"Hakuna Matata" - it means no worries for the rest of our days... this famous Disney song was on repeat in my head when I knew I was headed to the beautiful city of Nairobi in Kenya last year. The "problem free philosophy" was a very interesting thought that kept my heart wondering in embarking on this church mission trip would bring a deeper sense of revelation to this promising ideology.
A year after this mission trip, I’ve had enough time to process everything that happened in Kenya. I purposefully wrote this article a year after the trip to experiment how much impact life events like this have in my heart when the hype is over and the memory just shows up in your timeline as a throwback. True enough, what happened in Kenya never left me and the imprint it has on my heart is beyond words. Allow me to share five of the most life-changing revelations that will forever change the way I do life.
In 2017, it was announced that our church was sending a mission team to Kenya that year. I was back in the Philippines during this time but I already had a strong prompting that when this opportunity came back again, I would definitely be going. Along comes 2018, and the opportunity presented itself again. I knew I had to obey. I knew I had to go.
Based on my past experience, when God requires me to do something like this, there is always a hidden revelation that comes as a surprise. I went very expectant and excited to pour out my heart into whatever was waiting for us on the other side. I was determined to heighten my senses and be more aware of my surroundings knowing that God’s clue to a revelation was hidden somewhere.
The team was amazing! A great mix of faith-filled, talented, crazy and cool people from all over the world united for one cause: spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Most of us met each other for the first time during this trip. Since we come from different parts of the world, our trip was always layered with fun, crazy and meaningful conversations as we got to know each other better. When someone asks me about my story and what I am doing in Africa, I’ve always had a standard answer to that question ready. That is until someone challenged this standard answer, which started to stir something inside of me.
One of the great guys on the trip asked me the most simplistic yet challenging question I’ve ever encountered. After hearing my story of stepping out in faith, leaving my corporate job and volunteering full-time in Africa, he asked me,“So how do you plan on sustaining this lifestyle?” For some reason, that question hit me like a ton of bricks at that moment. It wasn’t like I doubted my life’s calling but it made me think deeper. I’ve always identified my story to that of the apostle Paul who traveled and spread the gospel while he made tents on the side to help fund his ministry (Acts 18:1-4, NIV). I realised that I was a bit bothered because the truth is I really didn’t have any kind of plan at all.
This thought kept me up all night. I went on my knees and really asked God to help me deal with this confronting truth. At that very moment, I was reminded of the scripture God revealed to me in 2016.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
I got a whole new revelation about my life verse. I had to be on this trip because God wanted to give me clarity regarding my assignment in the Kingdom. I had so much peace when I accepted the “masterpiece” life. This just means that God created me to help build “masterpieces” as I embrace my own life as a masterpiece. I have been released to help build faith-based & kingdom culture-driven, organisations, businesses, or individuals. I have the honour of helping build Masterpiece Kingdom Brands.
I am thankful that God challenged me unexpectedly during this trip. This experience will always remind me that when God requires my obedience, He is also on a mission to clarify my direction more and more. The more I obey, the more I get clarity.
When you live as a full-time volunteer, opportunities like this can be financially overwhelming and seemingly impossible. I had no idea where I would get the money to pay for this trip to Kenya. But because I had a strong conviction that I had to be there I knew I had to do something no matter what it might take.
I spoke to one of our leaders and asked for wisdom on how to manage this situation. At that time, I knew I only had enough resources to get me through the month. It was during this time that my leader told me about the concept of “Seeding”. I strongly believe in the power of tithing and I thought diverting those funds to the trip was a sound plan but unfortunately that shouldn’t be the case. It is God who decides where our tithe goes and I can’t play God even with a very good intention and justification in my mind. He explained to me that seeding is like investing into something you believe that God is going to do. In this case, he challenged me to pray and offer God “seed money” for the trip to show him that I am serious in responding to this call.
All I had was around $15.00 extra money for that month. I got an envelope, prayed over it and offered my “seed money” to God. And guess what, 2 weeks later someone gave me 200 Euros and I knew it was God’s way of saying “I got this”. In time, I met people from all over the world who would just “randomly” help and invest in what I was doing. I remember being constantly mind-blown watching this miracle unfold in front of me.
