it’s been a crazy ride ever since. Our plane was supposed to have a layover in Bangkok, Thailand,
but with all the hoopla with terrorism and such, we stopped at a military
airstrip the airlines were using to redirect flights safely. We were on our
plane for more than 12 hours and it was so nice to get out and stretch. Two
large buses drove us (past some giraffes in a field outside the airport) for
about two hours to Moffat Bible College
in Kijabe, Kenya, which is basically a
missionary town. We were at the college for debrief for about five days before
we headed off to our actual ministry sites, and debrief was well needed. The
college is basically on top of a mountain looking over the Great
Rift Valley, which is one of the most beautiful sites I have and
ever will see in my whole life. We were cooked three full meals a day, the sun
shone but the wind was a huge blessing, and there were monkeys all around in
the trees (Brandon, Ben and I chased them one day).
(This is not one of those monkeys. This is just a baboon on the side of the road…)I woke up every morningcompletely refreshed and filled with such a joy I have not really felt in a
long time. I know its so cliché to say, but there’s something in the African
air that makes it feel right to be here. I volunteered to be the first World
Racer on our squad to give a sermon to the squad. God gave me a word, but it
wasn’t much, so I was really excited to see how The Lord would speak through
that time. The morning I was supposed to talk, we just worshiped and
experienced the Holy Spirit working and ministering to us, and it seemed that
He was telling everyone else exactly what I was going to talk about. So I joke
that God preached “my” sermon without me. But I was able to speak the next
night after some crazy worship time and The Lord seemed to really minister some
more to all of us. It was really good to be able to get up in front of everyone
and let God speak.
William in Eldoret, on the far western side of the country. This town was
really hit hard during the political and tribal violence in the beginning of
this year, including the little neighborhood we are living in. Churches were
burned down and people were killed. There is still some tension about the subject,
but it seems many people are really trying to reconcile the tribal quarrels.
We are living in a small home with two other families and
the pastor and his wife, Pamela, for a total of about thirty people. We’re a
bit cramped and don’t get much personal space, but that’s what you get when you
sign up for the World Race.
You live in community and you give up your rights
to everything, and you serve those around you, no matter how difficult that may
be.
Pastor William, a great man who is a wonderful example for
anyone in ministry, is the man behind Latter Glory Church in downtown Eldoret.
The church is nothing more than dirt and rock ground, logs nailed together for
support, and aluminum roofing to cover it all. The benches are nothing more
than logs split up and nailed together in rows down the middle of the church.
But The Holy Spirit is there! William told us before Sunday morning that they usually
get between 30 and 40 people coming in, but we were not expecting what we saw
last Sunday morning. As we got settled in and were thinking of who was going to
preach, in came between 30 and 40 boys, covered in dirt, dust and heavy, baggy
clothes. This was, of course, not the startling point. In the hands of almost
everyone that came in the doors was a bottle of glue. This glue is used by
shoemakers to glue the sole onto the actual shoe and is very strong and has
very strong fumes. The boys are able to buy this glue for 20 shillings a
bottle, or about .25 US cents. They breathe the fumes in as much as possible and
it gets them high as a kite. The way the glue affects them is not only in their
brain and makes them completely oblivious to their surroundings, but it
suppresses their hunger. These boys have been through a lot in life, such as
death of parents, getting kicked out by parents, or just running away from
home, and they have no way of getting food or shelter, so they sleep on the
streets. These boys are known as “Street Kids.”
experienced or dreamed of. We sing songs, we greet the street kids as they come
in (and hopefully get their bottles from them), and listen to the pastor and
someone from our team speak about who God is. The kids love to dance and sing
along, and some even enjoy leading songs, themselves. But underneath all of the
song and dance, the Holy Spirit is working in The World Racers and the leaders
in the church. There is love. There is care. There is compassion. And sometimes
we get thoughts that we shouldn’t be feeding them like we do after church, or
we should be trying to get into a bigger, better-looking building so richer
people can come and worship and bring in more people. But as William has shared
his heart with us, we know he understands that God has called him to be here
and with these kids. He has such a love for them, and he has such patience for
them. They are his children.
We’ve been evangelizing around the community and have had “open
air” services where we sing, dance, and share the gospel with people (usually
drunks and kids) hoping and trusting that The Lord will speak to them in the
way they need it.
This month is difficult, stressful, demanding and completely
worth it. God is breaking me and it feels so good. His Work is being done, so
please join me in worshiping and praising our Lord for His Love for His
people. Thanks for reading.
