Kenya- the home of warm smiles, hardworking people, and Zoe Ministries! My team of five was so blessed to serve alongside Zoe Ministries for six weeks. Zoe mainly cares for orphans, widows and is expanding their reach to disciple teen moms. They also do ministry by empowering pastors and repairing water pumps in West Pokot. West Pokot is a desert area that’s a two hour drive from Kitale. One day a week on most weeks we were able to join the Zoe team for ministry in the desert. The people in West Pokot have many unique traditions and practices. Many of the girls and women walk extremely far to get to water pumps, they start families while the women are very young, and they practice polygamy. Zoe Ministries, and an organization called Water Mission, is active in repairing their broken water pumps and empowering the pastors. Women, men and children often gather under a tree after walking long distances to hear Gospel teachings on handmade benches. My team got to give a teaching on water baptism and God’s love one day. I even learned that most of these people have never heard the Gospel before. The following week, we met a large number of them at a riverside and got to witness the pastors baptize them. We were thrilled to play a small role in what God is doing to reach the people of West Pokot! Please include them in your prayers.
Other ways we served while in Kenya was by visiting teen moms and widows at their homes and encouraging them through scripture/praying for them. For each house visit encounter God was faithful to put a verse or subject on my heart regarding what they could be encouraged by. On a different occasion we helped give treatment to a family who had an infection of bugs called “jiggers.” 🙁 Other days we played with the children that are being cared for by Zoe and helped in their garden or with housework. (At the moment, there are probably 40 children in the care of Zoe Ministries. Every child is known and called by name. While kids with unideal home lives are welcomed into a family at Zoe with a house mom and dad, the staff are also staying in touch with the children’s birth parent(s). When their original family and home environment is deemed a safe and nurturing place, the children are reintegrated back with their biological families.) We also had a few opportunities to speak at a weekly widow’s gathering that Zoe hosts. Additionally, three of us, myself included, were invited to deliver the message on a Sunday morning at different churches in the area. It was a busy schedule and I honestly personally experienced a bit of home sickness in the midsts of these great opportunities. Still, I was able to lean into God and His love, faithfulness and promises in a deeper way than I ever have before. I’m thankful that God is continually showing me His purposes for bringing me to these places! Altogether we loved our time in Kenya and with Zoe. All the Kenyans we were around were consistently welcoming, hospitable and thankful for what we contributed. What a blessing to see the body of Christ in such unique cultures!
At the time I’m writing this, we are currently settling into Uganda! I am looking forward to writing about what God is doing in the midst of this country. Please feel free to keep us in your prayers, as this week we will be visiting women in a few different settlements at a refugee camp. Most of the residents are from South Sudan or the Congo and have probably unfortunately experienced many traumatic things.
Thank you for reading! Myself and our group will always appreciate your prayers. I am also continuing to raise funds. We have five countries and eight months left! Please feel free to contribute here if God puts it on your heart to do so.
Thank you!!! Enjoy the holiday season!
With love,
Gina
