Today was our second day of VBS and we served and loved on
160 4th grade students today.
We shared the light of Christ through laughter, fun, games, stories, and
songs. The children are learning that
Jesus is the light of the world, and we are introducing them to cultures all
over the world, allowing them to imagine themselves as children living in other
parts of the world. Each classroom is
themed to be a country (India, China, Brazil, USA, Philippines, and England)
and the kids walk into each room with smiles when they see all the fun and
vibrant colored decorations! Our
Brazilian friends joined us for VBS today – and as always they brought a lot of
spirit with them! They had all the
children marching around and singing a Brazilian song through the halls of the
Pangani school – it was quite a sight to see!! The smiles
of the kids are infectious and our team is being filled each day by these
beautiful children.
I had an opportunity yesterday to visit the home of my
sponsored child. Our family has
sponsored Shirleen for 8 years and I’ve been amazingly blessed to have been
able to meet her twice before on prior trips to Kenya. Shirleen’s parents both lived the majority of
her life in the Mathare Valley slums, both haven been born and raised
there. I was overwhelmed with excitement
when I learned that Shirleen and her family no longer live IN the slums, but
instead have upgraded to a very (very) small apartment on the outskirts of the
slums. Shirleen walked me to her new
home to show me where she now lives and I was able to meet her Mother for the
first time. Her mother greeted me and we
sat in her home for a long while and talked.
We shared, laughed, prayed, and cried with one another. After our visit, Shirleen and her Mother
walked me into the slums to show me where they had lived previously. Until just 2 years ago, they had lived in a
tiny tin shanty in the valley. I was
overtaken with emotion as this beautiful, smart, soft spoken, shy, endearing
child walked me through the slums to her previous home, where she was born and
raised until she was 9 years old. I saw
this shack, and just could not imagine Shirleen, or anyone for that matter
living in this place. This precious
child who has lived on my refrigerator for 8 years, whom I have met, loved,
hugged, and prayed for – living in this place.
I pictured my own children living there, and could not keep my tears
from flowing. But, God is so good and he
has provided a way out for this family. Shirleen’s
story is an uncommon one because not many families make it out of the
slums. God is at work, and I was a witness to His
miracle for this family. God has placed
this family in my path for a reason, and while I am not sure all that God has
planned, I am anticipating great things.
This is my third trip to Nairobi and I wasn’t sure if or how
the Mathare valley would impact me this year.
I was surprised when the emotion overtook me, and realized that God is
still working in me and continues to break my heart for this community. When I see poverty this vast and drastic, my
inclination and desire is to “fix” it all.
But, God is gently reminding me that it’s not up to me to be a superstar
and fix it all. Instead He wants me to
be faithful and obedient by doing small things with great love. DO SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE – this is how
God wants me to live.
for the Kenya team -- Debbie Heise
Comments
Post a Comment