Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Hello there

I have never seen poverty like I did yesterday. Kipsongo is a slum outside of town that houses over 300 families. There is no way to describe what Kipsongo actually looks or feels like, but I can tell you that there is nothing like it where I come from. There is a bright spot of this slum, and that is the church. The pastor that runs the church in Kipsongo was born and raised in the slum, and now he has a heart for the children that live there. Like most of the children who live in the poorer areas of Kenya they are either raised by single parents or they are orphans. Everyday the pastor at the church in Kipsongo feeds all of the local children in the church. He is a good man, in an area filled with alcoholism and disease and poverty.

About two weeks ago we went to Purpose driven academy to do a street kid washing. We round up a bunch of street children and we provide soap and water for them to wash. The ages range from 3 to 19. There was a boy that was around 3 years old who came in for us to wash. He had a blank look on his face that I have never seen in a child. He never looked at me always through me. I fell in love with him and hung out with him all day. While we were waiting for everyone to be done, someone stole his shirt so I gave him mine. It looked like a dress on him, but it was better then him going back to the streets without a shirt. When all was said and done with the street washing I let him go back onto the streets and never thought that I would see him again. God has a way of working people back into your life. Yesterday, when we were at Kipsongo, I saw him again. He recognized me and I took him in my arms, and his face changed immediately. His whole attitude changed. I am not sure what God is trying to show me yet, but I know that there is a point for me running into him again. My skills in the realm of writing are not nearly good enough to describe my feelings about today but hopefully these pictures will help me explain.


Today was a nice day of rest. I woke up and did a little work with some video that I had shot, and then lounged around for a while. Steve and I went into town to get a couple things, and I said hi to the usual suspects in Giga-mart. I love walking around town and seeing people that I recognize, and shaking their hands. Tonight we went out to dinner at a resort here in town. It was interesting, if you want to find out more about that head over to Allison’s blog. I love this town.


We fed her.
This Little girl broke my heart.


Houses in Kipsongo.



These are the children in the church at Kipsongo.

Here is Derek and I.


Derek.


There we are again.

7 comments:

Margie said...

Hi Chris... How wonderful your experiences have been! Your life will never be the same as well as ours due to your wonderful writings and pictures. The difficult times we think we're having are laughable compared to the peoples' lives around you. We all know you will touch them in a positive way. You are a GIVER, not a TAKER.

We're all so proud of you, be safe sweetie. Margie

Mom said...

Hi My Son, once again I am so proud to call you my Son. Read your e mail I sent you I will communicate that way from now on.

Love You, Mom xoxoxoxo

Julie Hibbard said...

I have told the story of having to put Derek back on the street SO many times. This is when I was crying so deeply...and could not understand what we were seeing. Remember the kids at Deliverance were worried about ME crying??
I remember you putting your shirt on him, Chris. SO glad he is in your life. SO glad that he recognized you again. He is beautiful.
So is the other little girl. Heartbreaking for sure.
Thank God you are there to be the light in their life.
Praying for you.

dianasaur said...

chris, i am so proud of you sweetie, i love everything that you are doing for the children and the people of kenya. the last picture of you and derek has just become my desktop picture. it is absolutely the most attractive picture i have ever seen of you because i can clearly see the love God is giving to that child through you. it was incredible talking to you today and i hope that the remainder of your week is unbelievable!
i love you,
diana

Timothy David said...

That is where you belong. In a place aching for you to love it.

Bob Wohlers said...

Chris,
Great photos, especially the one of the kids in the church. The photo is wonderful and thought provoking at the same time. Photographically, the image is award winning; but that's not what make it special. It is special because of the kids.

Chris, have you heard or been exposed to Plumpy'nut while in Kenya? Plumpy'nut is a high protein and high energy peanut-based paste in a foil wrapper. It tastes slightly sweeter than peanut butter. It is categorized by the WHO (World Health Organization) as a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF).

Plumpy’nut requires no preparation or special supervision, making it easy to deploy in difficult conditions. Plumpy'nut is very difficult to over eat and keeps even after opening. It has a 2 year shelf life when unopened. The product was inspired by the popular Nutella spread. It is manufactured by Nutriset, a French company, that specializes in making food supplements for relief work in their factory near Rouen in northern France. The ingredients are: peanut paste, vegetable oil, milk powder, powdered sugar, vitamins and minerals, combined in a foil pouch. Each pack provides 500 Calories.

Plumpy'Nut contains vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, E and K, and minerals calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, iodine, sodium, and selenium; all essential elements for a healthy life.

Let me know...

LOVE YOU,
DAD

Michelle Hausz said...

Ok, I'm just reading this and crying. How do you not try to rescue all of them?! Thank you for continuing to share.