We All Need Jesus: 9-28

CHE evangelism day in Babandogo. Before going out into the field, the whole department had a prayer meeting. It was amazing to see everyone so dedicated to proclaiming God’s word. We went over to the village as a team and I worked with Timothy and Daniel. Those two men are super cool. They love Jesus and they are quite eloquent. They are great at encouraging people through prayer. They are totally confident in sharing the gospel, they are wise, and they are patient. Both are dedicated to serving these communities.

The three of us went around to random people and just started a conversation with them. I was surprised at how open everyone was to discussing the gospel. I think it has something to do with the Kenyan mentality of being so incredibly welcoming. Timothy and Daniel would explain the gospel and I prayed for literally everyone. It was a great experience. Four women decided to follow Jesus and start going to a Bible study at church. I loved getting to pray for them and welcome them as my sisters in Christ.

I met the most amazing woman today – Grandmother Nancy. She is in her 70s and is a stud. She loves Jesus so much. We were welcomed into her shanty and she made room for us on a bench. It was pretty dark in her home and she had a bad back so she hunched over to get around. Timothy and Daniel started talking to her in Swahili. They told me that she was a Christian and she always insists that people from her church come and visit her on Sunday (they gladly do). She couldn’t go without fellowshipping and worshipping God in her week.

She began to encourage us. She said that she was so pleased to see young people out evangelizing. She looked at me and I heard her say Mzungu a few times, so I knew she was talking about me. She said that she was encouraged to see that I cared about her and her community. She encouraged me to keep serving Christ. After talking with her for about 45 minutes, she said that she wanted to pray for us.

Talk about a humbling experience. Here is an old Kenyan woman in a metal shack hunched over praying for me and my walk with Jesus. She prayed for about 10 minutes, encouraging us and exalting our King. She totally gets it. She understands how perfect the grace of Jesus is. She loves her Savior with all of her heart. I pray that someday I will have faith like hers.

After all of this, Ruben walked us back. In the alleyway where we always see people passed out, there was a glue boy (awake). He saw us Mzungus walking and he jumped up and in a stupor started talking to us. He reached out for Leann, but Ruben quickly put his arm around her and told the boy to back off in Swahili. I feel very safe walking around with the men who work at Missions of Hope. I am always very grateful that they accompany us. It’s not like any of these situations are particularly dangerous, but the people we encounter will totally leave us alone if a man is with us. It is nice that we don’t have to worry.

Since Audrey is kind of hard for people to say, some people in CHE call me June. Today Fred, the director of CHE started calling my July at lunch. It was pretty hilarious. I kind of hope it sticks.

The only way to conclude such an epic day was with milkshakes. The three interns made a deal with Mary that if you learn how to drive in Kenya, you get rewarded with a milkshake. (This rule applied to Mary too since she never drives.) Well, all of us had driven at this point, so we decided to celebrate. I got to drive us around today. It is pretty enjoyable because you have to use your brain while driving. We put “Learner” stickers on the car, so everyone gave us plenty of space. I ended up driving us around for about two hours.

We got our milkshakes at Java House, a tasty coffee shop and American restaurant. The contrast from the slums to Java House was a bit alarming. I have decided to keep a tally of the number of glue boys I see in passing throughout the slums. Since beginning my count, I have seen 11 in total. However, today I saw 6 glue boys. It was very startling. Today stuck out in particular because I saw three glue boys running around together and they looked about 12 years old.

I absolutely hate seeing children grungy and high out of their minds, it is probably the most disturbing thing in the slums. These boys wear baggy dirty clothing and hold small clear bottles of yellow glue. Many of them leave the bottle just below their noses so they get a continual stream. Others have sticks that they dip in the bottles and then sniff. As we pass, they have goofy grins on their faces and their teeth are yellow and rotting. Watching them walk is the worst. I hate seeing kids stumble around saying, “Howareyou!” like they are drunk. I hate that I have to basically ignore them and pass by quickly so they don’t make too big of a scene. I hate that I see them passed out in the alleyways with a cloud of flies buzzing around them all morning. I hate that I can sometimes smell them – the fact that their odor can stand out while in a slum. I can only imagine how sad it makes Jesus. 

Audrey the Cheerleader: 9-27

I drove us to Pangani today, through the traffic and roundabouts. It was surprisingly easy. We spent the day with Robert in Bobandogo again today. Julie joined us to meet with the group there. Today Robert was doing some CHE training with the men.

We had to wait for the key to the church to be found, so we chilled in a shed with Robert. He asked us about American things. We had the most hilarious conversations about how American women shave their legs and about our obsession with dogs. We told him about electric dog fences and how they shock dogs to train them. I realized how ridiculous many American things are when I begin trying to tell a Kenyan about them. At lunch Leann and I began telling Robert about roller coasters. “It’s like a train, but the track looks like this (our hands flail around like a roller coaster). You are strapped in and you go really fast. Sometimes you are shot out at super high speeds and do flips.” His face was priceless.

Finally the key to the church was located and we entered. The church had a dirt floor and was made of simple concrete blocks and metal sheets. I loved the simplicity. All the men circled up and Robert brought out a huge pad of paper for us to “script” on. He discussed leadership and how to have a successful group. The main topics were finances, record keeping, and recruiting. The men were very engaging and they really appreciated the enrichment.   

Robert brought up the topic of suicide. He said that the reason most men kill themselves is because they don’t share their hearts. Men don’t open up. The men laughed at the idea of opening up to a friend. They said that they would be laughed at. All it would take is one man to open up and the rest would follow suit.

At the end they said a lot to Robert in Swahili and told him to translate it for us. Basically they said that they were very encouraged that we are coming to their group’s meetings. They said that we had blessed their lives and thanked us profusely. We have been welcomed to any of their activities. After thanking them for inviting us to their meetings, we said goodbye (for now). They asked us to bring our friends so we could “even the numbers.” (The girl to boy ratio.) They were hilarious.

They invited us to their cleanup day on Wednesday. We all plan on attending. They will begin the trash cleanup. I told them that we were honored to get to work with them. We prayed that God will invest in their projects and that doors will be opened to provide the finances they need. Right now, they are saving up to buy black trash bags to distribute to homes. Two men contributed 250 shillings. That’s like three bucks each. It was pretty humbling that these men were putting in their own resources to improve their community. We will continue to pray that God develops them into strong Christian leaders in their families and community. Robert is going to give us a list of the members so we can pray for them by name.

It is so exciting to see the beginnings of big improvements in Babandogo. God is at work there. He is transforming lives. I can’t wait to see how God moves through these men. I feel humbled again that by us interns being a part of their group, they are inspired and encouraged. All we have done is sit there, joke around a bit, write stuff down, and pray. But to these men, we are their cheering section. They see that people do care about their community and, hopefully, they will see that Jesus loves their community beyond words.

Tonight we had Mexico Monday again. It’s pretty much my favorite night of the week. Erin, Bethany, and Justine joined and we ate. A lot. After dinner we all played Quelf – basically the best game ever in the history of mankind. It was so much fun. I have absolutely loved getting to know those girls.

Right now I think the best part of this internship experience is being surrounded by other girls who are crazy about Jesus and have a heart for serving. It is such a positive environment. I am encouraged by literally everyone I meet.

Quote of the day: “Look out, June!!” – Robert

He calls me June because Audrey is hard to pronounce. I was about to get hit by a motorcycle man and forgot that my name is now also June. It was priceless.

Table for One + The Holy Spirit: 9-26

I didn’t sleep very well last night. This morning we walked to the neighborhood church with Elizabeth and David. It was really big with vaulted ceilings, but still concrete and metal. The service reminded me of a Lutheran style service back home. We had bulletins, which I liked because I could follow along and see where we were in the service. We totally rolled in late and definitely stuck out.

