The Most Amazing Experience

Today was AWESOME!!!! I led bible study again today. Thursday's are my day to lead and I love it.  I try to make my bible studies as interactive as possible. I want the girls to feel like they can open up and talk about their story. I want them to feel safe and loved.  So during bible study I decided to share my personal testimony.  Most of the girls only understand a little bit of English so Alice translates for me during bible study.  While I was giving my testimony I could tell the girls were accepting and loving towards my story and where I've been and how my walk with the Lord has really grown and matured over the past 4-5 years.  After I shared my testimony the girls really began opening up and I can tell that most of them are believers and that they are willing to learn about the Lord.  Which is a huge praise report for me, I've been praying that these women would be willing to accept Christ in the heart and be willing to learn more and grow towards him. My biggest prayer request is that these women will become saved before I leave.  I want them all to have a personal relationship with Christ.  Almost every one of the 15 girls shared today that they are living with Aids.  It broke my heart to hear that, but they are living with that not angry with God which is a huge step in the right direction.  So after bible study I went to the internet cafe to get some work done with Abby then we went grocery shopping at quality.  Its pretty much the most Americanized grocery store here. Its pretty cheap too I bought about a weeks worth of groceries for 40 dollars plus candy and surprises for the boys.  So after that we went back to the house and just hung out with the boys after they got home from school.  I helped them with their homework and helped Dissan write a letter to his prayer sponsor.  After dinner and prayer me, Abby, David, and Robert went to minister and take food to handi-cap people that live on the street.  It was probably one of the most profound experiences of my life.  It was late and a little scary but with David and Robert being there I felt safe.  We got there around 11pm and it was so sad. It was nothing but person after person sleeping on the street with nothing but a trash bag covering them to keep warm.  I have never seen anything like it before.  We had a guy there that new English and Swahili that could help translate for us. The man told us the best thing for us to do would be wait and come back next Thursday night around 8:30 and he would let them all know we're coming.  So after we left them we saw a group of about 15 street kids sitting on the side of the road.  They were so skinny and dirty and they were all really cold.  We began talking to them and they were so excited we were there just to talk to them.  So after we had been talking to them for a bit I noticed all of them had like a cloth or a napkin in their hand and they kept sniffing it. I asked Abby what they were doing and she said they were all high on Kan-ge which is pretty much aviation fluid. They stay high so they don't have to feel the hunger pains or the fact their freezing.  Basically Kan-ge numbs all senses. Its really bad for your brain cells and is very bad for their body.  Its very strong and smells kind of like spray paint.  One boy had a huge chunk taken out of his leg and he showed it to us and I asked if it hurt and he said no. There is no way that wound wouldn't hurt a person not under the influence of something very powerful. But being high on Kan-ge he couldn't feel it at all.  Its so sad and all I wanted to do was take every single one of them home and feed them give them a bath and put them in a warm bed.  David paid for each boy to have their own plate of rice and we talked to them a little bit more before we had to leave. It was midnight by now and time to for us to get home.  As we were leaving this one boy that was all skin and bones followed us and grabbed my hand. He began crying and I had to let go. He begged David to come back with us, he started sobbing begging us to put him in school. He said his mother had died and his father remarried and his step mom abused him so he ran to the streets. It broke my heart and all I could do was walk away.  They're are so many children here with no home, no food, in pain.  Yes these kids are not perfect, they all do drugs but if you think of the circumstances in which they live its really hard not to understand it. 

I can't wait to go back next week to reach out to these people. I pray the Lord will shine through me and that with humility I can do his work and talk to these people about the Lord.

We need all the prayers we can get.   <3 Carla