PASSING OUT 'BISCUITS' AND SHARING GOD'S LOVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF KIBERA

Kenya Report- Week 4.5 Thank you all for your continued prayers for my health. I am currently on my second antibiotic and I am suffering from laryngitis, but I hope to be operating at 100% by the time we leave Saturday morning for the Kakamega outreach. The team from the US is due to arrive this evening and we will continue to finalize our planning over the next day. I am responsible for leading the children’s ministry in the village during the daytime workshops. Fun!

 I have made some very special memories here in Kibera with my children at REC. This past week I was able to continue the Global Letter Exchange Program with Class Three, as well as teach reading comprehension lessons in Classes Three, Four, and Five. The reading lessons were based on a story from a children’s literature book and tied in some important truths from Jeremiah 15:16. I will follow up tomorrow with a brown paper bag craft which they will be able to keep to remember our story and to share with their parents (as an evangelistic tool).

CHILD PLAYING IN KIBERA BETWEEN NARANJA AND SOWETO

I have been spending most of my time with Class One and working with the remedial needs of the students in reading and math. I have also been teaching an integrated unit on Clouds for this group including science, reading, art and music. They love to sing, and I hope to record the class as they sing these songs before I depart for the States on July 28^th.

My time spent with these endearing children has been very rewarding- and I will forever remember entering the school compound each morning and hearing hundreds of greetings, “How are you?!” ringing out from the courtyard, from the classrooms as students peer from the windows, and from the second level as classes line the overlook to call out their friendly salutations. Each time I make my way to the latrine (!), I am swarmed by a mass of students who want to shake my hand or to ‘give me a high five”. Without fail, the students always exhibit a joy for school and being in this learning environment- even without so many of the facilities, materials, and luxuries that  we enjoy in the classrooms of my public school in Miami. Let me say that attitude IS everything, and these children all possess the “Gratitude Attitude”!

DAMARIS, RUTHIE, LILIAN, VALERIA AND PASTOR WILLIAM IN KIBERA ON HOME VISITS

The highlight of my week, and possibly my entire trip, was a five hour excursion into six neighborhoods of the Kibera slums. I have passed through and spent some time in the Toi Market area, and in the business areas (small run down kiosks) of Makina, Karanja and Fort Jesus. However, while I was in the classrooms during our Global Letter Exchange Project, many students would list where they lived as “Karanja, Makina, Katwekara” etc. and these were names I did not recognize. I wanted to visit them and spend time conducting home visits among the residents of these Kibera neighborhoods, and I was given this opportunity last Friday.

CROSSING A RICKETY 'BRIDGE' OVER SOME FREE FLOWING SEWAGE IN SOWETO. DAMARIS MADE IT LOOK SO EASY!

I must say that I consider myself a ‘seasoned’ missionary, having been through and conducted ministry within the slums of Calcutta (India), Cairo (Egypt), and Maputo (Mozambique) and Ounaminthe (Haiti). What I observed and experienced last Friday afternoon, however, touched me more deeply than any other site which I have visited in my seven (plus) years of mission ministry. As Pastor William, Laban, Damaris led me from the Toi Market by our school across the road into the Makina market, and past the dilapidated business kiosks on foot, I began to see how expansive the slums of Kibera actually are, and it cannot be compared to any photo that a camera may attempt to capture. I have prepared an album of over 140 photos, and although they will help to keep this memory fresh in my heart and mind, they do not adequately portray the environment in which my students live. The sights of free flowing raw sewage, thousands of children playing in garbage, animals wandering randomly and picking through the rotting food, parents making a home in temporary houses of earth, tin and deteriorating boards, and many other sights which are included in the album, will give you a glimpse into an area of Africa known as the largest slum on the continent.

As I walked through Makina, Karanja, Soweto, Raila, Kisumu Ndogo, and Katwekera I was well received as a mguzu (white lady), especially by the little people to whom I passed out over 150 biscuits (cookies). Yet, before I even passed out the biscuits, I was boldly greeted by every one of them with a “How are you?”! I wanted to take all of them for an ice cream, which was impossible, but the best I could offer was some biscuits, some encouragement, and a bit of conversation about school. So many of them allowed me to take their photo- in fact most of the school age students were more than willing and were the first to ask!

RUTHIE WITH THE LITTLE PEOPLE AT SARA'S DAYCARE. WE PASSED OUT BISCUITS AND HYGIENE KITS FOR THE CHILDREN

During our outing in Kibera, we made five specific home visits where we passed out hygiene kits to the needy families who expressed sincere thanks for our visit. We also prayed in the homes and businesses where we visited. The hygiene kits were made from all of the toiletries gathered from the fancy hotels from our Israel tour! :-) This is a special ‘shout out’ to Bus #1- our team was awesome to donate many unused hygiene items, which were used to make over 100 kits! Also, my dear friend, Christine Randall, graciously donated funds which helped us boost the kits a bit with Crest toothpaste (and enabled us to obtain much of the sports equipment and school supplies for REC) and Baptist Hospital of Miami kindly donated the toothbrushes and cotton swabs! I have given many of the kits to the children at the Springs of Life Children’s Home and we are using the others for gifts during these Kibera home visits.

THIS IS THEIR WATERFRONT PROPERTY

I hope to upload the Kibera photo album from Friday's outing very soon. One challenge I have faced is the cost of the Internet here in Kenya. You have to purchase “bundles’ of MB from Safaricom (like Verizon in the States)-you can buy 1 GB for use with a SIM card and a portable modem. I have spent over $120 since my arrival for these bundles, especially since I am currently taking one of my graduate courses while I am here on mission (which wraps up next Sunday!). If possible, I will try to add as many photos as possible before I leave for the Kakamega outreach this Saturday. I hope to visit a local food court on Friday, where I can access their wireless internet if I purchase chi or kahawa (tea or coffee, and I think a mandazi or samosa would fit perfectly with these for a snack!).

THEY EACH GAVE ME A SMILE BEFORE WE LEFT! TWO MORE FRIENDS IN KIBERA!

Well, it is time to close this current report. My time here in Kenya will soon wrap up, and I am truly sad as I think of it. One truth that comforts me is the fact that we serve a great and a good God- He will definitely reunite us as family in Christ one day, and I can always pray that it will be sooner rather than later!

Many blessings to you- I sincerely thank you for tuning in  and I ask that you lift the Kakamega outreach in your prayers this week (July 17 -23).

His for the nations,

Ruthie ;-)