joshoowah
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 24, 2011
- Messages
- 640
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Hello, my friends.
I have decided to give an official update on what has been going on in my life the past year or so. I have dropped some info in passing in a few threads but have yet to give the full story the space it deserves. Before that though, here is a disclaimer: there will be some religious and spiritual elements found below; however, I am not attempting to preach anything, but instead to just show where I have been and why.
I suppose about a year and half or so ago I began to auction and sell off the majority of my pipe collection and tobacco cellar, some of which many of you had the pleasure of reaping the benefits of my time in need. I must admit some of those sells I regret, particularly those that involved some cherished pipes and even more cherished tobacco. Nevertheless, I must equally admit that without the funds raised from such sells my wife and I would have been in a far worse condition than we found ourselves when we finally arrived to our new, albeit temporary, home.
With that said, after I went on a selling spree, I found myself in a hiatus of sorts from BoB. Mind you, this was anything but intentional. During this time, I was traveling and raising support for an upcoming trip to Kenya in order see my, then, girlfriend and propose, unbeknownst to her, all the while trying my damnedest not to fall behind in my studies (which I did not, GPA still is intact for potential PhD opportunities). During this trip, I would meet with a potential associate and begin discussing plans for the upcoming year. Thus BoB, unfortunately, went unattended for a time. I would still check in and read but I did not post for reasons I am unsure of at this juncture.
After the trip, funded by supporters and my savings, we (Alli and I) began to make preparations for planning a wedding. It was quite difficult though, seeing as she was in Kenya and I in Kentucky. So, I buckled down and tried my hardest, with the immense help of her family, to give Alli the wedding she didn't want (she would have preferred to be wed in a courthouse with parents and that's it).
Moving forward, we were officially married on June 29, 2013. In the months between January and May, I was left with the task of continuing my Masters' degree, raising support for the both of us whilst in Kenya, and selling everything I own, including my car. My wife was and is a local high school teacher (a missionary teacher) outside of Nairobi that requires 50% self-funding, and I was going into a job that paid 0 and, thus, required full funding (I will speak more of this below). I worked three jobs, continued school, and wrote more churches than I care to remember. The fact is the majority of funds I raised were my own (from work and pipe/tobacco sales) and a few seminary friends. Every church I spoke to or spoke at was seemingly uninterested (do not take this as a knock, for it is not). The most unfortunate of it all was having 50 verbal commitments from friends and family for monthly support come, with only three being withheld in the end. Such is the life of someone who seeks funding outside of him/herself, which is anything but easy, especially when one has to break the mindset that asking for help means one must be a bum (this horrendous idea pervades the Church as a whole---another issue for another time).
So, we were wed last June and spent the final month of July with our family and friends as we, or I rather, prepared to uproot from the U S of A to Kenya. Alli and I have been blessed (for lack of a better word) along the way. We were given a trip to Rome for a honeymoon prior to our arrival in Nairobi. Not to mention, Alli's parents gifted us a trip to the Holy Land this past Christmas, which was exquisite if I do say so myself. These two trips were wellllllll beyond our means (we ate like locals in both locations and stayed in someone else's apartment).
Anyway, we arrived in Nairobi on July 31, 2013 and proceeded to move into our 1 bedroom, kitchenette/living room servants quarters (a house smaller than most of your guys' shed out back). The money that was raised from selling my pipes and tobacco went to buying our first groceries, kitchen table, and stove. I began work the following Sunday, which brings me to what I now do. I was requested to pastor a local church in a small town outside of Nairobi full of Kenyan youths. In accepting this appointment, it was my hope that I would offer assistance in any way I could by teaching them.
It is no mystery that the majority of pastors within East Africa are not able to seek formal education, so this is what I wanted to attempt to give. However, as I have said, they needed a pastor more than a teacher it seems. The former pastor had left the country quickly without a word and the associate pastor passed away from HIV. So this little congregation of 15, 95% of them being women, were left without a leader. With that said, instead of teaching clergy, I began to teach parishioners week in and week out for free. Instead of preaching loudly at them, which is a common occurrence in the culture, I approached them in their own situation to teach them. Since then, I have been closely discipling the few members I have, hoping they will see the power and relevance that is found within Christ. My wife and I in our short time here thus far (about 9 months) have helped see three of our younger ladies off to university, all of which come from families that are relatively poor ($10-25$ per day income).
Apart from the joy my wife and I both get from our teaching and ministering, it has been anything but easy. We have had supporter after supporter drop out for various financial reasons. Not to mention, the verbal commitments that did not come through in the beginning. It has been rough on us at times, but this is what we chose to do and with that we are content. We have enough to cover our heads and not hunger and thirst. In the end, that is all that truly matters. How do we have internet? Well, we stay on someone else's compound whom allows us to use their internet; without them, you would never see me on here.
Anyway, some of you have asked and there it is in condensed format. I tried my best to leave out some things, as this is a pipe forum with various personalities that may take offense.
Josh
Oh! A picture of my bride, me, friend Jeremy, and his wife Nancy (in that order).
