Thank you all for your prayers and emails – they have been very encouraging. Sometimes when you are so far away from friends and family it is easy to feel forgotten but you all have made sure that I don’t feel that way. Thank you for your concerns, and questions and encouragement – don’t hesitate to email, I love hearing from you all. Here are some highlights of the past month:
Orphans and Dramas
This first Saturday in March I was in charge of neighborhood ministry with the FYM team to work with the orphans. We had the kids over and taught them a couple of our skits that we do at open airs. There are no lines so they are all mimed and done to music so it makes it easier for the children who know little English – it also translates well across cultures. We taught each orphan a part for one skit or the other and broke into two
groups. The FYMs did a fantastic job. Many of the orphans are extremely shy so when they had to be up front of a small group and acting for the first time they were extremely shy and hesitant. The FYMs cheered loudly and encouraged for each little bit done well which is so much what these kids need. Then each group came back to perform for the entire group – it was awesome seeing them look to the FYMs for assurance that they were doing it right and seeing the FYMs just pouring their love onto these precious kids. While they were practicing I walked back and forth between the two houses they were rehearsing in trying to see how it was going. I walked over to the guys house and checked on that group for the first time and as I stood there in the door watching tears came to my eyes to see the huge smiles on the kids faces and the huge smiles on the faces of the FYMs and to see the kids really getting it. One of the dramas is particularily hard and complicated so when they were performing for the rest of the group their FYM counterparts were crouched down in front or standing in the back walking them through each piece, it was beautiful. After each drama the applause was huge – many of us (FYMs and leaders) were in tears at one point or another.
We then also introduced the kids to tacos that day. Which was an enormous hit. Each kid went through with their FYM pen-pal (the FYMs write them letters each week) and the FYMs helped them make their first taco. They then came over to me and got sodas and then found a place to sit and eat. It was so fun to walk through the two houses and see conversations going between the kids and the FYMs and see the huge smiles on all the faces – even the ones who had no idea what the conversations were about as they were in English. We told the kids they could have a second taco and there was another rush through the line. Several even had 3rds. I then pulled out the cookies I’d made – like 10 dozen and they polished them off. (the tortillas were fun/amusing as we couldn’t buy them so we decided to make flour tortillas which is hard – they are difficult to make thin. So when we were rolling them out and cooking them the day before a couple of the girls from the orphanage – Janet and Moreen – came over and began showing us the proper way to do it as tortillas are similair to their staple of Chapati. So it was especially fun for them to be surprised to find that it was part of lunch for them the following day.)
Family Ministry at Word Impact
Last Thursday for Family ministry we went to the neighborhood around Word Impact church (one of the three churches our FYMs intern with) and went door to door. We had a sweet time of encouraging, sharing and praying with three women who have some level of understanding of our Lord.
Our First stop was with a woman of well over 60 years (here, where the average life span is 48, that is ancient), Janet. She has been a believer for many, many years. She had 12 children – many are dead and she is caring for 2 of her 35 grandchildren. Her biggest prayer request and comment on the church was that she is illiterate and while she is in church every Sunday and hears what the pastor says there is no one to visit her during the week to read the Bible to her and remind her of Jesus words. Stupidly we, hearing this, bowed our heads to pray only to have this old woman beg us “don’t you have a few moment more, can’t you read me something from scripture, anything?” Jenae, having had her bible out anyway, stops to read the beatitudes and part of the sermon on the mount. We prayed and as we prayed I opened my eyes to look again at this woman,s house and pray for her specifically on that – the holes in the roof, the thread bare blankets… and my eyes fell on a strange thing peeking out of a cabinet – it was sort of shiny and weird. I figured out, after a minute, that it was part of a radio. After the prayer I started asking her what I’m assuming she thought were insane question – do you have a cassette player in your radio? She said she did have a cassette player but didn’t have any batteries. My mom, when I settled that God was calling me to Kenya, bought me a Swahili bible and the Swahili New Testament on cassette – I have it on my shelf now.( Last Saturday, after the outreach, Josh (FYM) and I went to Janet’s house armed with the first tape and 4 D batteries. After struggling to find her for a few minutes (she wasn’t home) we were able to get her all set up and explain with the help of a woman who “just happened to stop by” to translate and make her understand that Josh and one of the elders would come by every Sunday and give her a new tape and ask her what God is teaching her. I pray that she wears these tapes out and that I have to replace them.Pray for God’s wisdom and for the fruit of his word to bear fruit in her granddaughters’ lives through her.)
Our next stop was next door at Dory’s. Dory is 5 months pregnant. She is currently taking care of two orphans that she has had since birth that are distant relatives’ orphans. Dory and her husband have prayed for children of their own and over and over Dory’s pregnancies end in stillbirth. They are praying for this to be the one that survives. They are faithful believers.
Our last stop was at a woman’s house that I’ll call Sena (we missed her name but it’s something like that). Sena said that she’s only lived in Nairobi a short time and that her sister brought her there and now they live together. We asked how we could pray and she said that her sister had to come get her because she has had 5 pregnancies and they have all failed so her husband sees her as useless and worthless and has rejected her (this is common in this culture that sees a woman’s only role as relating to her children). Her pain was fresh and obvious as tears threatened to overflow. She wanted us to pray for her to be able to have a baby. We prayed for first of all for her marriage to be saved (this is a functional divorce here) and for Christ to claim His rightful place in her and her husband and for Christian men to get a hold of him where he is upcountry and show him the truth of what he is doing and the error in it and that God would restore their relationship based in Him.
