God Be The Solution

Josh Chinn Quality Blog Post #8

Today, we visited The MITS Farm and spent time with the youth who had been selected to grow at the Farm instead of places like the Eastleigh MITS center. Each and every single person had an inspiring unique story and it was such a blessing to hear each boy and girl speak and share. To be honest, it was hard to compare Eastleigh and The Farm back to back because you were so encouraged by the hope and the potential many of the kids had at The Farm, but you felt so terrible for the kids who live in dangerous areas such as Eastleigh. Still, each kid you talked to shared their stories and I loved hearing them all.

There are quite a few kids at The Farm and each of them learn trades and skills that will hopefully help them succeed after they graduate from The Farm. The kids are mostly teenagers aged up to 18 and are led by Jackton and his wife Millicent and other people, some graduates of the program, who care and want to give help and support to the youth as they grow. Jackton was such an amazing person. He has such a big heart and cares for each and every kid and is willing to listen to, spend time with, and share love with every boy and girl in the Farm. We split off into small groups once we got there and I was lucky enough to be in Jackton's group. When we were told to share a little bit about our lives, over half the kids said they didn't have parents or had abusive ones, but then proceeded to praise Jackton and thank him for everything he's done in their lives. They consider Jackton and Millicent as their parents and I was really touched by how much Jackton cares for the kids and how thankful the guys are in return. I can't say enough about how much I respect Jackton. He teaches the kids about God and loves to play soccer with them (and he's darn good too), and he's leading them down a path that will end fruitfully.

I also heard stories from the youth. Many of them had grown up in Eastleigh and shared their troubles at home in the slums before running away, and also at Eastleigh. They are so thankful and they realize how fortunate they are now. They don't have too much, but I feel like they are so much more thankful than many of us at home. Paul, Eddy and George each admitted to being "bad boys" growing up in Eastleigh and had stolen and cheated many others out of what they had, but each of them had come to know God and now live at The Farm and are praising God for the works He has done in their lives. George was one of my favorites. He is 18 and will graduate the program soon and he loves Reggae music and enjoys dancing. He is outgoing and creative and can do a darn good impression of a camel. He has many big plans for his life and I'm glad he realizes his potential, but he also knows how much he has been given and how many others aren't as fortunate. The kids' grateful attitude was eye opening and I had so much fun listening to what God has done in their lives.

After sharing and receiving a tour from Jackton, we had lunch and then a worship session. The students were hesitant to jump and do some of the hand motions during the songs so I spontaneously yelled out "EVERYBODY JUMP!" and I was so excited to see the youth's participation and energy. However, nothing can match the intensity and passion they have for soccer. It's about a 10 minute walk to the soccer field and all they had was some black sand between giant metal poles, but when we played, they acted as if they were in the World Cup. Jackton and all of the boys played with the "mzungus" (foreigners) and we split up into teams under the hot sun. It was so much fun- these kids are so talented and I wouldn't be surprised if many of them would star on a varsity soccer team in the States. There was one play where I was about to head a ball and this boy who wasn't much taller than me jumps out of nowhere and bicycle kicks the ball away. It was ridiculous. I couldn't believe my eyes. In the end, we ended up tying 1-1 and we went home sweaty and thirsty.

Today was an awesome day. It was tough to see Eastleigh yesterday and take in the conditions and situation many kids were in, but today gave me such hope after seeing and hearing how well some of the kids turn out. Each and every kid has a bright future and I'm hoping I can keep in contact through email with some of them. They will all be in my prayers, especially George who I'll never see again because he'll graduate, and I wished them all the best. As I left, I saw a smaller kid who I had never met before, but I shook his hand and said "Good luck." He replied to me "I don't need luck, I have God with me." To see the growth and maturity the youth have developed was amazing. It shows me how God has a plan for everyone and that there are answers to some of the problems on the streets in areas like Eastleigh. Even though many kids still live out on the streets, it gives me hope to see people like the ones at The Farm growing through Christ.

"Whoa-oh, God be the solution."

