Thursday, September 1, 2011

I Left my Heart in Kenya

No amount of debriefing could have prepared me for returning to the United States. I have truly left my heart in Kenya! I've only been home for five days and all I can think about is returning, but this time with my family. Spending two weeks serving in Kenya was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. Next to the birth of my children, I've never felt so alive and profound purpose as I did in Kenya. For years, there's been a piece of me that has desired to be a full time missionary. In fact, I've spent the last six years praying that God would send me on a short term missions trip to Kenya and now that I've been there, I'm praying for Him to open the door for long term service in Kenya.

There is just something about the people that captured my heart. Maybe it's their sense of community despite all the poverty around them. Maybe it's their eagerness to hear about Jesus or maybe it's the children that I fell in love with half way across the world. All I know is that ever since I left, everything inside of me yearns to be back in Africa.

There is such a loss in my heart having left my dear Hadassah in the Kawangware Slums. I absolutely fell in love with her and desire her to be my very own just like my own daughters. Driving away from her last week tore me apart and I dream of being with her again. I have a constant movie playing in my brain of Hadassah and my girls playing together, my girls loving her and watching out for her. I'm praying for her daily and I'm so excited that such a small sacrifice of money from my family will be life changing for her. I hold on to the hope that she will be back in my arms again soon.

Yes, I left my heart in Kenya. My prayer is that I'll return soon with my family and they will love it as much as I do.