Africa... 2014.

Well I believe the time has come for me to write a blog post about my trip to Kenya, Africa. I will start off by saying there is no way for any blog post to explain and illustrate all that we encountered or tell of things that touched our lives... so I am not even going to begin to think that I can. People told me before I left that my life would never be the same after I went on a missions trip and honestly I thought.... that is so cliché... I had NO clue. My life will honestly never be the same and I will never look at my life the same. We had the awesome opportunity to speak into the lives of others. People that were open and hungry for the things of God. I was paired up with Mary Funk-- one of my sweet youth girls who had waited a year and a half to go on this trip as I had after cancellations last year. We were honestly beginning to wonder if it was ever going to happen. All I can say is it was FAR worth the wait. Together we had the opportunity to walk the dirt roads of Kenya and speaking with people. People stopped us and we stopped people to simply tell them of Jesus. In Kenya some people speak English and others speak Swahili. We opened a church that on the Sunday before we left... was packed with those we had the opportunity to lead to him. We walked with a sweet translator who helped us tell the Kenyan people about Jesus. We had a cube that we took with us that helped us illustrate the story of Jesus. It was so humbling to share the story with them and see their eyes light up. The shock and the unknown on their faces. Most of them had never heard anything about a God that loved them enough to send his son to die for them and then rising again to now have a relationship with them. They were so accepting and ready to accept-- then so passionate to learn and know more. We had people to follow us around to hear more. I remember one certain house that we went to... it was a nicer house and the mother and father were saved but they had a son who lived with them that was around my age. We shared the story with him and he decided it was time to follow Jesus. God spoke to my heart while we were praying to give him something so I did and he was so appreciative. In Africa, you have to be careful about giving to people even though you want to... we were told to go through our pastor that went with us in order for people not to take it wrong or be overwhelmed by other people. This young man then followed us around the entire rest of the day and was so excited about his new journey with Jesus. I left him my cube to teach others around him about God and he promised he would. Walking the roads and seeing all the faces is something I will never forget. When you hear the word Africa sometimes we think "bless their hearts" "poor people" and we feel sorry for them. We have heard of their conditions and seen different TV shows that are supposed to illustrate how bad it is. Some of that is true.... but what I saw mostly was totally different. Yes... there was hurt, pain and lack of a lot of things... In our eyes we would say they have nothing... But I can tell you--- these people have everything. They are not focused on the material things that we are.... the small things that upset us.... or anything we spend so much time focusing on... NO.... these people are focused on each other. They care for each other and make sure that they are doing everything they can to make sure their friends and families are cared for. You don't have to know someone in Africa to speak or have a conversation with them. They are not self centered or always looking out for themselves.... they care about others and their needs. While we are there we went to orphanages-- full of children. They were using a "soccer ball" that was literally made from trash bags wrapped up in rope. We took them new soccer balls and it was like handing them gold. They LOVED it. These children were so sweet and honestly I wanted to bring them all home with me... even though now I think.... they would maybe be better off physically but I am not sure about other ways. They are taught to love each other-- care more about others than themselves and giving to others. We were given so much while we were there.... going thinking that we were going to only give them things and that they were going to have nothing to give. We had crusades at night and had praise and worship and church services... the praise and worship was so exciting and passionate. The church services were anywhere from 3-5 hours long-- it wasn't the kind of church services where people look at their clocks every five minutes or the kind that seem like they will never end... it was the kind that felt no where near that long... Looking around at the crusades and seeing people that had came--- that hours earlier you were praying with to accept Jesus... that is life changing. There is nothing better than the feeling you have when you have the opportunity to lead someone out of the darkness into his light. Mary and I had the opportunity to lead 170 people to Christ through prayer. 501 people gave their lives to Jesus while we were there. That is something that only God could do through people chosen to be his hands and feet. The truth is... we are all to be the hands and feet of Jesus as well as his mouthpiece. He counts on and trusts in us. His heart is people and so very often our hearts are so full of things that really do not matter.... problems, issues, money, jobs, children, marriages... whatever it may be. All of these can be distractions that change our direction from the course that we were created to travel. People. Their needs, their hurts, their wants. Life was never given to us to take advantage of all that we have... to be as ungrateful as we sometimes are and to not have time for others. When we come right down to it... the time that we have... is never ours to begin with... It is Gods. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have it anyways. He simply asks us to love and care for others... to take time out of our "busy" scheduled and to love on someone and maybe be exactly what they need to lead them to him. I found myself as guilty as anyone else of being too busy, too preoccupied and too consumed with life. I think honestly we have been given too much and have forgotten the truth of where our true life comes from. The gospel has become "old" to us... it has become dull because we have heard it so much... The people of Africa were so passionate and I feel as though-- we have lost our first love... our first passion. We have computers, phones, facebook and so many other things that have become a distraction. Not all of these are bad things... and I haven't went off my rocker but sometimes I think... what if the time we spend here was spent investing into someone around us. What if we cared more, loved more, prayed more?? What if we actually began to think more about others than ourselves?? We are given so much but are willing to give so little. We spend our lives wanting more and more... when I believe God is saying instead of you wanting more and more... could you give more and more. He gives us everything we need. The people of Africa know that they have all they need. I was told by numerous people that some of them had tried coming to live in America and once they got here they went back because life was just so complicated and hectic here. They are more concerned with how they live... how others around them are doing and what they can do to serve and help. I had never been served and appreciated as much as we were in Kenya. Their love, their service, their compassion and their love was so contagious. Tears kept flowing while we were there because I knew... my life had been changed forever... these people... they were what we all should be. I kept thinking... we have it all and we are no where near as thankful as they are. They have something figured out that we do not seem to see the light on yet. They value people... they value the time God has given them. They have realized nothing is their own and they depend on God. They depend on him for their lives, food, family, friends and the very next breath they breathe. They dependence has made them free. Seeing their passion... has changed my life. I would never want to be the same as I was when I loaded our first plane to Africa. As far as the small things that people have asked.... No I didn't get sick... I'm not sick.... we ate well. BEST tomato soup ever, cabbage and potatoes mostly. We went on a safari and saw lots of animals. Saw beautiful things in Gods nature and his creation... but nothing as beautiful as the hearts of the African people.... that is what will forever be in my heart. Help us to be more like them... placing other before anything else and being his hands and feet. So thankful for the opportunity to speak into the lives of the old and the young... walking with them, praying with them, discussing life and treasuring the time we had. Seeing the tears as we left.... crying harder than I ever have has made me realize... people... that is what's important. His heart beat is now mine more than ever. Never the same... an understatement. Africa... until next time.... you have it all... and we have a lot to learn. Thankful God loves us all.