Broken... and Restored

On the trip to Kenya, I found God in the most depressing, dark, and hopeless place: The Slums. Most Americans have never been to a "Slum" so the best way to describe it is quite the opposite of America. Piles of burning or burnt trash strewn across the uneven dirt road. Animals eating little scraps of food found in the trash and then people will eat those animals in hopes of staying alive. Young children running around with no parents and no shoes. When the rainy season comes the river water will rise and flood many homes with trash and illnesses found in the water. Many mothers with multiple children and no father. The families have next to no money to pay for clothing, food, toilets, bus fees, school fees, and the eight dollar rent. You don't want to venture out of your home in the Slums at night because not even the police do.
And in all of this I found God. I mean-I always felt like I was a Christian, but when I visited the people living in the Slums they had more faith in God because they needed more from Him. A lady that we visited named Enice had the Lord living in her! She was infected with AIDS and she was praising God for what He had given her! She also had a small child named Morgan [her only child] who was also infected with AIDS and that little boy will never know his father. That family may not eat for three days at a time, but I guarantee Enice will not give up hope in God because He has rescued her from death! Enice has truly impacted me and each day I pray that God will continue to impact me so that I don't go back to who I used to be, but that He transforms me into who He wants me to become!
Then the day after the team went to the Slums we went to visit a boys home called Fountain of Life. I had already been to this home two times before and I have deep and long-lasting relationships with a few of the boys. That day I went into the boys dorm and I compared the Slums with the way the boys are living and I almost cried! The boys each have their own bed and a trunk with a lock to keep all of their special stuff. They have a man who watches over them at night and a lady who cooks all of their meals! They all go to school, they learn about God, they each have their own Bible, and they set up and participate in the Fountain of Life Church! God has taken each of these boys from being glue sniffing street boys to being boys with a future and knowing they are loved! I am continuing to pray that God will reveal His plan for my life because I feel like I am supposed to be a missionary in Kenya and work for the Fountain of Life ministries. I love the people of Kenya and God has placed a calling on my heart to be there. I am hoping and praying that my entire family will be able to go on next year's trip to Kenya. I found God again because of your support!
Thank you all soooooo much!