* On Sunday I walked an hour and a half to Word Fellowship Centre in Kibera, in gum boots! Gum boots are what we call rain boots, and they are essential here as the mud is sooo sloppy and sticky after rain. However, it was not raining that morning. It's usually muddy in Kibera anyways, so that's why I wore them ... however, I will not do that again.
(Oh, and the reason I walked ... I didn't have any change for a matatu!)
* I love Kenyan food. I haven't had so much as a stomach ache since I've been here. I even feel better than I usually do in the States because of all the fresh vegetables (and perhaps lack of dairy and lots of meat) in the Kenyan diet. YUM. I honestly never knew veggies could be so delicious.
* My favorite swahili word = skumaweekee. It is this spinach-like plant that is super popular and was grown all over Waithaka.
* I learned my first day here that "kiswahili" is simply the word for swahili in kiswahili! Ok, I know I'm not the only one that was ignorant of this, because I asked many of you if you knew the difference between the two before I left! ;)
* Taking a shower/bath with just a bucket of water is kinda fun! Well, at least when the climate, and bucket of water, is warm. Some of you that did the slums track at Urbana may have had a more rustic experience.
* I am called muzungu wherever I go – usually by little children. On my way to the Kibera church on Sunday morning, 5 children literally flew out of their home and ran towards the street, jumping up and down and exclaiming, “Muzungu! Muzungu!” Very cute! haha. I'm glad I can add something interesting to their day without actually doing anything spectacular. :)
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
computer training program: kibera
Kibera, as I've mentioned before, is home to one million people - Kenyans from all over the country, seeking work and the sustenance that their home villages could no longer provide. Each day this week - after learning how to hop on and off the wild and dingy matatus - an escort from Word Fellowship Centre would meet me at Nakumatt Prestige, the shopping center near an entrance to Kibera.
It would never be wise for a muzungu like myself to venture into Kibera (or particularly Mathare - a smaller, yet reputably more dangerous slum in East Nairobi) alone. Besides, I would never know the way to Word Fellowship Centre without an escort, the windy dirty alleyways in Kibera are tricky to navigate!
This week, my days were filled with bright, new encounters. I taught some basics of Microsoft Word to a handful of students at Word Fellowship Centre's one-year-old computer training program. The church has five, pretty ancient computers tucked into a small room, with one small window, and a small glowing lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. It's a bit dim, and hot, as the metal roofs in Kibera soak in all the sunshine and start to cook the people inside!
Here I met Vincent, Wycliffe, Richard, Ruth, Peter and Daniel. Richard was my first student - a man of 28 years or so who is eager to learn all about computers in order to secure a steady job. He was most excited to change fonts, toy with different alignments, and splash his document with an exciting variety of colors. For his first practice document, he wrote something like this: (keep in mind that English is his third language)
"Katharine from U.S. has met Richard from Nairobi. They are currently enjoying Microsoft Word. Thereafter, they will go on a picnic. In the evening, Katharine and Richard will attend a prayer meeting with the pastor and bishop. Katharine will be asked to introduce herself, and she will comply."
Then I met Vincent. Vincent is 21 years old. He is a super bright boy who hails from a town nearly 8 hours away, close to Kisumu. Vincent goes to church every day of the week, whether for youth group or drama club or prayer meetings. His love for God shines through. When I asked Vincent where he would choose to live - anywhere else besides the slums of Kibera - his reply was this, "I dream of going back to my home village and bringing the word of God to them, to especially the youth there. We may have a hard time here in Kibera, but at least we know Jesus here. People in my home village don't know Jesus like we do here in Kibera." His village is poor, and ministering there for life would bring him no money, no renown, but Vincent's heart is truly burdened for the youth near Kisumu. WOW. His parent's are not believers, and so they do not know of his deep passions to be in full-time ministry. He knows they would not approve of his desire to study theology at university, but I can't help wondering if their minds would change, were he to receive a scholarship from some theological institution either in Kenya or the U.S. His faith would also bless whichever Christian university accepted him.
