In my last post I told you that there was something weighing on my heart. I said that it had to do with water but sort of left you hanging. Well, it’s ready to talk about!
I recently read the statistic that a child dies every 15 seconds due to lack of clean water. Also, that the estimated cost of fixing that problem globally is only 2% of what Americans spend on Christmas. ‘Sick’ pretty well describes how I felt after reading that.
As many of you know.. I spent some time in Kenya this summer. If you go back a few entries you can read some about my trip. My team and I saw first hand the effects the water problem is having on real people who live on the same earth that we do.
‘Response’ is defined as any behavior of a living organism resulting from internal or external stimulus.
We often think of a response as being a positive thing (which it sometimes is). But according to that definition I would say that there are far more negative, apathetic or stale responses than there are positive ones. ANY behavior. I have been responding to what I saw and felt this summer by basically talking about it. Talking is good. I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to share my experience with so many students this summer. But even that began to fade as camp came to an end.
After I read that statistic, it felt like I had just been punched in the gut. I knew way too much about this problem to sit around doing nothing any longer. It was time to put my words in motion.
When I started thinking about the potential of the resources I had access to, it was like I had just been thrown in the middle of a holy whirlwind of affirmation. I was part of a team of 21 people who had been right there with me in Kenya. A team of people who had the same heart and passion I did for helping the people we met there. I had gotten to know staff from the 410 Bridge and had visited one of their communities in Karima. The same community that lit a fire in our hearts for the water problem. In addition to tens of other things that seemed to point in the same direction.
My team and I have set out to raise enough money to build a well in a 410 Bridge community. The well will cost approximatly $18,000. The specifics as to which community have yet to be finalized.
Many of us have decided to “give up” our traditional Christmases by asking for WATER instead of gifts. So, if you were planning on getting me anything.. don’t. Go to our website to find out how you can donate what you would have spent on my gift to our project.
And if you weren’t planning on buying me anything (which I believe is most of you) please take a look at the site and check it out anyway. Tell someone about it. Pray for us. We need your help.
I haven’t written anything in a while so I’m not sure if anyone even still checks to see if I have. But if you are reading this I would love for you to pray for something. God has placed something very big on my heart. Very big. Much bigger than me. I feel that He has called me to act on something. Something that I got to see and experience this year. Something I haven’t been able to shake. I don’t want to pitch the idea until I have a foundation for it to stand on. Progress is being made and I should announce it all in detail soon but for now I’ll just say that it has to do with water. So please pray that God will finish giving me the vision He’s started. Pray that I listen and follow Him and don’t let my Self get carried away. Thank you.
I have another blog. Did you know that? It’s one I’ve kept since high school. I posted things there in the beginning purely for me- no one read it. Then a year or so ago a bunch of my friends started blogging and suddenly I had a small audience. Anyway, I tell you that because I don’t know how much longer I will update this one and if you for some reason are interested in my babble-ings you can find about all you could handle here.
Like today I wrote a little something about how much I love rain:
“I love rain. It has been raining for a week straight in Atlanta and is currently coming down its hardest yet. I understand that enjoying rain puts me in a very small minority. Don’t ask me why I love it.. I have no clue. But there is just something so encouraging, inspiring, and motivating about it to me. I makes me want to do things that deep down I want but never actually do. It makes me want to be better. Again, I have no idea.”
See? Random stuff. (Though most of it isn’t quite that trivial)
On a more serious note (since we all love serious).. I had a wresting match with God last night. Probably the most dialog I’ve had with Him in a while. Looking back at it now I just have to laugh at the irony of it. Because at the core of the conversation was the question of His existence. Haha! I was arguing with God about whether He existed or not! I am so thankful for His fatherly patience. Can you imagine if someone started an argument with you over your existence? How long would you humor them until you gave up and wrote them off as a lunatic? But despite how ridiculous it was, it proved to be more emotional than I expected. It was the first time in a while that I expressed so much frustration towards God. I ended up in tears over a subject of tenderness that I’ve struggled with for the past couple of years. I later concluded that God knows a lot more than I ever will, He loves me much more than I can understand, and innocent trust in that kind of father is the greatest feeling I could ever ask for.
Thank you God for always pursuing my reckless heart.
I’m home in Dalton now. I got back here the night of the 4th.
This has been the most incredible summer (or time, really) of my life. The past few months were filled with experiences that have no doubt changed and shaped me into a new and different person. I pray that I will not soon (or ever) forget what God did this summer. What He showed me through a place on the other side of the globe, through a group of people who became a family to me, through the lives of nearly twenty-thousand teenagers. I had so much coming at me from so many different places it was, I’m afraid, a bit too overwhelming to process it all. But then again, what kind of God would He be if He couldn’t and didn’t overwhelm me?
