Every tribe and language and people and nation...

-

Nairobi is such a unique blend of multinationals as well as a wonderful mixture of Kenyans from a variety of backgrounds, including the Kenyan diaspora who have returned to their country.  My first week back involved being a part of this rich multicultural setting.

A respected colleague of mine flew up from South Africa and had me co-train with her an Indian family recently arrived from Dubai.  

The first day we trained the mother and she was so delightful and open to new ideas and cultures.  It was great to see how well she was adjusting.  But I recognized God's hand in her life to bring her many friends to help her through the cultural challenges of living in a foreign land.

The next day we trained the father at his office.  He was so open to sharing about his experiences with us.  At one point he told us, "I'm just going to use you guys as my sounding board, a kind of counselor."   One of my greatest joys is seeing someone get one step closer to working through the cultural barriers and this man really was working at it!

The final day, we got to train the children, ages 10 and 16.  It was my first time to do a cross-cultural training for children and I loved it!  Like their parents, they were so open and honest and it was a joy to coach them!  Of all the family, the teenage daughter was struggling the most, as is typical of teens adjusting, not only to a new school and city, but a culture where the rules are completely different and unknown.  

I was impressed with the family's support of each other and the strong father/daughter bond that existed.

When we were going through the line of family members, saying our good-byes, the grandma, grabbed me by my arm and pulled me in for a big embrace.  As she did this she said, "You are my grand daughter!"

That won my heart for sure!  (Not just all the curry they had served us.)
Before entering their Hindu home, I had first prayed that Christ's love would be evident in our lives as we interacted with them.  This hug told me that God had done His work!  She had seen His love in me!

When God first called me to Kenya one of the verses He gave me referred to this rich cultural mix: 
"...you were slain, and with your blood you have purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation." Rev 5:9









After my three weeks back in Kenya, working with Hindus, Muslims, Indians, Americans, people from Sierra Lione, and Kenyans, I was again reminded of the unique opportunity we have in Nairobi to reach nations for Christ as we work with people from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Did You Know You Are God's Gardener?

-
Image
What does it take to be a good gardener?  I learned gardening from my mom.  From my earliest age I can remember mom's luscious vegetable garden.  But what was really impressive was her rose garden.  Both these took constant care and cultivating. Before planting, the ground had to have all weeds pulled, then the ground had to be tilled.  Next the seed had to be placed just so far into the ground and far enough apart from each other so that they would grow properly.   Next came the watering, which had to be done almost daily for the first few weeks after planting the seeds.  As the seeds began to sprout, they needed the right amount of sunshine and water, careful not to overwater them. A good gardener has two main qualities time and patience.  Time, because he or she has to wait for the seed to take root and then actually sprout life.  But mostly a good gardener is patient.  They wait and wait and wait until the seed brings forth life.  Then the work of cultivating those young plants
Read more

Jody Returns to Kenya!

-
Image
Hello Friends!  Jody is returning to Kenya in November and Christy will be continuing the ministry in Ohio.  Here are Jody's thoughts.... Dear friends, On November 13 th  I will be journeying back to Kenya, Africa. You may be asking, “Why now?” or “Aren’t you afraid?” I’ve received hundreds of these questions over the last two weeks. “Why now?”   It is time to continue the work. I talked to one of our precious African daughters last month.  She told me what she was learning in school and how she was growing in her faith. I have watched her and our other girls grow from struggling orphans to beautiful butterflies ready to spread their wings. My goal is to train them up in such a way that they will have confidence to teach and mentor others. They will become the women of Kenya and future leaders of the ministry. They will teach other women how to live in the joy and freedom of Christ. This trip, it will be summertime in Kenya. I will have more time to spend with t
Read more

Dancing with Granny and Chasing Bats

-
Image
Hey Friends, after finishing our summer program with the soccer team in Kibera, we had Vacation Bible school with our neighbor's nephews and nieces. From left: Philis, Moody, Evans (in the back), Benjamin, and Dennis (Esther & Eva not shown) We met for two hours every day to teach the children about their foundation in Christ.  They asked some amazing questions.   Here are some of them: Philis: Does God love people who do witchcraft? Eva: Why did Jesus come as the Good Shepherd instead of a general or a manager? Esther: In Genesis 4 God says, “Let us make man in our own image.”  Who is “our” referring to? Our friend, Samuel, came to share his story of growing up an MK in South Africa.  The children laughed a lot especially when he shared how he thought he was African until he saw an Asian image starring back at him in the mirror. We always ended our time together by  sharing a cup of tea and cookies. Mealtimes symbolize forgiveness and reconcilia
Read more