Dearest Mombasa

Last weekend, I had the privilege of travelling to Mombasa- a small town on the Eastern Coast of Kenya. Audrey, Leann and I wanted to complete a 5 day trip on a missionary budget. We took an eight hour bus trip to and from Mombasa for a total of $22 and stayed four nights at a hostel for $8 a night. We also ate from local fruit stands (avacodos, bananas, and cloves of garlic are all about 10 cents each) or from little shanty restaurants (a Kenyan meal of ugali, chapati and beans cost about 60 cents a person). So, in total, we were able to go to one of the best vacation spots in the world for about $70. Nothing was planned and the whole trip was ridiculous and out of control. I wouldn't have had it any other way. Here is why:

Resort Crashers: Quite pleased with ourselves.

At our hostel, we met many colorful travellers, including a Danish boy named Christoph, who came complete with a cheery accent and a giant blister on his toe courtesy of his hike up Mount Kilimanjaro. He was soon our 4th musketeer and with him as a guardian, we were able to jump on matatus and explore the whole town to our leisure. After chatting with some people from the hostel, we learned that as white people, it was totally appropriate to walk right into 5 star beachside resorts. So, on our first and last days there, we flashed our white skin and were able to lie in resorts' pool chairs, play their games (don't mess with my water polo skills), use their towels, and feel the indescribable relaxation that comes from being completely pampered.

Leann gives us a hug at a fort in Old Town

On another day, we went to Old Town, an old Arabic city where the second dream in Inception was shot. We explored the narrow streets, marvelling at the strange beauty of lattice windows and peeling stucco of the Mosques. We ate pistachio ice cream from a little Muslim grocer, had pilau and chicken in an open air restaurant (85 cents for a heaping plate) and drank kahawa tangawizi (ginger coffee) from a cute man and his copper coffee pot in an alleyway. Old Town was magic. The heavy air smelled of cumin and ginger and the humid heat surrounded us, reminding us of the ancient beginnings of this mysterious little place. 

Terrified.

We also went to a crocodile farm, where, like Romans in the Coliseum, we watched crocs bite into carcasses of cows and bits of rabbit meat. If not shocking enough, we also saw giant turtles mate and had baby crocodiles put on our heads for pictures. I think the Kenyans were more concerned about tips than safety, so I was quite grateful when they took the baby off of me.

Mombasa is one of the best places in the world. It was 90 degrees with 95 percent humidity, there was no AC at the hostel, and the showers and sinks were salt water. We were hot and sweaty. We were tired and poor. But we went to the Indian Ocean and experienced it as real Kenyans. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Sex 101

Sadly, issues like teenage pregnancy, sexual abuse, and HIV/Aids are real issues in the Mathare children's lives. So with the idea that knowledge is power, Audrey and I have undergone a project to teach sex education to as many of the students as possible before we leave in December. We have been conducting weekly seminars for 4th and 5th grade girls and boys. Audrey and I teach the girls section, and Timothy from the CHE Department has been wonderfully teaching the boys. At the end of the sessions, we have the students write anonymous questions* on paper so that we can answer them in front of the class. Some questions are cute, some are funny, and some are downright sad. Below are some of the most memorable inquiries from the girls:

*While the more explicit questions have been left off of this list, this blog is best suited for adults.

-What is ovaries?
- Why do boys like doing sex with girls?

-Can you get AIDS from kissing?
- When a person touches a condom will she get pregnant?

-Why do people do sex?

-How do ladies get the egg?

-Are boys good?
- If a lady is very little will the baby fit in her?

-When your baby is in the womb, will it be heavy?

-Why do boys love girls?
- If I run into something, for example a desk, will my breast burst and the egg come out?

-If you are a woman and you don't want to get married, what will happen to your life?

-Which age are you allowed to do sex?

-Why when girls have monthly period they like staying near boys?

-If you start your adolescence is it a must pimples come to your face?
-How can I get big breasts?

-When you grow hair in your arm pits what does it mean?

-Why do I grow up faster than others?

-Can a girl get pregnant if she does sex once?

-Why must we get hips?

-How can I get a husband?

12 Things that Kept me from Blogging for a Month

I apologize for neglecting this blog for almost an entire month! God has been keeping us busy here in Mathare, and I have compiled a list of things we have been up to:

1) Attended a Goat Roast to celebrate Kenyatta Day. Ate goat. Will never do this again

2) Have begun planning a day of eye tests for the students and providing the most severe cases with eye glasses

3) Bought an ivory chess set from a Massai Warrior with Audrey, then went out to dinner and played a game of chess over fresh juice and a veggie sandwich

4) Triaged over 500 patients in 5 days at a short term medical clinic

5)Got coffee at Java House with the girls so many times that the employees know our names and orders

6) Had a bag of mangos stolen by a baby monkey at City Park

7) Mastered driving on the opposite side of the road through Nairobi traffic

8) Developed a curriculum and taught sex ed to nearly 250 young Kenyan girls at a Saturday morning seminar

9) Met two women while doing bible study at Java House, chatted with them about their jobs at the UN, then went to their house for late-night chai and girl talk

10) Bagged over 20,000 donated meds in the Clinic Pharmacy

11) Threw a Halloween party with the other Americans. Carved pumpkins, ate candy and made our host brother a homemade BatmanSpidermanBoy costume

12) Witnessed the class I teach English to score higher on their midterm exams than any other 4th grade class in Pangani School

Unashamed

Last Wednesday the three interns were asked to lead a bible study for a Post-Test Group in the Missions of Hope Center. Post-Test Groups are groups of individuals who have completed HIV testing, and have received positive results.

