My little bundle of inspiration.

Often, my greatest inspirations are our youth. When I see what they go through, how they overcome, and the joy that they still have am in constant awe of them. 

One of them is definitely Munira. 

I have loved this one from the moment I met her. She is a ball of fire in a small package. She is always laughing, giggling, having fun. She seems to never be sad. She has this awesome raspy voice that just roars over the whole room. 

A few months back, she stopped coming on Saturdays. Some of the others told me that she got a job. Honestly, I was pretty sad knowing I wasn't going to see her as much but I was so happy she was able to get work. 

I later learned that she works at an Export Processing Zone, or as we sometimes refer to them, a sweatshop. Conditions are not as harsh as those in other parts of the world and she does get paid minimum wage in Kenya (which is about $100/month). She spends almost a third of that just on transport and lunch. At the end of the month, she comes home with around $70 in her pocket. 

She needed to work to pay off her school fees. Last year she finished high school. In order for her to get her clearing certificate stating that she did indeed pass high school, she needed to clear fees. 

Later on I learned that her father doesn't pay school fees for the girls in her family. In fact, she is the only girl of seven who has finished high school. 

She also has dreams of going to college and becoming a secretary! I have never met anyone so excited to be a secretary (besides my best friend Nikki). She found the college and the course she wants to take. The only issue is the fees. 

Well, yesterday she came bouncing into my office and proudly showed me her high school leaving certificate!!! I was almost in tears!! She worked hard and did it all by herself!!! SO SO PROUD!!

I made a deal with her. I said that if she can save a third of the total college school fees plus some extra money for transport, I will pay the rest. 

So if you want to help ms Munira fulfill her dreams of becoming a secretary, please please donate on the left hand side of this blog. 

She also informed me that it is her birthday tomorrow. She has decided to skip work on saturday, use some of her pay to buy lots of sweets and juice, and come celebrate with the ladies. Can't wait!!

A Sweet Blessing

While we were on the matatu to church, Kelvin got a call from a friend of his. This friend was really anxious to see Kelvin. He wanted to meet him asap. Kelvin asked why. The guy said, "I want to give you 200bob (about $2.50)." Kelvin giggled. Our friend just wanted to give us something. He must have gotten some work somewhere and wanted to bless us with the cash he made.

We have taken in this friend numerous times. He had some particular issues with his mental health as well as with his family. During that time, he told us that our house was the only place he really felt at peace so he would show up at night and just want somewhere peaceful to rest his head. We have also hired him to help us out with moving, carpentry jobs, security, etc. 

Anyways, we explained to him we were on our way to church so he can send it to us through MPESA (a bank system on our phones). He hung up and then we didn't hear from him again. 

On our way home from church, Kelvin received a text from MPESA telling him he received 500bob ($6.50) from our friend. Ha! I am not sure why but he decided to send us over double what he wanted to. I was seriously humbled. We ended up treating ourselves to some drinks and snacks as we watched the Arsenal game that afternoon. 

Maybe I have like some sort of "white pride" issue in my head that thinks that people always want money out of me or that I am always the one who has to give. I think thats the way the majority of people think when they see white people. But when skin colour fades away, we are left with friendship and friends give and bless one another. 

I am constantly amazed at the ways Kenyans give. I truly believe they give way more than we do. In terms of monetary value, we probably give more but in terms of sacrifice, they are way ahead of us. 

One family, who is particularly close to me, has never had a vacation! The parents are well into their fifties now and yet have never taken a chance to get out, relax, enjoy the fruits of their labour. If they ever have any extra money (which is rare) they take another kid into their family puts them in school.

My husband has been a really good example of sacrificial giving. He has really challenged me to give even when its uncomfortable. Even this month, he promised a few people he would give to them (which we were really excited to do since we are excited for them and where God is taking them). He let me know and then we had to figure out how to budget the rest of the month. It means that maybe we only eat meat once or twice a week, cut down on our internet use, and do a little less 'leisure'. And can I just tell you that we have NEVER lacked? In fact, God has blessed us in the most amazing of ways. Our God is awesome. 

What about you? Do you give out of your excess? Do you ever give even if it means you live a little less comfortable? Are you ever really excited to give to someone or something? 

Rehma Youth Scholarship Winners!

It's time for me to introduce to you the winners of our Rehma Youth Scholarships! We were suppose to only have 3 winners but our committee said they just couldn't pick only 3 but they wanted to choose 4. Here they are...

Nuru Juma

This young lady has a heart for people living with disabilities. Her huge heart literally oozes out love and compassion for these people. Every time I meet her, she never fails to tell me a story about some people she has just helped or some ideas she has for people with disabilities. Her mother is disabled and has overcome huge obstacles so Nuru wants to inspire people to do the same. We are currently praying and researching about the right program that she should go into in order to reach her goals. We are also thinking of starting some sign language classes with her! 

 Asha Ishmael

This girl is feisty! I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up as President one day. She loves to seek justice for all people. Her dream is to become a lawyer and work specifically with women's rights. She is the most vocal of all my ladies and is involved in every program in the community which seeks to better the lives of young people. Her parents both died of cancer a few years ago and she now lives with her aunt and sister. Pray for her as we search for the proper program for her to begin her studies in! 

 Felix Faithfulness

We will miss this young man as he has just left to attend a school on the other side of the country. However, we know that he will be getting a better education and more opportunity to play soccer. His family is the poorest of the poor and truly struggles to put food on the table. For some reason, everyone who knows Faithfulness has the utmost confidence that he will succeed! He has an incredible ability to inspire people around him. We are praying for the best for him in his new school!

