After a pretty comfortable trip half way around the world I arrived once again on familiar ground, Kenya. This time I found myself in our new apartments just outside Kibera. It was weird to be staying somewhere other than my familiar home on Karanja road but the upside is that these new apartments both save us money and are way nicer. Since I had not been living in Kenya I found it necessary to employ a security firm to watch out for the houses on Karanja Road. This was a good decision but because I wasn’t there to supervise I had chosen a very reputable and therefore expensive company. These new apartments have security included and that has made the difference in price.
So, this morning I woke up at about 5am after a great but short night sleep. I laid in bed for a minute asking the Lord if He wouldn’t mind helping me get back to sleep, but I felt Him instead nudge me out of bed to spend time with Him. It was a sweet time where He lead me both into His truth and it was also a gentle reminder that His agenda for this time here would most likely be somewhat different than mine. After giving Him my list of the things I hoped to accomplish I felt released to let iHs agenda guide my time here.
It was a sweet time watching the sun come up once again over an African landscape and I was reminded of how much God has taught me through my times in Africa.
Last night I relived the history of what God has done through AIM and myself in Kibera as I sat around with some of the guys from the Real Life team answering their questions about how things started here. It was probably a sweeter time for me than for them because it reminded me of many of the ways I have seen God work over the years and it gave me a renewed sense of God’s heart for His people and His longing to use us to reach out to the world around us. I can’t wait to see what the next few years bring as Lisa, Luke and I continue to serve God together.
This morning I am meeting with Kayla and Jason who came with me to make a plan for the week. I am meeting with the Real Life leaders this afternoon to see if there is any way that I can serve them while I am here. Beyond that today is going to be a day of making calls to setup appointments with people and walking through Kibera with the intention of renewing some relationships that have simmered since the last time I was here.
Let the fun begin!
Scott,
What went through my thoughts in reading this post this morning (would you believe I actually took a day off on Friday and then stayed away from the office all weekend?)was about how far the Real Life program has come and how much it has impacted the lives of hundreds of participants by now. A memory of sitting in the prayer chalet with you and Scott B and Bernie – and then another memory of working together in the office…..and then all the people who have come to training camp and the many hours invested in participants. I’m blessed to have you (and Lisa and Luke!)as my friend and my co-worker for the kingdom. I pray the Lord continues to bless you as you are faithful to pursue and obey Him!
Love and prayers and a hug thrown in,
Sue