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Sis Diana recently visited Kenya. In this broadcast, she talks with Mark Omare, someone she met while on this trip.
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Sis Diana recently visited Kenya. In this broadcast, she talks with Mark Omare, someone she met while on this trip.
Listen to Sis Diana Kenya Interview with Mark Omare by SWM MP3 song. Sis Diana Kenya Interview with Mark Omare song from SWM is available on Audio.com. The duration of song is 01:00:09. This high-quality MP3 track has 1147.813 kbps bitrate and was uploaded on 16 Jun 2023. Stream and download Sis Diana Kenya Interview with Mark Omare by SWM for free on Audio.com – your ultimate destination for MP3 music.
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Sister Diana Booker shares her journey of visiting Africa and helping a school and orphanage. She had a desire to go to Africa since 1990 and finally got the opportunity. She started a fundraiser and received support from others, including Brother Mark Omari. Nancy, the woman she helped, faced challenges with the government but continued to teach the children about the Bible. The children stood firm in their beliefs and became little soldiers for the Lord. Good morning everyone, and welcome to the morning program. Let's have a word of prayer. Our Heavenly Loving Father, we thank you so much for your love, for your grace, for this opportunity to speak with one of your servants today, as we share what was done in Kenya. So we just ask that you will be with us at this time, and that those who are listening will be blessed and will be convicted to serve you in an even deeper capacity. We thank you so much for hearing and answering our prayers. In Jesus' name, Amen. This morning we have with us Sister Diana Booker. You may have heard her earlier this week on the other end of the interview. She is speaking with Brother Mark Omari from Kenya. Now, Sister Diana has had an opportunity to do something that many of us only dream of, and that is to visit the continent of Africa. Sister Diana, it's a blessing to have you, honestly, here with us this morning. You are such a wonderful soldier for Christ. So, here's my first question to you. Let me first make a statement. It seems, you know, as we have been watching stuff on YouTube and hearing stuff, you know, by the way, that a lot of people are actually migrating to Africa. I've been hearing so many African Americans that are heading in that direction. I've even heard of many white Americans who are doing the same thing. They're not even going to European countries. So, that's maybe why this topic is, you know, of such interest to us. So, let's talk a little bit about what you did when you went there. And, yeah, you're going to tell us about the school and what got you interested in helping and what happened at the school that got your attention. So, let's start with that. You went for a visit because of a school. Yes, I went for a visit because of a school. But this journey actually began way before then. And I would like to bring people up to date just to show how God has been working in my life, how faithful He is to be concerned about the smallest details that you desire. He will answer them in His time and in His way. So, I want to back up a little bit more and tell you about my experience and desiring to go to Africa in 1990. I was at that time. Yes, it took this long, but He answered my prayer that I prayed back then. And I was living in Naperville, Illinois. I remember it was an evening, and I was in my den, and I was watching TV, and a commercial came on about Africa. And it was showing the plight of the children and how they were starving, and they were needing help, and they were trying to raise funds. And children are my passion. They are my love. They are the love of my life, is children. And so when I saw that, I cried very, very hard. So hard for me today to even think about it. And I said to the Lord then, I said, Lord, I would love to be able to go there. I can hold those children. I can love those children. I know there's something I can do for these children. God heard that prayer. So, my heart has always had a desire to go to Africa and to deal with the orphans over there because so many of the children have been orphaned due to the AIDS epidemic and the Rwanda situation, as Brother Mark had said. And so, but here it is now from 1990, and we're in 2023, and God answers that prayer. That's what I'm saying. Talk about patience. Yes. But it just shows you how faithful he is concerning everything you say to him. And then I'm going to back up a little bit further. My children, because they are not walking in the faith anymore, they sort of keep a distance from me. And it's very painful. I'm not going to say it isn't. And just months, months before I got to go, this was in January, and I said, you know what? I said to my children, I'm going to adopt me some children from Africa. That's what I'm going to do. And we all just sort of laughed. And sure enough, now I have adopted a school and an orphanage. I say, praise be to God. And when I thought about when the time came for me to go and the opportunity was offered to me to go, all I could do was just stop in my tracks and say, Lord, no, you didn't. You didn't give me the desire of my heart. And so I'm going to back up and tell you how it all came about. My girlfriend, Tamiki, who made friends with Nancy over Facebook, and it was a women's group that they were chatting on, and their friendship grew outside that arena, and she would converse with her personally one-on-one. Nancy never asked her for any money, but she did relay to her her story and the trial she was going through because her children were sick and starving and she had no job and her husband had left. So she knew her for about maybe six to eight months before Tamiki brought her to my attention. And then one day, it was around December of last year, she said, you know, Diana, she told me about this lady and how hard things were for her. And I said, really? And I said, would you please connect us on WhatsApp? And she did. She started a group. And Nancy told me her story. And when I heard her story, again, it broke my heart into pieces. And immediately, I began a fundraiser. And within that week, we had raised probably $2,000, close to $3,000 within a 10-day period of time. And my girlfriend was stood back and she was in shock because she was seeing all this activity taking place, you know. And I contacted Mark. And when I told Mark about it, he willingly came on board to help in this endeavor. So you guys play a very big role in this as well. And Mark said, you know what? I will donate a website for her. So I said, praise be to God, that will give us more, you know, opportunities to begin to see what's good. Yes, more visibility. And so I talked with my pastor about it. And he says, well, you know, I have this couple, friends of ours in the church that we're very close to. And they have missions in Africa that they support. They go all the time. I will introduce you to them and they can help you. And that is the Breedles who is interviewed. You will also hear this week once I interview them because they're an integral part of this story. So I met Pam over the phone. Immediately she sent me $1,000. So that was the first $1,000 I received was from them. And then she began mentoring me because it's a different world in Africa and I didn't know any of the ropes. And so she was telling me how to operate and things to do and not to. So it began growing at that point. And we were just so excited about this. Now, they have missions in Africa and I'll let them tell their story because it's quite phenomenal as well. But then we began to bring Nancy up in the school and getting food to them. I mean, I would get a phone call and it's like, you know, we just had porridge this morning. We have no more food for the rest of the week. And me and the children were praying that God would bring someone to our doorstep who would feed us. I mean, when you hear that kind of cry for help, I mean, it is totally heartbreaking. Because children, I mean, of all people, adults struggle, okay. But children, to see them not being able to have at least two good meals a day, you know, certain things in life, to be educated, you would think this is every child's right and privilege to have, but it's not so in Africa. And so we began bringing them up. And she was at that time in a place called Karunga, K-A-R-U-N-G-A, Kenya. And what happened was a very, very big upset for us because it was all so new. And we were really beginning to get momentum with donations coming in. And they had started building the latrines, well, the bathrooms, the girls' and boys' bathrooms. But I'm going to back up to tell you, right when I met Nancy, she got arrested. And the government came in. Yeah, they assessed her facility. And they said, you're not up to par. And so they took her and the children to jail. And they were in jail for about a week. And because they said she was operating the school, that wasn't up to par. The children were, they felt like they were being Daniels. And they were happy to be able to stand and be persecuted for God. And they said to her, you're trying to make all these children pastors. And she says, well, no, I'm not. They saw what she was teaching them basically from the Bible, all of her prophecy charts that was on the wall in the school. They took them. They never returned them. They told the parents to come pick the children up. But when the parents got there, the children said, no, we want to go back with Nancy. We don't want to go home. And so they did go back with her. But they called out four small children, and they sent them to a different facility. The children at that facility started teaching those children what they knew about the Bible. Amazing. Yes. And they were also shocked, the officials at the police station, because they said, we don't understand. These children are hungry, and they won't eat this food. And they said, we don't eat unclean food. We're being Daniels. And they were totally amazed. It's like, what are you doing to these children that they won't even eat this food? But they were taught about unclean food, and they did not want it. And they stood on their convictions. A little bit standing on conviction, wow. I know. And so these four children started teaching all the other children where they were sent to. And the officials called Nancy and said, come get them, because they're trying to teach everybody else what they know. Amazing. I'm speechless. I'm absolutely speechless just listening to this right now. Yes. I was just... Yes. You know, children, when you get them at that young age, and you start putting the unadulterated truth, the Word of God, into their hearts, they're little soldiers for the Lord. They are little soldiers for the Lord. And so when she picked them up, she told them, the children told her, they said, you know, they taunted us, they teased us, they even hit us and beat us. And she says, well, how do you feel about what happened to you? And they said, well, we're fine with it, because we know we were standing for the Lord. And if he came today, he would take us home with him, because we've been faithful. And so that was their response. I am getting goose pimples. Yeah. So now, you know, the funds are coming in, and they're building, because they said they had to have three bathrooms for girls and three for boys. And the classroom had to have a concrete floor. And, you know, the kitchen had to be, you know, a nice kitchen, because it was just three stones on a pot in the open. And, you know, a pantry, all these guidelines they gave her had to be in place. So we were raising the money. And what's really interesting, though, is that a little money from over here goes a long way in Kenya. And so I think just to get all that in place was close to $5,000 U.S. And we were at $3,000 at that point, plus keeping them supplied with food every month and things of that nature. And we were also trying to start raising so that they could have a well, because they had to go down to a river about a mile or so away and walk with the jerry cans. And even the little ones, I mean, five years old, they've got their little container of water, and they're hauling it. These children are very strong and resilient. And so we were wanting to get a well for them. But then Satan reared his ugly head, I would have to say. And the disappointment, I felt like it was like what the pioneers went through with the great disappointment, because it literally all blew up in our faces. Nancy had been given, donated this property