Post-Trip

The flights were long, but eventually all of our bags arrived and we made it through customs and back into Boston.

Despite the fact that I am couch-surfing and living out of a suitcase (my lease ended right before I left for Africa) I feel like I'm living in a palace.  Running water, walls and ceilings that are not falling apart, the freedom to go wherever and whenever...  We have absolutely no concept of what hunger or poverty is here in America.

On our last day we visited Grace, a former staff member who used to do the cooking and cleaning, who is very sick.  Her health, praise the Lord, is improving!  Grace's house was a dusty brick building, roughly 10x10, with two rooms. There was dirt for a floor, a thin cloth to cover the open air window, and a metal roof with many cracks of light shining through.  One room had stacks of buckets around, cockroaches roaming, and seven us crowded close together to lift her up in prayer.  The next room had two beds and one shelf of pans.  Four generations live in this house.  Stray dogs and chickens roamed the front.  The front step looked something akin to an old feed sack filled with dirt.  It's one thing to hear about these conditions and another to see them. I wanted to take a picture, but felt too weird to even ask.  There is nothing desirable about these kinds of living conditions!

We weren't in town very much until the last few days.  Street boys would come and beg for money -- sometimes in Swahili and other times in broken English.  It wasn't uncommon for small groups of boys to crowd the car we were in, look in, and beg.  It's hard to believe that most of the boys on the compound lived like this -- covered in dirt and ripped up clothing, stealing and begging left and right.

It's hard to witness just how first world countries squander wealth and are often filled with depressed, wasteful, and unsatisfied people.  Yet, third world countries, even though the living conditions are horrible and food is not in abundance, have some of the most joyful people I have seen.  Do we not know what blessings we have?

Now, I hope you are thinking what can I do?  Well, first of all, do not be selfish and wasteful in your wealth whether you make $20k or $50k a year.  There are many organizations -- World Vision, Compassion International, Unicef, etc. -- out there for various countries (and for true impoverished Americans) to be involved in.  Take part in them!  Volunteer!  Give!  As I mentioned previously, we are working in setting up sponsorships for the children we worked with.  This is still in the works, but here is more information:

Here is an email from the President of Christ’s Hope USA, Dave Kase, further explaining what the CarePoints are beyond something that takes place afterschool: Many of the children are either orphaned or quite vulnerable. Many have been assisted to live with extended or foster families, rather than being shipped off to an orphanage. All are impoverished, but all are affected by AIDS in one form or another. Meals, paying school fees, tutoring, discipleship, healthcare and hygiene, etc are all part of the ministry CarePoint, as well as home monitoring…visiting the children at home and assessing their home condition.  I pray your team really are able to get to know these beautiful children at Mabatini well and have an impactful relationship with them.

Though it costs about $50 a month to pay for the children at the Mabatini CarePoint, Christ’s Hope will let you sponsor one for $38/month and the rest will be subsided (of course, if you feel you can pay more than $38, wonderful!  I've met these kids and they are amazing.  I wish I could sponsor all of them. I am fairly certain that you will also be encouraged to correspond through letters with your sponsored child as well.

And for my Christian brothers and sisters, please do not give because you feel guilty.  You should take part because you truly want to help these kids.  We are called to take care of our brothers and sisters around the world countless times in the Bible -- one is 1 John 3:17 “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”

Here are most of the kids from the Care Point.  I hope to have many pictures up soon with more commentary, but the bulk of them are currently on someone else's computer.