Mathare

This has been long overdue, but I wanted to share my experience and feelings from my visit to the slums in Nairobi. The following is my journal entry from that night after visiting the Mathare slum and my thoughts after a few weeks of processing.

!! WARNING !! - the journal entry is long, so if you just want my reflections scroll down past the horizontal line. Or click here for the reflection

2009-06-17

Today we visited Mathare slums. I'm still processing alot of this and hope that journaling will help. God, please help me understand. We had armed guards with each team, not so much for to make us feel more secure, but because the church wanted to be sure - just to be sure. It was a great thought, but at no time did I feel unsafe. The Mathare slum is named for the Mathare river that runs through the middle of the slum valley. There is a hierarchy in the valley - the lower toward the river you are, the worse off you are. Gravity still applies in the slums, and the shit does indeed roll down hill. (the river also floods once a year)

As we descended down into the slum, led by Pastor Gideon, it looked as I had prepared for. We walked on refuse instead of concrete, rocks, or even dirt. Homes were made out of mostly sheet metal. Some folks had shoes, but most did not. The smell is probably one of the things that will stick and remind me of my experience whenever something in the future smells similar. The fire smell, in particular. From burning stoves to random burning of garbage that has a particular smell. And, of course, the smell of crap that we were walking and slipping on from the rain the night before.

There were also some sights I did not expect to see. The various livestock. Chickens, turkeys, geese, pigs and goats. All of which I'm sure helped to add to the waste lining every "street" and walkway. The various shops. Slum grocery stores, slum food markets, slum restaurants, and even slum motels. As well as a whole slew of primary school rooms full of uniformed students eagerly learning. These all added up to a community - just as diverse or complete as Greenwich Village, Beverly Hills or Castle Rock, CO - different, but a community none the less.

We visited five different families that the local church is helping. All mothers/grandmothers were infected with HIV/AIDS and were caring for multiple children. They live in various configurations of one room houses. About twelve by twelve feet was the norm. A couch or two. A sheet separating the beds from the rest of the space. A cooking area with a small pot/burner combination. Maybe one light bulb and a radio/TV.

Most of the people rent their homes month to month. Some own their homes. The ones that rent have trouble doing so. Homes are usually one mother or grandmother caring for the kids left behind when their child has died - usually from the effects of HIV/AIDS. That caretaker might have a business selling produce or washing clothes, but it is usually only enough to buy food and maybe pay for rent or school fees. Fathers are scarce, and if they do help provide, they are away from five in the morning to past eight at night if they are lucky to have been employed that day. School, food and housing - things that most of the world take for granted - are the big three needs these people face every day of their lives.

The fact that some do own their homes brought something else to light for me. The ones that we met that did own do so because their parents owned it when they were moved to the Mathare Valley. This means that these folks were born into this life and will probably die in this life passing what they have onto their kids that were also born into this life. Not that I contemplated such things before my trip, but I had a different notion that these poor were like the street people in the U.S. Born into regular families and just had a rough patch of luck. Squatting on the land that they occupy. I just was not ready for this reality. I know we have a cycle of poverty and generational poverty in the U.S. but not to this extreme.

This issue of ownership is about the only thing that differentiated the five households we saw today. And, to tell the truth, I felt relieved when I heard this twice today. See, if you rent and you fall behind on your rent the landlord will come remove your door until you pay. This is a frightening thought when you hear the stories of tribal conflict between areas of the slums. Or when you hear stories of little girls being raped because some tribal men believe that they can cure their AIDS disease by having sex with a virgin. If you still don't pay your rent the owner will come and remove sections of your roof until you pay. Another scary thought as those that are sick with AIDS are more susceptible to dying from the common cold virus.

