Kenya - Conference Days

My reason for heading to Kenya was to hear the teachings shared at the Rift Valley Fellowship Conference regarding Redemptive Recovery. I knew this trip was going to be significant to our ministry life in South Africa and Derek and I both felt it would be blessing to my own heart. I went to Rift Valley expecting a lot and what I received was more than I could ever have imagined.

I've been taking my time sharing my days in Kenya because in many ways this is helping me to process. From the moment the plane landed back in Jo'burg I have been so busy, but writing this blog is constantly in the back of my mind and the emotions and thoughts keep swirling around in my heart. I loved my time in Kenya. I loved the people. I loved the experience of joining The Village team while having my own experience on the mission field to guide me. I loved the people of RVF and believe amazing things are in store for them.

The conference was amazing! Right off the bat God blessed my heart with very vivid and beautiful picture. Michael taught all the sessions and he started the first one with his testimony. There were many similarities to Derek's life but what had me whispering to Julie and grinning like a schoolgirl was that God grabbed permanent hold of Michael's heart during the days of Dec 26, 1999 to Jan 6, 2000 while in a treatment centre in Texas. At the exact same time my husband, Derek, was in a treatment centre in South Africa where he was visited by an incredible woman of faith, Auntie Claire, who through grace and love brought the awareness of who Jesus really is to Derek. My man's life was permanently changed by God's loving pursuit and hand upon his life in the early days of Jan 2000. As Michael shared the details of those days I was overwhelmed by the incredible picture of God's hand reaching down across continents to rescue these men out of similar circumstances and with endless love.

I never counted the number in attendance but it seemed we had about the same group every day. I never wore a watch and have no idea what time we started or stopped, but know that the members of RVF wrote fervently in their notebooks every word that Michael spoke. Digging into the word of God with these beautiful people was precious time and God worked in all our hearts. We had small groups on several days and every verse I mentioned was immediately searched out to study and learn. These people were hungry for the word of God. Hungry for recovery. Hungry for truth and love.

Each day a team member shared a testimony of God's redemption in their lives. I was overwhelmed by the response of the Kenyans to their words. The blog www.riftvalleyredemption.blogspot.com is beautifully written by two of our team members, Kristen and Martha, and details those testimonies and how they pertained to the teaching of the day. For me what was most profound and challenging was this: Everyone was ready with a testimony. On a typical day, I don't think of my life with Christ in association with any specific redemption. For me it is the everyday redemption, the everyday rescue and deliverance from myself, my sinful nature, from the evil around me that is my story. I'm pretty open and often share what God is doing in my heart at any particular moment, but when asked to share with RVF I found it difficult to pinpoint exactly what I wanted to say. I didn't feel relevant. I'm struggling still to know why that was my reaction. I know there is power in my day to day testimony and I rejoice in the Lord for that, but at the same time I want to make sure I'm not missing something. That I'm not getting busy with life or self-absorbed in my own head and missing out on something God is busy doing in my heart. My team members were eloquent and clear in their declaration of what God had done in their lives and what He is continuing to do. Day by day I saw the power of those testimonies to minister to the heart of each member of RVF. Since leaving Kenya I have been challenged in regards to testimony. We need more of it! We need more transparency and truth shared about what is actually happening in our hearts. We need more trust in God to do what He promises to do. We need more people willing to share in the midst of their heartache and not just after it's all over.

In Kenya I witnessed the individual responses to my friend's testimonies and was overwhelmed at how those testimonies brought personal revelation and sincere repentance. Lives where changed and my prayer is that they are continuing to be transformed through Christ and their willingness to trust in Him for their circumstances. These precious people are seeking God for a new way of life with Him. They are seeking God for forgiveness of sin and freedom from their bondage. They are warm and loving. They are my brothers and sisters in the family of God and I'm so challenged by their response to His word and their desire for more of Him.