My Date to Kenya

Wow, did God bless me beyond my wildest imagination during my recent 10 days in the land that’s stolen my heart! The whole time, I felt like I was on an incredible date with Him– I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so loved and romanced by God. My trip was filled with countless moments when my eyes filled with tears of joy at the extravagant, intimate love of our amazing God. The tears started as I arrived at KipKaren (hopefully my summer home next year) to the welcome of singing and hugs from the countless people I’ve come to love there. The tears continued as I learned upon arrival that I was going to get to stay there for five days instead of the originally planned one. And the tears of joy continued to grace my face as the 96 orphans in our Children’s Home attacked me with hugs and laughter saying how much they had missed me. The joyfilled tears formed as I woke up in my hut each morning and realized where I was, and as I worshipped and danced with my Kenyan friends.

What a treat my 5 days in the village were. For the first time, I got to live life in the village not as part of a team with a schedule to follow every day, but simply as a member of the community, as family. I helped cook with the kitchen staff, visited and prayed with people in their homes, worked in the gardens with the six-month students, assisted the home-based-care team at our huge AIDS campaign, and enjoyed fellowship as I helped with laundry and dishes.

Our team from Bayside (18 of us total) had a lot of other great experiences throughout the trip including worshipping at a Mossai Church and serving at a second-chance high-school, but my highlight and greatest gift was definitely the 5 days I spent with my “family” in KipKaren. Thank you for that date Jesus! I will forever treasure every moment of laughter, worship, dance, prayer, and life that you blessed me with there!