During the sermon (in Swahili) I read 8 chapters of 1 Samuel. It was really cool. I think I will do some more OT reading while I’m here. We got to chill this afternoon and it was really pleasant. We helped Elizabeth prepare some food for the short term team coming over for dinner.

While reflecting on yesterday’s cleanup project I experienced a variety of emotions. I am excited about the fact that a group living in the area decided to do something about the clogged ditches. I know God is moving in that area. But at the same time I feel overwhelmed with hopelessness. I unclogged one ditch in one village in one slum in one city with many slums. And Nairobi is just one city in Kenya with many cities. And Kenya is just one country in the world with many slums. I am just one person.

But then I remember that I have the Holy Spirit in me. One person can help change things. If I impact just one life, that life can impact other lives. Let’s say I share the gospel with one lady. That lady can share Jesus with her neighbors. She can raise her children up in Christ. She can have hope and share that hope with everyone around her. So Jesus is worth spending a morning scraping trash out of a sewer. In fact, he would be right there alongside us working and loving.

Unclog Trenches, Check: 9-25

Clean up day! Today I woke up well rested with a heavy heart. After scraping the black eye crusties off my eyes, I was ready to roll out. We got to help the group we met in Mabatini last week do a community clean up day. Our task – unclog the drainage ditches. There was so much trash and sewage in the trenches that the water was just stagnate everywhere (which made the situation much grosser).

We rode a mutatu down to the village and popped on some latex gloves. I began in close quarters scraping out trash from standing water. People with shovels would then pick up the sludge that was left. We made large piles of nastiness everywhere. Eventually we got that area clear.

Next we went to a more open main walking area. There was a trench of clogged stagnate water running all the way down the path. I started by scraping out the trash and making piles all along the way. Children have to hop over this trench all the time. Adults have to cross it to shop or to go home. I was very encouraged by the group of young men who were not okay with this standard of living. They are doing something about it. It was amazing to be a part of it.

I ended up splashing myself with the sludge a number of times. I really didn’t mind. My gloves ended up ripping. I didn’t mind. As I kept on scraping, in front of some community members who were just sitting there watching, my hands became raw. I didn’t mind. My fingers started to blister. I didn’t mind. I breathed in the smells of life in Mathare, but I didn’t mind.

I got my area unclogged and the water began flowing for the first time in while. Taking a breather, I spotted Julie playing with a huge line of kids.She was spinning them around and they loved it. Leann and I walked over there. Those kids were so baffled by our hands and arms. About 7 kids grabbed my hands and arms. They examined me carefully. One kid even licked my arm.

We walked over to another area that was just covered in trash. We piled it up into two large piles and Daniel (from CHE) lit them on fire. So there we were, destroying our lungs with burning plastic. It was pretty brutal. At this point I felt pretty bad for my poor lungs. I was using my nose to breath so at least a little bit would be filtered out, but it burned my nostrils to inhale. Then I realized that the people living in the area deal with this stuff every day.

I took a sweet nap after a long luxurious shower. We had some Mexican style lasagna for dinner and then we did some sweet Tae-bo. I also practiced Taekwondo while I was in the workout mood.

Oh, the Places You'll Go: 9-24

Leann and I got to chill with Robert from CHE today. He is super cool! We went to Babandogo to see the school and meet with a group of young men who want to start a cleanup project. As we approached the school we were greeted with singing and dancing kids. I looked around and saw an open field just covered in piles of trash. There were groups of children (not in school) playing on the trash. Some were using the trash to play with.

Walking to the group’s meeting place, I was treated a bit like a celebrity. All the kids greeted me with, “Howareyou!’s,” ran up to me and grabbed my hands, and announced, “Mzyngu!” One man said, “Hi, how are you?” in a very nasally voice. Robert said he was trying to sound like us. It was weird. We finally made it to the group and were greeted by all. One fellow took our picture with his camera phone – multiple times. It was hilarious.

Robert led the group in a brainstorm. They were coming up with ideas for ways to improve their community. Right now their number one concern is the trash build-up. It is literally everywhere – definitely the worst village I have seen as far as trash is concerned. They want to do cleanup days and eventually get a recycling machine so they can make some money.

At the end of their meeting Leann and I prayed for the group. I ask everyone to pray for them as well – that God opens doors for their projects to get underway, that they stay strong and patient, and that God will bless their lives. Robert said that not all the men are Christians, so pray that the whole group will give their lives over to Jesus. He is the one who will be able to improve their community.

As we walked through the streets, everything around me began to sink in. I walked by a man crawling out of the sewer. I passed by young men who had passed out in the alleyways next to their alcohol and glue bottles. I was accosted by kids Victory’s age (12) begging for money. I waved to kids playing soccer with a ball made of plastic bags rolled up and bundled together. I smiled at kids playing jump rope on piles of trash with a string.

After that intense day, I drove us over to the Village Market’s food court to eat out with Erin, Bethany, and Justine. It was awesome. They are really cool and insightful. They certainly know what’s up. I ate a delicious philly sandwich again and we all got ice cream.

Wallace drove the family home. David sat next to me and he got really sleepy. He snuggled up next to me. I thought of all the four year olds living in Mathare who don’t have anyone to cuddle with. 

Learning How to Cook: 9-23

Free day! So today when we woke up Leann was feeling sick. Julie and I ate breakfast (feeling fine) and got ready to go. Then, Mary informed us that FAME was coming over for dinner. Tonight is our night to cook something and we were planning on spaghetti and meatballs. We discovered that we would need to make a small feast. Mary suggested that we take the day off to shop for food and cook.

I agreed that it was a solid plan. We decided to go shopping at 10:00. This left us with about 2 hours to kill. We decided to do a Bible study together and I worked on memorizing the Beatitudes. It was a very pleasant morning. We went to Nakumat in the mall (that we went to last Friday). Julie drove us there and we all helped with directions. In Nakumat we got all the ingredients we needed plus some snacks. I got a large container of strawberry yogurt. It rocked my world!

I got to drive us home. It is pretty fun to drive – a lot more exciting than at home. The back roads are a blast to drive on. I am getting used to driving on the left side of the road. At home I ate two thirds of the yogurt. It was SO delicious! I felt awesome after eating it. Then for lunch, we made a trail mix with pecans, chocolate chips, and craisins. Elizabeth cooked us some chips. Chips=the best fries in the world. Julie and I ate two large containers of them. Basically 200 fields of potatoes.

I did some laundry and hung my clothes out to dry. Then we cooked for a large portion of the day while jamming out to some sweet tunes. I feel so relaxed here. It’s fantastic. Julie and I made some meatballs while Leann made the pineapple upside-down cake. We needed bread crumbs for the meatballs, so we toasted some bread and crunched it up. It was a blast.

The FAME team came over and ate some of our tasty food that we prepared and then they left for the airport. They will be greatly missed.

Three Blind Mzungus: 9-22

I got to drive this morning! After Wallace dropped the kids off at school I took over for a little while. We had to get gas and then Mary and Wallace realized that they needed to visit someone, so they called Doug (from BDS) to pick us up on his way to Pongani. All three of us decided to go to Kosovo to work with FAME. We walked over with CHE. Timothy walked with us to make sure we were safe.

While we were walking up the big hill to Kosovo, a group of 4 guys stopped us. They wanted to shake our hands. I figured it would be best to not agitate them, so we said hello as we walked and then they shook our hands. They didn’t really want to let our hands go (I kind of yanked mine away). The leader of the bunch was talking to Julie. He was kind of looking her up and down while still holding her hand (which definitely made me nervous). Timothy told them to leave us alone and go away. The leader said, mockingly, “Oh, he’s afraid we will rob you, but we won’t.” He then flipped off Timothy using a few choice words in English and they walked off. My false sense of security in the slums is now gone. It was just what the doctor ordered. Timothy definitely had the situation under control, but I was very very glad he was there. Just having a man around equals safety since we stick out like three sore thumbs. We are definitely a bunch of lost Mzungus (white people).

