Day 7 and 8:
On behalf of the team I would like to first say thank you to all of those who have supported us and prayed for us throughout this journey. The trip and the progress that was made would not have been possible had it not been for you. The following is going to be a synopses of the events that took place the final two days in Kenya. My main goal is to share the emotional struggles, questions, and delight that were expressed by team members during those days.
Following our last emotional debrief on Wednesday night the team went to bed feeling a sense of community with each other. Thursday morning we began with our normal breakfast and devotion then it was time to say goodbye to the Panorama Hotel. Today was a day to reflect on the experience we had had in the village and also a day to prepare to re-acclimate ourselves to society. Prior to checking into our new hotel we went for a boat ride and walk through a park. We used this time to appreciate Gods beauty in the world and also to reflect on our experiences. When our walk was complete we got back on the bus and headed to our new hotel. Upon arrival we dropped off our baggage then returned to the bus for a safari. This again was the perfect opportunity for us to be together if one of us needed support without doing an activity that required an extensive amount of talking. When the safari ended it was time to head back to the hotel, eat dinner, debrief, and then it was time for bed.
The next morning the team was given on additional hour to journal and prepare ourselves for reentry into our daily routines. On the way back to Nairobi we stopped at a few places to pick up souvenirs, ate lunch on the bus, stopped in Nairobi for dinner, then off to the airport. The Goodbye to Muchai (our 410 Bridge leader) was just as hard as saying goodbye to the village. He has been a great support and I know that many team members already look forward to seeing him again next year.
Throughout our own personal dilemmas and struggles dealing with the Kenyan's poverty and general unawareness of worldly matters we all had the same realization in the end. We realized that we all need God, no matter what our culture or circumstance. We are all lost without God. Todays message in church really brought this into perspective for me. The people of Kiria Kenya are able to rejoice and be happy because they allow themselves the time to be quite, still, and alone which equals being close to God. I know that many team members struggled with the fact that the people of Kira Kenya were so happy and yet are lacking in many ways. I for one was surprised at how content the people in the village were. When looking closely you can tell that they are not lacking in the most important way; they know God and they allow their soul time to grow. Do they still need material possessions, such s bibles and books, to assist in this process? Yes, and that is where we come in as their partners. We are partnering with then in order to build on what is already in place.
One tough question that we ran across in one of our debrief is, “Do the people of Kiria struggle socially in the community.” Without fulling understanding the language it is hard for any of us to completely understand the social dynamic of the adults. However, I can not imagine a society where there was not a difference in opinion at some point. I think the people of Kiria have been trained at an early age to be quiet about what you don't like because there is nothing anyone can do about it. Now, that is just my opinion based on my experiences. The leaders in the village and 410 Bridge staff are working on ways to get the women to be more outspoken which will be a positive transformation overall.
I think the thing that we all found the most surprising, cherished the most, and will miss the most is the openness of the community. They welcomed us with open arms and taught us about community when we were there to help them. Appreciate and awareness of the people in our lives and the God who made us all is my take-away from this mission. I hope to continue to do missional work and to share these messages with others. Thank you again for all of your support and prayers.
Listen to: “Open Arms”
God Bless,
Amy Lineberry, on behalf of Team Kenya 2011
1 comment:
I reviewed the entries on the blog tonight -- wanting to see what my best buddy Diana T. had experienced.
It was amazing to read, I am amazed, but not surprised, how God used this group.
Its pretty cool to know someone who was a part of this.
Beth Tanner
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