Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Let your attitude be as that of Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.
Phil. 2:3-8
It seems this passage shows up to convict me in almost everything I read lately.
I really believe that one of my spiritual gifts (as well as one of my primary love languages) is acts of service. Looking back over the last few years of my life, I see how much my servant’s heart has weakened. I used to be content to serve in the background and receive no recognition at all. Not only was I content in serving others, I really enjoyed that role. I still do enjoy it, but I don’t do it as willingly and joyfully as I used to.
I had a feeling before I came to Kenya that my role on the team would be a lot of serving. And I actually asked God to give me opportunities to be a servant and to give me more of a servant’s heart. And he of course has been faithful to do so.
The other day when we visited an orphanage, Vanessa and I ended up in the backyard, squatting on the ground (with the chickens) washing the dishes from lunch. We had very little water to wash them with, and it was a long, laborious job. We did dishes while the rest of our team played with the kids and got to know them. And we hadn’t even finished all of the dishes when it was time to go. It was not what I thought I would be doing when we visited the orphanage. But I’m so glad I got to do it. We did dishes with the sweetest lady named Josephine. And we had a lot of fun getting to know her. And I enjoyed being able to serve these children in a way that they wouldn’t expect.
And I’ve had a zillion other opportunities to serve in the background. Cooking, cleaning, making copies, organizing the guest rooms, shopping, running errands…the list goes on and on. “Menial Mondays” is the name Vanessa and I have given to our work days. I have definitely not maintained a good attitude about those serving days. But this passage reminds me that my attitude in serving needs to be like Christ’s attitude. He was willing to humble himself to the point of death. He taught us by example to serve others. He washed his disciples feet. He was a true servant leader. And that’s what he calls us to:
You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you should also do as I have done to you. John 13:13-15
That’s what God has been challenging me with lately.
Some other highlights of this past week:
Friday, we went to a Maasai community to do a health and AIDS education seminar. The church, which consisted of rough wooden supports with a canvas roof over them, was located on a hill that had a beautiful view of the lush green hills surrounding them. My role was to take the kids and play with them and keep them busy. That was wonderful, because that is what I truly enjoy. Emmanuel was the only one out of the 30 or so that spoke English, so he was my translator. And I especially fell in love with him and his sister Jane. We were supposed to go back to the same community yesterday, but because it had rained throughout the night, it was not accessible by car. Very sad. But I hope to go back again sometime.
Thursday, we went with one of the president’s wives, Mary, to her home village area and visited some clinics and hospitals. HEART (the organization I am working with) has a shipment of medical supplies arriving in Kenya next month, so Mary wanted us to visit these clinics in hopes that we would give them some of the supplies.
While I have had many “Menial Mondays”, I have also had the chance to have some adventures and amazing experiences. And I’m sure there are many more of both to come in the next month.
(I will put some pictures up soon of the last couple of days. I tried tonight, but it wouldn’t work. I did put some new pictures up a couple of days ago, if you haven’t seen those. www.rmfo-pics.net/rhonda