During our time in Kenya we were not only paired with another team but we were also paired with a host. As the bus pulled into a gas station parking lot at 430 am they woke us up and told us to get off. Having originally been told we would not be arriving until 9am we were a bit confused and knew there was no way we would be able to contact our host until later. After moving all of our things into a little restaurant that shared the parking lot we were able to sit down and bundle up.. because surprising to us it can get reallllly cold in Kenya.
So we talked to some of the workers, ordered some coffee, some slept a little longer while others went out to familiarize themselves with the surroundings. We were feeling we could have been off to a better start. But It was a sweet time of bonding and fun to look back on.
When we were finally able to get ahold of out hosts and made it safely to their house it was such a sweet moment. We had known that they were an American couple, but after 5 months of being fully immersed in cultures we had forgotten how sweet it was to walk into a home that was much like that states and to be staying with a family. We set up our tents in the yard around the house in quickly settled in to being a family of about 20 people! Sharing meals together, morning devotions, playing cards, watching movies, and doing ministry together really made this month feel oh so special.
During my time in Nakuru, Kenya I was able to do a number of different things. Some were just for fun, some were once in a lifetime, and others were challenging but God was there through it all and taught me so much!
The first full day we were with the Glory Shiners ministry we went to one of their properties and built a large chicken coop and rabbit hut. For me this was my time to shine! I love hands on manual labor. We moved a ton (probably literally) of rocks, got the holes dug, posts in the ground, and chicken wire up in one day. The next day we put the sheets of metal around the bottom half (so none of the chickens could dig their way out) and then moved the rabbit huts, chickens, and rabbits. This was such a fun project to start out with. We all loved getting our hands dirty and sharing lots of laughs.
A few of us spent a weekend driving around to prisons within a 100 mile radius. It was there that we were able to sing with, share, and pray for the inmates. The prison system in Africa is very different from that of the states. There were two types of men in these prisons. The first is men who have been convicted of a crime. They are found in stripped prison uniforms. Then there is the second group which is men who have been arrested and are awaiting their trial date. Some of them may be innocent but sitting in prison, some for 10-15 years, without even having a trial and just waiting for their court date to be set. How wild is that? The men that are waiting for their trials outweigh those that are convicted in some prisons 10 to 1.
Our time in each prison however was sweet. We were each able to share what the Lord had put on our hearts, give them bread and milk, and then also pray one on one with anyone who wanted it. The Lord moved in such INCREDIBLE ways. In total over the weekend we had 19 men come to the Lord as well as 1 guard!
The weekend was filled with the Holy Sprit. Through the views we were able to enjoy as we drove through the mountains and villages, the street side mangos we enjoyed, or even just the smiles and hugs we shared with these men. Even sleeping inside the prison on the floors was such a testament to the Lord’s goodness and was filled with the Lord’s love.
Another thing I was able to be a part of while working with Glory Shiners was something I never dreamed I would actually be able to be a part of. On another weekend I packed up a small book bag along with a few others from my team and we jumped in the Land Rover for a long trek up into the mountains. It was here that we were able to spend a few days with an unreached tribe. The Pokot Tribe. Now there have been a few people going up for the last few years ministering and sharing with these people but because they are spread over such a large area and less the 1% of them are believers they are considered unreached.
I slept on a mat under the stars, listening to God’s creation, waking up with the sun. Building fires to make them rice, beans, and tea. Taking in how these people had been through such pain and devastation as a tribe. They had come to the point of thinking God had forgotten them due to the drought they had been living in for over 10 years. It was truly eye opening to see them walk for hours just to come see us, to eat with us, and to spend the whole night dancing and singing alongside us.
Sunday morning we were able to sit in on their church service. They had worked so hard to build their own church out of sticks they had gathered. This was something they had done themselves. As a testament to the fact that they were, slowly, coming to realize that God hadn’t forgotten them and that they wanted a place they could come together and worship him. The people sang and a man how was raised there, but since had moved away from the tribe into town, John, preached like he did every week. Bringing truth and love to the people. It was a day I will always remember.
After the service we stood outside the door and prayed for people one by one fro anything and everything they needed prayer for. And I know without a doubt that the Lord was there. He was moving and he was healing. He was touching the lives of those people and continuing to penetrate the lies that had been spoken over this group of people.
This time I spent with this tribe was truly amazing. I was able to take part in killing and skinning a goat which is a very rare thing that is only done on special occasions. I was able to serve people who hadn’t eaten for days. I was able to speak with some of the elders. I had the opportunity to go to the top of a creator that on one side housed thousands of Pokot people while the other side was 100% unreached land. At the top of that creator the others and I spent our morning pouring out our hearts in prayer over the people and casting out the demonic spirits that were no longer welcome in that area. For that Land was now the Lords.
I had always dreamed of being able to be a part of reaching an unreached people group but never thought it would actually be possible. But the Lord allowed it to happen. However the time with them was not what I had dreamed it would be. It was so much more. And it opened up my eyes and taught me way more than I ever could have imagined or taught them myself.
