The Imagine Network: Day Two reflections: Angela S. and Mark A.

Today was a real blessing. Thank you all for your continued prayers. Three different teams went out in the morning and made home visits with families in the slum areas around Nairobi. Our goal was to encourage them and pray with them. Their struggles are many: no money/possible eviction (ex: no $ to pay rent @ $26 a month), no food to eat, no jobs available, homes not big enough, women physically abused by their husbands, death of loved ones to AIDS, and being infected with HIV. Most of the families we visited struggled with at least 3 if not more of the above issues. These are only the vocalized ones. I continually asked God to give me the strength to endure the visits. My heart was deeply overwhelmed. We shared God's Word, offered them encouragement, and we prayed for them. They really enjoyed having their pictures taken, so we did that as well. In one home a man accepted Christ.

I was blessed beyond measure today and know deep in my heart I am changed and will not return home the same...we are only on the 1st day of our outreach.

In the afternoon, Kim and I met with the women's ministry group from last year from Pastor Benson's church. I was given the chance to share what has been happening in my life since my last visit to Kenya. It was a difficult time, but God reassured me and sustained me. Kim also shared her testimony with the ladies. God really used her today. She was so obedient to the Lord and His Will for her concerning the women. I was blessed to experience it with her.

Tomorrow we have more visits to make. Kim and I will also have a time of fellowship and prayer with the women over knitting. Part of the team is leaving for Kitale. We will meet up with them in Kitale next Tuesday. Your prayers are greatly appreciated. God is using you and answering your prayers. Thank you for taking this journey with me and the team. I will do my best to keep you updated as often as possible. The internet connection isn't so great. I'm definitely glad to have it to share with you even though it is slow.

HIS,

Angela

Today started off a little slow, with the weariness of the night before still lingering, but we soon realized that God had a big day in store for us. As we slowly pulled into the slum area of Kibera and down a muddy road, we all saw that even our poorest in the States have more than this. The sheer magnitude of what we saw hit most of the team members the hardest. Shack after shack lined the road on either side, and a strong smell of petroleum and garbage ran in the stream alongside the road. We all immediately talked of how God was humbling us, little did we know he was not finished with us yet. Several of the GARA (Ezekiel Kaduki's AIDS ministry) leaders came to our van and warmly greeted us and lead us along a small and winding pathway, twisting and turning before hitting a small shed church. Inside the church, were around 35 people praying and singing. We were soon swept up in hugs and cheers as we began to sing and listen to the Kenyan worship. Several of us spoke on various things, and Marcus finished us up with a powerful message, which several of the Kenyans later said, “lead us to feel the love”. There was so much joy, so much praise, that it struck me that here were God's children praising his name when they do not know where the next meal will come from. What awesome faith they taught me to trust in Jehovah Jireh, God the provider, no matter the circumstance, no matter the cost.

We soon divided into two groups that would switch when finished, one staying to discuss various issues with the people, the other to visit homes of many of the church members in the slum. I can only truly speak for the group I worked with, but I praise God for allowing me to experience one of the most interactive and spiritually deep discussions of my life. Focusing on basing our answers on biblical truth, we dived into questions ranging from HIV/Aids to one question from a woman who asked, “I got HIV and then I was saved and they told me God forgave my sins, why have I not been healed?” Discussion branched off from there to questions of free will vs. God’s will and common sense vs. total faith. I love God for giving us this awesome and exciting opportunity to share with the Kenyans and discuss the “deep sea” aspects of our spiritual life.

The Home visits were the heart wrenching part for me. After God had thrown us into the deep sea intellectually, he began to pull on our hearts as we walked the streets and saw the day to day life our brothers and sisters in Christ go through. It struck me that I was never asked for money, not once, even though I knew they desperately needed financial support. Instead all I was asked of was “prayer support.” Kenyans truly know the power of prayer, the power I think we as Americans forget. As I walked back to the van, holding the hand of a small 3 year old girl, God showed me just a glimpse of his heart. It was a paradoxical heart, one that was broken for his people, his children that live on less than 2 dollars a day, most starving or dying of disease; and at the same time however, I saw a glad and joyful heart of God that was praised by his people in times of desperate hardship. The awesome faith in the midst of crisis must be a joyous and beautiful smelling offering to the Lord. I pray that is something I can take back with me to the states, a Kenyan heart.

Overall, today was a day that God pulled us in and used us in mind, body, and soul. Being truly in use by God is exhausting work, but we are all excited for whatever he has in store for us tomorrow. I thank you for your prayers and praise God for all he is doing in Kenya.

Sincerely,

Mark