DEANNE DEVRIES - "LIKE MEN WHO DREAMED"
15th Anniversary Of The Planting Of The Nairobi Church
Deanne now lives and works in the Middle East, overseeing and developing projects pertaining to security and risk management.
Q. What is your fondest memory of the early days in Nairobi?
Many!!! Learning to eat (and cook!) ugali. Bargaining in the market. Bible Talks with 60 visitors. The singing. The dancing and ululating (spelling?!) while singing. Every night all of us studying the Bible with all our friends upstairs at that café in downtown Nairobi.
Q. What was the scariest thing for you in the early days in Nairobi? Realizing I had just left my job and everything I "knew" and was 100% dependant on God for everything from food to a job to my health and safety.
Q. What motivated you to come to Nairobi to plant the church?
Ever since I was a child I wanted to go live in some far away jungle and teach people about God. If necessary I was going to teach them to read and write, then I would translate the Bible into their language so they could read it too. The missionaries would come to church and I would listen spellbound knowing that one day that was going to be me.
Q. How do you feel that the experience of planting the Nairobi church helped you grow as a person and as a disciple?
As a child my dream was to go to "far away" places and teach people about God. Going away to university and joining the "working world," I lost that dream - everyone said I had to work and make lots of money, etc. However, coming to Nairobi I saw God fulfill my dream. It was just like Psalm 126 -
"We were like men who dreamedI always come back to that…however low I may feel, however "far" I may feel from God or discouraged, I always remember God fulfilling my dream of going to a far away place to share my love of Him with others.
Our mouths were filled with laughter
Our tongues with songs of praise
And it was said among the nations
The Lord has done great things for them
The Lord has done great things for us
And we are filled with joy."
Back to "They Came They Saw And They Planted" story and index of other mission team mmembers' recollections
Pictures:A Photo Feast Of Firsts