“Muzungu, muzungu!”
Everywhere we go, we hear this being yelled ahead of us, letting everyone in town know that the white people are coming. There isn’t really a negative connotation to the word, but it still feels weird to be hollered at everywhere we go. In many ways it is strange how muzungu is just another name I respond to here. We also find a lot of humor in how some people call us muzungu; one of our contacts refers to our team as “my muzungus” when she talks to her friends. We get a kick out of it every time she says that.
We are partnering this month with King Jesus Faith Ministries, here in Bungoma, Kenya. We are roughly 9 hours west of Nairobi and less than an hour away from the border of Uganda.
Our main contact, Bishop Emmanuel, has arranged for us to be involved in several types of ministries this month. These include:
-Home visits (door to door evangelism)
-Hospital visits (praying for and encouraging patients)
-Church activities (preaching, testimonies, speaking to the youth)
-Street kids ministries
-School programs (sports and preaching/sharing)
-Manual work (painting and construction of the different facilities)
So far our time in Bungoma has been extremely good, but very challenging. I honestly have not had much experience doing door to door evangelism. Though I had to over come some nerves at first, it soon became evident that Kenyans are very open to the gospel. We have gone out three days now and have yet to be rejected from entering anyone’s home. We have also seen quite a few people come to Christ, so that has been really exciting. Praise God!
I think one of the hardest things for me is to see people in such difficult circumstances. From our house visits to our times at the hospital, I have met and prayed with people with AIDS, malaria, mental disorders, and all other bodily injuries and pains. The hospitals here are very basic and over-crowded, thus resulting in several individuals having to share a single bed at times. In the midst of such a rough environment, I can only hope and continue to pray for miracles. The need for God is so evident in a physical sense that it breaks my heart to see the suffering. I can only hope that God will show up big through all of the prayers.
Group shot with a few ladies we shared the gospel with. Several of them accepted Christ!
