Africa Mission Trip Day 4

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Day four is in the books. Each day brings new excitement and adventure. I thought today would be very similar to yesterday and in some ways it was and in other ways it seemed totally different. As I mentioned yesterday, what is becoming more and more evident is that the longer we are here the more intimate the relationships become with these students and others from Kibera, the more God breaks our hearts for these people. It is amazing to see transpire right before my eyes the combination of “our” story with the people of Kibera’s story and God’s story. It is a beautiful narrative.

The morning started at 8:30 again as we met for breakfast in what is, I believe, an old army type structure converted to a conference room/breakfast area. It is a large room with plenty of seating.

It is a fun time to sit and talk about how well or not so well we all slept the night before. There is also an excitement for the day. It began as more of anticipation for the unknown and has grown to a genuine desire to eat quickly so we can get to Kibera and be able to interact with those there. Breakfast this morning was a repeat of some of the others items we have had this week. It is nice to have our own chef that cooks to order our eggs.

Our schedule kind of reversed today over the past couple days. We left our Guest House around 9:30 as usual but instead of going straight to New Hope Academy in Kibera we headed to the school where the sports camp has been held all week. Today was a highlight for many of the students participating in the sports camp because the 8^th graders got to play against the mzungu, the Swahili word for white man, in a game of futball (yes that is soccer in America). In four years of doing this same camp the mzungu are 0-4 (yes that means we have never won). The USA team consisted of individuals from North Park along with those from a Christian school in Austin where Sandy and Karen Baird’s son and daughter-in-law serve. First was the girl’s game.

The North Park girls jumped right in and played hard and had a great time … well except for Brooke, our summer intern, which left the game with a pretty good knot on her forehead. In futball it is ok to hit the ball with your head, but you are not supposed to hit other people with your head … lesson learned the hard way.

In the end the mzungu won the game by a score of 2-0. Immediately after the girls game was the much anticipated boys game. You could literally feel the tension in the air. It was almost comical how serious everyone was taking this game. Again, our guys jumped right in and had a great time. What was realized really quickly was how soon you run out of breath in an altitude of 5,000 feet. Needless to say, our guys were subbing in and out pretty regularly. The most surprising thing to me was seeing Sandy Baird out there running around like a 20 year old. He even came all decked out in his custom soccer uniform.

The USA team took a 1-0 lead into halftime and managed to keep the lead until about five minutes left in the game when the 8^th grade team tied it up. The game ended in dramatic fashion. With literally seconds left on the clock the Kenyan team got on a breakaway and scored the final goal as time expired. The Kenyans went wild! It was awesome to see. The USA team tried to claim the game was already over but there was little to argue. So in the end, the Kenyan 8^th grade boy’s team remains undefeated.

After the soccer games we loaded on the bus and headed to Kibera. We ate lunch in the church and were allowed to spend some time with the ladies of Biashara.

A few new guys from our group even attempted making some jewelry. It didn’t take very long to realize they didn’t have the patience for beading necklaces and bracelets for very long.

It was great to hear some of the stories of these ladies and how this project is literally changing their lives. I think we were all most blessed as the ladies took a little break and sang a couple songs for us. All I can say is wow! They sang with passion and a true joy. I would love to upload the video I took of them singing but our Internet is not strong enough to do so. You will be able to see and hear them on Sunday, June 30 at North Park. As is customary when a Kenyan choir sings one person will take the lead and the others will echo or sing an accompaniment. Mary, the lady leading the group in singing, is dying of HIV. She has had a very rough past few months but you would have never known that today. The few minutes I was privileged to talk with her today she told me repeatedly how much she loves Jesus and is looking forward to seeing Him soon. I couldn’t help but think how her life will change once she steps onto those streets of gold. For a person that has lived her entire life in a 3^rd World slum like Kibera, lived for several years being HIV positive, has experienced very little of what this world has to offer, but has devoted her life now to living for Jesus … what do you think her mansion is going to look like? On the other end of the life cycle I had the privilege to meet a little girl named Bren.

She was left on the doorstep of the church as a newborn 3 years ago. She is being raised by one of the ladies of Biashara. She seemed to have some sort birth defect or disease early on. She didn’t walk or talk until after she was two years old but seems to be doing well now. These children are underprivileged enough as it is, but this precious little girl needs prayers and support in an even greater way.

We left the Biashara ladies and the church about 2:00 PM to walk over to the school. Our goal was to continue working on all the assessments. Some of our team switched positions from assessments to ministering in the classrooms. Everyone enjoyed getting to talk with the students one and one and the team going from class to class enjoyed teaching a lesson about the prodigal son and singing along with the students “If your happy and you know it clap your hands.” The best part about our time at the school actually wasn’t even planned (isn’t it great when God steps in and does those things). In the middle of our assessments the bell rang (which was a girl walking around with a hand bell) signaling time for recess. Within minutes the almost empty courtyard where we were working was filled with hundreds of students. When this happened I was upstairs close to the office. I just sat and watched from a bird’s eye view for a few minutes the students literally running to greet others from our team. They were so excited to be able to see and spend some more time together.

Most of these students living in Kibera have very, very little personal attention given to them. They cling to every moment they can get.