We got to Kosovo and took tea after tallying up the number of patients we helped yesterday. It was 165! After chai, we alphabetized some charts. I then helped do some heights and weights. I got to help out in triage taking chief complaints and temperatures (with the help of a translator). It was really fascinating. I got to see everyone who came in and then I got to hear half of their problems (Leann got the other half). There was a lot of lung congestion. Many were coughing up yellow phlegm. Lots of people had stomach problems – pain, swollen bellies, and diarrhea. One girl said she had blood in her stool. Some people had ringworms. 

All of the kids were super cute. The parents were very appreciative of the medical help we were providing. In the clinic, there was a health education section. In this area, they learned about basic health things like covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze (but not with your hand). Everyone got a sucker and the kids got stickers.

We ate lunch with FAME because it was their last day. They are so cool and so much fun. After lunch we chilled for a bit and then the kids at the Kosovo School had a program for us to watch/participate in. We prayed first. Then we worshiped God. It was such a blast. Those kids can clap! Then we danced with everyone and finally had cake. They gave a piece to every kid. The FAME team went around with forks and fed everyone. Then (after feeding everyone) they fed us each a bite of cake. I really hope I don’t get any crazy diseases because we ate off the same fork as the kid. At the end, the man running the assembly asked if anyone didn’t get cake. He said, “You know we teach you honesty and we want you to live an honest life. Is there anyone here who didn’t get a piece of cake?” Nobody raised their hand. I was so impressed by those kids.

We rolled out of Kosovo at 5:00 (a driver had to come pick us up).

Audrey the Pharmacist: 9-21

Today I had some fresh mango juice with breakfast. We rolled out in the 7:00 range at like 7:55. Leann drove us to work and the kids to school. On the way we got a sweet flat tire. Many people driving by offered to help. Wallace called someone to come and change the tire and a woman came and took the kids to school. It was a fun adventure.

We got to Pongani around 9:30 and talked to Maggie about which department each of us wanted to work in. Leann and I will be in CHE and Julie will be in Education and Social Work. Leann and I wanted to go to Kosovo to meet up with FAME while they were doing a clinic. One of the security guards at Pongani walked us to Kosovo.

I think I have a false sense of security in the slum. Everyone is very friendly and all the kids love us, always running up and grabbing our hands. However, it really wouldn’t ever be safe for us to just stroll around. As we were walking there was a man clearly drunk, holding a bottle of alcohol (probably changaa), who staggered by us. I was glad we had a man with us just in case something happened. However, I have been feeling more comfortable in the slum areas. I think I have gotten over the initial shock of the extreme poverty.

In Kosovo we were greeted by Rebecca (the pregnant social worker). She welcomed us to some Chi. Naturally, we accepted (instead of immediately getting to work in the clinic). I think I’m getting into the Kenyan time groove.

There was a huge line all the way to the outside of the Kosovo complex. Leann and I went into the clinic and talked to Timothy. He had us make a rough version of medical charts. We cut up pink pieces of paper and wrote up a template. We cut and hand-copied around 250. While working, I loved to greet people as they came in. I shook almost every kid’s hand. They totally loved it – they couldn’t help but grin.

Next, we organized all the active charts into alphabetical order (around 400). It was intense. We tallied up the number of patients FAME met with yesterday. The number was around 160. Finally our lunch break hit at 1:30. We ate with the CHE staff in the clinic while FAME at delicious guest food in a separate room. We are trying to be Kenyan and not guests. I had ugali, greens, and stew. I was able to eat it a lot easier – I think I’m becoming more Kenyan. But, I found a small black creepy bug in my ugali. Extra protein! (I didn’t eat it, but it didn’t deter me from finishing all my food.)

After lunch we helped out in the pharmacy. It was also intense. There are like 20 names the nurses and doctors could use for the same drug. Leann and I knew one of those names, maybe. It was a major crash course in pharmaceuticals. It was pretty fun none the less.

We weren’t sure how we were going to get back to Pongani to meet up with Julie again. We ended up hitching a ride with FAME back to the Kamau’s house and Julie hitched a ride with White River Christian Church. Both groups joined us for dinner. We had an amazing dinner. I think my favorite food here is the green beans and carrots. The interns finished off the night dancing with David. We rocked out to Father Abraham. 

Audrey the Accountant: 9-20

Today I woke up and was pretty tired. We were running a bit late dropping the kids off at school so Wallace drove really fast. Next Julie got behind the wheel and drove us to Pongani. She did a high quality job. We did some orientation with the accounting department.

Actually, the orientation didn’t start until about 10:45 because the department was in a meeting, so us interns awkwardly hung out in a room for almost two hours. Finally we met everyone and got the scoop. Leann and I worked with Peter one of the head accountants. He explained the record books and how everything is organized. Basically we learned about income and expenditures. We did some data input for all the centers and then did a bank reconciliation input. Basically checks are written to MOH and by MOH, and the bank sends a report of the checks that have been deposited or cashed. Leann and I checked the figures that were accounted for.

While we were doing this, Julie was the receptionist for the department. She got to chill on a computer and direct people pretty much all day. We had beans and rice for lunch along with cabbage. I managed to avoid the Chi today and I think my stomach appreciated it.

Bethany gave us a ride home at 5:00. When we got out to the car two little kids ran up to me and exclaimed, “Howareyou!” They grabbed my hands. Those kids love holding our hands and the feeling is mutual. I wish I could just play with them all day. She, Erin, and Justine joined us for our trip to Mexico. Monday nights will always be Mexican food night! The guacamole was the bomb again. There are huge fresh avocados everywhere here. I definitely overate again tonight and I don’t regret it. I am trying to become Kenyan!

Here time is totally relative. Also, productivity is not measured the same way. In my American body/brain I just want to be handed a list of things to fix about the slums and then be let loose to figure it out. However, that is not how things work. I am glad that I have gotten to experience all the departments in MOH. I have a much better sense of how everything works in a holistic ministry. Many of the principles here can be applied back home, especially in urban poor outreach.

Prodigal Son and Pizza: 9-19

Today we attended church at Pangani. A family visited the Kamau’s last night and just stayed the night. They joined us. We all piled in the van (with crazy tainted windows) and David sat on my lap. He was pretty adorable. Rolling into church late, we took our seats in the front. The interns asked Mary what time to be ready by, and she replied 9:00. Then she continued that anytime in the 9:00 range would work, so we would most likely be leaving at 9:59. I love Mary. She is so cool.

The speakers during the church service were SO loud. The volume literally hurt my ears. Worship was great – I love the Kenyan simplicity. They just praise God because of how wonderful he is. The sermon was in English and Stanley (the head teacher) translated. The sermon was on the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. The preacher emphasized that we are all sons of God. If we take that first step towards him, he will run to us and embrace us. We have great value in God’s kingdom. It was a great sermon. At the end, the guests were introduced. Wallace and Mary introduce us three interns as their daughters. 

We ate some tasty lunch at the center and left around 3:30 to take our guests back to their home. Next we went to the vegetable market to get some delish veggies for dinner. David was still with us and on the way home he was super tired. He snuggled up next to me on the ride home. We are pretty much BFFs. We have raced around the house, fought off dragons, battled each other, counted to 29, played with my phone, and typed on my computer.

 Tonight Julie, Leann, and I made the family some pizza with a huge salad. After picking up all the vegetables, we went to the grocery store to get cheese and a few other goods. Finally we got home around 7:00. We were all starving. After binging on some Bunny Grahams and almond M&M’s (my secret stash), we made the pizzas. It was a blast. Elizabeth helped us in the kitchen. We also made some fruit dip for dessert.

