Greetings from Kenya

Greetings from Kenya! Yesterday was our first full day in the Kawangware Slums in Nairobi, Kenya. The day can't be described in mere words, but I'll do my best. We started the day in the CCP (Chosen Children of Promise) offices and did a prayer walk through the slums. The living conditions were unlike anything I've ever seen before. The roads are anything but smooth, trash, unknown wet waste, filth, a smell unlike anything I've ever smelled before. Americans know no poverty like I've seen here. Everyone lives in filth, animals roam everywhere, injured and dirty. I could feel all the eyes that were on me as these strangers walked their village. Small children ran towards me to touch my white skin to see if it was real. Many have never seen white skin before. They wondered if they could rub it off. Something that was unmistakable though, was their desire to meet us and welcome us into their homes. Many were full of smiles for their unexpected visitors. The children would laugh and chase us, chanting "How are you? How are you? How are you?" As I said earlier, we had the opportunity to enter homes, meet caretakers of the CCP children and pray for them for their many needs: financial, health, school fees, children. I loved them instantly as their stories touched my heart. A highlight of the prayer walk was meeting with women with newly started businesses, just tiny, little fruit stands or seamstress booths. Their "shops" are TINY and made of twigs holding up small roofs. They were sacrificing all they had to start these businesses. It was an awesome pleasure to pray for them and their new endeavors. Before I knew it, my heart was aching to give the best of myself to these people.

We ended our prayer walk at the CCP Community Center where we finally got to meet the children. Many were wearing their finest clothing to greet us. We played games with them, then divided them into small groups to go out into the slums again and enter homes to assess their needs and pray with them. I was paired up with a CCP staff member, "Bob" and 6 girls and 1 boy ranging in age from 10-16. Samual, the boy, wanted to take us to his home to meet his mother.

This is where I entered the hardest point of my day. With unclear direction and lack of training (he's an office worker for CCP, not a social worker) "Bob" put me in a very uncomfortable and unsafe situation. First, he didn't translate his conversations with the "Mamas" for me then just asked me to pray. I had no idea what their conversations were about, how to specifically pray for them, but I did my best and just prayed a "general" prayer for each home I entered. Also, as we were walking through the slums, and this is where the safety comes into issue, "Bob" walked way ahead of me leaving me with a couple of kids far behind him. The slums are very crowded and difficult to navigate and I was scared for my safety and for getting lost. Fortunately, I was able to catch up with "Bob" and made it safely back to the CCP Community Center.

The good news was that upon returning to the Community Center and debriefing with the CCP staff, I learned that many lives were given to the Lord in other groups. Also upon our return, we measured each child's feat as we will surprise all 110 of them next week with new shoes.

We arrived back at the boarding house where we're staying late in the day and exhausted. We gathered together as a team after dinner to share our "highs and lows" of the day (something we are doing everyday) and that was when I shared my scary experience that day. With the emotions of fear fresh in my mind, heart broken from the poverty I had witnessed that day and complete exhaustion from lack of sleep, I broke into tears as I shared my feelings from the experience of walking and praying with the kids and "Bob." Much to my surprise, I learned the same thing happened to someone else on the team. We all decided this was a learning experience and we'll grow from it.

There is so much I could share, but I'm exhausted and want to get as much sleep as possible before we start another busy day first thing in the morning. I will continue to blog as much as possible, pending I have internet access and share my "highs and lows" with all of you. But as a recap I can say with full confidence that I feel God's presence all around me and I'm so honored and blessed to have this opportunity to be on the other side of the world sharing God's love in Kenya.