Today was an exhausting day in the most wonderful way. We spent the morning worshiping with Stanley Gitari at his church. When we arrived, we were met with the sound of joyous singing coming from the church. Stanley informed us it was Sunday School. As we went inside we saw many children of all ages singing together at the top of their lungs. I asked Stanley what they were singing, and he said they were saying, “If I die, let me die....I’m a soldier in the Army of the Lord.”
Now, before you jump to conclusions, let me go on. This was not a dirge or funeral march they were begrudgingly singing. This was not a reluctant acceptance of an inevitability to come, or even a resolve to a status quo. No....this was a celebration! It was a song of joy proclaiming above all else, that they are part of the Lord’s chosen, and for them it meant they had joined the ranks all other believer’s to fight the powers of sin and darkness. And for them, this was cause for celebration. (In fact, I might add here. Salvation to the Kenya people is much more than a name on a church roster. Every time they introduced themselves, it was, “Bwana Asafiwe (God is Good). My name is ..... and Jesus Christ is my personal Lord and Savior.” This rolled off the tongue with each of them so smoothly, that it was evident it was part of their normal introduction they gave to all they met.) As I listened to the children sing, I had to fight back the tears welling up in my eyes.....it was one of several such moments from today.
After a tea time with African Tea and fresh mangos right off the tree (Yum!), we hopped in the vans and traveled over to New Hope. As a District, Lisa had encouraged the churches to raise or donate $300/church to fund the digging of a water well at New Hope. When we arrived, the whole community was already out front singing songs of joy and dancing to welcome us. They came to the gate and ushered us all in as if they had been waiting their whole life for us to visit.
Once inside, introductions were made and Stanley informed them all why we were there. When he told them that we were donating $2,000,000 shillings (or $20,000 USD) for the sole purpose of the water well the place erupted in song, cheers, dancing and tears. This was a life changing moment for the great folks at New Hope.
It’s is all too easy to lose sight of the things in life that matter. *Spoiler Alert* The things that matter are rarely what we think they are at the time. Today, a group of white Americans were reminded the importance of being in the moment and celebrating what matters. This lesson came from a radically welcoming group of people with a joy that was contagious, and an enthusiasm in worship that was deafening. May we all find joy in the riches we have that can’t be bought with money.
I could go on and on about the comically “bumpy” van ride, the joyous worship, or the happiness on the faces of the children as we took their photos and showed it to them. But....it’s late and I’m tired. Feel free to hop on Facebook and check out some of the postings from others on the trip. Until tomorrow, let me say with a full heart....... Bwana Asafiwe!
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