The Slums

We wasted no time getting into the heart of Nairobi today. Our team started the week with a trip to MOHI's headquarters in Pangani. This school is located in the center of Area 1, a slum section of Nairobi. About a million people live there and over one thousand of the children attend school at MOHI.

The school was amazing — so many smiling children! We got to visit with a kindergarten class and they sang us some songs!! You could not wipe the smile off my face if you tried your hardest! The school also has a clinic attached which serves the students and their families as well as staff and the surrounding community. We will be doing clinic work with them later this week.

MOHI also spent some time sharing their mission with us and one thing that stood out to me was how many Kenyans worked there. Typically you hear of a missions organization and think of foreign missionaries, but there was only one foreigner we met on staff, and she wasn't even the person who started this organization!

The woman who started MOHI came from a poor family who lived outside of Nairobi. By the grace of God, she was able to go through all of her schooling and eventually go to university in the city. Which is where she ran into more poverty than she could have even imagined. After visiting the slums and seeing people far poorer than her and her family, she decided that something needed to change and Christians should be the ones to change it. MOHI's entire approach is holistic and focused on helping without hurting. Through this, children get an education and their parents can be involved in that process.

To help us further understand their hearts and mission, the people at MOHI took us into the slums where the children of the school come from.

I knew that the day at the slums was going to be difficult and heart-wrenching.

But it was so much more intense than I could have imagined. I've seen videos of slums and heard stories from the people who live in them, but wow.

Tin shack stacked on top of tin shack.

Roads only as wide as alleys.

People lining the streets selling meats (including a whole cow head roasting) fruits, and vegetables.

Trash covering everything.

Raw sewage running along the side of the road.

Bathrooms that emptied directly into that roadside creek.

And children playing in the exact same water.

It seemed as though all the children were four or under, probably because the older children were in school. They all ran up to us though and shook our hands or gave us hugs, which was by far the brightest spot of that experience :)

A lot of the little kids liked my camera and some wanted their picture taken (those photos will come after I get home with access to a computer, don't worry) I think I could spend the entire day with those kiddos.

We visited one lady who was kind enough to invite us into her home. It was one of the nicest in the entire neighborhood: she had two couches AND a tv AND had a bedroom separated from the main area with a curtain!! Her and her neighbor were sitting in the living room sorting roasted peanuts and bagging them to sell at the market later.

We talked for a bit and heard some of her story. Seven people normally live in that home which is probably smaller than most of our closets. Four of her kids are in school at MOHI and she also cares for some of her family's kids. They moved to Area 1 in Nairobi from West Kenya to make more money so they could have a better life, and she feels like she does: she has a job that allows her to bring in some money, her husband is closer to the city so he can work in construction, they have a roof over their heads, and their children are getting an education, which means that the next generation won't have to live in the same conditions as she does. She has a church to go to and boasts as a born again Christian :) Her faith is strong and her God is stronger.

We got to pray for her and her neighbor before we left and I will just leave their prayers here so you can too if you would like.

The conditions in which people live can be shocking. I still don't know how I feel about what I witnessed. It makes me sick and makes me want to cry. But these people have a faith and trust in God that puts my faith to shame.

It's easy to trust and believe when things go well and we have all our needs met. But when things aren't like that, when needs are not met, would we still have faith and joy in those circumstances? These people do and their passion and commitment to Christ is both an inspiration and a jab to my own walk.

That's all I can think of to share for now, so until next time!

Blessings,

Shawna

Mary asks for prayers for her children and their education to continue and for them to stay invested in learning. She prays for safety for her husband as he works in the city. And she prays for finances and to continue to be able to afford to live where she does with access to that precious education for her children.

Maureen, her neighbor, is pregnant right now and prays for a healthy baby and safe delivery. Her husband has also been away for quite some time and she has not heard from him recently, so prayers for his safety and that they will be reunited soon.