Ecclesia Kenya 2009

This was finished close to forty hours ago in Nairobi. We are now home.

Everyone is packing and getting their things together. We’ve just finished three full days with the kids from the Ghetto Light program in Kibera. Their stories are very heartbreaking, but their spirits are good.

Monday, we worked with a group of older kids. Our day was similar to that of the previous week with the younger children: we played, we kicked things, we sang, we danced, we read the Bible, and we prayed. They were so very appreciative of us coming to them. As Americans, we often think that money will solve all the world’s problems.

Though important and quite beneficial at times, the children of Kibera yearn for human contact and touch. They also yearn to be something on their own terms. As a church, ten percent of our tithe goes to Ghetto Light every six weeks. This money goes in to programs that help the children stand on their own, supporting them with the dignity that hard work often provides.

A representative also visited us from the International Justice Mission. IJM works within the laws of the given land that they are in to provide legal help to those who have been mistreated. The Kenya office specifically deals with cases of sexual abuse and police corruption. Though the situation is quite tenuous in Kibera, we were able to put the representative in touch with Ghetto Light. In a place where street justice reigns, it is our hope that the link provides something of a voice to those who have been quite silent.

Tuesday we took a group of the younger children to an animal orphanage. Though only a few miles away from the sprawling slum, most (if not all) of the children had never visited. It was a good day spent building and solidifying many of the relationships.
Today, our final day was spent with a mixture of the children from both the first and second day. The group that came was part of a drama program. They danced and performed some amazing pieces on parental neglect, HIV/ AIDS, abuse, and general ghetto trauma. It was quite affecting and a great cap to a fantastic (and somewhat heartbreaking) trip.

In the end (and as we look to the future) there are many issues that need to be resolved in Kenya. From the outside, it is easy to write off the people of Kibera as a lost cause. At the root however, it should be noted that their plight is the same as ours: we all live lives that seek for self-help rather than a savior, that examine the Christian rather than the Christ, and the Christ in us… rather than the Christ for us.