Confessions of a part-timer

I often meet people who have invited Jesus into their heart; far less who have invited Him into their life. As a boy raised in western culture where claiming Christ was the norm, I was allowed the opportunity to give Him my heart, while reserving my life. I’m learning that this opportunity is not granted to most followers of Christ. In fact, most believers worldwide have never heard of such a thing, and struggle to grasp how this could even be possible.

When I talk with people, I often share that I am a follower of Jesus. And this is true… to an extent. The reality is that I am only part-time, because sometimes He walks into situations that I’m not 100% comfortable with. I used to justify myself by claiming that Jesus wouldn’t want to go there. But I'm learning that my Jesus loves to dine in the home of sinners. After eating a meal with Zacchaeus, a hated tax collector among the Jews, Jesus declared: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). I must confess that at times I have chosen to flat out deny that Jesus would want to spend time with “lost” people, rather than embracing them as Jesus truly desires. It’s much easier to conclude that Jesus refuses to associate with certain people, than to follow Him into those uncomfortable places where we will undoubtedly experience persecution.

Persecution is a word thrown around quite a bit. If you’re like me, then you probably have little personal experience with persecution. I just finished reading a book called The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken. It’s really good. I haven’t read a book that fast since the last Harry Potter book (let's be real, JK Rowling is a stud author!). Throughout the book, Ripken recounts testimonies of Christians in various countries around the world who have experienced ongoing persecution for their faith. Several times I caught myself on the verge of tears as I read of these men and women of God who had given everything to follow Jesus.

“After almost twenty years of walking through this world of persecution and talking to hundreds of believers who suffer for their faith, we can say without a shadow of a doubt that the primary cause of “religious persecution” in the world today is people surrendering their hearts and lives to Jesus.” (p. 305)

The church is on fire in China today. The believers there understand that they will likely serve time in prison for their faith. Most of the church leaders and pastors have spent at least 3 years behind bars. They endure starving, beatings, and various tortures, all because they have chosen to follow this man named Jesus and yield their lives completely to Him.

“Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20)

So rather than asking why Christians are experiencing persecution in our world today, perhaps a better question is to ask why I rarely do. The reality is that full-time followers of Jesus WILL inevitably experience persecution.

Here are 2 other quotes from The Insanity of God that have messed me up pretty good:

“So if our goal is reducing persecution, that task is easily achieved. First, just leave Jesus alone. Second, if you do happen to find Him, just keep Him to yourself. Persecution stops immediately where there is no faith and where there is no witness.” (p. 307)

“Satan at his worst, evil at its core, and persecution in its essence does not overtly seek to starve, beat, imprison, torture, or kill followers of Jesus. The strategy of Satan is simpler and more diabolical that that. What is Satan’s paramount intent? Quite simply, it is this: denying the world access to Jesus! Satan’s greatest desire is for people on this planet to leave Jesus alone.” (p. 309-310)

I’ve counted the cost. I yield my heart AND my life to you, Jesus. I want to follow you full-time from now on.

 UPDATE:

I left Kenya last week expecting to travel directly to Burundi, but because of delays in processing my visa, I ran an audible and am now posted up in Kigali, Rwanda where I am volunteering with Youth for Christ (YFC). I have had a blast working with the students in YFC’s leadership and discipleship school. I’ve also been able to help out with a biogas project they are starting up on the compound. Known as the land of 1,000 hills, Rwanda is absolutely stunning. I've had the opportunity to travel around a bit and have been blown away by the beauty of this place. I covet your prayers. Please be praying that my visa to Burundi is processed soon because the folks I am working with have some projects waiting on me. Also, please pray that I am able to maintain peace as I say goodbye to people in one place and begin new relationships with people in other places.

PHOTOS:

Standing on the border with my dude David Bryant in Meru, Kenya.

A game of football with street boys from Isiolo, Kenya.

Seeing Mt. Kenya with my friend Wisdom (Nibc Kenya) in Nanyuki, Kenya.

Reunited with my bro Isaac Loseke in Kijabe, Kenya.

The Youth for Christ School of Leadership and Discipleship in Kigali, Rwanda.

Sunset at Lake Kivu, Rwanda.

God is good all the time.

