The Little Things

     God has been teaching me so much over the past two weeks here in Kitale. I have   realized that the little things are what really matter in life, encourage and touch my heart, as well as minister to those in need. Even holding a little girl’s hand or help cleaning dishes after lunch are part of God’s ministry. He wants us to put others before ourselves in all things.

     The other day at Sister Frieda’s Hospital I was spending time at the baby class, which is the equivalent to kindergarten through second grade. The children were given a snack similar to malt-o-meal at their break when one of the boys accidentally dropped his full cup on the ground. He then proceeded to get on his hands and knees and eat it off the floor. The first thing that came to mind was, “What is he doing? The ground is so dirty…that’s disgusting.” But then I realized that this young boy was hungry and it is a fact of life for him. Dirt does not bother him, and if he is hungry, he is willing to do anything to fill his tummy. This idea is shocking in American culture; if we are hungry we walk into the kitchen…we would never lick food off the ground.

     Children in Shimo (a community of slums) and Kitale have been showing a new infection on their heads and bodies that start as a small pimple like thing, which burst and turn into giant scabs that cover their heads. This infection has been spreading all across town and more and more kids have been getting it. It is scary, to say the least, and is not very appealing to the eye, and we have been very worried about it. For the past two days we have been bathing the children at Discover to Recover and scrubbing the scabs off using gloves, warm water, soap, anti-septic, and a washcloth. For some of the kids it went smoother than for others. One of the little girls who have a pretty bad case began to sob while getting her head scrubbed. It was so awful to witness, everything in me wanted to save her from her pain and sadness. I know that God has a plan and that He will heal them on His own time, but I pray that He will cure it now. I hate seeing the children in pain. All we can do is use medicine and pray that it will work.

     I feel like I have been sensing God’s presence more and more each day. When I read the Word I feel so rejuvenated and excited to live a life like Jesus did. I love hearing great stories about what He did when he lived on Earth. Luke has some amazing stories of how He healed and showed His love to all the people. Thank you, God for sending Your one and only son to die on the cross for our sins so that we may live for eternity with You in heaven. That in itself is beyond me. You are so great, indescribable. 

Day Ten

After a thirty-seven hour travel period (LAX to London to Nairobi to Kitale, that is) we arrived to the compound. Long time, huh? And I was surprisingly happy, I mean normally I would be pretty grumpy, but I was so excited to see familiar faces that I didn’t feel the jet lag. The time difference here in Kenya is ten hours ahead of California. Quite a difference, but after the red eye flights and just being tired in general it was pretty easy to get used to the time-change.

     Over the past week we have visited numerous places, some of which include Oasis of Hope, Discover to Recover, Sister Frieda’s Hospital, Purpose Driven School, Gilgal Secondary School, Lighthouse church, and Shimo. At each of these places we spent a few hours getting to know how they work, who can attend, and how we can serve them. Even just visiting them for a short period of time I feel like I learned so much and saw so many things that God needed me to see.

           
     For the next few weeks we will have the opportunity to serve at a few of these places. I will be able to create friendships and bond with orphans, street kids, and Kenyans from many different broken backgrounds. Even just spending a few hours will make all the difference, which is so great! A few things have really hit me hard when I am out and about here in Kitale. At Discover to Recover I met a little girl named Esther, which is my grandmother’s name. For the past few years she has really struggled with her memory and currently is at its worst. I feel like God brought me to Esther for a reason; He wants me to influence her and share God’s love but all the while to keep Grandma Esther in my prayers daily.

            

     Today we walked around the slums of Shimo. A few of us met a man named Allen who a little over a year ago was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. He told us his story and how he is living his life for the Lord. He has so much faith and puts all his trust in what God has in store for his life; I am so amazed at how much he loves God even though he is in so much pain and has such an awful disease. He is a joyful man and I pray that if it is God’s will that He would miraculously heal him from TB.

     Soon after stopping at a few other huts, a woman came up to us. Her eyes were fully glazed over, her feet swollen, and her drunkenness overcame her entire body. She stared into my eyes as she was speaking in her native tongue; I began to sweat and pray for her because her spirit was not of God. All I could do was pray that the Lord would show Himself to her. I sensed so much sadness in her life and how she is in dire need for God. I pray right now that she would stop giving into temptation and find something greater to fill the hole in her life. “For God is the way the truth and the life,” in Him life is better. Lord let this woman feel Your love and let her realize that she was beautifully and perfectly made in Your image. She needs You. Thank You that I had the chance to shake her hand and pray for her today. I know that she saw something in me, something in my eyes, and felt You in the touch of my hands.

     Over the past ten days I have seen and done so much, it is impossible to tell about it all. I plan on sharing things that really touch my spirit. I look forward to blogging and telling stories for the next two months. God Bless!