Wycliffe had never used a keyboard before. The space bar, return key and delete button were all fascinating and sometimes discouraging frontiers for him. I think he enjoyed the opportunity to type whatever he wished on a fresh Word document. Here is what he wrote:
"I like worshipping God. My father is Karoli Shivachi and he is a small scale farmer. How can a young man make his way pure? It is by doing according to the word of God. During my free time I like visiting the sick also helping my grandmother do her work.
Daniel is the computer teacher for the several boys here. He was my escort most days from Nakumatt to the interior of the slums. And Ruth is a college student who attends Word Fellowship Centre. She embraced me as a friend from the first time we met. She also lives in Kibera and is so grounded. Like all the students I've met here, their raw, firm faith in God and Jesus Christ astounds me and teaches me too about God's unshakeable faithfulness.
The words with which Richard ended his practice document are true: ”Katharine was amazed at the strong faith of those in Kibera, despite their small amount of resources.”
It would never be wise for a muzungu like myself to venture into Kibera (or particularly Mathare - a smaller, yet reputably more dangerous slum in East Nairobi) alone. Besides, I would never know the way to Word Fellowship Centre without an escort, the windy dirty alleyways in Kibera are tricky to navigate!
This week, my days were filled with bright, new encounters. I taught some basics of Microsoft Word to a handful of students at Word Fellowship Centre's one-year-old computer training program. The church has five, pretty ancient computers tucked into a small room, with one small window, and a small glowing lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. It's a bit dim, and hot, as the metal roofs in Kibera soak in all the sunshine and start to cook the people inside!
Here I met Vincent, Wycliffe, Richard, Ruth, Peter and Daniel. Richard was my first student - a man of 28 years or so who is eager to learn all about computers in order to secure a steady job. He was most excited to change fonts, toy with different alignments, and splash his document with an exciting variety of colors. For his first practice document, he wrote something like this: (keep in mind that English is his third language)
"Katharine from U.S. has met Richard from Nairobi. They are currently enjoying Microsoft Word. Thereafter, they will go on a picnic. In the evening, Katharine and Richard will attend a prayer meeting with the pastor and bishop. Katharine will be asked to introduce herself, and she will comply."
Then I met Vincent. Vincent is 21 years old. He is a super bright boy who hails from a town nearly 8 hours away, close to Kisumu. Vincent goes to church every day of the week, whether for youth group or drama club or prayer meetings. His love for God shines through. When I asked Vincent where he would choose to live - anywhere else besides the slums of Kibera - his reply was this, "I dream of going back to my home village and bringing the word of God to them, to especially the youth there. We may have a hard time here in Kibera, but at least we know Jesus here. People in my home village don't know Jesus like we do here in Kibera." His village is poor, and ministering there for life would bring him no money, no renown, but Vincent's heart is truly burdened for the youth near Kisumu. WOW. His parent's are not believers, and so they do not know of his deep passions to be in full-time ministry. He knows they would not approve of his desire to study theology at university, but I can't help wondering if their minds would change, were he to receive a scholarship from some theological institution either in Kenya or the U.S. His faith would also bless whichever Christian university accepted him.
Wycliffe had never used a keyboard before. The space bar, return key and delete button were all fascinating and sometimes discouraging frontiers for him. I think he enjoyed the opportunity to type whatever he wished on a fresh Word document. Here is what he wrote:
"I like worshipping God. My father is Karoli Shivachi and he is a small scale farmer. How can a young man make his way pure? It is by doing according to the word of God. During my free time I like visiting the sick also helping my grandmother do her work.
Daniel is the computer teacher for the several boys here. He was my escort most days from Nakumatt to the interior of the slums. And Ruth is a college student who attends Word Fellowship Centre. She embraced me as a friend from the first time we met. She also lives in Kibera and is so grounded. Like all the students I've met here, their raw, firm faith in God and Jesus Christ astounds me and teaches me too about God's unshakeable faithfulness.
The words with which Richard ended his practice document are true: ”Katharine was amazed at the strong faith of those in Kibera, despite their small amount of resources.”
Monday, November 12, 2007
Karibu Kenya!
