I have already been back from Africa for a full week. Time is flying by! It just seems like yesterday I was in Kenya hanging out with leopards and elephants drinking Coke and singing the Lion King theme song. But since I have been back in the States, I have had some time to process everything I saw in Kenya.
For those of you that don't know, I had the great opportunity to travel to Kenya and see what God is doing overseas. We partnered with an organization called Life in Abundance (LIA) that goes into an area and partners with local pastors to help create a wholistic ministry in their churches. They help to educate these pastors on what it means to minister to people spiritually, physically, and psychologically. At the end of every day I wrote in my journal so I could remember everything when I went back to America. For my next couple posts I'm going to share with you guys those journal entries. Enjoy!
After that first night in Kenya, I had a real hard time with the word "blessed." I don't know if you have ever caught yourself calling yourself blessed, but I catch myself all the time. We throw the word blessed around so much that we don't realize exactly what it means. When Jesus uses "blessed" in Matthew 5, he doesn't connect it with happiness, material possessions, or family. He connects blessed with those who mourn, those who are meek, and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. While in Africa, I came to the conclusion that the people I saw in Africa were blessed way beyond anything I could imagine. I think it is our American mindset that the more stuff we have, the more God has shined his favor upon us. Or I know I have thought that just because God allowed me to be born in America, I am blessed. But maybe it is more of a curse than a blessing? We could write a whole post about how hard it is to have a faithful walk in America, but we don't have time for that. Now I am not saying that the people of Africa don't have struggles and that I hate living in America. I love the United States, but we can all agree that we are not blessed just because we are citizens of the U.S.A.
Wednesday Night
My first full day in Kenya is complete, but we really haven't interacted with many Kenyans. This morning after breakfast, we heard from the LIA team, but first we heard from Julius, a local pastor. He gave us a word from John 17 on Jesus' 9 "I Have" statements in his prayer to God. It was hands down one of the most encouraging, challenging message I have heard in a long time. Julius said these 9 "I have" statements were Jesus' commitments on earth. It was great.
After Julius we heard from Paul and James, leaders for LIA. They explained what their ministry was all about and how they were advancing the kingdom. These people are so full of humility and the Spirit.
We then ate lunch and jumped in a couple of vans that had little space to move. We drove for 6 1/2 hours to Kisumu where we are going to be for the next 5 days. On the ride up here, I was able to see a little part of Africa. I saw beautiful mountains, one of the most beautiful sunsets I had ever seen, miles and miles of tea plantations, and lots of zebras! I also saw four-year-old kids walking all by themselves down a busy highway, houses made from mud and tin, men just laying down on the ground, and many other disheartening things. As I was taking all this in I found myself saying,, "I am so blessed." But why am I blessed? Just because I have a lot of crap in my house doesn't mean I'm blessed. Just because I was born in the United States doesn't make me blessed. I'm blessed because I have Jesus. When Jesus said, "I have come to bring the good news to the poor," he doesn't mean those who don't have a roof over their heads. He came for the spiritually poor, for those who don't know Him.
After that first night in Kenya, I had a real hard time with the word "blessed." I don't know if you have ever caught yourself calling yourself blessed, but I catch myself all the time. We throw the word blessed around so much that we don't realize exactly what it means. When Jesus uses "blessed" in Matthew 5, he doesn't connect it with happiness, material possessions, or family. He connects blessed with those who mourn, those who are meek, and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. While in Africa, I came to the conclusion that the people I saw in Africa were blessed way beyond anything I could imagine. I think it is our American mindset that the more stuff we have, the more God has shined his favor upon us. Or I know I have thought that just because God allowed me to be born in America, I am blessed. But maybe it is more of a curse than a blessing? We could write a whole post about how hard it is to have a faithful walk in America, but we don't have time for that. Now I am not saying that the people of Africa don't have struggles and that I hate living in America. I love the United States, but we can all agree that we are not blessed just because we are citizens of the U.S.A.
I think it would be smart for all of us to make sure our definition of "blessed" is correct. Seeing the people of Africa really helped me to redefine my view of "blessed." I guess I'm just trying to save you a trip halfway across the world in order for you to see that we aren't as blessed as we think we are...but if you do have the chance to go to Africa, GO!
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