T-R-U-S-T

A few days ago the Lord reminded me of the importance of trust.  Our team spent the day in Kisumu, observing hippos from a boat in Lake Victoria and shopping around the Maasa market. Also, while in Kisumu, I got to take my first real shower and sit on a real toilet in a month. It was a lovely day, although the trip back wasn’t quite as comfortable.  Honestly, it was the most unsafe I have felt over this entire experience. We ended up leaving later than expected from Kisumu. Mwangi, our matatu driver, came to Kisumu from Busia to bring us back “home.”

The team ended up cramming into the matatu with all of our belongings from our weekend trip and our newly purchased gifts for our friends and family.  The darkness was creeping up on us, and we had about a two and a half hour drive ahead. We began to drive at what felt like rapid speed, and within about thirty minutes, all of our natural sunlight was long gone. Keep in mind that in this part of Africa there are no overhead streetlights, only lights from the moon and our vehicle. After about an hour of riding, crammed and in the dark, it hit me that if our vehicle was to have any problems, we would all be in serious danger. With no lighting, random Africans walking by, and a bunch of mzungus in a van on the side of the road possessing more money combined than most of them have ever seen at one time, we would be bait for trouble.

I then became extremely nervous, especially because the road we were on seemed like more of a bouncy ride with all the pot holes than any proper path for transportation. I spent about another hour feeling very anxious. God then did something miraculous. He spoke to me. Not with a loud booming voice, yet I heard it loud and clear.  While looking out the window in pure terror to see the next person who would supposedly be sabotaging us, I caught a glimpse of a word that was more powerful than anything else I could have read at the point. On the side of a building with a green background and white lettering, I saw the huge letters T-R-U-S-T. Trust. God then whispered to me, “Emily calm down. I have got you. Would I send you all this way to hurt you? No. I am your father. I love you, be still.”

I immediately giggled to myself. What had I been doing? I spent the majority of our ride freaking out about the unpreventable, but God used my weakness to reveal His strength to me, yet again. It blows my mind that He is such a huge God, yet simultaneously so personal.

After that very moment my teammate Paige turned to me and asked if I wanted to listen to music with her. Completely delighted in what God had just done I smiled and said, “Of course!” A song played that I had never heard before titled Be Still by The Fray. If you are reading this, you should go YouTube it! The song could not have been more appropriate for the moment, and it said something to the point of be still, I’m with you. Again I was like, “Ahhhhh, God moment!!” I live for these, and here I am in one. 

After this event occurred, I really wanted to share it with everyone who reads my blogs; not to inform you of any dangerous situations or to have you worried, but to remind you of a few things:

1. Trust in the Lord. He’s got you. Just be still and trust. If you are struggling with trusting Him, don’t wait until you are in the middle of Kenya to have God tell you to trust Him. He’s telling you now.
2. Keep your eyes and ears open. God wants to talk to you. He wants to send you messages, comfort and love constantly. Are you listening? Have you taken time today to look around?
3. God knows what we need even when we’re unsure of what’s best for ourselves, and that is a common theme I’ve seen while being here!

I hope that this encourages you all! Our God is so much bigger than any of our fears or worries. Lean on Him, and He will bring you comfort.