A Contradictory City: 10-3

So today I did some pondering. Yesterday when we went downtown there were about four security officers on every block. Everything was new and painted and clean. Nice cars dominated the streets and people strolled down the sidewalks. We passed by gorgeous city parks with fountains and benches and flowers. The air seemed clean.

In Mathare there is literally zero police presence. There is limited street access, so there are no fire stations or police stations. Everything is dirty with peeling paint. Mutatus dominate the streets and drive in a terrifying manner. There are literally no trees. Absolutely no flowers. The air is totally polluted with car exhaust, burning trash, and sewage.

Every day we pass through a very nice neighborhood were the political leaders of Kenya live. Their houses are surrounded by walls, barbed wire, guards with guns, and lights. This neighborhood is about 15 minutes from Mathare.

I don’t understand how the government can ignore over one million people living in slum conditions. So much money is invested in the appearance of the nice sectors of Nairobi. The streets are free of potholes. There are skyscrapers. It’s almost like the government doesn’t want Mathare to exist, so they just ignore it. God doesn’t want his children to go to bed hungry. God doesn’t want his children to die of diseases related to HIV/AIDS. God doesn’t want his children high from sniffing glue.

For many people, Mathare is their reality. Mathare is their Nairobi. Mathare is just one slum in the area and it is sprawling. It stretches much further than the eye can see. One could easily get lost in its expanse. People work in the slum, they raise their children in the slum, and they die in the slum. God doesn’t want this for his children.

The only hope for God’s children in these conditions is Jesus. He can transform their lives. He loves us.

This afternoon Leann, Julie, and I went out to Java for some coffee time. But, before we indulged, we totally worked out at Roslyn (the kid’s school). I ran a sweet lap around the track and then practiced some Taekwondo. Right at the end it started raining. The biggest raindrops I had ever seen. It was a beautiful moment.