Day 38: Islam

Like a few days ago when we were taught about Hinduism, today we learned about Islam. Some of today's events are supposed to be "GP secrets" so I won't say anything I'm not supposed to. That being said, the GP team was introduced to Jared, a Kenyan man who ministers to people of Islamic faith. Jared's an impressive fellow, because he knows a lot-and I mean A LOT-about Islam, the Qur'an, and the specifics about the Islam faith. Later on in the day, Jared took us to the city of Thika where there's a mosque. To be honest, I had a really hard time understanding what our guide was saying about the mosque and Islam, so I sort of dozed off during his talk, but overall, I really enjoyed learning about Islam. I think today really challenged me in knowing my own faith better and also being able to have authentic relationships with people of other faiths. When it comes down to reaching out to people who may not share my faith, it's not about who can argue better or who has the more logical argument, it's about having a sustained relationship based in love, friendship, and mutual respect.

I'll finish this short post with this: Jared taught me a lot today about myself, how difficult it is for me to love, and how much further my heart has to change.

Day 37: Mavuno Church

Today was a Sunday and so of course we went to church. This day marked the 5-week marker; Brian informed us that we would actually only be Kenya for another 12 days and would be home before we knew it. Today, Brian brought the GP team to Mavuno Church, an urban church that was founded by Oscar Muriu, one of the speakers at Urbana 2009. Most of us on the GP team had spent the last three Sundays serving in rural churches, so many of us were interested in seeing what a church in Nairobi would be like. We were pretty surprised. The church was set up in a large tent that probably fit a good thousand or so people. They had a enormous stage, stage lights, crazy sound system, DVDs for visitors, etc. They had a worship song about soccer, and a sermon about witchcraft, illusions, and good versus evil. And I kid you not: they even showed a trailer of the 7th Harry Potter movie.

Maybe it's because I was raised in a Baptist church or had just spent the last three Sundays in Weru, but I walked out feeling like I had just been to some sort of concert or entertainment event. I wanted to talk to someone about what the heck just happened in that service, but Brian must have read my mind, because he explained to us that we shouldn't be critics of the church. He told us that the church reaches out to the residents of Nairobi in the best way it can. It's not right or wrong, but just different.

Later on, we went to a Massai market to do some souvenir shopping. At last, we could put our bartering skills to the test. It was fun afternoon where we could just have fun, watch other tourists shell our ridiculous amounts of shillings for stuff, and see how much we could lowball people to get the best prices. I spent the afternoon hanging with Mike, one of my teammates from Michigan, and getting to know him better. I also spent the afternoon laughing at him whenever the Kenyan merchants asked if he was Pakistani or Indian (he's half white and half Chinese).

I think I realized that at this point in the missions trip, there wasn't much more time to let God reveal what He wanted to show me. Part of me just wanted to go home, but the other part just wanted to serve God wholeheartedly. I was in part distracted by thoughts of seeing friends and family again while the other part of me was already planning how to integrate what I had learned in Kenya into my American life. I just prayed to God that night that I would remain in the present and that my eyes and ears would be seeing and hearing what God still had to teach me. Would I just be just as "transformable" here in Nairobi or wherever we were going to be as I was in Weru.

Outside Mavuno Church

Inside the church

The Massai Market

Day 36: Back to Mathare Valley

You all remember Mathare Valley? The slum we visited way back when? Well, today our team went back to Mathare for a workday. We were split into groups that would help with construction on the church, paint a government building, or taking care of kids. I was all over the place on this day: helping out at Mathare Valley Church's daycare center, spending time at Taraja (a place where women with HIV are empowered through making jewelry), and painting on a precarious ledge eight feet above the ground. This second time in the slums was as eye-opening as the first time, but there are definitely still some moments I will never forget.

