Waking up in an unfamiliar place can be a disorienting experience. We awoke pretty early on Saturday morning, in a small room at the Grand motel on the South coast of Kenya. Having a busy day ahead of us, we ate a quick breakfast at a local restaurant about ten minutes away. I can already tell you that once we get back to the states, I will still be craving a good mandazi. After an African breakfast, complete with chai of course, we loaded on to the bus to head another thirty minutes south to Masai Corner. We were greeted with hand shakes and warm smiles by pastor Eric Chando and his companions, who were ready to get busy evangelizing the moment we arrived.
I was in the first group with Rachel and Stephanie, and we were led by Pastor Eric, and a married couple named James and Agnes, whose easy smiles made me feel all the more welcome. We drove about ten minutes into the hills, and were dropped off to begin our trek. At the very first house, we met a Muslim man that did not want to hear what we had to say. He was polite, but this was the moment I had feared; rejection. However, the group was not discouraged, and as the day progressed, we met many amazing people. At one house, we met an older man named James Kimoso, who spoke good english and had a disarming smile. Although he was having leg trouble, he still made it the two kilometers to Masai Corner this morning for church! After that, we met a young man named Alfred Mgobo. This is where is gets interesting.
Alfred was born in a Christian home, was raised in the church, and knew who Jesus was. however, like many Americans, he was met by temptation, and fell away. Luckily, Pastor Eric is a very articulate man, because Alfred needed some wisdom spoken into his life. But by far the best part was when Rachel shared her testimony with Alfred, who was surprised to hear that even in America, people struggle and meet temptation. But, our Savior is larger. It was incredible to see the boldness that the Lord had given Rachel, and all day I could just feel the Lord's presence; it was more tangible than ever. We finished our evangelism with a man named Wilson, who has a wife and four children. All six of them are believers, which surprised me since most of the people in this area are either muslim or non-believer. Wilson's three year old daughter, Esther, came out of the hut in tears when we arrived. When we asked what was wrong, he simply said that she had malaria, as if this was a part of every day life. I suppose that in this part of the world, it is. We got to pray for Esther's health and for the entire family, and then we were on our way back.
The rest of the afternoon was spent in fellowship, playing soccer and eating with all of the people from the area. It was an afternoon well spent, and I had overwhelming peace of mind for the entire afternoon. We were in the most beautiful land I had ever seen, playing with kids who were so grateful just to have your attention, even though they were lacking so many more things. Everyone was in high spirits, and I feel like the team recognized how lucky we really were. The team has really been bonding, especially with everyone giving their testimonies and spending so much time together.
In parting, I want you all to think about what you take for granted. These people have little, but live like they know they will inherit the Kingdom of their Father one day. Are you taking advantage of the things the Lord has blessed you with today?
P.S.... I spoke to our friend Wilson today when I ran into him at church. He said that he could not explain it, but Esther was feeling better, and seemed to have much more energy than just twenty four hours ago when we prayed for her. God is Good, All the time.
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