8,000 miles away

I believe that God works in numerous ways. One way that I believe he works is that sometimes, he takes us away from our problems, and struggles, to get us away. To help take our mind and focus off of those things. To take our focus off things that can distract us and change our focus. To take away smaller everyday things that can slowly take our attention. I believe he does this to take our focus off those things, and put it back on what does matters. To take us away and show us the things we need to focus on. To show us, and a lot of the time, remind us what really matters. To show us what our focus and attention should be on.

God has done just that with me this summer. He has taken me 8,000 miles away from some problems and struggles I have had. He has helped take my focus off of them, and helped put them on the things that they need to be back on. He has shown me, again, that I have to rely on HIM for everything I need, because HE is the only thing that will last. That NO MATTER what I go through, no matter what circumstances or pain or suffering comes my way, HE WILL BE THERE! That I can lean on him through anything. That I HAVE to lean on HIM in times of struggle and need, not the vanishing things of this world.
He has also continued to show me how true His Word is. How when His Word says that it is living and active, that it is EXACTLY that. Everything His Word says is true and that it does apply to our lives, even today. Even stories in the Old Testament that a lot of people say are boring and have no application to our lives today, are actually very good, interesting, and mostly very applicable to our lives today. Most of the stories in the Old Testament and their meaning can be applied to life today. They aren’t just stories from a long time ago, they still teach us things today. There is a reason that the Old Testament is a part of the number one most read book of all time.

I also believe that God can take us far away from those problems, struggles, and distractions to take our focus off them, and to show us new things that we would not have been open to, or would get our attention other wise. To show us insight, maybe to something that we have a passion for that we didn’t know we had.
One way that I know God did this through me was when I spoke to the 600+ high school boys in Kibwezi. I have never thought that there was even a remotely chance for me to speak, or teach in front of a lot of people, similar to a Pastor’s role. I have never thought that there might be a chance for me to do that sort of thing, even though I have always been somewhat of a leader, and felt the call to lead others around me. Even a few months ago I am not sure I would have wanted to do that sort of thing. But God had been slowing changing my heart. He has given me passion & desire to share that passion & to help people understand the things he has taught me and is continuing to teach me. Which when there was talk that someone needed to speak that weekend, inside of me, I knew I was going to be the one to do it. Throughout the day that I prepared for my teaching, I was never very nervous. God had given me the peace and reassurance that I need to know that HE was going to use me to talk to the students I was speaking to; not because he needed me, but because he let me be used by him.
Now after doing that, I have seen that passion for sharing my passions, and things that God has taught me to others, continually growing.

God has also continued to show me my increasing interest in digging into His Word, and trying to understand exactly what is going on, as well as what God is trying to teach us through this story. Working with, and sitting in on the Berith Bible College this summer has continued to show this. I look forward to the times that I get to go there and dive into His Word, and try to figure out what I am supposed to learn from it. Also to be able to have a knowledgeable, strong, christian leading me through this. This has spiked my interest, and curiosity about doing this back in the US as well.


Another huge way that God teaches us when he pulls us away from our normal lives, problems and whatnot is to show us how much we do have. I know personally how anytime that someone goes to a third world country and comes back talks about how fortunate and blessed they are to have what they are. I Completely agree with that, when you are able to go see so much poverty, hurt, pain, suffering, and difficult things; when you do come back to your easy, blessed, plentiful life you should feel that way. God has definitely done that for me again this year, just as he did last year. I think he has increased my knowledge and understanding of how fortunate I am, and we are as Americans.

But the thing that God has helped to show me A LOT this summer is not how fortunate I am in the case of my material possessions; my house, car, phone, electronics, clothes, and things of that nature; but more of how so very very fortunate and blessed I am with the people in my life. I have many AMAZING people in my life that have helped make me the person I am today! People that I know God has purposefully put into my life to help shape, and grow me to who I am today. People that have been great examples of the kind of person I want to be.

A huge thing I have realized this year and especially this summer has been that exact thing I am talking about when it applies to my family. My family is an AMAZING group of people. They are a family that loves, cares, provides, and would do anything to help me, ANYTHING. They are a family after God’s own heart. Our family is great and it all starts with my mom. We would not be anything near what we are without her. She is an amazing women. She wants to help anyone & everyone she can in anyway she can, no matter what it is, if it takes away from her own self, time, or fun. She has not had it easy, especially having to raise us 3 crazy boys growing up, mostly on her own, but she continued to be our spiritual leader, provider, lover, and everything we needed. She did all this while continuing to serve the Lord and lead us in that path, and showing us what we were supposed to do. I honestly don’t have any idea how she was able to do it. The thing that still amazes me every furtherer is how she continues to do that same thing today. She still does the same things for us, although in different ways since we are grown up. As well as being a phenomenal children’s minister at our church, which she does more than anyone could know for that, while still doing anything that is asked of her.
My brothers are also some amazing men. They have numerous talents, and are very very wise for their age. They both are very gifted musically, as well have servant hearts. Even though we have had our rough patches throughout the years, especially when we were younger, and I was a very angry child; I love them both very very dearly. I have finally realized after all these years how awesome, wise, kind, loving, and willing to serve and help that they both are. Mom has surely raised some amazing men.

