Deviating From the Plan

Most of us make plans of some sort. Some have plans for the day and week, while others have plans for the month, year and the rest of our lives. We talk about our plans, get excited for them and can’t wait to be a part of them. When Tascha and I were preparing to come to Kenya, we planned what we were going do do (as much as we could) and we talked about it with everyone. We talked about how I would be doing media and youth ministry and how Tascha would be doing orphan ministry. But, now that we have been here for a month, we realize that where we are currently, orphan ministry and youth ministry are not our main focuses.

Here in Kericho, my main ministry has been guitar! I am borrowing a guitar from a fellow missionary just for my own enjoyment and personal worship to God. However, God has presented an opportunity for me to teach guitar to the students and staff here at Kenya Highlands Evangelical University. There are around 20 students and 3 staff who are taking lessons. I have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays after 4pm tea. We gather in the Chapel and split up into groups and learn songs. If there are chords they do not know in the song, then we learn them! My goal is to have the students leading worship using guitar in chapel by April.

 

These lessons are more than learning to play guitar. By these students and staff learning, they are being equipped to teach others guitar. But more than that, they have a portable instrument (tool) to lead worship anywhere. Teaching guitar to new believers is a form of discipleship, ingraining in them what it means to worship God, not only with our voice and a guitar, but with our lives.

 

For Tascha, her main ministry here in Kericho has been at Immanuel AGC, assisting with Children’s ministry. Most Wednesdays we are at the church and she and Lily (the Children’s Pastor) are coming up with ideas for the nine Sunday School lessons for that Sunday. In Sunday School, there are around 500 kids from Kindergarden to 8th grade. Not only does Tascha help plan each lesson, but also comes up with crafts for the kids to do and then prepares the crafts. She is really good at it and the kids love the crafts!

 

We can have a plan for what we want to do or what we think we are going to do. We can pray about it and doors may open or close. For us right now, we are ministering in ways we didn’t really think about because we were open and let God lead. This morning I was reading in Psalm 37 and verses 5-6 really stuck out:

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.”

In our everyday lives, committing each day to God for His glory and His use. Trust in Him and He will show up! It might not be in a huge glamorous way, but many times, if not most times, He shows up in the small, everyday things.