I'm normally not a person who has a difficult time transitioning but dang, during that first night back in Nairobi, I definitely got a kick out of using an actual toilet and getting a hot shower. So this was our first full day as an entire GP team after we had all been out and about doing ministry for the past 3 weeks. It was a really chill day: Brian and Deb gave us the day off to walk to a local internet cafe to send out email updates and to hang out and be together again. For me, this day was refreshing, invigorating, and sort of hollow all at the same time. On one hand, it was a huge blessing to be with my teammates again and to share and laugh with one another. There we were: a group of Americans walking through the streets of Kassarani, making our way to an internet cafe so that we could let our friends and family know we were alive and well. It was just so nice to be able to catch up with friends and to ask each other how God had worked in our lives for the past few weeks.
On the other hand, it was too easy to get lost in the moment and to forget that we were all barely a day removed from being in the middle of nowhere and at the same time, in the middle of seeing God working in Kenya through us and without us. While all I wanted to do was talk with my teammates about where Lebron James was going (Chris Bosh had already said he was going to sign with the Heat and Lebron's "Decision" hadn't been made yet), I still desperately wanted to reflect on Weru, Pastor Mwiti, and all the happening of the past 3 weeks. We humans are such fickle things and I knew that if I didn't make a conscious effort to remember Weru and all that God had showed me there, then I would be robbing myself of spiritual growth.
Another struggle I had was adjusting to the whole "team" dynamic again, because again, I had just been with Dylan for the past 3 weeks and so I had gotten use to the brotherhood that the 2 of us had. Now there were 30 other personalities to "deal" with and I'll admit, I wasn't quite ready to be in the presence of so many young American college students again. So while I loved my team, I often found myself getting lost in trying to "fit in and be cool", even during this first day back.
That night, we began a nightly ritual that I would come to love: testimonies. Each night for the first week or so, 3-4 ministry teams would go up and share stories of how God worked in and through them. We heard stories of death, life, community, bugs, children, people coming to know God, etc., etc. I knew that I had saw and learned so much during my time in Weru and so I can only imagine the true depth of my teammates' experiences and journeys. I'd say that during our ministry assignments, we all got just a little glimpse of God's glory and sovereignty. Just a little but definitely enough to make all of say "Bwana asafiwe!"
Little Sisters' Spiritual Centre: Our home after our ministry assignments
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