The first night in Bukembe, I learned about Kenyan bed bugs. They are not your average bed bugs. No, these are bigger than ticks and more evil. In fact, a recent poll from my team revealed that 6 out of 6 people would rather have lice than bed bugs.
So, why on earth would God bestow these creatures upon the woman that is terrified of creepy crawlies?! The weirdest part is that they have ony infested MY bed. I guess He is trying to teach me a new kind of brokeness, but it's not a fun lesson to learn. At one point, we counted about 70 bed bug and mosquito bites on my body.
Alright, I don't like it, but I can do it. I am surrounded by people with issues far worse than my bed bug infestation. I need to get over myself, pick up my cross, and press on in this Kingdom journey.
After only 1 week in Bukembe, I was diagnosed with Malaria and Typhoid. Okay, this is getting ridiculous! I had already been feeling inadequate in the midst of all this desparation, and now I am stuck inside?! I definitely can't make a difference from my bed.
Malaria is extremely common in Bukembe. The type I got came from a mosquito that got it from sewage. I meet several people each day that are sick with Malaria. Our Pastor took some of my team to a funeral for a 7 year old boy that had died from it.
It blows my mind that so many people pass away from such a treatable illness. I took 8 pills a day for 3 days and mine was gone. All of those pills cost less than $2.00. Yet, so many people die, because they can't afford the medication and they live in such poor conditions.
I was out of comission for about a week. After that, I was determined to start ministry strong! I knew that Satan was just trying to keep me down and shut me up, but I am not going to give up! In fact, we pulled a 9 hour day doing evangelism in the Bush! Try and keep this girl down…Ha! Not with my God on my side!
Just when I thought nothing else could possibly go wrong, it did.
My teammate, Tyler, got news that his cousin passed away at the young age of 19. His cousin (Michael) was a vibrant guy that was dearly loved by many, especially Tyler. They were as close as brothers. Shockingly, Michael didn't see the same value in himself that everyone else did and he took his own life. This left Tyler confused and deeply hurt. I didn't know what to say, so I just held him as he cried. I didn't know his cousin, but my heart broke for Tyler's loss. After 8 months, I definitely consider Tyler family and when your family hurts, you hurt.
Satan was definitely attacking our team. We have been going at this thing strong for 8 months now. We have witnessed God do amazing things, we have seen Him change hearts, we have been changed.
I'm sure Satan doesn't like that. So, He decided to throw a little temper tantrum all over my team!
Bad news for him, I have watched my team overcome every obstacle with the help of our Father.
I watched God heal our spirits. I watched God heal our bodies. I watched God heal our hearts.
Satan, you lose. Every time, you lose. In the end of the Bible, you lose.
SO, YOU CAN GET OFF ME SATAN!
Because what you mean for evil, my God uses for good.
　
　