Everyone loved the pizza and salad and fruit dip. Me, Julie, and Leann all had food babies from stuffing our faces. It was awesome because we were very hungry.

There Ain't No Party Like a Holy Spirit Party: 9-18

Today we went to Joska! It is a boarding school with like 600 kids. They are educated and fed and loved. We drove for about an hour and a half to get there – it’s way out in the country and has mountains for a backdrop. FAME was there doing a clinic for the school and community. Also, Trader’s Point Church was there doing a variety of things.

I got to work in the clinic with a nurse in consultation. I learned quite a bit. A lot of people came in with allergies and scabies. Everyone was given a de-worming pill. GROSS STORY WARNING: The craziest thing I saw was like a minor surgery by one of the Kenyan Nurse Practitioners. A boy came in with a very swollen right ring finger at the top knuckle. There was a small abscess and it needed to be drained. The nurse ran off and got a syringe and a few needles, some surgical scissors, bandages, hydrogen peroxide, and Neosporin. He came back and poked the abscess and pus started flowing out. He drained it and then took the scissors and cut off the skin above the infection so it could air out and then bandaged it after cleaning it. The kid was 12 and was so hard core. He didn’t even flinch. He said that he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up. He is a student at the boarding school and is from the Mathare Valley.

A young girl came in and she said that she had lost her appetite and had diarrhea after eating. The nurse kept talking to her and the girl said that she had been really stressed. Her parents had just separated at home and she was depressed. She said that she prays anytime she is sad and if that doesn’t help she talks to one of her teachers about it. This girl was probably 12 as well. The nurse did some counseling and encouraged the girl to eat at least a little bit at each meal. She gave her some vitamins.

For lunch we had a huge delish meal! I was very hungry. I think I’m finally becoming Kenyan-ish. We got a tour of the school and dorms and soccer field and chapel. The whole school and all the guests crammed into the chapel for a worship service and some performances.  It started off with kids coming up to the microphone and reciting scripture. They just whipped out a long list of memory verses. I was humbled.

Then we sang. It was awesome. I got to worship the God of the universe with 600 kids from Mathare. We pretty much blew the roof off of that place. After partying it up a group of kids did a skit for us. Then a few groups danced. And Kenyan’s can move! I was so impressed and definitely got some sweet video footage. Then two boys came out and rapped for Jesus. It was so legit. They sounded like real rappers, but the content of their rap was godly. It was the highlight of the day for me. (And I definitely got that recorded for the folks back home.)

At the end we were introduced to the group. A teacher prayed for us – that God would bless us and provide many more opportunities to reach out and serve. It was extremely humbling to have him pray for us. I felt like we should be praying for them. It pretty much owned me spiritually. All the kids sent us off with good imaginary gifts – they picked imaginary flowers, gathered up imaginary chickens, and caught huge imaginary fish. They then showered us in all the amazing Kenyan gifts and gave us a big WOW. I will have to demonstrate what a WOW is when I return.

Basically the day was awesome. But for the first time I missed home a little, mostly the people. I just want to share so much with you all and this blog doesn’t seem to cut it all the time. God is doing so much. I could write forever and it wouldn’t be enough. In other news, I washed my clothes for the first time today! I will hang everything out to dry in the morning. I can wear clean jeans.

The Three M's: 9-17

Today we got to work with CHE again and do some evangelism! We went door to door and just talked with people. Ruben took us to an area where he didn’t know the people and we got to tell people about Jesus. We met Veronica and Josephine. Ruben asked them if we could talk to them about the gospel. They agreed and Leann started to explain how man is sinful, God is holy, He had a plan, He sent Jesus to die for our sins, Jesus was resurrected, and now he is the bridge between us and God (in a nutshell). After discussing it together, the women decided that they needed to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I got to pray with them at that point. They repeated after me. They confessed their sins, expressed their belief that Jesus died and rose again, accepted his gift of grace, and declared him Lord. It was SO amazing! I was praying it and they were praying it by repeating me through Ruben’s translation. It was probably the most spiritually moving experience, other than getting baptized, in my entire life. Ruben invited them to his Bible study that was meeting that night and they both agreed to come. It is amazing that they are getting plugged in so quickly.

We discussed how to live the Christian life with them as well – praying to develop your relationship with Jesus, reading the Bible, being in community with other Christians for support, and then sharing the good news with others.

Next we met Agnus and Flora. They invited us into their home. Both of them said that they were born again Christians and we discussed Romans 10:9-10 with them to make sure they understood salvation. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” They both totally understood it and were indeed saved.

We asked them what we should pray for with them. Agnus asked us to pray for her health because she has tuberculosis. At that point I was pretty nervous because we were in a tiny shanty (like a 10x10 room) and she had been coughing into a rag. At first when I heard her coughing the thought that she might have TB crossed my mind, but I just thought that she might have a bad case of bronchitis. However, she has TB. It is quite contagious and is spread through droplets (like when she coughs the bacteria in her lungs is sent into the air and then we inhale it). We definitely should have been wearing masks. So pray that God heals her of TB and that he protects us from getting it. I think we will be fine, but prayer never hurts.

We left their house and went to Maurine’s house. She had a few kids and was really nice. We chatted with her and she was a Christian. I got to go over the Christian lifestyle with her. It was a good experience. We went back to Pangani and left with the Kamau’s at 3:00 to hit up the Massi market. Wallace dropped us off (the three interns) at the market/mall and we got to look around for an hour. He said he would be back at 4:45. We didn’t have any cell phones.

Well, 4:45 came and went. Thirty minutes later a security lady came up to us and handed us a cell phone. It was Wallace calling to tell us he was going to be late and we told him where we were. I am amazed at how well connected Mary and Wallace are. They pretty much know everyone in Nairobi.

After checking out the market Mary and Wallace took us to the food court to get some dinner. We went to a delicious sandwich shop and I stuffed my face. Like a Kenyan. And I drank some tasty fresh pineapple juice. Then we got some gelato. Mary sat and talked with the three of us for a while. She was giving us some words of wisdom and she discussed the three M’s. Know your maker. Know your mission. Know your mate. Only when you know the first two can you really find your mate. She knows this from life experience. She found Wallace after she had a solid relationship with God and knew her mission. Once the first two M’s were in place, she could find a man who would partner with her. Such good advice from an amazing woman. 

Community Health Evangelism: 9-16

Today we got to do some good orientation with the Community Health Evangelism department. Ruben (a CHE trainer) gave us the scoop. There are three main goals of CHE: disease prevention, promotion of good health, and helping people live a better life in Jesus. The programs under the CHE umbrella are: HIV, community work, disability, clinic, agribusiness, and research.

The HIV/AIDS department provides home based HIV counseling and testing programs. They provide children education on HIV. The post test clubs are for people who have tested positive for HIV.  They focus on awareness and treatment. The government provides free HIV/AIDS medication. CHE does quite a bit of community work. They train communities and meet leaders through forming and training committees. This committee training is for 5 days. Chairs of the committees are trained for an extra amount of time. They do many community based projects. For example, the community in Modoya made a toilet block after a need for sanitation was identified due to lots of flying toilets. Another project underway is combating household pests. Many households are made of clay or have gaps in the walls, so it is hard to eliminate all the holes. Currently some communities are cleaning up dumping sites of heaped garbage. The land is reclaimed with vegetable gardens.

The disabilities program assists children with mental, physical, or other challenges. They identify the children and network them into other programs, which has really been successful. There is a clinic in Pongani that is for children enrolled in any MOH school. This clinic helps run the visiting medial camps as well. The clinic has completed its registration with the government, so now it is officially operating legally. The agribusiness department has built greenhouses in Joska with vegetable gardens. Currently Fred (the head of CHE) is in grad school and he is doing research in Mathare. He has done some HIV surveys and water surveys. I look forward to learning more about his research.

