AHHH-Merica

Ahhhh Kenya where have you gone? I have now been back the the states for a little over a week and the transition into life here has been anything but easy. I find my heart wanting more. My soul desires to be in Kenya right now away from all the pettiness, materialism, and complaining. I don't hate America or anything, in fact I'm part of it. And when I say my heart desires Kenya, it's not the land itself I covet. It's not even necessarily the people or places either. Rather, I find myself yearning to see Jesus like I did in Kenya. I am coming on 7 weeks of just heart-changing encounters with the savior of the world. Daily I was challenged, loved, renewed, and restored by the God who led the Israelites out of captivity and into the promised land. How do you come off a time such as that and step back into life as it was before?
To be honest, ministry in Kenya was almost easy. The Lord had set before me opportunities to share Jesus with people over there and the only thing I had to do was walk in His Spirit on a daily basis. I almost feel like I went to Kenya to be filled up so that I could minister to people back here in the states. Seeing those opportunities here is hard! I don't have any German's coming up to me telling me how money does not make them happy nor do I have opportunities to walk into homes of HIV-positive women to pray and encourage them. These things happened in Kenya. So how do I minister here in America?

If I had to pick a favorite song of all time in would probably be I Will Not Take My Love Away by Matt Wertz. It is a simple yet powerful song of how the Lord never takes his love away from us no matter what comes around us. As I sit here listening to it, one part really resonates with where I find myself:

I will give you what you need
In fancy or in poverty
Forever, always, look to me
And I will give you what you need

I was in poverty in Kenya. I was in the slums around just brokenness, confusion, and chaos. However, in the midst of it all there was hope. I saw Jesus at work in the hearts and minds of the people in Mathare Valley. I looked to Him in poverty and he showed up. How then do I look to him when I have plenty, as is the case back in the US? As the song says, the Lord will give me what I need even in the midst of everything I have here. Forever, always, look to Him. These aren't revolutionary ideas either. These simple truths, however, take on a new meaning when viewed through the lens of my 7 weeks in Kenya.

I could go on and on describing the different situations and experiences I had in Kenya. I wish I could pick and choose a few to go here, however that would be impossible. Instead I decided to talk about my heart and feelings since coming back to the US. That seemed easier. I will be doing an update later this week that shares trip experiences and offers more of a recap! The pictures at the top show the kids I worked with for 3 weeks in Mathare Valley at Naoith Education Center. Check back soon for that recap!