Normally I write my own blogs. This time I am posting a letter from Joanie. She is serving with Inspire 180 here in Kenya also. This is about a week of ministry with a team of 19 from McHenry Chapel. ENJOY
Bwana Asifiwe (Praise the Lord!)
I sit here in my room tonight, wanting to share with all of you the amazing 8 day journey I experienced with our missions' team from Inspire 180. The team consisted of 19 of the most caring and compassionate people, mostly from my church family in McHenry. They arrived very late on Nov. 7th tired, but with joyful hearts as we prayed and sang worship songs on the bus ride to our guest house.
After 7 a.m. devotions and breakfast, we headed out for our day of ministry and engaging with God's people in Kenya. They were introduced to Kibera on the first day, and they embraced all that they saw, as their hearts were broken for what breaks the heart of God... Extreme poverty, garbage lining the streets, and many children crowding around them asking "how are you??" They embraced hope as they were introduced to our global partner Anna Mosby's ministry of a college in Kibera, teaching and training young people to carry on God's work there.
Each night we debriefed after dinner, probably one of the most memorable parts of this missions journey. Stories were shared with tears of heart break, and then some of the men would share stories and we would burst into laughter, so good for the soul! To hear our team share their hearts the first night on what they saw, what they experienced, what they wanted to do to serve the least of these, God's people, I cannot put into words. Our pastor Jeff however, did. He said, "today we walked with God's people on streets of garbage, but one day we will walk with them on streets of gold... there wasn't a dry eye in the room.
We split the team into 3 the next day, I was so blessed to take some of the ladies to serve in one of the ministries I am connected with Hope And Restoration Center. We spent the day in Kibera teaching God's word to no less than 120 children! These children blessed our hearts as they sang and worshipped God, did a bible quiz with us and knew every answer, heard how they could defeat giants in their lives by having faith in God, and just played and loved us. (Picture #1) Another group went to an area called East Leigh, and did English as a second language class with young Muslim adults, such a blessing. Our third group went to one of Inspire 180's ministry partners GUREC which is a boarding school for high school students, and a church as well, and did leadership training, for pastors, Sunday school, worship, and business leaders, so amazing!
Sunday and Monday we left, after church at Nairobi Chapel (also called the Chapel, how cool is that!) to visit Chapel ministry partners Rick and Ann with Oasis for Orphans. We drove "up country" to their home in Kijabe passing through the Rift Valley (Picture #3) We toured a hospital which does amazing pediatric surgeries, and had a home cooked meal at their home . We shared testimonies, and were so blessed to hear how Rick and Ann followed Jesus with their 4 children to live in Kenya and care for God's orphans. We headed back to Nairobi after a walk through safari. As God would have it, after hearing a sermon at church titled "get dirty" on how people would rather walk by and ignore people in need than get involved, some of our team were asked by God to do just that. They observed a Kenyan man lying on the side of the road in bad shape, foaming at the mouth, apparently having a seizure. After a police man walked past the man and did nothing, the team had him lifted into their van and took him to the hospital, stayed with him while care was given, and paid his bill for him. The experience was very hard for some of the team, yet they were all thankful to be able to love as Jesus loved...
I sit here in my room tonight, wanting to share with all of you the amazing 8 day journey I experienced with our missions' team from Inspire 180. The team consisted of 19 of the most caring and compassionate people, mostly from my church family in McHenry. They arrived very late on Nov. 7th tired, but with joyful hearts as we prayed and sang worship songs on the bus ride to our guest house.
After 7 a.m. devotions and breakfast, we headed out for our day of ministry and engaging with God's people in Kenya. They were introduced to Kibera on the first day, and they embraced all that they saw, as their hearts were broken for what breaks the heart of God... Extreme poverty, garbage lining the streets, and many children crowding around them asking "how are you??" They embraced hope as they were introduced to our global partner Anna Mosby's ministry of a college in Kibera, teaching and training young people to carry on God's work there.
