Have you wondered how we did our laundry? I actually tried to recreate some memories from Disney World. We didn't have enough money to use the machines; plus it was a hassle to carry all those clothes down the stairs and into another building. So, we hand washed our clothes in the bath tub-- threw them in and poured some detergent into the tub. I'm sure this was great on the plumbing. Jenni and I refused to pay for our laundry when there was space for laundry units in our apartments and Disney could have more than provided for such a thing. It was only a problem when things were ridiculously dirty-- you can't clean that with our system! In Africa, I had brought enough shirts to last me the whole trip and I've learned over the years the wonders of layering. Jeans, on the other hand, are another story. I only tried washing them once in the shower one night in Nairobi and it was to my failure.
On Saturday, everyone, except for me, brought their laundry together and we walked to Java House and to a laundry mat nearby. For whatever reason, this place wasn't going to be able to finish our order by the time we needed to go to Butula. I thought it was a little fishy. So, we took a walk through Nairobi to their affiliate. April and Nduko were trying to save a parking space by standing in it. I can't remember what the guys were doing, but as for the girls and Andrew we were walking through the streets of Nairobi with the laundry. I was happy I didn't add mine because there was enough to carry without it. Plus, the real reason is because I would rather spend the money on other things when I have plenty of clean clothes still packed, and it's not like we were going around sniffing each other-- or maybe some people were and I didn't know it.
It was a lovely day, and it was nice just to walk instead of be shoved into a van and be on the go and arrive somewhere somewhat surprised. It seemed like it took forever for our laundry order to get through. All I know is they weren't too happy about taking so many clothes. I ended up walking around the place a little and taking pictures of flowers, however I must reiterate that I never wandered away from the group because that's not a smart thing to do on these trips so don't do that, please.
We then headed back to the Java House. April and Nduko had lost the parking space. Someone was willing to drive over them and actually touched one of them with their car. Brent was not too happy about this and I wouldn't be surprised if he took some sort of action on that situation. I will admit I've never saved a parking space that way. Everyone was at the Java House, minus Nicole and Josh who were sick. There was also still many from the Journey. I was impressed by how much time they were giving to us, especially since some of them were busy with school. That meant so much to our team. Everyone was getting tired again; it had been a long week.
We were on our way to another orphanage. This one was for children. Most people slept on the ride, but I knew that would have been a mistake. I knew that if I were to fall asleep I would be fighting it all day. So, I played a game with Eric that was supposed to be a simple personality test. It turned into an epic saga that kept a few people up and some even asked, "What are you guys talking about?" It was something about a carpenter in South Africa who had a white horse and a monkey with a big house with lots of doors that didn't necessarily lead to rooms with a giant third eyed purple monster outside. Has anyone played the game "Imagine a box, what does the box look like?" If you have then maybe you'll be amazed at how this game took an unbelievable turn into the creative realm. We also played "I Spy" for a good long time. I'm sure people that were trying to sleep were furious with me.
It took us a long time to finally reach the orphanage. Once there, we went over the songs we wanted to do with the kids. We also practiced our skit outside, partly because Josh had previously been in it as a big part of the scene so Justin ended up replacing him. Just like in Mathare, children were sneaking around trying to see what we were doing. Before having an assembly with the children and teaching them about Christ, we took a tour of the place. I had never been to an orphanage before going to Africa. I have no idea where the closest one is to me in Arkansas.
It was an amazing place touched by God. It was like a sanctuary where kids could have a family and be with other children who were going through all the same things. If I'm not mistaken, this was their school as well. They had a room sectioned off so that if someone was sick they could have a place. There was one room that they were proud that had never been used because it was intended for extreme cases of illness.
We first went into the girls bedroom which was lined up with bunk beds, but only one whole bed was used by each girl. They had their own mosquito net-- and what was sweet was on each bed there was a doll that had been donated by the organization. For anyone who was the child that played with dolls in their massive imagination and knows how much meaning there is in that, you'll understand why I find it touching that they made sure each girl had a doll. One of our team members commented on how awesome it was that they provided white sheets for the children and the psychology behind that. The boys room was similar except instead of dolls they had posters of their favorite football players. Also, in each of the children's rooms was a detailed schedule about everything the children were supposed to do from about 5 in the morning till 8 at night. It was scratched out, but the original schedule started at 4AM.
There was also a room for books, a sewing room where they made quilts, and also a kitchen. That's what I remember, at least. After exploring the orphanage and hearing all about the children's lives-- from how they were not allowed to have money because then the kids competed with each other or how they took care of the animals which were chickens, pigs, and a cow-- we went to the auditorium for another assembly during our trip. The principal first introduced us as guests and how we were from Missouri-- mazuri in Swahili means good, funny coincidence. It was like they were saying "Here's our guests from good." Each one of us had a short introduction. Then some of the older children of this orphanage sang to us A Capella.
