Janet

"Be open, this is about God." In the midst of a 2 hour preparation for leaving for our ministry assignments, (we will be doing minstry for 3 weeks in cities throughout Kenya with one other student from our team) these words were said. After an overwhelming amount of information about cultural sensitivity, do's and don'ts on just about every topic, this was how the conversation ended. See, I am learning that I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I signed up for this trip. I did not sign up for the typical missions trip, living with a team and doing ministry during the day. No, I signed up for a global project, which means living with a Kenyan family for a month, learning the Kenyan culture and living it.

The Kenyan culture is very conservative, and very different from Tennessee. Here, looking into someone's eyes can be a big sign of disrespect. Letting your knees show is also very inappropriate, and tops should cover near to the collar bone. While dress is only one small part of the puzzle, communication is another challenge. In Kenya, the term beat around the bush is perfected. Friends are not direct with each other, and are very non-confrontational. So, there are certain topics that are just not discussed here. Learning to shake hands as I walk down the dirt road has been exciting, and here the measure of an effective day could be how many hands you have shook.

In my weakness, I am terrified that I will make some cultural blunder, one that will break trust between me and my new Kenyan friends. My personality is very opposite a lot of the culture here, so learning to be a little more conservative and not speak straightforwardly has been interesting! All to say, some days I feel like I am walking on glass, a thin layer that could shatter at any minute.

Two termites landed in my hair tonight, and nearly threw me over the edge. With a possible case of bed bugs as well, I was on the verge of tears. I know, I know, its Africa... but I still wasn't exactly prepared for that! But, as those thoughts came, this one sentence came as well. Be open, be open, this is about God. There is a freedom that comes when I choose to take that to heart. I have to let all of Africa, the good and the bad, to easy and the hard, permeate my heart.

In two days, I will leave to live with a Kenyan family for a month. Why me? How? Can I even do it? These are the questions that keep running through my head. Hearing stories from past trip students gives me the hint that roughing and toughing it will be an understatement for the next few weeks. But, when I come back to this phrase, I am reminded my purpose in being here. And I am so quickly humbled. Was this not Moses' exact cry in Exodus 3:1-12, the exact Sunday school lesson I taught earlier this morning? Was he not saying why me Lord? I am not ready nor equipped! Are you sure you have chosen the right person? As I find myself asking these questions, I remember that it is never my power in the first place that brought me here, and it is not my power now that will sustain me. Teaching this lesson in front of 30 ten to twelve year olds, all beautiful kids who have been orphaned, neglected, and abandoned, I am humbled. Moses felt so inadequate, yet he chose to be obedient, and his obedience changed in turn changed the course of history forever. His call, like mine this morning with my Sunday school class, was just to go.

So today, I am going to make a new choice. Being around 95 destitute kids teaches you something. It makes you look at the world just a little bit differently. As Janet- my new 15 year old friend from the Nairobi Children's Centre-and I sang I was met with these eyes, that had refused to give up, refused to be defeated by her circumstances. Before I left she handed me a note from her precious notebook that said this....
The greatest joy...giving
The greatest problem to overcome...fear
The most powerful force in life... love
The world's most incredible computer...the brain
The two most power filled words..."I can"
The most beautiful attire...a smile
The most powerful channel of communication...a prayer
The most contagious spirit... enthusiasm

Be blessed. Sending love from Kenya.
-Jenny