Always be joyful

Entering the South B slum

Entrance to Kayaba Free Baptist Church

Feeding the community around the church

Pastor Paul's wife and Matt Sekijima sharing a laugh while feeding the community

Singing "Lord I Lift Your Name On High"

Mike Hyodo, Pastor Paul & Trenton praying for the 8 women/girls were born again on Saturday night

From the moment I walked into the Kayaba Free Baptist Church, I felt joy washing over me. Sure, the church is in the South B slum, and you still see the sewage and poor living conditions as in any urban slum. But walk through the door of the church and you feel joy.
Real joy. Real, genuine joy from people who love the Lord and love what the Lord is doing in their church and their community. Joy that flows, not *in spite* of the circumstances, but *because* of the circumstances.

Lighthouse and Kayaba Free Baptist have partnered to help reach the community in South B. Two years ago, their church met in a small area with no walls. Last year, we helped fund the purchase of the adjacent property so that the church could expand - we also provided funds to pour a concrete floor and altar area, and provided a number of chairs. In the past year, their attendance was around 50 people - but now, with the larger building, they've been able to increase to 100-120 people.

And they continue to grow. After Trenton's message yesterday, 8 women and girls declared their faith and became Christians! Praise God! They also have garnered favor with the community - which is so vital to their work and protection. The elder for their section of South B was there for the entire 5 hours we were at the church - so we knew we could count on the safety his presence provided.

They are so thankful to our church - they view us as their parent church. And having worshiped with them, served food to their children and shared with them, I see clearly that we all *are* the Body of Christ, the church. Yes, we are separated by 10000 miles and attend two different churches. We live in different countries and have different economic and social problems. But our common ties is our faith, and our love for Jesus, and our vision of the difference that Jesus can make in our worlds.

Our responsibility is to take this partnership seriously. Pray for them as they work to reach out into South B. Have open hearts and respond to their needs as they arise. Bless them with visitors such as us who can be eyewitnesses of what God is doing in their lives. I know I will also remember their joy - real joy from the Lord - and hope that my life back home can reflect that same joy.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How Did I Get Here?

A fifty something white guy, raised in a small all white farm town in northern California. Marries a Chinese, attends a Japanese church, then flies half way around the world to Africa to worship with my Kenyan brothers and sisters. How did this happen? Only God. My eyes started to get moist thinking about it. Crying, no not me, too mocho for that.

The people at Kayaba Free Baptist are so appreciative of all that Lighthouse has done for them they could not stop thanking us. Their hospitality was overwhelming, especially for people who have so little. Because they have so little I am sure they appreciate what they did have so much more.

The also love and adore Dr. Mike as they call him.

An up date on the well. The drilling rig is in place but they are waiting on the piping before they start drilling.

All for now, Bob

Our Adventures

I have decided to upload a few pictures from our trip to the schools in the slums. I hope you guys enjoy looking at them and seeing our team at work as the pictures take a long time to load.

Trenton talking with some kids outside of the Comido School

Me, Bekah, Dakota, Matt, and Jesse feeding the kids at Comido School

The kids at Comido School watching the VBS skit intently

Josh playing one of the ferocious lions going to eat Daniel

The beautiful little girl that just shows the joy of the Lord

The youths on the Kenyan Mission Team... yes I still think of myself as a youth haha :)

A shop off the main street of the Mukuru Slums

Blake, Nicole, Shawn, Jesse, Renee, and others painting classrooms at Mcedo School

Me helping to paint the classrooms

Behind the Scenes...

Cindy and I had the chance to meet with Pastor James from the Comido School today, to discuss details about the student scholarships and the well project that will be supported by the Lighthouse Advent Conspiracy donations. It was so eye opening to learn the challenges they face in supporting the students and operating the school.

He told us they lose teachers every 3 months, since they can only pay 1/3 of what the government schools do. Their salaries are dependent upon all students paying full tuition, which is never the case. Government funding is available for partial subsidy of books and materials, but the government is not willing to finance teacher’s salaries.

Many students are allowed to continue their studies at Comido, despite the fact they are unable to pay their tuition. He was so thankful to hear that Lighthouse is willing to fund scholarships, since this will benefit not only the students and their families, but the teachers too.

We also heard some amazing news about the water project. Each student has to carry a 5L water jug to school each day, to contribute to the school’s water supply. There is no guarantee the water is clean, and these containers weigh about 10 pounds! Once the well is completed, the students will no longer have to do this, and they are so excited! The school will also be able to generate revenue from this project, which will help to support teacher’s salaries.

Cindy and I were very impressed with Pastor James and the philosophy of the Comido School. They meet with parents of the 350 students monthly, to facilitate communication and involvement in the school. They have also formed a committee, composed of community leaders and parents of the students, to help oversee issues regarding the well. He realizes that without community support, the school and the well project would not succeed. And without the blessing of financial support from so many of our Lighthouse members, these miracles would not be possible.

I just wanted you to know how much your prayers and support have already done to transform this school, the community, and the people who live here. You ARE making a difference, and we have been blessed to see the fruits of God’s work here…

Bwana Asifiwe!
Heather

Suprise My Second Post

Thanks to Nichole for helping figure this thing out.

Things that amaze me.

I am amazed that believers who live in the slums can still exhibit joy in spite of the harsh reality of their world. I am there for a few hours and leave and it is depressing. They live there with little hope of ever leaving and yet I see joy on the faces of believers.

I am amazed that some who manage to get out and get an education choose to come back, live in the slum and work at the school.

I am amazed at the youth on our trip. People say this young generation is spoiled, selfish and materialistic. Not these young people. You should see and hear how their hearts break at the sights, sounds, smells and thought of these people and the conditions they live in. I only pray that it spurs them on to more action.

