Sleep – Eat – Refresh
The price of admission.
Often I am asked by friends and prayer partners, “what is the toughest part of your work in East Africa?” Without hesitation I always answer, “getting
there and leaving Teresa and family behind.”
There is no way to sugar coat what 30 hours of travel do to the body and
mind. The excitement and anticipation of the God adventure ahead fade quickly with the check-in form first flight. The stress of delays. Watching my Delta App to see if my bags are loaded on the plane. And then…the waiting. Layovers are the devil’s playground for the mind. The differences in time zones make it impractical to text to Teresa (my therapy and counsel that keeps me sane as I travel). I am getting up as she is going to bed, and vice-versa.
You gotta want it.
There is an oft repeated phrase at the Curry house—“you gotta’ want it.” The phrase, now well worn by the years, started when the boys were young. Athletics, academics, spiritual growth… nothing comes easy. And that fact gave birth to the second most common phrase in our home, “if it were easy, everyone would do it.”
All good things come at a price. The price tag for ministry on the mission field is a fatigued body, blurry/burning eyes, a body aching from being folded into a coach airline seat for 30 hours, and a mind that begins to be lonely as soon as the cabin door closes.
And then…there is a hotel with a soft bed, hot shower, A/C (sometimes), and a African breakfast of fresh fruit and bold coffee on a veranda decorated with tropical flowers growing wild. Sleep restores the body and resets the mind. Food becomes fuel for travel and ministry. And the visuals of God’s active presence remind you that being 10,000 miles from home does not mean that you are alone…ever.
Sleep was deep and good. My mind is clear. There are only slight aches this morning, most left over from a still recovering shoulder (surgery). Already I have texted/emailed my pastors and drives making sure that the have reset their clocks from Kenyan to American time. In a few minutes I will leave the oasis of my Nairobi hotel and make my way into the city.
I have a rule that I try to follow: Do the most difficult/dreaded task of your day first. The, the day has no choice but to improve with every tick of the clock. So….it’s off to see the moneychangers. The first thing you do when you travel internationally is get robbed. Money-changers are the oldest of thieves. But, the dollar is strong. That means your support will go farther and do more on this trip.
An afternoon flight up to Kisumu, then to Kiss in the morning for a Sunday filled with preaching and staff meetings. Pastor Patroba (Tanzania) is traveling to Kisii, joining Daniel, Christiano and Agnes. All of these ministries are flourishing at different paces and facing regional challenges. We will sit over dinner Sunday evening and ask God to use the shared experience at the table to guide us through the maze of ministry planning and preparation. Monday, we host a regional pastor’s conference at Pastor Daniel’s church (Kisii). Bush pastors from around Kisii will travel to Pastor Daniel’s church for a day of spiritual and physical feeding and encouragement. Many of the isolated ministers get little or no fellowship and encouragement. They ministry on the “back-side of nowhere”, out of view from every eye…except God’s. Then it is back to Kisumu for more meetings, evaluations and exploration of ministry expansion.
I will update as schedule and WiFI allow.
Remember, I am 8-9 hours ahead of most of you. You have to learn to pray about tomorrow as if it were today…because it is where I am!
Your partnership is the foundation from which we spring. Your prayers = our fuel.
By grace, your brother,
Mike Curry
President/Founder Light Ministries, Inc.
Eph. 6:19-20