Aurora -
Peter, James, and John
I did not know a ton about MOHI before coming on this trip, just brief stories and my own research. After the first couple days I can say it is something special and truly on God! A girl who just finished her freshmen in college took the time to notice the unnoticed. She had courage and was brave to stay up and be a voice, in a world we’re that isn’t normal. She said yes to God with a leap of faith, not knowing what would come out of it! So learning about MOHI was an incredible opportunity and blessing of encouragement. We got to walk through the valley and it was heart breaking to see the “normal” of what these kids at school live in. We got to our first home visit and she was truly an inspiration! She was preaching to us and quoting scripture. She talked about Hannah from 1 Samuel and how she prayed for her child to be used by God in huge ways. She is so selfless, and wants the best for her kids. She wants her kids to have the life she never did. Then she talked about Job, how everything was stripped away from him but he remained faithful and God blessed him. She encouraged us to pray and stay faithful despite what will get thrown at us. Then today (Friday) we had VBS and we had all the ages in one day, so we danced and played games with the kids and really just got to see their goofy, loving, caring hearts come out! Lastly, today we got to visit a grandmother named Milkca and she has become a parent after her daughter’s passing. She has 3 grandchildren and had 5 kids. She accepted the Lord after the passing of her husband in 2016 and her wisdom for us consisted of the fact relationships are the most important things, you can have everything. She was the open door grandma, what I mean by that is “she has probably 8-10 people sitting outside her house talking when we showed up (that were not even her kids), she finds the most joy in talking with kids, young adults, and other grandparents about life and getting to listen in times of need and success. It has been such a blessing to get to come along side Mountain! MOHI is just starting, God has so much more to do in Kenya and hopefully around Africa too! Over 40,000 kids lives have been changed forever so far becuase one girl said “Yes God, here I am, send and use me.”
Michelle -
Working alongside Mission of Hope International has been an inspiring and deeply humbling experience. Seeing the vision of Wallace and Mary Kamau come to life—helping to combat poverty in Nairobi through education and meeting the immediate needs of the community—has been truly powerful. The staff at MOHI have been so gracious and welcoming, and the children are an absolute joy, freely sharing smiles and hugs that speak louder than words.
These past few days with my Kenya team have been incredible. The love, care, encouragement, and support among the group is truly overflowing. I am grateful to be witnessing God’s love in action through both my Kenya team and the MOHI family. It has been a genuinely inspiring experience.
Christine -
Today was our 2nd day at Pangani School, where we had the privilege of doing VBS for the 2nd through 5th graders. We greeted the children with flower leis and they just beamed. When we started singing "Jump, Jump, Jump (into the light, light, light!)" they all knew the song from previous years and sang it with all their might! It was incredible! Later, in our classroom, we were providing snacks for the children, and as they finished eating, I asked them to share with me one of their favorite songs. They love to sing and do it with such joy and energy! The best song I heard all day from all of the classes was I am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made. They sang it from their heads down to their toes, with huge smiles the whole time. These children really know they are loved, and it's because of the work of MOHI in their lives and in their community. These teachers and social workers are transforming the entire slum community by enrolling kids into the MOHI school, giving them a Christian education, meals, medical care, and most of all, Hope for a brighter future. Their parents have hope because they know that when their kids are sponsored and enrolled in MOHI, they have the opportunity to learn and grow, and ultimately, to have a better life.
Sujay -
Obedience (or maybe confession)
I didn’t come to Kenya because I wanted to. Though Christine has wanted to come to MOHI for ages, this trip wasn’t our idea at all. Tom told us that we needed to go. Even though he’s my brother in Christ, Tom is our Global Pastor and I am under his leadership.
In an act of surrender to Jesus and submission to one of our pastors, I said okay. In my head. My heart wasn’t there. Actually, even as we packed for the trip, I wasn’t looking forward to going to Kenya per se, I was looking forward to what ever God was going to do. Tom says “Expect and See”. I didn’t know what to expect, just that we were joining God in what he was doing. And we would see what He did. Now I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather be.
One word: Kingdom.
We’re thousands of miles from home. Walking through open sewage, visiting entire families who live in spaces smaller than my bedroom’s walk in closet. The smell, the dirt, the splash from a motorbike that drives through the path is palpable. The cool feeling of wetness from the waste water seeped into my left shoe. Yuck. A teenage girl walked past us in the opposite direction wearing only flip flops. One child, and then another, and still another runs to us and plants each of their faces into my jeans while hugging my legs with huge smiles on their faces. What? Why? Who am I that I should receive this love? What is the source of their love, their joy?
Jesus. Not only is He the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, but He is the same no matter where we are on this planet and in this universe. We are one body. His body. His church. His kingdom.
Come Lord Jesus.
PJ -
The kids at MoHI are incredible! They are overwhelmingly joyous and their smiles are contagious! Its difficult to tell whether we are blessing them or they are blessing us but the Spirit of God is very alive in the Mathare Valley!
Some pics...
Comments
Post a Comment