The Joy of Giving

One of the things I love most about being in Kenya is being able to give to the community in the Kawangware Slums. Last Thursday was an exciting day as the shoes arrived for all the children (we had measured their feat on Monday). We worked together to sort the shoes and add 2 pairs of socks to each bag of shoes. We waited until the end of the day, after the lessons and small groups to surprise them. Many of the children have never had their own pair of new shoes, so this was quite a surprise! They jumped for joy as they received their shoes and tried them on. I thought for sure they would change their shoes and walk home in their new shoes, but I was wrong. They treasured them so much, they wrapped them back up in their bags to protect them and save them for when school starts again. .

Yesterday was a day we had all been waiting for. The first day we were here in the Kawangware Slums, we went on a prayer walk with the youth from CCP. On that day, we identified families with extreme financial needs (everyone in the slums have financial needs, but we sought out those going long periods of time hungry). Our team, using money we raised through our sponsors and fundraising (which also paid for the shoes), was able to purchase 200 gift bags filled with food and household needs. My team, along with the CCP staff, stuffed the gift bags together. It was comical at times as food and soap were being thrown through the air. Once the youth arrived, we gathered in our teams from the prayer walk and went out into the slums to deliver the gift bags. My team delivered to 4 homes. It was overwhelming to see the joy on the faces of the recipients. We were able to provide life sustaining supplies to so many families. One family that was visited had no money for food and had just borrowed money from a neighbor that morning to purchase food. She was so excited to be able to return that money. She also shared that when the team visited the week before, she was very sick. After they prayed for her, she was now well. It's awesome to see people with so little praising God for His provision. God is so good!!

Later, after returning from the home deliveries, we surprised the kids with gift bags for their own families. I was touched by their cheering and the joy on their faces as they carried their bags home, some slung over their backs and others on their heads. Some kids were so small they could barely carry their bags!

Again, I would like to thank all my sponsors for giving me the opportunity to serve in Kenya and use your funds to purchase the shoes and food for those in need. I praise God for you all!