Last January, as an FYM, I was teaching a Bible study to a group of girls at a school here in Kibera. One day I met a young, shy girl who was in Form 4 (12th grade) at Mashimoni Secondary School. Her name was Elizabeth and for the first couple of weeks of seeing her, she didn’t speak much at all. I was convinced I wasn’t “connecting” with this girl and became frustrated, but kept pressing on. During the rest of the semester I continued to pour into Elizabeth and the other girls in this Bible study group. We spent valuable time together and had a lot of fun.
In September I returned to Kenya and found some girls waiting at our gate for my arrival, one of which was Elizabeth! The reunion was sweet and we picked up right where we’d left off. I no longer worked at the school, but the girls would come over to our house on Sunday afternoons to hang out. During this time, we usually shared Kool-aid and cookies before engaging in our Bible study. Then many times we would play a fun card game before they headed home.
In December, Elizabeth along with her classmates in Form 4 took their national exams to graduate secondary school. Elizabeth had come a long way and had developed a great passion and dedication to studying the Word of God. However she was still a very shy, uncertain young girl with a lack of confidence or hope for her future. Soon after the exams, Elizabeth and her family traveled up-country to their rural family areas. Many times girls in Kibera will move back “home” up-country when they finish school. I honestly didn’t know if I’d ever see Elizabeth again.
However, just the other day I went to our gate and was greatly surprised at who stood there. It was Elizabeth, grinning from ear to ear and ready to embrace me with the biggest hug! It was a great reunion and we spent some time catching up. I immediately noticed that this was a different Elizabeth than I knew before. This Elizabeth was confident and full of joy and hope. She was still as passionate and dedicated as before, but was now driven and excited about her future. Elizabeth was one of 8 youth from her church chosen to attend a Bible college just outside of Nairobi. As she told me about her studies and all the fun she was having, her face was beaming with pride of what she’s been able to accomplish. Over and over again she stated how the Lord had provided all of her needs and how she thanks Him daily for being her Guide.
I sat there and listened to all of this like a proud parent. This young girl who I first met a year ago has now grown into an amazing woman of God! I had the great opportunity to disciple and invest in her over time and now she’s discipling other young girls at her school. This kind of stuff just makes my heart smile and I’m reminded of God’s goodness and perfect plan for our lives!!
