The Beauty of Contagious Passion

Sometimes I forget... That I am a 24 hour flight away from home. The sea of brown faces, dusty, bumpy roads, crazy traffic and strange looking markets is becoming an all too familiar sight. My compound house feels like home although my bedroom is far less messy then my normal one. I have become used to people dropping round to ask me things, say hi, or check that I am alright living in this house by myself. I am learning that nothing here happens on time and now expect most people to turn up about half an hour later than expected. It seems normal to have to squish more people than seats into a vehicle, to protect your belongings while on public transport to take pills to stop myself getting sick and to filter water before I drink it and soak vegetables before they are eaten. Things which initially surprised me but now are just part of my life. I spent Christmas and Boxing day with an African family and all their extended relatives. Sometimes it was hard to remember that they weren...

The last time I went to Africa I brought a book called Africa’s children, Africa’s treasure. It was full of pictures of stunning children and the essays they had written about their lives in this challenging but beautiful place. I read of places like Mathare and Kibera and thought about how much I would love to work with these children in some capacity but I thought it was only a crazy dream that would probably never happen. I had just spent three weeks building houses with the Ethiopians and shaking the hands of many beautiful children and people as we walked down the streets experiencing the culture and all it had to offer. Would I ever make it back to this amazing place? Maybe one day… But not for a long time. As I write this I am sitting on a chair in Nairobi, Kenya having just spent four days teaching at a vacation bible school (VBS) at Joy Springs School in Kibera slum: A place I thought I would never actually set foot in let alone teach in! To say the least this place wa...

Over the past few days I have been so blessed to be part of the KSCF- Kenyan Students Christian Fellowship youth camp. At this camp some of the most incredibly passionate praise and worship that I have ever seen. And I have seen a lot. They fill the stage and the floor with people dancing and singing their hearts out. There is no shame what so ever. They are performing to an audience of one and that is Jesus. So they let loose the joy that God has given them. It’s awesome and so beautiful to watch! Kenyans are such passionate people! I don’t think there was one person in that room that stood still. While I was at this camp I was asked to sing a worship song as an item. Now, I love performing and many times I have played my saxophone or clarinet in front of an audience and loved it but for some reason singing in front of about 500 Africans who bubble with natural talent was a little daunting. But I did it and I learnt a song from the keys player and sung it- blocking out the audience- ...