OH Kenya the things that you are teaching me, where do I begin?…Kenya is showing me how not in control that I am. How I have nothing good to give this world. How I can’t help anyone or change anything. Kenya has shown me how desperate I am for my Savior. Kenya has shown me that the only one who heals, the only one who can get me through this life is Jesus, the only one who can change lives and break chains of injustice is the Grace of our mighty God. That I can do NOTHING apart from my God. Kenya has shown me the POWER of the cross and the risen Lord and what true faith in that looks like, Kenya has shown me what it looks like to waste your life as worshippers of Jesus. Oh boy do they know how to worship here!
They dance, shout, preach, clap in the name of Jesus for hours and hours. In church this past Sunday, I looked around as pastors from all over the slums and people from over the country and us from across the world were all worshipping one God together through ONE spirit. As I pressed into the heart of God, I felt Him say to me… “oh my daughter, I am pleased today”. We pleased the heart of God yesterday morning, it was one of those moments when God shows you enough grace to experience heaven here on earth. We were pleasing the heart of the creator of the universe. We were singing to the God Almighty who sits on the throne in heaven. I stood in awe and was so humbled in that moment. It is so AMAZING how we can please the heart of God in ways on earth that we can’t in heaven. It is amazing that I can move the heart of the great “I AM”. When I start seeing and living more in the reality of heaven and where I am headed, it transforms me and gives me boldness to move forward in this Christian life and lead it with a holy anguish for the souls of people all across the world.
There have been so many things that have happened in this past week and I have sat here not knowing how to start to describe them and process through them. So I decided I would just throw them all out at once:
Dancing in the slum with women, men, and children, celebrating God saving lives and healing people for the past three days at the crusades, preaching in different churches, yelling amen A LOT, singing and praying for hours, listening to the stories and hardships of the woman we are working with, walking by faith in the face of fear, eating lots of fruit, playing the tambourine, watching a grown man go down to his knees in tears giving His life to the Lord, pushing our broken down car packed with 7 people through the rain on Thanksgiving, watching God bless as I obey Him, saying bye to a sweet sister and teammate, desperation for God, homesickness, sweet early mornings with my Jesus, frustrations for the people here and the life that they are stuck in, heartache for the stories of women and children with HIV, watching my teammates step out in faith and change peoples lives, loving complete strangers, playing with the 2 and ½ year old twins that we live with, getting kids to yell “jesus loves me” through the streets, praying like we will never pray again (as the pastor tells us), hearing kids yell “mazungu (sp?) how are you” from every direction everywhere we go, believing that its not raining when it is raining (again as our pastor says), embracing each moment.
It was very different not being home for Thanksgiving, but know that I was thinking about all of you, and am so thankful for you. Thank you for supporting me, for encouraging me when I have needed it the most. Even though I don’t always respond quickly know that your words and prayers have kept me strong during this journey and I would not be here if it weren’t for all of you back at home. I love you and hope you all had an amazing holiday.