I ... am ... in ... Africa!! Can you believe it? I can't quite. I've been here for almost a week now, but it still doesn't sink in all the time. I stepped onto Africa soil just last Thursday morning, received a taxi ride from a funny man named Paul, and was welcomed to apartment 16 at Kolobot Gardens by Virginia, Lisa and her three-year-old daughter Bella.
Lisa lives in a lovely, green part of Nairobi, just down the street from the President's residence. We are also just up the street from University of Nairobi and the YMCA (which has good internet service, yay!)
It's only been 6 days, but I want to share with you what those days have contained. I have done a lot of walking ... :)
After that first Thursday of rest and a walk in the nearby Arboretum (just like Davis!) I visited a home for abandoned babies in Nairobi called New Life Charity Trust. The home houses about 45 babies at the moment, and most of them are taken for adoption - praise the Lord! Many of the babies enter the home severely malnourished or abused, some in need of surgery. Several are also HIV+. They have round the clock caretakers that look after the children, but they take drop-in volunteers all the time to hold and feed the infants and play with the toddlers out on the lawn. They are SO precious and beautiful. It's amazing to hold them and know that God's hand is working in their lives and, I pray, preparing a promising future for them.
I also visited Lisa's work at the Save the Children South Sudan office. Lisa actually works for S.T.C. USA, but uses the South Sudan division's office space.
The weekend was great, visiting Lisa's church called Mamlaka Hill Chapel, which is part of Nairobi Chapel. What's neat about this, is that the original pastor of Nairobi Chapel (Pastor Oscar) gave one of the most striking addresses at Urbana 2007 - one of those speeches that no one in the audience likely forgot! Church was amazingly good - super inspiring and uplifting worship and a teaching that I really needed to hear. I went back to New Life after church.
And this week I have had the pleasure of meeting Pastor Josphat, a man who works at Nairobi Chapel and has planted a church of his own in the Kibera slums. Yesterday and today I visited the Kibera church, which is called Word Fellowship Centre. They have asked my help in organizing a plan for them to fund raise for a new building. It would be difficult to describe the current building to you here. It is typical of all housing in Kibera ... mud and plaster walls, metal roofing, no real wiring, but they have one luxory - toilets! And by "toilets" I mean two deep holes in the ground and a bit of toilet paper. Many in Kibera do not have that luxory; they simply relieve themselves on the muddy road.
I could not imagine a filthier place. One million people live in Kibera, which is government-owned land. The largest slum in Africa, the people there are literally living in trash. I have only spent two blocks of time there, so I'm not qualified to say much more - but it is also there that I have met people with the most shining, extraordinary faith. People my age, who declare praises to God and cite scripture in their normal conversation.
Yesterday, a 13-year old girl named Maureen walked up to me in Kibera with a huge smile. She greeted me, and we chatted, and then she proceeded to share her favorite verse, John 3:16 with me. Wow, I was not so strong in my faith at just thirteen.
Now, if I were to unpack all my thought processes thus far in this blog entry, it would surely go on forever, and people might not want to go on reading. Perhaps I will get better at being concise as these entries continue!
I will share that I've had rough moments in the past 6 days. I've struggled with feeling very lonely and insecure and giving in to doubts. Notes from friends back home were super encouraging to me. I'm feeling much better now, but I need to continue to set my eyes on the beauty of God, which is far greater than my own deficiencies. In fact, those do not matter anymore but should draw me closer to Christ.
Prayer requests are as follows:
* For me to feel confident of who I am in Christ - that I would turn to Him alone for strength and affirmation.
* For safety, continued divine appointments, and for friends
* For the babies at New Life - that they would have abundant and hope-filled futures. (Some names are: Dwight, Harrison, Helen, Nakia, David, Kathleen, Andrew)
* That God would give me clarity about my role at the church in Kibera and bless my involvement there.
* That God would do great things during this time in Nairobi.
* For the financial support I need for my Word Made Flesh team to come in
Love you all!
Ph: (254) 726 767 537. I am 11 hours ahead of PST right now.
