"Inspiration"

Some refer to Kibera as a middle class slum. My version of middle class looks a bit different than temporary structures and horrible sanitation systems, yet something about the people, the economics and the opportunities that it provides boosts the state of the community. It wasn't till last Friday that could trump its state. We entered a slum on the west side of Nairobi to visit Mark and Moses, two products of the slum that have given up the past 10 years to run a community center on the perimeter of the slum. We walked for a total of about 250 yards in the slum and both immediately felt something different. Something was missing...or maybe something was present. Maybe it was psychlogical, none the less-different than anything else that I have experienced.

I will write more about this community later but wanted to share a brief story about Mark and Moses...These guys are Mandy and I's age and have lived in Mathare for their entire lives. When they were teenagers, they started hanging out at a building where that Matatu (taxi) stops along one of the main roads east of the city. After finishing high school, they stayed committed to the center and began spending more time there. The center has since evolved into a place for kids to hang out in the evenings and a church on Sunday mornings. There is no electricity or running water, but they have a generator that they bring in occasionally. The center attracts 50-75 kids each night. The center, called THE INSPIRATION CENTER is all that and more. Well, maybe not the center itself, but the guys that run it are as much of an inspiration as I have ever seen. These guys have had the opportunity to leave the slum for 10 years, yet they have remained committed to serving this community that is crying for help.

Recently, they partnered with a rotary club to do a project in their community. Wanting to truly make a difference they asked the residents what they would like to see changed. Most of them wanted to see the community bathrooms improved. With no sewer systems, community bathrooms are the only solution to people defecating on the streets or “flying toilets” when people poop in a bag and throw it out of sight. We first went to a recently renovated public toilet. The facility was light, clean and carried a sense of pride with it. Soon, we walked to another facility that had not yet been touched. I usually have a high tolerance for this kind of stuff but I nearly puked. It was absolutely disgusting. Mark and Moses shared their vision for this bathroom and for 11 more bathrooms throughout Mathare that they hope to restore in the future. I couldn't help but think about Jesus as he washed his disciples feet the night of the last supper. These guys are washing and restoring the “feet” of this community...not because they have to, but because they are committed to restoring the lives of individuals and transforming their community.

A few other random updates: Mandy and I went to a 4 hour church service on Sunday (extra points for us!), I played my first ultimate frisbee game on Sunday, we are both feeling much better...thanks for the prayers, we now have a Kenyan cell phone (see the right side contact info if you're interested), we start Swahili lessons 3x/week next week, we met up with Lorraine-an old friend from PLU and we are at a conference for 4 days this week looking at how churches work with other sectors to transform society.

Sorry for the lame update. I am tired after 8 hours of listening at the conference. I will write more later this week! For those of you that are interested in photos, bear with us-we want to be sensitive to our roles and will take pics when we build up relationships with the kids and leaders that we are working with.

peace/joel