Wednesday evenings are my fav.
I started a small bible study with a handful of the girls in my saturday ladies group who were keen on learning more about the bible. I started my first week with only three girls. Now, we are in the fourth week and I have 7 girls. Yipee!!
I love it.
First of all, I love studying my bible. So many treasures in there. Greatest book ever!
Secondly, I love seeing my girls so interested in Jesus. They are so hungry to understand and know God. They have grown up in a society of pretty radical bible teachings (and teachers). Most of them don't even own their own bibles so they just soak up every word every preacher tells them without actually checking if it is true. Hence why they have the craziest ideas about God.
We have started really simple. We are learning the basics right now. But its been so wonderful watching it click for them. I can see it on their faces when the bible verse makes sense to them or one of their personal questions has been answered.
And trust me, they have A LOT of questions. Crazy questions that make me so angry at the people who are teaching them the craziest things.
One of them will ask a question like, "Is it true that God's spirits are more alert and awake to hear your prayers in the morning?" Then, before I get a chance to talk, they will all chip in their two cents. With this particular question, they all agreed that Yes, God will listen to us more closely in the morning. After they debated it amongst themselves, I stepped in and pointed them to scripture. I don't have to say much before it clicks and their answer is clear. I love that!!!
So I must go get myself ready to meet my precious ladies this evening. Our topic today is forgiveness.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Girly Fun
Our girls group is still going strong. We have had a few come and go. Some have gotten jobs or gone to school. Some have moved or been told they can't come till the holidays so they can focus on school. It's been a bit challenging cause I never know who or how many are going to show up. I try plan for games but sometimes we don't have enough people or it just isn't as fun with so few people. I plan things with specific people in mind but then they choose not to show up that day. Nevertheless, we are still havin' fun and being girls.
I introduced them to the famous bridal shower game of making a wedding dress out of tissue paper. They thought I was nuts at first but they ended up totally enjoying it. They were also much more creative than I thought they would be.
Pheobe was a good model. Her team decided to put a 'tiara' on her which ended up looking more like a flight attendant hat. It didn't go over so well with the judges.
And they had a little troubles with the train.
Irene and Susan did a good job. Irene ended up winning with their creative earrings and knot design.
Then I brought out the balloons....who knew ballon could be so much fun! I came up with a whole bunch of games to do with balloons. This was one of the best.
They girls had to keep the balloon in between their bodies and race. The trick was that they couldn't touch the balloons.
These girls ended up winning. They were speedy!
Like always, we laughed at the sheer absurdity of our games. Embarrassingly, I usually come up with these games that I am terrible at! I usually stand to the side for the first few rounds to be the judge or ref but then i join in. Once I join in, I totally ruin things or lose so quickly.
Anyways just to show you that we are still having fun. I am planning a fun outing for them in the next couple weeks. I am thinking bowling...or beach picnic...or a local play. Something fun for these precious girls.
Discovering Kaloleni
Like I mentioned, Kelvin had this car and this client that he had to drive around. The client's home area is just outside of Mombasa called Kaloleni. After driving there for two days, Kelvin fell in love and said he just had to take me there. Saturday morning, at 7am, we packed up and hit the road. We battled crazy traffic just to get out of the city, but once in the country side, we were in heaven. We pumped up the worship music and cruised through the village. After only a few miles, I understood why Kelvin loved it so much.
Acres and acres of gorgeous land with humble homesteads all over the place.
This was probably the worst patch of road we drove on. Seriously, the roads were better than in Mombasa city.
This area is FULL of palm trees. It's also a big producer of mnazi, a local palm wine that is cheap and addictive for the locals.
I started dreaming of having our own little homestead in this area one day. Of course, it won't quite look like this one but similar.
Palm trees galore!
All that green is plantations of palm trees. I don't think I have ever seen so many palm trees in my life!
Who knows, maybe one day we will buy ourselves a few acres, set up a children's home, and life the village life.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
A morning drive
One of our clients asked Kelvin if he could rent a car and be our client's chauffeur for two days. Kelvin quickly agreed. Kelvin loves driving. Actually, we both do but we rarely get the opportunity to. To rent a car for 24 hours costs about $30 plus gas. It's just not worth it for us especially when we can spend less than $2 a day on public transport.
This deal is pretty sweet. We get the car for two nights. Kelvin has had to be a personal driver for two days but he is ok with that. This particular client is a drunkard so there is no way he could drive himself. Kelvin gets to bring the car home and use it for himself when our client doesn't need him.
So this morning, we had just turned on a movie as we were eating breakfast when the power went out. I then asked if we could go for a morning drive.
One of our favourite things to do with a car is to explore all the areas around Mombasa that you can't get to with public transport. It has led us on some pretty fun adventures.
This morning we decided to go inland behind our apartment building and see the village life. I was surprised that, not too far from where we stay, there are villages with mud houses and all. I guess I think Mombasa is so metropolitan.
It has also been a gloriously overcast day. That's why the pictures are grey.
My personal chauffeur
We drove past one of the largest prisons on the coast (which I learned that Canada helps fund). I was shocked to see all the prisoners working outside in the fields where there is no fencing keeping them in. Those white poles don't have any fencing in between them. Those prisoners could totally make a run for it.
Home sweet home. Well, it's where we live. Not sure I would call it 'home'. Its our apartment building.
