Prayers for Kenyan Tragedy

I don't even know where to begin.

I received an email from my mom this morning mentioning a terrorist attack in Nairobi. I checked CNN immediately, and there was a reported 30 dead, 60 injured, and 36 held hostage after a shooting in a mall.

The attack was lead by Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked militant group based in Somalia. Sources say all Muslims were escorted from the mall before the attack began, so they were unharmed. The final reports count 39 dead and 293 flown to hospitals. Check out CNN and Reuters articles for more information.

God has always granted me the gift of sympathy, or feeling what others feel. At times it's a blessing - there's nothing better than sharing joys and triumphs with my friends. This time, it's a burden. I see the photos posted online, and I feel the pain. I see the bodies and scared faces of children, and all I can picture are my friends who live only a few hours away from the attack.

I know the pain I'm feeling is only a small fraction of what our Father feels for his children who must join his kingdom too soon.

My heart goes out to the families affected by this tragedy.

I pray for healing for the injured. I pray for strength and wisdom for the doctors.

I pray for the gunmen. I pray that God reveals himself to them and they turn to Christ.

I pray that the faith of the survivors and families remains strong. I pray they grow closwer to Christ. I pray that their stories bring others to Christ.

I still have tales to tell from my own trip this summer, but I feel this takes priority. I thank God that non of my Kenyan friends were in Nairobi yesterday, and that no more than 39 were taken from their families.

Even in the darkness, we musten't forget to give thanks and praise.

Miracles Still Happen

Oh golly. It's been almost a month since my last post. Yikes!

But of course, I'm still missing Africa every single day. And I still have so many stories to tell.

So one of the main lessons I learned in Kenya this summer was about prayer. I've always been a huge believer and supporter of prayer. My family prayed before meals and bedtime growing up. I still pray with friends and roommates before most meals. My mom has always called me her "prayer partner," and she'll call me up every once in a while and ask me to pray for someone in the family.

But prayer didn't become real to me until Kenya. We visited a nearby village, Turkana. The people there were so eager to talk about faith and God. It was refreshing. Our team leader told us about a man, James, who had quite a dilemma. For several weeks, every time James would enter his home, he was overcome by great pain. He had to sleep outside because of it, which was extremely dangerous. His family was so scared for him.

When we met James, he took us into his home. Even though we spoke different languages, it was obvious the pain was real. He could barely lift his arms. His eyes were cloudy and almost in tears. We had to physically help him walk across the tiny room. It was the most bizarre, heartbreaking thing I had ever witnessed.

So, we helped James to the middle of the room. And we prayed. And we prayed.

"Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
Matthew 18:19-20

Finally, we stopped. We looked up at James, and he was sitting deathly still. My initial thought was, "Oh God, we killed him!" But then he lifted his head, and his eyes sparkled. He stood up and shook out both his feet. He marched around the room. He raised his arms above his head. We all praised God.

I can't even begin to tell you what kind of influence that had on my prayer life. Miracles like that happened every day while we were in Kenya, and I know they happen here. God even healed me from a terrible headache during band camp after a few minutes of prayer.

Miracles still happen. Every day. God didn't stop working after the New Testament. He's still alive, and he's still working in our world every day. We just need to call on him, and to believe.

Hope and Mercy in Kijabe Hospital

Our large group of 30-ish was split up into 4 smaller groups and rotated ministry sites throughout the week. I grew amazingly close to everyone on my team, and I miss them so much! Each day was a new adventure, and I can't wait to share every story.

The first day of main ministry was spent at Kijabe Hospital, one of the main hospitals in Kenya. We were greeted by a wonderful woman by the name of Mercy. She is the chaplain of the children's ward, and she shared with us her testimony and passion for Christ.

This woman radiates God's light more than anyone I have ever met. She knows every child and mother in the hospital by name, and she cares deeply for each and every one of them. She takes the time to write each child's name and "Jesus loves you" on a sign above their beds.

We spent the entire morning in the children's ward, going into rooms and praying over mothers and children. It was one of the biggest ministry challenges I've had (up to that point). I pray with friends and family here at home, but I had never prayed in front of strangers before. 

Not only was the stage fright a challenge, but also just witnessing so much illness and pain. These kids were sick. Not just strep throat, go home in an hour, sick. One mother I talked to was sitting with her two-month-old son. They had been in the hospital for one month. Half of his life. I didn't visit with anyone who had been there less than two weeks. The mothers rarely leave their baby's side.

It's hard to describe exactly what we saw there. I didn't take pictures of patients, of course. I'm a missionary - not a tourist. There were children with enlarged heads, deformed limbs, terrifying coughs. Mothers who had lost almost all hope. They begged me to pray for their kids. I got over my stage fright pretty fast. These families needed prayer more than I needed to stay comfortable.

A new team visited the hospital every day that week. By the end of it, Mercy was overjoyed to report that no children had died - usually they had three or four deaths each week. Miraculous healings had occurred. Enlarged heads shrunk back to normal size, a woman who came in the morning unable to use her legs walked home that night, the blind saw. God moved.

This was just the first step in the amazing journey of Kenya. Each day, God would prepare us for what was to come in the next. I would have never imagined anything we saw that week. I went on this trip with no expectations - and God still blew me out of the water.

Typical, Atypical Life

Honestly, I don't even know where to begin.

So much more happened in one week in Kenya than a year in the States, yet it's almost impossible to write about.

I guess I'll start with what our "everyday" lives were like. We stayed in a motel in Maai Mahiu - a place rampant with alcoholism, drug abuse, prostitution, and fear.

  

We were blessed enough to have running water, though the shower was less than ideal. Freezing one minute, boiling the next. The motel staff was amazing, ready to serve whatever we needed. We ate several variations of rice and beans, accompanied by chicken or beef or fish. Chapati was everyone's favorite. It's a kind of flat bread that's absolutely delicious.

 

The best part (aside from our ministry, of course) was worship and teachings every night. We had church in the motel bar every evening. One person brought a guitar, and we learned the songs as we went along. There was a mosque located right across the street, and we could hear their prayers happening at the same time as ours.

God was very real in this place, and he showed himself multiple times. Sins were forgiven, souls were remade, truth was revealed. On the last night, even miraculous healings occurred right before our eyes. Who knew such amazing things could happen in a bar in the the worst place in Kenya?

You don't need a million dollar establishment to worship. You don't need fancy projectors or speakers or even instruments.

All you need is a group of believers. And one bold voice to get started.

James 4, Boasting About Tomorrow

James 4:13-17

Boasting About Tomorrow

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

This is so incredibly humbling. My life is so small and so short compared to the big picture. We must consider God as the center for all our plans, so that it is always his will to be done, and not ours.

I know I must be conscious of God's will and how that must control my life. I am learning to be flexible and go where the Holy Spirit leads me.

As I prepare to leave for Kenya in less than 48 hours, so many emotions come over me. Anxiety, nerves, excitement. I pray it is God's will that I travel safely and, more importantly, effectively minister to the people there. It is going to be an amazing journey, and definitely not the one I had planned to take this summer, but I know it's where he wants me right now. It's hard not to boast about it, because it's so exciting, and I love serving our Lord overseas. 

I do not know what will happen tomorrow, but I pray it is God's will, and not mine.