Kenya: Challenging but Good

I think the best way to describe my intercultural experience here in Kenya is “immersion.” But let me tell you, while this has often been really challenging, I can also confidently say that this has been a blessing.  I know that God has been able to challenge me to trust Him and rely on Him in ways that I never imagined, and the wealth of experiences I've had is well-worth this cultural immersion and its challenges.  By the end of my time here in Kenya I will have attended two weddings, been in another, attended two up-country, traditional pre-weddings and attended various funerals, just to name a few things.  I haven’t just been a missionary serving in a specific task; I've been an individual living life, relating and interacting with Africans in their daily lives.  I ride the matatus; I've been downtown; I’m used to being the only white person around.  I eat what the Kenyans eat; I live like the Kenyans live; I do what the Kenyans do.  I have no choice, and at times what feels like no escape, but even in the midst of it all I can see the blessings of this kind of experience.  Besides learning to depend more fully on God I’m also continuing to learn about His grace and calling in my life.  It’s challenging but good stuff.

I spent most of last week traveling around to different schools to speak at different schools’ prayer services.  The class eight students (8^th graders) and form four students (12^th grade) have national exams they are currently taking that greatly impact there they will go to high school or college and what kind of educational and career opportunities they will ultimately be able to have.  They’re kind of a big deal, and so these prayer services are a time of encouragement for students as well as their parents and a good opportunity to point people towards God’s providence and care for our lives, ultimately through His gospel message.  I’ve been to schools upcountry as well as schools here in the city.  These times are fulfilling and also tiring—you wouldn’t believe how exhausting it can be to sit through a multi-hour service where you understand little to nothing of what is being said, apart from what I say in English.  Still, it was nice to talk to the different kids and their parents.  I usually start by really emphasizing the core of the gospel message, and then I move into talking about three different points in light of this: 1, don’t worry; 2, seek God; 3, do your best.  It’s been good.

On Saturday I traveled upcountry with some people for the pre-wedding/cultural wedding of my good friend, “Diddy” (his nickname, pronounced D.D.), and his fiancée, Kristen.  This involved Diddy traveling with many of his relatives to the upcountry home of Kristen (who is form the Kamba tribe).  Friends are also invited as well.  So apparently this was all supposed to start at 8:00am, but we didn't arrive until after 12:00pm, and we still just waited under the tents that were set up for most of the afternoon.  Diddy and some of his family members met with Kristen’s family to discuss and decide on a dowry, and two goats were slaughtered as part of the occasion (I was able to witness this first-hand, although I was fine with just watching and not helping).  Once things had been settled, a meal was served for the many guests, and then came the fun part.  In Kamba tradition the pride is paraded out to meet her future husband; however, she is completely covered in cloths and blankets along with a number of other “fake brides.”  After the procession with much dancing and singing, the various “brides” are presented before the groom, and he has to identify his bride from among them.  If he guesses wrong he is usually “fined” another goat (and I’m sure he also experiences a lot of embarrassment).  It’s kind of like a cruel game the woman play with the groom that is entirely delightful to watch.  I’m happy to say that Diddy guessed correctly, and this was followed by a short sermon and then the giving of donations toward the wedding budget.  It was a neat experience, and I also enjoyed traveling with my friend Caleb.  Caleb went to school for a few years in America and is actually getting married to an girl from Kansas.  It’s been a blessing to have a friend who is able to better understand my own culture and way of responding to things but who’s still a Kenyan.

I've also become good friends with a guy named Abby (short for Abraham).  He makes a living as a musician.  We've had some time to get together and sing and play guitar.  This past Monday he actually taught me a song that he recently wrote, and we’re hoping to go to the recording studio to sing and play it together.  It’ll be a cool experience, and I've been able to learn a little more about Kenyan musical style.

