Saturday was our opportunity to visit Kibera, visit several
of the Bible clubs, and visit in homes.
It is best to visit in small groups, since each area is so small and
crowded, so we broke up into three groups, each accompanied by one of our
Homecare friends. Robin and I had the
joy of joining Pastor Peter to visit the original Bible club at Salvation Army;
it is the largest ministry site in Kibera, but still not all that large. We arrived after the club was in progress,
led by Kelvin, who had worked with us all week.
Imagine our joy and delight to see the floor covered with children of a
variety of ages (babies crawling on the floor amid elementary age children,
Bibles open, listening and learning………).
I looked at the worn blackboard on the wall; on it was written the Bible
story for the day (friends helping the lame man see Jesus), memory verse……….and
then on the right side, the outline for inductive Bible study that was shared
in the Bible study during the past week!
Imagine children of this age learning how to observe, interpret, and
apply scripture!! And they were DOING
IT!! I had to reflect on how many adults
have not had the opportunity to learn/apply this method of studying the
scriptures for themselves! Proof that
with God, ALL things are possible…..and when we follow Him, He works
incredibly!!
We had the extra treat of witnessing a beautiful wedding
taking place that day at the Salvation Army church. Weddings are probably the best way to enjoy
and appreciate a culture and their customs.
We got to see the large contingency comprising the wedding party: quite a number of beautiful young women
dressed in shades of purple, along with a group of adorable little girls in similar attire, with a
handsome group of men in suits, accompanied by a group of young boys in suits
with the added embellishment of walking canes decorated in purple! Wow….now that was one beautifully adorned
group!!! The whole wedding procedure is
such a joy to watch as various ones of the bridal group arrive in great pomp
and circumstance. We definitely weren’t
dressed for a wedding, but cordially invited to take pictures, listen to the
Salvation Army band perform in prelude to the ceremony, and basically “crash
the wedding.” These are truly community
events, and all are welcome! Another
amazing example of their gracious hospitality.
From there, we moved on to home visits. Mine was bitter/sweet and very personal. One of the young girls we had come to know in
a youth camp several years ago was to be a part of this ministry week with the
youth. I had so looked forward to being
with “Hannah” as I’ll refer to her; she and another amazing young person, Fred,
had sought us out last year after not seeing us for about four years, to urge
us to do something again with the youth.
Needless to say, that pierced our hearts as we recalled these
outstanding young people when they were but 12-13. Even then, “Hannah” was composing amazing songs
(remember, Samantha???), and Fred displayed a brilliant mind. I was so glad to see Fred first thing that
beginning Monday morning, but looked in vain for “Hannah.” After asking about her, I was told a very
sad, but all too familiar story. She
would not be joining in the week……….her drunkard father had basically put Hannah,
her mother and sister out on the streets.
A family had offered for them to live with them, and at some point, Hannah
was abused. Later she discovered that
she was pregnant. Incredulous, she hid
it until she could no longer do so. A
gifted student, all she wanted to do was complete her high school studies; she
is scheduled to sit for her exams for year 11 the first week in Sept. Her baby is due any day now………
I had asked Peter if I could see her; he said she wanted to
see me, and her mother would meet us and take us to the place where they were
staying now after leaving the place where all this had occurred. The minute we walked into the tiny mud/stick
dwelling, I saw her small frame sitting on a cot-like bed. Her face revealed a mix of joy and shame; she
must have had some misgivings about how she would be received in this new
condition, but she need not have worried.
We embraced her fully, showing nothing but love and concern. We assured her that God still loved her
deeply, completely, and He was NOT finished with her story! Regardless of how this baby was conceived, it
was a blessing and gift of the Lord…….and so we began to pray for her, the
baby, their future, the needs of their family, protection and provision, and
for God’s continued miraculous work in and through them. I’m so grateful that her mother is
supportive; she said she will do whatever is necessary to see that Hannah completes
her education, though she can barely provide for the three of them. A continuing story of survival. This story is repeated all too often around
the world, and my heart aches for Hannah and all those walking in her shoes
around the globe. It’s a huge part of
why Tirzah exists! I asked Hannah if she
was still writing songs; “Yes “ she said.
Would she please sing for us?
Shyly, “Yes.” And she
began…..allowing Robin and I to video it on our phones. Such a tender, poignant moment. Amid pain and discouragement, there is a song
of hope still in her heart! How we want
to encourage and invest in such young women!
We left after many hugs, tears, smiles, and assurances that God is good
and IS WITH HER. Bitter/sweet, but so
thankful that we got to love on her even for a short while and hopefully
encourage her to keep on keeping on.
Please pray for her as she awaits the arrival of this baby; she is 16,
scared, wondering what the future holds……….but we continue to trust THE ONE who
holds the future in His hands!
From there we made a stopped for a late lunch and on to the
City Market to take in all the local handicrafts, for which they are well
known, so that our teammates could take a little bit of Kenya home with them –
but the MOST important element of Kenya is that which each of us carry home in
our hearts.
Don't miss the final two posts - click "Older Posts" below to read all about Sunday and Monday!
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