THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

“I wonder if I've been changed in the night. Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same…”

Stepping foot on Nairobi soil after 26 hours of travelling made me resonate with Alice after she enters Wonderland. What day is it? What time is it? Where am I? What am I doing here? Yet, the sense of comfort I felt as I left the Nairobi-Kenyatta airport came as I walked to the van and felt God’s presence half-way across the world. He was connecting with me and I was to connect with the people here.
That was Saturday evening.

Sunday morning I awoke with a sense of time and place and moved right into the routine as I met the team for breakfast and discuss the agenda for the day. During breakfast Ruth shared a relevant quote from Mother Theresa, “purpose generates energy.” As we find our sense of purpose, it creates the passion and energy we need to complete the task we are called to perform. Just the words I needed to move forward for the day. I would look for those nuggets sent my way to fuel the purpose.

The gems started on the 45-minute journey from Brackenhurst to OCC as I realized the level of poverty that existed amongst the level of riches. There seemed to be no in-between. How do you connect the two worlds? I snapped pictures along the way and attempted to digest the sense of pain and need that is present here. As I captured the visions on disc, I comprehend another connection in that our worlds are not that far apart. There is the same sense of pain and need back home…even if it is not an economic one. It is need that can only be fixed by bringing the story of Good News to people—connecting them with Jesus.

Finally we arrived at OCC. Stepping from the van at OCC, I spied Douglas—my first friend with whom I connected via Facebook. It felt good to connect in person with him as he extended his hand, a warm smile and a friendly embrace that I soon discovered is akin to the African culture. We spoke for a moment and he began introducing me to more new friends.

It was time for the church service to begin and as I took my place in the chair, I was overwhelmed with the sense of connectivity even being half-way around the world from home. I knew this was the power of the Holy Spirit. Suddenly my world became smaller in the sense that we are united under one God…and, at the same time, it became a much bigger place where I can embrace a culture and people outside that which I was raised to know.

The theme of unity further solidified itself as Blake spoke about its importance as written in Ephesians 4. I felt fully connected once again as I understood they struggle with the same things we do in our church. As the service drew to a close with the benediction, a surprising thing happened. Out of the crowd a nicely-dressed man burst forward onto the stage with a screeching cry, fell to his knees and cried out “My God…My God.” Taken back by the episode that one only sees on TV, I found myself momentarily confused as I watched him remove his sports coat, hold it in his hands, and shout prophetic utterances in both English before witnessing him tear the coat into two pieces. He was speaking of the importance of remaining faithful. He pulled Blake from the crowd and ripped his own coat again as he fell at Blake’s feet and wrapped his arms around his legs. He spoke about Blake’s faithfulness and encouraged him to remain so. This scene continued with two more people he pulled from the congregation and pointed out their faithfulness as well. Finally, the pastor pulled the man aside and the prophetic moment was extinguished. It was an experience I will not soon forget.

At the end of the service I was privileged to meet some of the children. Their eyes were filled with both pain and hope as they are encouraged by the visit new friends from American have made to see them. This is what Africa is about…the importance of relationships and the fact that they are important enough for us to leave our homes to bring Good News to them…and relationship for a lifetime.

Today is Monday already. It will be my introduction into Mathare Valley. My eyes shall be opened to the pain that is evident in these people’s lives. And I will return to my home with the stories that God wants me to share back there.