Fraternity-Testvériség, 2006 (84. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2006-07-01 / 3. szám
Branch 198—Ligonier My name is Margit “Gitti” Bertalan and I am junior at Rutgers University in New Jersey studying archaeology. I am a member of Branch #198 in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. I would like to take this time to tell you about an event that has proven to change my life in several ways. Margit “Gitti” Bertalan I had always seen it on television. I had read about it in books and newspapers. I had heard stories from others who had “been there, done that”. 1 never could have imagined what it would be like to actually experience it myself. Africa. It seemed like such a far off land, a place that of course is real, but also somewhat of a fairy tale. My journey started about a year ago when 1 felt as though I should dedicate the following summer, the summer of 2006, to missionary work. 1 had been thinking about it for awhile so I began to research different organizations to see if there was anything that caught my eye. For some reason I was particularly drawn to Kenya. 1 didn’t know much about the country, except what people had told me about its incredible coffee, but I don’t even drink coffee. I eventually found a few organizations that were planning trips to Kenya for the summer of 2006. Most of them were for a few weeks, some of them a little longer. However, the ones that I found did not seem to be a right fit for me. I decided to put off my research for a little bit and do some more praying about the situation. A week or so later a mentor of mine sent me information about an organization called Adventures In Missions. They were planning a 9 week trip to Kenya which included a month in the slums of Kibera outside of Nairobi, and a month in a village called Eburru located in the Great Rift Valley. It was exactly what I was looking for so I began the application process. It took a few weeks for the application process to be completed. I remember on the night of my phone interview the last question the leader of the trip asked me was “So, do you want to go to Kenya?” It seemed like such a simple question. And it only required a simple answer. Of course, I excitedly said “Yes!” Little did I know that from that moment my life would be drastically changed in ways that I couldn’t quite imagine. After I was officially accepted on to the team to Kenya I quickly realized that although the trip was several months away, preparation had to begin as soon as possible. I also quickly realized that although there was much to be done, there was little that I could do without allowing God to be in control of it. Slowly but surely, I got all my paperwork done, received all my vaccinations, and acquired a passport. And slowly but surely, I saw that God was bigger than any obstacle as He used my family and friends who donated support money for my trip. As the trip came closer, I became more and more excited, but I also began to think “What have I gotten myself into?” I’ve come to realize that it wasn’t I who got myself “into” anything, it was God who got me there. There was nothing that I could do to arrive in Kenya on my own or keep myself from going. During the summer of 2006 there was no other place for me to be. It has been over two months since I have been back, yet it is still extremely difficult for me to explain to people what the trip was like when I am asked. This is somewhat frustrating for me as I truly desire for everyone to know exactly what it was that happened in Kenya last summer. For the first month my team was in Kibera (there were 21 other college students who were on the team). Kibera is a slum right outside of Nairobi, the capital, and it holds more than a million people in about a square mile of land. It is the second largest slum in Africa. While we were there we worked with a Pastor named Timothy Mulehi. With him we walked through the streets of Kibera with the goal of talking to people about the love of Christ. Of course, this is a lot easier said than done. We had to deal with a language barrier as many of the people did not speak English, and of course some simply did not want to hear what we had to say. However, we soon learned that God is bigger than all of these things. We formed many relationships with people in Kibera and I saw many things that can only be accredited to God’s amazing power and love. Speaking of God’s Word I recall one man who became very close to our team say “I feel that when I read Jesus’ words in the Bible he is not only speaking to his disciples, but he is also speaking directly to me.” For years Ishmael had been unsure of what to believe in; Page 34 Fraternity - Testvériség
