Approaching the End

Things are speeding up towards a finish here in Kenya.  In some ways it feels like it has been three months, but in other ways the time has gone very quickly.  I feel blessed by what I have already been able to experience (the good, bad and ugly) and am excited for what is still to come as I finish out my time here.  Sometimes I think, “yeah this will be a good story to tell,” and other times I think, “there’s no way people are going to understand this, how sad.”  We shall see.  I do know, however, that God has known about this Kenyan journey of mine for a long, long time, and I am grateful for this idea he had back during the whole “foundation-laying” stage of the universe.

The other Thursday I met up with Mrs. Kroening (the missionary mom of my friend back at Houghton) and was able to go with her up to Rosslyn Academy (in the far north part of Nairobi) to see the Abby, the youngest Kroening kid in the play, “Our Town.”  Rosslyn is an American system international school made up primarily of missionary and diplomat kids.  I walked all the way from where I stay in South B to Upper Hill, where the Kroenings live.  I’ve begun to enjoy taking on the challenges of traveling around Nairobi…it usually makes for some good stories.  This journey consisted of trekking along some pretty muddy paths and along the major highway going through Nairobi for some time, but other than that it was pretty uneventful.  The play was good, and it was weird being around a lot of “white” people again.  It was also nice to see my friend’s alma mater.

On Saturday I went to worship practice, as usual, but this time I was told the normal keyboard player (my friend Tom) was not going to be around.  Apparently I was deemed qualified to fill in.  This was quite the stretching experience, considering I was going to be the “lead instrument” in a bunch of songs that I had never really heard before.  I managed to get through practice, and it was very humbling.  While nervous for Sunday morning, I knew it was a good opportunity for me to rely on God and not my own abilities; however, God must have heard my cries for help and decided that this would require “too much supernatural support” because the power went out right as we began, haha.  We ended up doing acoustic worship, and for the second service I got to play guitar with the singers.  It was a nice time.

Monday around noon I left with Pastor Mutangili, Judihannah and Manasseh to go up to Stanley’s village near mukaa, located in ukambani (Makweni County to be specific) for the night.  I’ve been there a few times before; I’ve posted some pictures from here.  After buying some trees and stopping by another plot of land along the way to plant a few, we arrived at Stanley’s village.  We planted a few more trees and then lit some lanterns as the sun went down; the village doesn’t have electricity yet.  It was really nice to be out in the country and to watch the day end over the African hills and valleys.  Inside the house I got out my guitar, and one of the men with us took it and began to play some Kamba songs.  He sang along with Stanley, his mother and the many kids present.  The small room was filled with music, dancing and clapping, and the warm glow of the lantern.  It was such a blessing to simply sit and take this all in.  We eventually ate, and after preparing for bed I was able to go outside and see the stars.  The most notable thing was how they all seemed to, literally, twinkle (very noticeably and in a way I’d never seen before).  Standing on that African hillside and looking up at the sky as well as down across the dark valley where many other, unseen Kamba people quietly faced the night as they had for years and years, I was humbled and grateful.  This was much more like the “Africa” you hear about, and it was a blessing to experience.  I settled into bed for the night, and the light rain that began soon turned into a downpour, pounding against the tin roof of the home.  I lay there for a while, taking everything in and thanking God for the day’s experiences.  The following day we woke early and spent most of the morning planting more trees before driving back to Nairobi in the afternoon for the Tuesday night, young adult Bible study.

I am grateful for the many prayers of my friends and family.  I am sure that they have uplifted and supported me throughout my entire time here.  God has continued to reveal things to me about myself and His power to work in the lives of those who seek Him, and these things often leave me grateful, amazed and very reflective.  As I see my time here in Kenya growing shorter and shorter, I am becoming more grateful for the experiences I’m having and the time I’m able to spend with the friends I have made.  It will be nice to see people back home, but I will miss many of these people.  My dear friends Marvin (Didy) and Christine (Mutheu) will be getting married January 3^rd; I will most definitely be thinking of them on that day.

-Pray for these last few weeks of my time here in Kenya—that I would finish strong and that God would move mightily (I know He’s not done yet)

-Pray for a continued spirit of gratitude

-Begin praying for the goodbyes I will have to make