Yesterday we went to Garissa, a city out near the Somalia border. This is the first time I felt like we were getting to see the “real” Africa; the Africa that I had pictured in my head before our trip here.
During the drive we saw a lot of the traditional nomadic African people living in the huts I have always seen pictures of but never seen up close. As we got close to the city of Garissa we turned off the main road onto a sand road for about 20 kilometers. I don’t think you can call it a road but the person leading knew where to go. On this road we passed hundreds more huts where the people are living and also 2 Muslim Mosques. As we drove a little further we came to the KAG Sombo school. We were literally in the middle of nowhere and here is this Christian school in the heart of Somali Muslim territory.
When we arrived we were greeted by a lot of the kids and had a chance to meet with Pastor David. This is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. If ever there were a man that has listened to what God called him to do it would be Pastor David. He explained to us there are 290 Muslim kids attending this school and learning Christian Religion Education. The school has multiple classrooms for kids of all primary school ages. There is also a medical clinic for the kids and also their parents. He explained the mortality rate of babies has gone from 2 out of 10 to 10 out of 10 surviving since the clinic has been there. I could go on and on about all the great things the school is doing but I don’t have all night.
Seeing this school made me realize how big our God really is. Back at home I see God working in my life and sometimes don’t realize all of the things God is doing in the rest of the world. Sure I hear news stories about things going on in other places but I get busy with my own life and doing what I feel God has asked me to do and don’t take time to think about all of the places and things he is doing. There is no way a group of Christians could be running a school in this Muslim area without God allowing it to happen. Our God is amazing and as long as we are listening he will allow us touch the lives of people all over the world.
Chris,
Thank you for listening to what God has asked you to do and touching the lives of so many people. I know this has been a life changing experience for me and you were the one who made it possible.
Charlie Kennedy
Jambo!!!
I pray this entry finds you all well! I want to thank you all for your prayers and support – without you this trip could not have happened – you are a part of this team. We all serve in various ways because God gives us different gifts, which is what makes us unique. I just wanted to emphasize that when we speak of our “team”, it’s not just the 19 of us out here, it includes all of you as well: our friends, church, families, and especially God, supporting us, lifting us up in prayer, providing for this trip financially, and participating in so many other ways. So once again, THANK YOU!!!
After spending two days with Pastor Vincent and his students, we were all quite tired – both physically and emotionally. During our debriefing last night, you could sense an intense amount of mixed emotions, which created tension in some areas. After a lot of praying and quiet times last night, we all woke up much more spiritually and emotionally sound (or at least I thought so… J). The things that occurred and that were experienced by all involved hit hard, but served everyone (meaning the team and all of the Kenyans we encountered) above and beyond what I could have ever imagined.
Today we ventured off to an orphanage where we spent the day serving the kids, teachers, and staff with our own individual gifts. We built shelving for the nurseries, scrubbed floors and walls, washed toys, washed and hung laundry (I have never seen so much laundry in my life!), built more clothes lines (there was already more than 300 feet-worth there), fed and loved on babies, and cooked in the kitchen! There are around 20 babies, between 2 weeks and 3 years of age, that are either abandoned, orphaned, or put up for adoption at this facility. Many are from HIV+ backgrounds, and this facility is a safe-haven for the children until they are adopted. If not adopted by the age of 4, they are transferred to another orphanage. The staff and volunteers all had a heart to be serving the Lord here – these are long days and can be very hard with health issues and such – I believe I can speak for everyone that we commend these women and men and took away an even greater understanding of God’s love and selflessness that we all should practice.
After our day at the orphanage, we went to visit Garden 3, which is a new area in the compound that will be the site for the transformational development center and a guest house (built like Heart Lodge!). Even though we won’t be here to see the development of this facility occur, we are all so excited about it. The center will be used to train nationals on how to develop micro-enterprise businesses to help back their mission and church. You have to understand that there is NO money; many families (which are very large) live on less than a dollar a day. So how can one live out God’s purpose in such a destitute area with no money? That’s where transformational development kicks in. There will be a tilapia pond in the center which will help to teach nationals how to raise, care for, and sell the fish. This will give them a specialty that they can use to have a steady income while living out God’s vision and mission for them. This is just one of many areas that this center will focus on. Please pray for God’s favor here!!
