My team spent February in Kitale, Kenya. It was a slow and challenging month for us as a team. Our living conditions were rough- all four us us were squeezed onto a queen bed, and the room was infested with cockroaches and black mold. The room was right next to the bathroom, where the toilet never worked, so our room constantly reaked of poo.
Ministry-wise, it was slow. The first couple of days we went to the slums to do door to door evangelism and pray for people. The first day there, Alecia and I were paired off with the pastor. We were supposed to just tour the slum area, but when light enters darkness, you can expect things to happen! We prayed for about 15 or so people. One of those was a lame old woman.
She was sitting in her chair and called us over to pray for her. Alecia and I start praying, and at the end of it, I told her to get up and walk. She immediately stood and started walking!!! Our first African miracle!!! It was amazing!!! The more she walked, the stronger her legs got. Another woman was healed of malaria right after that! Bwana si fiwe (Praise the Lord)!!!!
Once our slum time was over, the contacts didn’t really have anything for us to do, so we had a ton of down time- which was so good! I finally could study the book of Revelation in depth and get some Jesus time! We went to the school and spent a couple of hours a day painting the buildings while the kids were in school. I loved being able to get my hands on some paint..even if it was mixed with turpentine. Painting is good for the soul. 🙂
At the end of the month, I was ready to get out of kitale. The contacts weren’t the best we’ve worked with, and the mundane was starting to get to me.
The last day, we had a Q&A forum where the students could hear about us and ask questions, etc. I gave my testimony in a rather impatient, ready to get out of here way. I sent up a short prayer hoping God could still use that mess of a presentation. At the end of the forum, a girl named Esther came up to me. She said because of my boldness in sharing my story, she wanted to share hers with me. She had never told anyone her story. Esther was radically rescued by God from female circumcision and forced marraige in her village. Her story was full of God’s miraculous provision and means of escape.
She sat there weeping, scared to tell her peers for fear of mockery. I prayed and starting speaking God’s truth over her, encouraging her to share her story, for our stories hold the key to breakthrough and revelation for other people. It was an incredible encounter. I love how God can use us, even when we do a poor example of sharing the testimonies of his goodness.
Pray for Esther. Her very name is a promise to her people! Pray that her story will be used to change not only lives, but entire cultures and traditions! Pray that she will be used as the voice of freedom for her people!
