The end of the trip!

Hi Friends,



Thanks for your patience! I am trying to read an article on ethical principles on research right now... so it seemed the perfect time to finish up the reports from our trip.


We've been home almost a week and it feels like longer. The trip is almost a fog in my memory...until I look back at photos or tell someone, then it seems like it is right here, in my fingertips.


Last you heard, it was Tuesday night. We had some "rest time" in preparation for a very full day on Wednesday.


Wednesday we ventured deep into Kibera, about a 10 minute walk into its heart. We passed row upon row of shop front - even in the slums they have little shops - butchers, clothing, hair salons and even... little movie places. They tap into electricity from the high voltage lines and run it into the slums so some people have light bulbs in their homes (shacks) and even TV - or in the case of the 'movie theaters" - movies. We had 4 escorts into the slums - two in front of us, and two behind - leading us to the right place (we surely would have been lost) and also protecting us from any theft or other harm. It was nice to have them - I'm sure at first we were glad but not sure why we needed them. When a couple girls got their arms grabbed and were asked to "come this way," I think we were MORE than glad to have our knights in shining armor.


The sensations of Kibera were overwhelming - constant noise of people talking, babies, TV's, the smells of food, animals, human waste, humans, and the sights of so many people out and about, talking to you, waving, watching your step over flying toilets, little bridges, ditches - trying to look up at the people around you was difficult because you didn't want to trip and fall down - the ground is very uneven. In some areas of Kibera (the area where we walked) when it rains heavily - as it does during this time of year - sometimes the walkways get washed out and people roll up their pants or hold up their skirts, take off their shoes and try to navigate through the mud. Our escort, Nick, told me that luckily the mud is not too sticky or slippery.


We arrived at the KTDP: Kibera Transformation Development Project before morning tea. The KTDP has two ministries - the first is a pre-unit school (we would call "preschool") and the second is a women's training office, which helps women 18-35 learn a trade. We worked at the school for Wednesday and half of Thursday. At KTDP, the parents are required to pay 300 shillings per month for their children to attend (about $5 usd), they are required to pay for the uniform, and they are required to pack a snack for their child to eat/during tea. It doesn't matter what the drink/snack is, but they are supposed to have one. The school requires these things to give parents a "buy-in" in the education process. The school provides lunch for the children daily: Ugali (corn meal dough/bread) and Sukuma Wiki (collard greens). On Wednesdays they have meat in it - usually beef. We were there on a Wed and you could tell the meat was a big deal. Some of the team had the opportunity to try a lunch serving. I thought the Sukuma Wiki was pretty good... but then I only had a little bit.


That day was truly awesome. It was my favorite place to serve overall. We broke into three groups and went into the three classrooms as teacher's assistants - 3 yr olds, 4-5yr olds and 6-7 yrs olds. The school compound was pretty nice, considering where it was. My classroom (with the older kids) was on the second floor - as you walked up some pretty sketchy steps you could look to your right and see out over the slums - a pretty sobering sight. We helped the teachers do the lessons, and got to know the kids names. We did PE with them - exhausting! and then played with them during their 2 hour lunch break. Some of us did the dishes in the kitchen and that was quite an experience in itself! (we were significantly slower than if the cook had done them, but she graciously did not rub it in too much!)


After lunch the younger two classes take a nap... they lay their heads down on their arms on the table in front of them and go to sleep - very cute. We had brought some school and craft supplies with us to give to the school, so during nap time all the teachers and our team came upstairs with the older kids and we had a "presentation ceremony." My favorite part of this time was our time of prayer for the school and the kids, and then the opportunity the headmistress gave us to speak "words of promise" from scripture over the lives of the children. Later, she eloquently told us how grateful she was of our service of hugging, loving and smiling at the children - and praying over them; that their parents are so occupied getting food (or money for food) that they don't have time to pay that kind of attention (in general) to their kids. I really felt like the Holy Spirit was present in this time of learning and blessings - what a joy!


We were at the KTDP on Wed and Thursday, and then on Thursday afternoon went back to New Life Home and spent a couple hours with the orphans there - rocking babies and playing with toddlers. It was great and relaxed and they are a lot of fun.


Friday we worked with First Love International (we had been to their compound in Karen the previous Saturday, after getting rained out of the schools in the slums on Friday and Saturday). First Love works with the Mtumba Primary School and the Railia Educational Center in Kibera (both primary and secondary schools) - they help provide school supplies and handle the payment of the teachers (at the request of the schools) and offer a feeding program - they provide for two meals a day - a porridge tea/breakfast and lunch.

In the morning we were at Mtumba, we toured the slum (we had been there on Monday, but did not have the extended tour) and then played with the kids there. They sang us some songs before we left and there was a gal who could really belt it out. I taught little kids frisbee and some others played soccer, while others taught "Little Sally Walker" - that was pretty fun to watch!

We ate our lunches as we traveled from Mtumba to Kibera and ended at the bottom of a steep hill in a school yard. There was a educational rally going on, so there were a TON of kids out of school - maybe 1000 kids total in this huge space. We played with a bunch of them for a couple hours - jumping rope, talking to high schoolers, "little sally walker" again, hand jive games and even kenyan "duck duck goose". The highlight of the visit for me was that the high school girls challenged the women of our team to a futbal match.... yes. true. We took a short rest prior to the game (because a lot of us were pretty wiped out after the previous days) and then went out for the match. They had cleared everyone off the field and put up soccer goals. Up the hill to the right was a train track that people walk along on their way to work and home - at one point during the game someone counted 150 people standing there watching, and then the school children ringed the sides of the field to cheer the game. It was REALLY fun - hard work, and those women on our team who know how to play soccer worked their tails off. In the end, we tied 1-1 and that wasn't half bad!

The following day we returned to the Delamaters home and the First Love Compound and finished painting the garage and the caretaker's, David's, house and landscaping the field. It was great to end the ministry portion of the trip with some of our new friends and to know we've made valuable contacts in Nairobi - I think that some of our students will eventually return to work with them at their compound in Karen. Afterward, we went back home, showered up and headed with all 90 members of the Baylor crew to the "Carnivore" - which is a fancy restaurant that serves all sorts of meat on skewers. Its all you can eat - and if you like meat... its the place for you. We had beef, lamb, chicken, pork ribs, ostrich and crocodile. It was great.

Sunday morning was a fantastic day. We returned to City Harvest Church, but instead of being visitors, we felt like we were a part of the community. We knew some of the songs that the worship team sang (thanks Wycliffe and Mordecai and John for teaching us!), we recognized friends in the congregation and it was a tremendous joy to worship with them one more time before leaving. We saw our dear friends, including: Wycliffe, Mordecai, John, Pastor Edward, Mercyline, Jehosephat, Sylvia, Theresia, and Nick, just to name a few. It was tremendous and a joy.

We had lunch after saying our good-byes, and then stopped one final time at the Nakumatt and the Maasai Market near Gracia, before packing up and heading to the Airport. Thankfully, we all made it back to the states safe and sound (though pretty tired).

As you think of us for the next few weeks, please pray for our transition. I know that it has been hard for all of us as we remember what we saw, who we met and how we loved and lived while there.

The next post is by one of our team members, from his blog. I think you'll enjoy his perspective and information.

Be blessed, thank you for you support. (p.s. look for the post with pics, too)

Love, Tiffani (For Marquette and the team!)