“And the Thunder Rolls”
“And he shall be like a tree
firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring
forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:3
Fact : It rains in Kenya every day.
We are known as the bringers of the rain.
My favorite part of the day is quiet time. I love just pluggin’ my headphones in, jammin’ out to some good tunes, and searching deep in the Word of God. I really love it on the roof of the little complex next to our house…and its the best when you can smell the rain coming and the coolness in the air. I can just breathe life in.
I love Kenya. If you have read any of my fellow expeditioners blogs, they have probably said the same. Haha. There really isn’t a specific reason. Just, the vibe. God is so alive here. And less people know him here than in Uganda. Crime is greater here. Kenya is one of the most dangerous places in Africa to be right now, and yet there is a total peace about this lovely amazing God-given place. It’s just awesome.
As I mentioned in my last blog, we have done a LOT of door-to-door evangelism. I’m not going to lie, it is NOT my favorite, but it is growing on me. I am becoming confident in the Lord to put the words that I need in my mouth. I also love sharing my story and learning about other people. God becomes so real in life when you tell how he has actually impacted your life. But, yesterday, we decided to mix it up. We did hospital ministry. and, even as I try to blog, I will never be able to explain it to you. It was easily the hardest thing that I have ever done, and yet my heart was so touched. I literally felt my heart break in two when I saw that there were three or four ADULTS to one hospital bed. They don’t have the technology here that is needed to provide good medical care, so people are just laying there bleeding out. We saw skin disorders where their skin was peeling off revealing open muscle tissue. We saw open burn wounds. We saw rods sticking out of joints, and babies being born on the dirty floor next to people who’s organs were literally hanging out. At first, I actually felt a little faint, which is a first for me. But, as I began to declare healing over these people and praying for peace and comfort, God made himself so present. It was beautiful. I met one woman named Catherine who was there for a burn. She has been there for months with her entire right leg completely burnt, muscle and bone exposed. They are trying to help her, but her body is just rejecting everything. And while she was sharing her story, my heart broke because it felt like all hope was lost. But, she comforted me! She told me that the Lord her Father was good and that he was a healer! She told me that she trusted him, no matter what His will was! How unbelievable was that! She actually moved me and opened my heart even more to the Lord and His healing power. Her story was life-changing for me and I couldn’t even begin to thank her for that.
firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring
forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1:3
Fact : It rains in Kenya every day.
We are known as the bringers of the rain.
My favorite part of the day is quiet time. I love just pluggin’ my headphones in, jammin’ out to some good tunes, and searching deep in the Word of God. I really love it on the roof of the little complex next to our house…and its the best when you can smell the rain coming and the coolness in the air. I can just breathe life in.
I love Kenya. If you have read any of my fellow expeditioners blogs, they have probably said the same. Haha. There really isn’t a specific reason. Just, the vibe. God is so alive here. And less people know him here than in Uganda. Crime is greater here. Kenya is one of the most dangerous places in Africa to be right now, and yet there is a total peace about this lovely amazing God-given place. It’s just awesome.
As I mentioned in my last blog, we have done a LOT of door-to-door evangelism. I’m not going to lie, it is NOT my favorite, but it is growing on me. I am becoming confident in the Lord to put the words that I need in my mouth. I also love sharing my story and learning about other people. God becomes so real in life when you tell how he has actually impacted your life. But, yesterday, we decided to mix it up. We did hospital ministry. and, even as I try to blog, I will never be able to explain it to you. It was easily the hardest thing that I have ever done, and yet my heart was so touched. I literally felt my heart break in two when I saw that there were three or four ADULTS to one hospital bed. They don’t have the technology here that is needed to provide good medical care, so people are just laying there bleeding out. We saw skin disorders where their skin was peeling off revealing open muscle tissue. We saw open burn wounds. We saw rods sticking out of joints, and babies being born on the dirty floor next to people who’s organs were literally hanging out. At first, I actually felt a little faint, which is a first for me. But, as I began to declare healing over these people and praying for peace and comfort, God made himself so present. It was beautiful. I met one woman named Catherine who was there for a burn. She has been there for months with her entire right leg completely burnt, muscle and bone exposed. They are trying to help her, but her body is just rejecting everything. And while she was sharing her story, my heart broke because it felt like all hope was lost. But, she comforted me! She told me that the Lord her Father was good and that he was a healer! She told me that she trusted him, no matter what His will was! How unbelievable was that! She actually moved me and opened my heart even more to the Lord and His healing power. Her story was life-changing for me and I couldn’t even begin to thank her for that.
Today, we went out to a local school. As always a piece of my heart was stolen by the children. The children of Kenya are MUCH more laid back and hesitant of the mzungu, but once they open up, they are your friends for life. I got the opportunity to teach the baby class today. Now, keep in mind, when they say teach what they really means is this silly mzungu comes in and the teacher dips out for several hours while I stand there awkwardly. Haha. Today was no different. I had a “classroom” full of 60+ children, all of whom where under 5 years of age and did not know one word of English. Which would be okay, because I know enough Swahili to have a SMALL conversation, however these children are so little, they barely know Swahili! Haha. Seriously?! And of course, my teacher was gone for like 5 hours. So, I improvised. They learned a LOT of songs, and we took a super long nap…and lots of pictures 🙂 And even though there was this EXTREME language barrier, we made it work. We laughed, we sang, we played, we danced, and we loved on one another. This one little girl, Leiha, completely stole my heart. Since I got to Africa, I have felt my heart tug a little towards some of the kids, but I genuinely contemplated bringing her home with me. She spoke no english AND no Swahili and knew none of the basic body language one uses with kids. But through all that adversity, she clung to me. She never let go of my hands, and during nap time, she laid on me and we slept together. It was so loving and so beautiful and I can only hope that God blesses me with the privilege of seeing her lovely little face again before I leave.
Moments like that make this entire journey worth it. They humble me and change so many of my own ideas on life. They open my heart to a better way. Yes, Africa is pour. Yes, Africa is dirty. Yes, Africa is full of sickness. Yes, Africa is at war. But, Africa knows love and hope and God and the Word and family and the meaning of home, peace, and true happiness more than we ever could. And I am so glad that I have gotten to see even the smallest bit of that. God is good all the time; all the time God is good.
“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and armor.” Psalm 91:4
Side note – to those of you who don’t know…after A LOT of prayer and conversations with God, I am feeling lead to the Philippines this Fall for four months living with an Orphanage. I did my interview yesterday and shall know by next week whether I was listening correctly or not, but if you would just continue to pray for me and my obedience with God’s plan that would be amazing. I am more than blessed to have the support, prayers, and love that you all send out every single day. I love you all <3
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