orphanage in Kenya

Great Rejoicing in Kenya

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(Note: Before I share with you a beautiful email I received yesterday, I want to let you know that I’m now planning to be in the Boston area the first weekend in October. We are already planning events in Reading and Sutton, Massachusetts. If you’re near the area and either want to join us at one of these or plan something of your own, please let me know. I do have some extra days available during the week after.]

In early August, I informed you that an orphanage of 400 children in Kenya was at risk of closing because of unpaid bills. Your generosity allowed us to pay off all their debt and correct the cash flow and management problem, so that this will not happen again. Here’s a note I received from the leader there:

I want to sincerely and humbly thank you once again for the great love, kindness, and care you have shown to us. We truly appreciate you for listening to God’s voice and allowing yourself to become such a great blessing in our lives. There are moments when I look at what is happening around us, and I feel like it is a dream. There was a time when we would wake up, and our greatest prayer was simply asking God to provide something for the children to eat. Many times, we would pray with tears, wondering where the next meal would come from.

But today, by the grace of God, our children can have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This is something that had not happened for a very long time, and every time I see it, my heart is filled with thanksgiving to God. We know very well that this has not happened by our own strength. It has come through God’s provision and through the gift he placed in your heart to purchase the tractor for us and help us jump-start our farming project.

Brother, your obedience to God’s voice has brought a very great impact in our lives. You did not only give us a tractor; you gave us a means through which we can begin to work toward a more sustainable future. You have helped us to move from simply praying for provision to also having an opportunity to produce that provision through the land God has given us.

Please know that your kindness has gone much further than you may ever be able to see. It has touched the lives of our children, our teachers, our workers, and the entire work that God has entrusted to us. There are many people who may never get an opportunity to sit with you or personally tell you thank you, but their lives are being touched through your obedience and generosity.

We give all the glory and thanksgiving to God for what He has done, what He is doing, and what we believe He is still going to do.

Also in August, we told you that government officials approached our friends there, wanting to use Just Love in their educational system. I know, it’s an extraordinary opportunity. They asked if we could provide 5,000 copies of the book for their use. Again, thanks to your generosity, we were able to print over 7,000 books, not only for the educational system, but also for pastors and coaches helping reframe the Gospel in Kenya to love and justness, rather than sin management.

Here is the news we just received from our friends in Kenya:

We are delighted to share the wonderful news that the printing company has fulfilled its promise and successfully delivered all the new copies of Just Love. We were filled with great joy when they called to inform us that the shipment was on its way. We carefully counted every box for confirmation of 7038 copies. They added us with 150 extra books at no cost. They truly did an excellent job, with such outstanding quality and within the agreed timeframe.

We will also work together with the government and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training representatives to ensure that these materials reach the exact institutions and leaders for whom they were intended. They will collect 5,000 copies for distribution to leaders in public institutions. We pray that these books will become a lasting blessing and bring peace, healing, and transformation throughout our nation.

The rest will be distributed to our coaches, pastors, and others who will embrace this life-changing message.

Please convey our deepest gratitude to all the brothers and sisters who sacrificially supported this project. Their generosity is not in vain. At a time when Kenya is approaching a season of elections with many political parties, we believe these books will teach that the love of God has the power to transform individuals, families, communities, and an entire nation.

Although we may never meet many of these supporters on earth, we believe that one day we shall meet them in the Kingdom of God with great rejoicing. We are committed to using these books faithfully and prayerfully, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us in every step.

This year, our brothers and sisters in the U.S. have stood with many Kenyan families in their time of need. We continually lift them before the throne of God.

We continue learning to pray and listen to the voice of God. At the recent Kampala meetings, the Lord has opened new doors for outreaches in Malawi and Mozambique, places we have had no contact with before. They have invited us to go and share about Just Love in November, but we told them that we cannot go everywhere we are invited. Instead, we desire to follow God’s voice and His perfect timing. We asked them to continue praying and trusting the Lord.

May the Lord richly bless you for the great support. We give God all the honor, praise, and glory!

Tobie and I may have written Just Love for the nation of Kenya. Our friends there have a sense that this book, along with He Loves Me, may start an awakening across Africa of the love of God and how it can transform the world. May it be!

Thank you to all who were part of both of these efforts. Because of your generosity, we were able to rescue an orphanage and provide a way for them to take care of the kids in the future. We are also part of spreading the message of God’s love and justice throughout the nation of Kenya.

Glory be to God, who has done great things!

 

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Will You Help Us Again in Kenya?

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I know I promised yesterday that my next blog would share what Christianity lost when it substituted a preoccupation with righteousness for learning to live in the Father’s love. Someone pointed out I’d already done that blog.  You can read it here.  I do have more I want to share on that, but it will come later.

