Emotional

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31: 8-9

Emotional. Sad. Heartbroken. This is how we feel.
We cannot fathom what so many people here have gone through, what their memories consist of, the pain that lies in their past. But we have a command to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. To defend the rights of the poor and needy.

On Wednesday I taught the older grades in Mitumba (about 50 kids). My lesson was about everybody having a story. How God has redeemed them, and wants to use their life for His Honour and Glory. I encouraged them to write down their stories…look for ways that God has helped them, look for ways that He brought them “out of the mud and the mire“…based on these verses in Psalms 40:1-3, which say:

“I waited patiently for the Lord;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
Out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock
And gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
A hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
And put their trust in the Lord.”

(which I also gave them as memory verses.) I gave them their notebooks and pencils…and oh did they write. The room was completely silent, except for the sound of pencils on paper. I started to pray for them silently…knowing that this was difficult for a lot of them. My eyes welled up with tears, thinking about these beautiful children and youth that we have come to love so much, who have such painful and heartbreaking stories. When our time was up, and I had collected all the notebooks and pencils, many of the children were very quiet. Perhaps the memories were too much. But a few of them gathered around me to visit for a few minutes, make sure I was not leaving yet, and make sure I would come to their class before the end of the day! I sneaked in a few hugs and told them how very much I had missed them, since we had been away the week before.

Later on that morning, I was asked to organize and file the paperwork for all the children who have been admitted in the home. I agreed heartily, but did not realize that this would be an emotional task as well. You see, in this paperwork I had to make sure that their deceased parents death certificates were in with their admittance forms, and that there were reasons for the child being admitted in the home. Reasons like “we have no money and cannot support this child.” “her parents have both died and she has no one to care for her” “he gets beaten by his step-mother” “this child is all alone”…and so on. These are names that I recognize, children that we know, faces that we love. My mind does not want to comprehend these stories. It can’t. I just want to scream “IT’S NOT FAIR!!!” And no, it’s not fair. But let me tell you, God has NOT forgotten about these children!!! He is working in their lives and in their hearts, and is bringing others to Himself through their stories! He is changing their families. His work in Mitumba slum is not finished!! Praise Him!!

I will leave you with a few excerpts from their written assignments…these are the some of the
stories from the children in a small African slum…

“When I was a young boy I did not know many things. At the time we lived in my grandma and grandfather’s farm. There were many witch wizards or witch doctors in the compound. The witch doctors were having bad manners. They put for us many devils things. When I was coming from school I saw many men coming to kill me and burn me with fire. And I was very young. I was only five years. I believe in Jesus that one day He will help me and not to see things like this that the witch doctors has brought to me……..When I will be a big person I will preach his good and his kindness and words. I would like to be a pastor. Thank you.” - written by a boy in the Standard 5 class.

“It was last year but one in the year two thousand and seven. It was during the elections where everyone was going to choose whom he or she wants. The people voted for many days. When the results were announced for the president, some people who had voted or someone else started fighting the others. People were chased out of their houses and their houses with everything were burnt. Me and my family were one of these who were chased away. We slept out for some few days then we came here in Nairobi to my uncle’s house. We used to pray everyday and one day God answered our prayers. So we really thank God for what He done for us and we will continue to praise Him all the days of our lives.” -written by a girl in the Standard 7 class who is now being admitted into the home because her mother cannot provide for her.

“When I was small I didn’t know God as my personal saviour. When my mother died I was very small like a baby. Even me I didn’t seen my mother with my eye. One day when I grow up my brothers told me that our mother has died. That time I prayed to God. I asked Him that God who is in Heaven I pray that God give me another mother who can take care for me. Please Father can you take care for me. After that I known God to be my personal saviour. When I was going to Church the Pastor Shadrach prayed for me. Even now I pray to God to help me. When I was in the Church I prayed to God to give me strength. Even now God has done for me many things that I will never forget again.” -written by a young girl in the Standard 5 class.

“I want you to pray for my school, my parents, my teachers, the sick, the pupils in REM school and me. We will pray for you even if you are not with us every time.
When I was a young child I did not listen to my parents, my teachers and others older than me. The time I got saved I was helping my friends in the work and the old people like fetching for them water. I was now going to Church and I know how to pray and I can read a Bible now. The Lord is good because He is guiding you and us. And pray for our pastor Shadrach everywhere he goes. And pray for our village. May God bless you! From your lovely friend.” -written by a boy in the standard 7 class.

“In my life I have saw many things happened. I have saw the light of Jesus Christ. When I was young I didn’t know who is God. I didn’t even want to go to Church but now I have saw the light of Jesus Christ in my life.
My parents died and they leave me alone with my sisters. And I didn’t know what to do but only thing I do is I prayed and prayed all the time and God saved me. Now I am saved. I know the Word of God and God continued to work in my life.
Many things had happened to me, many temptation and all things, but the only thing I asked God is to protect and guide me all the time and protect me.” -written by a boy in Standard 7 who is being admitted into the home.

“I was born in 1994 in Nairobi. When I was born I was an HIV positive. I didn’t sleep in house because my parents chased me away. The problem is that I was not sleeping in a house I was sleeping out. I do not eat well cause my family has no money for buying for food….
My life is really hard even now because I am HIV positive and we do not have money for helping me in having medicine. The medicine cost a lot of money and my parent do not have money to provide for me….
God has changed my life because I know that in Christ we have faith and believe for He has done many things in my life…” -written by a boy in the Standard 6 class who lives on his own.

Please, please pray for these dear children. Life is so difficult in the slum. I have struggled with if I should even write these stories down, but this way you have a better idea of what to pray for, and some of the situations that these kids face on a regular basis.

**I left out their names for privacy, and changed some of the spelling mistakes so that it would be easier to read and understand.**