Lisa lives in a lovely, green part of Nairobi, just down the street from the President's residence. We are also just up the street from University of Nairobi and the YMCA (which has good internet service, yay!)
It's only been 6 days, but I want to share with you what those days have contained. I have done a lot of walking ... :)
After that first Thursday of rest and a walk in the nearby Arboretum (just like Davis!) I visited a home for abandoned babies in Nairobi called New Life Charity Trust. The home houses about 45 babies at the moment, and most of them are taken for adoption - praise the Lord! Many of the babies enter the home severely malnourished or abused, some in need of surgery. Several are also HIV+. They have round the clock caretakers that look after the children, but they take drop-in volunteers all the time to hold and feed the infants and play with the toddlers out on the lawn. They are SO precious and beautiful. It's amazing to hold them and know that God's hand is working in their lives and, I pray, preparing a promising future for them.
I also visited Lisa's work at the Save the Children South Sudan office. Lisa actually works for S.T.C. USA, but uses the South Sudan division's office space.
The weekend was great, visiting Lisa's church called Mamlaka Hill Chapel, which is part of Nairobi Chapel. What's neat about this, is that the original pastor of Nairobi Chapel (Pastor Oscar) gave one of the most striking addresses at Urbana 2007 - one of those speeches that no one in the audience likely forgot! Church was amazingly good - super inspiring and uplifting worship and a teaching that I really needed to hear. I went back to New Life after church.
And this week I have had the pleasure of meeting Pastor Josphat, a man who works at Nairobi Chapel and has planted a church of his own in the Kibera slums. Yesterday and today I visited the Kibera church, which is called Word Fellowship Centre. They have asked my help in organizing a plan for them to fund raise for a new building. It would be difficult to describe the current building to you here. It is typical of all housing in Kibera ... mud and plaster walls, metal roofing, no real wiring, but they have one luxory - toilets! And by "toilets" I mean two deep holes in the ground and a bit of toilet paper. Many in Kibera do not have that luxory; they simply relieve themselves on the muddy road.
I could not imagine a filthier place. One million people live in Kibera, which is government-owned land. The largest slum in Africa, the people there are literally living in trash. I have only spent two blocks of time there, so I'm not qualified to say much more - but it is also there that I have met people with the most shining, extraordinary faith. People my age, who declare praises to God and cite scripture in their normal conversation.
Yesterday, a 13-year old girl named Maureen walked up to me in Kibera with a huge smile. She greeted me, and we chatted, and then she proceeded to share her favorite verse, John 3:16 with me. Wow, I was not so strong in my faith at just thirteen.
Now, if I were to unpack all my thought processes thus far in this blog entry, it would surely go on forever, and people might not want to go on reading. Perhaps I will get better at being concise as these entries continue!
I will share that I've had rough moments in the past 6 days. I've struggled with feeling very lonely and insecure and giving in to doubts. Notes from friends back home were super encouraging to me. I'm feeling much better now, but I need to continue to set my eyes on the beauty of God, which is far greater than my own deficiencies. In fact, those do not matter anymore but should draw me closer to Christ.
Prayer requests are as follows:
* For me to feel confident of who I am in Christ - that I would turn to Him alone for strength and affirmation.
* For safety, continued divine appointments, and for friends
* For the babies at New Life - that they would have abundant and hope-filled futures. (Some names are: Dwight, Harrison, Helen, Nakia, David, Kathleen, Andrew)
* That God would give me clarity about my role at the church in Kibera and bless my involvement there.
* That God would do great things during this time in Nairobi.
* For the financial support I need for my Word Made Flesh team to come in
Love you all!
Ph: (254) 726 767 537. I am 11 hours ahead of PST right now.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Peace and assurance, and obedience
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." - John 14:27
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal." - Isaiah 26:3-4
Sermon notes: In it's highest form, Peace is equal to the Hebrew concept of shalom--wellbeing, wholeness, integration, reconciliation. Peace is everything existing at its higher purpose ...
