Going door to door in an unfamiliar country is real scary and completly awkward at first. I was so not comfortable with barging into some strangers home telling them that this is what i believe and they should too or they are not going to come with me to heaven. that just wasnt my idea of a good/fun day. I imagined it to be like in America when a stranger comes to your door and you already have your mind made up that your not interested in what they have to say or what they are selling before you even reach the dor to answer it. well things here in Africa are completly different.
First of all most people dont have a door! Secondly, most people have heard of or already believe in Jesus. Thirdly, everyone knows about the Mzungus (white people) who arein town and can't wait to talk with them. Everyone is so welcoming and invites you into thier homes with open arms. they are all eager to hear what you have to say offering you what little tea and biscuits they can find for your visit. its so different and refreshing.
So as my team and I were really uncomfortable with House visits we decided rather than go in preaching and trying to force our beliefs on people we would simply share what brought us on this trip, how the lord has worked in our lives and maybe ask them some questions. We wanted to hear stories of the people here, what they have gone through and where their faith is now becasue of those situations.
So one day we came across the House of Kevin. Kevin is a man about my age who lives with his mother here in town. Their story was the first time it really hit me. The first time I felt the weight of this journey and how real life is for these people here in Africa. My teammate Carly is a gifted writer. And below is her blog and view of the day that sticks with both of us:
It was the first house we visited. He was a member of IGC Church. Twenty-four years old. And surprised by our visit. After a quick introduction, we jumped into some small talk. Noticing a guitar beside his bed I asked how long he had been playing. A month and a half. We asked if we could hear a song, and nervously, he picked up the guitar and started strumming. A beautiful worship song flowed from his lips. Considering he had only been playing for a month and a half, he was gifted. There was power and passion in his voice. Once he finished, I started prophesying over him the gift and beauty of his worship. Encouraging him to walk in this talent the Lord had given him, for through it the Lord is so honored and glorified. I went on for a few minutes, the Spirit just giving me words to speak over this young man aspiring to be a Gospel musician someday. While we were talking, his mom came quietly into the room and sat on the floor by the door. I didnt know what to make of her at first. Then after I had talked to Tom (changed name), she came to life. She spoke a few words of greeting, mentioning that she used to be a Muslim and is now a believer in Jesus. And while she was talking, the Lord sparked something in me: I needed to hear this woman's story. And so I asked her. She replied that it was a long, long story, but could tell by the look in my eyes that I genuinely wanted to hear it, regardless of how long it was. And so, she started with the beginning.
Her father left her mother when she was born, and within a few years moved with her mother to Uganda. Around the age of 9, she left her mother and came back to Kenya to live with her grandfather, a Muslim. And through him began studying the Koran and following Islam. When she was 13, she ran away and lived as a street kid for a few years. Around the age of 16, she got pregnant with her first child, a son, and travelled with the father to another city where he began working with his best friend. He bought a plot of land to expand his business and provide for his family. But his best friend, along with his three brothers who had recently join the venture, plotted against him and ultimately killed her husband. She did not find out until a week later, thinking he had gone missing, that he was actually murdered. When looking for justice from the police, she found none. The best friend and his brothers bribed them, and in turn threatened her life if she continued pushing the matter. So she was forced to keep quiet. After sometime, at the encouragement of her friend, she left that city, selling her home, in hopes of finding a better life. By this time, she had two more children with her now deceased husband. In this new life, she struggled to make ends meet as a single mother caring for three children. She met a man who offered to help support her children financially with school fees and other expenses, which she gladly accepted. But then this man asked to sleep with her, which she agreed to because of all the help he had given to her family. She had no idea that he was HIV positive. "He helped my children, but killed me," she explained over and over again. Over the next several years, struggle and hardship defined her life. The stress of finding ways to provide for her family made her sick, along with the disease. She turned to witchcraft for answers and cures, only to find more pain and confusion. Then one day, while in the hospital, she had encounter with the loving God through a man who reached his hand out to her while she lay weak and helpless in her hospital bed. She took his hand, and from there her life was completely changed as the love of the Father that overtook her, beginning to heal the broken places of her heart. She left witchcraft and their evil practices and started following the Good Shepherd, who since that day has been so faithful to provide and care for her and her family. Today its just her and her son, she left her other two children in Uganda to finish school. She has still faced hardship, such as being scammed multiple times when trying to buy a plot of land to build a home. Yet her faith in her Savior only grows stronger. This woman, who has faced more abuse and endured more pain than I could imagine, has such strength and faith like I had never seen. When she finished her story, tears were in my eyes. I looked to her son sitting next to me. He, too, was emotional, explaining that sometimes he feels like he is a street kid because he doesnt know his father. That he is less than because of the unjust circumstances that were so clearly beyond his control. Shame was in his eyes. But I didnt see any of that. All I saw was a gifted prince of the King of kings. He was marked by His royalty and had his mother's strength. And by the blood of Jesus, he was a conqueror. And he would overcome. I started speaking these things over him. Looking directly into his eyes as tears filled mine. The Lord allowed me to see so much in this man, I felt so humbled to be next to him. And then I looked to her, a woman marked by His unfailing love and relentless pursuit. He broke my heart for her, filling my spirit with things for her to know. So I got up, walked over to her, and got on my knees before her, taking her hand in mine. I started speaking what He gave me, pouring out my heart as the tears started to flow. I was a wreck, but I didnt care. This was a holy moment. His presence filled the room as it was filling our hearts. I apologized for the pain and abuse she endured, and spoke over her the extravagant love He had for her. And she began praising the Lord, crying out from the depths of her heart the love and thankfulness she had for her Savior. Her words were so powerful and full of passion. I was in awe. She had walked through the fire, and still she praised His name. She knew who He was, and she knew who she was in Him. Loved. Strong. Redeemed. Rescued. Renewed. Cared for. She explained that nothing else mattered but Him. If she didnt have food today, He would provide food tomorrow. Her faith was everything to her. Thats all she needed. Never have I seen such faith. Sitting across from her on the floor I could just feel the love and delight He had for this beautiful woman. And I told her so. Because every day, this woman chose Jesus. Even when everything was stacked against her, she chose her God, the Redeemer. She trusts Him with every fiber of her being. And I told her, every time you choose Jesus, all of heaven rejoices. Every time you trust in Him, His heart fills with such pride and delight in you, His daughter. Tears started to form in her eyes, but they were not tears of sorrow, she explained, but tears of joy. She knew. She knew she was one of His favorites. She had no doubt about the love He has for her. This woman, her story, her faith, wrecked me. I just sat there humbled. Thankful for the words He gave me to speak into her spirit. But more than that, I was thankful for the gift this woman was from His heart to mine. She changed me. He used her to bless me in more ways than I can express. He spoke so much to me through her, through these two hours in their small, two-room home. The Spirit stirred in such sweet, powerful ways. His presence was all over that room. She was full of Him, it was outrageous. And her son was nothing less.
Its a family like this that makes it real. That opens your eyes and your heart to the extravagance of our Lord and the beauty of His kingdom that is coming alive even in the most forgotten corners of the earth. Its stories like these that change you for through them the Lord speaks such powerful words of truth and life to your heart. Through this woman and her son, He called me to more. He called me to deeper levels of faith, filling me with more of His Spirit as I step into more of who He's calling me to be. He is so faithful to speak to me when I'm desperate, and satisfy me when I'm hungry. And He's so faithful to use me even when I feel like I have nothing left to give. He fills. He satisfies. He uses us to do so much more than we ever could have imagined.
Our God is amazing!
-Carls