Looking forward to going out to our favourite joint for breakfast tomorrow. I think we'll drive there.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Figure 8 or Figure 1
Well it seems I have gained a noticeable amount of weight. I have had quite a few people tell me that I have 'added weight' or 'increased' or 'gotten fat' as they graciously put it. In fact, on Wednesday, my girls asked if I was pregnant before we started bible study. For those who are curious, No, I am not pregnant.
I have noticed I have gained weight. Not a ton, but enough to make my clothes a little tighter. However, this is the first time I am actually excited that I have a little chunk on me.
In Kenya, big is beautiful. Often, I feel a little out of place cause my butt is so flat. Honestly, women here are blessed with beautiful curves. I guess, some part of me, wants to fit in.
But funny how in the West, skinny is beautiful. Thin, lean, slightly muscular is gorgeous.
Amazing how society can control what is beautiful and what isn't. Amazing that what is beautiful in one place is not beautiful in another.
I decided to chat with the girls about body image while we sat making beaded necklaces on Saturday. I asked them what the desired body image is in Kenya.
"Figure 8"
As in a curvy, hour glass shape. In fact, they desire a large behind than a large bust. They say that a lot of guys actually prefer smaller busts. But what counts is the curvy behind. And let me tell you, African women have quite the behinds. When they dance, its like their butts are a completely different entity from the body. Seriously.
I asked about skin colour because, believe or not, there are different shades of black. So is lighter skin more attractive or darker?
"Black is beautiful"
They have been taught since they were little that black is indeed beautiful. And they are all black. They are proud of their colour.
I then began to explain how we desire thin, thin, thin. Like straight, like the number 1. Well, one girl took a while to figure out what I was talking about. Once she did, she couldn't stop laughing. "You want to look like a stick?" she burst out. I said, "Yes, I guess so." They all continued to giggle.
I am officially proud of the tiny curves I am gaining.
Anyways, here is some pics of our beading adventures.
Headshots
This week I took some headshots of some of our youth. There is a fundraiser going on at home for our projects so they wanted to see the faces of our precious young people. These aren't all of them but I thought I would just share a few.
Lynched
Yesterday, as we were coming home, I witnessed my first lynched body. Yep, a human body.
Our matatu started to slow down and traffic was backing up a little. I noticed mobs of people on both sides of the road. Now, I hate crowds in Kenya. They freak me right out. If there is a large crowd following or looking at something in particular, my red flag shoots right up and I get out of there fast. Kenyans have a very strong 'mob mentality'. I don't know why. Maybe they are curious or bored or need something to get them fired up. But they usually run towards a crowd rather than away. And if something is happening in that crowd, like let's saying, lynching a body, then they will just join into the crowd without thinking about it.
So like I was saying, there were crowds on both sides of the road. I immediately clutch my bag (which now I giggle at thinking that that is my first reaction to danger) and looked at Kelvin. He said to me that it's probably something political since there were some big political rallies in Mombasa happening. As we slowly drove through the crowd, I noticed all eyes were looking at a particular thing on the ground. As we got closer, someone in our matatu said, "RIP" and I knew it was bad. Just as we drove past, I got a glimpse of the body.
I immediately turned away and said, 'Oh my God!' Yah, I don't usually use the Lord's name in vain but this shook me.
All of a sudden, I felt raw. It was such a raw reality. A living, breathing human body is now laying on the side of the road, charred will lumps of coal piled on top.
Now I have seen many dead bodies before. I have seen bodies that have been mixed and mangled from car crashes and other accidents. I have witnessed last breaths. I have escorted moms to the morgue to see their babies. I have been to open-casket funerals. So dead bodies don't bother me. For this, it was the whole situation that bothered me. Watching a human being burn on the ground in the name of 'mob justice'.
We assume the guy did something like stole or slept with someone's wife. Something of that matter. And the locals took it upon themselves to deal with the man.
Really!? REALLY!? Must you go so far...
Of course it made me ponder life and how precious it is. It made me wonder how people can be so cruel to burn a man alive. It made me sick thinking about how all those people gathered just to watch some body burn. They didn't seem to mind. Their faces were blank. I think if I was to stand there I would start balling. I wouldn't want to get a whiff of burning flesh.
My thoughts are still mixed. That image has flashed through my mind for the last 24 hours. I feel anger, hurt, pain, injustice, heartache, fury, confusion, and so many other things. That's just it.
Our matatu started to slow down and traffic was backing up a little. I noticed mobs of people on both sides of the road. Now, I hate crowds in Kenya. They freak me right out. If there is a large crowd following or looking at something in particular, my red flag shoots right up and I get out of there fast. Kenyans have a very strong 'mob mentality'. I don't know why. Maybe they are curious or bored or need something to get them fired up. But they usually run towards a crowd rather than away. And if something is happening in that crowd, like let's saying, lynching a body, then they will just join into the crowd without thinking about it.
So like I was saying, there were crowds on both sides of the road. I immediately clutch my bag (which now I giggle at thinking that that is my first reaction to danger) and looked at Kelvin. He said to me that it's probably something political since there were some big political rallies in Mombasa happening. As we slowly drove through the crowd, I noticed all eyes were looking at a particular thing on the ground. As we got closer, someone in our matatu said, "RIP" and I knew it was bad. Just as we drove past, I got a glimpse of the body.
I immediately turned away and said, 'Oh my God!' Yah, I don't usually use the Lord's name in vain but this shook me.
