Libby Holt

A heart-warming and beautiful welcome

Libby Holt left a piece of her heart in Kenya after a mission trip. She encourages others to do the same.

I never thought that I would be going on a mission trip, let alone to Kenya! I am allergic to most insects, and to be honest I don’t really like going without my comforts.

However, on September 3 I embarked on my journey to Bumala ’B, a rural village in Kenya.

After a lot of flying and a very bumpy two-hour car journey, we arrived at King’s Children’s Home to the most heartwarming and beautiful welcome from all the children, filled with so much joy that another team had arrived.

The next week and a bit would be filled with speaking to the local people, hanging out with the kids, and ultimately seeing the hand of God move.

During my time there we had opportunities to evangelise throughout the surrounding villages, spreading the gospel, listening to people and praying in whichever way we could. Most people in that area identify with some sort of religion... whether that be Christianity, Catholicism or witchcraft. However, we had the opportunity to sit (literally) in mud huts and speak about Jesus. We saw lots come to Jesus and many were healed.

Afternoons were spent with the children, either blowing bubbles, playing football or just letting them be hairdressers. More importantly, they love using all the storage on your phone, having photoshoots, or a lot of slow-motion videos!

Another part of the week entailed a visit to a prison, sharing the gospel in both the men’s side and the women and children’s side, and taking in essentials such as soap, toilet rolls and soft toys and milk for the children.

I would liken the conditions to a concentration camp, with the inmates living in poor conditions and all looking exactly the same. However, the joy and welcome we received was overwhelming. Just seeing them praise Jesus no matter the situation was inspiring to witness.

After a week filled with laughter and tears and many new and amazing experiences, it was time to say farewell to the children, with the team members taking it in turns to speak about what we had loved about our time there. The kids then prayed for us – there is something about having the most beautiful, Spirit-filled, loving children wholeheartedly pray for the team, and at that moment I broke; I realised that Kenya had taken a part of my heart.

From the things that I saw – from playing football with the local village children, to praying for people who didn’t yet know Jesus or to see a miracle in their health – I simply made some of the most amazing memories and friends.

I miss Bumala ’B every day but more importantly I miss the children’s beautiful faces; no matter how much I write or explain I feel that I can’t do them justice, from the devastation that I saw through poverty and sickness, to the joy of the Lord in every situation.

If you feel a call to mission or want to explore that avenue or simply just want to serve, then GO! Hand-on-heart I can say that Kenya has taken a chunk of my heart, and I give it freely.

If you can’t go then give, if you can’t give then pray, pray that God moves. Check out more at www.onebyone.net

Libby Holt is on the Aspire young adult team and currently attends The Source Church, Malvern

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