After ten years of living in Nairobi, Kenya, I've had the privilege of making friends with women from an unreached people group who had never heard the Good News of Jesus shared with them. As we did life together, I got to tell them His powerful Story and of His work in my life. My hope for these women is that they will continue to love the Lord Jesus with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength and that others will know Him through them. Recently, I moved back to the United States, and even though my address has changed, my mission has not.
Three international women in our neighborhood came over for coffee and tea this morning, and I had a blast getting to listen to bits of their stories.
The Lord seems to have planted us very intentionally, smack-dab in the middle of a very diverse stretch of families on our new street. I've had sweet conversations with each of these women individually, but it was incredibly special to have them all together in our home. They shared about their beloved countries and families far away, comparing and contrasting experiences and cultures, laughing together about commonalities, and asking curious questions about differences. Busy moms (or should I say "mums") don't have lots of time to spare, but it was amazing the level of bonding that happened in an hour's time over a hot drink and a cinnamon roll.
I had asked one of these women a couple of weeks ago what her experience has been like making friends in the US after moving from Bosnia nearly fifteen years ago. Her response has been pressing on my heart all of the days since then..."My only friends here are Bosnian." We saw this in Kenya as well; people groups completely isolated from each other - living, working, eating, and playing within their own communities.
It's why unreached peoples (people with little to no access to the Gospel) can be found in even the busiest, most diverse places, with churches on every street corner. It's eye-opening and heart-breaking to me, but most of all challenging.
That same woman thanked me profusely this morning with a light in her eyes as she hugged me on her way out the door, along with the other two. "We need to make a habit of this," they all said. Just one hour and a cup of coffee...and like that, we are off to something pretty special.
I was reminded of His character in the middle of a suburb in Iowa. Our God is a missional God! That is the very heart of the Gospel! He left His throne of glory to come into this broken world to save sinners, so that He would be known and that we could be brought near. As followers of Jesus, we have been invited to join Him on mission! Missions has a way of tucking you closer into His side as you share with Him the love, longings and hope for the nations. The view of His glory and His work throughout the world as He calls people into His Kingdom is pretty spectacular! He is worth it....and you definitely don't want to miss out.
Would you join me in prayer for my friendships in Nairobi? I found great joy in being the first to share the Good News. However, this was also a heartbreaking reality. Never before had I understood the extent to which people, even in the most urban settings with churches on every street, could still have never been told of God's great love and the hope we have in Christ.
Please pray that believers around the world would have courage to share about Jesus.
Pray especially for these women who have had a taste of who He is, that they'd come to full assurance of faith and trust Him as Lord and Savior.
Pray for the eyes to see these people groups in your own communities.
________________________________________________
Emily’s Story
“Growing up, I never dreamed of missions, or Africa, or even living overseas. My dream was to get married, hunker down, be comfortable, and raise a family that would live happily ever after. When PJ, now my husband, came into my life with a much more ambitious plan to do missions in Africa, I panicked and pushed him away and kept him in the friend-zone for four years (he's a very patient man!). This dream of his was much too wild - far too risky, out of control, and not at all what I wanted for my life. Missions was for "other people," and I gave myself permission to stand on that belief. In His perfect patience and abundant grace, through a series of events and over the course of several years, the Lord helped me to see the walls that fear had built around my life, shutting me in and holding me back from knowing and trusting Him deeply."
"Funny enough, in His wonderful, humorous ways, before our wedding, I ended up going to Africa first (before PJ) for a three-month teaching opportunity at Rift Valley Academy. It was one of the most pivotal experiences I've had in trusting Jesus, and as a result, my life took a turn I never expected...into a dream I never knew could be so exciting. Though Africa has been part of ten incredible years of my story thus far, the dream still is not Africa. The dream is knowing Him."
Interesting in serving? Explore your part here!