Every month looks a little different then the last. One thing that I have learned is that people do ministry different all over the world. This month we were in Kenya. This place will always have a spot in my heart that will never go away.
Two teams went to Kenya, while the rest of the squad went to Ethiopia. My team and another were chosen to go and embark on a new partnership with Manna Worldwide, that will open many doors for Adventures in Missions (AIM) for years to come.
Before I tell you about the ministry we did here, I need to tell you a little bit about AIM and its relationship with Kenya. AIM pulled out of Kenya a few years back because some social unrest and the fact that it became a very hostel place for any foreigners that were there. The United States had a high alert for anyone who was traveling to Kenya.
If you haven’t already guessed, I was kind of scared to be in Kenya. I heard many stories about how bad it was, but the funny thing about it is, I didn’t hear about them till the month before we were leaving, so I wasn’t super pumped about going.
Any who, back to the month in Kenya. We got to partnered with a project of Mana Worldwide that is called The Hope Foundation of Kenya. Manna Worldwide is based in Fort Worth, Texas, that reaches to the ends of the Earth to bring kingdom here on Earth, to 39 countries, with 145 projects, using feeding programs, water wells, and education.
The Hope Foundation of Kenya is one of those projects. The Hope Foundation was established in 2007, to provide food, education, basic health care. When they started I don’t think they could imagine what it would become. They have about three locations located around Kenya, and another one that they were trying to start up. We worked at two of their locations in Mombasa.
While we were there we did a feeding program were we got to learn how to cook the food that they were providing. This was a lot of food!!!!! I could probably lay down in these pots and still have room to move. The task at hand was great!! Depending on the location, they have to cook for about 150 – 450 people every day, for breakfast and lunch. The best part about it, we got partner with them in it.
When the food was all done we would help dish up the food for the kids and serve them all of them. Wow there was a lot of work to do to feed this many people. I really appreciate the people that work there and how much they love to serve the kids.
Another thing we did there was, before and after lunch time, we would play games, read bible stories, and build incredible relationships with the kids, and staff. The staff there are truly incredible, and would be a huge reason why I would return to partner with them. The staff and teachers we met will never be forgotten. Most of them spoke really good English so it wasn’t too hard to interact with the children and staff.
We were also asked to show them some new games. This was a big learning experience for all of us. To teach someone a new game in a different language can be hard at times, but luckily we figured out how to explain it to them so they could understand, and if they didn’t we still had fun running around.
We did this for the first two weeks at both locations in Mombasa. The following two weeks we got to paint one of the churches that were located there. The building was HUGE, but we completed it, with some blood, sweat, and maybe some tears, but for the most part we sweated a lot in Mombasa.
Mombasa is located on the coast of Kenya. It was in the 90’s during the day and at night. With about 90% to 98% humidity. So our skin was very moisturized for the month.
During our off days we went and enjoyed to 90-degree weather at the beach. The Indian Ocean, at least where we were, was surprisingly very warm. The sand on the beach was awesome. I have never walked on a beach without my shoes, so this was a new experience that I had. This is like many things that are happening on the race. Like going on a safari. This was awesome to go on. We saw a few animals that I have never seen before. Unfortunately, we didn’t see the big 5, but that is okay though, because I got a lot of pictures of the animals that we did see
Kenya was the last country in Africa that we visited. It will hold a small place in my heart, and if God calls me back there I’m sure I will be willing to go back. The people there and the ministries that are there are way more than enough to go back. I think the smiles of the people there were enough, but I got to experience how much God loves people all around the world, and that I will never forget.
If you would like to check out Manna Worldwide or The Hope Foundation of Kenya here are their web addresses: www.mannaworldwide.com, www.hopefoundation.co.ke
