Kenya Mission Team A, Day 3
After a quick breakfast at our hotel, we were in Sammy’s spiffy passenger van on the way to Naivasha – our final destination. The shoulder of the road to Naivasha was brightened by grazing cows, donkeys, sheep and goats. There was even a wildlife sanctuary along the side of the highway and from our van we got to see zebra, wildebeest and giraffes!
The long journey has given our team a great sense of familiarity and respect for one another. Need advice on how to pee in an outhouse, Loran’s your gal. Wondering what animals we’ll see on the drive from Nairobi to Naivasha, just ask Katie. Want to know how close we are to the equator, Ivor’s got that. We’ve connected with each other like old friends. We have a nice balance of “first timers” eager to ask questions and “returners” who can draw attention to changes and the evolution of the program, landscape, and people.
We travel straight to Trinity Methodist Church for their 10am service. Singing, dancing, praising and connecting. We scattered into seats among the parishioners and join in as if we’d been there our whole lives. Florence, an Inua staffer, takes the lead as our guide. We also get to reconnect with Paul, the Executive Director of Inua and Kenya’s version of a District Superintendent.
After lunch at a nearby restaurant, we were back at the church to meet a group of Inua Youth who are about to graduate. Ivor Singer facilitated a chat via Skype with their prayer partners and the Forum class back in Winter Park. Their stories are remarkable and the emotions shared on both ends are powerful. It is amazing how a series of letters and prayers connect them. The youth here consider their prayer partners as true family. We can all feel it.
What a powerful gift God has given us to meet these youth in person and more fully understand how the Inua program has helped guide their transformation.