-Pray for continued faith in God’s promises and work in my life (not just to believe in them but to step out and live differently in the reality of these things)

-Pray for those who are preparing to get married (those here in Kenya as well as those you know back at home)

-Pray for opportunity as well as the ability to see God powerfully working and moving in peoples’ lives (not just for me here in Kenya, but for yourselves, wherever you are)

Every Day's a Kenya Day

It’s been a while since my last blog post.  Every time I think about sitting down to write something I’m never quite sure where to begin, and I end up finding something else to do.  So, I've decided to come to terms with the fact that all I experience over here in Kenya (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, etc.) will be impossible for others to fully understand; and that’s okay.  What I can give are a few stories that provide a few glimpses into my life over here.  In fact, it’s impossible for any of us to fully understand the life experiences of one another—mine is just a little more exaggerated because of cultural differences—but I’m grateful that God allows us to share at least a part of these experiences with one another.

Monday, October 20^th was a national holiday, so people were out of work and school.  Some people from church decided to organize a soccer game.  I was told to meet at 9:00am and informed by a friend that that actually meant 11:00am.  Naturally, another friend and I left home at around 12:00pm, and we were basically the first people to arrive at the field.  Now in case any of you Westerners are doubting whether or not the game was still on, fear not.  We finally had enough people by mid-afternoon (I’m not sure where all the people came from; I’m pretty sure some just joined us as they passed by).  It was a great experience to play soccer in the middle of Nairobi with a bunch of Kenyans, and I held my own too!  The altitude (a little higher than Denver, CO) caused me to get out of breath pretty quickly, and a month of little physical exercise made itself known by my aching body afterwards, but it was a really nice time.

The next day, Tuesday, was young adult Bible study here at Pastor Mutangili’s house.  This is one of my favorite times of the week, and I usually say goodbye to those who have come feeling very uplifted and thankful for the many new friends I am making here in Kenya.  The Bible study is currently going through 2 Samuel, and we’re almost to chapter 20.  Some weeks we get though an entire chapter; other weeks we get through a few verses, and often times we end up talking about thing I hardly anticipated or expected.  It’s cool to get into God’s word with other Christians, especially those who have different ways of looking at and relating to the Word of God.  One thing that Kenyan’s understand much better than us Westerners is the idea of tribes.  It’s hard to describe what being from a certain tribe means to individuals here.  While they are all Kenyans, there are deep-seeded loyalties and cultural characteristics within each tribe.  Reading about the tribe of Judah abandoning David to follow Absalom has a much deeper meaning with an understanding of tribal ties and heritage.

The following Friday Stanley and I went to a funeral home to conduct a short service for a church member’s daughter who had died.  Generally, there is a small service as the body is removed from the funeral home.  The family and friends of the deceased then travel to the individual’s home (not referring to their house in the city, but to the tribal village that they come from) to continue the funeral and burial process.  I was asked to speak for a portion of the short service, and as we were about to leave another group of people approached Pastor Mutangili and asked if we could stay for their service.  I guess they didn't have anyone lined up to give a message, so I soon found myself speaking again in front of another group of people.  It was cool to see how God opens up doors to use us and minister to others when we don’t expect it.

I have been asked to be in my friend, Aaron’s, wedding line during his marriage on November 22^nd, and so I am excited to be a part of this!  I had to go to our friend, Dennis’, tailoring shop to be measured for the custom suits each of the groomsmen will be wearing, and I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens on the 22^nd.

Last Sunday a group of us went to St. George’s girl’s school and led some music and spoke; it was an enjoyable time and cool to see how the girls worshiped together with a lot of energy.  After returning to church I left with Pastor Adera (the other pastor of AIC Plainsview) to spend a few nights at his home which is just a little bit outside of the city, near the airport.  It was very enjoyable.  Pastor Adera lost his wife just over a year ago, and his oldest daughter is off living at what we would call high school, so it was just him, his son, nephew and myself at the house (aka bachelor pad).  Pastor Adera is actually getting remarried in the beginning of December, so there is a lot of preparation going on for this event.  I really enjoy sitting down and talking with Pastor Adera; he is really laid back, deep and insightful.  While his home is not entirely finished (no running water most specifically) it was a blessing to spend time with him and his son (apart from the giant spider on the wall as I went to bed…I made sure my mosquito net was very tightly tucked in around my bed!).

