march 2021.

Remember how I said February was the hardest month? Well, March brought it’s fair share of trials too. Don’t get me wrong, March also brought many wonderful things, but it seems as though some rather unfortunate things happened too.

To start off the month, I had a birthday! I turned 25 on the fourth of March and felt very celebrated by my friends here. My housemates decorated my room, gave me flowers and gifts, and friends and I went out to eat, it was wonderful! I am thankful for all of the love that was shown. My neighbor kids even came over to enjoy some donuts!

I was able to take a couple of personal days this month to work on my Masters courses which was SUCH a blessing. My course load is very heavy and often times I wonder how I’m going to do this, but I’m reminded that it is all by God’s grace. He is a powerful God who I’m convinced adds more hours to some days in order for me to meet deadlines. I am really enjoying my courses even though they are difficult and time-consuming. I’m thankful the content is so engaging to me!

One thing that I’ve been really thankful for this month is the gorgeous weather which has allowed me to walk to school in the mornings until it came to my attention that our neighborhood has been subject to crime lately. My house is about a 15-minute walk to work and it was so wonderful to start and end my day walking with Jesus.

Okay, time for one of the more frustrating and inconvenient parts of the month. The second week of March, I stopped one evening at a grocery store to quickly pick up some apples and when I went to pay, realized that I had been pick-pocketed. I always carry by backpack and zip up my phone, but unfortunately this particular pick pocketer was just that good, I didn’t even notice. My backpack was unzipped and my phone was gone. Now while this was very stressful and saddening at first, I am so thankful that my wallet, ID or laptop weren’t taken. This was definitely an unanticipated expense, but I am thankful that the incident was scary in any way and that I was able to retrieve my mobile money. It was a good exercise in intentionality. Without a phone, I had to rely on people more, make plans ahead of time, and ask for help. While I will need to get a phone in order to communicate with friends and family both here and in Canada, this experience has challenged me to be less reliant on my phone in the future. What a bad habit it can be! Thankfully, a friend here was able to offer me her spare phone to use for the time being. God is good.

Another thing that came up this month was the development of hay fever allergies. I’ve never had allergies before, but this month took me for a trip! Constant sneezing and itchy eyes hasn’t been ideal, but again, I have much to be thankful for- access to medicine! I thank God for access to eye drops and allergic medication.

This month felt very long and due to my lost phone, I don’t have many photos to share with you, but I do have a testimony of God’s hand at work in my local church. The church that I attend here seeks to minister to those in need right here in our city. This church has a huge heart and focus on social justice. Therefore, an amazing church member, Eunice, pioneered the Rejesha project, a ministry that seeks to bring hope, love and dignity to the most vulnerable and broken sex workers in our city. This month, she was able to help two women transition out of this world into the world of independent business entrepreneurs! By collecting donations for clothes from our church community, she was able to equip these women with goods to sell! This past Saturday, I was able to come and help sort the clothes that were donated! All thanks to God’s mighty hand at work in His people, two women’s lives were radically transformed not only on earth, but in heaven!

On Friday, we found out that the president of Kenya announced a second lockdown in Kenya. This means that the country has an 8pm curfew, travel outside of counties is not allowed, and churches and schools are closed indefinitely. It feels like a deja vu, since last year when I went on spring break, we did not return to school and this year it’s looking the same. As disheartening as it feels not to be able to return on campus after the break, God is teaching me to take it one day at a time. I am so thankful for the time we were able to have on campus with our students. But for now, it’s time to enjoy spring break! 😀

Please pray for me as I discern my next steps:

-If I should/can visit Canada this summer

-When I should get vaccinated

-Deciding on my upcoming course load

-Corona’s second wave here in Kenya, safety for families

-The women transitioning out of sex trafficking

Thank you!

J.