Last Days

 

The Recovery Conference may have been over, but our last couple of days in Kenya were just as special.

Wednesday morning, the women on our team met with RVF's Women of Courage (see this post for more on the Women of Courage) to talk and pray. After prayer requests were given, our team was blessed to pray for them. After we prayed, the Women of Courage prayed for us, all together at once. It was powerful and nothing quite like we had ever experienced before. Though there was a barrier of language between us, we knew these women were boldly imploring The Father on our behalf, and we were brought to tears. Their prayers enveloped us and the visual Kristin received in the midst was of the prayers rising like incence as a fragrant offering to The Lord.

Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!
Psalm 141:2 

While the women gathered together, the men fellowshipped and made home visits. One of the visits they made was to Peter's home, the gentleman whom Julie counseled on his marriage earlier in the week.

We all met back at RVF for lunch with Isaac and Esther and leadership. After we ate, we went around the room and each said a word about our experience over the week.

We then headed to Naomi's Village to visit with the kids one last time. Ryan and Michael were able to see their sponsored children and say good-bye until next time.

Michael with his sponsor child

Ryan with his sponsor child

Martha at Naomi's Village

View from Naomi's Village

Isaac and Esther met us back at Daraja House for dinner and we had a great time with them.

Thursday was our last day in Kenya!

We began with a bit of shopping in Kijabe at Pride of Africa where we found so many great gifts for family and friends.

We had a quick team meeting and photo and then Rebecca had to leave for South Africa.

Team photo from the roof of Daraja House

Sam is staying with Tim at RVF for the next 8 weeks and he is so excited to spend more time ministering to the people of Maai Mahiu!

The rest of the team packed up and left for Nairobi. We stopped at an overlook outside Kijabe to take photographs and see the curio shops.

Man from the curio stand trying to get one last sale from John

View of the Rift Valley

Panoramic View of the Rift Valley

Our next stop was the Kazuri Bead Factory, a local business that employs many women in the area. Our guide, Caroline, was fun and friendly and made a real connection with Martha. We prayed for Caroline and later she spoke with Martha about how God was beginning to stir her heart for Him.

The factory was such an uplifting place. In one of the production rooms, Caroline asked us to sing a song for the women who were working. We had just been listening to old country music on the way into Nairobi so the only song we could think of on the fly was a song we just heard - Johhny Lee's 'Looking for Love' from the movie Urban Cowboy (it was this or 'Islands in the Stream'). We were butchering the song so badly, John saved us by jumping into the aisle and dancing to distract from our singing. The ladies at Kazuri loved this! We were then treated to a song in Swahili from them, actually one we recognized that we sung at RVF.

John busting a move

At the bead factory - with our awesome driver, Benson

Next up, a brief visit to The Giraffe Center where we were able to feed the giraffes. Let's just say there was also a lot of kissing going on. 

John getting smooched by a giraffe

This appears to be quite mutual

Ryan allowing things to go a little too far

We were also given a brief presentation on the giraffe.

Giraffe femur - you could Crossfit with it

Fits like a glove

Our final stop before the airport was the Java House for dinner with Isaac, Esther, and their daughter Naomi. Naomi is headed to the DFW area in January for school - yay! It was fun catching up but sad to say goodbye to our friends. This was an unforgettable trip and our team is not leaving the same as we arrived almost two weeks ago.

Isaac drinking Naomi's much desired iced coffee

Some highlights of our trip:

 

RVF praise and worship. (Video)

Kids being kids. They could see themselves in the camera as it was recording. (Video)

Ryan (far left) being initiated as a true Kenyan. (Video)

The Longdrop

Maai Mahiu rush hour traffic jam and Benson's aunt

Breathtaking views

The beautiful ladies of Daraja House who took such great care of us

Our wonderful and gracious hosts, Isaac and Esther

And all of the men, women and children of Rift Valley Fellowship we will be praying for! 

Overcoming

The day at Rift Valley Fellowship began with some serious praise and worship. The crowd was jumping up and down and hootnin' and hollerin' - we've experienced an entirely new level of praise and worship! 

Praise and worship - RVF

Kristin gave her personal testimony of low self-worth for which she looked to people, things and circumstances for her hope and value. God frustrated Kristin's attempts to find true satisfaction apart from him and she experienced seasons of intense depression. For a period of time, The Lord stripped her of practically everything in order to show her that He alone is enough for her. Kristin knows now that she is a daughter in God's family. Her value is that God chose her, loves her and that Christ died for her - not what she believes others think of her. 