We then had the pleasure to hop over to Garden 2 of the compound where Pastor Chris and his family live. They could not emphasize enough how blessed they felt in having such a wonderful place to live while here.
Well, we are having a great time here!! Though the youngest by 10 years (which I never fail to make a pun about when the opportunity rises), I fit right in since they are all acting like a bunch of excited college missionaries (see!! There I go again!). This only shows how God is working not only in the hearts of those we touch, but ours as well – since we are called to be children of God J But really, we are all having such a blessed time here while serving God; in a place that He is more present than I have ever seen. I can’t express that enough…
Thanks again for all of your continued support and prayers!! You are in our hearts and prayers as well!! Love Kristen (a.k.a. fetus…).
We finally arrived in Kenya on Sunday night after saying goodbye to family on Saturday and traveling on a REALLY long flight, which was great for continuing to get to know each of our team members. We thank God that our travel was safe and seamless…no problems at all. Getting through customs is also a smooth process. We are greeted by the Exley’s and head to the guesthouse where we will be staying. Everyone gets a full night’s rest, and there is some jet lag, but we are ready for Monday morning.
Voices chanting “welcome, welcome, welcome” greet us at Pastor Vincent’s school, Baraka Christian Center, on Monday morning. The boys and girls (ages 2-13) are so loving and accepting and receive us with open arms. We divide into teams to be at the school with the kids, walk the Eastleigh neighborhood (Muslim area) and pray, and visit homes in the Mathare Valley slums.
With the kids at the school we sing songs, play games, tell Bible stories and play. We have a great time being with them, and there is such reciprocity when they share their songs and games with us. It was also good to get to know the teachers, who work at the school from 7 am to 4 pm each day for no pay – they are all volunteers. This is what spoke so much to me because they are so dependent on God for their daily needs. One of the teachers is a single mom with a nine month old and no family here. How is she making it day to day? Some days she goes without food, but she believes so much in reaching these kids by educating them and telling them about Jesus. I am so humbled by their sacrifice and wonder if I could make the same sacrifice.
When walking Eastleigh we have a chance to hear about the area and see what one community is like that the church is trying to reach. Some parts of Eastleigh are very poor and other areas are nicer, and there are a large number of Muslims from Somalia. Some of the kids at the school are from Muslim families, and the school is able to teach them about God. And some of these families have come to the church, which is so amazing. As we walk and pray for Eastleigh and the people, we also have a chance to visit with our Kenyan friends from the church who open up and share their struggles and their vision for the church and community outreach.
Mathare Valley, which is right across the street from the church, is the area where the children from the school live. It is a slum area, and I won’t do it justice here, but I have to try because it is important to understand where close to one million people in Nairobi are living. The houses are right next to each other made of tin and wood and cardboard with dirt floors. Most are one room and maybe 8’X8’, if that. Many families are very large with lots of kids, and these large families live in these small houses. Lots of cooking is done with charcoal, and there is no ventilation in these homes. There are also no bathrooms so human waste flows down walkways all over the area, and what sewage system is there is open. Families have no water to give their families that is not contaminated so it is no surprise that disease runs rampant. 3 out of 4 people in Mathare Valley are HIV+, and many of the parents of the school kids either are HIV+ or they have died from AIDS. Many people take drugs, sniff glue or drink a very addictive local brew which helps numb the hopelessness and despair. It is very difficult to see this kind of poverty. We want to help, but it seems impossible. I know that with God, all things are possible, and I believe that, but I just want to see a transformation for these people so fast. Yet I know it is a long process, and I am thankful for the church in this area and the vision there is to make a difference in this difficult community.
While I am very excited to be here, I am so humbled by how the Kenyan people are still so generous even out of their poverty, and I am challenged not just to do more, but to be more for Jesus. Several people from Pastor Vincent’s church just desire to give anything extra they have to the church for its ministry, and I think we can all be challenged by that. What if we all really lived out what we say we believe – that it all belongs to God and that he will provide our every need? Would we live more generously and selflessly like our Kenyan brothers and sisters do? We still have so much to learn…
Most of the team
