Kenya Day Two

Day Two: 

Today I think I speak for the team when I say that we are truly humbled and blessed with indescribable human kindness. From children and adults stopping everything to welcome us into their homes, to the holes in the ground that are considered restrooms. We are in another world! A world were grace and love is given without thought or question. A world where strangers are welcome with a smile and a hug. A world where community supports one another through daily affirmation and continual support. 

I would like to say thank you to Fran for the great devotion topic this morning. The team spoke this morning about taking the time to be still and allowing yourself to feel what God is trying to tell you. Throughout all of our activities today, bus rides, home visits, meals, debriefs, we were all focusing on the task at hand. We are all here for a reason and it is important that we allow ourselves the time to focus on the beautiful things in life such as relationships with others and nature. 

Now, let me backtrack for a minute to tell you about the logistics of our day before I move on. The team had breakfast and a morning devotion in Nairobi then departed for Kiria at approximatley 9:00am. On the way to the village my senses were overloaded by all of the new sights and sounds. It is typical to see a chicken coop on one side of the road as well as children with worn out clothes and no shoes. Not to mention the beautiful landscapes that were mixed among the daily living of the Kenyans.

  

Once we reached the village it was like nothing I have ever seen before. A wave of students in green uniforms came to flood the road. As we got off of the bus we were greeted by one of the community leaders wife, Beth. Then, the students immediately embraced us by taking our hands and leading us to the primary school. Smiling, laughing, asking us our names only begins to diecribe their enthusiasm to see us. Once we reached the school the students sang us a Christian song and danced for us. The community leaders welcomed us and we were able to formally introduce ourselves. At that point we breaked for lunch and then began our home visits. 

The home visit consisted of 5 small groups that entered the homes of the people of Kiria. My group visited three homes and all three left me with a feelings of love, peace, patience, community, and grace. We introduced ourselves to the family and were shocked to know that they were just as, if not more happy to have us in their home. One person that we visited said that she had been waiting a year for visitors. 

The home visits were encouraging for some and difficult for others based on the circumstance of the visit. Just like in the US, there are families here who are more well off than others. The major difference that I can determine so far is that here your value is not based on financial ranking. Here, everyone is apart of the community and supports its needs. 

The bible verse that I have posted below really speaks to me because it mentions being kind to others no mater what. This is what the Kenyan people do. They do not look at us as the rich Americans and treat us bitterly because they live in a small house with no electicity or water. No, they welcome us and treat us as friends. I for one have much to learn here from the people in Kiria Kenya and many friends to make! 

“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.” 

-1 Thessalonians 5:15

God Bless, 

Amy Lineberry, on behalf of Team Kenya 2011