Asante Sana Jesu (Thank you Jesus)
As I sit at my computer trying to think of how to summarize my last day and a half, I’m at a loss for words. Let me just say that my cheeks really started hurting today from smiling so much. We arrived at the Ilula Children’s Home and Training Center last night around 7:00 to an amazing welcome of 96 singing children and 20 ELI staff members. As I walked down the line and greeted and hugged each kid, almost of all of them said to me, “Welcome Home Kierra.” And truly, I feel like I’ve come home. From that welcome on, my time here has been nothing but pure joy. Why, you might ask? Well, here’s a little taste of what I’ve been experiencing: catching up with all our Kenyan staff at meal time, worshipping with the kids at devotion time, learning Swahili with the kids while eating lunch together, playing soccer, hearing what God has been doing in the ministry here during the last few months, sleeping in a hut under my African Princess mosquito net, and enjoying the breathtaking African skies and butterflies!
Already, God is doing so much in my heart. I have so much to learn here; so much to learn from these people. Living life with them reveals to me how small so much of my heart is. I look at some of my friends here and think, “How do they love at such a deep level? How do they trust God at such a deep level? How do they experience joy so deeply?” I am praying for enlargement. I long for God to enlarge my heart and my capacity to feel and experience life at every level. And I am excited. I want Him to stretch me and take me to new levels of loving people, new levels of experiencing His joy, new levels of hope in Him, new levels of peace in Him, new levels of compassion for His people, new levels of trust in His power, new levels of enjoying each day and moment, and new levels of knowing Him.
Lessons from Today:
1. “Haraka Haraka, haina baraka.” I’m not sure if I spelled all that correctly, but this is what Laban (the director of our Children’s Home) told me today. It means, “If you hurry, hurry, you loose the blessing.” I love it! They really understand the blessing of taking your time and enjoying each minute and conversation during the day. They never miss the blessing of the day because they are hurrying through it too fast. I wonder how many blessings I’ve missed because I was too busy and too hurried. Thanks for the reminder Laban!
2. Sally, one of the assistant house parents at our Children’s Home told me, “We have to work hard because God has given us health today. There are others who are not well today, but we have been given health and strength, so we must use it for God and work hard, especially for those who are unable to. So, I am working very hard today and am really praising God for my health and the ability to work for Him.” Wow, I want to be praising God for my health today also. And I want to use every ounce of health that I have for Him and His Kingdom and glory.
3. The power of praying. I sat in on the evening devotions that the children were having tonight and was blown away by their prayers. When it was time to pray, these kids got so excited! And they wanted to pray about EVERYTHING! They prayed for their sponsors in the U.S. (they all know their sponsor’s names and pray for them every day), they prayed for the children who were sick, they prayed for the children in Sudan who are suffering (they saw pictures from the Sudan last week and are really moved to pray for that country now), and they prayed thanking God for all the blessings He’s given them now (food, shoes, parents, school, etc). Truly, “Out of the lips of children, you have ordained praise.”
Already, God is doing so much in my heart. I have so much to learn here; so much to learn from these people. Living life with them reveals to me how small so much of my heart is. I look at some of my friends here and think, “How do they love at such a deep level? How do they trust God at such a deep level? How do they experience joy so deeply?” I am praying for enlargement. I long for God to enlarge my heart and my capacity to feel and experience life at every level. And I am excited. I want Him to stretch me and take me to new levels of loving people, new levels of experiencing His joy, new levels of hope in Him, new levels of peace in Him, new levels of compassion for His people, new levels of trust in His power, new levels of enjoying each day and moment, and new levels of knowing Him.
Lessons from Today:
1. “Haraka Haraka, haina baraka.” I’m not sure if I spelled all that correctly, but this is what Laban (the director of our Children’s Home) told me today. It means, “If you hurry, hurry, you loose the blessing.” I love it! They really understand the blessing of taking your time and enjoying each minute and conversation during the day. They never miss the blessing of the day because they are hurrying through it too fast. I wonder how many blessings I’ve missed because I was too busy and too hurried. Thanks for the reminder Laban!
2. Sally, one of the assistant house parents at our Children’s Home told me, “We have to work hard because God has given us health today. There are others who are not well today, but we have been given health and strength, so we must use it for God and work hard, especially for those who are unable to. So, I am working very hard today and am really praising God for my health and the ability to work for Him.” Wow, I want to be praising God for my health today also. And I want to use every ounce of health that I have for Him and His Kingdom and glory.
3. The power of praying. I sat in on the evening devotions that the children were having tonight and was blown away by their prayers. When it was time to pray, these kids got so excited! And they wanted to pray about EVERYTHING! They prayed for their sponsors in the U.S. (they all know their sponsor’s names and pray for them every day), they prayed for the children who were sick, they prayed for the children in Sudan who are suffering (they saw pictures from the Sudan last week and are really moved to pray for that country now), and they prayed thanking God for all the blessings He’s given them now (food, shoes, parents, school, etc). Truly, “Out of the lips of children, you have ordained praise.”
posted by Kierra Higgins at 12:14 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Kierra. This is Bobby Marchessault, Rachel's husband. Just wanted you to know what a blessing it's been to read along as you do your thing. I'm glad to have found your blog through Leah and Rob's blogs.
Yesterday I read your post about reading to the kids (which seems to be gone now) and was really touched. Great reminders.
Keep sharing your experiences. It's awesome to know that God is using you in such amazing ways, and doing such amazing things within you as well. You're in our prayers.
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