Day 9- FUN Day!


Today was all about FUN for the Project Lucas kids! This morning was the morning the entire team went to get our COVID tests to return back to the US. Please join us in praying for a full and 100% negative test outcome. We will have results within 24 hours so please pray along with us!

 

Aside from that detour this morning, we were out at the Center all day today. It was our last day playing with the kids so we brought the FUN today. We started the day with an inflatable slide/bounce house. Now, I know in the States this isn't a big deal at all. However, over here it is a HUGE deal. As Scott explained to the team last night at our meeting, this is like taking them to Disney World back home. These kids have never experienced a bounce house. Isn't that crazy? My neighbor in Celina has one outside their house in the summer every single day that's connected to the water house to cool off the kids. The sponsorship kids have never been on one. Think about that stark contrast between the US and here for a moment. This tends to be a consistent theme: things that we take for granted every single day, things that are common place to us are special and noteworthy to the kids over here. 

I wish you all could have seen the looks on their faces when they got to play on the slide. It was chaos in the very best way. So much so that we had to call and order another one because the kids loved it so much. It was a beautiful thing to observe the JOY that the kids got from playing on it. To see the difference in their faces from when they entered into the Center that morning to the just a few hours later was night and day. The smiles...OH MY WORD...they were ear to ear and I will never forget the laughter and happiness. It was exuding from every square inch of their bodies because they were having such an incredible time. 

Then we brought out the balloons. After we had blown up about 200 balloons and our team was winded from the lack of oxygen, we began to hear the pops of those balloons. The kids popped every...single...one. We laughed along with them because it was so funny. Then came the bubbles and sidewalk chalk. We got to blow bubbles with them as well as write, draw, and play tic-tac-toe with them. We broke out some Frisbees as well and began to teach them how to throw the weird discs. They picked it up very quickly though. 

After we all went and grabbed lunch in shifts, some of us went to hang out with all the high school students in the sponsorship program. We all circled up in a classroom and began by sharing our testimonies with them. About six of them shared their testimonies as well. One of which was named Michael. He began by saying his name and grade and then said that he loved Jesus but wasn't "born again". This is the Kenyan way to say that he wasn't saved. At the end of our testimony time, Caleb got up and shared the 3 Circles on the blackboard. He did an incredible job sharing his own testimony and then sharing how we can believe in Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. When he was done, I got up and began to share my story. 


Silas, the new Executive Director for Project Lucas, had told me earlier this week that the biggest problem Kenyans face with the Gospel is that they think just because they go to church, they are born again. My testimony is one of growing up in the church and in a Christian household but not truly accepting Christ until I was a senior in high school. As I shared, I made the clear distinction in the difference between knowing a lot about Jesus and believing in Jesus. At the end, I asked the students if they wanted to make that decision today to talk with Scott, Benjamin (another Project Lucas staff member), or myself. 

Then all the girls were dismissed to go get their clothes (I'll explain in a bit what this was). When all the guys were left, we began to talk about Futbol, music, and movies. Then I asked if any of them had any questions. Michael raised his hand and said, "Earlier I said I wasn't born again. I want to do that today before I leave." We talked for a bit longer as I explained what it meant to ask Jesus to be in control of your life and give your life over to Christ. He was ready! We prayed the prayer together and Michael is a new son of the Father!! It was an incredible moment of the day today! We celebrated his new decision and Benjamin is going to begin to disciple him in the coming days. Praise God!!

Meet our new brother in Christ- Michael

The last part of the day was to give all the kids clothes that we had collected and brought from America. They were so HAPPY to receive two new outfits to take home. They all lined up and walked up to the tables and picked out what they wanted. They were so proud of their new shirts, skirts, pants, shorts, etc. Again, this was a day to love on the kids at the Center and show them to the love of the Father. The love that He showers on us each and every day. 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow will be our last day here in Kenya as our flight leaves tomorrow night. Please join us in prayer again as we get to share the Gospel four more times at church tomorrow. We are doing a church service for all the Project Lucas kids and their families. It will be a special time together and we will share the Gospel with the parents, the teens, the kids, and the preschoolers. Pray that it's clear and simple and that anyone who needs to respond will! What an incredible day! Much love from Magical Kenya!!













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