Sunday in Kenya...Matti Rule

America, home of the free. We have everything we could ever want or need, or so I thought. Today as I sat in a worship service at Maasai Corner, I realized that I had never felt so free as I did then. There is such a freedom to worship here, and I don't mean freedom like we Americans like to throw it around. I mean a true, no holds barred, zero embarrassment, anxiety free type of freedom. It's the kind of freedom that we as American simply lack. While we look free on the outside, on the inside of church services everything has to he neat, tidy, and in its place or we freak out. But today, I experienced a group of people, with far less than I've ever had, praise the Lord in ways that I'd never seen. The freedom was intoxicating as well as contagious, and without any urging from anyone, I joined in their dance and song. The choir, which was on the stage, literally left the stage and started jogging around the inside of the sanctuary, while singing and dancing. It was just.....beautiful. So beautiful in fact, that I was moved to the point of tears.

 I had said something to my brother in Christ, Jack Watts, today about my feelings toward this amazing church service. I said, "Ya know Jack, I know that God is everywhere all the time, but I think that is his home address."  That truly is how feels here, and I know it's hard to take in or even to explain. But the truth is, I feel God's presence everywhere there. I see him in the eyes of a beautiful child, I hear him in the breeze swaying the palms, and I see his power in the mighty waves of the ocean as they crash upon the rocks. I have never felt closer to God than I do now, and I'm afraid that when we return home that I'll slowly lose it, but I want so desperately to hold on to it. I told Pastor Shawn today, semi-seriously, that when we have our first service after returning that we have to dance and jog around the sanctuary while singing, and without missing a beat he said," Okay, do it. I hope you do!"  So if any of you read this, don't be caught off guard if I come back ready to dance!   I truly felt the Spirit today while dancing and singing in Swahili, and while we may be singing in English at home, I still desperately want you to throw off the shackles of shame and embarrassment, and let yourselves truly be free to worship God! 

Following service today everybody went up to the front to shake the pastor's hands and then would stand next to the pastor and shake the next person's hands. This repeated until everyone was standing next to one another in a line going all around the circumference of the sanctuary. It was such a beautiful symbol of unity and love, and to make it even better they have this neat handshake, which I also intend to bring back with us. It was truly amazing that even though that was my first time to attend, I felt like I family and like I was home.  Love truly abound in that church, and in the academy, and in this land. My Kenyan brothers and sister are proof that, "Love has no limits."