But this summer I have also realized how very very fortunate I am with the people in my life that aren’t a part of my close, legal family, even though some are as close as family.
People that have been my sunday school, and youth leaders growing up. They have a huge impact on my life, and especially the growing of my faith. People that have stepped in when I needed guidance and helped show me the way to get me on the right path. People that have helped teach me what is right, have helped to show me the things that I have talked about earlier, things like relying on God’s Word. Also people just a few years older than me, that are helping to mentor me. This has not stopped with just be being in high school either, these amazing people God has put in my life to help continue to shape me. God has continued to bless me with some great friends, and leaders in my life. I am truly blessed to have so many people that I can come to when I am in need, when I need advice, or are just there for me no matter what happens.

God can do A LOT in a short amount of time when you are focused on Him. He has definitely done that for me these last 9 weeks. I am completely grateful for my time here in Kenya, and all the things that I have seen, heard, experienced, learned, and be able to be a part of.

~The Joy Is Rising

A Family Day...

This past Saturday was an awesome day.

First we went to Hope Center about 9 am because we thought that some of the Saint Boys had some Vapor Soccer games, (vapor is similar to Upward). But turns out that this saturday was only registration for Vapor and that the games didn’t start until next saturday. Which sucks because we wont be here for that, since we are leaving wednesday, I would have really enjoyed getting to watch some of the Boys play in an environment with other regular boys. But luckily some of the boys were there anyways to register, so we were able to see them.

There was actually a women’s soccer tournament going on at the Hope Academy field. Teams from all over Nairobi, and all over Kenya, and there was a women’s college team from the US there, ONU from around chicago, Illinois. So we watched some of those games of this tournament. Later on more of the boys began to arrive.

I was able to watch the games most of the time with James & Dan. James sat in my lap & in between my legs, as well as leaned up against me almost the entire time we were there. I absolutely LOVED just sitting there watching football, (soccer) with that amazing little boy. He just laid there, leaning against me, holding my arms around him. Every now and then, when something happened in the game, or just randomly he would turn around and look up at me and smile. That just made me as happy as I could be! To just see the comfort & love & peace he has with me is absolutely AMAZING!

I absolutely LOVE that boy. I am really really going to miss him! As well as all of the boys for that matter. They are some amazing boys. It has really been amazing to see the growth, there willingness to open up to me, how they love on me, and how they just love having me around, over the last 8 and 1/2 weeks. I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to be around them so much this summer! I love every moment that I get to be around them. I love there with everything I have!

Later that night Thomas, Zippy, and Dinah invited us five over to their house to eat and fellowship with them. It was an absolutely amazing night!

Dinah and Zippy made dinner. They made an Kenyan meal, which I love!

Then after dinner we just sat around their living room, and talked. We shared stories from our past, as well as things from our cultures. They Zippy shared with us her story of how she came to know Christ. It was a great story. She was very honest with us. It was very encouraging.

Afterwards Thomas began to tell us his story as well. He has a great story. Full of encouragement. He had it rough but His mom helped to encourage him and he raised him up the way she should.

After his story he began to thank us and show his appreciation for what we have done, for being a part of their lives. Then it was a sad & emotional time for us all, even though we didn’t all cry. Because we have all realized that we have become a family. We, although from very different cultures, and from very far places, have came together and become a family. A family that cares and loves for each other.

We have become a family that shares, cares, loves, comforts, and helps each other. We have had meals together, laughed together, worked together, served together, played volleyball together, shared together; we have done everything a family does together.

I really love our Kenyan family!

I am really going to miss the time we have spent together. I am going to miss helping Zippy clean, or driving her home, or talking and laughing together. I am really going to miss all the time I have been able to spend with Thomas. The time that we have spent talking, helping him with work in the yard, helping him with the chickens, riding to go places with him, playing volleyball with him. I am really going to miss the time we have been able to have together.

I am really going to miss my Kenyan Family!

Although this is a sad time because I am leaving them, I know God has helped to use this time to strengthen me and has used this time for HIS GLORY. So I know that God is strengthening me through this.

~The Joy Is Rising

James Kamau

The Saint Boy that has really touched my heart the most, and that I have had the biggest connection with has been young James Kamau. James is a young boy who is about 10 or 11 years old, although because of his size he does not seem that old. He is a very small boy. He has been malnourished. He looks younger because he has lived on the street. He doesn’t exactly know how long he has lived on the streets, but he knows it has been a long time. He was chased away from home by his own mother, she didn’t want him there any longer because she could not afford to provide for him. She could not pay for his school fees. She drank alcohol a lot & beat him and his brothers, Patrick, and Nicholas, other boys that are a part of the Saint Boys Project.

