After a long day working at a medical clinic in Kibera Slum (the largest slum in Nairobi and the second largest urban slum in Africa) for most of the day today, my team decided that we wanted some cheeseburgers. So off we go in search of some amazing “American” cheeseburgers and fries to satisfy ourselves. Along the way, as normally would happen when you’re a white girl in a foreign country, a young boy came up beside us and asked us if he could have some money for food. He was wearing very worn and filthy clothes and his arms were inside of his sleeves as if he was really cold and trying to keep himself warm. I sadly moved on ahead of him, secretly hoping that he would leave us alone so I wouldn’t have to feel guilty for not helping him, also wondering if it was some scam. But he kept on right behind us.
Deep down in my gut I knew that I needed to ask him if he would like to join us for dinner, but I kept moving along ignoring the thoughts in my head as we crossed the street to the other side. Ashley came up beside of me and I told her what was going through my head about the boy and she mentioned how she had the same idea. So we tried to wave the boy over who was standing on the other side of the road. He wasn’t paying attention though. Then Michelle came up behind us and mentioned that she had the same thoughts going on in her head as well. At this time we decided that we definitely needed to stop and wave the boy over until we caught his eye. He finally noticed and ran across the road to meet us.
His name is Daniel. He is 13 years old. Yes, he is a believer…woohoo! His parents are both dead and he lives with his cousin in Kibera Slum. He loves math (which I can relate to ;]) but his best subject is science, another one of my favorites. :] He loves watching soccer as we could tell as his eyes quite often drifted to the heated game playing on the nearby TV. And can I say that he is quite the young gentleman if I would say so myself.
We asked him if he would like to come with us to get a cheeseburger and he quickly agreed. After we ordered our food at the restaurant, we noticed that Daniel looked very cold and asked him if he had something to keep him warm back at home. He told us no. So Kelly and I took him inside the nearby store (much like a Walmart) to buy him a jacket. Sadly the smallest size they had was a men’s large, but we decided that he could and would grow into it very soon. It wasn’t the bike that he so badly wants–which I wished I could have bought him one after watching his face as we walked by the bikes sitting at the front of the store–but he was still quite happy that he now has a warm fleece to wear.
God gave me an opportunity to reach out to a little boy who just needed some loving. We were even able to send him away with leftovers from our meal. It’s a simple story of kindness. And it’s not one that I want to brag about. But it’s a simple story of how we have the opportunity to brighten someones day and possibly even give them a hope for the future.