Evangelism is a big part of CHE. Every Tuesday, they do door to door evangelism. They explain the gospel the first time they meet with someone and then they always do a follow up. When someone accepts Christ, they are invited to a Bible study immediately to get plugged in.

We went out into the community so Ruben could show us the Modoya toilet project and meet up with one of his groups in Mabatini. We walked to a main road in the slum and took a mutatu. We got off and began our descent into the valley. It is so mind-blowing how many people live in slums in Nairobi. Mathare valley is just one slum and it has many districts. Names like Modoya and Mabatini are villages. Each village is like a city within a city. There are elders and a chief in each village.

We reached the recently built toilets in Modoya. It is a public restroom that cost 2 shillings to use. (The conversion is 80 shillings to one dollar.) So basically it’s free. This is a blessing for the members of the community because they don’t have very many options for going to the bathroom. The community leaders had identified flying toilets to be a huge problem, so CHE empowered the community through committees to fix it. Next to the public toilets was a good sized vegetable garden on reclaimed land. That was really neat to see. I hope I can get involved in some garden projects.

While in the area about 10 kids spotted us and came over to see what was going on. Two little kids grabbed my fingers and examined my hands. One rubbed my arm (he seemed confused by my white skin). We started playing with them. We grabbed their hands and swung them around in a circle in the air. They totally loved it. They would line up like we were a carnival ride and take turns going for a spin. I could have done that all day.

Ruben introduced us to a committee group. The leaders of the committee are young people (my age-ish). It was encouraging to see the involvement. They were planning on meeting that night, so Ruben wanted to make sure everything was good to go.

We took lunch (they say take lunch instead of have lunch) at Mabatini and got a tour of the school. It had a dirt soccer field. I really want to play with the kids at recess soon.

We got back to Pangani and stood out on the balcony while waiting for our ride to come (this happens frequently). We saw a glue boy walk by. He was stumbling like he was drunk and was sniffing something in a bottle. He was totally dazed and unaware. It is so sad to see young boys like that. They just want an escape. But they need Jesus.

After having continuously black snot for the past few days, I have realized that the people living in Mathare must have some respiratory problems. There is a ton of car exhaust (virtually unregulated) and burning trash. While we were standing on the balcony we were bombarded with smoke. It was pretty intense.

Tonight we decided to surprise Elizabeth with a dance party in the kitchen. One evening when the electricity went out Elizabeth sneaked up to our room when we where chillin with David and scared us to death. We decided to somehow get her back. So I brought my computer downstairs like a ninja while Leann and Julie distracted her with questions. I came in with some Gaga (Pokerface). We all started dancing all over the kitchen and Faith joined us. It was such a blast. They knew Lady Gaga. She brought us together. We plan on having another dance party soon.

Sugar Cane and Phase 10: 9-15

Today Julie, Leann, and I did some orientation with the Social Work Department. We went to the office and met up with Rebecca. She was really cool and pretty intense. She told us that we were going to Kosovo today.

We rolled out around 9:00 and began walking through the slums. It was pretty intense. As we walked the young kids called, “Howareyou?!” Some ran up to us and grabbed our hands and walked with us for a little while. Rebecca knew many people as we walked through to Area 2 and then into Kosovo. Many people greeted us and it was nice meeting lots of people. Rebecca said that the community is our security. Since Missions of Hope is so loved by the community, if something bad happened to us while in the slums, it would be taken as an action against the community. We really felt safe. Rebecca said that she didn’t walk alone for the first two months she worked as a social worker, but now she feels totally safe because she is well recognized and loved. While we were walking, she bought us some sugar cane from a local vendor on the path. It was really good.

We made it to Kosovo’s school and visited the head teacher Charity in her office. We also went to a few classrooms and said hello to the classes. (The students love visitors!) Rebecca took us to the new school building that is under construction and we went to the top to get a bird’s eye view of the slum. It was really intense. We were literally surrounded on all sides by the most extreme poverty I have ever seen.

While walking down the street we met Steve. He is known to be a drunk, but we caught his attention due to our blindingly white skin. He came over and we greeted him. He asked us to pray for him to stop drinking. It was cool. He wasn’t drunk today and he knew some English. We took a picture with him and he asked us to bring him a copy when they are printed so he can show his friends.

We continued into Kosovo to go on a house call. On the way we met so many people (parents of kids in the Kosovo School). One of the major things I was thinking about while walking was the possible risk of tetanus. Everyone’s house is made of rusted jagged sheet metal. There were quite a few pigs out and about eating trash. Also, on the side of a hill there was a herd of goats.

On the house call we spent some time with a woman who wanted all of her children to go to the MOH school, but there weren’t enough openings. We prayed with her and then left. It made me realize that if there were enough money/resources for MOH, all her children could attend school. We made it back in time for some lunch. We had beans and maize with potatoes and cabbage. It was interesting, but I always love it when we get potatoes. Rebecca said that the kids get breakfast and as much lunch as they can eat every day. Preschoolers also get milk before they go home. This is SO vital. Some of these kids don’t get dinner. Also, while they are at school they get clean water and can go to the bathroom as many times as they need (for free).

After dinner we played some Phase 10! It was a blast. Julie pretty much dominated. We were joined by Leann, Elizabeth, Bethany’s parents, and Faith. It was really cool getting to spend some fun time with everyone. To finish the night we went to bed early!

Education: 9-14

Another early morning. Today Julie and I checked out the education department. Mom would have loved it. We talked to the head teacher briefly and he took us on a tour of all the classrooms. I got to hang out with a 2^nd grade teacher.

The dynamics in the classroom were very different from the States. Everything was much more chaotic, but it totally worked. My teacher’s name was Charub. She was super cool and very engaging with her students. They began class with a few songs, did some multiplication tables aloud, and then counted. The songs allow the students to dance or act things out. It was neat to see music so smoothly incorporated.

The lesson for today I was sitting in on was math! I was pretty pumped. She went over addition of two or more numbers. We were adding up our purchases and everything is in shillings and cents. After her lesson with examples the class was assigned 6 problems to work out in their workbooks. When they were finished they raised their hands and I went around and graded their work.

Next I got to watch their Kiswahili lesson. They learn how to read and write it (like English in the states). Charub was so accommodating; she actually taught me as well.  I took notes.

Next I got to go to a preschool class. The kids were SO cute! The adorable factor was almost unbearable. They were also learning some math (how to add simple numbers). Next the kids sang some songs for me. They the teacher opened up the floor for them to come up and tell a story to the class. This is an amazing concept because it helps build their self-confidence and self-esteem. All eyes are on them and then the class claps for them afterwards. The teacher said that this helps the kids who are lower class get a chance to build some confidence. (Yes, even slums have classes.)

Finally came my favorite part. Each preschooler got the chance to get up and sing a song. The whole class would join in. We all danced and sang and partied it up. I had such a blast with all the kids.

It was so weird that all of the kids in these classrooms are living in the slum just outside the school. In class, they just seem like students. I am amazed at the ability of kids to be kids regardless of their socioeconomic situation. In every class there is the super bright student, the ham, and the shy one. And they really are adorable. They THRIVE on any attention I give them. My face hurts from the constant smiling I did all day. I made eye contact and smiled at every kid when I got the chance.

Unfortunately, I had to eventually leave to go to lunch with the other teachers. We had ugali and greens. I rolled into the office and they had a plate of ugali for me that was basically filled. There is NO way I could ever eat that much, let alone that much ugali. I put some back (awkwardly) and got some spinach. It was kind of hard to eat. Finally some stew was brought and that helped, but only some.