by this lady, and she told her she could start the school on the property. But when they saw the amount of money that was coming in, the woman wanted control of the money. And so Nancy's life went into jeopardy. Someone tried to break in her home one night. She had to, with her children, go to the police station for safety. And they were treating her very hostile. And so basically a coup took place, and they just wanted to take over. So she had to leave that situation and go home to Katali, where she is today. So now this was a test, not just for her, but it was testing our faith as well, because I was totally distraught. Mark had put all of this work into the website, and now we have to freeze everything until we figure out what is going on. And it's very difficult. Yes, yes. It's very difficult when you're dealing with Africa, because there's so many scams coming out of it. And you do have to be very careful about who you're supporting and know who you're supporting. And some people have said, unless you have somebody on the ground over there, you'll never know what's going on. Yes. So keep that in mind, because I'm going to show you later on in this interview. Keep that thought in mind, how God took care of that matter for us. Okay, can't wait. And so at the time I was talking with my pastor about it, I was so distraught. I was ready to pull out, really. I was, because I'm like, what is going on? And my pastor said something to me that was very profound. He said, the location may change, but the vision will never change. That vision will continue. And that vision for Nancy was to see true education. I'm sorry, I'm going to try to get through this. It was to see true education being taught all across Africa. And that gave me hope. And I said, okay, so we're going to hang in there. Plus, I think one of the greatest assets in Nancy's favor is she is an ardent student of the spirit of prophecy. And I just felt like there's no way this woman could be trying to defraud us when she's so steeped in true education and the spirit of prophecy. I just can't see that going hand in hand to get with someone who's trying to defraud you. And even my girlfriend Pam says the only reason I'm hanging on, Diana, is because I see how this lady is deep into the spirit of prophecy. And so she and I continued to hold on with a lot of people backed up as far as continuing to be donors and some even pulled out. And so, well, we got her home. I had to send money for a cab so that she could go home. And when she got home, the facility where she once taught at was available, which to me was amazing. And the reason why she had left there in the first place is because her youngest daughter, Shalom, was sick and had to be in the hospital in Nairobi for four months. So she had to quit teaching there at that time. And so she went to Karanga. So now she's back in Katali and the facility's available. Immediately within a day, she had 10 children. And then children, she says, the children who know me, when they see I'm back, they will come. And it seems as though God just took her through a roundabout way and brought her back where he wants to establish her. Because right now she has over 50 children there. Over 50? Over 50 children. A good 35 are there on a solid basis. And 15 of them are orphans. Because what's really interesting and why our heart really goes out to Nancy as well is that she takes in the children who are orphaned, sexually abused, street children, destitute. They have no parents. In Africa, you have to pay school fees in order to go to school, not like here in America where it's free. And so a lot of these children, they're not able to pay anymore, especially COVID did a number over there with them, with parents and their jobs. So they have no jobs. They can't send their children to school. But not only are they not sending them to school, when they're at home, they're not eating. There's no food. Many of them, when they come to her school, she has to feed them. They can't even concentrate. They are starving. You know, as you say that, it's just making me think that where we are, it was the same kind of situation where school was a safe haven for many disadvantaged kids. This is where they got their breakfast. This is where they got their lunches because their parents could not afford to feed them. And so with no school, you know, it was a challenge for these kids to eat. Sounds so familiar. Yes, same situation. And so Nancy now has these children, and they're coming, like, it seems like by the droves. There was sisters, they walked 16 miles. They heard about the school, and they walked 16 miles to get there. Wow. And there's just so many stories to tell of the children that have arrived, the conditions they have arrived in. Another young man, he was 14, trying to take care of his three sisters on the street. They arrived there full of life, full of chiggers, you know, just in really bad shape. And then Nancy takes them off to the clinic, and she gets them treated, and she feeds them, she cleans them, she closes them. And the thing of it is, her children are not in school. She couldn't afford to even send her children to school. She has a daughter who's deaf and mute, and she had no funds to send her to school. So while she's ministering to other people's children, her children are in need as well. So now she's in Catali, and we're raising funds. We're back on board with her. And the Breedles, who you will hear about later this week, they have a school in Abincho, which is near the largest city of Kissie. And that's where you heard from Mark Amari. They've been a supporter for his school for decades. They know him very, very well. So Pam says, I'm going to introduce you to Mark so he can help you with Nancy, because this has been his life journey to deal with disadvantaged children. He's been doing it for over 20 years. He sacrificed a career in the legal field in order to do this. And he always says, and I love his quote, he says, I don't have 200 years. A lot of my family members and people wonder, why are you doing this when you could be making big money? He says, I don't have 200 years. What I have to do, I have to do quickly. I have to make an impact for the Lord quickly. So I don't have time to get distracted into serving self. And so he started helping me as well. He came on board, and