Exceedingly Abundantly Above

 

“I believe that no human is limited. I don’t know where the limits are, but I would like to go there. Who sets the limits anyway?”

~ Eliud Kipchoge

Hey! Hey! Hey!

How’s your weekend taking shape?

I had to start off this article with the mega punchline from the world’s greatest marathon runner of all time! #NoHumanIsLimited

In the dimmest chance that you have absolutely no idea of what I am talking about; today, 12th October, 2019 goes down the books of history for the first human being to run a 42-km marathon in under 2 hours!

If you thought this day could go by without me gloating about the G.O.A.T in marathon-ville then you are mistaken buddy!

This human being happens to be Kenyan [flips hair] and his name is ELIUD KIPCHOGE!

I am absolutely proud of this man! I am proud to be Kenyan! I am so happy!

Let me show you the mood in Kenya right now:

It’s a carnival in Kenya right now! Prices for beer, pizzas and so forth have all been slashed to Kshs.159 in honour of Eliud Kipchoge’s record breaking 01:59 time; so best believe the jubilation is at an all time high!

I mean, we made history so what else would you expect other than celebration? 😉

Today was the designated day to publish the sequel to Empire State of Faith but now you know I simply could NOT go without hailing Eliud Kipchoge on my blog today!

I am so excited folks! Evidently so! Nonetheless, I am not going to write (more) about Eliud Kipchoge today because we have a sequel to continue! So where were we?

I started off by giving you the background story of how I met Baraka and Fanaka two years ago. Now, fast forward to 2019 when we finally got to meet!

After Baraka and Fanaka returned to the United States of America, we remained in contact. Last year, we even planned to meet in Rome for a mini Euro trip but Baraka and Fanaka were not able to get time off work to meet me. I did, however, remain in Rome for a few days before returning home. That notwithstanding, I believed in my heart that our paths would meet some day but I had no idea when.

Come September 2019; world leaders, Heads of State, climate activists, youth representatives and all interested parties are gearing up for the 74th edition of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA74) in New York. By God’s grace, I was nominated to be the keynote speaker in one of the UNGA side-events dubbed Champions 12.3 whose focus is on curbing food loss and food waste globally. All glory to God.

As soon as I received my invitation letter to participate in the UN General Assembly, I sent a message to Baraka and Fanaka informing them of my upcoming travel to New York. Do you know what this meant? That we were going to meet each other again after two years! Oh what joy! 

On 22nd September, 2019 at 7AM; I landed in New York, United States of America. I was so, so excited! I was in New York for one of the world’s most auspicious meetings and not as an attendee but keynote speaker! Wow! God did it for me!

First things first, I called Baraka as soon as I got to my hotel and logged on to WiFi. Turns out that Baraka was in Florida and was about to catch a plane to New York to meet me! What? That was huge folks! All the while, I thought that she was a New York resident. She was boarding a whole flight just to meet ME? I was floored!

Since it was a Sunday morning, I met up with a friend of mine who was already in New York (NY) and we went to church. Guess where we went… [drumroll]…. Hillsong Manhattan!

The worship session was absolutely amazing and the sermon was about growing the incorruptible seed of the Word of God in our hearts. The ushers in the church were so friendly and the presence of the Holy Spirit filled the atmosphere. I loved every single bit of the service!

After the church service was concluded, my friend and I took a walk along the streets of NY for a little sight-seeing before proceeding back to the hotel. Once, I got back to the hotel, I had a chat with Baraka who, at the time, had already gotten to NY from Florida. I was stoked! Baraka told me that she would send a taxi to my hotel to pick me up and take me to our meeting point.

Little did I know that our meeting point was by the Hudson River pier! It was so spectacular! Plus, it reminded me of my hometown, Mombasa. Furthermore, Baraka and Fanaka had planned a special surprise for me….. A photo shoot! Oh my!! I was so thrilled!

To my avid followers, I am sure it is no secret to you that I love pictures. If you’re reading my blog for the first time, well, there you have it… I love pictures! 🙂

A fully sponsored photo shoot overlooking the Hudson River and the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges left me speechless to say the least! Baraka and Fanaka were on a mission to rock my world and they were hitting all the right spots!

I thought that the photo shoot was enough of a treat but you know what? There was more! Baraka and Fanaka had planned a open roast barbecue for me together with their friends! These ladies showed up and showed out!!

Day in, day out; there was always something that they had lined up for me. A ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty, a walk through the New York Times Square, a visit to the Empire State Building, Freedom Memorial, Wallstreet and other iconic sites that NY had to offer. I was overwhelmed by their outpouring of love!

Another interesting thing happened when I was in NY. Remember my #TwitterEngage proposal in June?

Well, I finally got to meet my Twitter-Fiance for the first time since the proposal! 🙂 He too was participating in UNGA74 and we attended a number of meetings together actually. #ClimateAction

The hours seemed to fly by and soon enough, it was time to return home. I had experienced God’s favour in ways that words may fail to express.

For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.

Psalms 5:12 NASB

On the night before my departure, Baraka and Fanaka had yet another surprise for me. They brought me GIFTS! I do not mean two or three gift items… I was literally flooded with gifts! From shoes to perfume to linen to scented body lotion…. Once again, I was left speechless! Baraka was in the room when I opened up the bag (yes, it was a bag-full of gifts!) and I was so overwhelmed by gratitude that I started crying!

I wept until I started heaving! My Nigerian friends would say “water finish for my eyes” 

From the time I touched down in New York, I experienced nothing but tender care and wild adventure from Baraka and Fanaka; then to cap it all off I was laden with such exquisite gifts? I burst out crying! Words could NOT express how I was feeling. Baraka hugged me and told me to enjoy the gifts because, in her words, “it was the least they could do”.

Ladies and gentlemen, I experienced the floodgates of heaven. I mean it. I went to the US with one suitcase and returned with two! The gifts I received were so many and so heavy that one suitcase was in excess and I had to transfer some items to the other bag. How do you explain that if not for the Hand of the Lord?

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Luke 6:38 NIV

To date, I still get so emotional when I think about the exceeding kindness that Baraka and Fanaka accorded me.

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

Hebrews 13:2 (NIV)

The above Scripture proved oh so true to me! Baraka and Fanaka are literally heaven-sent! God used them to personify Ephesians 3:20 to me:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..”
Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

What I experienced in New York was above and beyond what I had anticipated; from the meetings to the excursions; God’s favour was upon me. I am deeply grateful to my Lord and I give Him all the glory.

I pray that my testimony has blessed you and increased your faith. Also, I pray that you too get to experience an abundance of God’s favour in your life. God can and will exceed your wildest imagination… if you let Him. This leads me to my life-altering question; are you born again? If you would like to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, please repeat the prayer below:

Lord Jesus, I heed to your call in my life. I denounce the devil and my evil ways and I choose You to be Lord and Savior in my life. I believe in my heart that You died on the cross to set me free. I believe that You rose again from the dead so that I may have eternal life. I receive the life of Christ in me today. I am saved. I have been set free. I am born again. Thank You Jesus. Hallelujah! In Jesus’ Name.

Amen.

This is the best decision you’ve made! Congratulations!

Thank you so much for reading my blog today.

God loves you more than your mind can conceptualize.

 XO,