Bartley
With far-away eyes, an elusive background, and mumbled words he stands by the side of the road with a half-open smile in anticipation. Bartley recognizes our van and sways back and forth as we say hello. Our conversation never goes beyond the initial greetings but it’s not for lack of trying. Secretly I wonder if he is fully in control of his mental facilities. He asks for money to pay school fees, although I have no idea if he actually attends or not, but is thrilled to receive a bag of peanuts instead. Like many boys who hang out around the Karen round-a-bout he asks for help. A simple non-descriptive statement pleading for help. A couple of churches in the area have a ministry with these boys trying to help them get back to school but also to educate and rehabilitate them on the dangers of sniffing glue, which is where most of the money received goes towards. Bartley’s life is no doubt hard so I don’t chase after him with questions as he scampers off after receiving the peanuts, but as his comfort in us grows I hope to learn more about his story.
Jocinta
12 dollars versus 225 dollars; the difference between government sponsored midwife hospital care and more “private” maternity hospital that still takes government welfare recipients. Jocinta is scheduled to give birth any day now to her fourth child and with a hospital strike currently occurring she has great cause for concern. With strikes, higher infant mortality rates at other facilities, making just enough money to get by, and a hospital system that requires you pay in advance, it is easy to say that she is in need. Jocinta plays with our boys, does our laundry by hand, makes us tortillas and cleans the house twice a week. She has worked in our house long before we moved in and exhibits an attitude of trusting God. Her life is not easy but from discussions and weekly conversations I can see that she truly believes that God will take care of her and her family each day. And He is.
Side note: Jocinta gave birth to a baby girl and is enjoying some maternity time with her and her other children without fear of losing her job. She says she is blessed.
Amani ya Juu
After fleeing the civil war in Liberia with her husband and four daughters, American born Becky Chinchen, found herself in Kenya among other refugee women. She saw the need to affirm the dignity and worth of those around her. Along with Magdalene from Mozambique and Lucy and Veronica, both from Sudan, she gave birth to Amani ya Juu, “Peace from Above.”
Each of the ladies began their journey with Amani having been broken and devastated by the horrors of civil conflict. They needed healing, a restored vision, and a renewed energy to live again. Yet while they came with need, they also came with gifts. They brought together skills in stitching, a love of African textiles, an eye for beauty, and a passion for peace. The convergence of their talents, needs, and desires brought Amani ya Juu to life. With a loan of $500, they began making placematts in Becky’s home in Nairobi and selling them wherever they could around town — in hotels, at events, in shops. Becky saw great potential in this creative blend of ministry and business.
The project serves a two-fold purpose. First, Amani gives African women the opportunity to improve their sewing and marketing skills. The women gain experience in purchasing, bookkeeping, quality control, management and design. Second, Amani aims to sow seeds of peace in the hearts of the women. As part of the daily activities at the center, the Amani women participate in singing, praying, Bible study and visiting one another in their homes. Relationships built upon God’s peace, transform even the most troubled lives.
Heshima
Heshima means “dignity” in Swahili. Most children with special needs in Kenya live a life that is undignified and full of broken dreams. Heshima believes that Jesus Christ has a special purpose filled with dignity for children with special needs in Kenya. Heshima was started with the vision to meet the needs of these hidden children. They provide breakfast and lunch, basic educational instruction depending on the need of the child, as well as occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy. The program is free, aside from a monthly donation of $2-4 dollars by each family. They are located in a small slum in Nairobi called Ngando.
Besides working with the children, Heshima also provides the mother of each child enrolled with a job at Dignity Designs. This is a jewelry company that sells locally and internationally to help raise money for Heshima operations. Dignity Designs is member of the Fair Trade Act.
The community around the Heshima is also able to be blessed due to the a new water well at Heshima Children’s Center. Fresh water is sold to the community below market value. This micro-business is called “Maji Kwa Heshima” which means “Water for Dignity”.
Over the past couple years, Heshima has been building a new facility that will some day support 75 children and their mothers. The construction business is called Dignity Development Construction. This building project is providing valuable jobs for the local community.
Lady Susan Wood:
Kazuri, which means “small and beautiful” in Swahili was started in 1975 as a small workshop experimenting on making handmade beads. Lady Susan Wood, a missionary kid who was born in a small mud hut in an African village, moved to Kenya in 1947 with her husband intent on making a difference. She started by hiring two disadvantaged women, and quickly realized that there were many more women who were in need of jobs and so Kazuri Beads was created and began its long and successful journey as a help center for the needy women especially single mothers who had no other source of income. Here women are trained and apply their skills to produce unique and beautiful beads and jewelry. The beads are made with clay from the Mt Kenya area thus giving them authenticity to their craft. The factory acts as a social gathering with the hum of voices continuing throughout the day. With unemployment so high, one job holder often ends up providing for an “extended family” of 20 or more. Today Kazuri employs just over 400 people, mostly single mothers, and is a member of the Fair Trade Act.
Benjamin and Michael act like celebrities in each of these locations. Shaking hands and waving they embrace the enjoyment of play. Yet at the end of each day they ask, “What are we going to play tomorrow?” as if we were created to spend our lives in a constant state of playing. To Play becomes a quest yet is only temporary. They haven’t learned their impact on others or the empowerment of purpose. Helping them to see the ministry behind the play is a challenge to say the least. However, for a pre-schooler and a toddler playing is a huge part of their life. Their motions movements, and mental abilities revolve around how to get the most play out of life regardless of how short-term it may be. Isn’t the spiritual life of a person sometimes quite similar? Culture and selfish desires propel us towards a life of play. Justification allows us to be lulled into a comfortableness where courageous decisions are non-existent. Our lifestyle indicates to others that we are merely going through the motions of a full and complete life.
It’s not easy to follow Jesus sometimes, but when courageous decisions are made with only others in mind the impact is astounding and is an amazing story of survival through God’s grace. Teaching the boys, and perhaps myself, that faith is expressed through action and when communication with Christ leads to spiritual momentum, status quo will be disrupted. Now that will truly be a story to write about.
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“I don’t want to spend my whole life asking, “What if I had given everything instead of going through the motions?” —- Matthew West
nehrely there 