he would really help me with things with Nancy, because there's a cultural barrier and a language barrier. And sometimes it is difficult to understand and to assess what is happening. But with him being a Kenyan and being right there, and then come to find out, he has a sister who lives in Katale. So that worked out really, really well. So he could visit there, his sister, and check out the school. But one day, Pam gave me a call, and she says, you know, we're going to Africa. And we'll stop by and see Nancy, because we have to go over and check on our project. It's been like three or four years since we've been there. And I said, no, really? You're going to Africa? She goes, yes, we'll check on Nancy for you. I says, oh, wow, I would love to come. She says, well, come on. Come with us. And I was like, really? And so we worked out a financial arrangement, and I was like, I'm out of here. I was just so excited. I was jumping for joy. I was like, Lord, I can't believe you're doing this. And so it was just so perfect, because, you know, when you go, you do want to go with somebody who's familiar with the running of being over there. And so with her being over there for many years, back and forth, and then also with Mark, who's a Kenyan, born and raised there, on the ground, and that's what he does when he does do things is he writes up contracts for these NGOs. And, yeah, that's part of what he does. So he's very versed in that, in buying land and property and dealing with non-governmental organizations, charitable organizations and their contracts. So I was like, wow, Lord, this is really great. All these people you've connected me to. This is awesome. So the day comes. Right before we were ready to fly, we were at a church in Tennessee, and Pam and I wound up being there that same Sabbath. And when they knew we were going to Africa, they said, let's bring the people up front that's going to Africa, and we're going to say a special prayer for them. And so the Lord impressed me. They wanted us to say something, and the Lord said, ask for a donation. So I told them, you know, if anybody would like to donate for our mission trip, then, you know, please do so. Now, they had just passed the offering plate when I said that. And I thought, well, you know, probably won't get too much. They've already taken up offering, right? And so when the offering came back, they were stunned because it came back in the amount of $777. Wow. After the offering plate was passed. After the offering plate was passed, and $777, God's perfect number, three times. So we really felt that God was saying to us, I am with you on this journey. Then as the day went on, another gentleman pulled Pam and I aside and handed us $400. So we collected $1,200 plus that day for the mission. And I was just so ecstatic. I didn't know what to do with myself. And $700 of that went to buy books for the school. So we were able to purchase books for each grade, so many of them for each subject. So it was just such a blessing what we were able to do with those funds going over there. Now, the day comes when it's time for us to fly, right? And so what we had decided to do is that since we had two free luggages, checked luggages, 50 pounds each, we were dedicating all that luggage to the mission. And so we were stocking our luggage with everything that we thought they needed. We were bringing books and medical supplies and just all types of things that we felt would be of value to them. That meant that our carry-on had to contain everything for three weeks. Now, that's a sacrifice for me because when I travel, I can be gone a weekend and I'll have, I mean, a full-size suitcase packed. I'm just pack-heavy when I travel because I always think if I need something, I want to have it rather than, you know, have it be back home and I need it here. So most clothes I bring back unworn from a trip. But this time, I'm like, Lord, well, this is a sacrifice. You're making a sacrifice, so pack it. And so I learned to roll and pack and get everything I needed for three weeks in that carry-on because the other two were all for the school. And so that was my, I felt like a sacrifice of learning and medical missionary work, sacrificing, right? So the day came and we thought we did our homework in getting everything in place, what we needed to fly. We get to the airport. I go up to the counter and then he looks at me and said, OK, may I have your visa, please? What visa? And I said, he says, yeah, you're supposed to have a visa. And I said, no. And I did. I checked the embassy's website and it said, this is the confusion that our world is operating under right now. It's at an all time high. Misinformation and confusion. And so Babylon's confusion there is. And that website said, if you are staying less than three months, you do not need a visa. Now, Pam and Tom have been back and forth there for years. And what they would do is on the plane before you landed, they would pass out a piece of paper. You would fill it out. And when you got off the plane, you took it over to a window and they would give you a temporary visa while you were there. They stopped that practice, but they have not made it known. Oh, OK. So we had to go home. We had to go home. I am serious. And I mean, we had some luggage on us. We were both carrying that was two, four, six, eight. That was eight 50 pound bags each, you know, for each of us to a piece and our three carry ons and backpacks. We had to go home. Do you know how distraught we were? Do you know how distraught we were? And people began to question, well, maybe God doesn't want you to go. And I said, no. I said, I will not believe that. I know God saw that this was going to happen. But I know what he gave me that day when we collected seven hundred and seventy seven dollars to me. That was a stamp of approval from God. And I was hanging on to that. And I was just hanging on to the fact that he's testing our resolve. Are you just going to give up and stay back? Maybe the enemy is throwing this monkey wrench in here because he doesn't want you to go over there and be a blessing to these children who are in darkness and in great need. And so I I stood on that. I said, no, this is a test and God is trying to see how we're going to handle it. So we sat down and we encouraged our way ourselves in the way of the Lord and how he