Funniest thing I heard on Thursday. Josh Chin had just come out of a room where he had been painting for awhile and there was poor ventalation and the fumes were really strong. Josh's comment, " What has two thumbs and a thousand dead brain cells?" Pointing at himself, "This guy!" My comment, "We ll you did not use them when you were in school you might as well leave them here for someone else to use." OK maybe I should not have said that but he laughed. Josh has many good qualities, a sense of humor being among them.

Be ready at the airport parents the team is bringing home 4 jymbays (sp?), a shield and spear. Went to the Village Market as you can tell and I confirmed something I already knew, I am not a good barginer. Erica on the other hand is the Queen of street market shoppers. She passed along some of her secrets to Matt and John.

Oh yes if it has not been metioned already, and it probably has in someone's blog, they should have begun drilling the well on Thursday. After much haggling they finally tried driving the big truck into the slum on Wed only have it get stuck. All sides blamed each other till Mike Hydo stepped in, meeting with all side for 3 hours until every detail was ironed out and all communication was clear. Mike said he had to resort to his father voice a few times. The workers then stayed till 4 am to get the truck unstuck. It is unheard of that anybody works after dark here. Mostly because of safety issues. Have no further update on the well's progress but a well in that community will be HUGE! Mike and Trish are doing amazing thins here and deserve our full support.

Bob Sandefur

Additional pictures from Comido

Here are some additional pictures from the Comido school showing our team in ministry...

The entire team!

Worship @ Comido school

Trenton demonstrating his soccer skills with the kids @ Comido

Renee helping the students with our salvation bracelet craft

Trenton praying for those who responded to the invitation

Our drama team performing a skit

Mathare....."Break my heart for what breaks yours" (Hosanna)

There have been many blogs from our team describing the impact of our visit to the Mathare slum. We have included a pictorial in hopes that it might show more clearly the conditions in the slums. It still cannot replicate the foul aroma, or the feeling of walking through the slum, but hopefully you might get a glimpse of the heartbreak that we felt......

It was very emotional processing the experience today. Please pray for the many people living in these very challenging conditions and please continue to pray for our team as God continues to open our eyes and hearts.....

1 John 3:16-18

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but actions and in truth.

Love in Christ, Dan & Cindy

Heartbreak and Hope (Mathare, continued)

I feel like our days in the slums are roller coaster rides of “up and down” emotions. I can be so devastated at the living conditions and apparent hopelessness of the people in Mathare, but then so quickly be so joyful worshipping with the children there. It’s a confusing experience… :P Today I found it difficult to return to Mathare. We returned to finish our painting project of a few classrooms and to organize the school library (to which Lighthouse donated many books!) I was part of the library team, and we sorted through shelves and shelves of books to separate based on the age groups and subjects. It was kind of cool to be part of that project, because I kind of felt like we'd seen it come full circle (from being involved in the collecting of books at Lighthouse to organizing those same books on Mcedo's shelves) as such a cool example of the partnership between Lighthouse and Kenyan schools like Comido and Mcedo. (I even found a Berenstain Bears book that had belonged to my sister and me :) I am just reminded of how big our God is that he could bring his children on opposite sides of the world together through anything, even childrens books! :)

We never returned to any slum for a second day last year, and there was something about recognizing the same kids from the day before that was difficult for me. I think some part of me was somehow saddened by the thought, “oh, you’re still here.” Like it truly was sinking in that this really was these kids’ lives… they spent the night in this slum while I spent the night at my guesthouse. And they woke up in this slum just like they do every morning… It just seemed more… hopeless, I guess. As soon as we got out of the bus, I saw Michelle and rushed over to her. She smiled as I came up and I hoped that she remembered me. We didn’t have much of a conversation. The only words I ever heard and understood from her were a shy, sweet “I’m fine, thank you” when I would ask “how are you?” But I just felt such a pull towards her… like I wanted to stay there, kneeling next to her, even if we had no words to exchange. She was wearing the same dirty purple jumper-type-outfit as the day before, and the zipper was broken. I watched as she carefully zipped and unzipped the zipper over and over, only for it to split apart as soon as she would try to zip it up. For some reason, this sight just made me so sad, which sounds kind of strange, even to me… I started crying just kneeling there beside her, and she just sort of looked at me curiously, as the tears rolled down my face.. There was just something so heartbreaking about seeing this innocent, little girl with her broken purple jumper standing in such a tragic setting. Sigh. Something that was encouraging to see, though, was how much she opened up to us over the short time we were there. She went from the girl crying on the outskirts to the girl shyly peering into the church during our concert to the girl grinning and sticking out her tongue for my camera :) By the end, her personality was shining through...

Last night during our team debriefing, I sort of had a breakdown about the more heartbreaking aspects of our days in the slums. While everyone was sharing their experiences from the day, I just started getting really… upset and sad and disgusted and discouraged and overwhelmed and angry at …what we had seen. I just sat there crying, even after the meeting was over. The thought that kept running through my head throughout our time in Mathare was “This is not okay. This is not okay. This is not okay.” It’s just… unfathomable that so much of the world lives this way and that so much of the world’s wealth and resources aren’t being used to fix it. I know that that’s a bit of a… huge, sweeping statement… but I guess I just got pretty angry thinking about going back home to a lifestyle that includes thinking nothing of blowing $25 on dinner and a movie that could be feeding 300+ kids their only meal of the day. The injustice of it all is pretty sickening. I know this is not how God intends for the world to be.

