KENYA - DAY 3

When we got to Kenya, we hit the ground running.  We quickly dropped off our luggage at Garcia Gardens and headed out so we wouldn't miss seeing the students that day. Oh, where were we headed? Only to one of the world's largest slums. We arrived at the Pangani Center in Nairobi and were greeted by Keith Ham. This guy was hilarious! He entertained us for a bit and we were served chai for the first of many times to come. We were able to meet Mary Kamau as well, who is the founder and director of Missions of Hope International. She explained how MoH is helping and empowering people to rise up and make changes in their own communities. The success stories are unbelievable! After a brief tour of the Pangani Center, we headed out to see the slum, specifically what's called Area 1 and Area 2. 

MoH crew... including funny man Keith!

There were several social workers who guided us through the streets of Nairobi. They always made sure to have one worker in front of, behind, and intermingled with us for safety.  

As we set out, we were immediately swarmed by several children who were very eager to hold our hands. Two English phrases they know well are "how are you?" and "take a picture?". I can still recall their sing-songy greeting in my head as I remember back. 

House

We walked through streets littered with trash, sewage, feces, and decaying animals that produced a stench which seemed to thicken the air. The homes were nothing more than pieces of tin secured together to fashion a small shelter. Kids ran around bright eyed and smiling, while their parents looked on at us from a distance, their faces heavy with despair and defeat. When I would glance their way, smile and wave, they always cheerfully reciprocated the greeting!   Finally, we arrived in Area 2, where the site of a school build is underway. 

During Christmas 2010, my church, White River Christian Church, collected a special Christmas offering of which 1/2 was donated to help build this school. Construction seems very cumbersome as the work is all done manually, including the mixing of the cement (by hand!). They are laying the foundation of what will one day be a five floor building.

First level of school building

After seeing this, we visited the current classrooms, where 30 or so students are squished into a very small room fashioned from tin siding. The kids greeted us warmly with songs and skits they had prepared! They were so excited for us to be there. They recited bible verse after bible verse to us! In Kenya, the Word of God is taught in schools. Instruction is done orally as students generally do not own their own bibles.  

It was at this part of the trip that God was about to radically change my life! Mary had heard there were some in our group interested in child sponsorship. She proceeded to pull out a list of roughly 40 names of children in need. It was there, standing in a slum in Nairobi that the weight of this being everyday life for these children became a reality. I approached Mary and told her that I wanted to sponsor a child. I didn't care what age or what gender; I just knew God has someone for me to help. A few minutes later I was holding James Mulwa Musyoki in my arms, meeting my sponsor child for the very first time. I got to spend some time with James talking with him in a separate room. He was very shy at first. However, he warmed up to me and ended up singing me a song about how 'we are serving the God of miracles'! If you are at all interested in sponsoring a child, please check out some information here. You have no idea the impact you make on a child and family's life. More importantly, you have no idea how much God will impact your life through it! He forever changed mine when He brought James into it!

JAMES MULWA MUSYOKI

One of the key moments that happened this day and shaped the rest of the trip for me was when I witnessed one of the girls on the trip, Ashley Meldahl, loving on these kids. She abandoned any restrictions and just loved them with all she had. She was hugging and holding them without any concern of the germs and grime. When I saw this, I vowed that this was how I was going to love them too, completely sold out and holding nothing back! This conscious decision changed my entire perspective on the trip, in a position for God to love others through me!

Unhindered Love

Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. -Romans 12:9