Elizabeth Bowie’s story

About two years ago I traveled with International World Changers as an individual participant to Kenya. This was my first mission trip and I was excited to finally heed the call that God has place upon my life: serving others. I learned that the first week of the trip would be spent prayerwalking. We met with students from Parklands Baptist Church in Nairobi, Kenya, who traveled along with us on our prayerwalking adventures to the college campuses of Nairobi.
One of the days we took a Matatu (public transportation) to Kikuyu College. All I remember about getting to the campus was the 23 1/2 people on the matatu (one person was halfway in and halfway out), the smell, the American music blaring and looking at my partner Justin's uncomfortable face as he squatted between two seats. We arrived at the campus and began to prayerwalk. We toured the campus, talked to people and prayed for the people, administrators and anyone surrounding the campus that they would be open to hearing about the life, love and salvation of Christ.

On our trip behind the college I could hear children playing and singing. Justin knew that I had to go and meet them. There was just something about their faces that captivates me to this day. We ended up seeing the children but could not get to them. They were shouting Munzungu, Munzungu. That means white European-looking person. We finally got to the school after going through people's property, walking through tall grass and down a red clay road. The children saw us and ran up to the fence. Did this make my day? You bet! I asked them about the cow that was in the playground. They told me that it was where they got their milk during school hours. I remember their blue uniforms, their smiles and their beautiful faces as if it were yesterday.

I have a reminder of this every day of my life. In January of 2003 I took a teaching job at Marietta Middle School teaching seventh grade math. It was one of those situations that I did not want to pursue, but God kept closing the doors in other areas and was opening more at this particular school.

After about two months of teaching, one of the other teachers heard that I had taken a trip to Kenya, and her Social Studies class was learning about Kenya. She asked if I would come in and share my stories. I was honored and accepted. I talked about the street kids, the poverty, the beauty of Kenya and the trip to that particular school behind Kikuyu College.
I told the students that I had met two new students who had moved to the school from Kenya and were in the eighth grade. The teacher and students told me that there was a student on their team who was from Kenya.

The next day that particular teacher brought me the student in her class that was from Kenya. She said, "Ms. Bowie, this is Edward and he is from Kenya. Ms. Bowie, Edward is in your picture." I was awestruck. I asked him if I could hug him. I looked at the picture again and it was him. He was the only one without a uniform. He always had stuck out in my mind but I did not know why. I wondered why he did not have a uniform on, now I know. We were both together in Africa two years ago and now we were together in America two years later.

He visits my room often and I have even spoken with his mother. She is planning on coming to visit me sometime soon. This whole experience has shown me what an awesome God we serve. It also has proven to me that God's timing is just that, it is His. As much as my heart is for people overseas and my passion for being overseas has not faded, now is not the right time. God has proven that to me. I may not be able to go now but He is bringing them to me. I am an honored servant of an Almighty God.