had led us and led everything up to that point. And then we said, we're rebooking and we're going forward. So how long did it take you to get the visa? Oh, well, you could go online and get a visa. But I'm going to tell you what, you almost need a PhD to do it. It was what they were asking for. And, you know, you you're when you took a picture of your passport, you had to bring it down to a different size in order to upload it. A lot of people can't do all that. So I know it's going to hurt tourism really bad over there because your average person can't jump through those kind of hoops. Matter of fact, we called the pastor's wife over because she's like, like, very adept at computer things. And plus, she's from Brazil. So she's dealt with visas and traveling a lot. And she came over and she helped us put it all in because I was working through it. But I was hitting snafu constantly. And then she had to take it out out of one and put it in another browser because the one in Safari was acting up. It was crazy. It was absolutely a nightmare. I had all my stuff done in Safari. And when we got ready to check out, it wouldn't, it glitched and wouldn't let us check out. So she sat and she copied all that information over into another browser. And then it let us go straight through. Do you see the problems we went through? That is truly a test. A test indeed. I mean, we were powers. So from the time you heard at the ticket counter, where is your visa? Having to go through all this to get the e-visa and rebooking, what was the time span between all of this? It was about two weeks before we took that off again. What? Oh, wow. Wow. Amazing. So this time, you know, we have all our visas and we're ready to go. But I'm telling you what, it was trials all the way through. All the way through. It was quite amazing. You guys had to really hold on to God's promises and His, you know, His providence. You know, all the little signs that He showed you along the way in order to make it through that. Oh, yes. And then traveling wasn't, it wasn't breezy at all. Well, we're going to talk about that now. We're going to talk about your actual trip to the continent. We're going to live vicariously through you at this point. We want to know everything about what it meant to travel to the continent. You've never been there before, I'm taking it. No, I have never been there before. It was my first time setting foot on the continent of Africa. And when I got off the plane, we got on Kenya Airways from Amsterdam. We got onto Kenya Airways to take us into Nairobi. So the plane went from totally vanilla to totally black. It was quite amazing. And I have to say, I don't even think in my years of flying that I've ever seen that many black pilots here in the U.S. I really haven't. I go back and I rack my brains and I think they're far and few between. Oh, for an eye opener for you, huh? Yes, it was totally. When we get on Kenya Airways, an entire flight crew is black. I was like, wow, what a, it kind of blew my mind. That's amazing because for me growing up here in Jamaica, that's all we ever saw is a totally black flight crew. There was even a Rastaman pilot at one point in time. So for us, you know, that would be that wouldn't be a big deal. So it's so interesting to hear you say this. Yes, it is. And me being a black American, it's just the opposite. Totally just the opposite. But another thing that was quite astounding to me, and this is going to blow you away, is that when I got there, you know, my African sisters and brothers kept looking at me and they kept saying, but you look like us. And I said, well, you mean I look like you? Yeah, I have the same color skin. Why are you saying that to me? That's what I said. Why do you keep saying that to me? And you know what they said? We've not met a black American. What? Do you hear what I said? Yes. How is that possible? And I don't think they could have voted me over. I don't know. They've met white Americans, but they had not met a black American. And I just figured, I don't think many of us go to Africa. Which is what I was saying at the beginning, is that I'm hearing of this, what seems like a huge exodus of African Americans to the continent. So, it's kind of startling to me to hear that they've never met an African American. That's quite interesting. And they all thought I was African, because they would come up to me and start speaking Swahili. And I'd stand there like a deer in headlights, because I don't understand anything you're saying to me. And then after a while, you know, Mark said to me, they think you Kenyan, Diana. Wow, that's funny. I know, it wasn't like I felt so bad, because I couldn't communicate, you know. And they would just look at me really strange, you know. But they said, no, that's what she said to me. I've never met a black American. And I felt really bad, too. I really felt bad about that. But I also was treated like I was royalty, when I was over there. It was so amazing. They're very, very warm, very warm. And so yeah. Now, before you get into being on the ground, what was the route that you guys took? I know you mentioned Amsterdam. I want to know what was the whole route. I want to know how long each flight was. Spill that. Okay. Oh, wow. Well, I will tell you, we took off from Nashville, and we went to Atlanta. And that wasn't a long flight at all, you know. That's normally an hour or so flight. And you're in Nashville, and you're in Atlanta. So we get to Atlanta, and we were supposed to depart at 8 that evening. And then they said our flight was delayed. And then they told us we're not departing until 11 o'clock that night. Oh, my. So I'm like, okay, we're delayed. So we're probably going to miss our connection in Amsterdam. But what happened, the flight was packed from Atlanta going into Amsterdam. I mean, that was a huge plane. And the flight was packed. It was so packed that where our gate was, well, first they moved our gate because they're taking us to another gate because we're leaving out later. So one of us decided to sit away from our gate, which almost cost us that flight. So we sat away from our gate because there were so many people over there. And it was just a place that we could kind of like clear our heads and relax, you know, because it's been really, you know, kind of crazy. He's flying in all of the upheavals. So