Today was a great day filled with many blessings. Stanley Gitari began our day with a very powerful devotional at the Maua Methodist Hospital. He spoke about generosity and the generosity we must have as Christians. The devotional was for our mission team and the workers at the hospital. He stressed that our generosity is not just our money but also our gifts, talents, and time that we can give. I kept that idea in my mind throughout the day as a way to focus myself on the task at hand. What I have noticed this week is that many people have given of their time this week. All thirteen members of the team gave of their gifts, talents and their time to be here for the people of Kenya this week. And as Stanley put it, workers at the hospital are giving of their gifts as well. Each of us as Christians, or even broader as humans, need to give of our talents in whatever may we can to help others who are in need.
The rest of the morning and into the afternoon was filled with very hard work. I spent most of the day lifting heavy pieces of rock to the workers on the scaffolding while we were building the wall. It was probably the hardest physical work I have ever done. I am not sure how much each of these various rocks weighed but they were heavy and hard to pick up over and over. I am impressed by how the team building the wall is able to do that work so efficiently and on a regular basis. It was very physically taxing for me.
I spent part of the afternoon, along with Hanna, delivering hats to the pediatric ward at the Maua Methodist Hospital. It was tough to see the condition of a couple of the children, it really does break my heart. At the same time, the kids were so excited and peering around the corner when they saw us coming. The smiles on their faces was amazing as we were able to spend just a few minutes with them and place new knit caps on their heads. It truly was amazing. Despite the short amount of time we spent with them it truly is something I will never forget. There's just something about the smile on a child's face.
And then it was back to lifting rocks and working on as I call it: "The Great Wall" or "The Wailing Wall" depending on what kind of mood I'm in. As we broke for the day we got to visit a little with our new friends Samson, Patrick, and Pyus. We laughed together and took a selfie and then wished each other well and would look forward to working together tomorrow.
We all have talents and today I saw many of them on display in the blessings that were bestowed upon others. I saw hard work to get the wall built by those on our team. I saw the pure joy on the faces of the children in the pediatric ward as Hanna and I were able to visit with them and bring them knit caps. And our work day ended with great conversation and well wishes from our fellow workers. We have worked together throughout the week and for that I am thankful. I look forward to another hard day of work at Maua Methodist tomorrow. Everyone gave generously in their own way today: wether it was lifting rocks, mixing cement, fixing a swing set, or visiting children in the hospital. (And that doesn't even include the rest of our team who worked so hard on the AIDS Orphan Home today that it will easily be able to be finished before the dedication tomorrow.)
It's simply amazing what can be accomplished when we give generously and think about others instead of ourselves. That's what the body of Christ is all about, thinking of others rather than ourselves. A life that involves service to others. As we worked together as the body of Christ today, not only was a great deal accomplished but it was a really fun day filled with hard work, joy, smiles, laughter, friendships, and many other blessings. I was truly blessed with a great day today. The key is to take those blessings and what I have experienced and share those experiences with others. God has put the body together so that we can work together and alleviate suffering and help others in need. It works the best when we are able to work together.
I look forward to sharing about my experience with others in the hope that they would come along on the journey to help others in need.
Blessings,
Kevin
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