Tuesday, February 5, 2013

We are no longer foreigners, but family.

Swahili: nakupenda- I love you. Santi- thank you. Jambo- hi. Rafiki- friend. Habari yako- how are you? Mzuri sana- I am very good. Ndio- yes. Hapona-no. La la salama- goodnight. Kwaheli- goodbye. Murembo- smart/beautiful. Kuomba- pray. Pole- I'm sorry. Jina lako nani- what is your name? Fungua- open. Maji-water. Chakula- food. Vyakula- foods (plural). Mschana-girl. Mvulana-boy. Miwa- sugarcane.

1/5/13
4:30 pm
     Wow. I keep thinking that there is no way one day could be better than the last, but God has accepted that challenge wholeheartedly. Kenya is absolutely amazing. When we finally arrived at Fiwagoh, the worship service was going on and Florence (Pastor Benson's sweet wife) had breakfast ready for us in their house. It was delicious, and it felt so great to just sit and relax in a homey environment. Sara and I had a little "I've spent every second with you this week" tiff last night and we had a chance to talk/hug/cry it out after breakfast. We really have grown close on this trip and I am so so grateful for her friendship. I don't always have friends that can talk through issues maturely and I value that trait deeply. I can't believe God brought us together in such an ironic way. God is good. All the time. I love her.
     Speaking of God's goodness, church this morning was amazing/ incredible/ heartbreaking/ miraculous/ powerful... I can't think of a strong enough word. The service (a room downstairs from where we are staying filled with plastic lawn chairs) was comprised of 95% children. They are Seventh-Day Adventists, so there is no dancing and the Sabbath is kept VERY holy, but the children's voices are heavenly. I didn't see a hymnal once, but every child knew every word to every song. I was so blown away. After singing a few songs, we sat and listened to a couple very powerful testimonies. Each speaker was a child, and was introduced by yet another child. There was such leadership and wisdom among them; I don't even know where to begin.
     The "pastoral assistant," if you will, was a ten year old named Eunice. She introduced the first speaker to share his testimony, and I couldn't believe who walked up. A very small 7 year old boy began to speak in English but quickly with a very strong accent. He started crying almost as soon as he began speaking, and although I couldn't understand every word, my heart was breaking for him. Later, an amazing 14 year old boy summarized for us and told us that when the boy was 5, his mother died. Shortly thereafter, his father killed himself in front of the children. The four children had nowhere to stay and were literally living in a pig sty eating leftovers of pig scraps when Pastor Benson found them. Sadly, his story is the norm here. This is the first ministry we've been to that is actually an orphanage. Every child here (over 150) has absolutely no parents or family to care for them. It's pretty jarring. There were a few orphans at Ekubo, but their ministry serves the entire Bugabo village. Return serves the city kids of Kampala, and many "orphanages" in Africa are full of children with parents who simply can't take care of them. Not that their situation is any less tragic, but there is something surreal and earth-shattering about knowing you are in a room full of orphans and they are proclaiming God's goodness. I was so very humbled.
     More humbling, however, was when Nahashon, a 15 year old, began to preach his little tail off. I generally hate using stereotypical douchey Christian words like "intentional" and "prophesy," but I have to make an exception here. This child is, without a doubt, ANOINTED by God. When he spoke, the whole room just lit up and shot up. I wish I could have video'd it, but I don't think even that could have captured the power this child's voice carried. I was fervently taking notes, and still couldn't keep up with the truth that was flowing so easily out of his mouth. He told us that he is an orphan who had nowhere to turn and lived in a cupboard for three years. "I have been adopted by God and am no longer an orphan. I am a child of the Heavenly King and it is by the grace of God that I am here today. I don't know why God brought me here, but I do know He has a purpose." I felt like he was preaching directly to my heart. I've never experienced anything like it, much less from a 15 year old orphan. To hear someone with such a heartbreakingly tragic story profess such convictions and such deep faith in God's perpetual goodness was just breathtaking.
     Nahashon shared with us that there are 3 million orphans in Kenya alone. He reminded us to never forget where we come from, because our pasts form us and help remind us what God has brought us through. He quoted Isaiah 51:1: "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord; look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn." Pretty powerful for me to hear the day after I shared my testimony and got baptized. They were so welcoming to us. "We have never met these people, but when they come, it is as if we have known them for ten years. Why? Because the same power of God that is in us is in them. We are no longer foreigners, but family. We are all children of the Heavenly King, skin doesn't matter." These words were spoken by a 15 year old. Just wow. Such amazing wisdom.
     Pastor Benson spoke after Nahashon, and again welcomed us. I expected some serious theological differences, but I really appreciated everything that was preached today. Pastor Benson shared that he knows God is with you all the time, whether you love Him or not. That was really powerful to me, because it's hard for me to hear churches proclaim otherwise. My God is good. All the time. We may not see why at the time, but His reasons are bigger than ours. "So many have no hope, no homes, no parents. God has given them peace and happiness in a home in Him." Wow. Powerful words.
     After the service, all of the children took us on a nature walk. It was SO beautiful. I can't even put it into words. The best way to explain it is like the Lion King mixed with Disney's Animal Kingdom. There are animals everywhere, and hundreds of happy little African faces. It was surreal. We walked several miles, and two sweet girls named Catherine and Lillian never left my side. I am so in love. I wish I could capture the spirit and love of these people in a photograph or in words, but it's simply impossible. There is a lightheartedness and joy that is just unshakable over this entire continent. My heart is already breaking knowing I have to leave. 
     I sit here on the second floor of the main building watching the sun set over the lake and the mountains. I have taken several pictures, but even the best camera couldn't capture this majestic beauty. The sun is peeking through the clouds and I can just feel Holly smiling down on me every moment. She is my angel, and she is here with me now. I hope more than anything that I am making her proud. If I turn out to be one iota of the woman she was, I will have lived a very successful life. I love you always, Holly Jean. Thanks for giving me "something to smile about" today. Never forget... AK

