We are pleased to say that our trip to Nairobi was excellent but tiring after 28 hours on the journey. Our first full day here was Sunday where we attended a Swahili speaking Methodist church in the poor section of town. Saneta's sister, Lydia, lives nearby with her two children. The experience was beautiful, the music was wonderful, the people were generous and very hospitable. We each were given the opportunity to stand and tell them about ourselves and any message we wanted to give to them. The whole service lasted about 3 hours!! Note to pastors: 1 hour is good.
That afternoon we visited an orphanage in the slums of Nairobi. The children were all abandoned by there parents or their parents died early, mostly of AIDS. Grace is the leader and calls each child a King or Queen to let them know that they have worth and are loved. They live in a palace, even though they sleep 6 to a bed. Even though they don't have enough to eat every day, they are happy and learning in the safe habitat that Grace provides. There is much too much to say in this short blog, but we are eager to share her story with you later.
Monday began the grueling 8 hour trip to Mombasa, the second largest city in Kenya. On Tuesday morning we went to Ribe, the home of the first Methodist church in East Africa started by Thomas Wakefield. By his courageous actions, he was able to help establish Christianity on the continent. Before that, the Arabs and Muslims dominated the coast and the culture. Because of his braving malaria and other diseases along with wild animals and the jungle, that area is predominantly Christian today. The Ribe Methodist Church is still going strong with 300 members in a small village. They started a school to improve the quality of education and have done a marvelous job even though they suffer from a lack of services.
Will report more the next time we have access to the internet.
God Bless.
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3 comments:
Crew,
Thanks for the update. It sounds like things are going well. We continue to keep you in our prayers and anxiously await your return to hear the full story. Continue to be safe and rest in God's hands.
Shalom,
russ
While I wasn't up and blogging at 5:00 AM (yeah, I know Brad is really shocked by that), like Pastor Russ, I too want to add my continued prayers for the well-being of the team, for encouragement in the difficult times, and for the focus of the mission to be God-breathed and heard by all involved.
We look forward to hearing all about it in a week.
Martha
Yay!!! You found Grace and the Palace :-) I hope they're all doing well and I look forward to any stories you have about them!
God bless you all and continue to be safe.
Jen
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