-Josh

Help was just around the corner...

Today was probably the most transforming day for me. We ventured out to the "bases" today, which are basically homeless groupings where people sleep out in the open on mounds of garbage. The garbage is filthy and smelly, and yet it is vital to their survival. The garbage keeps them warm at night since heating and shelter are not available. Flies blanket the sleeping men and many of them wear mismatched shoes that they salvaged from the garbage piles. The men were still glad to see us, and were receptive to hearing about the Made in the Streets ministry, which offers them a place to shower, eat, and get an identification card which grants them the power to vote and easier access to employment opportunity.

What was great to see was that one of the Made in the Streets men, Moses, talked to the people at the base, encouraged them to come to their facilities to get food and a clean shower, and then he went and purchased corn meal for them. We then visited a man who was out of comission because of a broken leg. He was intoxicated one night and couldn't escape the wrath of a few men out to get him, and they took a huge rock and dropped it on his leg. I was hit emotionally when I realized that he was unable to move, and therefore unable to work for a couple months, and therefore unable to earn enough to feed himself. Made in the Streets took him to a doctor to get him a cast, and as we left Moses gave 50 shillings to his friend to get him something to eat. Many of the occupations we see involve wheeling carts, selling items, bagging plastic, burning garbage for the government, and collecting scrap metal.

The most heartbreaking part of the base visit came when we reached the California base. There were about 6-7 men and teenage boys sitting on the curb, and we started talking to them. We introduced ourselves, and instantly I could see that many of them were high on glue. They sniff glue so that they can get high and forget about their pain and hunger. One older man was so high that he said his name was Ostrich. As we began talking to them, more came and listened in, which was encouraging, since even though I didn't know if it was because they wanted to see the Jackie Chans or the word of God, they still got to hear the good news. Moses started talking to them about how Made in the Streets comes by that area very frequently, tells them to get off the glue, and yet nothing changes. The irony here was that many of the kids had glue bottles in their sleeves that they held up to their mouths as he was saying that.

He said that they are offering them food, fellowship through soccer, a clean shower, and a chance to go to the Farm, learn a new trade, get clean, and turn their lives around, but they don't take advantage of what is right around the corner. He pointed to one kid sitting on a 4 liter empty container of glue, and started saying how we were there at the facility leading some games and worship, and he was missing it, just because he and the others weren't receptive to their help. We then each began sharing something, and when it got to my turn, I felt the Holy Spirit prodding me to try to reach out to them and make a connection. I began talking about how they have a hard life, much harder than mine, and how I can't even begin to imagine what living on the streets must be like. Ostrich replied, "Yes, we have a very hard life here," so at least he understood what I was saying. I hope he remembers. I then started talking about how even though they face pain, suffering, and hunger, that there are good people like Moses who want to help them turn their lives around. They may use glue to ease the pain and get a high, but it is only temporary. The only lasting happiness comes from knowing Jesus, giving their lives to him, and letting Him transform their situations through His love and mercy. As I was saying this, I looked into their eyes and I just saw that the glue and drugs were separating us, disconnecting them from the truth and hope for a better life. It bothered me how it felt like I was trying so hard to break through to their hearts, but I never knew if they processed anything that I had said. I finished by saying that turning their lives over to Jesus might be the best decision that they ever make in their lives, and at that point, I just had to trust that God was working in their hearts and that He would continue to work after we left. I remembered something I heard a long time ago, which stated that we shouldn't feel bad when we don't see any fruit for our labor, since Jesus is the one they are rejecting, not us, but I just felt disheartened seeing their bondage to such a vicious cycle. Their lives would continue in that downward spiral unless they knew that help and all their hopes and dreams could become a reality if they just turned the corner and asked for help.

This experience for me was definitely more eye-opening than even walking through the slums, since I looked into the eyes of a trapped soul, I shook the hands of addiction, and I bared my heart and soul in front of those who possibly couldn't hear me. The inability to reach past the thick barrier the glue put up around their hearts still bothers me now, but there have been many success stories that I will get to hear about tomorrow when we visit the Farm, and it is evident that even though not all are saved, that area is being transformed by that ministry.

