While at the compound, I felt like I was being watched, and it was not in a positive sense. The enemy desired to scare me away and keep me away in an undeniable way. The repeated attacks from all sides only goes to solidify the need for pastor training and Bible distribution. God knows I will not give up. My heart is incredibly grateful to be considered His servant. Only because of His long-suffering and mercy upon my soul, am I allowed to participate in His will. This empowers me in confidence and faith that Jesus is with me. I thank Jesus for helping me fix the vehicle. If it did not have the four-wheel-drive capability, the outcome could have been quite a bit different. We were able to travel down a difficult road at the entry point, and nobody would have anticipated this as an option for our exit.
As we had been driving in the middle of the night, we reached Nairobi around 1 AM. Praise Jesus we were once again able to elude the evil one. The following morning, the man behind filing a false report, sent me the paperwork on WhatsApp. I am not sure what his motive was because this is not comparable to being served papers. By his own actions, he put a document that he prepared in our hands that now could be used against him. In addition to this document, many other things have surfaced. However, we will not move forward unless God allows us to do so. There is a specific timeline that the Holy Spirit has us under.
Henry and Linda cautioned me that I could even be arrested at the airport. They insisted that I stay in the area until I boarded the plane. Most of the time I was at the airport, I sat in a secluded area drawing the least amount of attention to myself as possible. About an hour before my flight, God rebuked me and declared, “You know that I am with you. Go and walk all around the airport looking for police.” The Lord then filled me with Holy confidence. I was never fearful, but I was cautious. Now it was as though God wanted me to demonstrate the faith I had in Him. It was refreshing and empowering walking around knowing that God was with me.
Just before I left on this journey, God had rearranged the people that we were involved with. One of them was supposed to travel with me, and now it became exceedingly clear why that was not to happen. My 100% focus and obedience to the situation God had set was necessary to complete the task. Each was filled with unbelievable revelations and experiences. Any other interactions that took place would have diminished what God wanted me to experience. Even the simplest thing like not getting the vehicle repaired could have been catastrophic. Praise Jesus, praise Jesus, praise Jesus. My heart was rejoicing when the plane lifted off from the runway.
God even blessed me with interesting people, sitting next to me. On my first leg of the journey, one was a Christian lady named Chioma. She was cheerful, and through her smile, I could see the light of Jesus in her. We shared different stories with one another and I asked her if she had any prayer requests. She mentioned that her mother was having problems with her teeth or jaw, and as soon as she spoke that, I sensed that her condition was going to be improving. Praise Jesus He was going to demonstrate his love. She also mentioned that sometimes she felt as though she complained too much, so I prayed for her. She lived in Switzerland and was working in Nairobi. She was a sweet soul and I counted it as a blessing to spend time with her.
After a five hour layover, I boarded my last flight back to America. I had a window seat and when I saw the young lady setting her stuff down to sit beside me, I did not know what to expect. She was quite tall, probably 6 feet or so, and was very attractive. Part of me was thinking, “Oh great, eight hours sitting by someone that was full of them-self.” I could only imagine being brushed off like an irritating bug if I tried to talk to her. I must say, I was completely wrong, and that is why we should never make judgments based on appearance. The conversation was very natural and did not seem forced at all. I was quite surprised how joyful and engaging she was in the conversation. She asked me as many questions as I asked her. Only through lengthy conversation, I found out she was recently married to a former Red Wings hockey player, Jakub Kindl. They had known each other for five years and just got married last summer.
During our conversation, she had mentioned that she was a model. She did not go into much detail concerning that, however, I googled her name just to see. Aferdita Dreshaj is a supermodel and she was crowned Miss Universe Kosovo 2011 and also participated in the Miss Universe Pageant 2011. She is also a well-known singer in Albanian speaking countries. She did not reveal any of these facts to me. She did however tell me about her mother who came to this country not knowing one word of English. She was able to start a business and raise her three children after her husband had died from a heart attack.
What I found most intriguing about Aferdita was the way she talked about her father. Her eyes sparkled, her face lit up, and great joy emanated from within her when describing him. Even though she was quite attractive, this inner beauty that I experienced was the most compelling aspect of her. I could have listened to her talk about him for a long time. The love she had for her father was so great I could feel it. That is exactly the kind of love that Jesus wants us to have for one another. Through the power of Jesus, we can experience this for each other. There were many situations in Kenya where the power of Jesus’s love working through me stopped certain catastrophes. Only because of Jesus, things turned out the way they did.
I want to share a couple of things that Aferdita shared about her father. There was war and persecution in and around Kosovo when she was a child. They would have refugees stay in their house, and the father would tell the children they would need to sleep on the floor. They always had a bed, while the refugees did not. They would all give up their beds for the comfort of others. Her father would help others with food and supplies when necessary. He did not do it to bring attention to himself, but instead in service of others. I understand why she would glow when speaking of him. These are exactly the kinds of things that Jesus instructs us to do. I was very thankful for God delivering me out of Kenya, and the people that He placed beside me on the ride home. I rejoice in all things for the glory of my King Jesus.