2/3/08... never forget.


My Catherine. Hebrews 11:6

Nature walk.

On the nature walk with Catherine and Lillian! Be the change...
 1/5/13
9 pm
     Our sleeping arrangements honestly get more comical by the day. We are just embracing it and laughing about it. I sure will appreciate a nice long hot shower I can open my mouth in when I get home though! When I finished writing my earlier entry, I went back down to where the kids were and my sweet Catherine was waiting on me. I am so in love with her. Her skin is as dark as it gets, and my now moderately tanned skin looks fluorescent next to hers. She never leaves my side no matter where I go, and could seriously compete with Samantha Kinton in a snuggling contest. She has the biggest, brightest smile in the world, and just looks at me like she is amazed by me constantly. I can't get enough of her. She is 8, and in the "baby class" (kindergarten), and her favorite thing to do is bake. Her favorite Bible verse is Hebrews 11:6. "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
     I also made another new friend, Teresah, who is QUITE the sassy pants. We get along marvelously, of course, and have dubbed ourselves Trouble 1 and Trouble 2. She's 19, but every time someone asks her that or her name, she says, "I seem to have forgotten, give me a minute." She has sarcasm and wit poised with a beautiful smile and playful laugh that could brighten up your darkest day. I asked the girls earlier if it is always so happy around here, and they both responded with a resounding yes. I am blown away. For a group of orphans to constantly be laughing and singing and playing, something bigger must be going on. God is here. He lives here. Life in Africa is so simple that it's easy to see miracles every day. In America, we get so caught up in going and doing and buying that we've made ourselves blind or numb to God's glory in the little things. People who have many things have no hope, but people who have nothing have hope, faith, and love for their fellow man. It truly is a beautiful thing.
     After playing and laughing a bit, we closed Sabbath with a worship service. Conrad read Psalm 119 and shared that we are to hate the evil itself, not the evildoers. Nahashon spoke briefly afterwards touching on how God knows our innermost thoughts, so there is nowhere to hide from Him. We could, but why? Knowing this great light in my life will never allow me to settle for darkness again. Worship closed with a beautiful hymn sung a cappella by some sweet Kenyan accents. I love it. We sat around and exchanged some songs with the girls afterwards. I showed Teresah my iPod and she was amazed. It's crazy what we take for granted. Anyway, the girls blessed us with their voices and sung so many beautiful hymns to us. We moved into the church room where Conrad and Anton were playing and there were kids just piled around them. Worshipping God with people of a different color, culture, and religion was incredibly powerful. That's what it's all about.
     I'm finally in bed after my arctic shower- snuggled up with Sara in a double bed that we also share with quite a few bugs. Even better, we are on the equator and none of us were able to get into our luggage earlier....so we all look like tomatoes. Silly mzungus! I love this place... AK

Sharing music with Teresah (left), Catherine (on my lap), and Lillian behind Catherine.

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