Distractions

     Let me just tell you this, it is so hard to focus on this trip. Distractions are a daily struggle. Sometimes my thoughts are with my family and my sister’s wedding, sometimes I think about school or what I am coming beck to in a few weeks. I have so many things I feel like I need to prepare for, but then I realize that my focus should be here in this moment. I am constantly being tempted and drawn away from my daily ministries. Heavenly Father, please keep You at the core of my day. I do not want to worry and think about my future needs, I just want to work for You here and now. Lord, be with me today and each day of this trip. Show me what you want me to see. 

Luke 16

Okay so how crazy is it that I have two weeks left and I will be back home? So many people have come and gone on this trip and soon enough I will be one of them. It freaks me out some. Like, I am not going to be able to wake up and see all of the kids’ precious faces and get to old their hands.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little can also be trusted with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”

God wants us to follow His word and do what is right and true at all times. Honesty really is the best policy…it’s not just a common saying. And the next few verses about two masters: it seems so obvious but everyone struggles with this, we all have our worldly possessions that we covet and desire. Most of the time we end up choosing them over spending time with God each day. But He is a million times better then those worldly things. Not only that, people who see us say, “we love the Lord and are Christians” then we act another way. That only ends up turning them away and being confused about what is the right thing to follow.

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.’”

The rich man and Lazarus story is so real to me, and shocking at the same time. Lazarus loved the Lord regardless of his awful situation and he ended up in Heaven; while God blessed the rich man abundantly, however he did not give Him praise so he went to Hell. Once in agony, the rich man wanted to spare his brothers’ lives and share how to be saved, but the Abraham replied, “they have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.” God wants them to have the same chance as everyone to chose Him over the worldly things. So crazy.

Thank you Heavenly Father for allowing me eyes to see You. Thank you for giving each of us the opportunity to chose everlasting life in Heaven with You. I pray that I will make the time to know You and to love You. You deserve all the worship and praise for all You have done in and for our lives. Amen!

Updates

     Okay so I have a few updates for you! Remember Sarah, the elderly woman who had a horrible jigger problem and was malnourished. Well over the past few weeks with all your thoughts and prayers at home and the help of the doctors and nurses. We have been able to make her almost one hundred percent better! She can now talk with us and make funny faces with us. She eats biscuits (cookies) and drinks chai tea like its her job. I love visiting her every week and getting to see her respond so quickly! God has really shown himself in Sarah's life. Her jiggers are basically gone, which means she is no longer being eaten alive. Praise God!
     After one night at the hospital, Dorkus was taken care of, and her injuries were not as bad as expected. When Kyleigh and I arrived to check on her, we saw her walking around and talking. Wow right? We sat down with her and talked about what had happened. She told us that she had forgiven her sister who had beaten her! If that were me, I honestly do not think I would be able to forgive so quickly. Dorkus is a great example of who Jesus is. About an hour later we paid her hospital bill and she was discharged. God loves her so much and I am honored to have been able to help her through all of that trouble.
     Thank you Heavenly Father for always being present in our lives. You are the Almighty Healer! Amen to that! And thank you for all your prayers back home and keep it up! It is definitely working!

Mysterious Ways

Yesterday Dorsa, Kyleigh, and I were in Shimo La Tewa doing the usual walk through and chatting with people. As we were leaving we came across a large crowd of people who were all just staring at a young woman lying on the ground. She had been brutally beaten and was left unconscious on the dirt. It was unreal to me; I was so shocked and confused. How can someone first of all physically attack someone, and then leave him or her there to basically die. It was awful. We ended up praying over her and had a piki piki (motorcycle) take her and her mother to Sister Frieda’s Hospital. When the piki piki arrived we lifted her off of her back and sat her up, she slowly woke up and then started to sob. So heartbreaking.

