Never have I ever been part of a landslide, until Kajabe, Kenya. Never have I ever been in mud above my knees, until Kajabe, Kenya. Never have I ever cleared massive amount of mud and water from a home with a piece of board, until Kajabe, Kenya. Never have I ever seen a family lose two homes and all of their belongings with no money to spare, yet rejoice in the Lord, until Kajabe, Kenya. The story goes like this. Saturday morning, my mom and I woke up and thought that we were going to Turkana with our team to do ministry for the day. We found out after breakfast that the roads were impossible to travel on. Even the medical emergency vehicles coming to the hospital could not get through after 3 am the night before. Our group went into action. We were asked to walk up the mountainside road to help people move furniture or encourage the peoples whose belongings were destroyed. We ended up on the side of the mountain a few yards south of train tracks getting water out of a home that was a few feet deep and mucking mud out of the home and area. There were about 50 people who worked for three hours to clear the mud and area and build a trench to avoid further damage in the next rain. The son’s home was destroyed. The mud came so fast that it broke through his tin siding and turned his wooden bedframe into a pile of splintered rubbish under three feet of mud. The parents’ home was in severe danger of being crushed by train rails and mud at the slightest sign of another rainstorm. Rainstorms happen every night in Kenya, so the family had to be evacuated until the rainy season ends. Such a powerful morning cleaning up a disaster in the name of Jesus. We used wooden boards, paint cans and a few hoe’s to make the mud river diverted down the mountainside instead of into the home.
Two children died from a mud slide over top of a shack on the mountainside. The day was hard physically and emotionally, but it was really real. There were no people sitting around. The entire "city" and everyone from a 4 mile walking radius ran (literally) to help with disaster relief. The power of serving God is incredible. I didn't want to leave or to stop, but I praise the Lord we were in the area to help.
