Change is Coming

I have some big news.  And before you ask… No, I am not getting married.

I’ve been in Kenya almost a year.  It will be 11 months when I head home for Christmas.  This past year has been… interesting.  It has been frustrating, invigorating, inspiring, stressful, joyful.  There is now a place in my heart that beats to the rhythm of the Kenyan drum.

A few things I know for certain:

God called me here.  There have been times I have questioned why? what is my purpose? what am I doing? But through it all, I knew without question that God is the one who opened this door, for this time.  When you are faithful to answer the call of God, God is faithful to bring peace, even in the midst of questions and frustration.

I have a specific calling that will not be stifled.  When I was first making plans to come to Discipleship, I questioned whether or not this was the right place for me.  It was an exciting opportunity, but not what I had ever pictured myself doing.  Over the last year, the passion in my heart for those children who are most at risk, especially those involved in or at risk of sexual exploitation, has only grown, even though I have not been directly involved in ministry with children.  When God places a dream in your heart, no matter where you find yourself, that dream will grow unless you intentionally kill it.  Even then, if it truly is from God, I doubt you can ever fully kill it.

God is the one who orders our steps and directs our paths.  Scripture is clear that God will direct our paths.  I’ve seen it happen over and over in my own life, as well as the lives of family and friends.  Even when we don’t understand, God is at work.  As I said before, I haven’t fully understood this season of life, but I have tried to be faithful even in the questions.  Now, it is clear.  While I was in Eldoret learning the people and the culture and growing personally and spiritually, God was preparing a new place for me.  God has been faithful to order my steps so that I was exactly where I needed to be, when I needed to be there, so that I could embark on a new path.  A path specifically designed for me.

Starting in January, I will be joining the work at the Kibera Kids Center in Nairobi.  KKC is right on the edge of the Kibera slum, which is one of the world’s most infamous slums.  Lifespan is only 30, with 50% of the population under the age of 15.  Estimates say only 8% of girls have the opportunity for any education.  Two out of every three girls are sexually abused or exploited by the age of 16.

2 out of every 3

Think about all the girls you know who are 16 or younger.  Not just teenagers, but all the way down to the little ones, 4, 5, 6 years old.  Now, imagine that 2 of every 3 of those girls has been prostituted,
for food, for shelter, because she had no way of defending herself…

This is what I’ve been preparing for over the last 8 years.  Actually, the last 30 years.  We haven’t worked out all the details of what I’ll be doing, but I’ll be working with high-risk kids from the slums, and I’ll be right in the middle of where God has called me.  I know it will be difficult and at times probably frustrating, but I also know it will be covered in joy and peace.