It’s easy for me to get overwhelmed by the hugeness of the problem of poverty and to get buried beneath the thought that nothing I could do could ever be “enough.” I think that God wants us to be deeply affected by poverty and injustice… because fighting against these things is on his heart and he calls for them to be on ours as well… However, I don’t think that what God wants is for me to be so discouraged by the expanse of the problems that I fall into helplessness and hopelessness. My hope and strength are in Christ, and He is who I need to be relying and calling upon when I don’t know what to do with what I’m feeling or seeing. I’ve been thinking about the fact that I already saw all of these slums last year and I feel so guilty that my life has not reflected more change in the past year. So I guess the challenge is figuring out HOW God is calling me to respond to the things I’m seeing. I don’t want to contribute to the problems by sitting around in ignorance, laziness, or apathy. I want to be part of the solution. If I stay overwhelmed by the vastness of the problem, I could miss the chance to just spend time with someone like Michelle.. and as small as it may seem, maybe that’s exactly what God was calling me to do today.

Mathare Catch-Up #1

Today was Mathare, which was tough. We went into the day knowing that Mathare would be a more difficult day—a “less nice” slum than Kwa-Njenga. Last year, one of the first things I saw when we got out of the bus at Mathare was a crying baby. Daniel and I walked over to comfort him and I think I picked him up and he eventually stopped. Interestingly, today I had a similar experience. As soon as we got out of the bus, we noticed a little girl crying, and Matt, Dakota, and I all speed-walked over to her. (Which I thought could potentially be a scary sight, rather than a comforting one…) I knelt down and kind of gave her a hug, and she stopped crying right away. But I was still sad to leave her when we had to start our tour of the school and slum. It was kind of a somber beginning to the day…

During our walk through the slum, I sometimes didn’t pay that much attention to my surroundings, because I was just focused on trying not to fall into the streams of sewage. I think I didn’t completely let everything I was seeing sink in, because I didn’t feel like I could completely process it while still focusing on just not slipping and falling and staying together with the rest of the group. The living conditions were noticeably a lot worse, though. It’s hard just walking through the slum, jumping over “streams” and squeezing through narrow alleys under hanging laundry. We got to visit a few homes, as well, including the home of the woman who cooks for the Mcedo school. Just being in the tiny, dark space that is home to family with 6 kids (I believe) was hard to take in. I can’t imagine calling that cramped room my home. I felt so disgustingly spoiled when thinking about my own standards of living and how often I take them for granted… It also always blows my mind to see how welcoming and thankful the mothers are who invite us into their homes. They seem to feel so blessed to have visitors, but when I see their living conditions… I’m amazed they could keep such a positive spirit. Oh, also, the first words out of the woman's mouth when she was told to introduce herself to us were, "Hello," her name, and "I am saved." I thought that was pretty cool.

Eventually (after the painting project), we went back to the church to play our worship concert and for Trenton to give his message. I entered into the church room through a side door that only opened slightly, squeezing past a little girl who was standing in the alley peering into the church. When I got inside and looked back out at her, I realized she was the same girl who had been crying when our bus first arrived. Dakota and I went over to her and asked her her name, but we couldn’t understand her quiet answer, spoken through her hands in her mouth. The girl stood in the doorway for some of the concert, just watching, and I would periodically smile over at her during the songs. When she wasn’t there after the concert, I looked for her in the crowds of kids. Later, her older sister told us her name was Michelle, and that she had gone back home. She wasn’t one of the school children, just a child who lived in Mathare. But Michelle stayed on my mind, like she had some little piece of my heart… oh, how cliché-sounding..

Anyway, the church room where we played our worship songs was hotttt and crowded with hundreds of kids. But Matt rallied them up in the time of worship and led us in teaching them the motions to Every Move I Make and I Am Free, and the kids really embraced the songs. Once again, that was so cool to see. How awesome is it that we can worship with children in Africa… who speak a different language, live a drastically different lifestyle, and live thousands of miles away, yet worship the same God. :) Our God is so …big. “And that is special, wowww. “ (Attempted Mcedo schoolkids reference… :P)

Worship Leading Anxiety (Kwa-Njenga Catch-up)

Yikes, I have fallen quite behind on blogging… and haven’t really posted anything since we started visiting the slums.. So here’s some catching up, starting from two days ago…

Well today was our first slum visit to Mukuru Kwa-Njenga. There we visited the Comido school where we led worship, performed the drama, and heard a message by Trenton. I was looking forward to our Kwa-Njenga day, because it definitely one of my favorite days of last year’s trip. I loved walking through the slum with all of the excited kids :) Buutt last night I started getting not so excited for today, because Matt and I decided I would lead worship at today’s “concert.” Having to be the actual leader of some of our worship concerts on this trip has been stressing me out for… months. And even though I didn’t expect anything truly disastrous to happen, I got really anxious about having to step out as a leader today. So, I was not in the happiest mood last night or this morning, in preparation for today’s concert. During my anti-social spell on the bus ride to Kwa-Njenga this morning, I prayed that I would be able to get through the set with the right focus. I think I already knew that the Kenyans wouldn’t judge my mistakes in my playing or singing.. which led me to realize that the anxiety I had about leading was really pretty selfish, because all I really feared was the loss of my own comfort. And that alone isn’t very… God-reliant-…like. :P So I prayed that God would help me to focus on why I was doing what I was doing. And strangely enough, as the time for the concert approached, I got less and less nervous. By the time our [worship] team was up there, I didn’t even really remember what there was to be nervous about anymore. Kinda cool. Lately I’ve been struggling with the question of whether I’m called to lead worship. Like, does the fact that I love music and feel called to be involved in worship ministry mean that I need to work on becoming more of a leader? And some wise people I know asked me how I felt after I led. Basically…did I feel the joy of being exactly where God wanted me to be? That’s something I’m still trying to…figure out, I guess. But looking out into the crowd of 300 Comido School students, I felt pretty joyful. Today I felt blessed to be able to lead worship for a room full of Kenyan kids jumping up and down, singing (shouting?) “I AM FREE.” It’s like none of my less-than-perfect singing or playing mattered, because God showed that he could work anyway. He took away my self-consciousness and feelings of inadequacy enough for me to be able to get through the songs… and by his grace, the time was worshipful and such a blessing for us on the team who were leading it :) I sometimes feel like we’re losing the attention of the kids when we play less upbeat songs without motions. Even though they have songbooks with the words, it’s hard to catch on to new songs in a second language the first time you’re hearing them. So it was especially touching to see kids singing the words to Mighty to Save while we were playing. Our God is mighty to save... in America and in Kenya and anywhere else :) I was just so encouraged to hear them singing along to some of the same worship songs we sing back at Lighthouse. It really does bring us all together as one body of Christ, a family under one God... :)

