I didn't expect to fall in love so quickly.
360 degree views of every kind of cloud, mountains, trees, and green fields. The flat expanse dotted by small tin or mud structures. Herds of cows, sheep, and goats roaming freely, followed by their shepherds in bright red or orange shawls. The sounds of kids laughing and playing at the school. African worship music blasting from the church to beckon members and visitors. The warmth and community of Pastor Samuel's house. A cup of warm chai in your hands and your Bible in your lap.
This is Maasai Mara. A place that many people only ever dream of visiting, and where some pay thousands of dollars to take safaris. Where the people are joyful, hospitable, and live off the land.
Last month, in Cambodia, Cheyanne and I sat in a frozen yogurt shop in a mall in Phnom Penh. We were doing the usual checking of emails and surfing Facebook, and I saw a link to a blog from a former squadmate on F Squad. He had written about he and his team's experience in Maasai Mara. As I read the blog, I got more and more excited.
"Cheyanne, you have to check this out." I shared the link on her Facebook wall.
"What. The. Heck. Man???" She said. Her eyes got bigger and bigger as she read the blog.
"What if we could do this?" I asked her.
"We might as well try." She emailed our squad leader, and although it was a long shot, and we didn't have much time, we hoped for the best.
A few weeks later found us bumping along the road in a van, headed to our ministry site in Maasai Mara, driving by giraffes, zebras, wildebeasts, and antelope, literally using the bush to go to the bathroom, and getting our minds blown by the beauty of the Creation around us.
We arrived at our village, unloaded our bags from the van, and met with Pastor Samuel. He is the pastor of the church, and is a warm, often soft-spoken, loving man of God. Josh and I have the privilege to stay in his house, and we have gotten to have some good conversations with him.
He had a love and a dream for this community, so fifteen years ago, he moved here, and he built his house, the church, and a medical clinic. His wife and kids live several kilometers away, but they are unable to move here because that is where their livestock and farm is. He has made sacrifices for the ministry that God has called him to, and I admire him incredibly for that.
Every morning, I wake up to the sounds of Samuel cooking breakfast in the next room, and I unzip the tent, grab my Bible and journal, sit in the main room and chat with Samuel and my teammates as they come in.
After breakfast, some of us go to the school to help teach classes, and some of us go to the medical clinic. Rachel has enjoyed helping there, and gets to use her education as a nurse as a ministry. I also go and help at the clinic on Tuesdays, their busiest day. Tuesday is market day, and people walk from over 10 kilometers away to sell their goods and livestock.
People also come to the clinic while they are here, for general medical care, pre-natal care, and immunizations for children. I get to help sign in the babies that are being vaccinated, record which immunizations they are receiving, and hand out free mosquito nets. When we are not busy, Rachel and I get to hang out with and invest in Irene, the nurse, and Sophie, the woman who keeps the records.
We have also been visiting some nearby villages, many of which are more traditional Maasai villages. We either walk, or if there is threatening rain (which, it is rainy season….so, that's pretty much every day), we will ride with Pastor Samuel in his Land Rover. Yesterday, as we were traveling to visit one of the villages, we passed by some wildebeasts grazing in the fields.
We are welcomed by the people into their homes for a cup of chai, and some chapatti (a sweet bread that is kind of like a tortilla), and we get to encourage them with a short message, testimony, or song. At two of the houses we have visited, they have blessed us with gifts of beautiful, handmade beaded necklaces.
Although these house visits are enjoyable, they are also challenging. The village that we visited yesterday, while definitely not the dirtiest place we have gone, was really difficult. The family was polygamist, and although I didn't know until later, also incestuous. There were flies EVERYWHERE.
It was frustrating for me, because all I could think about were the flies. As we were praying for healing for a boy born with a disfigured leg, they kept distracting me as they landed on my face, arms, and legs. As we were served chai and chapatti, all I could think about was shoving it down so I could get outside and away from the flies. And, I was frustrated with myself that I was so consumed with getting myself to a more comfortable place, and that I couldn't see past the flies on the faces of the children to the souls inside of them.
It was difficult for some of my teammates as well, to see our limits to ministry, and where we fall short, but we realized that when we recognize that, we recognize the majesty of the Lord, and the necessity of the cross. It is not by our own power or goodness that we love the widows, orphans, and even polygamists and rapists, but through the love that has been poured out upon us.
Several months back, God gave me a vision of a water pitcher pouring out onto me, but no matter how long it pours, it never runs out of water. It is through the constant love and grace that is given to me that I am able to pour out to others.
So, I have fallen in love with this place, and these people, even more than I thought I ever could. Cheyanne, Josh and I are leaving on the 22nd to head back to Nairobi, and I am already incredibly sad when I think about leaving. We have been so incredibly blessed. On Saturday, we are hopefully going to attend a traditional Maasai wedding, and next Friday, we are going to take a safari in the game reserve, thanks to some amazing hookups.
Every morning when I wake up, I can't believe that this is my life right now. Although the life of a missionary is not an easy one, constantly leaving family and people that you love, and leaving pieces of your heart all over the world, there really is no other life I would choose to live.