All of a sudden, I felt raw. It was such a raw reality. A living, breathing human body is now laying on the side of the road, charred will lumps of coal piled on top.
Now I have seen many dead bodies before. I have seen bodies that have been mixed and mangled from car crashes and other accidents. I have witnessed last breaths. I have escorted moms to the morgue to see their babies. I have been to open-casket funerals. So dead bodies don't bother me. For this, it was the whole situation that bothered me. Watching a human being burn on the ground in the name of 'mob justice'.
We assume the guy did something like stole or slept with someone's wife. Something of that matter. And the locals took it upon themselves to deal with the man.
Really!? REALLY!? Must you go so far...
Of course it made me ponder life and how precious it is. It made me wonder how people can be so cruel to burn a man alive. It made me sick thinking about how all those people gathered just to watch some body burn. They didn't seem to mind. Their faces were blank. I think if I was to stand there I would start balling. I wouldn't want to get a whiff of burning flesh.
My thoughts are still mixed. That image has flashed through my mind for the last 24 hours. I feel anger, hurt, pain, injustice, heartache, fury, confusion, and so many other things. That's just it.
Lynched
Yesterday, as we were coming home, I witnessed my first lynched body. Yep, a human body.
Our matatu started to slow down and traffic was backing up a little. I noticed mobs of people on both sides of the road. Now, I hate crowds in Kenya. They freak me right out. If there is a large crowd following or looking at something in particular, my red flag shoots right up and I get out of there fast. Kenyans have a very strong 'mob mentality'. I don't know why. Maybe they are curious or bored or need something to get them fired up. But they usually run towards a crowd rather than away. And if something is happening in that crowd, like let's saying, lynching a body, then they will just join into the crowd without thinking about it.
So like I was saying, there were crowds on both sides of the road. I immediately clutch my bag (which now I giggle at thinking that that is my first reaction to danger) and looked at Kelvin. He said to me that it's probably something political since there were some big political rallies in Mombasa happening. As we slowly drove through the crowd, I noticed all eyes were looking at a particular thing on the ground. As we got closer, someone in our matatu said, "RIP" and I knew it was bad. Just as we drove past, I got a glimpse of the body.
I immediately turned away and said, 'Oh my God!' Yah, I don't usually use the Lord's name in vain but this shook me.
All of a sudden, I felt raw. It was such a raw reality. A living, breathing human body is now laying on the side of the road, charred will lumps of coal piled on top.
Now I have seen many dead bodies before. I have seen bodies that have been mixed and mangled from car crashes and other accidents. I have witnessed last breaths. I have escorted moms to the morgue to see their babies. I have been to open-casket funerals. So dead bodies don't bother me. For this, it was the whole situation that bothered me. Watching a human being burn on the ground in the name of 'mob justice'.
We assume the guy did something like stole or slept with someone's wife. Something of that matter. And the locals took it upon themselves to deal with the man.
Really!? REALLY!? Must you go so far...
Of course it made me ponder life and how precious it is. It made me wonder how people can be so cruel to burn a man alive. It made me sick thinking about how all those people gathered just to watch some body burn. They didn't seem to mind. Their faces were blank. I think if I was to stand there I would start balling. I wouldn't want to get a whiff of burning flesh.
My thoughts are still mixed. That image has flashed through my mind for the last 24 hours. I feel anger, hurt, pain, injustice, heartache, fury, confusion, and so many other things. That's just it.
Our matatu started to slow down and traffic was backing up a little. I noticed mobs of people on both sides of the road. Now, I hate crowds in Kenya. They freak me right out. If there is a large crowd following or looking at something in particular, my red flag shoots right up and I get out of there fast. Kenyans have a very strong 'mob mentality'. I don't know why. Maybe they are curious or bored or need something to get them fired up. But they usually run towards a crowd rather than away. And if something is happening in that crowd, like let's saying, lynching a body, then they will just join into the crowd without thinking about it.
So like I was saying, there were crowds on both sides of the road. I immediately clutch my bag (which now I giggle at thinking that that is my first reaction to danger) and looked at Kelvin. He said to me that it's probably something political since there were some big political rallies in Mombasa happening. As we slowly drove through the crowd, I noticed all eyes were looking at a particular thing on the ground. As we got closer, someone in our matatu said, "RIP" and I knew it was bad. Just as we drove past, I got a glimpse of the body.
I immediately turned away and said, 'Oh my God!' Yah, I don't usually use the Lord's name in vain but this shook me.
All of a sudden, I felt raw. It was such a raw reality. A living, breathing human body is now laying on the side of the road, charred will lumps of coal piled on top.
Now I have seen many dead bodies before. I have seen bodies that have been mixed and mangled from car crashes and other accidents. I have witnessed last breaths. I have escorted moms to the morgue to see their babies. I have been to open-casket funerals. So dead bodies don't bother me. For this, it was the whole situation that bothered me. Watching a human being burn on the ground in the name of 'mob justice'.
We assume the guy did something like stole or slept with someone's wife. Something of that matter. And the locals took it upon themselves to deal with the man.
Really!? REALLY!? Must you go so far...
Of course it made me ponder life and how precious it is. It made me wonder how people can be so cruel to burn a man alive. It made me sick thinking about how all those people gathered just to watch some body burn. They didn't seem to mind. Their faces were blank. I think if I was to stand there I would start balling. I wouldn't want to get a whiff of burning flesh.