When Kristine met Ellen

Mcedo School, Mathare

Today we drove into Mathare, and surprisingly it was not as scary as I had dreaded it would be. There were a lot more kids than there were last year because they were still in school this year, and the atmosphere just seemed more friendly. We were told not to take pictures in dangerous places, especially by the river, because illegal brewing occurs all along the banks. Last year they threw rocks at our bus when they saw us taking pictures, and that sank the mood of our group for the rest of the day. But God set a different mood for our team today. Almost immediately after we got off our bus, Dakota and I were drawn to a cute little girl named Ellen. She was so beautiful and just a little bit shy, but throughout the day I found her four or five more times because we were always looking for each other. Unfortunately Dakota and I had to let Ellen go the first time when Pastor Benedict was going to take us on a tour though the streets (if you can call them that?) of Mathare.

Sadly, the living conditions of Mathare are much worse than Mukuru Kwa Njenga, which was bad already. The streets were just wide enough to fit one person, sometimes maybe two, and most of the time we were straddling a dirty stream that is basically the sewage system for all the people living there. While walking through Mathare, we had a chance to visit three homes. They were all very small, hot, and dark. These people’s houses were smaller than my bathroom, and one of them housed a family of six. These dark and cramped spaces are people’s homes, and it is so sad to know that these people are stuck there and must go back each day to live in those conditions with no hope of social movement or a brighter future.

Eventually we returned to Mcedo school to paint a few of their classrooms and later to perform a worship concert/share a message. We had no electricity so we did our concert unplugged. I feel horrible for saying this, but I was secretly glad because I forgot to bring my microphone and I was too embarrassed to tell anyone. But the concert went very well. The students especially loved “I Am Free” and we sang it like, three times and by the last time they knew the words and all the hand motions. The students there were very inspiring to me. Pastor Benedict is truly a man of God, and His devotion to Him is reflected in the students’ display of confidence in Christ. The older ones especially paid close attention to Trenton’s message and they were intrigued by the sharing of God’s word. True to my promise to God, I overcame that silly and irrational fear of speaking to kids my own age and I reached out to the older students after the message. I was still scared and I had to swallow a lot of my fear and pride to do so, but it made me happy that I did and I think that it made the older students happy to be spoken to like adults instead of simply being greeted with the smiles and waves that little children customarily receive.

And since I am behind on my blogs…. Let’s pretend it’s the next day, Friday. Yay!

We returned to the Mcedo school to finish painting the classrooms and organize the library that Lighthouse helped build. I was actually very glad to return. Last year I remember being disappointed that we never got to return to any of the places we visited because then those relationships that we had begun to build were limited. Dakota and I were reunited with Ellen, who again sought us out. I’m pretty sure she is the cutest person I have ever met and I wish I could take her home with me.

ADD moment #2 because I don’t want to forget this: this morning during devotions Pastor Mike shared a personal story from his life that really challenged me. He talked about how one day he was evangelizing on the streets of Seattle to the homeless, and how the experienced evangelist he was with told him that he was a natural. Pastor Mike asked why, and the evangelist told him that most people who went with him would talk to the people on the streets while standing, but Pastor Mike would sit next to the people and talk to them on their level. Jesus did the same during his time on Earth, preaching to the sick because they are the ones most in need of healing.

As we were about to leave Mcedo, two teachers pulled me aside and asked me to teach them how to use my camera. One of them was named Frances, and the other was a teacher who actually attended Mcedo school, scored high enough on the 8^th grade exam to attend high school, and came back as a volunteer teacher to Mcedo. She cannot teach for pay, however, because she does not have a teaching certificate since acquiring one requires one to attend college, which in turn requires one to have money. God willing, I think that some of us would like to sponsor her to attend college to return to Mcedo school to teach officially.

Pastor Benedict told us about a need of one of the families that live near the Mcedo school. The father died of AIDS, and the mother was bedridden, trying to support her six children. Most of the kids are being sponsored by people all over the world to attend school, and one of the boys is apparently very smart. He has been to a few schools now, and in each and every school he has been to, he has been the number one student in his grade. Pastor Benedict has high hopes for him, but his family was short on food for the week so he asked if we could buy his family food for a week. For one kilogram of maize, which would feed his entire family, it would only cost us 1000 schillings, which is only $14 or $15.

It’s crazy to learn more and become more aware of the lives of the people who share the earth with us, and to see how different our lifestyles are. But our God is the same God everywhere on earth and He loves us all despite how often we break His heart. I think it gets overwhelming for every one of us, because it is so easy to just feel a sense of hopelessness and uselessness when we see the extent of poverty that has overcome our world, and at the same time it seems like the solution is to throw our resources at the needy and believe that it is enough to solve a problem through wealth. But that is not the case. I do not know what the solution is, but I do know that it starts and ends with God's love, and all we can do now is follow Jesus and fulfill his wishes for our lives in expectation of the life that is promised to come for those who trust and believe in Him.

Love,

Kristine

Hit the ground running...

