Ham Jambo! Harbi Zenu?
(Hey everyone! How are you all?)
We have some fun updates for you today!! Our week started out with a big thunder storm where lightening struck a transformer. It ended up knocking out not only our electricity, but most of the village’s as well. Just today the transformer was fix and our power is restored! After cold showers, walking around in the dark and preserving water, we now have a stronger appreciation for the immense hospitality our hosts have shown us! *UPDATE: after we got done writing this update, the power went out again so, we weren’t able to send anything out. The irony!! 😄
Yesterday night and last Wednesday, the team got the chance to go to a Bible study called “Fellowship” with the community. Around 7pm, the people in the village gather at a different house every week to worship and hear a message from the pastor or another church leader under the stars. Our team got the chance to lead the people in a couple of English worship songs as well as participate in Swahili songs. During each devotional time, the people have made us feel so welcomed with their warm smiles, hand shakes, and of course, chai. What stood out to me during this time was the unity I felt in the group. There is no “us” and “them,” there is only the brothers and sisters in Christ, Bwana Sifiwe! (Praise the Lord!)
Overall, VBS has been a huge success, and the number of children in attendance has swelled as more neighbors hear about it. Our VBS theme is Fruit of the Spirit. Our time starts with worship and a Bible story then the students split into four groups of 60+ kids and rotate through stations. The stations are: Craft, Snack, Games, and Music. Yesterday was a challenging day. Many of the children are impoverished, and try to steal extra snacks and crafts. Seeing children steal because they don’t know when their family at home will get another meal was heartbreaking. Today, VBS went much smoother as we purchased additional snacks to adjust for the influx of children. Like most of our ministry, VBS has been bittersweet. We get to witness both he hope and joy that these children have in Christ, but we also see firsthand the pain and trauma that poverty brings. As we prepare for our final day of the program, we are praying for strength and endurance.
On Tuesday morning, some team members (Bella, Hannah, Joshua and Titus) went on a home visit. On the drive there, a lady from the outreach team gave them some information about background of the family. She explained that there was a single mom living with three children with special needs. One had autism, one had Down Syndrome and the last one had dwarfism. Upon arrival, the mom greeted the team with the biggest smile and had some chai ready. The the mom shared of how hard it has been for her to work and provide for the family while still taking care of the children. Also how difficult it is to provide her children with the right treatment… The team had the opportunity to worship and pray over the family. Since Bella works with children that have special needs, she was able to give the mom some advice on how to best support the children and their development. The mom was a great inspiration for the team to continue to trust God even during such hard times!
Again, thank you for your support and prayers during this time. We can’t wait to send more updates about our adventures.
Love,
East African Team
