I am in Kisumu

I have just arrived in Kisumu and I had an amazing day today. I left the group of Americans from thousand oaks after spending a few days with them in Mombasa on the east coast. We had a great time visiting an orphanage there. I was so sad that the time there was so brief. I envy those orphan children. On average they are filled with more joy than any American including myself much of the time. Many of them seem to have vibrant walks with Jesus. Their singing was INCREDIBLE!!

There are approximately 42 tribes in Kisumu, which each have their own language/dialect. In the region of Kisumu is the Luo tribe. I have been practicing so hard to learn Swahili and now I want to learn some Luo so I can communicate to people in the language where they are most comfortable. The national language is Swahili so everybody can understand that.

I rode on a boda boda (back of a bicycle) today. Actually, I rode on one and my luggage rode on another. I arrived at Steve and Dianne's (Americans) house this morning and then we went straight to go do outreach with the street boys. Outreach days are wednesday and sunday. I just happened to make it at the right time to go do outreach with Steve. I ended up meeting some of the street boys and practicing my Swahili with them as much as I could. Then they started a soccer game out of nowhere and handed me a whistle. I instantly became the Ref. It was a team from the street boys against a team from the Hawkers (local young vendors). The street boys won 2-1 and they were actually very talented. With some coaching and cleats they have serious potential.

A lot of the street boys sniff glue and get high all day long. It is so sad to sit there and watch a seven year old nurse a bottle of glue, which smells so awful. I almost cried as I held the hand of a little boy named John, who was so cute and small and yet he is hooked on that garbage. It made me angry and hurt at the same time. Many many many street boys have this addiction. I want to see it stop. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength". Pray that God would use me mightily in reaching these boys.

I then went to a local juvenile hall. The kids didn't seem to be very juvenile. A lot of them love the Lord and are there for various reasons. We taught them some scripture and played with them a bit and then were on our way. They are really bright as well.

I will probably go see my two friends Anna and Kevin tomorrow. They live on a Farm run by a ministry called Nehemiah International. They are my friends from Cal Poly. I hope that it goes well with them. God bless you whoever is reading this today. Praise God for His love and mercy!! God wants our worship and our lives. He is worthy of it all.