What Kenya taught me...

This is such a broad topic, and it will probably take a few posts to completely cover, but I have to start somewhere. Even though I was only in Kenya for a short period of time, it impacted me in profound ways.

1. Strength in Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for  you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Let that last sentence resonate: "For when I am weak, then I am strong." It's such a beautiful idea. We don't have to be strong enough on our own, we don't have to be good enough on our own. God intercedes and takes that burden on for us. God is glorified through our weaknesses and we should celebrate that!

This summer I was pushed to do things that I thought were beyond me, things that honestly scared me. Interacting with people of a different culture, preaching, public speaking, and evangelizing were all things that I was insecure and nervous about. My time in Kenya pushed me into all of these situations and made me do things and try things that I thought of as my weaknesses. Public speaking is an area in which I was not confident in at all. It made me very nervous. However, on my ministry assignment I was speaking almost everyday. I would teach devotions to the students every morning, I taught devotions to the teachers once a week, and I also preached on two of the Sundays. Firstly, I thought that there was no way I could write so many sermons and devotions, let alone deliver them well. But, God worked through me in amazing ways. Writing devotions became easy as I just allowed God to inspire me on what to teach on. I am fully convinced that it was only through His strength and wisdom that I was able to write so many talks in so little time. God gave me the words to say, I just delivered them.

2. Relationships, relationships, relationships.

Kenya taught me about the importance of relationships and showed me how I tend to put them on the back burner of my own life. I tend to make the excuse of "I'm an introvert" to avoid interacting with people as much. But this summer I spent about 2 months with people constantly around me and I survived! God showed me that there are good things that come out of healthy relationships with others and how I need to make those a priority in my life. I am committed to making more time for people in my life now.

3. I am so blessed.

Anyone who has spent time in a country stricken with poverty can tell you that we have so much. And what I learned is that I have absolutely nothing to complain about. One of my favorite Kenyan songs is:

"Mambo sawa sawa, mambo sawa sawa. Yesu akiwa enzini, mambo sawa sawa, mambo sawa sawa, mambo sawa sawa."

"Things already better, things already better. For the Lord is on the throne, things already better, things already better, things already better."

We tend to get worked up about things that inconvenience us in the slightest and we will get angry and frustrated about things that don't matter. Life in Kenya taught me to take a step back, put things in perspective, and adjust my attitude. Even coming back, I can sense my attitude is so much more laid back and calm than before. I thank God for opening my eyes to these things and allowing them to affect me and change me.

We also have so much. The fact that we have enough food, shelter, and clothes is such a blessing! I have met children who get one meal a day and that is because they are fed at school. It has made me realize what I have and put in perspective of what I "need".

These are just three of the ways in which my experiences in Kenya have changed me. God worked through those experiences, in me to change the ways that I think and see things. I am forever grateful.