Nairobi - Sunday

Today was a good day.  Today is Sunday and Sunday is church day. There are Pentecostal churches everywhere.  Our drive toward Great Commission Fellowship Church in the center of Nairobi was very eye opening.  After our first day of being wisked around the city by our driver Martin, this week, we saw what the majority of Nairobi is like.

After getting stopped by a herd of cattle crossing the road in one of the busiest intersection in the city, we made our way past the poorest of the poor in a slum called Mathera.  This is the second largest slum in Kenya.  Only second to the world famous Kibera slums (largest in the world).  There was a very sobering effect on all of us along the way.

We arrived at GCF church/school at 9:30 where we met the leaders of the church and got a chance to talk and get to know them.  The worship part of the service lasted from 10:00 to 11:30, during which time some of the children came to the stage and danced before God with a Spirit that I have never seen before.  They are soooo beautiful (inside and out) and their Spirit is one of joy and gladness in the midst of some of the worst poverty i have ever seen.  After their dance, I was asked to teach (some would say preach...but you all know that I am not a preacha).  I want the entire Leadership team at VWS to know that I finished in 33 minutes (in case you were wondering).  I had a translator standing on stage with me to translate everything I said into swahili (spelling?).  In case your wondering, I taught on LOVE WINS.  

After the service was over we had the chance to meet with the members of the church in their Sunday bests on the dirt playground outside of the auditorium and school offices.  The kids were all over us (especially Carrie as you can see in the photo).  This only sparked our excitement for Monday when we would meet them in their classrooms as we toured CGF's modest and run down facilities.

Afterward, Pastor Peter, Pastor Joel, Pastor George, and Ms. Mary and Ms. Vera took us to an American like Mall (very close to American embassy and housing).  The food was great, the company even better as we got to know the hearts of the men and women who work so hard to change the fortune of the children living in the streets around them.  I feel like they are part of Vineyard Westside and God has sent us to learn how to care for our brothers and sisters, but more importantly to learn how to Act Justly, Love Mercy and Walk Humbly in the ways that they understand far better than us.

On our way home, we drove by the Mathera slums and looked at a distance at the worlds worst poverty known to man.  Families with no clean water, nothing to eat...the best word is "nothing."  Pastor Peter told me that he lived in the Kibera slum for 6 years.  We were not allowed to go in the slums because of the safety risks, so we drove by slowly and eerily while we watched the sea of tin roofs go on for what seemed like forever.  Garbage covering every inch of the ground, and the indescribable smell that can't be explained in words.  You really have to be here to know what I am talking about.  The poorest of the poor reside here.

At the end of this day, I am a different man.  I came here looking for the Kingdom of God and found it in the eyes of the poor.  Great commission Fellowship is teaching me how to look like Jesus in a world starving for hope.  These people are hope peddlers, seed throwers, and fire starters...and they love unconditionally.

After my teaching, Pastor Peter got up and recapped my message encouraging the congregation to be better tippers in restaurants and to preach the gospel by their actions and generosity rather than with words all the time.   Then to my shock, he warned them against complacency, apathy and religion and told them to start showing Africa what God is like by the way they live their lives.

I was in awe...Jesus lives Here.  I am convinced more than ever, that this trip is much more about what God is teaching us versus what we are doing for our Brothers and Sisters in Kenya.  I am truly humbled to be here.