I felt as if there was nothing I could possibly do but pray for her health and safety. It makes it even worse to hear that she had good intentions. A neighbor told us that she was going to take her younger sister away from her boyfriend because they were living together at fifteen. They beat her and ran away…also known as a hit and run.

God had us walk by at just the right time; He planned for us to be apart of all of those people’s lives. Because we showed that we cared in the first place by stopping and seeing what had happened, people were influenced in a good way. Our prayers and loving hearts was just another sign of God’s love for everyone. He works in such mysterious ways and I absolutely love that. We got the chance to help someone in need and we took it. Praise God.

Tomorrow we are going to Sister Frieda’s to see what has happened and how she is doing. If you can, please pray for Dorkus’ physical and spiritual health. We do not know if she loves the Lord, so pray that she would see Him in this situation. I will keep you all updated on her status. Thank you!

Busy Busy

Last Friday afternoon some of us went to the Nature Conservatory in Kitale…also known as the funny farm. Just know that it started pouring rain and that I definitely fell on my butt. The first half of the tour we walked through and got to see how beautiful Kitale is, but let me tell you it was slippery. Then we got to the funny part, but a little bit sad at the same time, deformed animals. There were cows with extra parts in weird places and midgets with legs half the size as normal. It was quite the scene. We also noticed a cow who was about to give birth. We stood and watched for a half hour then walked away and there and behold a baby calf was born. So adorable! Oh and by this time we were all sopping wet from the downpour.

Saturday half of us went to Kipsongo to help build homes and the other half did a Shimo walk. The goal of the day in Shimo was to ask different families questions about their iives and to see if they are saved in the Lord. We ended up going into around thirty huts and seven people committed their lives to Him. It was such an experience getting to pray with the people of the slum and see them give their lives to the creator. It brought them so much joy and me as well!

Sunday the team drove up to Mount Elgon, which is about two or so hours away from Kitale. We went to a local church and had a service prepared. We sang together and a few of us shared testimonies of how God has taken us from sadness and brought joy, love, and peace to our lives. After the service we shared lunch with the pastor and his family. Afterwards we hiked up to the caves of the mountain and saw God’s beautiful creations. It was such great experience.

I love what God is allowing me to do and see on this trip. He has opened my eyes to a world that is so much bigger than me. It makes me think about how I have been living my life until now; I have been so selfish and needy. My prayer is that I can change that about myself. Lord allow me to be more and more like you each day that You give me. 

Jambo

     Life here is so different, people get on a more personal level and are so welcoming. Walking through town and Shimo it is almost guaranteed you will say hello and shake hands with at least fifty people. I love that about the culture here in Kenya. People in America are so focused on ourselves and we do not want to take time out of our lives to talk with random strangers. We are always told “stranger danger,” but that is definitely not the case here. Kenyans are so welcoming it is amazing; they will invite anyone into their homes. They are so proud of what God has provided for their families, even if that means a small one-room mud hut with a sheet to make two rooms. They are blessed people that love the Lord with all of their heart. Their faith in Him is so inspiring! 

Pure Joy

     About two years ago a friend of a friend gave me a sticker with a bible verse on it. At the time I chose the sticker based on the design she had drawn on it (superficial I know), not knowing how God would use that verse in my daily life in the next few years. Since then I have used it as a bookmark; so whenever I turn to the page where I had previously left off, I take out the sticker and read the verse once again. Every time I re-read that verse, it brings me pure joy.

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again-rejoice! Philippians 4:4 

     I just think it is so cool to see God working in my life and how he has such a big plan for each and every one of our lives. He brings me joy every single day. I love seeing when His people are happy. Seeing how the simple things of life can put a smile on a face. Even just throwing a small ball back and forth is so exciting for some kids. Or taking silly pictures.