My thoughts are still mixed. That image has flashed through my mind for the last 24 hours. I feel anger, hurt, pain, injustice, heartache, fury, confusion, and so many other things. That's just it.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Prayers for Protection
I can't take my daily protection for granted. Not in this country. Not with all the crazy things that happen daily.
A few weeks ago, Kelvin started praying. Every time he prayed, he always thanked God for our protection in cars. He thanked God that the matatus we were in were all safe and the motorcycles we rode didn't crash. He thanked God that we went from point A to point B safely.
One of my girls didn't show up for the meeting on Saturday. So when I got home I texted to make sure everything was ok. The next morning I got a text from her aunt telling me that her cousin was in a fatal car accident on Friday and that they buried the body on Saturday. I was definitely sad for my dear girl. But what struck me the most was that it was a car accident. Her cousin probably got in the matatu not even thinking that her life would end. That's how I get into these matatus daily. It doesn't even cross my mind that it could crash. But the reality is that they do, often. Almost daily. Everyday there is a story in the newspaper about fatal car accidents in the country. Even last night a lorry ran head on into a matatu killing 10 passengers. It took two hours just to get the bodies out of the mangled vehicle.
I can't take it for granted that I have never been in any serious accident. Sure, my car has been bumped around a little, but nothing serious.
Another thing is bombs. Yes, bombs. We had another bombing in Mombasa two nights ago at a local night club. One person died. Five sent to hospital with serious injuries. About two months ago there was another bombing but this time it was thrown into a church crusade. One died. Many injured. Both of these places are areas that I pass frequently. I ams sure my feet have stepped on the very ground. It's sobering.
Although it's annoying, I am definitely ok with having a metal detector feel me up and some strange woman rummage through my purse every time I go to church or enter the supermarket. I know I am bomb free and at least I know everyone else is too.
I am so thankful that He protects every step I take. I am sure I walk amongst or interact with some shady characters who could mug me, molest me, steal me, hurt me, or whatever. But I have never had anything stolen from me or never felt my safety has been compromised. My house has never been broken into or even my clothes have never been stolen off the line.
So Kelvin and I will keep sending up prayers for protection and utter praises and thanksgivings for our safety. We serve an amazing God.
A few weeks ago, Kelvin started praying. Every time he prayed, he always thanked God for our protection in cars. He thanked God that the matatus we were in were all safe and the motorcycles we rode didn't crash. He thanked God that we went from point A to point B safely.
One of my girls didn't show up for the meeting on Saturday. So when I got home I texted to make sure everything was ok. The next morning I got a text from her aunt telling me that her cousin was in a fatal car accident on Friday and that they buried the body on Saturday. I was definitely sad for my dear girl. But what struck me the most was that it was a car accident. Her cousin probably got in the matatu not even thinking that her life would end. That's how I get into these matatus daily. It doesn't even cross my mind that it could crash. But the reality is that they do, often. Almost daily. Everyday there is a story in the newspaper about fatal car accidents in the country. Even last night a lorry ran head on into a matatu killing 10 passengers. It took two hours just to get the bodies out of the mangled vehicle.
I can't take it for granted that I have never been in any serious accident. Sure, my car has been bumped around a little, but nothing serious.
Another thing is bombs. Yes, bombs. We had another bombing in Mombasa two nights ago at a local night club. One person died. Five sent to hospital with serious injuries. About two months ago there was another bombing but this time it was thrown into a church crusade. One died. Many injured. Both of these places are areas that I pass frequently. I ams sure my feet have stepped on the very ground. It's sobering.
Although it's annoying, I am definitely ok with having a metal detector feel me up and some strange woman rummage through my purse every time I go to church or enter the supermarket. I know I am bomb free and at least I know everyone else is too.
I am so thankful that He protects every step I take. I am sure I walk amongst or interact with some shady characters who could mug me, molest me, steal me, hurt me, or whatever. But I have never had anything stolen from me or never felt my safety has been compromised. My house has never been broken into or even my clothes have never been stolen off the line.
So Kelvin and I will keep sending up prayers for protection and utter praises and thanksgivings for our safety. We serve an amazing God.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
It's disturbing me...
Kenyans love the word "disturbing".
"Teacher, he is disturbing me." "My kid has been disturbing me for a new phone." "These issues with my families have been disturbing me." "This pain in my stomach is really disturbing me."
But for the last few days, something has been disturbing me.
We got news on Monday that one of our boys was really sick in bed. We knew this boy has been sick and I had started getting worried. He had been losing weight and missing practice. But when Kelvin heard he was in bed, he said enough is enough, and decided to take him to the hospital.
Kelvin went to the boys house only to be completely horrified upon entering. The house was disgusting. It was in terrible shape and incredibly dirty. He walked up to the door of the boy's room and refused to go in because his room was so filthy. Kelvin said there was nothing to cook with - no plates, cooker, food, cutlery, nothing. There was no water so all the clothes were dirty. And the mattress the boy and his brother slept on was paper thin. It really startled Kelvin.
This particular boy is one that we have sponsored. We also pay his rent because we realized that he couldn't afford to live if he was in school full time. So we offered to pay his rent and agreed with his sister that she will feed him. This boy has also caused us no end of problems. He has skipped school, been caught smoking, has lied to our faces, and been kicked off the team several times.
