Day 3 in Kenya
Ignorance is bliss. The next best thing is denial...at least until the numbing effect of escape wears off. I've managed much of my life with the tools of denial and escape because I've been convinced that the reality of pain is too difficult to handle.
As I sit here processing and struggling to formulate words I find myself looking for anything to distract me from the sorrow and guilt I feel from this pain caused by the poverty we've seen since arriving in Nairobi. And in this admission there emerges a great paradox - my sorrow and guilt colliding with the hope and joy of these Kenyan children and families. In their poverty they are experiencing abundance. In my abundance I am experiencing chaos. I'm ok with chaos as long as it leads away from escape and into a humble submission to the Lord and His desire for healing and hope.
Dakika Moja - Episode 3
Hope
Today we visited Susan, a 12 year old Compassion child, and her family in their home just outside of Nairobi. Susan was orphaned at a young age and fell into the care of her 66 year old grandmother, Eunice, who at the time was suffering from severe high blood pressure. Eunice's condition left her incapable of work and unable to provide for the family. Her parents dead, her grandmother out of work, and basic care seemingly out of reach, Susan's situation was deemed "Highly Vulnerable" by the local Compassion Project.
Highly Vulnerable Children
Highly Vulnerable Children (HVC) are children that are either orphans, raised by single mothers, and/or have been affected by HIV/AIDS and require more provision beyond traditional child sponsorship. in the case of Susan and her family, the local Compassion Project provided cement floors for their home, money to cover education fees for the children, a water tank for their garden, and assistance in establishing Eunice's income generating initiative: selling clothes.
As we talked with the local Compassion team about Eunice's story they told us that they were amazed at how Eunice has been able to do so much with so little. With less than $50 in assistance from Compassion Eunice is leading her grandchildren out of poverty, and Susan is growing up as a young woman with the dream of one day becoming a doctor.
Ignore or Engage...why would I ignore a story that begins in pain when it has the potential of ending in hope? Ignorance is not bliss. It's shortsided foolishness, and it trades the beauty of long term healing for immediate escape and empty gratification. I want to choose the former over the latter.
I will engage in hope...
Will you engage with me? Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion...click here
Eunice and her grandaughters, Susan, & Vivian
CLICK HERE for more pictures from today...
Today a minority physical therapist asked me, a hospital volunteer, to clean up a mat where a no-contact patient had just been. This patient had an antibiotic resistant bacterial infection that he probably contracted from incompetant hospital staff. She was not supposed to ask me to do that, nor did I find out til later. This made me angry a good bit of the day since I think it was intentional. In the end I have compassion and want to make the hospital a better place. I’m writing to tell you this is common in the South. Money and a good job doesn’t save people or make the world a better place. All good things come from God. Jesus makes people better and improves lives. Eternally appearance, health, jobs, these things do not matter. Real compassion is sharing Jesus.
Comment by Jennifer Johnson - Mar 05, 2010 @ 05:44 PM
Hey LV- I follow MckMamma’s website (Jennifer) and was so excited to see you in her pictures from Kenya. I don’t know if you remember me, I worked at Injoy with you for a while a few years ago and after my daughter was stillborn you wrote me a beautiful email about your father passing away. Thanks for reaching out to me in compassion when I really needed it, you have a big heart. Tonight I said a prayer for you, for your team and for all of those beautiful children. Hope all is well.
Comment by heather hanson - Mar 05, 2010 @ 08:48 PM
Thank you for writing Jennifer. The beauty of what Compassion does is in their commitment to work through the local church. Everything they do elevates the church and gives consistent opportunities to hear the gospel and experience the truth of what you said, “real compassion is sharing Jesus.”
Comment by LV Hanson - Mar 05, 2010 @ 08:57 PM
“I will engage in hope…” Great line! It really is a decision, isn’t it. I spent too much of my life just not caring. I started praying a scary prayer a few years ago, ‘Lord break my heart for the things that break your heart.’ Now my heart gets ripped out all the time. It was definitely easier to just not care, but there was such a huge part of God that I didn’t even know. Thanks for ripping your heart out for this blog audience. I look forward to your posts every day.
Comment by Steve Jones - Mar 06, 2010 @ 09:09 AM
Facing the glimpses of reality of life in Kenya and processing through your experiences takes a lot of strength and courage. Thanks for your transparency and for echoing the call that Christ gave for us to not be passive followers, but fully engaged in hope.
Comment by Anita Kim - Mar 06, 2010 @ 09:27 AM