The Cry of the Streets

Friday February 12, 2016  Kitale is an agricultural town and it is the last big trading town before heading to the north western parts of Kenya. It sits at the base of Mount Elgon which is an extinct volcano and the seventh highest mountain in Africa. It is a beautiful area with a gigantic mountain behind us and the Cherangani Hill range in front us. The days are hot right now but being at an elevation of 6,200' gives us the advantage of cool nights for good sleeping.

Things have changed in town. There are new buildings sprouting up like weeds. It is busier, there are more people and some of the main roads are narrower because piles of construction materials are left in the roadway.

Before going up the steps into a very familiar grocery store I take a quick glance at the faces around me. The young boys with their hands out begging for food and money are new and I don’t recognize any of them. There's a new group of street boys, looking much the same. Dressed in their dark and dirty clothes and with a glue bottle in their hand they quickly learn how to survive by working the streets. They paw through the garbage looking for food but there is seldom enough. They’ve left their tribe in search of a better life but the cry of streets continues to pull them down.  

Girls are seldom seen on the streets as they are quickly snatched away. They are put into a position where prostitution is expected and becomes their only hope for survival.  Sometimes they are taken and used as house girls. They are to clean, cook and care for children at a very low price.

As I take a minute to talk with the boys I learn about how far they have traveled, their names, tribe and age.  They are 8, 10, 12, 14, all so very young, and with a glue bottle attached to their face.  There are many street boys in town and they seem to be hidden but their eyes are always watching and soon more circle round about us.

Then there are the older mama’s that come to town usually on Fridays which is observed by some religions as the day of charity.  It has become their profession to beg and live off handouts. These mama’s will carry a baby for more sympathy, if they don’t have a baby they will borrow one and walk through town begging for money.  Very often the baby will cry when it is near you as the child is being pinched in order to gain your sympathy. The sad thing is the child probably is hungry because they want this child to look weak and sick in order to play on your emotions.

I was not in town very long when Wilson came running.  He is one of the older boys and has been on the streets for years.  The older boys don’t travel far and their life remains pretty much the same. Sammy, Chinese and Wilson have all welcomed me back.  I remember the first time I met “tough man Chinese.”  As we stood in the garbage piles this muscular guy greeted me with his fist in my face and he was determined to convince me that he was strong.   I responded with a gentle voice and agreed that he was strong but also made him aware that I had angels that surrounded me and protected me.  I saw the expression on his face change and he removed his fist.  From that day we have never had such an encounter again but when we do meet we greet one another with respect and move on.

I’ve known Wilson for several years now.  He is tall, very thin and always very happy to see Mama Linda. Today he didn’t have to search for food.  He was given a bag full of hot food …..clean and fresh!

There is a vast difference between the life in town and in the villages.  They are worlds apart.  In the villages I see so many children that are without hope for a better tomorrow because they lack the funds necessary to have an education.  Another problem that we face is that most parents are illiterate and do not see the need for schooling.  This backward life in the hills is hard to change. Intruders are not always welcome but we continue to try to bring life and light to the children.  If we don’t they will suffer.  They will run like so many before them looking for a better life but ending up on the streets.

Today we marked out the property for three new classrooms and the director’s office. We found a carpenter, visited some of his projects and we believe he will do a good job!  As we sat together and discussed our vision the director’s eyes spoke pure joy!  The children would have proper rooms for learning and the office was a just an added gift from heaven :)

Saturday February 13, 2016 In a third world country it takes a long time to get things accomplished. Each and every day is full of challenges and it is necessary just to relax and flow with it.  In time it all has a way of working out.  We started early to get some supplies ordered and delivered to the project sight. We had sand delivered for mixing with cement.  We went through the village looking for bricks for the interior walls. There are different qualities of bricks and we wanted to make sure we got the best ones we could find.  We needed to make sure they were dried and fired properly before buying them.  

Bricks are made uniform by using a mold and placed under a layer of hay to dry. Then they are stacked high, covered with mud and left to dry for three months.  

After three months of drying they are cooked for three days. Wood is placed in three areas at the bottom of the pile and then sealed shut using more bricks. The heat is so intense that the bricks are still holding heat a couple days are the fire goes out.

We checked in two villages looking for bricks that were all dried and cooked.  One place would refer us to another and back and forth we went.  Finally in the midst of banana trees we found just what we were looking for.  The guys dismantled the pile and they were loaded into the tractor. 

The tractor was supposed to make delivery quicker and easier but they forgot to tell us this tractor wouldn’t start unless we pushed it.  Luckily the tractor was on a slight decline and with everyone pushing we were off and running!

Sunday February 14, 2016  Not only do we wake to the Muslim call to prayer but also to the various churches in the area pushing out songs of praise through their loud speaker horns.  Their music is in the distance and echoes through the valley.  The birds also join in with the songs of praise telling everyone that the morning sun has welcomed us to a new day of worship.

The roads are a bit quieter today as work has stopped and people adorned in their best are ready for their church service.  This morning the bike moves right along with the exception of slowing down for a few piles of sand across the road. “Speed Bumps” are usually made by area shops determined to slow people down in order to get more sales and of course they are necessary around schools.  Even in the village we have been surprised by a speed bump or two near a posho mill or a Kiosk made of mud with very little to sell.

We arrived in the village and the big red church doors were open and I could hear the pastor’s voice.  The first service was coming to an end and I was prepared to speak at the second service which was to start soon.  I recognized the faces of people that had been with us since 2012 when we built the church and I was also happy to see new faces.  The members have increased to 40 and out of those 40 we know 6 are HIV +.  The area is in great need in so many ways.  They lack skills, education, medical care and the everyday essentials to make life easier.  

They have kept the church in good condition and it has also been used for a school room for the past three years.  It has seen lots of activity but it remains strong.  When pastors from other areas visit they are amazed and have expressed their desire to have one built just like it!

There are times that I wonder if I’m connecting.  There is the difference in culture, language, and even our sense of humor but today when I hear them laugh I know we are walking together as I speak.  I know they will carry the words within them and they will repeat the message to others throughout the week. 

Our time together was not over until we prayed for the individual needs of the people. Their needs were many and they varied from being as serious as HIV+ to those that had the everyday pains associated with hard labor. Without hesitation they came and we prayed together believing that God is able. 

Wednesday February 17, 2016 The land is breaking open and the vision unfolds before us in a land that screams with pain.  It was evident that “Hell was not happy” (as the Kenyans would say) when we came to Taito and staked out the property for a new church.  It hasn’t been easy and we have faced strong opposition along the way but we have also seen the hand of the Lord working in marvelous ways.

Our posts have been delivered, the bark has been stripped. The end of each post will be rubbed with used fuel and then a chemical to prevent the termites from destroying the wood. 

Then it is place in the ground and cemented in place. 

Manley’s saw makes work much easier and the men are happy to set their two dollar saw aside to try this one out!

Throughout the day we have visits from different ones within the village and when school ends the children return to their homes full of excitement! They are happy for what they see happening here in Taito.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.