Recently, I have been a little under the weather…Actually… I have had a few bouts with typhoid. Yes… I was diagnosed with it twice! Rest assured though, I am feeling better and am on the mend! After going to the doctor and getting everything figured out, our contacts wife came by to check on me (we call her Mamma). She told me I’d be ok, “I was just getting a taste of “some real Kenyan hardship.”
Being sick in Africa is no fun, especially when you have 103 degree fever in 100 degree weather. Typhoid though, is small in comparison to the everyday struggles and “REAL hardships” of Busia Kenya; witchcraft, poverty, death of a loved one, miscarriage, spousal abuse, AIDS, illness, and so much more are commonplace here. One minute, a man might be in his house working away, and the next, pass away with no explanation or warning. This tragedy became reality last week for a family our contact knows. The most amazing thing about it however, was that there was still joy (somehow) to be found in the midst of it all! God was praised for the life that was lived and the family was greatly supported (by friends, family and the community) in their time of need.
Our time in Busia, has encouraged me to look for a sense of joy (in my own life); despite the circumstances I find myself in. In life is not if you will have trials in this world but when and how you react to them. In Acts 14:22 it talks about Paul and Barnabas “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith” by saying “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” James also talks about trials in life, and says, “Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything”(James 1:2-3). My hope and prayer for the believers of Kenya is that joy (rooted in Christ) will continue to be sought after in the midst of (so many) EVERYDAY “real Kenyan hardships.”
Our time in Busia, has encouraged me to look for a sense of joy (in my own life); despite the circumstances I find myself in. In life is not if you will have trials in this world but when and how you react to them. In Acts 14:22 it talks about Paul and Barnabas “strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith” by saying “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” James also talks about trials in life, and says, “Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything”(James 1:2-3). My hope and prayer for the believers of Kenya is that joy (rooted in Christ) will continue to be sought after in the midst of (so many) EVERYDAY “real Kenyan hardships.”
