Our stay in Kenya is almost over. This week my team worked with the church members of Koinonia Baptist Church in Ruwaka. It takes about 30 minutes riding in a matatu and about 50 shillings to get there from Brackenhurst.

The matatu rides are very interesting. The vans are only made for about 11-14 passengers, but we manage to squeeze in a lot more. One day our matatu driver pulled over, and the conductor grabbed some branches from the side of the road. He put the branches on the matatu, and we had no idea why. It turns out that the police were pulling people over on the road ahead, looking for bribes. The branches show that a matatu is private, and private matatus are not hassled as much by the police.

We met a lot of Christians around Koinonia when we did our door-to-door evangelism. A few were also saved. However, we were also frustrated when we met people who heard the truth but did not want to accept the free gift of salvation. There was one group of people who we talked to for quite some time. We told them the story of how God created the world, but sin separates us from God. Yet God loves us so much he made a way for us to be with Him. That way is Jesus Christ. We told them how Jesus had died a cruel death on the cross. We told them how Jesus rose from the dead and destroyed our sins. We told them how Jesus had changed our lives. But they still did not want to know the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. It’s mind blowing.

One day we went to pray for the family of a pastor who had been kidnapped. The pastor had been walking one evening last weekend, and someone had taken him, bound him, and blindfolded him. We prayed for the family and gave them encouragement. We learned that the pastor had returned safely later that day.

Last night our group had a worship service here at Brackenhurst. We sang several songs and shared prayer for all the people we have met during our time here. I really felt the power of the Holy Spirit moving in me. I felt a strength that I’ve never felt before, like I could do anything because I had Christ living in me. This is my first trip to do door-to-door evangelism. I’d never thought of myself as an evangelist before this trip. Now I know the joy that comes with sharing the word of God.

Before our worship service came to an end, the group prayed over my fiancé and me. Then we all had cake!

Today I went back to Koinonia Baptist Church, but not for evangelism. I learned how to make our favorite Kenyan food: chipati. Chipati is very much like a tortilla, but thicker and greasier. It’s made with warm water, salt, flour and oil. The Kenyans cook the chipati over a charcoal fire in a jiko, which is a little mobile clay fire pit about a foot in diameter. I bought a jiko for 120 shillings, which is a little less than $2 USD.

Then I walked with a couple other girls to Kiambethu Farm, where an older couple live. They are British heritage, but they’ve lived in Kenya for nearly all their lives. They live in a 1930s-circa house in a old part of the forest. They have about nine dogs who love to bark at the monkeys.

Tomorrow is our last day in Kenya. Most of us will go to the graduation at Kenya Baptist Theological College, which is a sister campus to Wayland Baptist University. The graduation ceremony lasts several hours, but I hear it's really nice!