“Karibu Nyumbani” (Welcome Home)
These were the words I heard over and over again from my “family” as they welcomed me into the village of Kipkaren last Wednesday. My welcome was filled with lots of singing, hugs, smiles, flowers, and prayers. My cheeks were hurting from smiling and my eyes were blurring from tears as I entered my new home for the next four months. Wow, what a special place this little village is. My first few days here have been all about settling in, re-connecting with the staff, catching up on all the different aspects of our ministry, preparing for the teams and interns who will be coming this summer, and just adjusting to life in Kipkaren (which is somehow very busy with ministry, and yet also very slow paced and always unpredictable). Each day has been filled with new adventures. Here are a couple of them:
Driving in Kenya:
Yep, that’s right, I am now a Kenyan driver! It actually wasn’t as scary or hard as I anticipated. I was a bit nervous about learning to drive on the right side of the car and the left side of the road, but I quickly learned that those adjustments would not be my biggest concern. It’s the BUMPY, pot-hole-filled, dirt roads that pose as the biggest challenge (but, they also bring the fun and adventure of it all). I’m proud to say that I’m getting the hang of them though and am gaining courage to really tackle the bumps and dips. So, yes, ninaweza endesha gari (I can drive the car). Not to be confused with “I have diarrhea.” I learned quickly that the word for “drive” and “diarrhea” are the same. So, when you talk about driving, you have to make sure you add the part about a car. If you don’t say you are driving the car, you are saying that you have diarrhea. Good minor detail to remember when driving here and telling others about it.
Riding the Boda Bodas:
My first day here, I went to a nearby town with two members of ELI”s Home-Based-Care-Team to do AIDS testing and counseling (I didn’t do the testing or counseling, but went along to see the program and spend time with Betty and Pheobe, two of my closest Kenyan friends). We had a great day talking and laughing together as we waited for people to come by the church to get tested. Maru, our driver was supposed to pick us up around 4:00 to bring us home, but at 6:00, there was still no sign of him. We called him and found out he was still doing business in a town about an hour away. So, we decided to walk the 5 miles home. We were now on a race to beat the sun going down so that we wouldn’t be walking in complete darkness. But, we were slowed up a bit because we had to buy cabbage and meat in the market for dinner that night, and the load was a bit heavy to carry. But, God came to the rescue! After walking for about 10 minutes, we saw some ‘boda boda’ drivers. A boda boda is a bicycle with an extra seat on the back of it that is used as a kind of taxi. We hired three of the boda boda drivers to bring us home on their bikes, and wow, what a blast! I laughed most of the way home riding on the back of the bike. I think my driver laughed most of the way also- he had never carried a mzungu (white person) before. Both of us got quite a kick out of the whole situation. Not to mention Pheobe, Betty, and everyone we passed on the road. Definitely a memory to treasure!
Along with all the fun adventures going on, God has been teaching me and really working on my heart. A few days ago, I was driving with another staff member and saw a sign on a car saying “The Mighty Hand of the Lord.” It had a picture of a hand, but we started laughing because it wasn’t a very good drawing of a hand. It looked a bit small and shriveled. We laughed for a minute, but then I realized, “You know, I think that’s the picture I have of God’s hand a lot of the time. Sure, I say I believe in His might and power, and I declare that His hand is mighty, but, if I’m honest with myself, the picture I really hold of His hand is a small, somewhat weak one. How do I know this? I can tell by my prayer life. I can tell by my expectations of God. When I look at the prayers that I pray and the small expectations I often have, I can tell that my view of his hand is small. When I think about how much I stress and worry, it tells me that my view of His hand is small. Oh Lord, forgive me. Forgive me for limiting you. Forgive me for the small view I have of your mighty hand. Will you give this blind girl sight? Sight to see your hand as it really is- in all it’s might and power!!! Teach me to pray prayers worthy of your hand, prayers that proclaim your greatness in what they ask for and what they expect.
Prayer Requests:
We have our first team arriving on Tuesday the 23rd. I am really excited, but am also feeling a bit insecure. In so many ways, I still feel so unprepared for this job of hosting the teams. The more I’m here, the more I realized how much I don’t know. A lot of me feels really inadequate to be the person in charge of hosting these teams. But, the Lord spoke to me today that, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12). I am determined to cling to this promise and trust his power to made great in my weakness here. Praise the Lord that “when we are weak, then we are strong.” Please pray for His power to really rest on me and be made complete. Pray that HE equips me and does this job through me. I am going to need so much wisdom and discernment and help from Him. Pray that He fills me with His love, His words, His wisdom, and His power. And may He be my confidence and competence!
Please continue to pray for my health. Thank you so much for your prayers concerning this so far! I have felt completely healthy the entire time so far- praise the Lord! May this good health continue throughout the entire summer! Continue to pray against malaria, and that God continues to bless each meal to my body. Also, pray for energy and strength throughout these busy days ahead. Each day is going to be jam-packed from 6:00am till late into the evening. I am definitely going to need God’s strength!
Pray for my relationship with God. I long to grow so close to Him this summer. Pray for deeper intimacy each day. May the busyness not distract me from hearing His still small voice and may I dance with Him through every circumstance of the day. Oh, I long to get to know Him so much more.
