Sorry for the delay, but I promise you all that I am still alive.  The past couple weeks have flown by. The days are moving very fast and it's hard to believe that we are time here is already half over.  We are leaving for a week stay with the Turkana tribe this morning.  We will be there until Sunday. The following week we have time off and are staying in Nairobi.  After that, we only have 4 weeks left of ministry before a one week final debrief somewhere else in Kenya.  Then, it's back across the ocean we go. It's hard to believe that in a little over a month and a half I will be back in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.  There is so much stuff left to do here!

            Last week, we finally started to gain some ground in the I.D.P. (Internally Displaced People) camp. Our first few weeks there seemed so hopeless and we really needed to step back and find a different approach to reaching those people.  I wish you all could see this camp. It was very overwhelming and I had never been exposed to anything like it. There are thousands of people living in the middle of the Great Rift Valley inside of tents that the U.N. provided for them.  They had their homes and farms burnt to the ground by other tribes after the problems with the Kenyan election arose in 2007.  People were pulled out into their front yards and killed in front of their families.  In one of the villages, the people ran to the church to be safe.  There were 150 of them inside. The men of the other tribe blocked off the church and burnt it to the ground before any of them got out.  Five people survived. So, you get the idea.... These people have been stretched.  Stretched further than I could ever imagine.  Stretched to the point where some of them aren't just concerned with a relationship with Jesus, but with the existence of God in general. I was a little out of my league. We prayed A LOT about our ministry down there and really had our eyes opened up.  We just kept asking God to break our hearts for these people.  We know that there is no possible way for us to relate to them, but we still want to be able to help them.  I'll just say, God blew our minds! The next week we all went down there with a new attitude and ready to break down these walls that had been built around the hearts of these people.  We split the men and the women up instead of keeping them in one large group while we spoke to them.  The guys went with the men and the girls with the women.  We really got the men to open up, which was fantastic.  We talked with them for probably an hour and a half.  We asked about the problems they have in the camp and what needs to be different.  We eventually tied everything back to their doubts in God and, thanks to the Holy Spirit and Blair, the walls came tumbling down.  When we were done they all came running up asking where they can get bibles!  AMAZING! 

            A few of the men walked around with us as we did house visits that day.  They took us inside of their tents and introduced us to their families.  One man, Francis, took us into his tent and sat us down.  He pulled out a photo album and started to show us pictures from his past.  He used to live in a brick house! He used to have a truck!  He used to have a job working with computers! Now he is here, living in a 15 ft. x 8 ft. tent and has been for the past 2 years.  Francis is one of the men in the community that has never lost his faith.  As we sat in his tent on a bench made of scrap wood, he told us about all the amazing things God has done for him.  He never dwelled on the negative. It broke me down. This guy was incredible.

            So, this is probably the worst blog I have posted so far... I am sorry about that, but time is precious these days.  Before I go, I want to tell you a quick story about something else that has happened to me in the I.D.P. camp.  This is the hardest God has hit me since I've been here.  Two weeks ago, I met a little boy named Mike. Mike is twelve years old. When I met him, he was wearing a Green Bay Packers hat which I knew was God's way of saying "Regan, he needs you." Both of Mike's parents were murdered during the post election violence.  A woman from his village took him in with her 6 kids and brought him with them to the camp.  This woman is a real blessing and who knows where he would have ended up without her.  She started telling us that she is running out of money and is unable to provide for her family anymore and that she is going to have to take Mike to an orphanage.  Mike knows about the situation and I can tell that he is scared.  He is such an awesome kid and such a joy to be around.  I know that he deserves better and that God will provide for him.  I told Mike that I'm not going to let anything happen to him and that God is going to keep him safe until I figure something out.  Please, PRAY FOR MIKE! He needs us! I tried posting a picture of him today, but it wouldn't upload.  Next time I will have more time and get it up so that you can see this awesome kid.

            I heard an awesome quote the other day that I would like to share with all of you: "Pray like it all depends on God. Work like it all depends on you." How awesome and encouraging is that? What a phrase to live by! Thank you for reading this and please keep all of us in your prayers as we breach the halfway mark on our trip. It is also suppose to pour down rain the entire time we are with the Turkana this week, so please also pray for dry tents!!!  It's so crazy to think that I will be saying a lot of your faces in 6 weeks! 

The first day we went to the displacement camps I immediately hit it off with the older half of the girls. They range from 12-16 years old and I am completely in love with all of them already. Even only after spending two days with them I am convinced that out of all the ministries we are in, the ways God is using us as a team here, this is exactly where God is calling me personally to pour myself into.

Cecilia, 13 years old, caught my attention right away; she spoke English very well and had such a big smile on her face. The first day out there she wanted to show me her tent which is now her "crib" which she pronounces cribe. I walked over there with a ton of kids and saw this tiny 8x15 tent that they call their permanent home. 13 people sleep inside this tent every night, the rain gets in the holes, the wind blows it over, and they've been living like this for 3 years and going.