I have decided to give an official update on what has been going on in my life the past year or so. I have dropped some info in passing in a few threads but have yet to give the full story the space it deserves. Before that though, here is a disclaimer: there will be some religious and spiritual elements found below; however, I am not attempting to preach anything, but instead to just show where I have been and why.
I suppose about a year and half or so ago I began to auction and sell off the majority of my pipe collection and tobacco cellar, some of which many of you had the pleasure of reaping the benefits of my time in need. I must admit some of those sells I regret, particularly those that involved some cherished pipes and even more cherished tobacco. Nevertheless, I must equally admit that without the funds raised from such sells my wife and I would have been in a far worse condition than we found ourselves when we finally arrived to our new, albeit temporary, home.
With that said, after I went on a selling spree, I found myself in a hiatus of sorts from BoB. Mind you, this was anything but intentional. During this time, I was traveling and raising support for an upcoming trip to Kenya in order see my, then, girlfriend and propose, unbeknownst to her, all the while trying my damnedest not to fall behind in my studies (which I did not, GPA still is intact for potential PhD opportunities). During this trip, I would meet with a potential associate and begin discussing plans for the upcoming year. Thus BoB, unfortunately, went unattended for a time. I would still check in and read but I did not post for reasons I am unsure of at this juncture.
After the trip, funded by supporters and my savings, we (Alli and I) began to make preparations for planning a wedding. It was quite difficult though, seeing as she was in Kenya and I in Kentucky. So, I buckled down and tried my hardest, with the immense help of her family, to give Alli the wedding she didn't want (she would have preferred to be wed in a courthouse with parents and that's it).
Moving forward, we were officially married on June 29, 2013. In the months between January and May, I was left with the task of continuing my Masters' degree, raising support for the both of us whilst in Kenya, and selling everything I own, including my car. My wife was and is a local high school teacher (a missionary teacher) outside of Nairobi that requires 50% self-funding, and I was going into a job that paid 0 and, thus, required full funding (I will speak more of this below). I worked three jobs, continued school, and wrote more churches than I care to remember. The fact is the majority of funds I raised were my own (from work and pipe/tobacco sales) and a few seminary friends. Every church I spoke to or spoke at was seemingly uninterested (do not take this as a knock, for it is not). The most unfortunate of it all was having 50 verbal commitments from friends and family for monthly support come, with only three being withheld in the end. Such is the life of someone who seeks funding outside of him/herself, which is anything but easy, especially when one has to break the mindset that asking for help means one must be a bum (this horrendous idea pervades the Church as a whole---another issue for another time).
So, we were wed last June and spent the final month of July with our family and friends as we, or I rather, prepared to uproot from the U S of A to Kenya. Alli and I have been blessed (for lack of a better word) along the way. We were given a trip to Rome for a honeymoon prior to our arrival in Nairobi. Not to mention, Alli's parents gifted us a trip to the Holy Land this past Christmas, which was exquisite if I do say so myself. These two trips were wellllllll beyond our means (we ate like locals in both locations and stayed in someone else's apartment).
Anyway, we arrived in Nairobi on July 31, 2013 and proceeded to move into our 1 bedroom, kitchenette/living room servants quarters (a house smaller than most of your guys' shed out back). The money that was raised from selling my pipes and tobacco went to buying our first groceries, kitchen table, and stove. I began work the following Sunday, which brings me to what I now do. I was requested to pastor a local church in a small town outside of Nairobi full of Kenyan youths. In accepting this appointment, it was my hope that I would offer assistance in any way I could by teaching them.
It is no mystery that the majority of pastors within East Africa are not able to seek formal education, so this is what I wanted to attempt to give. However, as I have said, they needed a pastor more than a teacher it seems. The former pastor had left the country quickly without a word and the associate pastor passed away from HIV. So this little congregation of 15, 95% of them being women, were left without a leader. With that said, instead of teaching clergy, I began to teach parishioners week in and week out for free. Instead of preaching loudly at them, which is a common occurrence in the culture, I approached them in their own situation to teach them. Since then, I have been closely discipling the few members I have, hoping they will see the power and relevance that is found within Christ. My wife and I in our short time here thus far (about 9 months) have helped see three of our younger ladies off to university, all of which come from families that are relatively poor ($10-25$ per day income).
Apart from the joy my wife and I both get from our teaching and ministering, it has been anything but easy. We have had supporter after supporter drop out for various financial reasons. Not to mention, the verbal commitments that did not come through in the beginning. It has been rough on us at times, but this is what we chose to do and with that we are content. We have enough to cover our heads and not hunger and thirst. In the end, that is all that truly matters. How do we have internet? Well, we stay on someone else's compound whom allows us to use their internet; without them, you would never see me on here.
Anyway, some of you have asked and there it is in condensed format. I tried my best to leave out some things, as this is a pipe forum with various personalities that may take offense.
Josh
Oh! A picture of my bride, me, friend Jeremy, and his wife Nancy (in that order).