They sang "Open the Eyes of my Heart" and "I believe." It was both wonderful and intimidating-- at least to me. The songs we had prepared for them were for a much younger audience so some of us were worried that they were going to think it was lame. Maybe they did; I was thinking they did when we sang. I was proven wrong when I went back through my tapes and saw what actually happened.
April and I led the songs and Isaac, Nduko, and Andrew helped us with a couple of the songs. We sang songs like "If You're Happy and You Know it", "Down in my Heart", "Father Abraham", and the "Hokey Pokey." 
On my tape, this lasted nearly 30 minutes. The kids appeared to have thoroughly enjoyed it-- especially when they got to stand up and shout in Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah.
After that, we did our skit. Justin went through various life challenges that ended up making him sad. First his football was stolen, then some kids pushed him down, and then they made fun of him and laughed at him. 
At the end, he runs into Jordan who teaches him about Christ and encourages him to be happy because through God we can overcome our challenges. Jordan did a great job of explaining the story to the children after it was done. We then handed out candy to the children like we did in Mathare Valley.
We then played with them outside. The boys played football; the girls played games similar to those in Mathare Valley. Andrew and I stood between these two groups and filmed. It was the first time that I saw Africa with a gray sky. I felt like I was in Kansas. The grass had turned a dried yellow and it was overgrown. There was not as much dust as in Mathare; the dirt was more solid. There were clouds in the sky making it less colorful and there was a nice breeze, not the fierce wind like at home. It smelt like it was going to rain. Generally, I did all I could to interact with the children. On this day, I stood back and watched them. They were shy compared to the kids at Mathare-- there was also less of them.
Andrew and I talked about various things in life and where we felt we were headed. The stay at this orphanage felt short. We had to leave quickly so we could move to our next activity.
Students from the Journey opened up their homes so that we could meet their families and eat dinner with them. Our team was then split into three or four groups. I ended up going with Lance and Justin to Andrew's home. Isaac-- also from the Journey-- came with us as well. Sevo made the point to me that I was not allowed to wander away from the group and that we had to be back by eight. I'm not entirely sure why Sevo kept making the point to me that I was not to wander. It took a long time for us to make it to Andrew's house. I still thought it was going to rain.
I've been dreading to right this post. This day was exceptional, and to go into the details of why it meant so much to me is not easy at all. I know deep down I really should give each day that I'm writing about the same honesty. There have been details that I have cut simply because I don't think people would see how it fits with the trip as a whole. There's been times where I've had lengthy tangents to help me face some of what I happened in Africa. No matter how I look at it this it will always be one of the most surreal experiences of my life. It's easy to look at Africa and cut myself away from it; it's easy to talk about horrible things that have happened in this world or even great things but when you add yourself to the mix it becomes a whole lot more personal. I think at the heart of it I want more time, but I don't have plenty of time anymore because school is in less than two weeks and I need this finished because I won't be able to do this once I'm back at school.
I just can't believe I went to Africa or that I experienced all of this. I feel like when I was in Africa I was honest with myself but now I'm masking my emotions in several of these chapters. I know there's opportunities where I could have gone into great length on something like when I was at the orphanage holding the baby or when I was walking in the streets of Mathare. When people ask me about Africa, I don't know what to say. For days I've been hiding from friends because every time someone asks me about Kenya it's like a flood of memories takes over my mind. I never know where to begin and there's fear in that what I'll say won't hit home for them because I know many of the people who supported me on this trip were curious about Christ; they were curious as to whether this whole religion is true.
The main reason why I'm writing this down is so that people can have a lengthy read on an experience with Christ. Even though I was there for a short time, I know I felt the hand of God. Now that I am home, I am afraid because I don't know what God's calling me to do, I know it was real. A part of me wants to deny that; that part of me wants to believe this is all imaginary. I honestly don't want face the reality that God has great sadness because of us.
I think when fear starts taking place I know that I'm beginning to step in the right direction because my comfort zone shatters. This brings out courage from me whether or not anyone else can understand that. Kenya took every part of me. I surrendered myself to God; somehow I even came to knowing that I was willing to die. God used every part of me while I was in Kenya, and not just the good but the parts that I need to extinguish from myself; for instance, I've already begun to stop arguing and I hope to stay with that commitment.
Even what I'm doing now is fighting. I'm not going backwards here, but I am standing still. At first when I was in Kenya my life was in the hands of God as a servant for his people and then at some point God was changing me and revealing myself to me. I'm not sure when that happened-- maybe on this day. It seems that talking about my emotions is much harder than talking about the experiences around me. I wish I could have stayed in Kenya longer. I want to go back, preferably now. There were things I longed for that were at home, like my family. There were things that were simple that were given up like warm showers, my own schedule, and-- at one point-- my privacy. I enjoy having my own room, and yes I had that in Nairobi, but I found it hard to charge my batteries when we left for Butula.