Justus Maloba

This sweet young man comes from a family of seven. His parents are divorced and his mother is their sole provider. She makes a small living selling fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, its not always enough. Justus has had to repeat several grades because there hasn't been enough money to pay the school fees. One thing about this boy is that he is not much of a complainer and tries to keep positive no matter what comes his way. He is a pleasure to have on the team and is a force to be reckoned with on the field. He dreams of being a lawyer and a business man. We are praying for him as he finishes his last  2 years of high school!

Noah isn't one of our winners but is a young man we sponsored to go to school last year. He finished his course and was trying really hard to find an internship. Yesterday he called Kelvin to ask if they could meet. When they met, Noah told him how that morning he had sat and prayed to God really honestly about getting an internship soon. I think it was a really heartfelt prayer. Well, he went to town the same day and went to another company. To his surprise, they hired him on the spot and told him to start now! Noah was just elated to tell us the news last night. I think he was more amazed at the way God really pulled through for him. Anyways, we are super excited for him. 

The team has been playing a lot in the last couple weeks. Here's a few shots from their games.

 Warm up - I am always amazed at how rhythmic even their warm up is! They seriously don't miss a beat. 

 A somewhat dysfunctional team shot. I love how our goalie is saving the ball...

 Our team captain, Lolo. He came straight from school to the game. When was the last time you dressed like this to attend your college classes?

Our faithful servant/coach/co-worker Nicky. I will have to do a better introduction of him in another post. Kelvin and I are so thankful to have him! 

Our boys are getting a little discouraged lately as they haven't won many games. They keep drawing (or tying as we say) and their morale is a bit low. Some have even stopped practicing this week. Kelvin says they are playing the best they have in the past 2 years but its still not enough to put some wins under their belt. We hope they can overcome these small hiccups.

Keep praying for our youth. Our numbers are a bit low right now and we are not sure why. Even many of my girls have missed meetings the last few weeks. It's hard because we can't force them to come but we know that they are missing some good opportunities with us. One of our biggest challenges is dealing with stubbornness, pride, lack of perseverance and commitment, and other social behaviours. It's not just a couple of them - many of them have these traits that are just ingrained in them. Pray with us as we try to reach them on their levels and shower them with a lot of love and hope. 

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.

Helping when they don't want to help themselves

There is one thing that I find very frustrating with some of the mindset's in Kenya. I am finding more and more often that people don't want to help themselves. They expect others to do it for them.

Maybe it is because they are so used to receiving aid from so many NGO's in the country that they feel like they don't have to work for it. I actually believe that Kenya is poor because many people have this mind set of "Poor me. I can't do anything. Everything is impossible. The government is corrupt. There is no work. Life is always and will always be a struggle." If you really think about all the money and resources that are poured into Kenya every year, it's a wonder why the country is still a third world country.

It's like people are taught to think that life is just one big disappointment.

To be honest, this is our biggest struggle with the boys (and other people in our lives).

We are really struggling with one boy in particular. He is one that we have sponsored. He keeps skipping out of school for long periods of time. Eventually he gets his head on straight and goes back only to skip again and again. When you confront him, its like he has this defeated attitude about life. He tells us of how he can't pay rent or buy food so he has to work during the days. He tells of how the schooling is too tough for him or he can't manage to walk there every day. Can you imagine constantly thinking that life is just going to kick me in the butt?

A lot of our other boys struggle with the same things but they reach out for help. They tell us when they can't pay rent or are struggling to find money for transport to get to school. We have actually helped many of them to find side jobs in order for them to make a little money. And they are all doing fine. Actually, most of them are thriving in schools. But they were the ones who took initiative and asked for some assistance and are making it possible for themselves to go school.

One thing I really want to instil in the youth is HOPE. Most of them just lack hope for their lives. The hope that things can get better and that it's not impossible. I want them to start thinking that, 'Yes this CAN happen' instead of "nope, this will never happen." And the fact is that it CAN happen if they are willing to work hard for it. Even without our financial help, I bet most of them could do something really great with their lives.

We are here and willing to help but why help people if they don't want to help themselves? I am not going to do everything for you but I am willing to help you. If someone offered to pay my college fees, you bet that I would do everything that I could to get myself to school. I wouldn't expect this person to register me, walk me to school, make sure all my papers are in order, etc.

Kelvin and I were walking through Kongowea the other day and Kelvin was explaining to me how proud he is of the boys. He said, "A year ago, you would have found most of them lazying around at this time of day. But now, they are all doing something. They are getting up and working and trying to make a life for themselves." He told me of one of the boys who showed up covered in paint from a small job that he had hustled to find so he could help out his mom. That's what we love to hear.

Pray for wisdom. I was asking myself today what would God do in this situation? Does God ever just say, "Well I have helped you enough yet you don't do anything. You keep being disobedient. I am not going to help people who don't want to help themselves"? Or does he suffer long with us and have grace upon grace on us even when we don't want to help ourselves? Pray for this young man that whatever strongholds or negative thoughts he has, they wouldn't hinder him from making something great for his life. Because I believe that they all can do something great for their lives, if they chose to do so.

Like father, like son?

Kelvin and one of our boys, Lamlo, watching the game. Kelvin's influence extends to standing postures! Haha. I just thought it was a cute sight. 

 But I loved this picture! You see those papers in Kelvin's hands? Those are Lamlo's clinic card, ID of his guardian, and death certificate of his guardian! Can I tell you why this is so exciting? 

