Kibera

So here I am again, 4th day in and we finally get our first glimpse of sunlight.

Yesterday we went to visit Kibera, the worst slum in Nairobi, which was about 10 minutes to where we were staying at Shalom House. We walked through the garbage-ridden paths with a sewer system consisting of little trenches between rows and rows of tin-roofed homes. Homes that had to be rented from the landlord on government property fill with the smell of waste, smoke and food and the sounds of the streets, music and people. There was no electricity or running water. Even in the midst of all this, the people were so generous, loving and so open to us. The children would run up to you touching your hands and greeting you with the simple "Hello, How are you?".

We toured around the different schools and businesses that this small organization called KISCODEP (Kibera Slums Community Development Program) were sponsoring. KISCODEP provides microloans to small businesses so then they can be able to better their lives and for the community. With such poverty and immense amount of people, there is no way money or people from the outside coming in can change much. The only way to bring about change is with the indigenous people. They have the intellect and the hands to do the work, but the resources are limited. KISCODEP focuses on community development that is long term. As Pastor Ken said, their organization is not about what he will see, but what he hopes to pass down to his children and generations in the future.

Throughout our walk in Kibera, I talked to a woman named Stella. She was a mother of 4 boys who she worked to keep them in school. She was a "chemist" = pharmacist selling medications to the people. She told me that someday she wanted to go to college and become a doctor. As I held her hand, I can feel her love and her humility. Never did she ask for my money or things, but only wanted me to remember her and Kibera. She kept telling me to pray for KISCODEzp and all of the Kiberans. She bought me a necklace to remind me-- something that's probably worth about a week's wages. Never will I forget her generosity.

We visited primary schools where these children learn in small one-room schools, a small jewelry shop, grocery stand, laundromat, churches and a pharmacy. Everywhere we went you can see love. Love that comes only from God. It is so true that if you want to find God, find them in the poor. For me, it made me both frustrated and confused. How can people barely surviving be able to to be happy? and why do people in America with so many resources can be so miserable? Of course there are exceptions, but overall, I feel the sense of community and unconditional love where I live is not the same. I feel we need to go back to the simple life, where people disregard their status and their own desires and focus on loving one another just as Jesus did.

It's not about bringing the gospel of Jesus to Kenya, because Jesus is already there. We prayed and praised the Lord and it's amazing how even though Kenya has an entirely different culture, their worship touches you the same way. God is always present and will always be. Ultimately, everything boils down to more love, because God is love.

D.T.