Mpuri FellowshipThis day started off horribly. We woke up super late (which indicates to our family we're lazy bums haha), because Kevin messed up the time on my watch while he was playing with it last night. At breakfast, both Dylan and I were sort of moody and we both eventually admitted we were both redlining. We talked about how we were struggling with not judging Kenyan's super repetitiveness and overbearing emotional displays. It was just a poor start to the day. Generally, when my day starts off bad, it stays bad so I was really not looking forward to the rest of the day. First off we would be attending a prayer meeting at WWC which meant-guess what?-more super long prayers. Then we would be heading off to a fellowship meeting at Mpuri which is a town across the valley. But it's not about how you start the day, it's about how you end it.
I'll admit didn't into the prayer meeting with high expectations. The church members there started speaking in Kiswahili and I thought: "Well, here we go." But then, I realized that I could spend my time in ways I hadn't before. I picked up my Bible and just started reading. During the long prayers, I found myself praying for people back at home. Soon, Pastor Mwiti came around to pick me and Dylan up to leave for Mpuri. A 15 minute motorbike ride later, we arrived at the home of Zephaniah, Pastor Karau's brother-in-law. I looked around wondering where our fellowship meeting would be and found my answer when people started heading into a small barnhouse. Soon enough, the barnhouse was pretty full with singing and praying Kenyan brothers and sisters. After I gave on word on the fruit of the Spirit and Dylan prayed for the people there, we got a change to mingle and hang out with the people there. They were super welcoming and happy to just have American visitors. They kept saying, "Tell our brothers and sisters in America that we say hello and that we love them." So I hereby pass their regards and love to all of you haha.
I couldn't believe that these people were so happy about meeting in a barnhouse. I thought the place was ghetto but my Kenyan brothers and sisters had no qualms about worshiping and communing there. They were so full of life and such vibrant, loving people. Dylan and I were both pretty happy when Pastor told us that we would return next week to Mpuri. Just being around such joyful people really made my day; there was no way I was leaving Mpuri not having felt the love of God through these people.
Soon enough, we were on our way home. Instead of taking a motorbike around the mountains and hills, we would be hiking back home and what a beautiful hike it was. We went down a valley through chai fields, across a bridge overlooking a small creek, and hiked back up the picturesque Weru countryside.
God had really redeemed this day for me and Dylan. Not only is every day a new day, but honestly, every hour is a new hour. We started off feeling really moody and irritable but God really instilled in us a lot of joy and peace having met the people at Mpuri and enjoyed the beauty of His creation.
The challenge is to have the same mindset here in Berkeley or whenever I'm at. No matter how often I become frustrated or angry, I have to remember that God can bring about new lessons and new things to discover in a moment's notice. Redemption is just as real here in the U.S. as it was in Kenya. All day, everyday baby.
No comments:
Post a Comment