we're sitting there. And all of a sudden, I don't know, God, he just must have told us, you need to go over to your gate. When we started walking over and Tom had gotten up and said, I'm going to the bathroom, or he just got up and left. So we figured maybe that's where he went. When Pam and I approached our gate, the flight crew was almost yelling at us. Where have you been? You're about to miss this flight. What is going on with you all? Don't you know this flight? We're about to close this gate. And we're like, what? Yes. And I was like, what? And she goes, okay, you got to go because we're getting ready to close the gate. But Tom's not with us. And Pam says, but my husband's not with us. And the woman looks at me, she says, look, are you going on? Because they're going to miss this flight. We're going to close this gate. And I was like, and I'm looking at Pam and I was like, Pam, I got to go. One of us has got to catch this flight. And then she was like, my husband's in the bathroom. Pam ran into the men's bathroom and I could hear her yelling, Pam, are you in here? So you guys sounded like you were somewhat misled by the amount of people sitting at your gate. Is that what happened? I learned a valuable lesson that day. Don't ever sit away from your gate. Because when everyone moves, that'll caution you, that'll alert you to the fact that, okay, your plane's boarding. But because we sat away from our gate, we were sitting across from it. But then they moved the flight from that gate to another gate, which was right down, you know, just the next gate over. But they moved everybody over there because we were going out of a different door. So we didn't really see the commotion when they started boarding that plane. So when we walk up, the plane is totally boarded. And we're the last one. Very valuable lesson. And Pam ran over to that bathroom and went in there screaming for her husband. And then he comes running out, and the ladies at the desk, they're laughing. They said, oh, she's one bad mama. She went in that bathroom and got her husband. And I'm headed down the plank at that point. And they're like, she looked at me, she says, are you going? Because they're going to miss this flight. I don't want to go to Africa by myself. So anyway, yeah, so we all got on that plane. But oh, that was hair raising. We learned a very valuable lesson right there. So we get on there. And our next flight is not, we don't get into Amsterdam. And it is, this is like 20 hours of flying in three different planes. Wow. Yeah. Wow. It's very, it can be very hard on you to take a flight like that. I can imagine. I can imagine. So now you get onto the continent. I can tell you this. I haven't traveled all that much. But I can tell you that when I get back home and you touch down and your feet land on Jamaican soil, there's a certain feeling that you get. And vice versa. If I traveled from here back to the US, there is a feeling, it's a different feeling, but it's a feeling that you get depending on the soil that you land on. Did you have any type of feeling when you landed on African soil? I would have to say not particularly because I just have my heart and mind open because this is a whole new world for me. So I'm just taking it in as it comes and just, you know, checking out this plane that's totally all black. Never seen anything like this before in my life. But we were in Amsterdam. We arrived in Amsterdam and we had a 10-hour layover. 10-hour layover in Amsterdam. And it was really nice the way the airport was laid out. And they had these lounge chairs, literally lounge chairs that faced outside. And so we got a couple of those and just kicked back and relaxed for a long time. And then finally we took off for that flight. And that's when we got on Kenya Airways coming into Nairobi. So it was just very interesting. When I got there, we got outside the airport and we were now traveling. Mark had come with a van and actually Pam's two children, her daughter and son-in-law, were already in Africa a week ahead of us touring and doing safaris and various things. And then they connected with us. So then we met them and we got into the vehicle. But as we were traveling, I'm taking in the sights and the sounds. And I would have to say it wasn't foreign to me because I've been in Mexico a lot. And to me it was like being in Mexico. The streets, sights, sounds, people, things happening. I was like, wow, this is just like Mexico. It's really just different colored people, same kind of environment. And that way it wasn't really strange. I didn't feel a strangeness about it at all. But what was really interesting to me, though, when everyone knew I was going to Africa, I started getting all these warnings. Oh, you be careful. Oh, you be careful. Oh, you be careful. And I scratched my head because I thought, okay, well, in America our children are being gunned down in schools. We're being gunned down in our grocery stores. You go to any large event, anything can pop off at any time. And there can be a shooter that will, you know, take a mass amount of people out. And you're telling me to be careful in Africa. But I don't see those things happening in Africa. I see little children, even at four years old, almost at the crack of dawn, walking in groups, going to school. That's the power of the media for you. That's the power of the media. No problem. Yeah. No problem whatsoever. They haven't had incidents of people coming into their school with guns and gunning their children down. They don't know what that's like. So in a lot of ways, I felt a lot safer there than here in America. Very interesting. Very, very interesting. So you're here. You're driving through. You're looking around. You're taking it all in. It reminds you of Mexico in a way. You get to your accommodations. You know, what was that like? What was the food like? The food was really good. When we got there, we still had, when we arrived in Nairobi, we still had a seven-hour drive to get to the show. Oh, wow. I'm tired just listening to this. That's a lot. I know. We went to the general conference office building. It's like going into an embassy because the guards are at the gate, and they open up these gates, and you drive through into this compound. And so we go in there, and we have lunch there. And literally, I started to put my head down on the