It's Jameson again! Sorry you have to keep hearing from me but the Internet is always down at night so therefore, you are stuck with me in the mornings.
Today again was a very challenging yet very rewarding time for all of us. Today was one of two backpack days. We went to the FOCUS center this morning to begin the ceremonies. It is so awesome because every day we arrive, the kids come running out to greet us. Our bus and van come around the corner and there are 52 little smiling faces waiting for us! You can hear them when we turn the corner as well. They are yelling and you can tell the excitement they have to see us. What a greeting every morning!
We got off the bus and van and immediately began playing and loving on the kids. By the end of the day there would be about 800 kids at the FOCUS center to receive a backpack. The ceremony was supposed to start at 10:00am but that is American time. We actually started at about 12:30pm, which is Kenya time. There is a saying that the Kenyans have, "Kenyans have time and Americans have watches." This was a difficult two and a half hours because as more kids started arriving, they wanted to play and be loved on as well. If you can imagine 27 "Mzungus" (what they call white people) surrounded by 800 kids all starving for your attention, it got pretty intense. Plus, the sun was out and it was about 85-90 degrees as well. It was a bit overwhelming but in a very good way!
The ceremony lasted until about 3:00pm. During the ceremony, Scott presented the Gospel and did an amazing job. I am not quite sure how many responded but it was very clear and understandable (even with a translator). Government officials were there as well as TV stations and we actually made the news that night! After all the speaking had taken place we started giving out the backpacks.
All the kids came up one by one and we placed the backpacks on their backs. It was so awesome to see that we were supplying them with a years worth of school supplies and how much they appreciated it. Education here in Kenya is a big deal. It is much bigger than the US. So, giving them a backpack is really giving them hope for their future! What an amazing gift we had the chance to give! This was all because of the awesome giving body we have at Graceland Baptist Church too. Our goal was 500 backpacks and we brought 1,000 with us! That speaks volumes to who this church is!
After we gave all the backpacks out and then played with the kids a bit more, it was time to leave for the day. Exhausted was a good word to describe how we all felt (both emotionally and physically). Scott told us as we were leaving that we were going to get some gelato (Italian ice cream) on the way home as a surprise and it was really good!!
That was pretty much our day, but there is more to it than just that. Something I think we all faced yesterday was just being exhausted after the day we had. A couple of days ago in my quiet time, I learned this phrase, "The awareness of God's presence energizes us for our work." That was the summarizing statement for yesterdays events. It was sunny, hot and crazy with tons of people everywhere and tons of needs as well. But the one thing that got each of us through that afternoon was the fact that God was supplying all we needed. It was almost as if we were energized and feeling fine while with the kids and parents, and then when we got on the bus, we all realized how exhausted we were. That is the essence of God's power for His work. God really does supply us with great power and strength and energy when it comes to the things He wants us to do. He has not only supplied financially for this trip but also physically and emotionally.
I can't wait to see how He keeps on giving us what we need to step up to the challenges we will face here! But it also reminds me to have this same attitude in the States. A lot of times we can begin to do what we need to do and lose sight of what God wants us to do. Focus on what He has laid out for you (no matter how big it seems) and He will give you the power and energy to complete the task...you just have to accept it!!
With love to all our family, friends and others who are reading this!
Jameson and the team
We LOVE reading the updates. Thank you so much. God is so clearly with you. I sent my coworkers (most of who do not know God) the picture of Julie with the girls braiding her hair & they were so touched by it! Who knows how else God will use you all for His purposes & glory...Thanks for giving to Him by giving to others.
ReplyDeletePraying for you!
Love, Gina (Hi Julie! Love you!)