God is continuing to reveal things to me about Himself and myself.  Often times this can be overwhelming, but I am finding that there is also a lot of joy in this process.  I know I am being changed as a person, and I know that this is ultimately a result of seeking God and learning more about who He is and always will be.  The other week I was feeling really exhausted and overwhelmed.  I asked God to just speak to me (plainly and clearly).  That night in a dream a friend came up to me and opened my bible to Psalm 34.  My friend said something along the lines of, “it’s about God, not you; lean on Him.”  The next morning I woke up and knew I needed to turn to Psalm 34…wow…that’s all I can say.  I will let you read it for yourself, but a few things that clearly stood out were God’s promises to care for us, remove our fears, guilt and shame, and to withhold no good thing from those who seek Him.  I’m learning daily to lean upon these promises and to lean even more heavily upon God’s grace.  Grace: it seems like such a simple word, especially if you've grown up hearing about it, but if you stop and really think about God’s actual grace, the power of this grace, the beauty of this grace, the abundance of this grace—well it’s amazing.  It knocks you off of your feet.  Most days I find myself struggling between either accepting and living in this grace or focusing on my own efforts and inadequacies.  It takes grace to even experience God’s grace!

Pray that I would continue to get out of God’s way and let Him work (in me and through me)

Pray for a deepening understanding of God’s grace and that I would experience the joys of living in this grace daily

Pray for the people of Kenya.  I see them every day walking along the streets.  They have hopes, dreams, hurts and fears, and they, along with all of us, need Jesus Christ     

New Experiences Every Day

Back in Java House for my regular Thursday visit.  This coming week will mark one month of being here.  God has really blessed me with some amazing experiences so far.  It's times like when I'm riding through the Kenyan countryside that I really think of how blessed I am to see and experience the things I'm seeing and to meet the people I've met.  It's sobering to realize that these experiences will only be fully known and understood by me, but this has made me value and look forward to the remaining time I have here in Kenya.  In reality, we all have our own experiences, and whether they are in Africa or in an American suburb, they are uniquely ours and full of value.  Take some time to appreciate the things you are experiencing today.

I have begun to help lead worship with some of the other young adults in our church.  We meet every Saturday afternoon for practice as well as Sunday morning before the services.  Last week I played some guitar with the worship team, and I was able to share a song from back home during the offering.  Many of the songs we sing are in Swahili, and while I cannot understand a lot of our worship, it is humbling to remember that worship is not about us or how it makes us feel; worship is about us glorifying God, and my lack of understanding of the words in a song I'm helping to play does not keep God from being glorified.  This doesn't keep me from serving God and glorifying Him either!  

On Sunday afternoon I was able to meet up with the Kroenings.  They are a missionary family who have been in Africa for over 20 years, and their daughter goes to school with me at Houghton.  I had a nice time meeting them, and it was cool to see where my friend grew up.

On Tuesday I ended up traveling upcountry to bring some supplies to a house Stanley is building.  We loaded up the lorry (like a small moving truck) with packs of tiles, and some other stuff and hopped in front to head to the house.  We then shoveled a bunch of cow duck (manure...I think that's what they called it) into the back of the lorry and brought it to Stanley's village.  I got to spend some time with the kids there; I very well may have been the first white person most of them had ever seen. While at first it's easy to feel like a celebrity, you soon begin to feel like a rare animal breed.  Nevertheless, it was really cool to spend time with these kids.  They were always smiling and laughing, and we had a lot of fun by simply throwing a rock and stick around.

