Monday – “Kwaheri, Kenya” Last day

Kenya animals 2013 pictures


Last day in Kenya; it always goes by so quickly!  So before we say, “Kwaheri,” we must see some of the wildlife and beauty of this country before we leave.  We had planned to go to Nakuru Game Preserve, but time constraints made us go to plan B, and we got some “up and personal” time with giraffes and elephants at two wonderful animal sanctuaries.  Both rescue young animals; the giraffes can stay at their preserve for years, but the elephant orphanage keeps them 2-3 years and then integrates them back into the wild.  It is amazing to greet the giraffes “eye to eye” high up on a platform where they will eat out of your hands (or take nuggets from between your teeth….if you are daring!).  

The baby elephants parade in for their feeding, gulping down multi-gallon size “baby bottles” before you can blink.  They walk right up to the not-so-protective rope that surrounds their feeding area so that you can actually pet them, being careful that they don’t step on your feet in the process.  

From there, we went to the Nairobi walk-through safari.  Since it was midday, a lot of the animals were not visible (siesta time, I assume), but we did see some very interesting animals and had close encounters with monkeys roaming the park.

Back to the retreat center, now it’s time to pack up and prepare for the journey home.  With all the confusion/traffic, it’s suggested that we leave some 6 hours before flight time in order to be there in time (and you may think getting there 2 hours ahead is a bit much!).  Though the traffic is always crazy, it was the thinnest crowd at the terminal entrance we’ve ever seen; the line to enter is usually strung out for a good long wait just to get inside the terminal, so we got in quickly.  Encouraged, we thought we’d get right to the gate in plenty of time to relax a bit…….not so.  Three of us got checked in right away; as for the others, apparently they no longer had reservations!  Snags like this require patience and fortitude……after a long stretch of time and many discussions, phone calls to our agent in the states, and waiting on “supervisors,” it was determined  that they had pulled wrong tickets for the other 5, who according to the gate agent had already “left” on a plane that hadn’t even left yet…….interesting!  Wonder how that is done. So even though we got into the terminal in record time, checking in took some while.  Then it’s outside to the tent that replaces the now burned out departure hall of the airport, along with the multitude of others awaiting their flights out.

Retracing our steps to Zurich, then on to DC, we strap in for the 8 and 9 hour legs of the journey.  It’s always a delight to return to the good old USA, and we all were pretty worn when we arrived in DC.  We had to say farewell to Kara, who lives in DC, and our 4 Austin friends who would fly directly from there, leaving us 3 Houstonites to continue on our flight.  Almost home……or so we thought.  In the plane, ready to depart, mechanical problems with the cargo door.  Two+ hours later, we are finally allowed to take off (tedious when you’re in the plane waiting, especially after being up some 40 hours already).  This is the stuff of travel…….but even with hiccups, it’s all worth it.

Several hours late in arrival, it is still nice to get off a plane for the last time (at least for a little while…..for us, 10 days before we go to Co. Springs for Tirzah’s international meetings).  Home!  It conjures up so many images and emotions, and it is nice to be back in comfortable, familiar surroundings.  But through the years of working internationally, we’ve come to realize that nowhere on this earth is truly home; we weren’t designed or meant to entrench here and make it our permanent residence.  We are heaven bound, and the more we see of the effects of sin and the brokenness of our world, and us, the more we yearn for it.  During the week, we had looked at scripture that described how all of creation longs for the coming restoration, moaning and anticipating deliverance from the results of the fall and the joy of God’s new heavens and earth.  It’s always a reality check for me; am I truly yearning and looking forward to our “real” home?  Am I clinging to this one and expecting it to fulfill my heartfelt desires?  If so, I need to retract those roots and look up and reset my orientation; this is not our home.  Praise God, it’s not!

At the end of a ministry trip, we share materials with our teams concerning reentry into “regular life” after being involved in a ministry team trip.  Many might think this unnecessary when it is a “short term” trip, but not so.  In subtle ways, there is a distinct change in each team member personally, worldviews, expectations, and often new glimpses of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, so it is good to have a “heads up” about what one might expect upon return home.  To help team members prepare to share their mission experience once home, we ask each team member to pick three descriptive words that would portray their mission experience; not “good, awesome, great” sort of words, but truly descriptive words that would draw people in who want to know more.  After so many trips, this can be a personal challenge to us and requires some thought. The three that come to my mind for this wonderful time in Kenya are:  transforming, confirming, and “above and beyond.”  We, and the young people, have truly experienced personal transformation as we have looked into God’s Word and His Spirit has worked in our hearts.  It’s been a time of confirming the truths of God’s Word and promises; His Word never returns void, and regardless of circumstances or how things may look, He is there; God is at work, powerfully, deeply….personally.  Even in the midst of places like Kibera, because He IS there, there is hope…….and one day, all this will be redeemed, as He promises.  As we have prayed and prepared for a year for this ministry to the young people of Kibera, we have been filled with anticipation for all that God would do.  I sensed deeply that He had huge things planned that would be  “exceedingly beyond what we could imagine or think.”  He never fails to do so!  This has been such a rich time of ministry!  We are so grateful for the opportunity to enter into the story that He began long ago in Kenya, and will continue to eternity.

Even as we continue to reflect on our time in Kenya, we are awed and blessed to see that the Bible truths shared each day by Adam and Laura represent what God did in and through each of us in the process.   All of us experienced His transforming work personally.  We delved deeper into the Word and saw its application in concrete ways during the week.  How we experienced prayer!  For this period of time, we lived in sweet community with our Kenyan friends, and we were “on mission” with Jesus as we interacted with the teens, Homecare staff, local interns, and so many others along the way.  We had the opportunity to reach out to families in Kibera in His love and share with the local church how He is mightily at work, even in places like Kibera.  How wonderful!

Even though our time in Kenya had to come to an end, the experience will live on; we will continue to process what we experienced, realizing that the Lord will and does weave every experience into our life stories.  What a rich tapestry!  So we bid “kwaheri “to our wonderful brothers and sisters in Kenya, so grateful for them and the opportunity to serve with them.  The faces, voices, hugs, sights and sounds of Kenya remain in our hearts and minds.  The music the young people composed still loops in our memories and have become a prayer:  “Kenya (and prayerfully, the world) will know that Jesus is the Lord!”  God’s promises of redemption and restoration will be accomplished, and we say, “ Maranatha – come, Lord Jesus.”