Last week was our first full week at Adventure Pride Center. Each
day we walked the half hour one way from our cozy compound through the dusty
and smog filled streets of Nairobi into the crowded, bustling, and
puddle-ridden pathways of Kibera. The intricacies of the slum hit you in
waves…different attributes from the myriad of smells to the shy smiles and the
chorus of “how are you?!” from curious children fight for your attention. Upon
arrival, we are greeted warmly by the teachers and hugged by the students. My
days are intermixed with tutoring children and teaching creative arts. The
activities have ranged from paper airplanes to elements of a story…basically
whatever I come up with.
Another thing that struck me last week was my changing perspective
on poverty. As we walked in the dust and dodged trash-crowded puddles I was
struck by the fact that what the people need most here, like everyone, is our
hope of Jesus, not our pity or necessarily for us to reach into our pockets. The disparity of expectations for life and
standard of living is great because of my personal perspective. Sure, there are
many basic things that need to be improved here—sanitation, housing, roads,
etc. but for the people here this is life. It is normal. What they need to see
Is the hope of Jesus in the midst of their circumstances—not simply the
“western” hope of overcoming many
seemingly insurmountable obstacles. My purpose isn’t to eradicate poverty; it’s
to shine the hope of Jesus in the heart of it. It’s to let the children come to
me. Material things do matter here; in the context of relationship they have so
much more weight than the temporary full belly or new toy. The tangible things
give more when they are given in the context of a gospel centered relationship.
One thing that is constant is the assurance that I am called here
for this season. It isn’t always easy…the walk is tiresome, and some days I
don’t feel like I have the love and energy these children need. But that’s the beauty—I don’t have to muster
it up, I have to trust my Savior to provide. When I am weak He is strong. He
has provided faithfully the energy I need to run around with the preschoolers
and to play games with the older children, as well as the wisdom to meet the
kids I tutor where they are at. It has been so encouraging to see how Jennie
and I are able to joyfully use our strengths and talents here. I have been blessed to see how my training in
ABA therapy has helped with finding creative ways of teaching letters and
sounds to students who struggle to grasp them. It is so humbling to see how God
really does prepare our paths and direct our steps.
An example of God’s provision is the way lunch for the
children has been provided since our arrival. The school recently had to switch
buildings because the one they were in was too small, and with that lost their
funding for a lunch program. For many children it was their only certain meal
of the day. It costs around $500 total per week to feed the 180 children and 10
staff. In the weeks we’ve been there we’ve seen God provide lunch through
generous donors and have been blessed by the opportunity to share how this food
is from God, not from us. During the bible study the girls smiled with
amazement the first day lunches were provided because just last week they had
written down questions/concerns/prayers for us to discuss and several wrote
about being hungry. It was amazing to see how God used the donations not only
to feed the kids physically but also to provide a window of seeing Him work in
their circumstances. He is faithful. I am so blessed to be here.
Ugali (maize flour and water), a staple meal here
sukuma wiki, a high in iron collared-greens like topping to ugali that is cooked with oil and tomatoes
No comments:
Post a Comment