Today was our first day of VBS at our second location of Courage House. Already, this location has been wildly different than our last, but it has just been so cool to see the Lord moving here and among our team!
Our morning started off slowly- we began with a devo and a huge breakfast of bread, mixed fruit with chia seeds, cheesy omelettes, juice, and of course, coffee. Our bus to Courage House was late (we’re on Africa time now!) which, after such a jam-packed week, ended up giving us just what we needed in terms of a quick recharge.
Once at Courage, we started off with a time of worship led by the girls there. Their voices were absolutely jaw-dropping, and even though we could only understand a few words of the Swahili songs, the joy and presence of Jesus was SO strong! After that, we spent the rest of the morning dancing together, which everyone loved. Our team came with prepared songs and choreography (Goodbye Yesterday, Bless Me, I Thank God) but the girls also had requests of their own (Every Move I Make, the Macarena, and Evidence by Moses Bliss).
We were pretty exhausted after all that dancing, so lunch was very welcome. We ate heaping plates of rice, beef stew, beans, cabbage, and avocado, topped with a super spicy chili sauce (this is starting to be one of my favorite meals here!). The older girls here tend to be pretty good at English, so we chatted while we ate. Many of them taught our team bits of Swahili and helped us translate phrases we had questions about.
Soon, we transitioned into what turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the day: our Bible teaching. Bogey and Cheyenne led a sort of “Bible scavenger hunt” with the first three fruits: love (upendo in Swahili), joy (furaha), and peace (amani). We broke into small groups and each group found at least one verse mentioning each word from anywhere in the Bible. Then we came back together and the teams shared their verses along with a quick explanation of why it was important. It was such a fun and impactful way to dig into the Bible in both Swahili and English! We read each verse in both languages, and the girls even helped translate for each other, which was just amazing to watch.
We concluded our time at Courage House with our activity stations: friendship bracelets, a Fruit of the Spirit-themed craft, and volleyball. Then we said goodbye and headed over to Courage Cafe, where we wrapped up the day with a dinner of spaghetti and banana bread for dessert. After eating delicious but unfamiliar food for a week, many of our team said it tasted just like home!
Like every day so far, I’ve been so grateful for the work that God is doing here and the way these girls touch our hearts. God is definitely teaching us to trust His intention for each day as it comes, whether that be through shifting plans, unexpected situations, or obstacles popping up – but His plans and provision have turned out to be so, so good! From the moment we step foot at the Courage houses to the moment we leave every day, I’ve felt so much joy and peace and love for these precious girls. I cannot wait to see what amazing surprises He throws at us next!
Blessings,
Kenzie & the East Africa Team
