For me, our first week back in Kenya was what I like to call
the honeymoon phase. I was head-over-heals in love with everything here. The
things that after a few months can seem irritating don’t seem to bother me
during the honeymoon phase; instead they are comfortable and homey. The joy and
passion and excitement of being back overpower any adverse circumstance.
The down side about honeymoons is they don’t last forever;
eventually reality catches up to you. The reality that we stepped into here is
that families are struggling. Struggling to keep their kids in school,
struggling to have enough food to eat, struggling with illness, struggling with
their living conditions. Seeing someone that you love suffering breaks through
even the most wonderful honeymoon phase and can’t be ignored.
Hunger had become a big problem in our absence. The dry
season had come and crops have not been growing enough to feed the people we
love. What can we do? We are not here to be “just another hand out�, yet
self-sufficiency in the future seems pretty insignificant and irrelevant when
people are hungry and sick today.
1John 3:17 and 18 hit me hard. It says, “If anyone has
material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how
can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or
tongue but with ACTIONS and in truth.�
On Friday, we took Salome and her mother Elizabeth to see
the doctor. This little girl is very near and dear to my heart. Knowing that
there was something wrong with her heath was killing me inside and I had to do
something. I waited with Elizabeth and Salome for 6 hours before finally seeing
the doctor. (We had arrived at 4:20 in the afternoon and sat waiting until
after 10:30pm). I kept praying that it would all be worthwhile; that the doctor
would be able to help Salome get better. After a total of over 8 hours at the
hospital, we went home after midnight. We went back the next morning to get
Salome some medicine.
That morning I was overjoyed and my heart was filled with
delight. I witnessed Salome going from having been lethargic and sad (for
months) to seeing her smile and even sing! She had iron deficiency anemia and
was malnourished. I praise God it was nothing more serious, but then also realize
that without enough income to provide sufficient iron-rich food for Salome,
this is a serious problem.
Hunger is a serious problem; one that can’t wait months for
micro-business loans to create jobs and self-sustainability. Our friend Susan
came to us and her words hurt: “I’m hungry. Why don’t you love me?� Susan’s
plea (perhaps unknowingly) was a cry of 1John 3:17 and 18. Our team met and
prayed and decided to give each family 2 kilos of Ugail flour, 1 kilo of beans
and 1 kilo of cooking fat. The word the Lord spoke to me was “Jubilee�, an
exceptional celebration. So, the
honeymoon may be over, but we will continue to rejoice and praise the Lord in
all circumstances!
