God bless you!
I just wanted to let yall know that I will be leaving the US this Wed, Aug 26th. My family and I will leave in the morning to drive up to Chicago. My first flight is out at 6:00pm. I will fly to London that night at which point I will have a 12 hour lay over! Then I will continue my journey to Nairobi, Kenya and arrive there at 6:30 am on Friday August 28th. (Total travel time, STL-NBO: 44 hours!)
Please keep me in your prayers and stay in touch!
Kelly Krammer
Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (www.negst.edu)
PO Box 24686
Karen 00502
Nairobi, Kenya, Africa
Email: kelly.krammer@gmail.com
Skype: Free online voice and video calling- www.skype.com
search: kelly.krammer
And, yes, i am now on Facebook?!!?
Thank you!
"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our lives as well because you had become to dear to us" 1 Thess 2:8
Monday, August 24, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Why?
Over the past few months, many people have asked me why I am going to Kenya. And just today I got an email from a friend who lives in Kenya and he reminded me that I had made the mistake that I feel so many do when traveling to other parts of the world. In my last post I talked about the dangers of Kenya but I never talked about the beauty. I talked about the issues the people face but I never talked about the people. So let me take sometime to give you... a different picture:
Why am I going to Kenya? I believe God is sending me there. I believe that the safest and best place to be is in God's will.
Last summer I traveled to Kenya with my parents' church out of St. Louis. While there we helped to build parts of an orphange in a village a few hours outside of Nairobi. We also went to schools and homes to share Christ and His love and hope. One of my favorite moments while in Kenya last time was when one of the women at the orphange build site named Beatrice asked me to go with her to get some water. I said yes, thinking that it might take 30 minutes to an hour... (which would be a lot to go for some water here in the US, huh?!?). We picked up two empty 20 gallon yellow jugs and began our journey. We walked up hill for about an hour an a half. Despite the fact that we did not speak the same language, Beatrice and I had some great conversations. The whole way up, she would point at something and tell me how to say it in Kikamba (her language) and then I would teach her how to say it in English. We would laugh at eachothers' failed attempts to say the words and communicate in hand signals. We finally reached a small little spring like thing. Beatrice took the yellow jug from me and place it under the spring. She took my hand and pulled me close wanting me to take over holding the jug. So I did. As I watched the water fill, thinking about how heavy this would be, I looked around for Beatrice and she was no where to be found! I started to panic slightly and tried to think if I knew my way back, just in case. And then she appeared from the middle of these tall pole looking plants. She had two of them in her hand. She looked at me, laughed and rushed over when she saw that the water was overflowing from the jug. She pulled it out from under the spring, used some parts of the plants to tie a peice of a black garbage bag to the hole on the top and then took homemade rope and tied it around the handle. She placed the other jug under the water and handed me one of the poles, showing me what I should do with it by biting off a huge section. So I followed... it was sugar cane!!! When she finished filling and preparing the second jug, we began our decent back to the build site. We placed the rope on our foreheads and the jugs on our spines. She walked so gracefully. I, on the other hand, spent much time trying to pull the rope off my forehead with my hands and readjusting the jug that seemed to hit my backbone in perfect ways to make me wanna scream. We veered off the road to the left, taking a short cut and Beatrice looked at me with her hand out. She wanted me to give her my jug. I said I would be fine, but she would not let me walk down this extremely uneven and dangerous terrain. So I handed the jug to her. Beatrice was about half my size in hieght and wieght (which is not too hard seeing that I am not the tiniest thing), she had no shoes on and a skirt. And I watched as she walked down perfectly without slipping, sliding or falling. After she had gone quite a few feet, I began to walk with my athletic self, shoes and pants... and my first step I slid and Beatrice, although she could not see me, knew what had happened and gave one of those, "see" laughs. We got back to the road and she handed me the second jug and we finished walking back to the site. Round trip, it took us a little over three hours to fetch water. Beatrice smiled and gave me a hug. And I hugged her back knowing that she could have taken any of the other Kenyan women with her and been back her in half the time, but she chose me. It was amazing to me how much we take for granted transportation, water in the fridge, language, wheels, etc, etc, etc. Beatrice and the other women wake up early every morning to get water from the spring to be able to cook for their families. It was an amazing experience with an amazing person.