So Kelvin got him out of bed and took him to the doctor. The doctor said he has a severe case of scabies. He has wounds all over his body. I mean all over his body. The poor boy.
The doctor gave him medicines and instructions to clean himself, his stuff and his place. The thing with scabies is that they are extremely contagious. His whole house is probably infested with them. It takes some thorough cleaning to make sure they go away. Trust me, I've had scabies.
As Kelvin was telling me the whole story, I was totally disturbed. Not because it was gross, but because we had no idea he lived like this. In our minds, we thought we had done something great for him only to realize he still had so much need. I can't blame the boy too much. Yes, he is older and should start taking responsibility for his cleanliness and living space. But the boy has no parents. And the ones he had weren't the greatest parents. He is one of 14 kids so naturally some of them get neglected. My mother was the one who taught me how to take care of my stuff, keep clean, and organize my life. Now if i didn't have her, I can't imagine the life I would be living. Same for this boy. No one has taught him. And no one is there to look out for him. He doesn't have a penny to his name. Thats why he couldn't get himself to the hospital. He can't even afford water (which is roughly 4cents for like 20 litres) to bath, wash his clothes, clean his house.
So it's been disturbing me the last few days.
Kelvin and I talked about taking a more holistic approach to sponsoring someone. A lot of the youth we sponsor end up having other issues that go alongside. Some of them can't afford to get to school, some can't eat or pay rent because they are not working, some have babies who need them and can't find someone to look after them while they go to school. So we are praying and brainstorming ideas about to take a more holistic approach to helping them.
One of our ideas involves housing. I thought of originally renting out a big room, filling it with nice stuff, and putting all the boys who need a little helping with their living situation in there. That way they are accountable to one another, they are accountable to us, and at least we know they are taken care of for a while. Kelvin even thought of one day opening a youth home for young people to live in. One of our boys once said to us, "I don't need a sponsorship or a loan for business. I can hustle for my food. The best thing you could help me with is to help with my living expenses." What if these young people (mostly boys) didn't have the pressure of their living expenses, and could work to put themselves through school or save up money to buy their own house or open their own business? All they need is a little help.
It's just an idea/vision right now but who knows, one day it might be a reality. At least for now we know that one of our boys is on his way to become scabies free.
"Teacher, he is disturbing me." "My kid has been disturbing me for a new phone." "These issues with my families have been disturbing me." "This pain in my stomach is really disturbing me."
But for the last few days, something has been disturbing me.
We got news on Monday that one of our boys was really sick in bed. We knew this boy has been sick and I had started getting worried. He had been losing weight and missing practice. But when Kelvin heard he was in bed, he said enough is enough, and decided to take him to the hospital.
Kelvin went to the boys house only to be completely horrified upon entering. The house was disgusting. It was in terrible shape and incredibly dirty. He walked up to the door of the boy's room and refused to go in because his room was so filthy. Kelvin said there was nothing to cook with - no plates, cooker, food, cutlery, nothing. There was no water so all the clothes were dirty. And the mattress the boy and his brother slept on was paper thin. It really startled Kelvin.
This particular boy is one that we have sponsored. We also pay his rent because we realized that he couldn't afford to live if he was in school full time. So we offered to pay his rent and agreed with his sister that she will feed him. This boy has also caused us no end of problems. He has skipped school, been caught smoking, has lied to our faces, and been kicked off the team several times.
So Kelvin got him out of bed and took him to the doctor. The doctor said he has a severe case of scabies. He has wounds all over his body. I mean all over his body. The poor boy.
The doctor gave him medicines and instructions to clean himself, his stuff and his place. The thing with scabies is that they are extremely contagious. His whole house is probably infested with them. It takes some thorough cleaning to make sure they go away. Trust me, I've had scabies.
As Kelvin was telling me the whole story, I was totally disturbed. Not because it was gross, but because we had no idea he lived like this. In our minds, we thought we had done something great for him only to realize he still had so much need. I can't blame the boy too much. Yes, he is older and should start taking responsibility for his cleanliness and living space. But the boy has no parents. And the ones he had weren't the greatest parents. He is one of 14 kids so naturally some of them get neglected. My mother was the one who taught me how to take care of my stuff, keep clean, and organize my life. Now if i didn't have her, I can't imagine the life I would be living. Same for this boy. No one has taught him. And no one is there to look out for him. He doesn't have a penny to his name. Thats why he couldn't get himself to the hospital. He can't even afford water (which is roughly 4cents for like 20 litres) to bath, wash his clothes, clean his house.
So it's been disturbing me the last few days.
Kelvin and I talked about taking a more holistic approach to sponsoring someone. A lot of the youth we sponsor end up having other issues that go alongside. Some of them can't afford to get to school, some can't eat or pay rent because they are not working, some have babies who need them and can't find someone to look after them while they go to school. So we are praying and brainstorming ideas about to take a more holistic approach to helping them.
One of our ideas involves housing. I thought of originally renting out a big room, filling it with nice stuff, and putting all the boys who need a little helping with their living situation in there. That way they are accountable to one another, they are accountable to us, and at least we know they are taken care of for a while. Kelvin even thought of one day opening a youth home for young people to live in. One of our boys once said to us, "I don't need a sponsorship or a loan for business. I can hustle for my food. The best thing you could help me with is to help with my living expenses." What if these young people (mostly boys) didn't have the pressure of their living expenses, and could work to put themselves through school or save up money to buy their own house or open their own business? All they need is a little help.
