Her situation is desperate, and so today she decided to commit suicide.
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She was walking through the town and saw a tree. She had lost all hope, and decided that was the tree she would hang herself on. She went to a shop and bought some rope, and was going to wait until night to do it. While waiting, something led her down the road. She wound up at Deliverance Church, the church we are partnering with here in Kenya. She wrapped the rope around her waist, put her dress over it, and walked inside.
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This afternoon I was in the middle of an amazing nap, when one of my teammates woke me up. Our pastor showed up at our house and was calling for me. Half asleep, I walked outside to greet him. His wife and another woman were sitting outside. Pastor pulled me aside and told me the woman's story.
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The story is very involved, but to summarize:
-Before getting married, her husband neglected to tell her that he had aids
-She now has aids, and he died in February
-She is left with five kids
-Her family members turned on her and tried to steal the inheritance left by the husband
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She showed up for church in the morning, and after the service she went to the front for prayer. She confessed that she was planning on commiting suicide later in the night, and went on to explain the desperation that led to her decision. Pastor counseled her for some time, and she ended up giving her life to Jesus. After talking some more, she untied the rope from her waist and gave it to pastor.
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Pastor told me she was suicidal and asked me if anyone from our team could help counsel her. I went inside and talked with my co-leader Janna. We were a little hesitant at first, afterall, none of us are suicide counselors. But after a few minutes, I decided that Andy and I would go talk with her. We may not be counselors, but we've got the Holy Spirit, and He is the Great Counselor.
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Steve translated, while Andy and I went back and forth pouring out encouragement as the Spirit led us. Here is the breakdown of how the conversation went:
-God is with you wherever you go
-There is such great hope for you
-Your life is worth so much, and you can not fathom the impact you have on this world
-God raised Christ from the dead, and spoke the universe into existence
-Your problems are so small in comparison to God
-Surrender everything to God, He can handle it
-Be filled with the Spirit, and experience love joy and peace in fullness
We spoke for a couple hours. At the beginning Judy seemed distant and lost, but halfway through our conversation she confessed that the heaviness on her heart was lifted, and that God was breaking through.
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As we prayed together, Judy gripped my hands tight. She was a different woman. She came to us a desperate woman – lost, hopeless, and welcoming death. She left surrendered and at peace, full of hope, fully alive and found by Jesus.
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How fitting that on the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, we got to celebrate a woman's journey from death to life. We got to experience a life resurrected.
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Thanks to all my supporters! To be fully supported for the Kenya trip, I need another $550 to come in before the end of the month. To support me, click here.
Thank you to everyone who donated towards the 18" Journey! I have received the $500 deposit and secured my spot for the summer. Now I need $1900 by May 1st to be fully supported for the summer. God is a God of the impossible! Join me in prayer! To support me, email me at [email protected]
Thanks!!!
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Trivia
The first person to leave a comment on this blog with the correct answer wins the point. Whoever has the most points by the end of this trip will receive the prize (a souvernir from Nairobi).
In the 'About Me' page on this blog, there is a photo of me in front of the 'Lennon Wall', a wall filled with John Lennon-inspired graffiti. Which city in Eastern Europe do you find this wall?
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Leaderboard
Judy Cave – 3 Points
Ms Patti – 1 Point
Tom LaCombe – 1 Point
Tom Barg – 1 Point
IMDBob – 1 Point
Jake M – 1 Point