In the afternoon Julie and I met up and sat in on a 5^th grade class. We listened to another Swahili lesson. Afterwards we listened to a science lesson on how matter expands when it is heated and contracts when it is cooled. It was pretty rad. Stanly (the head teacher) said that they have to improvise with the equipment for experiments and they use small fires instead of Bunsen burners and Coke bottles instead of test tubes.

To finish off the work day, we went to a party for one of the staff members and ate cake and danced. (I’m pretty sure it would rock to work here.) Eventually 4:00 came and went (we didn’t have a ride again.) Julius came to pick us up around 5:20.

I decided to go with Justine to pick up Leann from the airport. So, Julius dropped Julie off at the Kamau’s and we went to the Ham’s to pick up Faith and Justine. We took Faith back to her house and then went to the airport. Justine and I had a great conversation on the drive over and she bought me coffee in the airport. She is super cool. We got Leann and she will be a lot of fun. I am looking forward to getting to know her more.

So gross story: For the last few days my snot has been black due to all the dust and pollution I have inhaled. I feel really bad for my respiratory system. 

Street Smarts: 9-13

We were told to be ready around 7:15, but we didn’t leave until 7:45. In a very full car (me, Julie, Mary, Wallace, Victory, Faith, Bethany’s parents, and a house worker) we dropped off the kids at school. We arrived at Pongani around 9:00. Today we would get to hang out with the people in the Business Development Service department (BDS).

Julie and I chatted with Wallace for about an hour. He told us about his role as director. He purchases land and acts as a liaison with local government and other organizations. Eventually he would like to train someone to do these things. He told us his strategy for leadership. It is his goal to manage the system and let the system manage the people. He wants to allow people to thrive in the best environment possible.

BDS has two main divisions: microenterprise and skills training. Microenterprise is a group based lending program. For a person to get a loan, they must form a group of at least 10 people. This group goes through 8 weeks of intro training. Each individual must have money in savings (25% of their monthly earnings) and the group cosigns the loan. Each person in the group must keep financial records in a passbook. Each group is assigned a loan officer and they meet up once a week. The whole microenterprise program has over 800 clients. Some examples of businesses are: charcoal, firewood, hawkers, food, used clothing, butchery, delivery, and sewing.

The first loan an individual can receive has a interest rate of 25%. Any loan after that has a rate of 15%. (These rates are actually competitive with banks here.) Because of high interest rates in Kenya many projects get completed in chunks. Like a floor will be constructed, more money will be saved, and then another floor will be built.

Loan officers assess people to see if they qualify for a loan and then meet with the groups receiving loans. Currently there are 46 groups and 50% of the individuals in each group have a loan. This number should be closer to 80% (this is the goal). There is a $100,000 outstanding loan balance right now.

People’s lives can be transformed by a small loan. They not only get the opportunity to invest in their own business, but they get to have support. Perhaps for the first time, someone believes in them. They have a network of friends and businesspeople.

The amount of money people can take out in a loan is doubled each time the loan is paid back. Currently in the slums money and business is localized, which makes it hard for these businesses to expand. For example: There are 5 firewood shops in an area. The number increases to 8 shops in the same area (possibly due to microloans). There is still only enough demand for 5 firewood shops in the area. Therefore, the total profits available are now divided by 8 people instead of 5. This is one problem BDS faces.

In Nairobi unemployment is currently around 40-60%. In America we were freaking out when the unemployment rate reached 12%. In Nairobi, roughly every other person is unemployed. This number is crippling the economy.

Two parts of the solution is empowerment and international trade. Right now there is too much aid money being thrown at the problem. This is only teaching people to be dependent on the current system and handouts. Kenya needs to be empowered to grow their economy. Economic growth will really happen through international trade.

In the afternoon, we got to shadow a loan officer and the man she was training. Their names are Jennifer and Francis. Francis is around our age (I think). We started walking from the center in Pongani until we reached a main road. While waiting for a mutatu, (bus/van taxi) some weird boys cam up to me and Julie. They seemed almost drunk and were talking to us. We had no clue what they were saying, but they had something in the sleeve of their jackets that they kept bringing up to their faces. I was glad we had Francis with us because he told the boys to get lost. He said that they were street boys who were probably sniffing glue. It made me really sad. Their demeanor was unlike anything I had ever seen. They were probably about 15 years old.

We all hopped in a mutatu and inside was cramped but there was sweet party music playing loudly. We drove for less than 10 minutes to get to another part of the slum area. As we drove, we could see down into the valley where it was totally packed with shanties. I am amazed at how expansive the Mathare valley slum is. It’s just pure slums everywhere.

We jumped off the mutatu and walked down a street to visit some local businesses who had taken out a loan through Missions of Hope International (MOHI). It was amazing to be able to walk through the area of slums. If we weren’t with MOHI there is absolutely no way we could have walked anywhere we went that day. We always felt safe and Jennifer knew quite a few people. We stopped by around 8 shops to say hello and encourage the owners. It was amazing. I felt humbled by the hospitality shown to us. We walked down a street with apartment buildings on either side of us and on every balcony clothing was hanging out to dry.

The group continued visiting local businesses until we reached the woman’s house that we were going to do a financial assessment with. She invited us into her home with great hospitality. She had three kids there with her and they were very cute. They were curious about the visitors. After the assessment, we went a little further and met a woman who made clothing to sell. She also had a school in her shop to teach other women how to sew. Julie and I were able to talk to her for a while because she knew some English. We encouraged her and by just meeting her, she encouraged us.

On our way back, Jennifer bought us each a fresh banana from a street vendor. It was delicious, but obviously there was no place to throw the peel. We all tossed them in a pile of trash that looked like it was burned occasionally while waiting for the right mutatu (number 46). As we were walking back we asked Jennifer how safe it would be for Julie and me to walk alone in the area. She said that it wouldn’t be a very good idea, but people would leave you alone if you looked confident and knew where you were going. That made me feel better, but we don’t plan on taking a stroll in the slums anytime soon.

At the end of the day Julie and I waited around until about 5:00 for a ride home. At home we “went to Mexico” for dinner. This entails us stuffing our faces with the tastiest Mexican food ever at the Kamau’s. Everything was so fresh and amazing. The guacamole was made with fresh avocados and you could really taste the difference.

After dinner Wallace talked a little more about MOHI. He stated, “If these slums continue to grow it will be disastrous.” This is a very true statement. The slums are so huge in Nairobi that it is hard for me to conceptualize their size. I could easily get lost in the maze for weeks. He again emphasized that their mission is to transform lives.

People will not change their ways here by simple suggestion. They need to be shown a better way. They need to be shown the love of Christ.

Church and a History of Missions of Hope: 9-12

Today we woke up at 8:00 and took showers (due to the lack of hot water the night before). We got dressed and ate a breakfast of eggs and fruit. We rolled out at 9:30. On our way to church we picked up Justine (she graduated with a communications degree and is working as a liaison for CMF and Missions of Hope and visiting teams.) We attended church at Bondeini (one of the districts of Mathare valley). It was in a rented building on government property where a school was located. The church members are all from the Bondeini slum.

At church we met up with a team from Traders Point church from Indianapolis doing a short term trip. Worship in Kenya is very different than home. Everyone claps (throughout the whole song), some dance, some do motions that go along with the songs. It’s really cool to see people celebrating. All of the visitors were introduced.

One of the ladies from Traders Point did some chalk art. When she was done, the minister got up and stated that he didn’t need to preach a sermon because enough has been said. The church gets to keep the picture and Mary said that it is probably the only one like it in all of Kenya. When the church service finished we went outside and everyone shook our hands.