Firstly, remember Wanja? If not, refer to Day 5. Anyway, when I made my way to Taraja, which is a room on the roof of the church where women with HIV are trained to make jewelry that is sold, I met Wanja again. I was really happy to see her and to learn that Wanja was one of the people who served all the time in Taraja to empower other women. So I being the polite, mannered person I am, I say hi, tell her that she had invited me and several other GP members into her home the last time we were in Mathare, and ask her how's she doing. She smiles and responds, but then she reaches over to a necklace and gives it to me as a gift. I was pretty stunned for a moment. I hadn't done anything except acknowledging and remembering her, but that must have meant a lot to her. For some reason, I felt really blessed by this small gesture of love she showed me. I come from America, where a lot of people only reciprocate love when they are first shown it. Here in the slums of Kenya, people feel loved if you even remember their names and return love in whatever way they can.

I distinctly admiring Pastor Karau (he's the one who organized this workday) and the passion he exhibits. He was a man who was wealthy by Kenyan standards and who gave it up to serve the poor in Kenya. He's no longer a young man, but he still dedicates his time and energy to serving the poorest of poor. I know he's not a perfect man, but I'll never forget his big heart. In fact, as my teammates and I worked in Mathare that day, I couldn't help but admire the amount of sacrifice, effort, energy, and love that was so evident. Here's a man, his family, and church who do so much with so little. What sort of convictions would lead a person to live like he does? How great must his faith be to be able to give and serve endlessly?

I remember praying that night that God would give me deeply seeded convictions and faith to replace the deeply seeded sins that often rule my heart. I remember praying that God would enable me to live wholeheartedly for Him, giving Him 110%.

Normally, I'd have a seizure if I was this dirty and messy

Day 35: A Billion Believers

The second temple we visited (we weren't allowed to take pictures of the first one)

Today, we visited two Hindu temples in the Nairobi area. Now I'm not going to lie, my mind was completely elsewhere today. All I really took in was the sophisticated and intricate designs and architecture of the temples. I'm serious: the woodwork was ridiculously complex and it literally seemed like every inch of the first temple was meticulously carved. Hinduism is a religion like no other: there are 350 million-ish gods, gods who can do whatever they want, philosophies that preach tolerance and inclusivity of all other ideologies, etc. But like I said earlier, I went through each temple with an apathetic attitude and not really caring about anything. I just wanted to talk with my teammates about whether Lebron James was really going to sign with the Heat.

Later on, we met Nita, an Indian woman who now lived in Kenya ministering in prisons to inmates. She gave her testimony to us and described her journey of discovering God, struggling with a Hindu family, and now living in Kenya and serving prison inmates. She's a remarkable and unbelievably strong willed woman.

Then that night, Brian talked to us about how almost one billion people around the world believe in Hinduism. He spoke about how Satan absolutely takes joy in stealing worship away from God. He even said that Satan's not afraid to bless people and to "answer their prayers" as long as they don't think to turn to the one true God. Sadness filled my heart. I couldn't believe that I had gone through the whole day not caring about anything. I had walked through a Hindu temple and didn't care that almost a billion people might never come to know God's love.

For some reason I could honestly tell people that I had come to love a hundred people in Weru, but at the same time, I felt no love for these billion people. This just goes to show how little my heart is and how inadequate I am as a missionary. I'll admit that since I was no longer on my ministry assignment, I felt less purpose and motivation to love people. I struggled to find what my "role" was now on the team. Before, it was just me and Dylan. We were the designated Americans who had come to Weru to share our love and preach the Word. Now I was just another team member on a team with more spiritual and outspoken people. I know this sounds stupid and petty, but this is honestly how I felt.

I went to sleep that night praying that God would break my heart more. That my heart would break for what breaks God's heart. And there are A LOT of things that break God's heart. Like the approximate 1 billion people who are worshiping millions of Hindu gods. The things that break my heart are far and few between, but the things that break God's heart are everywhere. I just had to find out how to see the world and people through God's eyes and not through my narrow view.

Nita and her close friend, Joyce