One weekend
+
Seven crazy muzoongoos
+
850 high school girls
+
1,000 prayers
+
God's presence
=
C-h-a-n-g-e
Our first weekend in Kenya was spent ministering at an all girls high school.
After three days of straight travel, we were given one day of rest.
Followed by three nonstop days full of pouring out, ministering to, and loving on the teenage girls.
The opening session was full of girls singing their hearts out in Swahili to God,
and dancing for joy in His presence.
We walked into the sessions with the understanding
that we would be 'counselors' for the weekend.
Little did we know how much emotional healing that
God was planning on doing during the seminar.
We were instantly swarmed by the girls.
(I imagine it was how celebrities feel.)
At any time, we each had groups of girls fighting for our attention.
And we had the opportunity to truly love them, encourage them, and be there for them.
The second day was filled with a question and answer session.
In which I shared part of my testimony.
And God used it to soften the hearts of the girls.
Immediately following, I spent the remainder of my time there being pulled aside by different girls.
They all had burdens, guilt, confessions that they needed to speak into existence.
Some of the stories I heard will follow me forever.
Their stories are much too personal and raw for me to share on here
but I'll never forget the look of shame in their eyes, or their tear-stained cheeks.
And I recognized that all they needed was for someone to hear them.
They needed us to listen to them.
To hug them, hold them, and show them that we STILL loved them despite their pasts.
And then, we had the amazing opportunity to pour the knowledge of
God's grace and love into their lives.
God showed up.
He filled the meeting spaces with His presence.
He took the wounds of those young girls, and He started the process of healing them.
He blew the wind of His love into their hearts.
He revealed Himself to them.
And He used my team to comfort them, and to love them beyond anything else.
I found myself on my knees before Him in gratitude that He trusted us enough to put us in that place.
My heart is for young women.
It's for emotional healing and identity in Christ.
Kenya was an unexpected country for our squad.
Due to an outbreak of Ebola, our route adjusted and sent us to Nairobi, Kenya.
This seminar had been pushed back since March.
It just happened that it was finally taking place the first weekend that we were in Kenya.
After being re-routed.
God is sovereign and intentional;
in ALL things.
My team was suppose to be at that seminar.
God placed us in the midst of those girls.
He used us to love them.
And He used us to open their eyes to who HE is.
To reveal to them His sacrificial and unconditional love for them.
Because of God's sovereignty in our route, we have new sisters in Christ.
And we have sisters walking towards HEALING in Him.
There are powerful women being raised up in Kenya for the Lord.
There are girls who are no longer hopeless.
Who are no longer carrying around guilt and shame.
Now, there are girls who have found their healing in the Lord.
They have found their freedom in Him.
All things work for good according to HIS will.
<3tasha