I missed the second Saturday down there because I was in the hospital but got to come again this time. This Saturday when I got there I was greeted by Cecilia jumping on my back saying, "I'm so glad God answered my prayers and healed you. I've been praying for you constantly everyday." She is only 13, yet is so in love with the Lord. She thanks God for her life and for protecting her and her brothers and sisters through the elections and could care less that she has nothing.

Our teams vision for down there is discipleship of believers, so once we leave, there will be people long term continuing to invest in the community. As we went through the service I kept staring at Cecilia and God just told me to really invest in this girl. So I asked her if she would be willing to go on our house to house visits with my group. She was so excited for the opportunity and got her first glimpse of ministry. She went to two houses with us and didn't say a word but the whole time had my Bible out completely consumed in it. As the two of us walked back I asked her what she needed prayer for, she said she needs prayer for dedication and determination in her school work. She is in class 7 and wants to be a pilot just so she can fly her family out of the camps to a place of freedom, which is going to be my house in San Diego, we decided. You'll love her mom and dad.

I began asking about her family, turns out her dad cheated on her mom when she was 4 and she hasn't seen him since. During the elections she lost contact with her very own mother and hasn't seen her in 3 years. So she lives with her 4 brothers and sisters, 8 cousins and grandma in one tiny tent. After she explained all this to me, she broke down. I told her it was okay to cry and she said that she can't ever cry because she has to be strong for her family. So I stood with her for 30 minutes holding her in my arms as we both sobbed together. Once she pulled herself together, I still was crying, we continued to walk. I discovered she is the only believer in her entire family, not even her grandma is. I grabbed them a bag of Ugali and walked with her to her tent. We started talking more and more about what a day in the life looks like for her. She explained that she hasn't been able to go to school for the last two months because her grandma can't afford to pay for all of them. 2 months of school for this bright girl, who has such a big heart, who has a vision to save this community, who sees the hope of Christ is only 700 Kenya shillings. Which is only 10 U.S. dollars. She sobbed again telling me about this and I encouraged her with all the Jesus I see in her at such a young age. I handed her 1000 Kenya shillings with direct orders that it only go straight to her future. We broke down together again and although I know I'm coming back next Saturday it was so hard to leave her. I want to take her with me wherever I go.

Overall I'm excited to work with her and all of her friends and build into them. In this group of girls I see the most hope in their eyes. They will change this place, for their moms, dads, brothers and sisters. Empowering them is what God is calling me to do for the remainder of the time here. I can't wait to do life with them. I'm also so glad that I finally found that fire that is burning inside of me, that passion that I will turn God's kingdom upside down for while I'm out here.

Romans 8:21 "that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

I want to scream at the top of my lungs to these girls, "Freedom is possible because nothing is impossible with God!"

Most recently I'm learning what it means to have a servants' heart. Not just within the walls of our community, but how we can better serve the people that we are ministering to. What does it look like to be a servant of Christ? I was reading 1 John 2:5-6 "But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him. ‘Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.' "

That verse spoke powerfully about how we who claim to live in him MUST walk as Jesus did. My first thought was where do I start? The scripture tells us that the first step is obedience. We MUST do what HIS WORD says to do. We MUST walk as Jesus did. It is a statement that we are commanded to live out. Half the time we live our lives thinking of how we might offend others and instead of doing what we are asked to do we shy away. When it comes down to it though, Jesus is able to handle anything we throw at him. Jesus was BOLD, CONFIDENT, UNASHAMED, OBEDIENT to God, he did EVERYTHING in LOVE, developed INTIMATE relationships with people, and he desired only one thing and that was to do what God asked of him. Jesus didn't desire the things of this world. Jesus didn't live according to the ways of the world or as others but according to how God instructed him to. He was never resistant to God but instead was always WILLING.

At the hospital I visited the ICU room and my heart breaks the instant I walk in the room. I can't understand their pain. Their conditions are poor. I walk from bedside to bedside praying that God will heal them. I met a man who I couldn't hold an actual conversation with because of our language barrier. I kept feeling like God wanted me to talk to him and I was like how? Well God got creative and we had an entire conversation through drawing pictures. I had no idea what to draw and honestly, I'm not artistic at all. I'm sitting there drawing pictures of a cross, angels, and hearts. In return he would try to copy the image the best he could. I don't really know why but at the end of our conversation I wrote down two quotes from the bible in English hoping that one of the Chaplains would be able to translate it to him later in his native language. Then I prayed over him and when I finished praying with him there was a giant smile on his face. All I know is that I saw God that day.