     When moments seem dull or boring, I try to pray and think about how wonderful our Lord is. How He created each of us so unique and different. How He loves us no matter how "badly" we sin. In His eyes we are all beautiful. How He knows our thoughts and prayers before we do. That is mind boggling. How he provides for us, from food to a safe, warm shelter. How He allows us to make decisions (we are not forced into following Him--it is a choice). How much joy He brings to my life.
     Lord I choose You, take my life, I am letting go. Lead me where you want me to go, show me what you want me to see. I know I will feel joy because of Your never failing love.

His Presence

God has really been teaching me so much. I feel like I have never seen Him so much in my life like I have in the past month. I know the Holy Spirit has always been with me, but being around an entirely different atmosphere has taught me, in a way, to recognize that more. I do not know how to describe it; His presence is just more recognizable. And I absolutely love it.

I feel like Sister Frieda’s Hospital is where I really feel the most used. Whenever I am there (twice weekly), God always shows me someone really in need of prayer and love. Numerous times I have had the opportunity of holding and praying for the lives of blessed newborn babies. God’s presence is so prominent when I have a hand on them; I just know that He is speaking through me in my prayers.

Last week I met a group of ladies and a day old baby boy. They still had not chosen a name for him, so I suggested a few names. They ended up liking the name Connor, but changed it to Connard. I learned a little bit about their family and where they are in their walk with the Lord. It was so special to see how much sisterhood they had and the love they had for one another. I was honored to pray for them and for the future life of Connard. I know that God will bless them abundantly and I am so excited about that.

An elderly woman named Sarah who is extremely malnourished and has a bad jigger problem has been in the hospital for a few weeks now. Numerous times I have had the chance to just sit with her, hold her hand, pray with her, and share God’s word. I am honored that God allows me to spend a few hours here and there with her. Of course she speaks Kiswahili so it is difficult to communicate, but God is the translator.

Since being in Kenya I have been learning a few words of Kiswahili, basic words like: Jambo (Hello), habari (how are you?), mzuri sana (very good), kwaheri (goodbye), wewe (you), mimi (me), kuomba (pray), kidogo (little), asante (thank you), karibu (welcome), cheka (smile), cheza (dance), sema (whats up? or say), and poa (cool). The language barrier is difficult to get past, but somehow God gets my points across when needed.

Lord, I pray daily that I will get to see You in a new way. Open my eyes to the things unseen, show me how to love like You. Bless this day and be with my friends and family back home. Amen.

Give me Ten

Growing up, whenever I was upset or acted bratty about something, my mother would always tell me, “give me ten.” Which meant immediately reporting ten things right that I was thankful to God for. Let me be honest here--at the time, I seriously hated that and it really only seemed to make me angrier. But looking back, I realize that it really did change my outlook on whatever silly thing I was upset about and deep down, usually made me feel better. That is so cool to me; who knew that my mother doing something so simple would be so heart changing? God, thank you for my sweet mommy. Thank You for my entire family for that matter; they have helped shape me into the woman I am today.
        Being here in Kenya has shown me so much that I am thankful for. Most people here are so poor that they live in mud and dung huts, and many kids and even adults are forced to sleep on the streets at night. Thank God I have a safe and warm home to sleep in every night. All students are required to pay for their education, books, tests, uniforms…everything, so if a family can not even afford food for the next day it is highly likely that the children do not attend school. Public schools in the United States are virtually free, occasionally we have random dues, but the government pays for every child's basic education. Here, new clothing is rare, in fact most children or adults have holes in their clothes. If I have even a small hole in a shirt, it gets tossed aside. Not having new clothes isn’t something we have to worry about in Orange County. I thank God for allowing me the chance to buy a new shirt when I need one.

All of this is just so shocking to me. God has given me so much and I never seem to recognize that. I need to be in constant prayer thanking him for things I really do not need. Kenyans seem so content with what they have and Americans in general always want more. We can never have enough, but people all over the world are struggling to stay alive. I want to stop taking my life for granted.

Heavenly Father, thank You for all You have given me, allowed me to do, and for what you have planned for my life. May my life forever be changed by what I have and continue to witness on this amazing journey.