Hey everyone

I made it to Nairobi at 6:30 am Thursday morning. Bwana Asifiwe! Other than some lost luggage, everything went great! God is so amazing! I prayed for a few things, but God gave me so much more…
• I got an expedited passport in 8 hours, at the regular expedited rate!
• I got the soonest possible flight to Nairobi, for just the normal change fee!
• My flight connections were all on time, and I didn’t experience any travel delays
• I got some sleep on the plane, and arrived in Nairobi feeling great!
• I was able to “hit the ground running” yesterday, and join the rest of the team :)

Thank you all for your prayers and support! I feel like it wasn’t just me that stepped of that plane in Nairobi yesterday, but a huge group of friends, family and supporters came with me! As many of you told me, God must have a purpose for me here in Kenya, since He’s definitely demonstrated His faithfulness and mercy in getting me here. I’m so excited to be a part of this team, and look forward to sharing more “God sightings” with you soon!

Mungu aku bariki!
Heather

P.S. I gave hugs to Beka, Dakota, Matt, Nicole and Jesse as instructed. That was the fun part :)

His Name Is Brian

Poverty spoke and hunger had a name. As you walk through sewage entering the slum, you come to the realization that you are not home. Not any home you have ever known, but it is home. Home to over 700,000 people and growing. And home is not like anything most of us have ever seen. Home is a tiny room, walls made of rusted corrugated metal do little to keep in the heat or keep out the rain and overflowing sewage. There is no furniture in this home, only a rug or towel if you are blessed enough to have these things. I watched kids playing with trash they picked out of a pile and running throughout the streets.

At the school, we realized these kids survive on one meal a day, when they are not rationing(which they are currently) . I wondered if they have enough energy to concentrate on their studies. They stay late most days to get extra help to pass the eighth grade exam to be accepted to high school. Accepted? Some even stay in at lunch and come in during their vacation to better prepare themselves. They walk proudly in their uniforms- dirty, tattered, ill-fitting as they are.
These are the blessed ones, the ones that are able to afford school. But what about the rest of them? They stand just outside the gate of the school looking in at all the commotion. Who decides who should have opportunity and who should not?

But we trust not what is seen, but what is unseen. My heart breaks for the things my eyes see, and I realize that I will see these things for but a moment, God sees these tragedies at all times. I will trust in the sovereignty of the Lord.

In Him,
Erika

Hope for the Hopeless

It's hard to describe in words how walking through a slum has been for me. I've been filled with so many mixed emotions it has been hard to even decipher what I'm feeling. Waves of putrid smells bombarded my nose as we walked along the sewer lines, which run alongside the streets. There, the plastic garbage, human waste, and rotting food mixed together into a soupy breeding ground for disease. We walked through when it was mostly dry, and I can't even imagine what happens when the rain and sewage would overflow and seep into their homes. I'm flabbergasted with the realization that millions of people walk around in their waste and live crammed in their dark rooms. Movies and tv commercials cannot accurately portray just how sad the living conditions are. It's just something that doesn't strike you unless you're here, since statistics turn into faces and the abstract concept of poverty comes alive when you actually smell the sewage and see the sickness first hand.

Many of them are lucky to get one bowl of food a day, whereas even when I'm visiting Kenya, I eat more in one day than they eat in a week, and the food I eat is probably better than anything that they'll ever get to try. I feel guilty living in such luxury, even in Kenya. Here, I eat better and stay in a nicer hotel than what I eat or where I stay back home. It's a lot easier to visit slums when we're only there for a few hours, and then we can go back to our comfortable beds and eggs, sausage, and pancakes.

What also strikes me is that no matter how bad things get at home, my circumstances will still not even compare to what these people go through. I was amazed at just how joyful the kids were at the Comido and Mcedo schools. Almost all of them would run out yelling "how are you?!?!" with the largest grins on their faces. The mobbed us like celebrities since we had cameras and their faces beamed with ecstacy when they got to pose for a picture and see themselves on the screen. As I was overwhelmed by the deluge of little kids, I couldn't believe how excited they were to reach out and touch my hand. Now I know what it must feel like for Justin Bieber to be swarmed by tweens when he goes on tour.

What I also noticed is that the kids have refuges from their dire circumstances. When I see them singing, dancing, kicking a plastic ball around, laughing with friends, or even reaching out for a high five, I can't even tell that these kids may be starving, sick, orphaned, or going through other hard times. All I see are fellow human beings enjoying life to the fullest, and seeing their joy has empowered me to continue to work on choosing to be joyful in all circumstances.

At the Mcedo school, one image that remains ingrained in my mind is one where the kids were lined up playing tetherball with a plastic ball around a wooden pole. This brought me back to my elementary school days, where my friends and I could have fun during recess using practically anything. We could keep ourselves entertained just with a ball too, and that really hit home for me seeing the similar ingenuity in kids halfway around the world. What breaks my heart is seeing how all of us are human, but I was just fortunate that I was placed in one of the safest, richest communities in the whole world. I could have just as easily ended up in the slums, broken, abandoned, and starving, but instead I was blessed with an ebullience of material wealth and a place where Christianity is readily accepted.

You can tell that as the kids get older, that spark of innocence slowly fades as they lose their hope for a better life and wake up to the realization that their situation probably won't improve. I feel so blessed to have so many opportunities in the United States, and I can't imagine what it must be like to be trapped in the slums, knowing that the chance of escaping to a better life dwindles as time goes on. I think that the hopelessness contributes to the high crime rate and their anger and resentment, so I am really glad that we can aid these organizations here to provide them the hope of eternal life in Heaven through Jesus Christ. I can more fully grasp now how Jesus said that it is harder for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to Heaven. It is a lot harder to praise God when you are starving or your parents have been infected with HIV, and I can see why God has such a heart for the poor. Even though we can't really tell just how much of an impact we are having, only God knows, and that has taught me to be dependent on him and trust that He will continue to work in their hearts once we leave.

