Being Thankful

"The Lord make his face to shine upon you..." -Numbers 6:25

Last night it rained heavily for the first time since I have been in Kitui.
This morning it was cloudy, and the ground was wet and muddy.
As I helped Mutheu set up the tea and coffee for Tea Break at work, the sun broke through the clouds, and I felt that the Lord was with me.

I would be lying if I said that everything has been perfect and entirely enjoyable since arriving in Kitui. In fact, the honeymoon phase I was in while in Nairobi came to a rather sudden halt my first week in Kitui. God has been shaking my foundation of faith in Him, and has repeatedly asked me "Do you trust me?" To which I answer with a heavy-hearted "yes." It is here, in this place of selfishness (the desire to be comfortable) and repentance (for that selfishness), that I have seen the beauty of God in an even greater way; in a way that transcends cultural differences and relationship structures; in a way that leaves me empty of myself and completely dependent on Jesus Christ, our Lord.

I am thankful that the Lord has brought me here. It is harder than I imagined, but God is becoming more in my life than I could have ever hoped for in my own human understanding. I want to share with you some of the beautiful things that the Lord has shared with me through being in Kitui, and being with the Kenyan people:


1. Kenyans LOVE to worship! They LOVE Jesus, and they are not afraid to sing about it whenever the opportunity presents itself.
One prime example is Mutheu (on the right). She is such a blessing to me every day at work. She sings praise to the Lord in kikamba every morning. She is also such a faithful servant. Every morning she makes chai (milk tea), she cleans all of the offices, and she NEVER complains. She has told me that she is looking toward greener pastures, but she is patient and joyful where she is (a lesson I definitely need to learn!)

2. Kenyans are friendly and generous people. Their community is built on the belief that everyone helps each other when they are in need. This is practiced in many different ways, from giving money when someone is struggling, to giving time (and a lot of time) to someone who wants to celebrate something (even when you don't know what it is for).

3. Kenyans love to celebrate, and each celebration (at least the ones I have been to so far) are primarily for thanking God! From the birthday of a 59 y.o. man, to celebrating the return of a missing child, communities of people gather together to give thanks and praise to God! It is beautiful!

4. One of the more selfish blessings that I have is Mary, our house girl. I have not had someone wash my clothes and cook all my food for many years, and it is strange to relinquish these responsibilities to someone else. I like to help her when I can, and her company is a joy to me. She is only 19, and she is spicy! She has an attitude about her that is always making me laugh, and our daily miscommunications are pretty funny too! One of the biggest blessings of having Mary (and this is the "selfish" part of the blessing), is that I have more time to spend with God in the morning and evening because she does all of the hard work. There is a big part of me that is not comfortable with having someone doing all the hard work so I can rest, but I am SO GRATEFUL for the extra time I have been able to have with the Lord!

Mary!

Next week I am doing a food blog (per request)! Here is a little preview of the amazing food I get to eat every day ;)

God is good all the time! And all the time, God is good!

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter or our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God"! - Hebrews 12:1-3 (ESV)