Pray for my relationship with each team member and the Kenyans in this village. I really want for God’s love to shine out of me onto every person I come into contact with. As I interact with them, I long for them to feel the touch of God.
Driving in Kenya:
Yep, that’s right, I am now a Kenyan driver! It actually wasn’t as scary or hard as I anticipated. I was a bit nervous about learning to drive on the right side of the car and the left side of the road, but I quickly learned that those adjustments would not be my biggest concern. It’s the BUMPY, pot-hole-filled, dirt roads that pose as the biggest challenge (but, they also bring the fun and adventure of it all). I’m proud to say that I’m getting the hang of them though and am gaining courage to really tackle the bumps and dips. So, yes, ninaweza endesha gari (I can drive the car). Not to be confused with “I have diarrhea.” I learned quickly that the word for “drive” and “diarrhea” are the same. So, when you talk about driving, you have to make sure you add the part about a car. If you don’t say you are driving the car, you are saying that you have diarrhea. Good minor detail to remember when driving here and telling others about it.
Riding the Boda Bodas:
My first day here, I went to a nearby town with two members of ELI”s Home-Based-Care-Team to do AIDS testing and counseling (I didn’t do the testing or counseling, but went along to see the program and spend time with Betty and Pheobe, two of my closest Kenyan friends). We had a great day talking and laughing together as we waited for people to come by the church to get tested. Maru, our driver was supposed to pick us up around 4:00 to bring us home, but at 6:00, there was still no sign of him. We called him and found out he was still doing business in a town about an hour away. So, we decided to walk the 5 miles home. We were now on a race to beat the sun going down so that we wouldn’t be walking in complete darkness. But, we were slowed up a bit because we had to buy cabbage and meat in the market for dinner that night, and the load was a bit heavy to carry. But, God came to the rescue! After walking for about 10 minutes, we saw some ‘boda boda’ drivers. A boda boda is a bicycle with an extra seat on the back of it that is used as a kind of taxi. We hired three of the boda boda drivers to bring us home on their bikes, and wow, what a blast! I laughed most of the way home riding on the back of the bike. I think my driver laughed most of the way also- he had never carried a mzungu (white person) before. Both of us got quite a kick out of the whole situation. Not to mention Pheobe, Betty, and everyone we passed on the road. Definitely a memory to treasure!
Along with all the fun adventures going on, God has been teaching me and really working on my heart. A few days ago, I was driving with another staff member and saw a sign on a car saying “The Mighty Hand of the Lord.” It had a picture of a hand, but we started laughing because it wasn’t a very good drawing of a hand. It looked a bit small and shriveled. We laughed for a minute, but then I realized, “You know, I think that’s the picture I have of God’s hand a lot of the time. Sure, I say I believe in His might and power, and I declare that His hand is mighty, but, if I’m honest with myself, the picture I really hold of His hand is a small, somewhat weak one. How do I know this? I can tell by my prayer life. I can tell by my expectations of God. When I look at the prayers that I pray and the small expectations I often have, I can tell that my view of his hand is small. When I think about how much I stress and worry, it tells me that my view of His hand is small. Oh Lord, forgive me. Forgive me for limiting you. Forgive me for the small view I have of your mighty hand. Will you give this blind girl sight? Sight to see your hand as it really is- in all it’s might and power!!! Teach me to pray prayers worthy of your hand, prayers that proclaim your greatness in what they ask for and what they expect.
Prayer Requests:
We have our first team arriving on Tuesday the 23rd. I am really excited, but am also feeling a bit insecure. In so many ways, I still feel so unprepared for this job of hosting the teams. The more I’m here, the more I realized how much I don’t know. A lot of me feels really inadequate to be the person in charge of hosting these teams. But, the Lord spoke to me today that, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12). I am determined to cling to this promise and trust his power to made great in my weakness here. Praise the Lord that “when we are weak, then we are strong.” Please pray for His power to really rest on me and be made complete. Pray that HE equips me and does this job through me. I am going to need so much wisdom and discernment and help from Him. Pray that He fills me with His love, His words, His wisdom, and His power. And may He be my confidence and competence!
Please continue to pray for my health. Thank you so much for your prayers concerning this so far! I have felt completely healthy the entire time so far- praise the Lord! May this good health continue throughout the entire summer! Continue to pray against malaria, and that God continues to bless each meal to my body. Also, pray for energy and strength throughout these busy days ahead. Each day is going to be jam-packed from 6:00am till late into the evening. I am definitely going to need God’s strength!
Pray for my relationship with God. I long to grow so close to Him this summer. Pray for deeper intimacy each day. May the busyness not distract me from hearing His still small voice and may I dance with Him through every circumstance of the day. Oh, I long to get to know Him so much more.
Pray for my relationship with each team member and the Kenyans in this village. I really want for God’s love to shine out of me onto every person I come into contact with. As I interact with them, I long for them to feel the touch of God.
posted by Kierra Higgins at 3:28 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Kierra...I just wanted to say Hi. I don't think we've met, but I am friends with Leah Vis. We are neighbors and former co-workers. Anyway, ever so often I look at your blog. I spent two years in Tanzania, so I am loving hearing about your adventures in East Africa. And reading the Swahili. God bless you as you are Jesus with skin on to the children & adults you encounter every day!!
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