Yesterday I met my friend Joshua in town to go up to a school just outside Nairobi.  Joshua grew up in Mombasa and is a theology student in Nairobi.  He also works for Word of Life ministry, which is why he and a few other guys were going to Rungiri High School.  We met up and arrived at the school to find out that the other guys got stuck in traffic, so I ended up speaking to a bunch of the students (I was able to use the same thing I used for the Masii Girls School the week before).  Joshua and I went to lunch and then he showed me a nearby orphanage.  We then hopped on the back of a motorbike and had the driver take us a few miles to the Word of Life compound.  After visiting I got back on a matatu by myself and managed to get to the center of Nairobi where I got off and found another matatu to take me back to South B where I live.  It was a busy day but full of great experiences!

Life still has its challenges, but I am learning a lot about myself and God every day.  He is working through me and in me and I have a lot to be thankful for.

-Pray for God to continue building meaningful relationships here

-Pray for strength and courage to take the steps of faith God wants me to take as he works in my life     and as he uses me to minister to others

-"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden       with Christ in God." Pray that these words from Colossians 3:2-3 would become a reality for me,       the church in Kenya and the students with whom I shared these verses.

Asking or Proclaiming?

So I'm sitting in Java House (a more western restaurant/cafe that's in many places here in Nairobi...they've got free internet!) and I'm not entirely sure what to write or say.  Life has continued on here in Kenya, and I've continued to see God's blessings as well as experience different challenges.

Sunday's are always uplifting days as I get to worship and hear God's word with others in church.  I will be beginning to help with music (although I'm not sure what this will look like entirely), and I have had some good fellowship and discussions in the young adult bible studies that meet Sunday morning and then on Tuesday night.  This past Sunday I was able to meet and spend time with other young adults at the church for most of the afternoon.  The people here don't necessarily "do" as much, but they are great a simply "being" and simply talking and spending time with one another.  I was able to have some good conversations with people, especially my friend Joshua who is a theology student.

I also attended a "harambee" for a man who is getting married in November.  Harambee means "pull together" in Swahili, and this is a fundraising event to raise money for the upcoming wedding where someone stands up front and simply continues to ask for money and find different ways of collecting money from everyone who has attended (while we all take tea and eat freshly made mandazi--a pastry like thing that to me taste a lot like french toast sticks).

I have been trying to meet up with people throughout the week, but a majority of my time has still been spent at the house.  I have been able to spend a lot of time in prayer for people here as well as people back home (praying is a good way to continue pouring out to others, especially when you don't feel like you have much else to do).  One thing I have been challenged with is how to have a faith that doesn't simply "know" or "understand" God's promises and truths, but that trusts in these things so much that I'm able step out in action without having to "check to see that God has met or is meeting His promises." Do we ask "has God been faithful to His promises?" or do we proclaim "God has been faithful to His promises" and continue to live in response to this?  I often find myself asking, not proclaiming.

Things you can be praying for:
-A continued willingness to be used by God according to His plans and timing
-Confidence (faith) in the work God has called me to do here as well as a trust in the work He is doing in my own life


"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."
Hebrews 11:1

A Few Weeks In

So I've been here for almost two weeks now, and a lot has happened.  My internet time is limited so it is a little overwhelming to try to know what to write.  To start, I moved in with Stanley Mutangili and his family (Sylvia, Judihannah, Manasseh, Joshua, N'dunge...wife, 5 yr. old daughter, 3 yr. old son, 3 mo. old son, house help respectively) Friday the 19th.  I have had many experiences from traveling to Stanley's home village upcountry to riding a matatu through crowded streets to traveling to different schools to walking to Westgate Mall to attending and even praying during a wedding.  Check out some of the pictures I've posted on Facebook.  Everyone is very friendly here, but it can be a bit of a challenge to understand one another's English.  I usually don't see any other white people during the day, and I'm continuing to adjust to a new culture.