Hakuna Matata

My life up until now has significantly been about control. I'm definitely not a fan of winging anything and feeling unprepared usually elicits lots of nerves and stress. However, over these past few months, I have felt God steadily showing me that He is in control, and that my self-reliance has resulted in me trying to be my own savior. What stuck with me from Mt. Hermon was that our only comfort comes from knowing that God is ultimately in control of our lives and that He wants the best for us.

During this trip, there have been many stressful times from flight delays to worship equipment malfunctions to team miscommunication. Through these setbacks, God has shown me that these unfortunate events are out of my control and that He has a plan for us all. Even if his master plan doesn't coincide with how I ideally wanted things to go, I have felt comforted with the realization that this trip is about God using us to show His love to people in Kenya, and that no matter how many bumps we hit along the way, everything happens for a reason and God can use these moments as teaching tools. He can use these trials to prune us so that we emerge stronger than before.

Life isn't about getting through unscathed, it's about living boldly and intentionally for God. Undoubtedly more things will go "wrong" on this trip, but I am comforted to know that God is here with us, wants the best for us, and won't give us more than we can handle. Although there will be times where it will be hard for us to be joyful, I am excited to see what else God has in store for us and how He can use us to be a blessing to the Kenyan people.

The way that much of the world lives

You never know what it's like until you're there. You hear the term "urban slum", but in our comfortable, Western world, they're just two words. Occasionally, you'll hear about problems - uprisings, violence, despair, addiction, sickness, disease, death - but it's just a news item or a report from someone in a faraway land. It's different up close.

Experiencing a small part of the Mathare slum has had a significant impact on many of us on the Kenya team. Even though we spent less than an hour walking through a small portion of Mathare - the second largest slum in Nairobi - it has evoked a variety of emotions in me. Anger, frustration, sadness, and yes, hope.

Exterior of a house in Mathare

Life outside the house

It's hard to think about what it's like to grow up and live in the slum. Your dwelling is made of corrugated metal, stones, wood, mud, and anything else available. You might not have a door - only a piece of cloth separating you and your family from the outside. If you're lucky, you have something like linoleum or a rug to put over the dirt floor. Your dwelling sits side by side with countless others - a mass of humanity living in very small, dense spaces.

Walking along the paths between houses

Outside your door is a path, and in the middle of the path is a trench, sometimes flowing, sometimes stagnant, with raw sewage mixed with garbage. Your children, chickens, dogs all share this space - playing, cooking, washing - living. Down by the nearby river are the distilleries where people brew illegal moonshine - that addicting concotion that can blind and kill. Drunks wander the paths - the one we encountered spoke some english, but was clearly still under the influence.

Children welcoming the mzungus to their world

As you walk along the paths, you hear sounds: crying children, people selling fruit and corn, a dialogue from a movie in Mandarin and Swahili. You hear and see kids - coughing, sniffling - apparently happy at times - running to see the mzungu who have come to experience their world. Some smile, say the only English they know - "How are YOU!" - while others just stare.

A child in Mathare

My frustration builds as I think "No one should have to live like this. We have solutions!" Plumbing, sewage treatment, fresh water, medicine and drugs - these alone are sufficient to make their lives better! But that ignores the political, economic and spiritual issues that need to be addressed.

The Mcedo Beijing School

Luckily, there are pockets of hope. Many organizations provide relief supplies. The school and church we visited, Mcedo Beijing School and Grace Community Church, are committed to providing education, meals and hope to hundreds of children in Mathare. Many of their staff grew up in Mathare and have decided to return to Mathare to build their community and make it a better place. Some choose to continue to live in Mathare and serve at the school.

Pastor Benedict of the Mcedo School


Pastor Benedict and Trenton Yenokida talk with a Mcedo graduate who is now enrolled in a High School

Our contributions to the Mcedo School seem small - we're painting 4 classrooms, reorganizing a library that our church and other churches helped supply with books, and leading a worship service in their church. But as important as the acts of service are - we all see how important it is to see and understand with our own eyes, ears and noses what life is like in Mathare. It's important for us to partner with them - as Christians, as fellow brothers and sisters - to help them change their world for the better.

One of their staff members mentioned to a team member when we departed "Don't forget us". I don't think there's any way any of us can - and we will not forget you.

Amazing People

Wednesday, July 28^th

This Wednesday I experienced something I am still not able to truly comprehend and take in. The Kenyan Team went to Comido School in the Mukuru Kwa Njenga slum where Pastor James Kariuki runs the school. The school has children ranging from 1^st grade to 8^th grade and the kids were amazing to be with.

We started our day off early as we needed to make our way to the slums which was a good two hour drive with traffic from where we are staying. On our way there the sides of the streets were littered with shops selling anything from produce and pictures, to couches and bed frames. I have to admit that from the bus many of these products looked really nice. We could see them making many of these things right there on the side of the street. We continued down this street which looked run down with broken buildings on each side and people walking everywhere. At that moment we pulled into the drive way of a nicer building at the entrance of the slums. I hear Trenton tell us that we have to walk to rest of the way through the slums to the school. At that moment I wasn’t sure how I felt because I had a completely different picture in my mind of what we would be walking through. There were so many people walking around and the living conditions of the slums were unbelievable.

As we started our way to the entrance I think I had a small sense of fear entering the slums but I knew I couldn’t let that show as many of the younger people on our team wanted me to “protect” them if something happen. I was definitely keeping a close eye on the girls in our group as we have had trouble with men trying to get close to them in the past. As we continued our way to the school all I could do was look around the slum in amazement and a broken heart as I saw the way people were living. It really hit home when I saw a little girl that was about the same age as my niece Samantha living in the slums. Her clothing was ripped and dirty; she was just sitting on the ground which was covered with trash. I looked into her eyes and could see such a resemblance to the life, innocence, and character of my niece. It truly broke my heart to see this beautiful child in such a way.

