Mzungu=white person in Swahili. Everywhere our team goes, we hear shouts of Mzungu! Mzungu! from small children. You can always count on everyone, including adults, shouting "HOW ARE YOU!" to us mzungus. Once a response is given, they simply giggle and run away.
Many children may only have one or two pairs of worn shoes and will save them for special occasions, like church or holidays, yet they have such an abundance of joy. One little girl I met in Tangi Tatu had about twenty flies swarming her face, but her smile was the biggest and brightest I have ever seen. This brightened my day, and made the walk so worthwhile.
After our team returned from Tangi Tatu, we returned to our home base in Kijabe. Kijabe is a small missionary town surrounded by beautiful trees, flowers, and mountains. This is the place we stayed our first two nights and Kijabe and met the most awesome contacts/hosts ever-Pastor Simon and his wife, Margaret. Pastor Simon is such an amazing man of God and his teachings are so relatable to everyday life. Margaret, better known as Mama Margaret, is such a caring and dedicated woman of God. Not only does she cook for the whole team, but she travels to each tribe with us and stays wherever we go to ensure we have an amazing 3 meals a day, everyday. She even helped me wash my hair with a bucket today-thus the Mama in Mama Margaret :).
We are now staying at an old orphanage in Kaithe and just with the two days we have done door-to-door ministry, God has moved in amazing ways. One woman I met was named Cecilia. Cecilia is an elderly woman caring for her two year old granddaughter on her own. The sweet little girl was left by her mother since she was unmarried and didn't want to take care of her, so although Cecilia can barely support herself and has health issues, she committed to giving this little girl the best life she could. This elderly woman was so joyful and her love for the Lord was so obvious that I had no idea how I could ever complain or lose my trust in Jesus. Ironically, my mom's name is Cecilia and she is one of the most amazing women of God I know as well :).
Another elderly couple I met were named Julius and Florence. There Julius was, sitting barefoot on the ground, shelling beans one by one. Something kept telling me to get down and help this
(perhaps 90 year old) man, so I finally got down and started shelling beans with him. His and his wife's face brightened, and before I knew it sweet Florence was walking into her home and coming out with 100 shillings(roughly $1.25) to hand to me. These people had little to nothing and I knew it was a sacrifice. Yet they insisted that I take it since they had no water or tea to offer me and would be insulted if I did not accept. Just the night before while I was worshipping with the team, God spoke to me that I need to be more selfless. Even when I have an abundance of something I can still be so hesitant to share what I have. It's amazing how he uses such examples and when I think that I will be touching peoples lives, they end up touching mine even more.
God is really calling us to higher grounds and to step out of our comfort zones. I'm realizing more and more that if I just sit and listen, He'll reveal to me more than I could ever imagine. Selflessness, dedication, endurance, patience, kindness-these are just a few of the things He is calling me out on and helping me to refine.
Take a moment out of your day just to ask what He wants to do with your life and I guarantee He will not leave you hangin.