I sit here and think that I almost just walked away from that man because I felt inadequate to communicate with him. I knew we didn't speak the same language, but God knew of another way to reach him even though I did not. I was humbled by what God showed me. Just spending time with someone is huge. Sometimes the touch of a hand, a smile, or just a little bit of love is all they need. I learned we are all called to serve others even if we don't know how. God wants us to continue to serve others.

I'm in complete amazement of all the things that God is teaching and showing me. I am constantly humbled by how little I really need in order to get  by. When I think about the American lifestyle verses the African lifestyle I'm shocked at how much we take for granted. Yet, at the same time I am reminded of how little we need. It's definitely eye opening to live simply. It makes you really appreciate what you have and allows you to realize how truly blessed we really are. As Americans, we've learned the ways of the world, but not the ways of God. In fact, since being in Kenya I've seen more God in these broken people than I ever thought was possible. When we go and visit people in the IDP (Internally Displaced People) Camps and hand out bags of ugali to the parents and buns to the children we are constantly invited in to their homes for chai or a meal.

Now the image you have of a home in the US is much different than the homes these families live in. Allow me to revamp your image. Try a tarp held up by two sticks. Their belongings consist of the clothes on their back, a blanket that covers the ground, a water jug, a pot to cook in, cups, and that's it. Others have houses that remind me of the brick house in the story the three little pigs, but these bricks are just big rocks. These people are in such great need and yet they offer us pretty much all they have. Most of the parents can't find work, money is hard to come by, and they have one bag of ugali (two kilograms) to feed six or more mouths for a week.

I'm reminded of the widow's offering in the Bible in Mark 12:41-44.
     "Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
     Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on.""

Many of the people living in the IDP camps aren't believers, but yet they demonstrate such giving hearts you'd think they were followers. To give you a better illustration of what this would look like in the US just imagine a homeless man who lives in a box offer you all that he has instead of offering it to his four kids. Here's the kicker though, to top it all off the man doesn't even know Christ. It's crazy to that my team members and I encounter this virtually everyday. I'm so humbled by their giving hearts and so thankful that God is touching their lives just as much as they are touching ours. I feel God in the touch of the children's hands and it warms my heart. I hear God in the laughter of the children when we play with them. I see God move and transform their lives when we visit their homes. The conversations of the Lord and how he wants them to be in relationship with Him break down walls in their life. All praise be to God for the mighty work he is doing in these beautifully broken people's lives.

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

            This past Thursday I heard through other team members that Erick was still in the hospital so I made it a point to go to the pediatric ward and visit. I got to the ward and was about to enter the room where Erick's bed was located, but much to my dismay I saw a different lady with two children whom I didn't recognize. I almost turned around to leave but thought that maybe I should just check the rest of the rooms to make sure. I got to the very end of the hallway and decided that maybe Erick had been discharged early. As I turned around to walk back I was stopped by a young boy named John (the older brother of Paul who I believed has been blogged about by others). John asked me if I was looking for somebody. I explained to him my situation and he informed me that Miriam had to go out of Kijabe for the afternoon but that her sister Lucy was visiting and staying with Erick.

            I got the chance to meet Lucy and her two young children: six year old Victor and 16 month old Vanessa. Through conversation, Lucy explained to me that Victor was deaf and had been this way since birth. She told me that because of financial restraints and lack of proper schooling, Victor couldn't communicate through sign language or any kind of speech. I didn't think much of it until I got the chance to play with Victor one-on-one outside on the playground. Little did I know just how much God was moving.

 

Victor playing on the slide

Victor is like any other six year old boy. He loves to run, swing on swings, laugh, and slide down slides. I quickly learned that the only way I could communicate God's love to him was through my facial expressions, body language, and actions. I immediately noticed how freeing it was not to talk but to simply smile and laugh and attempt to show Victor that, despite his impairment, he is a child of God and is loved no less than any other person. For about thirty minutes I swung on the swings with him, slid down the slide, taught him how to give a "high five", and even taught him part of a hand clapping game.  After awhile I could tell Victor was tired so, in complete silence, he took my hand and we walked together back to Erick's room.

"The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound." Isaiah 61:1

We have seen this verse come to life, and this was definitely the case today with my group of five while visiting the Turkana tribe. Holli, Logan, Liz, our translator, Simon, and I have been together the past few weeks on Tuesdays when we visit the Turkana people. We visit houses and just talk with people there. We have been trying to visit a few people we have developed relationships with, like Monica, who I mentioned in the last blog :)

Today was a crazy day. God moved in a powerful way to free captives, give sight to the blind, and bind up the brokenhearted. After we had talked to a bunch of people at their homes, in the street, at the little markets, we went a bit futher down the road and visited four women: Sarah, Scolastica, Rosemary, and Lucy. Each invited us into their homes, and our group spent time talking and praying with them.