Well this year, Kelvin made it mandatory that all the boys have their birth certificates and IDs in order for them to play on the team. He wanted to push them to take initiative and get their lives in order. Plus, we want to play in some bigger leagues that require that each player has an ID of some sort. Now Lamlo is an orphan. He has no family members. His parents died a while ago and he is an only child. He somehow made it to Mombasa from his home across the country and manages to makes a small living for himself. However, when we told him that he needed an ID, he told us he wouldn't be able to get it. He doesn't have any of his own documents or even his parents death certificates. The best we could think of was that he could travel upcountry to meet with the chief of the area that he came from and see if he could vouch for him. We were prepared to pay his expenses as we know how much he wanted this. 

However, on wednesday he surprised Kelvin with all his documents! I guess he had been running up and about, missing practice, trying to get his stuff in order!! It was so awesome to see him take initiative and get his life in order. This ID doesn't just get him on the team but allows him to vote, get a job, go to school, etc. Its kinda a big deal! 

So the next day Kelvin took the application form to him (we actually keep copies of the form with us because we hand so many out). I am excited to see his ID! 

Christmas for The Rehma Boys

First of all, I need to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who donated. I was so humbled by the amount of people who stepped up and gave for our boys. We managed to reach our target and even more! 

We planned to hand out the goods on Christmas eve. I was a little hesitant to be honest. I guess I just fear that the boys will feel like they are our 'charity cases' and that we give to them just because it makes US feel good. I always think it makes them feel like they are less than we are which is not what I want at all. I never want them to feel like the 'poor'. I want them to be our friends, sons, companions, community. So I was honestly feeling a little held back from doing this however, I prayed through it and asked God to go before me. 

Dad, Mark, Kelvin and I went to the supermarket in the morning. It happened to be the busiest day of the year as we struggled to push our way through the masses of people. We counted out 25 of every food item on our list. Kelvin and I had a budget of what we wanted to spend. It was funny because we actually barely reached the budget. We had a list of things we wanted to buy but we found that they didn't add up to the amount we were willing to spend. We kept coming up with things like, 'Oh yah and we can give them juice.' And then we would add juice and still have left overs. So the boys ended up getting a lot more than we thought they would.

Mark pushing the rice and cooking fat! 

Kobwa latched on to my dad. Now Kobwa doesn't even play for our team but is probably our biggest fan. He shows up to every game and practice. I used to see him and always high on something but these days he seems to be clean. Anyways, he is pretty much a part of the team so we asked him to come along as well.

The whole family assembling the food. While this was happening, Kelvin took the opportunity to talk to the boys about it. He wanted to explain to them that this was a small gesture of love. People sacrificed so that they could eat. He kept reassuring the boys that someone indeed cares for them even when it seems like no one is interested in them. 

Mallards, in Castlegar, had donated some socks for us so I thought it was a good time to give them out. 

Good little workers!

I told you Kobwa latched on to Dad. 

There they are looking awesome in their new team t-shirts. I did have a wonderful friends, Klark, offer to make them their own logo that is proudly displayed on their t-shirts. Now they can show up to games looking all official! 

I love that my baba is squeezed in the middle of them!!

Kasondra's family sponsors Eric to go to school. It was so awesome to have the two of them meet. 

Some pretty happy campers!

They walked home weighed down with tons of food. Ah, my heart rejoices!

So it's a bit of a sad story...I ended up missing the whole thing. Yah, I got stuck trying to send money to a relative. It was THE busiest day of the year so line ups were long and traffic was insane. The boys waited almost 2 hours for us and I wasn't going to make them wait for me just so I could witness it. Then who would it really be about?? It's all for them in the end. However, I did make it eventually and there were a couple who wanted to stick around to see me. I got the low-down from my family after it was all over. I am glad they got to experience it. 

At the end of the day, the boys were so grateful. I hope they are beginning to believe that they are indeed LOVED, and WORTHY, and PRECIOUS.  

Overwhelmed

Where to start...

Life has been overwhelming the last couple weeks. It has been hard but also it has been incredibly joyful and exciting. I am overwhelmed in a good way. 

First of all, I am reading a book that has rattled me up. The Hole in the Gospel is written by the president of World Vision. It is an account of how he accepted God's calling for him to take the position even though he had a high end CEO job. Then he talks extensively about what is happening in the world. The reality of poverty, war, disease, hunger, corruption, etc. That's about when I started to feel overwhelmed with hopelessness. There is SO much need, so how do you even begin to make a difference? How are we so oblivious to what is going on in the world? The West is so disconnected from it. I spent hours reading and my heart shattering into tiny pieces for how little we are helping people who literally HAVE NOTHING. I live in Africa and try to help the poor but even I feel like I don't do enough. (By the way, the book has totally convinced me not to buy a washing machine. I would rather pay some struggling single mother to wash my clothes. I actually tried to compromise and say I would pay someone to put them in my washing machine.) Eventually the author started to turn things around and offered encouragement to me, hopeless at that point, that I was not called to save the world but to obey Jesus and what He has asked me to do for the people He loves. I am called to be His hands and His feet, His love and His compassion, for those who are suffering. I think I am on my way there.

I still haven't even finished the book. I still have about a third left to read. 

Next, Kelvin and I have started marriage counselling. I am personally loving it. I am overwhelmed at the way God has designed marriage and what purpose it has. I am overwhelmed that God's gift to me is Kelvin, an amazing, loving, handsome, God-fearing, man. I am overwhelmed at how hard marriage and relationships can be especially as we strive to obey Jesus' commands to love, respect, submit, forgive, stay committed to one another for the rest of our lives.  I am in awe of my Creator, that's fo' sho. 

