Each Sunday during ABO, we go out in teams for a ministry assignment. As I shared, last Sunday we went with a group to a local hospital. This past Sunday, I went with three other missionaries and three Scott students to a nearby high school. There are dozens of high schools in Machakos. This particular high school is for students who have been expelled from other schools. Most of the students are male, but we saw a handful of girls as well. Like most high schoolers, they can be rowdy, but these students also appreciate and enjoy visitors.

On Sunday mornings throughout Kenya you will find many high schools engaged in a Christian service. What I find interesting about these services is that many are led by the students themselves. In youth services I have been to in the States, youth may play a role, but it’s obvious that there is at least one adult running the service. At this school, probably due to it being an alternative school, the Scott students led the service (music, order of service, and so on). As is often the case of missionaries in many parts of Africa, we are also expected to play a role in the service. We had been asked to bring words of encouragement and the sermon. So all four of us needed to be ready to introduce ourselves and share a few words to challenge and encourage the students using Scripture and our own life experiences, and one of us needed to have a 20-minute or so sermon prepared. Heidi volunteered to preach and spoke of Jesus healing the disabled man in Luke 6:6-11, while Mark, Jenny, and myself spoke briefly on casting off sin and trusting in God using Hebrews 12:1, Isaiah 7:9b, and Proverbs 3:1-6 respectively. Thankfully, the students seemed to understand English well enough. Even the Scott students spoke to them mostly in English. There was also one student who came up front and read from Hosea, challenging the students not to fall into the sin of this world. I thank God for the testimony of this young man, especially in a school that was not founded on Christian principles.

I sat in the small room turned into a chapel—observing the dirt and mold in the corners, the dust everywhere, the unsteady pews—wishing each of you could see the bare minimum that is the basic standard for most sites in Africa. I wish I could take pictures of everything I see and everywhere I go and share them with you. There will be many times I probably could take photos but will choose not to. One reason for this is so locals don’t view me just as an American who comes obtrusively into their community, shoving my camera in everyone’s face. I want people in these communities to know that I care more about them and getting to know them than I do about simply taking pictures of them. Certainly I will document as much as I can with both words and photos. And I hope that when there are no photos, you can still journey with me throughout Africa. It is my prayer that, if you desire, you will see what I see, smell what I smell, hear what I hear, and that your heart will break as mine breaks. That we will all be driven to our knees to pray and intercede for these beautiful men, women, and children who desperately need the love and hope of Christ.