The minister of the church grew up in Bondeini. He brewed the local alcohol (changaa). Missions of Hope reached out to him and eventually he became a Christian. The Kamau’s personally disciple him and helped shape him into a man of God. He married and became a minister. He is a beautiful success story that many people in Bondeini look up to.

On the same compound a cultic church rents a building for their Sunday service(less than 100 yards away). I was standing in the dirt courtyard in front of the building and I heard screams and yells. It was really freaky. Mary just simply stated that it was a cultic church and that was all that was said. I will have to ask more about it later.

Me, Justine, Julie, Mary, and Wallace met up with the visiting team at their guest house. It was really nice and we ate a delicious lunch. After lunch we all met up in a room upstairs for the team’s orientation (Julie and I were pleased to hear more about the ministry of Missions of Hope).

Mary gave us more background on her life. She said that she was child number 7 out of 20. Her father has two wives, but she was born on his first wife. While she was in college in Nairobi, she gave her life to Christ her freshman year. One day, she met a man who played the bass guitar in a worship team. She was marveled at how skilled he was. She went up to talk to him immediately. She asked him if he was studying bass guitar at the university. He said that he didn’t even complete the fourth grade. He said that he grew up a street kid in the slums of Mathare Valley. His father beat him, so he ran away. He has three other siblings. He even lifted up his shirt and showed Mary the burns his father gave him growing up.

At this point Mary was taken aback. She didn’t understand how any of this was possible from a young man who was so talented at the guitar. From that point on, God placed the Mathare Valley on her heart. She asked him to come and pick her up and take her to Mathare so that she could see it for herself. He didn’t want to, but Mary is quite persuasive and finally he caved. He promised to come and pick her up to take her there in three months.

He kept his promise and Mary saw the Mathare Valley for the first time. She visited his sister’s shanty. In the time that followed, she felt like God was telling her to continue looking into Mathare. Every Saturday she would visit the guitarist’s sister’s house. As time went on, children in the area knew when she was coming and would gather around the shanty. She began to teach them about the love of Jesus and they were very receptive. When she finished her degree she helped start a school for 150 kids. Soon those numbers grew to 250. She needed more space. Keith and Kathy Ham eventually came to Nairobi and wound up partnering with Mary. With the Ham’s came the full support of CMF which allowed her to really expand her ministry.

Side story: Wallace also told us the story of how he met Mary. He graduated from college and began preaching all around Kenya. Eventually he wound up in Mathare. While in Nairobi, he visited his prayer group (he had been away for 6 months preaching). This happened to be the same prayer group that Mary had joined. They were the only two who didn’t already know each other. They were introduced and at that moment Wallace said that he knew Mary was the woman he was going to wed someday. He said, “I couldn’t stop thinking about her, but I told myself – I’m in a prayer meeting!” If he was able to stop thinking about her at that meeting, it didn’t last long. But he said that he tried to avoid her for a year. Mary laughed at this point in the story and added, “TRIED.” She also liked him.  Wallace said that one day they were riding in a van next to each other on their way to a wedding and he just blurted out, “I love you,” to her. Luckily for him she said, “I love you too.” And the rest is history.

Now there was a dynamic duo working in Mathare Valley. He got a good job working in insurance which allowed Mary to work in the slums full time. Soon, they discovered that the need was too great for the current support they had. At one point, they were using their credit card to spend Wallace’s paycheck before it had even arrived on their ministry. Keith and Kathy Ham eventually came to Nairobi and wound up partnering with Mary. With the Ham’s came the full support of CMF which allowed the Kamau’s to really expand their ministry. There are about 800,000 living in Mathare and the valley is approximately half a mile by three miles.

Today there are 4,300 students at 4 centers. Most are supported through the child sponsorship program. 

Here’s some facts about education in Kenya:

40% of 8^th grade students pass their exam to go to Form 1 (high school).

5% of slum kids pass their exam to go to Form 1

100% of students in the Joska school (a Missions of Hope school) passed their exam to go to Form 1

Clearly God is working in Mathare. Mary continually encourages us to “transform a life.” She says that these kids really need to be invested in because many don’t have any love and support at home. The teachers have a great opportunity to minister to their students. The vision of her ministry is: “Transforming the valley of darkness into the mountain of God.” She really lives this out. She truly is passionate about transforming the Mathare valley.

After that meeting, Wallace gave us a brief tour of downtown Nairobi. It was very clean and wealthy - much different than the neglected East side of the city. The contrast is alarming. It’s like the government turns a blind eye on the majority of the city. Nairobi has many huge slums, a small nice downtown area, and really nice subdivision style homes on the outskirts of town. While driving through one of the subdivisions we passed by the President’s house. Like the President of Kenya. We finally got home around 7:00. I played some PS2 with Victory and then hung out with David. Dinner was delicious (as usual).

Party: 9-11

This morning we got to sleep in! We woke up at 9:30 and ate some breakfast (the fresh pineapple juice rocks my world). We then proceeded to wash 40 plastic chairs because we had company coming over. All the teachers from the school we visited yesterday had been invited over for lunch. We went outside to wash the chairs and David joined us. We got distracted a few times taking pictures of David and visiting the attack dogs. As it turns out the Kamau’s have 5 dogs - four German shepherd looking dogs and one pit bull. Wallace explained that the biggest scariest loudest German shepherd was the top dog in the pack – like a literal pack of dogs. We then organized the chairs in the living room.

I was amazed at how chill everyone was about having 40 people over for the afternoon. Everyone just pitched in and no one seemed stressed at all. Elizabeth cooked food all morning. Mary went out to buy a few last minute things. Faith cleaned the floors. At home, my family would totally be freaking out if we had 40 people over.

Everyone started coming in around noon. We joined at 12:30. We had no idea what was planned for the day, but we were pretty pumped about the food that we had been smelling. Everyone sat down in rows, but then we re-arranged the chairs in a circle. (Example of how relational Kenyan’s are.) We started off with introductions of ourselves. Everyone really respects the Kamau’s (basically Mary and Wallace are their bosses).

After introductions, we started worshiping together. It was SO cool. One lady would sing and then everyone would join sometimes layered and sometimes with harmony. Everyone really belted it out and clapped really loudly. They pretty much just owned the US.  After worship, everyone immediately broke into prayer aloud. It was the natural progression of worship.

Next one of the teachers gave a devotional on love. He discussed that the greatest thing anyone can have is love. Love is greater than wealth, intelligence, or a strong body. We need to love others as God loves us.

Next came the feast! There was so much food. I had rice, beans, chicken, beef stew, bread, green beans, peas, carrots, watermelon, a banana, and Fanta. I only took a small bit of each item because I wanted to make sure I liked them. Even taking a tiny bit of each, my whole plate was totally full. I sat down and thought about how much food I had just snagged. Then as more people sat down, I realized that I was practically anorexic compared to everyone else. Kenyans can put away some food! Even the women piled it high. It was so crazy. And so tasty.

After we ate Mary and Wallace spoke for a bit about Missions of Hope. Wallace spoke about the beatitude: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” He encouraged everyone that it is a privilege to serve Mathare valley because we are serving God. In doing so we are being pure in heart and therefore, we will see God in a way that many never will. He added that people do not like living in poverty. Poverty is a curse that we can help relieve. His passion was very obvious. He encouraged everyone to share their faith through their job. If a kid gains nothing else through Missions of Hope, let him gain Christ.

Next Mary spoke and I have a great new respect for her. She literally founded Missions of Hope International. She is the seventh of twenty children and the first person from her village to go to college. As a result there were lots of expectations placed on her. When she graduated college she decided to go to the Mathare Valley and serve. She helped teach 150 kids in a 10 by 10 room. She taught, went on house calls, and ministered to many people.

