Trevor and Andrea: Beggars and New Friends..

As I was walking home from New Life Home the other day, I was met by an old man walking towards me. I noticed his tattered and shabby appearance, the strong scent of alcohol wafting towards me, and his pleading eyes. As he came closer, he started talking to me…most of what he was saying I couldn’t make out because he was mumbling and near tears. Something in my heart went out to this poor man, so I stopped and waited for him to repeat himself. He asked me for directions to a place I didn’t know, and started telling me a story of why he looked the way he did…said that the police had taken him, taken all his ID and money, roughed him up..and now he had no money and didn’t know where he was. Now, whether this is true or not, I don’t know, but as he was telling this story the man started to cry. He asked for 3o shillings, which I didn’t have (and as he was already smelling of alcohol, I wouldn’t have given it to him even if I did have it), so I kindly told him that I didn’t know the place he was talking about, and also had no money on me to help him out, but told him that someone else would probably know the area better than I did, and to ask them for directions. He thanked me a couple times, and went on his way.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this man. You know, this isn’t a new thing. We are constantly stopped on the street by different people asking for money, with all kinds of stories, and you kind of just get used to it. But something about seeing this man in such a sad state, crying, eyes looking hopeless…it opened my eyes again to the sad plight of so many people here. Realizing that whether his sad story was true or not, his life most likely is full of pain and hardship. Trevor and I have often talked about this…what should our response to these situations be?? Please pray for us as we come into contact with needy people every day.

I also was given a good reminder of first impressions, and how they are not always right!! There was a new Kenyan lady who started working at New Life Home last week…my first impression was that she was rude, and very difficult to work with. She never smiled and I felt very uneasy being around her. Because of that, I didn’t make a very big effort to get to know her either. Then, a few days later, Trevor came to NLH with me as it was a holiday and the shop was closed. I introduced him to all the ladies there, and told them he was my husband. This lady looked at me and said “you’re married??”…I told her that we were, and she just kind of smiled. Then a few minutes later, she came to sit beside me, and said she’s been looking for someone to ask for some advice on marriage, and asked if she could ask me some questions!! I immediately agreed, and we started talking and it was so cool! The reason she hadn’t really talked to me the other day was because she was scared of me because I am white, and she thought most white people were snobby and unapproachable, and she was scared to talk to me!! Go figure!! So we chatted for quite awhile, and exchanged phone numbers. I am so thankful that God brought this lady into my life, and taught me a lesson through it.

There is this man we have gotten to know…his name is Peter, and he sells things like bowls and carvings outside, on the Nakumatt parking lot on the weekends. We met him about three months ago, when we first arrived in Nairobi, and often go see him when we go the Nakumatt. We have only bought some things from him once, the other times we just go to say hi to him and visit for awhile. He is very friendly, and will come to greet us from far off as soon as he sees us! The other weekend we met his son who wants to go to university in Canada, so we talked to him for awhile. Peter told us that he has 11 children, and when we exclaimed about that, he said, “yes, but I also have 2 mamas!!” ….meaning he has 2 wives in a polygamist relationship!! (which is very common here). So we talked for a while longer, and he invited us to his home to eat with him and his family sometime…we were very touched, and hope that we can do that soon. It is so neat to meet people, and begin to build relationships like this, and begin showing them the love of Christ through our lives.

Last Sunday, our Church service was led by a youth/young adult group called Mission Driven. They are a musical group made up of very talented Kenyans, who minister to the youth in Nairobi through music and rap/poetry. They have such an amazing passion to reach this generation, and God has given them unbelievable musical talents!! We were so incredibly blessed through their program. Most of this group goes to our Church, and we feel privileged to attend this Church who reaches out so much to their fellow Kenyans in the city. We spoke to some members of the group after the service and exchanged contact information…it would be so neat to get to know some of these people who are our age (youth here goes to age 25, so we’re still youth!!).

So…that’s a glimpse of the people we get to meet here, and the experiences we are having…God has blessed us..

Koros and I at New Life Home..