Return from Kenya - "What now?"

My brother Tim returned from his mission trip to Kenya just before Christmas. After some time to adjust back to our sleep schedule and some time with family over the holidays, he started assembling his pictures and video from the trip.

This past Sunday he spoke at his church, Wellspring Community Church, and presented a couple of videos. The children he ministered to already knew Jesus, and they were basically holding a Vacation Bible School in three different areas around Nairobi. Few, if any, of the children or teachers had Bibles but they could all quote verses effortlessly. Tim left his Bible with the head master at the second school they visited. This man led hundreds of children at the Nairobi Language Institute, but didn't even own a Bible himself!

The first school they visited was in Kibera. Kibera is the second largest slum area in the world, and clearly the poorest of three areas they visited. Living conditions are what we would consider unbearable. They lacked what we think of as the bare necessities, though there was joy in these kids' hearts that you don't often see in the United States.

All three areas were poverty-striken and only the last school in the video even resembled what we think of as a school. They actually had a two story building and electricity. The first schools crammed 80 students into rooms that were no more than 10 ft. by 10 ft. and the only light was from a window on one wall. In these sardines-in-a-can conditions, the children were very well-behaved and once settled in to the classroom, they would quieten down and listen attentively for the duration of the class.

As often happens on these mission trips, Tim came back telling of how he felt that they ministered to him as much as he did to them. His message centered around "What now?" (you'll hear the Steven Curtis Chapman song in the slideshow). What do we do now for God? What are we sacrificing for Him? Is going to church once a week really a sacrifice? Is tithing enough? Look at how the children in Nairobi live. They have nothing, yet they have everything. Sometimes to me it seems I have everything, but feel like I have nothing.

Where are our priorities?

What are we sacrificing?

What now?

The video and the slideshow were accompanied by Tim speaking at church, so there's not a lot of text in these clips about what he did, what their life was like, how the team witnessed to the children, and how the children witnessed to the team. Even so, I think you'll appreciate the imagery and get a feel for the kind of welcome they received.

*** Tim's Trip to Nairobi Kenya *** -- videos and pictures

Labels: family

Posted by Chris on 1/11/2005 02:55:00 PM :: Permalink   
Want more? Visit the Archives or jump to current entries.