When we asked what the local church, Fountain of Life (FOL), has meant to these few, they all responded similarly; that when needed, they help provide food, rent or school fees. Three things that, if taken care of, make for a content and happy family. These resources from the church do not come only if the person "joins" the church or even "joins" the faith. One of the other groups visited a man whose situation was similar to others. At the end of each visit, the visitors were able to ask questions to gain more insight and from his story it came out that this man was not a follower of Christ but had been receiving assistance from the church for some time. The church is now at capacity for the number of clients that they can serve - but they just see need, not additional numbers for their congregation. As it turns out, the group helped lead the man to Christ. He ended up joining them the remainder of the day and even helped another client with food that day and the next week as his business was one of buying and selling food. To me, this is a prime example of someone picking up the direction of God to "help the oppressed" and "defend the cause of the widow"

Just after our slum visit we all went to lunch in downtown Nairobi. It was a very nice place and you could tell we were dining with some of Nairobi's successful businessmen. I wonder what they thought of our shit covered shoes? I don't think it was purposeful by the team leaders to go to such a nice place right after our slum visit, but the contrast could not be more great. I had grilled talapia with fries, a coke, a chocolate brownie and a cappuccino. The price of which could have paid for rent, food and school fees for probably a week for one of the slum families we just visited. I even went further in my mind. How much could the $3200 I raised for this trip have provided the sixty families the church assists? How much could the other things I spend money on that I don't need but want go toward those much needier?

I don't think that's where I'm supposed to necessarily go with what I experienced today. To be honest, I don't really know what to do with all this new perspective. I do know that at dinner tonight it started to stir something in me that I'm hoping to flush out sooner than later. Again, I hope this journaling helps.

After dinner I was talking with Charles and just kind of going over "so, how did today go?" between us. And it hit me just like it's hitting me as I write this. The meal I just ate, some tortillas and ground beef served at the place we're staying - the meal that I really didn't think was all that great - in fact, I thought it kind of wanting ... this meal ... I didn't deserve it. I had eaten already at lunch. The families in the slums were far more deserving ... and why wasn't I demanding that we all stop eating and deliver, tonight, this ordinary meal to the hurting people we met today?!?!? ...

Righteous indignation - Rage - Sorrow. Probably not wrong feelings but not entirely productive. A need to sort these feelings out, that might be what's required right now.

Before embarking on this trip I asked God to use this journey, if for nothing else to change me. I hope and pray that that is where this is going.

Some observations so far:
- I need to be a better steward of the money and resources that God has given me
- Although I was shaken by what I experienced today, God did not wake up today, look at the Methare slum and go, "Whoa, what the...?" His story of love and redemption is not just my story but it is a story evident in those that live in the Methare slums and probably more so.
- I may forget the names of those that I visited today, but I hope not to forget the smells - and may those smells forever remind me of my experiences this trip.
- I can do more. And I hope God shows me how and continues to bless me so I may help bless others.


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Reflections

So, that's what I saw and felt that day. It took actually coming home to start figuring out what it meant for me - and it didn't take long to start. The first day back at work I had the usual suspects pop into my office and ask how the trip went. After telling one coworker what a life changing experience it was, she dove right in with a follow up question.

"So, I know that you went with your church - how do you reconcile what you saw with your faith?"

POW!! - there it was. No sugar coating. No beating around the bush. To me, she was basically asking the question - why do bad things happen to good people. And in the process, I was able to answer my own issue of how ticked off I was that day in Mathare about the un-fairness of it all. I hadn't done much processing or journaling about it, so I really believe I had some help from above to formulate my response.

For the recent past I believe that God has been revealing a couple of truths about His nature. Whether thru a bible teaching, reading, devotional or conversation with other people He has helped me polish a couple of truths in my world view. The first is that everything that God has ever done - creating the world, bringing leaders to power, allowing folks to have cancer, making it rain yesterday - all of these things are meant to bring glory to Him in some way or another. He created us to fellowship with and to bring Him glory. Also, God is the source of love. He IS love. And every thing he does for us he does because He loves us.

Now, these are a couple of ideas that I have heard all my life growing up in the church. Maybe it took me growing up to fully realize their impact, maybe it took me going halfway round the world for their meaning on me. Maybe a little bit of both.

Reflecting on my time with the families in the slums of Nairobi - in light of these truths - I realize that I saw God's nature in the slums in a tangible and personal way. I saw God being glorified by the work of those in the church of Africa fellowshiping and helping those in need. I experienced God's love by helping those that help others and listening to the stories told by the "least of these". I saw Hope in the faces of the mothers/grandmothers. I saw Joy in the faces of the children living in those conditions.

So, who am I to question what is fair or unfair when God's purpose is fulfilled. He is glorified and His love is experienced in the slums of Nairobi.

Simply Amazing!