Jambo from Kenya! Week Three

Hello everyone!

I am excited and sad today because this marks the end of the first leg of our trip. Yesterday, we said goodbye to all of the children from the school that live in the slums and the staff at the Baptist Children's Center. Tomorrow we are leaving for Busia (western Kenya, bordering Uganda) with a team from Wilshire Church. We will be working with a medical team and also with children in Busia. I am looking forward to the drive tomorrow and seeing more of the Kenyan countryside. After Busia we will go on a two-day Safari and then attend "camp" at Brackenhurst with the orphans from the Baptist Children's Center. I am so thankful that we will have more time with the children from the orphanage in Nairobi!

I am not sure if you have ever heard of Kibera slum in Nairobi, but it is supposed to be the second largest slum in Africa and the largest in Kenya. I know Kibera from watching the movie the Constant Gardener and reading articles from National Geographic. The statistics that I have read say that Kibera is 4 square miles and more than a million people are crammed into a space with no running water, electricity, etc. There are supposedly over 50,000 + documented orphans in Kibera.

Earlier this morning, I had the opportunity to visit Kibera. Tom, the missions coordinator, lead us in a stroll along the railroad tracks that ran through the slums. Trash and mud were covering the ground. As we walked, the children would smile and say "how are you, how are you?" They would also yell "mazungu" which means "white person!" I have been told that when they say "mazungu" they are commenting that the person is either crazy or lost to be there. Most of the shelters were made of mud, cow dung or tin. Everything was crammed in very close together. I saw many people working very hard at carpentry, sewing shoes, selling bananas or shoveling dirt. No matter where I have traveled, I am reminded that people are people wherever you go. I loved getting to make eye contact with women there and send them a smile. I pray that they could somehow be encouraged by our greetings. Walking through, I heard praise and worship music coming from one of the market stands. I am reminded that our God is a big God. He is alive and well in the hearts of his children in Kibera.

Thank you for your prayers.
May Jesus bless you today as I am blessed daily by his grace...
Becky