Hey guys! It is day three in Kenya and it’s Liv Dieppa and Kyle McVittie. Today we started our journey in devotion with the Sport’s Outreach team. First, the Sport’s Outreach team opened our time together in worship. The pure joy of the Lord and genuine happiness of all the people of Kenya was so evident. Tyler and Michael then led us through the story of Jonah while engaging and interacting with the rest of the group. This was a great way to prepare for our first day of outreach.
We then loaded the bus and traveled to the slums of Mukuru to spread the Gospel through water filtration systems and fellowship. Mukuru is among one of the poorest cities in all of Africa, so this experience was unlike anything any of our team has witnessed before. We had the opportunity to deliver eight water filtration systems to families that do not have access to clean water. These homes were crowded, yet filled with an enormous amount of love and faith. After diving into these communities, we have been completely humbled by the way of life and conditions in which these people live. Despite the hardships, the Kenyans continue to show immense gratitude for the Lord, specifically in the little things. This has been a common theme throughout our trip as we have been focusing on finding God in everything including the mundane.
After visiting Mukuru, we headed back to the Sport’s Outreach center where the local church and children’s school is located. One of the leaders walked us through the experience of the staple Kenyan dinner dish: Ugali. The entire team was able to try this meal, and it was great! At the same time, our team was given the opportunity to serve lunch to the children at the school.
When everyone had finished their meals, we jumped into recess with the kids. We played giant games of soccer, basketball, frisbee, football, and lots of tag. Bubbles were everywhere and the space was filled with so much joy and laughter. Each child was constantly smiling running from person to person. I think Kyle held the record for number of kids held at once! Some children were also gifted in chess, so a lot of our team members were able to interact with them in that space.
After we said our goodbyes, we headed back to Grace House Resort where we have been staying. On the way back, we even saw a wild giraffe! We all met outside for tea time, and the staff kindly surprised Brooke with a happy birthday cake (happy birthday Brooke!!!)! This is just a testament to the true hospitality we have experienced so far this week. We enjoyed time together over tea and cake before we headed to dinner at a local restaurant. After dinner, we gathered in our banana room for a daily debrief. Lexie, Luke, and Patrick shared their stories with our group. This has been an awesome way to get to know our team on a spiritual level.
Overall, our day was filled with so much gratitude. Our eyes have been opened to the despair that occurs within our world, yet we have experienced a love unlike anything we’ve known before. This has only been evident through the grace of Christ. We may be extremely exhausted, but we still have so much more to give and uncover as we step into the next few days. That’s it for tonight, but we will be back tomorrow as we head into another slum in Nairobi!