“Mzungo! Mzungo!”
My time in Kenya has been spectacular so far! You can
literally feel the difference, being in a country that is predominately
Christian. There is a certain lightness that in the air that was missing in
most of Asia! Two days a week, we partner with one of Pastor Moses’ churches
and do door-to-door evangelism in villages. At first, I was a little nervous,
imagining being that creepy guy in a while shirt that rides up on a bike and
knocks on your door at the absolute worst time of the day. Well…this is not
like that at all! The people here love having us visit and our very first stop
was quite eventful…
Meet Vincent.
Vincent is the town drunk. Always causing problems and often
found passed out on the side of the road, snoozing in the cornfields. On our
way to make the visits, Vincent spotted Tanna and I and called us over. The
people from the Church we were with seemed a little hesitant, but we decided to
go talk with him. He had the friendliest spirit and immediately welcomed us into
his home, made of dirt walls and floors. As we began to talk with him, he
shared with us a little of his story and told us about his sick sister. Not
really sure where the Lord wanted to take this, Tanna and I just began sharing
the love of Christ with him. You could see his walls start to crumble and
genuine brokenness in his eyes. He ended up accepting Christ into his life and
even joined us for Church on the following Sunday. The locals were blown away
by his transformation and I’m excited to see how the Lord is working in his
life…and how he can use little old me to show some of His love…what I went into with
apprehension, turned out to be such a blessing!
found passed out on the side of the road, snoozing in the cornfields. On our
way to make the visits, Vincent spotted Tanna and I and called us over. The
people from the Church we were with seemed a little hesitant, but we decided to
go talk with him. He had the friendliest spirit and immediately welcomed us into
his home, made of dirt walls and floors. As we began to talk with him, he
shared with us a little of his story and told us about his sick sister. Not
really sure where the Lord wanted to take this, Tanna and I just began sharing
the love of Christ with him. You could see his walls start to crumble and
genuine brokenness in his eyes. He ended up accepting Christ into his life and
even joined us for Church on the following Sunday. The locals were blown away
by his transformation and I’m excited to see how the Lord is working in his
life…and how he can use little old me to show some of His love…what I went into with
apprehension, turned out to be such a blessing!
While on these walks, we
sort of trek through cornfields, potholes, dusty African roads, town shops, and
whatever else might come our way. It’s not unusual to see a few donkeys
delivering goods to people, 80 year old women carrying huge buckets of water on
their head, or a group of young kids yelling, “mzungo! mzungo!,” which means
“white person!” Some of the kids have never seen white people before so they
are either excited or terrified! Some are anxious to touch our ghostly skin and
others run off crying! It’s actually kind of entertaining. I try to imagine
what it would be like if a green person walked into my town…I guess I’d stare
too! Being the center of many eyes has become pretty “normal,” although I can’t
say it’s comfortable! The locals are so happy to meet us, share their stories,
and have us pray for them. It’s amazing to me just how encouraged they are by
our words. When they say they will
never forget us, I know they mean it. It really makes me want to be very intentional with my time with them.
I constantly wonder, “Why on earth are they so happy to see me?? I am nobody,”
but I know it’s not me they are seeing. They are seeing the Christ in me, and that is something worth
remembering! These people have nothing,
yet they constantly want to bless us, whether it is an egg or two, an avocado,
a chicken, or even a turkey. Yes, you read that right, a turkey! A LIVE turkey!
I still haven’t got use to sharing the backseat of the car with livestock or sharing the
yard with our dinner! Regardless, there is never a dull moment here in Kitale,
Kenya!
sort of trek through cornfields, potholes, dusty African roads, town shops, and
whatever else might come our way. It’s not unusual to see a few donkeys
delivering goods to people, 80 year old women carrying huge buckets of water on
their head, or a group of young kids yelling, “mzungo! mzungo!,” which means
“white person!” Some of the kids have never seen white people before so they
are either excited or terrified! Some are anxious to touch our ghostly skin and
others run off crying! It’s actually kind of entertaining. I try to imagine
what it would be like if a green person walked into my town…I guess I’d stare
too! Being the center of many eyes has become pretty “normal,” although I can’t
say it’s comfortable! The locals are so happy to meet us, share their stories,
and have us pray for them. It’s amazing to me just how encouraged they are by
our words. When they say they will
never forget us, I know they mean it. It really makes me want to be very intentional with my time with them.
I constantly wonder, “Why on earth are they so happy to see me?? I am nobody,”
but I know it’s not me they are seeing. They are seeing the Christ in me, and that is something worth
remembering! These people have nothing,
yet they constantly want to bless us, whether it is an egg or two, an avocado,
a chicken, or even a turkey. Yes, you read that right, a turkey! A LIVE turkey!
I still haven’t got use to sharing the backseat of the car with livestock or sharing the
yard with our dinner! Regardless, there is never a dull moment here in Kitale,
Kenya!
