Time is inevitable and inescapable. No matter what we do time will always pass. Seconds will turn to minutes, minutes to hours, and hours will become days. In retrospect, time is a man-man subject that stands to bring about consistency, routine, and stability to our lives. God gave us time because we cannot handle the unknown. How many times do people stray away from new adventures or experiences because they are simply scared of the time they will waste? We all consider our time “valuable” and heaven forbid we take time out of our self-absorbed lives to give it to others or to the Lord. Over the past few weeks, the more I am immersed into the Kandaria community I truly have learned that what I considered “my” time is in actuality not my time at all. God has given me the ability to wake up each day, breath, eat, and grow in His name. Time is not something we can own. It is something that as much as we want we will never control.
As I come to the ending weeks of this humbling journey I have begun to realize that time has become a constant, uncontrollable, companion of mine. There are so many instances when I wish that I could stop time and breathe in every moment in Kenya. The atmosphere, the people, the culture is so embedded in love and forming relationships. Everywhere we walk we are stopped, greeted, and talked to. Being one who has always respected personal space, at first it was overwhelming, but greeting people has honestly become one of my favorite parts of the day.
Originally, one of the main factors in my desire to go on a long term mission was to form lifelong friendships that are based in Christ. Being able to minister to people comes easily when the Lord has built a relationship that is enveloped in trust and love. This morning we were told that to trust there must be intimacy…there must be trust in a relationship for belief in words and wisdom to be established. When told this I couldn’t help but smile. I looked around and my eyes were filled with tears. The community looked at us with affectionate eyes listening intently to every word that was said. One woman in particular, Joyce, saw us from a distance and ran up to us with open arms. Joyce is one of the women in the community who has helped form “Bridges for Women” (essentially a womans bible study group). She is compassionate, giving, and has a contagious personality that makes you want to sit with her all day long. Two days ago, she invited us to visit her house for lunch. Upon arrival she greeted us with hugs, kisses, and prayers. We spent all day with her, stuffing our stomachs with delicious foods and endless cups of chai tea. At the end of our visit she looked at us and said, “I am very happy you are here. Thank you, thank you, thank you. May God forever bless you.” Her praises and thanks continued as we walked out the door. It is people and relationships like Joyce’s that have imprinted my heart. She is a true woman of God and like all the other woman of the community have impacted me more than I could have ever imagined. The time I have spent with her and the women are blessed moments that I will always treasure.
Each weekend we use our time on Saturday mornings to take house visit to those who are in need. Many of the people we meet, we have met within the community whether it be on walks, church services, or teaching their children in schools. As we walked to the second house of the morning, we turned a corner and a small mud-hut came into plain sight. Adjacent to the house was a small plot of corn maize, various crops, and vegetables. Running along the parameters of the house were multiple children ranging in age from 4 to 16. Many of which were familiar faces. Arriving at the house we were greeted as always with friendly handshakes and an invitation into the home. The interior of the house was dark, as there was no light, and consisted of two rooms that were filled with wooden chairs and dirt floors. We sat and talked to the woman and her family for about ten minutes to learn that she was caring for her four children along with four of her grandchildren. The woman was widowed and had minimal income. Most of the children were sponsored by organizations and given just enough to provide for a meal a day and schooling. Needless to say the family was in need. In the midst of the conversation I felt something hit my leg and next to my foot sat a chicken. Everyone laughed and one of the little boys came and picked up the chicken and handed it to David (our host). At the time I had no understanding of what was going on because Luo was being spoken. After the visit walking home David had told us that the woman had given us the chicken and because of the culture, when given a gift one has to accept. I was amazed. This woman was attempting to feed and raise about eight children alone and here she was giving us their source of meat. I was aghast and immediately humbled (this happens on many occasions). Later that afternoon the girls and I discussed the events of the day and felt like God had laid a burden on our heart. Because of the many donations given on the trip we were able to donate money to buy beans and rice for orphans in the community!! Giving the children the food that will sustain them for the next couple of weeks was one of the many moments that was to fleeting.
Both of these instances are only two of the many relationships that we have made throughout the hours and days we have spent in Kandaria. The relationships that we have formed over these past few weeks have been the biggest blessings and as much as I wish I could stop time so as to spend more and more time with the people, I know I cannot. But then I think of the old saying, “time will come and go but friendships will last forever”. Then it dawned on me..God gave us friendships through Him that are eternal. Though we lack time on earth we have eternity in heaven. As my time comes to an end in Kenya and I say goodbye to people I have grown to love and respect I know that in a week I won’t be saying “goodbye” but an “I’ll see you later”.
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