Also while in Kenya, I was given the opportunity to preach at a church. When I first showed up, the pastor and his wife invited me and my family into a small room in the back of teh church. We sat down and he handed me a soda (shows great hospitality) and we began to talk about ourselves, our churches, and what would be happening that day. His wife would be my translator. So he warned me that I would only be able to say a sentence at a time and then I would need to wait while she interpretted. So thats what I did. The Lord had given me a sermon about how we are all the same in God's eyes. There is no difference between the way God sees, loves, and treats us because of who we are or what we look like. I had asked my Kenyan friend, Alex, to make sure that the sermon was true to who I am, but could reach the Kenyan people. I did not want to speak about things that they might not understand or relate with. The sanctuary was a small (I am not good estimating size, but I would say) 15 ft x 15 ft room with dirt floors. People were packed from wall to wall and out into the street. They held onto every last word that I (well, the translator) said. Many eyes filled with tears and when it was time for the alter call, one 15 year old boy came forward. It was amazing. They took up an offering. At which time people brought up eggs, chicken, coffee beans and placed them on the table next to the offering basket. That was their tithes and offering, it was all they had. And as a percentage, I am sure they gave more than required of them. After the service the women came up and place their hands on my head. I was informed they wanted some of my "annointing." Later on that week, I saw the pastor and his wife. They called me over and the wife ran to get something from inside the church. As she left, the pastor spoke to me about how I was meant to be in Kenya and how God has some mighty plans to use me there. He said, "You must return." I could not give him my word, but I said, "I will try." And at that moment I knew I had to do more than just try. His wife came back carrying a bag. She handed it to me and I opened it up and inside was a beautiful purse. She said to me that all the women in the church gave some money to buy it for me (I began to cry, so humbled). It was a Bible bag. Respected women of God place their Bible in the bag and nothing else... it is meant only for your Bible. I was so humbled that the women who gave eggs and chicken for an offering would spare what little they had to get me a Bible bag.
These are just two of many stories of the wonderful hearts of the people in Kenya.
Before we boarded the bus to leave to go back to Nairobi, I wrote in the sand, "My heart is here." And that is where, atleast part of it, has stayed. I am returning to reunite the parts of my heart. I am returning to be amongst some of the most wonderful and giving people I have ever met. I am also returning to bring hope, love, Jesus Christ, to many people who do endure trials and tribulations beyond what I can imagine. I am returning to fufill God's calling for my life at this moment in time. I am returning not because I am strong, bold, couragous, perfect (because I am not and never will be any of those), but rather because I want to glorify and honor my God, the one and only God, who has called me there and will see me through.
Why am I going to Kenya? I believe God is sending me there. I believe that the safest and best place to be is in God's will.
Last summer I traveled to Kenya with my parents' church out of St. Louis. While there we helped to build parts of an orphange in a village a few hours outside of Nairobi. We also went to schools and homes to share Christ and His love and hope. One of my favorite moments while in Kenya last time was when one of the women at the orphange build site named Beatrice asked me to go with her to get some water. I said yes, thinking that it might take 30 minutes to an hour... (which would be a lot to go for some water here in the US, huh?!?). We picked up two empty 20 gallon yellow jugs and began our journey. We walked up hill for about an hour an a half. Despite the fact that we did not speak the same language, Beatrice and I had some great conversations. The whole way up, she would point at something and tell me how to say it in Kikamba (her language) and then I would teach her how to say it in English. We would laugh at eachothers' failed attempts to say the words and communicate in hand signals. We finally reached a small little spring like thing. Beatrice took the yellow jug from me and place it under the spring. She took my hand and pulled me close wanting me to take over holding the jug. So I did. As I watched the water fill, thinking about how heavy this would be, I looked around for Beatrice and she was no where to be found! I started to panic slightly and tried to think if I knew my way back, just in case. And then she appeared from the middle of these tall pole looking plants. She had two of them in her hand. She looked at me, laughed and rushed over when she saw that the water was overflowing from the jug. She pulled it out from under the spring, used some parts of the plants to tie a peice of a black garbage bag to the hole on the top and then took homemade rope and tied it around the handle. She placed the other jug under the water and handed me one of the poles, showing me what I should do with it by biting off a huge section. So I followed... it was sugar cane!!! When she finished filling