Kristin giving her testimony

Our last day of the recovery conference ended with abuse. Michael started with drawings about who is on the throne of our personal lives. We are either 1) apart from Christ and in our natural sinful state (self-centered), 2) Christians living by the flesh (self-centered), or 3) Christians walking by the Spirit (God-centered). 

Michael teaching today's lesson

Pride is when we put ourselves on the throne and idolatry is when we put others or things on the throne. The results are the Deeds of the Flesh, which include abuse. By nature, all sin is abusive. 

We cannot overcome our own sin and the sin of others against us apart from Jesus.

God's heart to the abused
Psalm 10:17-18 

Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
You will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
So that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

This was a spirit filled teaching by Michael. People don't usually speak of such things here in Kenya, although abuse is a common problem.

Our conference ended with the incredible testimony of Sam. Sam's family was a missionary family. His father was a pastor. Sam was severely abused physically, sexually, and emotionally. Eventually, Sam married and had 3 children but his marriage ended after 15 years. Sam did not know God, and chased after things of this world.

Sam giving his testimony

Sam was a flight attendant and thought he could clean up his life on his own. But...God had His own plans. On a flight into Dallas, Sam had a stroke and was paralyzed on the right side of his body. During this time doctors told him he was HIV positive, and given 30 days to live. Shortly after, he began attending The Village Church with Pastor Tim. God saved Sam during this time. Eventually, he was able to regain his strength and motor skills without ever having therapy. Sam will always be HIV positive, however,  the doctors can no longer find the virus in his blood. Since so many people in the town of Maai Mahiu struggle with drinking and drugs and are HIV positive, the impact Sam's testimony had on them was profound. 

An interesting thing happened in the middle of Sam's testimony, a strong wind blew through Rift Valley Fellowship. The tent rattled, people were startled and babies were crying. We had to close our eyes for the dust blowing around. It was quite a moment during a powerful testimony, almost as if The Lord wanted to get our attention. 

IDP Camp

That afternoon we visited another IDP camp. This is a camp that is not recognized by the Kenyan government and therefore they receive no assistance from the government. The people who live here have been in tents since 2008. When we entered the camp we could not help but notice how tattered the tents are and how little they have. The village itself currently has no water at all. 

IDP Camp

We were invited into a few tents to pray. The first tent was that of an elderly woman named Ann. She requested prayers for food and permanent housing. Inside her tent was just a mattress and a pot to cook over coals outside, she had few other things. Ann was so grateful for us coming to visit her that she blessed us. Pastor Joseph did all the translating. 

Inside a tent at the IDP Camp

Next, we visited with Samuel.  Samuel is living in a tent with his 4 children and wife. He showed us pictures of the camp and documents that were taken to Nairobi on Monday to the governors office by a group of IDP's that are wanting the government to recognize them. They are waiting to hear if the government will give them aid. Samuel's prayers are for God to hear the cries of his people and move the government to see these people deserve more than a tent. 

We gathered outside with the members of this community to join hands and pray for God's provision and blessings for these people who are still worshipping The Lord and have so little. We gave them all the water we had in our bottles and later that evening John had the men bring the whole village water and bread.

We enjoyed a great meal then the team split up for the night. The men went with Isaac to meet the street boys. Ryan shared his testimony with them and Pastor Joseph taught them. The had an awesome night of fellowship. 

As the boys were meeting, the women on our team fellowshipped with Ester, Pastor Isaac's wife, at their home. We sipped on chai tea, coca-cola, and chewed on sugar cane. We were so blessed and inspired to hear of Ester's ministries to the women at the IDP camp, Maai Mahiu, the teenagers and young girls. 

In the town of Maai Mahiu there is a population of 20,000 people. There are over 600 women that report their business as sex walker (prostitute), that does not include the young girls and boys who are forced by their mothers into this business. One year ago, Esther began visiting women in the IDP camps and Maai Mahui town. She befriended and listened to them and after the women felt safe, the flood gates opened up and they poured out their stories to Esther. Most of them were prostitutes that were completely overlooked by society. Ester began meeting with the women as a group every week to pray and encourage one another. They are called the Women of Courage.