about it - either in Africa, or the Appalachian mountains, or on an Indian reservation in the Southwest, or Harlem, or your own town. But go do it! Work at the food pantry. Mentor a kid in need through Big Brothers/Big Sisters or Kinship. Volunteer to read to the residents of your local nursing home. Work at church.

Because I don't have time. This one pretty much leaves me speechless (wordless?). I cannot hardly think of an answer that is going to come out not sounding sarcastic. Coz I want to know first of all how many hours a week you spend in front of the TV. Me? Maybe three or four hours. A week - not a day. Get off your couch and do something. I don't care what. Just turn the TV off. Also turn off the computer. I do have to admit that surfing the internet does waste a lot of my time, but somehow I still find the time to volunteer.

Because I really don't have the time, I have a family to raise. For starters it doesn't take that much time. But more importantly, what do you want to teach those kids you are raising? That they need to get a good education just so they can get a good job so they can have a good house and a good car? Or that it's better to help out someone in need, coz that's what Mom and Dad do? And better yet, take those kids with you when you volunteer, whether it's across town or across country or across the world. There is no better education then seeing how others live. Raise kids who care.

Okay, enough of that. See now why I hate writing about this stuff? Just me on my soapbox.

Weariness

 I am sad and tired.    Make me strong again as you have promised. Psalm 119:28 (New Century Version)
A lot of the authors throughout the Bible write of being tired and weary.
 He gives strength to those who are tired    and more power to those who are weak. Even children become tired and need to rest,    and young people trip and fall. But the people who trust the Lord will become strong again.They will rise up as an eagle in the sky;    they will run and not need rest;    they will walk and not become tired. Isaiah 40:29-31 (New Century Version)
Their faith, though, is in the Lord as they know that only He can give them strength and refresh them.
 Then he went back to his followers, and again he found them asleep, because their eyes were very heavy. And they did not know what to say to him. Mark 14:40 (New Century Version)
Even Jesus’ disciples gave into fatigue, at the most crucial of times.
 “Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. The burden that I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (New Century Version)
But Jesus reminds us that we need to turn to Him and our fatigue will lift. We will be able to carry on.
 We must not become tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 (New Century Version)

And we will receive our reward.

Closing the Book on this Story

When Achilles tendinitis took hold of my left ankle this spring, I slowed down a bit, frustrated that I couldn’t shake the pain. Then when bursitis attacked my right hip the first of June, not only was running impossible but walking became a challenge. I quit my weekly walks around Tomahawk. And even when the bursitis abated, and I had decided to just suffer with the tendinitis, my walks never resumed.
I kept telling myself, week after week, “get out there and finish walking the streets of your town.” And week after week, another excuse came up.
At least I am going to finish one tale of that year and a half long goal of walking every street. I am going to close the photo essay of the old Sacred Heart Hospital. In its place, Milestone Senior Living opens this week. And though it doesn’t have the character of the old building, it is a beautiful facility and will serve many individuals over the coming decades.

In my walks around that block, I tried to keep track of where I was. But when the old building disappeared and the new one went up, I lost some of my landmarks. And also just plain didn’t keep track of where I was as I took each picture. July 11, 2014 September 3, 2014 March 20, 2015 August 27, 2015 March 30, 2014 September 3, 2014 September 6, 2014 August 27, 2015 July 11, 2014 August 25, 2014 September 9, 2014 October 16, 2014 March 20, 2015 August 27, 2015 March, 2008 (yes, 2008, have I been keeping my eyes on this building for too long?) July 11, 2014 September 9, 2014  September 14, 2014 March 20, 2015 August 27, 2015 March 30, 2014 August 18, 2014 September 9, 2014 September 14, 2014 March 20, 2015 August 27, 2015This post has probably got the most pictures I've ever posted. And in case you are wondering, I have a total of 164 from this one block in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. But now is the time to close the book on that story.  

Wildlife Wednesday - is it a lost cause?

I know that I posted the rhino’s plight before, but since I saw him in the news again, I just had to share more of his stories.
As with other animals, there are several species of rhinos, some doing better than others, but none doing well. The number of southern white rhinos is around 20,400. On the critically endangered list, the Black rhino comes in at around 5,000 and one subspecies is already extinct.
But yesterday morning I read this said statement: “The rarest and smallest species of rhinoceros, the Sumatran rhino, has been declared extinct in Malaysia.” 
Searching the internet last night I found this good news: “An Ohio zoo that has the last Sumatran rhino in the United States announced plans Tuesday to send him to Southeast Asia on a mission to mate and help preserve his critically endangered species.”
It still doesn’t sound good for any rhinos. The northern white rhino of Africa has met the worst fate. Their entire population is down to four. FOUR! One male and three females, who are all incapable of reproducing. “Nabiré, a 31-year-old female northern white rhino, died of a ruptured cyst in July.” 
Besides having a shrinking habitat, the rhino carries a precious commodity on his head – his horn. Poachers continue to slaughter these magnificent creatures at the rate of three per day in Southern Africa! Just because some wealthy people, mostly in China, believe the horn has medicinal properties. There is a software engineer in California who is perfecting a fake horn which is so biologically similar to the rhino horn that he believe the sale of his imitation horn will drive down the price making it less desirable to kill for the real thing. A good idea in theory, but isn’t that giving into the creeps who want these rhino horns in the first place, like feeding an addict’s habit with something else instead of curing the problem? 
I know there is no easy answer. Is there ever?