How Great Thou Art

Do you remember being a little kid around Christmastime? When you would hope and pray and wish for that one gift that would make your 8 year old life? The end all be all of gifts. And then finally Christmas morning comes and you open your favorite, most anticipated present. At this moment your heart is so filled with joy & excitement that you literally don’t know what to do. Do you say thank you to your parents for giving you EXACTLY what you always wanted or do you immediately start playing with the toy and never do anything else? Usually you’re running around with it for awhile before you remember to say thank you, but it comes. And it will come for months after when you are still playing with your most prized possession, and then many years later you will remember that Christmas morning.

My favorite Christmas morning was when I received a Barbie dream house. Complete with a garage and in house elevator. It was so awesome. I’ve never screamed so loudly in my life, my parent’s poor eardrums. I will never forget the joy I felt that morning. My parents made my dreams come true right before my eyes. I’m also pretty sure I played with that Barbie dream house long after girls should be playing with Barbie things but whatever; it was a Barbie DREAM HOUSE. You don’t just toss those babies.

To not downsize what God has done in any way this summer, Kenya is my Barbie dream house (metaphorically). The question “what will I be when I grow up?” has finally been answered. I thought I knew how much I loved Kenya. I thought I knew how much God loved me. I thought I knew what this summer would be like.

I was so wrong. And I am so glad about that.

I've been in Kenya for exactly one month. My life is incredible. I have been truly blessed to not only do ministry through opportunities the Lord has given but I’ve also been able to explore the amazing things Kenya itself has to offer. For example, the second tallest building in Kenya overlooking all of Nairobi, amazing.

For the first 2 weeks of my summer, I worked in an orphanage and a school where God made me fall in love with kids and teachers that I had never met before. He humbled me in such a way that not only will I ever be the same; I simply cannot be who I used to be after doing life with these people.

For the last 2 weeks I’ve served all over Kenya with a ton of different people and organizations. I had been praying about where God had me once I moved here after graduation. Through RIDICULOUS divine appointment, God has given me some amazing opportunities to pray about and work towards.

I never thought I’d make “best friends” in Kenya. I was wrong. I never thought I’d had a lot of friends in Kenya. Once again, wrong. The Lord is intricately weaving relationships and contacts here in Kenya so there is almost no way I could ever feel lonely or out of place.

I can’t believe it’s been a month.
I can’t believe how much this place has truly captured my heart.
I love everything about Kenya.
I absolutely adore my life here.

I have been praying my whole entire life to be where God has me and to know what that will look like. I regularly find myself thinking how great Thou art? How great that God made me to love Kenya so intimately that I actually know I am in His will when I am here? How great that God is using all my passions to glorify Him? How great that God loves me so deeply that I’m never alone even when I’m 8,000 miles away from my earthly family. How great Thou art. I am so incredibly blessed to know that Kenya is not just a Christmas present that I will outgrow. It is something I have been waiting my whole life for and I can’t wait to fall in love over and over and over again with this country.

I am so thankful.

I am so content.

I am so joyful.

I am home.