Nairobi Hope Now 2011
We named our trip Nairobi Hope Now. We felt like we could bring hope to those in need. What we learned is quite different. One team member, stated on our final night "it's like we came to save but they in turn saved us." This profound truth broke my heart further.
Yes, we walked in 4-5 slums, visited homes, witnessed poverty that you think you are prepared for from pictures you have seen but in reality there is no way you can feel it unless you are there.
Sitting in the homes of the women who sew with the Jacaranda Creations Ministry of Brenda and Garry Kean, (www.gbkean.com) you see the hope of Jesus in their smiles and you hear the hope in their hearts. They trust God to provide. The pray for provision and believe. They retell stories of God's faithfulness in their lives while we sit in their home of tin, cardboard and mud. They share their gratitude for school for their children because on those days a meal is provided on weekends they only have tea to give them. They believe our team was in part an answer to their prayers. An extremely humbling proclamation. One I am not sure anyone on this Crosspoint Team is prepared to receive.
You see we did all step out of our comfort zone, we met regularly, we fundraised, asked for support, prayed and watched God miraculously provide for us to go. BUT these ladies and men believe for their daily bread. Our miracle is small, our faith is small. They teach us to believe bigger, love larger and walk stronger.
In the worlds of sweet 12 yo Pennina from Marurui Slum, " When I get sick, I can not go to the doctor. I pray to Jesus and he heals me." With such confidence she states as she pointed to the sky, I had to look away briefly to contain my tears.
But truly are our tears for those living in such poverty or are our tears for the poverty of our own spirit? I wonder.
With a broken heart,
Rhonda
Jessica singing and dancing with Pennina!
Yes, we walked in 4-5 slums, visited homes, witnessed poverty that you think you are prepared for from pictures you have seen but in reality there is no way you can feel it unless you are there.
Sitting in the homes of the women who sew with the Jacaranda Creations Ministry of Brenda and Garry Kean, (www.gbkean.com) you see the hope of Jesus in their smiles and you hear the hope in their hearts. They trust God to provide. The pray for provision and believe. They retell stories of God's faithfulness in their lives while we sit in their home of tin, cardboard and mud. They share their gratitude for school for their children because on those days a meal is provided on weekends they only have tea to give them. They believe our team was in part an answer to their prayers. An extremely humbling proclamation. One I am not sure anyone on this Crosspoint Team is prepared to receive.
You see we did all step out of our comfort zone, we met regularly, we fundraised, asked for support, prayed and watched God miraculously provide for us to go. BUT these ladies and men believe for their daily bread. Our miracle is small, our faith is small. They teach us to believe bigger, love larger and walk stronger.
In the worlds of sweet 12 yo Pennina from Marurui Slum, " When I get sick, I can not go to the doctor. I pray to Jesus and he heals me." With such confidence she states as she pointed to the sky, I had to look away briefly to contain my tears.
But truly are our tears for those living in such poverty or are our tears for the poverty of our own spirit? I wonder.
With a broken heart,
Rhonda
Jessica singing and dancing with Pennina!
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