It has been 10 years since I have returned from my 2-month mission trip to Kenya & while I can’t believe it’s been that long ago, time goes by so fast, but the memories & mental pictures are still fresh in my mind. At times, I feel as if that wasn’t even me that did all the things while in Kenya! Many of you reading this didn’t even know me then—which is part of the reason why I think of myself from such a distance…like, “Wow God, You did all that 10 years ago…& look where You have brought me today, 10 years later!” I feel like a different person.When I went to Kenya, I was basically a new believer…very young in my faith. I was 20, going to be a junior at the U of M, engaged to an awesome guy, family was great…& I was now serving a very living & active God that was taking me across the world to Africa. It was, to say the least, a crazy experience! I will never forget it. I went with a great team & made life-long friends…but to be quite honest, the mission experience was hard, frustrating, & not at all what I expected. In fact, toward the end of the trip & when I got home I was pretty certain missions was NOT for me. I was rather bitter & confused to why God would take me to Kenya for 2 months & have a not-so-good experience. Mind you, there were a few times where it was enjoyable & I felt what I was doing was fulfilling. It took a few years for me to process why God had me there & why I went through what I did.
I recently got an email from the leaders from my Kenya trip…they are still leading that trip to this day (13 times now), taking college students to Kenya…they are amazing people. But in that email, it confirmed that God had a plan for my challenges in Kenya 10 years ago: to be a testimony to the future students that would go on this trip. This is what they wrote:
“It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since you came on the GP, Brandi! I have such vivid memories of the stories you and Grace told after getting back from your ministry assignment in Meru. Brian still uses your experience to teach students about perseverance, about how to maturely deal with fear and disappointment, and about God's control over all things---how he perfectly orchestrates the lessons He wants for us (even if the lessons come much later on.) Brian always speaks highly of you. I hope that our Kenya updates keep the memories fresh for you and that the lessons God taught you continue. That is our prayer---that much fruit will be born from those who have come with us.”
There has been much fruit from that trip. I am glad my hard experience can be used as a teaching & training point for other young college students that may face the same challenges I did. God has obviously softened my heart toward missions, to say the least! I have since been to Uganda, Guatemala, & Brazil on mission excursions, as well as several local destinations. Jim & I are now in charge of short-term missions at our church & even just put the dates together for taking a team to Brazil in 2011! Oh the crazy things our God does! And I am so glad His plan is SO much bigger & better than mine!
When I think back to Kenya, I no longer dwell on the difficulty. I dwell on how big God is. The mental images are sharp in my mind. My team. The Pastor & family I served for 3 weeks. God’s protection. Walking through the oldest & worst slum in all of Africa, Mathare Valley—the poverty, the faces, the spark of hope from a church in the middle of it. Feeding street teens. Staying on a college campus. Grace, my Kenyan teammate who is beautiful, loves Jesus, & who I had the blessing of spending most of my time with. Worship.
So when it comes down to it…I am a different person because of Kenya. I am glad God redeemed my outlook on missions, because now my life is ever changed because of them! Even if some of the fruit comes 10 years later…bring it on!