On that same note, wedding plans are coming along well! Only 7 more weeks to go! We are having some issues with the invitations. People are just not understanding that, if you are not invited, don't come. We didn't  give you a card for a reason. We have had numerous people ask us if they can bring their coaches, neighbours, teachers, and other people. NO! is my answer. People keep calling us asking for their invitation, as if we have forgotten it or it got lost. If you didn't get a card, it probably means you weren't invited. It sounds harsh but, at this point, I have to be. 

We have also found the apartment that we are going to move into once we are married!! It is a sweet little one bedroom place just up the road from where I stay now. Currently they are re-painting it and getting it all fixed up for Kelvin to move into it in December. After the wedding, I will join him! It has 24 hour security and bars on all the windows (my top priority) and flowing water (my second top priority). Gosh, 7 weeks can't come soon enough. 

On to the boys...

There are days where I am super excited about them and some days I am so frustrated. 

I am personally struggling to connect with the boys on a deeper level. My relationships with them are very surface level. Language is a barrier as not all of them can speak in English. I think the fact that I am white and I am a girl puts a bit more of a divide between us. And then I am more of a matronly/motherly figure. They have a lot of reverence for me. I bring most of the finances and they know that without me, Kelvin really can't do what he does for them. I guess it is not a bad thing. I think I like the respect and reverence they have for me. But sometimes I just wish to connect a little bit more. On the other hand, kelvin does an amazing job with them. They just adore him. I have no idea how he does it, but they respect and honour him to no end. 

We are having issues with one of them in particular. It's hard when you do so much for him and then he turns around and hurts you for no reason at all. I guess you expect him to change but that doesn't always happen. His issues are so much deeper than we understand or have the capabilities to deal with. We are just praying for guidance in how to deal with the one that has strayed. 

But then there are some who are making huge leaps forward and, if I dare say, are becoming some pretty awesome human beings. 

And I have been overwhelmed by the response to our call for Christmas gifts! People are stepping up from everywhere to bless these young men. I am so looking forward to doing some shopping for them! Thank you all!!! Asanteni Sana!

Then there is always the joys and tribulations of everyday life. Yesterday, I had a rough time at the pitch watching the boys play. I just got so much unnecessary attention from everybody around that it was exhausting and draining for me. I am white. So!? However, I am looking forward to a great afternoon with a good friend, chatting and chomping on home made cookies. Simple everyday blessings. 

All in all, I am overwhelmed. But oh so thankful for all that is going on in my world. 

Pondering the Poor...

For some reason, in the last few days God has given me a small dose of His heart for the poor. I have been pondering the poor a lot as I mingle amongst people in Kongowea and learn more of the stories of my boys. Ouch, my heart just aches.

A couple of them explained to me the other day that sometimes they don't eat. One of them is wishing that he could have a few dollars so that he could buy plastic bags to sell in the market. He said to me excitedly,'I could make up to 20 bob a day!" 20 bob is approximately 25cents. And he is excited about 25cents? It is because he is not making that daily right now so 20 bob is an improvement.

My boys wear the same clothes every time I see them. Either they really really like them or they can't afford anything else. Most of them can't go to school. They just don't have the funds so they sit around the community picking up small jobs here and there and being idle.

It makes you think what their lives are worth. I am sure they have pondered that before. If this is all I am doing, then what is the purpose for life? Poverty doesn't just mean not eating or not having clothes. Poverty diminishes purpose, worth, hope, joy.

For example, I told you about Andi a few weeks ago and how we put him into school. After one week of school, his entire demeanour changed. He smiles everywhere he goes. He is incredibly jovial. He walks with confidence. He walks with purpose. He is no longer timid. It's like now he has made something of himself. He is proud of himself. Even Kelvin met with him the other day and said, "I don't know has gotten into that kid. He is a completely different person." Amazing the transformation in the boys life by just simply putting him into school.

It's hard to believe that God would put all these people on the earth and say, "Oops I forgot to put enough food for everyone". So why isn't it happening?

Then I realized that God has given. But we haven't. 

Kelvin and I were chatting this morning as I was pouring out all my thoughts to him. He pointed me to the statement Jesus made saying, "the poor will always be among you." At first glance it seems rather pessimistic. Ok, since they will always be there then why should we do anything?? However, I think Jesus meant it as a challenge. A challenge to get our buts in gear and help the poor.

Deuteronomy 15:1-11 really enlightened me this afternoon as I opened my bible to study scriptures on the poor (as it has been eating at me for the past few days). It is a passage that talks about clearing debts after every 7 years. In vs 4 it points out that there 'may be no poor among you' however this is conditional. In vs. 5 it says this will happen 'only if you carefully obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe with care all these commandments'.  So this is saying that there will be no poor when we obey God's commandments. WE must give to the poor as God has commanded us to. The ball is in our court.

However, reading on to verse 11, Moses says something similar to Jesus that 'the poor will never cease from the land.' I think Moses was being realistic knowing that the children of Israel will never fully keep God's commands.

And neither will we. It is our disobedience that is causing the poor. Ouch. Yes, we have so much and have worked hard for it but who gave us this opportunity in the first place? Why were we chosen to be born in Canada (or other first world countries) and not Kenya? Have we earned it? Nope. It's called Grace. Amazing grace. But with this privilege comes great responsibility.

