A Thankful Heart

September 9, 2011 As we leave the compound and start our upward walk we are not alone. The roads are full of people coming and going. Early in the morning the clouds shelter us from the hot sun that will soon beat rays of heat over Africa. As we pass the garbage bin it seems to be alive. There are five or six men pawing through the garbage. Some are even inside the bin. They are so busy trying to uncover something of value that they don’t know that we are there. We arrive at the corner where we wait for our Matatu. (public transportation van) Most matatus are old and run down, very much in need of repair but if the tires roll they will be kept in service. Squeezing one more in the van seems impossible until they show you it can be done! I can tell you that it is possible to fit five adults in one van seat. I was there and I was one of the five. They try to give you a good ride though, the thud of the music beats throughout the van as you ride along. No one talks because you cannot hear the person next to you. It becomes a time of prayer for me as I see them avoid all traffic jams by riding down the center of the road where there is no lane. Then there are times when the sidewalk seems to be the quicker route. The quicker they get you to your destination the more successful they are. Speed limit signs do not exist. The seat we are in rocks back and forth because it is not attached to the floor, but then again there really isn’t much of a floor to attach it to.

They deliver us to the outskirts of the slums and we begin our walk further into the slums. There are masses of people coming and going. Going where, I’m really not sure. There are so many that are without work. The prices of food have double and crime continues to increase. Someone cut through one of the tin sheets of the church and stole the clock and some benches. I believe they would have taken more except there wasn’t more to take.

It doesn’t take long to feel the heat of the sun. Children are sitting by the road playing, some are trying to reroute the brook of waste beside the road.

The dusty roads, piles of garbage and running waste make a blend of smells that never leaves the area. When the wind blows small pieces of debris hit the face. You never know when a Mama will throw her basin of dirty water out into the path way.

There are many new church buildings made of metal siding in the same area. They are within a stone’s throw of each other. I would like to say that it was a good thing but to many being a pastor is a means to power and the possibility of more money.

We arrive at the church and the children are already outside on their benches. Those that can read are given a New Testament. Their eyes widen and smiles take over their face as they proudly stand and read a scripture to us. While sitting there I noticed the little girls in their new shoes. Every once in awhile they would look down at them and then dust them off.

After speaking at the morning service we walked into a different area of the slums called the Congo. It is an area that is known for more crime and despair. Consalta lives here and she had prepared lunch for us. She put on her best with beans, kale, ugali, cooked bananas, noodles, and some beef pieces. Hours of preparation went into this meal. On the inside it was a time of relaxing and enjoying the company of friends. On the outside there are those caught in the sea of extreme poverty with the belief that they will never be free. Many are using the ground for their bed, it is the closest thing to home that they know.

Throughout the past week we have visited many. Janet is praying for a way to get a home in a different area of the slums. Streams of water flow through her house when it rains. Judy, who will deliver soon, is praying for a healthy baby. The first two were taken C section. She still remembers the pain. Both times the baby died during the operation. Ava is 30 years old with four children. Her husband has left and does not help with feeding the children. She has a job but it is only 4 hours a week. We go to her neighbor. She is HIV positive. Many go home at the end of the day tired and hungry but there isn’t any food. They will visit a neighbor and a friend only to find out they don’t have any food either. A cup of chai/tea has become a meal and some don’t even have that.

A father’s words hit my ears, “My child doesn’t eat faith. She eats bread.”

There are so many needs and so many challenges. There are so many eyes that look my way.

There are visits that uplift as well. Little “Linda Joy” sleeps on the bed as we visit with her mom. Virginia had not been able to carry a baby to full term. Before I left Kenya last year we stopped and prayed with Virginia. She was very fearful as she was having complications with baby that she was carrying. We prayed against the spirit of fear and that joy would fill her and her house. While I was in the states Virginia gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Linda Joy.

As we visit with Rachel she quickly tells us that last year we prayed for her sick son and he was healed. We stand together again and pray but this time we give thanks for what God has done.

There is a time of happiness within the slum school as pencils, charts, erasers, and rulers are passed out. A little girl with a thankful heart holds her pencil tight as she thanks God for it.

Time was set aside Friday afternoon to meet with some of the pastors. We enjoyed our time together as we shared some bread and had coca cola. One pastor said I had been gone so long he thought I was lost! Another gave encouraging words of how he felt good and important because so many would not walk with them in areas such as this.

One pastor told me he was taking a course with an American teacher.
She was thin. She left and the next semester she came back with weight on. He said from behind he wasn't even sure it was her. He was happy to see her again and went to her and greeted her and told her she was fat! He couldn't understand why she got mad at him and wouldn’t talk to him.
He talked with her husband about it and he just laughed. He wanted to know what he did wrong.
As I explained all ears in the room were very attentive. He understands now :) He was trying to give her a compliment. Fat here is saying you are healthy looking.

Psalm 123:3 & 4

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt. We have endured much ridicule from the proud, much contempt from the arrogant.