Transcription

00:10

Emily: Welcome back to the 4:18 Podcast. If you’ve listened before, you likely know that the name of this podcast comes from Luke 4:18. If you’re new here, Luke 4:18 is a verse in which Jesus announces his mission and it reads, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

00:35

Today, Doug and I are in the studio, and Doug, would you like to share what we’re doing today?  

Doug: Yes, I’d love to.  We just recently returned from a trip to Africa about just a few weeks ago. And so I thought it’d be fun just to sit down and share some thoughts and some takeaways that Emily and I have from the trip. So, what are some takeaways or lasting impacts, Emily, that you have? 

Emily: Every, I mean, every community we go to, people are thanking us,

01:05

and they give us gifts. They’re so hospitable. They’re so generous. I remember leaving one community, and Todd Hipke, who was a member on our team, and he just looked at me in such humility and just kind of being in awe. He said, “I just can’t believe how much they say thank you. We should be the ones thanking them.” And we do. I mean, we’re like, you know, “Thank you for having us, and thank you so much for what you’ve given us.” But it’s just so true. I just think they have no idea what it does for us. And

01:35

I think my biggest takeaway with that I’ll share is the purpose of the church and the fullness of the church. Because in these stories that we’ve shared, it’s like, okay, Polly, for example, was partnering with these women to dig a well, is also taking care of orphans, and I think she also had, like, partnership in their Sunday School programming as well. She’s doing so much. It’s amazing. 

Doug: Well, that church was amazing because they, you know, they created a Sunday School curriculum

02:04

and then there’s Bible studies that were started. I mean, all of them within three years. Another thing that was pretty cool on this trip, well, I need to back up. Three years ago, we were in Africa and my wife Jill and I, our daughter Katie, goes up by Kate now. So Kate was on the mission trip with us and we were taking a flight from Nairobi to Mombasa, and she was sitting next to a gentleman that was there, and they started talking, and he asked, “Why are you here?” And he was a…

02:34

a bishop over several churches, and so Kate said, yeah, we’re here with Possibilities Africa and they train pastors in rural areas. And he was intrigued by that. And so when we were getting off the plane, Kate introduced him to Martin, and Martin built a friendship with him. Through that friendship, he had us go to training several of these churches. And so it was really fun to see in a very short amount of time how

03:04

God has used a connection on a plane to help train pastors in his, you know, in his denomination, his churches, and then how that’s impacting not only the pastors, but then the people in his church. So it’s pretty cool to see just in a short amount of time how quickly God used that. So anyway, back to your…

Emily: But yeah, the fullness of what the church I think is intended to be in

03:35

touching on every area of internal spiritual growth, being outward facing, stewarding what God has given them, and then being a light to the larger community. So I just see so much of  God’s image in what they’re doing, and it’s so natural and loving in the sense that it’s… it’s just love.  And I love seeing that the community that we went to with Polly and the church that Doug was talking about with the well, I just remember walking in and

04:05

the women are always lined up and it’s common as women, usually hug them when we’re there. They’re just really affectionate and it’s so sweet. So one woman who was older, we hugged, and I just looked at her, and I just felt like her face was just full of so much love. And I was like, we don’t speak the same language. I don’t even know her name. You know, there’s multiple people in this church, but it was just such a sweet moment. And then she just, she’s shorter than me, so she kissed me like on the collarbone. And then I just looked at her and I was like, I…

04:34

I just adore her and I don’t even know her. And it’s just really cool to experience God’s love through his people. And it is just so true that I kept thinking of Matthew 5:14 when it says, “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” And the churches are just such a light after going through Possibilities Africa training, you know, we visit them and we see them after they’ve gone through training, and to see such fullness of holistic transformation. That’s what we refer to when we talk about the vision for

05:03

the Possibilities Africa mission, but it really is just a fullness of what God intended the church to be. And I just see that so much. And I think that’s something that we could learn here in  America, truly, when I went last year and this year, both times I was like, there’s so much we can learn from Possibilities Africa in the States. So I feel like that is just a theme of so much of what we saw and witnessed in all of the churches.

05:33

I could go on, but Doug, I’d to what you have to share. 

Doug: Yeah, no, every time I come back, I totally agree. It’s like, wow, we need this back here. 

Emily: Yeah.

Doug: I mean, this is not only economically, but spiritually as well. And one of my takeaways when I’m over there, I’m always so inspired by their passion, one for singing, and they love to sing,

06:01

Emily: I love witnessing the singing. 