Each night we debriefed after dinner, probably one of the most memorable parts of this missions journey. Stories were shared with tears of heart break, and then some of the men would share stories and we would burst into laughter, so good for the soul! To hear our team share their hearts the first night on what they saw, what they experienced, what they wanted to do to serve the least of these, God's people, I cannot put into words. Our pastor Jeff however, did. He said, "today we walked with God's people on streets of garbage, but one day we will walk with them on streets of gold... there wasn't a dry eye in the room.
We split the team into 3 the next day, I was so blessed to take some of the ladies to serve in one of the ministries I am connected with Hope And Restoration Center. We spent the day in Kibera teaching God's word to no less than 120 children! These children blessed our hearts as they sang and worshipped God, did a bible quiz with us and knew every answer, heard how they could defeat giants in their lives by having faith in God, and just played and loved us. (Picture #1) Another group went to an area called East Leigh, and did English as a second language class with young Muslim adults, such a blessing. Our third group went to one of Inspire 180's ministry partners GUREC which is a boarding school for high school students, and a church as well, and did leadership training, for pastors, Sunday school, worship, and business leaders, so amazing!
Sunday and Monday we left, after church at Nairobi Chapel (also called the Chapel, how cool is that!) to visit Chapel ministry partners Rick and Ann with Oasis for Orphans. We drove "up country" to their home in Kijabe passing through the Rift Valley (Picture #3) We toured a hospital which does amazing pediatric surgeries, and had a home cooked meal at their home . We shared testimonies, and were so blessed to hear how Rick and Ann followed Jesus with their 4 children to live in Kenya and care for God's orphans. We headed back to Nairobi after a walk through safari. As God would have it, after hearing a sermon at church titled "get dirty" on how people would rather walk by and ignore people in need than get involved, some of our team were asked by God to do just that. They observed a Kenyan man lying on the side of the road in bad shape, foaming at the mouth, apparently having a seizure. After a police man walked past the man and did nothing, the team had him lifted into their van and took him to the hospital, stayed with him while care was given, and paid his bill for him. The experience was very hard for some of the team, yet they were all thankful to be able to love as Jesus loved...
Our last days together were intense ministry days. The absolute highlight for me was on Tuesday when my church family were able to meet with my ladies of St. Martha's Ministry, my main ministry here, empowering HIV positive widows to find hope and a future through the love of Jesus. We were greeted by the ladies singing welcoming worship to us and then each of the women shared their testimonies. Their stories of extreme hardships and poverty, coupled with the grief of losing their husbands, and being shunned by family due to tribal customs and having to flee to Kibera to just try and survive with their children, was heart breaking, And then in the midst of each story, we heard them thanking and giving praise to God for Caleb and Eunice, the ministries founders, and the life they now have through St. Martha's, so amazing! Esther then asked my church family to welcome me into my new ministry here in Kenya with blessings and prayer. We sang & danced with the ladies, and then my pastor Jeff prayed a blessing over me.....God did a work in me that day, connecting me from my church family back home to my new family in Kenya (tears :) The ladies were given self defense instruction from Dave, so great, and then we broke up into groups and were able to visit in some of the ladies homes, which truly blessed our hearts.
We visited GUREC school again on Wednesday and the whole team spent the day doing team building exercises with the students, self defense, and small group time sharing hearts on major issues they face as teens.
Our last day Thursday was spent at Pastor Timothy's school in Kibera, and again the team ministered to students from primary level through high school. I was blessed to witness students' confidence levels change, as Dawn gave them an art lesson, and when completed they had each totally sketched a leopard and were so very proud of their accomplishment! The team departed that night to return home...
Please pray with me for what God will be speaking to each team member's heart, as they now process all that they have experienced here in Kenya....I do know that hearts have been changed forever, and these dear people will need God's wisdom and guidance as they discern what their next steps will be in missions. Their love for Christ has ministered to and blessed so many lives here, this scripture verse describes this team so well, I will miss them all dearly:
The LORD will guide you always, he will satisfy your needs
in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11
Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone, we have so much to be thankful for.
Love and Blessings,
Joanie