There are many things about spending time in Kenya that have been great, but I would be remiss if I only shared about the unexpected adventures, the encouraging words, and the inspiring stories that come with living in a foreign country.
This past week, we spent some time in Matayos, a village about twenty minutes by matatu (a taxi van, sort of) from our house in Busia. Our team did some house to house evangelism with pastors as translators, and on Sunday a group of four of us (Hope, Ashlee, Melina, and myself) went to a Sunday morning service at their church. They asked us to help lead the service, so between the four of us we were in charge of the sermon, a brief Bible lesson, and a couple personal testimonies.
At the end of the service, we met to pray with a few people one-on-one (plus translator). Mostly, these were people that we had met throughout the week who had decided to come to church. As we were praying with people, several people went to two or three of us to ask for prayer. I am not an expert on prayer, but even I can justify the rationale that says the more prayer, the better. However, there was something else going on that just did not feel right. Afterwards, in talking to my teammates, a few of them said they noticed a trend, too.
Part of being a missionary here is not only teaching or introducing people to Jesus, but teaching them how to follow Him even after we leave. We want them to know that as Christians, we all have the same ability to talk to God. When people say “I need your prayers,” it’s humbling. I don’t mind praying for people, and I’m glad it’s part of our ministry. But it’s become evident that there’s a huge misunderstanding going on. Often, “I need your prayers” really means something more like, “Your prayers are better than mine.” When we mention that they should also pray themselves and pray with other people from their church, it’s met with “Ok, but you need to pray for me.”
How do I communicate with these people that their prayers are not on some different level than my prayers? The fact that I’m from America and have abundant opportunities and blessings doesn’t mean that my prayers “work” in a way that theirs do not. I want the people here to know that to God, we are equals. If we are in Christ, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. There is no hierarchy, only love for all people. I try and try again to explain this, but so far I feel like I’m not being understood, and it’s frustrating. At home, I like the feeling of being needed. However, I want people here to have their own relationship with God, not a relationship dependent on prayers from me.
As we left that meeting, I felt a little defeated because I don’t think I communicated what I wanted to say. A couple people asked me to take pictures of or with them so that I would remember them and remember to pray for them. The problems and struggles that are going on in their lives are real, and they’re more serious than most of the things I face in the states. And yes, I’ll pray for these issues. But more often, I plan to pray that they would come to realize the overflowing, crazy love that God has for all of His people all over the world.