Doug: And they’re so good. I mean, and I have, I have no rhythm. And so every time I’m over there, I’m reminded that I have no rhythm. But it’s really cool just to be a part of, you know, and they typically would sing either in their tribal language or Swahili. And so I don’t know if this is totally right. But I just think one of the reasons God created…

06:29

allowed so many languages was that one language doesn’t do a very good job of worshiping him. And so, multi-languages, multi ethnic groups, all worshiping the same God. So it’s so cool to just to, listen, but then also to sing along and worship the same God, but in a different language, and to hear that and just their passion for that is very inspiring.

06:59

And even though these people have very little economically, they have so much in regards to life and passion, and joy. I mean, it’s really the joy that comes out of them. You think, wow, you’re digging water out of a dry stream bed, and yet you have this much joy. I mean, I think there’s something we can learn there, too, here. 

Emily: So much joy. 

Doug: So much joy.

07:28

Doug: All right, Emily, this has been fun. 

Emily: I know it’s been so fun. Before we close, do you mind if I ask you some fun rabbit fire questions? Okay, favorite food in Africa? 

Doug: Oh, great question. Probably, I like their fish a lot. Yeah. Even though you don’t really think of fish from there really, but that’s kind of a go-to of mine. The only thing is sometimes when they bring the whole fish out and you got the head and eyeball and it’s kind of…

07:57

looking at you. It’s kind of like, okay, I got to kind of get over this. But no, that’s really good. And I don’t know, what about you? 

Emily: Yeah. Oh, let’s see. Well, I think the fresh fruit is always really good. 

Doug: Yeah. 

Emily: Yeah. It’s the best fresh fruit I’ve had. Yeah. 

Doug: Their breakfasts are amazing. 

Emily: They are. Do you have a favorite beverage that we had in Kenya? 

Doug: Well, we don’t drink it so much now. But when I was there in college, they have chai, which is

08:27

tea and some cream and lots of sugar. You know, like typically their water’s, like the reason we don’t really drink it now, it’s still a very popular drink there. And we might, but typically when we go to the villages, we don’t really know how clean the water is. So we don’t necessarily drink all the time, but their favorite saying when I was there in college was, “Any time is chai time.” And so it didn’t matter if it was morning or afternoon or whatever.

08:55

So that’s probably my favorite, but other than that, maybe I kind of go to a Coke. What about you? 

Emily: I think when… so when we go to the church communities, like, to what you said, about the Coke, they always serve us glass bottles of soda or pop, and mine is Sprite. And it just it’s just so sweet to drink it out of glass. And again, it’s like just their hospitality to share with us every time. It’s just incredible. OK, last question. On this trip in Kenya this year, what is something that…

09:25

made you laugh? 

Doug: Well, we had a great group and everybody got along really well. And so it was just, it was super fun. A lot of different personalities, but everybody got along really well. But yeah, I mean, I, think Peter. 

Emily: *laughs* I knew you were going to say Peter. 

Doug: Yeah. One of our guys from Omaha, Peter went with us, and Peter had a great sense of humor. 

Emily: Yeah. 

Doug: But everybody did, but just in a unique way.

09:50

But Peter made me laugh. 

Emily: He’s just funny. Peter as a whole is your answer.  

Doug: Yeah. So it was great.

Emily: I think my answer is when we were in the last community we went to and we were leaving the well that you mentioned, and I walked by this guy that was on his motorbike, which is like always common, know, and he asked if I wanted to ride on it. I was like, no, I think I’m good. I was also in a dress, you know, and just like maybe not the right time for me, but we’re walking ahead. And then I just see Doug riding on the back a little bit later.

10:17

And that was, yeah, just fun. I love that you did that. It was a sweet moment. 

Doug: I didn’t realize until right now that I was the second one asked. So he asked you first. So yeah, I know that. I thought I was the first one he asked. So because he asked me, said, “Yeah, yeah, I want to ride.” 

Emily: You’re in. Yeah.

Doug: I thought about asking if I could drive it, but I didn’t think I should probably go that far.

Emily: Oh yeah, that would have been really fun. Maybe next year. 

Doug: Yeah. So no, that was fun. 

Emily: Yeah, that’s great. Well, this was fun.

Doug: Good questions. 

10:46

Emily: I think that’s a wrap.

Doug: Alright.  

Emily: Thank you for being here. We appreciate your partnership in prayer and in giving. If you’re interested in partnering financially, be sure to head to usa.possibilitiesafrica.org and hit the donate button. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share with a friend so we can grow this podcast and share this good news.