WC

Bwana Asafiwe (Praise the Lord)

I have been in Kenya since May 9^th. The first two weeks were spent in the town of Kijabe, where I was serving with Love Africa Mission. Over the past 2 years, I have been privileged to volunteer with this ministry and help lead 9 short-term mission teams to this region of Kenya. We partner with schools, churches, and hospitals, as well as ministries caring for street children, prostitutes, widows, and the orphaned. I arrived a few days early to help get the Core Team acclimated to life here. Rachel, Yoli, and Les are the 3 amazing Core Team leaders serving with Love Africa all summer in Kenya. As we prepared for the arrival of the first team of young adults, we travelled around to meet with our ministry partners and assess their needs. Before we knew it, we were driving into Nairobi to pick up the 14 stellar folks representing this Summer’s first mission team.

We experienced a whole lot from day to day. Following dinner, we would meet together and reflect upon the day. It was so crucial for us to process together, because many times the things we witnessed were challenging to the ways we think. Reconciling third world realities to a first world mentality often leaves us Americans quite confused. We begin questioning everything. It is crucial that we invite God into the process of making sense of the things we see and hear. There was one day when we went with my friend John Njane to provide food for widows in a specific community. We have found that these widows care for 5,6, or even 10 children on their own. Some are their own kids, but others are the children of a sibling who has passed away (often HIV/AIDS). John’s ministry, Flow of Hope, has been providing for some of these ladies for over 10 years, and he is always on the look out for more widows who are in need of monthly food support. There was one home that was specifically bad. The lady was looking after nine children, one of which was 18 years old and mentally disabled. Due to lack of funds, she was not able to care properly for the boy. He would sit in the dirt all day mimicking the sounds of nearby animals. It was not an option to care for him at home because she had to look for work in order to feed her family. And she was completely uneducated regarding his condition. Poverty is viscous. It breaks my heart! But when I go to God, I am reminded that He sees the poor and His love for them is beyond my comprehension. And while they may struggle materially, they are rich spiritually. This life is passing away along with its desires (1 John 2:17). Many of us are holding on to things that won’t go with us into eternity. Those with little have learned to hold tightly to God, and they are those who will be great in His kingdom.

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:5)

On the morning of the 24^th, I said goodbye to the team and to my friends in Kijabe and began the journey to Northern Kenya. 21 hours of traveling on four separate buses took me around Mt. Kenya, across the equator, through the Chalbi Desert, to a town called Sololo, just 10km from the Ethiopian border. I came to work with a mission team with For All Nations, with who was partnering with the local church in Sololo to do outreach to Muslims. Islam was by far the majority religion in this region. One of the main focuses of For All Nations is their mission school, which empowers native Kenyans to become missionaries to the unreached people groups of Northern Kenya, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and beyond. The team I was with was Kenyan students from this mission school, many of which spoke Borana, the local language. For one week we did house-to-house evangelisms, seminars for local pastors and church leaders, and evening crusades where the gospel was preached and the teachings of Islam were exposed. We saw several Muslims become Christian and make Jesus the Lord of their life. It was beautiful to watch the Lord deliver so many from bondage. One morning while we were praying and worshipping in preparation for the day, a young man walked into the room with his father. The father explained that evil spirits had been tormenting his son for months. The young man looked at us with tears streaming down his face and asked that we would pray for his deliverance. What transpired next was nothing short of what we read in the Gospels or the book of Acts. As we surrounded the man and began to pray, the demons manifested and spoke out in the native language, saying that they were going to kill the man (I didn’t figure this out till later). The local guys with us rebuked the evil spirits in the name of Jesus and the man fell back. Three times the man stood up and then fell back down as each demon left his body. Once the man had caught his breath, he kneeled down and gave his life to Christ. Wow! God is so real.

I returned with the team to Isiolo, where I have been staying since Monday, May 30^th. I will be here for another 10 days before I continue on to Burundi.

Here is a fun little video summarizing my trip so far:

Mungu ni mwema (God is good). For all of you who have supported me financially or through prayer, thank you so much! The prayers are changing the game.

WC   

An opportunity to give.