Pictures around Nairobi

Here are some pictures from our bus trips around Nairobi. I hope this gives you a snapshot of what life is like here in Kenya.

Sanford & Son's, Kenyan style

Sacks of rice (maybe over 2500 pounds?) in the back of a pickup. And a guy guarding the rice (or hitching a ride)

What's the weight limit on the bus?

Hurrying to avoid the oncoming cars

Big Moses Little Moses

As we were getting ready to leave Eastleigh and Made In The Streets ministry there yesterday I started talking with a young boy who I later found out was named Moses. He asked me in his poor English if I would take him to America with me, ( I don't think he was serious) but I told him he would not fit in my suit case. The humor did not translate. So I told him that if he prayed to Jesus and trusted him that he could do anything he wanted. He could even go the Farm, learn a trade, get a good job and earn enough money to come to America and visit me. He ran off apparently board with that conversation.

A minute later he was back this time with Big Moses, one of the young men who works at Made In The Streets. BM told me that he could not understand what I said and he wanted BM to translate for him. What an opportunity. So I repeated everything I had just said through our translator this time and Big Moses added that he needed to come to their Tue and Fri programs to have a chance to move to the Farm. I am not certain what goes on on Tue and Fri but I tried to reinforce the fact that he needed to go. I got a promise from Little Moses before we left that he would go every Tue and Fri. I then told him I would be praying for him. BM said that LM was 12 years old so he still had a chance to get to the Farm. I forgot to tell Big Moses that I would be praying for him to but Renee got his email so I will let him know. As usual he said "don't forget us."How could I possibly.

Another cool thing happened at MITS. I went with a group in the afternoon to tour some of the bases, the areas where the boys hangout and feel safe, their turf. We were told that we could take any pictures we wanted inside the compound but don't take any at the bases without their permission. MITS has been baned for the past 6 years from one base because a visitor took pictures there without permission. As we were leaving the first base where we found mostly adults, a cute little girl came out of nowhere and grabbed Becca's hand wouldn't let go. She would have walked right out of the base with us if they had let her. Her mom asked if anyone had a camera. Dan and I did not hesitate. We ended up taking several pictures of the girl and a little boy with Becca, Kristine and their mom's. Felt like we had made a small break through As we were leaving again they asked if they could get a copy of the pictures so Moses said we could email a copy to him and he will see that they get them.

Feels like the toughest part of our ministry is over. For the next three days we get to see the results of the successful ministers and some people who have been rescued from the streets. The bad news is that this involves long bus rides. These are not like bus rides on our freeways. They are the bumpy dusty Kenyan roads so it is not a total picnic. Know what an African Massage is? Any trip driving down a Kenyan street. That from our first bus driver.

My biggest fear right now? That we come back from our mission trip to help the hungry and starving having gained weight. The food here at Heart and in the restaurants we have visited has been so good. Even when we go into the slums the people want to share with us and are so generous with what they have. And I like Kenyan cooking. They make things just a little spicy, just the way I like it.

Finally today is a national holiday so all Kenyans will turn out to vote on the national referendum for the new constitution. This is the biggest event in this country since independence. Pray for Kenya.

Bob

Praying at the Bases

I've been slacking on my blogging, so I thought I'd do a bit of catching up. But it's really late right now, so it'll probably be short..

Today we visited Eastleigh and the Made in the Streets Community Center. Eastleigh is always weird for me because it's filled with mixed feelings (sound familiar?)... sadness, darkness and some hopelessness because Eastleigh is among the worst areas.. filled with young people on the streets addicted to getting high off of glue to distract from their hunger. But also, so much hope because Made in the Streets is a ministry doing so much good through their commitment to investing in the Eastleigh community. A light in a dark place, if you will..