At the moment, these verses spoke against the general confusion and tiredness I was feeling. This peace is what Christ offers, always, no matter our circumstances and despite our sinful nature, because He is our Rescuer and changes all of that...
Psalm 37, The words COMMIT and TRUST stood out to me while reading this, and the bolded portion too. Wow. I feel like these verses just speak volumes.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this; He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still for the Lord and wait for Him patiently. - Psalm 37: 3-7
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal." - Isaiah 26:3-4
Sermon notes: In it's highest form, Peace is equal to the Hebrew concept of shalom--wellbeing, wholeness, integration, reconciliation. Peace is everything existing at its higher purpose ...
At the moment, these verses spoke against the general confusion and tiredness I was feeling. This peace is what Christ offers, always, no matter our circumstances and despite our sinful nature, because He is our Rescuer and changes all of that...
Psalm 37, The words COMMIT and TRUST stood out to me while reading this, and the bolded portion too. Wow. I feel like these verses just speak volumes.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this; He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still for the Lord and wait for Him patiently. - Psalm 37: 3-7
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Daydreaming ...
What's wrong with it? I do it way too often; it just comes so naturally to me. But I do feel like it can be damaging. Whether it's a case of simply wasting time, or not having my mind on "whatever is pure ... noble ... true ... right ... lovely ... admirable ... excellent or praiseworthy." It is often very clear what thoughts are damaging, but when I have so much time alone (especially now that my two main buddies down here are either gone or otherwise occupied) my mind can come up with all sorts of stuff - thoughts or scenarios that transport me to another place.
Something subtle that I have noticed is that too much daydreaming about possible future events can leave me with a false sense of security, or, rather, a presumption about the yet-to-come that makes me feel like I'm totally aware of what the future holds. It's hard not to do this while I'm sitting around making plans for my Africa trip and researching graduate schools for next year. I start to see myself in those places, interacting with people that I don't yet know and imagining what I will learn and what I will do. Really, this has nothing to do with reality, what the future actually will bring.
So these thoughts are something to be brushed aside. I just wonder... if I don't intentionally extract them, or push them away, will they leave a residue, enough of a presumption that will surprise me while I'm actually in Africa, or perhaps studying for a Masters next year, so that when I'm met with new circumstances I will say, Wait, this isn't what was supposed to happen! Will my building of expectations now make me less ready to take on the twists and surprises that life does bring and will bring each day of my trip and beyond?
I don't want my ability to respond on the spot to be deadened by these mental journeys of mine. I am harkening back to last summer, when I went to Chennai for my first missions trip. I thought that I left California with no set expectations - that I was a clean slate so to speak, but was I wrong! I was paralyzed most of the time because I had imagined such different things from myself and the people our team served.
Maybe this has to do with truly relying on God, instead of relying on the weak plans and ideas I come up with. Daydreaming to an extent seems inescapable, but the underlying issue is this: Am I fostering in my relationship with Christ a deep, unshakable trust in His will, in His plans.
Something subtle that I have noticed is that too much daydreaming about possible future events can leave me with a false sense of security, or, rather, a presumption about the yet-to-come that makes me feel like I'm totally aware of what the future holds. It's hard not to do this while I'm sitting around making plans for my Africa trip and researching graduate schools for next year. I start to see myself in those places, interacting with people that I don't yet know and imagining what I will learn and what I will do. Really, this has nothing to do with reality, what the future actually will bring.
So these thoughts are something to be brushed aside. I just wonder... if I don't intentionally extract them, or push them away, will they leave a residue, enough of a presumption that will surprise me while I'm actually in Africa, or perhaps studying for a Masters next year, so that when I'm met with new circumstances I will say, Wait, this isn't what was supposed to happen! Will my building of expectations now make me less ready to take on the twists and surprises that life does bring and will bring each day of my trip and beyond?
I don't want my ability to respond on the spot to be deadened by these mental journeys of mine. I am harkening back to last summer, when I went to Chennai for my first missions trip. I thought that I left California with no set expectations - that I was a clean slate so to speak, but was I wrong! I was paralyzed most of the time because I had imagined such different things from myself and the people our team served.