In the past I struggled with the idea of asking people to support me financially. But today, more than ever, I believe in what God has called me to do. And I want to invite people to believe with me. To learn more about my upcoming journey to Africa, press the link below:

https://www.gofundme.com/willcaswell

WC

Invited Into Adventure

It wasn't super spiritual. I just stopped to listen, and there in the quietness I heard my Father whispering, "Go." He had been saying it for months, waiting ever so patiently for me to turn and acknowledge the invitation. My reply: "Let's get it!" 

The Great Commission is a beautiful invitation into the adventure of a life time with a Good Good Father who promises to go with us (Matt. 28:20). When I heard Him inviting me to the people of Somalia, my heart jumped within my chest. Not because I was afraid. Quite the opposite. "Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18). You see, God's invitation is never void of His passion and presence. I have never met someone more passionate and present than Jesus. He is passionate for Somalia like no other. And when this passion was exposed to me, my heart brushed with His and I was marked. You can't shake it. His love is the most penetrating force this world has ever known. When you catch a glimpse of God's heart for people, you can't look at them the same. I've chosen to partner with His love for the people of Somalia, few of which have ever heard the Good News of Jesus. 

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Mark 4:9)

He is inviting all of His children to Go. If you haven't released your dreams to Him, I encourage you to do so. He will breath life into them. If you do this, will you find yourself called to the nations? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Adventure awaits for those that say, "Yes." If your motivation for a successful career is anything other than to make His name praised, drop that thing like it's hot and ask God to give you fresh passion. He will come through.

I challenge you to ask God if He is calling you to the nations, to help fulfill the great commission by bringing the gospel to the roughly 4,000 unreached people groups worldwide. If He says Go, jump in head first.

"...behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from EVERY nation, from ALL tribes and languages, standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothed in white robes..." (Revelation 7:9)

Check this out: https://cartomission.com/2015/04/22/christianity-in-eastern-africa/

WC

Kenya Round 2

I'm going back. It was only 4 months ago that I came back to the States from an unforgettable summer in Kenya, and now I am returning for round 2. This time has a completely different feel. When I went for the first time, I was going away. This time I am coming home. And I genuinely mean that.

Kenya was my home for 12 weeks from May through July. I was a part of a five person team of college students working with Love Africa Mission to coordinate and work alongside short-term mission teams all summer. It was a radical, testing, beautiful, exhausting, joyful, difficult, genuine, heart-breaking, and eye-opening experience. Those are merely a few words to describe what I went through. God wrecked me and forever changed my understanding of who He is in relation to His creation. My God is a big God!


Here is the team:

Emily Harmon
Matt Clum

Will Caswell

Joseph Desjardins
Kelli Middleton
Christa Wilburn
Katie DiQuollo
Alex Johnson
Rachel Kellett
Nicole Straker
Lindsey Grubb
Elyssa Wingate
Katy Colvin
Madison Dixon
Rebecca Pursley
Chris Walters
Avery Mintz
Jordan Pinkston
Jared Freeman

We depart December 28th and will arrive back in the States on January 9th.

If you are willing, we would love your prayers. Specific prayer needs are safety, smooth travel, team unity, good health, and most of all that we would pursue the Father's heart at all times. Our schedule is tentative, and that's the way it will remain. I have a "Plan B" prepared, but I've told my team that we are on a search for His "Plan A". I want our daily activities to be nothing less than the pure outpouring of the Father's heart for us and for the Kenyan people. So pray that God would guide our footsteps, and pray that we would have the faith and boldness to trust Him and move when His heart beats.

"I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go." 

~ Isaiah 48:17

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

In Christ,

WC

Freedom

“For FREEDOM Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

That is the beauty of the Cross. Jesus allowed himself to be beaten and betrayed. He stood trial and willingly accepted an unjust death sentence. He submitted to the worst form of torture the Roman Empire could muster. His body was bloodied by torture, stretched across a wooden frame, and nailed into place. And from that most humble position, He looked upon the people before him. His heart must have been broken, for He had created His people for so much more. But they chose to run from His love. They chose a “yoke of slavery” rather than the embrace of a loving Father (‘Baba’ in Swahili). But God wasn’t willing to leave us enslaved to Sin. Jesus was on a mission of Love, and of Grace, and of Freedom. Freedom from the yoke of bondage that we willingly subjected ourselves to.