I was encouraged to see all of the street kids who came out to worship and play games with us in the morning. They were able to escape the difficulty of life on the streets for a few hours and just be goofy kids, playing Ultimate Ninja with the mzungus. And we were blessed by the time we spent with them.

I also loved getting the chance to hold a couple of the babies who are staying at Made in the Streets with their young mothers, who hold internship-like-positions. The babies names were James and Steven. They were both very sweet and content :)

As encouraging as much of the day was, it was also paired with a harsh reality of just how dark life on the streets can be for these kids. One teenage boy sat on a bench at MITS with an open wound on his knee, clearly high off of glue or drugs. Flies landed on the open gash and a friend of the boy's tried to help him keep it clean, but the boy himself was completely out of it. He just stared off into space and seemed completely unaware of what was going on around him. That was really difficult to see. Larry Conway told us that this boy was almost dead a week ago and that they have reached out to him several times, but he won't live for very much longer. That was pretty tough to accept as true. How could there be no hope left for this boy? The last thing I did before exiting MITS to get back on the bus was to take one last look at him, wondering how much longer he would be alive. This is tough to think about.

A ministry like MITS can do so much good in a community like Eastleigh... but the kids still have to WANT the change for themselves and have enough motivation to do their part. It's devastating to see the results for those who don't choose this type of life change.

It was quite an experience being out at the bases today--which I didn't get to visit last year. I feel like we saw some of the tamer areas, in better conditions than those where people sleep on piles of garbage. But still, it was an uneasy hour or so as we visited two different bases. I just felt a lot more exposed walking down the streets, which are much more open areas than the walkways in the slums. There were no scary incidents, but I felt pretty on-edge, especially as we witnessed people with glue bottles up to their mouths. The people at both bases we visited were friendly and welcoming to us. At the first base (called Jamaica), I made friends with a little toddler-aged girl who held my hand and was ready to leave with us. I would try to wave goodbye and she would wave back but then just grab my hand again, like "alright, let's go now!" I would've liked to take her home with me :) At the second base we visited, I got called out.. ha. We were going to close in prayer and the people living at the base pointed at me. One of our translators told me they wanted me to pray. So... I did. It was a short, un-eloquent, not profound, prayer. But I guess that's okay. I think a few years ago I probably would've refused to pray altogether :P So I suppose that's progress... Ha. But I think part of my difficulty today was... I didn't know WHAT to pray for these people. It seems like such an overwhelming (there's that word again..) situation and they live such a ridiculously difficult lifestyle--how could I possibly relate to them? What could I pray that would help? But, once again, I know that the point isn't for ME to have the answers to their problems. I need to look to God. So I just thanked God for bringing us together today and prayed that he would bless these people. That's all I could really come up with.. and maybe that's okay.

I pray that our ministry today at MITS and out at the bases somehow made a difference to some of the Eastleigh people. I pray that they would turn to God as their hope in what seems to be a pretty despair-filled life.

(i guess this post turned out to be... not very short :P)

thanks for reading; thanks for praying :)

love, bekah

Oh, also. Just wanted to mention that I lost 2000 shillings last night.. it fell out of my pocket. But before I even realized it was gone, this morning one of the staff of our guesthouse announced that a guard had found money on the ground early this morning and had turned it in. She said if it was ours, we could come claim it if we could just tell them how much it was that we had lost. The woman talked about how proud of her staff she was for turning in the money in the first place. And I thought that was pretty remarkable too, considering that the Hyodos had told us at the beginning of our trip to be careful about leaving valuables out in the open in our room... because even though all the staff seemed very nice, some could be in desperate circumstances... and I know that 2000 shillings is a lot of money to pass up, in a situation like that guard was in. So I feel pretty blessed to have gotten this money back. I'm also impressed with the staff here, and feel blessed to be staying here. Anyway, thanks God! :) And Mom and Dad: I'll try to be more careful with your money from here on out ;)

Rounda and Calif

Moses and another street kid posing with me at Made In The Streets' center

A reminder on the wall before you leave MITS

Francis, Larry and Moses

A street in Eastleigh

Whether it's Seattle or Nairobi, the homeless have a rough life. But our trip with Made In The Streets (MITS) to the Rounda and Calif bases in Eastleigh convince me that it's much worse in Eastleigh.