Maybe this has to do with truly relying on God, instead of relying on the weak plans and ideas I come up with. Daydreaming to an extent seems inescapable, but the underlying issue is this: Am I fostering in my relationship with Christ a deep, unshakable trust in His will, in His plans.
Monday, September 24, 2007
A message from Purity
I received this note in the mail today, from the little girl I sponsor in Kenya. These are exerpts:
I know it has been long since I wrote you a letter. How is your family? Are they okay? My family and I are happy too. Is your family happy?
My school has many pupils and teachers. I love my school. In our school we are given lunch that is beans mixed with maize and the mixture is known as githeri. In our class I was number one and my teachers congratulated me.
In the Compassion project we learn how HIV spread and the types of soils in our country. In the project, we praise God, We love God and we pray for our sponsors every saturday. I know you are my sponsor and I love you so much and I always pray God to protect you always. My family was very happy when I received letters from you and the map you send.
I want to tell you a memory verse: Psalm 105:1 it says, "give thanks to the Lord, proclaim his greatness, tell the nations what he has done." If you read psalm 105:1 your heart will be blessed. God will be with you.
I go to church every sunday. In our church we pray we sing and we jump for the Lord.
It is cold here in Kenya. What about your country? Thank you for your help. God bless you.
How amazing is that?? I would not exchange this experience for ANYTHING. I am so blessed!
My school has many pupils and teachers. I love my school. In our school we are given lunch that is beans mixed with maize and the mixture is known as githeri. In our class I was number one and my teachers congratulated me.
In the Compassion project we learn how HIV spread and the types of soils in our country. In the project, we praise God, We love God and we pray for our sponsors every saturday. I know you are my sponsor and I love you so much and I always pray God to protect you always. My family was very happy when I received letters from you and the map you send.
I want to tell you a memory verse: Psalm 105:1 it says, "give thanks to the Lord, proclaim his greatness, tell the nations what he has done." If you read psalm 105:1 your heart will be blessed. God will be with you.
I go to church every sunday. In our church we pray we sing and we jump for the Lord.
It is cold here in Kenya. What about your country? Thank you for your help. God bless you.
How amazing is that?? I would not exchange this experience for ANYTHING. I am so blessed!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Common grace
In church, we've been dwelling on the word "grace," and it takes a long time for things to hit me, but tonight Pastor Mark mentioned three forms of grace: saving grace, gifting grace, and common grace. Common grace is something that we all experience but we can live in such a way to not recognize it at all. For example, it is grace that we wake up in the morning, grace that we regain consciousness, our lungs fill with air and we know a new day, grace that we witness a beautiful sunset or walk along the beach, dipping our toes in the cool, clear water. It is grace that we have friends and family who love and care for us, and on and on and on.
God's fingerprints are all around us, but how often do we see them? I like how Pastor Mark says it, that "the pixie dust is sprinkled throughout every day of our lives." Ha, we just often don't see it that way. So, common grace ... and we experience it by not just admiring life from a distance, like we would survey a painting and say, Oh, isn't that a beautiful painting? but we enter into the painting. We chase that sunset, jump in that water, talk to that stranger. We delve in and live life.
Ah, so awesome. I forget how good life is sometimes. I mean, God's grace just pours out, never ceasing, until we're all bathing in it. Even if circumstances are bad, there is still much to rejoice over. Our God, is amazing. And that is what common grace reminded me of.
God's fingerprints are all around us, but how often do we see them? I like how Pastor Mark says it, that "the pixie dust is sprinkled throughout every day of our lives." Ha, we just often don't see it that way. So, common grace ... and we experience it by not just admiring life from a distance, like we would survey a painting and say, Oh, isn't that a beautiful painting? but we enter into the painting. We chase that sunset, jump in that water, talk to that stranger. We delve in and live life.
Ah, so awesome. I forget how good life is sometimes. I mean, God's grace just pours out, never ceasing, until we're all bathing in it. Even if circumstances are bad, there is still much to rejoice over. Our God, is amazing. And that is what common grace reminded me of.
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