I will sing;
I will sing praises with the whole of my being.
Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will praise You, LORD, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your faithful love is higher than the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
God be exalted above the heavens;
let your glory be over the whole earth." Psalm 108: 1-6
I could write a story everyday.
Since the first day I arrived in Kenya, there hasn’t been a day that’s passed where I have not stopped at some point to question whether or not this is real. The country is absolutely beautiful, and the people will steal your heart. I wake up to the most amazing sunrises that shoot colors across the entirety of the sky and surround me as I sit on the hillside and stare out in amazement. I fall asleep to the sound of rain drops soaking the tent as I sit inside under lots of covers (this is the first month the temperature has dropped below 90 at night). Needless to say, there’s so much to be thankful for.
My team is working at Camp Chemi Chemi with one of my best friends in the entire world-Elissa Ewald. We are working with two pastors and their spouses: James and Stella, George and Rahab. We go walk the streets with them in the mornings/afternoons and share Jesus with anyone willing to listen. Many people have decided to follow Christ, others are asking lots of questions, and a few have shown no interest. We are also helping out with projects around the camp- sanding tent poles, moving dirt and rocks, planting a garden, etc.
Last Sunday was our first African church service. We danced, we sang, we preached. It was such a privilege to worship with these brothers and sisters. We were there for 5 hours, but I could have stayed for 10. These people love their Lord, and they love to worship Him.
One of my favorite days last week was when I met Naomi. We spent the morning walking through town with George and Rahab, and talking to several people. Many of them speak English, which is just wonderful, but several others only know Swahili. As we were walking home, one of the schools along the road that takes us back home had just ended. Several students came out and ran towards us waving. We talked with them for a little while, and then continued walking up the road. As we did, we approached this tiny, little girl with the most beautiful smile. Her name was Naomi. She reached out and held my hand as we walked up the road. After she told me her name, I tried to ask her more questions and the only response I got was “yes” followed by a smile..
Me: “Did you have a good day at school?”
Naomi: “yes.”
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Yes."
"What are their names?"
"Yes."
"How old are you?"
"Yes."
"Do you like to sing?"
"Yes."
"What’s your favorite song?"
"Yes."
Finally, I got the point, she didn’t know much English other than her name and the word yes, so I just started to sing. I got half way through Jesus loves me, and then she started to sing with me! We ended up singing together all the way home. When we got to her house, she pointed and smiled. I understood. She was home.
There have been so many small moments like this where I just thank God that His timing is perfect. That He would allow me to meet these amazing people who have no idea how much they are impacting my life. That through the smallest things, God can remind us how incredibly large He is, how He is in everything, through everything, and all things that have been created were created to praise His holy name. He is good.
