Roughin' It

Today was a hard day. Just being honest.

We arrived at Emmanuel School to meet up with some people before heading to a high school. We sipped on some Kenyan tea (tastes alot like chai tea) and then hopped back into our vans.

We drove into the heart of Kibera wher the pavement quickly dissolves into a muddy and sewage filled road. It is a road almost too narrow for one car but cars drive going in both directions.

We drove very slowly and were warned to refrain from using our cameras. If you know me you know that a little adventure makes me want to do something more, but I took their advice (for the most part) and left with only a couple pictures. None did the slums any justice. I think I would have to capture the smell, hostile stares, dogs eating out of the sewage, and men picking through a mound of trash to fully describe it. There was one point where we were on top of a hill. I glanced down and it was a sea of tin roofs.

Sad thing is... I was almost numb to it. I guess seeing such shocking things happen everyday made me numb. I remember the first day I was speechless. Today I carried on a conversation with my friends as if I were driving down College Street. I realized this when one of my friends pointed out how numb we've become on the way out of the slum. I'll return to that later.

Anyway... people were fingertips away from our vehicle. If they wanted they could have pulled the window open. It was somewhat frightening to be on a narrow road stuck in mud with no escape. At one point the driver got out to fix a hole in the road. That was the only second I really felt vulnerable with the car running and an unlocked driver's seat.

We are safe and protected. There was a shield around our vehicle. As close as the men came to our cars they never touched it.

The children in the area only know how to say "How are you"? If you can imagine little voices singing "how ah- yoo... how ar- yoo...how ah-yoo" (sorry folks... that's the best dialect I can do via computer). It was a relief to see many children and older women happy to see us drive through after all the stares we experienced.

We pulled up to the school. The gate opened. In the midst of the compact slum was a wide open field with three little school houses. I can fully understand why school is a refuge for them. They live in tight quarters and never get breathing room.

I played soccer. Woops... football. Let's just say Laurin vs. the Kenya World Cup Team was quite an experience. I would love to get better at this sport. It was quite funny though. At one point I blocked my friend Ian and got pegged in the shoulder with the ball.

Too bad Ian was on my team. Hey, it's the hustle that counts.

Needless to say I mysteriously disappeared into a huddle of teenage girls. That was definitely more of my element. I met a girl named Laureen. The kids pulled her to me after I told them my name was laurin. She is in 9th grade (they call it Form One). She told me she wasn't much of an "athletician" and that she loved art. I knew I liked that girl. We had more alike than I thought. Don't worry.. I got a picture with the only Laurin-ish named girl in Kenya.

I asked them about life and school and they also asked me about schools in the USA. They were fascinated and talked about how much they long to go there one day. They were beautiful in their mustard colored sweaters and their navy skirts with knee high socks.

I don't really want to write this part but I feel that it is important. A tiny boy that was probably five came up behind me and grabbed my rearend. I didn't think much of it at first because 5 year olds think everything is funny. Then I thought about where these children come from and what kind of fathers they have. Their fathers are often absent and their mothers do not show them love. Some of the children today did not know how to be held. They let their legs dangle as some of my team members picked them up. Where are the leaders? Where are the people that instill respect in their lives? It occured to me that their teachers were probably the only ones around to teach character. These teachers are incredible. They are loving and patient. They give everything they have and sacrifice a great deal to give these kids some hope.

I am so sorry I am jumping around on this blog. It's just how my brain works.

Today my teammate Christina was talking to some girls and they brought up rape. They told her that it was common to be raped because of their uniforms. You see, when they only have one uniform they have to use daily they must take it off to wash. Men see this and it leads to rape sometimes. Another girl on my team was asked if people in the US get raped and if the US had slums. WOW. Fifteen minutes after meeting us and they feel comfortable to discuss rape. Rape is a big deal. I can't emphasize that. Most of the women we've come in contact with have been raped. What if 7/10 of my friends back at home had been raped? These girls need help emotionally, medically, and socially. I have a place in my heart for the young girls (and any women) who are victims of this crime that sucks the life and innocence out of innocent people. This hit hard today. Very hard. It's not ok.

Also, many 14 and 15 year old girls last year asked the team if people in the United States also get periods. They thought it was just Africans. I am sorry this is so brutally open, but it is real. It is so real. I saw it all today. It isn't fair to you if I sugar coat the way these people are living.

I didn't know all of those details until our sharing time tonight. I still have a hard time processing it.

After spending break time with the school kids today they sang us a song and we went our separate ways. We went through the slums again to finish painting the Mercy Medical Clinic from day one. Mrs. Winnie was so glad to see us come back and finish what we promised. We left Kibera at 4:30.

Dinner: I ate a burger. Well, part of it. Hey... that's a step! WOO HOO. Go meat! Still can't get that chicken out of my head. I think when I fly into Atlanta and see the Golden Arches and Chick Fil A cow that my anxieties will mysteriously vanish.

Almost everyone had a tough day today. I think we are tired. I also think we want so badly to help but we don't know exactly how in some situations. We all need rejuvenation tonight as we go to sleep and prayers that the devastation will not grow numb to us.

I think processing is going to take weeks...even months. We have been going non stop that it is hard to soak it all in at once.

For some comic relief I did my the world's ugliest pair of pajama pants yesterday. Just picture about 4 highlighters spilling on fabric in perfect vertical lines. The front side is orange. The back is purple. Barnum and Bailey: get ready.

Thank you friends and family for your prayers and for remembering us out here. Sometimes being in a different culture is thrilling. Other times it can be lonely and hard to take in (especially after seeing this today). I wouldn't say homesick though. I feel selfish being homesick. I am only homesick to get home in order to process and spend time with the Lord to listen to where I am called and how I am to serve. I do miss everyone though and am ready to get back to the things I have taken for granted.


Not going to lie... my selfish side is really yearning for some sushi, laundry detergent, Crest whitening strips (my teeth are turning yellow-er)... not like you really wanted to know that, and familiarity.

I need to quit rambling.

Today was hard. People shouldn't have to deal with these conditions everyday. THey do though.

It would be easy for them to be full of hate and bitterness. These kids have not one ounce of bitterness in their bones.

What is most inspiring is that they move forward and trust the Lord. Every song they sing is about their faith and hope. They do not dwell in their struggles but look forward to a new day and the fact that the Lord is refining them. I don't do that. I blame God. I forget Him. I sometimes act as if I can do it all on my own. Conviction of the day.

I want to be remembered as one who is obedient. If I am called to do something or go somewhere I want to obey. When I hear that voice I want to follow it. I normally sprint the other direction.

Prayer is most important. Prayer is strong, and they need it. They desperately need it. The only way, truth,life, hope, salvation, future, forgiveness,and wisdom comes from one place.

Things already better. Things already better. When the Lord is on the throne things already better.

Thanks for listening to me when I am dancing, crying, laughing, struggling, stumbling, and rejoicing. This is a "safari" in itself. I am glad that I have felt all the above.

pray for everyone on our team. I think we have all really learned a great deal about ourselves today.

Safari=journey