God showed his glory and moved powerfully with two of the ladies in particular: Rosemary and Scolastica.Both are Christians but situations have caused them to lose some of their hope in Christ. God gave us divine appointments today with these ladies to help restore this lost hope in Christ. Rosemary was from the Luyo tribe and had four sons. Her eldest who is 18 has been disobedient, unwilling to attend school, and at times even abusive to her. We realized from the moment we entered her house that she was in great pain and emotional distress- we could see it in her eyes and in her manner. We all heard from the Lord--reminded her of Ephesians 6 about God's armor and standing up in God's power against the evil one and from Psalm 62, about the Lord being her Rock and strength. As we shared with her and encouraged her, she began crying. We prayed for her and helped her release this burden and reminded her that God is in control and is pursuing her son. What a drastic difference entering her house and experiencing heaviness of heart and in our spirits and then leaving, experiencing her regained joy and a spirit of freedom replacing the former in her household!

The next house wasn't any less heavy for us. We could tell immediately that Scolastica didn't have much hope in her eyes either. We felt a heavy spirit upon entering this house as well. Scolastica told us that she had pondered suicide two years ago. She had lost hope because of a negative relationship with her husband and pains in her neck caused by a tumor. Her husband wasn't supporting her and the tumor in her neck caused her to be in great pain. Logan shared his story with her, which God used powerfully because he had a similar struggle. We reminded her of God's love and encouraged her. God opened up this woman's blind eyes to his truth today and freed this captive of hopelessness and insecurity. Amen :)

God broke me for these women today-emotionally and spiritually. He allowed me to physically experience some of their heaviness of heart and spirit. He revealed His glory in such powerful ways today. Our group is not worthy to be used by Him or to experience and see His love manifested every day in and through people's lives. I am so thankful.

Pray for our team as we head to the Turkana tribe on Monday, that He would give us His vision and empower us for the week. Thank you for your continuous prayers.

In Christ,

Kelli :)

I went into this past Wednesday really questioning if this is where God wants me at in the hospital. I had to really dig deep into my heart and recognize why I was here, was it just to get another check mark or was it really just to simply be the hands and feet of Jesus and love these people? I decided to dive into the ministry Wednesday despite the fact that almost every Muslim we talk to just tries to debate us comparing Mohammed versus Jesus, their one God versus our three Gods (yes, we only have one, they can't grasp the trinity).

So like always, God taught me the biggest lessen yet since i've been out here and even more than out in the Maasai with Alice, I was so so completely broken.

Naso in Somali means rest. The first patient Pastor Thomas (he translates Somalian for us) took Jenna and I to see this past Wednesday was Ajabu. He did not warn us at all for what we were about to see. Once we pulled back the curtain I was devastated and verge of tears. Ajabu has cancer and had a tumor from her bottom lip down into her throat. They had gone in and done surgery on her, she is left with no bottom lip, over 50 staples going from one collar bone to the other with a tube flowing through to drain the blood, and the whole bottom half of her face looked like they took it completely off and had to stitch over 100 stitches to attach it back on. She was in so much pain, could not communicate by any means except through a few hand motions when she had enough strength to move them. I've never seen anyone in so much pain.

Pastor Thomas told her that we had come from America to hold her hand. Although one the hardest things I've ever had to look at I sat and held her hand. Jenna J, and her new spiritual gift that she wrote about in her blog Not my Pain, couldn't handle the situation so her and pastor left. So here I was, sitting in a hospital room, with no means to communicate and to verbally witness to this Somalian woman. The one thing I was fighting coming into the day completely flipped upside down. So I sat, just holding her hand & loving on her.

The only thing I knew to say was Naso, Ajabu, Naso. Rest, Ajabu just Rest. Over the course of two hours, she never let go. When I would try to stand up to leave thinking she had fallen asleep, she'd pull me back down to sit. At a moment in time my left arm was even about to fall off as for 30 minutes I held her head up straight since she didn't have enough strength to do it on her own, just so she could catch some sleep. I sang some worship songs and hymns that she couldn't understand but I completely fell in love with her over those two hours with out one word being exchanged.

God humbled me more than ever in this moment. Shattered my heart completely in this moment. Ephesians 4:2 "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

Her son Salit finally came in and he spoke broken english. I helped him communicate some things to the nurses and was on my way out. As I left he stood up, verge of tears, held out his hand (which is very rare for Muslim men to do with women) and said, "Sister, you are my sister"

God taught me how to love unconditionally on these people through Ajabu. Maybe I don't need to speak words to share with them about the love of Christ, but I can do it through my actions. Even the simplest action of holding someone's hand. Actions do speak louder than words right?

Please continue to pray for Ajabu, she will be here in the hospital for awhile and when I returned the next day she had been moved from the Womens Ward to the ICU. For now, the power of silence and showing love overwhelm me.

I am set free in Christ. It is my job to now serve one another in love. Thank you God for this gift of freedom I do not deserve.