THE LORD BE PRAISED!!
AMEN!!
Top 10 Things I did not expect about Kenya:
10. I did not expect it to be our coldest country on the
race so far.
(temperatures in Kisumu are in the
60s at night and 70’s during the day!)
9. I did not expect to be living in an apartment with living
room furniture.
(I thought
my tent would be my abode these three months.)
8. I did not expect flushing toilets or hot showers.
7. I did not expect to eat three of the squarest meals (on
the race so far) every day.
(with every
meal we always have vitamins and minerals: vegetables; starch and protein: meat
or beans)
6. I did not expect to have youth from the church volunteer
to cook lunch and dinner for us everyday.
5. I did not expect to have two wonderful ladies come and
clean our apartment every day.
4. I did not expect to see coniferous trees or rolling hills
in Kenya.
3. I did not expect that I would HAVE to drink 500-1000mLs of soda
daily, or hold the record for drinking it the fastest.
2. I did not expect to have a driver and a van accessible to
us 24/7
1. I did not expect Kenyans to start educating their children in school as early as AGE 3!!!
When I started praying about Kenya
in Thailand,
God kept giving me the words, COMPLETE ABANDON. I did not understand fully what
those two words were going to mean. And I don’t know if even now I completely
understand. But what I do know is that God is speaking. He has taught me so
much in Kenya
already and it seems that each new day he teaches me something more. Things God
has done so far:
- Saturday
May 29th was a HUGE day of breakthrough for me on the race. It
is going to sound silly to some, but on this day I gave away my size 27
designer Rock and Republic jeans and bought a new pair of larger, cheap
Kenyan jeans. Body image and size has been a major stronghold in my life
for years. I came on the race able to wear those jeans and have allowed it
to discourage and distract me that I can no longer wear them due to weight
that I have gained as the race has progressed. While holding onto them, I
was holding onto a deranged mindset that health was 135lbs and a size 4. I
was humbled by the words of my team leader: “there is so much more to this
trip than a size 4. God desires to do so much more and you have allowed
Satan to distract you with this one issue.” It wasn’t until I gave them away that I
have found freedom from that mindset and peace to know that God’s intended
health for me is not a particular pant size or number. I have found a new
love for self, a new desire for health, and have been able to embrace ALL
that God wants to give me on this journey.
- It
seems my first thought is always the selfish thought, but seeing the
generosity and the hospitality of the people of Kenya, God has broken my
heart. He is teaching me even more about rights and entitlement than I
have learned before. Everything that I have is truly a gift from God. I
have always heard it said, that everything we have is not my own, it
belongs to God, but the selfless desire to actually live that has never
been in me until now. I am entitled to nothing. I have right to nothing.
All I deserve is hell as a sinner and everything else is God’s grace in my
life. My finances, my time, my energy, my living space, my things are all
God’s and are to be used for God’s glory. God is taking me to a whole new
level of generosity and selflessness.
- God is
also speaking to me, especially through his Word. He is speaking to me
daily. This is a good thing considering I have to be ready at a moment’s
notice to preach the word or bring a word of exhortation here in Africa. More than ever, God’s word is living and
active. A good friend of mine told me about how he is not just reading
God’s Word for himself, but he reads it for other people, meaning he reads
it in order to edify, encourage, and direct the body of Christ. This has
truly begun to make sense to me in Kenya. As I read the word in
hopes of sharing it with others, it seems to me that God speaks even more
clearly. Most recently God has been teaching me what it means to truly
live out the Sermon on the Mount.
I absolutely love Kenya thus far. Not only do I love
it because of all God is doing and speaking in me personally, but I love the
family I already have here. We are partnering with a church here, which means
for the first time on the World Race I actually have a church family! Instantly
the Kenyan people have made us feel welcome and at home. On any given night,
our apartment is filled with 14-16 people with whom we share meals and life. I
have never had brother, but now I have multiple new Kenyan brothers who escort
us to most place, cook for us, laugh with us, joke with us, and shower us with
love. Everyday God blows me away by showing me how much he loves me through the
people of Kenya.
Since day one we were met with greetings such as, “Feel welcome.” “Be free.”
“Welcome home.”
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I
have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know
that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13: 34-35.