One thing you all should know is that the Church is alive and well many places here in Kenya.  It has been humbling to see the faith and joy of the Christians here.  People here are so quick to acknowledge God and his blessings and provision.  In many ways I feel that I am simply a learner here, and it has been humbling to lay down any of MY ministry plans or aspirations and to simply trust God to use me.  It is pretty easy to see over here that "when I am week God is strong."  God is faithful and I know He has a lot of great things planned.

Some things I would really appreciate your prayers for:
-That I would get out of God's way, in His work in my life and in His work through me
-Patience with myself and with others as I continue learning and adjusting
-Peace and a strengthened faith that leans on God's TRUTH, not my temporary feelings/emotions
-For a few deep and meaningful friendships with other young adults over here

Bwana Asifiwe (Priase the Lord)
*If you were Kenyan you'd respond, "Amen!"

Karibu Kenya!

I journeyed over Mediterranean Islands...

I've made it to Kenya.  The journey was long but enjoyable; I had a lot of time to think and pray on the 7 and 8 hour flights, and was even able to meet some people along the way.


It is a strange feeling going to bed 8,000 miles from the people you know and not knowing anyone where you are.  I was especially grateful in that moment to serve "El Shalom," the God of Peace.

...across the Sahara Dessert... 

Jet-lag is an interesting feeling (kind of like the morning after that sleepover where you only sleep 30 minutes), but today has been good.  I am learning a lot.  Nairobi is very much like a normal city (although it takes some getting used to driving on the left side of the road!).  I am excited to get to know the Kenyan people, and in a few days I will be moving into the home of one of the pastors of AIC Plainsview.

...and finally saw the lights of Nairobi.

Some things to continue praying about:

-Continuing transition (with a new time zone, different culture and moving in with my host family)

-For humility as a learner and not to worry about making mistakes


Thank you all for your prayers for traveling safety as well as for peace and comfort.

And Here we Go!

Twenty four hours from now I will be boarding my flight to begin my journey to Nairobi.  It's hard to know what to say.  Sure, I don't know the details about my living situation or the work I will be doing, and I'm sure I don't know much about the culture or what to simply expect from everyday life, but I have felt a peace and confidence in the midst of all the unknown and uncertainty.

Some people may say, "there's no way I would be able to do that.  I have to know what's happening.  I'm glad you can," and my response would be, "Who ever said I could either?  I'm not different.  This isn't about what I'm capable of handling or if I enjoy the uncertainty.  The truth is that God is God, and He is in control, whether we think we are in control of part of none of our lives.  He leads, we go, and it usually works out better when we can trust God and get 'us' out of the way."

Experiences like flying across the globe to live and serve for three months don't change who God is, but they sure can show us the real source of peace.  Is our peace rooted in our circumstances or in our control over them?  God brings peace; He is our peace.  This isn't just a defense mechanism for us who have no other option because we're going into the unknown; this is an unchanging truth, just as true for me in Nairobi as it is for you in your suburban living room.  I challenge those who are reading this to seek out God as the source of their peace in the coming months.


On a different note, I am excited and also apprehensive for what God has in store for my time in Kenya.  I know He has been refining me and preparing me for my time this fall, but I still have no idea what God wants to do in or through me.  But, I know He is at work; I know God is waiting to reveal Himself in powerful and unexpected ways.  I also know form the amount of spiritual warfare that has been going on that there are forces that are terrified of what God has planned.  My response: Good.  Let's get to work God.

Lastly, as I step out into the more unknown part of this African journey, I want to thank many of my friends and family for all of their prayer support.  I feel very blessed, and I know I will continue to be blessed by the waves of continuing prayer.  Thanks especially to my immediate and extended family, the congregations of Indian Valley Faith Fellowship and Fillmore Wesleyan Church, and my remarkably "multicultural" friends and townhouse mates who are carrying on with their own adventures up in the Houghton area.

See you all on the flip-side.


"Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD yoru God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."  Deuteronomy 31:6