So essentially, we were leading a bible study for about twenty people who were diagnosed with a deadly disease and were in varying stages of sickness.

While leading the study, I noticed a young girl, in her late teens I suppose, who was very sick. The right side of her body would spasm and twitch uncontrollably and she kept her right arm behind her back, clearly self-conscious about the condition. Being different from others is a devastating fate for a young teenage girl.

Despite her embarrassment and suffering, she had an eager and pretty smile, shyly took part in discussion, and giggled at the other group members' light-hearted joking. I was very moved by her.

On Sunday, I realized that this same girl was standing in the front row at the church I was attending. There she was, holding her right arm behind her, not quite able to hide the tremors.

 But her left hand was high in the air, unashamed, worshipping Jesus, reaching out to her Father. She sang with joy because she could see that God would meet her where she was, that he would not see a positive HIV test, or a body broken by disease. She sang because she knows that she is a child of God, that she is beautiful and precious in his eyes.

It is easy to be overwhelmed with the enormity of Mathare Valley, but when I saw this girl singing, God reminded me that nothing is too big for him. He is both powerfully changing African poverty on a large scale, and personally, gently changing the heart of one shy Post-Test girl who knows more about the acceptance of the Cross than most ever will.

Prayers from Mabatini

Yesterday we shoveled raw sewage. A week ago we met some cool guys from Mabatini Village who invited us to their monthly clean-up sponsored by Missions of Hope's CHE program. This group comes together on the last Saturday of every month and unclogs the main trench that runs through the village. Weeks of sewage and decomposing trash fill these trenches, leaving the water stagnant and toxic. Without thinking through the situation fully, we picked up old rakes and began helping to clear out the filth.

This was probably the grossest thing I have ever done. All of us girls almost got sick on multiple occasions, but thankfully didn't.
As I was showering later in the day, my heart was so heavy; I scrubbed myself furiously, still feeling sick to my stomach, almost to the point of breakdown after being exposed to such filth. I needed to distance myself, maybe watch a movie, or talk with my room mates- anything to cope and forget what I had seen.
I kept thinking about the children. The children who played in the trash near where we were working have no way of escaping. The village is their home. As a 23 year old, I could barely wrap my head around the poverty for a few hours, and they are forced to experience it every second of their lives. But God, how could this be your plan for little babies?

This weekend is the first time I have begun to understand the heavy, unmoving, dark word that is Poverty. The last few days have been a time of reluctant, painful growth. They have been a time of clinging to Christ, using his Strength as the only way to comprehend walking back into the Valley tomorrow morning, and drawing on his Hope to see a better future for the little children.
Proverbs 23:10b-11

Soccer Balls and Granola Bars

In the past 48 hours, we have said goodbye to two pretty remarkable short-term teams from the U.S. 


Traders Point hung out with the children at Bondeni and Joska and did amazing chalk art, crafts, and football camps. I have attended Traders Point since I was about 5 years old, and it lifted my spirits to see their faces and feel their love and support. They will be greatly missed.

Brittany directs students. TPCC left jerseys, cleats,  and soccer balls.

FAME (Fellowship of Associates of Medical Evangelism) are flying out tonight. All of us interns became very close with this special little group of eight. Their sense of humor, freshness and enthusiasm were such a great encouragement. Yesterday, we triaged patients for them during the last day of their medical camp at Kosovo school. In the time they were here, they provided medical care to over 600 people. Almost as noteworthy is the fact that they left us a stash of American snacks, including the much loved peanut butter chocolate chip granola bar. Their ministry blew us away.

Steve from FAME feeds a student cake during their Goodbye Ceremony

I can't wait to meet the other teams that come. God is bringing such beautiful people to this Valley.

Learning Environment?

I recently sat in on Swahili lessons in Class 4 ( 4th Grade) in the main Missions of Hope school. This photo shows 3 pieces of wood, very thin and not tall enough to touch the ceiling, which are the only things dividing classrooms from one another. It was almost impossible for me to concentrate on the lesson, with the voice of the Swahili teacher competing with the teachers and students standing just feet away in the other classrooms. Concrete walls would provide a more quiet environment for the pupils to learn in, but such things are not always possible in Kenya.