There will be a lot of adjusting in the coming months as I go back to life in Atlanta without the incredible community that surrounded me this summer. I honestly cannot even begin to describe the growth that happened when each day I woke up and worked alongside people with the same goal in mind. The goal to make Jesus famous. As a Christian, I am called to make Jesus famous always. When it’s easy and comfortable and when it’s hard and unpopular. May I never forget who gave me life, a second chance, and a hope. May I never let the importance there is in His promise and in His truth slip from my mind or heart. God, never let me fall into compromise and apathy. Because I have ONE life and that life has been surrendered to You.
Sorry that this is becoming lengthy.. Again, that’s what happens when I don’t post very often. I’m going to leave you with a video that summarizes our time in Kenya. The music is by Davis Harwell, the footage by Duane Codrington, and the editing was done by Kyle Dennard as a gift to the interns. These guys blow my mind.. you’ll soon see why.
Thank you all again for your support. I could not have done this without you.
Camp 8 starts today. I can hardly believe that we’re already this close to the end. It’s sad thinking about the people I will have to say goodbye to in a few weeks. People who felt like family in no time at all. I am so blessed to get to spend my summer with such quality individuals.
The hardest thing for me right now is having the same energy I had camp 1. I try to remind myself that this is the first day for the campers that are here. This will be their first go-round. I owe them the energy and the excellence they expect from BigStuf. It’s hard to do that when I’ve done 7 camps already and I’ve heard all the messages, sang all the songs, seen all the videos, etc. I prayed today that my jobs at camp and Christ’s spirit would fall fresh on me. That I will go all out this week. Leave it all on the court so to speak. I would love if you guys would remember me in your prayers and would pray just that- that I would not slip into routine. Thanks so much! Can’t wait to see all of you in August!
That is exactly what I’ve been asking myself all day.
This morning, for the third camp straight, I got to share with over 1,500 kids what God did in my heart in Kenya. I got to talk about Compassion and 410 and hopefully let God inspire someone through my babbling to get involved and change someone’s life who they will never meet. Are you kidding me?! I cannot believe God is giving me such an incredible opportunity to serve Him. I am getting to be used by the Creator of the universe to expand His kingdom. What?!
Then just a few minutes ago I was standing on the beach, looking out over the waves rolling into the white sand, and listening to the sound they make as they recede. The sun was on its way down and its reflection was mirrored across the ocean. I’m watching all of this while having a conversation (out loud) with my Savior. People probably thought I was a loon talking to no one but myself and that’s ok. That’s ok because I wasn’t- I was talking with the King of kings like I would a friend sitting next to me. Are you freakin’ kidding me? God is so awesome I can’t even handle it. His love is so great I can’t contain it. And His handy-work so elaborate there is no way I can take it all in or even begin to process it.
We are so blessed to have such a God. A God I hate attaching an adjective to because there is none that serves Him justice.
First I would like to say Happy Father’s Day to any dad who might be reading this. Your role is so key and super important to your family. Huge props for taking it on and being awesome.
I sent my dad a card a few days ago. It was pretty perfect.. like by choosing that card I basically nailed it. I’m missing my dad today. He’s pretty stinkin’ awesome. I am so thankful for our relationship and for him being the spiritual leader of our family. It’s incredible having that constant presence in my life.
As awesome as Wayne is, I am thinking more today about how mind-blowing my Heavenly Father is. It’s so hard to get my mind around the love He’s poured into me and into humanity in general. I will never understand how or why He loves me that much this side of Heaven. Looking out at 1,500 students with their hands raised to Him in praise last night was close to overwhelming. I just kept thinking to myself that I was witnessing a small small taste of what eternity will be like. Haha! I have gotten to the point where I just start laughing in times like that. It’s this strange emotion that seems out of place in a serious moment but feels so right once it’s unleashed.
So, happy father’s day to the greatest Father ever. I love you, Dad.
Hello! I am so so very sorry that I have not updated you all in so long. Free time doesn’t come in abundance around here and I just kept putting this off.
Anyway, we are on day 3 of the third camp of the summer. Some pretty amazing stuff is happening down here. Jared Herd and Stuart Hall are nailing it session after session. They are both very smart guys blessed with incredibly fresh perspective. On top of that, our worship team is incredible. Casey Darnell is doing most of the leading- that guy has an amazing heart and you can see it in him every time he leads. James David Carter was here for camp two and left a few days ago. Eddie Kirkland graced us with his presence the other day to kick off camp 3. Some of the other gifted band members include Chris Coleman, Danny Stephens, Danny Dukes, Chrystina Fincher (who is a flippin’ rockstar), Slug, Ben Snider, Jayce Fencher, and Evan Lemmons. All of them are incredibly gifted at what they do and they all are some of the greatest people I’ve known.
I’m getting to learn a lot of new things as I rotate around the different jobs. My favorite so far is roaming cameras- which are the cameras on stage that get (hopefully) cool close-ups of the band members. I also love being at the Compassion table. It’s so incredible to get to share my experience with students and leaders. And it never gets old watching someone decide to change the life of a person they’ve never even met. It’s seriously the greatest.
