A Creenglish Look At Kenya

There is nothing so repugnant to a man
Than the pee of other men upon the sand;
For it means, “This turf is mine
So know this – ‘don’t cross the line
If you want to fill your life out, as I am’.”

Sometimes people set up projects to help out
Then for other helping hands they cast about;
But if theirs the process is
Then they’re sure to take a whiz
So that other males will know it when they scout.

We don’t have to get up close to see effect
Of this boundary-making symbol when it’s clicked –
Helping hands there are so few
And not much that they can do
For initiating action wrecks things up.

So it’s best to make a gift that’s indirect
Like assisting from behind with great effect:
Giving money or supplies,
Holding arms or drooping eyes,
Always leaving them to have the last select.

As I come to end of this construction week
In behind the scenes I’ve had a little peek –
Seen amazing service done,
Triumphs over death’s been won,
But what happens when the central man gets weak?

At the end of two short weeks I’m all done in
Energy like his from me has gone like wind;
Age and illness took their rounds
Now at sixty-two I’ve found
Age and stage of life change just as much as sin.

So I ask myself where else I’ve seen this thing,
And just how did God then resolution bring?
Then I thought of Yonge Cho
And that story we all know –
How through sickness he rose up on Spirit’s wings.

Seems he started out to be a one-man band.
Took his Pastor-task as far as one man can
Then collapsed and almost died
No one else was at his side
Looked around and saw his style was built on sand.

Seems that Paul had started out that way as well
Though the details of his journey not known well;
Just the sum of his advice:
“For our lives to turn out nice
It’s the body, not a person, or it’s hell –

“Body’s made of many parts as we can see
Each perform a function helping us to be
Quite efficient in our ways,
Quite effective all our days;
Not much overlap in functions that are ‘me’ –

“But in unity the feet see where they walk,
And our silent, seeing eyes through mouth can talk;
Each part cannot be thrown out
Or if miffed, try to walk out;
Live that way, or we get sick, then weak, then rot.”

Yonge rose from sickness, nearly being dead,
Changed his ways, now by the Spirit being led.
“With my gifts where do I fit
In Christ’s body – part of it? –
Not the whole of balanced life in me is read.”

In Korea is the biggest Church we know
Near a million in that group still led by Cho
So from brink of death of one
Body parts now act as one
Giving model to us as our projects grow.

At the first, as we our mission projects take,
Our commitment’s tested, sacrifice we make.
But as need exceeds the grasp
Of one man – more can we ask?
Till some night in sickness he too lies awake.

“Never does God call us to what we can do,
Always we’re to fill for Him some bigger shoe,
’Till we stop on bended knee”
Says the writer, Watchman Nee,
“In this way ‘His body’ makes of me and you.”

In the garden not just ‘sin’ and ‘evil’s stroke’
But our ‘unity in God’ was also broke.
It is this which God sets right
As we struggle in our fight,
And about this in the Bible then He wrote.

You have spoken of another way to go
Where the locals could do this, now that they know.
They could do it all their way,
In their work you’d have no say,
But more kids would live – the death-rate would be low.

But, you say, they do not value, like us, life –
Letting go to death these little ones in strife.
Maybe that’s the key thought there –
Salt, light, leaven, to repair
Part of culture, is your major gift of life.

Maybe ‘Stage of change’ could guide you in this task:
‘Pre-awareness’ to ‘awareness’ when they ask
“What’s this thing you people do
Saving kids which out we threw?”
And they laugh and play with concept that seems rash.

Then one day some people come, they ‘want to know’
‘Gather info’ is their chosen way to go.
Feed their minds up to the brim,
Do not push to follow Him
When they’re filled enough they’ll make transition slow.

‘Trial runs of ways they might proceed’ then rise
As they think about these kids and their demise.
Either then they will get out
Or commitment make about
This concern you’ve raised ’bout little children’s lives.

That’s when ‘implement’ is what it’s all about –
They’ll commit to helping kids, and their ways tout.
After years at such a task
They will be hard-pressed when asked
‘When this choice in life took shape for them as route?’

But, turf-peeing in itself has place in life –
When it gives a model quality that’s nice.
Setting standards has a place
Shuts out firmly all disgrace
Best of all within a larger framework’s sight.

‘Imitation’ has a place far as it goes;
‘Stimulation’ is much better, Goodness knows,
“Grasp the Vision” you have said
To the visitors you’ve fed –
How about your neighbors, living rows on rows?

Are your standards set to ‘high’ in what is ‘key’?
Variations on the other parts set free?
You already act that way
In construction-work each day
Maybe transfer that approach – set Kenya free.

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