I love this verse found in Amos 2:6 "Thus says the Lord....I will not turn away it's punishment because they sell...the poor for a pair of sandals"

Is it really necessary to buy another pair of fancy shoes when people aren't eating? Just last night I was talking to one of the boys about how much his school fees would cost. For one year, it is about $200. I then said, "You know people in the West spend that much on one pair of shoes." He gasped. His school fees (the chance to get out of poverty) for a nice pair of shoes for ourselves?

So knowing this what can I do? what should we do? As God's hands and feet, how will we help the poor? My prayer is that we would not become numb to them. It is so easy to forget about the poor when we live such cushy lives.

If you have any comments, questions, rebukes leave a comment at the end of this post. If you completely agree or think I am totally off target, let me know. I am no theologian nor do I know everything so I am open to any criticisms or encouragements.

"He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honours Him has mercy on the needy" - Proverbs 14:31

Tell somebody what the Lord has done for you...

Tell somebody what the Lord has done for you. Let them know, He's a God who cares....

Yesterday was a much better day. We got up and had a wonderful breakfast at my favorite coffee place in Nairobi. We then headed off to church. As we rounded the corner to church, a young street boy started following us asking us for some money. Normally, I just shrug them off (its hard to tell which ones are genuine and which ones aren't) but yesterday was different. As he was following us, my friend starting talking with him. Just as we approached the church gates my friend says in swahili, "Come on, let's go to church." The boy looked hesitantly at us. The boy began to explain to us that the guards at the church won't let them in the gates. They get shooed away when they try to go to church. That saddened me. Isn't a church suppose to be a safe place for all people not an elite place for the rich? Would Jesus turn the street boys away? I don't think he would. We assured him that he would get in because he was with us so my friend grabbed his hand and we walked through the gates with no questions asked.

We were a bit early for church so we stood outside and chatted with the boy for a while. We offered to take him for lunch after church but he kindly requested that we forgo lunch and instead buy him some food for his family. He explained to us that his parents were dead and his grandmother looks after him and his two sisters. His grandmother has no source of income so often they will have only one meal a day if she can gather something.His story broke our hearts. We were still being cautious because some of these kids do make up these stories just so that we would give them things. However, this boy seemed to genuine.

We entered the church and he sat in between us. The church service was amazing. It was so refreshing. My heart was so content as we danced and sang praises to our King in swahili. Reminded me why I love this place so much. The sermon was amazing. The pastor is a great teacher and theologian. I love listening to him. I kept looking down beside me at the young boy and was amazed at how attentive he was. I am pretty sure he could recite the whole sermon back to us if we asked him too; that is how focused he was on it. He even knew many of the songs and was singing along and dancing. He came out of the service with my appreciation. He told us how much he enjoyed it.


We then left and went for lunch. We ordered the boy a huge hamburger with fries and a coke. He was so appreciative. He gobbled it down so fast and left nothing on his plate. We had some time to just chat with him and learn a bit more about his life. After wards, we took him to the grocery store and filled up a basket of basic groceries for his family. You could tell that every time we put something in his basket, he was overwhelmed. We kept asking what he needed and I don't think he knew what to say. He was so overwhelmed and appreciative. He kept saying thankyou, thankyou, thankyou.

It was time for us to leave him after we had spent the better part of our day with him. We gave him some money to get home. He turned to us and said,'Thank you and may God bless you very much'. It was so wonderful watching him walk away with a huge bag of food for his family. He was such a blessing to us.

The first song we sang at church said, "Tell somebody what the Lord has done for you. Let them know He's a God who cares..."

That's what I wanted the boy to know. I wanted him to know that God cares for him so deeply. I want him to go home and tell his family what God did for him yesterday and the way that God has not forgotten them. Because He hasn't.

The rest of the day was great. We had some friends stop by to visit me. Then in the evening, I was able to meet up an american friend that I had met when I was in Kenya in 2007. We chatted the night away in a local restaurant. It was so great.

I went to bed thanking God for reminding me why I love this country. Ok, there are still things that drive me crazy (like Kenyan immigration - had more issues with them this morning which made me want to pull my hair out) but for the most part, I really do love it here.

Two (actually three) special ways to give

I am big on giving. As most of you know, I love giving my time, efforts, money to africa. I am also very minimalistic and choose not to buy new clothes or buy a $2 cup of coffee when I could just make it at home. Thats just the way I am - or the way that I have changed over the past 5 years. I never used to be like this until I went to Africa, saw how much need there is and then fell passionately in love with Jesus who really digs giving. More so, I give my life to Jesus - for Him to work powerfully in and through me. To give up "ME" so that there can be more of "HIM". Ok, this post is not about my devotion to Jesus.

I like smart giving. I like giving that empowers people, is sustainable, and that doesn't make the problem worse. In Kenya, there are a ton of beggars. Yes, they are probably hungry but is giving them food really what they need? OK, yes it is what they need but wouldn't it be better to give them the tools to be able to get their own food?? I hate to say it, but when you give to most beggars, you are really just fuelling them to keep begging.

