Abigail

Well, here it is already.  I leave for the airport in 2.5 hours.  Two months feels like a long time yet no time at all.  I'm excited to be home and have skim milk and real cheese and my hair straightener and my family and things like that, but I'm going to miss my Kenyan adventures as well.  I'm going to miss the feeling that everyday is an adventure.  I'm going to miss how friendly everyone is.  I'm beyond grateful for the hospitality that has been shown to me by my missionary hosts and Kenyan's patience with me not always understanding their accents.  I'll share another story from Tenwek, because it pretty well defines the characteristics of my favorite moments here.  My missionary hostess, Amy, does a lot of orphan care ministries in and around Tenwek, and we heard of a baby who's mama had passed away after her birth.  Usually, a newborn in the nursery would be fed by his or her mother, but this sadly wasn't an option, so it was suggested that I go up and feed her to help the nurses.  When Amy and I went up to check out the situation, they decided to just send the baby home with Amy to care for while the hospital tried to track down the father.  As we were preparing formula, changing, etc, Amy mentioned that the baby girl needed a name, (and that it had to be from the Bible).  Well, Esther is my favorite female figure in the Bible but it just didn't seem to fit this little girl.  I started to pray, asking God for the name He wanted her to have.  I was thinking Sarah or Abigail, and Amy said she had been thinking exactly the same thing!  While Amy went to search for a blanket, I held the tiny girl to feed her.  "Sarah?  Abigail?" I said to her.  Abigail seemed to be the choice.  As the title of my blog suggests, I have been asking God for His heart here in Kenya.  As I held this tiny newborn, I was filled with such love and joy that I cannot even explain.  My smile was as huge as my face allows, I almost thought I would cry.  It might have been my favorite moment of this trip.  I felt so much love for this little girl, starting life without her mother, her future so uncertain, I felt certain of one thing: God loves her wildly, passionately, He has a beautiful plan for her life.  Jesus says, "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you" (John 14:18).  I don't think I can do the experience any more justice with words, other than that I saw a peak of God's heart for His people, and He loves us SO MUCH.  What a privilege that was, thank You Lord.  Little Abigail went home with her dad, and I never did get a picture of her.  I don't even know if that is her name anymore, but giving her a name for those first days of life was so cool.  I have many great friends with that same name, who I felt almost as if I was naming her after.  In light of what I saw of God's heart, I am inspired to live my life knowing that that is the love that He has for EVERY SINGLE human being, including me, including you.  My prayer, as I leave, is that I may live my life as such.