The poverty of the slums is something you would really have to experience firsthand. I don’t think I could ever explain it in words or through pictures. All I know is that something has to change in this world and I had no idea that MILLIONS of people are living in these conditions. It is so easy to be sheltered from the reality of this world with the way we live in America. There is nothing I can use to compare to this back home, but my heart and prayers go out to these people. Not only do I hope that all of them find a better life, but I pray that God may work through their communities and that they may find and hear about His love.

We came to Comido School after about a 40min walk into the slums. When meeting Pastor James, all you could do is have compassion and love for the heart he has and the ministry he has started at the school. We had many children surrounding us and they loved to have their picture taken. It was so much fun to see their faces light up with joy as we would show them their picture on our cameras. After the excitement of finally getting to the school and taking our initial pictures we started to prepare for our day at the school.

We started to set up in the church sanctuary / large classroom at the school. We brought in all of our equipment that was needed for the day and got the sound system ready to go for worship. At this time all of the kids started to come into the building with excitement to see their visitors. Every square inch of the building was packed with children and it was such a great experience to be there with them.

Right before anything started I had to use the bathroom which everyone tries to avoid when we go to the slums. It was a great experience which I think everyone should try at least once. The smell of the bathrooms is definitely something that could take you by surprise if you weren’t ready for it and the bathroom is just a hole in the ground. It wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be but it was a good experience to have and really allowed me to get an idea of what the people of the slums live with everyday.

Once I got back to the gathering in the sanctuary, the students of the school started to get on stage and performed for us as their guests. We had each grade 8^th-5^th perform for us which included things such as dance and singing, poems, and even a skit; the children were so talented. It was funny because at the beginning of each performance someone would say, “Please sit back, relax and enjoy the show”… and let me tell you, that is exactly what I did :)

At this time we started our worship service for the people of the school. As we started our first song we were teaching everyone the hand motions that went along with it. It was such a sight to see the whole group of kids doing the motions as we played the songs. However, we ran into some problems because our speakers stated to smoke and burn up for one reason or another. It was ok though, and for the next two songs we played acoustic style and all participated in the motions. We were able to us a different speaker which they happen to have at the school and the rest of the worship service went very well. We had a couple of our youths share between our songs and they did such a great job expressing God’s love and His stewarding of our lives.

After our worship service was over it was time for lunch. A few of the youth and I decided to go and serve the children their lunch while the other half of our team started to set up for our VBS presentation that would happen after lunch. Feeding the children of the school was amazing and it moved my heart as each child would come up and said thank you as we handed out bowls of corn and beans. I decided to take my chances and took a bowl of their food for my lunch. The corn and beans was actually really good and I was nomming that stuff down haha. That was one of my favorite experience because it just gives me a small small glimpse of what their everyday lives are like and the food they eat.

After lunch we started the VBS section and put on a skit of Daniel and the lion’s den. The kids loved it and you could see the joy in their faces as the skit progressed. They loved the lions or simba as they called them when they started to make their way through the audience to the stage. It was a true joy to watch. After the skit was over we went and made salvation bracelets together and the kids loved having something to take with them.

Once VBS was over we did our skit for the older kids which represents our old lives being controlled by Satan and sin and the freedom we find in giving our lives to God and allowing Him to work through us following His will. The kids cheered when the Devil was defeated by God and I loved the feeling which came over me when that happened; it gave me goose bumps.

Once the skit was over Trenton got up to give his message and many of the kids were listening intently. Trenton did an alter call which many of the kids responded to. I am not sure how many of them that came to front actual knew what they were accepting and coming to Christ, but it was still an amazing moment to be a part of. Praying for all of the children and hoping that God would work through their lives allowing them to know the Lord, was all that was going through my mind at the moment. I know we made a difference if even one of those many children that came to the font of the sanctuary accepted the Lord that day.

After they sermon the worship team, I was playing the bass, played a few songs and the kids where having such a great time. You can see their passion for music and dance through their participation and emotions. Once this was finished, we took a tour of the school and got to see the many workings of their ministry there.

The day had come to an end and we were ready to head out of the slums. Walking out of the slums was a lot more crowded than previously walking in, but I felt at peace and a sense of comfort. My original fear which I felt walking in had changed to compassion and a desire to help the people of the Kenyan slums. We got back to the Heart Lodge for dinner and devotions, and that was the end of our beautiful day.

I remember talking to my Aunt Karen who has visited places of poverty much like the slums found in Kenya. She told me that when she first returns to her home in America, she really struggles with people and their ignorance to the reality of this world and what people are truly going through. Though I understood what she was trying to tell me and I could kind of see what she was saying, it wasn’t until today that I truly understood. I feel like when I return home I will be frustrated not only with myself and how I am living, but with the people I will try to describe this trip to. There is no way to explain or put in words the brokenness I have seen and the emotions which I have felt. I feel like there is no one in this world that should be living in these conditions and I can only imagine how God feels when He sees the people He loves living like this. I pray that God will change the world and allow all of us to have a heart that is broken for what His heart is broken for.

What I found amazing about these people, is that despite these living conditions and the poverty that they face, many of them are filled joy and are continuously smiling. Many of the people and especially the children are full of love and you can see that they just want to be with people. It makes me really put my life in perspective and realize how small and pity my problems and often poor emotions really are.

These people truly are amazing people and I pray that God shall lift them up and grow throughout their communities allowing them to see His love and compassion.

I will try to post a blog full of pictures tonight and share with you all what I have seen.