He has never had great hearing, and while he actually did go to school as a younger child, he couldn’t hear the teacher very well, so would continually ask. The teacher thought that he was being smart and rude so they would beat him.

James does not know much english at all. He only knows how to say a few things. He also has hearing problems, so it normally is very hard for him to understand. When he cant hear you, he will make this noise telling you to say it again because he didn't understand you. He normally says aye? or something of that nature. If you saw the video I made that I posted before on my blog then you know his awesome & funny voice, that he has. I love just thinking about his voice.

James is one of the funnest boys to be around. He ALWAYS has a smile on his face. He will look to you randomly and just smile, or wink, or stick out his tongue and smile, or even give you a thumbs up. For no reason at all. Just because he is so happy & glad to see you.



James just tries to be a normal kid. He just wants to do normally things like get stories read to him, being held in your arms, getting on my shoulders, playing football (soccer)just to have fun and goof off, and being told he’s doing good. He is always so excited to hear that he has done something well. During our tutoring sessions I have been teaching the younger boys, James, Dan, Nicholas, and Dennis. When we have gone over numbers, letters, shapes, or simple addition in math, and he is told he has done well, he is SO happy! It makes me smile every time. He wants a fist bump, EVERY TIME!

I love EVERY Minute that I am able to spend with James Kamau. He has indeed blessed my life. I am very glad that I have been able to be a part of His life. I am glad that I have been able to just hangout and play and teach and read to him, just so that he can take his mind off of his troubles, pain, suffering, and rough life that he has compared to mine. I am grateful that even though we don’t always have the easiest time understanding each other, since we both know very little of each other’s language, that I have been able to help him just be a normal, little kid, even if it is just for a little bit each week.

I am very glad that I have been able to help show him the Love of Christ, and help show him that they are people in this world that TRULY LOVE HIM and are there for him.

The Joy Is Rising.

The Boys

My highlight for this trip has been being able to spend time with the Saint Boys. The Saint Boys are boys who live on the streets of the Kawangware slum. To learn more you can watch the video I have made about them, which the link is in my last blog.

I love every minute of every time we are able to go to see the boys. Whether it is on Mondays, where we spend the entire day with them, or wednesday and thursday when we go to tutor them. Every monday we spend the entire day with the Saint Boys. We normally arrive there around 930 am and will stay until around 3 or 4pm. We teach them Bible stories, we sing songs with them, we read them children’s books, we play games with them, we play soccer with them, and we tutor them some as well.

I have had the opportunity to be able to be the one that is able to read them the children’s books to them each week. Each week we read about 2 books. I read the words and then we get someone to translate for us so the ones who don’t know english very well can understand. Then I show them the pictures that are on each page and get to be blessed by seeing there faces while they look at them. They laugh or smile really big, show the person sitting next to them a certain part that they think is really funny. It is absolutely AMAZING. I love it. I love just being able to read to them and letting them be normal kids again. Letting them experience what most of us, in america, experienced as a very young child, being read to by our parents. It is just simply amazing to experience that and see them just being so happy and having so much fun while just being read a book to.

Lately we have began to tutor the boys as well. We have spilt the boys up based on their education level. I have had the opportunity and privilege to teach the younger, and lower educated boys. I have been assigned to them because of my strong connection with most of them. I am teaching James, Dan, Nicholas, and Dennis. Most of them have either never had schooling, or have had very little of it. I have been working mostly with them on learning the alphabet, shapes, numbers, and basic math like addition problems. I never thought that I would like teaching, but I have really enjoyed teaching these young boys these simple things. Although sometimes it is frustrating, getting them to calm down, to just finish their work, and not help each other. But I really do like teaching them. Also I absolutely love being able to tell them good job once they finish their work and do it correct. They always want you to mark their books, showing that they did it correctly. They absolutely love when I write Good at the top of their page. They give me the biggest smile, stretching from ear to ear, and normally accompanied with a fist bump.

Also some of the boys always want to play football (soccer) with me every time Im there in the afternoon. One boy, Nicholas, who is an absolutely amazing boys, who is always happy and smiling, no matter what he is doing. Every day when I see him, he comes to me gives me a high five, grabs my arm and tries struggling to say it because of the very little english he knows, “Kevin, today today you play football?”. Everyday I love hearing him saying those words to me. Everyday I say to him “Yes Nicholas, we can play football” as I look back at him. Then he looks back up to me and gives me a humongous smile, just showing his joy. I absolutely love Nicholas, he is an awesome, happy, and fun boy.

These are just a few stories that I have from my interactions with the Saint Boys. They are some amazing boys and I absolutely love being around them, No matter what it is I am doing.

The Joy Is Rising.