With Cambodia in the rearview mirror and Kenya on the next horizon we started our travel day adventures. It was tough leaving another great ministry contact and all of the kids that stole my heart yet again, so adding 4 flights, layovers, and a new continent on top of that was a bit overwhelming!
Cambodia is a country I hope to return to, there is so much growth happening and a spiritual hunger to know Jesus is evident, plus you sweat standing still and I love that! We finished strong handing out new clothes to the children we had visited all month, giving out Bibles to those that we were able to minister to in a small prison, helping to buy a scooter for our awesome contact, Maricel, and attend a going away party from our students that we taught English. Maricel cooked another great meal and gave us some very encouraging words. It was hard to say goodbye.
Every month we have a few short days to come together as a squad and debrief the month and all that we encountered. We had debrief in Siem Reap, near Angkor Wat. It was nice to spend that time together and we even shot a video giving short testimonies of where God has brought us that will be available soon. The temples are old and amazing, but they are a reminder of how far some are from knowing the true God. God is God. He is alive. He doesn’t dwell in buildings. He dwells in those who know Him. He wants a relationship and offers us salvation. We are His people and He has made a way to redeem us. No other religion out there can even compare. The gods are lifeless and man-made. Where is their hope?
We got ready to travel Saturday night on an overnight bus to Phenom Pehn to catch a morning flight. I had talked with a few people on the squad, Travis, Johnny, and Nate to help lead an Easter service and we were going to have it there as we waited for our flight, but the timing was off and we were not able to have it then. We boarded our plane and headed for Kuala Lumpur where we had a huge layover so we decided to have our service there. We found an area, claimed it and began. A few minutes in, Jessica stood and introduced a guy that had been sitting there from the Philippines who was excited to participate in our service and it was used to encourage him in his faith! It was God’s timing that we had it then and not in PP. The service far exceeded my expectations as we shared, prayed together, studied the Bible, sang, and took communion. It’s an Easter I will not forget! Worshiping and giving glory to the risen Savior in Malaysia! Woohooo!!
We then went from Kuala Lumpur to India where we needed to be assisted by airport workers to identify bags and get to our gate. We split into two groups on different flights and headed to the United Arab Emirates airport (which had awesome hot showers) and then made it to our final stop, Nairobi, Kenya! God was in every detail and brought us safely back together. We stayed overnight at a Bible college and the next day left for our various ministry sites. (also my first sighting of ZEBRAS!)
Kinangop, Kenya is where Sweet Aroma landed. We drove alongside the The Great Rift Valley and it was awesome!
The scenery, mountains, and sky is such a testimony to how awesome God is! We are here living with Pastor Steven, his wife Jane, there 4 children and 14 orphans they are taking care of. We are in humble yet wonderful living conditions with running water, electricity (well both are out right now..) ugali, chopoti, chai tea, beds, and a hot shower! It is cold up here and it rains hard every single afternoon and most of the night too, my clothes have been on the line trying to dry for days! We also had our first outting to go in town the next day to buy rain boats since it’s so muddy here and warm clothing! Pastor Steven called in 8 motorcycles to come pick us up, we jumped on the back and held on! It was a bit bumpy, but a blast!
The bathroom is a bit of a walk, well maybe 50 feet or so but it's still a bit scary going out in the middle of the night if nature calls. The first night we were there I had to go and prayed the urge would leave, but it didn't. I stepped outside and looked up and almost fainted the stars were so bright and sparkly. I felt like I could just grab them. I stepped back in our room and whipered "Chris are you awake?" She was so I made here get up and join me. As we stepped out again and looked up we saw a shooting star! It was so worth it! We haven't seen them since because of the rain clouds, but we keep hoping!
Here the kids are loved on and taken care of, but they are so poor. We are pooling our money together to buy new clothes and some other little things. They are in need of a truck that can handle these harsh rocky roads. Right now they have to hire transportation which is very expensive. It's a cool experience to practically live off the land. We’ve got a cow, Blessing, that the Pastor milks, they grow cabbage, potatoes, corn, other green veggies, have chickens, and 5 puppies plus Simba the big dog. There is a guy that brings fresh beef in every day for dinner on his motorcycle. Jane is an amazing cook and seems to produce miracles with what she has to work with! We are here during the rainy season so life is slow and full of rest. The guys on our team get out in the fields and help dig trenches and till up the land with Pastor Steven. Us girls help with peeling potatoes, dishes, cooking, and other small tasks that help Jane out. It’s been wonderful taking tea, serving this family, getting to know Pastor Steven and his wife, bonding in some fun crazy ways as a team, and enjoying God’s beautiful creation!
I’ll try and upload a picture of the kids, but here is the website where you can read about them (http://belovedinternational.org/belovedportal.php) they are so fun and sweet and full of life. They are very shy, but love singing songs and listening to stories! They cook their own meals, take care of each other, study their school work, and help out on the farm. They speak English for the most part and I wish I could love on them more!