Visting Pastor Mike’s Nursery School
Last Friday I went with Pastor Mike to see his “Friends of Jesus” Nursery school. The kids saw me coming from ridiculously far (I sort of glow in the dark or something…the whole white skin thing) and began yelling “How are you!”. They met me on the bridge over the deepest part of the trench I’ve seen (this is far into Mashimony and in the heart of the worst part of the slum). They all grabbed my hands and skirt and whatever…it was like a weird blob that could barely move for fear of us becoming a large dog pile. We finally got to the school and they sat and quietly stared at me. They introduced themselves. Pastor Mike then began to point out the orphans in the group – who now live with guardians. This is school had been without flour for porridge for 2 weeks….for lack of $4.30.This
porridge is especially vital as many eat little else the entire day. The kids are so sweet and so, so small. I adjusted my bag and my water bottle (vital life source here and we carry them everywhere), which is clipped on a carabiner on the strap fell over. One of the littlest ones ran over to look at what had made the bumping sound. She then began asking her teacher a million questions about the bottle.
Pastor Mike and I then stopped by his house and the school where he used to be headmaster but left his job because he felt God call him to full time preaching. Many friends have questioned his decision as he is seen as “unemployed” as he has no source of income…other than the Lord. He and his wife have 5 children – including one of this deceased sister’s children. His wife continues to teach and bring in some income but with the nursery school that Pastor Mike is personally funding there is very little money to go around. I look at this man who is supporting himself, his wife, and 5 children as well as 30 kids in a nursery school on probably less than $100 a month. What account I will have to give at the throne for the little I have done. Pastor Mike was himself semi-orphaned when his mother died when he was one and when his father remarried his step-mother severly beat him – leaving life long scars. His father eventually divorced her because of the abuse – which is amazing and also reveals the extent of the abuse. This has caused his heart to turn toward the children.
The needs, so basic, of these children who live here threaten to daily overwhelm my heart. Only through relying on God and trusting him with everything I have and do and am can I continue to walk this daily. The longer I am here the truer that becomes. Whatever personal reserves I came that I could draw strength from are all spent. It is only Him who gets me out of bed in the morning with the strength to walk into the day knowing I will be constantly be smacked in the face by the realities of here. God, continue to break my heart and mold me to “glow in the dark” of Kibera for Your glory.
School adjustments and purchases
Through a generous donation we are being able to begin buying books for the kids at New Adventure School. By the time they come back from their month break in May they should have all the books, and exercise notebooks that they need to really learn. Desks are also being ordered to replace the benches and rocks they are currently sitting on. To help with the enormous overcrowding situation we had George has been able to find 3 rooms for the three oldest classes to be in. We are looking at other possibilities for the other classes too but already it is so much quieter in the old building and so much more room for the kids. I will be going over there tomorrow to see how their end of term exams are going. Last week the FYMs who teach there had the Standard 7 class help the Standard 1 write letters. It was definitely a learning experiences – for Standard 7 mostly. Some were so patient and such good teachers and many others who had previously thought that teaching was so easy now understand better. It was a good lesson on service for them.
April Insanity
Um…so…April is going to be a bit nuts here. This Friday we leave on a mission trip to Limuru with the FYMs Kenyan friends. There will be around 27 of us. We will be ministering to Auto mechanics, children, women, adults and our Kenyan friends who are going. It will be a great time of ministry.
April is also the month the kids have off school so there will be more time with the orphans and more fun and learning to plan with them. Pray as I build relationships with them that we pray will help with transition. I am also planning an Easter party with them on April 14 with many fun decorations lovingly sent from Moses Hill Covenant Church women’s group (my dad’s the pastor there). The packages arrived safe and sound today and I and the FYMs have had fun digging through it all. I am also planning a couple game days and looking into other fun possibilities.
We have a medical team arriving the end of the month where I’m going to be trained to do set up for projects for the summer months. There are many details with it from washing tents to doing finances.
The FYMs also go through many last things during the end of April which is hard. Pray that they are able to stay in it until the end and not start counting down and bailing out to avoid hard goodbyes.
Praise/Prayer Requests
Praise the Lord for your support and encouragement and prayers and emails – I honestly say that I could not do this without it. Don’t stop!!
Praise for continued adjustments to life in Kenya and Kibera
Praise for more health stability due to new asthma meds and some rain
Praise that Sterling College (the college I attended)’s summer mission teams here (with another organization) are going to be able to bring many things for me and the orphans!
Pray for rain – while we are supposed to be in rainy season and it does rain some it’s not at all as regular or as much as it should be – drought and starvation continue as a result.
Pray for wisdom for Scott and I as we look at moving the orphanage and all that entails
Pray for wisdom as we look for temporary locations for the school classes and as we make the adjustments to curriculum and furnishings
Pray for strength as we finish out this FYM term strong and glorifying Him.
Pray for stamina as we fly through April and wisdom as I pour into the orphans
Pray for relationships to be built between me and the orphans that form quickly and deeply to help with the transition that go beyond the time I have to build them
Pray for wisdom as I continue to disciple and build into Kaitlan and Beth (two FYMs) that I would have His wisdom and boldness to speak His truth into them.