We walk with Larry & Moses through the streets of Eastleigh towards Rounda, a base named for a roundabout in an intersection - the base is now situated about 50 yards away, against a fence. Throngs of people and cars fill Eastleigh. Most are Somali, most are immigrants (legal and not), and most are Muslim. I find out later from Moses that we caused quite a commotion - people are talking and wondering why these strangers (from Japan, China?) are in Eastleigh.

The Rounda base is set against a fence, across a foul smelling drainage ditch next to the road. Approximately a dozen people greet us as we arrive. More stop by during our 10 minute stay. We shake hands or do "fist bumps" with them all. As is Kenyan custom, they introduce themselves, followed by our introductions.

As we share a short message of love and encouragement with them, I'm astonished to hear them express appreciation and thanks for simply visiting them. Really? Don't they want money, food, a way off the street? That may come later, if they can stop by the MITS center on Sunday for church, a chance to shower and a hot meal. But right now they want to be remembered, and they're honored that these visitors from 10000 miles away would come to see them, right where they live, in the Rounda base.

The Calif base is quite different from Rounda. A dozen or so kids, some as young as 12, sit on a curb at an entrance to an apartment comples. Open bottles of contact cement (glue) hang from the corners of their mouths - glazed, empty eyes stare at us. Some can barely stand - they're so high from sniffing the glue.

The kids sniff glue to quell the hunger pangs from not eating. They're addicted, and they just can't get themselves to stop. I find out later that the new addiction is sniffing gasoline-soaked rags. Moses appeals to them to give up the glue - to come to the MITS community center - to get a new start and break the cycle. None come. They politely ask for each of us to say something to them - we share about Jesus' love for them, about what God has done in our lives - and we pray that these words can make a difference for them someday.

MITS is doing tremendous work in Eastleigh. Moses formerly came from the Calif base - now he's faithfully reaching back to those in his community - as an example fo one whose life Jesus has changed forever. there's no easy answer for all of the problems that you see in the Eastleigh bases - it's a jumble of international, national and local politics, economics, discrimination, addiction and feelings of hopelessness. But people like Larry and Moses are devoting their lives to making a difference - one person at a time - and we would be wise to support them in their effort.

Joseph's Story

Imagine being homeless and living on the streets of Eastleigh, a tough Nairobi neighborhood known as "Little Mogadishu". You've had a little too much to drink, so you can't run away like your other friends when some thugs show up. You can't fight them off before they drop a big rock on your right leg, breaking it.

This is Joseph's story. We met Joseph when Larry and Moses, two of the staff at Made In The Streets, stopped to talk to him as we walked from the Rounda base to the Calif base. A "base" is just a place for the homeless in Eastleigh to gather and sleep, protected through a shared sense of community.

We walked up a pile of garbage, past some large bales of plastic bags awaiting recycling, and found Joseph lying there. Larry & Moses found him a month ago with the broken leg and took him to the hospital and got him treated. Today we met with him, made sure he was healing ok, and prayed for him. He also had anohter friend in a Chicago White Sox sweatshirt standing nearby - and Moses gave him a 50 shilling note ($0.63) to buy Joseph some food - since Joseph can't get up to walk and get food on his own.

With his friend, Larry and Moses, Joseph is luckier than many on the street in Eastleigh - he's got people who care and who look after him. But life is still extremely hard. The bales of plastic are sitting on a trash heap, and that's where Joseph lies all day. Hundreds of flies are on the bales, on the trash, and on Joseph. The stench is almost unbearable. but this is Joseph's home right now - and believe it or not, it's better than living at many of the bases.

In another month, Larry and Moses will take Joseph back to the doctor to check on his healing progress, and hopefully get his cast off. Until then, it's another cold night on top of the trash heap for Joseph and hundreds others in Eastleigh.