Massai... Please Leave me Alone!!!

We went to the Massai Market today...Oh My Goodness!

I thought that it was going to be like the City Market we went to with lots of stands or tents. I was wrong...It is just a big field with people sitting on the ground with their stuff ( which is all the same) on blankets. It didn't take long before I was really annoyed with them. Todd warned me that people were going to come up to us right away and try to walk around with us ( this is how they rip off Americans), and they did. The annoying thing was that we couldn't get them go away! The same 3 or 4 guys stayed with us the same time. They were soo annoying!

Some of the starting prices were ABSURD and bargaining with them is tiring. It was also hard for Hiliary and I because guys would get right up next to us and brush up against us. The boys were very good at staying close and making us feel safe and protected.

At some points I would just give up on bargaining because they were just so pushy and I stopped caring about what they were triyng to sell me. They are all so deceptive and they say the most ridiculous things to try and get your money. They were pretty rude to me and told the boys not to listen to what I said grrr! It was sad when some of the women would parade their young children around as a way to get our money.

Hil and I bought nothing because we realized it was harder for girls to get the best prices because the Kenyan men were the ones trying to sell us stuff. The boys all bought stuff...Chris and Greg could probably start a small tribe with all that they bought (I think they may be regretting it now haha). I left feeling exhausted and frustrated. No matter how many time we said no thank you or no please leave us alone...they wouldnt! I'm going to have to get one of the boys to buy my things next time.

On a more positive note...my quiet times have been really great. I am reading in Genesis and I am just so encouraged by God's grace to his people from the beginning. He clothes Adam and Eve when they recognize their nakedness not because they deserve the clothing but because he loves his children and he gives them clothes as a comfort. Also, throughout Genesis the people do some pretty dumb things. Without fail the Lord still blesses them. I am learning to constantly remember that EVERY good thing comes fromthe Lord. I am nothing apart from him and I cannot accomplish anything without him. How humbling.

Along with Genesis, I was talking with Hil today about how after the fall shame fear and guilt were introduced to the world. From that we talked about how it is important to check our motivations for the things we do on this earth especially in our ministry. God does NOT call us to spread the gospel because we feel guilty, ashamed or fearful of what other people think of us. Romans 8:1 says: Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Those feelings are a result of sin and are not of God. God wants us to be motivated by a love for him and for others. With that being said, it is all the more important to realize that as sinners we do not have the power to muster up the energy to love people on our own. We have to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to change our hearts to view people the way the God does. That has been my prayer in the past few days when I am exhausted and I feel it is going to be a chore to interact with students more. I pray that God would change my heart and I would see these students as harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. That he would give me energy and excitement about spreading his word.

I also feel that the feelings of shame fear and guilt not only stunt our ministry but also our relationships with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The devil swoops in and creates among us a spirit of competition. We are guilty when we havent had a quiet time in a week and we fear that when others ask us spiritual questions we will not have a good enough answer. Why are we afraid? Arent we supposed to be building one another up? Its easy for us to think that if we share our struggles with our brothers and sisters then they wull view us as weak, when in reality we are all the more weak when we harbor inside of us the things we are struggling with. A verse that I shared with our team today is James 5:16: Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. It is only through the bringing into the light of our sins that we might move forward toward righteousness. Also, even if those that we share with DO judge us, it is God who is the ultimate judge and we have been justified by Christ's death on the cross. Like Romans 8:33 says: Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Yes humans will judge us, and humans will not be perfect in the way that they respond to our confession of sins. But as Christians, our salvation is not in the hands of man.

Adios (for now) Amigos

Sacha