table. I'm wiped at this point. And so they said, well, you know, they had been there, Pam's children, for a week. And they were kind of sick of Nairobi. They were like, we've got to get out of Nairobi. Now, Nairobi is five million people plus. It is a huge city. And they wanted no more parts of Nairobi. And so they had been there going through changes with a rental car that, you know, they paid big money for. It was basically a hoopty. And so they had gone through a lot of interesting stories. So they really wanted to get to the country. So instead of staying the night there, we actually just got something to eat, loaded up all our bags, and off we hit the road. So now it's a seven-hour drive all the way into Abincho. And so we get there that night. And I'm just filming along the way all the sights and the sounds and the people. And people are constantly selling on the roadsides everywhere. Wow. Wow. Yeah, that's definitely familiar to us here. One thing you have to get used to in Kenya, in Africa, is their bathroom setup is very different from America. How so? How so? It's because there's a hole in the ground and that's what you squat over. Everywhere? Yes. Pretty much everywhere. When you're out in the facilities, like it would be our equivalent of a bus stop or truck stop, when you go in there, it'll be tile instead of a dirt floor. But it's still a hole in the ground. And they don't have toilet paper in there either. So I never asked anybody. I didn't even go there. I didn't go there as to what do you do. Now, I asked my girlfriend who came back, and she said, you carry your toilet paper with you. So I said, okay, nobody told me that. You would think that would be one of the first things they would tell you. Oh, mercy. Yeah. That's good to know. Good to know. I was really micromanaging my water and food intake until I made my destination seven hours away. Of course, of course. But when I got there, I had already asked, and they had told me that the house does have a toilet there. It's not just a hole in the floor. So I said, yes, this is going to be wonderful. But they don't have a rim on the toilet seat. It's just the, you know, that's how it is. But, you know, I had to really laugh because, you know, if I get up in the middle of the night and my husband leaves that seat up. You'd be falling right in. This is kind of the same thing. And I hit that cold marble. I mean, his name is called out very loudly. He knows that he left the seat up. And I said, well, Lord, I guess you're breaking me in because this is how it is from here on out. And so I just had to really laugh about God's sense of humor and getting us ready for things. And also for 10 days there was, you know, we didn't have hot water. You bathed in cold water. So we had been on this long flight and now this long drive. And it's like 10, 11 o'clock at night by the time we get into the house and we're getting all settled. And so I was like, I don't care what temperature the water is. I have to get in there. So cold water it was and you just kind of adjusted to it. And so it's hydrotherapy every day. Yes. Yeah. You know, when I'm as I'm listening to you and I'm thinking about the similarities, you know, of what we deal with here. You know, we do have toilets everywhere here. It's not a hole in the ground. But, you know, the situation with the hot water, you know, people don't necessarily have hot water. That's not a thing. You know, it's whatever the temperature is that comes out of the faucet or out of the shower is what it is. And it's not warm. And, you know, that's one of the things people have to get used to here as well. But as I'm listening to you, I'm thinking about how if you've only been raised in America, you are spoiled. Very much so. You don't even know what life is like for people outside of America. No, you don't. You cannot even imagine. I've heard people fuss about which way the toilet paper is turned on the reel. Exactly, exactly. And here you're talking about no toilet paper at all, you know. Wow. Preparation for... And that is why we keep saying, you know, when things go down in America, it's going to be so hard for people in America to deal with it. Because you've had this certain standard of living your entire life. You know no other way. So it's going to be hard for you. Yes, it is. Wow, wow. So you're there. What do you enjoy the most about being there? Oh, I enjoy the climate. Their winters are like our springtime. Mild. Yeah, mild. You just needed a jacket. So it's still kind of... And a lot of rain would come off and on. But it was mild. It wasn't that bone-chilling cold rain that you feel all the way down into your bones. It wasn't like that at all. I liked the countryside. It was so beautiful. It was so lush. From his parents' property, looking out on the countryside over there on the next mountain, it looked like Italy to me. I said, wow, that looks like pictures I've seen in Italy. You see the gardens all lined up different ways. And it's just lush green. I really like the fact, like I said, that they don't have snakes. So I can walk anywhere I want to walk and not have to worry about that. And light. What do they call those things? Chiggers and ticks. None of that was a bother while I was there. So that was really nice. I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the food. Avocados off the tree. The pineapple. You could eat the core of it. It was so tender. Wow. Yes. And you ate it all except for the skin. The bananas were so good. And, you know, the different yams. It was just amazing. Lots of chapatis, lots of lentils, beans, things of that nature. It was very, very tasty. And just so simple, and also skooma. Skooma is the way they fix their greens, which is with onions and the chopped tomato in it. And boil it in some water, a little salt, not a lot. And it's extremely very good. And ugali is from the maize flour that they make. It looks like a cake when they get it all done. And it has very, to me, no flavor to it, but they really, really love it. And they have those two together, and it's almost like a really staple dish. Their corn is different from our corn. Their corn is harder. It's not tender and sweet like our corn. But they love it. And, yeah, I just love the simplicity of the food and that they all grow and everything is so fertile there. They don't have to labor