What a Month…

Hey everyone! It’s been such a long time since I have been
able to write to all of my family, friends, and supporters! I have not had safe
internet access since before we entered Mainland from Hong Kong, and now we’re
sitting in Eldoret, Kenya with some pretty shoddy
internet connections. But finally, I can sit down and tell you guys a little
about what has just happened in the past month. Again, I am not able to write
the actual name of the “Big Red Country” for security reasons, so I shall call
that country (where the Olympics were held this year) “Big Red.”

 We started our month in Hong Kong
with a Race, where we were given a number of famous locations and we raced
around the city as teams trying to enjoy the scenery as we went. Our debrief of
the Philippines was amazing and really helped us process everything that went
on, as well as teach us more about ourselves. We found out our locations in Big
Red, and our team was told we would just be ATLing the whole month. If you don’t
know, ATL means “Ask The Lord,” where we spend time in intentional prayer about
where God wants us to be and who He wants us to talk to. So after a 36 hour
(that’s right, a day and a half) train ride into Northern Big Red, we arrived in
a bigger city where we met our contact who commissioned us out into smaller towns.
Up north, the main religion is Islam, so we met many Muslim people and saw many
Muslim temples/mosques. We ended up in four cities total during the three weeks
were in Mainland, so you can imagine staying in a cheap hotel or hostel for
four days, then repacking and taking a bus where everyone is hawking (working
up phlegm) and smoking right next to you. Also, where Team Karis was for the
month, it was basically desert and in the 40’s, sometimes cooler, sometimes warmer.
We saw snow only once, when a friend we met took us up a mountain.

 As far as ministry went, it was a tough month. We definitely
felt the spirit of fear that is all over Big Red. The communist government has
such a hold on its people they are afraid of anything new. Christian evangelism
is completely illegal and the gov’t has thousands of secret police posted in
most of the country trying to catch anyone spreading the gospel. We were told
by leadership that we should be preaching and reaching out, without fearing
getting kicked out of the country. As much as Karis was psyched about rufflin’
some feathers, it was really tough to think outside the rules and regulations.
So for the first three or four days in Big Red, we just sat in our hotel rooms,
wondering if anyone would break in and rummage through our stuff if we all
left. But after a morning of honesty and confession, we all realized that God
didn’t bring us 36 hours into Mainland Big Red to lock ourselves in a hostel
room playing Phase 10 (card game) most of the day. So this began our stepping
out in faith.

 Brandon
saw, while praying one day, some of us worshipping in a large town square with
a bunch of people looking on and listening. So out of obedience and courage we
decided we would do just this. We found the perfect spot: town square/park just
across the street from an old Buddhist/Confucionist/Taoist temple and a huge
statue of their former communist ruler. Brandon and I sat and prayed for a
little bit, while Katie and Cindy walked around interceding in prayer for us. When
they came back, we just started worshipping. I played guitar and sang, Brandon sang and spoke
with some of the men who were watching, and Katie and Cindy spoke with some
girls watching, joining in worship a couple times. I wanted to help speak with the
men or protect the sisters when men spoke to them, but God was just telling me
to worship Him. And I just sang and worshipped and had no fear of someone
hearing me say “Jesus Christ.” We worshipped for about an hour and it was
amazing. Very freeing.

 As we continued on into the other towns, we were able to
connect with some English-speakers, such as students and teachers, and were
invited many times to speak in some high schools. It was crazy to walk into a
boarding school classroom and be treated like a celebrity, dragged around by
the teachers to their own classroom and such. It was quite an experience.

 The month in all was tough, as a couple of us on Karis were
attacked with some sickness, such as vomiting and diarrhea, and the food was
good for the first week and a half. But when you’re eating noodles and
dumplings for every single meal, it begins to take a toll on you. We could
really feel the oppression of the enemy throughout the nation, and our last
town seemed very hostile towards anyone, especially when three or four people
told us the people are “bad” and we should not open our door for anyone after
dinner time. We felt very trapped.

 But we followed The Lord as best we could and we stepped out
in obedience, knowing Our Father would bless us and bless the nation because of
our prayer and love. We met several people who we hope will join us in The
Kingdom of God one day, and we learned a whole lot about each other as a team.
Having to live with each other in the same room for three weeks really does
something to you. You grow, you learn, and you become blessed.

 So we’re here in Eldoret,
Kenya, with a
man named Pastor William and his wife, who have a church that ministers to
street kids. We flew from Hong Kong to a town an hour or two from Bangkok, Thailand,
where the terrorist groups had been messing around with the airport, so our
flight was a bit crazy. But then we flew from there to Nairobi for a total of 12 hours on the plane.
It was long, but totally worth it. I know its so cliché to say, but everyone
has to come to Africa. It is so filled with
Joy and The Holy Spirit. There’s something in the air that makes each morning
amazing and does something to your spirit.

 Thanks for reading.