It's just an idea/vision right now but who knows, one day it might be a reality. At least for now we know that one of our boys is on his way to become scabies free.
Monday, May 14, 2012
A small glimpse into my week
It's Monday, the start of a new week. So far this morning I have spent a few hours trying to mop up all the dust and dirt and other yuckies around my house. We have a tiny house that seems to get so dirty so quickly. I guess it doesn't help much that there is a huge building project in our backyard that is creating hoards of dust. Sometimes I can see the streams of dust floating through the window. On the bright sigh, it is a delightful overcast day. Mombasa is finally cooling down.
Anyways, here are a few shots of my week. I have been terrible at communicating and taking pictures in the past few weeks. I promise to try harder.
The moon
I sat in awe as I watched the moon rise high above the boys as they practiced one night. The boys are back on track with practicing. They won their first game of the league on Saturday. I wasn't there but I heard they were elated and celebrated with vuvuzela's and lots of chanting/singing.
Groove
Last sunday, the biggest concert in the nation came and did its final show in Mombasa. The Groove tour sets up stages all across the country and profiles the hottest gospel music artists in the country. In Kenya, more often than not, the top songs on the charts are all gospel tunes. It's pretty rad although I feel sometimes we've lost the art of 'worship music'. But at least the lyrics are somewhat clean and holy...
Security was tight with threats of terrorists and such. We went through 4 different security guards just to get through the gates. Once inside, police and security were everywhere, including some 'hidden' police mingling amongst the crowds. With thousands of people inside, they did a pretty good job on the security front. No bombs. That's always a good thing.
Kelvin and I got cozy in the back sitting on the bleachers in the shade. We totally enjoyed ourselves. I loved seeing some of our boys and some of the ladies. The concert was FREE and close to Kongowea. My heart was happy seeing them enjoying themselves.
Cooking adventures
My new resolution is to cook nicer food at home and eat out less. Eating out adds up and I can make yummier, cheaper food at home. So this week saw me make pizza, baked chicken, toasted cheese, pumpkin cookies, coconut meat stew and pasta alongside the usual rice, beans, ugali, and sukuma.
I had been wanting to learn to cook the local pilau for a while now. From what I had heard, it was fairly easy and pretty cheap. One of my ladies, Susan, offered to take me home after our meeting on Saturday to teach me how. We giggled the whole way through the process and ended up making some pretty delicious pilau. It passed my husbands standards which is really what I strive for. The real test will be when I try cook it myself at home.
Missin' my Momma
Yes, Mother's day really made me long for my momma. These are the days I wish I was closer and could celebrate my mother the way she deserves. Good thing I have a pretty rad brother who managed to treat my mom to a nice dinner and her favourite flowers. I did manage to squeeze in a short Skype date with mom in the morning. Thank the Lord for Skype. I wasn't the only one longing for my mom. Neema was practically trying to scratch her way through the screen to get to her.
Journalling
A dear wife/friend/mentor of mine recently encouraged me to start journalling. I used to journal a lot in Kenya mostly because everything was so new and cool and noteworthy. Now I am used to life so it doesn't seem to be worth writing down. But I bought this cute little notebook (that a friend makes and sells for super cheap) and have been writing almost every day. It's been really relaxing to just sit and write openly and honestly about whatever is on my mind.
A new schedule
When we came back from our trip, we knew that we needed to shift some things around in our life and focus on what's really important. The last few months were hard as we tried to balance starting a business, working with the youth, and focusing on being newly married. So now Kelvin has trained one of our boys to manage the business for a few hours in the day leaving us with the mornings together. It has made such a huge difference! We wake up slowly and eat breakfast together while watching our favourite morning shows. We clean up, spend some time reading God's word and just hang out. Sometimes we watch a movie or just talk. Around noon I start preparing lunch and after that Kelvin heads out. He gets what needs to be done in the office before he goes to practice with the boys. I usually plan something for the afternoon. I have been actually heading to Kongowea more to meet up with my ladies one on one. Then we come back home together in the evenings, cook supper, and relax.
This new schedule has not only helped our relationship but also the youth we work with. We find we have more time and energy to pour into them which is what they really need most. It is also what makes us thrive too!
I am grateful the way God has worked it all out.
As for this week, we are still busy. Tonight I am headed to Kongowea to meet with one of my ladies and take some head shots of the boys for a fundraiser happening in Canada. Then the rest of the week is filled with wedding meetings, visiting, bible studies, office work, and, well, sweet time with those who matter most.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
An update on our youth
I thought I would just give you a little glimpse into what is happening with the youth we work with.
The boys:
While we were away, its seems that the team sort of crumbled. We were getting text message cries from the boys telling us that their morale was dropping and they were having issues with the coach. We had hired a coach as to relieve Kelvin from being at practice every night so he could be with his wife. But that backfired. Upon returning, we 'released' the coach (although at that point he was ready to leave too) and had a few players leave the team. You see, another team in Kongowea has been enrolled in the same league as us. A man vying for a political seat decided to sponsor them. I don't know all the details, but some of our boys decided to leave to play for this team, including our captain. Lucky for us, the boys who left were ones who had just joined the team, not ones who have been with us for the past 2 years.
During our trip, Kelvin started sensing that God really needs him to focus more on the boys. He has now rearranged his schedule to fit me, work, and the boys in nicely.
