There have been so many awesome high points in the last few days as we finished our ministry on Mfangano Island. On Friday, I preached at an afternoon crusade to a crowd of hundreds. It was such a joy to openly share the love of Christ to all those people. It was an amazing experience. It was an amazing experience to be able the show my passion for Jesus as I preached his word. Seeing people repent and so openly accept Christ reminded me again about how valuable our ministry is here. Although even if no one had responded to the altar call, the opportunity to encourage the believers and pastors to hold true to the gospel of Jesus would have made our trip just as valuable.
I’ve been really impressed by the church leadership here. For that reason, Sunday was another high point in the week. We arrived at church half an hour early, which meant that we could join the Bible study. It was amazing to reflect on the fact that these people draw the same insights from God’s word as I do, even though they live in such a remote place, in such a different culture, and speak a different language to mine. It makes me realise how universal the church is and that the same Spirit who guides me as I read the Bible also guides these people.
I was deeply impressed by what the pastor said about mission. He challenged the congregation to be partners in world wide mission, and to be open not only to being sent elsewhere for the sake of the gospel, but also to give financial support. It was hard to believe that these people who live in such poverty would be willing to give even from the little they have. If these people are prepared to support mission, then really there are very few Christians in the world who have an excuse not to also support mission work. If these people can find it in their hearts to be generous, then how much more should we be giving as well!
Even though there have been so many high points from my time on Mfangano Island, it hasn’t stopped me feeling even more homesick than when I last wrote. What made it worse was the news I received on Sunday night from my mother. She told me about the murder of some of the members of a family at my church. As you’d expect, I found it very hard to sleep that night as I tried to imagine the impact of this news on my church family. I just wanted to be home to serve and support them. And when my mother told me through tears how much she missed having me at home, it made me feel even more homesick.
But in the midst of this personal crisis, there are so many images of Mfangano Island that will live in my memory forever. Despite the beauty of this island paradise, it is the people that stand out the most. In Nairobi I was struck by everyone’s friendliness, but the people of Mfangano Island took openness, friendship and hospitality to a whole new level. Every morning at 4 a.m. a group of women would wake to prepare a breakfast for our team. At the same time, a team of fishermen worked from before daylight to provide for our needs. The men and the women showed absolutely no signs of being burdened, but were just overjoyed to have us there and to share our fellowship. I’m not so sure I would be that friendly if I had to wake up at 4am to cook for my guests!
But it wasn’t just our supporters that showed amazing care, friendship and hospitality. Even the locals who passed us by were unbelievably friendly. When they saw us, many of these complete strangers would stop to shake our hands and welcome us to their island. One woman even invited us into her home to lunch simply because she saw us on the road. The bright, awestruck smiles of the children as they ran up to us to touch our hair and skin will be a memory I’ll hold deeply for the rest of my life.
Yet I’ll always remember that even though these people had such a contagious joy, there were so many pressing issues that these kids have to grapple with as they grow up. Mfangano Island has an AIDS epidemic which claims a whopping 40 per cent of its population. It has also missed out on the modernisation which the rest of Kenya has enjoyed. And overfishing, combined with dropping lake levels, threatens the livelihood of many of the people, which indirectly impacts their living standards.
Yet even in the face of these hard issues, the people of Mfangano Island show more contentment than I have seen anywhere before. The simple joy they have in life, their ease with their difficult circumstances, and their openness has made me question whether or not their isolation and lack of modernisation is really such a problem after all.
Today we join the Masai Mara people, to spend some days with them as we visit their amazing game park and begin the process of debrief and re-entry. Then it’s off to Nairobi as we get ready for our plane trip home. Please pray that we will adjust well as we return from extreme poverty to extreme prosperity. Pray also that the word we preached might be implanted in the hearts of the hearers.