Members of her family questioned her decision to work in Mathare. They wanted her to get a good job, but she felt God’s pull on her heart to continue her work. So she did. Then she was pressured to get married. But, it never felt right so she didn’t. She knew that the man she would marry must love Mathare as much as she did or it would never work out. So she waited. Finally she met Wallace, a minister who was very passionate about God’s people. Now, Mary claims, they are one of the happiest families in the world (and I agree.) Looking back she remembers the advice given to her by her reverend: “Don’t settle for Saul, wait for David.” Basically, she decided to not marry the man who had the best job or seemed like a good match at the time, but would end up distracting her from her mission. She waited for her David, the right man for the job.

By the end of the party there were two awesome phrases that caught my attention. “I let the cat out of the box.” And, “I don’t mean to blow my own trumpet…” It was awesome. I think that these versions are far superior to the originals. Everyone left around 5:30.

To finish off the day, Julie and I sat on our balcony and watched a beautiful African sunset (mostly because the power was out in the house for hours.) But it was very pleasant.

Orientation: 9-10

We woke up at 8:00 and went downstairs for breakfast. We had chi tea again along with fresh watermelon and the Kenyan form of pancakes with honey. It was all delicious. Peter drove us to Missions of Hope International in Pongani (the headquarters) where we met Keith Ham.

We were given a tour by two of the social workers (Mary and Daniel). We saw the library first. Then we went to a classroom and as soon as we entered the room the whole class greeted us in unison: “Hello, how are you visiter?” Then they sang us a song complete with clapping. We visited the CHE office and social worker’s office. The clinic was super cool and it had a pharmacy. We also saw the classroom where women were learning how to sew.

The bathrooms at the compound were very nice. And there were five floors of classrooms. Then we were taken on a tour of the nearby slum area. We just saw a small slice of it, but it was a bit overwhelming. We began walking down a dirt path/road with metal shacks along both sides. The path wound and branched and had a small stream of waste water. There was quite a bit of trash on the ground. We saw a few flying toilets (people sometimes go to the bathroom in bags and just throw them out onto the ground).

Since I am so tired, I was a bit numb to it all. The tour is kind of a daze. As we walked the little kids ran up to us and said “Howareyou!” as a greeting. I don’t think they really knew what it meant, but it was their hello to us. Some of the kiddos ran up to us and grabbed our hands and walked with us for a bit. We continued walking and stopped at a woman’s home. The two social workers needed to stop for a house call. We went in with them. It was a little bigger than my parent’s closet and housed her and her 10 kids and 4 grandkids. She welcomed us in and we sat and prayed with her. I don’t even know how that many people could fit. Her youngest child was less than a year old.

We left her house and stopped in an open area. I saw “No dumping” painted on a wall next to a huge pile of trash and poop. I found it disturbingly ironic. The open area was pretty big and we could kind of see the river. There was a church and across the river was a hospital. We asked them lots of questions at this point. They told us that women are given free birth control pills at clinics and condoms are handed out to everyone. Many women forget to always take the pills or their husbands tell them to quit. Many men don’t like to use condoms.

I asked about the piles of trash and if there is anything in place or could be in place to remove them. Mary told me that in another part of the slum Missions of Hope helped organize a system for kids to pick up people’s trash for them and dispose of it for a small fee. This is a great way to clean up the area and it gives kids an opportunity to make a little money. I asked how common it was to have older siblings raise younger siblings in the slums (because their parents died and family couldn’t take them in). As it turns out, it’s a fairly common situation.

We walked past a shack where people can buy clean water for a fee. Also there were bathrooms that people could use, but it was also for a small fee. Since many people do not have the money to buy clean water or use a public toilet, they just make do with what they have. CHE is teaching people how to purify their water using evaporation. A bottle is placed in the sun and the water that is evaporating is collected. It is much safer to drink.

We learned that Missions of Hope does a lot for the community through a holistic approach. They provide an education along with breakfast and lunch for the kids at a minimal cost. The schooling is high quality and the teachers are very supportive and caring. There are social workers that keep tabs on every kid and their families. Each social worker has about 200 kids. They go on house calls frequently. Like if a kid misses school, his/her social worker will go to the kid’s house and check up on the situation. We were told that it’s common for parents to not let their children attend school because they need them to watch the younger ones. The social workers said that this is child labor.

We made it back to Keith’s office and we ate lunch and chatted. Maggie came in and had to make a business phone call. While she was talking she weaved together three languages – Swahili, her tribal language, and English. She would be talking and we would just hear chunks of English and then she would switch to something else. The culture here is so laid back and chill. I feel like I don’t really know what to do or where to go, but it all works out. It is very different from home. I didn’t even know what time it was almost all day today, which is very pleasant. Any time I turn around I am amazed at the hospitality here. Peter came to pick us up and took us back to the Kamau’s.

David came to get us for dinner around 7:00. We had cheesy spaghetti noodles with cabbage and a beef stew. It was probably my favorite meal so far. We got to drink some Fanta – the good stuff with real sugar. As we finished David hopped on my lap and we read a book. It had pictures of birds, sea creatures, lizards, insects, snakes, and all sorts of things.

Wallace told us about the growing Muslim faith in Kenya. Here it is attractive to the youth because it is seen as rebellious. They are going against the Christian faith of most of their parents. Muslim missionaries will go to streets and make fun of the Bible and try to show where it contradicts itself. Since I was so tired I slept much better that night.

Arrival in Nairobi: 9-9

Upon arrival to the Nairobi Airport I smoothly went through immigration and got my visa, collected my baggage, and met Maggie and Peter. They were holding a sign with Julie and Audrey on it. I also met Julie for the first time even though we were on the same flight. Slightly dazed and exhausted, we got in a van and Peter drove us to the Kamau’s house. We went through Nairobi traffic and it was much like Cambodia – no rules and no traffic lights. We literally almost t boned someone. It was epic.

We got out of the city and began driving in the country. Eventually we turned off a road and began driving on dirt roads. We randomly stopped at a gate and the van honked. The gate opened and we were welcomed home.

Kenyans are the most hospitable people I have ever met. We were greeted with a very warm welcome from everyone. They carried in our bags and they showed us to our room. It is very nice. The wood floors are much like the ones at home. There are bunk beds for Julie and I complete with mosquito nets. As soon as we lugged in our stuff we were offered food.  It was around 9:30 and they made us an amazing traditional meal of ugali (a cornmeal bread/rice like substance) with steamed greens and fish. It was really good. We were also given Chi tea. By far the best I’ve ever had. The milk used was fresh from a cow, their neighbor’s cow.

We met Mary and Wallace’s family – Faith, Victory, and David. David whipped Julie and I at Trouble. He is 4 and has the best evil cackle ever. He was overjoyed about our defeat.

The bathroom we are using is small, but awesome. There is no curtain on the shower, so we pretty much soaked the whole tile bathroom. We finally went to bed around 1:00 am.

And then we were awakened at 3:30 am by what sounded like dogs killing a lion by the volume of noise right outside our room. The Kamau’s have guard dogs - legit guard dogs that are kept in cages and let loose in their walled yard at night. Apparently they like to bark loudly and fight one another. I didn’t fall asleep again until about 4:00 am because I thought the house was under siege. At that point, roosters were already crowing. Finally I fell asleep again until morning.

Pre-Arrival Prayer on the Plane

God,

Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I feel so blessed and amazed by your love and faithfulness. Open my heart. Take it, it's yours. Do what you want with it. Give me the strength to love your people unconditionally. Give me patience. Give me compassion. Give me a servant's heart.

Teach me. Show me. Walk with me. Watch over me. Guide me.

Thank you for loving me unconditionally. Keep me focused and determined for the next 3 months. I put my life in your hands. You are the creator of the universe. I ask that you created in me a new heart and mind that are to your liking.

Audrey