This week, we asked the boys to fill out the same sheet on Visions and Goals that I had my ladies fill out. Honestly, the answers were hilarious. Some of the boys really did a good job. You could tell they thought it through and were serious about it. But some just filled it out like all the others. One thing that impressed me was that, many of them wanted to get rid of bad company in their lives. They want to actively chose to hang out with people that will lead them into good rather than bad. Other than that, all of them pretty much put the same things: get a god-fearing wife, preach peace and unity, play good football, get a nice job, be a noble person, etc. One of the questions on the page was, "What are some things that could hinder you?" and pretty much every boy put "death"! Ha, yes I guess if you died, you wouldn't be able to accomplish your goals. One boy was even more dramatic putting 'to be demolished.' Yah, that would hinder you. But the funniest of all was one boy who must have had someone fill out his form for him. On the form it talked about how he wanted to get an 'A' in his examination, finish his studies well and get a God fearing wife. The funny part is that this boy doesn't even go to school and he already has a wife! We had a good chuckle at that.
All in all, they seem to be back on track. They are all 'busy'. None are sitting idle like so many other young men in the area. We hired one of them to look after the centre and the equipment. Kelvin told me that he saved his money and enrolled himself into driving school! Kelvin is also trying to meet with some of them who accepted Christ in the past few months for a small bible study.
And finally, yesterday, there was a big wedding in the area. The brother of one of our boys was marrying the sister to another one of our boys. Weddings, especially islamic weddings, are quite the ordeal here lasting 2 days with lots of yummy food. So yesterday, Kelvin managed to get all of our boys into the mosque (where lunch was served) and they all ate huge plates of biryani. I am just happy knowing they went home with full bellies.
Which is more than I can say about my ladies...
The ladies:
We resumed our ladies meetings yesterday. I had missed these girls so much for the past 2 weeks! I planned to make beaded necklaces with them. I have this vision/dream to start making jewelry with them and then we can try sell it to make some money for us as a group. So we started slow yesterday. I was praying that they would catch on to it. Well, the instant they laid their eyes on the beads, they were hooked! Three and a half hours later, I had to practically shove them out the door, wrapping up beads for 'goodie bags' for them to take home and finish. They loved it! I will be trying out more types of jewelry in the next couple weeks.
On my way out, one of the girls came up to me and told me about the rough month she was having. She is a teacher and is also still studying. I guess this month she had to pay some huge school fees and she didn't get paid since it was a holiday month. She told me that, for the rest of this month, she only has $6 to live off of. My heart sank. She said it with that fake, giggly smile people get when they are really sad but don't want to let on. I knew we needed to talk more, a heart to heart, so we made plans to meet monday evening for supper and some girl chat.
This week, I am starting a bible study with some of my girls! This has been a dream of mine for a long time and the door has finally opened. I had mentioned it to one girl a few weeks ago, just asking if she would be interested. She enthusiastically said "Yes!" The next week, I had about 3 other girls come up to me saying they want to join to (I guess the word got out.) So Wednesday, we will be starting. My heart really broke for my ladies when one of them told me she had a sister at home who wanted to join the group but she had a baby. I asked why that was a problem and she told me that her sister had the baby out of wedlock and most christian organizations shun that type of stuff. My heart broke. That's not God's heart! That's not what God thinks of this lady and her baby!! That's when I knew I needed to start teaching these girls really what God is all about.
As for us:
We are realizing more and more that the best thing we can give our beloved youth is ourselves. They just need our company, guidance, wisdom, love, acceptance, and compassion. We are trying to figure out just how we can do that. Kelvin has hired one of the boys to help out with the business so that Kelvin only has to work part time so he has more time for me and the boys. It's a balancing act for sure! Pray that God would guide us in being available for these young people we love so dearly.
The boys:
While we were away, its seems that the team sort of crumbled. We were getting text message cries from the boys telling us that their morale was dropping and they were having issues with the coach. We had hired a coach as to relieve Kelvin from being at practice every night so he could be with his wife. But that backfired. Upon returning, we 'released' the coach (although at that point he was ready to leave too) and had a few players leave the team. You see, another team in Kongowea has been enrolled in the same league as us. A man vying for a political seat decided to sponsor them. I don't know all the details, but some of our boys decided to leave to play for this team, including our captain. Lucky for us, the boys who left were ones who had just joined the team, not ones who have been with us for the past 2 years.
During our trip, Kelvin started sensing that God really needs him to focus more on the boys. He has now rearranged his schedule to fit me, work, and the boys in nicely.
This week, we asked the boys to fill out the same sheet on Visions and Goals that I had my ladies fill out. Honestly, the answers were hilarious. Some of the boys really did a good job. You could tell they thought it through and were serious about it. But some just filled it out like all the others. One thing that impressed me was that, many of them wanted to get rid of bad company in their lives. They want to actively chose to hang out with people that will lead them into good rather than bad. Other than that, all of them pretty much put the same things: get a god-fearing wife, preach peace and unity, play good football, get a nice job, be a noble person, etc. One of the questions on the page was, "What are some things that could hinder you?" and pretty much every boy put "death"! Ha, yes I guess if you died, you wouldn't be able to accomplish your goals. One boy was even more dramatic putting 'to be demolished.' Yah, that would hinder you. But the funniest of all was one boy who must have had someone fill out his form for him. On the form it talked about how he wanted to get an 'A' in his examination, finish his studies well and get a God fearing wife. The funny part is that this boy doesn't even go to school and he already has a wife! We had a good chuckle at that.
