We finished clinic on Tuesday. We worked from around 9am until 5:45pm and we saw around 110 people. It is crazy that the four days are already over. It seems like we just arrived! Our medical team has been absolutely incredible. They worked incredibly hard all week, and they never complained or asked for a break. They had servant hearts and loved on each one of their patients. The support team worked just as hard, making everything run as smooth as possible. Each one of us had a different role, and each one of us played a huge role in the success of the Lord's work this week. Praise God for our individual gifts and talents which make up the entire body of Christ!
For each area a feeding station or orphanage is opened, there are several more within just a few miles. Some of our feeding stations and orphanages are very close, and other organizations have opened them near ours as well. It is crazy to think that in such a small area there is a need for multiple orphanages. And this is the same for most areas in Kenya. There is such a huge need for orphan care, and we are honored and humbled to have been called by God to help. Even though we may only have a small number of orphanages, each one is still incredibly important and necessary. No, KWO will not solve the orphan problem in Kenya. No, we will not even help save most of the orphans. But we will work to redeem the lives of the orphans and widows God has shown us. Although the number we will help is just fraction, it matters to them. It matters to Maxwell at the Adingo-Kingsway feeding station. It matters to Shiela at the Muhoroni Orphanage. It matters to the widows who lost their husbands, which also meant losing their worth in society. It matters to them. And it matters to God. And it matters to us. And we hope it will matter to you.
The faith of these people is so simple. They know God, they trust God, and they live for God. They choose joy, despite their circumstances. They choose to worship God. They choose to love people. They choose to live the life God has given them. This does not mean they do not struggle, sin, or wish their circumstances were different. It just means they have recognized that these things do not define them. They realize their hope is not in the things of this world. They realize they are not fighting a battle against flesh and blood, but of the spiritual forces. So they take up the armor of God daily. (Ephesians 6)
Why do we overcomplicate it then? I am not saying it is easy, I am just saying we may tend to make things more complex or more difficult than God intended.
Look at the church in Kenya:
A gathering of people worshipping and reading the word of God together. A two-year-old singing every word to every song, and a 70+ year-old woman leading worship. Some dance, some sit and pray, some just bask in the presence of the Holy Spirit that fills the place they gather. The "service" does not always start right on time, people come and go, different people pray and share from the Word, but it reflects true community. It is, in a way, how I picture the first church in Acts. People aren't worried about how they are perceived, what others think about their style of worship, or how they sound when they sing. They are concerned with glorifying and worshipping The Lord. They do not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing (Heb. 10:25). So why aren't we doing the same? Again, I'm not saying it's easy, and I'm not saying we never reflect this, but I am saying we lack in this area. We let so many petty things bring division among the church. Why? Why do we allow this? It is unnecessary and detrimental to the Body.
God moves in powerful ways when His people are willing and readily receptive. We need to be willing and readily receptive. As Believers, we need to rid ourselves of our selfish, worldly ways and seek HIS face in everything. Not legalism in the church, not pride for our own accomplishments, not a comfortable life. We need to seek HIS will and HIS plan, no matter what that looks like. When we do this, He WILL work in our lives. His presence WILL be obvious in our lives and in our churches. So much can be learned from these people, and this is only a small glimpse into that truth.
We drove all day yesterday from Kericho back to the KWO headquarters in Kamulu. It took all day because we hit a few bumps in the road (literally and figuratively). When we first arrived in Kenya, most of our luggage did not make it on the same flight we took. That meant they came in on a flight the next day, but since we were already up in Kericho, the bags had to be delivered to us. That took a few days. Once we finally got them, we were still missing one bag. They delivered it to Nakuru, which is a major town between Kericho and Kamulu. The plan was to stop and pick it up on our way back to Kamulu. However, one of the cars had to make another stop in Nakuru as well: the police station.
In Kenya they set up speed traps, even though most of the time they do not even have radars. So basically one group of policeman stands at one point on the road, decides who is speeding, radios ahead to the next check point and lets them know they need to pull over a car for going too fast. That's what happened to one of our cars. Each vehicle in Kenya that is used for passenger transportation has a speed governor that has to be plugged in at all times. It does not allow the car to go faster than 80KPH. When it's unplugged, if you get caught, you can get in a lot of trouble. Which is what happened to us. When they pulled our driver Annington over, they saw that his speed governor was not plugged in so they proceeded to arrest him and said it would be 10,000 Kenya shillings, which is around 120 US dollars. Well, they took the car down to the police station in Nakuru, and with a little bribing and bargaining, they ended up paying the station 5,000 shillings and promised to bring a bible next time they drove through that check point.
So that was an adventure! We finally made it back to Nairobi around 4, shopped at a local outdoor market for a couple of hours, took Danielle to the airport, then went to dinner at the Safari Park Hotel. It is basically like a Texas De Brazil where they serve your food to you straight off the large skewer onto a sizzling cast iron plate. It is delicious to say the least. After dinner they have a show that is sort of like an African luau.
Saying bye to Danielle and dropping her off was sad. We wish she was coming on safari with us especially since this is going to be a great time for us to recuperate and process the events of he past week. We will talk through it together and share our experiences and what God taught us. I hope and pray this will be a very special, moving time for our group.
It's true that whenever you experience Kenya together, there is just a special bond that is created that cannot be explained. And it lasts a lifetime. I am so thankful for these people and know these relationships will bless me for years and years to come.
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