and preparing the second jug, we began our decent back to the build site. We placed the rope on our foreheads and the jugs on our spines. She walked so gracefully. I, on the other hand, spent much time trying to pull the rope off my forehead with my hands and readjusting the jug that seemed to hit my backbone in perfect ways to make me wanna scream. We veered off the road to the left, taking a short cut and Beatrice looked at me with her hand out. She wanted me to give her my jug. I said I would be fine, but she would not let me walk down this extremely uneven and dangerous terrain. So I handed the jug to her. Beatrice was about half my size in hieght and wieght (which is not too hard seeing that I am not the tiniest thing), she had no shoes on and a skirt. And I watched as she walked down perfectly without slipping, sliding or falling. After she had gone quite a few feet, I began to walk with my athletic self, shoes and pants... and my first step I slid and Beatrice, although she could not see me, knew what had happened and gave one of those, "see" laughs. We got back to the road and she handed me the second jug and we finished walking back to the site. Round trip, it took us a little over three hours to fetch water. Beatrice smiled and gave me a hug. And I hugged her back knowing that she could have taken any of the other Kenyan women with her and been back her in half the time, but she chose me. It was amazing to me how much we take for granted transportation, water in the fridge, language, wheels, etc, etc, etc. Beatrice and the other women wake up early every morning to get water from the spring to be able to cook for their families. It was an amazing experience with an amazing person.
Also while in Kenya, I was given the opportunity to preach at a church. When I first showed up, the pastor and his wife invited me and my family into a small room in the back of teh church. We sat down and he handed me a soda (shows great hospitality) and we began to talk about ourselves, our churches, and what would be happening that day. His wife would be my translator. So he warned me that I would only be able to say a sentence at a time and then I would need to wait while she interpretted. So thats what I did. The Lord had given me a sermon about how we are all the same in God's eyes. There is no difference between the way God sees, loves, and treats us because of who we are or what we look like. I had asked my Kenyan friend, Alex, to make sure that the sermon was true to who I am, but could reach the Kenyan people. I did not want to speak about things that they might not understand or relate with. The sanctuary was a small (I am not good estimating size, but I would say) 15 ft x 15 ft room with dirt floors. People were packed from wall to wall and out into the street. They held onto every last word that I (well, the translator) said. Many eyes filled with tears and when it was time for the alter call, one 15 year old boy came forward. It was amazing. They took up an offering. At which time people brought up eggs, chicken, coffee beans and placed them on the table next to the offering basket. That was their tithes and offering, it was all they had. And as a percentage, I am sure they gave more than required of them. After the service the women came up and place their hands on my head. I was informed they wanted some of my "annointing." Later on that week, I saw the pastor and his wife. They called me over and the wife ran to get something from inside the church. As she left, the pastor spoke to me about how I was meant to be in Kenya and how God has some mighty plans to use me there. He said, "You must return." I could not give him my word, but I said, "I will try." And at that moment I knew I had to do more than just try. His wife came back carrying a bag. She handed it to me and I opened it up and inside was a beautiful purse. She said to me that all the women in the church gave some money to buy it for me (I began to cry, so humbled). It was a Bible bag. Respected women of God place their Bible in the bag and nothing else... it is meant only for your Bible. I was so humbled that the women who gave eggs and chicken for an offering would spare what little they had to get me a Bible bag.
These are just two of many stories of the wonderful hearts of the people in Kenya.
Before we boarded the bus to leave to go back to Nairobi, I wrote in the sand, "My heart is here." And that is where, atleast part of it, has stayed. I am returning to reunite the parts of my heart. I am returning to be amongst some of the most wonderful and giving people I have ever met. I am also returning to bring hope, love, Jesus Christ, to many people who do endure trials and tribulations beyond what I can imagine. I am returning to fufill God's calling for my life at this moment in time. I am returning not because I am strong, bold, couragous, perfect (because I am not and never will be any of those), but rather because I want to glorify and honor my God, the one and only God, who has called me there and will see me through.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The Bigger Picture
...that was the name of the sermon God spoke through me on July 19th. I praise God for those of you who came to support me. I pray you left encouraged and changed! For those of you who weren't able to make it... you can contact my church (http://www.koinoniabc.org) and get a CD ($5) or you can read some of the main points here, although it won't be the same!