Working in Reggie Joiner’s room has been really neat. He is such a smart guy and has just some great thoughts on church development. I honestly believe that every church leader should hear what he has to say.
Today I got to share with over 1,500 people part of my experience in Kenya. I mainly talked about the 410 Bridge community we visited. It was so amazing getting to share that day with all of those people who have no idea what it’s like there. I hope that God used something I said to motivate and/or inspire even just one person to get involved with the change that needs to take place in Kenya.
Sorry this is getting long. There has just been so much going on it’s hard to pick and choose what to tell you. I will try to write shorter blogs more often to prevent this from happening. Please remember Kenya, Anastasia, and BigStuf in your prayers. Miss you guys!
So we’ve been loading, unloading, setting up, training, Wal-Mart running, etc. for the past few days in preparation for what is going to begin tomorrow. This year’s theme is “Time” and it’s funny because it feels like time has been very inconsistent lately. Kenya feels like a year ago already. Some of these people I’ve known for two and a half weeks feel like life-long friends. I turned 20 two minutes ago.. what? When did I live 20 years? Has that really happened already? And then today (31st) was easily one of the longest days of my life. I have been waiting for this moment since before I knew I got this internship. I cannot express the anticipation bursting out of me right now for what God is about to do this summer. I am beyond honored to get to be a part of it!
The position the I will “own” for the summer is in “Reggie’s room”. I’m not sure yet exactly what that will entail besides the broad title of “assisting/production” but I am looking forward to getting to know and to listening to Reggie Joiner for two months. From what I can tell he’s a pretty sharp guy and I am sure there is a lot to be learned from him. A lot.
Anyway, just wanted to give you guys a quick update as to what’s been going on since Kenya. God is about to move. He is moving. He’s moving and I am getting to be a part of it. I get to feel His breeze, His wake. It’s an indescribable feeling.
Please keep me in your prayers as well as the rest of the BigStuf team. Pray also that God will ready the hearts of the kids who are about to get their faces rocked off by His all consuming love. I’m not sure if they’re ready for it. I’m not sure if any of us are.
Love you all,
JK
P.S. Thanks to those of you who have already began to send birthday wishes. 20 is a strange feeling for sure..
I’m not going into step-by-step or day-by-day detail like I had originally planned. I’ve tried that a few times in the last couple of days in face-to-face conversations and I never felt like I gave a remotely accurate depiction of the reality that we witnessed. If you would like to hear about each day or about specific events or Compassion projects, I would be more than willing to do my best to tell you about them sometime. Though I would like to save the majority of you from a poor description of places and people that deserve more.
I will say this- We got on a plane in one country and traveled to another country on the same planet; but after walking through the streets of Kibera it felt like it must be in a different world. I can’t get my mind around the fact that a place like Kibera and a place like Alpharetta, GA can exist on the same planet. How is that possible? There is nowhere in the United States where an area could look like that and it be at all acceptable. Nowhere.
So where does God come in in the midst of what seems to be “unfairness”? How could a God allow that to be a reality? There are several good answers to that question that I’m not going to go into. Instead I will go to my favorite verse in Scripture- John 16:33. Jesus told His disciples- “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus basically went through as close to Hell on Earth as anyone can get. He tells us to take peace from that knowing that we can face anything knowing He’s been though it and He is willing to go through anything we run into along with us. The rockstars I met in Kenya got that. They were the most joyful people I’ve ever met- Ever. Before anything else came through their lips they shouted “praise the Lord”. The children at the Maasai village sang a beautiful song with only the lyrics, “We love you Jesus, You are our Savior.” These people were happier than any millionaire I’ve ever met, any guy I’ve ever seen in a Porsche, and anyone who’s lake-house I’ve visited. They are faced each day with a harder life than any of us can imagine, but they also understand that this life is short. That we are eternal beings created for something much bigger than our careers, our cars, or our houses. We are the children of the living God. We have been promised eternal life through and with Him. He died so that we could have that opportunity. Because He loves us that much. What?! They get it. They radiate the kind of joy anyone who is loved that much should. And in that sense, they are far richer than you or I will ever be. Because in America we have become too big for God. Too educated for God. We don’t need Him. We don’t count on Him for the rain, our crops or our health. We put Him in a glass box to take out on Sundays, maybe Wednesdays, sometimes before we eat the food He’s provided us with. Basically, He’s a last resort.
The people I met in Kenya understand we were created for a relationship with our Father not a routine for our God.
There is a lot I’ve taken away from the trip. And I’m sure a lot more will surface as I continue to process. But that was probably the main gist of what I’ve uncovered so far. Kind of just a spew (or rant rather) of the main thought on my heart right now. And I’m sorry this is so lengthy- thank you for taking the time to read it. The fact that you care that much means a ton.
Anyway, as always I would love to hear your thoughts, complaints, questions, etc.
JK
P.S. Camp starts in less than a week! I am so pumped! This is going to be the greatest birthday ever!
