Coming on the Race, I thought it would be a full year without seeing family or friends. But about 2 months ago in Nepal us Racers got a email about a ‘Parent Vision Trip’ where parents could join their racers at the end of Month 8 for a week to do ministry together. I jumped at the opportunity. I immediately forwarded the email to my parents asking them to come. I wasn’t sure if they would both come, or if they were going to even be able to come. But I knew that they would atleast try or talk it over. Me and my mom have always wanted to come to Africa together. So it was perfect for her to come to Africa and also see me!
About 2 weeks later while we were in Uganda for debrief, and I still wasn’t sure if they were coming. One night while laying in my tent about to go to sleep I got a text from my mom saying that they were coming… they BOTH were coming!
But I couldn’t get to excited because I still had over a month before they came. And then in Rwanda things started getting hard. Got so hard that I got to the point where I wanted to go home. But I knew I could make it until they came. Then Kenya came, and the only thing keeping me here was that my parents were coming. But God blessed me in Kenya with a amazing community and loving people around me. But the countdown began once I hit Kenyan soil. I only had to make it 3 weeks is what I kept telling myself.
Stuff got harder and… I WAS READY… ready for what? I wasn’t sure if I was ready to go home or just ready to see my parents. But the time came and I was on my back to Nairobi. And the next day I would head to Kijabe to meet my parents.
Once we got to Kijabe we got our room assignments, (parents and racer in one room) I was so excited just to get to spend as much time with them as I could. We went through a couple briefing sessions and talked about how we were feeling about our parents coming. The whole time I couldn’t sit still, I was ready to see them. Waiting those couple hours were the hardest. Just sitting and waiting.
And around mid-night the gates opened and in came the van. As soon as the gate opened so did my eyes and the crying began. Seeing them for the first time in 8 months which is the longest I’ve ever been away from them was great. Getting to hug my mom and dad was even better; words can’t describe what I felt at that moment.
Them coming was EXACTLY what I needed at that time. I needed a ‘break’ from race life. I needed to be around people that I didn’t question whether or not they cared about me. They know me better than anyone and I needed it. God knew the timing; God knew I would be in a place of brokenness when they came. OUR GOD IS SO GOOD TO US!
The week was filled with laughter, tears, and new experiences. The first day we did house to house ministry which is a norm in Africa, something I did the whole month of Kenya. Second day we spent the day at 61 project playing sports, painting nails, working in the garden, visiting houses. Third day we did construction, me and my mom mostly played with kids and visited some houses. The fourth day ministry was cancled because Kijabe had a mudslide and a lot of houses were lost, and 3 children we played with the day before lost their life by their house sliding down a hill. Then the last day we went to Nairobi and hung out there. They went on a 3 day safari and then we got to spend a day together before they left.
But I LOVED watching my mom and dad walk into those house and love on those people like I knew they would. I loved seeing them walk down the dirt road with 10 kids around them trying to hold their hand. Something I see everyday but something I haven’t got to see with my parents. We got to do construction which is my dads thing, and I loved seeing him help repair a woman’s house out of love. I loved seeing my mom make friends with the ‘grandma’s’. I loved seeing my dad play soccer with all the 61 project boys. I loved seeing my mom paint about 4 little girls fingernails. I loved seeing my dad pick kale in order to take it to the elder people in the community. I loved seeing my dad all muddy after helping with the mudslide that happened. I loved seeing my mom and dad pray over the kids in the hospital after they’ve had their surgeries. I LOVED THIS WEEK!
Some much came from just their time here. They gave me the advice I needed. They gave me the love I needed. They were just what I needed at that time.
I now am ready for these last 3 months. I am now ready to finish the race. I am here for a reason! I have a purpose on the race, and it took my parents coming for my to be reminded of that.
I am super proud of my parents and all that they did while in Kenya. My prayer is a fire is started under them for people all around the world. My fire has been started and I am so grateful I got to show and share that with my parents.