*****
Daniel 3:13-15 (yea... go get your Bible!)
Background:
King Nebuchadnezzar was having dreams. He wanted someone to not only interpret teh dream, but also tell him what his dream was. No wise man in Babylon could do that, so he was gonna have them all killed. But God revealed the dream and its interpretation to Daniel who went to the king. Basically it was a dream about this big statue made of different materials... the head was made of gold and represented King Neb who was the first great king on earth. This gave King Neb literally a big head! He erected an image of gold and proclaimed that everyone needed to fall down and worship the image of gold when they heard the music and whoever did not would be thrown into a blazing furnace.
Picture this:
You come into work at 8:17 (supposed to be there at 8:00... but come on, thats on time!) There is a huge crowd of people and your boss is standing on a platform in front of them all with a... something covered in a large cloth. Your boss calms the crowd and rips of the cloth unveiling a large statue of... himself... and informs everyone that "if yall want to keep your jobs, when I click play on my ipod, yall must bow down and worship this statue." Your first thought is, "Bow down and worship what?" But then you start thinking- 'things are pretty tight right now... if I lose this job, in today's economy, I surely wont find another one... what about the house, the children, food, the cable, internet... God, you want me to be a provider...' You default to the whole "God knows my heart..." I will bow on the outside, but on the inside, I still love you Lord. No- your outward actions whould reflect your inner thoughts, beliefs and convictions!
So- that might not happen... but there are many things of this world that are constantly tempting us to bow down and worship them. What am I talking about? There are things that we place more value or trust in than God... that might be ourselves, our education, another person (husband, wife, mom, pastor...), money, cars, houses...
Daniel 3:16-18
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to the image of gold. They had followed the rules until they came into direct conflict with the commands of the Lord: no other gods before Him and do not make idols. In this case, in order to gain the favor of the king, they would have to disobey and dishonor God.
We have many decisions in our day to day life where we have to choose between the world and God- we cannot please both. What holds you back from obeying God? Why do we fear what people will do or think of us more than we fear what God will do or think of us?
Bottom issue: TRUST
We don't follow what He says for us to do or not do becasue we don't trust that He has a bigger, better plan.
The 3 Hebrew boys would not disobey God whether He rescud them from the fire or not... their faith was not dependant on he end result, but rather on the God who knows the plan...
Illustration:
I like to draw and while I was writing this sermon God placed a picture on my heart and told me to draw it. I was like, "No, God, I am writing a sermon." (Seriously, Kelly?!?) So I picked up the marker and started drawing in an artform called pointillism. This is were a whole bunch of little dots come together to create a picture:
If you look at just a small, zoomed in portion of the picture, you will only see dots. It doesnt make much sense and you cant tell what the bigger picture is. That is just like our lives. I am one dot, you are one dot, I can see past and present dots, my financial dot, my mom, my dad... the things and parts of our lives that we see- that seemingly dont fit together and can be chaotic at times. When I focus on my dots, I cant see past them.
*****
Daniel 3:13-15 (yea... go get your Bible!)
Background:
King Nebuchadnezzar was having dreams. He wanted someone to not only interpret teh dream, but also tell him what his dream was. No wise man in Babylon could do that, so he was gonna have them all killed. But God revealed the dream and its interpretation to Daniel who went to the king. Basically it was a dream about this big statue made of different materials... the head was made of gold and represented King Neb who was the first great king on earth. This gave King Neb literally a big head! He erected an image of gold and proclaimed that everyone needed to fall down and worship the image of gold when they heard the music and whoever did not would be thrown into a blazing furnace.
Picture this:
You come into work at 8:17 (supposed to be there at 8:00... but come on, thats on time!) There is a huge crowd of people and your boss is standing on a platform in front of them all with a... something covered in a large cloth. Your boss calms the crowd and rips of the cloth unveiling a large statue of... himself... and informs everyone that "if yall want to keep your jobs, when I click play on my ipod, yall must bow down and worship this statue." Your first thought is, "Bow down and worship what?" But then you start thinking- 'things are pretty tight right now... if I lose this job, in today's economy, I surely wont find another one... what about the house, the children, food, the cable, internet... God, you want me to be a provider...' You default to the whole "God knows my heart..." I will bow on the outside, but on the inside, I still love you Lord. No- your outward actions whould reflect your inner thoughts, beliefs and convictions!
