Heri ya Mwaka Mpya.... happy new year!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have stepped into the New Year feeling blessed and ready for what God has in store! After the adventures God had me on in 2022, I am going into the new year with open hands. I am not holding tight to my own plans, but allowing Him to give and take, to guide me along when I am unsure, and help me up when I stumble.
This month ended unexpectedly for me and if you had told me a few weeks ago I would be where I am now I would have laughed at you. Originally I had reasoned with myself that I would be spending Christmas and New Years' in Kenya with my friends at Word of Life, even though I would miss my family. Well, a week before Christmas my family let me know that it would be very special if I visited home because I was gone last year serving in Kenya during Christmas. So what do I do?
My holiday plans found me not in Kenya, Uganda, or even Africa. God opened doors so that it was possible for me to come home. I actually flew all the way back to Montana- 9,086 miles- across 3 continents and one ocean, during an arctic front on Christmas Eve. It took almost two full days of travel, 2 canceled flights and one lost bag but I finally made it home hours before December 25th.
It was so fun to be part of family and American traditions again in person. We were blessed to celebrate the birth of Jesus all together as a family.
Ministry in Kenya
My life during December 1st-23rd
Word of Life youth bible camps were in full swing throughout the month of December with barely a pause for Christmas and New Year's. In Kenya, schools are not in session in December so we were able to reach a wide age range of youth during this time period. Every camp is programmed with the purpose to bring each camper into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The counselors are there to build a relationship with each of their campers so they can hear their story, their struggles, and speak Jesus into their lives. The camp really gravitates around Bible Hour where the campers learn they are Fully Known by God, Quiet Time where they learn to have personal relationship with God through the Word and prayer, and Evening Sessions which explain salvation and dedication and invite campers to be saved.
Our amazing team of camp crew and counselors put on 5 camps in December and I got to be both depending on the week. It was a great experience to get to know the girls in my dorm each week, their personalities, talents, and different challenges they face at school or home life. They would be shocked when they realized us as counselors give our time without being payed to come and spend time with them and to tell them about Jesus. They didn't understand how we were just serving Jesus with no other incentive. It's worth it to see these girls in heaven one day!
Above: My campers week 3
Week 4 dorm counseling with my sweet co-counselor Naomi
After my first week of sleeping in the dorms with my campers, I unfortunately contracted malaria. I spent a day and a half with cyclical high fever, feeling hot and then cold all over and a crazy intense headache. I could not even sleep. The next day I went to Diani hospital and where I was diagnosed and given medicine. The next few days I took it easy just helping with a few things in the camp program and thanks to my friends taking amazing care of me and God's protection I recovered in not too long.
Each camp I would direct Esther- The Musical for the evening session, then I was responsible for skits and dramas one night, and Bible Trivia one night. The skits all told stories of Jesus' desire for relationship with us, His power over sin, and how He restores our soul from bad experiences and temptations in life.
Above: Counselors performing a skit illustrating how choosing to sin distracts from our love of God
It was such an honor to walk with these youth and counselors this camp season, watching God touch their lives and shape them into new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). We were able to minister to almost 700 Kenyan youth and plant truth in their lives through scripture. That is something to praise God for!
Please keep me in your prayers as I plan my next steps for serving God in missions this year with open hands to Him. If you have any questions, comments, or encouragement feel free to message me!
If you would like to join my financial support and help me buy my ticket back to Kenya OR give to my Kenyan brothers and sisters who are also faithfully serving God and trusting Him to supply their needs you can send support here:
Paypal: seavirginiafrench@gmail.com
Venmo: @Chloe-French-11
Blessings!
Chloe