This last week I’ve been holding on to my “good mornings” from Nancy, Empower a Child's administrator in Kenya, my hashtags from Fred, and my random dance parties with Dee, our house "mom" and Sponsorship Coordinator, – and I’m starting to already miss my African family. Which is crazy. I still have two more weeks here and I’m already preparing to say goodbye.
This place has my heart.
These people have my heart.
The red dirt, chocolate skin, and giggling smiles have my completely broken heart.
I can’t describe it all. I can’t explain every detail. But I’d love to share some of my favorite stories from the past week:
1. Sharing Jesus with a lovely young lady in the slums. She lives with her mother, and 8 siblings in a mud and rock built hut in Kibera. She accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and savior as Edwin, our Project Coordinator, led her in a Swahili prayer. Immediately as we said amen rain poured in an instant. Not just any rain, powerful rain. It was the rain of Jesus and his angels celebrating another citizen in heaven. The room was full of Jesus and a little chicken waddling around the house. It was beautiful.
2. On the way to the girls home this week my friend, Hilary and I decided to sit upfront in the matatu as we took our usual 30 minute drive there. During my time upfront I spoke with the driver in his broken English as we discussed Jesus. We discussed humanity. He told me, “we are all human, black, white, yellow, you’re my sister, let’s stop calling names and love each other because Jesus loves us.” Amen. I helped encourage him with his fears financially, and about following his dreams. It was beautiful.
3. At the girls home it’s very common to be showered with love and given bracelets multiple times. But today was different, sweet little Mary gave me a navy blue bracelet. A navy blue bracelet made from the fabric of her torn sweater. She made it from her sweater. For me. And she insisted that I kept it. It was beautiful.
4. As soon as I walked to the children’s school to make porridge I was doused with love. The came running. This sweet boy ran up, grabbed my legs and stared laughing and making little noises of gibberish, and then came more. Kid after kid they came running. I decided to sit on the floor and they started playing with my hair, grabbing my hands and kissing me. It was beautiful.
5. Heading to Kenyan Central Bank headquarters to get my ATM eaten card yesterday was full of hoops. But it ended up full of laughter. It took us almost 40 minutes to finally get it back. But it was full of jokes and giggles, and laughing at how they couldn’t read our American passports. We had to look away so they wouldn’t know how much we were laughing. It was beautiful.
6. Holding a sweet little Kenyan girl yesterday named Melanie. She had the sweetest brown eyes that never left my gaze. I fed her, held her, and let her play with my hair. She was all I needed, and I tried to be everything for her. It was beautiful.