The Lord Will Provide

A few weeks ago, while working alongside the disabilities team for the day, I met a boy named Vincent. He has a growth between two of his bones, which makes it difficult for him to walk. His parents are not able to afford the surgery he needs, so he had to drop out of school in fifth grade. Vincent is one of the happiest, sweetest, and shyest boys I have ever met. He didn't say much, but his smile was so inspiring and his desire to trust in God through his pain was impeccable. Becca, an intern on my team, felt extremely touched by his story and his happiness, so she wrote about him in her blog. What's incredible is that this week we found out that a member from her church read her blog, was also inspired by the story, and felt called to provide the means for Vincent to get the surgery he needs! God had a plan for Vincent, and we didn't even know it! Normally Becca and I don't join Nikki on her visits with dissabilities, but if Becca didn't hear his story and feel called to write about it, Vincent may never have gotten the help he needs! Praise The Lord and his ability to heal and provide!

This Saturday was exactly what we all needed. The ability to sleep in, most of the day spent outdoors, reading, playing football, and playing music, going to a cafe with food we enjoy, and ending the night at the movie theaters. Most who live in Kenya don't have the luxury of getting Saturdays off to relax, so I feel blessed with a day to rejuvenate so I can have the most energy for the week.

Sundays are always so enjoyable to me. Every week we visit a different church in the slums and this time we went to Madera. I love how much fun the worship always is here in Kenya, and this Sunday wasn't any different. We danced and clapped all different beats while we  lifted praises to The Lord, it was beautiful. After church, we waited for a while for the mutatu to come for us, so of course I played with the adorable children! It started with me showing them games that I used to play and by the end they were beginning to teach me their games as well. None of them knew enough English to really communicate, but I love that we don't need words to be with one another and for me to show them a glimpse of the love that Christ has for them. 

On Monday, I went back to teaching Pre-Unit again. In most classes, I normally teach an English lesson, give them work to do on their own, grade their books as they finish, and then move on to the Math lesson and do the same. I have noticed that there is almost always one or two students who just don't understand the lesson and have a very difficult time completing the work. So I decided to ask the teacher about how they would fit the needs of those students. The teacher told me that they are not able to take time to tutor students individually, so there is nothing they could do. Luckily, I am free after two each day until I leave, around three thirty, so I asked if I could try out tutoring to see if it would help, and she agreed! The first student I tutored was named Abigail, who had difficulty in remembering which way each letter faced and how they were written. By the end of tutoring, she was able to write all of the letters correctly on her own! It took a lot of patience at first, but the end result was wonderful, so the teachers are now allowing me to tutor everyday. When I teach, I normally don't have the opportunity to get to know the students, but while tutoring I am able to spend time individually with them. In that short amount of time, I was able to see how wonderful and joyful Abigail is, and I would have never been able to see that in a group of around twenty five students. 

Friday after work, we headed straight to Joska, the MOHI boarding school, for the night! We didn't get there till late, so we ate a quick dinner and then put on Mulan for all of the girls to watch with us! There were so many of them, so we weren't able to give out popcorn until they were leaving the chapel, where the movie was being played. Then we were able to spend some time with the girls before they headed for bed! I felt so loved when the girls I met at church, our first Sunday in Kenya, ran to me, yelling my name! It's incredible that they remember me and still felt as close to me as when I left that day. We all decided to have a little dance party with the time that we had, and I loved every second of it. Sleeping at Joska was extremely different then sleeping at the Kamau's, the guest house we normally stay at. Just like many of the homes we see in the slums, the rooms were made of tin, which allowed many bugs, rats, and outside noise to come in. I honestly slept through the night freezing and not wanting to know what was surrounding me in the dark. It's hard for me to imagine a room like that to be my home and what it would be like to live in such living conditions. 

This week, I have been lucky with the amount of acceptance and love everyone had given me. The teachers are patient in showing me how the Kenyans learn and write English, which is surprisingly very different from America! The children are always excited when I enter the classroom and ask for me to come back everyday, which is so encouraging. The social workers have been accepting with my new task of teaching, rather than joining them on home visits like I used to and my team has been incredible, and are honestly a big reason for why I feel energized to go to work everyday. 

Each morning, there is a bible study that a few of the interns decided to start, which has been wonderful to witness. Also, each night we have time together either debriefing, praying, worshiping, playing a fun game, or watching a movie with one another. 

It's crazy to me that there is only two weeks left here. Please pray for our strength to continue to be refreshed each day and for us to end our time here stronger than we started it. Eating Kenyan food has been really difficult for many of us-- we're not sure how much more rice and beans our stomaches can handle-- but luckily in the slums they sell sprite which helps us keep it all down!