Imagine: smelling burning trash, food cooking from little shacks, and trash dumps.
Imagine: feeling the rough, dirty hands of children all over your skin because they have never seen a white person before.
Imagine: seeing shack after shack piled up next to one another with tin walls and locking eyes with children with no expression on their face.
Imagine: hearing babies crying and Kiswahili all around you.
Imagine: being in the largest slum in the World…with one million people crammed into once place and only seeing a fourth of it and STILL being overwhelmed.
Yesterday, we visited the Kibera Slum in Nairobi – the largest slum in the World. We were only there two hours and it impacted me for the rest of my life. I became friends with a group of boys that were traveling on the train tracks and we started to play football (soccer) and basketball and take pictures – because they love that. I got to know their names, ages, and what standard they are in. They just feel my skin and like to push down on it to see my skin change colors. This morning in my quiet time I read The Way of Love passage in 1 Corinthians and God revealed to me another way to look at love. It says that I can have all faith as to move mountains and knowledge and all these things but if I don’t have love…I have nothing. Love. Imagine a love like Jesus’ love. How he loved everyone no matter where they lived or what they looked like. I want to love like Jesus loves. I realized that I can do all of these great things here in Kenya but if I don’t purely love the people I encounter and minister to, it doesn’t even matter what I do. I have begun to pray for a real and pure love for these people and for the eyes of Jesus to see everyone’s hearts. I am hoping we get to go back to the slums so I can meet my friends again!
Nicole, Meg, Kori, Jill, Nataile, Laynie, Kenzie, Riley, Staci, and Claire C: I love you all so so so so so much and miss you, too! We can’t email anymore of I would email of facebook but internet in Africa is pretty sketch so we don’t have much time on the internet. But I love you all and miss you and think of you everyday. Can’t wait to see you!
Mom, dad, Aunt Sharon, Sissy, Nat, Maggie, Bubba, and Miguel: I miss you so much and love you a lot family. Thanks for the love and prayers…I can feel them! Love you family!
Ryan: Thanks for all the comments! I will be praying for your trip and your youth! Can’t wait to see you…I have so much to tell you. Don’t go to Cuppies until I get home so I can go with you…=]
Nakupenda (I love you).