So- that might not happen... but there are many things of this world that are constantly tempting us to bow down and worship them. What am I talking about? There are things that we place more value or trust in than God... that might be ourselves, our education, another person (husband, wife, mom, pastor...), money, cars, houses...
Daniel 3:16-18
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to the image of gold. They had followed the rules until they came into direct conflict with the commands of the Lord: no other gods before Him and do not make idols. In this case, in order to gain the favor of the king, they would have to disobey and dishonor God.
We have many decisions in our day to day life where we have to choose between the world and God- we cannot please both. What holds you back from obeying God? Why do we fear what people will do or think of us more than we fear what God will do or think of us?
Bottom issue: TRUST
We don't follow what He says for us to do or not do becasue we don't trust that He has a bigger, better plan.
The 3 Hebrew boys would not disobey God whether He rescud them from the fire or not... their faith was not dependant on he end result, but rather on the God who knows the plan...
Illustration:
I like to draw and while I was writing this sermon God placed a picture on my heart and told me to draw it. I was like, "No, God, I am writing a sermon." (Seriously, Kelly?!?) So I picked up the marker and started drawing in an artform called pointillism. This is were a whole bunch of little dots come together to create a picture:
If you look at just a small, zoomed in portion of the picture, you will only see dots. It doesnt make much sense and you cant tell what the bigger picture is. That is just like our lives. I am one dot, you are one dot, I can see past and present dots, my financial dot, my mom, my dad... the things and parts of our lives that we see- that seemingly dont fit together and can be chaotic at times. When I focus on my dots, I cant see past them.But we must trust that what the Word says is true: All things... all the dots in our lives... work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes... and praise God- He can see the big picture!
All those dots come together and make sense. God had a plan... a way to redeem us since the beginning of time and His name is Jesus: 
All of our dots work into that plan! We can't always see the bigger picture, but God works so intricatley in wach and every moent of our lives... He has His hand in every dot!
My past dot:
When I look at this picture, I see one of my dots somewhere along the blood dripping liek a tear from Jesus' eye. There was a time in my life where I could not see God in anything- a time when I believed that suicide was the only way out, a time of isolation and depression. I would dream of ways of killing myself, like 'accidentally' driving off the side of the road in the rain. I could have felt alone in a room filled with people. But I praise God for that dot! I praise God for bringing me through it! I praise Him for allowing me to still be here today to be a testimony of what God can do! God spared me death- that I might be here today to speak to (write to) one of you... God spared me death so that I can continually walk in His ways wach day and shine for Him... God spared me death that I may step into my calling as a missionary...
Kenya:
If you are reading this blog, you probably know I am moving to Kenya. What you might not know is that I will be leaving everyone and everything that I know: my family, my church, my job, language, culture, home... to be obedient to God. And in this obedience I will be entering into a land full of war, AIDS, famine, drought, hopelessness... I will be living in a city with some of the highest rates of rape, murder and violent theft in the world.
I have trust in God... He has already shown Himself fatihful because of how He delivered me from my dot of depression...
Get back to the text: The 3 Hebrew boys were thrown into the furnace...
Daniel 3:25 (read it- its great!)
King Nebuchandezer called them out of the furnace and there was not a mark signifying that they had been in the fire... nothing on their skin or clothes.
He showed Himself faithful by rescuing the 3 Hebrew boys from their dot of a fiery furnace! But He didnt just rescue them out of the furnace- He was in there with them! (thats your shouting cue!!!)
We must trust that even if we are facing a fiery furnace, when things dont look promising- God has a bigger, better plan! He knows the bigger picture! No matter what the outcome, I will not bow to any other god! I will not disobey or dishonor Him!
All of my dots and all of your dots are there... in that picture... they are working together for your good, ye who loves the Lord!
Don't let the dots you see control your faith in an all powerful, all knowing God- who loves you and cares for you so much that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die so you may live!
This is the Word of God for the people of God... hear it and do it!
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