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St. Lazarus Community School Quarterly Report for January, February and March 2006 (more…)

The following is a reflection by Lori Hicks-Marr about her experiences before, during and after the the March 2006 trip to Nairobi, Kenya.

Two years ago I felt God speaking to my heart telling me that it was time. “Time for what?” I asked. Time to take a journey, one that I would never forget. It was time for me to go to Africa. I agreed because this was 2004, and 2006 seemed so far away. An announcement was made one Sunday morning inviting a team of people to journey to Africa. My heart began to beat fast. It felt like I was having an anxiety attack. I remembered my promise to God. “If you send me I will go.” I prayed daily to ensure that I got the message right. After meditating on several scriptures, I knew it was right for me to go.

I traveled thousands of miles from home with a team of five people, none of whom I knew personally. That must be God.

I think I began numbing my heart right away. I was afraid of what I would see, hear, taste, and smell. The more I numbed, the more I realized I was in trouble. I asked, “God why am I here?” I was reminded of the verse in Isaiah 52:15 “….For what they were told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.” I took a deep breath and began to trust God.

So many wonderful things happened that began to change my life. On Monday March 27^th, I took my first trip into the Kibera slums. As the van approached the slums, I felt my heart racing; I knew I was in trouble. I began to pray, “God don’t let me pass out.” As I walked through the slums all my senses came alive. I smelled things that I had never smelled and I saw horrible living conditions that I have never imagined. As I walked through the small confined area I was greeted with a hearty “Jambo.”

I exchanged greetings but never looked to see who was speaking. I purposed in my heart not to make eye contact, I didn’t want to be connected.

We wandered through several make shift homes and shops headed and to St. Lazarus school. “Oh my, God, this can’t be real.” It felt like a dream, but I wasn’t asleep. I stepped over a ditch of waste and debris headed to the gate, “Watch your head,” someone yelled. I ducked and walked into the school. “Oh my goodness, I think I am going to faint.”

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Nairobi Trip of Mark Parmenter, January 2006

I was able to spend both Monday and Tuesday of this trip out at St. Lazarus. The children start their school day at 8am, but I arrived mid-morning due to transportation arrangements to get out there. Herbert Lomosi was able to pick me up both days thanks to his daughter Angela providing her car. Each day, the children take a break about 10am for a “breakfast” of porridge that provides important nutrition they would not otherwise get. Normally meals are cooked in two parts due to a lack of cookware and charcoal stoves. On this trip, I was able to provide for them two large cook pans, water containers, and an additional charcoal stove. Now they can cook an entire meal all at once. The cook has to be quick this time of day since lunch is served at 1pm, so there is not much time for cleanup before she needs to begin cooking lunch.

After Monday’s breakfast, the children had some time to sing and from time to time exercise. They had me both singing and jumping up and down which they thought was quite amusing. Fortunately, there are no photos of that. Then, they return to class until time for their next break and lunch at 1pm. Lunch on Monday was beans and cabbage. On Tuesday, I bought extra meat so they had rice, greens, and bits of beef. These meals are so inexpensive when compared to what we spend on our food – it’s amazing. I was able to provide the food for 90 children for about $30. The difficulty they are currently facing is the lengthy drought is driving the cost of food up to extremely high levels, even in Kibera. Rachel works hard to get the best deals and economize without cutting into the nutrition, but it’s difficult. Pray for them as they try to keep supplying two meals for the children with the ever-increasing price of supplies.

The school now consists of four classes and four teachers. The pre-school children are by far the largest class, usually numbering about 50 students and taught by Herbert and Rachel’s daughter Evelyne. She has been able to use the local university and get a certificate in early childhood education. Joyce, Lydia, and Margaret teach the Standard 1, Standard 2, and a Standard 3/4 classes. It is really exciting to see the differences in the classes in what the children are learning and how they are growing within the safety of St. Lazarus.

I want to tell you about two of the many special people I met who really touched my heart. First there was Catherine. Her husband died of AIDS in 1994. She did not know he had AIDS. Her first two tests came back negative, so she believed she would be safe. Her third test, however, came back HIV positive, and she has been contending with the illness ever since. Her doctor says she must not over exert herself, but she needs to work or she won’t be able to feed her children. Rachel provides small jobs from time to time that allow her to earn a bit of money. The second person is Monica, seven years old. You may recall her story from three years ago. When she was four, a 19-year-old boy raped her. The past three years have been very difficult for her, but the Lord has graciously used St. Lazarus to provide a safe haven and caring people who have helped her work through the darkest of times.

Both days I worked with the children reading them stories and teaching verses. I even sat on the ground to talk to them and play with them. I needed a nap!! They used that opportunity to pull my arm hair and feel the hair on my head and gaze in wonder at this unusual person sitting down at their level. Reminded me of getting down on the floor with my grandkids where most of the serious bonding takes place.

Kibera slum, a land mass approximately the size of a golf course, was originally intended as a relocation center for Nubians after World War 2.  The name is derived from the Nubian word “Kibra”, which means forest, because it was at one time covered with trees.  Over the past decades, the forest has disappeared and in its place are thousands and thousands of ramshackle structures made from mud, corrugated tin, and other found objects, which are “home” to an estimated eight hundred thousand to one million people.  Many of these men, women and children relocated to Nairobi from small villages in search of jobs, but didn’t find work in a city with unemployment rates at hovering around 60%.  This rural to urban migration and the devastating effects of disease, unemployment, starvation, and deteriorating family structures due to death from HIV/AIDS, have further impacted the residents, giving Kibera the label of one of the worst slums in Africa.

From: “Slums have a history too” by YUNUS NDETI