Also, a new interview I did for the Rapt website was released today. In it, I answer eight very provocative questions that give you some unique insights into my life, most of which you haven’t heard before here.  Here’s what they said about the interview:

With books like The Shack, The Naked Church and Just Love, Wayne Jacobsen isn’t afraid to challenge the assumptions underlying the modern Christian church. Having experienced the transformation that comes with living authentically and truly loved by God, he now wants to share those life-changing experiences with others. In today’s conversation, he discusses how he cultivates intimacy with God, the projects and passions that are moving him and the resources that have ushered him into a deeper relationship with Jesus.

You can read the interview here.

But I come to you today with an urgent need in Kenya and an opportunity there.  Please know that I am careful to vet all the requests we get for support in Kenya. In addition, Sara and I meet many of them on our own and don’t bring them to you. So, when we do, it’s because the need is genuine and we would appreciate others coming alongside us to help with it.

First, the need. An orphanage has gotten behind in its bills and may have to close. The children have not eaten in a couple of days, and the staff have not been paid. There is a court hearing on Friday where bills have to be paid, or someone else will be making decisions for the orphanage. I am convinced the leadership is sound, but they simply got caught in some unforeseen circumstances that left them overextended. This need is critical, as is the timing.

Second, while I consider He Loves Me the most significant book I’ll ever write, I’m beginning to see that Just Love just may be the most consequential book I’ll ever write. The two go hand-in-hand. Until we know we are deeply loved by the God of the universe, even in our sin and brokenness, we will never know what it means to be saved by him. Most of us mistakenly believe that Jesus came to save us from his Father, when he came to free us from living in the brokenness of lovelessness and the injustice it causes in human relationships.

Just Love is the sequel I want people to explore. It shows how our focus on sin and shame has created a greater concern for personal piety instead of showing us how to explore life through love. If we let love overrun our hearts, not only do we find increasing freedom from our preoccupation with self, but we also become people who live justly alongside others. That’s how the kingdom is revealed in the earth as the natural expression of the way we live.

The two books are finding an ever-growing audience in Kenya, and there’s a demand for 5,000 copies of both books for leaders and, surprisingly, for public schools. Unfortunately, I can’t give them permission for He Loves Me, but I can for Just Love.  

Recently, I got this email from an educational officer in Kenya:

I recently came across your book, Just Love, and I have been greatly encouraged by its message.

As I reflected on it, I was reminded of the lessons that “Christianity is about relationship, not just rules,” that “God wants us to experience His life now,” and that “God’s Kingdom operates through love.” These truths continue to encourage us as we seek to share God’s love with others.

Mr. Jacobsen, as a team working within the Education Department in Kenya, we are doing our level best to reach the generation we call Gen Z, who are in universities, colleges, and high schools. Many young people today are quick to respond to conflict with anger, revenge, and violence. After going through Just Love, I am convinced that this message is a God-given assignment for this generation.

The lessons that “God’s love changes hearts,” that “love motivates lasting transformation,” and that “fear is not the foundation of spiritual growth” speak directly to the challenges our young people face. We have also been encouraged by the teaching that “God’s plan is to restore broken relationships” and that “loving others includes treating them fairly.”

The discussion about your book is continuing among our Education Department colleagues. As we share its message, more and more people are embracing the desire to obtain a copy. Many have been deeply touched by the truths that “the gospel transforms relationships,” that “God’s love should flow through us to others,” and that “faith affects every area of life.” We believe the message of forgiveness, reconciliation, and genuine love can help shape a generation that reflects God’s character and brings peace to our communities.

I would like to know whether it is possible to obtain copies of the book. I highly recommend that this book be made available for our students to read.

And Michael, our brother in Kenya also spoke about how this book is influencing Central Africa:

Since we began sharing the message of Just Love, we have witnessed conviction, healing, reconciliation, and genuine transformation in many hearts. This is not simply about reading a book and placing it on a shelf. We believe God is using this message to bring spiritual renewal. We do not know what the Lord intends to accomplish through Just Love. There are countless books written about love and conflict resolution, but perhaps God has chosen this particular message for such a time as this.

Our joy also is found in simply being faithful to the assignment the Lord has given us. We have already begun planning outreach throughout Kenya and into East and Central Africa, carrying the message of Just Love. Our greatest desire is not merely to distribute books. Rather, we long to build small groups where people can meet face to face, share their hearts, experience God’s love together, and then disciple others. Books become much more effective when they are accompanied by genuine relationships and discipleship.

Even if one day we have the opportunity to provide books to government institutions, our priority will always be to meet people personally, share the message heart to heart, and then place the book into their hands. Transformation happens through the work of the Holy Spirit in living relationships.

We need about $15,000 to address these two needs. If you carry this on your heart and would enjoy being part of it with us, please visit our Donation Page at Lifestream. Check the box for “Kenya Relief”. You can also Venmo contributions to “@LifestreamMinistries” or mail a check to Lifestream Ministries  • 107 N. Reino Rd, PMB# 411 • Newbury Park, CA 91320-3710. Or, if you prefer, we can take your donation over the phone at (805) 990-8780.

As always, every dime you send will end up in Kenya. We do not take out any money for our administrative costs.

 

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