More VBS and Home Visits

 At the midpoint of most mission trips the team can face a number of challenges. It’s not uncommon for teams to face trials including homesickness, lethargy, personality conflicts, physical illness, or unforeseen seemingly insurmountable problems. With four days to go I have to praise God the students of Team Kenya have avoided all of that. Even more so, these students are being intentionally relational and sacrificial. Today was more proof. 

We returned to Kariobangi for Day 2 of VBS and home visits. I won’t belabor all the details of VBS (see previous post) only to add that it’s debatable as to which group had the most energy - I would suggest it was a 5-way tie! 

After lunch we dived into 10 groups of three and partnered with two of MOHI’s social workers to do home visits. All of the students live within walking distance, and as previous mentioned, almost all live in the slums. The term “slums” can cause various reactions as we may have different experience or images when that word is presented. In Nairobi, the slums are the way of life for tens of thousands. Houses/shanties are incredibly small with no ventilation and little to no electricity. On occasion you may find a house with a small television or some other small luxury. Many of these 5’ x 6” dwellings will house 5-8 people if not more. There is no ventilation and nor is there running water, and very little access to private bathroom facilities. Each of the teams were invited in to homes where they engaged in conversation with family members of the MOHI students. Valley Christian students were encouraged to engage with questions, share testimonies, and ask for prayer requests. 

We also had the privilege of giving out dozens of Leigh’s Blankies (https://leighsmission.com/). While it’s always difficult to have great conversations with strangers, especially from a different culture, Team Kenya did an exceedingly exceptional job! Many shared during our debrief how valuable this part of the trip is for them. To sit with someone who has far less and to partake in incarnational ministry was certainly a highlight of our trip. Due to not wanting to be disrespectful, not many photos were taken. I was able to take a few shots (shown below) of folks receiving the blankies. We were told, through our translators, that these small gifts were greatly appreciated!