Yesterday, Sharon and I had the opportunity to evangelize to the people of Namawanga Village. We spent 10 hours going hut-to-hut and praying for people.
The village was plagued with need and injustice. We saw grandmothers with broken hips, laying on blankets outside. We saw children covered with chiggers, that not only infected their skin, but their brains as well. We saw a mother that was “11 months pregnant” and had no access to a doctor. We saw men working in the field with only half a foot, so they had to stand on their deformed toes. We saw homeless families, tired and hungry. We saw children that were unable to get an education, because their parents couldn't afford the school fees. We saw single mothers, because their 30 year-old husbands had passed away from working too hard.
We saw a lot of heart-breaking hardships and hurt in the village. The biggest issue we noticed during our journey was the high amount of single fathers. The pastor told us that there is a serious problem with women just abandoning their families. These women just leave their kids and husbands. When times get to rough, they venture off to find a new husband with more money. It's so sad to think a mother could just abandon her children like that.
We had the opportunity to love on many children that had been abandoned. One of them really touched my heart.
I would like to share our encounter with you;
Zephorah is 13 years-old. Her father died a few years ago from an illness. He was the pastor of a church, a loving father, and a good husband.
When he passed away, the deacon stepped up to lead the church. The church building sits in the front yard of Zephorah's home. The building is not completed yet, it only has half a roof, but they still meet every Sunday.
There are 6 children in the family and money got really tight after the death of their father. The mother couldn't handle it and went crazy. She took 4 of the children and ran off somewhere, leaving the other 2 to fend for themselves. So, Zephorah and her older brother are trying to make ends meet all on their own. The only source of income they have is selling milk from their cow.
A few months after the mother left, she came back to take the cow. They had to beg her to let them keep it, because it's all they have. They told her that they would die without it. So, she let them keep the cow, but confined them to only part of the house. She put a lock on the bedroom door, leaving them only the sitting room and kitchen to live in. They don't have beds…Well, they don't really have anything. Most of the stuff is locked away in the bedroom.
The mother hasn't returned in years to unlock the door or collect her stuff. The kids can't break the lock, because if she does return they will be beaten. The house is in their mother's name, so they live with the fear of being put out on the street at any moment. There is no justice system in Kenya to help them out of their predicament. In fact, there isn't even any government help for orphans.
Zephorah's older brother is currently in the hospital. She is all alone taking care of the house. She has a dislocated ankle and has to hop around every where, it is really swollen and painful.
Her uncle came over and didn't even know she was hurt or that her brother was in the hospital. He lives nearby, but doesn't care about the children at all. He only came over because he saw white people. He wanted to see if we would give her anything that he could rob her of later. That really boiled my blood.
Before we left, I had the opportunity to pray for Zephorah. I got to sit on the ground, hold her ankle, massage her foot, and pray for her. As I was praying, I started to cry. I just couldn't hold it in any longer. This poor beautiful girl has had a horrible life. It just seems like nothing is going right. Yet, she still chooses to follow God. Her life reminds me a lot of Job.
I wish I could say God healed her ankle, healed her brother, convicted her mom, and freed them from poverty…but I can't. Which I will freely admit, frustrated me a lot. Honestly, spending the entire day praying over broken people and not witnessing God show up on the spot, made me a little upset.
However, the fact that this precious girl can have hope in the midst of so much suffering, speak volumes to me. So, I will keep praying for Zephorah's family and every person I met in that village, with the faith that God is moving!
Oh, and we ended the day praying with a mother that accepted Christ into her life. As soon as we walked through the door, she told us that she needed Jesus and wanted to dedicate her family to serve Him. God had been convicting her for awhile and us showing up was the final thing she needed. It was one of the most beautiful moments on the race. Along with being a good reminder that I don't need to understand God's timing, I just need to trust that He is working.
"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him." -Isaiah 30:18
