CONNECTED TO CHRIST

In Isaiah 65:24, God says,

“They will not labour in vain,
    nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
    they and their descendants with them.”

We often miss the weight in such heavy words when we are experiencing abundance. Until we are exposed to a world of people who long to be heard and seen. Some of whom have almost given up trying. Giving hope to such, is a heavy task that only few can bear.

After weeks of planning, on 9^th September we set out for an outreach mission to Nakuru, Kenya. We were scheduled to meet and join Bridge Ministries team under the leadership of Rev. Mwai, as they reached families connected to the streets as they would call them. This is to mean that they are just passing through the streets, not permanently condemned to be in the streets.

When we arrived, we were warmly received and had a moment of introduction and briefing. Bridge Ministries is mainly focused on helping street boys. Teaching them the word of God, encouraging them to clean up and maintain good hygiene. At the end of every week’s meeting, they feed them.

We visited to one of their sessions which was on going, but we were a little late, and that meant, a few of them had already left. To survive, they do small jobs for a little pay. If they are late, they would not be paid. Therefore, keeping time is crucial for this team.

Those still present, around 8 of them, had already gone through the reading of the day. We joined in the closing prayer and gave them time to introduce themselves. It was so clear that most of them were under the influence of either drugs or alcohol. But one of them, a young boy, had just given his life to Christ the previous week. With such impact, Rev. Mwai and his team, work hard to keep their weekly meetings going without fail, to encourage them not to fall back, but keep growing until they change completely.

From here we went for lunch, and they were all so excited. We noticed some who were not in the session coming to get food. Rev. Mwai was very strict. He explained, the only way for them to honour their commitment was to attend the Bible Study sessions. It was evident that, because of the tough environment they have all grown up in, tough love is the only way to reshape them.

The Bridge team members are also trained and are now equipped to take this tough journey with these youth, until they find new hope and feel part of the blessed family of God. No longer connected to the streets but to Christ.