Day 9: Rest for the Weary

In Kenya, we definitely slowed down the pace from what our schedule had been in Uganda. We were able to stay at Hope for two nights, and so on day 9 we had another VBS-type lesson, complete with songs, a small group lesson on Joseph, a "Bracelet of Many Colors" craft, and more game time.

Throughout our time in Africa, we pretty much sang the same songs, but I absolutelyLOVED them, especially because the words. "I Know my God is Real" says…

I know my God is real,

And nothing will change how I feel.

I'll give Him my worship, and I always will

Because I know my God is real.

Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh is His name.

Yahweh, Yahweh is His name.

and "I Will Pray"…

I will pray in Jesus' name

And believe, things will change.

For I know, Jesus hears me

When I pray

So I won't worry or be afraid.

I will pray.

As I stood in a room full of children shouting the name of God, Yahweh, over and over again, my heart was so overwhelmed with joy. There were many, many instances during the trip that I felt the presence of God in the room with us, and worshipping with the kids at Hope is definitely on the top of the list. I also loved that I could walk out of the door and hear all of the kids singing the songs we had just taught them! I pray that theyreallyremember that Jesus hears them when they pray, that the real, all-powerful, infinitely wise, God of the universe hears each and every request submitted before Him.

Our time at Hope passed rather slowly, partially because our interaction with the kids seemed sparse. We had great fun with the kids playing games like Simon Says and Red Light Green Light, teaching them God's Word, and doing crafts with them, but the extent of our interaction was limited to only about 4 hours of the VBS-type program. Much of the time we were there, the kids had to go to school and prepare for meals. In retrospect, I think the more limited interaction was definitely God giving our team some much needed rest, physically, emotionally, and mentally. While we were able to pour into the kids through teaching God's Word and sharing laughter with activities, God refreshed our spirits bygiving us quality fellowship time with our team members, as well as more frequent periods of rest.

Despite Momma Lucy's insistence that we could stay for a little while longer, we packed up the bus yet another time and headed to our next destination.

On our way to Fiwagoh mission in Nakuru, we saw…GIRAFFES! They were just chillin' on the side of the road, so Daniel pulled the bus right over, and we got out to take pictures. Though my purpose in going to Africa was not to see animals, I was definitely excited to see some African wildlife.

Notice, I am coincidently wearing my giraffe shirt on the day we saw giraffes!

After the giraffe adventure, we drove about 2 hours and arrived at Fiwagoh Mission Orphanage. Looking back, I definitely know why God gave us rest at Hope; in the next 4 days at Fiwagoh, we would end up pouring ourselves out in every way imaginable, all in a good way though. God broke our hearts for the kids that lived at Fiwagoh, and we became really close to many of them.