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Published: August 7th 2007
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Jambo, Habari yako? Well, I made it back from Kenya safe and sound and now it's time to write it all down. I must say that these will be the most difficult of all the journals I've written. I honestly don't even know how to capture my true feelings or explain what I've seen, but I'll try my best. We did so much in two weeks and took so many pictures that I'll have to divide this experience into several journal entries. You'll just have to bare with me because this could take awhile to sum up. I will save my visit to Paris for last, since we hit it on the way there and on the way back. Let me first start in Nairobi where this African adventure began.
After a tiresome two day journey to Nairobi, Kenya, the crew was jetlagged, super greasy, but totally syked about our up and coming adventure. Instead of driving to our hotel in Kijabe to settle in, we changed our money ($1 = 66 shillings) and headed straight for the slums of Nairobi. The community known as Kibera is one of five major slum areas in Nairobi. There are an amazing 800,000
people crammed into a one square mile area. We weaved our way back through the congested, dirt roads of the slums and ended up at the Salvation Army community outreach center. The facility hosts a feeding program for the local kids and gives them a place to play, sing and worship together. The outreach center invited our group to join the children in their noon day activities and tour the surrounding area. Jane (the founder of IAA-Into Abba’s Arms) sure knows how to start her mission teams off. We all got an up close look at what we were in store for over the next two weeks - and it was quite an overwhelming feeling. I felt sadness, excitement, and nervousness all at once.
The group stepped into a dim room full of smiling, dirty children who were singing and hopping all around. They were so excited to meet their visitors who had come all the way from the United States. We joined in with the singing and each of us had children dangling from our arms. Next, we took a minute to introduce ourselves and tell them how very excited we were to meet them. We spent the
next hour talking with the children and showing them the pictures we had taken of them.
After our time with the children, the group was guided on a tour of the area. I have come across some extremely impoverished areas in my travels, but this was beyond all I’d seen. It absolutely broke my heart to look over the slums that these children lived in and the conditions they had to deal with everyday of their life. The dirt streets were eroded away by the rain waters, the homes were packed tightly like sardines, the walls made of compacted dirt, roofs made of tin, and trash covered everything around, including the creek that ran along the community. I took many pictures of what I saw, but you would just have to be there to truly understand the severity of these conditions. I hope that these pictures can show you what we take for granted everyday. I don’t mean to degrade this community through my pictures, but rather bring to attention the help and support that is needed in the many areas like these.
As we made our way through the streets, children gathered all around us. We greeted
the community as we passed and tried to keep from looking completely shocked at what we were witnessing. There were giant piles of trash along the street with children digging through it for food and plastic scraps to sell. The creek and water supply was horribly polluted and the smell that hovered nearly took one’s breath. Looking down over the dirt covered children staring up at me had my emotions racing. I embraced many and took their hands despite their lack of cleanliness - it was the least I could do. Among the thousands of kids in the community, three fourths of them were orphans. Many stay with local family or friends, but many have no place to call home. It is unimaginable what they go through each and every day.
The group was taken to the local school and given a tour of the small facility and its classrooms. The floors were dirt and the lighting was very poor. We entered the rooms and greeted the students who sat attentively in their seats. To our surprise one of the classes was teaching chemistry - I don’t even think I took that in high school. These children weren’t uneducated;
they were simply raised in extreme poverty.
The rest of the tour was just as heart wrenching. Despite their environment, most of the kids wore smiles across their faces. They were born and raised in this poverty and know nothing better, but there aren’t many Americans I know that could survive in these conditions and still hold a smile.
Back at the outreach center, we said our farewells to the children and left for Kinangop - the home to the IAA orphanage. It is about an hour drive from the capital and the road conditions definitely worsen as you get further from Nairobi. Arriving at the orphanage was very exciting, especially for those in the group that sponsor an IAA child. This was the first meeting for most of them. The IAA kids gathered around and introduced themselves. They were so precious and glowing with excitement of our arrival. We didn’t have time to stay long, because we needed to be at our hotel before nightfall - for safety reasons. So, we met all the children and headed off for our lodging in Kijabe. Our rooms were at the Kijabe guesthouse located down in the Rift Valley.
This massive valley runs from Mozambique (just above South Africa) all of the way to Egypt. This guesthouse was in a secure area and provided us with hot showers and semi-comfortable lodging. Our meals were hot and ready at our arrival - prepared for us by Jane (a local Kenyan). The food was delish and this time before sleep gave us the opportunity to learn more about one another. We were from four different states (Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Illinois) and a wide range of ages. I will tell you more about the group in later journals because this was just the first day.
Well, that was just the beginning and boy what a start. I hope that these pictures touch your hearts and stir in your thoughts. Lift these children up in your prayers. I will continue to write and hopefully have more for you soon. Take care and God Bless. Asante sana!
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PB
non-member comment
Missing the team!
Hi Jimmy...( ; Glad you made it home safely. Amazingly enough I could get on your blog from the site...I just can't see any of the photos. Let me know how the trip home was. I was so worn out by the time you all left...I can't imagine how you all feel! It was a good worn out though. I've since tackled traffic, had meetings, changed diapers and thought that you all need to return soon. ( : God bless, PB ( :