The CrossCity Mission Trip to Kenya began before we ever left as we met each other in the Spring of 2024. The team began meeting each month starting in March to prepare for our travels. Our Missions Pastor, Nick, prepares the team as we learn about Kenyan customs and share a Kenyan meal, with the goal of preparing ourselves to enter into a different culture. With each month’s meeting we learn more about what the trip and culture entails, as well as build relationships within the team.
July 15, 2024 had arrived as we assembled in the airport to begin our journey. A team members’ father prayed over us as we departed, and the words he spoke quickly became a repeated prayer and encouragement while in Kenya: “As we show up– God will show off.“ Glorifying God was the mission, and that meant that we had a heart of gratitude for the opportunity to serve.
The people of Kenya were so welcoming and cheerful; everywhere we went people would smile and wave. The children we visited in The Slums of Korogocho were especially cheerful. In Swahili, “Korogocho” means crowded shoulder to shoulder. The kids were walking home from school when we visited, and they would run towards our team hoping for us to notice them and give them a high five. Such a simple gesture brought them so much joy! One instance while in the slums, we were introduced to Esther, a grandmother who takes care of her grandson, Obama. Obama is a young boy that Saul and his team met through His Little Feet. We walked up to the small 10 x 10 structure, a one room home without windows or running water. Most of the homes in this district didn’t have electricity. We stood outside the door and knocked, when Esther answered and saw Pastor Nick and the team, she was ecstatic! She covered her eyes to gather herself and greeted us with handshakes and hugs.
At that moment I realized that what we were doing through the generosity of CrossCity Missions was truly impacting people’s lives. Pastor Nick was building on the relationship that he began with her two years earlier. We visited and prayed for her and we gave her a bag of a few essential food items. She was truly thankful for the visit and the gift. We were challenged to observe what God was doing in us and in the people we met with.
We started each day with a team breakfast, followed by a morning devotional led by each one on the team. I saw God work through each person as they shared. Some mentioned that they had never done this as if to say “don’t expect too much”. I loved this part of our day and was blessed by all the devotions; I felt like we got a look into the heart of each person as they shared scripture and how God was moving them while on this journey. Going deeper in relationships with people comes when we spend time together and trust each other with what God has put on our hearts.
One of the families that came on the trip adopted the phrase “we get to” when it came to difficulties on our journey, and it soon became our shared mantra. If someone commented that they were tired from the day’s events and we still had the evening to push through, someone would quickly remind us that “we get to” serve in the Children’s Center tonight! Having an attitude of gratitude seemed to give us the encouragement we needed to press on.
I also loved sharing and hearing testimonies of people I met in Kenya and from people on our team. In Eldoret, as we led a Spiritual Leadership Training with the house parents, we heard from each of the parents as they shared God’s calling to Stand By Me. Committing their lives to parenting up to TWENTY kids came in a variety of ways. As they shared, each of them came with a strong conviction to serve God and love the children.
CrossCity’s Missions Department has a contagious attitude for loving people and mission work. I loved the time we had in Kenya, and the opportunity to get to know everyone on the team. It was emphasized at our monthly team meetings leading up to the trip to expect the unexpected. You may have heard about our canceled flight home, which was an unexpected moment on our trip. While most people would be filled with fear and anxiety when things like this happen, I saw our team come together in prayer and genuine trust that God would work it out. I came across a story of God’s intervention delaying an entire church choir from a mid week practice. This has helped me to accept delays and see them as God’s hand of protection. The link below will take you to the story if you would like to read it.
The Late Choir | OpentheWord.org
In closing I want to encourage you to take part in CrossCity Missions, locally and globally. I can speak for myself, as well as the rest of those on our team when I say that the trajectory of our lives are now forever changed because of our experiences while in Kenya.
Romans 10:13-15