i. love. daraja. I don't even know how to describe how awesome this summer has been. I can't believe it's only been a month. Between knowing the kids and how well the intern team meshes, it's insane to think we've only been together a month. When we left Colombus, we were off to PCB Florida again. Tuesday afternoon was awesome. While the kids were down for a nap, the interns got to hang out while setting up, which was so much fun. We don't get a lot of time to just hang out. Wednesday morning, we sung at Big Stuf. It never ceases to amaze me the way God shows up completely for every Big Stuf session. It's one of those places you go that you can't NOT be moved God's presence and how huge he is. He's doing huge things in the lives of 1500 high schoolers every week and I can't wait to see the way he uses that to transform not only the country of Kenya, but also the hearts of Americans in this generation.
One thing I've noticed so much is how rich the Kenyans are. Materialistically, Americans are the wealthy ones: we've got money in our bank accounts, cars in the driveway, computers in our bookbags, cell phones in our pockets, etc. But the Kenyans are filled with a joy that Americans have lost. They have nowhere near the amount of stuff that we do, but they have so much more joy than we do, which just goes to show that their abundance is placed in a real and moving God. I think it's one of the reasons that people always fall in love with Daraja: they see the joy in the kids and they don't fully understand it, but they are always drawn to it. Everyday, I am learning to find my joy COMPLETELY in the Lord and put aside all the things that I think I need to sustain me.
Wednesday night, we did a concert at Gulf Beach Baptist in PCB. It was a great concert and God definitely showed up. Now, we are in Montgomery, Alabama. The kids spent today hanging out with kids from Common Ground, an Inner City ministry in Montgomery. It is definitely an awesome ministry. The leader's sacrifice for and trust in the Lord is something that I found so inspiring. He is giving his life to change the racial mindset of the people in Montgomery and to show people that they are supposed to find their identity in Christ, not in the color of their skin, something that hasn't necessarily been present in Montgomery before. I know this ministry is going to do huge things and I can not wait to worship with them tonight! Kelly and I have a day off today and we are just relaxing and catching up before we head to the concert to get ready.
This week, I had a moment where God showed me a small glimpse of how immense his love is for us. While three of my girls were showing their picture albums of their homes, I was listening to Betty talk. For those of you who don't know Betty, she is 12 years old and is absolutely going to change the world. She wants to be a judge to fight the corruption in Kenya and there is no doubt in my mind that she will. She was just talking to the host about her normal day and her family situation, how she only lives with her mom and doesn't talk to her Dad that much, but through everything, you could just see this joy radiating through her and everything she said, as always. I just sat there and realized how extremely proud I was of her and the other girls and how insanely much I loved them and would do anything in the world for them. I'm not a real parent, but I have felt the love of a parent for their child, and so many other people in this world have felt that. It is crazy to wrap our heads around the fact that God loves us SO much more than that. It may seem impossible, but It is so true. He CHOSE to save us and loves us more than we can imagine. There's a line in a book that the inters are reading that says "No one could ever love me more or better than Jesus." So true. Worldly love can be so strong, But God's love is way bigger than that. If we were just to acknowledge that everyday, think about how it could radically change our lives and the lives of people around us.
My family is coming to visit next week and I can't wait to see them! Tomorrow, we head back to Florida. I am so excited to see what God has in store for the next few days.
Here's How you can Pray:
-Pray that the kids aren't overcome by the wealth and materialistic attitude in the US, but their hearts and minds stay pure and they continue to sprint to the throne of God.
-Pray for the interns to be able to handle discipline problems with the kids, knowing when to speak out and how to do it in a Christ-like way. Also, pray for continued strength and energy in the interns.
-Pray for the families of the kids. They've been gone for almost a month and I know they miss their kids. Just pray that they have a comfort in knowing that their son or daughter is spreading the word of Christ and fulfilling his calling.
-Pray that our concerts aren't performances, but times of worship, even for the interns who have jobs during the concert. Pray that it is NEVER about Daraja, but always about worship and bringing people to the foot of the throne.
Thanks! Love you guys :)