My room mates and I in Nairobi: Rose and DaisyIt's been a while... what can I say? I have been living the life of a nomad and cannot seem to stay in one place (with a decent internet connection) long enough to update this! I have finally semi-settled into a new home and felt it was a good time to write a little update. I've also added new pictures to my online photo album.
The phrase for “to encourage” in Swahili is “kutia moyo” - literally “to place a heart”. I think that is appropriate in that I often feel as if my heart has been fully replaced when I truly am encouraged. God has greatly encouraged my heart in the month since I last wrote to you.
I traveled to Litein in early December to say goodbye to my friends there before moving to my new location. I had a wonderful time visiting with friends and seeing what God has done in their lives. God blessed me greatly by showering his love upon me through people there. Kenyans are naturally hospitable and friendly, but Liteinians were particularly kind to me. Several women took me into their homes as if I were their own child—they even called themselves my mothers! I learned what it means to serve others, even strangers.
During my 39 hours on a bus through East Africa in a week and a half, I saw some of the most beautiful scenery I could imagine: Masaai shepherds with their herds of cows and goats in places that look as close to wilderness as you can imagine, the towering peak of Kilimanjaro barely visible above the clouds, rolling hills of palm trees and small farms, and African vendors in bright clothes selling their handicrafts though bus windows. God’s creation is but a small yet astounding glimpse of His glory.
I was at my extended team’s prayer meeting on Monday and had the opportunity to hear about the many types of ministry that people are doing here. Some of those ministries are narrating Bible stories to non-believers, working with Asian families and youth, teaching at schools, and church planting. Praying with missionaries that have been in East Africa as salt and light was a both humbling and inspiring.
Finally, in the dark hours of loneliness and doubt that accompany moving to a new place, God has brought me the encouragement of His Word. At times it is through the reading of the Word, other times through a dear friend speaking God’s promises, and still other times it has been through the Holy Spirit’s reminders of the Word. The following verses have brought much hope and light to my heart in the past days:
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!”
- Psalm 27:13-14
I have come to East Africa to help to begin some community development work alongside of what the team here is already doing. For the next few months I will be laying the ground work for this by continuing my Kiswahili learning, building relationships, and learning the culture. At this point I have a “scrape by” knowledge of Kiswahili and can have decent small-talk conversations. I make great mistakes like saying that I am going to abuse a person with a letter instead of sending a letter to a person. Or blurting out the equivalent of “I’m fine” instead of “how are you?” In spite of my absurdities, I am really enjoying Kiswahili and get excited when I can understand phrases that I never thought I could. The problem is that often I don’t realize I understood it until I’ve walked away saying “sorry, I don’t understand”. Hmmm, I’ll have to work on this some more!
vendors selling their goods to
travelers through bus windows