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” - Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
Seeding is like a miracle offering. It is always fascinating to watch God multiply what we have in our hands. I did what I could and saved what I could to raise the funds needed. I did my part and God did His and even more. I was able to pay the fees in full on time and with such ease. All I really needed was this faith that God would come through.
Our time in Kenya was nothing less than supernatural. We saw people getting healed during our hospital visits. People accepted Jesus during our street evangelism sessions. Our team experienced personal freedom and walked in Godly authority when we ministered to our brothers and sisters in prison. It felt very surreal but you could also feel a real tangible Spirit in every moment of it.
It reminded me of the story in Matthew 9:35-38 (NLT) where Jesus saw the crowds with compassion. Jesus was all about people. No matter what was going on around him and how they viewed him, he just saw them through the eyes of compassion. He loved people with true compassion. I am deeply challenged by this thought because I realized that when I approach people with genuine compassion, it is the link that people connect with first even before they hear the gospel. Compassion connects different cultures together and links them to the heart of Christ.
One of the highlights for me on this trip was the opportunity to share God’s word to the children in various primary schools in Kenya. I looked forward to seeing the smiles of the kids, hear them laugh and sing along with worship music that our team prepared. It was a joy to engage with them and learn cool stuff about their culture and normal life. I am very sure they were also fascinated to hear different accents and see different people who came in all shapes, forms, and sizes.
There was one incident that really captured my heart. One afternoon we visited a primary school where the kids were taught life lessons through the art of farming. As we were hanging around with the learners, our leader asked me to give a word of encouragement to the whole group. I couldn’t say no because in my head I’m all for the cause. I didn’t realize that there was going to be a big challenge. That particular day, I didn't bring my usual props for my message. There was no sound system. There was no available school hall to hold an assembly. There were about 700+ children. Hence, I panicked.
As the group was gathering and settling everyone in, I couldn’t help but pray harder and ask wisdom to how I will approach this situation. I found myself telling the kids the story of how Jesus calmed the storm through interactive hand gesture storytelling. It was such a beautiful moment because I felt like I had a taste of how it would’ve been like for Jesus to speak in front of crowds with no aid of technology, lights, and smoke machines.
Standing in an open field, under the scorching heat of the sun I looked straight into the eyes of the kids as I wave my hands in the air trying to tell a bible story. I was surprised because it seemed like my voice was amplified and everyone was hooked on listening to the word of God. I could hear the wind blow and the birds chirp, I could feel the atmosphere shift. All of us in that field would agree that the Holy Spirit was present and moving.
I was so convinced about how powerful the word of God is. God’s word doesn’t need any spectacle for it to be effective. It was a huge honour to deliver the word of God. I saw how the power of His words brought life to the listeners. I will never forget that day.
In as much as I love the song Hakuna Matata, I struggle adapting to the “problem-free philosophy”.
Jesus said in John 16:33 (NIV)
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
I know the song was written with good intentions and to drive a point, but the truth is that our broken world is full of problems and troubles. It doesn’t even matter which part of this planet you live in. We share the same brokenness and face the same reality.
The world promotes that living a life free from trials, challenges, and problems is the ultimate thing to achieve. But contrary to popular belief, the bible is direct and acknowledges that this side of eternity will always have a degree of brokenness. It encourages us to “take heart” and look to Jesus because he has overcome the world.
Visiting Kenya wasn’t just a “short-term mission trip” for me. It opened my eyes to the reality of giving priority to my relationship with God and being purposeful in serving His people. It would be amazing to live a “problem-free” life (in a perfect world) but living a purposeful life following Jesus is far greater and more achievable.
BONUS: We had an opportunity to appear as guest performers in Nairobi's top-rating weekend Talk Show. We didn't expect this to happen but it was very fun and very well received. Enjoy watching!
Photos are contributed by various team members.
Special Thanks to Ps.Stephen Giles for leading this Mission Trip.
Special Thanks to our Hillsong Kenya Connect led by Enock, Greg and Kim Hart.