That is why He has set us free. He has set us free in order that we may be free. Does that make sense? It sounds so simple, and maybe you get it. I didn’t.

But if there is one thing that I have learned about these people, it’s that they are rich in freedom. They have taken hold of the freedom that Christ won for us on the cross, and they won’t give it up for anything. And when I look at their situation, it makes sense. While so many of us are chained down by our possessions, these people don’t see the importance in having stuff. Shelter, one meal a day, some sort of clothing, and a little water get the job done. They could care less what brand they wear or what color their shirt is. One of my good friends, John, rocks this light pink jacket with a matching bonnet-looking hat. But hey, it keeps him warm during the cool months. If you ask anyone here what their favorite meal is, they will probably say Ugali. It’s just corn meal and water cooked into a thick consistency. It’s really quite bland, but it fills you up. Kenyans eat this almost every day of their lives. And yet, it is the crowd favorite because it satisfies. So simple.

What is it that is separating you from dependency on God? How quickly do you run to the Lord when life hits you with a curve ball? If you’re like me, then maybe you sometimes see God as a last resort in times of need. Let me expound on that a little. Would you agree that there exists a “spectrum of hardships” in life? These can range from petty things such as burning the toast to really difficult experiences such as the loss of a close friend or family member. Every sucky event that we navigate in life falls somewhere along this “spectrum of hardships.” And how do we respond? Well, if it is a small thing then perhaps we just ignore it. Or maybe if it’s a little tougher, then we deal with it by playing video games, or scrolling through Instagram posts, or seeing if we got an extra couple likes on our Facebook status. It may be a subconscious act, but something within us tries to forget the crappy situation by replacing the thought of it with something that makes us temporarily happy. That’s all we need. Just a quick distraction. Consider a hardship even further along the spectrum, like a breakup or a season-ending injury. How do we respond then? Maybe we vent to our friends to get sympathy, or we splurge on tons of new clothes and a frosty from Wendy’s.  Whatever our coping mechanism may be, we are quick to run there to escape reality when it gets too real. But then, there are the hardships at the very edge of the spectrum. These things have the power to completely uproot us if we aren’t “founded on the rock” (Matt. 7:25). And it’s in times like these, as believers, that our coping mechanism comes up short and we are forced toward our last resort – God. He was there all along, but we didn’t recognize our need for him until things of this world failed to meet our need.

Maybe I’m just speaking for myself. Maybe this isn’t how you deal with hardship. But if you are like me, and this is how you cope with hardship, is it okay? I would say NO, because running to other things for satisfaction rather than God is idolatry. It is sin, the exact thing that Jesus died to set us free from. A couple Sundays back I heard a message from Oliver Wong, the youth pastor at my church. He mentioned how so many people take the freedom they have been given to run right back into slavery. How silly is that! But if we are honest with ourselves, then perhaps that is us. We gladly receive the freedom granted to us on the cross, say “Thank You”, and then blindly return to our slave masters. In the case of dealing with hardship, our slave masters are the material and worldly things that we run to when the going gets tough. But what if we were to turn to Christ in the face of hardship, big or small? What if we were to be dependent upon him in the petty things, as well as the big daunting things? It’s tempting to run to things of this world, especially since they are visible to the eye and offer quick satisfaction. But God provides good and pure satisfaction that has the very power to heal our pain and remove our sorrow, not just distract us from it.

This is the rich freedom that I mentioned earlier and that I experienced so deeply in Kenya this summer. Part of it is that Kenyans don’t have access to the material things that we are tempted to run to for fulfillment. They don’t have all of the techno gadgets that we use every day or money to go splurge on new clothes and frosties from Wendy’s. But the issue is not with the things that we choose over God. It’s in the fact that we choose those things over Him – slavery rather than freedom. He gives us free will to choose Him in every situation. This summer, I witnessed several Kenyan people mention the hardship of their life. But the conversation did not stop there. Within a couple of moments they were proclaiming their hope in Christ, and their dependence on Him to provide. While our response is to escape reality in the face of hardship, the Kenyan people embrace reality with full dependence on the Lord to provide and satisfy their need.

He has set us free in order that we may be free. So in hardship of all kinds, let’s choose to lean on Him, and in doing so we will loose our chains from this world and take hold of the freedom that He died for us to have.

