The Powerful Cross

Each morning at the Osiligi Rehabilitation Farm our trainees are up at 6am to prepare for the day ahead. By 7am they and the staff are at a student run time of devotions. Some of our international staff are there so they take the opportunity to share from the Word of God.

We also have 4 new trainees from our latest intake who go through a one-month discipleship intensive course at the farm. Our trainees come from destructive backgrounds of gang involvement, drugs, alcohol abuse and broken families. The discipleship intensive is just the beginning of the two-year program.

This week two trainees committed their lives to Christ at the morning devotions. It’s a huge thing to turn their back on their former lifestyle which was all about them and what they could get. Now, it’s about living for Christ with the power of the Holy Spirit. Sure, there are counselling sessions but one touch from God can wipe out a multitude of issues.

We are in the midst of developing a youth leadership program for both our trainees of Osiligi and our graduates from the Riziki Assistance Program. Giving extra leadership skills from a Biblical world view can only benefit our young people. Teaching them in a relevant manner is very important, no matter in the world you are. Just because a young person lives in a developing country does not mean they are second rate nor stupid. We have some of the brightest young people, all they need is an opportunity to grow into what they dream to be.

We are always re-enforcing to our staff that we are a Christian faith-based organisation. Therefore, our focus is to deliver the Gospel through our work. How we talk to and with our young people, the way we react to challenges and how we treat one another should be an example to our young people.

We should never dilute the power of the cross because of our actions. Instead, we should be illuminating the effectiveness of the cross.

This is our goal - to make what Jesus did for us so attractive, powerful and life changing that our young people have that revelation.

Easter here in Kenya is not about chocolate eggs nor hot cross buns. We are now seeing these things for sale at the supermarkets but the focus is still on Jesus.

The challenge is showing the way out of religiousness and the way into relationship.