We All Need Jesus: 9-28

CHE evangelism day in Babandogo. Before going out into the field, the whole department had a prayer meeting. It was amazing to see everyone so dedicated to proclaiming God’s word. We went over to the village as a team and I worked with Timothy and Daniel. Those two men are super cool. They love Jesus and they are quite eloquent. They are great at encouraging people through prayer. They are totally confident in sharing the gospel, they are wise, and they are patient. Both are dedicated to serving these communities.

The three of us went around to random people and just started a conversation with them. I was surprised at how open everyone was to discussing the gospel. I think it has something to do with the Kenyan mentality of being so incredibly welcoming. Timothy and Daniel would explain the gospel and I prayed for literally everyone. It was a great experience. Four women decided to follow Jesus and start going to a Bible study at church. I loved getting to pray for them and welcome them as my sisters in Christ.

I met the most amazing woman today – Grandmother Nancy. She is in her 70s and is a stud. She loves Jesus so much. We were welcomed into her shanty and she made room for us on a bench. It was pretty dark in her home and she had a bad back so she hunched over to get around. Timothy and Daniel started talking to her in Swahili. They told me that she was a Christian and she always insists that people from her church come and visit her on Sunday (they gladly do). She couldn’t go without fellowshipping and worshipping God in her week.

She began to encourage us. She said that she was so pleased to see young people out evangelizing. She looked at me and I heard her say Mzungu a few times, so I knew she was talking about me. She said that she was encouraged to see that I cared about her and her community. She encouraged me to keep serving Christ. After talking with her for about 45 minutes, she said that she wanted to pray for us.

Talk about a humbling experience. Here is an old Kenyan woman in a metal shack hunched over praying for me and my walk with Jesus. She prayed for about 10 minutes, encouraging us and exalting our King. She totally gets it. She understands how perfect the grace of Jesus is. She loves her Savior with all of her heart. I pray that someday I will have faith like hers.

After all of this, Ruben walked us back. In the alleyway where we always see people passed out, there was a glue boy (awake). He saw us Mzungus walking and he jumped up and in a stupor started talking to us. He reached out for Leann, but Ruben quickly put his arm around her and told the boy to back off in Swahili. I feel very safe walking around with the men who work at Missions of Hope. I am always very grateful that they accompany us. It’s not like any of these situations are particularly dangerous, but the people we encounter will totally leave us alone if a man is with us. It is nice that we don’t have to worry.

Since Audrey is kind of hard for people to say, some people in CHE call me June. Today Fred, the director of CHE started calling my July at lunch. It was pretty hilarious. I kind of hope it sticks.

The only way to conclude such an epic day was with milkshakes. The three interns made a deal with Mary that if you learn how to drive in Kenya, you get rewarded with a milkshake. (This rule applied to Mary too since she never drives.) Well, all of us had driven at this point, so we decided to celebrate. I got to drive us around today. It is pretty enjoyable because you have to use your brain while driving. We put “Learner” stickers on the car, so everyone gave us plenty of space. I ended up driving us around for about two hours.

We got our milkshakes at Java House, a tasty coffee shop and American restaurant. The contrast from the slums to Java House was a bit alarming. I have decided to keep a tally of the number of glue boys I see in passing throughout the slums. Since beginning my count, I have seen 11 in total. However, today I saw 6 glue boys. It was very startling. Today stuck out in particular because I saw three glue boys running around together and they looked about 12 years old.

I absolutely hate seeing children grungy and high out of their minds, it is probably the most disturbing thing in the slums. These boys wear baggy dirty clothing and hold small clear bottles of yellow glue. Many of them leave the bottle just below their noses so they get a continual stream. Others have sticks that they dip in the bottles and then sniff. As we pass, they have goofy grins on their faces and their teeth are yellow and rotting. Watching them walk is the worst. I hate seeing kids stumble around saying, “Howareyou!” like they are drunk. I hate that I have to basically ignore them and pass by quickly so they don’t make too big of a scene. I hate that I see them passed out in the alleyways with a cloud of flies buzzing around them all morning. I hate that I can sometimes smell them – the fact that their odor can stand out while in a slum. I can only imagine how sad it makes Jesus.