Anyways, so I love these two ways of giving:

1. Child Sponsorship- Ever since I could remember, my family has always sponsored a child. I used to love getting mail from our sponsor child and seeing how we (well my parents) are helping their lives. My parents still have the same sponsor children that we had when we were young. I now sponsor a child. I actually got to pick my child as I had known her for almost two years. I can't tell you how awesome and wonderful it is to sponsor her. I get the privilege to actually see her a few times a year which is rare for most child sponsorships, but I also delight in her little letters that she sends me. The latest one said "Nikole I thank you that I have not had to be sent home for school fees." In Kenya, parents struggle to take their kids to school  because it is so expensive for them. Usually if their fees are not paid by a certain date, they have to be sent home to collect them. This is so common in Kenya so my sponsor girl realizes how great it is not to be sent home. And I love that she gets to go to school with no worries. If you have never sponsored a child or want to sponsor one I suggest Empowering Lives International (most because I know half the kids and sponsor coordinator is a good friend of mine). Just google them. $30 a month is really not that hard to give up. Just make more coffee at home.

2. Kiva - I have known about this for a few years but it was just last month that I decided to try it. I even gave it as a gift to my brother and father for christmas. It is a lending system where you can lend to people around the world to help them start a business and they will eventually pay you back!!  The great part is that you actually get to chose who want to give to and then track their progress. It is the coolest thing!! So if you really want to give money but figure you might need it back some day, this is perfect for you. Just over a month ago, I lent $25 to a girl in Israel who wanted to start her own DJ business. So my money helped her to buy equipment. I was surprised when I got an email the other day saying that $3.28 of my loan had already been paid off! Wow, she must be a pretty talented DJ. I highly suggest this form of giving. It is sustainable, empowering and you get your money back!

Alright, the third special way to give is to my Rehma boys. I can't tell you how much I love these boys and so desire for them to become amazing men. I will update in a few days of the progress they have made and how you can help my sweet boys.

I hope this has inspired you to give up a few lattes and give a little to some pretty awesome people around the world!

Hunger Pains

Yesterday my mother decided that she was going to make a turkey. So she put the turkey in the over around 1pm thinking it was going to take at least 3-4 hours to cook. Around 4pm she called Dad and I to come for supper. Now, I am still adjusting to meal times. In Kenya I would never eat supper before 8pm so to be eating any earlier than that has sort of thrown me off a bit. 4 in the afternoon was a little on the early side even for my parents but the turkey was ready so we sat down anyways and had a wonderful meal.


At around 10pm last night, I started rolling around in my bed. I could not fall asleep. For those who know me well, they know that I have a very early bedtime. It is rare to find me awake past 10pm. But last night I just couldn't fall asleep. I rolled around till about 11:30pm and then realized why I couldn't sleep. I was so hungry because it had been 7 hours since we had supper. I tried to  go to sleep with the hunger pains but I just couldn't. So I decided to get up and go join my dad on the couch to watch tv. My dad had just returned from playing tennis so he was chomping down on some nice cheese and left over turkey from our 4 o'clock supper. He offered me some of it and I gobbled it down so fast. I sat there for about 10 minutes and snacked on a few other things until I decided to head back into my bed.


Once my head hit the pillow, I immediately started to doze. I guess it was my hungry tummy that was keeping me up.


As I laid in my bed, I started to think of all the people in the world who were going to bed hungry tonight. Not because they had an early supper, but because they simply could not afford to eat.


I started thinking of some of my friends in Kenya who I knew struggled to put food on the table and wondered what they had had for supper or if they had to forgo supper and just head to bed.


I remember one friend of mine who told me that when there was no food in the house for supper, her father would either make them laugh so hard with jokes or yell at them so loud so that they would forget they were hungry and go to sleep without supper. How hard would that be for a father who couldn't provide food for his family?!


I just silently prayed last night for all those that I know and that I do not know who are not eating tonight. I am so thankful that I am not one of them. I now have a better understand of why we 'say grace' before we eat. As much as we ask God to bless the food before us, we must stop and thank Him that He has indeed put food before us.


I looked up some stats on World Hunger from the the World food programme website and here are just some of the hard stats that I found:


- 10.9 million children under five die in developing countries each year. Malnutrition and hunger-related diseases cause 60 percent of the death


- 925 million people do not have enough to eat - more than the populations of USA, Canada and the European Union


- Women make up a little over half of the world's population, but they account for over 60 percent of the world’s hungry.


- 5 percent  of the world's hungry live in only seven countries: India, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia


-It is estimated that 684,000 child deaths worldwide could be prevented by increasing access to vitamin A and zinc


-Lack of Vitamin A kills a million infants a year


I have a really hard time believing that God put all these people on this planet and went, "Oops, sorry there is not enough food for everyone." So why are people starving? 


I know there are those who accuse God saying, "If God is so powerful and wonderful, then why is He letting people die of hunger?" But God is looking at us and saying, " YOU are My hands and My feet! You are My body! You tell me why My body isn't feeding the hungry?" 


Doesn't it seem ironic that in developing countries, kids are dying because there is not enough food on their tables and in the West, kids are dying because there is too much food on their tables???? Obesity is a major problem in the West. Kids are eating too much junk. However, in Asia and Africa we have kids who never get to eat. Something is a little backwards. 


But last night I got a little taste of what millions of people feel when they go to bed hungry. It was humbling. My heart aches for them even though I don't know who they are. 


So what do we do? What do I do?


Live simply so others may simply live. This phrase has repeated itself over and over in my head so many times in the past year as I am constantly challenged to give up my own comforts so I can share with others. There are so many biblical examples of this. If you have two tunics and some one doesn't have one, give on of yours to them. When you see someone hungry and don't feed them you will be accountable to God one day who will say, "when I was hungry, you didn't feed me." Or that wonderful proverb that promises us that those who give to the poor will lack nothing. What about the rich young ruler who came to God and said, "Ok, I have pretty much done everything right and followed all your commands carefully, now what do I do?" God tells him to sell his possessions and give them to the poor. He walks away with his head hung low. 


