My last 5 days were spent in Kenya. During that time, we ran our first SLAM camp out of Mombasa, Kenya for 2 and 1/2 days. To get there, we took a bus from Uganda to Nairobi, then traveled by train to get to Mombasa, and stayed at an old university campus.
The moment that stuck out to me the most was the second day, where we had a full day of scheduling. I had been placed on a service project going to visit an orphanage. We traveled by bus with a group of the SLAM students to the orphanage. When we got there, we were greeted by the kids singing songs all together under the trees. After they sang songs, our groups started to lead songs with the kids, and then they broke up into teaching groups.
When the kids broke off, I went with the kitchen crew to help them prepare a meal for the kids. We were making rice and beans, and although a simple meal, I learned they each have many different ways of preparing that conflict with one another. I mostly observed their process, since most of the cooking took little prep and was mostly waiting.
After we finished, I moved over to the baby class to be a part of their group. All the kids were singing more songs, and some of the school girls that were by the fence joined in, so we all got to have a time together.
After classes, I met a little girl named Paige, who was the sweetest, and an older girl named Blessing. Blessing was a special girl. When she looked at me, her face filled with the cutest smile. She had beautiful big brown eyes, and would raise her eyebrows multiple times when looking at me, and I would do it back, and we would both laugh. She didn’t understand everything I was saying but when she did we talked. I asked her about her different questions about herself which she answered she was 10 years old and that she had only been at the orphanage for a short bit.
We were then offered a tour, and I got to see the inside of the building where the kids sleep and learn more about the founder. The founder’s name is Gladice, and she had 89 kids that she has in the orphanage. She said she has a connection with a social worker, and they will bring kids who are abandoned or whose parents couldn’t properly take care of them to her, and she would take them in and then adopt them.
Within the rooms, there were a few beds for the girls; there wasn’t much. It made me reflect on the difference I found within the baby’s home I served at last year and this home in a rural part of Mombasa, Kenya. The difference is the lack of resources that they have. They just generally don’t have the funds to take care of the kids in the ways other people get to, in the ways that children should be taken care of. So even when you look at the kids, you can see physical signs of malnutrition. And when you open your heart, it’s a lot to take in—hard to contend with seeing children who should be able to run and play like children, but knowing they have already faced so many challenges and hardships from the world.
When I was done with my tour, I was able to go back and sit with Paige and Blessing while they ate a meal, and then just before we left, we took time to pray for the orphanage, the sisters, Gladice, and the kids. To pray a blessing over them, to pray for God’s provision, safety, and finding refuge in the Lord. Before I left, I went to Blessing and told her that I loved her so much. I told her the Lord loved her, and that she blessed me deeply—from her sweet smile to her consistent hugs. I knew it wouldn’t do much to tell her that, but I hoped she would remember it, she would feel loved today. I felt blessed to know her and to be with her for that short time. It was a special moment with a special girl. A girl I will never forget and consistently be interceding and praying on her behalf.
The thing is, all of these kids are special. They are God’s children, but the world—because of the systems and injustice—forgets about them. Tosses them aside and tramples on them, like they are nothing. When in reality, these are beautiful human beings that the Lord has created, placed into this world, that just lack opportunity. Seeing poverty this trip has made me think about this a lot—the people that are pushed down and silenced. But we’ve learned the Kingdom of God is for them. They have a place in God’s kingdom.
“And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’” —Luke 6:20.