Learning to trust

Stories to share...
It is a dream come true to be back in Kenya and working with Empowering Lives International. It is an exciting season as we are in the process of starting an orphanage in the village of Ilula, but it is also a time when the harsh reality of AIDS is very present. It is estimated that there are already over 1.2 million orphans in Kenya alone. As we gratefully received our first 10 orphans this past week to the children’s home, there are now little faces with names and hard stories to accompany that overwhelming statistic. I want to share the story of one. His name is Benson Kip Too.
His story is like so many others… His father died, and his mother followed a short time after. Her fresh grave, just a small distance from the hut remains as a constant reminder. Benson is one of nine children left behind, and His grandmother has taken them in but does not have resources to meet even the most basic needs of these children. It’s impossible to adequately describe in words the feelings I experienced in going to this home. There was so much suffering. We took Benson, who is 7, and his little 3 year old sister for HIV screening. Upon leaving the compound, the 11 year old brother began running after us. He was screaming and crying: “take me too”. Because of the abundance of need, ELI has decided to start the home by accepting children 3-9 years old. I can't begin to tell you the heaviness and brokenness that filled my heart at having to leave him behind. I will not ever forget the sound of his cries. Upon testing the kids for HIV, the 3 year old was diagnosed with HIV. Again, because we do not have the facilities to care adequately for kids with AIDS at this time, we were unable to accept the little girl into the home.

My heart was broken once again for these little ones who desperately need help. As great as the sorrow, I also rejoiced because the silent cries of a little boy named Benson had been heard. He came to the children’s home hungry, dirty and broken; but it is clear, he has come to a place where there is hope again. There are parents who love these children and are taking them as their own. There is food to eat. There are clothes to wear. There is an opportunity to go to school and be raised in an environment where love is given. On the day Benson arrived at the orphanage, there were five other orphans that sat in our laps as we drove to Ilula. One little boy began yelling, “tunaenda nymbani”. It says it all: “we are going home”.
With much thanks…
There is so much to be grateful for. I’ve been encouraged time and again by the emails so many have sent- it somehow makes the worlds that we are apart smaller. I was able to talk to my parents by phone the other day; ironically, I had better reception in the jungles of Africa than I typically would have on a good day in Los Angeles. It’s seems a bit strange- I don’t have electricity or running water, but we do have the availability of cell phones. But for it, I am grateful.
Thank you for all of the prayers you have prayed. God has granted me safe journeys as I’ve traveled many miles. I have been welcomed back by my friends in Kenya so graciously. There have already been many moments that I’ve just had to stand back in awe at the ways in which God is confirming this desire within my heart to care for AIDS patients through home-based care. The second day I was in Kenya, I met a lady who works as a social worker for an organization that is already implementing home-based care within the same area as I will be living. She has invited me, after I return from language school, to meet her co-workers and to go on home visits to see the care that is being given through this program. I also have learned of a 2 day training being offered in a nearby village on this very topic of home-based care and will be attending in mid-October. All of this to say, I know that God has been preparing me for this season of ministry.
I am currently in Arusha, Tanzania at a 3 week intensive school to study Swahili. There is much to learn; but bit by bit, I am getting it. Thank you for your continued prayers for me in this area. I am looking forward to returning to Kipkaren, Kenya to make use of all that I am learning.
Learning to trust…
If I were to describe this journey of returning to Africa in a phrase, it would be this one: I’m learning to trust. As I adjust to life within a new culture and am daily confronted with harsh realities that are difficult for me to understand, I keep being reminded that: “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord have never forsaken those who seek You" (Psalm 9:9-10). In Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning sums up this theme with these words: “The reality of naked trust is the life of a pilgrim who leaves the nailed down, obvious, and secure, and walks into the unknown without any rational explanation to justify the decision or guarantee the future. Why? Because God has signaled the movement and offered it his presence and his promise”. Moment by moment, God is teaching me to trust Him and allowing me to walk in freedom simply as His child.