Trust Him in The Process- July 22, 2012

One of the many things my month in Kenya has taught me so far is that I have to “trust God in the process”. I put that phrase in quotes because this morning, as I waited for the water heater so I could take a shower, I read over a piece of writing from almost exactly a year ago, titled “working in our waiting”. In that post I quoted a friend and guest speaker who articulated many encouraging things, including…”God’s not as concerned about getting us to a certain destination as he is that we learn to trust Him in the process of getting where he wants to take us”. This aptly describes my time in kenya. It has been a process in many ways; the preparation months before arriving, the language lessons, and the change of placements. I’ve been reminded countless times of the truth that it’s HIS will and work. He is the one who calls and sends and who provides. I have been so blessed by the encouraging words from so many people back home and by all the new friends and mentors here.

Last week was an amazing part of the process of growing and trusting that God is my constant, my provider, and joy. Jennie and I settled into our new placement at Adventure Pride Center, a school on the outskirts of the Kibera slum. It was an amazing week. The school is run by several caring men who are surrounded by dedicated teachers. There is an attitude of joy and an atmosphere of love at the school. It is a wonderful place of safety, acceptance, and joy for the children who are facing so many hard things. My days at the school consist of tutoring children in reading-- including a determined middle-elementary aged girl who doesn’t speak Swahili or English but who understood the components of letters A and B after 30 minutes of various instruction methods—a very rewarding experience! This tutoring time has also been a great way for me to get to know the children better on a personal level and some of their stories are heartbreaking but I am thankful they trust me enough to open up. In the afternoons I teach 35 minute “creative arts” classes to the upper levels and am really enjoying the process of coming up with fun projects for them. Two afternoons a week Jennie and I are leading Bible studies, a mixed group on Mondays and then all girls on Wednesday. The first week one of the students asked me when God was born—I can tell that these kids are eager to learn about God and I am so privileged to be a part of that.

two of the preschool cuties

The paper airplane art project

 

Needless to say, it’s been a week of change and also one of encouragement. A big prayer request is that I would be able to pick up Swahili phrases from those around me because I didn’t take lessons. Additionally, that I would have the words and wisdom with the children and with the bible study we lead. Continued health is also a big request because working in the slum is a place where many have gotten sick and I want to remain as healthy as possible to be there as much as possible. Thank you for your prayers!