What? So What? Now What?

For the past few days we've been on safari in Masai Mara, an area where there is literally nothing but trees and animals.  Even though we didn't see many animals this year, I absolutely loved it!  Just looking out the window at the endless rolling hills, occasionally populated by a herd of elephants, was a much needed break from the dirty city.  Not only that, but it was able to help us all think about the past two weeks and what God has been really doing in our lives and others, which is actually the purpose of the safari.  And what better place to do it than in untouched creation?!

So we were asked to think about the questions: What?  So What?  and Now What?

What happened?
We came to Kenya, some of us knowing what to expect and others shocked by the absolute poverty we saw.  Nairobi is a modern city compared to much else in this country, but even so it falls short of the standards we're used to as Americans.  The air is filthy and hard to breathe,  and although many of the roads are paved they are covered in dirt or falling apart (which makes the air quality worse), the housing is atrocious, and much of the construction seems to be abandoned leaving the city with a run-down ominous feeling.  We met many people during our time here, most living in total poverty and heard their stories.  We did little jobs here and there to fix things in the short-term and we played sports probably with thousands of children.

So What?
So the vast majority of people here live far below our standard quality of life.  So what?  They're happy, they rely on God for everything, they don't complain much, and they offer far more than they have.  A great example of this would be Boniface, he gave up his life in a mediocre lifestyle to do what God asked of him.  He said yes to God when many of us say no.  He lives by faith everyday with no salary while taking care of his family and many boys that he brings off the streets.  Everything he does, he does by prayer and faith that God will get him through it.  And he has.  While we were here Wes told us that Boniface's car had broken down (which he uses to go feed the street boys) and that his boys wouldn't be able to go to school for the next year; Boniface was worried because didn't have the money to fix either of these these problems.  Immediately without prompting we all said "we got this" and pulled from our own pockets the $600 needed for both.  We didn't solve his problems permanently, but we helped him get through a hard time.  Had Wes not mentioned this problem to us it's likely that Boniface may have not gotten the money at all, but God works in mysterious ways.  I think more than anything the little things we do here open doors for more ministry after we leave (through Michezo-Afrika) and give people like Boniface the hope to carry on.

Now What?
In a few hours I'll be leaving for Paris and soon after going to Spain for over a month.  So what do I do with what I've learned and how my life has been changed by this experience?  Every time I go on a mission trip I feel like my relationship with God gets exponentially closer, but that spiritual high is hard to maintain especially with the distractions of the first world.  During my time here I've wondered whether survival in a third world country or at home is more difficult?  Here, people rely on God to survive, praying that their children get enough food to eat for dinner that night.  At home we are so bombarded by distractions that it's easy to lose God in it all, our relationship with God is what we rely on to survive (meaning that sin is so much easier at home, and only our relationship with Him is the only thing that will save us in the end).  I guess all I can hope for is to maintain my strong relationship that I have now and carry that over into my relationships with others and my possessions.  Hopefully I can take what I've seen and put that into action (maybe I don't need to buy all that stuff at the mall or the grocery store).  Also, because everyone here has become so close, I know that when I come back to Waco I'll have good friends to lean on when times get hard and temptations become strong.

It's been an incredible journey and I'm so glad that I was given the opportunity to be here. Thank you Kenya!