What's so bewildering is that even though the same strange problems may still be prevalent in my life is that I seem to be completely content with those struggles. I worry too much about the future, but as for what's happened over the course of two years I seem to have handed a great chunk of it to Christ while I was in Kenya. At the same time, this bothers me. I feel like I'm lying to myself and not actually facing reality but I know deep down that whether those things still exist they're not with me any longer. Worrying does nothing for me. I realized that I am quite the optimist and that for some people this has given them the sense that I am naive; I hope to continue living life this way. I do want to stop being pretentious; I have no idea how that started but I can't live like that anymore.
The trip to Andrew's house was long. His mom greeted each of us at the door as if she had been expecting us for a long time. The entire time we were there she smiled. As soon as we were inside I acquainted myself with Andrew's niece. She was five but I would have guessed she was a lot older because she was definitely smart for her age. In fact, she was working on her homework when we arrived. Andrew's mom had cooked us a large dinner. All of his family was there, including his great-grandma. I was impressed, especially since my family is spread across America.
After dinner, Andrew wanted us to meet one of his friends that lived nearby. Grace, his niece, was told that she couldn't go. Actually, minutes before they even told her that she couldn't go she whispered to me, "Don't worry, I'll go." I had no idea what she meant. I just took that as something typical a five year old would say; I went along with it. Just as we were going out the door she cried hysterically and then she was allowed to go. I wanted to tell her that I was proud of her because that was spectacular; it kind of reminded me of myself when I was a child. This was another of several children that on some strange level we both understood each other. Everybody loved her; it would be weird not to love her. I love my team, but it was special to walk around Nairobi with a smaller group. I honestly can't describe the area well. It was city like but not with tall buildings like around the Ufungamano House.
Grace wore flip-flops, I think intentionally. She held my hand and Andrew's. It took us awhile to reach Andrew's friend's house. I expected that considering the amount of walking that took place in Kenya. It wasn't like anywhere I've lived when I say someone is close. We had to go up a stairwell, which for Grace was like climbing a mountain. She apparently was afraid of heights.
Unfortunately, Andrew's friend wasn't home. Maybe Andrew set us up. Although, his friend's father was at home, and he told us many things in the short time we had together. This was one of the few instances where what he said influenced me in a profound way that I can't explain. It was like deep inside I could feel his words. He told us many things about Kenya and about the recent riots that took place in the December elections. It was evident that he was a man of God. I wish we could have spent more time with him because everything he said was so powerful and it was like I was on the verge of Heaven. It was amazing and captivating. I sat in the middle of all these men with Grace sitting on my lap. He prayed over us and it was like everything that was making me the least bit sick or the least bit sinful was being washed away. That's the best way I can explain it-- again words fail me. I wasn't the only one who felt this way. His prayer could be felt and both Justin and Lance said the same thing when we headed back for the YMCA. As well, Grace tried to hide under my hair and was trying to distract herself with my bracelet which she suddenly had noticed-- the same bracelet I had bought earlier with the rainbow beads.
That was by far one of the most powerful prayers I have heard yet to date. It was unbelievable, and what was funny was that the man apologized over and over that he had talked so much when he had been so excited for us to be there. We of course told him he didn't need to apologize at all. He told us that when we come back next time it will be different-- next time?
Will I be going back to Kenya again? That would be a miracle in itself. If I see this man again that's even more amazing, and if with the same people, I would be shocked. I would love for that to happen-- all of it. It would be unbelievable if he was right; I really wish he was. But what's important is that I started asking myself if I would be going to Kenya again. Before heading there I thought it was going to be a one time life changing trip; I never expected that the opportunity would be there again or that God would call me there. I don't know. I feel like I won't be going on the next trip that Chi Alpha will be taking to Kenya. I need to pray more about this; I've definitely been distancing myself from God since being home or maybe it's just when I'm in America I feel like I'm living my life too comfortably. When I'm away from home I tend to think differently. I don't see in my heart that I'll be going next year, but maybe the next.
We had to trek back to Andrew's home and this time Grace was carried by Justin since she was a little slow with the flip-flops. We had a few minutes to spare before having to head back to Ufungamano. Andrew's Mother prayed for us and blessed us as well.
Grace took some rather entertaining pictures and I left my bracelet with her.
During the ride home, it began to rain. There was a football game so the traffic was heavy.
We all talked on the ride home about how this night may have been one of our favorites for a variety of reasons. We also talked about how we wanted to help out with Chi Alpha and change it as a ministry.
We were the first to arrive at the YMCA. We planned to see Josh and Nicole, but we found a note on their door that said they had gone to Java House for dinner. We then grabbed a couple of guitars and planned to have a little bit of worship but the rest of the team was arriving and Andrew and Isaac had to leave us.
That night we discussed as a team how everyone had been feeling about the trip so far. I think the group consensus was that it had been overwhelming-- to say the least.
Hebrews 6:7
Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.
No comments:
Post a Comment