FKM: Such Joy

I am raising money to go to Kenya this summer to serve with Christian Relief Fund.  While I am there, I will love orphans, share the Gospel, and serve the needy.  God is moving in mighty ways in Kenya.  If you would like to support me in my fundraising, you can CLICK HERE to donate to my trip through the CRF website.  Be sure to indicate that your donation is for "Emily's Kenya Trip."  I only have a little over $300 left to raise.  Yes, the Lord is working powerfully!

Every Friday until I go to Kenya, I will be sharing a memory with you about my 2009 trip, to remind you of how the Lord is moving in Kenya and how lives are being changed in that country daily.

Friday Kenya Memory: July 5, 2009

After church, we broke up into small groups so that we could teach the community.  I was with a group that taught the young women.  There were probably forty of them in all.  We told the girls about the book of Esther and how Esther stood up for what was right.  We told them that they could stand up for what was right as well, in any situation.  In Kenyan culture, women often feel as if they have to submit to sex outside of marriage.  They need education to teach them that it is okay to say no.

When I first spoke, I had the girls hop around and dance to get out their "wiggles" before I taught them.  I think the lesson went well.  The girls seemed to respond in the right ways to the teaching.

Right when our friend Connie started to speak, the sky began to pour down rain.  Everyone became distracted, so they all stood up and started singing... and singing... and singing!  Even thirty or forty minutes later, when the rain stopped, these girls continued to sing for more than an hour.

Meanwhile, I was swamped with children once again.  They all wanted to touch my white skin and my curly hair and my face.  "We admire your hair," they would say.  "Do not return to the USA.  Remain in Kenya, with us."

"But I can't stay," I protested.

"Why?  Are you afraid of black people?"  ...Wow.  What?!

"Of course I'm not afraid of black people!  I love every one of you.  But my family is in America, waiting for me."

I became friends with a young lady named Lydia.  She told me about how her parents had died a few years before, leaving her to take care of six younger siblings on her own.  When she is not in school, she takes care of her brothers and sisters in a single-room shack in the slums.

During the service, Francis told us to ask one another if we were happy.  I turned around and asked several of the children sitting amongst me, "Are you happy?"

Their faces lit up with joy that only the Lord could give them as they each replied, "Yes, I am happy.  I am very happy."

Two girls pulled me aside and asked for my email address.  "Today you taught us to have courage," Marina said.  "You are our teacher.  Send us letters of encouragement so that we may have strength."  Few computers are available to this community, mostly through organizations like Christian Relief Fund, but I hope I can stay in contact with these lovely girls.

When it was time to go, crowds of smiling people shook our hands and embraced us and spoke to us one last time.  When we waved goodbye, several children followed behind our matatu, waving and laughing.

I love this people.  They are so welcoming, so hospitable, so joyful, so thankful, so giving, so loving, so trusting, so honest, so kind.  They make my heart ache with a mixture of joy and sorrow.  These sweet people literally have nothing but the clothes on their backs, and yet they cannot help but sing for joy.

Today I saw a house made of sticks, tarp, and newspaper, and the people inside smiled and waved as we drove by in our matatus.  Such joy.

Three years ago: Is hell real?
Two years ago: ROFLing Puppy
One year ago: She relies on the Lord.