I read this verse in Proverbs yesterday that I really loved. Proverbs 15:17, "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred." 


Sometimes after church in Kenya, I would like to treat some friends to lunch. I never had enough money to take them all out for pizza or steak or some fancy meal. We had to make do with cheap kenyan food. But I can't count how many awesome times we had sitting and laughing and fellowshipping around that cheap kenyan (bland) food. I would trade that for eating pizza alone any day. What a blessing it is to live simple and share with others. Not only share money, but share our lives with each other. 


Empowering Lives International is doing an interesting challenge right now where they are asking people to live on less that $2 a day. They not only are asking for your money to help empower the people that they are working with in East Africa, but they are asking you to join in and feel, experience, learn what its like for our friends on the other side of the world. They are walking along side there struggles. It's such a cool challenge. If you want to learn about it go to Love in Action. 


When you sit today with food before you, thank God that He has chosen that food to be placed in front of you even though you really don't deserve it more than anyone else. It's just His amazing grace.

The Poor

The other day I was sitting with a friend of mine at a local food joint when a sweet, elderly woman came up to us.

'Jambo. Nisaidie. Shillingi ishirini ata kumi' 


'Hello please help me with 20 shillings or even just 10'

We very kindly told her with a smile, 'Pole, si leo' 'sorry, not today.'

My friend then turned to me and said, "You know, when I meet people like that, I always think about the scripture that talks about Jesus separating the goats from the sheep. One day, I will stand before him and he will say to me, 'I came to you because I was in need and you denied me.'"

We sat there silently for a few minutes convicted by the thought.

Living around the poor is so tough. We don't really experience it in Canada. How many friends do you have that will not be eating supper tonight because they can't afford it? Sure, there are people around us who don't have great paying jobs, are in debt, can't afford to drive a nice car, or can't afford to by the latest gadget but I am not talking about these things. That is not poverty. That is just lacking nice things.

I am talking about people who have nothing. I mean nothing. Their kids don't go to school. Their kids wear the same clothes everyday and never have shoes. They make less than $1 a day. They wake up in the morning not knowing where their next meal will come from. They get sick yet can't see a doctor because doctors cost money. They have no luxuries like TV or radio or even books or playing cards instead they play with old plastic bottles and little stones. They sit around because there is no work or they don't have enough education to get a decent job. Families of 5 live in a one small room and share a toilet with 30 other people. That kind of poor.

When was the last time you went with out a meal?

I guess I have been thinking about it more lately. I have a lot of friends who live like this. They will have $2 to live on for the next 5 days. They will eat a banana for breakfast and some bread for supper and thats all for the day. They will feel hunger pains that we can't even imagine. I have seen it first hand and lived it with them. Well, sort of. Until I get too uncomfortable that is. For me, it's easier because I know that if I am desperately hungry, I have a savings account I can access at any time.

If I gave something to every poor person I meet or every sweet lady who comes and asks me for a few cents here in Kenya, I would be broke tomorrow. The need is overwhelming. I struggle too because I am white and people believe that I have unending riches. But if I try to teach them to lean on God yet hand out money to them whenever they need it, then who are they really leaning on?

Jesus loves the poor. He has a huge heart for the poor. So if you hang out with the poor, you are bound to meet Jesus. The poor have faith like I have never seen before. I get it when James 2:5 talks about the poor being rich in faith and inheriting the kingdom of God. They will trust in God alone to provide. If God provides 3 days later, they will turn back to Him and give Him praises while forgetting about the 3 days they went hungry.

Not all poor people are like this. Don't get me wrong. There are those who steal, cheat, prostitute themselves just to eat. There are those who die of ulcers from worrying so much. There are those who go to witchdoctors to make potions of prosperity. They are not all full of faith. But I have seen more poor people with genuine, steadfast faith.

There is a man who walks around Mombasa town. I think he is mentally lacking something. Maybe due to drugs or a birth defect. I don't know. But he intrigues me. Now I see him, I divert my eyes because most of the time he is naked or wearing torn shorts and, if you are not careful, you will get more than your eyes bargained for. He has not clothes let alone shoes. He probably never bathes. He just lives on the street. Sometimes I see him fast asleep on the pavement in the hot sun with noisy cars passing by. He must eat because he doesn't have a really scrawny body but is quite built. He doesn't care what people think of him and he never really bothers people. He just lives in his own little world and day by day somehow he gets by. I don't know what his faith is like and I don't know whats really going on in his mind but he seems content. There is something about his life I admire. No cares in the world. He survives.

I don't know.

As you can tell, my thoughts are mumble jumbled. I go back and forth.

All I can say is that I am blessed to mingle with the poor. I am excited to be apart of their lives. To be their friends. Not merely just to give to them but to live with them. After all, there is the rich and the poor and the Lord is the maker of all of them.


Alot of my thoughts were sort of spurred on by an article I read this morning. I suggest you read it. You can find it here.

A lady I met when we traveled a few months back to one of the poorest village I have ever been to. Isn't she beautiful?

My heart hurts...

My heart has been heavy lately. There has been so much going on around me and my small mind can't take it all in. It's funny because it is not stuff that is necessarily directly affecting me (well there is some stuff that is directly affecting me) but most of it is just in the world. I have been reading news and watching whats happening around me and my heart hurts.