“For FREEDOM Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

That’s all.

WC

 

Above are some of the boys at AIC Namuncha, a Masai church where we worshiped many sundays in Kenya.

Below is a beautiful mural I spotted in the Kibera Slum in Nairobi, Kenya. 

The Colors in Heaven are Changing

This is way past due. I originally intended to post every week or so, but I quickly discovered that I wasn’t going to have the time I hoped for. So much has happened, and I hate that I haven’t kept you updated, but at least I can share with you now.

As I’ve experienced this country, in all its beauty and tragedy, God has actively been teaching me more about himself and his heart for each of his children. Sometimes I limit God. In my attempt to understand Him in all of his majesty, I place walls around Him. But I’m learning that He isn’t containable. While He is outside of space and time, He is also outside of language and culture. He surpasses those things that define our existence. So, while we live within boundaries, He does not.

It wasn’t until I came to Kenya that I recognized one of my many misperceptions of the Father. Whether subconsciously or not, I truly believed that God could only effectively relate to a specific brand of people. If asked, I would have claimed that all of God’s children share equally in relationship with Him, but deep down I didn’t actually believe that people of primitive cultures could know God like Christians from America or other developed countries…

It’s not every day that you enter a Massai church to worship alongside these amazing people:

As I sat there that first Sunday, I found myself asking, “Are you even allowed to worship God this way?” As time passed, however, it became clear that these people were passionately praising the Lord. Their lively dancing and singing was the outpour of hearts that had experienced God’s Grace in a way that I can’t attempt to imagine. Tears welled up in my eyes as I joined my brothers and sisters in heartfelt worship. It’s a magical moment when two completely distinct languages and cultures join together to praise the same God. I wanted to thank God for that moment, but I found it hard to focus. It was as if I didn’t know whom I was speaking to. You see, my perception of God had radically changed in that moment. I could no longer fit Him into that one-dimensional mold I put Him in. If God could relate to the Massai people of Kenya, then he could also relate to the thousands of different cultures that make up our world. Wow! That blows my mind. Who are you, God?

Close your eyes and imagine what heaven will be like. Who do you see? As for me, I used to see lots of white people. But now, the colors in Heaven are changing. The sea of white is slowly gaining color. And I like it. I like it a lot.

Because God is far bigger than America… And he is larger than North America and even the Western Hemisphere… He surpasses culture, language, denomination, government, tribes, and borders.

“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.” (Psalm 86:9)

Pics

The Love Africa Core Team from Left: Me, Rachael, Lydia, Stephanie, and Isaac

Mt. Longonot

Safari at the Maasai Mara

A little cliff jumping at 14 Falls in Thika

My friend Joy who took me by the hand last Sunday and wouldn't let me out of his sight.

This is Patrick. He's 18 years old and lives in an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp. He hasn't been able to attend school since he was forced to leave his home due to the election violence in 2007.

Building a mud hut.

Mixing the mud

Finished product

I just thought this was great

Prayers

Please be praying for peace in Kenya. There is unrest at the moment as the contender to the presidency is calling for demonstrations in an attempt to destabilize the government.

Also, be praying for our ministry partners, namely Flow of Hope and Rift Valley Fellowship.

Flow of Hope is run by a man named John Njane. He is an unbelievable individual with such a pure heart. He has taken 12 boys off the streets, given them shelter, fed them, provided them with quality education, and trained them in specific trades that will help them succeed down the road. John also has a sowing ministry called Thread of Hope, which provides women with a skill that keeps them from entering prostitution. On top of that, he has a widows and orphans feeding program through which he provides food for 15 households in the area. He also runs a juice shop to provide funds for his boys' school fees. He trusts 100% in the Lord to provide day to day. He has become one of my close friends.

Rift Valley Fellowship is a church, but far more than that. Isaac and Esther Karanja started this ministry a couple years back and are targeting the outcasts in the nearby town of Maai Mahiu, which is famous for prostitution and alcohol abuse. They represent Christ's love so well. They have just started the construction of a girl's home that will house young girls who are vulnerable to the prostitution trade.

Here are their websites:
flowofhope.org
riftvalleyfellowship.com

There is so much more to share, but it's going to have to wait.

WC