On Life in Kenya - Kiki Honda | Intern

Almost a Real African
So I now have an impressive qualification to add to my resume: milking cows. I tried milking the cow at the children's home this past week. I must admit, the guy at the dairy was pretty impressed by milking abilities. haha. He said I just have to do it a couple more times and I'll be a professional. While I was milking the cow one of the fathers from the home happened upon us and said "Wow, Kiki. Now you are almost a real African. All you have to do is carry water on your head, wood on your back and a baby in front." But slaughtering a chicken was also added to the list. Needless to say, I don't think I'll ever be a real African.

Improving
My ability to speak Swahili is improving. I can now manage to tell people what I've done throughout the day. Nili conga viazi na kuta ngama alafu kucheza na Favor alafu kuta mboga. =) (I peeled potatoes and cut meat, then I played with Favor and then I cut veggietables)

In the Midst of Amazing Servants
ELI has opened up another children's home in the other village they do ministry in (Kipkaren). Recently, I was able to visit the new home with the directors and parents from the home in Ilula. It was a blessed day and it was cool to see the work going on in the new home. It's a really nice facility, too. At the end of the day, before we were about to leave, we had a short time of worship with the directors and the parents at the home in Kipkaren. Standing there singing "Asante sana, Yesu" (I thank you Jesus...) with these people brought me to tears. These people are amazing. People who have given up so much to bring happiness and a new life to children who have lost everything. When I think about the work these parents do I am constantly awed, inspired, blessed and touched. Standing in that room singing praises to God I realized, wow, I am in the midst of amazing servants. Yet through their songs of worship I was reminded that the reason why these parents are so amazing is because they work for, serve, love and honor an even more amazing God. I know it's only by the grace and work of God that they are able to do what they do, and I consider myself so blessed to have had the opportunity to serve and worship alongside such humble, loving, self-sacrifical, God-fearing people.

Be Still and Know that I am God
A couple of weekends ago, I was able to visit the Kakamega rainforest. It was so beautiful. the forest has over 400 different species of butterflies and even more specicies of birds. It was so peaceful to just sit and listen to the sounds surrounding me. It's like those tapes that help you fall asleep... you know like "The Sounds of the Rainforest," but it was real!

I was able to spend some time in quietness with God while there. I thought I'd read through a Psalm, and usually I'll read the pslam of what day it is. Being September 23rd, I didn't really want to read Psalm 23 because it kind of reminds me of funerals, so I doubled the date and read Psalm 46. But I know that was God leading me to the verse. It starts out about talking about how God is our strength and our refuge, and then goes on to say how the earth will fall and give way. I thought to myself, "Great... that's encouraging!" But then God spoke to me. Through this verse he reminded me that yes, the earth will give way, it will crumble and be destroyed, but God is everlasting. The beauty of the forest surrounding me can be cut down, burned up or destroyed, but the beauty for the Lord is forever. The peace I found in the forest can be disrupted and disturbed, but peace from the Lord is everlasting. And then, at the end of the psalm it read, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations (America or Kenya), I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."

Be still and know that He is God. And as I sat there... silent... in the quietness of the forest... in maybe that same whisper that came to Isaiah... I heard God whisper to me... "Kiki... I am God."

Muddy Mishap on the Way to Blessings
This past week I was able to do some home visits. What a blessing! One home I visited was of a couple named William and Periz. They both work at the children's home, one in the kitchen and the other as an assistant parent. I've meet both of them during my past two trips to Kenya, but have never been able to visit them until this year. It was a blessing being able to talk with, encourage and pray for Periz. I always enjoy home visits and the ones I went on this past week were definitely a blessing.

Here's a funny story, though. John, the son of the director at the children's home, took me on a home visit on Wednesday. As we were walking we came upon this patch of the road that looked pretty muddy. As we approached, I saw that, yes, indeed, it was VERY muddy. John walked through the mud first and said where to step where the mud was drying, and thus more solid to walk on. Well, if you know me at all then you know that sometimes I don't have the best luck in situations like this. I took a couple of steps and about halfway through the muddy patch I stepped down where [I thought] it was safe... but to my horror I felt my foot slowly sink into the mud. My whole foot was COMPLETELY covered in mud. (I was wearing sandals) I was a little embarassed... but looking back I see the humor in the situation. John tried not to laugh at me and lightly commented "Hey... if you cover your whole body with mud then you'll look black like us!" haha... Oh well... just a small muddy mishap on the way to the blessing of a home visit. =)

Flexibility, Heat & Family
Within the first couple of days of arriving in Ilula, the children in grades 4 and 5 began telling me about a class trip they were going to be taking on October 6th, and throughout those 6 weeks it was constantly brought up. Everytime it was discussed, it was followed by, "Will you be coming with us?"

Finally, the day before the trip, the children asked me again if I was going to go and they said they really wanted me to go. So I talked to the director of the school about it but found out there was no room on the bus. When I told the kids they were sad, but said the would pray for me to go. The next day, the day of the trip, I was fetched at 7:45 and was informed that I would be going with them after all. I was given 10 minutes to get ready. Haha!

One thing I've learned as I've been able to go on missions trips is that it's important to be flexible. It was a fun day. We visited a city called Kisumu, the 3rd largest city in Kenya, and went to a museum. It was a 2 (or so?) hour bus ride, but it was cool because on the way we passed through all these tea, sugar and coffee plantations. The museum displayed a lot of traditional Luo (one of the tribes in Kenya) artifacts and had several animals. By American standards it probably isn't all that spectacular... but the blessing was being able to see the joy and excitement in the faces of the kids. It was HOT, though.

After the museum we visited Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa. It was very peaceful there and the salty breezes reminded me of home. =) The journey was fun, but the best part of the trip was being able to experience it with the children.

That night when we got home, all the younger kids were so excited to welcome their older brothers and sisters home. They served them dinner, and I was blessed by their eager, serving hearts to serve their siblings. After dinner, all the kids crowded around in a circle on benches inside the gazebo to talk about the day. The kids who went on the trip shared their excited highlights from their journey. One girl, Cicilia, who didn't go on the trip, talked about how in devotions Dennis, age 3 and one of the youngest in the family, had been dancing while they were singing. So all the kids started singing loudly, encouraging Dennis to dance. At first, he just looked around at all the children encircling him... and then suddenly... he started to bounce. His bouncing then moved down to his feet and he danced around in little circles in the middle of all the children. In that moment came a realization. I looked into the smiling joyful, loving faces of all the children, all eyes on little Dennis dancing, and then I truly saw it. '

Wow, this truly is a family. These children come from different places and different tribes. They've lost their parents, and with that so much hope and promise. But God by His amazing grace and mercy has specially chosen each child and brought them to this place... not only to live... but to become a family. With this realization... and looking into the beautiful, joyful eyes of the children... I found tears welling up in my own. I love these children so much... my heart is filled with so much joy just being with them.... but in that moment I was reminded that there is Someone who loves them so much greater that we can comprehend.