A Beautiful and Busy Day

Today was a beautifully busy day. We were able to visit the homes of some of our church members and find out how we can help them with their daily lives. We also were able to conduct a few interviews and obtain some video footage we hope to put up on our website and let people know what we're doing and how they can help. The needs of the families here are so very great; that sometimes, it staggers our imagination.

Yet even the Kingdom of God begins with a small seed and keeps growing till it is the largest thing happening in the Garden. We have determined to do a little seed planting, weed pulling, fertilizing and watering and just see what might happen. So I thought I would take you with us on a little pictorial journey and at least let you see some of the people we're trying to help.

Our first stop will be at Rose’s house. Her little one room mud house is located in the poorest section of Nakuru’s slums. Rose is a forty year old mother of five children and one grandchild she is trying to raise. Her husband’s business was destroyed in the post election violence and he spends his time trying to find work of any kind. Rose’s children only eat once a day and are facing not being able to go to school because of a lack of funds to pay the school fees. We want to help her.

Our next stop a just few houses down is a lovely young mother named Judy. Judy is a twenty nine year old single mom who was abandoned by her husband. She has five children and does her best to see to it they have something to eat each day. If it wasn’t for the small help that Lakeview Village Church gives her, her children would have nothing to eat. She too does not know where the money will come to allow her children to attend public school. 


We want to help her as well.

About two or three miles away from Judy is a precious lady who lives in the “better part” of the slums. Her two room house was neat and tidy. Mildred is always upbeat and praising God for the little she has. She is widowed and speaks very good English. She told us that she too could not have fed her four children if the saints at Lakeview Village Church had not pooled their meager resources and shared them with her. She spoke highly of George and praised God for the help she has received from him. To survive she does laundry and sells (when she can get it) boiled corn on the street side. This week she had a windfall when the state wide soccer match which was held at the newly revised open air stadium just a mile from where she lives. She made three hundred and ninety eight shillings and sixty two cents or five American dollars in two days. We would like to help her get her kids in school.

Six blocks from Mildred lives another struggling mother by the name of Rosaline. Rosaline has five children all of which need school fees. Feeding and clothing them takes almost all her meager finances and leaves nothing to get the kids ready for school. She also made it clear without the help of her brothers and sisters at Lakeview she would not be able to take care of her family. She said that she had never been is a church that helped in that way.

The last dear lady we visited was so delightful. Her name is Ann. That’s her daughter Elizabeth sitting next to her. Elizabeth was working six to seven hours a day watching other people’s children for roughly eight dollars…a month! She was doing the best she could to raise the forty five dollars in school fees to finish High school. We helped Elizabeth pay her school fees then took her to town to buy her books, cloths, and shoes last year. It had to be one of the highlights of our last visit. The difference in her today and eight months ago is striking. She is a bright young woman with hope of a future. Though they have been able to come up with some of the tuition needed to reenter school, we want to help them again this year.

When we left their house eight months ago we felt led to ask God to bring back Ann’s husband and bless the house. Today Ann’s husband has returned and is trying to provide for his family. Ann said since we left the blessings of God have been abundant and there is plenty of food for the rest of her children.

I am so glad, once again, God handpicked our team. They have already been through some difficult times and are learning how to lay their lives down in a different country. Continue to pray for us as tomorrow marks our half way mark. There is still a lot more filming, teaching, sharing, and loving to do. I am so grateful our Father has taught us to live and work together. It is paying off now, here in Kenya.

Driving home and looking at the thousands of other children in Nakuru coming from the same situations as the ones above, we want to help so much more. Our greatest desire is to see the Body of Christ raised up in this area to teach people how to help themselves and one another.

Most of the people we have found here in the slums of Nakuru have endured so much and yet they still praise God for what they have. They have given so much more than what we have given them. They desire to be a light to all Nakuru through walking out the teachings of Christ. They really want to learn how to love.

Truly as the scripture states … God chose the poor of the earth to be rich in faith. 

  

“Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?  (James 2:5)

That is why it also says... and let the rich glory in his humiliation. We are humbled. 
(James 1: 9,10)

RCV Grandfather