I have been blessed and cursed with a heart full of compassion. As wonderful as it is and as much as it compels me to do the things I do, it hurts. It makes me hurt for others. It makes me hurt when I see what's going on around me.

One thing that really hit me hard this week was news that a pastor wanted to have at Koran burning day. I was shocked. I get it; he doesn't believe in the Koran. That's not a problem. We are not forced to believe in it. I am just wondering how it affects him and what prompted this act? Was he hurt by a Muslim? I guess what really breaks my heart is that here is a pastor, who I am assuming knows the bible, and he is doing such a thing. Doesn't the bible say we should love our enemies? Aren't we suppose to bless those who curse us? What about if someone hits us, let us give him the other cheek too? Simple bible message. Anyways, it's just been something I have been dwelling on.

Ramadan ended today. So fascinating watching Muslims come out of their hiding places to celebrate. As I was driving to town, Muslim families were lined up beside the road trying to get a lift. I was surrounded by them as I got on to the ferry. It was everywhere. I liked watching and observing all that was going on around me.

And then there was one thing that has sort of pushed me over the edge...

I was reading the newspaper yesterday and came across an article about the Congo. For some reason, I became very interested in this country a few years ago. The way the women are being treated and raped like they are animals makes me cringe. The article was about how the UN has failed in their mission as they have heard of over 500 women being raped in the past few months. Ouch, my heart just cracked a little more. But the WORST part was the picture that was featured in the article. It was a picture of a soldier walking past a woman....casually caressing her breast.

Snap, my heart just broke.

I just can't imagine. A man just walks past me and feels like he has the right to caress my breast. Not only that, that moment is now captured and featured in the national newspaper. I really am torn. I just have a hard time even fathoming that. I feel for that woman. In the picture, she looked as if it was a common occurrence, like it was nothing new. If it was me, I would yell, push his hand away, then beat him possibly to death. But she just stood there, as if it was just the hand she has been dealt in life.

Tonight my heart is heavy, it's breaking. If my heart is like this, I can only imagine what God is thinking and feeling.

A simple blessing for beautiful people

I am spoiled here at Word of Life. I live right on the beach. I eat good food. I have comfortable surroundings. Everyone around me speaks english. I never lack anything. My friends here are so modern in their thinking, fashion, language, actions, etc. I sometimes forget that the majority of Kenya isn't like this. I am nestled in a little pocket of comfort and luxury. However, my heart longs for the village. As much as I love what I do, my deepest desire is to be in small villages living amongst the poorest of the poor. 

Yesterday, we drove only about 30 minutes deep into a village called Dima.  The team wanted to bless some needy families and see how people live in rural Kenya. We have connections with the local pastor there so he was able to direct us to a few places. My heart was in awe as we  hiked the dirt paths through the rolling hills filled with palm trees. We passed many children playing in the dirt with big smiles on their faces. We met with women carrying baskets on their heads and men working in the fields. We didn't see any shops or electricity wires only cows and chickens. These are people who have nothing. I mean nothing. They sleep on the floor. They eat whatever they grow. They don't wear shoes. They wear the same clothing that is dirty and torn everyday. There is no running water anywhere to be found. They don't have jobs or a source of income. I walked around wondering how they actually survive. 

This was the first woman we came to bless. She is a widow with 9 children and 9 grandchildren. Her fingers had been eaten away by jiggers so they were short and stubby. As we arrived, she had a jovial smile across her face. She had placed a few wooden chairs and logs out so that we could have a seat. 

This was the second woman we visited. She is a Christian but her husband isn't. She was praising God for the small gifts we were able to give her. To each family we gave unga (corn flour), cooking oil, milk, and sugar. 

Inside this house was a sick grandmother. She has been sick for quite some time now and it is doubtful that she has had any medical attention. When we arrived at this house, one of the ladies pulled me aside and explained to me that her mother was mgonjwa sana (very sick). She asked us to pray so we had a few of the team members enter the house to lay hands on her. I just can't imagine living in a dark, hot, stuffy, dirt house unable to move, eat, get up. 

We saw so many kids in the village and I couldn't help by wonder why they weren't in school on a tuesday afternoon. Maybe it was because they couldn't afford the uniform. They could barely afford shoes or a second set of clothing so a uniform would have been a stretch for them. That was just my assumption. 

God uses everyone. We were encouraging the teens on the team that they didn't need to be preachers or pastors to share God's love. God uses anyone. Every family we visited, we got one of them to pray. Here, Sarah is praying for a family in her own sweet words. 

Our last stop was the local primary school. All I kept thinking was, "What would my dad think if he was here?" It is a public school so it is free for everyone except students still need to buy their own school supplies and uniforms. They have 350 students and only 5 teachers! One teacher has 60 students in his class. Out of those 60 students, only 10 of them have exercise books to do their school work in. They get very little funding from the government so the school suffers greatly. We were their guests so they gathered for an assembly under the mango tree as we presented them with over 100 exercise books, stationary, clothing and a few bibles. We also gave all the kids a lollipop. 

As much as we came to be a blessing for these people, they ended up being a huge blessing for us. I am so thankful for everything God has given me. It is only by God's grace that I was born in Canada and not in Dima. Or maybe we are missing something? Maybe it's a blessing to be the small, seemingly insignificant, poor of the world. Often the happiest people I have met are people like these ones who live in Dima. The most faithful people I have ever met are those who live day to day without knowing what they are going to eat tomorrow. I don't know. I don't understand everything. But I do know that we have a wonderful, loving, caring, mighty God who cares for every single human that lives. Amen.