This recess time consisted of teaching many of our team members some new “hand-clapping” games, some story telling, and a lot of just holding and touching.

They are fascinating by the “softness” of mzungu skin the different way our hair feels. Aubrey even got a little pampering as they were putting her hair in braids.

This was another quite humbling time for everyone. One of the things that stood out to me as I watched from a distance was the genuine joy and happiness in these kid’s faces.

They ran and around and played and sang and jump roped and talked, but in it all they had a smile.

I thought for a minute how bored many of our children would be in the same environment without their electronic device in their hand. Amazing!

After the recess time ended we left Kibera to head over to another of the public high schools where some of the Penda Project high school students attend. We were meeting them for their study hall session. One of the requirements to receive a Penda Project scholarship is to attend a mandatory study hall four days a week. This is put into place because many of the students would not be allowed study time once they got home. Many are forced to work until time for bed and few of them have dependable electricity in their home to allow light for reading or studying at home. Thus the requirement to stay after school to study. Even though many were looking forward to reconnecting with the high school students from yesterday, all enjoyed getting to spend time with another student. Again, these are some very sharp students. Five of them are seniors and are preparing to take their high school standardized testing. There is so much pressure on these students to do well on this test. For those reading this in Texas, think of the STAAR test on steroids. These students have two very important tests to take. The first is at the end of 8^th Grade. If they do not do well on this test they are not even allowed to enter secondary school (our high schools). Unfortunately many don’t. For those living in Kibera only about 60% pass the 8^th grade test. For the 12^th graders, their test determines where they are allowed to go to college. Think of it kind of like an ACT or SAT test.

While our team was able to spend one on one time with these high school students I had the privilege of spending one on one time with Samson.

Samson works for New Hope Initiative as the coordinator for the Penda Project. He also serves at the church as the youth leader. Samson seems to be a very godly man with a ton of potential. He is finishing up his last year of Bible College. I showed him a few pictures on my phone from snowstorms in Michigan. He could not even imagine what that was like. He stated that to his knowledge it has never snowed in Kenya. It is amazing how these little things intrigue those that have no understanding of them at all. Samson was eager to learn anything he could about serving God. He asked me so many questions. I am making it a personal goal of mine to continue to invest in him even after returning to the States.

When the 6:00 PM bell rang it was time to leave. Once again it seemed like the hour flew by and no one wanted to leave. We may never see some of these students again this side of heaven, but each of us are better people because of the privilege of the hour spent with them.

When we left the high school we headed up the street about 5 miles but it took 30 minutes to get there. Yes, you gotta love the traffic here in Nairobi. We had dinner at a French Bistro that was just outside of one of the newer and nicer malls in town. Everyone was excited about our dinner option tonight especially after last nights adventure. We enjoyed things from a good old fashion American style cheeseburger to lasagna to pizza to Caesar salads. Everyone definitely left pleased. It makes eating our Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for lunch a little more manageable.

Sandy got me in a little bit of trouble on the bus ride to dinner by volunteering me to buy everyone coffee after we ate. After repeated chants on the bus I gave in and told everyone that coffee was on me. So after dinner we walked across the mall to Nairobi Java House for dessert. The problem … everyone but one ordered a milkshake instead of coffee. Yes, they got in trouble for that … of course I was one of those that ordered a milkshake as well. One of the workers overheard me giving everyone a hard time and saw me order a shake as well so after a little conversation he provided a Malindi Macchiato on the house. I am not typically a coffee drinker but this was pretty good. Of course I think it had more cinnamon, caramel, and chocolate than coffee, but that is beside the point.

We got back to the Guest House a little later than normal so we skipped our end of the day “chat” together. I was a little disappointed in that but understood because of the lateness of the time. I am known to push pretty hard at times and tonight was on exception. After returning to the Guest House I had our drama team spend some more time practicing. We have our first opportunity to share this drama. They did a great job and I am looking forward to seeing how God uses this powerful story of the Redeemer.

Tomorrow is going to be another busy day. Most of our team will be heading to Kibera at our normal time tomorrow and will begin doing assessments as soon as they get there. I am taking the teenagers from our group with me in the morning to another slum in Nairobi called Kawangware and visit the Hope Center. The last time I was in Kenya I served in this slum with a ministry known as World Hope. I have the privilege to speak to the staff of both the church and their Christian school. I am bringing our teenagers along because this site also serves as a site for Vapor Ministries. Vapor Ministries is another international ministry that uses sports as an avenue for sharing the Gospel. The youth ministries of North Park have been supporting Vapor Ministries for several years but no one has even had the privilege to visit one of their sites so this is going to be a very exciting time. We will all join back together around noon tomorrow where we will get to tour a little more of Kibera. Up until this point we have pretty much stayed between the church and the school which is a pretty small area of the extremely large slum. After our tour we will attend a chapel service for the school where all 500 plus students will cram into the church. I have the privilege to speak to this group as well.

Please continue to pray for our group.

It has been an amazing experience but I think we are only scratching the service for all that God has in store for us.

Also, take a few minutes to share this blog with others that you know. The more we have praying the more effective we can be as we serve God here in Africa.

Until tomorrow …