I can’t really begin to explain the past three days. I don’t know how to update my Facebook status. I don’t know what to email my best friend. I don’t know who to call that will understand. . . So I'll post day by day and let my brain slowly unwind.
Kenyan culture Shock: I like to think of myself as a free spirit who has all the options she has so that she can bless others with them. But guess what? Blessing other people here is HARD. It’s hard to just say, here is a water bottle. Because odds are if they know you have it they’ll ask you for it. It’s totally culturally unacceptable in the US, but here, everyone asks and everyone shares. It’s not easy. It’s not fun. But somehow it’s Christ. Confession: I'm sick of the phrase, "Help me, Please."
But what about those three days I don’t know how to explain?
Friday: God loves you more than the sun and stars THAT HE TAUGHT how to shine. He loves you spoiled person because you are just as broken as the Kenyan who lives on the streets as an orphan with no chance to ever have an education or family. Today I taught my student, Daniel, like I do every other weekday. Daniel is 15 years old and makes me want to ring my neck sometimes and spastically hug him others. He speaks “Kidogo English.” [very, very, very little] It's one of those days when I'm reminded I'm human. When I'm reminded I'm selfish and inpatient and would rather be sitting comfortably at home with my friends. Pray for Daniel. His brain damaged head needs so much more than I can offer and there are thousands of boys just like him. My dream is that a full-blown program can be created to help boys that don’t fit into the Kenyan school system and frankly don’t have any other option. [watch out, I have many dreams.] He’s our ginnie pig. Pray we don’t kill him in the process.
By lunch our great friend, Allison, came and picked us by tuk tuk to go visit her project.
Kenyan Culture Shock: Everyone here is our great friend but Allison really is great. Tuk Tuks are little three wheeled motor cycle-type things. It’s perfectly safe.
Allison is 31 years old and for nine years has worked in the biggest slum in Kisumu, Obunga as a single woman. Crazy? Aye! Perfect.
She started the non-profit Ndoto in the states and came here to implement it. She has always lived either by herself or with Kenyan families. Some days she has wanted to kill herself and others she has gone home crying at the destructive Kenyan ways. But still, she has persevered and finally she is seeing the results. Nine years later, she is seeing the fruit of her labors. Can we get a round of applaus for this incredible woman who stuck it out through the good times and bad? Because let's be honest, few of us would. Her story is book worthy but there is more waiting to happen.
Her project does nothing for free. Nothing. It doesn't matter if they charge 10 shillings ($0.12) to use their incredible library or Sh//3 to make a copy. They find sponsors similar to what one of my favorite ministries, Compassion International, does and then search appropriate schools for these slum children to attend. They do Jesus & Jobs. Currently boys and girls ages 5-30 are positively affected by the educational sponsorship through nursery, primary, secondary and college education they would other-wise not be receiving. Don't forget the discipleship of these precious people to come back and be leaders of their community, church and family. Apart from Allison, Ndogo is Kenyan run, and fabulous.
Kenyan Culture Shock: I never knew education was such a big deal until I got here. If you don't go to primary school, you can't get into secondary school and never university. If you don't have an 8th grade certificate, which is academically hard to achieve, you will rarely have a decent job or do anything other than push a cart, sell things on the side of the road or drive a bike. I'm not exaggerating here. This is normal life. The way some families will live JUST so their children can go to school is un-imaginable. The amount of children who go without education because they can't afford the outrageous school fees is even more atrocious.
What did I learn last Friday? God uses whoever, whenever and wherever HE wants. I can try as hard as I can to get you to sponsor one of my favorite boys in the world through Agape's Kitanda sponsorship project, but God will move your heart, not me. And I would be so excited to hear that you sponsored a slum child through Allison's Ndoto. God uses different ministries in different continents, in different countries, in different regions and on different roads to do different things for the Least of These he tells us to serve every day.
I'll post my Saturday and Sunday very soon, because they are equally as exciting.
Love to All! -Auntie Agape
Kenyan culture Shock: I like to think of myself as a free spirit who has all the options she has so that she can bless others with them. But guess what? Blessing other people here is HARD. It’s hard to just say, here is a water bottle. Because odds are if they know you have it they’ll ask you for it. It’s totally culturally unacceptable in the US, but here, everyone asks and everyone shares. It’s not easy. It’s not fun. But somehow it’s Christ. Confession: I'm sick of the phrase, "Help me, Please."
But what about those three days I don’t know how to explain?
Friday: God loves you more than the sun and stars THAT HE TAUGHT how to shine. He loves you spoiled person because you are just as broken as the Kenyan who lives on the streets as an orphan with no chance to ever have an education or family. Today I taught my student, Daniel, like I do every other weekday. Daniel is 15 years old and makes me want to ring my neck sometimes and spastically hug him others. He speaks “Kidogo English.” [very, very, very little] It's one of those days when I'm reminded I'm human. When I'm reminded I'm selfish and inpatient and would rather be sitting comfortably at home with my friends. Pray for Daniel. His brain damaged head needs so much more than I can offer and there are thousands of boys just like him. My dream is that a full-blown program can be created to help boys that don’t fit into the Kenyan school system and frankly don’t have any other option. [watch out, I have many dreams.] He’s our ginnie pig. Pray we don’t kill him in the process.
By lunch our great friend, Allison, came and picked us by tuk tuk to go visit her project.
Kenyan Culture Shock: Everyone here is our great friend but Allison really is great. Tuk Tuks are little three wheeled motor cycle-type things. It’s perfectly safe.
Allison is 31 years old and for nine years has worked in the biggest slum in Kisumu, Obunga as a single woman. Crazy? Aye! Perfect.
She started the non-profit Ndoto in the states and came here to implement it. She has always lived either by herself or with Kenyan families. Some days she has wanted to kill herself and others she has gone home crying at the destructive Kenyan ways. But still, she has persevered and finally she is seeing the results. Nine years later, she is seeing the fruit of her labors. Can we get a round of applaus for this incredible woman who stuck it out through the good times and bad? Because let's be honest, few of us would. Her story is book worthy but there is more waiting to happen.
Her project does nothing for free. Nothing. It doesn't matter if they charge 10 shillings ($0.12) to use their incredible library or Sh//3 to make a copy. They find sponsors similar to what one of my favorite ministries, Compassion International, does and then search appropriate schools for these slum children to attend. They do Jesus & Jobs. Currently boys and girls ages 5-30 are positively affected by the educational sponsorship through nursery, primary, secondary and college education they would other-wise not be receiving. Don't forget the discipleship of these precious people to come back and be leaders of their community, church and family. Apart from Allison, Ndogo is Kenyan run, and fabulous.
Kenyan Culture Shock: I never knew education was such a big deal until I got here. If you don't go to primary school, you can't get into secondary school and never university. If you don't have an 8th grade certificate, which is academically hard to achieve, you will rarely have a decent job or do anything other than push a cart, sell things on the side of the road or drive a bike. I'm not exaggerating here. This is normal life. The way some families will live JUST so their children can go to school is un-imaginable. The amount of children who go without education because they can't afford the outrageous school fees is even more atrocious.
What did I learn last Friday? God uses whoever, whenever and wherever HE wants. I can try as hard as I can to get you to sponsor one of my favorite boys in the world through Agape's Kitanda sponsorship project, but God will move your heart, not me. And I would be so excited to hear that you sponsored a slum child through Allison's Ndoto. God uses different ministries in different continents, in different countries, in different regions and on different roads to do different things for the Least of These he tells us to serve every day.
I'll post my Saturday and Sunday very soon, because they are equally as exciting.
Love to All! -Auntie Agape