All in all, they seem to be back on track. They are all 'busy'. None are sitting idle like so many other young men in the area. We hired one of them to look after the centre and the equipment. Kelvin told me that he saved his money and enrolled himself into driving school! Kelvin is also trying to meet with some of them who accepted Christ in the past few months for a small bible study.
And finally, yesterday, there was a big wedding in the area. The brother of one of our boys was marrying the sister to another one of our boys. Weddings, especially islamic weddings, are quite the ordeal here lasting 2 days with lots of yummy food. So yesterday, Kelvin managed to get all of our boys into the mosque (where lunch was served) and they all ate huge plates of biryani. I am just happy knowing they went home with full bellies.
Which is more than I can say about my ladies...
The ladies:
We resumed our ladies meetings yesterday. I had missed these girls so much for the past 2 weeks! I planned to make beaded necklaces with them. I have this vision/dream to start making jewelry with them and then we can try sell it to make some money for us as a group. So we started slow yesterday. I was praying that they would catch on to it. Well, the instant they laid their eyes on the beads, they were hooked! Three and a half hours later, I had to practically shove them out the door, wrapping up beads for 'goodie bags' for them to take home and finish. They loved it! I will be trying out more types of jewelry in the next couple weeks.
On my way out, one of the girls came up to me and told me about the rough month she was having. She is a teacher and is also still studying. I guess this month she had to pay some huge school fees and she didn't get paid since it was a holiday month. She told me that, for the rest of this month, she only has $6 to live off of. My heart sank. She said it with that fake, giggly smile people get when they are really sad but don't want to let on. I knew we needed to talk more, a heart to heart, so we made plans to meet monday evening for supper and some girl chat.
This week, I am starting a bible study with some of my girls! This has been a dream of mine for a long time and the door has finally opened. I had mentioned it to one girl a few weeks ago, just asking if she would be interested. She enthusiastically said "Yes!" The next week, I had about 3 other girls come up to me saying they want to join to (I guess the word got out.) So Wednesday, we will be starting. My heart really broke for my ladies when one of them told me she had a sister at home who wanted to join the group but she had a baby. I asked why that was a problem and she told me that her sister had the baby out of wedlock and most christian organizations shun that type of stuff. My heart broke. That's not God's heart! That's not what God thinks of this lady and her baby!! That's when I knew I needed to start teaching these girls really what God is all about.
As for us:
We are realizing more and more that the best thing we can give our beloved youth is ourselves. They just need our company, guidance, wisdom, love, acceptance, and compassion. We are trying to figure out just how we can do that. Kelvin has hired one of the boys to help out with the business so that Kelvin only has to work part time so he has more time for me and the boys. It's a balancing act for sure! Pray that God would guide us in being available for these young people we love so dearly.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Got Milk?
Nope.
Kenya, or at least Mombasa, seems to be having some sort of milk shortage. You can't find milk anywhere. I was in the supermarket a couple days ago and they were out of fresh milk and selling 'long life' milk aka milk with preservatives. I bought some but it tastes terrible. And if I were to go back now, I am sure it would be gone.
All the little dukas are also not getting their supply of milk so you can't find it around your home.
It's tough because there are a few Kenyan staples and milk is a big one. Every Kenyan drinks tea (half of it is milk the other half water) in the morning. Most of the milk we buy is fresh so it will go bad in a day or two which means you can't stock up on it or buy 4 litre jugs like at home.
I wonder how this happens. Occasionally, Kenya just runs out of food. Last year it was sugar, a few months ago it was sukuma wiki and now milk. First, the prices double (1/2 litre of milk went from 30KES to 55KES in a matter of weeks) then you realize that you can no longer find it in the shelves. I guess it shows you how much of our food is locally grown (which is cool) but also shows you the lack of knowledge or proper planning to make sure these 'shortages' don't happen. Maybe if we focused a little less on political dynamics and more on the needs of the people, this wouldn't happen.
Otherwise, this morning we are drinking black, lemongrass tea. Pretty yummy.
Kenya, or at least Mombasa, seems to be having some sort of milk shortage. You can't find milk anywhere. I was in the supermarket a couple days ago and they were out of fresh milk and selling 'long life' milk aka milk with preservatives. I bought some but it tastes terrible. And if I were to go back now, I am sure it would be gone.
All the little dukas are also not getting their supply of milk so you can't find it around your home.
It's tough because there are a few Kenyan staples and milk is a big one. Every Kenyan drinks tea (half of it is milk the other half water) in the morning. Most of the milk we buy is fresh so it will go bad in a day or two which means you can't stock up on it or buy 4 litre jugs like at home.
I wonder how this happens. Occasionally, Kenya just runs out of food. Last year it was sugar, a few months ago it was sukuma wiki and now milk. First, the prices double (1/2 litre of milk went from 30KES to 55KES in a matter of weeks) then you realize that you can no longer find it in the shelves. I guess it shows you how much of our food is locally grown (which is cool) but also shows you the lack of knowledge or proper planning to make sure these 'shortages' don't happen. Maybe if we focused a little less on political dynamics and more on the needs of the people, this wouldn't happen.
Otherwise, this morning we are drinking black, lemongrass tea. Pretty yummy.
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