"I can hear the rhythm of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
God, You are so near! My heart beats to Your rhythm, a constantly increasing sound.
My King is returning! Though when, I'm not quite sure.
Father, wrap me in Your arms! Hold me close to Your chest.
Your love is a river, no, an ocean that swallows me whole!
You overwhelm me with Your goodness and gentleness.
You deal with me with infinite grace. You, oh God, are my King!
Return for us Father!"
I journaled this when I arrived at the first tribe, the Maasai village of Tangi Tatu near Lake Naivasha. Our team was opened up to a whole new idea of living 🙂 We had a hole in the ground called a squatty, and buckets to bathe with for the next two weeks. No big deal right? We expected this when we signed up. What we didn't expect was how hard it would actually be. It's crazy going from American culture where we can be clean and look decent on any day we choose, to being happy with just throwing our hair into braids and hoping for the best. But enough about us, because this trip isn't about us. It's about God's work in Africa.
The Maasai village that we lived in, Tangi Tatu is probably one of the most beautiful, but dusty places I've ever seen. The ministry that we participated in was a hut-to-hut evangelistic ministry. We talked with the people who lived in the tribe and we were able to encourage them and pray with them. I struggled at first with the feeling that we were all talk and no action. It was really hard to see these people living in such poor conditions and simply saying, "Oh, I'll pray for you." But then I realized I was underestimating the power of prayer. God has shown me a lot through these past few weeks about the prayer and how His power is in us. And the people we were meeting were thrilled to have "white people" in their homes praying for their children, their families, their illnesses, and for the rain. We also went to at least four primary schools and sang songs with the children, shared stories, and played with them.
The thing that stands out to me most about the people we have met is their joy. They have so little compared to us in America, but they have more joy than I have EVER seen. They gather every night to sing praises to God and to dance and fellowship together. Time is not an issue here like it is in America. There's nothing that holds them back from loving God with all of their hearts and trusting Him with their lives.
It's honestly been incredibly humbling. Time and time again I am reminded of how blessed I am to live in America, to have an education, to eat when I'm hungry, and to be clean and healthy.
There is so much I want to write about, but it's going to have to wait until the next blog post!
Please pray for rain here. The need is so great, and it's hard to understand why it is so dry.
Until next time!
Live long and prosper 😉