Undescribable

Going to the slums and visiting both Comido and Mcedo schools was truely heart wrenching and amazing. I saw so much love in the kids even though they had little to nothing. They would get so excited and happy from saying "How are you?" and they would run around giggling to their friends. To think they would recieve so much happiness from that is amazing. I don't think I have ever seen so much love while i was in America from little kids. Walking through the slums was a whole other experience. It is so hard to describe in words (probably because I have a bad vocabulary and can't write goodly) but it is an experience that one would have to go through in order to understand. The slums were full of garbage and the air smelled like sewege everywhere we went. Rivers of pee and sewege flowed next to every house and everywhere you waked the river was next to you. I visited one of the houses of a mom who's children went to Mcedo school. Her home was the size of a bed and she housed both herself and her children. To think that they sleep there while rain pours onto their heads and their floor fills with mud breaks my heart. Yet, the kids remain joyful and the only explanation I can think of is the love of Jesus Christ. God is so present within the children and I feel so happy for their joy yet so heart broken for their circumstance. I hate to think of my life at home and I just wish that the things I have seen never existed. Sin is at fault and has ruined this world. I truely hate sin and hate that I continue to sin. Thank you for your prayers and please continue! Ill try to post more often love, Brendon

You have probably read accounts already of our trip over but here is some of my personal experiences. 36 hour flight, 4 hours of sleep, a whirl wind tour of London mostly the tube, two flight delays and yet all 18 of us and 37 pieces of luggage arrived safely.

Had a soft landing in that for the first two days in that we went orphanages and played with cute litle children livingin poor but for Kenya reasonable conditions. The last two days we visited slum schools, toured slums, fed hungry kids and "experienced the slums". Can't help but be touched by what you see. Filth running thru the streets, kids playing in a garbage dump, droping their drawers right where they are to poop or pee while waving at the bus as it goes by. A family of 6 living in one room 15x15 with one small window and a door for light, yet they do all they can to keep it clean and decorate it.

The teens have been great, stepping up to help and do what ever they are asked. I think they releive their stress by being goofy on the bus but who can blame them. It is clear that many of them have been deeply affected by what they see.

I still struggle with the time change, finally sleeping 7 hours last night but usually getting only three or four. The food and the service here at Heart have been great but it is a little hard to get use only having running water at certain hours because of the long drought and occasional brown outs.

Traffic here is like driving in a real life Mario Cart game. Seriously. Lines on the road mean nothing. The sides of the road mean nothing. Driving on the left or right side of the road means little. A tewo lane road has 4 cars driving side bt side. What speed limit?

Lost my passport for a time last night. Panic set in for a little while as I thought I might have lost in at the Masedo school. You don't just call or hop in the car and run back over there to look for it. But our devotions that morning were to be joyful always, pray ceaslessly and give thanks in everything. Following our debriefing last night and a group prayer I went back to the room and found it in 2 minutes. It was black same as my suitcase and had fallen behind it. Gotta understand that it also contained my drivers lisence, money, credit card, and insurance card.

Fianally as I close because Nicole wants to post a blog and I type so slow I will close with these two things. I have probably high fived and shook 200 snotty, flithy germ ridden hands these past couple of days and I could not be happier to do so. To see the smiles on their faces and to know the joy and hope we brought to them if even just for a little while is worth it all. Second, as we were walked out of the slum on Wed by one of the teachers who I had been walking and talking with his parting words to me were, " when you leave here don't forget us." There is no way this will ever leave my memory but what he was really asking for was action. My challenge will be how can I continue to help these people?

Bob

A love and burden for children

A Day in Mathare

Sharing the good news that God doesn't look on the outer appearance, but looks at the heart and that when we are we...we are strong

They love to worship...and jumped around even though it was like an oven inside.

Erika...always offering a smile and her hand. She is something special.

Trash where the kids go to that bathroom



Innocence surrounded by filth

A child (mtoto) sitting next to the 'stream' of sewage by his home

You know, as a parent I want to help my children experience things that will help them to grow, to change, and learn to trust God more fully. And I think that is exactly what God is doing with me. It is difficult to explain the effect that the slums have on me. Just imagine large areas of dirt with trash strewn all over the ground and various animals and birds digging through it. A strong smell of burning rubber seems to never leave go away. Goats are lying around as turkeys pluck through the plastic bags near them. There are even a few pigs lounging around. In the midst of this filth small children are walking around. They turn as we drive up and they smile and wave and yell, ‘how are you?’. Then, as if we weren’t even there they pull down their pants or hike up their dress, squat, and proceed to go to the bathroom…sometimes waving and smiling all at the same time. As you walk through Mathare a dark ‘river’ of sludge runs down the middle of the walkway, a nasty mixture of feces, urine, soapy water from washing clothes and mud. The stench is unbearable for some and disturbing to most. The most unnerving part for me is to see the kids walking around in sandals, torn shoes, or no shoes at all, jumping over it as if it were just another obstacle in their way during a normal day. Runny noses indicating sickness, swollen stomachs revealing malnutrition, dirty clothes, dusty faces and gentle hands as they reach out to touch the hands of their visitors. Smiling faces on the little ones, a somewhat hardened look on the older ones, and a dazed or distrusting look on others. Now imagine that those are not kids 10,000 miles away in a slum in Kenya that you will probably never visit and these are not kids you will never meet, hold hands with or kneel in the dirt next to….imagine they are your kids, or your brothers or sisters or nieces or nephews or grandson or granddaughter ………. Yep, that’s pretty much how I feel and probably just a glimpse into the heart of what God our Father feels when He sees the same thing. It is also a glaring reminder that some things in this world are just not the way they should be…and He wants them changed.

Blessings,

Trenton

Brennen, Sydney, and Gabriel…We love you and miss you. Praying that your time in California will be blessed. We think about you all the time. Please pray for us too. Love, Daddy.