This chapter is going to be long because Kenya is full of hard working people. As you read today, you get the privilege of meeting Melvin, Jane, Simon, Evans, Daniel, and Grace.
I got to meet Melvin the day we went to ANU town campus. We had gone for chapel where the group sang ‘Come Thou Fount’ and JP (trip sponsor and TNU director of compliance) and I shared our testimonies. After chapel had ended, Melvin was going to give us a tour of the Communications department. Town campus occupies 3 floors of an office building. Melvin gave us the tour of the recording studio, the class rooms, and a radio station that is currently ready to go, but inactive (please pray that the government will give them a permit to operate). He also told us of his plans for the fall. In August he is traveling to South Sudan to teach students there how to use a radio station that was just donated to them. People had raised the money and provided the equipment, but had not trained them. I invited Melvin to eat lunch with us. The tour and lunch turned out to be the only time we got to see Melvin, but he is passionately pursuing God and is about to use the gifts that God has given him to make a little corner of the world a better place. Melvin, if you ever find yourself reading this please know that your drive and excitement to go teach students in South Sudan inspired me. May we as young college students strive to use our gifts to better the world around us as generously as you are.
We got to see Jane almost every night. She helps Rob and Cindy (the missionaries who hosted us) take care of their house and Cindy’s father. Jane is kind and blessed us in so many ways - even her smiles brought my heart incredible joy. On Sunday May 19, a group of us traveled to her church - Ongata Rongai. You will hear more about that experience in a later blog post, but Jane was our defender on May 19. We were riding back to campus in tuk tuk’s (picture at the bottom) and she made sure that each of us got in a good tuk tuk with a reliable driver. Anytime I went over to Rob and Cindy’s house during the day, Jane was always hard at work. She always had time to stop and talk though. Jane thank you for your sweet spirit. I know that God will bless you and your family greatly for your hard work and compassionate heart.
Simon is the ANU version of my dad. When we needed more toilet paper, he was on it. Shower stopped working? Call Simon. When ALL of the water was cut off (toilets, sinks, showers) in our flat the next day? Simon’s got it under control. During Holiness Week, I had chosen to go to early morning prayer from 7-8 each day but on Wednesday Janice and Jacinda decided to go to a 15 minute devotional time held by the maintenance team daily. While they were there, Simon asked if someone from the team could be the speaker the next day and Janice signed me up immediately. Thursday morning I found myself talking about the importance of our work. Using the story of the woman anointing Jesus with oil before his death, I talked about how God can take our work and our lives and (when totally surrendered to him) can turn it into so much more. After the devotional time was over, Simon came up to me and told me about his daughter. Her birthday is coming up and instead of asking for presents and keeping them for herself, she’s going to donate all of the gifts she receives to her church that is currently trying to pay off/buy the building they’re holding church in. Simon’s smile was one of my favorites to see. The conversations we had as well as the ones he had with members of our team were deep, meaningful, and inspirational. His outlook on life, his attitude towards his work, his heart for missions and ministry - it blew me away. And Simon’s heart isn’t going to stop with him; he’s passing it on to each of his children. Thank you Simon - for the tea, your encouragement, and for inspiring all of us as you glorify God in all that you say and do.
Evans and Daniel are some pretty special men. They both work for the school’s maintenance team as well. We met Evans the first day we were there. The group from SNU hadn’t arrived yet and it was just the Trevecca students. Our first dinner was going to be off campus and we were supposed to leave at 4. Kenyan time runs a little differently than American time and it got pushed back to 5. Janice and I had sat down on the steps right outside the maintenance offices and Evans noticed us and invited us inside to sit in more comfortable chairs. A group of us came inside to find chairs and hymnals. Evans (as well as a lot of the maintenance team) loved singing hymns. The hymn books had been brought by a work and witness team decades earlier but Evans told us that they used the books every morning to sing songs during their devotional time (this was where we were first invited to join them in the mornings). For the next hour, Evans would tell us a favorite hymn of his and the group would sing the song while he recorded us. Trust me, we weren’t that great but it brought a smile to Evan’s face and some joy into our jet lagged hearts. The next time I got to talk with Evans, he was with Daniel eating in the cafeteria. That morning I had spoken in Bible study and when they saw me sit down alone, they invited me to join them. Grace (who I will introduce you to in a minute) popped in occasionally when she wasn’t working to join in on our conversation. Eating lunch with Evans and Daniel that day turned out to be one of my top 5 favorite meals/conversations of the trip. They told me about their lives and how they got jobs at ANU. Daniel has worked there since 1986 - a work and witness team taught him how to be a plumber and he’s stayed with the school ever since. Evans started working more recently, but loves it there. I asked Daniel, Evans, and Grace what motivated them… what kept pushing them to work even when they didn’t feel like it or life was hard. All of them answered the same thing: you had to work to have a salary to provide for your family. Their families, strength from God, and the great community at ANU keeps them coming back and faithfully working everyday. Grace is still single but I got to meet her brother, Daniel told me about his 9 kids, and Evans just sent me a picture of his son yesterday afternoon. Thank you for lunch, for letting me see into your world and your work, for showing me your infectious passion for life and the ways in which you glorify God.
Last but certainly not least - Grace. One morning at breakfast I introduced Grace to some of our team that hadn’t met her yet. I said “this is Grace and she is one of the most generous, beautiful, and selfless people on this earth” and then I felt myself starting to tear up so I stopped. Janice, Jacinda, and I met Grace on one of the first days of our trip. Grace works in the cafeteria, she has a beautiful smile, and she gives THE BEST hugs. Often she would see I was in a long line for food, pull me aside, ask me what I wanted, and serve me quickly. When Edwin, Jacinda, and Kelvin dared me to eat a habanero pepper and my mouth caught on fire, she knew just the thing to help me out. Every morning for breakfast I would get Kenyan tea and a mandazi with sugar on top (tastes just like a donut - 10/10 would recommend). She would make fun of my American taste buds, but she would also pick out the biggest mandazi to put on my plate. Grace is there all day cleaning the cafeteria and serving the students. She seems soft spoken, but her heart loves bigger than most. Grace, I have thought about you every day (oof I’m crying again). I miss your hugs and even though I brought home Kenyan tea bags, it’s nothing compared to the tea you made me. I didn’t think such a deep bond could be formed in a 15 day time period, but a piece of my heart is undoubtedly still with you: my sister in Kenya. We are separated by distance, but ALWAYS together in spirit and in heart.
For your hard work and willing spirit, even when you don’t have the most glamorous job… asante sana rafikis.
Tuk Tuk
Kelvin & Grace
Amazing trip for sure. I am enjoying the blog.
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