Young Adult and College Students Experience the Christmas Story in Kenya

The young adult and college mission group’s first morning in Kenya began with hearing birds sing and seeing a bright blue sky just outside my room. I opened the doors to the grassy gathering area outside, and it was as if God was using all creation to say, “welcome.”

We proceeded with our gathering, and what was planned for the devotion was not what God wanted for this particular morning. Thank God we heard him say, “Luke 2 is not just the narrative you and the team are to use for the Christmas puppet show, but rather it is for each of you personally and specifically to read it and to study it and this is what I want you to spend time doing this first morning in Kenya.” Yes sir, and we did just that.

We opened God’s Word and begged the Holy Spirit to take over, to teach us fresh using the familiar. We spent some time reading, praying, discussing, and witnessing the familiar: “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree…” transform into, “this is not just a ‘story.’ ” We were washed new in knowing that this is marked in history according to political rulers reigning, this is “Real.” We actually talked about how Mary did not have to be chosen by Joseph to go with him on this 80-mile journey to register for the census. We discussed the fact that the shepherds were poor, the lowest of society, and how they were out watching over the flocks that were more than likely the Temple flock – yes, the lambs that would be bought for a price by all who were coming to Bethlehem to be used as sacrificial lambs before they would go to the temple to seek God, and that the angel came to them first is so cool. We sat stunned and laughed a bit nervously, that the first thing the angel uttered to the shepherds was, “do not be afraid…” which we honestly admitted we would have been terrified! We shook our heads at the audacity of Christ, the Messiah, being placed in a feeding trough and that that would be the identifying factor for the shepherds – finding him in a manger was ridiculous, counter to any birth and subsequent placement of any ranking official or King!

Even so, in all of our reading, discussion, excitement, and pondering, I felt the entire room was most struck at the reality that verses six and the beginning portion of seven say this, “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.” We grappled with the enormity of these 20 some words. We uttered, “all of human history turns on this fact.” The weight of this proclamation, the grappling with, the stunning freshness of the Gospel being born struck us, seared our hearts, and caused us to bow in adoration to pray.

Just as I was struggling to find any words to speak into this moment, to give one more battle cry to the team of the truth that God doesn’t need us, but He invites us into His story to be used by Him, that we crossed an ocean out of love and obedience to our Lord and Savior, that we get to be a part of what God is doing, what a privelege and honor to be able to decrease, so He will increase and receive all glory and honor. Yes, I was struggling, big time, to wrap the majesty of the moment up and to not crush the Spirit but to get us going. When God orchestrated a choir of heavenly hosts, who happened to be the Kenyan staff from Heart Lodge guest house, who were assembled for their morning devotional 40 feet outside my room’s open doors, sing out, in breathtaking Kenyan accents, “O come let us adore Him, O come let US adore Him, O come let us adore him. Christ the Lord.”

We sat there unable to move or breath. We heard each other gasping and tearing up while we felt overtaken and undone by the presence of God, Emmanuel, God with us! He had done it, as only He can. He stunned us with His attention to detail, reminded us that we matter, and as we come and adore Him, He turns it to blessing us.

This is how our experience began, and our faithful God continued to stun us throughout our entire two-week experience in Kenya, with the fact that, yes, indeed, He was and is with us, and we are invited to participate in His story as we “come and adore Him.”

Adoring Him more today than even yesterday,
Gaylyn Kelly
Director of Young Adult and College Students Ministry