Saturday Celebration

Two months ago, Charles lay in the ICU, paralyzed and comatose. Jason and another surgeon operated on his brain, and everyone prayed. On Saturday we traveled to Charles’s home to participate in a celebration of his amazing recovery. (This is Charles below.)

Charles, his parents, and several of his siblings gathered together with approximately 100 people from their rural community. Charles and some of his brothers welcomed us where the road ended and led us down the path to the family home.

Rural western Kenya is absolutely beautiful. Here is the view from Charles’s backyard.

The celebration began with lunch. A big delicious lunch of rice, beans, potatoes, meat, chapatis, and a local porridge drink called mursik. Mursik is made by fermenting milk in a gourd with charcoal to produce a yogurt-like charcoal-tasting delicacy. Anna bravely tasted the mursik and politely commented, “It’s a little bit good.”

Following lunch, we toured the farm. Anna was very interested in the animals.

The cows were not so interested in Anna.

The celebration speeches began mid-afternoon as dozens of Charles’s family and friends took turns at the generator-powered microphone. The family asked Jason to give a speech as well. He mentioned that Charles’s recovery reminds us that even when situations seem hopeless, healing is easy for God.

The highlight of the day, in my opinion, was Charles’s speech. He said that for years he has been trying to live apart from God. But now he is thankful to be “healed double.” He has been healed both physically and spiritually, as he is now living closer to Jesus. It is a blessing to be part of stories and celebrations such as this, and it reminds us why we are here.