The Ministry of Reconciliation

My focus this morning was drawn to the words, “the ministry of reconciliation” in 2 Corinthians 5:18 during my Bible study. Those words jumped at me and my mind went far back to my time in Nyeri when I had just graduated from university. I had a little office (room) in a clinic run by a lovely God-fearing woman called Dorcas who was excited to have me work alongside her. However, this was more than pursuing a career path; it was ministry and God was keen on me partnering with Him to reach out to the youth in Nyeri.

One day, a 17-year old girl who had just completed high school was brought to the clinic by her mother and Dorcas referred her to me. We had a hearty conversation before I told her, “By the way, I’m thinking of starting a youth group. Would you like to be part of it?” Truth be said, I had not thought about a youth group until we were midway in our conversation. I just sort of splattered those words. Immediately, her eyes lit up and she sat up straight in her seat. She enthusiastically said, “Yes!” and asked me numerous questions which I answered off the top of my head though I now know it was the Holy Spirit speaking through me.

A week later, I was seated with four young people (the 17-year old included) on two wooden benches at the back of the clinic talking about starting a youth group in Nyeri. We shared the common issues that plagued young people and I gave them an assignment to go think about a name for the group. A week after the initial meeting, there were now five young people and I remember them proposing the various names they had come with. For each name, we thought through its implications, and we went back and forth until a young 16 year old girl who was sitting next to me nudged me. I had noticed that she was writing on her hand as the brainstorming session went on. She showed me an acronym had written on the inside of her wrist: CRTY. I asked her what it stood for, and she said, “Christian Reconciliation Team for the Youth.” As soon as she spoke those words, the other four young people (they had all just completed Form 4 – barely a month before) looked at her and unanimously agreed to the name.

And so it was that CRTY was born at the back of a little clinic in Nyeri. I would never take credit for that name. All the credit goes to the young girl who had dropped out of school because she was pregnant and was helping her mother sell fruits and vegetables in the market. She later went on to give birth to a baby boy whom she named Samuel. Sometimes I wonder how they are both doing - it's been many years. 

Well, in the two years I was in Nyeri, CRTY grew beyond my wildest imagination. We grew from a membership of 5 to over 200 with regular meetings held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The meetings were initially supposed to last 2 hours on each day, beginning at 10:00 a.m. but as more young people got to hear about the group, we found ourselves having meetings between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Discussions were heated, with each member present sharing their opinions, and in retrospect, I realize that CRTY was a God-ordained platform to encourage young people to express themselves without the fear of being judged.

It is only this morning that I made the connection between the name of the youth group and the scripture in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19: “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 

As I wrote down my thoughts, I was reminded of a blog I once had and I thought, “Hmmm, why shouldn’t I share the beginnings of my work with young people on this blog?”

I’m filled with nostalgia. Nyeri provided me with an opportunity to see God at work in the lives of so many young people. I marvel at the energy I had then. I was invited to countless homes and shared meals with families. As a team, we went to various places either to have fun or to share with young people the love of God. One of the fondest memory I have is a trip to Doldol in Nanyuki where with a group of five or six young people, we traveled on an open pick up. We were covered in dust, lit bonfires in the evenings, shared stories with the local community and among ourselves, and while I do not remember us taking showers (hehehe), I am sure we brushed our teeth. 

I also remember with a lot of fondness the youth camp we had in Nyeri – some journeys of faith are crazy! What was I thinking? Again, I spoke it and the young people latched onto it and I could not retract my statement. This is a story for another day though. I must add that the Doldol trip was solely sponsored by my boss, Dorcas – in retrospect, she must have really wanted us to experience what it was like to live in a rural community with only basic needs.

This morning, I want to thank God for honoring me by inviting me to join Him in His work. I witnessed the transformation of lives through CRTY and I would never exchange my experiences for anything. It was a season of growth and so much laughter. Of course there were moments of difficulty, but Nyeri for me did define for me, so very clearly, the call of God in my life: Reconciling young men and women to God through faith in Jesus Christ through prayer, counseling, teaching and writing. Of course it was not defined that way then; all I knew was that I wanted to reach out to young people, and looking back, Nyeri started me off on that journey.