with the soil the way we do here. They just put a seed down and let what God has created to do for the plants and the soil do what it does. And that's growth. So supermarkets, did you go into any of those? Did you see, have occasion to have to do so? Yes, we did. On our way, we stopped at a supermarket because we needed to stock up so that when we got to the house, you know, we would have food for that morning. And so we went to the supermarket, and it was just a regular supermarket, just like, you know, our supermarkets are. You know, it's really great. You do have people that will come up to you and beg for money and things like that. There was this one gentleman. He was a very elderly African man with his staff in African-type garb attire. And he really kept, like, pressing Don to give him money, you know. And he was being very kind of rude about it. So because this gentleman is very, very generous, but the man was being very kind of like, you're going to give me money. And because he's Caucasian, they just know you have money. And so I'm going to make you give me something. Because of his attitude that he wouldn't give him, had he been more humble about it, he would have easily. But we had to actually call store security because he wouldn't let us go. He stayed right on his heels. I mean, almost just in his personal space. Yeah, that's kind of scary. It is. And so the security had to remove him. And he was tussling with them. He didn't want to leave, you know. But that was the only time I saw something that I thought wasn't very nice. Other than that, there wasn't any other issues that we had as far as our security. Okay. So would you go back? And deeper than that, could you see yourself living there? Oh, absolutely. I even had talked with my husband from there and said, what would you think about living here? He said, I wouldn't have a problem. And I said, good. We will be praying about it. Yes, I absolutely loved it. I do. I absolutely love it. I love the fact how the children were and the people were. And it really is people are all a village. In America, it says you stand alone. That's what USA stands for. You stand alone. But in Africa, it's totally different. It really is. Everyone is a village, and they share everything in common. I don't care what it is. When they come to your house, everybody eats. And when you finish eating, they don't leave you with a bunch of dishes and an unclean kitchen. They clean it all up. Wow. You know, they're very service-minded, and the children are taught to serve their elders. So if you've got a backpack or anything in your hand, they will take it out of your hand and carry it for you. You know, that's amazing. You stick a pin right there. We had a situation over the weekend, last weekend, where Mark apparently was standing in the way of a young person. And instead of saying, excuse me, they kind of moved him out of the way so that he could go by. And I said, man, back in my time, that was not the case. We were, like you said, raised to serve and respect our elders. So that would have never happened back in the day. So it's good to know that that's still what you observed going on there. Oh, yes. Very much so in Africa. They have a high respect and regard for their elders. We toured through, this first-day pastor toured us through his orphanage and his school. And those children were regimented like little soldiers. You walked in that classroom unannounced, unexpected, and it's total order. Total order. And it was just amazing. They're there to learn and that's what they do. And teachers don't have an issue. Like here in America, they can't hardly teach because of the disruption in the classroom. That's unheard of over there. Totally unheard of. These children are so happy to be able to attend school and to learn. Wow. Yes, yes. And they show it. They show it by their actions. So it was very refreshing to see that from the young people. Absolutely. And they talk with you. They literally converse with you. And they don't on every word you say to them. They're like sponges eating up everything you say to them. It's so good to travel. And they're not obliging you. You get to see all these different ways of being. I love it. I'm really loving it. Unfortunately, we are running out of time. I wish we had so much more time to spend talking with you about your trip. But I do want you to leave us with some last words, if you will. I would just like to, yes, because there was so much that happened that we didn't get a chance to really focus on a lot of the things that took place over there in the school. But I would like to read this from The Faith I Live By, an excerpt from there. And it says, We have but a brief lifetime here, and we know not how soon the arrow of death may strike our hearts. We know not how soon we may be called to give up the world and all its interests. Eternity stretches before us. The curtain is about to be lifted. But a few short years, and for everyone now numbered with the living, the mandate will go forth. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still. And he that is holy, let him be holy still. Revelation 20 to 11. Are we prepared? Have we come acquainted with God, the governor of heaven, the lawgiver, and with Jesus Christ, whom he sent into the world as his representative? When our life work is ended, shall we be able to say, as did Christ our example, I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. I have manifested thy name. John 17, 4 and 6. The angels of God are seeking to attract us from ourselves and from earthly things. Let them not labor in vain. Solemn, solemn admonition there for us friends that we truly need to heed. Maybe we need to write that down and put it on the mirror in the bathroom. Commit it to memory, something, so that we can stay focused on the work that God has given us to do. Sister Diana, I thank you so very much for your time, for this riveting, exciting journey that you took us on to the continent, some refer to as the motherland. We pray that God will continue to bless you and to give you the desires of your heart. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me on today, Sister Marie. Alright, we will check back with you with the next interview soon. Alright then, take care and God bless. Alright. God bless.
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